"There is only one war -- the war against Chaos -- and it has been waged by gods and titans for innumerable aeons. You are the latest footsoldier spawned for this conflict. You are a lesser footnote in the Great Plan, and that is a more prestigious honour than you will ever comprehend."
A Human Oracle of the Old Ones who believes she serves Sigmar.
An Oracle is a member of any of the mortal races of the Known World who is still able to discern, knowingly or not, the intentions of the ancient race of the Old Ones who reshaped the planet of Mallus and uplifted most of its dominant mortal species to self-awareness as part of their Great Plan.
Before the cleaving of continents, before the Great Catastrophe that led to the coming of Chaos into the world, there were the Old Ones. These ancient god-like beings uplifted the genetic ancestors of Men, Elves, and Dwarfs into their current sapient forms and set the fundamental natural laws of the Known World into place.[1a]
In all places where Chaos does not hold sway, the will of the Old Ones is still extant to this day, though few have the capacity to perceive their magical influence. Outside of the Lizardmen, only a few individuals among the other mortal races are attuned to the Old Ones' directions, and not all of them accept their calling. Those who do are known as Oracles.[1a]
Role[]
"For the glory of the twin-tailed comet!"
- —Battlecry of Amalda Forktongue, devotee of Sigmar and unwitting Oracle of the Old Ones
An Oracle's visions direct them to places where the Great Plan of the Old Ones is under threat. They may be drawn to sacred places where protective magic has been disturbed, or an artefact of essential significance has been stolen. Sometimes they are simply led to sites of Chaos worship, the ultimate enemy of everything the Old Ones constructed. The guidance of the Old Ones is rarely explicit, and is prone to misinterpretation. Oracles try to compensate by searching for evidence of the Old Ones' intentions all around them. The movement of trees, the turning of weather, perhaps even the shifting Winds of Magic -- all provide hints of where their destiny leads.[1b]
Few Oracles understand the source of their visions in anything but the vaguest terms. Most believe they are being guided by their own culture's deities, or the faceless hand of fate. Anyone who persists in attempting to communicate with the Old Ones directly is driven insane by the experience. This may be because the alien omnipotence of their kind is fundamentally incompatible with mortal comprehension...or perhaps because the Old Ones have been so thoroughly supplanted by the Ruinous Powers that truthseekers are liable to go mad from the revelation.[1b]
Eyes of the Ancients[]
No one is sure how the representatives of the Old Ones among the mortal races are chosen, assuming it is not simply an accident of birth. It has been noted that a disproportionate number of them emerge from rural communities, where the call of the natural world is still strong and unsilenced. By adulthood, though, most visionaries have left their homes behind, as they are drawn to places of power expressed in their lucid dreams. Here, they are "awakened," magically imbued with a fraction of the truth regarding their purpose. If they accept this duty, they become true Oracles -- and their journey is only just beginning.[1b]
Most Oracles are not spellcasters themselves, merely arcane vessels through which the Old Ones exert their will. They may perceive traces of magical influence, or locate mystical artefacts using divining rods, but do not conjure magical power of their own. However, an Oracle who succeeds and understands their place in the universe may unlock the potential within themself, and become a powerful wizard in their own right. This enlightenment may be found in the constellations above, or in the primaeval origins of the practitioner's own lizard brain.[1b]
The pre-eminent non-Lizardmen devotees of the Old Ones are the Truthsayers of Albion. The first of these druidic disciples were taught by the Old Ones directly, and their order has preserved this sacred knowledge through oral histories ever since. The protective aura of Albion's Ogham Stones is maintained by the Truthsayers, as are other locations key to preserving the Geomantic Web. An Oracle may learn their craft directly under a Truthsayer's tutelage, or from plaques retrieved in Lizardmen temple-cities that appear incomprehensible to others. It is speculated that some Oracles may even be "awoken" by the direct telepathic manipulation of the Slann, a dire prospect that suggests an Oracle's will may not be their own.[1b]
Oracles in Lustria[]
Most Oracles in Lustria are Skinks -- specially-spawned individuals with forked tails, destined to serve as the eyes and ears of the Slann beyond the temple-cities. Yet warm-blooded Oracles feel drawn to Lustria too. Nowhere in the Old World possesses such a precious collection of artefacts, monuments, or access points to the Geomantic Web.[1b]
Oracles born on distant shores among Men, Elves and Dwarfs commonly volunteer to join a voyage to the New World, claiming a lust for gold or glory rather than admitting the disturbing truth. Others are fugitives from the Empire's witch hunters, who show little tolerance for unlicensed spellcasters or servants of an alien deity.[1b]
The caves of Lustria are the native habitat of the Troglodon, a hissing, spitting, pale-skinned monster commonly considered to be untameable. Yet Skink Oracles have been known to calm a Troglodon with a gesture, even taking the creatures as steeds. It is said the first Troglodons were conceived as tracking beasts for the Old Ones and will instinctively serve sentients bound to the same destiny. Of course, not all warm-blooded Oracles are in a rush to test this theory.[1b]