Greetings Lord-Arcanum,
Welcome to the second blog post for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. In the first few chapters, we will introduce you to the universe of Age of Sigmar, and how it all eventually came to Tempestfall.
AGE OF CHAOS
Blood and betrayal mark the beginning of the Age of Chaos, known also as the Red Century, or the Great Slaughter.
Archaon the Everchosen and the Varanguard, Paul Dainton, © Games Workshop Limited
Nagash’s undead army failed to repel the Chaos invasion alone, and the defeated god of death was forced to retreat back to Shyish. With the grand alliance of gods shattered, forces of Chaos swept throughout the Mortal Realms in carnage. Although individual races mustered armies to oppose the invasion, they could not hope to defeat the daemons alone.
The gods were defeated and abandoned their people, giving way to the new Chaos masters. Humiliated, enslaved, and murdered en masse in putrid sacrifices, the inhabitants of Mortal Realms (with the exception of the sealed off Azyr) faced their seemingly never-ending doom. All the prosperity, commerce, and technological advancements achieved in the Age of Myth turned to ash in the wake of the roaming daemons. Toppled empires laid in ruins, rulers were executed, and all those who dared defy Chaos met their death. Those who managed to survive retreated into hiding, turning feral over the course of time.
In contrast, those who served the Dark Gods were well rewarded with earthly pleasures, immense power, or anything they ever desired. Their bloodthirst provided utter victory, and that was the only thing that mattered.
It was not only living beings who suffered from the invasion. Nurgle, the Chaos Plague God, entered the Mortal Realms bringing blight and unholy rot to the lands, turning everything into a landscape more similar to the Realm of Chaos. With the poisoned environment came terrifying mutations, turning the remaining people into beasts and monsters. The Mortal Realms became a hellish landscape, now filled with erected Chaos fortresses meant to supervise and control the enslaved peoples, as well as give the daemons a way of entry to the physical world. This reign of unspeakable terror lasted for hundreds of years.
The Dominion of Chaos, Mark Holmes, © Games Workshop Limited
In that time, Sigmar had watched the Mortal Realms from his sealed off realm of Azyr. He observed the struggle and pain of mankind, and saw a glimmer of hope. He himself could no longer take part in combat, however, he became aware of the feral humans who relentlessly fought for their freedom, even in face of utter defeat. During these battles, skirmishes, and last stands against Chaos, the warriors began to disappear in flashes of lightning.
Sigmar called upon his former allied gods, and received from each a gift, giving him the power and ability to create a mighty army. Sigmaron became enriched with barracks, armories, forges, and great halls to house the soon-to-be warriors of the God-King.
The disappeared human combatants would arrive in the Celestial Realm, facing Sigmar himself and learning his plot to take back the Mortal Realms. They were to begin trials for becoming Stormcast Eternals - the God-King’s manifestations of wrath and power.
Clad in golden armor and armed with mighty weapons of war, the army of Azyrheim along with the Stormcast Eternals began purging the Heavens from any and all sources of corruption. Roaming orcish Orruks and creatures bearing the taint of Chaos were hunted down and defeated. Some mythic beasts remained, however, the Celestial Realm became free of the Dark Gods’ influence.
In preparation for their first descent, the Stormcast Eternals also trained in pitched battles in the enchanted Gladitorium. Sometimes entire Stormhosts drilled or fought each other, while the power of Gladitorium’s dome allowed them to rise unharmed after each skirmish.
Sigmaron in the Realm of Azyr, Paul Dainton, © Games Workshop Limited
The bloodsoaked sands of Aqshy, the Realm of Fire, were the first to witness the God-King’s answer to the Chaos corruption. The lands were controlled by the forces of Khorne, the Chaos God of War, and the followers of the Dark Gods obliviously roamed around, when a storm gathered far over their heads. Lightning bolts began to hit the ground, and with each flash of lightning, the Stormcast Eternals emerged.
Their howling battle cry marked the end of the Age of Chaos, and the beginning of the Age of Sigmar.
To be continued in Part 3
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