Gods of Chaos
On my pilgrimage I learned much. Win or lose, the gods feast on our deeds. A man pets a stray, and his small pleasure in the act of kindness feeds Slaanesh. A woman strikes her crying child, and that awful moment of elation she feels feeds Khorne. A Munitorum drone considers suicide. Nurgle grows fat on his despair. A merciful strategist devises a plan for bloodless victory, and Tzeentch is content. The Word Bearers think the gods crave worship. But the gods care for nothing save filling their bellies with our sorrows. Intentionally or not, we are all meat for the beast.
The Chaos Gods, also called the Dark Gods or the Ruinous Powers, are god-like psychic entities of cosmic power. The most powerful Dark Gods of the pantheon are the dark brothers: Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh.[1a][13] They called the True Gods by some of their followers.[21]
Overview
The Chaos Gods are powerful beings that exist in the psychic mirror-realm that is parallel to realspace known as the Warp. The Chaos Gods are created and sustained by the emotions and souls of every living being of the material universe. Although they are god-like beings, they are by their nature monomaniacal and completely single-minded (formed completely of a single emotion or concept) as well as being completely dependent on the emotions of mortal creatures for their power and continued existence.[1a][13]
Daemons
A daemon is a creature formed from a fragment of a Chaos God's consciousness. They form the armies of the Chaos Gods, and frequently battle the armies of other gods and unbelievers on the material plane.[7a]
Gods are able to devote a fraction of their power to create daemons, whose appearance and character reflect the god's own nature. These daemons may be reabsorbed into the god at whim. The least of the minor gods may be so limited in their power that expending their power to create a daemon means their entire power is expended; in effect, the god becomes a daemon.[1a][7a]
History
Origins
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider (Novel) |
Over billions of years, the emotions of mortal creatures fell into the warp like rain. Watersheds of immaterial energy and emotion formed from the ongoing deluge. As the mortal races prospered and struggled, torrents and streams of pride and anguish, hatred and desire, and so on pooled as time progressed. Eventually these formless beings gained rudimentary consciousness and the Chaos Gods were born — vast psychic presences made from the dreams and nightmares of mortals. Each sought to nurture their own power by influencing the dreams of mortals to perform acts in ways to feed their power, sometimes rewarding those mortals that serve in their name with strange gifts. The souls of those who serve the Dark Gods don't dissipate in the warp like others, instead they are enfolded into their patron's, further increasing the power of Chaos.[1a]
The Chaos Gods exist in the Warp, a dimension outside of space and time. So when exactly the Chaos Gods emerged in unclear, especially to by own understanding, as the passage of time is a foreign concept to them. Their first recorded instance is during the conflict between the Old Ones and the Necrontyr. While the nascent Aeldari civilisation was still protected by their creators, the Old Ones, the Dark Gods and other warp predators are said to have assailed both the Old Ones and Necrontyr. The Aeldari were well designed to resist Chaos corruption and eventually pushed back Chaos alongside Necrontyr.[16b] After working together to construct many prisons for the Dark Gods and other psychic threats, the Aeldari and Necrontyr's alliance soured and a new conflict in the stars unfolded. These most distant ages are largely lost to time and remain unclear.[16a][16c]
Chaos and Mankind
Humanity and Chaos are inherently interlinked. Humanity became entirely dependent on warp travel for interstellar travel and astropaths for interstellar communication. Humanity would only have a fraction of its current numbers and strength without the Warp, and Chaos would also be much diminished without the rise of Mankind. The gods drink deep of the emotional wellspring that is Mankind, growing bloated and powerful in the process. As Mankind spread across the stars, their exponential populations fueled the gods immeasurably.[3b] Some say that by the middle ages of Mankind, the Chaos Gods had reached a tipping point and became fully sentient and self-aware.[8][Note 2]
Age of Strife
Throughout humanity's Age of Strife, Khorne's Bloodthirster generals lead Blood Legions in wars across the galaxy. Many worlds, both human and xenos, fell to Chaos or were destroyed in the Warp Storms appearing across the galaxy. Towards the end of this era, when the being known as the Emperor neared his completion of the Primarch Project, Tzeentch sensed potential chain of events that could someday cause the downfall of the Chaos Gods. Thus Tzeentch manipulated the dark powers that flung the nascent Primarchs from their sanctum.[7b]
The birth of at least one of the Ruinous Powers can be placed with surety, that being Slaanesh in M31. Born from the decadence, depravity, and excess of the once-great Aeldari empire, Slaanesh is a corrupt and perverse reflection of the Aeldari's darkest extremes of desire. The Fall of the Eldar climaxed with the apotheosis of Slaanesh. The apotheosis of the new god created a psychic explosion at the heart of the Aeldari empire, consuming the majority of the Aeldari race. The birth-cries leaving the Eye of Terror where the most densely populated Aeldari heart worlds had once been. The vast warp storms across the galaxy subsequently becalmed and abated.[7b][18]
Great Crusade and Horus Heresy
The Great Game began anew as Slaanesh, glutted and emboldened by the power gained from the consumption of most of the Aeldari race and their murdered pantheon, expanded his domains but his dark brothers met him with significant opposition. After a brief time as the ascendant god in the Great Game, Slaanesh's stolen domains from Khorne would be taken back. Tzeentch and Nurgle allied and Khorne's rage at being usurped in power by Slaanesh led to a rampage claiming back all Slaanesh had stolen from him and more.[7b]
Thus, the Dark Gods' full attention was given to the Great Game as the Emperor and Mars began their Great Crusade unimpeded by the gods, at least for a time. Amidst the Great Crusade's triumphs the seeds were sown by the Dark Gods in the hearts of the Primarchs. Eventually, they bore fruit when the Emperor returned to Terra. The Warmaster Horus Lupercal was corrupted and he swayed many of his fellow Primarchs to join him in rebellion and damnation. The Daemon legions were deployed by the gods to aid them in their civil war that blackened the Imperium forever.[7b]
At the final climax of the Horus Heresy, the fifth major Chaos God nearly reached apotheosis. Known as the Dark King in prophecy, was to be born from Humanity and consuming nearly the entirety of the species,[12] just as Slaanesh's apotheosis had done to the Aeldari.[29]
Followers
The lives of mortals go mostly unnoticed by the Chaos Gods, being little more than a brief flicker to their cosmic consciousnesses. They care nothing for mortals, only that they are continually fed their souls and emotions. Some of the most devoted followers' deeds might gain the momentary fraction of a god's attention, sometimes bestowing Marks and Gifts of Chaos, alongside other 'boons' to their apparent followers.[4]
The Chaos Gods' most devoted followers are known as Champions, spiritually bound to their patrons. Chaos Champions are rewarded with 'gifts' unique to each god and the potential 'blessing' of ascension to Daemon Princedom.[1b] As a Daemon Prince, they take on the thoughts and deeds, becoming a sliver of their patron in power and mind, while still wearing the face of their former mortality but now immortal.[15b]
When a follower of a Chaos God dies, instead of dissipating into the warp or being torn apart by daemons, their soul is absorbed into the greater mass of that god, adding its energy to the already formidable power of that god.[1a]
Relations between the Dark Gods
The gods are rivals of each other - the constant war between them mirrors the struggle between their followers in the material universe, and vice versa. Victory in mortal battles lends more power to the relevant god, although often victory is not necessary, just the shedding blood and sacrifice is required.[1a]
Each God is monomaniacal and care only for their own power, but each reserves a special enmity for one of their dark brothers in particular. Khorne finds the material pursuits of Slaanesh at odds with his martial pursuits and indiscriminate slaughter. Slaanesh find Khorne's single-minded violence dull and artless; finding perverse delight in agitating him. Tzeentch's twisting of ambition and constant change is inimical to the hopeless despair and stagnation spread by Nurgle, creating a special rivalry between the two.[17a]
Great Game
The Chaos Gods are almost constantly at war with one another within the Warp, vying for power amid the immaterial planes. Despite their myriad differences, the Great Gods of Chaos have the same goal: total domination. Such absolute power cannot be shared - especially amongst gods. With the ebb and flow of energy within the Warp, the powers of the Chaos Gods expand and contract.[7a] As the great Game rages, Warp Storms will often appear in realspace as a result.[20] This eternal struggle for dominance is known as the Great Game.[3]
Although the vague of hierarchy of the Dark Gods ebbs and flows, Khorne is currently the mightiest of all, for murder and blood sacrifice stretch all the way to the dark beginnings of the universe. Tzeentch is Khorne's closest rival, who thrive on the raw stuff of Chaos, always plotting and scheming for the sake of change. In times of galactic pandemic, Nurgle can eclipse them both, reveling in hopelessness and despair. The last of the pantheon of dark brothers is Slaanesh, who was born of obsession and desire can turn the compulsions of their brothers to his will with a whispered promise.[7a]
Forge of Souls
The constant battles between the four greater powers requires machines of war and one entity in the warp has grown to profit immensely off of bartering with the Dark Gods and aiding in fueling their Great Game. Vashtorr the Arkifane, a growing Demi-God and the Demon King of the Soul Forge, supplies each of the Dark Gods and their daemon minions with various Daemon Engines, weapons, and armour. Vashtorr is on his way to ascending to true dark godhood, and although the four Dark Gods are loathed to have another ascend to their level, none dare assail him or his realm directly. The daemonic arms manufacturer is a valuable cog in the balance of the Great Game. Attacking the Arkifane would not only deny supplies to the aggressor, but also result in a rival in the Great Game being bolstered instead.[17]
Known Chaos Gods
The dark brothers, the most powerful Chaos Gods of the Dark Pantheon. These four are the only Chaos Gods worth noting to many of the Lost and the Damned followers of Chaos.[7a]
- Khorne — The Blood God[2]
- Tzeentch — The Changer of the Ways[2]
- Nurgle — The Great Lord of Decay[2]
- Slaanesh — The Prince of Excess[2]
Other
Beyond the main four, the Warp has created many nameless Chaos gods, only for them to die with the passing of aeons. Of these the following are known or speculated to exist within the setting:[5]
- Ans'l, Mo'rcck, and Phraz-Etar are minor Chaos deities. Chaos Space Marines were rumoured to praise them by putting spikes on their power armour.[2][Note 1]
- The Dark King, theoretical 5th major Chaos God.[12] Nearly birthed by Humanity as Slaanesh was by the Eldar.[29]
- Malice is an entity worshiped as the Renegade God of Chaos and Hierarch of Anarchy and Terror. The Renegade Chapter Sons of Malice are among his followers.[4]
- Pater Mutatis - God of distortion of the body and mutation. Emerging from the worship Fabius Bile receives from his creations, such as the New Men.[15a]
- Mord’dagan, the Eater of the Dead, supernatural beast of legend, godhead of the Saynay cannibal cult.[10][11]
- The Quastor, said to be known as the Bringer of Dark Truths and worshiped on a million worlds. A minor god, but still considered by some to be a greater entity than another minor god known as Pater Mutatis, at least as of sometime prior to M37.[19]
- Vashtorr, the Arkifane, ruler of the Forge of Souls, has been called the Demi-God of inventors, engineers, scientists, and artisans. He seeks to become a 5th major Chaos God in his own right.[9]
- It is speculated that Raptor Cults worship a minor Chaos deity.[6]
Trivia
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- Note 1: The names of the minor Chaos Gods Ans'l, Mo'rcck, and Phraz-Etar are puns on the last names of Bryan Ansell, Michael Moorcock, and Frank Frazetta.
- Note 2: In the Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned (1990) it states that the first three Chaos Gods became sentient by the "middle ages"; First Khorne from the many wars and bloodshed, then Tzeentch from politicking and double-dealings of society, and then Nurgle from the plagues and contagions spreading in the prospering societies.[8] The birth of the first 3 Chaos Gods is implied to be due to humanity's actions on Old Earth alone.
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition):
- 2: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 20
- 3: Codex: Chaos Daemons (4th Edition):
- 4: Labyrinth (Short Story)
- 5: Black Crusade Core Rulebook, pg. 11
- 6: Index Astartes IV — Harbingers of Doom
- 7: Codex: Chaos Daemons (8th Edition):
- 8: Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned, page 175-176
- 9: Arks of Omen: Abaddon, pg. 15-16
- 10: Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook, pg. 97
- 11: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus, pg. 105
- 12: The End and the Death: Volume II (Novel) - i
- 13: The Talon of Horus (Novel) - Chapter 5
- 14: Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000 - Ruinous Powers
- 15: Fabius Bile: Manflayer (Novel):
- 16: Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider (Novel):
- 17: Arks of Omen: Abaddon, pgs. 15-16
- 18: Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pg. 20
- 19: Fabius Bile: Clonelord (Novel), Chapter 11
- 20: Codex: Chaos Daemons (6th Edition), pg. 8
- 21: Rites of Passage (Novel), Preparations
Uncited
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