Chaos

Alignment[]

Chaotics stand for change; they believe that stability leads to stagnation, so that endless destruction and renewal is the only way to progress. They see all forms of social behaviour, natural order, and physical permanence as a barrier both to themselves and to the Chaos Gods. Chaotics are utterly unpredictable and they are often mentally unbalanced or psychotic. A Chaotic character can veer wildly between extremes of behaviour, sometimes even appearing to be Lawful or Good for a little while.

For

Anarchy and violent change
Impulsive behaviour
Death and destruction

Against

Permanence and tradition
Responsibility and duty
Government and social organisations

The Chaos Powers[]

The forms taken by the Chaos Powers are many, varied, and often wildly bizarre in the eyes of mortals. The Chaos Powers take different forms for their dealings with different races, so that it is impossible to say whether the apparent multitude of Powers are actually distinct entities or whether they are but aspects of the same being.

Some claim that Chaos has spawned an infinite number of gods, who constantly struggle amongst themselves for mastery over all. Others say that all the apparently diverse gods of Chaos are no more than different aspects and manifestations of the one being: The Great Unnameable One, He Who Must Not Be Named, The Great Abomination, The Lord of Chaos, The Unspeakable Shapeless Beast, and numberless other titles.

Those mortal sages and mystics who dare to theorise and debate upon the nature of the Beast succeed only in attracting the unwholesome attention of the creatures of Chaos. Many wise men have been carried, alive and screaming, to the charnel houses of the Chaos Hells, there to writhe in endless debate with the flames and the Daemons of torment.

The true nature of the gods of Chaos is beyond any comprehension. No mere mortal can ever hope to understand these matters and only few dare try. It is best not to puzzle too deeply over the Chaos gods or to try to fathom their wars, rivalries, and bickerings. The bulk of the population of the Known World chooses to hate and fear them without any attempt at understanding - and with good reason. Yet, for all this, a few people choose to worship the Chaos gods, ignoring their inconsistencies and accepting their mastery in the hope of eventual rewards and a quick road to power.

The Chaos Powers are immortal creatures with unimaginable abilities and resources. There are many Lesser Powers, but only four Great ones: Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Tzeentch. In order to understand the nature of these beings, it is beneficial to understand a little of what they are and how they draw their power.

The Realm Of Chaos[]

The material world is not the only plane of existence. There is an immaterial world which co-exists with our own and forms a parallel dimension. This is the Realm of Chaos. In the Realm of Chaos, there are no planets or stars, no lands, sky, or features that we would recognise. Instead, it consists of an endless soup, or sea, which is not formed of physical matter but pure energy. This energy is important, for it is the raw matter of the Chaos Powers and of all magic.

The relationship between the Realm of Chaos and the material world is very important for neither can exist without the other. Every flesh-and-blood creature has a simultaneous existence in both dimensions. The physical aspect lives in the material universe, but its existence creates a shadow-self in Chaos. It is from this shadow-self, formed from pure energy, that humans draw their mental powers such as resolve, vigour, and determination. Wizards draw their magical energy directly from this shadow-self. Some people call this shadow-self the soul.

The Realm of Chaos is like an endless sea and, like a sea, it is neither empty nor still. It is populated by the shadow-selves of both the living and dead, for the death of the material body does not destroy the shadow-self. Severed from its psychic link to the material body, the shadow-self drifts in the Realm of Chaos. As it does so, some of its energies are dispersed into the general flow, but the strongest and most distinctive mental traits remain. The countless shadow-selves of the dead flow together because they are mutally attracted by their common traits. Thus, the shadow-selves of deceased warriors retain their most warlike traits and flow together into a huge co-joined entity. This movement causes eddies and tides within the warp and leads to the creations of vortices or whirlpools formed almost entirely of common traits. In the Realm of Chaos, these whirlpools are called the Chaos Powers.

A Chaos Power thus represents a particular and generally extreme aspect of the traits shown by the living. The traits which characterise the Chaos Powers are insanity, violence, ambition, greed, and others of a kind which are so often felt to typify the worst of human nature. But this is not wholly the case and Chaos Powers also exist which typify fellowship, charity, law, and other redeeming characteristics. Indeed, no Chaos Power is wholly one-sided, for no human or other creature is wholly good or evil and, likewise, neither are their shadow-selves. For example, along with violence and bloodshed, Khorne has inherited the warrior's sense of honour and martial virtue. Nurgle may typify decay and disease, but he also embodies the human hope and energy that defies the inevitable.

The four Great Powers of Chaos represent the four largest and most powerful of these co-joined entities. They are so large that they have achieved a coherent consciousness and will, a mind formed from the collective emotions and beliefs of the countless myriads of shadow-selves that comprise it.

Other Chaos Powers sometimes achieve temporary consciousness, but thier existence is less stable because they are smaller; they may be likened to slumbering gods whose dreams sometimes achieve a passing solidity and who will perhaps one day awake to full awareness.

The Manifestation Of The Chaos Powers[]

A Power of Chaos as described above consists of a vast vortex of energy without material form. However, these entities are so powerful that they can create sub-realities within the fabric of Chaos itself. Thus, at the very centre of the vortex that is Khorne, there exists his personal realm: a vast plain of skulls formed into a pyramid where Khorne sits upon his throne. This image of Khorne is his manifestation and the focus of his being. Of course, a Chaos Power is so powerful that he can dissolve his personal realm and form it at a whim, creating other places and forms to inhabit as he pleases.

Chaos Powers And Daemons[]

Daemons are created by a Chaos Power in much the same way as his personal realm and his own manifestation. The daemon embodies specific aspects of the Power's own traits and abilities. Daemons are really part of a Chaos Power, but they have their own consciousness and powers and, to all intents and purposes, are independent and fully conscious creatures. They depend upon the Chaos Power for their existence, leading to competition between rival daemons for their master's favours.

Each of the four Great Powers has his own hierarchy of daemons. There are also daemons which owe nothing to these Chaos Powers and whose existence reflects the waking dreams of a still-immature Power. Such daemons are inclined to be variable in appearance and not always consistent. Other daemons owe nothing to any power. Their consciousness is due to some other factor, such as the persistence of a particularly strong-willed and idiosyncratic shadow-self.

Powers And Champions[]

The total energy of a Chaos Power is reflected by the number of shadow-selves which make up its presence in the Realm of Chaos. Thus, the greater the number of his mortal followers and worshippers, the more powerful he is. As the energies of the Chaos Power are used up to create daemons and conduct their affairs, they need to be constantly replenished. It is therefore in the Power's interests to promote the character traits he embodies among mortal men. Thus, all warriors, no matter what their conscious feelings, are contributing at least a little of themselves to the body of Khorne. This contribution is all the greater if the warrior is a devotee of Khorne and especially if he is a Champion of Khorne.

The same is true of Nurgle and Tzeentch. All those who struggle to overcome suffering contribute a little to the body of Nurgle; all those who strive for change contribute to the body of Tzeentch. It is because these traits are so common in human nature that the Great Powers are as powerful as they are.

Only a person who consciously dedicates himself to a Chaos Power can become a Chaos Champion. The Power recognises in the individual a useful servant and ally. The individual recognises in his Power a means by which he can gain mortal success, perhaps to overcome some terrible personal enemy or adversity. A Champion's motives can be many and varied: revenge for past injustices, aid for the poor, liberation for the oppressed, protection for his loved ones, personal ambition, conquest, and so on. Any great need or want may drive a person into the arms of the Chaos Powers. A factor which drives many into that embrace is fear of their own mortality, for a Chaos Power has the ability to grant a person immortality as a daemon, although only a few Champions are good enough for this.

The Champion of Chaos strikes a bargain - he surrenders his shadow-self to the Power, so that it merges and becomes part of his Patron. In return, the Chaos Power rewards the Champion as he sees fit - sometimes blessing him with favour, at other times ignoring or playing with him. The Chaos Powers are often fickle and, to win their favour, a Champion must be successful as well as courageous.

The Spread Of Chaos[]

In the incalculably distant past, the World was visited by the starfaring race known as the Old Slann. Their degree of scientific advancement caused some of the species they met with to worship them as gods, while other reviled them as demons. The Old Slann performed many scientific experiments on the World and, although the knowledge of their presence is lost in the present day, many of the races which inhabit the World found their origin in these experiments.

The Old Slann travelled by means of interdimensional gateways, spanning the distances between the stars by travelling through 'warpspace', a parallel dimension which connects all points in the material universe. One of their first tasks upon arriving on the World was to set up a pair of gateways, one at each pole of the planet, to allow them to come and go as they pleased.

Warpspace, however, was not an empty void, but was composed of a form of power wholly alien to the material universe. It was inhabited by entities who were equally alien. As their great ships travelled through warpspace, the Old Slann protected themselves with powerful enchantments, but eventually something went dreadfully wrong.

Precisely what happened can now only be guessed. Perhaps the protective enchantments broke down or the beings that lived in warpspace found some way to overcome them. Or perhaps the gateways broke down under the strain of the magical forces that cycled continually through them. Whatever the cause, the gateways collapsed. Both poles were destroyed and permanent dimensional tunnels were created between the World and the void of warpspace.

Among the matter sucked through into the World is warpstone, a substance formed of the condensed and solidified essence of Chaos. Warpstone dust rained down upon the World at the time of the catastrophe, twisting many races into strange and horrible shapes and leading to the creation of many new species. The fallout of warpstone dust was also the catalyst that stimulated the development of the Human race, giving it versatility and lust for change that led to the present Human dominance over many parts of the World. Although few Humans are aware of this and fewer still would ever admit it, Chaos has left a lasting mark on the Human race and it is among Humans that Chaos finds its richest source of willing servants.

Many beings from the void chose to send a part of their substance to the World. Some were comparatively small and weak, while others were possessed of almost incalculable power. Thus were born the gods of Law and the gods of Chaos and their daemonic minions. The natural laws of the material universe affected their alien substance in many strange ways, giving them forms and powers which they had not possessed in their home dimension and they found that they were able to hold sway over the inhabitants of the World and to use them for the furtherance of their own unfathomable ambitions. There was a constant struggle between the followers of Law and those of Chaos. The gods of Law were few and comparatively weak, but their unity made up for their lack of numbers.

Seven thousand years later, the battle between Law and Chaos still rages across the face of World, with most of its mortal inhabitants caught helplessly in the middle. The dimensional openings at the poles change constantly, shrinking with the ascension of Law and growing as Chaos gains the upper hand. All the while, a constant stream of raw Chaos floods through from the void.

For millennia, the tide of Chaos has ebbed and flowed across the face of the World. The worst incident in recent history was the great Incursions of Chaos 200 years ago, when Norsca was completely overrun and the Chaos hordes ravaged the northern parts of the Old World.

This tide is, however, only a single aspect of Chaos. It also acts in subtler ways. Human agents worm their way into positions of authority in many places and work to further the ends of their unspeakable masters... Chaos is a quick and easy road to power for those with the daring to take it, a daring that is always foolhardy, rash, and short-sighted. Chaos has many perils and a terrible price: it ensnares and seduces, flatters and enriches, mutates and corrupts, and, ultimately, destroys. Those who follow Chaos willingly do so at the cost of their sanity, their humanity, and their souls.

The Great War Against Chaos[]

Chaos is everywhere in the Known World. The human nations of The Empire, Bretonnia, and Kislev fear the influence of Chaos and try to eradicate those that worship the Chaos Powers. Their fear is justified, for the very potency of the Chaos Powers in the World threatens the stability of human society. This potency is due solely to the unusual presense of the warp gates. They threaten to suck the whole planet into the Realm of Chaos itself, destroying the World and reducing its matter to raw energy.

Two hundred years ago, the warp gates swelled and Chaos energy flooded over the land from the north. During this time, the Chaos Powers were able to send their daemonic forces into the material world, sustained upon this tide of Chaos energy. Beastmen, mutants, and other lesser minions of Chaos streamed southwards against the Human nations, supported by many Creatures of Chaos. At this time, many Chaos Champions took up arms alongside the daemonic forces of their Patron Powers, but others flocked to help the Human defenders against the Chaos Hordes. Such is the nature of Chaos Powers that such wilful independence by Champions often amuses rather than angers them and may even lead to a Power rewarding his Champion for providing such good enetertainment. In this way, Chaos Champions and their Warbands fought on both sides in the Great War against Chaos, both for and against the Human nations. Although the presence of Chaos Champions in their ranks may have caused the Human defenders some trepidation and even mistrust, their aid was still welcomed at a time when survival hung momentarily in the balance.

The Great War against Chaos lasted for many years and spawned countless tales of heroism on both sides. At first, the Human armies of Tsar Alexis of Kislev were defeated and the warp gates swallowed many parts of the north, destroying them utterly. The great city of Praag was overrun and it looked as if the Realm of Chaos would sweep over the whole World and destroy it. However, a young nobleman of The Empire called Magnus the Pious rallied the forces of the then politically disunited Empire to the aid of Tsar Alexis and, at the very gates of Kislev, they succeeded in pushing back the advancing armies of Chaos. Once halted, the Chaos Armies lost vigour and soon the warp gates began to shrink back to their former extent.

Although repelled, the forces of Chaos could hardly be described as defeated - rather they have retreated and await only another chance to strike. Meanwhile, the Chaos Powers continue to foster warfare between each other and between the various Human nations, regarding these petty squabbles as a further part of their eternal rivalry.

Worship in The Empire[]

Although the worship of the Chaos Gods is officially proscribed within the boundaries of The Empire, it still continues in secret. Humanity has developed under Chaos' aegis and its traits are inextricably intertwined with Human nature. Needless to say, the Chaos cults are all extremely secretive and not easily infiltrated. But the practice of exiling mutants to the deep forests where lurk bands of Beastmen and the occasional Chaos Warrior only serves to increase the number of Chaos' followers. And, even in more civilised areas, there are 'secret societies' - headed, perhaps, by a Daemonologist or Necromancer. Sooner or later, all those who put power and earthly dominion before liberty and fraternity (and their numbers are surprisingly great) are drawn into the web. Indeed, the power of the Chaos Gods is slowly and inexorably spreading across The Empire like the roots of some foul and poisonous fungus and the growths of this network of decay are hideous to behold.

The Gods Of Chaos[]

The following are the Gods of Chaos, each with their own special powers, Daemons (Greater and Lesser Daemons, as well as Daemonic Servants), Beastmen, Champions Of Chaos, and other forces, creatures, and weapons individual to each god in the pantheon.

In addition to the main pantheon of the Chaos Powers, there are independent daemons, Daemon Princes - who wield their own special daemonic powers - and The Horned Rat, Chaos god of the terrible rat-men, the Skaven.

The Renegade Gods[]

It is in the nature of Chaos to carry the seeds of its own destruction among its unending possibilities. The group of Chaos Gods known as the Renegade Gods are all opposed to the spread of Choas - some because the victory of Chaos would in itself lead to a state of affairs which was constant, and therefore not truly of Chaos, and others for various other reasons.