"Volkmar...Just look at him. He never wavers and never yields. Some say he never even sleeps. Everything about him is bent to that one great task of holding back the darkness. He can't do it alone, but then again, he doesn't need to, for his sheer resolve inspires men like us to greatness."
- —Sir Albrecht Valdorf, Preceptor of the Righteous Lance[1a]
Volkmar the Grim, the spiritual leader of the Empire of Man as the current Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar.
Volkmar the Grim, born Volkmar von Hindenstern, is a zealous Warrior Priest of Sigmar, the current Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, an Elector of the Empire of Man, and one of the most powerful Imperial religious leaders. He chose the epithet "the Grim" for himself, which means harsh and unyielding in the Dwarf tongue of Khazalid, a custom of naming that is common for the Grand Theogonists.[9a]
Quick Answers
What is Volkmar the Grim's real name?
What role does Volkmar the Grim play in the Cult of Sigmar?
Who is Sir Albrecht Valdorf in relation to Volkmar the Grim?
What is the significance of the title 'Grand Theogonist' for Volkmar the Grim?
How does Volkmar the Grim inspire other characters like Sir Albrecht Valdorf?
History
Origins
Volkmar the Grim can wield the Divine Magic of Sigmar.
Some of Volkmar's most fanatical supporters whisper that perhaps, long ago, Sigmar had an illegitimate child, and that Volkmar is the last scion of that bloodline -- a rumour that the Cult of Sigmar does little to dispel.[6] Something of the rumour turned out to be true, for Volkmar is indeed a scion of Sigmar himself.[13e]
During the Turmoil of 2512 IC Volkmar was the highest-ranked priest of the Cult of Sigmar in Altdorf, a position almost as highly regarded in the cult as an Arch Lector. He was an experienced Warrior Priest of Sigmar who had gained renown not only for his deep knowledge and devotion to Sigmarite doctrine, but also because he was an effective and inspiring commander on the battlefield. After the end of the conflict during which Grand Theogonist Yorri XV and Arch Lector Aglim were killed, Volkmar was elected as the new Grand Theogonist, and Johann Esmer raised as the Arch Lector of the East.
Martyrs of Taalford
In the year 2518 IC, the Chaos warhost of Grakthor Flameaxe was vanquished when Volkmar the Grim arrived with an army of ten thousand Flagellants. Riding atop the War Altar of Sigmar, the Grand Theogonist led them across the River Talabec, into the heart of the enemy force. The river ran red with the blood of the slain, and at battle's end, only a score of Flagellants, and Volkmar himself, were left standing.[1]
End Times
A Wall of Faith
The heraldry of the Cult of Sigmar Imperial army led by Volkmar the Grim as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.[8]
As the Twin Tailed Comet sped past the constellation of Kerr, the Slayer of Fiends, the Vampire Lord Mannfred von Carstein freed Sylvania from Imperial rule and cloaked the province in impenetrable darkness. Volkmar, overcome by righteous outrage and spurning cautious counsel, plunged headlong into Sylvania to confront the Vampire. He did not return, not because he had died, but because far worse things were planned for him.[13a]
In truth, the Grand Theogonist had been kidnapped by Mannfred von Carstein as part of a plan spanning lifetimes: the resurrection of the Liche Lord Nagash, the Great Necromancer. Volkmar's was one of nine bloodlines identified by an enciphered prophecy buried in the Books of Nagash and decrypted by the Vampire Lord over the decades. Amongst the nine godly vessels, Volkmar was one of the three greatest, next to the Fay Enchantress Morgiana and the Everchild Aliathra.[13b]
Volkmar, lured to Sylvania by pride and taken in battle during that arrogant invasion, was the last to be captured and symbolically most important. It was his blood that had completed the apostatic ritual which saw the twilight province turned into a sprawling fortress with walls of bone, transforming the very land he had sought to cleanse into the dark paradise it had become.[13b]
In the moment of Volkmar's capture however, the various icons Mannfred had bidden the Crypt Ghouls of Sylvania to bury deep underground, where they would not trouble the Undead, had been plucked from the dank soil by the sorcerous hand of Balthasar Gelt and set about Sylvania's bounds to form a Wall of Faith, one which neither Manfred nor any of his minions could breach.[13b]
Eventually the Liche Arkhan the Black would take his Undead forces across the one-way Wall of Faith into Sylvania and, after reaching an impasse in a magical duel, would cooperate with the Vampire Lord to recover the remaining artefacts of Nagash and resurrect the Great Necromancer. With the sacrifice of Lupio Blaze, Arkhan temporarily escaped Sylvania, and the two brought together all that was needed for Nagash's return.[13b]
Grim Defiance
Volkmar the Grim as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
The ritual began in an area of Sylvania known as the Nine Daemons, so-called for the nine great effigies bearing Daemonic visages that towered over the landscape. The blood of the slain Morgiana le Fay was drained into the great cauldron at the ritual circle's heart, and in the centre of the cauldron, ankle-deep in the Fay Enchantress' blood, stood the second sacrifice, Grand Theogonist Volkmar. Morikhane, the black armour of Nagash, was bound to his body by the same web of iron chains that held the old man upright.[13c]
Volkmar had been roused from his trance some hours before, for the ritual needed him to be awake and aware if it were to succeed. Yet, even now, the old priest did not give in to terror. Though weakened by months of torture and abuse, he swore and cursed at Arkhan, attempting time and again to call down the holy power of Sigmar to smite his captor. None of it worked. For now, at least, the apostatic enchantment still held true, and Volkmar's curses were naught to Arkhan but the droning of flies.[13c]
After disintegrating Eltharion the Grim, a general among the High Elf and Dwarf armies attempting to rescue Aliathra who had managed to breached the magical barrier around the ritual, Arkhan slit Aliathra's throat and her blood flowed into the cauldron, pooling with that of the Fay Enchantress. Arkhan then reverently took the Claw of Nagash from a casket at the cauldron's base, and intoned an enchantment causing the blood in the cauldron began to boil.[13d]
Arkhan denied Mannfred von Carstein's demand to be let past the ritual barrier, knowing full well the Vampire Lord would attempt to subvert it for his own ends, and in fact the Liche had prevented the Vampire from realising Aliathra had silently guided the Elves to their location, welcoming their presence to delay the forces of the von Carsteins. Heedless to Mannfred's protests, Arkhan finalised the death of another grim figure.[13d]
Resurrection of Nagash
"By his death, Volkmar paid for whatever errors of judgement he might have made. It does not please me to hear his name dishonoured in my presence."
Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim wielding the Staff of Commands as rendered for Total War: Warhammer.
Arkhan walked calmly to Volkmar's side. At his gesture, the web of chains binding the high priest shifted, raising the unconscious figure's forearm at right angles to his body. Bringing down his blade, Arkhan severed Volkmar's hand, and as the priest bellowed in pain from the sudden agony and his severed hand fell away into the cauldron, Arkhan wordlessly pressed the Claw of Nagash against Volkmar's gushing stump. The moment contact was made, the fingers of the mummified hand began to move as if testing their strength, raking at the air even after Arkhan released them.[13d]
Then, Arkhan intoned the arcane words of the ritual, and tendrils of Dark Magic burst from the Claw of Nagash. For a moment, they swayed back and forth through the air, like serpents seeking prey. Then they twisted back around and burrowed into the flesh around Volkmar's bloody wrist. The Sigmarite screamed and shook against his chains as Nagash's Claw bound itself to his own ravaged arm. Blood spurted as the tendrils of magic burrowed their way back outward. Lashing and flailing, they wound themselves around Volkmar's upper arm, then darted across to where Morikhane hung loose on the priest's spare frame.[13d]
Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim wielding the Staff of Commands as rendered for Total War: Warhammer.
From there, the tendrils grew in number and spread across the remainder of Volkmar's body, boring into his chest and limbs, and leaving a writhing mass of sinuous Dark Magic in their wake. Within moments, all that could be seen of the priest were bulging eyes and a mouth gaping in an agonised scream. Then the scream stopped as the tendrils wrapped themselves around Volkimar's head and forced their way down his throat. There was no longer any sign of Volkmar, just a pulsing mass of Dhar whose tendrils spread and expanded as they feasted on the cauldron's blood, thrashing and snapping the chains as they grew in mass.[13d]
By ritual's end, the magical barrier around the ritual site at last collapsed and the mass of magic dispersed like smoke on a breeze. When it cleared, there was no sign of Volkmar, nor the chains that had bound him. Now, a much larger and grander skeletal figure stood at the cauldron's now-dry heart, orbs of magic floating about him like will-o'-the-wisps. For a moment, the figure stood motionless and silent. Then, green witch-fires glimmered to life in his eyes. Arkhan prostrated himself, for the Liche Lord Nagash was risen once more.[13d]
Storm of Chaos
 |
Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.
|
Sigmarites' Assault
Volkmar the Grim, chained to the standard of Be'lakor's Daemonic legion after his defeat in the north.
At the start of the terrible Chaos invasion of the Old World remembered as the "Storm of Chaos," rumours of the thirteenth Everchosen Archaon's coronation were soon heard in the south, and news of this great threat came to the ears of Volkmar the Grim, the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar. A great Warrior Priest of Sigmar, Volkmar was also a talented leader and a canny strategist. The Grand Theogonist saw a chance to avert the coming invasion of the lands of Men. Heading north at the head of an army of devout Sigmarites, aided by the Elector Count of Talabheim and his army, Volkmar issued a challenge to Archaon to face him in single combat.[2]
Volkmar knew that Archaon could not ignore the challenge, for his position could only be maintained among the Warriors of Chaos with the fear and respect of his warriors. To show any kind of weakness would invite challenges to his power from within his own ranks. Thus Archaon met Volkmar's host across a blasted wasteland in the Troll Country north of Kislev. The two armies battled long, and borne upon his glowing War Altar of Sigmar, the Grand Theogonist charged the Everchosen of Chaos Undivided.[2]
Volkamer's bravery was unquestioned, but even with his faith in Sigmar, he could not best the raw power of Chaos that flowed through Archaon. Unleashing the energy of the Daemon U'zuhl embodied in the his blade the Slayer of Kings, Archaon slew Volkmar with a single stroke and smashed asunder the War Alter on which he stood. Though the forces of the Empire bravely battled on, they were no match for the fury of the affronted Chaos Lord. Archaon allowed them to retreat, knowing that their return in defeat would sow further discord and misery throughout the Empire.[2]
Volkmar's body was left amongst the many others on the unnamed battlefield, the news of his death greeted in Altdorf by the solemn tolling of bells and mournful prayers of the priesthood. A great warrior and leader had been taken from the Empire in its time of greatest need. Or so it seemed.[2]
Resurrection
Volkmar the Grim as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
It was in the cold, frozen lands north of Kislev that the Daemon Prince Be'lakor was drawn to a certain place, and upon arriving recognised it as the battlefield upon which Volkmar the Grim had faced down the Everchosen. Frozen corpses littered the bloodied field, half-eaten by crows and vermin. And in the midst of that deathly, immobile scene the first Daemon Prince spied the ruins of the Grand Theogonist's War Altar of Sigmar, its trapping broken and its images of Sigmar cast into the bloodied, frozen mud. Amongst the ruin of the battle chariot lay the body of Volkmar himself, frozen in his final agonising death-throes, a sparkling gash of blood across his chest, and the broken remnants of the jade griffon amulet lying at his feet.[2]
Sensing a means to assert his superiority over his rival Archaon, Be'lakor drew forth his most ancient magics and dragged the Grand Theogonist's soul back into his body. Pain flaring through him, Volkmar breathed again, and his eyelids fluttered open. Even the faith of the mighty Volkmar was sorely tested as he looked upon the terrifying apparition that stood before him. Be'lakor had the Grand Theogonist taken up and chained to the battle standard of his Daemonic legion, from where the agonised screams of the high priest could be heard, and his writhing body seen.[2]
Siege of Middenheim
When Be'lakor and his unholy Daemonic army marched upon Middenheim, they still carried Volkmar's tormented body upon their war-banner. The Imperial defenders were horrified, and terror began to visibly spread amongst their ranks. Hundreds of troops knelt and clawed at their eyes as the great, winged figure of Be'lakor rose into the air above his unnatural legion. Hope was not lost, however, for the knights of Bretonnia had witnessed the Dark Master's coming, and charged into his ranks.[3]
In the melee that followed, the Bretonnian king and his knights battled fiercely against the Daemonic host. Protected from the evil sorceries of the Daemon Prince by the enchantments of the Lady of the Lake, King Louen Leoncoeur engaged Be'lakor in single combat. As the Royarch of Bretonnia fought bravely against the Dark Master, an anguished cry was heard over the battlefield. Volkmar the Grim had ripped free of the chains binding him to Be'lakor's army standard, and laid about the surrounding Daemons with those self-same enchanted chains. Bloodied but unbowed, the injured Volkmar was carried free upon the back of Louen's Hippogryph and taken to the Temple of Shallya in Middenheim.[3]
After his defiance of Be'lakor and his rescue by King Louen, Volkmar was placed in the care of the priestesses of Shallya, the goddess of mercy and healing. His exertions on the battlefield had taken a toll on his near-crippled body, while his mind wandered between the real and the unreal, tortured by the suffering he had endured since his capture. The taint of Chaos was still strong and a constant guard stood at the Shallyan temple, protecting Volkmar from any danger while he drifted in and out of a fevered sleep.[3]
Manfred von Carstein Strikes
While Volkmar lay in Shallya's temple, the forces of Order, defiant to the last, managed to push back and defeat the hordes of Archaon. However, they had no time to celebrate this victory, for in that moment, the Vampire Lord Mannfred von Carstein turned his attention towards the weakened Empire. With the armies of Chaos crushed, Mannfred gathered his followers and summoned the deathly might of Sylvania, before leading them towards the already-shattered defences of Middenheim.[3]
As the frightened Imperial army of Emperor Karl Franz drew up at the foot of Middenheim's eastern causeway, a single figure rode out from the Undead lines. It was Mannfred himself, who slowly came forward on his steed and stopped a few dozen paces from where Karl Franz sat on his Griffon Deathclaw, flanked by Kurt Helborg and Ludwig Schwarzhelm. The Vampire's voice rose above the tumult of the storm:
"As my sire once called upon your ancestor, I shall call upon you. Surrender the city to me, and you shall be spared. Resist, and you shall all die."[3]
A solitary figure walked out from the Imperial regiments and confronted Mannfred. His bald head glistened in the light of the raging storm, his long moustache whipped across his cheeks in the howling wind. Arms crossed, a frown on his face, Volkmar the Grim stared into the eyes of the Vampire Lord.
"Nearly five hundred years ago, a man like me killed a monster like you. It can be done again."[3]
Mannfred considered his options and looked at the stern-faced Grand Theogonist. The Vampire remembered well the sight of Grand Theogonist Wilhelm III throwing himself off the walls of Altdorf with Vlad von Carstein during the First Vampire War and impaling both of them on the stakes below. He thought also of his lands and the encroaching army of the Chaos Lord Vardek Crom. With a snarl, Mannfred turned his nightmarish steed around and rode east, his deathly army following in his wake.[3]
As night fell, the fields and forests around Middenheim were quiet, almost silent. For the first time in nearly three months, the sound of war could not be heard...[3]
Aftermath
Even as the Storm of Chaos passed, a new danger rose up within the Empire -- schism. The recently elected Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, Johann Esmer, came to Middenheim. With Volkmar returned, but possibly cursed by the taint of Chaos that had been the source of his rebirth, there were calls for Esmer to stand down from his office. However, the current Grand Theogonist's supporters called for Volkmar to bless Esmer's appointment.[3]
Meanwhile, crazed Flagellants and battle-hungry Warrior Priests began to stir up trouble around Middenheim and called for Esmer to leave. In the midst of this confusion, there was a growing voice among the priests of the Cult of Ulric for there to be reforms in the Electors, as ancient arguments began to resurface in the wake of the conflict.[3]
So it was that when Emperor Karl Franz consulted with his advisors, Volkmar was among them, helping to decide what to do in this new period of uncertainty.[3]
Personality
Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim is an unrelenting foe of Chaos.
To the common man, Volkmar the Grim is an exemplar of the Cult of Sigmar, a noble patriarch blessed by his warrior god and held in awe by soldier and priest alike. His stern visage, physical bulk and bombastic character form a bull of a man, a force of indomitable faith who lends limitless strength to the warriors he leads into battle. Certainly, the deference of those who flock around Volkmar reinforces this impression.[6]
Volkmar's supporters are mainly to be found amongst the rank and file of the Empire. His unflinching bravery and commitment have won him the admiration and respect of much of the Imperial Army, who would follow the old man into the jaws of the netherworld if he asked it of them. To the common people, Volkmar is a hero cast in the mould of the ancient kings, the spiritual successor of the Heldenhammer himself, held in awe as a living legend by all those of Sigmarite creed.[6]
Only Volkmar's Arch Lectors know the truth about him. Behind closed doors, the Grand Theogonist's shoulders slump as he yields to the toll of grueling years in office. His body is scarred and burnt in a hundred places, and his bones have been broken and healed once too often, for he has battled long and hard against the Chaos-worshipers of the north.[1a][4][6][8]
Indeed, there has always been a darkness about Volkmar. Not for nothing is he known as "the Grim." Those who know him well however, such as Emperor Karl Franz, realise that this brooding nature is a fierce internal piety, frustration that Chaos still thrives and a grim determination to purge the Empire's foes. Volkmar is a pious and foreboding man who is utterly devoted to his faith in the destruction of Chaos in all its forms, everything about him bent to that one great task of holding back evil.[1a][4][6][8]
Though possessed of a warrior's soul, Volkmar is a wise man who knows that Chaos cannot be defeated with strength of arms alone. The Grand Theogonist is convinced that the answer to truly ending the threat that lies in the north lies buried within the archives of the Empire's vaults of ancient scrolls and holy scriptures.[1a]
For days at a time, the Grand Theogonist has locked himself in the secret repositories filled with the tomes of forbidden lore, in search of an answer to ending the dark menace of Chaos. Such a task is epic in the extreme and, so far, the Grand Theogonist has gathered together only a few fragments and scraps of pertinent knowledge. However, what Volkmar has learnt speaks of a great prophecy, a final battle between good and evil that will either see the threat of Chaos crushed forever, or the Empire -- and all of Mallus -- destroyed in a tide of flame and bloodshed.[1a]
Volkmar is one of Karl Franz's staunchest allies and a wise counsellor, yet despite being one of the sternest adherents of the Cult of Sigmar's teachings, political rivals and malicious rumour-mongers have, in recent years, cast doubts upon his devotion to the ideals of the Empire's warrior god. Many prominent politicians believe that the stubborn old priest is a nuisance and an impediment to the schemes of wiser men, his reputation has been blackened in Altdorf and beyond.[6]
Volkmar has never suffered fools well and has burned alliances and gained many opponents during Altdorf's courtly political games. He often refuses to waste time defending himself from vapid gossip, which has played into the hands of his political enemies at times, but nor is he idle. Volkmar is a man of deeds, not words, and prefers to let his actions speak for themselves. He is content simply to let his actions within his holy order and on the battlefield speak for themselves -- none who have witnessed Volkmar in battle ever have reason to doubt his devotion again.[1a][4][6]
Wargear
"The Daemons of Chaos can be likened to hungry and rabid wolves. The shepherd should not waste time hating the wolf that attacks his flock. He should simply kill it."
- —Volkmar the Grim, Grand Theogonist of Sigmar[5a]
Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim as portrayed in Total War: Warhammer.
Volkmar is a holy terror on the battlefield, a man who fights with the fury of Sigmar himself. He strikes the followers of Chaos down with powerful blows and words of divine force, his abilities in combat going beyond those of even his Arch Lectors. For him, combat is simply second nature, practice having made him a perfect warrior, his battle prayers brought to bear with a speed unlike any other. He has achieved exalted status in combat, as for him battle is as instinctive as drawing breath.[1a][8]
It is said that Volkmar's soul was forged of steel, and he fights the malign influence of Chaos with every fibre of his being. Indeed, Volkmar is nothing less than a demigod, a being whose power lays only scantly concealed beneath a thin veil of flesh. He is a man of Sigmar's own bloodline, surrounded by an undeniable aura of divine power magnified by the artefacts bestowed upon him by the Cult of Sigmar.[1a][6][8][13b][13e]
And though Volkmar's agents are mere mortal men, his presence and arsenal make it seem questionable if all the horrors of the mortal world can kill mere mortals. He bestows the common folk under him with blessed bullets, able to harm those beings unphased by physical weaponry, flames of conviction with which to burn away the darkness, and other blessed tools of absolution and implements of holy war. But even without such instruments, the forces of the Grand Theogonist are ones to be reckoned with.[8]
For those who choose the vile path of heresy, no mercy can be expected of Volkmar's agents. His host is not, as a whole, dissimilar to Flagellants, focusing on the brutal, bloody task at hand by undergoing frenzied beatings before the battle, then charging headlong into the fray, allowing nothing to obstruct them. They fight with the strength of the repentant, of those who stand ready to embrace death and face the End Times themselves.[8]
Volkmar's warship Heldenhammer
- Jade Griffon - This talisman is carved from enchanted jade and is said to have been blessed by Emperor Magnus the Pious himself. The Jade Griffon hangs upon the Grand Theogonist's chest, glowing with an eerie, green inner light that suffuses Volkmar with unnatural regenerative powers.[1a][8]
- Staff of Commands - This staff is the Grand Theogonist's badge of office. It is imbued with the right to lead, so that power and authority pervades its holder. It draws power from the War Altar of Sigmar and channels it into the Grand Theogonist's ageing limbs, suffusing him with strength and vigour.[1a][8]
- War Altar of Sigmar - When the Grand Theogonist accompanies an army into battle, he typically rides atop the resplendent War Altar of Sigmar, inspiring the soldiers around him to great acts of heroism. The altar prominently features a noble Griffon bearing Ghal Maraz, Sigmar's famed warhammer and the emblem of Imperial unity and strength.[4]
- Heldenhammer - The lavish Heldenhammer was the greatest warship of the Imperial Navy. It was stolen from the Grand Theogonist by Jaego Roth, after Volkmar's refusal to help what would become known as the Grand Alliance, a great fleet raised with the sole aim of bringing down the Vampire pirate Count Noctilus once and for all.[7a]
Miniatures
Videos
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 59
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Storm of Chaos (6th Edition)
- 3: Storm of Chaos - The Loremaster's Journal
- 4: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
- 5: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)
- 5a: pg. 20
- 6: Sigmar's Blood' (Supplement)
- 7: Dreadfleet
- 7a: pp. 45-47
- 8: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 9: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation (RPG)
- 9a: pg. 57
- 10: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (4th Edition)
- 10a: pg. 69
- 11: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (6th Edition)
- 12: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (7th Edition)
- 12a: pp. 60-61
- 13: The End Times Volume I - Nagash (8th Edition)
- 14: Liber Chaotica (Background Book)
- 15: Warhammer Armies: Chaos (4th Edition)
- 16: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Flames Companion (RPG)