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First and foremost Chaos, by its nature, is limitless in variation and possibilities. Chaos is what made the Warhammer World the utterly dangerous and dark place that it is. Although the taint of Chaos can be found in nearly every corner of the world, it originates primarily from the Chaos wastes. The Chaos wastes are a dark and ruined land that holds little material worth and few if any natural resources. The Chaos Gods Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle and Slaanesh rule over this realm and have limitless devoted followers ready to do their bidding. These followers are collectively known as the Hordes of Chaos and are made up of an infinite variation of beings, mortal and otherwise. Although the Hordes of Chaos contain men from many different northern tribes, the epitome of the Chaos Warrior is the Norscan. Norscans are tall, strong and violent beyond measure. They consider men of the south to be weak, feeble and ripe for plunder. Many Norscans worship the Gods of Chaos and in doing so eventually become the dreaded Warriors of Chaos: mortals who's sole goal is to earn the favour of their patron god. Gaining such favour often involves bringing death to as many people as possible in their god's fashion. Like Orcs, there is no one leader of Chaos. Every few generations, however, a mighty Chaos Lord will gain the favour of the Gods, gather the hordes and launch a mighty invasion south.
These armies contain marauders, beastmen and daemons and are led by the ultra-elite Knights of Chaos. When closing for battle, ranged weaponry is forgone for devastating magic and daemon summoning. It is in close combat, however, that the Hordes of Chaos are justly feared. For most, to engage in close combat with the Warriors of Chaos is a road to certain death. More than any other realm, the Hordes of Chaos pose a constant threat to every race in the Warhammer World. With these deadly and mighty races bracing for this long and bitter war of wars, the opportunity for final vengeance and the settling of old scores approaches. Some fight for survival, others honour, vengeance or even just for the sake of fighting. In any case the Age of Reckoning is at hand; none will be spared.
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So named because of the color of their waxy skin, the greenskins are savagery personified. They are ill-tempered, primitive, and live
only to fight. In the absence of another foe, greenskins will eventually turn on one another for want of violence. In their culture, might makes
right and the weakest members of society are one false step away from being dinner.
The greenskins have no homeland to speak of. They capture other race's settlements and then make those places their own, decorating
them with tribal graffiti, wood and scrap materials fashioned into crude symbols, and oftentimes, the bones of those they have slain.
This leads to a very unique form of architecture that is distinctively ramshackle.
Periodically, a powerful Orc Warboss will unite the greenskin tribes into a single swarming mass called
a "Waaagh!", named for the common greenskin battle-cry.
In a Waaagh! , the greenskins unite into a stampede of frenzied Orcs, Goblins and Snotlings bent on destroying
everything they encounter. Save for pure Chaos itself, there is no force in the Warhammer world as devastating
as a Waaagh! set in motion.
At the onset of the Age of Reckoning, the greenskins have been united by the Black Orc Warlord Grumlok and his diminutive counterpart, the Goblin Shaman Gazbag. Together, they have led their tribe, the Bloody Sun Boyz, to dominance. Now, they wage war upon the Dwarfs, guided by an unseen hand.
Orcs
Orcs are the largest of the greenskin species. They are bigger, more aggressive, and more muscular than their smaller cousins, the Goblins, Hobgoblins, and tiny Snotlings. Orcs
continue to grow throughout their lives and their skin darkens
with age. The strongest and most powerful Orcs grow to become
Black Orcs, marked by their increased size and darker skin.
Orcs are not bright by any means, but they do possess an
animalistic awareness of social structure. They are bullies who
impose their will on anyone they think is weaker than they. There is
nothing an Orc loves more than to fight. If they lack other opponents, they will fight amongst themselves. Such battles are always bloody affairs, for Orcs are fearsome foes, even when wounded. They feel no pain and fear nothing.
An especially powerful Orc will rise to the top of his tribe by way of ruthless savagery and victory in personal combat. If he is able to defeat the current Warboss, he will assume that position. If he is especially strong-willed, the new Warboss may be able to lead the entire tribe into Waaagh! while still fending off challenges to his leadership from within.
Orcs fight with primitive weapons that are little more than big chunks of scrap metal. They give these weapons such descriptive names as "choppas", "bashas" and "smashas", and they wield them with brutal strength.
Goblins
Goblins are considerably smaller than Orcs, but they compensate for this disadvantage with a feral cunning that their larger brethren lack. Goblins are
constantly bullied and intimidated by the Orcs and this has caused them to evolve
into sneaky and insidious creatures whose comical appearance belies their
malicious intelligence. In many ways Goblins are the brains behind greenskin
tribal society. Goblins frequently are the Shamans of their tribes and are often
clever enough to use the leverage associated with this position to manipulate
the larger but slower Orcs into doing their bidding.
Goblins are also the most adept of the greenskin races at using technology. Goblins build objects of simple, but effective design. As with all greenskin construction, machines and siege engines cobbled together by Goblins have a very primitive look, but a five-hundred-pound rock hurts just as much when it's hurled through the air by a crudely-fashioned greenskin Rock Lobber as an ornate Dwarf Grudge Thrower. |
The Dwarfs are an ancient and industrious race that is long past its prime. Their once-great empire of Karak Ankor now lies in ruins and many of the Dwarfs' mighty mountain holds have been abandoned or conquered by Orcs and Goblins, with whom the Dwarfs have warred for centuries. It is not uncommon to hear a Dwarf wistfully recall the great glories of the past, observing bitterly that nothing the Dwarfs do in this day and age can compare to the majesty of what once was.
An enormously proud people, the Dwarfs are quick to react to any slight, real or imagined, and remember any such infraction for years, even passing on the responsibility of vengeance to their heirs through their Books of Grudges. It is perhaps because of their obstinate pride that the Dwarfs refuse to openly admit that their culture is slowly creeping towards its nadir. Inwardly, however, they know that they are a doomed race. This gives them a uniquely dour outlook upon the world and perhaps explains their great fondness for drowning their sorrows in tankard after tankard of ale.
In fact, the only thing that the Dwarfs love more than a good mug of ale is gold. A Dwarf in the throes of goldlust is a thing to behold. The race's legendary drive and stamina is brought into sharp relief when they are presented with the opportunity to acquire gold. As miners and experts on ore and metals, the Dwarfs are without peer. Items of Dwarf craftsmanship and engineering are the most valuable in all the world, revered even by the Elves.
The fates of the Dwarfs and men of the Empire are inextricably intertwined.
Ever since the day Sigmar united the tribes of men in the defense of the Dwarfs at the Battle of Black Fire Pass, the stout warrior-folk have honored their oath to come to the aid of men in times of need. With the fate of the Empire now hanging in the balance, it seems that this old debt may soon come to call. |
Founded by the great and holy Sigmar, the Empire of Man is the largest and most powerful human realm in the Warhammer World. Within its vast borders lie dark forests, raging rivers and sprawling cities. An Emperor and a handful of mighty nobles known as the Elector Counts rule the Empire. Although it has had many internal troubles in the past, the current Emperor Karl Franz has managed to keep the Empire unified and strong. Although composed of many different regions, the majority of the citizens of the Empire worship Sigmar or Ulric.
Both these gods have countless followers, clergy and even entire Knightly Orders dedicated to them. Militarily the Empire is by far the most flexible and well rounded force in the Warhammer World. The armies of the Empire boast many devastating war machines combined with rows of highly trained and disciplined infantry. Swords, spears, halberds and firearms are the mainstay equipment of the Empire's soldiers who come from all walks of life. Supporting the professional infantry are the famous Knightly Orders; it is the sons of Empire nobles or those of its more wealthy citizens who often serve in these elite warrior regiments. Led by great nobles, ingenious Engineers, fanatical warrior-clergy and the powerful wizards of the Colleges of Magic, the Empire is a force to be reckoned with. |
The High Elves are an extremely ancient race who have mastered magic, navigation and war. The High Elves are universally tall, fey and lithe. They are the most swift and graceful of races and hold a great, if somewhat disturbing, beauty. The High Elves are indeed almost physically flawless and rarely succumb to disease or mutation and can live for hundreds even thousands of years. Perhaps their only drawback is that they are quite frail and suffer physical injury much easier compared to heartier races. Although their swift fleets are found all over the world, the home of the High Elves is the great Isle of Ulthuan, a magical land that is all but distant legend to the races of the Old World.
The leader of the High Elves is the Phoenix King Finubar the Seafarer, a modern king who believes in trade and dealings with the new race of Men. His armies contain ranks of tall, swift light infantry armed primarily with longbows or spears. Elite High Elven warriors carry larger weapons such as halberds, hunting axes and wear heavy armour. It is even rumoured that the greatest High Elf warriors can wield two-handed swords as quickly and accurately as if they were a single-handed blade. Courageous nobles or the very powerful and wise Mages of Ulthuan often lead the armies of the High Elves. With these great and ancient leaders, the High Elven fleets and armies are swift, deadly and ready to strike anywhere in the Warhammer World. |
The Dark Elves or Druchii as they are also known, are an evil and twisted race. Although almost physically identical to High Elves (they are, after all, the same race who split in a ruthless civil war) the similarities end there. Dark Elves are bloodthirsty, murderous and described by some to be entirely evil. Naggaroth, the Land of Chill, is their home. Naggaroth is a cold, bleak and unforgiving land of many dangers. From this home the Druchii raid the rest of the Warhammer World, traveling on their floating fortresses known as the Black Arks. The Dark Elves worship Khaine, the God of Murder, whose many followers revel in sacrifice and inflicting gruesome death on lesser beings.
Malekith, Witch King of the Dark Elves, leads his people in their unwavering goal to bring Ulthuan and its hated kin to their knees. Whether directly or not, every action by the Dark Elves is focused on bringing about this goal. Sometimes it is direct assaults on the shores of Ulthuan or the manipulation of other races to draw High Elf armies away. In any case the Dark Elves are singular in their purpose. The armies of the Dark Elves are fast, light and quite similar to their hated High Elf kin. The main difference is that the Dark Elves use Dark Magic and go to war with savage allies unseen in High Elf Armies. Great beasts such as Hydras and cruel harpies are herded along to fight in the Druchii wars. The Dark Elves are known to employ more murderous individuals than the High Elves as well, such as the frenzied Witch Elves of Khaine or the feared Dark Elf Assassins. It is difficult to find a more evil and twisted race anywhere in the Warhammer World; for the Dark Elves consider everyone to be prey. |
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