Sigmar’s personal huntress soared into her first full-length novel with a shining special edition entitled Yndastra: The Celestial Spear. Her adventures in Ghur are now available in a regular hardback release, so to celebrate we caught up with author Noah Van Nguyen for some questions.
Warhammer Community: What makes Yndrasta such a compelling character?
Noah: Her power and purpose. Yndrasta’s doing exactly what she wants to be doing, she’s incredibly good at it, and she really has no reason to change things up. As a character, you might even say she's reached her final evolution: Yndrasta is a demi-goddess who has no qualms, no doubts, no fear.
Reading about how the Celestial Spear deals with the obstacles before her is a very different experience from observing how other Stormcast deal with challenges. And then, as with all Stormcast, it’s very interesting to see the intersections between Yndrasta’s ascension, her immortality, and her identity as a huntress.
WarCom: What was it like going from a character who fights against Sigmar in Godeater’s Son to one unswervingly loyal to him in Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear?
Noah: So fun. Sigmar’s legend is vast, and his deeds speak of a very complex but human personality, so it’s quite fun to imagine all the reasons why folks might be loyal to him or hate him. The real challenge going from Heldanarr to Yndrasta was getting into her headspace, as readers of Godeater’s Son will know that Held’s experiences have made him quite resentful.
Ultimately, Yndrasta’s personality and her feelings for Sigmar naturally unfolded from her power and agency, which are so much higher than Heldanarr Fall’s.
WarCom: Without spoilers, are there any moments in the story that you particularly enjoyed writing?
Noah: In a few scenes, Yndrasta puzzles out the meaning of human behaviour — I absolutely loved writing those parts. Yndrasta’s fight scenes also brought me great joy. Why? Let’s just say Yndrasta is so powerful that she often punches down...
WarCom: What elements draw you to the Mortal Realms and make it such a good place for storytelling?
Noah: The Mortal Realms are so strange! That makes them uniquely well-suited for strange fantasy stories. Basically, I think the Mortal Realms allow me to do the mind-blowing things I love seeing in certain science fiction stories (time hijinks, for example, or the kind of mysterious/eldritch beings that defy understanding) — but in a fantasy story. The Mortal Realms are just fantastic for that.
WarCom: Do you have a favourite among the many novels and short stories you’ve written from the worlds of Warhammer?
Noah: Definitely my novella for the Harrowdeep anthology Nadir. Since writing that, I’ve tried to branch out with my style and develop my technique, but I think Nadir best encapsulates the kind of Warhammer stories I love reading and want to bring to Age of Sigmar fans. Tons of internal meaning, rich worldbuilding, and action – hopefully the same kind of stuff I’ve delivered in my novels.
WarCom: If you were being hunted by Yndrasta, who would you want defending you? Would they stand a chance?
Noah: Certainly not Held Fall, who would probably use my death as a distraction to sack a Sigmarite city. Kragnos versus Yndrasta would be a nice match-up, even if Kragnos probably wouldn’t care too much about protecting me. And honestly, he would probably not stand a chance!
Actually, if I’m strictly focused on surviving, it might make sense to get a bunch of puny grots or skaven to protect me, then disguise myself as one of them. I have a suspicion that Yndrasta would not be eager to waste her time on small pickings — imagine a big-game hunter breaking out the elephant gun for a pack of mice. So the best way to survive a hunt by Yndrasta might be making yourself the most disappointing quarry possible.
Thanks Noah! Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear is available to order now, and you can catch more of Noah’s works in Godeater’s Son and multiple exciting anthologies on the Black Library webstore.