"With the thunder of hooves and the turning of our steel-shod wheels. we are death upon the wind. With bow in hand, ours is a vengeance rained down from afar, we are death upon the wind. With tall spears held out to our foe's throat, cold fury guiding our aim, we are death upon the wind."
- —The Battle Hymn of Tiranoc[5a]
Tiranoc, formally the Kingdom of Tiranoc, is the westernmost of Ulthuan's ten High Elf kingdoms.[1a]
History[]
Once Tiranoc was the fairest of the High Elf lands of Ulthuan, where majestic snow-capped peaks towered over sweeping flower-strewn plains. Its people were great sailors who colonised many lands to the west. Wealth flowed from these colonies: gold to gild the capital city of Tor Anroc's spires, silver to be wrought into the bodywork of chariots, furs for winter wear and medicinal herbs to cure the sick. The Charioteers of Tiranoc, famed throughout the land for their skill and daring, raced between their white marble cities. The folk were content and peaceful, and their lives golden. But this time of happiness was to pass.[1b]
In the dark time of the Sundering, when the Dark Elves broke with the people of Ulthuan and waged savage war upon them, Tiranoc suffered grievously. At the climax of the war, Dark Elf sorceries and High Elf counterspells clashed with such force that the whole of Ulthuan was devastated. Tiranoc was flooded by the sea and disappeared almost completely, leaving only a fraction of the once-great kingdom above the Great Ocean, with its beautiful cities tumbled to ruin, or else swept beneath the seas.[1b] Indeed, only the mountains and the bleak haunches of land huddled at their feet remain above the water. Navigating so close to the shore now proves dangerous to naval vessels, for the surface of Tiranoc rises with great heaves that throw up bleak islands which sink just as quickly as they breached the surface.[3a]
In the wake of the Sundering, Tiranoc's survivors swore to rebuild their kingdom to its former glory. Over the millennia they have achieved much, and there are once more prosperous cities in the realm -- nonetheless, it is a rare heart in Tiranoc that does not know bitterness. Thus, whenever the Dark Elves invade Ulthuan, it is the armies of Tiranoc which are the first to take up arms. Such battles are vicious beyond measure, for the prospect of retribution lends strength and resolve sufficient to overcome any foe.[1b]
Originally, this coastal realm had broad expanses of sandy beach and rolling downlands, rising suddenly into snowcapped peaks. Of all the realms of Ulthuan it was the most wealthy and most densely populated. The warriors followed a very ancient tradition of fighting from chariots as suited the landscape.[2a]
Forces of Tiranoc[]
The island-continent of Ulthuan, homeland of the High Elves. The Kingdom of Tiranoc is located on the western coast.
Originally, this coastal realm had broad expanses of sandy beach and rolling downlands, rising suddenly into snowcapped peaks. Of all the realms of Ulthuan it was the most wealthy and most densely populated. The warriors followed a very ancient tradition of fighting from chariots as suited the landscape. During the Sundering Tiranoc was flooded by the sea and disappeared almost completely. The coastal cities were overwhelmed and their mercantile descendants survive today only in far-flung colonies. Inland, on the lower slopes of the mountains, the warriors cling to their age-old tradition as charioteers of great skill.[2a]
Though a much reduced land, the Tiranocii are an adventerous race, proud of their fighting traditions and deeply embittered by the wars that have ravaged their realm. Tiranoc nobles still fight from swift chariots, just as their forefathers did in the days of Aenarion. When Dark Elf armies thrust southwards through Tiranoc they are harried by charioteers and denied the chance to forage and gather supplies. Many a Dark Elf raiding force has been hounded into extinction by the brave warriors of Tiranoc.[2b]
Tiranoc traditionally fields fewer Silver Helms than other Kingdoms - there are very few nobles within that land who would not rather see battle from the deck of a swift-moving chariot. Indeed, for a noble of Tiranoc to make war as a cavalryman is often taken as proof that his family has fallen upon hard times, and can no longer afford the expense of maintaining a chariot and all its trappings.[4b]
The wings of the sea hawk are common emblems in Tiranoc, for the nobles ever aspire to imitate the creature's merciless grace.[4a] The rays of the sun represent hope, and are borne not only on Tiranoc chariots, but often also upon the helms of the nobles that crew them.[4b] The five-spoked wheel of fate is a common feature on the heraldry of Tiranoc. It evokes not only the realm's swift chariots, but also its people's belief that one day the injustices heaped upon their fair land will be avenged. White falcons are also common symbols, and signify freedom. Many of Tiranoc's warriors have seen service on the Eagle Gate, and bear its symbol on their shields.[4c]
Notable Locations[]
- Fallow Marsh[1a]
- Night Wood[1a]
- Tor Sethai - City[1a]
- Salvation Isles[1a]
- Wheeled March[1a]
- Whitepeak - Fortress[1a]
Notable Tiranocii[]
- Bel Shanaar - Bel Shanaar the Explorer was the second Phoenix King of Ulthuan, who succeeded Aenarion the Defender.
- Eldyra - Eldyra is a High Elf princess from Tiranoc and is the personal squire of Prince Tyrion.
- Savan - Savan of Tiranoc was one of the few pupils of the High Elf Archmage Caledor Dragontamer not to perish during the creation of the Great Vortex. It was he, more than any other, who ensured that Ulthuan's legacy of magic was not lost with Caledor, for he undertook the tutelage of many students in the decades following his master's sacrifice.
Trivia[]
Tiranoc's name was likely derived from Tír na nÓg, a location in Celtic mythology that was considered the Otherworld, the realm of spirits and deities.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (5th Edition)
- 3: Defenders of Ulthuan (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- 3a: Ch. 2
- 4: Uniforms & Heraldry of the High Elves (Background Book)
- 5: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (7th Edition)
- 5a: pg. 56
Gallery[]
