Tell me your favourite lore moments or things in general about Age of Sigmar.

I thoroughly enjoyed Malus Darkblade: A Daemon’s Curse and will definitely try out Hollow King too. (I think these come under AoS). I also love the idea of the dark vampire counts like the Von Carsteins and what not in Warhammer. Such a cool mystique about these royal vampires.

Did it also give any of y'all a greater context for why Nagash hates Sigmar and his Stormcast so much? If even the tiniest sliver of his being is out there and personally waiting for souls at death, then it explains why his pride is so wounded when a mortal hero is reforged as a Stormcast. His soul tallies aren't just coming up short. He's witnessing Sigmar's theft of what he believes is owed to him in real time, every time. Earlier sources do mention Nagash notice souls disappear in a flash of light but, as far as I know, this is the first fime we've actually seen it ourselves? For myself this was one of the crowing points of a trailer filled with so many breathtaking scenes.

Considering the rise of the Horned Rat in this edition, as well as the rise of Hassut and the Chaos Duardin, it seems possible that in the future we will have two Chaos Gods with relevant names in the history of Age of Sigmar with their respective factions.

What do you think about this? Does it seem likely or am I wrong? Also, the reason I think we'll end up with eight Chaos Gods is that it's the number of points on the star that symbolizes Chaos.

As far as i am aware the God-King never even tried to keep this a secret.

Helloooo, realmwalkers, how are you doing?

I have come to bring to you what I promised in the khorne and idoneth battletome... Reviews? Eh ah well, my dearest death army. And my second favorite in all of age of Sigmar. I'll be coming at this like I did the Idoneth, with the experience of someone who's been with them since second edition and can thus look at how they've evolved over the years, rather than as a fresh face to be stained in gore.

First what do I think of the battletome? It's honestly really good. Not the best, I think 3e has more meat to it. But if you want to sell an army to someone by bobbing their head deep in flavour, you found your spot. The art was great and.. Oh the way they used the double page to be the change from Delusion to reality. Sheer artistry. I recommend this book for the art alone. It's great.

Anyway. Onto the highlights:

1. "To break from the Delusion kills": so imma get my biggest niggle with the lore of this edition away now. It is mentioned that there have been attempts by those in the know about the Delusion to cure ghouls of this ailing. Nullstone apparantly has the ability to ward its influence off, soulbinding is mentioned as a way to pull it off, and these and more have worked on occasion... Only to leave the former ghoul catatonic and then dead. Yeah so in previous editions, a ghoul who broke from their Delusion would not die. They were just likely to snap back into the Delusion just to escape the horrors of what they've done. I much prefer that option over this because while it adds to the tragedy of the ghouls, it's just less flavourful yknow? It shuts the door to potentially curing a ghoul permanently and takes away the horror of agreeing to forget your many sins. Ah well.

2. "Ode to the narrator Gormayne": so a big chunk of the book is written as if it's Grande Justice Gormayne's personal etchings in his brief moments of lucidity. I think this was an excellent decision. First off the last battletome was written sort of... With the arc of the narrator, who spoke much less, falling to the madness yknow? And now, while we're fully well and immersed, we get to watch from within. Gormayne speaks at length on his opinions of his fellow courtiers, he makes jokes, snide remarks. It's all very flavourful and we even learn a bit on our grand justice himself. Notably, we learn he's a full on Nagash worshipper. Last battletome sort of made him out to be a guy kind of staying at the edges, terrified of what might happen and sort of lashing out. And while we still have this, Gormayne still is not a "good man" in any sense. He reveres the undying king and takes some measure of reserved joy in sending his executioners to take enemies down. Also the way he high mindedly condemns Felgryn and quakes at having to wear his perrywig is hilarious.

3. "We know exactly where the Grand Courts are": so in previous editions the grand courts, by nature of being what the subfactions were based on, were vast sprawling empires. It was made rather clear that they've extended their hunting grounds across the Realms, to excuse you having Blisterskin ghouls in (say) Ulgu. And while that isn't wrong at this point, the hearts of the courts have shifted. For example, we know now the exact homelands of the Morgaunt Court in writing. Before we may have seen them in maps, but now we know the Morgaunts hail from Thystia in Shyish and that they, as a noble line with a long sea faring history, serve as smugglers for Ushoran alongside serving as noble knights in their own fiefs. We learn the Hollowmourne have come to serve as vanguard for Ushoran's Red Errantry, fighting in the plains of Verdia. The Blisterskin are in the isle of the ghouls, and the Gristlegore Court finds its perch on the Mangrel isle with the Avengori dynasty. I think this is really useful for helping give some grounding to these factions beside the Realms they're from, and I am quite, quite, fond of this elaboration/change.

4. "Animals can fall to the Delusion": so this is a sort of, not called out thing. Kinda casually tossed here where Felgryn tamed and commanded the falcon of an aelven warrioress, feeding it the skin of a man he just murdered and setting it on its old Mistress. Add into this the idea that nightshriekers may be tainted by the Delusion, and I think it gives a fair idea that yeah, beasts can fall to the Boon of Ushoran just like Mortals can. Which is, to put it mildly, terrifying. Personally this is also where I err for the nightshriekers. It's postulated that maybe they're not mad and are actually just enjoying the slaying and food that living with ghouls brings them, but I think it's better if they're infected as well.

5. "Yes, ghouls do eat animals": this has been a theory of mine to help make the flesh eaters make more sense. That yeah they do hunt animals and forage plants because otherwise they'd run out of Mortals to eat real quick. But yeah no in the Beastmasters section it's stated that the Royal beastflayers do eat the animals they hunt. They don't turn up their noses at this peasants grog, as it were. Which to me is all the proof you need that flesh eaters aren't just cannibals... Even if they mostly are still.

6. "There are non ghoul followers of Ushoran": so apparantly there are descendents in spirit and body, and those who never died, of those who swore allegiance to Ushoran before he was thrown into the Shroudcage... And they're still loyal. They still raise up shrines of bone and sinew to his majesty, receiving his messages in dreams and whispers. Which leads us into:

7. "Ghouls can corrupt via dreams": so this is a JUICY bone. Apparantly. At times. Communities near Ghoul courts will start receiving dreams. Visions. Causing some folk to watch the horizon longingly, beckoned somehow. Entire villages can dissapear in the night, called to join their dark brethren. This ties in nicely with the Ushoran book where one character turned out to have become a ghoul through being somewhat near ghouls (though admittedly she could've just been an abhorrant). But regardless, this is awesome. I love me some dream magic and the idea that people could willingly run off into the night to join the courts is dark and beautiful in a way.

8. "The courts recruit from chaos": So this was always implied and downright stated with our noble king hence the 8 points but it's made exceedingly clear here: chaos cults are not spared from ghoul Delusion. They are not withheld the mercy of a ghoul king. If a court can secret blood into a dark oath's water spring, they will. Thus taking on aegis over these poor souls. I really like this because it means chaos not only doesn't have monopoly over cognito hazards (thought hazard is used for the Delusion one time, its fun), but they do not guarantee safety from it. Which leads us to

9. "There is a spot for you here, Abraxia": someone already made a post about this, but ohohoh it's fun seeing Abraxia's story keep on like this. The ghouls know she almost fell to them. They know shes a wayward soul who needs to be liberated. And they're waiting for her to join them. If this ends up with, like, Abraxia fully converting in 6e or whatever I say the better for it. This kind of slow burn cooking is what makes warhammer such a great setting.

10. "Gormayne loathes Sekhar"': maybe this is older lore, I can't be sure, but our dear narrator has a grudge with the blade of Nulahmia. It's funny that he seems mad at Sekhar for daring to manipulate Ushoran.. Because Gormayne thinks that's HIS job. That HE should be guiding Sumeros into following Nagash' will. It's great.

11. "All may join the tilting yards" : ghouls are fully willing to let foreign warriors join their games and tourneys. Not a huge deal, but I like it. Shows they're good people... Deep inside.

12. "Only those with the Boon of Ushoran are true ghouls" : another smaller thing but the book mentions how yes, there are cannibal cultures, bands, Monsters, all across the mortal Realms. Those may be called ghouls by locals, may share some traits. But true ghouls, those we get models for and come to the table top, are all descendents of Ushoran in some way. Simple, but good to say.

13. "Summercourt is rotting": so this book gives us two accounts of what Summercourt is actually like down on the ground, which last edition didn't. Fields of wheat, great cattle herds, tribesmen in the mountains. You get it... But the truth is much darker. A spinal mountain, heaps of dead animals pillaried high, khornate cultists reaving the coasts. This actually builds on last editions where its explained how the necroquake twisted the afterlives of the ghouls into horrid charnel houses, and the fact Summercourt was no better makes sense and is kinda depressing. No rest for the wicked, yae...

14. "Treasures of Durenburg": We get a new court in chamon here. One nested in the court's own, ancient factory of magical items. Once it produced blades of sorcery by the dozen, now, its merely under siege. The natives of the Court are fighting clan Skryre who wish to seize the factory for their own, twisted means. I suppose we'll see how well that goes...

15. "This is not an hour of ruin for those of noble bearing" : Okay so this is one faction who didn't change in fortunes since the corebook. It stated the ghouls we FEASTING and the battletome keeps that going. It doesn't explicitly say the ghouls are unaffected by the hour of ruin in meaningful ways, but the distinct lack of tragedy caused by it and how Ushoran just wants to go out and save the victims of the Skaven is enough to give the idea. Everyone else is surviving, the ghouls are going to save them.

16. "Nagash hates.": so this is a point more in depiction wise. How the book makes it clear how much Nagash loathes the ghouls and that he has to make use of them. How he has no space for them in His designs. And how Ushoran, despite his feigned loyalties, knows too. But also, they mention how the creation of the Nadir wrought low countless courts in Shyish' inner lands, and I find that important because the book doesn't otherwise put a lot of time on timeline stuff. Ushoran has his story and afterward we're kind of, all in a perpetual now fittingly enough. But this mattered, this was sort of framed as a way of... Willful negligence on Nagash' part. Something he may have even delighted in, and if he didn't at least a ghoul could think he did.

17. "Nagash' blade was kept by a ghoul": a bit of a sad side story as apparantly after Nagash fell to Archaon, his sword of black steel was kept safe by a ghoul, who wished to return it to our great necromancer. At least if the stories are true. And if they are, then this poor wretch now resides somewhere in Nagashizzar, punished and cursed to forever maintain the ancient reliquaries of the undying king.

18. "cardinal was a name": a little fun side note as apparantly, like other Royal titles among the ghouls, Cardinal Spleenspew was a follower of Ushoran who fell long ago. In honour of him, the ghouls now keep it as a religious office. I think that's fun.

19. "Draconith attack Zombie Dragons on sight" : so turns out. Draconith do not like it if you resurrect the corpses of other draconic lines. We know zombie Dragons are not revenant Draconith now, and that even those gheists will attack zombie Dragons on sight because they see the beings as perverse insults to everything they stand for.

20. "Royarch": so uh... Back in the World-That-Was, Royarch was the title bestowed on the king of bretonnia. And it's explicitly listed as one title some ghoul kings may use to refer to themselves. Gotta love it when gw plays into the bit.

21. "Chalices are part of the Flesh Eater Blood Kiss": Okay so here we get some detail on how the blood kiss of Ushoran's line might work. That's always been a bit of a mystery, and as to why some who sup abhorrant blood become abhorrant and others merely empowered. But it's mentioned in a side bar that the chalice is a sacred symbol of Ushoran, and its possible a true blood kiss requires one to sup from an abhorrant's chalice rather than merely their blood from the veins.

22. "Ushoran knows individual vampires' affairs": so in a little short story Ushoran is visited by a Carstinian vampire who was sent to retrieve a magical tome for his true Mistress, Neferata. And Ushoran recognized the broach he wore as coming from one of the blood Queen's hand maidens and what the vampire visiting having it meant. Which he then used to basically go "when Manfred learns of your betrayal, you can always join me :)". Which is just... Terrifying. Mind you, that tome which was to be retrieved was being held aloft by one of Ushoran's courtiers which could've been a deliberate ploy showing he knew of the exact nature of the secret mission too. Yeah. The Lord of Masks ain't playing around.

23. "There is a court of treasenous flesh eaters": so apparantly somewhere during the age of chaos a ghoul monarch named the One Eyed King killed and ate Lord liverbelch and have ever since been recruiting abhorrants shunned by their courts. To what end... Who can say.

24. "Ushoran prepared a realm gate to New Summercourt": so... Uh... During the Age of Myth, after the shroudcage had been broken but not long before the age of chaos really starts some ghouls find a tapestry of Ushoran as his old beautiful self. And if Lunaghast's light shines on it it becomes a Realmgate straight for New Summercourt, the Ushoran on its cloth weeping while this is happening. So... Yeah that entire time our big U was imprisoned he had a Realmgate exit and was secretly getting ghouls to come to him via it, even if it was not known that there was where they were going. Ushoran may have deliberately engineered New Summercourt as his safe haven during the age of myth (its said Gargants would have to have built it. Fitting since ghyran is kinda their homeland) and THAT'S why he ended up there. He was preparing his treachery for a while I think.

25. "The ghouls write their own missives": Okay so this is fun for me specifically. We know flesh eaters can't read mortal scrawlings but there's multiple excerpts from writings done by ghouls, while they were ghouls showing that they can write legibly for one another.

And that's everything I could think of right now.

All with all, again this was a great battletome. So much flavour, so much joyous delight. And I gotta say I think this book even put more emphasis on the ghouls' culture than previous battletomes which were more concerned with their place in the Realms as a whole. So yeah, fully recommend

EDIT: FAMALAMADINDONG I FORGOT

1. USHORAN MAY BE DEALING WITH THE HELSMITHS. In one excerpt we know he speaks of ancient holds with names that aren't on record as he sends envoys to deal with duardin in Shyish. The Zhardron have their capital city from the World-That-Was in Shyish, and he would REMEMBER IT EXISTS. AAAAAAAA

Personally I’ve listened to both Cado Ezechiar: The Hollow King and Ushoran: Mortarch of Delusion.

Ushoran was good, the human chapters were rather engaging which is always good. Kosomir and his descent into madness was probably more enjoyable than Ushoran’s chapters. The ending was very satisfying, Kosomir living through the night as the Flesh Eaters and Ushoran partied and feasted in his court. He was the last to survive, laying on the main table dying, watching them all, who he’d denied the whole book. Convincing the city they’d purged them 😭

The Hollow King was VERY enjoyable. Seeing Cado’s powers; spraying blood in the air from his hand, saying his little spell on his tongue and the dead rise? Epic moment. In the last chapters when he solos the Lumineth and the Ossiarch Bonereapers with his dragon and the Corvus Corax style, flock of raven attack was sick. The epilogue sold me on book 2. Neferata summoning him home? Count me in.

Next to read: The Dead Kingdom and Neferata. (Sticking with the Mortarch of Blood for now as I kinda understand Cado and Neferata’s type of vampires)

What are your guys top AoS novels? As many as you wanna recommend, fire away.

Also feel free to tell me how to use that spoiler cover thing over the text lol

Warhammer Age of Sigmar is primarily a setting based around small plastic minitatures. And how these modells are designed and what is and isn't shown on these miniatures is as fundamental to the fluff and wider lore of AoS than books or lore excerpts. And quite often they do show their own lore or clarify it. It can even hint at upcoming stuff. And sometimes it contains stuff which begs for more clarification, but there is not much find on it.

To give three examples:

1. Reinforcing/clarifying lore: The army book for the Idoneth states that they blind and magicaly break very dangerous or aggressive sea beast. And this is shown within the modells. Dangerous animals, such as the electric eels, the sharks and the turtles, who could easily be to aggressive or too dangerous, have metalls accross their eyes. Meanwhile the smaller sea critters and the sea horse (which is mentioned to be tamed as a challenge by the king/queen) all have regular eyes and thus are tamed using less cruel methods. So by looking at the modells you easily see how each animal and monster is viewed and utilized by the Idoneth.
2. Hinting at future stuff: The Lumineth heraldy upon thier banners makes frequent use of both sun and moon symbolism, representing Teclis and Tyrion. However it also frequently shows a phoenix-like creature. Especially on the Vanari Bannerbearer we see the dualism of the Lumineth with Teclis moon symbol and Celennar on one side, and the sun and the pheonix-like creature on the other on. This, in addition with other fluff such as Tyrion being connected with the great spirit at Hyshs outer realm, could easily hint at Tyrion showing up with his own aelementor compangion. And that this compangion maybe more bird-like than the mammal-coded aelementors we have seen thus far. Unless it is a griffon of course, then it would be kinda mammal-coded again.
3. Stuff that needs clarification: The Killaboss on Vulture has a trophy rack on its shield. This includes a royal with a crown and a french-style bird. The head could come straight out of Bretonnia in WFB. Now the weird thing is, that such stereotypical portrayls of kings and nobility isn't present among the humans. Most CoS have a ruling council for example. Even knights are not noble warriors but specialist soldiers who recieved a further training. There are some human kingdoms surviving the age of chaos yes, but they are supposedly be very few and reduced and often more fantastical than your stereoptical kingdoms. So why has a generic killaboss such a rare head? Who was that guy and why does he look like what you may picture your fantasy medival king, when such figures are absent or very rare in AoS?

These are just three of my lore tidbits I like from the minituares themselves. But I would like to know, what lore hints and stuff on your miniature you enjoy. What scenes do you find comedic or enlightning or weird or simply good to have?

Edit: spelling/formatting

Of course, we are all excited for the reveal of the Chaos Duardin, with the Hellsmith reveal!

But something I noticed during the preview, was the question of to which Grand Alliance they belong to. With their Chaos corruption and daemon use, the Hellsmiths are firmly within the Chaos Grand Alliance.

However, this is not a clear-cut answer to the question of their loyalty. Via their Hobgrot servants, we know they do trade with various Destruction factions like the Krewlboyz. Likewise, they have a deep animosity towards their non-stony kin, the other duardin factions. Yet, a small throwaway line in the Preview was that they view themselves as upholders of Order; that they still hold themselves and their civilization as still in opposition to Chaos, and their kin as the traitors.

I think this offers a unique mindset for a Chaos faction, with the Hellsmiths having a warped sense of what "Order" is, focusing on the darker aspects thereof. Furthermore, we have seen with the other Duardin factions echoes of "not-quite-fully-on-board" with what Order is doing. From the Kharadron keeping to their Code above all other loyalties (in which other factions will view them as piratical and selfish), to Fyreslayers being willing to even work directly with Chaos, Death, or Destruction if it means they can get their hands on Ur-Gold. And now, I'm excited to see the flip to this: a Chaos faction that (potentially) tips towards Order. Or, at least not fully on board with what Chaos is doing.

What do y'all think, fellow Realmwalkers? (Sorry for stealing your saying Sage)

Edit for poor grammar and spelling (thanks mobile app)

“Sigmar Lied”

“Hope Cast Into Ruin”

I am honestly worried Age of Sigmar is going to go full Grimdark ala 40K. Let me preface this with that I am hoping Chaos, especially Skaven, gets some serious wins in 4E. I want the setting to be balanced and that means the Pantheon of Five Satans and their Favorite Child needs some wins too, that isn’t my concern. My concern is that the setting is going to get stripped of all hope and goodness. Sigmar being revealed to actually be a power hungry tyrant, any and all altruism is just false flags, no more true heroes making truly impactful actions in the setting, and Sigmar forbid grimderp making its dreaded return at large. I feel like this happening would be a terrible decision. Age of Sigmar to me and as I have found out, many others, should be about how the hope on the distant horizon is achievable, but we have to band together and brave through the many, many, evils of the world to get there. It will be long, and by Sigmar’s twin-tailed beard, it will be extraordinarily difficult, but it is possible.

What do you guys think? Am I just overly worried? Or is this a real possibility?

For me It's definitely 2 main things:

1. Khul's ascension, which I feel like could and even should be related at least somewhat to the Zharrdron by way of him getting some snazzy new war machines to his armies

2. The coming of the umbraneth, which I think have had as many if not more hints and teases about them as the Chorfs had in AoS's history.

And while I know it won't happen: THE RETURN OF THE BEASTS OF CHAOS AND THE BONESPLITTERZ BECAUSE THE LORE WE GOT WAS WAY TOO COOL

I recall somewhere amongst the Warhammer subreddits, someone suggested a pretty brilliant idea on how to diversify Chaos greatly with an eighth and final faction after the ruinous Skaven, the primal Beastmen, and the industrious Zharrdron. An area that Chaos has never really touched much on in previous iterations, treated as a passing mention in the lore.

And that is simply a Chaos deity and faction themed around the sea and the idea of nihilism along with emptiness and the lack of desire or greater meaning, how the sea simply... exists. And that is all there is to it.

A faction similar to the Ioneth Deepkin but you go even harder into the lovecraftian influences, even harder into the chaos and nothingness of the sea. The Deepkin, although it has some sea-horror influences, are a tragic faction clinging onto their hopes, dreams, and belief that they still have a future. They're honestly a very human faction if you think about it. Whereas the sea is endless opportunity for the Ioneth. What if you had a Chaos faction that was themed around the endless nothingness of the sea, the fear and embracement of your life surrendered to the vast open sea with nothing in sight. The sea does not care for desire like Slaanesh. Or warfare like Khorne. Or life and death like Nurgle. Or knowledge and treachery like Tzeentch. A chaos where there is no greater meaning to its existence. It is not good or evil. It is merely the sea, it simply... just exists.

There's a lot you can do with sea-themed demon horrors that go even harder into the lovecraftian influences than the other seven Chaos factions. Also the despair and embracement of the sea is just a very different domain from the four main Chaos gods, the ruinous Great Horned Rat, the industrious Hashut, and the primal Morghur. It feels like it could be the perfect eighth major player missing from the Chaos God pantheon, missing from the eight-arrow star of chaos.

And also a potentially much better successor to Malal, the retconned Chaos God of Anarchy. Not a successor to Malal's ideals of anarchy, but the idea of an outcast god that even the big four feel a bit unnerved of its concept, the concept of a lack of desire, of no objectivity, going through the phases of fear and embracement of nothingness.

Grumbly tidings to you one and all, my fellow Realmwalkers. Your friendly Infuriating Mutt can smell what's coming on the wind, so let's squash as much as that as we can.

We are losing, in a manner we still only understand the bare basics of, Beasts of Chaos and Bonesplitterz because Games Workshop is a weird company that makes weird decisions.

So while it is frustrating to see them going to Old World, don't go blaming that setting. We all know how much it SUCKS when certain WHFB fans treat AoS and us bad due to what happened to WHFB. So let us avoid hypocrisy here, as much as humanly possible.

These losses aren't to blame on TOW, its fans, its teams, and what have you. Let us be civil, more civil than ever, and kind towards our fellows who like the Old World.

I would probably die if old age long before I could make an exhaustive list of all the Allfather/God-King/Top God types with association with the skies, storms, and/or order/civilization that have appeared in just Fantasy settings.

So that begs the question. Love him or hate him. What makes Sigmar so different, if he even is in your opinion?

In all the Fantasy settings that I have been into, I must say Sigmar is the first of his kind that I have seen so consistently and frequently talked about, debates, about, and praised. Heck. Frankly?

Talos? Tyr? Marvel Odin? These and most other counterparts to Sigmar throughout fiction I find I can muster at best indifference and at most hate. Yet for Sigmar? I find I like him.

But for the sake of discussion and avoiding leasing it, I won't say why. Instead I ask you my fellow Realmwalkers. What makes Sigmar so different as to be a topic for continuous discussion, debate, and interest?

I was never very interested in Fantasy, my interest was always in 40k. But I think this kind of attempt to "cancel" Age of Sigmar out of nostalgia for WHFB is unfair.

I think the Aos fan base needs to show the producers that there are many of us and we like it and want them to continue. They recently produced a game( Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruins) which was widely criticized for the game's "technical" flaws, and even then possibly decreed that the game was a sales failure. Maybe their idea wasn't good, everyone loves Dawn of War and it wouldn't be a bad idea to shape the game that way, with factions from the mortal realms on a large scale.

In any case, I hope you continue the good production work and dissemination of this excellent work.

I'm making a character for a one-shot and I want to hit the GM with a curveball. I'm thinking a ghoul trader right now, but the mental image of a sylvaneth merchant makes me smile

The title says it all, what are some fights or duels you want to see happen (even if they never do)? I’ll start off with my list: Gotten vs Bel’akor: this one’s for Felix! Archaon vs Celestant Prime Arkhan the Black vs Teclis Allariele vs Nagash: revenge for her daughter

Everyone has their favorites, and there are a bunch of posts asking what are some good AoS books to pick up. There is a distinct lack of the opposite however. I wanted to know what books I should not waste my money on, and hopefully this post helps out new readers in the future.

You know I think one of the most consistent things I've seen throughout the Age of Sigmar communities is a certain complaint.

Without beating around the bush that complaint is the lack of focus on everyday humans. A complaint founded on nonsense! Unless you've mostly only read Realmgate Wars books, in which case: Fair.

But for everything else AoS? Dominated by humans!

So I'm going to start making a bunch of posts on human characters to show off how pervasive they are in the setting for all the folk who insist they are not.

Plus. Most human characters who aren't Tahlia, the Ven Densts, or Callis and Toll are largely ignored. So this is really just an excuse to show off how diverse the cast of Age of Sigmar is.

I've already got a handful of ideas for topics already. But what do you, my friends and strangers, want to hear about regarding humanity across the Cosmos Arcane?

One of my favorite things about Warhammer is that the lore feels infinitely deep. There is always something new to discover about these settings. So I ask, what is your favorite background lore tidbit that you don't get the chance to talk about often?

Mine is a bit of lore I learned in the Soulbound TTRPG, which is that a form of currency in the realms is magical water from Ghyran, which has the ability to heal people when drunk. Money doubling as healing potions is just such a simple but sick concept that I love very much.

Well I can't say I wasn't warned.

So short little thoughts: if you like idoneth and or lumineth I highly recommend this book. If you like warhammer to be just... Horribly depressing, more tragedy than heroic tale, go ahead you wont be disappointed. The lumineth chapters are extremely dry and the action is... Decent? But not great, and yeah no hope for any idoneth victory here.

But to kinda indulge my deeper feelings:

F- THE LUMINETH. Yeah I do not, in fact, like them and their arrogant, self serving ways. And I don't know if that helped me enjoy this book because it made me sympathise with the Idoneth on a visceral level or if it kinda dragged everything down because you never get away from Elarin or Echaros. So for three quarters of the book its pages upon pages of pride and arrogance and horribly hypocritical judgement, and then for the remaining quarter Elarin is still there messing things up. And oh,it's not just Elarin of course. Lesarin, Sennareth, Kyrin, Celestir. They're all so toxically smug and obsessed with themselves that it's absolutely maddening to read about.

But is that good? I don't know. Maybe it isn't, but if you're into horrible horrible protagonists it will likely be a plus. But there's no... No pathos to it. No retribution. It's just arrogant people playing God and their only contrition being moments of mourning for their own dead. And hell, Elarin sort of tries to become a better person but still she does nothing but cast judgment on the Idoneth like she's Tyrion himself! How can someone call a man rightfully calling out their privilige as "filled with self pity" and not be terrible to be in the headspace of. But nope, at the end she has more power, earned the respect of that Blademaster that's obsessed with her beyond sense, and the Idoneth have won themselves a useful fortress in Shyish. Meanwhile the Aighmar are dead and being burnt like old wood.

Oh but I enjoyed it don't get me wrong. Not any lumineth chapter of course, no, what do you take me for? No, I loved the Idoneth in this. They are diverse, they are conflicted, they are desperate, but they are not cruel as a rule. Sure Arach is a selfish cunt but Scyllene is loving, Echaros just wants what's best for his people, and Voltach... Okay he's a right bastard, but he's LOVEABLE Damnit. They all are. Hakos and Skria are delightful in how much individuality they're granted despite everything, the descriptions whenever they speak or think are evocative, and reading that the Namarti volunteered for Echaros' experiments fills me with glee. This may be the best full novel depiction of the Idoneth ever, and I liked Soulslayer.

Were the Idoneth not as well written, yeah I'd have condemned this book for just being tragedy conducted by elitist, colonialist, spoiled brats for 300 pages BUT they're here. They turn this story into one of endless pride and hubris being crashed against by actual need and desperation, and that contrast I can't help but recommend. Really if you can stomach Greek style tragedies where it can only go one way but the fun is in trudging through hell to get there, do read this book. If you like idoneth... Eh skim it, don't worry.

Elarin's self centered arc is really well conveyed in part because you basically never leave her head. The ironic contrast with what she thinks is happening and what's obviously actually going on is delightful and yeah the court politics can be fun when Sennareth is allowed to chew scenery. And Echaros' increasing need to save Aighmar is heart wrenching.

Anyway some highlights:

Voltach. Just Voltach, I love the smarmy bastard. I love how he's just here to test his mettle and beat Lesaris, I love his quips, I love that he's allowed to have some emotion beside ass clenching consternation (very rare in warhammer).

Elarin calls the Namarti creatures. Not men and women, creatures. If that doesn't sell you on her being a delusional autocrat, I don't know what can and... Well it isn't subtle but it isn't overstated.

Okay the runic magic of the Idoneth actually seems cool as its shown in this book. It's kinda unaddressed but it feels very tangible in how stuff has to actually be carved and put down rather than just the vague gestural and muttering Elarin and Echaros engage in.

Wizards throwing hands. You love to see it.

Scyllene died with her head held high, unashamed. What a woman. What a soulrender.

Arach's descent into animalistic mania was magnificent and I admit I enjoyed seeing him get impaled.

Trying to build a new chorilleum with Ossiarch magic... Yknow not a bad idea, I like how the author tries to be creative with idoneth magic. It makes everyone feel unique despite all being wizards. Also the mortisan was freaking terrifying in design, good job.

And frankly my favorite bit: Echaros and Scyllene let the lumineth souls go free when asked. Sure they needed to be pressed but it shows they're willing to give in if pressed (by spoiled, selfish, arrogant, annoying, boring-aaaaaaa)

Anyway yeah, good book. 7/10. Idoneth stuff is 10/10

Hello and welcome to another pointless post asking people about hypothetical cool stuff they'd like to see!

This time it is drum roll stories/books/games about things in AoS that you feel should be explored more! Existing things, that is. Parts of factions, units or characters that dont, but you would like to get some time in the spotlight.

Probably a bit of a low effort post but man I miss Felix so much, he’s literally my favourite lore character I don’t care what level of lore breaking shit they need to pull but I beg they find some way for him to come back the only way I think it could work is him being a stormcast eternal

Helloooo so. I made a post like this for the Idoneth battletome not that long ago and that seemed to be appreciated so I decided to do it again for my favorite chaos army (now... I miss you, beasts...).

First some general thoughts and statements; I am an idoneth superfan, but I just like Blades. I didn't collect their battletomes in previous editions (though I have the second edition one no idea why that ones more common than 3e but whatever) but I tried to read up as I could so there will be less comparison to previous editions and more just me going "wow that's neat!". As for the battletome as a book, I enjoyed it a lot, especially compared to 2e which was a lot more one note. 4e actually tries to give some more nuance to Khorne, and the word "blood" appears significantly less. Making khorne sort of the God of liberation is a really cool way to spin him. Chaos cultists should be somewhat relatable in why they're joining the incomprehensible evil yknow?

Anyway on to my points.

1. "Khorne is freedom": ah I already mentioned it but it's also the start of the book. Emphasizing khorne as a way to free yourself from your chains, then consequence, and eventually of yourself is really cool. It helps paint an almost tragic image of the Blades as people caught in a vicious cycle. Like the opening page makes me think of slaves brutalising their masters, fleeing into the country side, and having to do worse and worse acts just to survive... Only to then give in to Khorne's temptation because it's the only way to cope with what they're doing. "If I have to butcher my enemies, I don't want to think about it. I don't want to worry about tomorrow. I don't want to think anymore". It makes them more like the flesh eaters (who I like a lot) but even more extreme, and it also just sets Big K apart from her sisters in ways I enjoy.

2. "Juggernauts are from the brass citadel": I don't know if this is new lore, probably not but I'm putting it here to kinda emphasize that uh... Uh everything seems to be from the brass citadel. Everything. Like the brass citadel is more often referred to as the origin for khornate weapons or Monsters than any other part of the skull lands and that's kinda sad. But it follows with Khorne basically being the carion God of the blades that everything revolves around his crib.

3. "Khorne hates wizards because" : okay a little comparison time again, this book takes about two pages to give you multiple reasons as to why Khorne hates wizardry while addressing the flaws with each option. "It's impersonal" "well no because khorne has no issue with artillery", "people hate the inexplicable the most so khorne hates magic the most" "well no because his priests are not that different from magic to people but they don't get the same ire", "it relies on something beyond your brute strength" "then why does khorne bless his followers?" I think this is great because it helps show the base irreason of the Blades. They're not doing this because it's some grand, philosophical scheme: they're fighting and killing because it shuts things up. Because they want to fight. Because it let's them escape the complication that elaborate schemes would haunt them with. It isn't really about Khorne and magic, it's about the Blades and their mad worldview that can't stand up to a moments scrutiny.

4. "Infrastructure does not matter": So one critique people rightfully have of chaos, khorne especially, is that it doesn't make sense as a threat. Not having taxable cities, farms with surplusses, or blacksmiths making horse shoes is in fact a ruin for any military effort. And so... Actual miracles are involved with supplying the Blades of Khorne. Horses ride out from pools of blood to allow the army to chase their victims down, nails just fall from the sky when repairs need to be done, flesh has the nutrition of a full meal so no one gets scurvey. Now the book portrays this as khorne basically mocking the concept of warfare as anything more than immediate slaughter, and while that doesn't make it less of a cop out it is still fun to have and means we don't gotta worry about stuff like "logic". The Blades sure don't.

5. "Khorne's many faces": Yknow how it's often said how Chaos is worshipped in endless forms in endless cultures across the cosmos arcane? But how that's not really given attention in favor of the usual big 6? Well guess what, buddo, you get a buncha different aspects of Khorne! If every chaos battletome gets this, I would be so happy. Khorne as the spider weaving a web of murder, khorne as the mindless blade waiting to be used, khorne as the dog headed warrior beyond space and time, khorne as the whisper in the mind of the imprisoned. Oh these are all so cool. In future editions I would love if we get new aspects and never mention these ever again in battletomes (but we do in novels and such) and then never mention the new ones either as the editions go on. Just keep at it and give every new player a different idea of what murder means. So cool! (I realize all this can sound sarcastic. I mean every word I say.)

6. "Khornate iconography is necessarily sycophantic": Khorne erodes your mind. She desires nothing of you but death, of the body, of the mind, of the soul. So in a world like that, in a mindspace like that, what use are relics? Tribal tattoos, cultural symbols, familial heirlooms... Less than nothing. So instead of the dark oath who treasure their family, or cabalistic symbography, or even slaaneshi idolatry... You just look like your warlord. You daub your face in the shade of ochre he likes, you wear the style of armour she beats from wrought iron, you eat the food they desires because it's what you're reaving anyway. The battletome makes it very clear how khorne is the ultimate annihilation of the mind, so I think it's really cool how it emphasizes nothing of culture matters then beside of the Blood bound. And how the Bloodbound don't really do culture beyond the whims of their strongest warrior. They're more simple that Orruks, and there is horror but also peace in that. In its own way.

7. "The prophet Zarxor sayeth": so for obvious reason, to borrow a phrase, Blades do not screw (not sure if profanity is allowed on this sub so). There is no need for love, for procreation, even recreation is better done via slaughter than "knowing" one another. But turns out there are some still born and raised among the Bloodbound. One such character is Zarxor, prophet of the Red Revelations. And like our mighty Khul, he is somewhat of a sage. It seems being born to the charnel channels means he can appreciate the Red God in a bit more of a sophic way than others. He's not mindless and actively ponders the mysteries of Khorne, scholistically seeing all war as just a manifestation of Khorne incarnate. I quite like him, I hope we get to see more of him in future editions.

8. "A wolf must kill. A dog is set to it": and to close us off, my favorite bit of lore here beside...yknow the freedom stuff. Why the flesh packs of Khorne are dogs, not wolves. Now this is a daemonologist, probably turned khornate cultist, speculating on the matter. And his postulation is this. A wolf kills because it kust survive. It has to eat, it kills with no passion, no calling. A wolf is something of Nurgle, perhaps, a part of nature's order. But a dog, domestic and tranquil, must be taught to kill. Must be taught the ways of barbarism by a master guilty of those same sins. And then, when it snaps and kills its cruel master it does so with a choice in the matter, with a flicker of malice instilled through cruelty and raising and rearing. Khorne appreciates that, it is thought. And in that way, are the Bloodbound not the same? Brought to slaughter and death through raising and rearing. Crushed by cruel masters, be they Lord-Celestant or Bloodstoker, until they use that malice taught to them to slay and kill their masters. Only to perpetuate the cycle, creating yet more hounds for Khorne to sneer approvingly at?

Anyway, hope this was helpful. If you have questions I might be able to answer them, if you have highlights you wanna share yourself please do, and goodbye.