71-588: After the creation of the Warhammer Fantasy universe by Games Workshop , novels were published by GW Books and Boxtree Limited, but subsequently novels have been published by the Black Library , including translations to French and German. More than 150 novels have been set in the shared universe of Warhammer Fantasy since 1989. According to Marc Gascoigne the idea of Chaos in Warhammer
142-744: A different region of the empire. Grand Cathay have long ago constructed an enormous fortification called the Great Bastion on their northern border, to guard against incursions from Hobgoblins and the forces of Chaos who dwell on the Eastern Steppes. There is some trade with the human nations of the Old World (via the "Ivory Road") and the High Elves (via the sea), as well as coastal raids by the Dark Elves. But overall, contact between
213-582: A strong assumption that sentient beings are fundamentally flawed and will eventually bring about their own destruction via the forces of Chaos. The possibility of the victory of Chaos is a major theme in the End Times campaign. Dwarfs are an ancient, gritty, and determined race integral in the founding of the Empire. Dwarfs are the greatest craftsmen in the Warhammer World, a skill largely matched by
284-733: A witch-hunter fighting the Chaos minions in the remote regions of the Empire. The Realm of Chaos (also called the Warp, the Aethyr, the Empyrean, the Realm of Souls or the Immaterium) is an alternate dimension which is found in several of Games Workshop's fictional universes, including Warhammer Fantasy. It is separate to the physical world of Warhammer, and draws inspiration from depictions of hell ,
355-572: Is a fictional fantasy universe created by Games Workshop and used in many of its games, including the table top wargame Warhammer , the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) pen-and-paper role-playing game , and a number of video games: the MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning , the strategy games Total War: Warhammer , Total War: Warhammer II and Total War: Warhammer III and
426-407: Is a northerly region, roughly an analogue to Europe . It is a broadly temperate area dominated by several large human countries as well as smaller states controlled by Dwarfs and Wood Elves. There are also some areas controlled by Undead lords, or marauding Beastmen, Orcs, or Goblins. The Empire of Man, known to most as the Empire, is the largest and oldest human civilization in the Old World. It
497-822: Is also Nippon ( Japan ), and Araby (Based loosely on the various Middle Eastern powers that ruled throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance , most notably the Ottoman Empire ). Many factions, such as the Elves, the Lizardmen, the Ogres and the Halflings, have been created by the Old Ones : star-travelling gods responsible for the creation of most of the setting's sentient races. These Old Ones were brought low by
568-566: Is culturally, technologically, and geographically based on early modern Germany, with its name being an allusion to the historical Holy Roman Empire . To the east lie the World's Edge Mountains, to the west Bretonnia, to the south the Border Princes/Badlands and to the north is Kislev and the sea. The main cities (which mostly lie in the south) are Altdorf (the current capital), Middenheim, Nuln, Talabheim and Averheim. The Empire
639-647: Is the only major River in the Dark Lands, and it is heavily polluted by Chaos Dwarf industry. To the southwest is the Plain of Bones where the remains of many dead dragons can be found. This area draws practitioners of necromancy and the Undead. To the southeast are the Dragon Isles which are often cited as a desirable, if dangerous, location for voyages in search of riches to aim for. On its southern coastline in
710-431: Is why magic is such an unwieldy, dangerous and often mutating force. The Realm is inhabited by malevolent daemonic creatures made of magic, the souls of mortal creatures, and most notably the four evil Chaos Gods. These four "Ruinous Powers" exert a corrupting influence upon mortals in the physical world. Their ultimate goal is to expand the Realm of Chaos, engulfing and destroying the physical world entirely. In contrast to
781-530: The Black Library . Warhammer Monthly was a comic book , published by Black Library , which ran for over 5 years and included strips set in the other areas of the Warhammer Universe. Generally running concurrently with Warhammer Monthly was Inferno! - also published by Black Library - a magazine which compiled short stories and occasional unconnected illustrations set in the fictional backgrounds of Games Workshop. Games Workshop licensed out
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#1732798041737852-594: The Black Plague and the Moorish invasion of Spain , and others from original fantasy sources. Like Middle-earth , Warhammer's Dwarfs are declining in population, the Elves have mostly departed for homelands in the West, and a Great Necromancer is reborn after the defeats in his Southern stronghold. There are numerous nations, races and ethnicities in the Warhammer World. Mankind, the most prominent, often proves to be
923-603: The Chaos Dwarfs who split from their brothers after being corrupted by Chaos. In the jungles of the Lustria continent ( Central and South America ) are the Lizardmen who were created by the Old Ones to aid in their great works. The Slann, who act as leaders and priests, now lead the Lizardmen blindly, via ancient prophecies containing almost incomprehensible instructions left by the Old Ones. The culture and aesthetic of
994-1062: The David Gemmell Legend Award in 2010. These novels were authored by Mike Lee and collected in omnibus in 2012 and with an additional short story in 2017 ( ISBN 9781784966188 ). These novels and short stories were authored by Steven Savile and collected in omnibus in 2008 and 2018 ( ISBN 9781784966287 ). These novels and stories were authored by Gav Thorpe and collected in omnibus in 2012 and 2018 ( ISBN 9781784966447 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2018 ( ISBN 9781784966775 ). These novels were collected in omnibus in 2015 and 2018 ( ISBN 9781784966935 ). These novels and short stories were authored by C. L. Werner and collected in omnibus in 2008 and 2018 ( ISBN 9781784967086 ). These novels were authored by Nathan Long and collected in omnibus in 2018 ( ISBN 9781784967291 ). These novels and short story were collected in omnibus in 2011 under
1065-473: The Middle-earth canon of J. R. R. Tolkien . Early in his career, Kim Newman wrote Warhammer novels under the pen name Jack Yeovil. Some elements from these books (in particular his heroine Genevieve Dieudonné) later reappeared in the award-winning Anno Dracula series . Early novels were published as "GW Books" by Boxtree Ltd, but more recently novels have been under Games Workshop's publishing arm,
1136-642: The Warhammer world, the most famous of which are the novels featuring Gotrek and Felix by William King . The Gotrek and Felix series was taken over by Nathan Long , starting with Orcslayer in 2006. Warhammer Fantasy author Stephen Baxter has stated that according to Marc Gascoigne the idea of Chaos in Warhammer was inspired by The Eternal Champion and its sequels, written by Michael Moorcock , who made use of ideas from Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson . The Warhammer elves were inspired by The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson as well
1207-418: The underworld and cosmic horror . The normal laws of physics and linear time / causality do not apply in the Realm of Chaos, and it is said that mortals who enter or even glimpse it tend to go insane. The Realm itself is composed of raw magical energy generated by the emotions and thoughts of sapient creatures such as humans. Thus, the Realm of Chaos is the source of magic in the Warhammer World, and this
1278-518: The unit called winged lancer - a reference to the Polish winged hussar . Much of Kislev is cold steppe, although there is an extensive taiga forest in the east. To the northwest, there is an ill-defined border between Kislev and Troll Country, a marshy, frigid wilderness infested with monsters. Historically, Kislev has been inhabited by a succession of human ethnic groups: first the Roppsmenn, then
1349-768: The Dead" lies to the South of the Badlands and Old World, west of the Dark Lands. To the west lies Araby and to the south, the Southlands. William King (author) William King (born 7 December 1959), also known as Bill King , is a Scottish writer of a number of science fiction and fantasy books, most notably in Games Workshop 's Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 series, published by Games Workshop's fiction arm Black Library . King wrote Trollslayer (1999),
1420-543: The Empire, across the Grey Mountains, and north of Estalia. Bretonnia is a temperate land with a mild climate and fertile soils, inspired by Medieval France and legends of King Arthur . In the centre of the country lie the Forest of Arden and Massif Orcal, two wild regions inhabited by Beastmen and Orcs/Goblins, respectively. Dominated by feudal dukedoms and ruled by a King, Bretonnia has a stark class divide between
1491-517: The Great Vortex, a magical storm that drains excess magical energy from the world, fed by a global network of waystones maintained by the High Elves. If the Vortex were to fail, magical energy would build up and allow large scale invasions of Daemons from the Realm of Chaos. Naggaroth is the cold, bleak land analogous to North America . It is dominated by the cruel Dark Elves, who broke away from
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#17327980417371562-502: The High Elves following a destructive civil war called the Sundering. In general Naggaroth is quite wild and sparsely inhabited. In the north it has a tundra climate, while in the centre pine forests grow, inhabited by Beastmen. In the south lie steaming subtropical swamps and a land bridge to Lustria. The Dark Elves dwell primarily in large cities in the northeast: Naggarond (the capital), Ghrond, Clar Karond, Karond Kar and Har Ganeth. In
1633-477: The Lizardmen are heavily inspired by those of the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Orcs and Goblins , and their kin (also known as Greenskins), are relatively primitive and disorganized, but their instinctive belligerence threatens the various nations. Their violent nature commonly causes wars against not only the neighboring peoples, but also their own kind. They are found predominantly in the forests and mountains of
1704-634: The Old World (based on Ancient Egypt ), the Vampire Counts in the Old World (based upon Dracula which is set in Transylvania ), the zombie pirates of Luthor Harkon's Vampire Coast found on the eastern coast of Lustria (based on stereotypical pirates of the 18th century ), and Nagash in his own city of undead. Prior to Games Workshop retconning the backstory, there was previously a unified Undead Army. Outside of games, there have been novels, novellas and short stories by various authors set in
1775-511: The Old World, as well in the jungles to the south and stretched across the steppes to the East, but their kin can be found all over the world, inhabiting almost all continents and adapting to their environments. Thus there are many sub-species of Orcs and Goblins such as Black Orcs and Night Goblins. They are described in the supplemental book Orcs and Goblins , first published in 1993. The phrase "orcs & goblins" also refers collectively to all of
1846-821: The Phoenix King (High King) in Lothern and the Everqueen in Avelorn. Prior to the High Elves, Ulthuan was inhabited by many Dragons, and many still slumber here under the mountains. Outside of infrequent invasions, the only threats on Ulthuan are monsters in the Annuli Mountains. As Ulthuan is a magical floating island, the Underway and Under-Empire do not extend to it. At the centre of the Inner Sea lies
1917-606: The Realm of Chaos, the Chaos Wastes (also known as the Umbra Chaotica) are a part of the physical world. They are a vast, warped, cold and barren wasteland surrounding the northern polar region (and probably also the southern polar region) of the world. The Wastes border Grand Cathay, the Eastern Steppes, the Ogre Kingdoms, Norsca and Naggaroth. Norsca and the Eastern Steppes are sometimes considered to be part of
1988-694: The Tzars against heritics and political enemies alike. Kislev's military is primarily composed of rotas of the Streltsi (firearm-welding infantry, hence the name) and the Winged Lancers - also known as "the Riders of the Dead,” for "they are mourned as if already deceased". The country's recently established official religion is the Great Orthodoxy. The country's most important god is Ursun,
2059-638: The Ungols and most recently the Gospodars who have united the region. The state is ruled by Tzars (female title: Tzarina) and the current ruler is Tzarina Katarin, the "Ice Queen." Tzars rule over Boyars (the middle nobility) and the Druzhina (the lowest nobility, mostly composed of ethnic Gospodars). There's also the Chekist , the secret police and the analogue of the Empire's Inquisition that's used by
2130-507: The Wastes. At the north pole, there is a great collapsed Chaos Portal which allows travel between the physical world and the Realm of Chaos. This Portal spews dangerous, raw magical energy into the physical world, causing mutations to any person or creature in the north, and even to the land, climate and flow of time. The Chaos Wastes are inhabited by various mutated flora and fauna, Daemons, Chaos monsters (including Beastmen ), Greenskins and
2201-468: The World's Edge Mountains and Mountains of Mourn. It lacks any real-world equivalent, but is similar to Mordor of Tolkien 's Middle-earth , with a dry climate and many volcanoes. In the northern Dark Lands is the empire of the Chaos Dwarfs . They are the most powerful faction in the region, and mesh industrialisation and mesopotamian influences. Outside of this area, the Dark Lands are mostly dominated by barbaric Orcs and Goblin tribes. The River Ruin
List of Warhammer Fantasy novels - Misplaced Pages Continue
2272-492: The afterlife). The Empire is a large, diverse country based around several large rivers: the Reik, Talabec, Stir and Aver. The various Provinces are each ruled by an Elector Count or equivalent, who elect an Emperor to rule for life. Despite this, the provinces have a great deal of autonomy to govern and defend themselves, and there has been centuries-long periods of civil war and contending-Emperors/Empresses. The centre and north of
2343-595: The ancient traditions from before the sundering, and a third group as the rustic, sylvan and mysterious Wood Elves. The High Elves inhabit the magical island of Ulthuan (analogous to Atlantis ), while the Dark Elves inhabit the continent of Naggaroth (correspondent to North America in the real world), a desolate icy wilderness and the Wood Elves live in the forests of Athel Loren in the Old World. Many races have fallen to, or been corrupted by Chaos. The barbaric Warriors of Chaos (formerly called "Hordes of Chaos") invade
2414-460: The barbaric human tribes of the Norse, Kurgan, Hung and Tong. These Warriors of Chaos worship the evil Chaos Gods whose influence is strong in the Wastes. In order to guard against incursions from the north, Grand Cathay has constructed a Great Bastion (similar to the real-world Great Wall of China ), while the Dark Elves of Naggaroth have constructed a series of Watchtower fortresses. The Old World
2485-477: The bear-god of winter and strength, and the Kislevites seem to have a special affinity with bears. Other important gods include Dazh (god of fire, the sun, summer, family and hospitality) and Tor (god of storms). The main cities of Kislev are the eponymous Kislev, Erengrad and Praag The Cursed, which rule over the vast Oblasts surrounding them. The country's northern frontier position means that it often bears
2556-472: The brunt of devastating Chaos invasions, as Kislevite warriors spill their blood to keep the southern lands safe. Combined with poor soil and notoriously freezing winters, this has made the Kislevites a hardy, no-nonsense people. Out of necessity, Kislev has retained good relations with The Empire and Dwarfs: close allies against Chaos. The Dark Lands lie east of the Old World and west of the Far East, between
2627-415: The civilized nations from the far northern Chaos Wastes. Beastmen, the human-animal hybrid products of Chaos are found in the dark forests of the entire Warhammer world. The Chaos forces are the personified flaws of sapient beings; the inner daemons of living things come back through a magic medium as literal daemons to torment and kill. The ultimate victory of these forces is often hinted at, highlighting
2698-502: The country is dominated by huge forests, which often house bandits, Chaos cultists, Orcs/Goblins or Beastmen who prey on isolated settlements. The south of the country has a warmer climate and is dominated by grassland and extensive fields. Despite the great differences between the provinces, the people of the Empire are kept united by their "steel, gunpowder and faith in Sigmar" as well as a common language: Reikspiel. Bretonnia lies west of
2769-633: The daemonic forces inadvertently unleashed by the collapse of their Warp Gates (one on the North Pole and one on the South Pole ), leaving their creations to fend for themselves. This backstory also provides an easy explanation for the presence of a variety of familiar fantasy races. Ogres and Halflings, for example, are closely related. Both are resistant to the mutating effects of Chaos energies (fuelled by hearty appetites and efficient metabolisms), but have opposite physical templates. The Elves were
2840-540: The dominant power on the continent, and their ancient Temple-Cities (the greatest of which are Itza and Hexoatl) can be seen deep in the Jungle. Despite their bestial appearance, the Lizardmen are actually staunch opponents of Chaos and protectors of Order, although they are often apathetic towards the other races and hostile to those who trespass on Lustria. The wildlife of Lustria is dominated by large reptiles resembling dinosaurs and pterosaurs , and large insects which form
2911-404: The east and west is quite limited, and Grand Cathay is fairly isolationist. For the videogame Total War: Warhammer III , Games Workshop has worked together with British developer Creative Assembly to create background information for Grand Cathay, so that the faction may be included in the game. Various tunnels, caverns and entire cities, lie beneath the Old World, World's Edge Mountains and
List of Warhammer Fantasy novels - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-402: The fact that the details were told through stories that "details animosity levels between orc and goblin and the importance of shamans." He also noted that "The armies list is split between the different types of orcs and goblins, as well as monsters' allies." Bigelow concluded that the book has "excellent line drawings and action illustrations as well as [its] practical game value [...] well worth
3053-431: The first civilized race to walk the Warhammer world. Brought into creation by the Old Ones, the Elves showed a natural talent for magic and superlative martial skill. The once thriving civilization of the Elves was torn asunder many thousands of years ago by a bitter civil war, resulting in the sundering of the race into three distinct kindreds: the evil, twisted Dark Elves, the proud, noble and magical High Elves who continue
3124-403: The first novel published under the Games Workshop 's Black Library label. His most memorable characters, Gotrek and Felix , have appeared in a series of novels, beginning with Trollslayer , a collection of previously published and new short stories. His next-most-famous character is Ragnar Blackmane , a Space Marine from the Warhammer 40,000 game setting universe (although the character
3195-623: The game Warhammer, but was formulated as a distinct setting with a world map in the second edition. The Warhammer World borrowed considerably from historical events and other fantasy fiction settings. The Old World is recognisably Europe approximating to various historical periods including the Renaissance - the Empire being set over what was the Holy Roman Empire - medieval France, Roman Italy and Celtic Britain . Many events are lifted and modified directly from history, including
3266-523: The main food source of the Lizardmen. There is also various human, elven colonies along the coast, and undead (resulting from shipwrecked vampires) dominate The Vampire Coast in the east. In Lustria's west there is the volcanic Spine of Sotek mountains, and to the west of that is the more arid west coast. To the east of Lustria, across the Great Ocean, lies the Southlands. To the north, across an isthmus, lies Naggaroth. Nehekhara, also called "The Land of
3337-410: The most susceptible to the corrupting influence of Chaos. Most of the featured human nations are based in the Old World (analogous to real world Europe ): The Empire ( Holy Roman Empire ), Bretonnia ( France and Arthurian Britain ), and Kislev ( Slavs of Russia , Poland , and Ukraine ). Further east of them is another powerful human civilization known as Grand Cathay (corresponding to China ).There
3408-1195: The name Dwarfs and with an additional novel and short story in 2018 ( ISBN 9781784967703 ). These novels were authored by William King and collected in omnibus in 2018 ( ISBN 9781784968359 ). These novels were authored by C. L. Werner and collected in omnibus in 2019 ( ISBN 9781784968571 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2019 ( ISBN 9781784968939 ). These novels and stories were collected in omnibus in 2019 ( ISBN 9781784969080 ). These novels were authored by C. L. Werner and collected in omnibus in 2015 and with additional short stories in 2019 ( ISBN 9781784969349 ). These novels were authored by Darius Hinks and collected in omnibus in 2019 ( ISBN 9781784969967 ). These novels and short story were authored by C. L. Werner and collected in omnibus in 2010 ( ISBN 9781844168668 ) and 2019 ( ISBN 9781781939420 ). These novels and short stories were authored by C. L. Werner and collected in omnibus in 2019 ( ISBN 9781781939888 ). These novels and short stories were authored by Chris Wraight and collected in omnibus in 2012 under
3479-756: The name Lords of the Dead ( ISBN 9781784961510 ) and with an additional novella in 2024 ( ISBN 9781804075388 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2016 under the names The End Times: Doom of the Elves ( ISBN 9781784961626 ) and The End Times: Death of the Old World ( ISBN 9781784961756 ) and in 2024 ( ISBN 9781804075418 ). These novels and short story were authored by Robert Earl and collected in omnibus in 2009 ( ISBN 9781844166817 ). These novels were authored by Graham McNeill and collected in omnibus in 2005 ( ISBN 9781844161997 ). These novels and short stories were authored by Robin D. Laws and collected in omnibus in 2010 under
3550-1154: The name Swords of the Emperor , in 2016 under the name Total War: The Emperor's Armies , and with an additional novel and short story in 2020 ( ISBN 9781789990416 ). These novels and short stories were authored by Graham McNeill and collected in omnibus in 2012 and 2020 ( ISBN 9781789991390 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2011 under the name Vampires ( ISBN 9781849701655 ) and with an additional novel in 2021 ( ISBN 9781789998306 ). These novels and short story were authored by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee and collected in omnibus in 2008 ( ISBN 9781844166589 ) and 2021 ( ISBN 9781789990782 ). These novels, novellas and short story were authored by Anthony Reynolds and collected in omnibus in 2011 ( ISBN 9781849700306 ) and 2021 ( ISBN 9781800260061 ). These novels and short story were collected in omnibus in 2009 ( ISBN 9781844167821 ) and 2022 ( ISBN 9781800261396 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2014 under
3621-530: The name The Empire ( ISBN 9781849705868 ) and, using a different selection, in 2022 ( ISBN 9781789990485 ). Warrior Priest won the David Gemmell Morningstar Award in 2011. These novels and short stories were authored by Nathan Long and collected in omnibus in 2007 ( ISBN 9781844165100 ) and 2023 ( ISBN 9781789996722 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2016 under
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#17327980417373692-592: The name The Fleischer Omnibus ( ISBN 9781844169139 ). These novels and short story were authored by Rob Sanders and collected in omnibus in 2016 under the name Total War: Lord of Chaos ( ISBN 9781784964047 ). They serve as a prequel to The End Times. These novels were authored by Josh Reynolds. These novels were authored by Alex Stewart under the pen name Sandy Mitchell. These novels were authored by Aaron Rosenberg . These novels and short story were authored by Dan Abnett and Nik Vincent. These novels were authored by David S. Garnett under
3763-513: The nomadic Mongol Empire , as well as some of the cavemen and Neanderthal tropes. The Ogres also have a race of slave Gnoblars (relatives of Goblins), and are said to be always hungry, valuing food as much as gold. This area of the Warhammer World is equivalent to East/Southeast Asia. It is not greatly developed in the published games or fiction, but there are human civilizations there, specifically Ind, Grand Cathay, and Nippon (which are equivalents of India , China and Japan respectively). To
3834-552: The ocean (equivalent to the Atlantic) to the west of the Old World, and east of the New World. It draws inspiration from Atlantis , Melniboné and Numenor . The Annuli Mountains run through the centre of the island. The capital and largest city of the High Elves is Lothern, located at a strait connecting the outer Ocean and Ulthuan's Inner Sea. Politically, the island is divided up into 10 Kingdoms, although they all owe loyalty to
3905-494: The peasant classes worship the polytheistic gods of the rest of the Old World, particularly Rhya. Bretonnia nominally includes the forest of Loren, although in reality most Bretonnians fear and avoid the Woodland Realm, and have many superstitions about it. Kislev is a cold land, north of the Empire but south of Norsca. It is primarily based on Russia , with some references to other Eastern European countries, such as
3976-474: The pen name David Ferring and collected in omnibus in 2005 ( ISBN 9781841542768 ). These novels were authored by David Bishop . These novels were authored by James Wallis and collected in omnibus in 2010 ( ISBN 9781844169054 ). These novels were authored by Gav Thorpe and collected in omnibus in 2012 ( ISBN 9781849702669 ). These novels were authored by Neil McIntosh. Warhammer Fantasy (setting) Warhammer Fantasy
4047-468: The price to anyone who wishes to campaign." Living underneath much of the known world are the Skaven, diabolical ratmen living in a subterranean dog-eat-dog Machiavellian society, called the "Under-empire". They are divided into clans such as Clan Eshin, master assassins, or Clan Skryre, master engineers. It is believed that they are so numerous that if they worked together they would be able to destroy
4118-454: The races that are described in this book, which includes other "greenskins" as well. The book includes background information, illustrations, and game rules for these races. The Orcs and Goblins represent a generic Dark Ages warband army with little internal cohesion and discipline, and relying on the ferocious charge and individual fighting skills rather than organized generalship. In issue 203 of Dragon #203 (March 1994), Bob Bigelow liked
4189-587: The rest of the world. Most cities of the Dwarfs are underground, and many Orc/Goblin settlements are as well (the Night Goblins are especially known for being cave-dwellers and rarely come to the surface during daylight). In ages past, the Dwarfs built the Underway , a great system of highways, mines and settlements which stretched huge distances between their great underground fortress-cities. Today, much of
4260-516: The rights for comic books. Boom! Studios have been working on a series of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 comics, written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton . The first was the Warhammer 40k strip Damnation Crusade , but this was followed by one in the fantasy universe Forge of War . When this was finished, they started a new series located in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, called Warhammer - Condemned by Fire . This series features
4331-409: The river delta region lies the frontier human settlement Pigbarter. East of the Dark Lands lie the Mountains of Mourn and Ancient Giant Lands, extremely high mountains with a cold climate, which resemble the Himalayas of the real world. This region is inhabited by fierce monsters resembling pleistocene megafauna . The brutish, semi-nomadic Ogre Kingdoms dominate here. They are primarily based on
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#17327980417374402-401: The setting began with the release of a game simply called 'Warhammer' in 1983. The Warhammer world drew inspiration from Tolkien 's Middle-earth , but also from Robert E. Howard ( Conan the Barbarian ) and Michael Moorcock , as well as real-world history, particularly European history . What is recognizable as the Warhammer World began with the expansion material to the first edition of
4473-434: The south lies the Hinterlands of Khuresh (which is inhabited by Nāgas ) and Lost Isles of Ethlis, equivalent to Southeast Asia . Grand Cathay is the largest human empire in Warhammer Fantasy, ruled by the Celestial Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress, who are immortal dragons able to shapeshift into human form. They delegate most governing of Cathay to 5 of their children, who are also immortal shapeshifting dragons and each rule
4544-499: The two first-person shooter games in the Warhammer Vermintide series, Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide and Warhammer: Vermintide 2 , among many others. Warhammer is notable for its "dark and gritty" background world, which references a range of historical cultures, and is populated with a variety of races such as humans , high elves, dark elves, wood elves, dwarfs, undead , orcs , lizardmen, and other creatures familiar to many fantasy/role-playing settings. The development of
4615-410: The underway is in ruins and highly dangerous. Many former Dwarf cities and Underway sections are now occupied by Night Goblins and Skaven (a race of evil, intelligent anthropomorphic rats, about the size of a human). The Dwarfs, Skaven and Orcs/Goblins are locked in a constant three-way war for control of the underground. Ulthuan is a ring-shaped island continent, controlled by the High Elves. It lies in
4686-415: The wealthy knightly nobility, and the peasants who live in poverty and squalor, with very low class mobility . The nobility are supposed to follow a code of chivalry, and a small number eventually complete religious pilgrimage, becoming virtuous Grail Knights. However the majority of the upper classes are fiercely oppressive towards the peasants. The main god of the nobility is the Lady of the Lake, although
4757-460: The west lie the Black Spine Mountains, home to outcast Dark Elves called Shades, and the dry west coast. To the north, Naggaroth borders the Chaos Wastes and the Dark Elves have constructed a system of Watchtowers to defend against Chaos incursions. Lustria is a tropical southern continent equivalent to South America . Most of the continent is covered in extremely dangerous tropical rainforest full of poisonous and venomous creatures. The Lizardmen are
4828-402: The world, however their innate predilection for cowardice and betrayal makes long term cooperation unlikely. Besides these, there are the Undead, who are a result of the black sorceries of the first necromancer, Nagash, in the long distant past. His legacy has left the Tomb Kings, who are the resurrected armies of the first human civilisation, in the hot desert lands of Nehekhara to the south of
4899-426: Was already in existence in the game and background material, King took him and expanded his history in the novel series). In 2010, he signed a three-book deal with Black Library that will focus on elven brothers Tyrion and Teclis. Prior to moving to the Czech Republic , King spent a number of years as a designer for GW, contributing to their game universes (where much of his fiction is also set). He has also written
4970-1252: Was inspired by The Eternal Champion and its sequels, written by Michael Moorcock , who made use of ideas from Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson . The Warhammer elves were inspired by The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson as well the Middle-earth canon of J. R. R. Tolkien . These novels were collected in omnibus in 2003 and 2006 and with additional short stories in 2013 and 2018 ( ISBN 9781784967857 ). These novels were collected in omnibus in 2004 and 2006 and with additional short stories in 2013 and 2019 ( ISBN 9781784968762 ). These novels and short story were collected in omnibus in 2009 and with additional short stories in 2013 and 2019 ( ISBN 9781784969875 ). These novels, novella and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2013 and 2019 ( ISBN 9781781939598 ). These novels and short stories were collected in omnibus in 2020 ( ISBN 9781789992922 ). These novels and short story were collected in omnibus in 2021 ( ISBN 9781800260047 ). These novels and short stories were authored by Graham McNeill and collected in omnibus in 2012 and with an additional short story in 2017 ( ISBN 9781784965730 ). Heldenhammer won
5041-575: Was originally founded thousands of years ago, when the Warrior-King Sigmar Heldenhammer (a Conan the Barbarian and Charlemagne -type figure) united several bronze-age tribes, and allied with the Dwarfs, to face the greater threats of Orcs and Goblins, Undead and Chaos. Sigmar has since become the primary god worshipped in the Empire, representing justice and strength, although there are also other important ones such as Ulric (god of wolves, winter and battle), Shallya (goddess of mercy and healing), Rhya (goddess of harvest and family) and Morr (god of death and
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