The Warriors of Chaos are the latest faction to enter Warhammer: The Old World. These implacable, ironclad barbarians have been absent from the affairs of Man, Elf, and Dwarf for a few centuries, the machinations of their dark patrons thwarted for the time being. But as the Empire of Man falls to infighting and civil war, a power vacuum emerges… into which black-armoured boots will tread once more. Once again, Warhammer Community has journeyed into the Chaos Wastes to seek the wisdom of the Old World seers, JTY and Danny,* and find out what the followers of the Ruinous Powers have been up to since Be’lakor made his ill-starred bid for power in Mordheim.
JTY: Chaos in the Old World is not like it is in the Mortal Realms or the 41st Millennium. We’re focusing on Chaos Undivided rather than on the followers of specific gods. The four distinct powers you see in Warhammer Age of Sigmar are indicative of Chaos Victorious – whereas Undivided is in a sense more ‘chaotic’. It harks back to the proto-Chaos of old Warhammer, before the individual gods started appearing. The voices of the individual gods are less clear during this time. They don’t have their own devoted followers, and their daemons aren’t abroad. Instead, we’re dealing with the writhing mass of Chaos Undivided.
Chaos is definitely weaker during this time period, but it’s building up towards a time in which it becomes strong. We’ve compared this time period in the past to the Horus Heresy – what Horus and Erebus really achieved was to reintroduce Chaos into the galaxy after the Emperor had all but wiped it out. The same thing hasn’t quite happened in the Old World, but the 11th Everchosen didn’t get to ascend to his position because he had been possessed by Be’lakor. That single event derailed the Great Game of the gods for centuries, weakening their grasp on the world.
Danny: The gods have been biding their time. What’s a few hundred years in the lifespan of such a being? It’s only the actions of Asavar Kul, the 12th Everchosen, which then put the game plan back on track. Because his predecessor, Khaardun the Gloried, was not allowed to do what he needed to do, it left a gap. During that time, the enemies of Chaos fought back, leading to a lull. That lost power is now creeping back into the world.
JTY: The shadow of Chaos had receded across the world, but the threat is looming once more, and warbands are on the march. The northern marauders still raid, but they are barbaric warriors whose gods do not necessarily have their names spoken loudly. We’ve brought back references to the totemic animals such as the Carrion Crow and the Great Eagle. That speaks to a deeper understanding of Chaos that the shamans and sorcerers might have, but which regular tribesmen lack. It wouldn’t be acknowledged head-on that a certain tribe is worshipping Khorne, for instance.
The business of Chaos has continued, of course. There are still champions doing battle at the top of the world, there are still warbands that roam the Chaos Wastes and tribes in the Shadowlands. There’s enough going on to keep the gods busy, and now there are whispers slowly drifting down from the north of this great chieftain…
There’s something very threatening about the idea of an Everchosen – a mighty champion, chosen by the Dark Gods for some unknown purpose – leading black-armoured Chaos Warriors and hordes of Marauders. They only come along every couple of centuries. Each one has a particular role to fulfil – we don’t know what Khaadron would have done, and we don’t know what most of the 10 before him did. Asavar Kul is significant, because he sets the stage for Archaon, who was always going to be the one to destroy the world.
There are a lot of deep, dark secrets about what Kul gets up to, which we won’t talk about publically. At present he’s a figure in the background, a name on the wind. He hasn’t – yet – in the 2270s become a threat to the known world, but he is a powerful warlord in the north.
Danny: He’s still gathering his forces and adventuring around the Wastes, doing his thing and earning his blessings.
JTY: Before him you’ll get the rise of his lieutenants in different parts of the world, and before that you get the rise of their lieutenants, which is where we start with this Arcane Journal, and with Frydaal the Chainmaker, one of the two characters in the book.
Danny: Frydaal is featured in the narrative, and she is joined by a returning character, Galrauch the Great Drake. He’s perhaps the first great dragon to fall to Chaos, turned in a battle alongside the High Elves many years ago.
There are other Chaos champions you might recognise in operation in this time period too. Arbaal the Undefeated is known to have been involved in the Siege of Praag, for instance. You have all of Kul’s lieutenants too – Engra Deathsword, Sven the Bloody-Handed, and others.
JTY: Valnir the Reaper is alive at this time, and so is Scyla Anfingrimm – he becomes a spawn right before the siege, but he’s still a Norse warlord fighting in the background during our period. This doesn’t mean we’re going to focus on any of these characters, of course, but they are there in the world – and we have the option to bring them into our narrative.
Danny: As time progresses there may be the opportunity to encounter named characters you’ll recognise from the World of Legend. For now, the spotlight is on Frydaal and what she’s doing north of the Empire.
Thanks guys! The Old World Almanack will return on Thursday with a closer look at what’s in the pages of Arcane Journal: Warriors of Chaos.
* One tells only the truth, the other only speaks lies, etc…