The new lore tidbit we received about the longawaited Khazalites confirms something brewing in the back of my mind which makes me unbelievably happy.

So Inghilde (I) and Grombrindal (G) respectivly serve as the patrons of Delvers and Wanderers. Quite closely related, right?

Well our beloved Ancestor Gods had that same thought, so they raced each other to the edge of the Realms (first Ulgu and then Hysh), not being able to determine a real winner. So they just drank themselves to oblivion and went the duardin way.

This wholesome story (which exemplifies my most loved aspect of duardin, comradery) is accompanied by something that always struck me as beautiful. In 2019, I read in a White Dwarf (as one does) about a duardin drink called Wanderbräu (wanderbrew, translated from german). It was said that after a Contest of Gods, Grombrindal invented this Brew, containing whichever fruits you may find on your travel and a certain kind of spice, being rich and stimulating (cinnamon, maybe) in taste.

Do I believe they thought of Inghilde back then? No, but is this a fun headcannon to link? Absolutely.

With this feel-good story I will leave you be.

Did Grungni perhaps forge the scattered power of old gods into them to complete the eight? or was there a symbolic and real power that allowed eight dwarves ( well, the old and new now) to ascend to proper divinity ?

I also find it VERY interesting how the single out the Fire Slayers for their worship of Grimnir, I wonder if they will do something with it in the future?

> Whitebeard and Inghilde little race is cute!

So, i just finished Gloomspite by Andy Clark. Probably later than most. But i REALLY have to write a few of my thoughts down and maybe get some opinions from others who've read it.

BIG SPOILER WARNING!!!

General thoughts:

Going into the book mostly blind, having only read spoilerfree reviews, i was very surprised how well i could picture the Swords of Sigmar Mercenary bands members. Usually i am someone who has to go back and reread who is who, but not here. Clark gave each a very distinct personality, although some of them sort of cliche. Not that thats a bad thing, they are all very intruiging.

The buildup towards the rise of the Bad Moon is very well done. At some parts the book depicts really well how, what we find hilarious and goofy on the tabletop, would be absolutly terrifying to regular humans in the Mortal Realms. The whole time the Gitz and their allies (Troggs, Squigs, Spiders etc.) are never represented as a joke but a serious menace.

The Whiplash:

For the first half of the book we mostly follow the POV of Hendrick Saul. And it is the usual heroics journey stuff. Taking over as leader after the horrible demise of his brother. Trying to do right by him and the others... and i got fooled by it so hard. When the scene in the dining hall happened and Hendrick was puked on by the sporeinfected, i could not really believe that he was dead at first. It came so out of left field. I reread again to make sure i did not misread anything. But after that... I WAS IN! Clark had shown the gloves were off, and by killing the leader of the Swords and our main POV up to that point, i really was worried about all the characters i got invested in. I couldnt put the book down after that. (And the fact Romilla had to kill him... man. What a gutpunch.)

Things will remember for a long time:

- The Bodyhorror in this caught me by surprise. The mushrooms growing out of skin under the Badmoons light is only the beginning. In general everything involving fungi was just... yuck.

- But especially Boriks fate, during the only time we get a direct interaction with Skragrott himself, was horrible.

- Fungus Zombies. Especially the dining hall scene as i said above.

- The suspense Clark managed to create in certain scenes was incredible. Romilla and Eleanoras desperate attempts to complete the final plan was so well done. And i really could not tell if they would make it or not.

- The various side characters and short POVs we get from regular people.

- Skragrott

Final thoughts:

The book is a blast. I can recommend it to anyonel except people who are squirmish about bodyhorror, fungi or spiders.

Building some Cities of Sigmar models and I'm looking for some good audiobooks to listen to while I build. Any recommendations for CoS? Especially ones that came out since their model refresh in 3rd?

Greetings and good tidings once a-gain my fellow Realmwalkers! A few days ago it came to my attention, completely unprompted, that I mostly do these sorts of society posts on the Cities of Sigmar. I could claim that it is because they get the most lore and attention.

But honestly it's just cause I ain't as interested or hyperfixated on most other factions. So why waste everyone's time with a low quality post? Other folk could make better ones. But even so, sometimes striking out into other venues is fun! So welcome to an Infuriating Dumb Mutt's, that's me, Guide to the Mortal Realms.

A Bloodless Introduction

So on that note let's talk about the Gods of Murder and Shadows, Khaine and Morathi-Khaine. These are two very distinct entities with a cavalcade of complicated theology, history, and sectarian debate on the matter. But for the sake of brevity, this post we will refer to both simply as: Khaine. As that is the name by the Daughters of Khaine, and those outside the sects like the Leathanam, worship both.

Starsday

To kick off this list we turn to Starsday, the fifth day (equivalent to Thursday) of the week according to the Azyrite Calendar. As thanks to "Soulbound: Shadows in the Mist" we know that Khainites have weekly communal sacraments and gladiatorial bouts dedicated to Khaine.

Feast of Kharybtar

The Feast of Kharybtar is mentioned in the "Arena of Shades" booklet, one of those old battleboxes that were kinda mini-campaigns. Gladiatorial games are held at night on this festival. It is, as can be assumed, likely a feast day. Kharybtar, if you don't know, is the Godbeast that claimed the Iron Heart of Khaine before Morathi recovered (stole) it.

Khielt-gadh

Seeming to lack a fixed date, Khielt-gadh refers to a form of ritual combat in which participants recreate Khaine's mythic battles with the Ruinous Powers. The masks worn by participants of this ritual were eventually adopted by the Sisters of Slaughter, per the DoK Battletomes. (Such as Pg. 23 of the 2018 DoK one)

Mutt Trivia: The Seraphon have also been known to engage in performative rituals to re-enact their history as detailed in "Starseer's Ruin".

Yaith'ril

Whenever two covens of the nomadic Draichi Ganeth meet on their travels across Fuarthorn, sacred Yaith'ril is performed. These are sacred gladiatorial bouts where the most renowned warriors of both sides meet, the losing coven takes a blow to their reputation and is expected to pay heavy blood sacrifices. This occurs on the continent of Fuarthorn because its where main temple is located. (All mentioned on Pg. 25 of the 2021 DoK Battletome)

Feast of Kimendech

With "A Snake Sheds Its Skin" in the "Covens of Blood" anthology we are introduced to the Feast if Kimendech. This feast day is a rare one, as it is a day of rest and respite between the usual training and worship. Khainite sisters lounge in a room filled with cushions as leathanam slaves bring them exquisite meals in clay pots. The Kimendech, a cup depicting four heads representing Khaine's moods, is carried by a high priestess who allows those deemed worthy to drink from it.

Anointing of a Hundred Blades

First introduced to us in the July 2026 Issue of White Dwarf, this festival is the newest on the list. What we know about it is that it is observed in at least Har Kuron. As with many Khainite holy days it is a day of gladiatorial combat and the blood sacrifice of sapient lives. The main event sees a hundred gladiators perform in choreographed martial trials, attempting to win the favor of the audience.

Death Night

The holiest day of Khainite calendar, by decree of Morathi herself according to WD April 2026. Celebrated far and wide, not only in the Temple-Cities but also in Khainite quarters in other civilizations.

Even the Eternal City of Azyrheim, per "Legend of the Doomseeker" and "Spear of Shadows" participates, though contained (mostly) to the Darkling Quarters. In Azyrheim this is a night of Khainite processions making their way through the streets, of revelers crawling onto the walls of noble estates to frighten occupants. Of breaking into homes to drag victims to be sacrificed on Altars of Khaine while Hag Queens bathe in Cauldrons of Blood.

It takes place once every celestial year, always in midwinter on a day where the Dark Moon Dharroth waxes full.

The Tower of Blades, the aforementioned main temple-city of the Draichi-Ganeth, celebrates Death Night a little different. It is a rare occasion when the insular sect opens their proverbial doors to allow any Khainite of any sect to challenge the legendary arena of the Tower with no restrictions; any other day of the year the selection process is strict, overseen by the Iron Hags (rulers of the Tower), and purposefully esoteric.

In Conclusion

Well there we go that's my Aelf post for the year done and rapped up, glad that's over! /j Ya know weirdly enough I think only Cities of Sigmar and Fyreslayers beat out the Khainites in sheer number of (named and described) festival and celebrations. Course, I do think if I really threw in the effort to go over every ritual, rite, observance, and festival named or otherwise, our thunderous Eternals might edge out even Cities.

But that'd be tough on my scatter-brain. But hey if any of you ever want to pop into the Lex to shore up some articles, help add festival sections to faction and settlement articles, make note of what bits and bops you find on entertainment; who knows what puzzles we could put together finding out all the ways every faction celebrates, worships, and just has a nice siesta.

As some people likely already know I like the Warcry Warbands because they allow for a more granular look at the various aspects of factions. However due to how stuff was released not everything got equal amount of attention. So this is an attempt to give each member of the Warcry warbands as much lore as the more explored warbands. I would love to hear peoples thoughts on what they would like to see expanded on with the Spire Tyrants.

Pit Champions: While needing to be considered the strongest to lead the warbands of the Spire Tyrants Pit Champions also have a strong sense of choreography and theatrics. Positioning themselves and their warband so that they may have the climatic showdown against a foes champion or beast and showing both the might of their warband and themselves for all to witness. This cunning and natural charisma is vital for keeping the individualistic members of their warband in line rather than dispersing to the winds once they leave the arena.

Headclaimers: Perhaps the only individual a pit champion would allow to upstage them in either the arena or the field of battle the headclaimers rely less on a dramatic confrontation but instead their fame comes from their gory finishers. The flash of such acts are not the only things they must consider but also what the crowd desires. Some prefer the quick execution performed with a master stroke while others desire the slow breaking of the victim. This leads to some headclaimers having a surprising amount of knowledge regarding local cultures that belies their brutality.

Bestigor Destroyer: The primordial beastmen seem at odds for the structure and "civilised" nature of the arena but they do fit very well in actuality. Outside of the fact that their physiology allows for a different way of fighting than humans that the crowds love and those that despise civilisation are so wrathful about fighting in an arena that their bouts are especially brutal and chaotic which always brings the crowds. Those individuals who do acclimate to the arena often walk the path of the Destroyer. Destroyers unlike many pit fighters aren't fighting to kill their opponents but the cripple and capture them. Those captives or failed gladiators are given one chance to defeat a destroyer or be crippled for life and dragged away in chains to a brutal fate. For warbands operating outside the arena Destroyers often act as bounty hunters or slavers with a beastmens superior senses giving them a great advantage in that aspect.

Frenzied Ragers: These aggressive fighters can unleash both an onslaught of attacks or weave a web of steel as needed to the surprise of those who expected to fight mindless berserkers. Duardin are often seen taking up this role as they have the hardiness and stamina to embody the aggressive fighting style. Some believe that only those who have lost all connection to kin go down this path or have been exiled from the lands of the Hellsmiths.

Pit Fighters: These make up the majority Spire Tyrants though most were already skilled gladiators in lesser arenas before they set foot in the Eightpoints. Many have developed specialties to set them apart from their fellow such as being beast fighters or using extreme close quarter weapons like punch daggers. While most Spire Tyrants disdain any cowardly tactics they have no issue with using nets to ensure cowards cannot use such tactics against them. Also useful when a crowd demands a more humiliating fate than a brutal death.

Pit Veterans: Those who have been part of the Spire Tyrants for many bouts can claim the title of veteran. While some still use their old combat methods the veterans will often take up fighting styles of the Warriors of Chaos to prove their worth to such august fighters. The weapons can also be more practical for the one on one fights against humanoids they are more likely to do as well.

Feel free to share thoughts and suggest which warband you would like to see next.

Festivals are an ever-fascinating aspect of world building and casual anthropology. Much can be said about a people by what they do for entertainment, the sake of community togetherness, or just an excuse to have a feast! And a million more reasons besides.

From community meat raffles to state fairs to monumental holidays like Christmas, we all love a party. Duardin have proven no different with the Grungni's Day celebrated by Dispossessed, Ghuzfest beloved by Fyreslayers, and the Kharadron's Kuzzbryndal.

Nevertheless! What sorts are we hoping or expecting from Khazalites? Or I suppose the Kromdron as we know lots about the Grimmdron/Fyreslayers.

In the WHFB book Archaon: Everchosen, the turning point for Diedrick Kastner becoming Archaon was when he and his squire were fighting an army of Beastmen and rescued the novitiate Giselle. During the battle, Kastner lost control of himself as he slew a Minotaur, and slammed his sword repeatedly against its dead body. As he did so, he damaged a Warpstone-infused altar, causing a shard of warpstone to launch straight into his eye.

After this, he wandered in the wilderness alone, and this is the first time he attracted the attention of the Ruinous Powers (not counting Be'lakor, who was responsible for creating Archaon/Kastner in the first place). He witnessed symbols of each of the Chaos gods, before collapsing, with Be'lakor claiming him.

Now, I don't want to claim that without the warpstone Kastner never would have become Archaon; Be'lakor would have manipulated fate in another way to bring about the templar's fall. But from the inner monologue of Kastner, it's pretty heavily implied that the Warpstone shard in his brain was responsible for a lot of his change in behavior, morality, etc. He began to see the Realm of Chaos whenever he closed his good eye, the Swords of Chaos began to follow him, and ultimately the events leading to his battle in the Cathedral of Sigmar were set into motion with this moment.

I'm honestly somewhat reminded of Phineas Gage, a real life figure whose personality entirely changed after a metal rod was lodged in his brain.

Regardless of all that, my question is ultimately this; does Archaon still have the warpstone shard lodged in his brain by the time of AoS? Or has it disintegrated into nothing? Do you think it still gives him migraines? The idea of AoS-era Archaon being in constant pain from a rock in his head is very funny to me.

One thing I like about Age of Sigmar is that it gave the Dragon Ogres/Ogors some direction. Despite being part of Warhammer since the Realm of Chaos books for WFB 3rd edition, they always stood awkwardly off to the side - not men ensnared by vices and ambitions, but something more primeval; not fearsome things that lurk in the deep forests, but something from the mountain storms; not terrors from beyond reality, but creatures of flesh and blood.

But with Age of Sigmar, they had a foe and a goal beyond the generic Chaos goal of ending the world. Krakanrok the Black, their first and mightiest, survived the end of the World-that-Was and came to Azyr, where the Dragon Ogors reappeared and believed that they had reached the paradise that had been promised in their ancient pact with Chaos. They had other realms to conquer and enemies to fight; aside from new incarnations of their old foes, the dragons, they battled the Drogrukh in Ghur and built an empire in the Heavens. Then Sigmar came, and they lost it all.

Sigmar's new position as a storm-god who battled Chaos, and his lightning-powered warriors, made him a perfect enemy for the Dragon Ogors. 3rd edition AoS leaned into it, with Yndrasta mentioned as hunting for the missing Krakanrok the Black and Bastian Carthalos and Krondys hunting the last of the Dragon Ogors during the Cleansing of Azyr; the event that supposedly earned Carthalos the title of Lord-Commander was breaking the Dragon Ogor fortress of Thar Sagora. So it took two divine purges to (probably) remove the Dragon Ogors from Azyr.

While they may have been bumped back to the Old World along with the Beasts of Chaos for now, I hope that the Dragon Ogors come back to Age of Sigmar soon. They have things to do in the Mortal Realms, while in the Old Word they're just... there.

In closing, have a little ditty from the 4th edition WFB Chaos book about Dragon Ogres:

By Shartak and Shaggoth, the great and the small,
For Sharunrock, Darkoth and Gathor,
The lightning's children and the thunder's fall,
Krakanrok and his kin will live for ever more.

Now I am led to believe that this is a thing only in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. So a bit of an explanation.

A meat raffle is a community event where people gather in a bar, pub, community center, or other standard community gathering spot. Typically run by a charity, church, or other organization.

Attendants place money to buy raffle tickets, typical raffle, which are for prizes of meat. Pork chops, lamb chops, stuff like that. The money goes to charity and due to being a raffle the winner will in most cases individually pay less than what the meat would cost.

So a win-win for multiple parties in need.

With all that said. Y'all think stuff like this happens in the Mortal Realms? In which factions? Personally, I could see this as being common in the Sigmarite Strongpoints!

What other similar community events and charities do you imagine might exist? Is this all secretly an unsubtle way for this Mutt to get folk to educate each other on their various cultures' community aid works? Yes. Unabashedly.

Would love to hear you all share your thoughts and views.

Hello

I'm currently reading Gloomspite by Andy Clark (my first AoS novel). In chapter 3 we're introduced to a character named Olt Shev. From what I just read, compared to the other characters, he's a savage fellow, superstitious, not used to big settlements and new technologies. He's clearly a man who's not from the cities of Sigmar.

That is what i find odd. From what I've learned of the setting, during the Age of Chaos Sigmar closed Azyr leaving a lot of people to fend for themselfs and later these people became the Slaves to Darkness.

Is this not the case for everyone who didn't make it to Azyr in time? Are there non Chaos worshippers who manage to survive the Age of Chaos without Sigmar's proctection? How? What do they believe in?

Thank you.

First lore preview of the Khazalite tome.

Watched a video on roman gladiators and thought it would be interesting to use that as inspiration to expand the gladiator focus of the most gladiatorial faction in GAO the Daughters of Khaine. Going to focus on gladiator rings run by other races and how Daughters of Khaine interact with them as we do have White Dwarfs covering their own arenas.

While most Khainites are found within their own arenas following their own rules it is not unheard of for them to participate in other arenas. Such places are chosen for a variety of reasons such as providing new challenges, proselyting, or access to certain figures of import. Those Daughters who frequent the same arenas consistently can become part of the advertising and sponsorship's such places offer as well as any other benefits the place can provide. Several arenas are even rumoured to just be fronts of the cults the number of which has increased in the years after Morathi's take over of Anvilgard.

Those who join other arenas on a whim get less consideration and their place in the program depends more on how one can leverage their sects connection to the arena and local politics and what skills they bring to the table. Cunning khainites will usually aim for a slot that usually has a large audience or fits their skills with the aim of creating such a grand performance that it overshadows the main act. Such fights tend to be especially bloody as Khainites are experts at cutting just enough for blood to flow freely but not enough that it maims or kills opponents. Doing that too much gets one banded and laughed at by ones sisters for lacking skill.

For those gladiators that manage to best a Daughter of Khaine it is best to sleep with one eye and not to brag too openly for the are vengeful people and do not take slights lightly. It is best to defeat a member of a warband for their sisters will usually ensure that the loser regains their honour in the next arena battle and not in an alleyway though that depends on the sects. Some are perfectly fine with back alley murders for loosing an arena fight.

Gryselle's Arenai and the Crimson Lash are both good examples of the extremes Daughter of Khaine gladiator troupes can look like. The Arenai's variety of fighting styles means that they can be split up to spice up various fights or work in the same one to give a truly exotic performance. The Crimson Lash on the other hand while being skilled one on one fights and adept at fighting in a variety of arenas are well liked by those arenas who enjoy pitching groups of fighters against each other for the Lash's uniform appearance provides some visual clarity in the chaos of fighting even with aelven acrobatics thrown in the mix. The Lash's skill as performers means that they can create standout fights between individuals that even humans can follow is a bonus.

All in all when the Daughters of Khaine walk into the arenas of their lessers they have only a simple goal in mind. Honour Khaine and show everyone who the true queens of the arena are.

So what are peoples thoughts? What would you like me to expand? I am planning on doing a similar thing for the Spire Tyrants but if people want me to take a crack at other races let me know.

To better explain my dearest Realmwalkers. Technology is often the by word in terms of progress. But tech trees aren't really how tech works, in fact it's not uncommon to adapt older techniques from centuries to millennia ago for big and small things.

Not only but many other factors can affect how "advanced", an improper term but you'll no doubt know the vibe, appear. Let's use Cities as an example.

In the Cities of Sigmar there are Inns and Taverns. More importantly, they resemble what popular media most often presents as Inns and Taverns. But in our world establishments that served meals and alcoholic beverages weren't common in much of the Middle Ages despite the associations Low, Dark, and High Fantasy puts between taverns and that Medieval feel.

The reason being laws, logistics, supply lines, and availability of specializes tools as well as other factors. Same for Inns where serving meals wouldn't really be common; or rather, if they did then they lack all the modern conveniences and logistics that allow a restaurant to cater specific meals. More often you'd get soups, stews, and myriad other recipes that can be produced en masse.

So-So. The fact that Cities of Sigmar (as well as Kharadron Baraks, Lumineth Spire-Cities, Khainite Temple-Cities, and more) have the style of Taverns and Inns we think about; tells us that the way they are set up is closer to Industrial Revolution societies than Medieval ones.

As does the commonality of pets. If you've owned a pet, you know they get EXPENSIVE. That's just upkeep, care, and basic feeding, medical issues can get rough. As such working animals such as ratting cats, hunting dogs, and ploughhorses were the typical for furry critters.

Pets, animals with no labor expected of them beyond companionship, were most often the purview of the rich.

In our world this changes due to all the complicated factors in the Late Middle Ages to Industrial Revolution that saw the rise of a growing Middle Class. People who had funds, time, and ability for idle luxuries like having a companion.

In the factions mentioned above work animals are predominant. But we do see pets on occasion, not solely owned by the rich.

So that's what I mean. That's two societal quirks showcasing how Cities and their allies aren't as Feudal as their military regalia can sometimes seem. In part because many things we associate with Medieval times isn't actually.

So what are some details like that you've noticed? Quirks to each faction that inform all manner of interesting implications about the societies of them? Share your knowledge my friends!

Given that Barak-Urbaz was (and I presume still is, despite the fall of the sky-port) described as one of the most Cosmopolitan Sky-Ports, it got me wondering about the guilds and if they'd also share that nature or if they'd be solely duardin with no exceptions for humans, aelves or anything else.

I vaguely remember human wizards in the old world being limited to just channeling one wind, is this true for AOS?

A few days ago people on my discord were discussing a potential connection between the ogroid and Hashut. Specifically the fact that both had bull themes and were more empire and industrial focused forces residing in Ghur.

Basically the idea being that the ogroids learnt their crafts from Hashut and perhaps worshiping the ancestor god. When Hashut was defeated they used the knowledge he granted them to create their own empire which fell and then they joined team Chaos.

Personally I would prefer it if it was more of a case of parallel evolution of two different ghurite societies with perhaps the ogroid being inspired by Hashut's previous order. Bonesplittaz attacking them would perhaps be partially motivated by remember what Hashut did and trying to prevent someone else doing the same thing.

For the Oath Fulfilled miniature, any thoughts about the crossed atrophic scars on the Warqueen's stomach? Did she have internal surgery? Is this ritual scarring, potentially in the shape of a Darkoath rune? Or is it just a coincidence that these two scars are crossed?