Chaos
From WARpedia
This article describes the background and the forces that make up Chaos. For information about the army and the playable careers, see the main article The Raven Host.
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[edit] The ways of Chaos
"The nature of Chaos is neither good nor evil, it simply mirrors the survivalist emotions of the intelligent beings in the real universe. Thus, the predatory entities of Chaos, be they gods or daemons, exist because living things generate these emotions. So when the human mind turns to petty and evil thoughts the powers of the Chaos gods grow and coalesce into hideous forms shaped by human lust, greed, anger, and fear." - Warhammer: Realm of Chaos, 1997 (copyright Games Workshop)
The ways of the Chaos gods are fickle, never really choosing a side and watching with mild amusement as mortals vie for their favor. Chaos has the potential to exist in all realms of the world. There are dark, secretive Chaos cults hidden in the Empire, and there are rumors of Chaos worshippers amongst the Dark Elves. However, the true "Realm of Chaos" exists to the north in the Chaos Wastes, a dead region of icy desert, mountain, and tundra. Here are the citadels of the proud champions of Chaos, those who have proven their worth to the Chaos gods and have earned their blessing. The wastes echo with the perpetual ringing of battle, as brother's fall on each other as eagerly as they fall on enemies, in the hope that one of the Chaos powers will take notice and raise them up as one of their favorites, bestowing supernatural gifts upon them.
[edit] Origins of Chaos (highly abridged)
No one truly knows of the origins of Chaos in the world. Even the immortal scholars of the Elves can only speculate as to where the forces of Chaos first came from. War, famine, natural disaster and the destroyer known as time have eroded away nearly all indications of the roots of Chaos. What is known is that in the long distant past, the world of Warhammer was paid a visit by an already ancient starfaring race of creatures never met by man. These Old Ones arrived on the world in their silver ships, but quickly established a gateway on the world which floated above the north pole. This gateway was linked to the rest of their transportation network, allowing them nearly instantaneous transportation between gates.
Time passed, and some unknown catastrophe occured, causing the gate to crash down to the earth. The gate shattered and sent a vile cloud of warpdust all over the planet, which was the cause of horrible mutations, giving birth to many of the frightening creatures in the world today.
When the gate shattered, it also tore a hole in the fabric of space, allowing in the chaos energies of the warp, the parallel dimension where the Chaos Gods dwell. The denizens of these deities flooded through the newly formed entrance into this world, no longer regulated by the Old Ones' gate, and began a crusade to take over the world. After centuries of deamonic incursions into the physical plane, the forces of Chaos withdrew to the northern Chaos Wastes, as new races began to arise in the world.
[edit] Overview of the Chaos Gods
There are countless minor deities of Chaos, each one catering to a different human emotion. Some embody multiple feelings, while some personify one. However, there are four Chaos entities who have gained more power than any other, and are referred to as the Major Chaos Gods. While the Chaos Gods all come from the same place, they are often at war with each other, locked in an eternal stalemate with each playing his hand in turn, waiting to be coutered by his foe. Each of the four has a main rival, although if the need arises, any Chaos God will allign with any other for a brief period of time, so long as it is beneficial to their interest.
[edit] Khorne, the Blood God
One of the best known Chaos Gods, Khorne is the Chaos God of blood and battle. He sits upon a brass throne, which rests on a massive mountain of skulls, each taken in his name by a devotee. In every direction, as far as he can see, the ground is covered with shattered bones and rotted corpses.
As the god of battle, Khorne bestows his favor on those who demonstrate martial and tactical prowess. Great commanders and unbeatable warriors are often subjects of Khorne's interest.
Khorne wears armor of black and brass, and wields a mighty two-handed axe made from the same material as his armor. He is large and muscular, with the features of both a noble human and a fierce bull.
Khorne is the most powerful of the Chaos Gods. As the patron god of battle, Khorne views any other pursuit as a foolish waste, and even an insult. This is the reason that his rival is Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, the patron deity of sorcerers.
[edit] Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways
Tzeentch is the patron deity of sorcerers, the master magician of the Major Chaos Gods. Known as the Changer of Ways, Tzeentch invests the most time and effort influencing the path of time and the universe, guiding mortals along paths that suit his ultimate goals, uninterested in whatever plights may befall them on account of it.
Not interested in raw strength, Tzeentch bestows his favor upon those who use their intelligence to fight their enemies. The chosen of Tzeentch are powerful sorcerers and magical beings, clever political manipulators and cunning con artists.
As befitting the Changer of Ways, Tzeentch's appearance is constantly changing. His skin constantly changes and is covered with always-morphing faces which mock those upon whom they look. When Tzeentch speaks, these faces repeat every word, but often with subtle and important differences in meaning. His face is puckered, and peaks out from his upper torso, such that his head is directly connected to his chest. Two great horns rise from his head, and he stands in a perpetual swirling mist.
Tzeentch is nearly as powerful as Khorne, but with a different style of power, controlling magic instead of armies. The plots of Tzeentch are countless, and if ever there is an alliance forged by the Gods of Chaos, Tzeentch is undoubtedly the cause, direct or indirect.
He also represents optimism, the willingness to change, thus make Nurgle his nemesis.
[edit] Nurgle, the Great Lord of Decay
The Chaos God Nurgle rules over all decay and physical corruption. Disease and putrification are his hallmarks, and he gladly bestows them upon everyone who wants them, and with even more glee upon those who don't. For entertainment he will orchestrate plagues and new diseases, and watch amusedly as the mortals struggle to fight the illness and develop a cure.
Nurgle is the perfect embodiment of disease and decay. His body is massive and bloated, reeking of decaying corpses. His green, leathery skin is pock-marked with oozing sores, boils, and many other signs of diseases that he has created. His organs are barely contained within his body, spilling out through tears everywhere in his rotting flesh and hanging down around his waste and legs. From these organs sprout smaller daemons, ripe with disease, which he sends out to work towards his goals.
While equal in power with Khorne and Tzeentch, Nurgle's power is much less stable. At times his forces are limitless and unbeatable. At others, his army can barely even be called such.
[edit] Slaanesh, the Dark Prince
Slaanesh is the youngest of the Chaos Gods, and referred to with malice by the other three as the Prince of Chaos, a title which he revels in. Seductive in only the way that an immortal being can be, Slaanesh is the Chaos God of pleasure, passion, luxury, art, and indulgence. He is the manifestation of all hidden vices, cruel passions, and secret temptations that men hide fearfully in their hearts.
While not interested in the dirty warfare of Khorne's interest, Slaanesh does enjoy combat of the artistic sort, taking pleasure in watching extremely talented gladiator battles, where the act of fighting is transformed from a means to an end into an art form all its own. Slaanesh bestows his favor upon any who acts on an interest for an art, whether the art is that of combat, of painting, of poetry, or of passion.
Slaanesh is the youngest and weakest of the Major Chaos Gods. However, Slaanesh is constantly growing in power due to the corrupt and dark nature that mankind tries to keep hidden within their hearts, for even the mere act of thinking on such dark acts of pleasure and vice are enough to give strength to Slaanesh. It won't be long before Slaanesh sits as an equal of power amongst the other three, and he may even rise above them, given time.
Categories: Chaos | Lore
