This week we look back at two of the best loved heroes from the worlds of Warhammer – the mighty Gotrek Gurnisson and his noble accomplice, Felix Jaeger
Not every Warhammer miniature is a nameless warrior destined to die in an endless war grinding across the stars. Many are enlisted into the immortal legions of the undead, some become legendary heroes whose tales are told throughout time, while others are just ordinary people who end up in the wrong place at the right time, over and over again.
If any heroes were ever in the latter category – it’s the legendary Gotrek and his eternally put-upon companion Felix.
This dynamic duo debuted in the story Geheimnisnacht by William King – featured in the 1989 anthology Ignorant Armies – and went on to inspire and star in a long-running novel series that has pitted them against unimaginable horrors, terrifying tyrants, and lots and lots and LOTS of goblins
Small, angry, and possibly imbued with the power of a god, Gotrek is considered by some as the greatest Slayer ever to have lived.* Armed with the magical Axe of Runemasters, he seeks a worthy death to right an ancient wrong, and at the hands of the mightiest opponents he can find! All Gotrek wants is an honourable death to atone for his sins, but he’s simply too hard to die.
Even today, in the Age of Sigmar, he’s still hoping to achieve his own demise – despite being so tough he somehow survived the end of the world.
The noble Felix, on the other hand, is a simple everyman who’s along for the ride after pledging an oath to record Gotrek’s death in an epic tale. Felix was a conflicted hero, while a bit of a romantic who lusted for adventure, he also spent much of his time struggling to reconcile this with a desire for a quiet life away from danger.**
In the Age of Sigmar, Fyreslayers take up the mantle of the Slayers , a society of axe-wielding, gold-grabbing duardin who embody the classic Slayer aesthetic.
And though Felix didn’t survive the demise of the World-that-Was,*** Gotrek now has new companions to call upon in the Mortal Realms to take part in his doom-seeking adventures.
Next Wednesday, we’ll be taking another look at Warhammer’s glorious history – until then share your memories of your favourite Gotrek and Felix hijinks on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
* His failure to die yet coincidentally makes him one of the worst.
** Ambitious, considering Gotrek is a magnet for trouble.
*** Not that Gotrek has stopped looking…