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Races of Warhammer

Lizardmen

The history of the Lizardmen begins with the arrival of the Old Ones in the Warhammer world; some of the Slann traveled among the stars with their godlike masters. When the Old Ones arrived on the warhammer world, they settled in Lustria where they created the Sub species of the Lizardmen (Saurus, Skinks and Kroxigors) from creatures already living there as servants that would help the Slann to fulfill the Plan of the Old Ones. During this time, generations of Slann were spawned on the earth as it was being shaped to how the Old Ones wished it. Armies of Saurus destroyed unwanted races, and the Old Ones created the races of Elves (powerful magicians), Dwarfs (magic resistant), and Men. Sometime during the earliest days of the Warhammer world, the Orcs and Goblins came into being, probably the result of some interstellar spore or parasite that had hitched a ride on the Old Ones' ship. They were not part of the Old Ones Plan, but despite many attempts to exterminate this parasitic race, the Greenskins survived, and to this day, they are the bane of the civilised races.

The old ones created two massive gates at the poles that allowed instant transport between the Warhammer world and wherever the Old Ones came from. Later, in the coming of Chaos, the Old Ones either went missing, or sacrificed themselves to try and destroy the polar gates and halt the never ending tide of Chaos in a cataclysmic explosion. Every race formed by the Old Ones fought against the threat of Chaos, including the great armies of the Lizardmen which consisted of billions of Saurus. After the wars, the Slann immediately put defences and wards in place to better contain the threat of Chaos.

Eventually, the Lizardmen become isolated, and the younger races (except for the Elves) forgot about them and the Old Ones. About 3,000 years after the great war on Chaos, the Skaven of Clan Pestilens invaded Lustria, marking the start of a thousand year war that ended with the Serpent God Sotek destroying almost all of the Skaven on Lustria. Dark Elves also began to make raids upon on the Lizardmen, as did the Vampire Luthor Harkon of the Vampire Coast who wages war against the Slann but they have always been defeated. The Lizardmen do not tolorate such raids in the slightest and react violently to any "warmbloods" who invade their realm and always recovering the stolen relics.

Once the army of Hexoatl even invaded Naggaroth to recover the Star Stela of Quetli from Clar Karond. Eventually, Lustria is "discovered" by the Tilean merchant Marco Columbo of the Old World who witnessed the defeat of a Dark Elf raid on Tlaxtlan. This started a new age of exploraion in Lustria (called the New World of Gold by men) who started to probe the borders of the continent. The Lizardmen put up with their settlements on the coast but if there was any looting the perpetrators were hunted down and mercilessly exterminated.

Dark Elves
Thousands of years ago, the High Elves were a unified race living in the island kingdom of Ulthuan.
The first Phoenix King, Aenarion the Defender, was the greatest warrior to walk the earth. It was by his hand that the first great invasion of Chaos was thwarted. Aenarion was married to Astariele the Everqueen who bore him two children, Yvraine and Morelion. During war Astarielle was murdered and Oakheart the Treekin took the children and hid them safe within the Gaen Vale. Thinking them dead Aenarion got on with his life. During the next war, he rescued an Elven seeress from a Slaanesh warband. Her name was Morathi, and she was beautiful beyond description. Aenarion fell deeply in love with her, and she bore his son Malekith. Under the tutelage of both his father and mother, Malekith became a formidable warrior, a skillful general and an accomplished sorcerer.

According to birthright, Malekith was the rightful successor to the throne of Ulthuan. But when Aenarion died everybody gathered in the glade of eternity to decide who the next Phoenix King shall be. It turned out that Yvraine was now the Everqueen and she had decided to marry Bel Shanaar of Tiranoc, a hero of the Daemon Wars, and he would be taking the throne. Morathi was outraged, yet she soon found they had tried to make her part of this decision, but she had had no part of it. Malekith was the first to accept the successor and bent his knee to the new king, silencing a major outcry from his people and mother in support of him.

Malekith was relegated to the rank of High General and supreme commander of the armies. This suited him well, as he was an outstanding warrior and peerless general in the manner of his father. During his time in the army he wandered the globe, and with his mother's guidance, started experimenting with Dark Magic. After a few years Malekith became discontented. In his mind the Elves must be a warlike people to face the ever-growing menace from the forces of Chaos. He became increasingly critical of the nobles, who grew soft and complacent under the protection of his armies. Worse yet, the Cult of Pleasure; a society of poets and artists founded by Morathi herself; had become a front for a Chaos cult of Slaanesh, was taking root in Elf society, being particularly strong in his homeland of Nagarythe. Malekith took personal command of the investigation and used this power to eliminate his political enemies, accusing them falsely of being cultists and executing them without trial.

Then events turned critical. Malekith claimed Phoenix King Bel-Shanaar was a worshipper of Slaanesh and Bel-Shanaar died of poisoning shortly afterwards. Those loyal to the Council accused Malekith of assassination. Those loyal to Malekith claimed Bel-Shanaar committed suicide because he couldn't live with his failures. The argument between Malekith and the Council of Princes turned violent and Malekith and his followers ended up killing most of the Princes in the name of saving Ulthuan (or to simply destroy all opposition to his ascension; both sides say different).

Now the Council was out of the way, there was only one thing left to do in order to become Phoenix King. Malekith had to pass through the Sacred Fire of Asuryan, king of the Elven gods. Malekith stepped forwards, confident he would pass the ordeal just as his father had done. Yet the Sacred Flame would not suffer Malekith's polluted body and it burned him, scarring him horrifically. Malekith's followers claimed treachery - that the Sacred Fires of the Creator God Asuryan must have been corrupted to reject even the rightful heir. They fled back to the province of Nagarythe with their leader. In confusion over the death of their king and council, the High Elves did not pursue.

Near to death, Malekith was taken to one of his mother's temples. His body had healed sufficiently, but, according to the High Elves, his mind was destroyed beyond repair and Malekith was completely lost to insanity. He knew of the need to lead his followers into battle against the High Elves, but also knew his withered body would not survive the rigours of battle. Morathi called upon Hotek, a renegade priest of Vaul, the Elven smith god, to forge a suit of armour that would give life and strength to Malekith's flame-ravaged body. Malekith had the armour fused directly to his skin, forming a sorcerous shell granting him immense supernatural powers. From that day forth, Malekith was known as the Witch King, for he truly had become a figure of dread.

Once healed, Malekith was consumed with a bitter hatred for those who had resisted him. He summoned those Elves who were loyal to him to aid him in taking the throne by force. This included a large part of the standing military, most of his home province of Nagarythe and many other Elves throughout the kingdom who believed in Malekith's cause.

Meanwhile, the High Elves started organising themselves and elected a new Phoenix King, Caledor the First. Caledor gathered his armies to him and a bloody civil war erupted between the High Elves and the followers of Malekith. Great victories were won on both sides, but in the end the scales tipped in the favour of the High Elves. Although their stronghold in Nagarythe was nearly impregnable, Malekith's followers were slowly becoming outnumbered, and Caledor was proving himself to be an as skilled a general Malekith himself. Finally Malekith and Caledor faced each other directly at the head of their mightiest armies. Finally Caledor managed to defeat the Witch King, driving his army into the marches of Maledor.

Desperate, Malekith decided on a final gamble: he gathered his sorceresses and attempted to unravel the Vortex of Ulthuan that prevented the return of the full force of Chaos. As Malekith and his coven began this dark ritual, the mages of the Isle of the Dead intervened, weaving powerful counter spells. The resulting magical backlash caused the cataclysm known as The Sundering, and submerged great parts of Nagarythe and Tiranoc beneath the sea.

As the province sank, several of the great fortress-cities of Nagarythe were pulled from the bedrock by sorceresses and kept afloat by their magic. Malekith and the surviving loyalists sailed their fortress-ships, which would become known as "Black Arks", to the continent called the new world and established a new kingdom that they named Naggaroth in honor of their destroyed home.

As a result of the Sundering, the overriding obsession of Malekith (and by proxy much of the Dark Elf society) is the death or subjugation of the High Elves of Ulthuan and the restoration of Malekith to the throne of the Phoenix King.

Naggaroth, Land of the Chill
When the Dark Elves were driven from the Elven homeland of Ulthuan following a cataclysmic civil war, they fled northwards to the dark and forbidding lands of Naggaroth, "the Land of Chill". The name is an appropriate one, for the unwelcoming home of the Dark Elves is a harsh wilderness of frozen tundra.

After exterminating the native barbarian tribes of Naggaroth they constructed six heavily fortified cities:
Naggarond: the Tower of Cold, Dark Elf capital and seat of the Witch King
Ghrond: the North Tower where the sorceresses study the Realm of Chaos
Karond Kar: the Tower of Despair, largest slave port of the Dark Elves
Hag Graef: the Dark Crag which is never touched by the sun's rays
Har Ganeth: the City of Executioners and religious capital of Cult of Khaine
Clar Karond: the Tower of Doom and largest Dark Elf shipyard

The Dark Elves also constructed a series of fortified watch towers along their northern border to ensure the forces of Chaos did not trespass into their domain.
These cities have innumerable black towers rising like pinnacles of ice from the cold, hard rock of Naggaroth. Due to the harsh and unforgiving nature of Naggaroth, few live outside the cities and so the Druchii cities are some of the most densely populated centers in the world. All of these cities are dark and evil places. Their dungeons are crammed with captives whose wailings fill the air and whose moans seep through the thick walls of the high towers, saturating the place with pain, despair and the souls of the dying. At the tips of these towers, the Sorceresses of Naggaroth cast their malign magic over the world.

The society of Naggaroth is a hierarchical one, with their Witch King, Malekith, at the top. At his right hand is his mother and consort, Queen Morathi. It has been argued, however, that the Dark Elves are in truth a Machiavellian society, with one man at the top and several powerful underlings in competition with each other, all vying for power but simultaneously preventing others from getting it. Malekith allows this to continue because it keeps all sects strong by culling the weak, but also keeps them under his complete control.

 

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High Elves
Aenarion the Defender
After the powers of Chaos entered the world with the disappearance of the Old Ones and the destruction of their interstellar gates at the roof of the world. As hordes of daemons and men corrupted by Chaos sallied forth to destroy everything in the name of their masters, a hero rose from among the ranks of the Elves to fight back. His name was Aenarion, a warrior and adventurer who had travelled the world and returned home in his people's time of need. Knowing his people had no chance of holding off the Chaotic hordes, Aenarion travelled to the Shrine of Asuryan and implored the god to save his people. After countless sacrifices and libations failed, Aenarion hurled himself into the sacred flames of the shrine as a sacrifice. But to the amazement of all present, he did not die. Instead he emerged from the fire, unharmed and blessed by the power of the Creator God of the Elves. Armed with that power, he led his people to victory after victory on the battlefield and finally succeeded in driving the daemon hordes from Ulthuan.
In this brief time of respite, Aenarion found peace for a while.

He befriended Caledor Dragontamer, greatest of all the realm's mages and lord of the realm of Dragons, and added the power of that land to his armies. He married Astarielle, the Everqueen, and she bore him twin children: a daughter, Yvraine, and a son, Morelion. But the daemon hordes came again, in far greater numbers and with much more ferocity. The war dragged on for a century, and faced with a numberless, relentless foe, even Aenarion began to lose hope of victory. Caledor presented a desperate scheme that might present a chance of victory: to create a great magical vortex that would drain the powers of Chaos from the world, thus saving its inhabitants. But Aenarion didn't want to risk the repercussions of such a plan. However, news came of a terrible event that would alter the course of his life: word reached him that the daemons had attacked his wife's realm of Averlorn. Astarielle was dead, and his children by her could not be found (unknown to him, the pair had been taken by the tree-man Oakheart and his people to the safety of the Gaen Vale).
Believing his family dead, a vengeful Aenarion travelled to the Blighted Isle and drew the Sword of Khaine (The widow maker) from its resting place in the Shrine of Khaine there, ignoring the knowledge that to do so not only damned oneself but their descendants as well. Blessed by the power of the Creator God and armed with the very weapon of the God of War, Aenarion became an avatar of death and destruction: none could stand against him. Off the battlefield, though he never stopped mourning Astarielle, Aenarion took a new wife: the beautiful seeress, Morathi, who he had rescued from a Slaanesh Chaos warband, and she bore him another son: Malekith. Aenarion made court in his bride's homeland of Nagarythe, at the castle of Anlec, where the most bloodthirsty and vicious of Elves flocked to his banner, and the castle and the kingdom became synonymous with misery, suffering and death. Eventually, Aenarion and Caledor fell out over the new age of cruelty and violence Aenarion had ushered in and Caledor stormed out of court. But before Aenarion could take action against his old friend, disaster struck.

The daemons came again, this time in such great numbers there was no hope of victory. With little other choice, Caledor assembled the greatest mages in Ulthuan and began to create the vortex. Realising he had no choice, Aenarion assembled his armies to defend Caledor on the Isle of the Dead. The battle that followed was long, bloody and savage and thousands of Elves were slain, but the ritual worked: the vortex was created, draining away the power of Chaos and without it, the daemons faded out of existence. Victory had been won, but the cost was high: thousands were dead, Ulthuan lay in ruins, Caledor and his mages trapped inside the vortex, doomed to keep it open forever, and Aenarion was wounded unto death. Though dying, Aenarion travelled back to the Shrine of Khaine and returned the Sword of Khaine to its resting place. He died on the island and his body was never found, leaving only a kingdom in ruins and a legacy that would haunt his people for long ages to come...

Bel-Shanaar the Explorer
A new Phoenix King was chosen, named Bel-Shanaar, later titled “The Explorer”.
Bel-Shanaar was chosen by the Council of Princes over the more obvious successor, Prince Malekith, the son of Aenarion, due to their inclination for a more peaceful ruler. In spite of great support from his homeland and his insidious mother, Malekith did not contest the ascension and Bel-Shanaar was crowned king. Initially Bel-Shanaar's reign was peaceful and prosperous: Malekith made contact with the dwarves and together established many settlements in the lands that would become the Empire, destroying hordes of Orcs, Daemons and other creatures of Chaos in great battles. Trade flourished between the two realms and Bel-Shanaar and Snorri Whitebeard, High King of the Dwarves, signed a treaty of eternal friendship between Elves and Dwarves.

However, late in Bel-Shanaar's reign, a canker began to infect Ulthuan: cults dediated to the Cytherai, the darker elven gods began to flourish and spread, despite all efforts to curb their excesses. Malekith returned to Ulthuan and led a series of great purges against the cults across Ulthuan, but it did little save push the realm towards civil war. Finally, Malekith declared Bel-Shanaar to be a follower of the cults. Before this claim could be ratified, Malekith murdered Bel-Shanaar and claimed he had killed himself. Malekith demanded the crown pass to him, but the Council was sceptical: unfortunately, this didn't stop Malekith, and he tried to take the crown by force. Too late, the Council realised Malekith and his mother Morathi had been controlling and orcheastrating the cults for their own purposes all along. Unfortunately, their plans were undone when Malekith was horrifically burned trying to prove his right to be king by passing through the sacred Flame of Asuryan. As his followers fled with their badly injured master, they left Ulthuan without a king and poised on the brink of civil war...

Caledor I the Conqueror
Civil war gripped Ulthuan. Imrik, the prince of Caledor, was chosen and crowned to oppose Malekith. He gathered an army of pure elves, and upon his coronation took the name Caledor the First. Caledor was a silent and resolute elf, but he was also a mighty leader, and unequaled warrior. He united the Elves and personally defeated Malekith. As part of a final, desperate plan; Malekith attempted to collapse the vortex created by Caledor Dragontamer, thus releasing the minions of Chaos fully into the world again. The apocalyptic plan failed, and in the magical backlash, Caledor Dragontamer and the mages stuck in the Isle of the Dead overcame their prison and disrupted the spell; Consequently, large portions of Ulthuan sank beneath the sea. This is the event known as the 'Sundering'. Malekith, along with Morathi and their followers, used their magic to transform the great northern cities into the huge floating 'Black Arks', which are mobile fortresses created to plague the oceans of the Warhammer World. They traveled to the western lands known as Naggaroth, by means of the Black Arks.

The Asur retook the Blighted Isle toward the closing of the war: Caledor went to the Shrine of Khaine, but ultimately, though he felt its call, refused to draw the Sword of Khaine, even though he knew it would give him the power to destroy Malekith and the Dark Elves once and for all. As his fleet headed for home, Caledor’s ship was swept away by a freak storm and driven towards the coast of Naggaroth. Morathi alerted Malekith to this turn of events, who set a fleet of corsairs the task of finding and capturing Caledor. As their ship drifted, it was caught and boarded by Dark Elf pirates, against whom Caledor and his men fought off desperately. However, in the end, the Dark Elves were too many, and the crew were annihilated. Wounded and surrounded, Caledor jumped into the sea in full armour, choosing a quick death by drowning, rather than face the long, slow, torturous end Malekith would inflict on him if captured. A tragic ending, for the great king, Caledor...

Caledor II the Warrior
Caledor's son ascended to the throne, taking the title Caledor II. Unlike his father, Caledor II was arrogant and foolish. When the Dark Elves sought to inflame the Asur-Dwarf relations, Caledor II's arrogance only worsened the situation. The Dark Elves began raiding Dwarf trade caravans, disguised as High Elves,but when the Dwarves demanded an explanation and recompense for their loss, Caledor arrogantly replied that he did not answer demands but granted pleas and send the Dwarf emissaries away with nothing. The Dwarf High King, Gotrek Starbreaker, replied he made no plea to elf, man or god and demanded twice the weregeld price for the implied insult. Outraged by this, Caledor had the Dwarf emissary sent back with his beard shaved off: the ultimate insult in Dwarven culture. This atrocity sparked off the War of the Beard, a millennia spanning conflict that saw the empires of the Elves and Dwarves crumble into ruins.

Dwarf armies started to attack the Asur colonies all across the Old World. Arriving from Ulthuan, Caledor II took personal command of the Elf armies. He slew the Dwarven King Gotrek’s son, Snorri Halfhand, and routed many dwarf armies. At the 14th siege of Tor Alessi, the war reached its conclusion. Caledor II allowed the Dwarves to enter peacefully, but the Dwarves attacked instead. The Asur claim Caledor II refused to slay Gotrek to preserve some hope of peace. The Dwarves claim Caledor II was simply arrogant who habitually squandered the few opportunities for peace that occurred. The Dwarves claim that Caledor II was killed by High King Gotrek at Tor Alessi after Caledor II charged straight into the heart of the dwarf army unsupported. According to the Asur, however, Gotrek fought his way to Caledor and killed him at the centre of the field. Gotrek returned to Karaz-a-Karak with the Crown of the Phoenix King, having taken it from Caledor's corpse as recompense. It remains in Dwarf hands to this day.

Caradryel the Peacemaker
As the High Elves planned to launch a suicidal attack on Karaz-a-Karak to recover the Phoenix Crown, word came that Malekith had initiated a new invasion of Ulthuan. Having learnt the error of hereditary kingship, the Asur's next choice for Phoenix King was the pragmatic Prince Caradryel. Caradyrel recalled the Elven forces from the Old World to deal with the Dark Elves, thus abandoning the few remaining colonies who had refused to return to fend for themselves against the Dwarves. The survivors of these migrated to the forest of Athel Loren and became the Asrai, or Wood Elves, slowly integrating themselves with this sentient forest and its denizens.
Not being a warrior, Caradryel appointed a number of skillful generals to battle the Dark Elves. Because of his foresight, the Druchii were held at bay in the northern provinces for much of his reign. Despite numerous attempts by Malekith's assassins to kill him, Caradryel survived and was remembered as a wise and noble king. After a rule of over 700 years, Caradryel the Peacemaker became the first Phoenix King who did not die in battle: instead, Caradryel died peacefully in his sleep.

Tethlis the Slayer
For their next king, the Asur chose a warrior noble of Caledor, one who would seek to end the threat of Naggaroth for all time. His name was Tethlis and he loathed the Druchii with a passion, for they had murdered his family when he was but a child. At the start of his reign, the Dragons of Caledor began to succumb to a strange malaise, making them difficult to summon to war or even awaken from deep slumbers, and so Tethlis had to find new ways to compensate for the loss of these mighty beasts in his army. He began to train more and more soldiers, until he had rebuilt the Asur armies to a strength not seen since the time of Aenarion.

When this was complete, Tethlis launched the Scouring, a long campaign to drive the Dark Elves out of Ulthuan. The armies of Ulthuan and Naggaroth waged war against each other for centuries, the course of the war changing on the outcome of a single battle. The war reached heights of ferocity not seen since the days of the Sundering, as seen at the siege of Griffon Gate, where a Druchii army was ambushed by Tethlis's forces: only a counter attack led by Malekith himself was enough to save the Dark Elves from destruction, or the siege of Tor Lehan, where the Asur and Druchii forces wiped each other out down to the last Elf: there were no survivors. After many years, Tethlis pushed the Druchii back into Nagarythe. He laid siege to Anlec and when it fell, gave the order for all Druchii prisoners- men, women and children- to be put to death: an action which only inflamed the hatred of the Dark Elves.

In his 303rd year of rule, he led a great armada to the Blighted Isle where he inflicted a mighty defeat upon the Druchii: he also found the armour of Aenarion himself and had the great heirloom passed onto the descendants of Morelion, Aenarion's son by his first wife. He later died under mysterious circumstances: some claimed that he was slain by a Dark Elf assassin hiding among the bones surrounding the Sword of Khaine, others that he attempted to draw the weapon and as it began to come free, he was murdered by his own bodyguard, who feared the unleashing of the sword's terrible power. Whatever the truth of the matter, Tethlis did not return from the Blighted Isle and the Asur armada sailed home.

Bel-Korhandis the Scholar King
After the great cost in Elven lives, the Asur chose a more peacefully inclined ruler. They compromised, and chose a wizard prince of Saphery, Bel-Korhandis. His relatively unremarkable rule was marked by one notable event: the building of the Tower of Hoeth, the greatest library and repository of magic and knowledge in the world. The King died shortly after its completion, and was buried beneath the Tower's foundations. It is claimed his ghost still wanders the Tower, offering wisdom and advice to scholars in need of it.

Aethis the Poet
After Bel-Korhandis came Aethis, also of Saphery. During his rule, art bloomed and music was heard through Ulthuan, combined with a great sense of joy, as rumours spread that the Dark Elves were all but extinct and Malekith himself had finally died. It was during this time that the shrinking number of births was first noted and that the elves were diminishing. During this time, Dark Elf infiltrators sneaked back into Ulthuan and the Cult of Pleasure spread once more: in the end, several Swordmasters of the White Tower were sent to investigate, and a long and bloody war was waged in secrecy between the Swordmasters and the cultists. Ultimately, Aethis’s High Chancellor, Girathon, was unmasked as a Dark Elf spy. Girathon chose to fight rather than come quietly, and in the struggle drove a poisoned dagger into Aethis's chest. Thus was the Phoenix King slain by a man he trusted as a friend.

Morvael the Impetuous
Next came Morvael, High Loremaster of the White Tower. He was not well versed in statecraft or warfare. His first act was to order a punitive attack on Naggaroth to avenge Aethis's murder: unfortunately, the army he sent was massacred as it made landfall (an event the Druchii fondly refer to as "The Day of Blood"), and word of its failure spread panic across Ulthuan. It transpired that, far from being an extinct race, the Dark Elves had simply been amassing their strength for a return to hostilities with the Asur, and Malekith took advantage of the reduced military presence to once again assault Ulthuan. Having learned from his mistakes, Morvael appointed Mentheus of Caledor as his field commander of the Asur armies, and introduced the levy system, requiring that every elf spends part of the year as a soldier. As Mentheus won the war, Morvael became ever more despondent at the high cost in Asur lives, and was driven deeper into paranoia and insanity through horrific nightmares Malekith's sorcery inflicted on him. During the final assault on Anlec, Mentheus’ forces took the castle, but Mentheus himself was killed: his dragon, Nightfang went berserk and broke the back of the Druchii armies, and the survivors fled back to Naggaroth, Malekith in the lead. Weary beyond bearing, Morvael committed suicide by walking into the Flames of Asuryan once again.

Bel-Hathor the Sage
Once again the Asur found themselves leaderless during a time of war. The clear candidate, Mentheus of Caledor, was dead, and none could agree on a suitable replacement. In the end Bel-Hathor, a wizard prince of Saphery was chosen and crowned. He was chosen because many in the Elven court believed that he could easily be manipulated to their own ends. They were proven wrong, and Bel-Hathor became a ruler as famed for his resolve as for his wisdom. The most notable example of this was his refusal to agree to an invasion of Naggaroth: while he was aware that the High Elves could likely destroy the Dark Elves in their weakened state, he feared that such a bloody and bitter war would leave so many dead that the extinction of the Elven race would be assured. For the sake of his people's survival, he chose to leave the Dark Elves be and not continue the war.

After many years of raiding by Norse tribes, the Elves began to hear of the human Empire in the Old World, and became uneasy. Bel-Hathor decreed that no human would be allowed to set foot on Ulthuan, but sent Finubar of Lothern to investigate what had become of the Old World in the Asur's absence. Finubar sailed to the Old World and found that the humans had some measure of civilization, and rediscovered the Asrai of Athel Loren. He opened relations with the Empire, Bretonnia and even the Dwarfs. He returned to Ulthuan with his knowledge and Bel-Hathor revoked his decree, causing trade to flourish. After 548 years of rule, Bel-Hathor the Sage died peacefully.

Finubar the Seafarer
Bel-Hathor’s successor, Finubar, is the current Phoenix King. Under his rule, trade has flourished, and Ulthuan survived the last Great War against Chaos, with help from the twins Tyrion and Teclis. At present, Finubar leads the Asur against Malekith's latest invasion.

Wood Elves
The Wood Elves (known as "Asrai" to themselves) were once members of the High Elves, the original group of elves in the Warhammer world. Setting sail from their homeland of Ulthuan, an island-continent in the ocean to the west, the High Elves colonised the lands later inhabited by men, including the forest of Athel Loren. After many years of peaceful existence, these colonists came into conflict with the Dwarves, a conflict which escalated into open war. Known as the War of the Beard (Dwarves sometimes call it the War of Vengeance), this centuries long conflict saw Dwarven forces through Athel Loren, felling trees to fuel their furnaces, and to spite the nature loving Elves. Some Elven colonist took to the woods to prevent this destruction, ambushing the Dwarven forces when possible.

Eventually the High Elves, after the death of Caledor II and with the Dark Elf invasion of Ulthuan, made the decision to retreat back to their homeland to its defense. However many of the colonists felt little loyalty towards that distant land and, having formed a bond with the woods of Athel Loren, chose to remain. They became known as the Wood Elves. Over time the forest's other inhabitants, spirits such as dryads, treemen and spites, have come to accept the elves, although some such as the branchwraith Drycha still resent their presence, and parts of the wood, such as the Wildwood, still remain closed to them.

The Wood Elves have learnt to wield Athel Loren and other forests they inhabit as a weapon against invaders, leading invaders down magical pathways to wander for centuries, only re-appearing many years later before quickly ageing and dying. Such 'tree-singing' is also used to form great cities in the trees, cities which few outsiders are ever permitted to see. The Wood Elves cannot be described as morally 'good' or 'bad', lacking the clear definition of their cousins, the High Elves and Dark Elves. Like nature itself, they can appear as fickle and capricious as the winter chill, yet also as warm as the summer sun. Athel Loren, the enchanted forest of the Wood Elves, is ruled by two powerful elves called Ariel and Orion who are possessed by deities which are manifestations of aspects of nature. Ariel being the peaceful regenerative representation of nature, and Orion is the warlike unpredictable side.

Eastern Elves
Like the Wood Elves before them, the Eastern Elves were once High Elves that have elected to stay behind in their homes far away from Ulthuan after the death of Caldeor II and the Dark Elf invasions of the ancestral Elven homeland.

 

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Dwarfs

Dwarfs reside mainly in the hills and mountains of the "Old World" where they have their strongholds. Their empire once ran as a series of holds throughout the mountain ranges joined by tunnels. Since the peak some strongholds have fallen and the tunnel ways lost so the strongholds are more isolated. The loss of the holds has been attributed to Orcs and other Greenskins or to the Skaven. There is a reputed "lost" hold in the Southlands and to the north the Dwarfs there in Norsca have become a little less civilized and more separate from the main - the largest hold there is Karak Drak. Substantial numbers of Dwarfs have settled in the human nations of the Old World; particularly the Empire where their technical skills are appreciated and some serve in the Imperial armies. These expatriate dwarfs were once available as regiments within the Imperial Army but were removed in the 4th edition of the Empire list.

Little is known about early dwarf history but dawi as they were known were probably assisted in their development by the mysterious and enigmatic Old Ones. It is said that the dwarfs were foretold of the great catastrophe that befell the Warhammer world by their patron god, Grungni.
After the catastrophe of the Coming of Chaos, the dwarfs emerged to find their world changed and warped. Mutated Beastmen roamed freely throughout the land, slaying everyone in their path. Warriors of the Chaos Gods murdered and pillaged at will, and Daemons created nightmare realms, enslaving entire tribes and peoples.

It was Grungni himself that forged the first weapons and armour, while teaching the dwarfs to do the same. Then after he forged the first magical runes, capturing the wild winds of magic and harnessing their power into them, creating even more potent weapons, axes and hammers, as well as runes that gave runic protection into armour and talismans. He armed the Ancestor God Grimnir with two axes and armour harder than the bones of mountains, and he and his first runesmiths armed the rest of the dwarfs to do battle.

Soon after their re-emergence the dwarfs first encountered the High Elves from Ulthuan. The two races had a period of prosperous development but a disastrous war known to the elves as the 'War of the Beard' and to the dwarfs as the 'War of Vengeance' almost completely destroyed the two races. The dwarfs now live in isolated strongholds of decreasing population and their once proud empire lies in tatters.

The War of Vengeance

The War of Vengeance, also known as the War of the Beard, was the cataclysmic war that took place between the dwarfs of the Old World and the elves of Ulthuan shortly after the great catastrophe. The war was started by Dark Elves, pretending to be High Elves, attacking dwarf colonies and trading parties. High King Gotrek Starbreaker demanded recompenses from the High Elves, but the arrogant Phoenix King Caledor II replied that if the High King wanted recompense he should come to Ulthuan and ask for them himself. Starbreaker, insulted by the implied suggestion that he should beg, sent his most skilled diplomats to demand double the original amount. The war received its nickname after the emissaries were returned minus their beards. To lose one's beard is the ultimate insult to a dwarf and thus the war was known as the War of the Beard to the elves while the dwarfs, not to take such things lightly, call it the War of Vengeance. The war culminated in the siege of the elf city of Tor Alessi, with High King Starbreaker killing the Caledor (After Caledor foolishly charged the dwarf army by himself) and taking the Phoenix Crown as recompense. As the High Elves prepared to launch a suicidal attack on the Dwarf Holds news reached them that the Dark Elves had attacked their homeland and were forced to withdraw, eventually shattering the Elven empire in the Old World. Those who remained became the Wood Elves.

Chaos Dwarfs

Thousands of years ago in the timeline of the Warhammer universe, a group of Dwarfs moved northwards from their ancestral home somewhere in the Southlands. They moved along the high ridge of the mountains known as the World's Edge Mountains, following the trail of mineral ores and precious gems, eventually reaching the region at the far north of the World's Edge Mountains which they called Zorn Uzkul or the Great Skull Land. This was a vast, cold, and inhospitable plateau where the air was thin and the rocks bare. From this point, some of the Dwarfs turned east and then south along the barren Mountains of Mourn.
Then came the Time of Chaos. The Dwarfs who dwelled in the west believed that those who had travelled east had been destroyed by the tides of Chaos that swelled in from the north, but this was not true. The forces of Chaos did not fatally mutate the hardy Dwarfs as it would have done for weaker species such as humans, but instead changed them in much smaller ways. The most common mutations amongst Chaos Dwarfs are prominent tusks, or hooves instead of feet. Chaos Dwarfs also lack the western Dwarf's resistance to magic because of their more direct exposure to Chaos.

Homelands

Chaos Dwarfs occupy a region of the Warhammer World that would roughly coincide with the middle east in the real world. It is to the east of the Old World, known as the Dark Lands. It is a large plain and mostly barren, filled with ash and fire.
The Chaos Dwarfs' major city is Zharr-Naggrund. Zharr-Naggrund is situated in the middle of the Plain of Zharr, a massive crater in the Darklands full of underground workshops and mines. Much of their activity goes toward building and preserving this city. It is in the form of a massive ziggurat, with gates larger than there is any need for, which led to it being also called The Tower of Zharr-Naggrund. On the top of the city is the Temple of Hashut, where slaves are sacrificed to their god Hashut. The mighty city is the centre of Chaos Dwarf lands, but there are others. Far to the south is the Black Tower. The Tower of Gorgorth is situated in the Mountains of Ash. Both Daemon's Stump and the Black Fortress are situated close to the Mountains of Mourn, where
Ogres trade slaves and plunder for metal and black powder weapons.

Society

In the backstory to Warhammer, the Chaos Dwarfs hate their brethren for abandoning them to the wave of Chaos. The Dwarfs, in turn, have completely disowned their evil kin, even going so far as to rewrite their family histories to make it seem as if they never existed. Chaos Dwarfs are unlike other Warhammer Dwarfs in many ways, being enthusiastic slavers with Orc and Goblin slaves, as well as humans, under hobgoblin overseers. Many of them are potent Sorcerers, using magic more like other races rather than the purely runic magic of other Dwarfs. They worship a god named Hashut, also known as the "Father of Darkness", rather than the Dwarf ancestor gods.
Unlike most of the races in Warhammer Fantasy, Chaos Dwarfs see little need for further campaigns into distant lands to gain more land or belongings; they have all the slaves they need in the Mountains of Mourn and the Dark Lands, along with more material wealth than they actually need; although being Dwarfs, they continue to search for more.
There are relatively few Chaos Dwarfs, the vast numbers of slaves who toil in the Tower of Zharr-Naggrund and in the Plain of Zharrduk outnumber them many times over. All the Chaos Dwarfs belong to one of the Chaos Dwarf Sorcerers, they are his subjects and also his kinsmen, bonded by ties of blood-loyalty which all Chaos Dwarfs deem unbreakable. Bands of Chaos Dwarfs scour the Dark Lands searching for captives to bring back to Zharr-Naggrund to work in the mines and forges, or to sacrifice at the Temple of Hashut. The temple is guarded by Bull Centaurs.

Sorcerers

According to White Dwarf Presents: Chaos Dwarfs, the Chaos Dwarf Sorcerers rule over the Tower of Zharr-Naggrund as the lords and masters of the Chaos Dwarfs and high priests of Hashut. They specialize in the study of machines and magic combined to produce arcane engines of power and destruction. There are only a few, probably no more than a few hundred amongst the whole Chaos Dwarf race. There is no leader nor formal hierarchy; the strongest voices are the oldest and most powerful. Each Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer controls part of the city, with its own workshops and forges, slaves and warriors, as part of his personal dominion.
The more Chaos Dwarf Sorcerers use magic the more it affects them. Although slow the process once started is inexorable. From the feet up they slowly turn to stone. Over time, the entire body turns to stone and he becomes a statue to be placed along with the others lining the roadways around the Tower of Zharr-Naggrund.

Slaves and subject races

The acquisition of slaves is very important to Chaos Dwarfs because they are totally dependent upon captives to keep their city and industries going. Bands of Chaos Dwarfs will travel many hundreds of miles to raid Orc or Goblin strongholds in the Mountains of Mourn, and when they conquer a tribe they take as many prisoners back to their city as they can. The more captives they take the more successful the expedition is judged to have been. All wars of conquest are fought with the aim of taking slaves; the Chaos Dwarfs are not interested in expanding their territories further, for the Mountains of Mourn and the Plain of Zharrduk contain all the wealth that they require. Sometimes whole armies of Chaos Dwarfs march against the Orc and Goblin tribes, subduing one tribe after another before returning to the Tower of Zharr-Naggrund laden with slaves.
The Chaos Dwarfs trade slaves with the Goblin tribes, choosing to use the Goblins as intermediaries rather than advance further into the Old World.

Hashut

The nature of the god Hashut is unclear in Warhammer Fantasy. Many people assume that he is a Chaos god simply because Chaos Dwarfs have the word "Chaos" in their name, and because Chaos Dwarfs are included in the background and army lists of those who worship the "big four" Chaos gods. Although Hashut is mentioned in much of the Chaos Dwarf background, he is only called a Chaos god within the rules-specific section of White Dwarf Presents: Chaos Dwarfs but never in any background material of any Games Workshop publication.

Ogres
Early sources described Ogres as dwelling primarily in Human lands and in the northern reaches of the Old World. With the release of the Ogre army book for the 6th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy, Ogres have been given a homeland in the Mountains of Mourn. These "Ogre Kingdoms" are loosely organized into a number of small empires and kingdoms, each separate from the others. While their society is described as being brutish and barbaric, Ogres are shown as being capable of dwelling among members of other races, and as being better accepted by others than some of Warhammer's more brutal races.

The ogre culture is described as being oriented around eating, and as such, most ogres sport large guts and they worship a god known as the Great Maw. In ogre mythology it appears as a vast creature that was released from a comet that destroyed the original Ogre Kingdoms in what is now Cathay, the Warhammer Fantasy equivalent of Imperial China. In their myths it ate many of the inhabitants of the Ogre Kingdoms and is said to have passed through the centre of the world (it appears that another Great Maw exists in the sea on the other side of the world, in the form of a giant whirlpool that sucks in passing ships). In actuality this is probably a regular comet that crashed into the earth simply smashing not eating the ogres but the ogres believed it to have eaten them because all that was left was a giant pit. The ogres venerate and fear it in equal measure and the reason ogres have a desire to eat and worship the Maw by eating is due to the fact that many starved in the migration to the mountains of Morn. The priests of the Great Maw, known as Butchers and Slaughtermasters, also fulfill the roles of cooks for their respective tribes and supervise their religious holidays, which consist (mainly, and some times solely) of gigantic banquets and pit fights.

The overall leader of each kingdom is known as the Tyrant. Young bull ogres challenge him for the leadership of the tribe. These challenges take the form of duels which take place in the tribe's 'maw-pit', a stake-lined pit into which pieces of red meat are thrown, as an offering for their god.

In 'friendly' fights, over some food for example, the forfeit for losing is generally an ear or a couple of fingers given up to the winner as a victory snack. In serious duels, such as a challenge for tyranthood of the tribe, the loser becomes the victor's next meal.

The ogres are a primitive culture and most of their equipment is made from scavenged scrap metal, loot from their adventures, or is crafted by the Chaos Dwarfs of Zharr Nagrunnd in exchange for Gnoblar and other races captured in battle slaves. That which they do create is made from the hides and bones of various quasi-prehistoric creatures, such as mammoths, sabertooth cats and ice age style rhinos, known as rhinoxen. The ogres hunt these creatures for food as well. Elaborately carved clubs are one of the few weapons that Ogres often craft themselves.

Storytelling is also quite common amongst Ogres, especially Maneaters. Ogres love to tell others of his/her life story. However, most of the story is false. Many have exaggerated (or not) about how a maneater's greatest ability is to tell long, boring life stories.

Ogres also believe in an almost ancient tale of how the Ogres beat up and ate the entire Skytitan race, also known as giants. Skytitans ruled the Mountains of Mourn with benevolence, until the Ogres came. Skytitans are described to have lived in massive castles built atop the highest mountains, coming down only to tend to the mammoth flocks. Once the Ogres were through with them their once great palaces are turned into either rubble or defiled mess halls filled with troughs for the tribe. The mammoths are all but consumed by the Ogres.

The ogres are served by Gnoblars, a small species of goblinoids. They are smaller than typical goblins, and play the role of pets, servants and, on the battlefield, cannon fodder. Gnoblars don't make good eating; Ogres find they don't have enough meat on them. Many ogres pick a favorite gnoblar, and it is identified by the bite mark that is bestowed upon its right ear. In a dispute over the ownership of a gnoblar it is customary for both ogres to take a bite out of the left ear, who the bite matches is clearly the owner. It is considered a grave insult to eat an ogres favorite gnoblar, and in fact it was this mistake that cost Skrag the Slaughterer to lose his hands after his tyrant cut them off and fed them to him as punishment for serving his Tyrant's favorite gnoblar as a meal.

 

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Undead

The Tomb Kings were once rulers of Nehekhara, a vast, fertile kingdom analogous to ancient Egypt and the Mesopotamian civilizations, but not identical to them. The rulers were a proud and warlike people who resented dying. Their religion led them to believe that they would rule paradise in the afterlife, and were thus entombed so that they were prepared for this. A priestly caste called the 'Mortuary Cult' developed to look after and preserve the Kings' mortal remains. Huge necropolises of the dead, full of pyramids and temples eventually surrounded and dwarfed all the inhabited cities. Over hundreds of years, the necromancer Nagash waged a series of wars with the Nehekharans. His failure to dominate the region was bittersweet, as a final curse of epic proportions slew the populace and rendered the once-fertile kingdoms desert. Through the polluting side effects of Nagash's curse combining with the ancient Nehekharan magics, and the manner of burial, the Tomb Kings were reborn.

Their armies are based around deployments typical of Mesopotamian/Egyptian antiquity. Large blocks of light infantry armed with bows, axes, maces, spears, and shields are supported by chariots and light cavalry.

They may also field gigantic undead scorpions, swarms of scarabs, and animated statues of their gods. Every Tomb Kings army must be led by a King or Prince (the army's General). His force of will drives the host forward, while the accompanying Liche Priests or High Priest (one called the Hierophant is compulsory in every Tomb Kings army) animates the dead. An army can usually survive the death of its General, but once the Hierophant is slain, it is only a matter of time before all non-character models collapse into the sand.

The army is best known for its magic: Liche Priests and High Liche Priests (along with Tomb Kings and Princes to a lesser degree) employ a variety called "Nehekharan Incantations". They do not follow the normal Warhammer rules for magic; they are not subject to Miscasts or Irresistible Force but are cast automatically. Priests do not roll for their spells as most Warhammer wizards; each knows all four incantations (Tomb Kings and Princes know a set two).

A key feature of the Tomb Kings army is inter-reliance. Most units are weaker than analogues in other armies, more expensive to deploy, or otherwise restricted. What they lack in raw power, however, they make up for in versatility. Consequently there are no "hammer" units in a Tomb Kings army. A force must be carefully fielded, magic has to support infantry and cavalry must make key flanking maneuvers. While this might like sound like basic military technique, it is important to remember that for most armies in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, such tactics are a bonus, while for Tomb Kings players, they are absolutely essential to victory.

Vampire Counts

Some two and a half thousand years before the birth of Sigmar, the ancient civilization of Nehekhara dwelt along the banks of the great river Vitae. Of all the kings of Nehekhara, none could match the splendour, cruelty and arrogance of Settra, first Priest King of Khemri. Under his inspired leadership and unparalleled ruthlessness, the many kings of Nehekhara were conquered and forced to pay tribute and acknowledge Khemri as the greatest city of the land. But Settra was unsatisfied, knowing that one day death would rob him of all he had accomplished. In his arrogance he vowed that the grave would not claim him and proclaimed that he would cheat death, setting his wisest and most powerful priests towards working on a means of preventing his passing. Soon all of Nehekhara became preoccupied with death and the afterlife, building many huge temples and monuments to the dead. These huge tombs became so frequent and huge that the rulers blocked them all into the giant cities of the dead called Necropoli.

It was into this culture that Nagash was born, brother of the Priest king of Khemri. Nagash was obsessed with death from an early age and took to wandering the Necropoli for many days at a time, entering the oldest tombs. He observed the morticians as they prepared the dead for internment. He watched wounded warriors fade and die, resolving never to let himself die. Nagash took to unspeakable experiments in his quest for immortality and soon all the citizens of Khemri shunned him. Nagash's experiments met with limited success, he prolonged his life so that he didn't die even thought he still aged, but there was something missing, something that evaded Nagash. But then, when a group of dark elves were blown off-course and captured by the Khemri navy, Nagash (as the brother of the priest king) was allowed to ingratiate himself with one of the elves, a sorcerer. He made a more than apt pupil and soon distilled an elixir made from human blood that made him immortal (with constant consumption).

He shared his elixir with depraved noble men, building support for himself before he finally killed his brother and seized power in Khemri. He and his immortal supporters soon became overconfident and killed many of citizens of Khemri before constructing the Black Pyramid, the largest structure ever built by man. Slowly the other priest kings became afraid of Nagash and formed a confederation against him. After nearly a century of warfare Nagash's power was broken and he fled north to avoid destruction. Unknown to the priest kings however, Nagash rebuilt his power and constructed a vast citadel that became known as Nagashizzar.

The ruler of the city of Lahmia, Queen Neferata had been part of the confederation against Nagash and was with her army when Khemri fell and Nagash fled, she entered the Black Pyramid with her troops and came across one of the nine Books of Nagash. Fascinated by the power promised within, she began to practice the magic of necromancy that was contained in the book. She eventually created an elixir which would give her eternal youth. However, after drinking it her heart stopped beating forever, and she craved to drink human blood. She gathered before her eleven worthy individuals, and gave to them each a portion of the elixir. In Lahmia were born the Master Vampires, those from whom all vampires are descended. Each of the twelve masters (Nefereta included) bore particular traits, and they could expand their lineage by creating vampire servants, but through each successive generation, the powers of the vampire weakened.

The vampires in Lahmia terrorized the populace and defiled the ancient gods of Nehekhara. The ruler of Nehekhara, King Alcadizaar the Great, feared the wrath of the gods, and made war on Lahmia. The vampires defended their homeland but were ultimately pushed back to Lahmia itself. Alcadizaar's armies then broke through the gates of Lahmia and set about the city. The library of Lahmia, the centre of the vampires' lore and knowledge, was defended stoically by some vampires, who were slain and died in the flames. Accepting Lahmia as lost, the vampires fled north. Of the twelve Masters, only seven survived the sacking of Lahmia.

Heading north, the remaining vampire masters encountered Nagash, who was secretly pleased with the havoc they had wreaked. Making them his captains, they lead the Undead into Nehekhara. The might of Nagash combined with the power of the vampires was awesome to behold, but they faced one of the greatest leaders of all time, Alcadizaar the Great. Through a brilliant campaign, he smashed the Undead armies, and sent the vampires fleeing from Nehekhara. Nagash, furious at being defeated, cursed the Vampires to be burnt by the rays of the sun. The Vampire Masters separated and fled into hiding.

Nagash then unleashed a plague upon Nehekhara: many thousands died and were raised to swell the ranks of undead at Nagash's control. Nagash used this new army to invade Nehekhara: easily overwhelming the meagre defences, he captured Alcadizaar and took him back to Nagashizzar in chains. After consuming massive amounts of warpstone, Nagash began the Ritual of the Waking to transform the whole world into an undead realm. Fearing destruction, the Skaven of Cripple Peak freed Alcadizaar, who then (apparently) killed Nagash with the Skaven's Fellblade. In actuality he wasn't dead and returned to destroy the Skaven Clan Rikek before engaging in yet another war of attrition with them

 

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The Empire

The Empire is a confederation of ten large provinces: Averland, Hochland, Middenland, Nordland, Ostland, Ostermark, Reikland, Stirland, Talabecland, Wissenland, each of which is ruled by an Elector Count. There were originally two more provinces Drakwald (lands now under the jurisdiction of the Elector Counts of Middenland) and Solland (lands now under the Elector Counts of Wissenland). Another, Westerland, was originally the areas around Marienburg.

The provinces and their counts are derived from the twelve chieftains that followed the god Sigmar. The naming of some provinces of The Empire are also derived from the river that flows through them, like the river Reik flows through The Reikland, the Talabec through Talabecland and Talabheim and such. Also, some of the major cities of the Empire became more important and as such are classed as city-states; namely
Altdorf, in Reikland.
Nuln, on the borders of Wissenland, Averland and Stirland.
Talabheim, in Talabecland.
Middenheim, in Middenland.
Sudenburg is an Imperial enclave in Araby

The Empire is nominally ruled by the Emperor who is chosen by majority voting of the various electors. The electors are the ten Elector Counts, the Grand Theogonist of the Sigmarite Church, the two "Arch Lectors" who are also clerics of the Sigmar church, the High Priest of Ulric and the Elder of the Moot (representing the halflings). Karl Franz, of the Holswig-Schliestein family, is the current Emperor. The Emperor is usually also one of the Elector Counts; Karl-Franz is the Elector Count of Reikland.

Amazons

A Human society in the jungles of Lustria? Ruled by women? Perposterous? Don't tell these girls! They will eat you for breakfast. Past that noone knows.

Norsca

Norsca has a heavily indented coastline and is otherwise mountainous. To the North lies the Realm of Chaos (also called Shadowlands by Norse and known as Chaos Wastes), to the south beyond the Sea of Claws are the Empire and to the South east the kingdom of Kislev. Between Norsca and Kislev is wild area called Troll Country. Norsca is usually referred to be part of the Northlands.

Norsca was originally populated by both High Elves and Dwarfs. Humans came to this land long after them. Norse Dwarves still remain, but Elves have left the land. There are ancient ruins that Elves left. One of the mysterious places is the Forest of Knives which is situated in the middle of Norsca where an ancient Elven temple is located. But this place is extremely hard and dangerous to reach.

Marienburg

In the history of the Warhammer World, Marienburg was once part of the Empire, but gained independence though a massive transfer of gold into the imperial coffers during the reign of the corrupt Emperor Dieter IV. Any subsequent attempts to subdue Marienburg and bring it back within rule of the Empire have failed, and today Marienburg remains a fiercely independent city-state where the Count of Nordland, nominally the ruler of Marienburg, is forbidden to return under pain of death.

Graf Paulus van der Maacht was the last Baron of Westerland. He was killed in 2302IC during the last Incursion of Chaos. He was 15 years old and unmarried, leaving no heir to the Barony. The van der Maachts were also a junior branch of the ruling house of Nordland who immediately put forward candidates upon Paulus' death. So did many other houses from right across the Empire. The decision of Magnus the Pious over whom to appoint looked ready to destabilise the Empire. It was at this point that the three envoys, Jan Koopmans, Pieter Winkler, and Thijs van Onderzoeker from Marienburg's merchant families entered the scene.

In 2305IC Magnus the Pious created the Province of the Westerland from the Barony of Westerland. The Province was to be governed by a Council made up of the heads of the merchant families of Marienburg. For over a hundred years this council operated successfully but they had insidiously extended their powers, allowing merchant princes to keep private fleets and militias (in order to protect the Province from pirates). In 2378–79 IC a successful campaign against the privateers was brought to a close but still the fleets and armies did not disband. The key point was when the Council approached Emperor Leopold and offered to relieve the Imperial Second Fleet (stationed at Marienburg) and conduct the defence of the city themselves. Leopold agreed as he was facing uprisings in other areas and the upkeep of the Second Fleet was a drain of the Imperial coffers he could do without. The council also relieved the Imperial Excise men of their duties and collected taxes themselves on behalf of the Emperor. In the spring of 2429 IC the Province of Westerland refused to provide any more troops for the Imperial armies and when Emperor Dieter IV was replaced by Prince Wilhelm of Altdorf, Westerland formally seceded from the Empire. The city is now ruled over by the High Council.

Kislev

In the Warhammer Fantasy setting, Kislev is the name of a Slavic/Kieven Rus-themed fictional country that sits northeast of The Empire, between it and the Realm of Chaos. Between Kislev and Norsca lies Troll Country, while beyond that lie the magic-tainted Chaos Wastes. Because of both the harsh weather and the fact that any Chaos incursions must pass through (and, consequently, attack) the country, the Kislevites are a hardy people who are never willing to back down from a fight. The capital of Kislev is Kislev, with Erengrad and Praag being the next largest and important cities. Kislev is primarily inspired by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia of the 16th and 17th centuries, with its name derived from the city of Kiev. They are most famed for their horseback archery skills, and are ruled by Tzarina Katarin who is the most powerful magician Queen who has ever lived because of her mastery of the power Ice magic.

 

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Bretonnia
A throwback feudal nation that relies on its haughty knights, heraldry, and their mysterious patron for military strength. It is similar to the French armies before the Hundred Years' War, combined with a heavy dose of Arthurian Myth. Bretonnian armies rely on powerful charges from their many heavily armed and armoured knights in order to achieve victory. Bretonnian knights are arguably the best heavy cavalry in the game, along with being the most varied. Bretonnian armies can also contain cheap and expendable units of unskilled peasants to serve as fodder.

The Land of Bretonnia is a feudal, traditional society where the peasants serve the knights in return for protection, while the knights are bound to militarily serve their lords in return for certain rights and titles. At the top of this feudal hierarchy is the King. Beneath the Kings are the Dukes. Beneath them is another layer of nobility, the Marquess's, the Earls, the Viscount's and the Barons in respective order. The King, Dukes, Marquess, Earls, Viscounts and Barons are also each the lord of a number of Knights, who are the lesser nobles. Each Knight (including the higher nobles) has his own force of Men-at-Arms chosen from the most physically-abled peasants. In return for serving his knightly lord, each peasant is given a small tract of land for his family and can be expected to be called upon for service in times of war. The Knights' forces typically consist of the stronger Men-at-Arms and the more lowly Bowmen levies. The lands of Bretonnia are also ruled by spiritual and mystical leaders, the Fay Enchantress, her Damsels, and the Grail Knights, who are all faithful servants to the Lady of the Lake.

The Knights of Bretonnia are divided into four categories. Knights Errant are young sons of nobles who must prove themselves in battle. If successful, they become Knights of the Realm and are granted their own small plot of land to govern and are obliged to defend Bretonnia should they be called. Questing Knights are brave individuals who renounce their title and wordly possessions and journey to faraway lands in hopes of being deemed worthy by The Lady to become a Grail Knight. Grail Knights are the most powerful and revered individuals in all of Bretonnia, second only to the Lady. They are living saints who represent the fearsome power of Bretonnia and answer only to the Lady herself.

The kingdom of Bretonnia is made up of the following 14 dukedoms: Couronne, L'Anguille, Artois, Lyonesse, Mousillon, Gisoreaux, Montfort, Bastonne, Bordeleaux, Aquitaine, Parravon, Brionne, Quenelles and Carcassonne. Each region, with the exception of Mousillon (see below), is ruled by its own Duke, who in turn has various nobles and knights that serve beneath him. The great castle of the King is in the fortified city of Couronne, traditionally the capital. The Forest of Loren is within the borders of Bretonnia but considered to be the forbidden realm of the Wood Elves.

Bretonnia is, in many ways, similar to the fairy tale-like kingdom of Lyonesse or Logres under King Arthur, with noble knights who live by a series of vows (to uphold the virtues of honor and chivalry) and beautiful damsels who are rescued by courageous, dragon-fighting heroes. Whether this is true or not varies from version to version. In the most recent version of Warhammer, there is a darker side to Bretonnia; the divide between the luxurious lifestyle of the knights and the miserable poverty of the peasants is exaggerated well beyond the historical truths of the Middle Ages. In the 5th edition however things were exaggerated the other way with the knights being far more noble and cared for their peasants more than in the real world. In 6th edition their behavior was more balanced, with the knights dedicated to protecting the lands of Bretonnia and its subjects, but still holding a dim view of commoners.


Estalia
Estalia is the Warhammer equivalent of the Iberian peninsula. Estalia is located in the Southern Old World, a peninsula to the south-west of Bretonnia bordered by the Irrana and Abasko Mountains to the east, the Great Western Ocean to the north and west and the Southern Sea to the south. Far from the front lines in the wars against Chaos, Estalia has remained politically fractured, with rival kingdoms vying for power and influence between each other and against the neighboring city-states of Tilea, such as Tobaro, which lies across the Abaskos from Bilbali.

Estalia is dominated by two powerful port cities, Bilbali and Magritta. The rivalry between the two - and between each and their Tilean neighbors, for that matter - has endured for centuries. Estalia bore the brunt of Sultan Jaffar's invasion from Araby, which was eventually driven from the peninsula by a combined force including knights from Bretonnia and The Empire. Estalians take great offense at being referred to as Tileans, or at being addressed in the Tilean language by accident. The peninsula is renowned for its Diestros, skilled duelists who ply their skills across the Old World.

Tilea
Tilea is the region of the warhammer world roughly analogous with that of renaissance Italy. Some are Republics, such as the Republic of Remas. Tilea is also home to mercenaries of many races, men being the most common, but also dwarves and ogres fight in the armies of the Merchant Princes The region itself is divided into several Republics and Principalities, most notably:
The Rebellious Republic of Remas
The Ancient Principality of Luccini
The Turbulent Principality of Tranito
The Predifious Principality of Pavona
The Serene Republic of Verezzo
The Decadent Pirate Principality of Sartosa
The Once-Mighty Princpality of Miragliano
For the purposes of the NES. Tilea will be considered a loose confederation, much like Estalia.

Araby

Araby is a location in the world of Warhammer. Geographically it roughly corresponds to the real world North Africa. The culture of Araby is based largely on historic Islamic Arab nations (hence the name 'Araby') and as such draws on inspiration from the history of the Near East and Middle East as well as North Africa. Much of the supernatural background is based on the mythology of the Arabian Nights.

Compared to the Old World little background attention has been given to Araby and it most often appears in Games Workshop literature as some where exotic an Old Worlder might visit in search of riches. Its sultans are said to be more wealthy than Dwarfs and its cities rich in spices, gold and slaves which are traded with the Empire and Norsca.

The principal cities of Araby are:
Lashiek, Corsair city
Copher, the Spirit Port
Martek
Al-Haikk, the City of Thieves.

The cities are nestled on the coast of the continent, with the centre being dominated by the Great Desert of Araby and sparsely peopled with nomads. The denizens are said to utilize magical genies, flying carpets and "massive animals that seem to require no water" (perhaps camels of some sort).

The native tribes in the deserts in Araby are said to hide one of the hidden vampire bloodlines. The vampire master could not die in the desert, and as his body rotted and rehealed, many insects got infused, until he became part insect. These part insect vampires are very few in number compared to other vampires and are stated to be mainly an order of assassins. These vampires are also stated to have a fear of cats, as the original master was scared of Neferata's cat, as the master constantly stole from Neferata's fortune despite him being the royal treasurer.
The early years of Araby's history are not well documented, but it is known that it suffered invasions from the Land of the Dead after the fall of the Khemri civilization. The major event that stands out in Araby's history is the war between it and the major powers of the Old World. This began in Imperial year 1448 when the Skaven convinced Sultan Jaffar, a powerful sorcerer who had conquered Araby, to invade Estalia, sparking 200 years of conflict. These struggles lead to the foundation of several Knightly Orders. Most famous amongst these are The Knights Panther and The Knights of the Blazing Sun. This element is an amalgamation of the real world conflicts between Muslims and Christians in medieval Spain (see Reconquista) and the Crusades in the Holy Land.

 

[Sheep]

Cathay

Grand Cathay is a land of bamboo forests, steep cloud-covered mountains, terraced rice-fields, deserts, swamps, steppes and airy plateaus. Animals and plants are abundant. The Cathayan clans who founded their civilization naturally spread to the verdant south, in the basin between the two great rivers jade and winter. The basin is covered with rice paddies divided into rectangular plots. In mountainous or hilly areas the slopes are terraced with paddies, sometimes covering entire mountains.

Cathay is in a unique position among the great nations of the world in that it is almost completely cut off from its neighbours, while enjoying rich and fertile terrain. Its boundaries are formed by the Chaos wastes to the north, the inhospitable Kamalayan Mountains to the west and the Tortoise Straits to the east. Cathay is the largest and oldest cohesive human nation in the Warhammer World, with the longest continuous history of any human nation. However, it is not entirely ethnically so homogeneous. Unlike the Old World, which is divided along ethnic and national boundaries, Cathay is filled with hundreds of small family-clans. They dwell in cities, on farms, in mountains, and in nomadic tribes on the hinterland steppes of Khurdesh. They operate independently but are still taxed and must send recruits to the local banner when the local Grand Army General or, in times of direst need, the Emperor, marches to war.
Occasionally one of these clans becomes powerful enough to become a threat to the Cathayan bureaucracy. The result is usually a war with the Cathayan forces of the area, eventual subjugation and tribute due to the Emperor for generations.

The Cathayans are uniformly darker of skin than men of the Empire and Bretonnia, though they are generally of a the same height. The men are clean shaven and wear loose-fitting, brightly coloured clothes. A vest and skullcap are common, though in the south-western part of Cathay, the forbidding Khurdeshi Steppes, men favour the top knot, a long pony tail tied with black silk. In public, women wear long dresses, white makeup and shawls that cover the hair. In the north the Cathayans are more conservative, women wearing even heavier clothing. The Cathayans are a deeply spiritual and superstitious people. One aspect of their belief system involves predestination: anything that happens does so because it was destiny. The difficult thing is to know what one’s destiny actually is. As a result, most Cathayans are quite content to leave things as they are.

Outside the settled areas of northern Cathay, tribes of nomads wander the inhospitable stepped plateaus of Khurdesh from watering hole to watering hole. These tribes and clans resemble trading caravans, but contain whole extended families. The nomads are fiercely independent of their city-dwelling brothers. There are few civilised non-humans living in insular Cathay and the Emperor is content to see things stay that way. High Elves live on some carefully controlled and ostracised islands in the Lizard Sea. Contact with them is strictly forbid except for trade. Dwarfs are known, especially from the mountains of Kitsevara. However, but are regarded as strange and exotic. Ogres are relatively prevalent, living in Trikzi province and the Shifting Desert. The largest Ogre enclave is near the Great Maw, their holy place and seat of their carnivorous god.

The history of Cathay stretches back to the dawn of man’s ascent upon the Warhammer World. Learned Visionaries in the court of the Dragon Emperor traditionally ascribe the founding of their nation under the reign of the first Sage, Judge Wo, in -2000 IC (Cathayans ascribe dates by Years of Reign and Emperor, as in “Rice wine from Tiger Year in the Reign of Lilin was a particularly unpretentious vintage. A quality festival wine.&#8221 From humble beginnings, Grand Cathay’s mind-numbingly complex, and at times, baroque bureaucracy has developed as a direct result of the belief in an orderly, systematic approach to all things. The Emperor of Cathay is spiritually chosen by the Celestial Sage that came before him, as the head of the next epoch on earth and as representative of an element of the all-important Yin Yang, be that the chaotic and random Yang or the strict, lawful, clinical orderliness of the Yin.

On a more practical level, the empire is run by a solid central foundation comprising the various departments and ministries in the capital of Weijin, answering ultimately through a vast hierarchy to the Dragon Throne, a widespread and fairly well educated bureaucracy, self-governing provinces with a huge local peasantry. The Cathayan idea of dynastic empire is based on the concept of the Seven Heavens and the Supreme Mandate. When the first Emperor Wo unified the warring provinces of Cathay into a single nation, his rule was signified by the first appearance of a divine emissary who bestowed upon him the narration of the heavenly laws (this holy occurrence is explained further in the tale of Wo’s ascendancy to Celestial Sage). This narration was transcribed from the divine language by the would-be Emperor into stanzas of various lengths. These stanzas are known as the Laws of the Seven Heavens. They encompass a delineation of the role of Emperor and people, heaven and earth, history, and possible future prophecies. The text is the basis of the arduous exams all Cathayans wishing to entire the labyrinthine bureaucracy must pass. To be considered a truly illuminated Cathayan, it is necessary to fundamentally understand the Laws.

To obtain any appointment to Imperial service, one must first pass the rigorous examinations. This requires a minimum of fifteen years study, although the truly wise may complete the conditions in just ten. Once the person has taken up the mantle of a legal adept it is then possible to apply for a position, which are usually allocated through appointment by an Imperial Magistrate. Obviously a high social standing is important, as the best appointments necessarily go to those of good breeding. Every Imperial Magistrate and provincial Governor will have reporting to them a body of law enforcement officers. These officers range from local watchmen in the cities, to small armies of Grand Army charged with tracking down and eliminating bandits and chaos insurgencies. Generals of the Grand Army are viewed as trusted servants answerable only to the Dragon Throne, and act as their own petty walled fiefdoms within the provinces, complete with forces of standing Grand Army troops loyal to them. This creates a political tension between the power struggles of the provincially appointed Governors and the Weijin-appointed military leaders, with eagle-eyed impartial Imperial Magistrates keeping an eye on all of them should the constant wheeling and dealing escalate to direct hostilities.

Because of the influence of law in Grand Cathay, crime is punished most severely. Those who lack social status are accorded few rights under the law, crimes they commit are regularly punished with either death or forced labour in the iron mines. Crimes committed by nobility are treated differently; if the crime is minor they will generally be fined, which I trivial, or publicly reprimanded, which is grim in the extreme and sometimes fatal, given the Cathayan ducal propensity to fall on their ceremonial longswords if downcast in matters of personal honour. Crimes between provincial clans are usually resolved through duels or silent assassination by the terror-inducing silent order of Faceless Ones. Although the latter is officially proscribed by the Dragon Throne, it is common in the case of feuds.

Cathayan bureaucrats, especially Imperial Magistrates, are charged with investigating and bringing to justice those suspected of committing a crime. Cathayan law differs to Old World law in that the accused is assumed guilty until he proves himself innocent, which tends to efficiently cut down the average trial time. The other strangely Cathayan twist is that according to legal tradition, the accused must confess before any sentence is passed. This condition often results in the judge using heinous methods of coercion to extract a ‘confession.’ Cathayan water torture and its ilk are justifiably renowned throughout the entire world, such are the advances Cathay has made in the art of pain; scholars argue their thousand-year experience in the application of ‘enforced suggestion’ rivals even the Dark Elves or Skaven!

The most important social unit is the family. Cathayans place great importance on a person’s position in the family and the interdependence of family members. The Cathayan family is usually an extended group of tens or hundreds of brothers, uncles, cousins, half-cousins, great-great aunts, and onwards. Everyone will have a very detailed knowledge of their own family members and their relationship to each other. These families live close together in the same town or village, or if it is a smaller family, even in the same house. The eldest male, usually the father or grandfather, is considered the patriarch of the family, makes the decisions and is respected by those younger. As old men became weak or doddering, their sons gradually take over, but younger Cathayans are still expected to treat their elders with respect.

The military class, which produces lineages of officers to command the Grand Army, is not inclusive of all soldiers. Only those who are born of a military family or have been wedded to one are included in this class. In many cases these families will actually be members of the old nobility. As for common soldiery, they are made up of peasants and citizens.
Business & Trade

The Cathayan economy is huge. It is comparable to that of the whole of the Old World. For centuries, the empire has been involved in various kinds of import and export and domestic trade both along established land routes such as the Old Spice Road, or upon river or sea routes. As mentioned earlier in the section concerning taxation, both the Emperor and local bureaucrats assess duty tax on most kinds of trade. This usually takes the form of a flat toll or a percentage of the goods value. Trade is the lifeblood of western Cathay. Cathayan merchant-men sail as far north as the great sea-ports of Marienburg and Erengrad, and as far west as the lands of True Qin, Qin and forbidding Lustria. Caravans peopled by the Khurdeshi Nomad tribes make their way through the dangerous deserts and beyond. Most of the Cathayans trade originates in the Southlands, though. The Elves are very protective of their trade-routes, but the Cathayans have little competition in the Southlands, the area knowing little in the ways of civilisation and being easily exploited by ruthless traders. The basic coin of Cathay is the jade yua, approximately equal in value to the crowns of the Empire.

Honour

Social interaction in Cathay is governed by the principle of honour. Each citizen holds responsibility for their reputation, their clan, and their social position. To act in a manner not befitting one’s status results in embarrassment or a loss of face. This should not be confused with morality. In fact, it is possible to be quite immoral yet have much honour! The key is not necessarily to be upstanding but rather to appear as such.

Power, wealth and position mean nothing to a Cathayan if he is without honour. Honour is a measure of his worth in society, his dependability, his personal character, his trustworthiness. Without honour, soldiers of the Grand Army of Cathay lose hope and become conscripted Straw Dogs, no better than slaves. They and their families can expect to be shunned, disrespected, insulted, even spat on.

Honour is something every soldier earns on the battlefield, and can also be lost through cowardice. Breaking faith, treachery, un-avenged insults result in a loss of honour. Valiant deeds, self-sacrifice, mastery of skills, and keeping faith earn honour. An Iron Duke who has pledged his soul to Great Khan of Yang can have higher honour than an Iron Duke dedicated to the Dowager Empress Lilin, if the former ruthlessly slaughtered the foes of Cathay and ate them, while the latter fled from battle. As with all things in Cathay, like the Yinh Yang, honour is a fine and delicate, gossamer –thin balance.

The Tsien-Tsin Epoch

The Tsien-Tsin Epoch was a time before human memory, immediately after the cataclysm that shut down the Old Ones’ Warp Gates and banished them from the world. Cathay was conquered in the blink of an eye, ruled by a succession of Tzeentch Daemon-Kings, in an era when daemons danced on the graveyard earth of Elf and Dwarf together.

But the race of man can always produce a hero in times of greatest need, and the lands of what was to become Grand Cathay produced two. More than four centuries of chaos blight had passed when the enigmatic twins Silket and No-I-Rit led a band of resolute men known only as the Faithful against the Daemon legions. At the dawning of civilised Cathay, n the Red Tiger Plains, the Triumph of the Faithful took place. It lasted for weeks of bitter fighting, and the very land around the brothers leaped to the aid of the men who were spilling their blood in her defence. From the ground erupted stone and clay Ancestors , who waded into the Tsien-Tsin forces, mallet-like club hands flailing. The wizard Silket, channelling the last of his magical powers, poured his last reserves of energy into the elemental spirits as they rent Lords of Change and Pink Horrors asunder. The Tzeentchian forces, grown soft with no adversaries for so long, were completely broken by this unexpected and ferocious attack. The Faithful gave thanks to the earth and an inextricable bond was formed between the Cathayans and the lands of their birth.

Nippon
The land of the famed Samurai warriors and the 'Dragon Caste' of dragon-riders. This nation is a feudal society where the Samurai and the God-Emperor hold sway. Twice saved from Chaos invasion by the kamikaze typhoons, the Nipponese know that the gods and their Emperor are on their side and are willing to die for both and Nippon!

Other Oriental Humans
These guys are in the lesser kingdoms and life expectancy is short, however on the whole the have a mixture of Ind, Cathyian and Nipponese influence.

Other Old World Humans
Those that live in the lesser states of the Old World, know that at anytime the next Orc Waagh, or warmongering necromancer can come along at anytime, and their character shows it! These dour people know many hardships and are almost as hardy as the vile creatures who they call their neighbours!

 

[Sheep]

Greenskins
The tribes of Orcs, Goblins and other Greenskins are spread across the Old World and into the east. They are mostly referred to in general as 'Greenskins' due to obvious reasons. The magic they use is called Waaagh! magic and is drawn from the power and energy of Greenskins fighting. Also, a horde of Orcs and/or Goblins is called a Waaagh!

Another relative of the Common Goblin is the Gnoblar, which is found living with the Ogre Hordes in the Mountains of Mourn. East of the Mountains of Mourn, upon the borders of Cathay, live the Hobgoblins; a race of greenskins somewhere between the size of a Goblin and an Orc, but more cunning than either. Hobgoblins can also be found as slaves of the Chaos Dwarfs. Smallest in size of all the Greenskin races is the Snotling. They are considered the lowliest of greenskins and are most often bullied around by their larger, greener cousins

Beastmen

There is a lot of variation across beastmen although the cloven hoofs and goatlike features including horns are common. This type of Beastman were collectively known as "Caprigor" in earlier editions, but in recent years the term Gor is used to describe the basic beastmen form.
Beastmen are found throughout the Old World and Oreitnal lands in their own herds hidden in the forests and mountains. Due to the taint of Chaos they are both feared and hunted by humans and the other races.

The Beastmen race (also known as the Children of Chaos) is a fusion of man and animal: their bodies are tough strong frames layered in knots of muscle. The tangled fur of beastmen are matted with dried blood, filth, dirt and dung that nest countless varieties of ticks and fleas: as a result of this, beastman live in a state of countless agitation and rage always seethes in the heart of every beastman. Ram-like horns emerge from their goat-like heads (However Ungor beastmen only have small stubs of horns), their mouths are chasms of sharp rotted teeth for tearing flesh and the feet of all Beastmen are cloven hoofed. The very stench of any Beastman is enough to make even seasoned warriors gag; their brays of bloodlust and the gleam of malice in their dark animalistic eyes can unsettle even the staunchest of troops.

All beastmen are spiteful and mean spirited creatures that revel in bloodshed and chaos and loath order and the very concept of civilisation in all its forms. Beastmen are not creatures of nature for there is nothing natural about their existence. The Herdstones and rituals of the beastmen corrupt the very essence of nature itself: it is for this reason Beastmen are especially loathed by the Wood Elves of Athel Loren who the beastmen have been fighting a long gruelling secret war with for centuries.

For the purposes of Warhammer Fantasy Battle they are subdivided into various levels reflecting their appearance, prowess and ability in battle.
Beastlords - are the largest and most brutal they command the beast herds.
Wargor's - are second in command to Beastlords.
Bray Shamans - are the spiritual leaders and advisors to the herd leaders. They are also powerful spellcasters.
Bestigor - are the most heavily armed and armoured Beastmen and rate as elite units.
Centigors - have the upper body of a beastman and the four legged lower body of an oxen.
Gors and Ungors make up the majority of the infantry units or "Beastherds" the Ungors however due to their more human appearance (in comparison to other beastmen) and smaller horns are on the bottom of the herd hierarchy

Warriors of Chaos and Daemons

Long ago, the inter-dimensional gate that brought the "Old Ones" to the world collapsed, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality. The hole was located at the worlds north pole, and led to the "realm of Chaos". From this realm came the energy known as magic, but also the beings known as Daemons. The daemons would have destroyed the world, but the High Elves were able to create a vortex to drain most of the magic away. Without magic the daemons faded back to the realm of chaos.

The area around the entrance to realm of Chaos is commonly known as the Chaos Wastes. Because the wastes are so close to the realm of Chaos, the laws that govern Order are fluid. Time and space are matters of perceive, and the weather can change instantly. The wastes are full of monsters. The humans that live in the wastes are savages when compared to humans from the Old World. They tend to live in tribes that move from area to area. Each tribe has its own beliefs and customs, but all worship the four great gods of Chaos in some form. Life is hard in the wastes were surviving a day is a victory. The tribes are always fighting each other and the monsters in the wastes, making them natural born fighters. They are tall and heavily built, often dressed in furs and scraps of armor. Their bodies are covered in symbols and runes, which they believe will protect them. Like all from the chaos wastes, they will likely have some form of mutation, but they see this as proof that the gods favor them. The men from the north are great sailors, and during peace times they will trade with, and fight for other races. Most of the time they will be raiding the other races for plunder, slaves, or glory.

At times the hole to the realm of Chaos will expand, making the Chaos wastes unlivable. This forces the southern tribes to attack other races. These incursions are rare, but difficult to defeat.
Two incursions were

The "Great war against Chaos" was an incursion led by "Asavar Kul" that nearly destroyed the nation of "Kislev". The incursion was stopped by the armies of "Magnus the Pious"at the gates of Kislev city, but the city of "Praag"was warped in to a living nightmare and most of Kislev was destroyed.

The "Storm of Chaos", a recent campaign, was when "Archaon, Lord of End Times" led his army to destroy the city of "Middenheim".

Albion

Albion is based heavily on real world Britain and Ireland, drawing upon celtic mythology and older prehistoric aspects, such as Stonehenge.'Albion' is also the archaic name for Great Britain. It has a similar temperate climate, although it is said that it rains every day in Albion (an exaggeration of the common perception of the British and Irish climate). Albion is full of marshes, mires and fens and inhabited by giants, fimir and woad wearing tribes of humans. The tribes are led by Truthsayers who protect stone 'Ogham' circles. Truthsayers are largely based upon romantic notions of real-world Druids ( 'Ogham' was the written language used by Druids in the late Iron Age).
Some Lizardmen are said to dwell in a lush valley in the north of Albion, which is kept tropically warm by unknown means - although they mostly withdrew from the Island during the Storm of Chaos Campaign.
The most well known Albion legends are the Giants of Albion and Hengus the Druid, a trio.

The Kingdoms of Ind

They are the equivalent to the Indian Subcontinent in the real world. In the relevant Army Books of Warhammer, there is little reference to the Kingdoms of Ind. The southern half of Ind is covered in forests containing a high concentration of Beastmen. There is an island just off shore of Ind, the equivalent of Sri Lanka, mostly covered by forests on which a High Elf fortress known as the Tower of the Sun is situated. A collection of smaller islands are bunched up close to Ind, one of which has another High Elf outpost known as the Tower of Stars. Separating the Kingdoms of Ind from Grand Cathay is a leg of mountains from the Ogre Kingdoms, the equivalent of the Himalayas, where the Land of the Celestial Dragon Monks is. Just inside the nation of Ind is a coastal city called the City of Spires. The rulers of Ind are said to be attended by many servants and slaves as well as being wealthy and generous.

 

[The Loser]

I'll give Nippon a go if possible!

 

[Sheep]

Skaven

The origins of the Skaven are for the most part unknown. The only background information provided in Games Workshop literature is a poem called "The Doom of Kavzar" which loosely describes how the first Skaven came to be. It is presented in a myth-like fashion, detailing a building project by dwarves and men which is cursed by a mysterious stranger, resulting in a warpstone shower which mutated the rats of the city into Skaven. The rats proceeded to exterminate or enslave the human and dwarf population of the city, then remade it into their capital of Skavenblight.

The introduction of the Skaven supplement to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay answers these questions with the dogma of the Horned Rat, although Skaven philosophers have questioned the nature of the mysterious stranger, wondering whether this entity is indeed a deity or a merely a Daemonic entity.

Appearance and culture
A Skaven is described as crossbreed of a rat and a man.They worship a higher being know only as "The Great One" They have the appearance of large bipedal rats with sufficient intelligence to make tools, converse in a developed language and develop and use advanced weaponry. An average Skaven is said to have a lifespan of around 20 years, but powerful members of the Skaven society can live much longer, even hundreds of years (due to use of drugs,magic or to the effects of warpstone). Recent information[citation needed] has revealed that with an abundant food source and little predation the average Skaven can live well past 50. However the chances of this occurring are extremely slim, as Skaven are prone to in-fighting due to self-destructive natures.

Skaven are a bit shorter than men, between four and five feet tall on average. Most have brown fur, although this can vary. White and grey-furred ratlings are prized among Skaven litters, as they often become Grey Seers (the Skaven equivalent of priests and wizards). Black fur is looked upon as the sign of a true killer, so the elite Stormvermin corps draw their members from black furred ratlings (it is also common for lighter colored Skaven to dye their fur, especially if they happen to be a member of the Stormvermin[citation needed]). Albino Skaven are rare but not unheard of. The Stormvermin in charge of protecting the Council of Thirteen (the Skaven ruling body) are all albino.

Male Skaven are workers and warriors. Females are called breeders and are docile, barely intelligent creatures who spend much of their lives hidden away in the nest to breed. Though they are far larger than the average Skaven (about 10 foot tall), female Skaven can't take care of themselves and rely on eunuchs to feed and protect them. Female Skaven typically produce three to five litters a year, each containing about 20 young called ratlings.

Council
The Council of Thirteen is the ruling body of the Skaven race. They sit at a long horseshoe like table made of pure warpstone and engraved with the Horned Rats commandments. The top seat (number 13) is the symbolic seat of the Horned Rat. Therefore, the most powerful members sit to the left and right of the Horned Rat and share equal power. Each member is the equal of whomever sits opposite him. The council are constantly shifting allegiances, backstabbing, cheating, lying, trying to undermine each other, and hiring assassins to dispatch their rivals; much to the amusement of their malevolent god. This backstory helps justify why a rapidly-reproducing, disease-resistant race does not rule more of the world; they are too busy fighting each other. Indeed, if not for the race's constant infighting, the Skaven could easily have the means to overrun the entire surface world. Each member of the council is open to replacement at any time. The applicant must simply challenge his rival to a fight to the death; if he wins, he takes the place of the loser on the council. Though rare, more than one member of the Council has been replaced this way.

Council members mentioned in the backgrounds include:

1.Lord Kritislik (Seerlord)
12.Lord Morskittar (Lord-Warlock of Clan Skryre)
7.Nurglitch VII (Arch-Plaguelord of Clan Pestilens)
Kratch Doomclaw (Clan Rictus)
Warlord Gnawdwell (Clan Mors)
Lord Sneek (Nightlord of Clan Eshin)
9.Lord Verminkin (Packlord of Clan Moulder)
4.Lord Paskrit ("Warlord-General of all Skavendom")
13. The 13th seat on the Council is always empty, it is the symbolic seat of the Horned Rat.
Kritislik occupies seat number 1 on the Council, Morskittar seat 12 ; hence these two are the most powerful of the Lords of Decay. Although Kritislik being the SeerLord gets two veto votes (one for his position and one for the absent Horned Rat) making Kritislik the most powerful membber of the council. Verminkin occupies seat 9 and Paskrit seat 4. Nurglitch I brought Clan Pestilens to prominence by defeating Lord Vask for a place on the Council of Thirteen (this being part of Clan Pestilens' terms of surrender following the first Skaven civil war).

Below the council in the fictional hierarchy of the race are the Grey Seers, prophets of the Horned Rat himself, and powerful sorcerers. Grey Seers have prophetic powers and are usually grey-furred; hence the name. While the Grey Seers are often physically weak, they make up for this in cunning, guile, and the use of magic. Most other skaven fear and hate grey seers in equal measure. The most feared symbol of the Seers is the "Screaming Bell," a massive, horned bell mounted on a carriage and pushed into battle, the daemonic chimes enthusing the skaven hordes. This holds a fairly unique place in the game as it is based like a monstrous creature, but fielded within a unit of skaven troops, granting bonuses to both the unit, and the larger army with its effects.

The rest of skaven society is organised into innumerable clans. Four clans are traditionally more powerful than the rest: Clan Pestilens, Clan Moulder, Clan Eshin, and Clan Skryre. These four are collectively known as the Great Clans, and dominate the back-story of the race and most army units.

In prior editions of Warhammer (and now restored in the most recent edition), the Skaven at times would be led by daemonic beings called Vermin Lords. Believed to be some sort of avatar of the Horned Rat, Vermin Lords were greater daemons that even the Grey Seers feared and acquiesced themselves to. Grey Seers often threaten to summon a Vermin Lord to ensure obedience, but in truth, they are loath to summon them as these creatures are more powerful and cunning than any living skaven and their lust for power and love of betrayal are legendary.

Clan Moulder
Clan Moulder is based in the far north extremely close to Troll Country. Their stronghold is known as Hellpit and is where Master Moulders use warpstone in a mad combination of alchemy and genetic engineering to breed all sorts of monstrous beasts for war. They are a very wealthy clan, and rent out their beasts for other Skaven to use in battle. Their war-beasts are reflected in the game by wolf-sized Giant Rats and the enormous Rat Ogres, to an Ogre, what a normal skaven is to a man. To reflect their lower intelligence, they are led by Packmasters on the battlefield, and suffer severe penalties if the Packmaster is killed. A recent creation of Clan Moulder is the Hell Pit Abomination: an huge deformed Blind Wrym that has been mutated beyond recognition and grafted with multiple rat ogre parts, used to both dig new tunnels and as a terrifying beast of war. Clan Moulder is the wealthiest of the four Greater Clans.

Clan Pestilens
Clan Pestilens is based in the southern part of the world, and has been the cause for both of the two Skaven civil wars (the first war was caused by their demands for wealth and position following their resurgence, and only ended after the activities of Clan Eshin assassins forced Pestilens to sue for peace, while the second war was caused by Clan Pestilens trying to seize power after the Council of Thirteen ousted them, and only ended after the Grey Seers summoned the Horned Rat itself to restore order). The clan was considered lost in the jungles of Lustria, but when it resurfaced, it was changed. The rats of the clan had become completely devoted to The Horned Rat in his role as the harbinger of disease and plague. They are immune to most diseases and use the very plagues they worship as deadly biological weapons against the other races. Due to their diseased bulk, their plague monk troops are extremely tough, and deliriously fanatical in combat, providing a needed role of holding up powerful enemies without breaking in the relatively low-leadership army of the Skaven. They also use rats infected with various foul contagions, and the deadly plague censers, flails laden with burning warpstone, that emit lethal poison gas. Clan Pestilens also use catapaults that fire their foul diseases upon the enemy ranks. Their own leaders are subject to the diseases and includes the plague Priests which can preach to their demented followers from a top a Plague Furnace, a foul wheeled carriage that spreads disease in its wake.

Clan Eshin
Clan Eshin was also considered lost for a long time, having traveled to the far Eastern lands of Nippon and Cathay. When they returned, they, too, had changed. They ended the first Skaven civil war by assassinating the leaders of Clan Pestilens and their allies. They had become the assassins of Skaven society, skilled in the art of the silent kill. In the background literature, they provide a type of secret police for the Council of Thirteen. They played a large role in the backstory of the Storm of Chaos worldwide campaign, as the ones who placed the Doom Hemisphere (see below) under Middenheim. They are represented in the army by Night Runners, cheap expendable units of skirmishers; Gutter Runners, who function as a scout force; and Assassins, elite close combat characters who can hide in units of regular skaven until they strike at enemy characters. All three are described as being on one development path. The best Night Runners become Gutter Runners, the best of which become Assassins. The most feared and deadly Assassin in all of Skavendom however is Deathmaster Snikch.

Clan Skryre
Currently, the most powerful Clan is Clan Skryre. These Skaven have devoted themselves to the study of magic and blending it with insane science and engineering. Their engineers are used to explain Skaven warmachines: the Ratling Gun (a warpstone-based Gatling gun with an obvious pun on rat), the Warpfire thrower (a warpstone-based flamethrower), the Jezzail (an extremely long-ranged warpstone rifle which is so large that it has to be carried by two skaven), the plague mortar (a device that fires delicate spheres filled with poison gas upon the enemy) and the fearsome Warp-Lightning Cannon. They also employ Warlock Engineers, who harness the winds of magic to devastating effect. In earlier versions of the game, there was a Skryre machine known as the "Doomwheel", something like a hamster's exercise wheel crossed with a chariot. This was replaced by the Warp-Lightning Cannon in the sixth edition rulebook, as the team working on the (then) new Army Book explained in White Dwarf 267 that it was too blatantly a hamster wheel and wanted something more serious; however, an updated Doomwheel was recently released to coincide with the latest version of the army book.

This clan was also responsible for the creation of the "Doom Hemisphere", a device much akin to an atomic bomb, which was placed underneath the Imperial city of Middenheim. The device was intended to be detonated after Archaon's siege had either succeeded or failed, which would level much of the city and leave the Skaven to overwhelm any survivors of the blast. Fortunately for the residents, the device malfunctioned, detonating without enough force to obliterate Middenheim but resulted in a significant change to the caves and tunnels found beneath the city, as well as killing hundreds of Skaven and men in the tunnels who didn't escape the blast in time

 

[Yui108]

shoot, you know your Warhammer sheep.

 

[Sheep]

Magic Lists.
Imperial Magic (The Empire, Marienburg)
Fireball - Shoots fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range,
however risky playing with fire can be.
Bountiful - Your armies are less likely to face starvation or disease whilst on campaign.
Sigmar's Will - During the battle a great hammer of Sigmar splits the heavens and decimates a selected unit of the oppositon!
Ulric's Charge - Your cavlary will charge at greater force causing more impact casualties in combat!
Sodden Ground - The ground under your enemies' feet will be sodden, causing them to slow down to keep their footing.
Wall of Fire - Your troops are protected by a wall of fire preventing all but the most hardy from charging into your ranks!

Lady of the Lake Worship (Bretonnia)
Chivalric Desire - Your Knights will fight with greater determination after being told of the quest that the coming victory will lead to!
Lady's Blessing - Your army is less likely to rout due to the fact that they feel the Lady's blessing upon them.
Heart of a Lion - A Champion is given greater strength and calls upon the opposing champion to a duel. Should he win, the army is assured victory after the demoralising loss of the enemy's champion, but should you lose, the results could be disastrous.
Water of the Lake - The Water of the Lake protects those who serve the Lady, and washes away those who do not....
Indomitable Will - Your army will fight to the death.
Love for the Lady - Certain units of the opposing army will throw down their weapons, joining your ranks (against other Human nations only)

The Book of Ice (Kislev)
Ice Blast - Shoots ice sharp enough to imaple a man at opposing forces.
Winter Chill - The opposing army is subjected to a snap chill forming, of which some willnot survive, and others will suffer frostbite.
For the Tsarina - Embolden by the Tsarina, the Kislevite troops will make an extra attack when first engaging in close combat.
Blizzard - A blizzard forms causing mayhem for the opposing forces logistics and doubling their upkeep for forces in your territory for this turn.
Big Foot - A Big Foot or Yetti attacks the opposing army in the flanks or rear, causing mayhem and getting his lunch!
Melting Ice - The Ice under the opposing army quickly melts, drowing the enemy's force before he can react!

The Book of Thor (Norsca)
Fireball - Shoots fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range,
however risky playing with fire can be.
Thor's Hammer - Thor's Hammer comes down striking the foe from above, causing horrendous damage.
Spirit of the Wolf - Your commander is given the spirit of the wolf, and thus the cavlary forces will strike at extra impact, causing more casualties.
Runic Wall - The Norse Dwarfs have lent their runic magic skills to the Norse in the effort to create a wall that cannot be breached by anything.... the prefect defense.
Metamorphisis - A group of soldiers is metamorphises into Wolves of rather large stature, from which they are able to strike rapidly and strike fear into the enemy's hearts.
Death Wish - One of your Heroes seeks out and attempts to kill the enemy commander, no matter the cost, meanwhile with a greater armour save given his determination.


Dark Elf Magic (Dark Elves)
The Eleven Wall - Throws up an impenetrable wall that cannot be broken, denying access to an area to an enemy.
Blood of Khaine - The sacrafices on the altar of Khaine will allow you to move faster towards your enemy, ensuring that they can shoot less before you break their ranks!
Infected Mushroom - upon eating one of these one of your Champions will fight to the death seeking out and destroying the other armies Lords and Heroes.
Wails of the Slaves - The wails of those already captured are amplified for the hearing displeasure of the enemy, causing general terror and disquiet amongst enemy ranks.
Call of the True Eleven King - The army, upon hearing this call will fight twice as hard
Elevenfire - Allows the wizzard to shoot relatively safe fireballs at the enemy.

High Elf Magic (High Elves, Eastern Elves)
The Eleven Wall - Throws up an impenetrable wall that cannot be broken, denying access to an area to an enemy.
The Mists of Secrecy - A impenetrable mist enshrouds your forces and prevents the enemy from seeing how many elves or what eleves you have prior or during a battle.
The Winds of Force - A powerful wind smashes into your opponent, staggering them off their feet and causing their cavlary to dismount.
Enduring Light - A bright light shines, enough to blind the enemy, and cause nighttime to dissapate, with the obvious effects for Vampires.
Elvenfire - Allows the wizzard to shoot relativley safe fireballs at the enemy.
Call of the Phoneix/ Eastern King - The army, upon hearing this call will fight twice as hard

Wood Elf Magic (Wood Elves)
The Life of the Forest - The Forest has life, in which trees will delibratley leave their branches and roots in such a way as to cause havoc with your enemy's ranks. Whole regiments can go into a particularly thick patch of woods, only to have squads come out!
Muderous Animals - The Animals of the jungle are called upon and deal their own attacks against the invading enemy when in your territory.
Instant Quicksand - Quicksand suddenly appears under an enemy unit sucking them under and drowing them in the muck.
The Spirit of the Tree King - The army, upon feeling this spirits presence will fight twice as hard
The Eleven Wall - Throws up an impenetrable wall that cannot be broken, denying access to an area to an enemy.
Wardance - Performed before the balle commences, it allows for the Elves to fire their arrows twice as fast as normal.

Cathayian Magic (Cathay)
Ying Yang - In Cathay everything must be kept in balance. Therefore any forces with this spell enacted will have no trouble recruiting double the amount of troops in the next turn than the manpower would usually allow.
Sodden Ground - - The ground under your enemies' feet will be sodden, causing them to slow down to keep their footing.
Friendly Giant - A friendly Giant to your cause rocks up and decides that he wants his next lunch to be your enemy's troops!
Way of the Warrior - You army is inspired by the readings of a translation of a Cathyian Warrior passage, so they will fight harder for your cause in the coming battle.
WIll of the Dragon Throne - A Dragon appears in the sky causing fear and panic in the enemy and raising the spirits of your own troops!
Jadefire - Shoots green fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range, however risky playing with fire can be.

Oriental Human Magic (Nippon, Kingdom of Ind and other Oreiental Human States)
Kamikaze - A strong gust of wind comes along and blows the weapons from the enemy hands leaving some of them completely defenseless!
Way of the Warrior - You army is inspired by the readings of a translation of a Cathyian Warrior passage, so they will fight harder for your cause in the coming battle.
Fireball - Shoots fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range,
however risky playing with fire can be.
Sodden Ground - The ground under your enemies' feet will be sodden, causing them to slow down to keep their footing.
Friendly Giant - A friendly Giant to your cause rocks up and decides that he wants his next lunch to be your enemy's troops!
Pirate's Legacy- An ancient spell of Lustrian god Sotek is invoked, immbolising several units within your enemy's forces.

Amazonian Magic (Amazonia)
Jungle Fever - The enemy forces are struck with Jungle Fever and as such enemy troops on your territory suffer double the amount of upkeep than normal.
Amazonian Vines - The VInes of the Amazonian jungle ensnare their prey and restrict their breathing, whole regiments go in, but only squads will come out!
Spore Cloud - A cloud of venemous spores is released into the air by a magical plant, that causes the enemy to have serious trouble breathing!
Murderous Animals - The Animals of the jungle are called upon and deal their own attacks against the invading enemy when in Amazonia.
Instant Quicksand - Quicksand suddenly appears under an enemy unit sucking them under and drowing them in the muck.
Indomitable Will - Your army will fight to the death.

Slann Magic (Lizardmen)
Sun of Sotek - The Sun is harnessed and is used to destroy whole enemy regiments with a flick of a wrist!
Spawn of Sotek - Skinks are spawned close to the battle and quickly attack the flanks, providing the perfect cannon fodder.
Instantaneous Swamp - A swamp quickly develops under the enemy's feet drowing several regiments/
Immobilising Scroll - An ancient spell of Lustrian god Sotek is invoked, immbolising several units within your enemy's forces.
Wall of the Old Ones - An impassable wall is thrown up, denying access to the enemy.
Groundshaker - A powerful earthquake causes the enemy and friend alike to stagger underfoot and for cavlary to be dismounted!

Old World Human Magic (Estalia, Tilea and all minor Human Old World States)
Fireball- Shoots fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range,
however risky playing with fire can be.
Pirate's Legacy - An ancient spell of Lustrian god Sotek is invoked, immbolising several units within your enemy's forces.
Ancient Suffering - Random troops from amongst the enemy begin agining rapidly and fall into dust in front of their comrade's eyes!
Groundshaker - A powerful earthquake causes the enemy and friend alike to stagger underfoot and for cavlary to be dismounted!
Friendly Giant - A friendly Giant to your cause rocks up and decides that he wants his next lunch to be your enemy's troops!
Wall of Fire - Your troops are protected by a wall of fire preventing all but the most hardy from charging into your ranks!

Vampire Magic (Vampire Counts)
Dark Cloud - A dark, dense cloud hangs over your army, allowing it to continue to campaign, even during the daytime.
Dire Wolves - A pack of strong, fast and resilient Dire Wolves is summoned by your presence and strikes at the enemy's flanks
Vampire Bats - A flock of Vampire Bats attacks the enemy's rears and logistics train causing their upkeep to double for troops on your territory.
Raise the Dead - Legions of freshly dead corpses are re-animated to replenish your vast legions of Zombies and Skeletions, not to mention causing panic for those who face a dead relative or friend on the battlefield!
Ancient Suffering - Random troops from amongst the enemy begin agining rapidly and fall into dust in front of their comrade's eyes!
Drink the Blood - A Vampire attempts to capture an enemy Lord or Hero and drink his blood, forever making him a Vampire too!

Necromancy (Undead)
Raise the Dead - Legions of freshly dead corpses are re-animated to replenish your vast legions of Zombies and Skeletions, not to mention causing panic for those who face a dead relative or friend on the battlefield!
Ancient Suffering - Random troops from amongst the enemy begin agining rapidly and fall into dust in front of their comrade's eyes!
Pollute the Waters - The waters on which the enemy's army and citizenry depend on become polluted, causing mass death as the tainted water is drunk!
The Word of Death - At a single utterance, random soldiers from an enemy unit begin dropping dead from no more apparent cause.
The Look of Death - The wizzard need only look at an enemy soldier, for him to die horribly, and his friends with him.
Sands of Time - The Sands of the ancient home of the Undead quickly swallow up several units of the opposing army!

Greenskin Magic (Orcs, Goblins and Hobgoblins)
WAAAAGH!!! - Your army moves at a quicker pace than normal this time.
Shaman Fire - Your Shaman shoots green warpenergy from his nose at the enemy!!
Frenzy - Your army will fight with a frightening frenzy that will be harder to stop!
Gorks Message - Your army surgers forward all in a race to bash the enemy a little bit further on, running over and trampling the opposition!!
Morks Message - Your army wont suffer from the effects of Orky Animosity rules this turn.
'If we put dat dere...' - Your army's artillery will fire at twice the rate, however will be more prone to breaking down on its own accord.

Dwarf Runery (Dwarfs)
Runnic Wall - creates a wall that cannot be breached by anything.... the prefect defense.
Rune of Aiming - Dwarfen cannons in the army that activates this rune are less likely to miss
Rune of Fire - This rune when activated will shoot fire at the oncoming enemy
Rune of Better Beer - This rune when activated will ensure that the Dwarfen army fights twice as hard to ensure they get back to the pub at the end of the battle!
Rune of Strength - This rune when activated will double the strength of one of your Champions
Rune of Digging - This rune when activated will ensure that a regiment of miners can undermine the enemy and come up from behind them during a battle.

Hashut Worship (Chaos Dwarfs)
Runnic Wall - creates a wall that cannot be breached by anything.... the prefect defense.
Rune of Aiming - Dwarfen cannons in the army that activates this rune are less likely to miss
Rune of Fire - This rune when activated will shoot fire at the oncoming enemy
Frenzy - Your army will fight with a frightening frenzy that will be harder to stop!
Hashut's Desire - Your army is less likely to rout due to the fact that they feel Hashut's nefarious eyes upon them.
Slavers Sacrafice - The wizard preforms a ritualistic sacarfice of a slave, compelling all Greenskins within the army to take notice and not suffer from Orky Animosity this turn.

Skaven Magic (Skaven)
Warp Lightning - Don't have a Warp Lightning Cannon handy? No problem if you have a Grey Seer instead.
Cracks Call - The Grey Seer intones a few utterances and opens a gaping chasm or causes a tremendous rockslide, denying access to the enemy to certain area.
Pestilent Breath - The Grey Seer only needs to breathe on someone and they will die in a wretched cloud of pestilence that spews forth.
Vermintide - A veritable tide of Giant rats comes from no where and overwhelms the enemy, biting, clawing and generally causing havoc on enemy ranks!
Plague - A plague spreads quickly through enemy ranks causing enemy soldiers to drop like flies without even a jezzail shot or a pike through the gut!
Bless with Fiflth - A particular enemy unit is decimated to the last few and cannot take the field of battle, causing disquiet amongst the remaining enemy forces for the upcoming battle.

Ogre Magic (Ogres)

Slavers Sacrafice - The wizard preforms a ritualistic sacarfice of a slave, compelling all Greenskins within the army to take notice and not suffer from fear this turn.
Frenzy - Your army will fight with a frightening frenzy that will be harder to stop!
Groundshaker - A powerful earthquake causes the enemy and friend alike to stagger underfoot and for cavlary to be dismounted!
Friendly Giant - A friendly Giant to your cause rocks up and decides that he wants his next lunch to be your enemy's troops!
Wall of Fire - Your troops are protected by a wall of fire preventing all but the most hardy from charging into your ranks!
Bountiful - Your armies are less likely to face starvation or disease whilst on campaign.

Arabyian Magic (Araby)

Battle Genie - You may have D6 re-rolls for a battle, should the first dice roll be not be favourable to your own cause.
Frenzy - Your army will fight with a frightening frenzy that will be harder to stop!
Groundshaker - A powerful earthquake causes the enemy and friend alike to stagger underfoot and for cavlary to be dismounted!
Sands of Time - The Sands of the ancient home of the Arabyian quickly swallow up several units of the opposing army!
Bountiful - Your armies are less likely to face starvation or disease whilst on campaign.
Fireball - Shoots fireballs at enemy troops causing devestating results to ranks at close range, however risky playing with fire can be.

 

[Omega124]

Bretonnia has a proud tradtion of feudal chivarlic warfare, and cannot abide by gunpowder, and the Empire's Steam Tanks are somewhat unreliable at the best of times. I wouldnt worry about falling behind, tech wise, as technological progression will be somwhat stunted if it appears at all in this game.

Let's ignore the fact that The Empire even has tanks for a second. ALL of my units except for possibly the Grail Knights (Templars FTW, even though they were useless in OTL), don't even have formal military training! Sure, Quest Knights may have fought before, but they probably did stuff like adventuring, not actual. military. engagements. I don't care about "Tradition", The diverse (And much better trained compared to mine) Empire's units could literally steamroll me in a single turn. Peasants are partisan units at best, Men in Arms ARE partisans, Knights Errands are just Squires, Knights of the Realm aren't professional soldiers, and will have more loyalty to their local duke than the actual Kings, and what did Templars achieve in OTL, let alone without vastly superior combat races like Orcs?

With that pathetic mess of an army, I wonder why Brettonia isn't even part of The Empire already, because they really should.

 

[Haseri]

The Lady of the Lake protects them from bullets and technology, I think. Plus, the only way to get from the Empire to Bretonnia is though a tiny little pass in the mountains.

Edit: And I remember reading in some Wood Elf fluff that the Wood Elves (or at least the Tree men) occasionally help.

 

[Fulton]

In addition to what has already been said about the Lady, Brettonia is much more unified than the Empire. The Empire can rarely mount large offensives or defend itself efficiently due to is decentralization, especially if they have as weak Emperor. Plus, Brettonia doesn't suffer massive invasions from the forces of chaos like the Empire does.

Also, Games Workshop doesn't care if something makes sense or not. Only if it looks or sounds cool. So just sit back, relax, and know that Sheep will take into account GW's rule of cool when he mods ^_^

 

[Sheep]

In addition to what has already been said about the Lady, Brettonia is much more unified than the Empire. The Empire can rarely mount large offensives or defend itself efficiently due to is decentralization, especially if they have as weak Emperor. Plus, Brettonia doesn't suffer massive invasions from the forces of chaos like the Empire does.

Also, Games Workshop doesn't care if something makes sense or not. Only if it looks or sounds cool. So just sit back, relax, and know that Sheep will take into account GW's rule of cool when he mods ^_^

Couldn't of said it better myself.....

Today I am planning on completing the special rules for each race and also the unit types... not sure if I will get them all done, but after this only the actual stats remain.

Still waiting to see if people will be against me allowing them to purchase their inital armies instead of just having them come automatically with the stats, or if they would prefer them to come with the stats....

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Either or, both methods sound good to me.

 

[Immaculate]

How time-consuming to you expect play in this NES to be? it looks extremely promising but i am not sure how much time i can commit.

 

[Sheep]

How time-consuming to you expect play in this NES to be? it looks extremely promising but i am not sure how much time i can commit.

With an update being aimed for once a week or so, I am sure the ability to be able to log in for half an hour at least once every two days should be enough to be able to committ enough.

 

[Immaculate]

i would like to play one of the skaven in that case. i don't know warhammer previous to this though.