'It is curious how little thought has been given to the nature of the Greenskin, given our shared tumultuous history. Their motivations, their behaviours, would appear of vital importance for us to understand. And yet, all we are told is that they are our enemy, and that they must be destroyed.

Whilst I have no doubt that, where Greenskin and Human meet, there shall be blood, I cannot help but reflect on this curiosity. Perhaps there is something we are not meant to know. Perhaps there is something it would be inconventient to learn...' 

Reimagining: Greenskins in Warhammer

Greenskins are something of a... well, I can't really tell you what they're something of, because they've been so many different things throughout the generations of the Warhammer setting, that their style, tone, and purpose are largely confused.

Greenskins first played the role of "Ultimate Enemies of Humanity." Which has largely been usurped by the hordes of Chaos.

Then, Greenskins played the role of "Comedic Inhuman Foe." Which has largely been usurped by Skaven.

Then again, Greenskins played the role of "Unbeatable Primeval Tide." Which has largely been usurped by Beastmen.

After that they played the role of... The Other Bad Guys to Watch Out For. Which is fine, in a fantasy wargame where lore doesn't matter too much, and where more armies means more options and variety. But in a setting-sense, it's confusing. And we got the greatest example of that with the old Storm of Chaos campaign. The Greenskins won the ultimate campaign, but that didn't actually mean anything because the Greenskins don't mean anything.

Oh, there's also the incredibly fucked up comparisons between the Greenskins and indigenous cultures — most noticable among the Goblin Spider Riders — which is likewise based into their very name. That's an aspect that I definitely want to de-emphasise, as it's... well... lazy, at the least, and extremely Not OK any way you look at it.

So let's change all that, shall we? Let's have a look at what they could be.

Greenskins: The Known, Unknown, and Half-Known

We know that the Greenskins are an intrinsically violent species. Normally I am not one for having intrinsic moral truths about a whole species, but in the case of the Greenskins (based on my later working) I actually think this makes sense. Theirs is a society not just built around violence, but almost entirely fuelled by it.

We know that the Greenskins have multiple different types: Snotlings, Goblins, Orcs, even Squigs seem to be genetically linked somehow. This seems to be a static thing: a Greenskin is 'born' (how?) as one form, but doesn't shift later in life. They undergo no metamorphosis... except, they get bigger. They seemingly grow indefinitely, in proportion to the violence they commit.

But we don't really know how they propagate. Older Editions featured "half-orcs" and references to breeding, and Blood Bowl had "female orcs" as cheerleaders (*sigh*). But then during the 40K & WFB are the Same Setting boom, the Greenskins of Warhammer Fantasy got linked with fungus. These links remain, what with the focus on mad cap mushrooms, mushroom-shaped iconography, and other aspects of the Greenskin lore, but the nature of their breeding has fallen away. So we don't really know how they spread. We just know that they seem to breed a lot.

We also know that they're scavengers of a sort, but also capable of making their own industry (of a fashion). They loot from others and then reforge things they find into new forms more befitting their own sizes and shapes. They modify buildings to become fortresses. Despite their animosity and near-constant violence, they must have some level of co-operation to build, forge, and fortify. They do, indeed, have industry.

Lastly, we don't really know where the Greenskins came from. There have been mentions that they arrived as 'spores' in prior lore — linked to the 40K-WFB era — that probably were attached to some Old One crafts or something. But it's not clear where they stand now. They seem like a wholly failed experiment if they were created by the gene-editing Old Ones (who liked ORDER and having enslaved, controllable servants). They also seem like an absolute blunder if they were introduced accidently, which whilst possible, seems like the wrong kind of oversight for the Old Ones to commit (they were arrogant and hyper logical, and should fall to hubris, not neglect). So where did they come from?

And what does all of this add up to? Well, to my mind, the Greenskins sound like the fit the same niche as the Tyranids in 40K, but inverted.

Greenskins: An Alternate Reading

My thinking is that the Greenskins are, like the Dragons, true native creatures to the Warhammer world. Before the Old Ones arrived and magically moved the planet closer to the sun to create a perfect testing ground for their genetic experiments, the Greenskins existed as a sort of semi-sentient fungus / algae. Like fungus on our planet, the Greenskins' function in the native ecology was to consume dead or dying organic matter, helping in the decomposition cycle. This was done in a violent way, of course, much like any scavenger. But it wasn't evil. Vultures and cheetahs are no more evil than any other animal. They just eat things that are dying or have died.

However, when the Old Ones moved the planet to be warmer, the Greenskin-algae bloomed massively. Like a fish tank that suddenly rises a few degrees, the Warhammer world was quickly awash with Greenskins which were suddenly far stronger and more aggressive than they were before. They blossomed over the Warhammer world, and the first great struggle for the Old Ones on the planet had begun. The Old Ones created the Saurus to combat them, and it worked for the most part. But the shift in the Greenskins was done. Their battle lust, fuelled by their instinctual desire to decompose the world, but engorged by the closeness of the sun, meant their numbers couldn't be contained.

Greenskins work together, not as 'societies', but as colonies of algae. Or ants. They work together out of an instinct to further their purpose. They attack a building, kill the inhabitants, and then — almost mechanically — begin to fortify it. Sure, a particularly clever Orc might rise up and take more charge than this — directing specific fortifications, and instructing in the construction of specific weapons and deployment of specific tactics — but the Greenskins instinctually spread and reclaim.

And, in the end, that's what they evolved to do. The planet is theirs originally. It's not their fault they've been altered inadvertently by the Old Ones, any more than it is the fault of Humans and Elves and Dwarves for being introduced to the world and mutated just the same. Warhammer is a petri dish, and the scientists are long dead.

Liber Etcetera: Idle Hands

"Idle. I remember how my peers would call the peasants 'idle'… 

By the Gods, I am certain, in my younger years, I was as guilty of that as any. As we sipped at Southlander coffee, and sat in our Cathayan silks, we remarked at the squabbles of the idle serfs. We lounged as they broke their backs for every scrap of wealth we leeched from them. We may as well have been supping on their blood.

And then there were the vagabonds.

The cowed peasantry are an unfortunate sight: not because they themselves are foul, but because they show to us — their 'betters' — the crimes we commit by perpetuating their sorry states. But the vagabonds, the drifters, the adventurers. They are our worst sin, and our greatest resource. By their blood, our lands were kept safe. By their sweat, our petty concerns were met. By their disease ridden corpses, our wars were truly fought.

Who then were we to denounce their Idle Hands?"

Introducing Liber Etcetera: Idle Hands!

Liber Etcetera: Idle Hands is an unofficial fan supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4^th Edition, focusing on Downtime. Idle Hands replaces the Between Adventures phase from the core rulebook, and offers a more brutal impetus for adventure — disease, starvation, and the dismissal of your peers await those unfavoured by Handrich! For more information, and for the download link, head over to the Itch.io page now! Idle Hands is also available in French!

Beware: Idle Hands

Whilst Idle Hands is an all-new supplement, it comes from a long lineage of Downtime rules that I've been trying to refine since 2^nd Edition. I'm not so arrogant to say that I've nailed it, but this is the happiest I've ever been with a Downtime system, and I think it's pretty great.

Whilst I do enjoy the core Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4^th Edition, and I wrote the Travel rule in The Enemy in Shadows Companion, I didn't feel either reflected the games I was running. Both presented Downtime rules for campaigns framed around normal people who, when not adventuring, would return to normal lives. In my experience, that's just not what WFRP looks like! Adventuring shouldn't be something that happens as a side project, nor should it be something that is engaged in lightly. The Characters become adventurers because they don't otherwise fit into the world. So I needed to make the world reject them: hence these, rather brutal, rules.

Liber Etcetera: Idle Hands is the fourth of the "core releases" I intend to do through Liber Etcetera. These releases are all designed as larger-scale supplements — compared to my Little Liber series, and the Warhammer Cultures series (and any other series that starts up!), each detailing a larger aspect of the rules.

Until next time (and the next release), I hope you have more Warhammer in your life.

Reimagining: High & Dark Elves in Warhammer

Neither High Elves nor Dark Elves have ever received a proper in depth sociological look in the Warhammer setting, mostly due to the fact neither have received their own sourcebooks in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, which has always been the driving force behind Warhammer's cultures. Therefore, I'm going to have a look at the architypes underpinning both cultures, and attempt to form a mood for them that goes beyond what we see in the tabletop game, and what we've seen shreds of before.

Talking Architypes

To figure out who these two peoples are — or rather, who they're supposed to be — it's worth going back to roots and looking at what architypes they evoke. All sorts of real-world peoples have been used as 'inspiration' in Warhammer for the Human nations, so why not do the same to the Elves?

The Elves represent a significant architype in the Warhammer setting: a progenitor species of faded glory that is entirely self-serving. They represent the height of culture and sophistication... so long as your definitions of those terms fit in with outdated ideals by a few millennia. They are, in many respects, an Ancient Greece / Ancient Rome analogue for the rest of the Old World nations: their ruins pop up here and there, and their wisdom underpins many tenants of higher learning still. 

That's the Elves as a whole, in general (the Wood Elves are a different matter, but a subject for another day). Individually, the two cultures represent quite different ideals, however.

High Elves in Brief

In foreign affairs, the High Elves are a naval juggernaut who dominate seaborne trade from their island kingdom, with a strangehold over negotiating power, specifically in the (Warhammer) global south. Trade with Araby and the Southlands, and by extension, Cathay and the eastern nations, is largely at the whim of Ulthuan-born High Elves. This strangehold is controlled by colonial-esque satellite colonies which dot the coastlines of the Southlands (an analogue of Africa), and Ind (an analogue of India). Which is all sounding rather English around the era of their maritime supremacy.

High Elven internal politics and outlook are more 'civilised', focused around idealistic and pragmatic social control, with great oligarchic houses forming the foundations of society. In essence, we see a mixture of Imperial Rome and the Athenian city-state post the Persian Wars. Whilst holding to ideals of justice and fairness, what actually eventuates is a highly structured society based around saving face and reputation, with a thin veneer of personal freedom enforced by exploitation of subject nations and naval supremacy.

High Elves, put very loosely, could be considered Athens/Rome + Age of Sail England.

Dark Elves in Brief

Dark Elves, on the other hand, treat the outside world — when they do venture beyond their borders — as a field of wheat to be harvested. They scour the coastlines of Norsca and Nordland for folk to enslave, whilst reaving ships and causing suffering for their own resource gain. But even though these acts of aggression are the mainstay of the Dark Elves' foreign policy, it should be noted that the vast majority of their time seems to be spent on internal wars and the suppression of their vast enslaved populations.

To account for this, much of Dark Elf society revolves around militarism, with Dark Elf armies made up of primarily wealthy individuals who maintain their wealth via their estates run by enslaved peoples. They in turn keep their enslaved population in line by being highly militarised. It's a chicken and egg situation.

When not making war on and enslaving Indigenous Naggarothi, and the Human tribes from the colder climates to their north and east, the Dark Elves occupy themselves with overindulgences of essentially every kind. Their society is based around a terrible individualism that priorities one's own "freedoms" whilst simultaneously making social mobility almost impossible, and any freedom that can be had by those who aren't exceedingly wealthy is only possible by oppressing others. 

This play at individualism is all whilst near worshipping Malekith their eternal god-king.

What does this all sound like, especially when compared to the High Elf reflections and roots? To me, at least, they sound like a combination of Spartans (highly militarised to enforce order over a massive population of helots, and mostly insular focused because of that) with the worst excesses of Imperialism undertaken by the United States of America (subjugation of an Indigenous population, mixed with constant resource wars to fuel an economy of mass over consumption and greed, over a thin veneer of individualism which keeps the majority of people struggling to survive in a cult of propaganda dedicated to a nearly deified ruler (or series of dead rulers)).

Dark Elves, put just as loosely as before, could be considered Sparta + Imperialist USA.

Scratching the Surface

This is merely scratching the surface, and doesn't go deep into either culture. But this Reimagining should serve as a way of thinking about High and Dark Elves, rather than a full in depth look. Maybe one of those will come from Liber Etcetera, another day. But for now, I'm going to use these combinations as inspiration when thinking about High and Dark Elves, and how they might manifest in the Warhammer World.

'Imagination. That was our greatest gift. Where an animal can observe and learn, it must act according to what is. We, however, can dream of that which isn't, and draw from reality to form the previously unreal.

Of course, this gift, as with all others, could be turned into a curse. Where imagination exists, lies can creep in. The truth can be imagined differently. The truth can be changed.

But likewise, this curse, as with all others, could become once more a gift. Nothing is written in stone, and the sins of the past can be fixed for the future to come.'

 

Reimagining: A New Series!

Welcome, all, to Reimagining, a new series on Liber Etcetera which looks to reimagine parts of our favourite fictional worlds. These reimaginings could be for many (or any) reason: focusing on outdated content, conflicting canons, questionable (or confusing) messages / morals / ethics / politics, or simply just because the author thought something wasn't as cool as it could have been.

The Reimagining series will primarily be focused on Warhammer Fantasy as a setting, but may also touch on other settings, such as Warhammer 40,000, Star Wars, Middle Earth, and any others that take my fancy. Each addition to the series will focus on a different topic within that setting (for example, I'm working on Reimagining: Orcs in Warhammer Fantasy and Reimagining: A Lost Legion in 40K), giving my views, working, and world building on it.

I'm looking forward to this new chapter of Liber Etcetera, but don't worry: my other series aren't going anywhere! More Warhammer Cultures, Little Liber, and Core Releases are on the horizon!

Sexuality & Gender in Warhammer (Part #1)

AKA Why the Old World is Much More Queer than You Imagine

"Sappho sings for Homer"', Charles Nicolas Rafael Lafond 1824.

Preface

Before we begin, I’m going to have to give some disclaimers and preface, here.

First: this is all non-canonical. However, given the punk/anti-establishment origins of Warhammer, and the shifting nature of progressive politics since the 80s when Warhammer was first conceived, I believe the following is 100% in the spirit of Warhammer, if not in the canon. Were Warhammer written today with the spirit it was written in 1986, I would bet my life on it that the thoughts below — or something close to them — would be included.

Second: given this is non-canonical, it’s 100% OK for you not to agree. No one is taking away your toys. You can frame your Warhammer however you like, just as I can (and have). However, if you do like what you read, then feel free to adopt some or all of this as you see fit.

Third: this is going to be a discussion on why sexuality and gender should be more progressive and present in Warhammer. Part of that will be a discussion of why it isn’t already that progressive, so there are inherent issues going in. Much of the lore that I am discussing is “problematic” at best. At its worst, it is outright homophobic and transphobic, especially religious and political homophobia/transphobia. This is a content warning for these topics.

Fourth: this is NOT a call-out article. None of this is to take shots at those who have written Warhammer lore before, and who didn’t include these things. There are many many reasons why this kind of content isn’t already in Warhammer (which I’m not going to go into). I don’t care about that. You are free to be mad about it, if you want, but this article is about fixing problems, not pointing fingers.

Fifth: the later discussion of the Chaos Gods deals with an equivocation between mental disorders and "corruption", which means that unchecked mental instability is linked to becoming evil in the Warhammer world. This is a whole other fucked up kettle of fish that deserves its own series of articles (and it may get them, some time soon), but for now. For anyone who knows me, you’ll know distinctly that I don’t view neuroatypical people as being evil (I’d have a much more difficult time waking up than I already do if I did), but I’m forced to work with what I’ve got. This is a content warning for the vilification of mental health.

Now, onto the article itself.

Imperial soldiers battle Daemons of Chaos. Property of Games Workshop.

Introduction

Warhammer, as a setting, is rich with both in-setting lore and tongue-in-cheek satire from the real world, baked into its vibrant history, cultures, and miscellanea. Diving down the rabbit hole of the Warhammer world can set one up for a lifetime of learning — I should know, as I’ve been on that rabbit-hole-dive for almost 23 years! Whilst the setting began with good intentions (see above), it drifted somewhat from that satirical/progressive bent in its middle years. In recent years, Age of Sigmar — Warhammer Fantasy Battle’s successor — has done some work to fix some of the issues. But more work can be done — like that I’ve done on the cultures, or baked into the writing I and Andy Law did on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition.

This work is specifically to do with sexuality and gender in the Warhammer world, and why I believe it should be far queerer than most (all?) of the setting material thus released reflects.

This discussion is going to be a little haphazard: we have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of different arguments to make. Were I writing this as an academic paper, I’d take probably a single argument — such as Why the culturally hegemonic thinking of Christianity in the real world has warped the concept of “Excess” in the Warhammer world — for an entire thesis… But this isn’t academia (for good and ill) so I’m just going to do it my way.

This discussion is also going to be big, so I think I’ll focus — for now — on Sexuality. Gender will come next (though there will naturally be some of that in here, as well).

Let’s begin with the real-world alt-historical context of the Old World and discuss why that isn’t a reason to exclude The Gays™.

There is a reason the Warhammer world map looks a lot like the real world map. Property of Games Workshop.

Warhammer is Alternate History?

The Warhammer world is often (satirically/shamelessly) framed as alternate history of the real world, in a fantasy context. The Empire of Sigmar Heldenhammer is not-so-loosely based on the Holy Roman Empire. Renaissance Italy and Spain have stand-ins — shockingly — as Tilea and Estalia, respectively. The Empire of Far Cathay, the Kingdoms of Ind, the Sultanates of Araby are… well, I don’t think I need to tell you; the names very literally speak for themselves.

However, some core differences exist in the Warhammer world to mark it out as not just What if things were different?! For one, it’s a different planet. We’re not dealing with Earth, just an Earth-like planet, with apparently Earth-like cultures. Secondly, magic most certainly exists, and it’s a specific kind of non-Vancian magic that plays by many intricate rules (which I won’t get into here, as they’re not important). Thirdly, the Gods definitely exist, but are poorly understood, mostly aloof, and don't really care about mortals in the way mortals (in and out-of setting) think they do. Fourth, very serious real Gods of Chaos exist and want to bring about the end of everything… though they are now canonically evil as opposed to being just overly “Chaotic” (where once being overly “Ordered” was literally just as bad). Finally, and most important for our next point of discussion after this one: The Catholic Church doesn’t exist.

Warhammer places the timeline somewhere in the middle of the Renaissance, though it’s vague. Personal firearms are becoming more prevalent, though the printing press is not that old an invention. Steam-powered tanks and helicopters exist, but most rural communities are still isolated to within a few miles of home (which is distinctly early Medieval). Theories of miasma and the four humours still abound in medical practice, though complex surgery and anatomical knowledge is also known. Early feudal models of society exist alongside literal Marxist thinking in the cities. It’s a mishmash of real-world timelines, mostly on purpose/by design.

Which would mean that the real-world historical perceptions of sexuality and gender should be considered, right?

Yeah… "Ecstasy"… Sure thing, Caravaggio. "Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstacy", Caravaggio 1595.

Sexuality in Renaissance Europe

Though many armchair historians will argue that queer identities are a product of the present, that's simply not the case... The chief evidence for this is armchair historians contemporary with the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe who themselves railed against the supposedly modern (to their times) concepts of same-sex relationships. Whether it was the highly scandalous relationships of Edward II, or the various writings of monks and nuns who decried gay and lesbian fornications within their own sects, it's an absolute fact that homosexuality went on big time in the Renaissance (especially in Italy, so there's something going for you folks across the sea, I suppose).

Now, all that isn’t to say that homosexuality was accepted in the Renaissance… Though there is some evidence to suggest it was more culturally accepted than we believe, as if you take a historiographical view of the overwhelming number of sources decrying homosexuality, you have to assume they had lots going on to campaign against. After all, people don’t spend years writing books and treatises telling people to stop doing things that they’re already not doing, right?

That all being said, we should also remember that the Warhammer world isn’t just Renaissance Europe: we’ve got parallels of the Middle East, several African nations, China, the Americas, India, et al. I don’t have time to go into views on queerness across the globe contemporary with Renaissance Europe, but a few thinks might help: Homosexual discourse in the Ottoman Empire; Homosexuality in the Ming Dynasty, China; pre-colonial homosexual history in Africa; (what would be considered queer in the modern day) identities in pre-Columbian Mexico. Suffice to say, we’ve an entire planet, not unlike our own, with an entire planet’s worth of culture’s views on queerness… And much of that before it could be whitewashed with modern era puritanical thinking.

But let’s step back a little, shall we?

There's a reason things like the painting of Manifest Destiny (1872) are made with Christian symbolism...

Anachronistic Christian Hegemonic Thinking

One of the things people love to talk about — myself included — is not only how the Warhammer world is similar to the real world, but also how it specifically differs… And yet, they almost always forget to mention that one of the biggest key differences is we’re viewing the Renaissance, etc., through a Christian hegemonic lens whilst the alternate history we’re looking at doesn’t have Christianity. Our whole concept of modern morality in the West is based on Christian hegemonic thinking — regardless of whether people want to believe it does. What we consider excessive and debauch is viewed as such from a standpoint of heteronormativity, based on a (radically changed) Puritanical Christian worldview.

All that is to say: the reason there wasn’t more queerness in the actual Renaissance is because the Christian society it existed in didn’t accept it… but Warhammer doesn’t have such a Christian society, so then shouldn’t that queerness be accepted?

In short: yes.

In long: yes, even with those excuses I can hear you brewing up (this is targeted at people who know the lore, which I’m about to get into). Because there is a Christian church analogue… But it is very different.

A Sigmarite Warrior Priest fighting a Chaos Warrior. Property of Games Workshop.

The Cult of Sigmar ≠ The Church of Jesus Christ

The Cult of Sigmar Heldenhammer is the closest thing in the Warhammer world to a Christian faith, or Catholic church. The story is similar, as well: a dude rises up, preaches unity, dies, and becomes deified. Well, kinda.

In truth, Sigmar is very very different from Jesus, or the Christian God. 

Sigmar was a warrior — the son of a chieftain — and was raised in a polytheistic society that favoured three Gods above all else: Ulric, the masculine God of Winter, Wolves, and War; Taal, the masculine God of the Wilds, Nature, and the Hunt; and Rhya, the feminine God of the Wilds, Nature, and the Home. Other Gods also existed in Sigmar’s time (and since) — such as Verena, the fem God of Justice, or Morr, the masc God of Death — but these three are the big ones for our supposed Christ-Figure.

Sigmar didn’t so much preach unity as he enforced it. He warred with the other Human tribes of the Reik river valley (where the Empire of Sigmar now is), and unified them through a mixture of military dominance, diplomacy, guile, trickery, love making (don’t ask), and all manner of ploys. Further, he did all of this for mutual survival and dreams of Human supremacy against the other creatures of the wilds. He didn’t care about peace and love, nor about Humanity other than through survival… And we know this, because Sigmar himself — in the Time of Legends book series — specifically states that a handful of other Human tribes (the Ungols, the Bretonni, and those that would become the Estalians and Tileans) were too far away to join in the confederacy of the Empire.

But then Sigmar didn’t need to care about these things. Other Gods already cared about those things. Because Sigmar’s society was, and still is, a polytheistic one.

After he was deified, his Cult continued to preach Imperial Unity: together we are strong, separate we are weak. The Cult was focused on rooting out “corruption” wherever it was found that eroded “the fabric of Imperial society”. They had, and still have, Inquisitions, not unlike the Christian Inquisitions…

But the nature of that corruption is where things get… murky. Everything falls into a very Christian understanding of what constitutes “bad”.

But WHY?

Because the authors were, after all, raised in such a Christian framework. England, the United States, Australia, Canada, etc., are all — fundamentally — Christian nations even if their various constitutions, census data, and the like, says otherwise. And I say this as a fiercely no longer Catholic person. I desperately wish my two homes — Australia and Malta — weren’t so caught in Christian hegemonic thinking… but I don’t really get a say in it, do I?

But I do get a say in how I run my version of Warhammer.

Why Shouldn't Warhammer "Morality" Oppose Queerness?

For one, the answer is simple: because it doesn’t have to. We’re dealing with fantasy, here, and we can have that fantasy do whatever we want it to. We can just say — as I am declaratively saying now — that queerness isn’t inherently more debauch or morally grey than heteronormative lifestyles. It just isn’t, and thinking it is is, well, problematic at best.

But let’s go a little deeper. Let’s not just say “Being Queer is OK because I want it to be OK”. Let’s pander, for a second, to the Devil’s Advocates who call for realism (whilst being OK with literal reality warping daemons).

Let’s look back at the Gods: specifically, Taal, Rhya, Ulric, and Verena. Let’s work backwards.

Shrine of Verena. Property of Games Workshop.

Verenan Equality & Same-Sex Marriage

The Cult of Verena often (almost always) acts as the judges and lawyers over large matters, whilst provincial courts deal with individual disputes. Which should also imply that the Verenan Cult is involved, to some degree, as a sort-of Supreme Court, deciding what is and isn’t legal (or at least being consulted).

Further, we know the Verenan Cult is overly preoccupied with fairness and justice (though within strict rules). I.e. They believe in trial by jury, but also believe in the inherent divine right of nobility, and the social stratification of aristocracy. This isn’t necessarily a Verena-held belief but is definitely a Verenan Cult-held belief.

Therefore, if queerness isn’t inherently immoral (and we’ll get to why it shouldn’t be, soon), same-sex marriage being outlawed would be antithetical to the Verenan moral code. It would be heresy to outlaw same-sex marriage.

Alright, let’s now talk about how queerness might be a common part of society!

Shrine of Ulric. Property of Games Workshop.

Ulric = Norse Thor meets Spartan Ares

The War God Ulric is kind of like a Spartan-style vision of Ares, but swaddled in Germanic furs, rather than Mediterranean cloth. So a little bit Thor as well. He’s a big burly man with a big burly wolf who fights like Thor, and feasts and drinks, and… you get the idea. He’s basically a Viking + a Spartan.

Hallakarva — in this discussion of The Vikings and Homosexuality — puts forward a view of same-sex tolerance in the Nordic world before Christianity — and Christian morality — arose. Furthermore, we know figures like Loki in Norse myth were gender-fluid (by transforming into a female horse), as well as other specifically queer themes that pervade the Sagas.

And it’s well known that the Spartans were cool when it came to same-sex coupling.

Therefore: Ulric = Vikings (“Gays are A-OK”) + Spartans (“Gays’R’Us”) means that it makes sense for Ulric to be absolutely fine with same-sex relationships. Of course, we can follow the pre-Sigmarite idea that, outlined by Hallakarva, people were still expected to procreate, we can extrapolate that this was relaxed later in the timeline when child mortality rates got better, and population levels increased with the advent of complex agriculture.

This would present a pre-Sigmar society where homosexuality was accepted, but men and women were still expected to marry and have children, though in later years (post-Sigmar) this demand for child rearing would be lessened, allowing people to live with, and potentially marry their same-sex partners.

Now, why shouldn’t queerness be immoral in Warhammer (other than the fact it just shouldn’t)?

Shrine of Taal & Rhya. Property of Games Workshop.

It's All Natural, Baby!

The Gods Taal and Rhya enforce a strict code of respect for nature in their doctrines. Further, it is canonically stated that Taal and Rhya are married, and govern much of the “family” rituals in the Warhammer polytheistic theology. Marriage is specifically called out in the 2nd Edition book Tome of Salvation with the following:

“For the average citizen, marriage is a simple and informal affair between the couple and a priest of any given cult willing to perform the ceremony.”

But Taal and Rhya are still seen as the ‘typical’ family unit of the Warhammer Gods. (Note: “Typical”, not “only”.) It is fair to assume then that many marriages would be officiated by cultists of Taal and/or Rhya. According to natural law, obviously.

And it’s not like there’s any homosexuality in the animal kingdom, now, is there?

(Of course, the above link contains some useful discussions about why that term may be suspect in that instance, but this is only one example — on Wikipedia, no less — and there is a LOT of research to prove same-sex sex does occur naturally in many species, in the Wild.)

Now, naturally, we could argue for a while about aberrant behaviour, but we could also argue that homosexuality in Humans is inherently natural, because Humans are natural beings (in that we aren’t artificial) and that it’s well established that homosexuality isn’t a choice. Therefore, it’s a part of nature. Therefore, it’s a part of Taal and Rhya’s domain. Therefore, why wouldn’t Taal and Rhya allow same-sex marriages? Therefore, if one of the MAJOR cults of the Empire allows such a practice, why would it be illegal? Why would it be considered immoral? The Cult of Taal & Rhya is much older than the Cult of Sigmar, even if we want to make the Sigmarites consider queerness to be immoral.

And if Taal and Rhya would consider your queerness natural, then surely Verena as stated above would be bound by the law to swear you in!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Stained glass of Sigmar. Property of Games Workshop.

UNITY!

Sigmar preached literal unity between the “Men of the Empire”.

I mean,

…

Ok, this one is a bit of a joke, but seriously, let’s look at this for a second:

1. Sigmar’s Cult is all about Imperial Unity through co-operation.
2. Sigmar’s Cult focuses mostly on social unity: church gatherings (throngs), a standardised language (Reikspiel), strong nationalistic themes (the Hammer of Sigmar is to forge the Human Tribes into a whole, whilst the Imperial Cross represents the four compass points of Sigmar’s Empire), and strict codes of morality.

We’ve already discussed how it makes little sense for queerness to be pre-Sigmar immoral — through the veneration of Taal and Rhya — and also how it may have been quite normal for consenting adults in Sigmar’s time — through Ulric’s big thumbs-up — and why the inherent inequality of making same-sex couples would be heretical to Verena… All of this means that Sigmar’s Cult would likely not include same-sex coupling or marriage as being immoral, for them to fight against. Because these things were definitely A-OK in Sigmar’s time!

Rather, I would suggest, the Cult of Sigmar would encourage any form of kinship and familial bond-making they can — so long as it doesn’t touch on debauchery, which we will get to later — because it promotes unity. Hell, if you can solve a war that’s threatening between Clans by marrying both of the Chieftains together, it doesn’t fucking matter if they’re both dudes, does it?! The strength of the Empire is what counts, not what’s in their pants.

And there’s bigger issues, like literal daemons running around. Speaking of…

A scene showing a Slaaneshi daemon from the Tome of Corruption. Note the colours, the symbol of Slaanesh on the banner, and all the queer coding? Property of Games Workshop.

"The Problem of Slaanesh"

We’ve talked a bunch about the “Good Guy Gods” of Warhammer — even if they’re supposed to be mean and uncaring — but we must talk a bit about the Baddies, too. Namely, the four Ruinous Powers — the Arch-Evils of the Warhammer setting.

First you have Khorne, the Blood God, God of Violence and Hate. Next is Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, the Great Mutator, God of Sorcery. Then is Nurgle, the Fly Lord, God of Plagues and Decay. And finally, Slaanesh, the Prince of Excess, the Lord of Pleasure, “She Who Thirsts”.

Strap yourselves in, folks.

Slaanesh is the biggest problem when it comes to queering up Warhammer, and the ultimate excuse used by most as to why being queer is inherently immoral and canonically evil in Warhammer. And, I get it — based on the way Slaanesh, and Their lore, is written, I can see where they’re coming from. I disagree (vehemently), but I understand.

Slaanesh is the only specifically gendered Chaos God (though Khorne is often called “He”, and Nurgle sometimes gets the name “Father Nurgle”). Slaanesh is described as intersex (technically described using a slur for intersex folk, but I’m not replicating that here), with both male and female genitals and secondary sexual organs. Slaanesh’s daemons are likewise seen as intersex, with both male and female sexual characteristics, sometimes multiple (4 or 6 breasts, multiple sexual organs, etc.). Additionally, they are often swathed in kink-wear (leather straps and harnesses, wielding whips, wearing corsets, etc.) which is a whole other point that I’ll get to later.

All these aspects of Slaanesh are, ultimately, intended to showcase how excessive they are, and by extension, showcase aspects in mortals that would be likewise excessive and corrupting. Which, like… just take a second to consider that: Intersex folks are, apparently, by virtue of their birth, inherently excessive, corrupt, and evil? Not in my Warhammer.

But this really means we need to define what EXCESS means in the Warhammer world — or rather what it should mean, given the post-punk, nova-progressive context of Warhammer in 2020.

An older drawing of Slaanesh. Note the clearly masculine and feminine duality of the figure. Property of Games Workshop.

What, Exactly, is Excess?

Despite being one of the supposed four pillars of Chaos — and by extension, the main internal struggle of the Warhammer world — Excess is poorly defined. We get a look at sexual “perversion” (though we’ve already seen why that’s being viewed through a Christian hegemonic lens and should be re-evaluated). But we also see — what is in my opinion more interesting — Excess being a manifestation of obsession and disorder.

Ultimately, all of Chaos is Disorder: 

• Tzeentch is wanton change for change’s sake (the mutable, constantly shifting, opposite of entropy).
• Khorne is needless and senseless violence, bloodshed. In some interpretations Khorne is also erratic emotion (honour, duty, pride) manifesting in violent tendencies. 
• Nurgle is ultimately hopelessness and depression, through a veil of absolute stagnation, and a rejection of the natural order of life and death… 
• Therefore, Slaanesh should be said to be the pursuit of pleasure above and beyond what is acceptable and natural to the detriment of the self and others.

But that definition leaves a lot up to interpretation, doesn’t it? And — given the Christian hegemonic context I’ve spoken about — it’s natural that that interpretation would take on a view of Christian morality. But let’s throw that out, as it has no place in Warhammer. We’ve already looked at why queer relationships would be acceptable, and normalised to the point of not even being remarked upon (we’re not dealing with a society that “accepts” queer identities, but rather one that doesn’t remark upon them, in the same way our own society doesn’t remark upon heterosexual identities).

I can see an argument for intersex births as being viewed with fear — much as they were (and sadly still are in many places) in the real world, in the Renaissance and before — perhaps even linking them to the (equally problematic issues of) mutation which is a constant theme in Warhammer… But again, I’ll call back to Rhya, and the fem God of Healing and Mercy, Shallya. Rhya’s priesthood has, for thousands of years, taken the roles of midwives. Shallya’s priesthood has now adopted that role in more urban settings, and also covers nursing and medical care. 

These are the figures who would bring children — including intersex children — into the world. They would also be those who bring in other physically atypical children — kids with Down Syndrome, kids with Alcohol Fetal Syndrome, kids with Albinism, and the like — meaning you have a consistent class of people, throughout time, dealing with the same conditions over and over again, sharing resources, with a relatively well linked body of knowledge. It baffles the mind to think that over the course of 2527 years (only since Sigmar, so add an additional thousand or so from when the Gothic tribes migrated to the Reik basin) these priesthoods wouldn’t have sat down and said “You know what? These conditions are not the same as Chaos mutations in children. These conditions are stable, and have relatively predictable manifestations, as opposed to literal fucking tentacles and mouths on their hands.”

Forgive me if I give the profession of midwifery more credit than the canon does.

Now, the Cult of Rhya, as we’ve stated, had a lot of influence in Sigmar’s time — though less now — and the Cult of Shallya has a lot currently. Rhya’s priesthood would certainly view these conditions as perhaps alarming (in that they will need additional care), but no more Chaotic than being born with a head of hair or without. The Cult of Shallya, who are literally all about mercy would take great umbrage at killing or vilifying these children, as well. And I can imagine they would have had these stances for some time, meaning most physically atypical newborns would be somewhat accepted and understood — at least by the priests, and therefore by the law — if not their parents.

Which ultimately means that being intersex isn’t a mark of excess.

So then what is Excess? Simple: Obsessive behaviour. We have plenty of non-sexual and non-problematic canonical expressions of this: Swordsmen who train so long they begin to waste away from malnutrition; painters so engrossed in their work they cannot bear to leave their canvas to get more paint so mix in their blood and excrement; scholars who obsess over the nature of the divine so extremely that they forget the outside world entirely. These are infinitely more interesting stories than just This woman wants to kiss another woman OH NO DEFINITELY THE ANTI-SIGMAR!

A cultist of Slaanesh. Note the leather sewn-on corset straps, the chains, the symbols of kinkwear. Property of Games Workshop.

The Kink Tangent

Now that we’ve discussed atypical sexualities and sexual characteristics in regard to Slaanesh, and why they’re problematic, we should quickly revisit that kink tangent. This is one I can imagine most people are sat thinking Surely KINK is at least Chaotically Excessive and… yeeeeeeah, I dunno about that, chief.

Kink is “the use of non-conventional sexual practices, concepts or fantasies” which, I admit, puts it at least in the Is it Slaanesh? consideration box, given the “pursuit of pleasure above and beyond…” stipulation written above. But I would argue, it bumps into the next part of that sentence: “…what is acceptable and natural to the detriment of the self and others.” It bumps into it hard. Whilst it is true that abusers sometimes mask their behaviour by appropriating the language and acts of kink, those even remotely involved in kink circles know that there is a huge difference between kink and abuse. This is made worse by modern poor portrayals of kink, such as 50 Shades of Gray, et al.

Kink hinges on consent, rather than control — even sub/dom pairings, where one participant is seen to have more control over the other, the act isn’t considered actual kink by those in the community unless the sub has control over their own consent to the acts. The sub is the one who sets boundaries, elects scenes to play out, and determines what they are comfortable with. If things go beyond these boundaries, the sub can, at any time, tap out. And the dom is obligated to provide care for the sub if something goes wrong, and even when nothing goes wrong at all (I.e. aftercare). Kink, rather than being harmful, is supposed to be liberating and even healing.

So: consent, set boundaries, healing and liberation… I am having a lot of trouble seeing how Slaanesh fits in here AT ALL. As I have said, I can understand abusers who might hold abusive levels of sexual obsession towards others who would naturally be feeding into the excess inherent to Slaanesh also engaging in kink. But the kink itself isn’t Slaaneshi.

(And, for fuck’s sake, there’s nothing inherently Chaotic about wearing leather, or harnesses, or using whips, so I don’t know what that’s about other than Victorian / Puritanical ideas of sex surviving into the 21st Century, so, go figure.)

((Lastly on this point, it's worth noting that this issue, as well as basically all of those before hand, stems from lack of familiarity leading to assumptions leading to misrepresentations. In essense, folks who are not into kink, or nor queer, writing about these topics!))

A selection of the Warhammer playable species. Property of Games Workshop.

What About Non-Humans?

Alright, I’ve spoken a lot about why the Empire should be more sexually progressive for a bunch of reasons, and also mentioned that the Empire is just one tiny bit of the Warhammer world. But I also should mention that Humans are but one sentient species in the Warhammer world, too!

Whilst the Warhammer wargame has a lot of armies, with a lot of species to play as, I’m going to — as always — focus on the roleplaying game. In Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition, you can play as Humans (from the Empire), Dwarfs, High and Wood Elves, and Halflings. So, let’s briefly talk about each of these, and why their views on sexuality should be (and in some cases already canonically are) more queer than they are often given credit for.

Dwarfs fighting Night Goblins. Property of Games Workshop.

Dwarfs & Sexuality

One of the greatest resources for Dwarfs in Warhammer (and, in my opinion, one of the greatest Warhammer resources over all) is the book Dwarfs: Stone & Steel for 1st Edition. S&S outlines a picture of typical Dwarf relationships, given the disparity in the Dwarf sex ratio which is closer to 3:1. Typical Dwarf marriage is between one Dwarf woman and multiple Dwarf men — usually all brothers, or from the same family.

These relationships are typically purely pragmatic*, and all the men involved are considered equally the fathers of any children their wife has — though the eldest, in typical Dwarf fashion, is the one whose name is carried on in the case of a male child. These polygamous marriages are the norm, with only rare examples of monogamous marriages existing (mostly royal marriages). The other norm is that many Dwarf men simply never marry.

However, the topic of Dwarf love isn’t touched on terribly, and it could be argued that there isn’t terribly much of it to go around. The species is, after all, more stone-like in their emotions in general. But there are some examples — specifically around Dwarf artists and the like — so it must be at least a little possible.

Given that Dwarf society has a higher percentage of men to women, and that marriage is seen almost purely pragmatically, and that many men never marry, it would be reasonable to assume that sexual attraction between men is more common, or at least, less frowned upon in Dwarf society. A curious parallel exists in our world, with discussions on the changing nature of public perceptions to homosexuality in China in the decades after the One Child Policy has left many Chinese men in a similar situation. Of course, this example has its issues — we’re very much talking about Dwarfs (who aren’t just short Humans in Warhammer) who have non-Human psychologies… but the example of China in this instance can shed some light on what might happen to Dwarf society.

Still, this is all speculation, and it very much fits into It just kind of makes sense, rather than the slightly harder logic of the Empire above… but, hell, this is fiction!

(*Given the in-setting idea that the Human Tribes — specifically Sigmar’s, the Unberogen — learned much of their culture, language, and craft from the Dwarfs, it makes sense that the idea of pragmatic marriage could have been carried over there. I.e. one’s sexuality wasn’t important to the Unberogen, merely whether they married and had children for the survival of the Tribe.)

High Elves colonising Lustria. Property of Games Workshop.

High Elves & Sexuality

Elves in the Warhammer world are, in some ways, like Tolkein Elves, and in other ways quite different. One similarity is their longevity, with Elves naturally living for thousands of years. Another is their intense emotions which can give way to physiological changes if left unchecked. The last (that I’ll talk about for now) is the apparent boredom that comes from the confluence of both facts.

We know that there are at least polyamorous relationships — or perhaps Elves with multiple simultaneous sexual partners, as evidenced by Teclis in apparently every time a writer puts a scene of him waking up. But most of these fall into, at least, the more male dominant fantasy of a powerful male figure: One man with multiple women (still always asleep in these scenes so as not to intrude on the brooding).

Many of these glimpses talk about Teclis’s brother — Tyrion — disapproving of his brother’s proclivities… but ultimately doing nothing about it. Which suggests that the High Elves have a society not too different from our own, now, in the West: Expectations on what is proper but no real recourse to control how one lives within the law, regarding sexuality. Being polyamorous, or having multiple simultaneous sexual partners, may be frowned upon by the High Elves, but it’s not illegal. And, given it’s not illegal, it’s occurring.

High Elf culture also has an institution of marriage built into its social fabric. Combined with the near-immortal ennui inherent to Elves, this would likely result in one of two common occurrences: Divorce, or infidelity. High Elves are also shown to have very strong family units, especially among the aristocracy, so constant divorces would make their social fabric very weak, and rampant infidelity would clash with their senses of self-worth through the virtue of honour… Which would suggest, to me, that the High Elves have developed a culture that is accepting of more open relationships: Marriage to a partner, with the assumption that it is a non-exclusive sexual and romantic situation.

Again, none of the evidence suggests queerness beyond these small glimpses, but it’s not difficult to extrapolate it. Whilst Teclis’s two partners are described as twins (I really wish authors would stop having twins in a thruple: It’s still incest, even if you find it arousing, authors) so we can assume (for our own sakes) that they are not engaging in sexual acts together, just simultaneously with Teclis (still weird, I don’t like this), other groups of more-than-two would ultimately have to include a degree of homo-, bi-, or pansexual activity. Unless there are a heap of raging non-binary Elves out there which I am extremely here for, hmu.

Wood Elves stalking Athel Loren. Property of Games Workshop.

Wood Elves & Sexuality

Wood Elves, in Warhammer, are genetically the same as High Elves, but stem from a different culture. A few, in fact. 4th Edition presents two: the Asrai (more survivalist, one-with-nature types), and the Eonir (more traditionalist, “No True Elf” types). Both have a greater reverence for nature than the High Elves, but the Eonir are closer to what the High Elves were before they branched off and became different, as the Asrai also did. So, it’s worth just looking at the Asrai, and seeing the Eonir as a common ancestor to the two cultures.

The Asrai — as with all Elves and all God-Fearing mortal beings in the Warhammer world — follow Gods that are syncretic with each other. I.e. The Elf fem God Isha is syncretic with the Empire fem God Rhya, etc. It’s not a clear-cut system, but the syncretism is there and on purpose, hinting at that the two Gods are actually the same God… Which would mean many of the arguments made for the Empire having a better view on same-sex relationships than previously thought would ring true for the Asrai, especially in regards to what is natural!

Ergo, same-sex practices are natural in the animal kingdom, so Isha wouldn’t have an issue with it, and the Asrai who try to be one-with-nature, and emulate their Gods, would likewise see no issue with it. They would also likely have no issue with intersex folk, and all those arguments, for the exact same reason but even more so. Elves, Asrai included, have a far better understanding of corruption and magick than the Empire. They would understand that atypical babies are just atypical, and not evil.

Halflings defending their lands. Property of Games Workshop.

Halflings & Sexuality

Lastly of the four playable species is the Halflings, who actually have the best canonical queer rep of them all. The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition Starter Set contains a Player Pre-Gen Character named Molrella who is listed as having “3 ex-husbands and wives”. As well as numerous references to being sexually liberal, and bisexually inclined. Additionally, as I wrote here, in a canonical source the Halflings follow a culture with different sensibilities to the Imperial, or even Human, average. The idea of personal property is different among Halflings, and the ideas of familial duty, love, pleasure, etc., are all aberrant from the Empire norm.

Halflings, simply, don’t give a damn about same-sex marriage, same-sex relationships, polyamory, polygamy, etc. They’re just chill about it all. Whatever goes. Honestly, nothing more needs to be said about them, as they’ve already been covered as canonically queer accepting.

Final Thoughts

Two last points before I round things out for Part #1:

1. I just wanted to reiterate that, even without all the evidence and reasoning above, merely wanting queerness in your Warhammer, or rather not wanting homophobia and transphobia in your Warhammer, is valid, and enough of a reason to say that queerness is included.
2. This is nothing new. Queerness has always been in Warhammer, and the most recent edition of the roleplaying game puts this even more in place! For example:
1. The canonically married lesbian couple from Cathay in Adventures Afoot in the Reikland.
2. The heavily implied homosexual crush that one Character has for another in Ubersreik Adventures: Heart of Glass.
3. And many more instances — explicit and otherwise — through the 37 years of its publication.

Sure, your Warhammer world doesn’t need to include queerness, but then it also doesn’t need to include a heteronormative society, either. But if you want a realistic society, one filled with drama and story-telling potential, which is why we all love Warhammer so much, queerness is an essential part of that.

It just makes sense.

Like everything I write about Warhammer, this article is completely unofficial, a work of fandom, and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. Chaos, the Chaos device, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, Darkblade, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, ‘Eavy Metal, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Golden Demon, Great Unclean One, GW, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, the Khorne logo, Lord of Change, Nurgle, the Nurgle logo, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, the Slaanesh logo, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tzeentch, the Tzeentch logo, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Warhammer World logo, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2020, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.

Warhammer Cultures: Coastal Southlanders

"It seems curious, to me, that our scholars can write endless libraries on the differences between the Imperial tribes — detailing how one folk are different from another, across borders that are for all intents and purposes purely political — and yet refuse to accept a mirror of that diversity elsewhere. To the ignorant mind, all those from the Southlands must surely be the same. They are, after all, all Southlanders!

Oh how I wish my old professors could meet the handful of Coastal Southlanders I have had the privilege to speak to. The differences in countenance and language alone would have you believe I had gathered folk from the four corners of the globe, as opposed to a four-mile stretch of coastline." 

This article is now available in Polish!

Warhammer Cultures: Coastal Southlanders

The Warhammer World is full of diverse cultures, and their intermingling and antagonism is a core theme of the setting. Over the next while, I’m hoping to expand on the base cultures presented on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4^th Edition, page 24, to include this diversity for your games. Today, we’re going to look at Humans (Coastal Southlander), the last of the three Southlander cultures (Humans (Kwitanghur), and Humans (Musaany) being the other two).

Note: This article deals with a lot of new and unofficial lore for Warhammer. The Southlands are a tragically under explored region in the setting, so what very little there is to go on had to be expanded with the author's own creative license. As such, take all of this with a pinch of salt. This is my interpretation of the Warhammer world: it doesn't have to match yours.

Humans (Coastal Southlander)

The Coastal Southlanders are by far the most varied of all the Southlander peoples, sharing very little in common between the various villages that make up its population, other than circumstance and shared way of survival. The coasts of the Southlands are verdant, but almost perpetually lashed by storms, leading to an incredibly difficult lifestyle, which is built on mobility and subsistence fishing, and framed by a defined (though fluid) caste system.

Coastal Life

The scattered communities of the Southland coasts make them easy targets for predatory reavers from afar, opportunistic merchants from Araby and Ulthuan, and powerful warlords from the continent's interior, so the folk of the Southlands have learned to be experts in avoiding conflict wherever possible, and fighting fiercely, when they cannot. These harsh environs have created a series of peoples who value mobility, practicality, and resourcefulness above all else. However, many of the tribes who dot the coastline also believe fervently in the riotous expression of life: favouring colourful displays in fashion, warfare, and transportation; a fierce love of defiant music; and a proud warrior tradition that would shame the fiercest Norscan raider. Life along the coast of the Southlands is, sadly, cheap... but those who make their homes there are determined to make the most out of what they have.

The Caste Systems

Given the highly mobile, and often erratic lifestyles along the coastline, the peoples there have learned to trust more in affinity groups, where those concerned with an aspect of life are given control over it, and deferred to in relation to those matters. This framing has given rise to a caste system: warriors control all matters and decisions relating to warfare, fisherfolk do the same with gathering food, etc. Each caste in each tribe typically has an archetypical figure that they elevate to a pseudo-Chief (of that aspect of life), who stands in as the perfect example of what it means to be a baker, or a fisherman, or a warrior, or a priest, and so on. The other members of that caste typically vote on who fills this Archetype role, though other systems of choosing exist.

In most tribes, the caste one is born into need not be the caste they grow up to join, and once joined, a caste is rarely for life. Instead, castes are chosen and joined as a child grows into an adult, and their aptitudes are shown, and the needs of the tribe expressed. Further, as an adult's skills develop throughout life, they may change castes, perhaps becoming a knowledge keeper rather than a weaver, or a warrior after being a spear-turner.

Coastal Religious Practices

The caste system has also, in most coastal tribes, merged with the indigenous beliefs of the Southlands, and given rise to patron animistic spirits of each caste. Though specific to each tribe, some commonalities exist, such as bird spirits being favoured by scouts and runners, tigers and sharks being favoured by warriors, monkeys being favoured by wise folk, and fish naturally being favoured by fisherfolk.

The ideal, in most coastal societies, is to express the values of one's caste so as to aid the tribe as best as possible, and ultimately give one's spirit over to the collective animistic whole upon death. Then, one's own ability at that trade will be passed on to later generations.

Coastal Attitudes to Outsiders

Few coastal communities in the Southlands are able to produce everything a community might need, so trade is very common between them, as well as intermingling of families and castes, with countless alliances, confederacies, and other inter-weavings of the countless cultures. However, those outside of the coastal cultures, are viewed very differently.

The Kwitanghur are often viewed with deep suspicion, as it is believed by many Coastal Southlanders that the only reason they haven't been conquered by their far more organised cousins is that the coastlines are too difficult to control, and the people who live there too riotous to keep cowed. Whether true or not, this feeds back into the sense of identity for the Coastal Southlanders: they are riotous because life is short, but by being riotous they believe themselves safer, and therefore prolong their lives.

Other outsiders — most notably Old Worlders and Elves — are viewed with fear, and often hatred, for the crimes that have been done to their people. Furthermore, these outsiders tend to bring disease and other hardships with them. Curiously, however, the Coastal Southlanders find if they merely retreat into the jungle whenever interlopers appear, the jungle — the fauna, and the sicknesses that the Coastal Southlanders know how to cope with with ease — deal with them shortly, forcing them to in turn retreat.

Coastal Southlander Stereotypes

Given the riotous nature of the Coastal Southlanders, many outsiders view them as — perhaps paradoxically — carefree at some times, and overly bullheaded at others, that is, when they manage to actually interact with them. At other instances, they believe them to be needlessly skittish and fearful, or little better than myths — shadows in the jungle. From the outside, their cultures appear as if caught in a state of madness: constant fidgeting, fear, and movement, mixed with unnecessarily blustery and audacious displays of personal prowess. To those who live on the Southland's coastline, these traits are easily explained: seize the day now for it might be your last.

Human (Coastal Southlander) Skills & Talents

Skills: Charm, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Language (Mxua), Melee (Basic), Perform (Dance), Play (Drums), Row, Sail, Swim

Talents: Gregarious or Tenacious, Lightning Reflexes or Warrior Born, Seize the Day, 2 Random Talents

Options: Caste System

Due to the nature of the Coastal caste systems, many Coastal Southlanders learn more from what they do than any shared collective set of cultural Skills. Coastal Southlander Characters count the Skills of their starting Career as Species Skills for the purposes of Step 4 of Character Creation (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4^th Edition, page 36).

New Talent: Seize the Day

Max: 1

The folk of the Southlands' coastlines are often unable to plan their lives too far ahead, which has resulted in them prioritising the short term over the longer-lived plans of most other cultures. You cannot take Long-Term Ambitions, but gain an additional Short-Term Ambition instead. Furthermore, you gain an additional 50XP for completing a Short-Term Ambition that was established at the beginning of the same session it was completed in.

What Next?

PHEW! That was a big one... or a big three, rather?! I'm so happy to have been able to write about the Southlands, though! They've been done dirty for far too long, so I hope my little additions go a ways to remedy that. But now I'm not sure what I'll tackle next. What would you like to see? Comment below to let me know!

Warhammer Cultures: Musaany

"It's a truly wonderful thing, to see a procession of elephants across the plains. One would expect from them a lumbering countenance, but they move with surprising grace. Further, one would expect of their keepers a level of stubborness to rival such creatures — like a bulltamer to a bull. But, indeed, the grace of the elephants was surpassed only by their guides.

It boils my blood to think of how their folk were disparaged. Indeed, I suspect much would have been avoided had we listened to what they could teach instead of assuming ignorance from them." 

This article is now available in Polish!

Warhammer Cultures: Musaany

The Warhammer World is full of diverse cultures, and their intermingling and antagonism is a core theme of the setting. Over the next while, I’m hoping to expand on the base cultures presented on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4^th Edition, page 24, to include this diversity for your games. Today, we’re going to look at Humans (Musaany), the second of three articles focusing on the Southlands (you can find the first — Humans (Kwitanghur), here).

Note: This article deals with a lot of new and unofficial lore for Warhammer. The Southlands are a tragically under explored region in the setting, so what very little there is to go on had to be expanded with the author's own creative license. As such, take all of this with a pinch of salt. This is my interpretation of the Warhammer world: it doesn't have to match yours.

Humans (Musaany) / (Sub-Durbaita Southlander)

The Sub-Durbaita Southlanders are aesthetically the most similar to the various peoples of Araby, though culturally they are very distinct, sharing few of their neighbours customs or beliefs. Though broken into countless smaller tribes, they collectively refer to themselves as Musaany, after which the Musan Hills — where the majority of their lives are spent — are named.

The Musaany are largely pastoral and generally nomadic, guiding great herds of elephants through the lush bushlands of the Musan Hills, and further afield, as traders. The elephants hold great significance to the Musaany, in many different ways.

The Musaany & Elephants

For one, the great elephants of the Musan Hills produce milk which, when churned into butter and cheese, acts as the primary foodsource for the Musaany. Additionally, this cheese is highly sought after by any who have tried it, for its sharpness is unmatched throughout the rest of the Warhammer world.

Second, the elephants are — to the Musaany folk — physical embodiments of their animist ancestor spirits. Though deriving from the same indigenous beliefs as the Kwitanga religion, the faith system of the Musaany focuses on the cultivation of Elephant within the individual, and a belief that one's aspects can shift over life. Those who act against the community might give up their soul to be reborn as a jackal or vulture, whilst those who work for the good of all give their lives to become great elephants. Elephants who, in return for the protection afforded them by the Musaany, protect them in turn. It's difficult to invade a country where the gigantic fauna have a symbiotic bond with the locals, after all!

That being said, the Musaany often trade elephants which have been pushed out of their herds due to unruliness and aggression. The armies of Araby are all too eagre to take on these violent bulls for their endless in-fighting.

Nomads or Not?

Despite being nomadic, the Musaany do not live like most other nomadic peoples. Most specifically, the Musaany do build permanent structures in the form of schools and libraries, where they collect books and knowledge from afar. Musaany passing through one of these settlements are expected to read what they can, and to listen to stories and readings given by Musaany knowledge seekers who have journeyed to far away lands bringing back books.

Additionally, the Musaany fiercely defend their borders, which they determine by the extent of the last of the Musan Hills. This defense usually relies on out-thinking an opponent, and indepth knowledge of their neighbours' tactics and military histories. It's often said that the only people who know the truth of any historical 'fact' are those who were involved, and the Musaany knowledge seekers.

Musaany Stereotypes

Outsiders often consider the Musaany to be cowardly — fleeing in the face of danger, rather than fighting — and foolish for placing so much importance in 'mere animals', often going so far as to doubt their intelligence. However, the Musaany are a deeply savvy people, who prize long-term thinking, and though rarely violent, are masters of defending their lands.

Musaany are commonly found outside of the Musan Hills — as traders, guides across the Sahra Desert or Kwitanga Jungle, or as knowledge seekers — but rarely do they settle outside of their own lands, or travel by ship. The few who have made it as far north as the Empire often do so as part of the retinue of Arabyan or other Southlander travellers. Very few Musaany stay in the Empire, or abroad at all, and usually feel the call back home pulling strongly.

Human (Musaany) Skills & Talents

Skills: Animal Care, Athletics, Charm Animal, Dodge, Drive, Gossip, Language (Any), Language (Mxua), Lore (History), Lore (Musan Hills), Outdoor Survival, Ranged (Throwing)

Talents: Crack the Whip or Read/Write, Lightning Reflexes or Savvy, Way of the Herd, 2 Random Talents

New Talent: Way of the Herd

Max: 1

The Musaany are a tight-knit culture, that believe in strength-in-numbers, and community above all else. However, due to the nomadic and often difficult lifestyle they live, the boundaries of these familial groups can ebb and flow like the spring rains. Your presence confers a +10 bonus to Cool and Endurance Tests to other Characters with the Way of the Herd Talent, or herd animals under your care, whilst you're within line of sight. Characters and Creatures can only gain a maximum of +10 from this bonus, regardless of how many Characters with this Talent are present. You may allow Characters you consider your family to purchase the Adopted by the Herd Talent for 100XP.

New Talent: Adopted by the Herd

Max: 1

The tight-knit culture of the Musaany is, perhaps paradoxically, particularly welcoming to outsiders who prove themselves trustworthy and true. Folk who are considered family of a Musaany may be be given the option to purchase this Talent. It cannot be gained in any other way. You count as having the Way of the Herd Talent for the purposes of gaining a bonus, but cannot confer that bonus on to others. Additionally, you cannot allow others to purchase this Talent.

The Future of Warhammer Cultures?

Two down, one more to go! I hope you've been enjoying this look at the Southlands, and have been thinking about what comes next. If you've got ideas for what I should write after the Coastal Southlands, let me know in the comments below!