"Woe, O world! The Age of Mortals is coming to an end. Time passes into oblivion, and the stars lapse in the sky. The dreadful breed of night is crawling out of darkness, to take possession of the world. Fools! Seek refuge in faith or madness, for there's no longer any other place to hide. The Reign of Chaos has begun!"
The Warriors of Chaos,[1a] also known as the Hordes of Chaos, the Followers of Chaos,[1e] the forces of Chaos Undivided, the forces of Chaos, the Northern Barbarians or simply just the Northmen,[3b] are the names given to a race of savage, warlike tribes of Human barbarians that occupy the harsh and unforgiving lands of the uppermost north of the mortal world, known in the lands of the Old World as the dreaded Northern Wastes. It is there that the mortal plane mingles with the hellscape of the Realm of Chaos.[1h][6b]
The northern barbarians are considered by the civilised peoples to be the enemies of all the Known World, whose unwavering worship of the uncaring and sadistic pantheon of the major Chaos Gods has given them a single, driving motive to usher in the inevitable downfall of all mortal-kind into their hellish enslavement and ultimate extinction.[6a] Out of all the many threats that the Old World must face, none strikes such fear and misery into the hearts of Men like the Followers of Chaos. Slaves to darkness all, they have given themselves wholly to the Ruinous Powers, some willingly, others because they felt they had no other choice.[7a]
Chaos itself is a corrupting influence upon the world, like a dark, malign cancer that eats at the minds of all those that live within the boundaries of the Known World. No single mortal race, no matter how noble or powerful, will ever be safe from their barbaric invasions, nor are they safe from the seductive whispers of the Dark Gods. However, out of all the mortal races that Chaos has corrupted over the centuries, perhaps the greatest and most numerous of their followers are those of Mankind.[6a]
The race of Men is a paradox upon the world, for although they are considered the world's greatest defenders against the darkness that is Chaos, they also number among Chaos' greatest and most numerous servants. The corruption of Chaos runs deep within the blood of Men, and its influence upon Human history has literally shaped the founding of entire nations.[6a]
From the Northern Wastes, armies in service to the Dark Gods would attack the southern lands time and again, slaughtering without reason, pillaging that which is not nailed down, and just simply wreaking wanton destruction to the kingdoms of the Old World. No matter how many of these marauders are killed, no matter how many invasions are pushed back and enemy armies annihilated, the Hordes of Chaos can never truly be defeated, and after a few years of relative peace, they shall once more come down south and begin the vicious cycle once again. So long as there is still Chaos within this world, there will also be those evil and greedy Men that are wholly willing to serve them.[6a]
History
"What makes them so dangerous is that they truly believe in the things they say they believe; that they are the chosen warriors of an ancient power whose sole purpose is to destroy any who oppose it. Such men cannot be reasoned with, for their every belief is enslaved to the idea that the destruction of our world is their sacred duty."
Origins
The origins of the Warriors of Chaos can be tied to the origins of both Chaos and Humanity itself. Long before the coming of Men upon the fertile lands of the Old World, the mortal world was originally a lush paradise guarded by the powerful, alien beings known only as the Old Ones. These intelligent and benevolent entities originally had a purpose for this world's creation, and went about drawing it closer to its sun and seeding the earth with the first forms of life. However, a catastrophic event had occurred at an unknown point in time that has since cursed the Known World to its inevitable damnation.[1b]
Then a great calamity befell the Known World. Something glorious, wonderful, and powerful died, and when it did, the great polar Warp Gates, once marvels of technology and magical artifice, collapsed, and with it, the raw stuff of Chaos -- magical energy in its purest form -- flowed like a river upon the harsh lifeless lands of what became the Northern and Southern Chaos Wastes.[1b]
Boiling out from the wound within reality itself were the Daemons of Chaos and their warping powers of magic. The effects of the Polar Gates' destruction created all manner of abominations, and from these abominations came the first incursion of Chaos into the mortal world, remembered as the Great Catastrophe. Since those ancient times, Chaos has corrupted all those that would dwell so near to the north, and whose influence on Mankind will forever plague their history till the end of time itself.[1b]
No one now knows when Humanity first entered the Old World or from whence they truly came, though the most ancient records of the Dwarfs record the steady movement of Men over the Worlds Edge Mountains over a period of several centuries, sometimes fleeing more powerful tribes of Men, other times fleeing the rampaging hordes of Greenskins. Other sources say that Humanity spread north from the southern continents, and established their first true communities along the coast of the Tilean Sea and the Black Gulf. Some of these tribes migrated so far afield that they even colonised the territories of what is today the Dark Lands and the rolling plains of the Eastern Steppes, a frigid land bordering closely to the Northern Wastes.[1b]
And though Chaos wended its ways into the hearts and minds of these people, and launched attacks from the swirling regions in the north, it was limited in its hold on Mankind. Throughout the millennia, Chaos would produce Daemons and let them loose, but these creatures were not of this world and could not venture too far south. The corruption of warpstone deposits and the lashing Winds of Magic created herds of Beastmen to inhabit the dim places, but still Chaos could not thrive within a world still filled with hope and peace, for without mortals to fear and worship them, they could not sustain their will. It was then, however, that one of the first true followers of Chaos was born unto this world.[1b]
A savage primitive from an unknown land, Be'lakor is remembered as the first mortal to give his soul to the Ruinous Powers. A powerful warrior and stalwart Chaos Champion, the Dark Gods favoured him the most, luring him north to the Chaos Wastes, where he penetrated deeper and deeper into this bleak land until he came face-to-face with the maddening Realm of Chaos itself. The Dark Gods rewarded his courage by destroying his mortal shell and recreating him in their image: that of the very first Daemon Prince, in this case of Chaos Undivided.[1b]
In this new form, Be'lakor was a terrible force. He stood at the heads of his Daemonic and mortal legions, destroying any and all who crossed his path, attracting mortals from all over to join his legions. In time, he was worshipped as a god himself. But, as his power and influence grew, so too did his pride. It was in his arrogance and his belief that he was equal to the greater Chaos Gods that spelled his downfall.
The four Ruinous Powers cast him low, and Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, cursed him, transforming him from a demigod into a confused and crazed disembodied spirit that would ever-after exemplify Chaos. He became the "Harbinger," "He Who Crowns Conquerors." But he would never again himself champion the cause of Chaos. He would for all time be but a servant and thrall to those mortals who attracted the attention of all the Ruinous Powers and became their greatest champion, tasked with the destruction of the mortal world -- their Everchosen.[1b]
Ever since then, the shadow of Chaos has spread far into the northern lands of the Known World. Those Human tribes that cling to its borders were soon corrupted by its influence. Some of these tribes tried to fight back against the darkness, for no sane Human being would so willingly give up their souls to damnation. However, the honeyed whispers of the Dark Gods swayed them to their service and destroyed those that still did not bend to their will. In time, the northern peoples of the Hung, Kurgan and Norscans were all swayed into eternal damnation.[1b]
Northmen
"Slumber now, child of mine, until they come with torch aflame. But do not run, your time has come, for the Men of the North make claim."
- —Children's Lullaby of Northern Kislev.[3c]
The "Northmen" or "Men of the North" is the term used in the southern lands to describe the barbaric tribes of Humans who inhabit the Chaos Wastes, Norsca and the Eastern Steppes.[3b]
They are indeed mortal Men, though far surpassing the people of the more civilised south in terms of strength and vigour. Living in the shadow of Chaos, the Norscans,[3d] the Kurgan,[3e] the Hung[3f], the Dorstan, the Tong, and many other tribes are born into the worship of the Chaos Gods, and few escape mutation in some shape or form. Amongst the southern peoples, the Men of the North are commonly termed as "marauders",[1p] for such activity is what they do when they take to their longships and travel to the coasts of the Empire and beyond.[1h][1b]
In the very distant past, most if not all of the Northmen's ancestors were descended from Men who ventured northward during Humanity's earlier migration across the Old World. Whilst the more "civilised" tribes colonised the lands of Tilea, Estalia, the Empire and the Border Princes, some of these tribes continued northward until they reached the frozen tundras that separate the rolling plains of the Eastern Steppes from the frozen wastelands of the Chaos Wastes.[3b]
Being in such close proximity to the northern Warp Gate, it was inevitable that in time the Dark Gods began to slowly corrupt and enslave the minds of the northern Human tribes.[3b] Those that did not bend to the will of the Dark Gods have since fled southward, such as the people of the Gospodar and Ungol who founded Kislev, who themselves were once tribes living within the Eastern Steppes. Those that remained eventually grew ever-more warlike, forsaking the benefits of civilisation and instead transforming themselves into the ultimate warriors.[1h][1b]
The resulting centuries of Chaos influence eventually led to wide-spread mutation and social stagnation. While the people of the south developed into powerful, semi-unified kingdoms, the people of the north regressed to become primitive, often nomadic savages living within isolated tribes scattered all across the northlands.[3b][1h] However, the centuries of harsh living within an even harsher landscape has since bred the Northmen into unparalleled warriors,[3b] whose swollen frames and large statures have made them stand far taller then even the most powerfully-built southern warriors.[1h]
Norscans
"They come to claim, Child of Mine. They come to claim your life. With hearts of stone, And splintering bone, Their wake is deadly strife."
- —Children's Lullaby of Northern Kislev.[3c]
The Norscans, also called the Norse, are a race of powerfully built, hirsute and generally light-skinned Human barbarians from the frigid hellscape of Norsca. Long-haired and bearded, hefting mighty axes, clad in fur and steel, Norscans are the very epitome of the Warriors of Chaos. Seafarers of unmatched skill, the ferocity of their longship raids is felt as far abroad as Grand Cathay and the baleful dominions of the Witch King of the Dark Elves himself. Norscan reavers are also credited with the discovery of the New World and the jungle continent of Lustria, where they have often clashed with the Lizardmen for the glory of their Dark Gods.[3d]
The Norscans are the descendants of an ancient warrior race known as the Norsii,[5a] who are regarded in Imperial histories as the most brutal adversaries of Sigmar Heldenhammer. The Norsemen have continued their ancestral tradition of enmity with the Heldenhammer and his followers, having long hated the Empire for having resisted their forebears' invasions and robbing them of their conquests in the south.[5b]
With each brutal strike the Norse make against Sigmar's people, they repay the first emperor's heirs for their crimes against the peoples of the north and come one step closer to ushering in the final, glorious battle to end all things. The Norscans are also as much at war with their fellow Northmen, the Kurgan and Hung, as they are with the infidels to the south.[5b] Many a bloodthirsty raid have the Norscans made upon the horse-tribes to the east, seeking to repay the hordes for depredations committed against them.[3d]
Such is the Norscans' devotion to the Chaos Gods and skill at arms that it is from their ranks that the greatest Champions of Chaos usually rise. Indeed, even the thirteenth Everchosen, Archaon himself, is said to be of Norscan stock. Priding themselves on their physical strength and melee combat prowess above all else, and possessed of an unnatural psychotic bloodlust, the Norscans venerate the Blood God Khorne with the greatest fervour among all the Northmen tribes of Chaos.
Notable Norscan tribes include the following peoples:[3d]
- Aeslings
- Baersonlings
- Bjornlings
- Graelings
- Sarls
- Skaelings
- Sortsvinaer
- Vargs
Kurgan
"So sleep tonight, Child of Mine. For tomorrow morn, the sun won't shine. So stay aware, and offer prayer, for the Men of the North march time..."
The Kurgan are a race of copper-skinned nomads native to the Eastern Steppes north of the Dark Lands and Kislev and east of Norsca. The Kurgan are the most numerous of the tribes of the Northmen, highly nomadic and equally capable fighters and travellers on horseback and on foot. During major Chaos incursions, the Kurgan usually make up a fairly significant part of a Warriors of Chaos army and have been known to raid Kislev, the Empire, Norsca and other lands alike. They are feared as incredibly proficient and savage warriors.[3e]
Due to their mobility and nomadic lifestyle, the Kurgan are often the quickest to join a major Chaos incursion, usually as scouts and outriders. Even though they are fierce combatants in their own way, they truly excel at bowmanship and as skirmishing horse-archers.
The Kurgan also share blood relations with the northern Ungols and to a lesser extent, with the Gospodars. Indeed, the Gospodar were once a part of the Kurgan people before their exodus into the lands that became Kislev.
Notable Kurgan tribes include the following peoples:[3e]
- Avags
- Dolgan
- Draghars
- Gahhuks
- Gharhar
- Hastlings
- Khazags
- Kul
- Kvelligs
- Muhaks
- Tahmaks
- Tokmars
- Vaan
- Yusak
Hung
The Hung are a nomadic people comprised primarily of hunters and gatherers. They are a people of the Far East, shorter and squatter than the Men of Grand Cathay but otherwise resembling them. The Hung inhabit the areas to the north of Cathay in the Far East and Naggaroth in the New World.[3f]
Out of all the Northmen tribes living within the lands of the north, the Hung are perhaps the least well-known, for they have never been seen raiding the lands of the Old World. Instead, these marauding horsemen are only seen raiding the lands of Grand Cathay and those of Naggaroth. Perhaps out of all the Northmen tribes, the Hung are by-far the most uncivilised, for their lifestyle is a primitive one that is more reminiscent of Stone Age hunters and gatherers then even the societies of other tribal nomads of the north.[3f]
Yet the Hung are horsemen par excellence, and they breed tough, small horses on their cold mountain slopes which can survive where larger southern warhorses would starve. They ride these into battle when they attack the more civilised lands to their south. Indeed, they have all but overrun the fell fortresses of the Druchii on more than one occasion. The Hung are known infamously for their mischievous and treacherous nature, even amongst the other savage peoples of the Northmen tribes.
Notable Hung tribes include the following peoples:[3f]
- Aghols
- Chi-An
- Dreaded Wo
- Kuj
- Man-Chu
- Mung
- Seifan
- Sul
- Tu-Ka
- Veh-Kung
- Wei-Tu
- Yin
Tong
The Tong are among the most feared and mysterious of all the Dark Gods' worshippers.[5]
Centuries ago, there emerged a great host of warriors from the distant Far East. They carved a bloody swathe through the lands, destroying any tribe that got in their way. Not even the Kurgan could stand against them. Those who tried were utterly destroyed. These raiders were the Tong.[5]
The reason for their success stemmed from their complete and total disregard for their own well-being. They threw themselves onto the spears and swords of their enemies to hack their way to the other side. If disarmed, they rent their foes with their bare hands. One by one, they cut a path through the Kurgan hordes, then, inexplicably, they stopped and turned back the way they had come. The Tong vanished, and the tribes of the Eastern Steppes regained their strength.[5]
Since the Great War Against Chaos two centuries ago, the Tong have never resurfaced as a horde. From time to time, a small warband might emerge, joining the occasional Chaos incursion into the south, but thankfully never in the numbers they presented centuries ago. So rare are these warriors that no one knows for sure what they look like, except to say that they are the most mutated and hideous of all the northern tribes.[5]
Notable Tong tribes include the following peoples:
Hierarchy
"I have returned, father, to claim my birthright and my destiny. Once you spared me death, such was your folly. I shall not make the same mistake. By right of birth and conquest I claim leadership of the Khazag in the name of the true gods"
- —Speech of Tarok before killing his own Father with one deadly blow.[4a]
There are no forms of government that a southerner would recognise amongst the Human barbarians of the north. Indeed, the very nature of kingdoms, law and order goes against and sometimes outright contradicts the nature of Chaos itself. As such, the only forms of unity amongst these barbarian raiders are their oaths of allegiance to powerful Chaos Champions and Chaos Lords,[1l] blood-ties to their own tribes[1h][1b] and a strict military hierarchy dominated by the concept of strength.[1s]
Most if not all the barbarians of the Northern Wastes had started out life as a member of a tribe or clan amongst the peoples of the Norscans, Kurgan and Hung. These Northmen societies are usually comprised of many different cultures, traditions and their own respective versions of the Chaos Gods. Nonetheless, each of these tribes usually follow the same type of social structure based upon the strongest warrior among them ruling over all others.
The Norscan tribes living within the frigid lands of Norsca are each ruled by a king, who distributes hunting grounds and territory to his lords, who are known as "jarls."[5d] The jarls in turn bestow gifts and favour upon their sworn warriors, who are known as bondsmen.[5c]
Warriors occupy the most vaunted and esteemed place in Norscan society, due to the warlike nature of the northern tribes and their insatiable lust for glory and battle. The rest of Norscan society consists of the elderly, the infirm and the women. At the very bottom rung of Norscan society lies the "thralls," slaves taken in raids for use as menial labour, as consorts, and worse, as sacrifices to appease the eternal hunger of the Chaos Gods for living sacrifices.[5c]
Kurgan and Hung tribal society also follows a similar form of hierarchy as as that of the Norscans, but instead of kings and jarls, these barbarians are lead by powerful chieftains known as "zars," perhaps in imitation of the tzars of Kislev.
Outside of these tribal hierarchies, warbands of Chaos Warriors are usually united under the ruthless banner of a particularly powerful Chaos Warrior, known as a "Chaos Champion."[1s] These Champions are naturally the strongest and most powerful individual within the warband and often bear the stigma of the Dark Gods' favour.
These Champions in turn often follow the command of an even more powerful Chaos Champion known as a Chaos Lord,[1l] either out of admiration for their power and skill or by being forced into the ranks after being beaten into submission. The motives and ambitions of these Chaos Champions are widely diverse, but the most common goal is simply to gain more power and obtain the highest favour of the Chaos Gods through acts of conquest until such time as they are granted ascension to Daemonhood as an immortal Daemon Prince -- the ultimate goal of all those who serve Chaos.
Religion
"Say what you will of us, call us heathens because we deny your weak pretender-god. Call us savages because we strike at you, but know this -- it is we who are closest to the Ruinous Powers. We, most favoured of the gods, shall burn your lands, revel in your suffering, and destroy you. Despair! For all that remains for you is the taste of northern steel and the end of your world. Such is the will of the gods."
- —Hallbjörn, Norscan Chaos Marauder
Perhaps the strongest unifying force amongst the tribes of the Northmen is their dedication and worship of the four major Chaos Gods. Each and every living inhabitant within the harsh lands of the Northern Wastes know full well the powers of these malevolent entities, for their influence can be seen all around the lands and its people.[1d]
Corruption, mutation and constant internecine warfare are but just a few signs of the Dark Gods' influence upon the Known World. As such, the religion of the Northmen is based primarily on the worship of the Chaos Gods, who are venerated by various local aspects and names both similar to and distinct to those they are known by to the scholars and priests of the Empire and the other realms of the Old World.[1d]
Commonly, the Norscans, Kurgan and Hung, amongst the other tribes of Men who dwell in and around the Chaos Wastes, venerate all the Chaos Gods as a single pantheon often known as "Chaos Undivided." This is a purely practical consideration in order that the tribesmen might be able to draw upon all of the gifts and powers offered by the four Ruinous Powers to better survive in the harsh north.[1d]
In spite of this, there are many tribes who do in fact take a single Chaos God to be their patron, who is then seen as both the father and protector of that tribe. Commonly, that god is also the patron of the chieftain, zar or king that rules the tribe. In the vast majority of Northmen tribes, Khorne serves as their patron, for the Blood God is by far the most popular amongst the pantheon of Chaos. He represents the core aspect of violence and respect for martial strength that is prevalent amongst the warlike tribes of the strife-torn north.[1d]
In addition to the Chaos Gods themselves, the religion of the Northmen also incorporates various Daemons, fallen Chaos Champions, revered ancestors and various other lesser spirits into its traditions. Despite the presence of these additional deities, it is always the Chaos Gods alone that are ever-present and receive the highest degree of veneration.[1d]
The various Northmen peoples have worshipped the Dark Gods since times immemorial, with the tribes simply possessing no concept of how to live without their influence. Far from being mindless slaves to darkness as they are often portrayed in the south, the Men of the North maintain that entities as powerful as the Chaos Gods simply operate on a level beyond mere Human judgement or understanding, and are thus entitled to reward or destroy as befits their divine inclination.[1d]
The Northmen believe the path they have taken is the only one that is pure and true, and thus look down upon the gods of the southern lands; seeing them as corrupt, weak and false idols that are beneath contempt and worthy only of mockery. In the faith of the Northmen, there is no equivalent to the afterlife such as the Kingdom of Morr promised to believers in the Old World Pantheon, for there is nothing after death save the domains of the Dark Gods in the Realm of Chaos, and Men shall only enter those domains to sit at the right hand of their gods if they were strong and true warriors in life. Cowards are cursed by the gods and reviled for all eternity. Thus, every member of the tribes of the Northmen fights with an insane fervour driven by this belief, which moulds them into the perfect warriors to serve their dark pantheon.[1d]
Followers of Khorne
"My Master is the Beginning and he is the End. He is the Master of mortals, and the core of our Dead Hearts. Deny him and you deny yourselves. Honour him, and acknowledge he to whom we owe it all."
- —The Saga of Khorne[3j]
Khorne, also known as "Kharneth,"[3l] the "Blood God,"[3a] the "Lord of Murder" [3k], the "Hunter of Souls," and "the Hound" in Norsca, is the major Chaos God of war, hatred, wrath, rage, murder, blood, strength, courage and martial honour. His portfolio encompasses the most basic and brutal of sentient emotions and every act of killing is said to empower him, the more vicious and bloodthirsty the better. Khorne is the second eldest and perhaps the mightiest of the Chaos Gods. [3g]
He is said to smile upon feats of valour, strength and blood-drenched warrior skill, and is the patron of proud warriors who set themselves against the odds and emerge triumphant through strength and skill.[3g] Khorne is said to exalt the brave of both sides of the battle, while at the same time laying his terrible vengeance upon the cowardly and craven.[1f][2a][2b]
Though Khorne is the god of murder and wrath, he is also the embodiment of martial honour and courage, and those who have put their faith in Khorne are just as likely to be honourable warriors as blood-crazed killers, though often they are both at the same time. The warriors of Khorne, though gore-maddened berserkers all, take no artful approach to killing, for such indulgent displays serve only to empower Slaanesh, the honourless adversary of Khorne amongst the company of the gods.[1f][2a][2b][3a]
This is also due to the warrior-code of the devotees of Khorne, who believe it is the solemn right of every warrior to die an honourable death in battle with sword and axe in hand.[1f][2a][2b][3a]
Beyond his more common titles in the south, Khorne is also known by a thousand, thousand names in the north. He is Kharneth, Akhar, Kjorn, Khorgar, the Axefather, the Bloodfather, the Bloodwolf and the Wolf-Father, and yet other uncounted multitudes of titles and aspects.[1f]
The Blood God is worshipped by almost every tribe in the north, for the Northmen are warrior-peoples who exalt in the contest of arms. This is particularly true for Norscans, who are the most eager of all the Men of the North to embrace Khorne's call to eternal warfare and endless slaughter.[2a][2b][3a]
Followers of Tzeentch
"Do not ask which creature screams in the night. Do not question who waits for you in the shadow. It is my cry that wakes you in the night, and my body that crouches in the shadow. I am Tzeentch and you are the puppet that dances to my tune..."
- —The Book of Tzeentch
Tzeentch, known also as the "Raven God," the "Changer of Ways," the "Great Conspirator" and "the Eagle" in Norsca, is the major Chaos God of change, evolution, ambition, destiny, lies, trickery, sorcery, knowledge, and mutation. He is flux in divine form, a Daemon-god who alone truly embodies the terrible magical energies and momentum of Chaos.[1g][2a]
Tzeentch bears a strong claim to all who profess to worship the northern gods, for without transformation, a warrior cannot ascend to greatness, the gods cannot grant their blessings, and the living cannot die. He is the Great Sorcerer of Chaos, and the Bringer of Change, for make no mistake -- endless, broiling change is the truest nature of Chaos, and Chaos is the source of the eldritch energies that mortals, in their superstition, have named "magic."[1g][2a]
Yet Tzeentch is also the embodiment of hope, for hope in its truest sense is a belief in change, in this case, a change for the better. Tzeentch is also the god of knowledge, as shown when a person who has an insatiable need to seek out knowledge and the answers to the mysteries of destiny and the world often falls under the sway of Tzeentch's influence.[1g][2a]
It is Tzeentch alone who holds the true key to this terrible knowledge, and his price is very steep. To all those that truly worship Tzeentch, they know well that each and every one of them are naught but pawns in his game to outflank his brother gods in the Great Game and to bring about the downfall of all mortal civilisation.[1g][2a]
The Raven God rewards his followers with madness, insanity, and power and upon death their souls are brought to his halls in the Realm of Chaos to serve him for all eternity. Yet, the Raven God does not scheme towards the accomplishment of some end, but instead, strives to create a never-ending turmoil for its own sake. After all, Tzeentch thrives upon such anarchic and endless change.[1g][2a]
Those mortals that are the closest to this god of magic and change are those that dabble in Dark Magic. |Shamans and sorcerers are perhaps the truest disciples of Tzeentch, for they possess and channel the very essence of change -- magic and its corrupting and mutating influence upon the Known World and all those that live within it.[1g][2a]
Followers of Nurgle
"Buboes, phlegm, blood and guts! Boils, bogeys, rot and pus! Blisters, fevers, weeping sores! From your wounds the fester pours."
- —The Chant of Nurgle
Nurgle, also known as the "Plague Lord," the "Lord of Pestilence," the "Fly Lord," the "Urfather" and "Neiglen" and "the Crow" in Norsca, is the major Chaos God of disease, decay, despair, destruction, death and rebirth. He is the eldest of the four Chaos Gods and is the most directly involved with the plight of mortals, particularly Men, who suffer so acutely from a fear of death. Nurgle is the embodiment of the constant cycle of death and rebirth which animates all life in the universe, and was brought into being by mortals' fears of death and the despair they feel about their inevitable mortality from age and disease.[1f][2a][2c]
Yet Nurgle is unexpectedly also the god of rebirth. After all, decay is simply one part of the cycle of life, without which no new life could grow. In the same way, Nurgle is also the god of perseverance and survival. While those who wish to spread decay and corruption are certainly amongst his followers, there are also those who wish to endure, to become strong and tough enough to handle the difficulties and opportunities presented by an uncaring mortal world.[1f][2a][2c]
Many of those affected by Nurgle's poxes usually turn to him in order to escape the pain caused by sickness and disease, and while the other three major Chaos Gods have little care for their mortal followers, it is Nurgle who feels an uncommon love, admiration, and faith in those that would follow in his blighted footsteps.[1f][2a][2c]
Of all the Dark Gods, Nurgle is perhaps the least worshipped amongst the barbarian tribes of the north. Nurgle's worship is only favoured when plagues and disease are prevalent amongst their people, for to do otherwise would simply bring the same diseases upon their lands. When plague inevitably comes to their frozen realm, the tribes of the Northmen often appease Nurgle by offering gifts or Human sacrifices in hopes of being spared from his beloved diseases.[1f][2a][2c]
Nurgle grants a strange comfort to his followers, who find a twisted camaraderie in their fellow lepers and plague victims. Nurgle sees those mortals who are clean and unspoiled as a fresh canvas just waiting to be painted. Those few who embrace the Plague Lord's "gifts" willingly are granted superhuman endurance against all disease and most forms of pain. For Nurgle's chosen even mortal blows given in battle are rarely enough to slow them and cause little or no pain. Only the most powerful weapons or the most lethal of wounds have a chance to slay a true follower of Nurgle, though even the process of closing into martial range with the Plague Lord's children can bring an agonising death from one of his joyful diseases.[1f][2a][2c]
Followers of Slaanesh
"Through the souls of your brothers and sisters I take My place amongst the Three; through their pleasure I ascend my Throne. Pleasure, for Pleasure's sake!"
- —The Verse of Slaanesh
Slaanesh, also known as the "Dark Prince," the "Prince of Pleasure," the "Lord of Excess," the "Perfect Prince," the "Prince of Chaos," and "the Serpent" and "the Reveller" in Norsca, is the major Chaos God of pleasure, passion, obsession, excess, hedonism, decadence and pain. In the pantheon of the major powers of Chaos, Slaanesh is the youngest and least powerful of the Chaos Gods, for the complex emotions that drive erotic desire, hedonism and decadence can only exist within the minds of intelligent mortal beings.[1g][2a]
Slaanesh is the Dark God dedicated to the pursuit of earthly gratification and the overthrow of all decent behaviour, as well as hedonism and pleasure for its own sake. He is the god of obsession, the Master of Excess in All Things, from gluttony to lust to megalomania.[1g][2a]
Yet Slaanesh is also the embodiment of love, passion and vibrant art. Those that dabble with such emotions are usually artisans, dancers and flamboyant nobles of the southern realms. However, the Dark Prince is also the spiritual embodiment of hubris, pride and pain. Every breath is an opportunity to take in a new scent. Each glass raised is a chance to savour a new flavour. On every battlefield, each sword blow can entice a never before heard pain-filled scream. From his glittering Palace of Pleasure in the Dark Prince's Realm, the Lord of Excess revels in each new sensation discovered. He guides and directs the inhabitants of the mortal world to push ever onwards towards new heights of sensation with no forms of moral boundary.[1g][2a]
Unlike the influence of the other Chaos Gods, which is strongest among the tribes of the Chaos Wastes and Norsca, Slaaneshi influence is most prevalent amongst the civilised realms of the Old World. The warlike tribes of the Men of the North have very little time to indulge themselves in their desires, for every waking moment is a simple fight for survival.[1g][2a]
As a result, perhaps the most numerous disciples of Slaanesh hail from the decadent peoples of the south. It is only from here that a person can indulge themselves in the pleasures of life, such as beautiful artwork, culinary delights, extravagant clothing, and the pleasures of the flesh. And none have the time and wealth to indulge themselves in such delights more than the wealthy nobility of civilisation.[1g][2a]
Forces of the Warriors of Chaos
"From the harsh snowlands they come, blue of eye and blonde of hair and tattooed upon arms, face and chest. Their eyes are mad with bloodlust, for blood they thirst, driven forth on the whims of the gods they seek to appease. Clad in few garments and wielding clumsy and brutal axes and maces, they rage against the civilised lands of the south, burning, pillaging and looting all before them as a sacrifice to their uncaring masters beyond the gates of hell in the northern wastes."
- —Liber Chaotica, penned by Richter Kleiss, priest of Sigmar, now declared insane.[3b]
In the cold Chaos Wastes of the far north, the followers of the Dark Gods gather. Hordes of barbaric Chaos Marauders and plate armour-clad Chaos Warriors pour forth from their bleak wastelands to wage war against their soft-bellied, civilised brethren who inhabit the lands to the south. At their head march unholy Chaos Champions and Chaos Lords, and monstrous aberrations advance with them, proof that they are truly the favoured of the Chaos Gods.[1j]
The northern barbarians are universally bloodthirsty, barbaric and fierce. War is their natural state and they wage it without prejudice, rejoicing in battle and strength at arms. When Chaos is ascendant, the Men of the North are more willing to put aside their rivalries and disputes. As word spreads of a coming conflict, the tribes gather together in great marauding hordes under the command of a fell Champion of Chaos, whom they will follow to the ends of the Known World in the name of conquest.[1d]
To the Northmen, there is no greater honour than to fight and perish under the gaze of their gods.[1d] Though the risks are great, they are outweighed by even the smallest chance of gaining the ultimate gift of immortality as a Daemon Prince. Without a second thought, the Northmen willingly walk a road that will either lead them to ultimate power or eternal damnation.[1d]
The armies of the Warriors of Chaos as a whole are highly diverse yet extremely feared and horrifically powerful. A large diversity of Northmen tribes usually forms the bulk of many large Chaos armies, from the berserker-warriors of the Aesling to the fleeting horse-archers of the Khazags.[4a]
Each and every Northman, from the lowliest Chaos Marauder to the most esteemed Chaos Lord, was born and moulded from birth to be the ultimate warrior. As a result, nearly every Northman within the army is far more than a match for even the elite warriors of the southern realms. Warfare and conquest are considered the lifeblood of the peoples of the northern lands.
At its very core, an army of the Warriors of Chaos is simply a never-ending battle that happens to wander in the same direction. A Warriors of Chaos army usually consists of many different warbands, all hailing from a wide diversity of tribes and affiliations drawn mostly from the barbarian tribes of the Northmen.
The warriors that comprise these barbaric warbands are unruly and violent, fighting amongst other rival warbands almost as much as they fight against the weaklings of the south. Only the willpower and brutality of a particularly powerful Chaos Lord can ever hope to quell such barbaric infighting, and even then, from every level of the army's hierarchy, each and every warrior will constantly strive to defeat their peers in frequent bouts of violence and duels all for the sake of proving one's worth in the eyes of the Dark Gods. There is not a day that goes by within a Chaos army without the spilling of bloodshed among its mortal warriors.
As befitting their barbaric existence, the bulk of most Chaos armies consist of primitive warbands of savages wearing nothing but fur-skin cloaks and wielding crude war-axes. These lowly warriors are usually known collectively as "Chaos Marauders,"[1p] for such is their profession when journeying to the lands of the south. Although considered the weakest of the warriors in a Chaos army, these Men are nonetheless exceptional if not unruly fighters.
Above these primitives are the heavily-armoured and disciplined ranks of the "Chaos Warriors,"[1q] known infamously for wearing legendary suits of Daemon-forged Chaos Armour.[6a] These troops are the greatest Human warriors within the northlands, for the process to obtain such magnificent armour means that the Chaos Warrior has conquered many challenges and was awarded a degree of favour from the Dark Gods themselves. Eternally encased within this thick plate armour, these hulking warriors are considered the backbone of the armies of the Warriors of Chaos.
Above Chaos Warriors are the "Aspriring Champions" that lead them. Aspiring Chaos Champions are brutal Chaos Warriors that have gained a greater measure of favour from the Chaos Gods then the rest of their brethren because of their great deeds in the service of one of the gods or the dark pantheon as a whole in the form of Chaos Undivided.[1s]
These Aspiring Champions are often accompanied by a retinue of Chaos Chosen,[1q] warriors that are favoured above the common ranks of Chaos Warriors due to their skills in combat. Aspiring Champions would in turn follow the banner of a true Chaos Champion, formally known as an "Exalted Heroe,"[1s] warriors whose deeds in the northlands have since become legendary. Such Chaos Champions can either serve Chaos Undivided or the interests of only one of the major Chaos Gods, thus serving as a Champion of Khorne, a Champion of Nurgle, a Champion of Tzeentch or a Champion of Slaanesh.
However, above even these mighty Chaos Champions are the legendary Chaos Lords,[1l] Chaos Warriors who have earned through blood and carnage the greatest favour among the Chaos Gods of the Northmen tribes. The deeds of Chaos Lords have destroyed armies at a whim and their skills at arms have decapitated rival Chaos Champions in the dozens.
To be a Chaos Lord means to command the utmost power amongst the Men of the North, and with such power and divine favour within their grasp, these Lords of Chaos would lead the armies of the Dark Gods into their horrific crusades against the weaklings of the south. Against such a foe, it is said that only the greatest of mortal heroes will have even a chance at stopping a Chaos Lord's reign of terror and destruction before it washes over the lands of the Old World...and beyond.[1l]
Infantry and Monstrous Infantry
- Chaos Marauders - Chaos Marauders are the standard warriors drawn from the barbaric tribes of the Northmen -- Norscans, Kurgan and Hung -- who hail from the harsh lands of the north, including Norsca, the Chaos Wastes and the Endless Steppes. Chaos Marauders fight on behalf of the Chaos Gods and their tribe. They fight alongside the Chaos Warriors, eager to earn the attention of the Dark Gods and join the esteemed ranks of the Chaos Warriors. These warriors are barbaric to the extreme, wearing almost nothing but fur garments, wielding crude war-axes and bearing wrought metal shields. Nevertheless, these Marauders are rightfully feared for their unnatural savagery and brutality in combat.
- Chaos Warriors - Chaos Warriors are considered by many to be the only true members of the armies of the Warriors of Chaos. Clad in thick plates of Chaos Armour, these warriors have done great deeds in the name of the Dark Gods to be blessed with the right to wear such armour. Standing taller and broader then any southern warrior, these hulking behemoths form the core infantrymen of all mortal Chaos armies.
- Forsaken - The Forsaken are Chaos Warriors that have lost the favour of the Dark Gods and yet still possess the horrific mutations or "gifts" they received from them. Driven to insanity by the pain and torment of these physical abnormalities, these warriors were considered too powerful to devolve into mere Chaos Spawn, and yet too weak to bear the brunt of their mutations. As such, their minds break under the weight of their physical transformations. Lacking their former personality, Forsaken are now driven only by a mad, unnatural hunger for blood and destruction.
- Chaos Chosen - The Chaos Chosen are those amongst the ranks of the Chaos Warriors who bear the favour of the Dark Gods more so than their fellows. Known amongst their own kind as the Chosen, they possess supernatural abilities granted to them by the favour of the Ruinous Powers to aid them in their constant war against those that would dare to stand in their way.
- Aspiring Champion - An Aspiring Champion is a dedicated Chaos Warrior who hopes through their deeds to gain the attention and favour of the Chaos Gods, and eventually rise to be acclaimed as a true Chaos Champion in their eyes. They often serve as the leaders of units of Chaos Warriors. To become an Aspiring Champion is often the best that any Chaos Warrior can truly hope to achieve, since most rarely progress further than this in the eyes of the Ruinous Powers.
- Chaos Spawn - A Chaos Spawn is the term used to describe a whole spectrum of mutant creatures warped into being by the corrupting influence of magic and Chaos corruption. Most were once mortal servants of Chaos whose physical bodies collapsed under the strain of receiving more mutational "gifts" from the Dark Gods than their bodies could withstand. Once the last, unbearable mutation takes hold, transforming the creature-that-was into a maddened Chaos Spawn, they now face the inevitable dissolution of their mind and will, becoming something less than yet more than mortal.
- Pestigors - Pestigors, those Beastmen who have been especially blessed since birth by Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and despair, are renowned and feared among their kind. They are a repugnant foe: their hide splits from a hundred lesions, ichor runs from their eyes and mouths, and their fangs and horns blacken with rot. Their spoor harbours foul contagions, and folklore has it that on dark nights they creep from the forests of the Old World to spoil crops, infect farm-beasts, and sicken peasants by spreading their dung around settlements.
- Tzaangors - Tzaangors are Beastmen who are born blessed by Tzeentch, the Chaos God of change and intrigue. They often serve in Chaos warbands commanded by mortal Champions of Tzeentch or by his more powerful Daemonic servants when they manifest in the mortal world. The skin and fur of Tzaangors is often brightly coloured, especially their face and ears, with the most heavily mutated from the Beastmen baseline considered to have been especially favoured by Tzeentch.
- Khorngors - Khorngors are Beastman, usually Bestigors, who are sworn to the service of the Chaos God Khorne, god of war and rage. Khorngors prefer to bear the sacred colours of the Blood God such as red, have skin and fur which is almost a metallic brass in colour and texture, while their eyes are a milky white with red pupils. Many Khorngors possess the heads of great, slavering hounds with large jaws and fangs which drip with saliva. The most favoured Khorngors of the Blood God bear horns which mirror the form of the skull-shaped Mark of Khorne. Khorngors are extremely tough and often wear a surprisingly substantial amount of armour (for Beastmen). They are often better organised and disciplined than their more mundane counterparts.
- Chaos Ogres - Chaos Ogres are those insane Ogres that have willingly given themselves up to the service of the Forces of Chaos and were rewarded with horrific gifts of mutation. Used extensively by the armies of the Warriors of Chaos as powerful infantry shock troops, these heavily-armed Chaos Ogres can cleave a hefty toll from among those warriors foolish enough to stand in their way.
- Plague Ogres - Plague Ogres are Ogres that have devolved in both mind, body and soul, their forms twisting and contorting into hellish shapes by the horrific blessings of Nurgle's Rot. Though plenty of Ogres in the past had been subjected to the mutating powers of Chaos, the most infamous of the Plague Ogres were those who joined the Champion of Nurgle Tamurkhan and his invasion of the Empire in 2510 IC. When the Ogres of the Red Fist Tribe were defeated by Tamurkhan's horde in the Far East, a great many submitted to his will and joined the monstrous host and were lost, body and soul, to Chaos. Taking control of the body of the Red Fist's Ogre Tyrant Karaka Breakmountain as his next host, Tamurkhan led them through a series of foul rituals and the consumption of Chaos-tainted flesh which sealed their fate.
- Bile Trolls - Bile Trolls are among the most grotesque of all Troll breeds, having been transformed into even more hideous mutants by the power of Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and decay.
- Chaos Trolls - Chaos Trolls are those Trolls that have been more heavily mutated by the influence of Chaos than their brethren. They sport all manner of mutations, making them even more hideous than their common cousins, and the power of the Winds of Magic stokes their natural aggression and strength, turning them from mere monsters into some of the most terrible beasts to be found within the ranks of the armies of the Dark Gods.
- Chaos Giant - Chaos Giants are twisted, monstrous humanoids that have diverged from the rest of the Giant race. They have been warped by the power of Chaos into a creature that possesses an even more prodigious appetite for violence than their unaltered cousins. Chaos Giants are single-minded engines of destruction, as dedicated to murder and mayhem as Champions of Chaos themselves.
- Chaos Siege Giant - A Chaos Siege Giant is amongst the most powerful living weapons within the Chaos Dwarf arsenal, hulking behemoths that combine the strength of the race of Giants with the nigh-impenetrable plate armour forged by the Chaos Dwarfs. Giants are some of the mightiest creatures to stride across the Known World. They are simple-minded brutes whose huge strength and callousness alone is enough to wreak havoc simply by their passing. Their appetite for meat and drink is legendary, as is the destruction their rampages can cause. A single Giant is more than enough to devastate a village without much effort, and if bribed or goaded into battle, a Giant can smash through ranks of troops and crush heavily armoured cavalry with contemptuous ease. At tmes, when Chaos Dwarf forces ally with the mortal Men who serve the Chaos Gods, they provide these Chaos forces with access to a Chaos Siege Giant.
Melee and Missile Cavalry
- Marauder Horsemen - Marauder Horsemen are those warriors drawn from among the barbaric tribes of the Northmen that maintain traditions of horse-riding, such as the horse nomads of the Kurgan and Hung who live among the grasslands of the Endless Steppes. Riding on fast steeds, these warriors range ahead of the main columns of a mortal Chaos army, galloping around the enemy battle line and cutting off any chance of escape. Expert hunters and trackers, Marauder Horsemen are as swift as the wind and merciless as an ice storm, and can serve as both short-ranged missile cavalry armed with javelins and melee cavalry armed with axes, swords and shields.
- Marauder Horsemasters - Marauder Horsemasters are potent Northmen melee and ranged cavalry units who serve with a Warriors of Chaos or Norscan Chaos Marauders army. They are the veteran elite of the Marauder Horsemen cavalry. In battle, their speed and mobility leaves even the most able cavalrymen of the Old World sorely lacking. Able to steer their steeds with the subtlest of movements of the waist and knees, the tribesmen have both hands free to wield wicked swords and hooked axes in melee and javelins for ranged warfare before they close with the foe.
- Chaos Knights - Chaos Knights are towering Chaos Warriors clad in the thickest Chaos Armour, who are known across the Known World as the most fearsome horsemen ever to mount a steed. Riding atop Chaos Steeds that were gifted to each dark knight by the Chaos Gods, the frightful reputation of the Chaos Knights is a weapon in its own right, crippling those who would stand against them with a single thunderous charge.
- Rot Knights - Rot Knights are Chaos Knights of Nurgle who ride grotesque, mutated Chaos beasts called Rot Beasts rather than Chaos Steeds. These Chaos Knights, much like their monstrous mounts, are notably mutated, having been warped heavily by the gifts of the Plaguelord. While one of their arms still holds a Chaos Knight's weapon, the other one has typically mutated into a claw-like appendage like those of a Forsaken.
- Doom Knights of Tzeentch - Those elite Chaos Knights known as Doom Knights who are dedicated to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of change and intrigue, have tamed Discs of Tzeentch, soaring into battle mounted atop these Lesser Daemons of the Changer of the Ways, and thus consider themselves superior even to other Champions of Chaos. Screeching through the air like few before them, they would be a wondrous sight to behold if their coming did not always spell death and, as is their namesake, total and utter doom. There is no escape from the Doom Knights, and as one might expect, they show no mercy whatsoever to the foe.
- Skullcrushers - Skullcrushers are blood-mad, berserker Chaos Warriors that have earned the greatest favour in the Blood God Khorne's service, and whose deeds have since earned them the honour of riding Khorne's bestial Juggernaut Daemons into battle. On top of such a monstrous, metal-clad Daemon-beast, Skullcrushers are an unstoppable force to behold.
- Hellstriders - Hellstriders are Chaos Marauders dedicated to the service of Slaanesh who are devotees of torment. They hunt from the back of impossibly swift Daemonic Steeds of Slaanesh. They fight to inflict pain and despair, landing mortal blows upon their victims where they are most likely to prolong the agonising moment of death.
Chariots
- Chaos Chariots - Chaos Chariots are more than just machines of war; they are symbols of status and power. They are drawn by a pair of huge destriers swollen to unnatural size by the corrupting magical energies of Chaos. They are bound by chains and iron rigging to a broad timber frame chariot, which sits atop massive, metal wheels. In its seat is an especially favoured Chaos Warrior equipped with flails or powerful polearms, ready to strike down the foe as the chariot races by.
- Gorebeast Chariots - Gorebeast Chariots are an even heavier and sturdier version of the common Chaos Chariot. No normal beast would have the strength to pull such a massive instrument of war, and they are therefore pulled into battle by a Gorebeast -- a muscular creature renowned for its violent temperament.
Warbeasts
- Chimera - The three-headed Chimera is one of the most fearsome of all the children of Chaos, a Chaos beast whose progenitors were so warped by the power of Chaos that it is now impossible to say what manner of creatures they once might have been. Regardless of their exact form, all Chimerae share a savage and unpredictable nature that makes them easily the worst of all chance encounters.
- Cockatrice - The Cockatrice is a deadly, magical beast known to petrify those that look directly into its gaze. These beasts are vicious and obviously tainted by Chaos for both their unnatural appearance and for their fierce disposition in battle. The Cockatrice can petrify its foes with a magical gaze, literally turning them to stone with a glance unless they can evade its sorcerous stare. This ability makes the Cockatrice a deadly opponent, for a warrior must try to vanquish the beast without ever setting sight upon it. Even a glimpse of the Cockatrice's visage is enough of a view to prove deadly. Additionally, Cockatrices sometimes have poisonous claws and even acidic vomit to better help them slay their prey.
- Manticore - Manticores are huge, leonine beasts that soar on leathery wings. They are amongst the most powerful of all the predators that live in the mountain ranges of the north. The mutating power of Chaos ensures that no two Manticores are truly alike. Some have manes of writhing serpents, others pelts of iron scales, and many sprout spiked tails with a poison strong enough to boil a man's blood in his veins.
- Slaughterbrute - The Slaughterbrute is the epitome of violence and bloodshed kept tamed through means of ritual daggers and powerful magic. It possesses four front arms of differing sizes, a muscular body, a triplex tongue, and a massive head that contains a cluster of eyes and multiple rows of teeth. It possesses skin that is chitinous, creased and spiked, and the creature stands on hoofed feet.
- Mutalith Vortex Beast - A Mutalith Vortex Beast is an utter abomination of nature. It is a terrifying fusion of monster and magic, a creature mutated beyond all reason by the power of Tzeentch. The Mutalith Vortex Beast has earned its name in a striking manner: a vortex of raw Chaos energy echoing the shape of the 8-pointed-star looms up from its back. Nine huge tentacles extend out of its mouth, each of which is dripping with ichor. Finally, it possesses two tails that end in mouths, tongues and claws. The creature has no head, but instead has a gaping maw that can consume almost anything.
- Chaos Warhounds - Chaos Warhounds are large, horrific creatures that were mutated by the power of Chaos and now stalk the dark lands of the Old World in search of prey. They often stalk around encampments searching for scraps and lone creatures to attack.
- Dragon Ogres - These hulking, centaur-like beings that look like a hybrid between an Ogre and a Dragon, hence their name, are amongst the most powerful and most ancient of the Known World's living creatures. Their incredible longevity, as with almost all things supernatural, is the work of the Chaos Gods. Aeons ago, the elders of their race made a pact with the Ruinous Powers, embracing damnation in order to save themselves from a slow decline into extinction. They were given eternal life, and in return, the entire Dragon Ogre race put themselves at the command of the Dark Gods. Since that day, the Dragon Ogres have carved their names across the ages as immortals who can only die in battle, monstrous beings that rouse themselves only in the name of destruction. The Dragon Ogres look forward to a time when their eternal bondage will end with the destruction of the world by Chaos. Amid the lightning and thunder of the apocalypse, they believe that their entire race will wake once again. Until then, these creatures bring death to the enemies of Chaos in preparation for the End Times, hewing bodies with every sweep of their blades and swipe of their monstrous claws.
- Dragon Ogre Shaggoths - Dragon Ogre Shaggoths are living legends of carnage and devastation, the most powerful members of the Dragon Ogre race. As a Dragon Ogre ages, it becomes ever larger, growing stronger and more powerful. As long as it can find lightning, the power of which it uses to refresh its body and revitalise its mind, there is no limit to the size one can reach.
Warmachines
- Chaos Warshrine - Chaos Warshrines can vary wildly in design. Some are mere wagons, piled high with skulls, weapons and other offerings pleasing to their particular Chaos God. Others are vast altars mounted atop iron platforms and borne aloft by mutant beasts that roam the Chaos Wastes, creatures whose misshapen, over-muscled bodies are evidence of the Dark Gods' favour.
Artillery
- Hellcannon - A Hellcannon is a massive construct of metal that growls and shakes with Daemonic sentience. In battle, these arcane engines heave crackling blasts of raw energy that soar through the air into their targets, liquefying anything they touch and sending the survivors insane with fear.
Heroes
- Exalted Heroes (Chaos Champions) - An Exalted Hero, also known as a Chaos Champion, striding to war in full Chaos Armour, is a sight to strike fear into the hearts of even the most embittered veteran, for they are living engines of destruction, a warrior that is but a few steps away from becoming a truly destructive instrument of the Dark Gods.
- Putrid Blightkings - The Putrid Blightkings, also known as "Exalted Champions of Nurgle," are not one particular tribe or group, but rather a loose brotherhood of Exalted Heroes of Nurgle that spans the northernmost regions of the Known World. Each of their number has been touched by Nurgle via his earthly emissaries -- specifically, the Daemonflies that have hatched from within the Chaos Champion Bloab Rotspawned ever since the Lord of Decay claimed that Chaos Sorcerer as a host for his tiny Daemonic servants.
- Exalted Daemons - Exalted Daemons are mortals, most often Chaos Warriors, who have given their body and soul over to a Lesser Daemon of Chaos for possession. Whilst not as powerful as the mighty Daemon Princes, they display similarities in abilities and appearance, often acting as terrifying warleaders and lieutenants in the armies of Chaos.
- Chaos Sorcerers - Chaos Sorcerers wield the wild magical energies of entropy itself, reshaping reality to better serve their whims and those of their dark masters. A word and a gesture from a Chaos Sorcerer can strip a man's flesh from his bones, force a lover to murder their beloved, or cause a regiment of soldiers to burst into flame.
Lords
- Chaos Lord - The greatest and most powerful of Chaos Champions, a Chaos Lord's indomitable will is forged in the fires of war, their skills tempered and honed in the crucible of battle, and their blade eternally quenched in blood. Every Chaos Lord is a mortal combatant who has earned the highest regard of the Chaos powers short of having achieved Daemonhood itself. Each is a legendary engine of mass destruction whose deeds have destroyed armies at a whim and whose skill at arms have decapitated rival Exalted Heroes by the dozens. Chaos Lords are usually the commanders of the armies and warbands of the Warriors of Chaos and they may choose to dedicate themselves wholly in body and soul to either Chaos Undivided or to one of the individual major Chaos Gods.
- Chaos Sorcerer Lord - Chaos Sorcerer Lords are the very pinnacle of magical might. These mighty sorcerers in the service of Tzeentch, the Master of Magic, have learned all the many secrets that Chaos has to offer, and in exchange for their soul and Humanity, they have become a living conduit of Dark Magic. Chaos Sorcerer Lords, while primarily found among the mortal servants of Tzeentch, have also been known to serve the other Chaos Gods who support the use of sorcery, including Nurgle and Slaanesh.
- Daemon Princes - Should a Champion of Chaos or Chaos Lord survive the endless battles and the ravaging mutations granted by their fickle divine masters whilst still finding favour in their eyes, they may attain the ultimate reward. The divine patron of the Champion will elevate them to his side as a Daemon Prince, a being of godlike power and immortality, yet forever bound to darkness and destruction as a slave of Chaos.
Notable Warriors of Chaos
- Archaon - Archaon is the thirteenth Everchosen of Chaos Undivided, the Three-Eyed King, the Lord of the End Times and the self-proclaimed supreme champion of the four major Chaos Gods who was sent to command the last and greatest Chaos incursion during the apocalyptic age known simply as the End Times. Out of all the Everchosen of Chaos who have assailed the Known World over the ages, Archaon is by far the most ruthless and perhaps the most powerful. He is an individual that shall decide the fate of entire nations, whose sword can lay waste to heroes and armies and whose unbreakable will can break and dominate those of gods. Archaon is truly the Herald of the Apocalypse, blessed with dreadful artefacts of ancient evil, each one bestowed as a reward for accomplishing impossible trials.
- Asavar Kul - Asavar Kul was the twelfth Everchosen of Chaos Undivided, who unleashed the Chaos invasion of the Old World that would be defeated by the Imperial general and future emperor Magnus the Pious during the Great War Against Chaos, fought between 2301 and 2304 IC. Kul led the largest Chaos horde assembled to that time, laying waste to the lands of northern Kislev. After defeating a joint Kislevite and Ostlander army, Kul's horde made for the Kislevite cities of Praag and Erengrad, capturing the former and sacking the latter. Soon the capital city of Kislev itself fell under siege. Kul's horde was repulsed by the combined armies of Magnus the Pious, the defenders of Kislev and Dwarfs from Karaz-a-Karak. Kul was ultimately slain in the conflict, and his remaining armies were ground down by the victorious defenders.
- Glottkin - The Glottkins, titled as the "Befouled Brothers of Nurgle," or simply the "Glottkin Brothers," are a trio of Champions of Nurgle who, alongside Gutrot Spume and Orghotts Daemonspew, led the followers of Nurgle in their horrific Plague War upon the Empire of Man during the apocalyptic age known simply as the End Times. Mutated beyond their mortal forms, the Glottkins rank as the mightiest Chaos Champions Nurgle has ever chosen, laying a virulent wake of destruction in their paths as they seek to corrupt the very heart of the Empire, and turn its lands into a garden paradise of pus and disease. They combine the darkest sorcery, the most virulent plagues and the most monstrous strength to butcher any opponent that stands against the terrible might of their master Grandfather Nurgle and those of the other Dark Gods.
- Vardek Crom - Vardek Crom, called "the Conqueror," also known simply as Crom and the "Bringer of Storms," was a Chaos Champion, a Chaos Lord and the Herald of Archaon, the thirteenth Everchosen of Chaos Undivided and the Lord of the End Times. Crom was the chieftain of the Kul tribe of the Kurgan, and the successor to the infamous Asavar Kul, the twelfth Everchosen who unleashed the Great War Against Chaos in the early 24th century IC and was slain by Magnus the Pious. During the End Times, Crom successfully united all the tribes of the Kurgan under his leadership and led them to war against the Empire in service to Archaon. He was slain by the Sigmarite champions Valten and Luthor Huss at the Battle of Heffengen.
- Tamurkhan - Tamurkhan, known also as the "Maggot Lord," the "Son of the Great Kurgan," "Master of Hosts," "Bringer of Desolation" and the "Favoured of Nurgle," was one of the greatest Champions of Nurgle in recent history. Numerous legends and lies clustered about Tamurkhan long before he gathered his great horde, and in his fulfilment of a prophecy, struck out like a poisoned talon at the wider world beyond the Chaos Wastes. Some tales speak of him as the millennia-old scion of the Great Kurgan, one of four sons, mighty and terrible, who each set out to the four winds to conquer in the service of the four great powers of Chaos.
- Sigvald the Magnificent - Sigvald is a Chaos Lord of Slaanesh who was the son of a powerful Norscan warlord and his sister. He was born beautiful at birth, save for a horned birthmark on the back of his neck, and was spoiled by his father. He was eventually disowned by his father and expelled from his tribe after his father discovered his fondness for Human flesh. Sigvald killed his father in his sleep and departed for the Chaos Wastes where Slaanesh became his divine patron. Now, Sigvald marches at the head of a Chaos army devoted to himself and Slaanesh. He eradicates anyone he deems to be ugly, crude or irritating and burns down cities on a whim. One story even suggests that he destroyed the town of Chamburg because the wine there was not to his taste. He is spoiled by Slaanesh and is described as being extremely self-centred. In fact, he and his elite bodyguard bear mirrored shields so that Sigvald may look at himself at all times while in the midst of battle. His gifts from Slaanesh have left him beautiful on the outside, but have rotted his soul beyond all hope of redemption. The ground literally reshapes itself for him and his feet float an inch above the world's surface, so that he might never be sullied by dust or grime. He wears Chaos Armour of ensorcelled gold that never rusts or gets dirty and fights with Silverslash, a rapier of silver forged from a fragment of the sword of Slaanesh himself.
- Valkia the Bloody - Valkia is a Daemon Princess of Khorne who is said to also be the consort of the Blood God. Valkia was once the queen of a great tribe of the Norscans called the Schwarzvolf. She gained the attention of Khorne when she slew anyone in her tribe who questioned her right to rule. She then moved on to killing other Chaos Lords and the most powerful Champions of the other Chaos Gods. One such was Locephax, a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh who was attracted to her and asked her to serve in his harem as a slave girl. This angered Valkia and the warrior queen killed the Daemon Prince in a duel and then proceeded to place his decapitated head on her shield. Khorne was from then on her patron god and she made a pact to fight her way north to the Realm of Chaos and place her shield with the Slaaneshi Daemon Prince's head upon it before the throne of Khorne. But on her journey north she was killed in battle during an assault by Slaaneshi Daemons. Khorne raged at her passing, and claimed her soul and brought her from the dead as a Daemon Princess in a new form more pleasing to him. Valkia now bears the legs of a Bloodletter and the wings of a bat. Valkia carries the spear Slaupnir, wears the Scarlet Armour and bears a Daemonshield upon which the Blood God mounted the head of the still-aware Locephax.
- Vilitch the Curseling - Vilitch was a Chaos Sorcerer of Tzeentch who was born with a fraternal twin. Vilitch was born wretched and tiny while his twin brother Thomin was strong and vital. As such, Thomin was more favoured by his family while Vilitch was forced to do the chores around his home and worked as an apprentice to the village shaman. After praying to Tzeentch one night for a change in his circumstances, Vilitch awoke to discover his body had been fused to that of his brother, who had become his mindless slave. Vilitch proceeded to destroy the his home village, kill all of its inhabitants and become a Sorcerer Lord who commanded a mighty army of Tzeentch. In battle, Vilitch's brother Thomin can store magical power for Vilitch and even absorb the Winds of Magic that aid the wizards of an enemy force.
- Festus the Leechlord - Festus is a Chaos Sorcerer and Exalted Champion of Nurgle. Festus was a once-famous Imperial physician of Nordland who sold his soul to Nurgle in exchange for the knowledge of how to cure all disease. The knowledge corrupted him and transformed him into a madman who now seeks only to learn enough to spread the plagues and diseases he once combatted. Festus now travels the roads of the Old World accompanied by an army in the service of Nurgle. He has been known to take captives to serve as test subjects for his latest pestilential concoctions.
- Azazel - Azazel was once a Chaos Lord of Slaanesh who lived during the time of Sigmar. He was a member of Sigmar's tribe, the Unberogens, and his mortal name was Gerreon. In fact, his twin brother Trivonates was one of Sigmar's best friends, but was killed during a battle with Orcs. Afterwards, Gerreon blamed Sigmar for his brother's death. During this time, Sigmar fell in love with Gerreon's sister, Ravena. Seeking help to avenge his brother's death, Gerreon went to a witch, referred to as the Old Lady of the Breckenwalsh. She agreed to help, believing that doing so would guide Sigmar down the path needed to create the Empire. She gave Gerreon a cryptic message and, when he finally understood it a few years later, he planned his attack on Sigmar. However, pretending to befriend Sigmar made Gerreon realise he truly liked the other man. But a corrupting power, whether that of Slaanesh or the witch is unknown, made him unleash an assassination attempt that nearly killed Sigmar and did result in the death of Ravena, for Gerreon had come to believe that by having relations with Sigmar she was no longer worthy of being called his sister. Gerreon escaped from Sigmar's to Norsca, believing he had escaped Sigmar's hunters, even though the Heldenhammer had never sent any after his former friend. It was there that Gerreon became a Chaos Lord of Slaanesh known as "Azazel" who aided Cormac Bloodaxe, a Chaos Lord of Khorne, in attempting to conquer the newly-formed Empire. Azazel raided the Empire's coast, killed the witch who had first set him on his path, and who hadn't foreseen Gerreon becoming a worshiper of Slaanesh or a Chaos Lord, and helped Bloodaxe in his siege of Middenheim. During the battle, Azazel faced Pendrag, one of Sigmar's closest friends and his own former best friend amomng the Unberogens. Azazel killed him, but felt remorse for his death and fled the battlefield weeping, before being shot in the shoulder with a crossbow by Myrsa, the second-in-command of Middenheim. Azazel then fled into the forest still weeping. The record of Azazel's life becomes hazy from this point on. What is known is that in the wake of his triumph over Arthar, the Exalted Champion of Khorne, in single combat, Slaanesh finally elevated Azazel to Daemonhood as his Daemon Prince, and made him the commander of the Slaaneshi Daemonic armies known as the Ecstatic Legions. At his ascension, Azazel gained the ability to see into the very hearts and souls of mortals, revealing their hidden desires and most perverse pleasures. Few have ever managed to oppose Azazel, as most who set out to challenge him are convinced by his silver tongue to join the Prince of Chaos instead.
- Scyla Anfingrimm - Scyla Anfingrimm is currently a Chaos Spawn who was once a Chaos Lord of Khorne. Scyla is still favoured by Khorne despite his transformation, so he is more powerful than a normal Chaos Spawn. He has been gifted with a brass Collar of Khorne to protect him from magical assaults during his rampages.
- Wulfrik the Wanderer - Wulfrik is a great Norscan warrior who drank too much beer one night and boasted that he was the greatest warrior alive. The Chaos Gods sought to punish him for his hubris and he has been cursed to hunt other great warriors to continue to prove his boasts until he dies. The Dark Gods gave him the gift of being able to speak any language so that he can declare his challenges on the battlefield to any foe. Wulfrik possesses a flying longship called Seafang that allows him and a unit of Chaos Marauders to deploy anywhere on the battlefield.
- Throgg, King of Trolls - Throgg is a Troll who was granted the gift of high intelligence by the Chaos Gods. He was then named the "King of Trolls" and one day decided that he should conquer everything he could see. He now plans to lead an army of Trolls and other monsters of Chaos to destroy the lands of Men.
- Kholek Suneater - Kholek Suneater is a giant Dragon Ogre who is believed to be the second eldest of his kind. He is considered a god by some and was once frozen in an ice glacier by the High Elf Mage Teclis until he was freed. During the Great War Against Chaos, he was a part of Asavar Kul's army and was the one who destroyed Kislev's wall at the Battle of Kislev's Gate.
- Arek Daemonclaw - Arek Daemonclaw is a former noble of the Empire who became disillusioned with the corruption that the Empire and its people were awash in and slowly turned to Chaos, seeking out various forbidden tomes and gaining knowledge of the Ruinous Powers by infiltrating Chaos Cults dedicated to Tzeentch. After journeying to the Chaos Wastes he pledged himself to Tzeentch and over the next century was granted many gifts for his dedication to the Changer of Ways. After meeting the mages Kelmain Blackstaff and Lhoigor Goldenrod, he rose to power in the Chaos Wastes, gathering an army of hundreds of thousands before marching on Kislev. He was slain at the Battle of Praag just before the start of the Storm of Chaos in that alternate timeline by Gotrek Gurnisson.
- Aekold Helbrass - Aekold Helbrass, known during the End Times as the "Conqueror of Kislev," is a Champion of Tzeentch and Chaos Lord who bore a most unusual gift from his patron Chaos God -- the power that is known as the "Breath of Life."Where Aekold walks the grass springs green and meadow flowers blossom. When he walks upon the desert sands and stony rocks the land bursts into life as he passes. Living things he touches spring into new and vigorous growth. The long dead wood of doors and staves takes root upon his touch. Creatures that are upon the threshold of death his touch can restore to health, for such is the power of the Breath of Life. His touch is as indiscriminate as it is potent, for behind him he leaves a trail of new life and everything he touches is affected. Helbrass was killed during the End Times after his army had first razed much of Kislev to the ground and then managed to pierce the great magical wall of the Auric Bastion that protected the lands of the Empire from Chaos invasion. Helbrass was slain by a subterranean blackpowder explosion rigged by the Dwarfs aiding the Imperial army from Ostermark that was defending the Auric Bastion under the command of the Vampire general Ulrika.
- Harald Hammerstorm - Harald Hammerstorm, known fondly to his followers as "Harry the Hammer," was a legendary Chaos Champion in the tales of the Norscans and the Kurgan. He was the central figure in legends that concern one of the greatest feats of arms ever seen in the northlands. These tales claim that while plundering an ancient tomb-city in the Chaos Wastes Harald's Warriors of Chaos warband found themselves face-to-face with a vast Undead army, roused from their slumber with rusted blades and eyes aglow with witchfire. With no escape and against seemingly insurmountable odds, Harald formed the point of a wedge driving through the skeletal warriors, his followers pressing in behind him as his warhammer rose and fell in monotonous destruction. After a day and a night, nothing remained but a hill of broken bones. Such odds had truly never been overcome by a mortal of the north. Tirelessly roaming the Chaos Wastes, always on the lookout for a fresh enemy to fight, Harald Hammerstorm now exists as an eternal avatar of Chaos and the bane of the Undead.[1a]
- Kormak - Kormak was a young, one-armed Human male and a member of the Schwarzvolf tribe of Norsca. He was Valkia the Bloody's most devoted follower who she later raised from the dead after her ascension to become a Daemon Prince of Khorne. She transformed Kormak into a Champion of Khorne following his death at her side.
- Ograx - Ograx was a companion of Archaon during his quest to obtain the Six Treasures of Chaos. Originally a Beastfiend dedicated to Khorne, his travels with the future Everchosen would transform him and his death would assure Archaon command over the Slayer of Kings.
- Frydaal the Chainmaker - Frydall the Chainmaker is a Norscan Exalted Champion of Chaos Undivided who commanded multiple raids launched by the Norscans and allied Warriors of Chaos upon Westerland in the early 2270s IC during the Age of Three Emperors. She and her forces met a combined army of mercenaries and Westerland state troops commanded by the Pretender Empress Elspeth Magritta VI, the Baroness of Westerland, at a major battle near the ruined town of Hollum in the early spring of ca. 2276 IC.
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See Also
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Warriors of Chaos (8th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Corruption (RPG)
- 3: Liber Chaotica Volume I (Background Book)
- 4: Chaos War: Mammoth Background Rules (2nd Version)
- 4a: pp. 1-4
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Corruption (RPG)
- 6: Warhammer Armies: Warriors of Chaos (7th Edition)
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
- 8: With Ice and Sword (Novel) by Graham McNeil
- 8a: Ch. 1
- 9: Warhammer Fantasy Battle Rulebook (5th Edition)
- 9a: pg. 95