Introduction
Codex
Fantasy Addict
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Introduction:
Hello, I'm Codex. You may know me from the quest Divided Loyalties, from my brief stint at trying to read-along the End Times on this site, or you may not know me at all. I'm a… Warhammer enthusiast you could say. A fan. I kind of fell off with Warhammer Fantasy and the complete lack of support led me to go to Age of Sigmar, and as I've currently bought an unreasonable amount of product, I'd like to think I'm fairly into the setting.
My desire is to introduce people to the setting of the Mortal Realms in an accessible manner. Give them an idea of what it's like, and provide snippets, overviews and general reviews on the setting and its aspects to anyone interested. If you're curious, if you want to get into AoS or if you're just here because you're bored, I hope you find something enjoyable in this thread.
So, starting off, the most important question that needs to be asked first is:
What is Age of Sigmar?
This is a controversial question with an equally controversial answer. If you know anything about Warhammer Fantasy, and I assume that you likely do if you've entered this thread, then you know that the setting is effectively dead. It's still alive in Total War Warhammer, 4th Edition WFRP is still ongoing, and there are still people who continue to play the game with their own fanmade constructions, but the setting is no longer supported by the company that spawned it. The ever fractitious Games Workshop.
The end of the setting was the End Times, and the less said about that the better. Age of Sigmar is effectively a sequel to the setting, but it's probably better to think of it as a successor than a sequel, because it's very different to Warhammer Fantasy and has a distinctly different feel. Warhammer Fantasy is a parody of real life and somewhat more down to earth and extremely gritty and dark. The Orcs in Fantasy are literally a parody of football hooligans from the UK, and Goblins get high on shrooms and are launched out of catapults wearing wings to direct themselves at enemy troops. It's a Wargame that didn't take itself seriously, at least until the later Editions when WHF attempted to make things more serious and gritty instead of comical and lighthearted (but still pretty dark if you think about it).
Age of Sigmar isn't that. The world of AoS is not a slightly altered version of our real world with real life comparisons and geographical comparisons and parodies. There is no "Araby", "Bretonnia", "Tilea" or "Estalia". Some of Warhammer Fantasy's legacy is still carried by Age of Sigmar, such as the Lizardmen's Nahuatl Mesoamerican iconography, but the setting in general is largely divorced from our reality. It's High Fantasy in many senses of the word, and it evokes a Mythic/Epic feeling. The Gods aren't distant, unknowable figures, they're people, characters with multi-faceted sides and flaws who actively participate in the goings on of daily life. Demigods walk the earth, their power shaping the realms as ludicrous acts of supernatural ability and bravery is demonstrated. The Mortal Realms, the setting of Age of Sigmar, is incomprehensibly vast. It is not infinite, but to a mortal mind it might as well be. There is near unlimited creative freedom and authors will be throwing new terms and concepts at you in almost every book in the most offhand mention.
It is fantastical. It is colourful. And it is not for everyone. Age of Sigmar has a bit of an issue with the sense of scale that it evokes. It is a wonderfully expansive setting, and yet in that expanse, the scale can be difficult to comprehend. Stories can include mentions of millions of people dying and it being a fraction of the Realms. You can spend 10 stories focusing on a single section of a single continent, and you find out the Realm is absolutely chock full of these continents. You look at maps and it looks like an impossible wide canvas that hasn't been filled in. And that can be daunting and offputting to some.
Of course, things have been rectified in later Editions. Age of Sigmar had a very rough launch, particularly due to the End Times and the way that Age of Sigmar effectively replaced Warhammer Fantasy. It wasn't what the old fans wanted or needed, and it would have been better for everyone if it was simply declared as an Alternate Universe and Warhammer Fantasy continued. But of course, that didn't happen, and people were incredibly dissatisfied with the method of release. Age of Sigmar released with a four page rulebook that heavily simplified the game, the Stormcast Eternals evoked images of the Space Marines from Warhammer 40K, the rebranding of the setting brought up images of Sigmar becoming the God Emperor of the setting, and people thought the setting would be all about making Fantasy into 40K.
I'm here to tell you that isn't how things turned out, but it's important to note the landscape of the game's release to understand the sheer hatred and vitriol that is so often levelled at Age of Sigmar. To an extent, it's understandable. Age of Sigmar replaced something that people loved and grew up with, and that's always something hard to deal with. You don't need to like Age of Sigmar, but WHF is apparently being revived with the Old World, so maybe we can live in a future where the two settings coexist. Then we can all be happy.
The Setting of the Mortal Realms:
I'm not going to go too deep into the Lore or the mechanics in this first, introductory post. However, I do want to clarify the setting that the story of AoS takes place in, because it's central to everything. 1st Edition Age of Sigmar launched terribly, and it was only in the tail end that they managed to salvage it and shape it into a reasonable format. 2nd Edition was a huge step in the right direction, and 3rd Edition is by far the most polished and developed version yet. You will note that a lot of details are more nebulous and ill-defined in the earlier Editions, and several concepts are not even mentioned earlier on, but become important in later Editions.
This is twofold. The first is that the setting is still developing and the creators get new ideas and start implementing them, creating effective retcons into some of the later Editions. It should be noted that most retcons aren't super egregious. They can be confusing at times, but the writers have been pretty good at checking the older Editions and clarifying things so newer Editions slot in smoothly into what was said in older Editions. They also do this thing where they go "This has always been a thing, you just didn't know about it. Let's move on." Which gets pretty funny.
The second thing is that the setting is actively developing in real time. Age of Sigmar is not a static setting, it is one in progress. New Campaigns and events occur throughout AoS's lifetime and these campaigns shape the future of the Lore. And this application allows them to introduce new mechanics into the game. Example number one is that from 1st to 2nd Edition, the "Necroquake" (more on that in Lore sections) occurs, which destabilises magic across the Realms and creates what is known as "Endless Spells", spells that don't dissipate over time, they just keep going until they are dispelled. From 2nd to 3rd Edition, Alarielle performs the Rite of Life, which revitalises the Realms and empowers the natural spirits of the Realms to create Incarnates, manifestations of the primal energies of the Realms. These events create new mechanics and develop new aspects to the setting as it progresses.
Now that I'm done rambling, I should probably get to exploring the Realms in actuality. What are the Realms? If you know your stuff about Warhammer Fantasy, you might actually recognise them:
As one can see, the Realms are eight separate "Realmspheres" orbiting each other. They exist within the Aetheric Void, a vast expanse of emptiness. To those familiar with WHF, these Realmspheres are the Eight Winds of Magic, representing fundamental aspects of the WHF world. They are essentially the elements that make up existence within the setting, and each Wind is a discrete element that comprises of its own Lore of Magic. When the Old World (known as the "World-that-Was" or "Mallus" in AoS) exploded, the constituent energies of the explosion resulted in the Winds ejecting off of it and coalescing into the Eight Realms. Like attracts like, and the Winds were condensed in some form into these Realms and formed themselves as an expression of their nature. The remaining husk of the Broken World was only the core of the planet, and in later sections, we can talk about Sigmar, who clung to the core of said world.
So now we know that the Mortal Realms consists of eight Realmspheres, each of which make up their own Realmscape. But what are they? Well, if you don't know the Winds of Magic, Malign Sorcery 2nd Edition has a pretty concise explanation:
Azyr, Celestial Magic: The magic of Azyr dissipates and drifts. It holds the power of the unknown, of prognostication, of storms, and of the stars themselves. Represented by the color blue. Realm is full of stars, clouds, mountains and high places.
Ghyran, Life/Jade Magic: The life forces of jade magic are strongest in Ghyran. Its energies wax and wane in cycles. It is a magic of growth, healing and the power of nature. Realm is constantly growing and living and dying and regrowing. Seasons and Cycles define the place.
Ghur, Beast/Amber Magic: Dominant in Ghur, Amber magic is wild and untamed. Its lore concerns the hunter and the hunted, the beast and its prey, and the feral aggression of nature. Its realm is living and wild, constantly shifting and devouring and hunting. Its continental plates are creatures and spirits in their own right, fighting for the right to survive.
Chamon, Metal/Gold Magic: Gold is the heaviest of all magical hues, and its lore concerns metallurgies and transmutations. Gold magic radiates strongly from the realm of Chamon. Its realm consists of an ever shifting collection of independent realmspheres in varying arrays and natures orbiting the center.
Aqshy, Bright/Fire Magic: The magic of Aqshy is one of flames and burning passions, of fireballs and fury. Bright magic shimmers like a heat haze and smoulders like burning coals. Its realm is a cracked and molten vast landscape, bright, fiery and constantly expanding.
Shyish, Amethyst/Death Magic: The magic of Shyish is grim, being centred upon endings and death. It hovers over battleelds and cairns, a chill hue full of doom and inevitability. The realm of Shyish is the Underworld, where all souls who believe in an afterlife rest. It is composed of the collective belief of all the mortals in the Mortal Realms, where all cultural beliefs of an afterlife spawn at the edge of the Realm and where spirits go after death.
Ulgu, Grey/Shadow Magic: The grey magic of Ulgu is found in shadow and mist, a trickster force that fuels illusions and lies. Its lore is of phantasms, ruses and hidden meaning. Its realm is an ever shifting and mysterious land of mist and shadow, clad in confusion and subtlety.
Hysh, Light/White Magic: The Hyshian lore of light magic concerns illumination and purity, symbolism and learning. Its power banishes shadow and reveals truth – it eternally opposes grey magic. Its realm is a geometric land of perfection and enlightenment, representing the purity of which all beings strive for. It is a land that represents the Sun, and yet to stare at it too long is to court blindness.
That is a basic introduction to the Realms, Winds of Magic and their representation. Each Realm has a different and distinct nature and there is a lot to cover, but that comes later as I cover the Cosmos Arcane in depth. Other basic bits is that the Realmspheres are connected by arcane gateways known as Realmgates, which can also allows you to travel vast distances within the Realms as well as without. There also exists an interstitial realm in between the eight spheres known as the Allpoints, or the Eightpoints after Archaon took it over, that serves as a Nexus between the realms, with a connection to all eight. Beyond the Realms also exists other sub-realms within the Void, such as the disparate Realms of Chaos, Blight City (The Great Horned Rat's domain), and places such as Uhl-Gysh. More on that and the relationships between the Realms later.
The Basic Story:
Summarising the story of Age of Sigmar is easy. There is no official timeline of events, you just know roughly when things occur in relation to each other, but not in exact timeframes. There are no dates, which can be a bummer to some people (like me), but it allows for the writers to have freedom in creating events without having to take into account exact dates.
The timeline of Age of Sigmar follows a pattern of "Ages", where specific eras are defined as an Age. There is the Age of Myth, then the Age of Chaos, then the titular Age of Sigmar. In the beginning of practically every 1st Edition Book, enough times to make you sick of it, there is an introductory paragraph that basically defines the basics:
In general, the Age of Myth is a mythical age of wonders and glory with a lot of ridiculous stories of herculean feats. It is a representation of the legends of reality and how over the top and fantastical they were, and it's often portrayed in a glowing lens of awe and wonder. The Age of Chaos is a representation of the darkness within mortal beings, and the return of the Chaos Gods, whose actions sunder the realms and divide them. The Age of Sigmar is the representation of Sigmar taking back the reins and letting loose, and mortals taking their fate in their own hands with help from the Stormcast, who herald the new Age. It is a time of new beginnings and stories, not quite the Mythical wonder of the Age of Myth, but not the unending despair of the Age of Chaos. It is a New Age, and you get to shape it.
That is the basic premise. There's a lot more going on and a lot of details skipped over, but that can be covered in Lore sections. If you're wondering where Age of Sigmar is on the "Grimdark" scale in comparison to 40K and Warhammer Fantasy, I can safely tell you that it's pretty grey. AoS started as a pretty basic "Good vs Evil" story with the Stormcast as the Good Guys. As the story went on however, the Stormcast were fleshed out to a significant extent and it became clear what they are. The Stormcast, and I say this with full confidence, are an allegory of the dehumanising nature of war. I will clarify once I deepdive into them, but while they seem shining and glorious and spotless at the start, it's only once things move on from the initial impression that you get to see the scars that weigh heavily on all of them.
Even disregarding the Stormcast, most factions are pretty brutal and not that nice. The setting is split into four "Grand Alliances" (which I will cover in more depth). Order, Death, Destruction, Chaos. Order are not necessarily the good guys, they just want to maintain law and order and create civilisations. Death wants unending servitude and stagnation under Nagash. Chaos wants to turn the Realms into the Dark God's playthings. And Destruction just wants to krump everyone.
Basic Glossary/Dramatis Personae:
I'm not going to go on about every term in Age of Sigmar. That would take ages and nobody has the time for that (right now). I can, however, define some key terms and people that are important to learn. Some of this people will know, and it's not in alphabetical order:
Resources:
There are plenty of resources to peruse if you're interested. I went on way too long, so I'll cover more sections later, like the actual gameplay. Suffice to say that you collect primarily plastic miniatures, assemble them or use parts to kitbash a model or use models as proxies for other models, you paint those models, and then you bring them with you to play with others. There are countless ways to engage with the hobby, from collecting and kitbashing and painting models to reading the lore to engaging in actual gameplay. Even when you get to the game, you can go for flexible "anything goes as long as we both agree" Open Play to story based Narrative Play games to competitive Matched Play games. Many people even find joy in Matched Play beyond its competitive nature.
If you want a basic introduction to the Mortal Realms and the timeline, the official Age of Sigmar website has some neat visuals under their Mortal Realms tab for a basic summary of the Realms, the Factions and the timeline.
If you want to read the Core Rules for 3rd Edition Age of Sigmar game, then it's available for free. It's a decently long read, but it is by far the most polished and well structured version of Age of Sigmar and is actively engaging to work through. If you're used to Warhammer Fantasy, fair warning that AoS is more skirmish based and tends to be a bit looser. Not that tactics don't play a gigantic factor, because it does, but that it's different to Rank and File based wargaming. The game is also pretty balanced at a competitive level all things considered.
If you want to go through all the rules and warscrolls for any faction that you're interested in, you can check out Wahapedia's Age of Sigmar section. They have everything and they update to the most recent versions, errata and White Dwarf included. You do need the Core Rules to understand what's going on though.
If you want to make an army list for free, Battlescribe is available. It's pretty good.
You can also play Age of Sigmar on Tabletop Simulator, although it requires you to install mods. There are tutorial videos on how to do that though, so if you don't want to spend any money or even leave the house to play Age of Sigmar you can just do that. It's not a substitute for the real thing, but it's a very accessible and easy way to learn how the game works.
If you want to check something, the Age of Sigmar Lexicanum is fairly expansive. Unfortunately, most pages are extremely short and vague and don't include the full text, although it directs you to the source usually. The Lexicanum isn't perfect, and it frustrates me that the "List of Age of Sigmar Books" hasn't updated to include any books recently when there's so much, but I don't envy their job.
If you're not interested in a Wargame and think an RPG might suit you, Age of Sigmar Soulbound is pretty good (imo). I'll probably go more in depth about it in a spin-off section, but it's a power fantasy RPG centered around making very powerful characters and fighting high octane battles that aren't super complex or mechanical. It's closer to narrative than crunchy. The core book does give options for different ways to play though, so if you want to make a gritty, dark, less fantastical story you're free to take a jab. There is an appeal to playing a regular person in a world of gods and monsters.
For Youtube, I have a couple recommendations. Heywoah makes a bunch of cool introductory videos in a fast paced, dry and quick, witty humor style that appeals to me. A lot of his videos are outdated, especially when it comes to the meta, but there's a relatively recent video that's still relevant. He's a good entryway into the setting. For Lore, 2+ Tough is the primary supplier. Check out his playlists if you don't know where to start. If you want to go for painting or high level meta discussion from a guy who's been in the hobby since Warhammer Fantasy and has been through all of AoS, Vince Vinturella is great. His videos are usually very long streams and are pretty impenetrable for a new person though. AoS Coach makes more accessible videos for beginners and invites lots of guests who serve as specialists on their army, although his discussion is usually focused on competitive matched play. Honest Wargamer is another high level meta commentary channel who's good for gauging the current state of the game, but probably not great for beginners.
Final Note:
I want to clarify, first of all, that I welcome all sorts of people into this thread. I also welcome all opinions, as long as you are civil and constructive in the way you present it. It's understandable to react with shock to be met with something that puts you ill at ease because of existing conceptions of another setting, particularly as Age of Sigmar inspires a lot of vitriol in people due to the circumstances of its launch. What is less reasonable is creating a toxic space. I'm willing and in fact eager to discuss Age of Sigmar with anyone, but I simply implore people to be considerate and thoughtful in their replies.
Finally, I'm accepting questions. I will be answering anything you have in store for me in regards to Age of Sigmar. If I can't answer it or I don't know, I will answer honestly. I have not, in fact, read every single Age of Sigmar book. I just read about two/three dozen. I'd have to count.
Hello, I'm Codex. You may know me from the quest Divided Loyalties, from my brief stint at trying to read-along the End Times on this site, or you may not know me at all. I'm a… Warhammer enthusiast you could say. A fan. I kind of fell off with Warhammer Fantasy and the complete lack of support led me to go to Age of Sigmar, and as I've currently bought an unreasonable amount of product, I'd like to think I'm fairly into the setting.
My desire is to introduce people to the setting of the Mortal Realms in an accessible manner. Give them an idea of what it's like, and provide snippets, overviews and general reviews on the setting and its aspects to anyone interested. If you're curious, if you want to get into AoS or if you're just here because you're bored, I hope you find something enjoyable in this thread.
So, starting off, the most important question that needs to be asked first is:
What is Age of Sigmar?
This is a controversial question with an equally controversial answer. If you know anything about Warhammer Fantasy, and I assume that you likely do if you've entered this thread, then you know that the setting is effectively dead. It's still alive in Total War Warhammer, 4th Edition WFRP is still ongoing, and there are still people who continue to play the game with their own fanmade constructions, but the setting is no longer supported by the company that spawned it. The ever fractitious Games Workshop.
The end of the setting was the End Times, and the less said about that the better. Age of Sigmar is effectively a sequel to the setting, but it's probably better to think of it as a successor than a sequel, because it's very different to Warhammer Fantasy and has a distinctly different feel. Warhammer Fantasy is a parody of real life and somewhat more down to earth and extremely gritty and dark. The Orcs in Fantasy are literally a parody of football hooligans from the UK, and Goblins get high on shrooms and are launched out of catapults wearing wings to direct themselves at enemy troops. It's a Wargame that didn't take itself seriously, at least until the later Editions when WHF attempted to make things more serious and gritty instead of comical and lighthearted (but still pretty dark if you think about it).
Age of Sigmar isn't that. The world of AoS is not a slightly altered version of our real world with real life comparisons and geographical comparisons and parodies. There is no "Araby", "Bretonnia", "Tilea" or "Estalia". Some of Warhammer Fantasy's legacy is still carried by Age of Sigmar, such as the Lizardmen's Nahuatl Mesoamerican iconography, but the setting in general is largely divorced from our reality. It's High Fantasy in many senses of the word, and it evokes a Mythic/Epic feeling. The Gods aren't distant, unknowable figures, they're people, characters with multi-faceted sides and flaws who actively participate in the goings on of daily life. Demigods walk the earth, their power shaping the realms as ludicrous acts of supernatural ability and bravery is demonstrated. The Mortal Realms, the setting of Age of Sigmar, is incomprehensibly vast. It is not infinite, but to a mortal mind it might as well be. There is near unlimited creative freedom and authors will be throwing new terms and concepts at you in almost every book in the most offhand mention.
It is fantastical. It is colourful. And it is not for everyone. Age of Sigmar has a bit of an issue with the sense of scale that it evokes. It is a wonderfully expansive setting, and yet in that expanse, the scale can be difficult to comprehend. Stories can include mentions of millions of people dying and it being a fraction of the Realms. You can spend 10 stories focusing on a single section of a single continent, and you find out the Realm is absolutely chock full of these continents. You look at maps and it looks like an impossible wide canvas that hasn't been filled in. And that can be daunting and offputting to some.
Of course, things have been rectified in later Editions. Age of Sigmar had a very rough launch, particularly due to the End Times and the way that Age of Sigmar effectively replaced Warhammer Fantasy. It wasn't what the old fans wanted or needed, and it would have been better for everyone if it was simply declared as an Alternate Universe and Warhammer Fantasy continued. But of course, that didn't happen, and people were incredibly dissatisfied with the method of release. Age of Sigmar released with a four page rulebook that heavily simplified the game, the Stormcast Eternals evoked images of the Space Marines from Warhammer 40K, the rebranding of the setting brought up images of Sigmar becoming the God Emperor of the setting, and people thought the setting would be all about making Fantasy into 40K.
I'm here to tell you that isn't how things turned out, but it's important to note the landscape of the game's release to understand the sheer hatred and vitriol that is so often levelled at Age of Sigmar. To an extent, it's understandable. Age of Sigmar replaced something that people loved and grew up with, and that's always something hard to deal with. You don't need to like Age of Sigmar, but WHF is apparently being revived with the Old World, so maybe we can live in a future where the two settings coexist. Then we can all be happy.
The Setting of the Mortal Realms:
I'm not going to go too deep into the Lore or the mechanics in this first, introductory post. However, I do want to clarify the setting that the story of AoS takes place in, because it's central to everything. 1st Edition Age of Sigmar launched terribly, and it was only in the tail end that they managed to salvage it and shape it into a reasonable format. 2nd Edition was a huge step in the right direction, and 3rd Edition is by far the most polished and developed version yet. You will note that a lot of details are more nebulous and ill-defined in the earlier Editions, and several concepts are not even mentioned earlier on, but become important in later Editions.
This is twofold. The first is that the setting is still developing and the creators get new ideas and start implementing them, creating effective retcons into some of the later Editions. It should be noted that most retcons aren't super egregious. They can be confusing at times, but the writers have been pretty good at checking the older Editions and clarifying things so newer Editions slot in smoothly into what was said in older Editions. They also do this thing where they go "This has always been a thing, you just didn't know about it. Let's move on." Which gets pretty funny.
The second thing is that the setting is actively developing in real time. Age of Sigmar is not a static setting, it is one in progress. New Campaigns and events occur throughout AoS's lifetime and these campaigns shape the future of the Lore. And this application allows them to introduce new mechanics into the game. Example number one is that from 1st to 2nd Edition, the "Necroquake" (more on that in Lore sections) occurs, which destabilises magic across the Realms and creates what is known as "Endless Spells", spells that don't dissipate over time, they just keep going until they are dispelled. From 2nd to 3rd Edition, Alarielle performs the Rite of Life, which revitalises the Realms and empowers the natural spirits of the Realms to create Incarnates, manifestations of the primal energies of the Realms. These events create new mechanics and develop new aspects to the setting as it progresses.
Now that I'm done rambling, I should probably get to exploring the Realms in actuality. What are the Realms? If you know your stuff about Warhammer Fantasy, you might actually recognise them:
So now we know that the Mortal Realms consists of eight Realmspheres, each of which make up their own Realmscape. But what are they? Well, if you don't know the Winds of Magic, Malign Sorcery 2nd Edition has a pretty concise explanation:
Azyr, Celestial Magic: The magic of Azyr dissipates and drifts. It holds the power of the unknown, of prognostication, of storms, and of the stars themselves. Represented by the color blue. Realm is full of stars, clouds, mountains and high places.
Ghyran, Life/Jade Magic: The life forces of jade magic are strongest in Ghyran. Its energies wax and wane in cycles. It is a magic of growth, healing and the power of nature. Realm is constantly growing and living and dying and regrowing. Seasons and Cycles define the place.
Ghur, Beast/Amber Magic: Dominant in Ghur, Amber magic is wild and untamed. Its lore concerns the hunter and the hunted, the beast and its prey, and the feral aggression of nature. Its realm is living and wild, constantly shifting and devouring and hunting. Its continental plates are creatures and spirits in their own right, fighting for the right to survive.
Chamon, Metal/Gold Magic: Gold is the heaviest of all magical hues, and its lore concerns metallurgies and transmutations. Gold magic radiates strongly from the realm of Chamon. Its realm consists of an ever shifting collection of independent realmspheres in varying arrays and natures orbiting the center.
Aqshy, Bright/Fire Magic: The magic of Aqshy is one of flames and burning passions, of fireballs and fury. Bright magic shimmers like a heat haze and smoulders like burning coals. Its realm is a cracked and molten vast landscape, bright, fiery and constantly expanding.
Shyish, Amethyst/Death Magic: The magic of Shyish is grim, being centred upon endings and death. It hovers over battleelds and cairns, a chill hue full of doom and inevitability. The realm of Shyish is the Underworld, where all souls who believe in an afterlife rest. It is composed of the collective belief of all the mortals in the Mortal Realms, where all cultural beliefs of an afterlife spawn at the edge of the Realm and where spirits go after death.
Ulgu, Grey/Shadow Magic: The grey magic of Ulgu is found in shadow and mist, a trickster force that fuels illusions and lies. Its lore is of phantasms, ruses and hidden meaning. Its realm is an ever shifting and mysterious land of mist and shadow, clad in confusion and subtlety.
Hysh, Light/White Magic: The Hyshian lore of light magic concerns illumination and purity, symbolism and learning. Its power banishes shadow and reveals truth – it eternally opposes grey magic. Its realm is a geometric land of perfection and enlightenment, representing the purity of which all beings strive for. It is a land that represents the Sun, and yet to stare at it too long is to court blindness.
That is a basic introduction to the Realms, Winds of Magic and their representation. Each Realm has a different and distinct nature and there is a lot to cover, but that comes later as I cover the Cosmos Arcane in depth. Other basic bits is that the Realmspheres are connected by arcane gateways known as Realmgates, which can also allows you to travel vast distances within the Realms as well as without. There also exists an interstitial realm in between the eight spheres known as the Allpoints, or the Eightpoints after Archaon took it over, that serves as a Nexus between the realms, with a connection to all eight. Beyond the Realms also exists other sub-realms within the Void, such as the disparate Realms of Chaos, Blight City (The Great Horned Rat's domain), and places such as Uhl-Gysh. More on that and the relationships between the Realms later.
The Basic Story:
Summarising the story of Age of Sigmar is easy. There is no official timeline of events, you just know roughly when things occur in relation to each other, but not in exact timeframes. There are no dates, which can be a bummer to some people (like me), but it allows for the writers to have freedom in creating events without having to take into account exact dates.
The timeline of Age of Sigmar follows a pattern of "Ages", where specific eras are defined as an Age. There is the Age of Myth, then the Age of Chaos, then the titular Age of Sigmar. In the beginning of practically every 1st Edition Book, enough times to make you sick of it, there is an introductory paragraph that basically defines the basics:
Don't take this paragraph literally, but it is a representation of the concept of the story from an in-universe perspective. Sigmar is an important and focal point of the story, but he is not the sole lynchpin that decides the direction of the story.
In general, the Age of Myth is a mythical age of wonders and glory with a lot of ridiculous stories of herculean feats. It is a representation of the legends of reality and how over the top and fantastical they were, and it's often portrayed in a glowing lens of awe and wonder. The Age of Chaos is a representation of the darkness within mortal beings, and the return of the Chaos Gods, whose actions sunder the realms and divide them. The Age of Sigmar is the representation of Sigmar taking back the reins and letting loose, and mortals taking their fate in their own hands with help from the Stormcast, who herald the new Age. It is a time of new beginnings and stories, not quite the Mythical wonder of the Age of Myth, but not the unending despair of the Age of Chaos. It is a New Age, and you get to shape it.
That is the basic premise. There's a lot more going on and a lot of details skipped over, but that can be covered in Lore sections. If you're wondering where Age of Sigmar is on the "Grimdark" scale in comparison to 40K and Warhammer Fantasy, I can safely tell you that it's pretty grey. AoS started as a pretty basic "Good vs Evil" story with the Stormcast as the Good Guys. As the story went on however, the Stormcast were fleshed out to a significant extent and it became clear what they are. The Stormcast, and I say this with full confidence, are an allegory of the dehumanising nature of war. I will clarify once I deepdive into them, but while they seem shining and glorious and spotless at the start, it's only once things move on from the initial impression that you get to see the scars that weigh heavily on all of them.
Even disregarding the Stormcast, most factions are pretty brutal and not that nice. The setting is split into four "Grand Alliances" (which I will cover in more depth). Order, Death, Destruction, Chaos. Order are not necessarily the good guys, they just want to maintain law and order and create civilisations. Death wants unending servitude and stagnation under Nagash. Chaos wants to turn the Realms into the Dark God's playthings. And Destruction just wants to krump everyone.
Basic Glossary/Dramatis Personae:
I'm not going to go on about every term in Age of Sigmar. That would take ages and nobody has the time for that (right now). I can, however, define some key terms and people that are important to learn. Some of this people will know, and it's not in alphabetical order:
Hysh: Wind of Light. White in color. Also the name of the Realm of Light.
Aqshy: Wind of Fire. Red in color. Also the name of the Realm of Fire.
Ghyran: Wind of Life. Jade in color. Also the name of the Realm of Life.
Ghur: Wind of Beasts. Amber in color. Also the name of the Realm of Beasts.
Chamon: Wind of Metal. Gold in color. Also the name of the Realm of Metal.
Shyish: Wind of Death. Amethyst in color. Also the name of the Realm of Death.
Ulgu: Wind of Shadow. Grey in color. Also the name of the Realm of Shadow.
Azyr: Wind of the Heavens. Blue in color. Also the name of the Realm of Heaven.
Aqshy: Wind of Fire. Red in color. Also the name of the Realm of Fire.
Ghyran: Wind of Life. Jade in color. Also the name of the Realm of Life.
Ghur: Wind of Beasts. Amber in color. Also the name of the Realm of Beasts.
Chamon: Wind of Metal. Gold in color. Also the name of the Realm of Metal.
Shyish: Wind of Death. Amethyst in color. Also the name of the Realm of Death.
Ulgu: Wind of Shadow. Grey in color. Also the name of the Realm of Shadow.
Azyr: Wind of the Heavens. Blue in color. Also the name of the Realm of Heaven.
Chaos Gods: The most powerful deities representing core concepts and aspects of mortal life. Evil and powerful, they are four brothers (five with the Great Horned Rat who ascended to the position) who hate and fight each other in the Great Game, using mortals as pieces in their grand scheme. The power of Chaos derives from them.
Nurgle: Chaos God of Decay, Death, Stagnation, and Entropy. He is plague and pestilence made manifest, and an aspect of despair. He is the feeling of giving up and seeking salvation from the pain by embracing the disease, whether it be body, mind or soul. His followers are vile, stinking and grotesque, and they are happy to be so. They desire to spread their Grandfather's "Gifts" across the Realms, and Ghyran in particular, for it represents the vibrant life that Nurgle is so interested in corrupting. Nurgle's realm contains the vital location known as the Garden of Nurgle. Oldest of the Chaos Gods.
Tzeentch: Chaos God of Change, Magic, Fate, Destiny and Hope. He is the representation of the desire for change in all its forms, and is utterly fascinated by the unending randomness of the universe. Tzeentch is the Changer of Ways and the Great Schemer, and he views all possible futures, creating plans within plans within plans. He is unknowable and it is impossible to understand him, but according to him, everything goes according to plan. Tzeentch dwells within the Impossible Fortress and the Crystal Labyrinth within his realm, and his followers seek knowledge. Whether it be to choose their own destiny or fate, because they desire change, or because they want power and influence, none of it matters. His followers are greatly magical and transmutative in nature. Tzeentch is fascinated with the Realm of Metal and its shifting transmutation.
Slaanesh: Chaos God of Excess in all its forms. Hedonism, Depravity, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and all desires taken to Excess. Youngest of all Chaos Gods and perhaps the most problematic, Slaanesh is perhaps the most wide reaching Chaos God, for he encroaches on the territory of all his brothers. Slaanesh's followers are representations of mortal desires and thrive on the thrill of pain, pleasure and all forms of sensory stimulation. Said stimulation need not even be physical, it may be intellectual or spiritual and it would fall under his purview. Slaanesh delights on feasting on souls, and there is no soul he enjoys more than an Aelven one, for they feel very strong emotions such that he delights on tormenting them within his belly. Such was the fate of the Elves of the Old World as he feasted on their souls, with only a few escaping his clutches. Bloated on his meal, Slaanesh was sluggish and slothful, and through the dedicated planning of the Aelven Gods, he was trapped within the confines of the Twilight Realm of Uhl-Gysh between Ulgu and Hysh, and remains there to this day. Slaanesh has struggled against the confines of his chains and has recently had the opportunity to give birth to twin children to guide his followers, who are ecstatic at a sign of Slaanesh's presence. They continue to search for him and plan to save him. Although some prefer to pretend they are his equal in his absence or just don't care. Slaanesh's realm contains the Marcher Fortress and the Six Circles of Seduction, but he's not there.
Khorne: Chaos God of Rage, War, Blood and Battle. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne, Milk for the Khorne Flakes, I'm sure you've heard the phrase at some point. Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, only that it flows. He's a simple guy with simple needs, but he has a few requirements. He hates ranged combat for some reason, with only his Skull Cannon providing any serious projectiles (in the form of skulls shot out of a weirdly advanced chassis that I'm pretty sure is also a bike). He also absolutely hates Magic and despises Mages, but is perfectly fine with granting his followers magical weapons and granting them blessings (that he calls "Judgements" because he's edgy) if they pray to him, so there is some hypocrisy at play there. Khorne plays at having honor, but it is a twisted code that only he and his followers appreciate. Khorne is interested in Aqshy due to its fiery and fierce populace of warriors and berserkers, and he is often stated to be the "Strongest of the Chaos Gods". His realm includes the Brass Citadel from which he rules over on his infamous Skull Throne, his three headed Hound Karanak at his feet when he isn't off hunting his master's enemies.
Great Horned Rat: Chaos God of Ruin, Deceit and Ambition. The Great Horned Rat is the master and creator of the Skaven, the ratmen who he controls with an iron grip. He rules over Blight City in a Sub-Realm dedicated to him and the Skaven and uses his Verminlord Daemons and his Grey Seer prophets to lead his people in his image. Which involves creating chaos, self defeating schemes, aspire to greater station, and eventual explosive failure. The Great Horned Rat ascended to the position of the fifth Chaos God after the End Times, but he is often not recognised as such by the Chaos Gods and their followers, so really it only matters to the Skaven and sometimes to Nurgle. Because Pestilens and Nurgle are best buddies and work together, combining Plague and Pestilence to lay ruin.
Nurgle: Chaos God of Decay, Death, Stagnation, and Entropy. He is plague and pestilence made manifest, and an aspect of despair. He is the feeling of giving up and seeking salvation from the pain by embracing the disease, whether it be body, mind or soul. His followers are vile, stinking and grotesque, and they are happy to be so. They desire to spread their Grandfather's "Gifts" across the Realms, and Ghyran in particular, for it represents the vibrant life that Nurgle is so interested in corrupting. Nurgle's realm contains the vital location known as the Garden of Nurgle. Oldest of the Chaos Gods.
Tzeentch: Chaos God of Change, Magic, Fate, Destiny and Hope. He is the representation of the desire for change in all its forms, and is utterly fascinated by the unending randomness of the universe. Tzeentch is the Changer of Ways and the Great Schemer, and he views all possible futures, creating plans within plans within plans. He is unknowable and it is impossible to understand him, but according to him, everything goes according to plan. Tzeentch dwells within the Impossible Fortress and the Crystal Labyrinth within his realm, and his followers seek knowledge. Whether it be to choose their own destiny or fate, because they desire change, or because they want power and influence, none of it matters. His followers are greatly magical and transmutative in nature. Tzeentch is fascinated with the Realm of Metal and its shifting transmutation.
Slaanesh: Chaos God of Excess in all its forms. Hedonism, Depravity, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and all desires taken to Excess. Youngest of all Chaos Gods and perhaps the most problematic, Slaanesh is perhaps the most wide reaching Chaos God, for he encroaches on the territory of all his brothers. Slaanesh's followers are representations of mortal desires and thrive on the thrill of pain, pleasure and all forms of sensory stimulation. Said stimulation need not even be physical, it may be intellectual or spiritual and it would fall under his purview. Slaanesh delights on feasting on souls, and there is no soul he enjoys more than an Aelven one, for they feel very strong emotions such that he delights on tormenting them within his belly. Such was the fate of the Elves of the Old World as he feasted on their souls, with only a few escaping his clutches. Bloated on his meal, Slaanesh was sluggish and slothful, and through the dedicated planning of the Aelven Gods, he was trapped within the confines of the Twilight Realm of Uhl-Gysh between Ulgu and Hysh, and remains there to this day. Slaanesh has struggled against the confines of his chains and has recently had the opportunity to give birth to twin children to guide his followers, who are ecstatic at a sign of Slaanesh's presence. They continue to search for him and plan to save him. Although some prefer to pretend they are his equal in his absence or just don't care. Slaanesh's realm contains the Marcher Fortress and the Six Circles of Seduction, but he's not there.
Khorne: Chaos God of Rage, War, Blood and Battle. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne, Milk for the Khorne Flakes, I'm sure you've heard the phrase at some point. Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, only that it flows. He's a simple guy with simple needs, but he has a few requirements. He hates ranged combat for some reason, with only his Skull Cannon providing any serious projectiles (in the form of skulls shot out of a weirdly advanced chassis that I'm pretty sure is also a bike). He also absolutely hates Magic and despises Mages, but is perfectly fine with granting his followers magical weapons and granting them blessings (that he calls "Judgements" because he's edgy) if they pray to him, so there is some hypocrisy at play there. Khorne plays at having honor, but it is a twisted code that only he and his followers appreciate. Khorne is interested in Aqshy due to its fiery and fierce populace of warriors and berserkers, and he is often stated to be the "Strongest of the Chaos Gods". His realm includes the Brass Citadel from which he rules over on his infamous Skull Throne, his three headed Hound Karanak at his feet when he isn't off hunting his master's enemies.
Great Horned Rat: Chaos God of Ruin, Deceit and Ambition. The Great Horned Rat is the master and creator of the Skaven, the ratmen who he controls with an iron grip. He rules over Blight City in a Sub-Realm dedicated to him and the Skaven and uses his Verminlord Daemons and his Grey Seer prophets to lead his people in his image. Which involves creating chaos, self defeating schemes, aspire to greater station, and eventual explosive failure. The Great Horned Rat ascended to the position of the fifth Chaos God after the End Times, but he is often not recognised as such by the Chaos Gods and their followers, so really it only matters to the Skaven and sometimes to Nurgle. Because Pestilens and Nurgle are best buddies and work together, combining Plague and Pestilence to lay ruin.
Pantheon of Order: A collective of Ascended deities from the World-That-Was who collectively worked together during the Age of Myth to create civilisations across the Realms. To an extent, they all had their role. Gorkamorka didn't exactly create so much as he was directed by Sigmar to destroy pesky Godbeasts and Monsters he wanted gone. It might seem odd, but the Pantheon actually consists of not only Sigmar, Allarielle, Tyrion, Grungni, and Teclis, it also includes Malerion, Morathi, Nagash and Gorkamorka. Don't worry, all will be clear in time. The Pantheon met in Highheim in Mount Celestium in Azyr, the Parliament of the Gods, where they deliberated on the fate of the Mortal Realms. The Pantheon fractured towards the tail end of the Age of Myth, and as expected Gorkamorka marched out in frustration to go on a rampage, Nagash made his inevitable betrayal, and all the other members withdrew for their own reasons.
Zodiac Godbeasts: Elemental beasts born of the energies of the realm, they are Gods in bestial form, although their form isn't always animalistic in nature. They often represent some concept or beast, and their powers are godly, as the name implies. Many of these beasts were slain, but many still remain and are worshipped across the Realms. Some are particularly connected to a specific Realm.
Sigmar: The God King of Azyr, wielder of Ghal Maraz the Great Shatterer. Sigmar is the barbarian king who founded the Empire in the Old World, and he survives the end of the world clinging to the core of his sundered world until he is woken by the breath of the great Godbeast Dracothian, the Celestial Drake. Sigmar gifts him a shard of the broken world, later named Sigmarite, and the two form a bond forevermore. Dracothian guides Sigmar through the Realms, and Sigmar's actions are told in legends and myths as he meets his fellow ascended Incarnate Gods from the World that Was and unites them under a single pantheon. He hunts down the dangers to the Realms and creates civilisations across them to prosper under his Pantheon, until infighting and Chaotic influence collapses his Empire and results in the loss of his Hammer. Desperate and hopeless, Sigmar retreats to the Realm of Azyr alongside the remnants of his empire and shuts the Gates to Azyr, leaving those unlucky enough outside to suffer the depredations of Chaos while he labored to create a new breed of soldier for a new age. The Stormcast Eternals. It took 500 years of the Age of Chaos before they were unleashed in a Realm-spanning campaign known as the Realmgate Wars.
Teclis: Lord of Lumination and Twin God of Hysh. Formerly an Archmage of Hoeth in the Old World, Teclis achieved Incarnate status and bonded to the Realm of Hysh when it was created, but he was not aside his brother at first. It took his brother journeying to the Edge of the Realm to witness the searing light of Hysh to bring him back, and from then on Teclis served as Tyrion's eyes. Teclis is a God of Magic and desires his children to experience true enlightenment and purity. After Slaanesh was successfully imprisoned in Uhl-Gysh, he managed to draw out Aelven souls from Slaanesh's stomach to create the Cythai, who would later become the Idoneth Deepkin. These creations of his were flawed and haunted by a darkness from a lifetime of torture within Slaanesh's being, and were it not for Tyrion staying his hand he would have smote them before they escaped. Alas, they managed to do so, and after laborious work, his next work was successful. He recreated the High Elves of old in the form of the Lumineth. With these Aelves, however, came a surety of self and a sense of entitlement that would only grow worse with time, such that it would culminate in their own downfall… (Lore sometime later).
Tyrion: The Blind King and Twin God of Hysh. Formerly the foremost swordsmen in Ulthuan in the Old World and lover of the Everqueen, Tyrion became the Incarnate of Hysh and bonded to the realm, and when he found that his brother was not there, he ventured to the edge of the Realm to look for him. What he saw at the edge of enlightenment, who's to say, but he got his brother back. At the cost of his sight. Fortunately for him, he can see through Teclis' eyes. Tyrion is one half of Lumineth society, which is divided into Teclian and Tyrionic principles. Where Teclis is about Magic and Philosophy, Tyrion is about direct action and military strategy. Tyrion does not have AoS art or a model, but it's expected that he'll eventually get it. Lumineth are still being updated.
Alarielle: The Goddess of Life and Incarnate Deity of Ghyran. Alarielle was the Everqueen of Ulthuan in a previous life, but that is a life she left behind when she took the burden of Godhood. Alarielle is a mercurial goddess of cycles and seasons, and her temperament and abilities wax and wane through the seasons. She may be a dour and melancholic Goddess or a joyful wellspring of life, such is the nature of the Seasons. Alarielle was awakened by Sigmar and joined his Pantheon of Order, but she had cut all ties to her past and her connection to her Aelven compatriots. Alarielle is the mother of the Sylvaneth and the protector of nature, and she was not involved in the plan to entrap Slaanesh. Instead, Alarielle spent her time cultivating Ghyran to become a prosperous kingdom, and the sheer shock at her life's work crumbling before her eyes as Nurgle's diseases ate through her Realm shook her to her core. With time, she withdrew into her shell and stopped attending the Godly meetings, and her resistance against Nurgle weakened with time until she withdrew into her secret glade of Athelwyrd. At least, until the Realmgate Wars, where the circumstances caused her to be reborn in her War aspect and bring vengeance to the land.
Malerion: The Shadow King and Incarnate Deity of Ulgu. Formerly the Witch King Malekith of the Old World, Malerion's form is insubstantial and shadowy, and formed into a bestial edifice as a representation of his inner malice. Malerion is a selfish and cunning God, and all his alliances are ones of convenience. It benefitted him to assist Sigmar, and it benefitted him to trap Slaanesh with the assistance of his fellow Aelven Gods so he could extract his own toll of Elven souls. Malerion recreated them in his own image, and it is likely they are quite monstrous. Malerion doesn't have much stuff as he doesn't yet have his army or model, but I assume it's coming sometime in the future. All signs point to his army being called the Umbraneth.
Morathi: The Shadow Queen, formerly a Druchii Sorceress in the Old World. Morathi was swallowed by Slaanesh with the destruction of the Old World, and the eternity of torment she suffered in his stomach fostered an endless hatred of the wretched being that tortured her and transformed her body into that of a serpent monster, which she despised and hid under illusion. She would not tell the others how she escaped his confines, but her knowledge proved invaluable to her son Malerion and her former Aelven adversaries when they attempted to trap Slaanesh. Morathi was rewarded with her own share of Elven souls to shape as she pleased, and shape them she did. Morathi managed to extract the only remaining shard of the dead Elven God of Murder Khaine from the hands of the Godbeast Kharybtar the father of Kharybdisses. This shard was known as the Iron Heart of Khaine, and with it and her knowledge she crafted the Mother Cauldron known as the Mathcoir that she filled with the blood of Khaine. Using these fragments of the dead God, Morathi created a new breed of monstrous Aelves loyal to her imbued with drops of the Blood of Khaine, forming the Scathborn. She then reconstructed many Aelves to create a society of Khaine worshippers and declared herself the High Oracle of Khaine, directing the worship to Khaine but in actuality it was directed to her. Through long and careful planning, Morathi managed to achieve Godhood relatively recently, albeit not without consequences. Morathi is now two people. Morathi-Khaine the Goddess and the bestial Shadow Queen representing the primal parts of Morathi. Morathi leads the Daughters of Khaine to achieve her goals, which involve the destruction of Chaos and her ultimate control over the Realms.
Grimnir: The Shattered God and Incarnate Deity of Fire. Grimnir is the Duardin Warrior God who represented Slayers and Warriors in the Old World, and he was reborn a flaming molten skinned God in the Mortal Realms. Due to some sort of unknown circumstances, Grimnir and his brother Grungni were bound in chains of Grungni's creation in one of the mountains of Chamon before they were freed by Sigmar. Grimnir's response to being in debt, however, is as straightforward as he. He asked Sigmar to point him towards something to kill as repayment, because he didn't like to be in debt. Sigmar knew that too small an ask would enrage the prideful Duardin, so he pointed Grimnir to Vulcatrix, Mother of Salamanders, the fire wyrm that first breathed flame into the world. Vulcatrix's presence was anathema to civilised life in Aqshy, rendering the realm inhospitable with her searing flames. Her fight with Grimnir is told in legends across the Realms, but never as loudly as in the halls of the Fyreslayers, who recall the battle of titans that flattened mountains and scarred the lands of Aqshy, creating the Flamescar Plateau and altering the Great Parch to what it is today. Their battle ended in Vulcatrix's death, but her defiant explosive death led to the death of Grimnir as well. Their mutual pyroclastic death culminated in the formation of a mysterious substance found in gold across the realms, containing the essence of their energies. That substance is known as Ur-Gold, and is highly sought after by the Duardin of the Fyreslayers who use the metal to carve Runes into their skin and channel their shattered god. The Fyreslayers believe that one day, once they collect all the Ur-Gold, Grimnir will come back in a blaze of glory to lead them in the battles to come.
Grungni: The Maker and Incarnate God of Metal. Grungni is the Duardin God of Smiths and the father of the Duardin race, who helped shape Duarding civilisation with his great wonders and miraculous creations in the Age of Myth within the Realm of Chamon. At some point, Grungni sealed himself and Grimnir at a mountaintop only to be released by Sigmar. Indebted, Grungni swore his service to Sigmar as repayment, and crafted many wonders for the God King. The Stormcast Eternals are in large part the creation of Grungni, and the Duardin Demi-Gods known as the Six Smiths are his disciples, stationed within the Sigmarabulum to help forge the Stormcast's equipment out of Sigmarite. While Grungni helped his people prosper, he held the firm opinion that his people could only prosper if they were to be independent, so he left his children. He did not come back when his children cried for him during the Age of Chaos, believing that they needed to save themselves, and yet he couldn't help but question his decisions and carry the guilt of his actions.
Nagash: Supreme Lord of Undeath and Incarnate God of Death. Nagash is the self-proclaimed ruler of Shyish, and he is eager to prove that by conquering the Underworlds of the Realm and feeding on the energies of its gods. All will submit to him and his eternal regime of complete subjugation. Nagash started off the Age of Myth sealed under a cairn by several magical pillars, and it took Sigmar quite a while of pondering to consider whether to release him. Sigmar made the eventual decision to release the Necromancer from his prison, weighing the benefits against the costs, and Nagash surprisingly complied to the God King's demands. While Nagash schemed in the background for his sudden but inevitable betrayal, he used his endless hordes of undead to help construct the cities and civilisations that Sigmar wanted. Unlimited free labor force of undead has its benefits. Of course, Nagash eventually fell out with Sigmar, which is a whole story in its own right. What Nagash does through the ages is pretty central to the main story, so I'll save that for later. Nagash did bring a bunch of people from the Old World back into Unlife to serve as his Mortarchs, Demigod representatives. Neferata, Mannfred and Arkhan. I should note that Arkhan actually speculates that Neferata, Mannfred and himself are not the originals, and that they are perhaps copies of who they were as Nagash sees them. They are not quite who they used to be. Nagash also took on new Mortarchs, but that is for later discussion.
Gorkamorka: The Twin Headed God and Incarnate Diety of Ghur, Gorkamorka is the combination of Gork and Mork from the Old World. They are two sides of the same coins. Gork is brutal but cunning, and Mork is cunning but brutal, and together they equally represent brutality and cunning. They are the representation of the wild hunter and wanting a good ol' scrap, and they are primarily worshipped by those belonging to the Destruction Grand Alliance. This includes Orruks, Grots, Ogors and Gargants. Gorkamorka's feats and achievements are the tale of many a legend, and the beasts they've killed litter the grounds of the Mortal Realms, none more so than Ghur. Gorkamorka was sealed within the living avalanche known as the Godbeast Drakatoa in Ghur, and it was Dracothian, guided by Sigmar, who used his breath to melt the amber sealing the twin god. Confined and frustrated, Gorkamorka punched Dracothian's lights out, and Sigmar's rage was palpable. What followed is another legendary battle involving a brawl spanning twelve days in Ghur, leading to the creation of several geographic features such as the Mountains of Maraz and Gouge Canyons. Eventually the two gods grew tired, observed their ruined surroundings and the audience of monsters, and laughed. Seeing a god that could match his own battle-lust, Gorkamorka clasped Sigmar's hand and agreed to fight alongside him. Gorkamorka was pointed towards several beasts that required extermination, and that was his job for a long time. Yet Gorkamorka grew tired of the constant meetings and the jibber and jabber and being told what to do, and perhaps Tzeentch's whispers helped that along, until he stormed out of Highheim and lead a Great Waaagh! Across the Realms, causing devastation and destruction along his path until his two sides grew weary of each other and split. Such is Gorkamorka's nature that the savage god often fights himself and splits every so often into Gork and Mork. Only when the two reunite will another Great Waaagh rampage across the realms again. Side note is that some sources mention that Gorkamorka did help out Sigmar in fighting against Chaos after breaking up.
Zodiac Godbeasts: Elemental beasts born of the energies of the realm, they are Gods in bestial form, although their form isn't always animalistic in nature. They often represent some concept or beast, and their powers are godly, as the name implies. Many of these beasts were slain, but many still remain and are worshipped across the Realms. Some are particularly connected to a specific Realm.
Sigmar: The God King of Azyr, wielder of Ghal Maraz the Great Shatterer. Sigmar is the barbarian king who founded the Empire in the Old World, and he survives the end of the world clinging to the core of his sundered world until he is woken by the breath of the great Godbeast Dracothian, the Celestial Drake. Sigmar gifts him a shard of the broken world, later named Sigmarite, and the two form a bond forevermore. Dracothian guides Sigmar through the Realms, and Sigmar's actions are told in legends and myths as he meets his fellow ascended Incarnate Gods from the World that Was and unites them under a single pantheon. He hunts down the dangers to the Realms and creates civilisations across them to prosper under his Pantheon, until infighting and Chaotic influence collapses his Empire and results in the loss of his Hammer. Desperate and hopeless, Sigmar retreats to the Realm of Azyr alongside the remnants of his empire and shuts the Gates to Azyr, leaving those unlucky enough outside to suffer the depredations of Chaos while he labored to create a new breed of soldier for a new age. The Stormcast Eternals. It took 500 years of the Age of Chaos before they were unleashed in a Realm-spanning campaign known as the Realmgate Wars.
Teclis: Lord of Lumination and Twin God of Hysh. Formerly an Archmage of Hoeth in the Old World, Teclis achieved Incarnate status and bonded to the Realm of Hysh when it was created, but he was not aside his brother at first. It took his brother journeying to the Edge of the Realm to witness the searing light of Hysh to bring him back, and from then on Teclis served as Tyrion's eyes. Teclis is a God of Magic and desires his children to experience true enlightenment and purity. After Slaanesh was successfully imprisoned in Uhl-Gysh, he managed to draw out Aelven souls from Slaanesh's stomach to create the Cythai, who would later become the Idoneth Deepkin. These creations of his were flawed and haunted by a darkness from a lifetime of torture within Slaanesh's being, and were it not for Tyrion staying his hand he would have smote them before they escaped. Alas, they managed to do so, and after laborious work, his next work was successful. He recreated the High Elves of old in the form of the Lumineth. With these Aelves, however, came a surety of self and a sense of entitlement that would only grow worse with time, such that it would culminate in their own downfall… (Lore sometime later).
Tyrion: The Blind King and Twin God of Hysh. Formerly the foremost swordsmen in Ulthuan in the Old World and lover of the Everqueen, Tyrion became the Incarnate of Hysh and bonded to the realm, and when he found that his brother was not there, he ventured to the edge of the Realm to look for him. What he saw at the edge of enlightenment, who's to say, but he got his brother back. At the cost of his sight. Fortunately for him, he can see through Teclis' eyes. Tyrion is one half of Lumineth society, which is divided into Teclian and Tyrionic principles. Where Teclis is about Magic and Philosophy, Tyrion is about direct action and military strategy. Tyrion does not have AoS art or a model, but it's expected that he'll eventually get it. Lumineth are still being updated.
Alarielle: The Goddess of Life and Incarnate Deity of Ghyran. Alarielle was the Everqueen of Ulthuan in a previous life, but that is a life she left behind when she took the burden of Godhood. Alarielle is a mercurial goddess of cycles and seasons, and her temperament and abilities wax and wane through the seasons. She may be a dour and melancholic Goddess or a joyful wellspring of life, such is the nature of the Seasons. Alarielle was awakened by Sigmar and joined his Pantheon of Order, but she had cut all ties to her past and her connection to her Aelven compatriots. Alarielle is the mother of the Sylvaneth and the protector of nature, and she was not involved in the plan to entrap Slaanesh. Instead, Alarielle spent her time cultivating Ghyran to become a prosperous kingdom, and the sheer shock at her life's work crumbling before her eyes as Nurgle's diseases ate through her Realm shook her to her core. With time, she withdrew into her shell and stopped attending the Godly meetings, and her resistance against Nurgle weakened with time until she withdrew into her secret glade of Athelwyrd. At least, until the Realmgate Wars, where the circumstances caused her to be reborn in her War aspect and bring vengeance to the land.
Malerion: The Shadow King and Incarnate Deity of Ulgu. Formerly the Witch King Malekith of the Old World, Malerion's form is insubstantial and shadowy, and formed into a bestial edifice as a representation of his inner malice. Malerion is a selfish and cunning God, and all his alliances are ones of convenience. It benefitted him to assist Sigmar, and it benefitted him to trap Slaanesh with the assistance of his fellow Aelven Gods so he could extract his own toll of Elven souls. Malerion recreated them in his own image, and it is likely they are quite monstrous. Malerion doesn't have much stuff as he doesn't yet have his army or model, but I assume it's coming sometime in the future. All signs point to his army being called the Umbraneth.
Morathi: The Shadow Queen, formerly a Druchii Sorceress in the Old World. Morathi was swallowed by Slaanesh with the destruction of the Old World, and the eternity of torment she suffered in his stomach fostered an endless hatred of the wretched being that tortured her and transformed her body into that of a serpent monster, which she despised and hid under illusion. She would not tell the others how she escaped his confines, but her knowledge proved invaluable to her son Malerion and her former Aelven adversaries when they attempted to trap Slaanesh. Morathi was rewarded with her own share of Elven souls to shape as she pleased, and shape them she did. Morathi managed to extract the only remaining shard of the dead Elven God of Murder Khaine from the hands of the Godbeast Kharybtar the father of Kharybdisses. This shard was known as the Iron Heart of Khaine, and with it and her knowledge she crafted the Mother Cauldron known as the Mathcoir that she filled with the blood of Khaine. Using these fragments of the dead God, Morathi created a new breed of monstrous Aelves loyal to her imbued with drops of the Blood of Khaine, forming the Scathborn. She then reconstructed many Aelves to create a society of Khaine worshippers and declared herself the High Oracle of Khaine, directing the worship to Khaine but in actuality it was directed to her. Through long and careful planning, Morathi managed to achieve Godhood relatively recently, albeit not without consequences. Morathi is now two people. Morathi-Khaine the Goddess and the bestial Shadow Queen representing the primal parts of Morathi. Morathi leads the Daughters of Khaine to achieve her goals, which involve the destruction of Chaos and her ultimate control over the Realms.
Grimnir: The Shattered God and Incarnate Deity of Fire. Grimnir is the Duardin Warrior God who represented Slayers and Warriors in the Old World, and he was reborn a flaming molten skinned God in the Mortal Realms. Due to some sort of unknown circumstances, Grimnir and his brother Grungni were bound in chains of Grungni's creation in one of the mountains of Chamon before they were freed by Sigmar. Grimnir's response to being in debt, however, is as straightforward as he. He asked Sigmar to point him towards something to kill as repayment, because he didn't like to be in debt. Sigmar knew that too small an ask would enrage the prideful Duardin, so he pointed Grimnir to Vulcatrix, Mother of Salamanders, the fire wyrm that first breathed flame into the world. Vulcatrix's presence was anathema to civilised life in Aqshy, rendering the realm inhospitable with her searing flames. Her fight with Grimnir is told in legends across the Realms, but never as loudly as in the halls of the Fyreslayers, who recall the battle of titans that flattened mountains and scarred the lands of Aqshy, creating the Flamescar Plateau and altering the Great Parch to what it is today. Their battle ended in Vulcatrix's death, but her defiant explosive death led to the death of Grimnir as well. Their mutual pyroclastic death culminated in the formation of a mysterious substance found in gold across the realms, containing the essence of their energies. That substance is known as Ur-Gold, and is highly sought after by the Duardin of the Fyreslayers who use the metal to carve Runes into their skin and channel their shattered god. The Fyreslayers believe that one day, once they collect all the Ur-Gold, Grimnir will come back in a blaze of glory to lead them in the battles to come.
Grungni: The Maker and Incarnate God of Metal. Grungni is the Duardin God of Smiths and the father of the Duardin race, who helped shape Duarding civilisation with his great wonders and miraculous creations in the Age of Myth within the Realm of Chamon. At some point, Grungni sealed himself and Grimnir at a mountaintop only to be released by Sigmar. Indebted, Grungni swore his service to Sigmar as repayment, and crafted many wonders for the God King. The Stormcast Eternals are in large part the creation of Grungni, and the Duardin Demi-Gods known as the Six Smiths are his disciples, stationed within the Sigmarabulum to help forge the Stormcast's equipment out of Sigmarite. While Grungni helped his people prosper, he held the firm opinion that his people could only prosper if they were to be independent, so he left his children. He did not come back when his children cried for him during the Age of Chaos, believing that they needed to save themselves, and yet he couldn't help but question his decisions and carry the guilt of his actions.
Nagash: Supreme Lord of Undeath and Incarnate God of Death. Nagash is the self-proclaimed ruler of Shyish, and he is eager to prove that by conquering the Underworlds of the Realm and feeding on the energies of its gods. All will submit to him and his eternal regime of complete subjugation. Nagash started off the Age of Myth sealed under a cairn by several magical pillars, and it took Sigmar quite a while of pondering to consider whether to release him. Sigmar made the eventual decision to release the Necromancer from his prison, weighing the benefits against the costs, and Nagash surprisingly complied to the God King's demands. While Nagash schemed in the background for his sudden but inevitable betrayal, he used his endless hordes of undead to help construct the cities and civilisations that Sigmar wanted. Unlimited free labor force of undead has its benefits. Of course, Nagash eventually fell out with Sigmar, which is a whole story in its own right. What Nagash does through the ages is pretty central to the main story, so I'll save that for later. Nagash did bring a bunch of people from the Old World back into Unlife to serve as his Mortarchs, Demigod representatives. Neferata, Mannfred and Arkhan. I should note that Arkhan actually speculates that Neferata, Mannfred and himself are not the originals, and that they are perhaps copies of who they were as Nagash sees them. They are not quite who they used to be. Nagash also took on new Mortarchs, but that is for later discussion.
Gorkamorka: The Twin Headed God and Incarnate Diety of Ghur, Gorkamorka is the combination of Gork and Mork from the Old World. They are two sides of the same coins. Gork is brutal but cunning, and Mork is cunning but brutal, and together they equally represent brutality and cunning. They are the representation of the wild hunter and wanting a good ol' scrap, and they are primarily worshipped by those belonging to the Destruction Grand Alliance. This includes Orruks, Grots, Ogors and Gargants. Gorkamorka's feats and achievements are the tale of many a legend, and the beasts they've killed litter the grounds of the Mortal Realms, none more so than Ghur. Gorkamorka was sealed within the living avalanche known as the Godbeast Drakatoa in Ghur, and it was Dracothian, guided by Sigmar, who used his breath to melt the amber sealing the twin god. Confined and frustrated, Gorkamorka punched Dracothian's lights out, and Sigmar's rage was palpable. What followed is another legendary battle involving a brawl spanning twelve days in Ghur, leading to the creation of several geographic features such as the Mountains of Maraz and Gouge Canyons. Eventually the two gods grew tired, observed their ruined surroundings and the audience of monsters, and laughed. Seeing a god that could match his own battle-lust, Gorkamorka clasped Sigmar's hand and agreed to fight alongside him. Gorkamorka was pointed towards several beasts that required extermination, and that was his job for a long time. Yet Gorkamorka grew tired of the constant meetings and the jibber and jabber and being told what to do, and perhaps Tzeentch's whispers helped that along, until he stormed out of Highheim and lead a Great Waaagh! Across the Realms, causing devastation and destruction along his path until his two sides grew weary of each other and split. Such is Gorkamorka's nature that the savage god often fights himself and splits every so often into Gork and Mork. Only when the two reunite will another Great Waaagh rampage across the realms again. Side note is that some sources mention that Gorkamorka did help out Sigmar in fighting against Chaos after breaking up.
Ogor: Age of Sigmar name for the Ogres of Warhammer Fantasy. Rat Ogors and Dragon Ogors have also been changed to that spelling.
Grot: AoS name for WHF Goblins.
Orruk: AoS name for WHF Orcs.
Gargant: AoS name for Giants.
Duardin: AoS name for Dwarves.
Aelf: AoS name for Elves.
Deadwalker: Zombies have the Deadwalker keyword.
Deathrattle: Skeletons and Wights have the Deathrattle keyword.
Nighthaunt: Ethereal Undead fall under the Nighthaunt legions, and they are known as "Malignants".
Flesh Eater Courts: The faction name for WHF Strigoi Ghoul Kings and their Ghoulish servants. Ghouls and their kin are known as "Mordants" in Age of Sigmar, referring to delusional cursed cannibals. Their kings are known as Abhorrents.
Soulblight Gravelords: Vampire faction. The Vampire curse is known as the Soulblight Curse.
Ossiarch Bonereapers: New faction for AoS. Could be seen as a spiritual successor to the Tomb Kings. They have more of a roman legion aesthetic rather than an egyptian one, and they consist of skeletal constructs made out of a lot of bones and filled with a gestalt of souls of many warriors and soldiers, creating a disciplined and elite army of slow, grinding soldiers.
Ogor Mawtribes: The faction name for the Ogor army, split between the cavalry Beastclaw Raiders and the ground based Gutbusters.
Gloomspite Gitz: Faction name for the Grot faction, which includes Moonclan (Night Goblins in WHF), Troggoths (Trolls in WHF), Spiderfang (Forest Goblins in WHF) and Squigs. These Grots worship things related to Gorkamorka, like Da Bad Moon or a giant spider god that they believe is related to said god.
Orruk Warclans: Faction name for the Orruks, consisting of the armor clad Ironjawz, the mostly naked Savage Orruks of the Bonesplitterz and the swamp dwelling tricky and cunning lanky Kruleboyz.
Sons of Behemat: Faction name for the Gargants, lead by extra big Mega-Gargants.
Seraphon: Faction name for the Lizardmne, who's name is also Seraphon. They are split between two versions. Giga brained Slann summoning celestial manifestations of long lost Seraphon spirits through Remembering their existence within Azyr or primarily Ghur based Coalesced primal, old-school Seraphon. Dinosaurs riding dinosaurs.
Stormcast Eternals: Mortals (humans really) who have proven their heroic nature in life are snatched up to Azyr either right before they die or after where they are reforged in the Anvil of Apotheosis into a Celestial being of lightning clad in sigmarite armor and equipment and trained in team tactics under a strict militaristic regimen. They are the superhuman soldiers of Azyr and they fight for Order. They are seemingly immortal as when they die they turn to lightning and travel back to Azyr to be reforged, but every time that happens they lose more of themselves. They lose their memories and transform into something both less and more. Also, the authors love making them go through hell. Some horrific stuff happens to these guys.
Fyreslayers: Mostly naked Duardin warriors who worship Grimnir and collect Ur-Gold to carve it into their skin as Runes of power they unleash in the heat of battle. Fyreslayers are sort of similar to Slayers in the Old World except they don't all want to die in battle (that's only the Doomseeker), they're just mercenaries who fight for Gold in the hopes of acquiring more fragments of their shattered god. They view the experience of collecting Ur-Gold, binding it into themselves, and using it in battle as a religious experience, and it's reinforced by their Zhargrimm Priesthood's involvement. They also have Magmadroths, gigantic Salamander children of Vulcatrix they raise from birth to be the mounts of their heroes.
Kharadron Overlords: Hyper capitalist steampunk aesthetic Duardin faction with lots of guns, airships, and airships with guns. They live in a meritocratic society where achievements and merit is all that pushes you forward. They follow the Kharadron Code, a set of rules they agreed on centuries ago, and live in flying cities they established to escape the Age of Chaos and the collapse of their kingdoms. Kharadron worship facts and logic, not superstition, and most shun Grungni and Grimnir for not coming to their aid, needing no gods but their own science. They're very mercantile and mercenary, caring about their most precious resource Aether Gold. Also known as the Breath of Grungni, this element exists primarily within Chamon and usually in clouds and high space. It is a lighter than air metal with amazing properties that is theorised (and all but confirmed) to be the fragments of Grungni's work. Harnessing this metal, the Aether Khemists collect and process it and the Endrineers of the Kharadron create buoyancy engines known as "Endrins" that allow their cities, ships and even their Duardin to float.
Idoneth Deepkin: Godless deepsea Aelves who escaped from their creator god Teclis into the deepsea, where they could hide from his gaze and block out the sensations that Slaanesh had exposed them to. In their deep sea Enclaves the Idoneth formed a connection with the formless magical force known as the Ethersea which allows them to breath and move underwater just as well as above ground, and summon the ethereal sea into dry land to allow their piscine steeds to fly, or more accurately float, across the air. 9 out of 10 Idoneth are born without eyes and a swiftly degrading soul, so to continue existing the Idoneth had to resort to raiding shoreside settlements and use their magic to take the souls of the hapless civilians inhabiting those settlements, then transfer them to their people. The Ethersea let them erase the memories of those they came across, hiding their identity and occasionally sending people into an eternal sleep. Alongside the Soul Raids, the Idoneth also have a caste system.
Lumineth Realm-Lords: Teclis' second attempt at creating an Aelven species to emulate the High Elves of his home and succeeding this time, for better and for worse. While the Lumineth were exceptionally smart and skilled and learned all that Teclis taught them, their constant search for enlightenment and pursuit of the Teclamentari (a philosophical ladder of enlightenment that is of course named after Teclis) took a turn for the worse when they came across Aetherquartz. The Realmstone of the Realm of Hysh, Aetherquartz is in essence the energy of Hysh captured within a prism that when absorbed into an individual, speeds their thoughts and heightens their state of mind, at the cost of draining specific emotions into the crystal. The consequences of the overuse of the substance were well examined when the Lumineth grew arrogant and careless with it, and along came the whispers of captive Slaanesh tempting the Aelves into infighting, which led to the Ocari Dara or the Spirefall. The Realms of Hysh were scarred by the infighting and explosive superweapons unleashed, and the Daemonettes of Slaanesh summoned from the rifts of emotion spurred the conflict to another level. Only with Tyrion's military guidance did the Lumineth survive physically, and it was only after Teclis' exploration of a solution did he find a pact with the Moon of Hysh, Celennar. Binding himself to the Avatar of said moon, the Lunasphinx accompanied Teclis as he explained the concept of Aelementors. The spirits of Hysh were angry with the Lumineth, and needed to be appeased. As such, the Lumineth submitted themselves to be tested by the Spirits of River, Wind, Mountain and Zenith to see if they were worthy. While many were found wanting and died an ignoble death, there were those who managed to form a pact and become an Aelementor. Such was the day when the Aelementari Temples dedicated to the Spirits of Hysh were created, and those bound to those Spirits protecting them. Such did the Lumineth start their Reinvention, and begin to recover around the Age of Sigmar. From then on they set out on their mission to purify the Realms, by any means necessary. The Lumineth are split between the Teclian Scinari mages, the Tyrionic Vanari warriors, and the Aelementors of the Hurakan (Wind) and Alarith (Mountain). The River and Zenith Temples aren't out yet.
Daughters of Khaine: Aelven followers of Khaine, consisting of those loyal to the concept of Khaine and staying quiet about Morathi usurping the title because they don't want to be killed, or the fanatically loyal Aelves who believe Morathi is truly the Avatar of Khaine. These half naked murderous Aelven women like murder and bathing in blood, and some are pretty monstrous in appearance. Mostly the Scathborn, consisting of half snake Melusai, Bloodwrack Medusae, and harpy winged Khinerai. The Daughters of Khaine host Gladiator pits in the Free Cities and participate in blood sport against monsters, which actually helps morale. While Sigmar doesn't like them a lot, they're a useful ally against Chaos, whom they hate with a passion. They're pretty good at killing Chaos. Male Aelves in DoK society are known as Leathanem and are a slave caste, with the only male warriors being Doomfire Warlocks. DoK society typically centers around Ulgu in their Khainite Temples which include their Blood Cauldrons, Hag Queens and Slaughter Queens, and T-Posing Khaine statues.
Cities of Sigmar: The Free Cities are the bastions of Order in the Realms, consisting of the day to day lives of the mortals that span the realms. From the Azyrites of the Eternal City of Azyrheim, sheltered from the horrors of the Age of Chaos, to the Aqshian reclaimed of the Cities of Hammerhal Aqsha and Hallowheart, to the Ghurite tribesman of the City of Excelsis. The Free People are a diverse collection of humans, Duardin and Aelves, which is represented as an incredibly expansive faction whose components I could spend a day going over. It's probably better to save it for later.
Skaven: Ratmen who survived mostly unchanged from Warhammer Fantasy. Scheming, duplicitous, jittery and self sabotaging as ever, the Skaven ascended to one of the Chaos factions in Age of Sigmar and have their Blight City on a bed of Warpstone, a magical and mutating chaotic substance. They use this Warpstone to power their diabolical and just as likely to explode as work inventions. Whether it's the Technomagical inventions of Clans Skryre, the beastly mutations of Clans Moulder, the Plagues of Clans Pestilens, the assassins of Clans Eshin, the warriors of Clans Verminus, or the planning and magic of the Masterclans, the Skaven are a menace. To everybody, even themselves.
Beasts of Chaos: The Beastmen of Warhammer Fantasy come back as the Beasts of Chaos, consisting of the Gors and Ungors of the Brayherd, the Bullgors (used to be Minotaurs) and Ghorgons of the Warherds, and the Dragon Ogors of the Thunderscorn. These beasts worship Chaos in its purest form and hate all manner of civilisation. They wander the wilderness and harness their hatred of society to destroy and rend. Most notable new additions is that the god specific Beastmen category has expanded with Tzaangors and more recently Slaangors.
Blades of Khorne: The followers of Khorne are split into the mortal Khorne Bloodbound and the Daemonic Hordes who join together to spill blood and collect skulls. Note on Khorne Bloodbound is that cannibalism is a pretty big part of their culture, which wasn't a huge Khorne thing back in WHF. Drinking blood and eating human meat is part of the initiation.
Maggotkin of Nurgle: The followers of Nurgle are split into the mortal Rotbringers and the Daemons of Nurgle.
Hedonites of Slaanesh: The followers of Slaanesh are split into the mortal Sybarites and the Daemons of Slaanesh. Beyond that there's the Godseekers, who are constantly looking for Slaanesh, the Invaders who still do what Slaanesh likes best regardless of his absence, and the Pretenders who want to achieve a new position as the new Slaanesh. Notably, many Slaanesh Daemons and characters are going by they/them as of Age of Sigmar, standardising non-gendered language to referring to the Daemons of Slaanesh. Would be better if Slaanesh wasn't Slaanesh, but AoS has generally been more inclusive than WHF. Slaanesh recently gave birth to Dexcessa and Synessa, twin Demigods who represent Slaanesh's voice and talon, and they lead the Hedonites into a new age.
Disciples of Tzeentch: The followers of Tzeentch are split into the mortal Arcanites and the Daemons, with a healthy Tzaangor contingent as part of the Arcanites. Tzeentch's followers infiltrate every layer of society and seed their cults into the Free Cities, which makes him one of the more insidious threats. Also notable are the Gaunt Summoners of Tzeentch, heavily mutated powerful archmages that were bound by Archaon thanks to him knowing their True Names. With his hold over them, they listen to his command and serve his Host as well as the Tzeentchian forces while furthering their own individual plans. The Gaunt Summoners set up their bases within their Silver Towers, hidden in the interstitial places of the Realms as pocket dimensions.
Slaves to Darkness: The hosts of Chaos mortals, warriors, monsters and monstrous creatures. They consist of all the non-god specific Chaos units, although they can be marked with any of the Chaos Gods as well as Undivided. The S2D are split into an innumerable number of hosts and legions beyond counting each with their own agendas and methods, from the warriors to the cultists to Archaon's loyal Varanguard and the fallen race of Ogroids. Some unaligned Daemons are in this category, and Slaves to Darkness has a special ability to stick to many forces like the Cities of SIgmar.
Archaon :The Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse and the Everchosen of the Chaos Gods, Archaon heralded the End Times of the Old World and succeeded, and he has grander plans now. Archaon is a Demigod of immense power, riding on his Daemonic steed Dorghar whos unfathomable chasm of a stomach managed to feed on the energies of Greater Daemons of Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch, gaining a head to represent each of the Gods and their powers. Archaon has not sworn himself to any of the Gods, and paranoid of his intentions, the Chaos Gods barrage him with offers to join their side that he always refuses as he pits them against each other. Archaon hates the gods, and he plans to create a world without them where he reigns supreme. Archaon conquered the Allpoints during the Nexus Wars and tricked Sigmar into losing his hammer during the Battle of Burning Skies, he defeated Nagash in the Battle of Black Skies in Shyish and he constructed the Varanspire in the newly renamed Eightpoints. He opened a portal to the Realms of Chaos above his tower of the Varanspire where Daemons flow, and beyond that Archaon has sworn to never sit on his elaborately carved throne within the Varanspire until he achieves his goals. The Eightpoints were corrupted by the chaotic influence of Archaon's methods, and the Arcways, special realmgates leading to all eight realms, were his to command. Except Sigmar shut down Azyr from his side, so Archaon has been plotting methods to force the confrontation. Archaon leads his Host of the Everchosen with his Nine Gaunt Summoners and his loyal Eight Circles of the Varanguard by his side.
Be'lakor: The Dark Master and Shadow Lord, Be'lakor is the first Daemon Prince. Serving his own selfish desires, Be'lakor was blessed by all four Chaos Gods until he lost his favor, and he endlessly resents Archaon for his favored position. Be'lakor is always scheming to further his position, and after several interesting moves in the Broken Realms series, he has jumped into the forefront as a rival to Archaon with his Legion of the First Prince.
Realmstone: A type of magical substance typically associated with one of the Realms. Greatly valuable and possess a great degree of magical potency. Introduced in 2nd Edition, it catapults into importance as a vital resource. More on this in a later section.
Realmgates: Portals leading from one Realm to another, or from one location of a Realm to another location within the same Realm. Realmgates are unfathomably diverse in function and nature, from Realmgate shapes and structure to where it leads to the way it works. Some Realmgates, for example, shift the location it leads to based on the phases of the moon or a specific trigger. Realmgates are areas of strategic importance and great magical power, and therefore a vital resource that wars are fought over. Realmgates can be destroyed, and they can be corrupted, with some infamously leading to a Realm of Chaos like the Garden of Nurgle. Realmgates are theorised to have been created by the "Old Ones", although there are instances of new Realmgates being mentioned as being created. Arcways are special Realmgates leading to and from the Allpoints, now the Eightpoints, and as such they are guarded by fortresses known as the All-Gates. Realmgates can be shut down from one side, but to open a Realmgate, you need to open it from both sides. Forcing a Realmgate open is easier said than done, and Archaon has been trying for centuries. Some factions have alternative methods of traversing the Realms. Idoneth use underwater Realmgates known as Whirlways. Skaven use Gnawholes, tears in the dimensional fabric. The Sylvaneth can travel using the Realmroots and Spirit Paths connecting the Forests of the Realms, and certain Shadow Wizards can navigate the Umbral Web, moving through the Shadow Paths into their intended location.
Grot: AoS name for WHF Goblins.
Orruk: AoS name for WHF Orcs.
Gargant: AoS name for Giants.
Duardin: AoS name for Dwarves.
Aelf: AoS name for Elves.
Deadwalker: Zombies have the Deadwalker keyword.
Deathrattle: Skeletons and Wights have the Deathrattle keyword.
Nighthaunt: Ethereal Undead fall under the Nighthaunt legions, and they are known as "Malignants".
Flesh Eater Courts: The faction name for WHF Strigoi Ghoul Kings and their Ghoulish servants. Ghouls and their kin are known as "Mordants" in Age of Sigmar, referring to delusional cursed cannibals. Their kings are known as Abhorrents.
Soulblight Gravelords: Vampire faction. The Vampire curse is known as the Soulblight Curse.
Ossiarch Bonereapers: New faction for AoS. Could be seen as a spiritual successor to the Tomb Kings. They have more of a roman legion aesthetic rather than an egyptian one, and they consist of skeletal constructs made out of a lot of bones and filled with a gestalt of souls of many warriors and soldiers, creating a disciplined and elite army of slow, grinding soldiers.
Ogor Mawtribes: The faction name for the Ogor army, split between the cavalry Beastclaw Raiders and the ground based Gutbusters.
Gloomspite Gitz: Faction name for the Grot faction, which includes Moonclan (Night Goblins in WHF), Troggoths (Trolls in WHF), Spiderfang (Forest Goblins in WHF) and Squigs. These Grots worship things related to Gorkamorka, like Da Bad Moon or a giant spider god that they believe is related to said god.
Orruk Warclans: Faction name for the Orruks, consisting of the armor clad Ironjawz, the mostly naked Savage Orruks of the Bonesplitterz and the swamp dwelling tricky and cunning lanky Kruleboyz.
Sons of Behemat: Faction name for the Gargants, lead by extra big Mega-Gargants.
Seraphon: Faction name for the Lizardmne, who's name is also Seraphon. They are split between two versions. Giga brained Slann summoning celestial manifestations of long lost Seraphon spirits through Remembering their existence within Azyr or primarily Ghur based Coalesced primal, old-school Seraphon. Dinosaurs riding dinosaurs.
Stormcast Eternals: Mortals (humans really) who have proven their heroic nature in life are snatched up to Azyr either right before they die or after where they are reforged in the Anvil of Apotheosis into a Celestial being of lightning clad in sigmarite armor and equipment and trained in team tactics under a strict militaristic regimen. They are the superhuman soldiers of Azyr and they fight for Order. They are seemingly immortal as when they die they turn to lightning and travel back to Azyr to be reforged, but every time that happens they lose more of themselves. They lose their memories and transform into something both less and more. Also, the authors love making them go through hell. Some horrific stuff happens to these guys.
Fyreslayers: Mostly naked Duardin warriors who worship Grimnir and collect Ur-Gold to carve it into their skin as Runes of power they unleash in the heat of battle. Fyreslayers are sort of similar to Slayers in the Old World except they don't all want to die in battle (that's only the Doomseeker), they're just mercenaries who fight for Gold in the hopes of acquiring more fragments of their shattered god. They view the experience of collecting Ur-Gold, binding it into themselves, and using it in battle as a religious experience, and it's reinforced by their Zhargrimm Priesthood's involvement. They also have Magmadroths, gigantic Salamander children of Vulcatrix they raise from birth to be the mounts of their heroes.
Kharadron Overlords: Hyper capitalist steampunk aesthetic Duardin faction with lots of guns, airships, and airships with guns. They live in a meritocratic society where achievements and merit is all that pushes you forward. They follow the Kharadron Code, a set of rules they agreed on centuries ago, and live in flying cities they established to escape the Age of Chaos and the collapse of their kingdoms. Kharadron worship facts and logic, not superstition, and most shun Grungni and Grimnir for not coming to their aid, needing no gods but their own science. They're very mercantile and mercenary, caring about their most precious resource Aether Gold. Also known as the Breath of Grungni, this element exists primarily within Chamon and usually in clouds and high space. It is a lighter than air metal with amazing properties that is theorised (and all but confirmed) to be the fragments of Grungni's work. Harnessing this metal, the Aether Khemists collect and process it and the Endrineers of the Kharadron create buoyancy engines known as "Endrins" that allow their cities, ships and even their Duardin to float.
Idoneth Deepkin: Godless deepsea Aelves who escaped from their creator god Teclis into the deepsea, where they could hide from his gaze and block out the sensations that Slaanesh had exposed them to. In their deep sea Enclaves the Idoneth formed a connection with the formless magical force known as the Ethersea which allows them to breath and move underwater just as well as above ground, and summon the ethereal sea into dry land to allow their piscine steeds to fly, or more accurately float, across the air. 9 out of 10 Idoneth are born without eyes and a swiftly degrading soul, so to continue existing the Idoneth had to resort to raiding shoreside settlements and use their magic to take the souls of the hapless civilians inhabiting those settlements, then transfer them to their people. The Ethersea let them erase the memories of those they came across, hiding their identity and occasionally sending people into an eternal sleep. Alongside the Soul Raids, the Idoneth also have a caste system.
Lumineth Realm-Lords: Teclis' second attempt at creating an Aelven species to emulate the High Elves of his home and succeeding this time, for better and for worse. While the Lumineth were exceptionally smart and skilled and learned all that Teclis taught them, their constant search for enlightenment and pursuit of the Teclamentari (a philosophical ladder of enlightenment that is of course named after Teclis) took a turn for the worse when they came across Aetherquartz. The Realmstone of the Realm of Hysh, Aetherquartz is in essence the energy of Hysh captured within a prism that when absorbed into an individual, speeds their thoughts and heightens their state of mind, at the cost of draining specific emotions into the crystal. The consequences of the overuse of the substance were well examined when the Lumineth grew arrogant and careless with it, and along came the whispers of captive Slaanesh tempting the Aelves into infighting, which led to the Ocari Dara or the Spirefall. The Realms of Hysh were scarred by the infighting and explosive superweapons unleashed, and the Daemonettes of Slaanesh summoned from the rifts of emotion spurred the conflict to another level. Only with Tyrion's military guidance did the Lumineth survive physically, and it was only after Teclis' exploration of a solution did he find a pact with the Moon of Hysh, Celennar. Binding himself to the Avatar of said moon, the Lunasphinx accompanied Teclis as he explained the concept of Aelementors. The spirits of Hysh were angry with the Lumineth, and needed to be appeased. As such, the Lumineth submitted themselves to be tested by the Spirits of River, Wind, Mountain and Zenith to see if they were worthy. While many were found wanting and died an ignoble death, there were those who managed to form a pact and become an Aelementor. Such was the day when the Aelementari Temples dedicated to the Spirits of Hysh were created, and those bound to those Spirits protecting them. Such did the Lumineth start their Reinvention, and begin to recover around the Age of Sigmar. From then on they set out on their mission to purify the Realms, by any means necessary. The Lumineth are split between the Teclian Scinari mages, the Tyrionic Vanari warriors, and the Aelementors of the Hurakan (Wind) and Alarith (Mountain). The River and Zenith Temples aren't out yet.
Daughters of Khaine: Aelven followers of Khaine, consisting of those loyal to the concept of Khaine and staying quiet about Morathi usurping the title because they don't want to be killed, or the fanatically loyal Aelves who believe Morathi is truly the Avatar of Khaine. These half naked murderous Aelven women like murder and bathing in blood, and some are pretty monstrous in appearance. Mostly the Scathborn, consisting of half snake Melusai, Bloodwrack Medusae, and harpy winged Khinerai. The Daughters of Khaine host Gladiator pits in the Free Cities and participate in blood sport against monsters, which actually helps morale. While Sigmar doesn't like them a lot, they're a useful ally against Chaos, whom they hate with a passion. They're pretty good at killing Chaos. Male Aelves in DoK society are known as Leathanem and are a slave caste, with the only male warriors being Doomfire Warlocks. DoK society typically centers around Ulgu in their Khainite Temples which include their Blood Cauldrons, Hag Queens and Slaughter Queens, and T-Posing Khaine statues.
Cities of Sigmar: The Free Cities are the bastions of Order in the Realms, consisting of the day to day lives of the mortals that span the realms. From the Azyrites of the Eternal City of Azyrheim, sheltered from the horrors of the Age of Chaos, to the Aqshian reclaimed of the Cities of Hammerhal Aqsha and Hallowheart, to the Ghurite tribesman of the City of Excelsis. The Free People are a diverse collection of humans, Duardin and Aelves, which is represented as an incredibly expansive faction whose components I could spend a day going over. It's probably better to save it for later.
Skaven: Ratmen who survived mostly unchanged from Warhammer Fantasy. Scheming, duplicitous, jittery and self sabotaging as ever, the Skaven ascended to one of the Chaos factions in Age of Sigmar and have their Blight City on a bed of Warpstone, a magical and mutating chaotic substance. They use this Warpstone to power their diabolical and just as likely to explode as work inventions. Whether it's the Technomagical inventions of Clans Skryre, the beastly mutations of Clans Moulder, the Plagues of Clans Pestilens, the assassins of Clans Eshin, the warriors of Clans Verminus, or the planning and magic of the Masterclans, the Skaven are a menace. To everybody, even themselves.
Beasts of Chaos: The Beastmen of Warhammer Fantasy come back as the Beasts of Chaos, consisting of the Gors and Ungors of the Brayherd, the Bullgors (used to be Minotaurs) and Ghorgons of the Warherds, and the Dragon Ogors of the Thunderscorn. These beasts worship Chaos in its purest form and hate all manner of civilisation. They wander the wilderness and harness their hatred of society to destroy and rend. Most notable new additions is that the god specific Beastmen category has expanded with Tzaangors and more recently Slaangors.
Blades of Khorne: The followers of Khorne are split into the mortal Khorne Bloodbound and the Daemonic Hordes who join together to spill blood and collect skulls. Note on Khorne Bloodbound is that cannibalism is a pretty big part of their culture, which wasn't a huge Khorne thing back in WHF. Drinking blood and eating human meat is part of the initiation.
Maggotkin of Nurgle: The followers of Nurgle are split into the mortal Rotbringers and the Daemons of Nurgle.
Hedonites of Slaanesh: The followers of Slaanesh are split into the mortal Sybarites and the Daemons of Slaanesh. Beyond that there's the Godseekers, who are constantly looking for Slaanesh, the Invaders who still do what Slaanesh likes best regardless of his absence, and the Pretenders who want to achieve a new position as the new Slaanesh. Notably, many Slaanesh Daemons and characters are going by they/them as of Age of Sigmar, standardising non-gendered language to referring to the Daemons of Slaanesh. Would be better if Slaanesh wasn't Slaanesh, but AoS has generally been more inclusive than WHF. Slaanesh recently gave birth to Dexcessa and Synessa, twin Demigods who represent Slaanesh's voice and talon, and they lead the Hedonites into a new age.
Disciples of Tzeentch: The followers of Tzeentch are split into the mortal Arcanites and the Daemons, with a healthy Tzaangor contingent as part of the Arcanites. Tzeentch's followers infiltrate every layer of society and seed their cults into the Free Cities, which makes him one of the more insidious threats. Also notable are the Gaunt Summoners of Tzeentch, heavily mutated powerful archmages that were bound by Archaon thanks to him knowing their True Names. With his hold over them, they listen to his command and serve his Host as well as the Tzeentchian forces while furthering their own individual plans. The Gaunt Summoners set up their bases within their Silver Towers, hidden in the interstitial places of the Realms as pocket dimensions.
Slaves to Darkness: The hosts of Chaos mortals, warriors, monsters and monstrous creatures. They consist of all the non-god specific Chaos units, although they can be marked with any of the Chaos Gods as well as Undivided. The S2D are split into an innumerable number of hosts and legions beyond counting each with their own agendas and methods, from the warriors to the cultists to Archaon's loyal Varanguard and the fallen race of Ogroids. Some unaligned Daemons are in this category, and Slaves to Darkness has a special ability to stick to many forces like the Cities of SIgmar.
Archaon :The Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse and the Everchosen of the Chaos Gods, Archaon heralded the End Times of the Old World and succeeded, and he has grander plans now. Archaon is a Demigod of immense power, riding on his Daemonic steed Dorghar whos unfathomable chasm of a stomach managed to feed on the energies of Greater Daemons of Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch, gaining a head to represent each of the Gods and their powers. Archaon has not sworn himself to any of the Gods, and paranoid of his intentions, the Chaos Gods barrage him with offers to join their side that he always refuses as he pits them against each other. Archaon hates the gods, and he plans to create a world without them where he reigns supreme. Archaon conquered the Allpoints during the Nexus Wars and tricked Sigmar into losing his hammer during the Battle of Burning Skies, he defeated Nagash in the Battle of Black Skies in Shyish and he constructed the Varanspire in the newly renamed Eightpoints. He opened a portal to the Realms of Chaos above his tower of the Varanspire where Daemons flow, and beyond that Archaon has sworn to never sit on his elaborately carved throne within the Varanspire until he achieves his goals. The Eightpoints were corrupted by the chaotic influence of Archaon's methods, and the Arcways, special realmgates leading to all eight realms, were his to command. Except Sigmar shut down Azyr from his side, so Archaon has been plotting methods to force the confrontation. Archaon leads his Host of the Everchosen with his Nine Gaunt Summoners and his loyal Eight Circles of the Varanguard by his side.
Be'lakor: The Dark Master and Shadow Lord, Be'lakor is the first Daemon Prince. Serving his own selfish desires, Be'lakor was blessed by all four Chaos Gods until he lost his favor, and he endlessly resents Archaon for his favored position. Be'lakor is always scheming to further his position, and after several interesting moves in the Broken Realms series, he has jumped into the forefront as a rival to Archaon with his Legion of the First Prince.
Realmstone: A type of magical substance typically associated with one of the Realms. Greatly valuable and possess a great degree of magical potency. Introduced in 2nd Edition, it catapults into importance as a vital resource. More on this in a later section.
Realmgates: Portals leading from one Realm to another, or from one location of a Realm to another location within the same Realm. Realmgates are unfathomably diverse in function and nature, from Realmgate shapes and structure to where it leads to the way it works. Some Realmgates, for example, shift the location it leads to based on the phases of the moon or a specific trigger. Realmgates are areas of strategic importance and great magical power, and therefore a vital resource that wars are fought over. Realmgates can be destroyed, and they can be corrupted, with some infamously leading to a Realm of Chaos like the Garden of Nurgle. Realmgates are theorised to have been created by the "Old Ones", although there are instances of new Realmgates being mentioned as being created. Arcways are special Realmgates leading to and from the Allpoints, now the Eightpoints, and as such they are guarded by fortresses known as the All-Gates. Realmgates can be shut down from one side, but to open a Realmgate, you need to open it from both sides. Forcing a Realmgate open is easier said than done, and Archaon has been trying for centuries. Some factions have alternative methods of traversing the Realms. Idoneth use underwater Realmgates known as Whirlways. Skaven use Gnawholes, tears in the dimensional fabric. The Sylvaneth can travel using the Realmroots and Spirit Paths connecting the Forests of the Realms, and certain Shadow Wizards can navigate the Umbral Web, moving through the Shadow Paths into their intended location.
There are plenty of resources to peruse if you're interested. I went on way too long, so I'll cover more sections later, like the actual gameplay. Suffice to say that you collect primarily plastic miniatures, assemble them or use parts to kitbash a model or use models as proxies for other models, you paint those models, and then you bring them with you to play with others. There are countless ways to engage with the hobby, from collecting and kitbashing and painting models to reading the lore to engaging in actual gameplay. Even when you get to the game, you can go for flexible "anything goes as long as we both agree" Open Play to story based Narrative Play games to competitive Matched Play games. Many people even find joy in Matched Play beyond its competitive nature.
If you want a basic introduction to the Mortal Realms and the timeline, the official Age of Sigmar website has some neat visuals under their Mortal Realms tab for a basic summary of the Realms, the Factions and the timeline.
If you want to read the Core Rules for 3rd Edition Age of Sigmar game, then it's available for free. It's a decently long read, but it is by far the most polished and well structured version of Age of Sigmar and is actively engaging to work through. If you're used to Warhammer Fantasy, fair warning that AoS is more skirmish based and tends to be a bit looser. Not that tactics don't play a gigantic factor, because it does, but that it's different to Rank and File based wargaming. The game is also pretty balanced at a competitive level all things considered.
If you want to go through all the rules and warscrolls for any faction that you're interested in, you can check out Wahapedia's Age of Sigmar section. They have everything and they update to the most recent versions, errata and White Dwarf included. You do need the Core Rules to understand what's going on though.
If you want to make an army list for free, Battlescribe is available. It's pretty good.
You can also play Age of Sigmar on Tabletop Simulator, although it requires you to install mods. There are tutorial videos on how to do that though, so if you don't want to spend any money or even leave the house to play Age of Sigmar you can just do that. It's not a substitute for the real thing, but it's a very accessible and easy way to learn how the game works.
If you want to check something, the Age of Sigmar Lexicanum is fairly expansive. Unfortunately, most pages are extremely short and vague and don't include the full text, although it directs you to the source usually. The Lexicanum isn't perfect, and it frustrates me that the "List of Age of Sigmar Books" hasn't updated to include any books recently when there's so much, but I don't envy their job.
If you're not interested in a Wargame and think an RPG might suit you, Age of Sigmar Soulbound is pretty good (imo). I'll probably go more in depth about it in a spin-off section, but it's a power fantasy RPG centered around making very powerful characters and fighting high octane battles that aren't super complex or mechanical. It's closer to narrative than crunchy. The core book does give options for different ways to play though, so if you want to make a gritty, dark, less fantastical story you're free to take a jab. There is an appeal to playing a regular person in a world of gods and monsters.
For Youtube, I have a couple recommendations. Heywoah makes a bunch of cool introductory videos in a fast paced, dry and quick, witty humor style that appeals to me. A lot of his videos are outdated, especially when it comes to the meta, but there's a relatively recent video that's still relevant. He's a good entryway into the setting. For Lore, 2+ Tough is the primary supplier. Check out his playlists if you don't know where to start. If you want to go for painting or high level meta discussion from a guy who's been in the hobby since Warhammer Fantasy and has been through all of AoS, Vince Vinturella is great. His videos are usually very long streams and are pretty impenetrable for a new person though. AoS Coach makes more accessible videos for beginners and invites lots of guests who serve as specialists on their army, although his discussion is usually focused on competitive matched play. Honest Wargamer is another high level meta commentary channel who's good for gauging the current state of the game, but probably not great for beginners.
Final Note:
I want to clarify, first of all, that I welcome all sorts of people into this thread. I also welcome all opinions, as long as you are civil and constructive in the way you present it. It's understandable to react with shock to be met with something that puts you ill at ease because of existing conceptions of another setting, particularly as Age of Sigmar inspires a lot of vitriol in people due to the circumstances of its launch. What is less reasonable is creating a toxic space. I'm willing and in fact eager to discuss Age of Sigmar with anyone, but I simply implore people to be considerate and thoughtful in their replies.
Finally, I'm accepting questions. I will be answering anything you have in store for me in regards to Age of Sigmar. If I can't answer it or I don't know, I will answer honestly. I have not, in fact, read every single Age of Sigmar book. I just read about two/three dozen. I'd have to count.
