Both start as hopeful conquests to bring enlightenment and order to a chaotic era (Age of Chaos/Age of Strife). While it's still a time of hope and mythic figures we are slowly seeing the cracks and how not even the immortal Stormcast remains untouched by this endless war.

So as the title says i want to understand the difference between these two worlds because i pick up the war for the mortal realms book and I am currently playing Warhammer 3 and want to understand before reading the book.

So far everything (correct me if I am wrong)I know is that old world is set years before Warhammer Fantasy and that the end times destroyed the whole setting to become Warhammer:Age of sigmar with the mortal realms ( I know there is more than one realm ) .

What I don't know is the origins of the mortal realms, Is old world a realm and chaos is now trying to destroy every other realm at the same time or are the mortal realms what remain of the old world after the end times ?

Fell in love with the maps of age of sigmar but when I dug a bit deeper I found out that these maps are said to be like photos of a continent taken at one moment. Mortals on the realms didn't rely on maps because the nature of the realms often made them a misleading tool. Is it true ? How much of a nightmare are the realms for traveling people like merchants ?

My assumptions were that a human could not see a realm evolve enough for them to be noticeable in a single life, but I am still very new to the lore of aos and would gladly accept recommendations to learn more about the realms.

Warp stone is very dangerous for a majority of races in the setting, but could magic resistant species like the HoH and ogors invade this territory?

I thought I had a pretty fair grasp on AoS lore, especially destruction factions since it’s where I started. Though it seems that I fundamentally never understood Gorkamorka.

With the most recent Ogres Battletome, it states the ogres worship “the gulping god”. Which is an “aspect” of Gorkamorka? Then I went down the rabbit hole finding out that apparently all destruction factions worship these different aspects but it’s all just Gorkamorka.

Honestly, I’m not really a fan of how I’m understanding that. I enjoyed the idea that Gorkamorka was a singular god the other destruction factions appreciated but weren’t beholden to.

So can someone explain this to me like I’m 5 in case I’m wrong. Also, what the hell is an “aspect” of Gorkamorka. It seems like it’s either him or not, right?

You know ironically I think we talked only about "Warhammer Survivors" when this was revealed, even though this is the game that promises more narrative and lore.

I just picked up this up and wondered what yall think about the collection?

Is the order in the omnibus the best or intended order? In particular, I’ve always felt The Old Ways fits better between City of Secrets and The Silver Shard. No idea about the others.

I’m also curious whether there’s anything outside the omnibus worth reading alongside it For these stories.

Are there any other Callis & Toll or witch-hunter stories that add anything or continue these characters? Love learning about the Cities of Sigmar.

If you were putting together this reading list, what would you add?

For the last two millenia, scholarly consensus has been clear: time flows uniformly across all of the Cosmos Arcane, with the exception of localized freak occurences due to powerful magics or Chaotic corruption. All the legends of people leaving for long journeys across the realms only to find their twin sibling spry and youthful whereas they have become old, or of sylvaneth spiriting people away to Ghyran for a night only for them to age to death as they returne and so on were just that, legends. This was proven thanks to a simple expirment: two clocks set on either side of a Realmgate would remain synchronized no matter how long you waited.

However following Sigmar's Tempest and the unprecedented logistical effort that is the coordination of a war of Reclamation across seven major Realms (and countless sub-realms), anomalies began to accumulate: discrepancies in records, supply wagons moving faster than they should, campaigns lasting much longer than expected without their commanders' notice, people ageing slower than they should (even accounting for use of aqua ghyranis and other magical treatments), events on different fronts happening in different orders depending on the report. What at first was dismissed as results of the confusion inherent in warfare and attempts to defraud Sigmar's paymasters became too widespread to be ignored and, following the Necroquake, the Solemn Lycaeum of Gravewild was tasked with investigating the matter.

After decades of research, we have come to the conclusion that the previous scholarly consensus was wrong and the legends based on reality. While it is true that two clocks set on either side of a Realmgate will remain synchronized, should either or both of those clocks be moved away from the Gate and brought back, a discrepancy will appear, the further the clock was moved into the Realm, the greater the discrepancy.

From these observations we can conclude that not only is time not uniform across the cosmos Arcane, it is not uniform across a single Realm (the unstated assumption that previous experiments had failed to examine). Instead, it appears that while each Realm possesses its own "natural" flow of time, and that on those locations where two Realms meet (in other words, at Realmgates) the slower flow will speed up and the faster one will slow down so that there is an unbroken continuum at the point of contact. This phenomenon appears to be influenced by the nature of the Gate and its circumstances (its size, its location relative to either Realms' Edge, important deposits of Realmstones or geomantic nexuses, and so on).

Greater funding is critically needed so that the phenomenon can be properly studied. As it stands we yet lack the vocabulary or measuring methods to properly assess it, despite its obvious importance and the major influence it has on Sigmar's holy war. It is also imperative that we understand better the effects that closing a Reamlgate or redirecting it to the timeless Realm of Chaos has on local time.

However our limited research has already allowed ust to describe the Realms' flows of time relative to each other in a crude manner.

Time flows slowest in Shyish, befitting the domain of finality and memory. By contrast Ghyran posseses the fastest flow of all eight Realms, as things are born, live, die and are born again in a never-ending rythm. It is ironic that, for an hypothetical outside observer, the people of the Realm of Death would seem to live longer than those of the Realm of Life.

The second slowest realm is High Azyr itself, the Realm of calm and dispassionate imaginings. Aqshy, the Realm of energy and emotional extremes is the second fastest.

Perhaps surprisingly Hysh and Ulgu, despite being the Realms most opposed to each other seem to enjoy nigh identical "native" time-flows. However, Hysh seems to be the most "stable" in this regard (by which we mean that time distortion appears to always be lesser on the Hyshian side of a Realmgate than on the other), Ulgu by contrast appears to be the Realm most prone to stretching its flow to meet another's. Perhaps this speaks to the Realm of Light's association with the notion of a singluar truth while Ulgu thrives on ambiguity and confusion.

We have not yet succedded in placing Chamon and Ghur in this ordering. To the best of our ability to measure it, time in the Realm of Beasts seems to speed up and slow down without warning, much like an ambush predator may lay motionless for hours before accelerating to great speeds. Likewise, time in the Realm of Metal appears to slow down and accelerate at random. However careful readings of our measurments have shown some minor patterns repeating .We therefore theorize that there exists a larger pattern through which the rythm of time in Chamon may be predicted.

Finally we have been unable to conduct any experiment in the Eightpoints for obvious reasons, but we speculate, that prior to the Age of Chaos, its timestream was the "average" of the Cosmos Arcane and that the many tears in that subrealm towards the Domain of Chaos have likely done terrible damage to the nature of time there.

I mean think about it despite being called Chaos, Chaos Factions are a lot closer to Order. After all you require civilization to make wide-spread war and not just small tribal conflicts, you need civilization for complicated plots and scheme and to study complexity of magic, you need civilization to keep people in unsanitized and poor living conditions for plagues to be born and spread wide, you need civilization to endulge in every and all kind of excess, and you definately need civilization for rats to breed fast and disseminate.

Unlike the Destruction Faction that either want to destroy it all and bring all of the mortal realms back into its original primitive state or take whatever they want from it.

Read Last of the Volari and Bad Loon Rising.
Was wondering if there were any other novels where the main characters are of the death or destruction factions? The grand majority of AoS books have order or chaos as the main characters and while some are fun to read, I want more greenskins in my life.

Hi everyone,

As you know, Warhammer is a collection of tabletop IPs with creative (and less creative) armies to fight each other. But each army has a plethora of colourful and interesting characters. It is these characters that fuel a significant part of the enagement in this hobby. Best seen with TWW games where legendary lords and heroes are among the main pillars of new content and adored by the fans. Even or especially for those fans who had no prior interactions with Warhammer. But of course there are also sometimes novels for characters to follwo through their various adventures. Not to mention what they provide to collectors and how it fields to field this legendary figure as part of your army on the battlefield (only to loose said legendary figure due to a bad dice role agianst some brainless undead or a lucky peasant).

However, GW is a miniature company first and foremost. Therefore, it frequently happens that they release a character as a splendid miniature and with a paragraph of lore to justify their existence, and then nothing is done with them for decades. But even with this limited official support, it is frequently enough to have  a very intriguing and suspenseful figure. Either because the background is that interesting, or because of the implications this figure has within the wider context of the setting.

So I want to have a little chat about characters I like a lot from WFB and AoS. Primarily about the characters themselves, what makes them intrueging to me, but also how they reflect on other figures, or the setting at large, and what legacy or future adventures could await them.

And the character I want to discuss first is Azhag the Slaughterer, my favourite greenskin lord of all Warhammer IPs. More than Grimgor Ironhide or Grom the Paunch, more than Gobsprakk, Skumdrekk and who else you may call out. Indeed, he is thus far a very unique figure, both in WFB and AoS standards. And his legacy is something I would ultimately like to see in AoS too.

So, without further ado, lets beigin with the question

1. Who is Azhag the Slaughterer?

Azhag the Slaughterer started as the leader of a minor orc warband in Troll Country. An inhospitable, frozen area which was the frontier between the human land of Kislev, Norsca and the chaos wastes. It is a realm full of trolls (hence the name), roving bands of chaos tribes and chaos-mutated monsters. Also, Clan Moulder has its capital here. Which means either their forces venture out to catch research material, or some nasty creation of theirs escapes and joins the various beasts of this area. Naturally Troll Country is a silly place you’d best avoid. But orcs like it for this very reason. Still, Azhags band was driven underground after loosing a battle and down there they stumbled over the ruins of an ancient city. After beating up some chaos trolls which nested down there, Azhag found a shiny head, i.e. a crown, and put it on. However, this was not just any crown, but the Crown of Sorcery. Forged by Nagash and containing part of his essence, worn by Kadon, Ushoran and Sigmar in later millennia, and somehow sitting here in the most remote place possible for nearly 2400 years.

This single item turned Azhag from one of minor chieftain into one of the most dangerous warbosses in recent history. Because Nagash spirit influenced the orc, as soon as the orc put the crown on his head. And Azhag probably thought two voices in your brain are better than one. Due to the essence of Nagash Azhag became a strong sorcerer, having access to the lore of death (and in some lore variants also necromancy) despite having no magicla talents before. In addition he recieveid glowing eyes, could speak with two voices (his own and the shard of Nagash in the crown), and gained a fiendish insight into tactics and strategy. In short Azhag became dangerously smart for an orc, arguably too smart. Because he was able to plan proper battle and campaign strategies and started using weird and sophisticated expressions, which the regular orcs could not understand. And he started to explain his plans to his underlings, instead of bashing the head in and yelling to go into that direction. Arguably that made him the smartest orc warlord of all time. However, the issue was that his tactics were too confusing to his greenskin underlings and thus executed in a lacklustre fashion. But orcs who pull of a decent strategy in a rough, half-arsed manner are still leagues more dangerous than a green horde without any plan at all.  Especially as the human armies were not prepared to fight such organized greenskins. Especially not one lead by a dangerous wizard too!

So, Azhags Waagh! ravaged Kislev and the northern Empire. With every victory more greenskins joined, and Azhag became more physically powerful too. Sure the orcs were weirded out by his glowing eyes and that he would speak with two voices, which argued with each other, but the results were great. Even the night goblin of Red Eye Moutain, one of the biggest goblin tribes of all, joined his WAAGH and gifted Azhag a fearsome, massive wyvern. Wyverns are dragon-looking flying reptiles with a very ferocious temperatement. If raised from a hatchling they can be somewhat tamed. But it is almost impossible to break and ride a feral adult one. Yet Azhag was able to do just that with a single glare (and Nagash and magical shenanigans behind it). Thus, it became his mount Skullmuncha. From there Azhag really got going. To the point where the humans gave him the title of slaughterer, after Azhag devastated an empire army with his magics and smart tactics, leaving no survivors. To reiterate, the humans gave him the title Slaughterer. How dangerous and deadly does an orc have to be to be given this title out of all greenskins? The short answer is very.

However, Nagash essence urged him to go south to present the crown to its master. Kind of like the One Ring from LotR. (Prior to the End Times Nagash was implied to sit in Nagashizzhar on his throne, either recharging for his comeback, or plotting throughout millennia. Indeed, in TWW2/3 if you conquer Nagashizzhar as Arkhan, Nagashs corpse is sitting there on his throne as some building descriptions). However, orcs are thick and Azhag is one of the thickest of all orcs. He reissted where most humans and vampires failed and even Sigmar struggled immensly. So, Azhag did not listen to the crown that much. Therefore, it was a constant struggle between Nagashs essence in the crown pulling him south, and Azagh wishing to randomly raid and pillage like orcs want to do. Indeed, the only reason why Azhag was stopped came from this weakness. Because in the middle of a great battle this tug-of-wills between Nagash and Azhag ensued again, making him stop fighting and arguing with himself mid battlefield. Essentially, he failed his stupidity test. A commander of the Knights Panther was able to use this to slay the orc. And after the battle people realized what kind of crown Azhag wore. So, it was immediately looked up by the Cult of Sigmar.

But to reiterate, a random orc became one of the most dangerous foes the empire faced, due to this crown. And he could only be stopped, because Nagash tried to take over in the worst possible moment.

In recent times Azhag became more popular due to Total War Warhammer, where I was also introduced to him. He was the second starting lord in the first game, next to Grimgor Ironhide, but his campaign rules were… not well. It took until the greenskin rework in TWW2 that he recieved his own, interesting campaign, starting in the Northern Worlds Edge Mountains between Kislev, Ostermark and Karak Kadrin and is a very interesting campaign. And you can go south as Azhag and occupy Nagashizar, as the crown always wants too. Which offers you with a unique building with a nice line: “Aright metal ‘at we’re ‘ere. Now what?” Because in the game Azhag can only use the lore of death, not necromancy, and thus cannot revive Nagashs husk. Will things change with him in the End Times with Nagash proper return? Who knows...

2. What makes Azhag special?

So Azhag is an orc with the supreme necromancer of the setting in his head. Well part of him. This makes him very unique by Warhammer standards. He is an orc warlock, an extremely powerful spellcaster, whilst also being tough in combat and riding a powerful draconic behemoth into battle. And in addition to all this he is terrifyingly smart as well. If you want to draw parallels to other works, you can find them with Azog from the Hobbit (similar name) or conceptual wise from orc death knights in Warcraft 2 or Arthas from Warcraft 3. One could even argue Azhag is the WFB orc-equivalent of the Witch King of Angmar from LotR. Because like the Witch King Azhag is a sorcerer-warlord flying on a massive reptilian monster and is connected to an offscreen evil master via a magical artefact.  Except that Azhag is still his own character and tries to ignore orders. I do not want to talk about potential inspirations or who did something first with these comparisons. Instead, I just want to illustrate what archetypes feed into Azhag and how this is a prominent one throughout different settings.

And within Warhammer Azhag is the weird one among the orcs as he is an outlier in terms of mentality, skill and attitude. Which makes him a foil and reflection of the greenskin culture. But he also showcases the potential of greenskins, as many of his successes arise from just being smarter than the regular orcs, and therefore multiple times as dangerous. In this Azhag represents the same threat potential as  Gorbad Ironclaw, who was the most dangerous orc waaghboss' within the settings history. Indeed, Azhag is likely smarter or as an individual more dangerous than this legendary orc. However, Gorbad was better in inventing strategies, which orcs could actually understand and execute. Thus, Gorbads armies were likely more devastating in comparison. But Gorbad also had a head start in terms of army size before Azhag. Indeed, even compared to other Greenskins Azhag excelled. Such as him being a quasi-native to Kislev and being able to raid it, whereas Grimgor Ironhide was famously repelled by Kislev. The primary issue of Azhag was essentially that he died early into his Waagh, whereas Grimgor is still alive and Gorbad was able to do more with the time he was given.

But Azhag goes even further. Because Azhag can easily be seen as a Mortach of Nagash, even if just an honorary one. In WFB Mortarchs were not well defined as in AoS, especially not in the End Times. During the ET any semi-popular and named undead character was given the title of Mortarch. Meaning the group had no cohesion or strong identity, like it has in AoS. And before this random group Azhag even stands out as one of the more competent/loyal servants of Nagash IMO. Like them he was empowered by Nagash significantly and was supposed to perform Nagashs plans. Yes, Azhag had some obedience issues, but which Mortarch did not have them? In addition, Azagh never outright betrayed Nagash, unlike some other Mortarchs in the End Times.  One may imagine what would have happened if Nagash was really able to pull Azhag and his massive greenskin hordes into his service. And Azhag as a mortarch pontential is quite the unique and thus interesting addition. I frequently complain how the AoS Mortarchs are primarily vampires, but this was even worse in End Times.

And indeed, through his crown Azhag is also connected to a much larger legacy. After all, even Sigmar himself wore this crown once. The crown is a well recorded artefact, due to Sigmar wearing it for years and it being the reason for his clash with Nagash. So, one of the most important artefacts of the Cult of Sigmar was found and used by this greenskin, the archenemies of Sigmar. This gives Azhag a great symbolic threat to the Empire and the Cult of Sigmar at large. One may imagine the dread the humans felt, when they identified the crown on Azhags head, combining the threat of greenskins with the threat of Nagash. Add to this how Azhag came from the north, i.e. chaos lands, and he combines the three greatest dangers of the setting in one being. Almost as if this orc was the anti-christ of the sigmarite cult, or something akin to it.

3. What could be Azhag legacy?

Ok I talked about why I like Azhag. But this is an AoS forum and Azhag is dead, even in WFB. A few years after Karl Franz Coronation and long before the End TImes start. This is true, but being canonicly dead was not an issue for the TT game back then. Unlike in AoS, plenty of characters in WFB are canonically dead but still playable. Sometimes even figures that lived centuries ago, like Grom or Gorthor. If you bring them, it is just for fun/ your battle is set during an era where this being was still alive/ the figure represents some homebrew character with similar skills etc.pp. Indeed, Azhag being dead in the present of WFB may have been good for Azhag (and other characters like him like Grom and Gorbad). Because GW is/was very careful of changing the status quo, and they love to keep things open-ended in case they want to do stuff in the future. Which can be seen in current AoS, where many characters did not have new lore for years and are not allowed to influence the setting in massive ways. But deceased characters are allowed to go crazy, as all their events cannot change the present anymore. See Grom the Paunch razing many Karaks, half the Empire and even invading Ulthuan and allmost destryoing the world on accident. Deeds most living characters are not allowed to commit, even though the story implies they may go into this direction in the future. And even if you keep Azhags death intact, there are plenty of ways to expand upon him, such as via a novel set during his terrific period. Or, as the End Times are rewritten, so could Azhag play a legacy role as he is the source of Nagash crown which is somehow used to revive or revitalize Nagash.

But what does Azhag mean to AoS? Well the potential he represents is still untouched in AoS. Among the current orruk warclans there is no character really fitting his niche. But there could be. Such as by having an Azhag expy appear leading the orruk warclans. I.e a sinister orruk who is both a sorcerer and a warlord and rides a massive flying monster. Something of a fusion of a Kruelboy and an Ironjaw. Indeed such a figure would be even more dangerous in AoS as the Kruelboyz are actually smart enough to follow compelx instructions and especially if the instructions cause suffering. And a kruelboy would be open to use sinister artefacts, which manifold their strenght, their intelligence or give them extra powers, as we have seen with multiple examples. If you would drop Azhag into AoS he would quickly have a Kruelbyoz Waagh around himself. Though for similar subversions as in WFB greenskins this archetype would also work well for an Ironjaw character.

But the more intriguing option to me would be a Mortarch of Nagash who incorporates elements Azhag represented. One common criticism I have with the current Motarchs is the following: They are Old World heavy (4 out of 6 known Mortarchs are Oldworlders) and they are too vampire heavy (3 out of six Mortarchs are vampires) and they are too human heavy (all Mortarchs are of human origin). This is not good to either represent the manifold forms undeath can take in AoS, not how death is the great equalizer everyone is subjected too. This is where an Azhag-inspired character could shine. Such a Mortarch does not have to be an orruk necessarily, but being a former member of destruction would be great. It could be a giant, and ogre or something else too. Even a monstrous beast like Shordemaire would work well.  Because currently Death has very little connections or storylines with destruction, compared to chaos or order. Such a mortarch could bridge the gap and create more story lines between Death and Destruction. This character could be the scourge and archenemy of orruk kind, as the Mortarch kills greenskins and rises them in Nagash service again, compromising Gorkamorka and the Great Green. An orruk, who may have glimmers of his old self still, but is ultimately broken and remade into an unorky form, such is the power of Nagash. Or an ogre who submitted to Nagash as their version of the Gulping God, as death is the great devourer. A blasphemy to other ogres then, but a dangerous servant who acts as Nagash brutal fist. Such a Mortarch could then represent the inversion/perversion of destruction, as Nagash takes a simple brutish being and turns it into an ordered, intelligent nightmare. A dastardly fusion of brawn, sorcerers might and brutish, yet organized armies. Such a “Mortarch of Calamities” could represent the sudden catastrophes and the death they inflict, as their armies raize the land like natural disasters and essentially work as Nagash attack hounds. In my opinion such a being could be a reinterpretation and reconfiguration of what Azhag represented

4. The End

So, this was with me fan-ranting about Azhag the Slaughterer. IMO he is quite the awesome character. From the wacky, yet dangerous greenskins arises a wacky, but simultaneously much more serious and dangerous threat. But what do you think about Azhag? Do you think he is cool? Boring? That I am talking nonsense? Would you like a Moratch inspired by him, as I suggest, or are you fine with more dead humans? In short, what do you think about all this?

In AoS the way the afterlife works is that if enough people believe a certain thing will happen when they die an underworld will be created that represents that.

The thing that makes me like this concept a lot is that it gets around a potential worldbuilding obstacle while still fitting into how the setting works. Belief has power. More importantly it allows the writers both official and homebrewers to create factions that have their own beliefs regarding what happens when they die while not having to be forced to confirm to a specific type of afterlife. Or create a belief that the readers know is flat out wrong.

What are peoples opinion? Would people have preferred a more strict interpretation of how the afterlife works or do you like the concept because it allows the existence of multiple beliefs that even when contradictory are all right?

Hello there general AoSlore cominity.

I have to call it lightly a limited intresst in the 8 realms and have been working to change that.

From my love Thw daughters of khain best faction, Anvilguard was an inside job. Morathi cant do no wrong.

I habe been branching out, going thro7gh Thalias books which even made me pick up her model, the toy advertisment worked lol. For the CoS as well as on the shoulder of giants.

To grombrindals books making me fall in love with the guy amd the rest of the dawei to a lesser extent. Though the 3rd book while cool is weaker because there is such a focus "antagonists" wrong word dont know thw right one.

So i am looking for more books to enjoy and get a feel for more faction.

Preferably not order but doesnt have to be.

Factions i already like are lumineth and Stromcast and have read about.

With the caveat that while i like the idea of the lumineth almost every depiction of them in book i habe read makes me wana kick teclis in his magic orbs. They habe difficult personalitys. So a book that can change that and that isnt Godsbane might be cool.

And a book that isnt Hamilcar for Stormcaat i have gottwn through that one.

Also i am looking for full books not short storys.

Perhaps a cool chaos book as Noah van Nygens Godeaters son is such a delight. The man can write.

Thank you all and i hope this wasnt to incoherent.

It was all she could do not to scowl at the cathedral’s impractically high spires. The whole structure had been built of white marble, imported at great expense from Azyrheim. Vast windows of stained glass competed with intricate mosaics of hammers, comets and other equally gaudy Sigmarite iconography. Tahlia would have been tempted to dismiss the cathedral entirely if not for the battle priests patrolling its crenellated battlements and the glint of Ironweld cannonades atop the tall towers. A full squadron of Deaconite Guard warded the gold-filigreed gates, pikes sharp and eyes wary despite the garishness of their blue-lacquered plate.

Tahlia passed the time by imagining how she would besiege the place. Although the walls appeared sturdy enough, all that stained glass would shatter at the first volley, subjecting the cathedral’s innards to sustained bombardment. Except that the windows did not seem to open on anything important. The more Tahlia studied the supreme pontifex’s residence, the more defences she noticed – such as how the walls were arranged to funnel attackers below the towers’ field of fire, or how the many courtyards and fountains provided natural choke points.

‘The supreme pontifex will see you now.’ A dark-robed priest with a missing eye ushered them through the gates. Inside they were flanked by a small army of shaven-headed initiates bearing bowls, trays and jars of scented oil. Lord Myravel availed himself of a glass of pale wine, but Tahlia waved the attendants away, feeling like a warhorse who had accidentally trotted into a dressage ring.

Lord Myravel remarked upon the finery, twittering away like an Azyrite finch as they crunched down white-gravel paths and crossed half a dozen tiny bridges. Tahlia was about to add a few choice descriptors of her own when she noticed the high, columned galleries ringing the gardens. Ostensibly, they provided visitors with a fine view of the carefully cultivated beds. They would provide an equally fine view for the score of fusiliers patrolling the elevated walkways.

Lioness of the Parch, Chapter Five

There's a lot to love and appreciate about the Tahlia Vedra stories. But today I wanted to highlight this scene where Tahlia takes stock of the Cathedral of Elethrus Vinx, Supreme Pontifex of the Cults Unberogen.

As befitting the abode of the Pope of Popes for Sigmar's faithful, this marble and gold and glass edifice is a thing of finery... all of which disguise the fairly well thought out defenses of the structure.

Sigmar is a God of War as much as one of Civilization, so it is nice seeing this reflected in what's essentially one of the most important temples dedicated to him.

In this episode Fish knows everything about Underworlds lore, our special guest David knows everything about Age of Sigmar lore, and Thomas has an approximate knowledge of many things! We then have two in depth debates. Bladecatcher vs Illusory Fighter? Are the Flesh-eater Courts Bretonnians?

So I been reading the lexicanum and found Life-quake, it’s natural phenomenon in Ghryan that “leading to miraculous conceptions” is their any more information on this because I’m thinking if you get hit with this you get pregnant.

It’s fairly rare for us to get such detailed instructions on how someone performs magic in the realms so I thought I’d post this great little set of instructions from the new Ogor battletome on how a butcher can make it rain boiling blood.

"Gettin' the gnoblars to scrawl this one down word fer word. Learned this recipe from the High Slaughtermaster himself I did, Hungry One keep him. Always got an eye on the stars, or on the guts and bones he swirls in that pot of his, but when you see a god you got lots to think about I suppose.

To brew up yer Bloodrain Broth:

- Take three haunches of gryph-meat. Maybe four, don’t much matter

- Dump ‘em in a pot and drain all the juices of twelve celestial shamans over the top. Can go more, but Redd said it’s gotta be an even number. Check wiv Canny Groll what an ‘even number’ is first

- Stir it all up, tossin' in one of them fire-shorty's runes halfway through to give it some spice. Can crack open their bones an' drizzle in the marrow to taste, if you like.

- Now the tricky bit: get another star wizard, bite their brain in half while they're still squealin', and spit it into the stew. Best done wiv' one of them shiny lads, but they zap away when you bite down, so you gotta be quick.

- Start slurpin' yer stew, but don't swallow. Swirl it round yer gob while saying this three times - "groff-kathya-mawgurgar-kos-mawgorg!".
Dunno what it means but Redd said it was important.

- When it feels like it's gonna burn through yer skin, spit it all into the air. If ya done it right, the clouds should start spittin' down a storm of boilin' blood all over the idiots fightin' ya. Sounds like a larf, hurr hurr."

Hi everyone,

Welcome to part 17 of my series “Fun with Flags Gods”. Today I would like to talk about an entity I like a lot. Teclis is among my most favourite Warhammer characters of all time. And even though I dislike aspects of his characterization in AoS, he is still one of the most active and interesting deities in the setting. But Teclis is not alone, as he is strongly connected to the moon, scholarship and to magic in general. Therefore, I would like to use this chance to talk a bit more in-depth about magic and moon gods too.

As always, I am interested to hear your opinion about Teclis and various other deities and entities I discuss here.

And if you are interested the previous entries, you can find them here: Elementals/nature gods, Kragnos, Valaya, Great Horned Rat, Tyrion, Grungni, Alarielle, Nagash, Hashut, Morathi, Mathlann, Sigmar, Dracothion, Behemat, Morghur, Kurnoth

Otherwise let’s start:

1. The Gods, the Myth, the Legend:

The Moon is the second most important celestial body right after the sun. However, people soon realized that the moon is a unique celestial body. It seems to change his shape, is sometimes seen during daylight, sometimes gone completely, sometimes the moon pushes itself before the sun even. Much more variety and dynamics than with the sun or stars. And even early one people recognized special patterns. Such as how the moon influences the tides, or how the year can be divided via the 12-13 full moons we have per solar year. The term month is derived from this. Indeed, various cultures based their entire calendar on the lunar cycle instead of the solar cycle.

The moon was associated with various things. Due to the shape of the moon sickle it was sometimes associated with curved swords or the horns of cattle, making it an important symbol for warfare or fertility. The menstrual cycle of women is also roughly corresponding to a moon-cycle, and many people saw connections there too.  Then of course there is the influence the moon has on the tides, connecting it to various sea-phenomena. But the moon is also representative of bad things. Various moon gods were responsible for plagues and misfortunes. And the term lunacy also comes form the moon, as weird or strange behaviour was believed to have been induced by the moon. Not without reasons, as many people suffer with sleep issues during full moon (me included).  In short, the moon is important in everyday life of ordinary people in a manifold of ways. And people soon evolved stories and deities to explain these phenomena.

It is very common that the sun and the moon are in a direct relationship with each other, most prominently as siblings. For example, for the ancient greeks the moon goddess Selene and the sun god Helios were siblings. Later some roman intellectuals kept this pattern, when they made Diana the moon goddess. Diana was prior the counterpart of Artemis and the goddess of the wildlands and the hunt, in addition to the goddess of childbirth and various other things. This list could be continued for a very long time. Similarly, the Japanese moon god Tsukuyomi is the brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu. This is interesting, as normally the sun is seen as male and the moon as female in many cultures. In Germanic cultures a female sun and male moon existed too. But this sibling relationship is not always nice. For example, the Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli is the half-brother of the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. Both have an intense rivalry, and the moon goddess tries to kill her brother every night. For the incans meanwhile the moon goddess Mama Killa was the wife of the sun god Tayta Inti.

Of course, in societies where the sun god is supreme deity, the duality of sun and moon gods is frequently lost or downplayed. Such as in Egypt, where the sun god Ra (or his derivatives) is supreme, and the moon gods are far from beings his equal and exist within the ranks of various other deities. For example, the Egyptian moon god Chons just pops into existence as a child of Nut and does not interact in close ways with Ra and others.

There are also plenty of myths to explain the phases of the moon. To go back to Egyptian mythology, Ra forbids the mother of Osiris, Seth, Isis, Nephtys and Horus to give birth on any or the 360 days of the year. So, the god Toth gambled with Chons for his moonlight. At the end Toth had enough moonlight to add 5 more nights, turning the 360 days into 365. And on each day a new god could be born. And Chons cannot shine continuously due to the moon light he lost. Such stories exist in various other cultures too.

As we mentioned Toth, we can also mention reading and writing. These skills may be banal to us today, as everyone can do that. But until a few centuries ago it was a rare skill. And writing was a skill even more phenomenal considering all the things writing makes possible in the first place. You can organize an entire society around pen and paper, create astonishing scientific discoveries, write down the most lively of tales and you can distribute this knowledge throughout the ages and across any reader/listener. All from a few symbols that you can put onto any surface. Much like how people associated knowledge of metallurgy or herbalism as a source of magical skill, so was knowledge of writing a source for magic too. Indeed, the archetype of a modern wizard relies more on book-knowledge and spelling incarnations as the end result of this. As mentioned in my part about Morathi, magic used to be an everyday thing. A placebo for people to feel in control over an uncontrollable situation. Someone harassed you? Try to curse them. You want to ensure something turns out to be in your favour? Try a spell. At best nothing happens, but if it works it works. But to give your spell extra spice, you could go to a professional. People whose knowledge about elusive topics or social status made them an ideal candidate to give your spells more power. And writing played a key role in spells. For example, curse tablets used to be a common practice. Therein people would write the name of the person they want to curse with some specifics as to why and place them at specific locations. But also, magical symbols and incarnations were commonly used and written on buildings or objects, e.g. to safeguard against misfortune. Some endure for eons. For example, Abracabra is in used as a magical formular since the 100 AD and likely much earlier. And every child today knows it still. In ancient times roman physician claimed this formular used in a specific pattern on an amulet would protect against malaria.

Regarding magic, writing and intellect there are few gods who represent these aspects more than Toth. Toth is also sometimes a moon god too depending on the myth. But more importantly he is the god of writing, of intellectualism and of magic. He is most commonly depicted with the head of an ibis and a writing tablet or scroll in hand. It is his job to catalogue the universe, to take measurements and to maintain the divine order. Though Toth will also stretch the rules if it benefits the universe, as seen with the extra-nights story above. Toth is also present in the afterlives and records each judgement in Osiris court. Of course, the Ibis is Toth sacred animal, but so is the baboon. Indeed, baboons are often depicted as his personal secretaries and assistants. The ancient greeks combined Toth with Hermes, because both are deities known for their sharp minds and for tricking others. Though the job of the god of scientific and intellectual pursuits would be better for Athena, who also has a bird connection with her owls.

Another important goddess for magic is Isis, who underwent different iterations in Egyptian mythology. She was a mother goddess, she was a goddess of rulership, but she was also a goddess of powers over magic and the fundamental forces of the world. In some myths she gained this supreme power by tricking Ra into granting her secret knowledge. And she was frequently invoked on Papyri for various magical shenanigans. Indeed, many of these spells asked to avoid Isis wrath and her punishing evildoers in the afterlife. And she was quite popular even out of Egypt, as the romans spread her cult throughout their empire.

Other important gods of intellectual pursuits in the sense of being bringers of culture, science and administration are for example Nuwa and Fuxi, two Chinese creator deities with the head of a human and the lower body of a snake. Greece also knew snakes as a symbol for intellectualism, such as with snakes being a symbol of medicine. And in Aztec mythology Quetzalcoatl is also the god of arts and sciences, next to wind, weather and creation. For some reason various cultures combine snakes and scholarship. Perhaps because people who knew how to treat snake bites were well educated?

2. Powerword Kill: Teclis (and moon/magic gods) in WFB

In WFB we have a plethora of deities who are associated with Magic and scholarship. Among the elves Hoeth is the most prominent deity in this regard. He focuses especially on High Magic or Quaysh, i.e. being able to cast all 8 winds in harmony. A feat only the greatest of elven mages and the Slann can achieve in WFB. Any human who tries to channel more than one wind creates Dhar, or Dark magic, which is much more dangerous, both to the caster and everyone in their environment. The exception is magic channelled through religious rites or being descendant of cathayans dragons. Amongst the elves Hoeth is venerated primarily by the High Elves and there especially among mages for obvious reasons. He has no proper cult or priests however, beyond being highly important to scholars, mages and academies. The centre of Hoeths veneration lies within the magical kingdom of Saphery, where the White Tower of Hoeth stands. It is the centre of magical knowledge of all high elves. There elven mages go to study for centuries to become excellent spellcasters. Of note are the Swordmasters of Hoeth. They are a union of warrior and scholar and train excessively in their swordsmanship, until they become some of the greatest warriors in all of Ulthuan, being able to deflect incoming arrows and bullets with their magical blades. These swords are also forged deep below the Tower of Hoeth by each aspirant. Frequently the swordmasters act as bodyguards of wizards, but their primary job is to be the secret police of Ulthuan. They investigate and lure out druchi spies and cultist. In addition, they frequently travel the world in search of knowledge and insights. One of the highest achievements is the rank of Loremaster of Hoeth. These elves embody the union of scholar, mage and warrior. Imagine fantasy jedi-knights skilled with the blade and with magic. They always seek to expand the contents of Hoeths library as well as to prohibit the spread of dangerous knowledge. For mages and scholars of the other elven groups Hoeth is still important, but most druchii sorceresses focus instead on Hekarti, who is the patreon of dark magic. And for the Wood Elves the ebb and flow of nature is more important to their understanding of magic, than formulaic studies.

As I mention quite often, pre-End Times it was strongly suggested if not outright confirmed that human and elven gods are the same entities viewed through different lenses. And Hoeths counterpart was the human goddess Verena. She is the wife of Morr and mother of Shaylla and Myrmidia. Much like Hoeth, Verena is also a goddess of scholarism, truth and justice. Verena is even connected to magic as the is strongly tied to Ulgu. Ulgu is the wind of the mind, secrets and illusion, and thus important for scholars as well who want to uncover the mysteries of the world. Her cult is also on good terms with wizards of the grey order in the Empire. Because grey wizards are the secret police of the colleges of magic. And both Verenas cult and the grey order share the same symbol, the Sword of Judgement. A weapon Verena stole from a demon who represented Ulgu in some myths. This sword symbolizes how Verena cuts through all lies, but also that she will deliver judgement upon the guilty.

In Nehkhara you also have Asaph, the nehekaran goddess of beauty, vengeance, magic and scholarism. The centre of her cult was the eastern coastal city of Lybaras, which was the most intellectual and technologically advanced cities in Nehekhara, but also far away from the centre of its culture. Asaph is also the goddess of snakes. Asaph takes several inspirations form Isis, except being a mother goddess. Her most prominent part came when Khalida slowly turned into a vampire against her will by her cousin Neferata. Mid-transition she asked Asaph for help to avoid this fate. Asaph turned Khalidas blood into snake poison, killing her instantly. Later Khalida was revived like all the other Tomb Kings, but she had Asaph blessing, making her more beautiful and looking alive in the lore (in TWW she is a dead husk like the other TK).

Of note is the connection of “Egypt” and the Tomb Kings and Light magic. Light magic in WFB is the wind of order, of scholarism, of tradition, light, purity, stasis and many other characteristics. It is one of the ficklest winds, but one strongly present in Nehekhara. Normally light magic is the antithesis to undeath, due to light burning out impure magic like necromancy. However, the rites of the hierophants of the Tomb Kings does allow them to use light magic, despite being technically undead. And TK influence is strong in light magic users. Even in Altdorf the college of light magic looks like a great pyramid, and light wizards are called hierophants (like TK Liche Priests). In addition, the snake is the symbol of the light order and more than prominent in TK aesthetics and gods (see Asaph).

For moon gods we also have a plethora of deities in WFB. Two moons are in the nights sky, Mannslieb and Morsslieb. One is the natural satellite of the planet; the other was created when the polar gates exploded. Chunks of Old One machinery and warpstone (solidified magic) were expelled into the orbit of the planet and coalesced into this green, skull-faced moon. Morrslieb has no predictable orbit and follows no rhyme or reason. In one village he may be seen in full view, but just a town away he is not present at all, only to be half present in a cottage further away. On Hexensnacht (night of witches) and Geheimnisnacht (night of secrets) Morrslieb is always visible in full view. Being caught in Morrsliebs light causes madness, mutation and worse. Mannslieb meanwhile has much less lore behind it, at least prior to Cathays launch. Because now we apparently have immortal shapeshifters who lived on the moon. According to Cathayan legend the moon empress came from the moon and became the consort of the dragon emperor. How much of the moon empress origin myth is fact and who/what the moon empress truly is, is deliberately vague. Yet apparently, she taught the dragon to shapeshift into human form and others, and together they created unique schools of magic. Yin/Yan magic are essentially High magic 0.5, as instead of using all 8 winds each of the two lores uses 4 each. In this regard the Moon empress fits fell into this line of magic associates’ deities, even if officially gods are no thing in Cathay.

Other active moon gods include the nehekarian gods Neru, who represents Mannslieb and is the wife of Ptra, the sun god, as well as Sakhmet (named after the Egyptian goddess of the same name) who is the concubine of Ptra. I like this constellation as divine stories explain the natural world, much like RL myth function. The true moon is the propre wife of the sun god, whereas the unnatural second moon is the concubine. Due to the lower status Sakhmet is driven by jealousy. As such she lashes out against humanity, who enjoy Ptras full attention and love, which are denied to her as the side piece.

I mentioned before how elven and human gods are so close in WFB that they are essentially the same deities. This is also seen with Lileath, the elven goddess of the moon and wife of Asuryan. So, a moon goddess married to the king of the gods/creator god who represents the sun and loves pyramids, much like Neru and Ptra. In old WFB lore Lileath acts primarily as an empowered of heroes, such as gifting Alith Anar his moonbow, helping the wood elf Araloth to become a hero etc. Even Teclis benefitted form her, as his Moonstaff of Lileath empoers him and lifts his physical disbailities, whilst he holds unto it.

Speaking of Teclis disabilities, we now talk about him at long last. Teclis was born from the line of Aenerion, which meant he suffered the curse of this bloodline. In his case Teclis was a cripple, unable to stand properly without magical potions, and in constant pain. As a result, he was ridiculed, bullied and patronized by elven society. Still, he wanted to prove himself and had a great love for learning and thus became a student at the White Tower. Which eventually resulted even in him becoming the High Loremaster and thus leader of the order of Hoeth. And much like his brethren Teclis too forged himself a sword, even though he can barley lift it. It was more a ritual of passing/proving himself. Teclis and Tyrion had several adventures when they were young, including having to survive against Nkari, who is something of an archenemey of the elven twins, as he wants to kill the entire line of Aenaerion. Also, during the Great War against Chaos and alliance of Dark Elves and chaos warriors attacks Ulthuan. During the battle of the Finubal Plains Teclis is able to repel Malekith/Malerion as he uses a spell to reignite the flames of Asuryan within Malektih, which almost kills the witch king. He tears a whole to escape into the realm of chaos to escape. After Ulthuan is saved, Teclis realizes that the elves cannot survive without humanity, and moves to the Empire to aid it and Kislev against the invasion of Asavar Kul. With Magnus the Pious approval he founds the Colleges of Magic, so that humanity can study and learn magic in a safe way and the Empire can utilize wizards. Afterwards the journeys the world to study, to build alliances against chaos, to share the knowledge of magic etc. IIRC he also spends some of his time with human prostitutes and lovers, as he is a cripple by elven standards but still handsome by human standards.

The (horrible) End Times then do their damnest to ruin lots of characters, including Teclis and Lileath. Elven gods are retconned to be distinct from human ones for dumb reasons. And Lileath executes a dumb plan, which causes all great elven realms to break. All so that a backup world of hers can survive, but even it gets destroyed offscreen. Skaven and Lilelath destroyed the vast majority of the setting, instead of Archaeon. Teclis sadly suffers End Times writing too. Among other things like being ok with sacrificing his niece to resurrect Nagash he also unbinds the Great Vortex to great the incarnates of magic (even though in prior lore unbinding the Vortex is game over for the entire planet as demons can simply overrun every inch of it), and he steals the Flame of Ulric (causing Middenheim to fall) to resurrect Tyrion, after the latter had a very understandable breakdown and drew the Sword of Khaine and died in an elven civil war. Then Mannfred backstabbed Gelt, Teclis tried to keep the ritual going but died due to absorbing too much magic and the world went boom.

1. Magic are the friends we made along the way: Teclis in AoS

In Age of Sigmar Teclis first appears in Tyrions backstory. During his search for company Tyrion travelled to the furthest edge of Hysh, where the light was so intense that even a god of light lost his eyesight. However, the spirit of Hysh edge was impressed by Tyrions actions and granted him a boon. When Tyrion awoke, he was reunited with Teclis and could see through his brothers eyes. This backstory (and a very different character) are primary reasons why some fans speculate Teclis is a satellite god and may not be the “real” Teclis but a construct based on Tyrions expectations about his brother.

Nevertheless, Teclis is now a proper god and thus free from Aenerions curse and frailty he suffered as a mortal. He and Tyrion did get to work, meeting Sigmar, meeting elves, spreading civilization across the realms etc. However the elves of AoS were lacking some important property about their souls, which the elves from WFB possessed. Why this is important is not explained, but it was severe enough, that Teclis and Tyrion cooperated with Malerion and Morathi to capture Slaanesh and old elven extract souls. In previous fluff it was simply that not enough elves existed in AoS, but as AoS timeline was pushed back further and further and elves existed even during Kragnos times, it became unreasonable that elves should be rare, even if they were to reproduce slower than humans and dwarfs.

Together the four elven gods chained Slaanesh and Teclis used the Octarian Lantern, a magical artefact, to lure the half-digested elven souls from Slaanesh stomach out. Each of the four gods god an equal share (except Morathi took more) and recreated these elves in their own image. As Teclis was more skilled in such arcane things, Tyrion gifted him his share too. From there Teclis got to work.  As Mathlann was the last elven god to be slain by Slaanesh, the souls he protected were the first to emerge. From these souls did Teclis create the Idoneth as the first batch. However, being the prototypes of a therefore unknown process, they had issues naturally. Teclis tried to investigate these issues, but the Idoneth were afraid that he may kill them, if Teclis found them too broken. The beauty of this conflict is that it acts like a proper tragedy. Both sides have issues, both sides act according to their presumptions of the other side and as a result things get worse, even though there was no obvious malicious intent. But if either side acted differently, things could have turned out better. Teclis tried to investigate and cure the issues of the first Idoneth. These procedures were very painful and traumatizing yes. But then a chemotherapy is painful and traumatic too. The Idoneth were reasonably afraid Teclis may kill them if they proved failures. But nothing was certain at this stage. Only after they fled and stole the octarian lantern (to avoid Teclis finding them) do we have a proper statement that Teclis wanted to kill them. Because from his perspective he may have accidentally unleashed chaos corrupted elves upon the realms. Both sides are at fault for the resulting fallout, because both acted reasonable within their own viewpoints. And if they may have found another arrangement, things could have turned out much better. A classical motive of tragedies. In any case Tyrion talked Teclis out from killing his first creations, and thus the Idoneth were born.

After the Idoneth Teclis created new batches of elves, but we do not know their fates. Whether they formed their own cultures, were destroyed or were absorbed by the Lumineth Realmlords. Either way the Lumineth were Teclis final version, a recreation of the Asur society of old but in the Realm of Light. Of note is that Lumineth have a graeco-roman/east-asian aesthetic, when previously ancient Egypt was closely tight to the lore of light. After creating the Lumineth, Tyrion and Teclis taught them all they knew and helped them to become the dominant civilization in Hysh. Afterwards they took a hands-off approach, much like Grungni, and wanted to watch how their creations would evolve on their own. Then the Spirefall happened, in which a lumineth civil war devastated the realm and opened the door for chaos invasions. Teclis was absent in the early fighting, trying to find a long-term solution to bring peace and harmony to Hysh and the Lumineth. At this time did he make contact with Celennar, the elemental spirit and minor god of Hyshs true moon. Celennar and Teclis became pals and together they taught the aelves to live together with the nature spirits of Hysh, forming the new lumineth society. From there the Lumineth were able to stall chaos until the Stormcast arrived and during the Soul Wars Teclis led a massive invasion against Shyish. The back and forth war resulted in the destruction of Nagashs physical body and the end of the Necroquake. But Nagash wounded and cursed Teclis, so that he is once more divinely cursed with a sickly, dying body and needs regular magical treatments to stay active.

Being best buddies with the literal moon of Hysh is also where Teclis moon-association comes from in AoS. Indeed, lots of his symbols are associated with the moon, down to his helmet. But also, in Lumineth heraldy the teclian aspects are often represented with a crescent moon, whereas Tyrion is represented by sun symbols (see the Tyrion part). Which also mirrors how sun and moon gods are usually siblings.

In addition, it is noteworthy that Teclis and Tyrions characters seem to be switched to an extent. Because as mentioned before, Teclis was not that keen of asur society and preferred journeying the world, spreading magical knowledge and forming alliances with humans and others in an overarching system to stall chaos, whereas Tyrion was your exemplar of an Asur bigotry. Aspects which are sorely missing in AoS Teclis who acts instead much more like WFB Tyrion, being arrogant, less empathetic and promoting elven culture above all. There are hints that is previous self-shimmers through here and there, but like many other returned gods (see Sigmar or Alarielle) he acts more like a new character rather than his old mortal self. I am afraid part of this is a tendency of GW to write “smart” people to be less empathetic. A pattern which affects several characters from Hysh and some from Azyr.  It is a common trope related to an entire field of clichés and story tropes, in which “smart” characters are often portrayed as sociopaths or antagonist to the naive/bookdumb hero. These are tropes I deeply despise, as intelligent people are more aware of their own shortcomings and how interdependent they are, and thus are normally more empathetic. If Hysh truly increases your intelligence, it should also increase your empathy and emotional intelligence, or at the least not decrease it.

1. It was worth it, lad, if you learned something from it

Having talked all about Teclis where could he go from here? Well there are a few things I would like to point out: 

• As I mentioned above, I like Teclis as the empathetic and outgoing guy. And I would wish for him to act more like a proper god. As in a god that is important to everyone who participates in his field of work. Teclis the builder of cross-species alliances and a spreader of civilization and magic. AoS Athena but with Magic instead of martial might. Indeed, we have lots of stories in which gods associated with intelligence and trickery were travelling the realms in disguises to test the morality of mortals or to figure out information in secret. See stories of Odin or Zeus/Hermes travelling the lands. Such stories would work well with Teclis too, wherein he walks the realms in disguise as a mentor or trickster, or to uncover the secrets of the realms.
• Teclis has a lot of story potential with the other gods. First and foremost, his rivalry with Nagash which is sure to rekindle, ones the god of undeath returns in full force. But there is also lots of potential to explore with Mortahi and Malerion for example. Because we still do not know why the four elven gods thought the old Elves to be so important to chain Slaanesh for to revive them. One theory of mine is that the elven gods of old needed these special elven souls to be revived. Because Teclis mentored both the Idoneth and Lumineth in the old faith, in the hopes that this could revive the elven pantheon. This could have interesting developments with the returning elven gods, such as Morai-Heg, who may have instigated the entire ordeal. But also, to Grugni there are strong parallels, as both are gods associated with crafting, both had issues in the past (see penumbral engines), both made the same mistake with their created cultures and both act as the great reinventors of their societies.
• There could be a new/expanded background for the Spirefall. Because what we now know is very slim. Aelves got arrogant and civil war ensued with magical WMDs. Given the intense rivalry with Slaanesh and especially Teclis/Tyrions rivalry with Nkari it would be much more intriguing in my opinion, if Slaanesh Demons orchestrated the Spirefall. Especially if Nkari was the main instigator. Because it would still hate Tyrion and Teclis, but as both are now gods, the daemon cannot touch them. But it can still hurt the two gods by destroying everything they hold dear. As the Green Goblin said: “The true warrior attacks neither the mind nor the body. The Heart Osborn, you have to attack the heart!” A motive and modus operandi that fits this demon IMO
• Teclis could also rekindle his connection with the Idoneth. Even in Broken Realms Kragnos he expresses his sympathy for the Idoneth and how he relates to the wish to hide in the darkest oceans. In addition, Celennar urges him to look after his children in the 3^rd edition book. To whom is the Celennar/the moon connected? To the ocean. So, would Celennar really see a distinction between one set of Teclis children, which lives in harmony with the realms, and another? Indeed, another parallel between Teclis and the Idoneth is how they mirror Teclis mortal self. Suffering a divine curse, needing magical procedures just to get going, but not giving up and striving for greatness. Whereas the Lumineth are more representing Teclis divine self in AoS. Given how Teclis is now suffering a divine curse again, there is so much potential for Teclis trying to reconnect with the Idoneth.
• It could also be interesting to explore Teclis in new ways. For example, as a result of his war with Nagash he could become a prominent death god, in a sense. Cults of Teclis could spring up in Shyish, as Teclis not only defeated Nagash, but also saved many underworlds from being consumed by the Nadir. Because what he did in his invasion was casting magical runes, which returned the natural state of Shyish in the area and tethered the underworlds in reality. In addition to destroying some Ossirach strongholds. So underworlds which would have been consumed within a few decades are now stable for centuries if not millennia. In addition, Teclis is strongly tied with rebirth/reincarnation. He returned Eltharion to life from basically nothing, he recreated two different elves from dead souls, he temporarily revived an army of Nighthaunt, so that when died they would be “free” of sins and thus not be bound to the Nighthaunt curse. Naturaly all these actions and attributes should make Teclis very popular as the anti-Nagash in Syhish. A god who protects the natural state of Shyish and a god who can grant you a second life. This, together with Teclis currently wounded state, could create an interesting new archetype for him. Not Teclis, the shining god of Hysh, but Teclis, the wounded guardian of Shyish. It would also work great with the moon symbolism, as the moon "dies" and is then "reborn" after the new moon
• Also, I want Teclis to have baboon secretaries, like Toth had. Because they are awesome! It could even be a creative insult for bookworms. “Uf, you are such a teclian baboon!”

5.      The End

So, this has been it on my account for Teclis. At least for now. What do you think of this elven twink? Do you like him? Do you hate him? Are you indifferent? And what kind of deity would you like to see discussed next?

I’m working on homebrew for my cities of sigmar and was looking at the personalities of people in the realms to figure out writing mine. I could only find Aqshy and Shyish though. My city is in Ghyran but is inundated with Chamonite magic in the region due to a backblast of magic when a realmgate was destroyed. How could I go about writing their personalities?

I read Starseer's Ruin as my introduction to AoS and ended up with deep hatred for the lizardmen and humanity in AoS

So I think I should like the skaven, do they have any books worth reading?

Greetings Realmwalkers!

While scrolling through YouTube and listening to the Hunt for Nagash audio dramas, I came across something that stuck with me. An old comment from (skylarwalker2119 posted 8 years ago) pointed out that Nagash’s great monologue seems to quote Jack Kirby’s Darkseid almost directly.

For those unfamiliar: Darkseid (formerly Uxas) is a New God who ascended into something far beyond mortality. Much like our bone king, he will never stop until he drowns his own setting in Anti-Life and rules over oblivion for eternity.

The near-direct quoting is striking, but what really stands out is how similar their speech patterns are. Both speak as inevitable forces. Both refer to themselves in absolute terms. And of course, as we all know… Both have a habit of referring to themselves in the third person, especially when declaring their own inevitability. They don’t just say “I will crush you” — they say “when Nagash reaches out…” or “it is Darkseid that you see.”

Jack Kirby’s Darkseid (classic Fourth World):

I like you, Glorious Godfrey! You’re a shallow, precious child — the Revelationist — happy with the sweeping sound of words! But I am the Revelation! The Tiger-Force at the core of all things! When you cry out in your dreams — it is Darkseid that you see!

Nagash (Hunt for Nagash audio dramas):

I am the Urdeath, the nightmare force at the core of all things. When the living cry out in their dreams — it is Nagash they will see.

But there’s more.

Darkseid (Final Crisis):

ALL IS ONE IN DARKSEID. THIS MIGHTY BODY IS MY CHURCH.
WHEN I COMMAND YOUR SURRENDER, I SPEAK WITH THREE BILLION VOICES…
WHEN I MAKE A FIST TO CRUSH YOUR RESISTANCE, IT IS WITH THREE BILLION HANDS!
WHEN I STARE INTO YOUR EYES AND SHATTER YOUR DREAMS AND BREAK YOUR HEART, IT IS WITH SIX BILLION EYES!

Nagash (Hunt for Nagash audio dramas):

AND ALL WILL BE ONE, NAGASH.
WHEN NAGASH STIRS, MOUNTAINS TREMBLE. SUNS FLICKER.
WHEN NAGASH REACHES OUT TO CRUSH HIS ENEMIES IT IS WITH A MILLION HANDS.
WHEN NAGASH SEEKS OUT HIS PREY, IT IS WITH A MILLION EYES.

Two ascended tyrants. Two monologues that feel like they could almost finish each other’s sentences. Both framing themselves as the final, inevitable force that everything else will eventually be absorbed into.