I remember a Grain silo being overuse with mushrooms, tunnels and mushroom zombies but not much more

In addition to the God-King, the Celestial Vindicators pay homage to an esoteric gestalt they call the Father of Blades. This tempestuous essence - an echo of the World-That-Was - girds their souls and tempers their hearts of war. The Father is not some cruel aspect of Sigmar as the warrior: it is the collective animus of all swords, born from the steel-spirits of weapons crafted in another age, in forged blessed by the Great Maker's mightiest duardin smiths. It is a pure manifestation of battle, stark and merciless. Those among them who venerate thr Father most fervently seek to become living weapons, and they willingly embrace Reforging so that they may be stripped of weakness and doubt

4E SCE Battletome, Celestial Vindicators section, Pg. 24

So the Father of Blades is still not directly called a god but it is now claimed to be the animus of all swords, would be nice if he made an effort to lessen Stormcast deaths by stabbings but what can you do.

Overall not a lot to contemplate with it, other than the Father being one of the more interesting gods, or godlikes, in the setting. The souls of the Runefangs united as a single being, seemingly allied to Sigmar. The things it could say.

This also adds to the implications that Ghal Maraz has a soul in and of itself, given all it's peers did.

The Father also serves as an interesting link between Humans and Duardin, what with its constituent parts being made by Dwarven smiths and entrusted to human lords of the Empire.

Despite being a living weapon and embodiment of war worshiped by, let's be honest, lunatics, it is also in its own way a living representation of an alliance between species older than time.

So, I was playing some Final Fantasy the other day, when I thought of a comparison between it and Age of Sigmar.

In Final Fantasy (14 to be exact), magic is a completely intrinsic part of the physical world. It flows everywhere, through everything; everything that is alive is an intrinsically magical being, because magic is one of the building blocks of reality. Sounds familiar, right?

This has a number of consequences, but one of them is that there are beasts and monsters, who - despite being far from scholarly or even sapient - are capable of curious forms of spellcasting, seemingly on an instinctive level that almost defies the term "spell". A vicious amphibian might douse you with a burst of water magic, or a mighty gryphon might blast you off a cliff with an eruption of wind magic from its wings, or even conjure a swirling prison of winds to keep you pinned - all without uttering a single incantation.

And that makes me wonder, is that something we have seen in Age of Sigmar? Naturally, there are beasts and monsters who are capable of spellcasting here simply because they are so intelligent they can use magic the "normal" way, such as Krondys and Sphiranxes. But are there any beasts that, despite otherwise being rather simpleminded (and well, bestial) are capable of a recognisable form of magic as well?

One example that leapt to mind are Gryph-Chargers riding the winds aetheric, and that's not a bad one (though they are intelligent, they appear to be not quite sapient). But are there others?

So I guess I'm doing this one instead of a post on Father of Blades first but this is something I felt like bringing up. So as all of you who both keep up with the game and lore know. We get a ton of unique and 'unique' models with names and ostensibly stories, as well as things like Regiments of Renown.

These are of course usually, not characters even in the slightest bit. Most fading into no longer sold before ever getting so much as a mention in any book. Dacian Anvil, Mordern Tzane, Steel Rook, Zagnog, any of the first sets of Regiments of Renown.

These characters don't get to be, well, characters. Usually. So I was surprised to find that Numara Falconis and Goltan the Relentless of the Gladitorium Primes got short speeches accredited to them here in the 4E SCE Battletome. Numara's, being a Vigilor-Prime, is about the purpose of Vigilors and Goltan being an Annihilator-Prime is much the same for his unit.

Small things to be sure. But it makes them feel like they are more a part of the setting than many of the named minis we've seen before. Makes the setting feel more connected, while still feeling big.

Then there's Aldus Valnir of the new Valnir's Stormwing regiment of renown. Again the excerpt on him is short but it goes over how he went from a Decimator-Prime to a fighter pilot Stormdrake Guard to a Knight-Draconis. But seriously, his whole mini excerpt is about him being an unpredictable, egotistic hot shot with skills to back it up, and loves the freedom afforded by traversing the open skies. Totally written like a fighter pilot.

Which I am here for, that's not an original take on dragon riders but rare enough and always fun.

So this has me wondering. Will the other Gladitorium Primes get lines here and there? Will we get to see figures like Marshal Ashfield and Bane of Law get lore bits in their upcoming Battletomes? Will we get to see more examples of the various named characters for rules and models participate in their own world?

Back and looking for more notable moments for the AoS TV Tropes page. This time, looking for sad moments from the lore. If you've got a suggwstion, feel free, just give as much detail about it as you can and (if you feel it's necessary) context for why it's sad.

It is a question I have been asked many times by wide-eyed mortals. How does it feel, to die and be reborn over and over again? Most often they ask it in a tone of awe, sometimes tinged with jealousy. Those whose time within these realms is all too are wont to dream of eternal life.

I rarely speak the truth. It is easier, I think, to lie. My questioners do not wish To hear of agony and suffering. They would recoil to know the white-hot torment of the Anvil of Apotheosis, where one's soul is reshaped, where fleshand bone are reconstituted in a cage of crashing lightning. Even less would these mortals want to hear of the poor souls who emerge restored in body but diminished in spirit, haunted by whispers of a past they can no longer recall.
The soul-mages of the Sacrosanct call it the Storm's Eye, that point of calm at which a Stormcast soul can withstand this violent reshaping. Each death takes us a little further from it. Each Reforging burns away a little more of our humanity. Without that essence, we become more automatons than thinking beings: avatars of cold and merciless judgement whose first inclination is to eradicate those who display even a flicker of waywardness. The worst afflicted become lightning-gheists, disembodied spirits trapped in a paroxysm of righteous rage, lashing out at anything in sight.
I wonder how the Unforged would look at us, if they knew the scale of the flaw. If they knew of the Ruination chambers, where the stricken live out existence in solemn isolation. Would that rob our achievements of their glory? Would they fear what we might become? Or would they pity us? I do not know which would pain me more.
- Lord-Celestant Erastion, Hammers of Sigmar

SCE Battletome Fourth Edition, Pg. 15

It's not really righteous rage if it is impotently directed at anyone who gets near them, yeah? Then its just rage or even self-righteous rage. Even a tantrum really. I'm rambling. Greetings, Realmwalkers, it is I, the Mutt you call Sage. If you thought I was done with Stormposting... well that's just silly.

You know I am torn on this speech. On one hand it is overall lovely and mostly a gut-wrenching look into a Stormcast Eternal's thoughts on the Reforging process, how it effects them and all. Buuut it kind of encapsulates my least favorite aspects of the faction.

The Hammers of Sigmar; the constant streamlining of the Flaw to become a singular, beat to beat process; and what I feel kind of comes off as how to put it? Babification isn't the right word, we'll get to it.

So to start Hammers of Sigmar. There's too many of them and they don't have an identity. This is an issue because there are other speeches about the Flaw in this very book, mostly by other Hammers. And while knowing the Hammers are diverse of thought is cool, there's seven other Stormhosts major re-appearing Stormhosts and an absolute bare minimum of 100 more, likely waaay more because that's how many fought at the Allpoints and more have been made, and its said Sigmar alone can count them all.

So. Too many Hammer opinions. Even for the poster faction, especially for the poster faction. Cause again they lack a unified identity or theme, other than One. First Forged, Best Celestants, first to have a member elevated to Inner Circle, first this, best that, most this. They need less overexposure and more focus, and less GW murdering all their best characters.

The Flaw thing is simple. The Flaw was originally presented as compplicated, all sorts of things happened. Some Eternals even became Transfigured, something different than human but not broken like lightning-gheists. But more and more its becoming a single stream. Newcast - Broken By Reforging - Loss of Personhood - Lightning-Gheist. Which is a whole lot less interesting, especially when they put things like "Oh, Yndrasta may be inducted into Ruination" soon. Like. That's weird.

Lastly Erastion kind of doesn't respect the emotional maturity of humans, or even Stormcasts really, in this speech. This isn't unique. It's something that a lot of Stormcast stories edge towards or delve in, and often I don't think its on purpose.

It seems like the intent is to present the situation of the Eternals as so far beyond comprehension and the ability to relate to - but... But it's not. That's the point of the faction and what makes them likeable. Their situation and the horror is easy to comprehend. Sure the full scale is hard to process

But that's trauma in general. A lot of stuff acts like the humans would just collapse in terror from the lightest breeze of, "Your heroes are sad". The latest Blacktalon novel in its climax even wildly claims, spoilers I guess, >!that all of humanity would just give up and embrace Chaos and kill each other if they aren't able to pretend at least one god is perfect. !<I don't recommend that novel.

But anyway there's just this vibe of the narrative not really respecting the autonomy, intelligence, or emotional maturity of both mortal and eternal more than once, not like. Devastatingly often. But it crops up here and there, and it's just an aspect of Stormcast and Cities lore that I really don't like.

I get what they are going for in scenes when they do this. But it just feels like it tonally clashes with the rest of the setting, and often even the same books where it happens.

So this was just a lot of bitter, yeah. Well no worries! Next time, I want to talk about the Father of Blades, who as of 4E is the living animus of all swords everywhere.

Edit: Oh! Infantilize was the term I was thinking of for one character or groupp treating other characters or groups as if they were children. I guess patronize also fits. These are the things SCE does at time that riles me up. Infantilizing or patronizing either baseliners or Eternals.

I’m new to this and know basically nothing about the lore. It’s… intimidating as a starting point lol

Up until a few weeks ago I just thought there was a fantasy miniature game called Warhammer and a sci-fi one called Warhammer 40k.

Without having to read dozens of novels and lore books, is there a sort of condensed history of Warhammer including the major events and characters? From the very start up until the 4th edition?

I have thought about this for a while and wanted to know if there is some lore on the followers of Malerion that states what their culture is like and maybe even their aesthetics.

I am reading “On the Sholder of Giants” right now and there is a throwaway line that hinted that realm gates were more dangerous than I’ve ever seen.

That they shouldn’t be trusted and that entire armies get lost due to “fluctuations of magic,”.

As early as "Shadows Over Hammerhal" we have been informed that The Twin-Tailed City is an absolute economic power house. A city with trade compacts with more than a hundred empires, to say nothing of all it's non-empire business partners.

This is a claim that is... surprisingly well-documented, if you know where to look. In the 3E Corebook we are informed that Hammerhal has several canyons like the Adramar Rift, Grand Canyon-esque canyons so large they have sky-docks on their tops and are used as trade roads by everything from beetles to Kharadron skyvessels. It also has an important river known as Aqshai, also a trade center.

The Soulbound Corebook and Realmslayer: Legend of the Doomseeker shows us the Great Ash Road, a vital trade road connecting to Edassa, the lesser Free City of Anvalor was somewhat stabilized thanks to this road. While the "Lioness of the Parch" is in part, in a blink and miss hee motivation scene, Tahlia Vedra's ambition to see Hammerhal's Southroad extend to the Settled Lands.

"Lioness of the Parch", and "Hammers of Sigmar: First Forged", also shows us that Hammerhal's Core Conclave, the twelve (really twelve as Sigmar is traditionally the twelfth and the eleventh is whoever the Patriarch/Matriarch/Chancellor/[Conclave Head Title Insert Here] currently is) most powerful, influential, and vital Conclave members includes both a Lord-Vintner and a Chief Mercator, both heavily involved in trade. These are far from the only merchant lords with positions on the Conclave.

Now two might seem like no big deal. But to put it in perspective. The Freeguilds and Ironweld Guilds get a singular Core Conclaver to represent their innumerable guilds and interests. As do the Collegiate Arcane and Cults Unberogen. The City Aelves may be represented by a Core Conclaver called Long Droxi.

These organizations we know so well as the face of the Cities, and as Hammerhal's power house forces. Each have only have as many votes as the city's merchant class.

So it is not an exaggeration when Shadows Over Hammerhal made so much noise about the economic power of Hammerhal.

Heck. One of our only stories in Ghyra, Hammerhal in "Hammerhal & Other Stories" is hard set in a massive trade port made of a magically mutated tree to be a fantastic trade centre!

There's more than eleven mercantor guilds of prominence in Hammerhal Aqsha, Spice Guilds dominate the trade and crime of Cinderfall, and then there's the United Companies of Ember and Aqua. Aa well as the Guild of Mercadors headed by the Chief Mercador mentioned above. That's just notable ones, there's been mention of merchant guilds, associations, and consortiums all throughout Hammerhal's surprisingly few highlights. And if all this comes from Hammerhal getting light attention compared to say, Excelsis. Imagine what we are in store for when Hammerhal takes center stage.

So to close out. What does Hammerhal actually trade in? Through all the sources mentioned and others such as the Battletomes and Dawnbringers, the non-exhaustive list includes

Obsidian, Emberstone, Aqua Ghyranis, mystic metals, gems of all types, produce and livestock from Ghyra as well as from Ghyra's satellite settlements, shadeglass, logs of ivory, preserved meats, megalofin teeth, beads of amber, fyresteel weapons, sandglass, cactus fibre, alcohol, and more besides. They also produce a ton of Cogforts to send elsewhere.

All bought with local and foreign currencies. Hammerhal's local currencies include coins known as Comets. As well as Embers and Flaregilt, possibly coins. And, of course, lifewater, goodwater, the many named and dominating Aqua Ghyranis

Was wondering if in the lore there are any good descriptions of the freeguild post Vedra/in castelite formation fighting against the Ossiarch Bone Reapers?

Is it part of series? Where do I go from here?

Is there other civilizations or creatures? Does gravity pull you toward the disk, or toward the bottom of the sphere of magic around the disk?

Title. As everyone (probably) knows, in the Beasts of Chaos' final battletome, they mentioned the fate of the Witherdwell, basically a huge bubbling flesh pit in the middle of Ghyran that was said to be the essence of Morghur, everyone's favorite chaos goat amoeba. Long story short, the Lumineth Realm-Lords and the Sylvaneth teamed up and eradicated the Witherdwell, albeit driving many of their warriors to near-insanity. In doing so, they were careful to tie up any loose ends and mopped up the bray-shamans who were guarding the Witherdwell to prevent its resurgence.

All except one.

"Only one escaped - the infamous and cruelly cunning greypelt known as Ghorraghan Khai. Limping away into the depths of the deep forest, Khai clutched a fistful of gelid matter that hissed and bubbled between his claws: a last scraping from the Great Devolver's putrid mass, still throbbing with untold power.

The realms had not yet glimpsed the last of Morghur - or his worshippers.''

In case people aren't aware, Ghorraghan Khai is a bray-shaman whose whole personality is being super crafty and slippery. He's brokered temporary peace between the Butcherherd (his personal retinue of crazies) and some Orruks; he was cooking up a scheme to control Krondspine incarnates of Ghur; he hung out with and commanded pretty much every major Greatfray prior to their extinction; and he's been "fatally wounded'' a dozen or so times. This included Alarielle herself killing him in a 1-v-1 and her giant beetle kebabing him on its horn - and yet he still managed to shake it off and come back.

So now that he's on the run with his little frozen Morghur flesh-ball, what's next for the silly old greypelt? I'm guessing this is just a vague open-ended statement that GW will never follow up on. But is it possible he'll pop up sometime down the line?

I know there's been lots of talk about beasts of Chaos returning, and I won't restate what those posts have already said. But what do we think will happen to Ghorraghan "guess-who's-back-back-again'' Khai? Is it possible he becomes just a free agent Chaos, hopping between the different factions and doing his own weird experiments? I'd imagine the Lumineth and Sylvaneth, and other forces of Order, would probably be hunting for him, so maybe he'll just use other factions as protection?

Any excerpts and lore tidbits that you guys have access to concerning the Cities of Sigmar/Freeguilds is more then welcome. I'm very curious as to what they have been doing during 4th edition and how they are reacting to these latest developments.

Thanks in advance!

I know Skreech and others are vermin lords but what’s Vizzik I can’t find a page on him on the fandom wiki.

Greetings and Salutations Gate Seekers and Lore Pilgrims, and welcome to yet another "No Stupid Questions" thread

Do you have something you want to discuss something or had a question, but don't want to make an entire post for it?

Then feel free to strike up the discussion or ask the question here

In this thread, you can ask anything about AoS (or even WHFB) lore, the fluff, characters, background, and other AoS things.

Community members are encouraged to be helpful and to provide sources and links that can aid new, curious, and returning Lore Pilgrims

This Thread is NOT to be used to

-Ask "What If/Who would win" scenarios.

-Strike up Tabletop discussions. However, questions regarding how something from the tabletop is handled in the lore are fine.

-Real-world politics.

-Making unhelpful statements like "just Google it"

-Asking for specific (long) excerpts or files

Remember to be kind and that everyone started out new, even you.

I would assume that its the Chaos energies that comprise their souls, since we've seen Non-Chaotic beast people due to the energies of Ghur. But then that brings up a question within me.

Would it be possible to replace the chaotic energies within a person's soul? Is that even something that makes sense? I haven't been keeping up with AoS or just general Warhammer lore in a while, so please excuse me if I sound dumb.

Within the great many dynasties of the SBL which vary in both power and size, I was curious as to how diverse can one dynasty head's court get. I assume the standard court would be made up of a few other vamps and a few necromancers, but what about the larger ones? How big can they get?

Can Lady Jane V. Ampire for example build up a court that has multiple Nighthaunt, Abhorrant Ghoul Kings (alternatively Abhorrant Archregents), Wight Kings and ancient Necromancers?

Going for a more broader question, assuming the vampire is a descendant of Neferata in this case and they posses a decently sized kingdom, would they follow the example of Nulahmia? Would a bunch of Vampire Houses be present with some houses having members part of the Vampire's court? Would the Culling of the Firstborn be a thing there as well?

The possible population is a different question entirely as to how they adapt (or are made to adapt) to the Soulblight Vampire now ruling over them, but that also begs the question as to how safe they are from the other members of the court. Am I supposed to picture these Soulblight kingdoms in the standard medieval European way of feaudalism just with vampires and lot of death?

Hi folks. New to this world and its lore, but I keep having this thought and I need to know just how feasible it could be for GW to do.

Why is AoS's realms not just the magical ethereal afterlife of Fantasy? From what I've been able to gather, it's more akin to a whole new dimension after Fantasy blew up, but is there anything stopping it from being just akin to a second realm to launch the fight against Chaos? There is already a Realm of Death magic, I know that...

I share this excerpt for other Chaos enjoyers in inspiration towards their own warband, horde or tribe in their views of chaos, for there are many. Some philosophies could be called pretty grounded and understandable all things considered.

Source: Hordes of Chaos (6th edition, WHFB)

Wilhelm Biel hae seen much of the world and, though his primary interest was commerce, during hus travels he had developed enthusiasm for wondees both natural and man-made. In bretonnia he had studies the ruins of Elven cities that lay beneath the modern town of L'Anguille; he had watches gigantic cephalods in the Middle Sea and seen Leviathan in the Great Western Ocean. Once, in a port of Araby, he had even seen a reptile that breathed fire, much to his astonishment and the discomfort of his captors. Now he had brought his ship northwards to the coast of Norsca in search of amber, and the fur of the fox, bear and marten.

It was early in the morning of the third day when he lay down upon the rocky hillside to break his fast and watch life stir below in the little village of Fjirgard. His companion, a young Norseman called Haubr, had spread a handsome, thick fur for them to sit upon, and from a leather bag he'd produced a loaf of bread, cheese and some strips of smoked meat that Wilhelm understood to be bear meat. As they ate abd chatted, the people of Fjirgard went about their early morning business. His own ship lay moored at the quayside and thick-set Norsemen were already loading it with bundles of fur and small but heavy sacks that contained precious amber. Down in the village a herdsman noisily gathered his goats and drove them to the little meadow, whilst behind them a hunting party made its wat uo the steeply sided valley.

"Tell me, friend Haubr." said Wilhelm. "Each day now I have seen those women meet at dawn, as they do now, and, havibg assembled together, some doEn or so carry laden baskets high up the mountainside to what I percieve to be a cave somewhere in that black gully"

Below them the group of women, mostly elderly but some young and with children amongst them, reached the foot of the mountain path. This was but a thin thread of grey against the dark rock, for Fjirgard lay between the mountain and the sea in a littke strip of steep land. It was a typical settlement in this respect, for the whole coast was rocky and in places the mountains fell sheer into the sea; only in little bays such as these was it possible to build anything like a village, let alone a town.

"They go to feed the Were," replied Haubr matter-of-factly. "Is it not so in your own town of, how do you say it, Ma-ree-in-berg?"

"Marienburg is quite correct - but we have no creatures of that name. What manner of beasts are these Were?"

"No Werekin?" exclaimed Haubr. "Or oerhaps you know them by some other name in your land. The Were are those of their chosen champions whom the gods deem not yet worthy to join them as immortals. The Werekin live deep in the caves until war comes when they shall fight for one last time before rejoininh the cycle of life" Haubr could not but notice the expression of incomprehension on the Marienburger's face and added, "It is no disgrace among us, you understand. Some are chosen for glory and some are cast down, but even those cast down have been chosen, and when they are reborn they shall be all the greater. It is better to be chosen than to live your whole life beyond the sight of the gods, is it not?"

"But," asked Wilhelm ignoring Haubr's question lest he risk offending the youth views that regarded such beliefs as heresy, "Why do you confine these Werekin to the caves - are they dangerous?"

"Indeed yes - though once they were men, now they are like animals in both thought and form. Their bodies grow large and distorted and hairy like bears or horny like a troll. Some grow snarling teeth like wolves or claws like the fierce macalrmacca that lives in the forest. Others grow scales like serpents, or tails or wings like bats of the moon-tide. They are monsters and many die in battle before ever they return home, or else run blindly in their terror and perish in the wilderness. Yet some come home and the womenfolk tend ro them - their husbands and sons - for the bonds of kinship are stting abd the Were do not attack their own."

"These creatures which you call Were sound like the mutants we call Chaos Spawn, for I have heard of such monsters in the armies of Chaos."

"Perhaps." Replied Haubr cautiously. "The gods choose some for immortality and some for oblivion - is it not thus the whole world over?"

"Nay." Wilhelm shook his head. "I have never heard such a thing in all my travels - no Were and no immortals either."

"Then I pity you and all the world," said Haubr earnestly. "that of all races of Men, the gods favour we Norse alone".

Taking a break from my Stormcast posting... to continue talking about Stormcasts but in a different way.

Recently thanks to two separate friends I got to read the new Underworlds Corebook for Underworlds, which has lore for some reason. A lot.

Initial thoughts. What the heck year is it? This gives Embergard district and street names, like personalized street names. That's not normal for a frontier city that lasted a few months. Or even a couple years.

So anyway. That inane ramble aside, the inane ramble promised in the title.

This book makes brief mention that the Emberwatch forces any miner who doesn't have documents, given by the Grand Conclave of a miner's city, proving they have mining rights for the Embergard mines to leave, or else be shot.

So-So. This immediately tells us fun things! If you're a deranged gremlin dog, like me. That the Cities of Sigmar have a complex system of mining rights. And that charters for miners are granted by the Grand Conclaves.

"Well yeah, Sage. That's how governments work" you may say. But note the term, Grand Conclave. Not Conclave.

For those of you who do not know settlements of the Sigmarite Empire are ruled by councils known as Conclaves. But only Cities of Sigmar, whose rights and such given by mysterious free charters, are Grand Conclaves.

So I posit, that one of the privileges granted to the Free Cities is the ability to grant mining rights to sectors claimed by the empire that are not in the domain of another polity, or in this instance. No longer in the domain of a polity, as it fell.

Edit: Oh also for wizard fans. The book mentions a Collegiate Aqshian. Which may be a new separate college or the Bright College of the Collegiate Arcane with a new spiffy name. The book doesn't clarify.

As title said. One of the things that set AoS apart from both 40k and WHFB is that the world is made of magic, and in theory Daemons can sustain themselves in the Realms, without a summoner around. I know that Chaos Civilizations are a thing in this universe, treating humans and other races that worship Chaos, narratively speaking, similar to how we'd view medieval times. Actual religions with people that worship gods, be them dark gods or not.

So is it possible for Daemons to mingle with these civilizations? Be it through trade, or other ways. Is it possible for rogue daemon warcry warbands to just be out and about? Personally I hope so, I find Daemons to be more interesting if they have their own motives and such

So to put it straight forward, this is my favorite faction. But I am aware that Morathi is far from the nicest or most morally caring person with all of her very manipulative, and power-hungry tendencies. I have also read that she may actually just straight up hate men as a whole

So simple question, do daughters of Khaine ever like do anything besides battling in the arena and slaughtering? Do any exist peacefully in sigmars cities? Do they interact with humans? Is there anyway for a human being to like enter Har Kuron and not instantly be mutilated?

Many of us have no home left. Whatever lands we once sought to protect have long ago fallen to ruin. As Stormcasts, the Stormkeep is the centre of our world. The commonfolk see them only as fortresses that present the enemies of the God-King with an impassable Bulwark, but they are far more important. It is true that the Stormkeeps are amongst the most heavily defended structures in all of the realms, standing watch over the free cities and safeguarding the arteries through which the lifeblood trade and produce flows across the God-King's empire. Yet to see these edifices as mere fortifications is to misunderstand their nature. A Stormkeep is a sanctuary and an arming chamber, a residuary and a place of quiet contemplation. It is here that we Stormcasts share a few, precious moments of companionship beyond the battlefield, before we don our armour and once more ride Sigmar's lightning to war.

Living quarters and feast halls offer rare comfort between engagements. Though we require only meagre rations of food and drink to sustain us on campaign, when a richer spread is in the offing, we do not hesitate to savour the opportunity. Over horns of Aqshian ale and flame-seared rhinox steaks, we share our tales of battlefield prowess. Of course, carousing is not the cure for all ills - unless, perhaps, you are an Astral Templar. Sanctums offer the blessing of silence and peace for minds scarred by sights no mortal could comprehend.

It is easy to forget how vital such pleasures are. They connect us to who we once were, and they remind us of what we are fighting fir, besides the promise of vengeance.

Though Stormcasts are immortal, we can most certainly suffer wounds. Burns, lacerations, broken limbs, and blinded eyes - these are the gifts of a life spent in constant battle, and not all dure enough to cause a warrior's body to erupt into a spear of lightning and flash back to the heavens for Reforging. Within each Stormkeep, there is a chamber known as the Hall of Restoration, where our casualties are treated. Lord-Relictors and specialists of the Sacrosanct chambers seconded from Azyr oversee this convalescence, calling upon powers of the storm and spirit in order to close wounds, fuse shattered bones and even fashion replacement limbs from sigmarite.

Prayer is important to all Stormhosts, not just those of the Hallowed Knights shrines abound in every Stormkeep, dedicated not only to the God-King but also other deities. The mature od worship among my brothers and sisters is as varied as our origins. For instance, the Stormhosts who hail from Chamon often pay reverence to Grungni through rituals of smithing. The Ghyran Guard are said to worship Alarielle with the same intensity that they do Sigmar, whilst the Anvils of the Heldenhammer have always held Morrda in the highest regard. I have heard rumours of even stranger entities venerated by some of my kin, though such is likely hearsay and not to be taken as the God-King's truth.

Valius, Keeper Aqshian

4E Stormcast Battletome, Bastions of the Storm, Pg. 16

Eight pages latter the Battletome has an entire paragraph about how the Celestial Vindicators worship the Father of Blades, the living animus of all swords... very unhelpful of him to let so many swords stab the Vindictors.

There's also Alhar-Kraken, Mirmidh, Ursricht and other Bear Gods, Dracothion (rude of Valius to not mention him), the Lion Celestant, other funerary gods of the Anvils, Shudru, and others.

So setting that aside. Stormkeeps.

So we don't get to know a lot about the imposing edifices that serve as homes to the Stormcasts. Even though we've plenty of scenes in them.

So this is quite a lot of meat to bite into. Especially given we get to hear about it from the perspective of an Eternal like Valius. Oh we knew about the feasting halls and sanctums. But to hear how important they are from an Eternal adds weight.

You may, or may not, be surprised that the outright confirmation of living quarters is new. As is the mention of all these small shrines.

Stormkeeps are no small thing either, I'd love to add in this fairly spectacular picture showing one right here on Pg. 17. Much more fun than the usual gold.

The Halls of Restoration are also newly mentioned. Throw that at the people who claim Eternals do not suffer. They can be maimed, burned, traumatized, broken and lacerated.

They've got training halls, libraries, meditation chambers, war rooms, offices for scribes, and more besides. Mentioned in this boom and elsewhere. Each more a city within a city.

Course this is all personal to Eternals, on top of their importance as trade centres as Valius says. As they are often built on Stormkeeps.

As a closing thought. I lost this book yesterday and couldn't make this post. And spent a good chunk of the day annoyed, that I couldn't make this post.

So if I ever wondered if the Eternals weren't my favorite part of Warhammer, that set aside any doubts. I adore these neurotic lightning superheroes.

To preface, I played TWW3, so this is where the question is aimed but to be honest the corrupted fortresses of Skarbrand in the Badlands can’t be too far from Khornate fortresses in certain parts of Aqshy.

With that said, what is it like? Tzeentchian settlements are half-real, Nurglish settlements are half-living, and Slaaneshi settlements are half-moaning. Are Khornate settlements just like chaos undivided settlements but more… red? Just like barbarian camps with different symbols? Shoot me your ideas. Also, if there’s any excerpts from books or the like that show examples I’d be happy to hear them.

Is it just for the aesthetic? He seems to be first and foremost a war God. Why would he want or empower self mutilation? With Christianity/catholicism it's because Jesus went through pain and they want to simulate that to be closer and share in his suffering (i could be missing some things feel free to elaborate). Wouldn't sigmar hate that? What feels right to me is what most people do in the fantasy/aos setting which seems to be fighting and just doing good in his name. Do one of his aspects like this? I feel like he would be worshipped more so like the viking pantheon