Greetings and Salutations Gate Seekers and Lore Pilgrims, and welcome to yet another "No Stupid Questions" thread

Do you have something you want to discuss something or had a question, but don't want to make an entire post for it?

Then feel free to strike up the discussion or ask the question here

In this thread, you can ask anything about AoS (or even WHFB) lore, the fluff, characters, background, and other AoS things.

Community members are encouraged to be helpful and to provide sources and links that can aid new, curious, and returning Lore Pilgrims

This Thread is NOT to be used to

-Ask "What If/Who would win" scenarios.

-Strike up Tabletop discussions. However, questions regarding how something from the tabletop is handled in the lore are fine.

-Real-world politics.

-Making unhelpful statements like "just Google it"

-Asking for specific (long) excerpts or files

Remember to be kind and that everyone started out new, even you.

Dark, post-post-apocalyptic, and two minutes past midnight are descriptors used throughout the book. Chaos, the forces of evil and darkness reign triumph.

> "and though the storm clouds gather thick on the horizon, they might just herald deliverance instead of doom."

From the opening section.

> Yet they will not - cannot - give up the fight.

From the Stormcast section.

> They may stumble, they may even fall, but they will never, ever give up.

From the Cities of Sigmar section.

Evil has won the Mortal Realms is the tone of the Ultimate Guide. Yet the tone is also defiant, hopeful, and full of wonder. More, much more importantly, these are not treated as naivety but as valuable qualities.

It is a setting of creation versus entropy, hope against despair, ingenuity set against senseless cruelty. Evil achieving is not treated as a foregone conclusion but it is asked what compromises will be made.

I know plenty of folk will say that the darkest presented here, and that has honestly been here since the Realmgate Wars, is too much. To all of you, if you are honest and sincere, I can understand that take. Respect it to.

But I wanted to throw this together quick to show and say, it isn't all darkness in the Realms and even in this Guide the good that's there is treated as worthwhile and beautiful.

Hope you all have pleasant travels my fellow Realmwalkers.

So far the Tahlia Vedra stories have given Hammerhal quite an interesting cast of senior officers. Gruff old Azyrites with secret hearts of gold, mercenaries and trailbreakers turned champions of the people, ambitious louts of all demographics. Vidurn, dead by the start of "First Marshal", is perhaps the most hateable.

Who is Vidurn? Vidurn is an ambitious individual who dressed in a panoply meant to resemble the style of the Lantic Empire of Chamon, a great civilization of the Age of Myth and last of the great human nations to fall to the blades of Chaos per 1E's Mighty Battles. He was a Marshal when Katrik le Guillion and Tahlia Vedra were young. He offered favor towards promising officers, disagreed with the way the Conclave ran things, chose the brutal arithmetic of war while also playing the part of populist. A man who sought to sacrifice Katrik and her regiment for his own ambitions, who sees friendship offered as favors due back to him.

He destroyed his rivals, elevated his minions, and sought to wield Vedra as a useful thug. Or to get blunt and short: He is every bit the kind of person that much of the community thought Tahlia Vedra would be.

Despite being dead in "First Marshal" there is a scene, that I won't spoil over much, where he facilitates a change in Tahlia. This one, in fact:

>War necessitated sacrifice. The brutal arithmetic of combat was easy to balance when one saw only the goal. What were a thousand Freeguild lives compared to the survival of Hammerhal? What were ten thousand? Tahlia had let herself believe that it was she, not the Conclave, who knew what was best for Hammerhal.

That was how tyrants were born.

>The realisation lent Tahlia strength, anger enough to part the fevered mists of dream and seek the source of her unquiet memories.

Chapter Seventeen of First Marshal

Here in this moment Tahlia realizes how she acts, regarding her relationship with the Grand Conclave and how she manages the regiments under her command, is disturbingly similar to her old mentor. Disturbingly edging toward tyranny, warlordism. She decides to change.

Course Tahlia has always been shown caring about her troops. But if you've read this novel or "Lioness of the Parch", or anything she's in. She has a certain acceptance of sacrifice, as most Sigmarites due. So seeing each story have her pull farther from that is interesting.

So when the 4E Cities of Sigmar Battletome came out, revealing it was Tahlia Vedra herself ordering hundreds of Cogforts to the frontlines where they'll save lives and frontiers? I found that, interesting! Cause it very much aligns with the character arcs and experiences she has in these novels, impeccable work by Evan Dicken it shall be said. Triply so if he didn't know in advance what 4E's Battletome would have Tahlia do.

Naturally, Tahlia is an alley manticore in the skin of a human. So I doubt this revelation and her decision to change will stop her clashing with authorities, self-improvement is a journey after all. But the moment is fascinating, the acknowledgement is fascinating.

There are moments where Tahlia feels like she might edge towards a path of tyranny, towards authoritarianism, towards conflict with more than just corruption. So seeing it acknowledged by the narrative and Tahlia herself is such a great story beat.

But I am ranting and often scattered in how I convey a thought. What are yours, my fellow Realmwalkers? What are your feelings towards Tahlia as a character? Expectations for the future? Opinions on launching the Cogfort batteries?

War and rage belong to Khorne, yet what are Sigmar, Grimnir, and Tyrion if not challenges that that very claim? Nurgle proclaims mastery of Life and Death yet Alarielle and Nagash openly contend this, do they not? And what is the Teclian Ladder if not a controlled, more stable form of the Excess of Slaanesh. So is it any wonder that Change does not belong to Tzeentch alone:

> Yet the wanderer’s purpose was not to stand; it was to wander. He was not bound to doing any one particular thing, saving any one particular life, averting any one particular crisis. The purpose of his wanderings was this: to remind the duardin of their own resilience, should their foe seek to make them forget. To say, the strength we had before has not left us. To remind them, also, that boldness and ingenuity are the means by which the future is secured. To say, if you need a tool and you lack it, then it falls to you to forge it. To show that change was not the enemy’s weapon to wield. Only weakness of will could make it so.

> Change was stone. It dwelled in the dark, all mass and potential, awaiting the sculptor’s chisel.

> Change was iron. It gained strength with each hammering, each new element introduced, each new alloy forged.

> Change was fire. In the hands of the duardin, it was a brazier, burning bright. Hearth-warmer, fiend’s foe.

> Change was the sky. It was as boundless as the Eight Realms. There was more of it than the boldest privateer could ever know. The wanderer knew that the paths of stone, iron, fire and sky were pathways to change, and it was along these pathways, that night in Barak-Thryng, that he made himself known to his people.

> To open doorways.

> To dig tunnels.

> To tell stories.

Chapter Seven of the "Maker's Promise" from "Grombrindal: Ancestor's Burden".

Day by day I must contend with the reality that this has become my favorite Warhammer novel, as well as my favorite Stormcast Eternals novel and Order novel. Not least of all because it unabashedly delves deep into the classic trope of an Eternal feeling conflicted emotions about who they once were, in very interesting ways.

But mostly it is because of Grombrindal. A wandering divinity who brings Change wherever he goes. This novella in particular showcases how well the Tzeentchians and Duardin act as foils to each other.

I would even contend their animosity is more interesting than when Duardin fight Skaven or Grots. Those are eternal and ancestral enemies. But Tzeentch? Tzeentch is a foe on ideological terms.

But really that's all I got. Grombrindal already said the thoughts s billion times better than I could. My rant is really just filler.

Greetings and Salutations Gate Seekers and Lore Pilgrims, and welcome to yet another "No Stupid Questions" thread

Do you have something you want to discuss something or had a question, but don't want to make an entire post for it?

Then feel free to strike up the discussion or ask the question here

In this thread, you can ask anything about AoS (or even WHFB) lore, the fluff, characters, background, and other AoS things.

Community members are encouraged to be helpful and to provide sources and links that can aid new, curious, and returning Lore Pilgrims

This Thread is NOT to be used to

-Ask "What If/Who would win" scenarios.

-Strike up Tabletop discussions. However, questions regarding how something from the tabletop is handled in the lore are fine.

-Real-world politics.

-Making unhelpful statements like "just Google it"

-Asking for specific (long) excerpts or files

Remember to be kind and that everyone started out new, even you.

"Disaster has been the watch word of our Dominion ever since the golden angels of the heavens brought storm and light back to Ulgu. Visions of betrayals, undead rising, beasts pounding at the gates, rats infesting our walls. And yet, here you all stand. We endured. Through valor? Perhaps. Through trickery? Well, are we not scions of Ulgu? Regardless of how, we endured. So let us show our spite to those who would burn the Realms!" ~ Lord-Audacious of the City of Spite

Welcome To Our City of Spite

Greetings and good tidings once more my fellow Realmwalkers, or though today I should be calling you fellow City Builders. Because we'll be building our own homebrewed City of Sigmar, as a community. The first time we did this was with the Free City of Prismatica and the second was the continent of Pyropia.

Today by popular demand we have a Second Round for developing the City of Spite, a link to the First Round will be provided: Here. The Rules and Guidelines remain largely the same, except now everyone who participated before can participate again.

Rules As Simple As Shadows

We're still aoslore, so you can fudge the rules a little so long as its fun and not mean. But in essence. Each community members is to provide a singular idea to shape the City.

• Not (1) per type. But one per mega-thread, so if this isn't popular enough to deserve a second round you get only one go. Since this is Round 2, I'm willing to be a bit more lax regarding this rule.
• City Building Options Include: Factions, Resources, Allies, Neighbors, Enemies, Districts, Leaders, and any other category you might think up.
• This time around we also have a Main Enemy to develop.

As this is collaborative! You must be willing for other community members to effect your entry. As this is collaborative! You must remember each entry was made by a real person who is no less so for being a stranger divided by a screen and unknowable miles. So don't be a dick.

If someone makes the Pretty Pretty Mew Mew Brigade, sparkliest and nicest Cavalier order in the Cosmos, we are accepting that entry. You may not react by having your entry change their tone to evil. By the same dint you can't use your entry to make the Edgelords of Knife's Lament into hippies. Unless! You ask and the user agrees, but that conversation needs to be in the mega-thread so the community entire can see proof it happened.

In the end, just have a heart and implement any changes and effects respectfully and it should be fine.

In conclusion. Feel free to go nuts, all lore-friendly (I.E: Anything that is canon, could fit in the canon, or doesn't break canon) suggestions are welcome. No additions will be denied unless the category is already filled.

------------------------------------------

Spite Itself

Our Home, Our City of Sigmar, was founded by an Exodus Host sent by Misthåvn to claim this mist-shrouded archipelago for the Dominion of Sigmar. That's the rough! Why were we sent here? What dangers we faced? What even is our City of Spite's name? Well that's for you all to decide below.

------------------------------------------

So there you have it, that's what we have so far. But we could use more details don't you think? Clearly our Free City is missing quite a bit. So below you'll see a list of major and minor details to add to our new bastion of hope. So feel free to suggest anything from the following list, or even provide your own details. Sporadic Lex links added to help show examples and foster ideas:

Founding Stormhost: We only get one (with caveats)! So first come, first serve. Most Cities of Sigmar are Ward Cities of the Stormhost who most helped in its founding. Who will that be for us? It can either fit with our shadowy themes or go against.

Grand Conclave: Our Government is a Grand Conclave, a council of up to 244 representatives of every aspect of our city. These are elected guild leaders, military leaders, district reps, and more. Rules here are more complicated. A City must have a Matriarch/Patriarch/Whatever Gender Neutralarch would be as a Governor; A City must have a Prime Commander; A City must have a High Arbiter. But from there you can choose any of the options in that link above, or make something new. Conclaves are flexible outside those core titles. Avoid title and purpose overlap when possible.

Freeguilds: Freeguilds are semi-independent military guilds whose purpose range from city watch to crusading armies to firemen to artefact retrievers. It can get weird. We can have as many as the community wants.

Collegiate Arcane: What is the Collegiate presence in our city like? What can you tell us about the local academies?

Ironweld Arsenal: The Arsenal creates anything mechanical or artifice in the Cities from the high rises to the Cogforts to the wells. They are divided into Esoteric Schools, which kind of guilds, kind of schools of thought.

Cults Unberogen: The religions shaped around Sigmar take the form of chaotic cults with diverse opinions. Many worship him as a God-King on high, others as a flaming lionman or a comet or a giant, others take more philosophical or metaphysical views. Our city can have as many Cults Unberogen as ya'll want.

Other Cults: It has been said many a time that the Free Cities worship as many as hundreds of gods besides Sigmar. So anything is fair game!

Dark Cults: Are there... Necro-Cults to Nagash or Chaos Cults to the Dark Gods amongst our midst? Now these can be versatile as they can reveal issues within the city, create obstacles for future adventurers to face and more.

Order of Azyr: What Agents Azyrite stalk our streets? My suggestion would be to add members or chapters only after a decent number of other entries like say of Dark Cults as above.

Additional Stormcast: The Founding Host does not need to be alone. Do we have other Stormkeeps or smaller bastions? Perhaps a Hallowed Knight chapel or an Astral Templar lodge? A Brotherhood who calls our city home between adventures?

Minor Factions: Tractor Guilds, Road Agents, Roadwardens, Black Walkers, the Listening Order, Soulbound, adventuring parties, Lanternmen, guilds of a million flavors, megacorps, and more. Don't feel limited by what you think Cities are, this faction has a surprising amount of lore organizations. More can always arise.

Common Folk: What can you tell us of the Azyrite cultures in the city? The Reclaimed cultures? Who lives in our City? As a Free City there are elements of Humans, Duardin, Aelves, Ogors, and Gargants at the very least. What are they like? Do others live among us?

Dispossessed: Duardin labour-clans built the Cities of Sigmar, humanity's bonds with them are eternal. Are there notable duardin elements in our city outside the shuffling commons?

City Aelves: The Wanderers, the Scourge Privateers, the Swifthawk Agents, the Eldritch Council, Order Serpentis, the Darkling Covens, the Order Draconis, Lion Rangers, and many more. The Dominion is not lacking for Aelves loyal and true. Which have settled amongst us?

Districts: Every city needs districts. Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Markets, Military, Arcane, Medical, and on and on. What are notable ones in ours?

Embassies and Allied Enclaves: Not all Allies are beyond our walls. Cities of Sigmar set aside both Embassy Districts and Allied Enclaves for allies. The former are embassies, the latter are parts of the city where other peoples of Order casually live.

Events: What events shaped us during the Dawnbringer Crusades, during Founding, in our History? What festivals do we celebrate? Sporting events? Games culture? Dish out any events you wish!

Resources: Minerals or flora, fauna or metals, strange liquids or Realmstone deposits. A culturally unique way of weaving baskets or local cuisine. Anything can be added as a resource. So don't be afraid to do so!

Artefacts of Power: Can it truly be a Warhammer setting without saint relics, doomsday devices, and other strange artefacts scattered about?

Our Name: How should we decide what the name of the City and archipelago are?

Shaping The Archipelago: Where even are we? Is this even truly an archipelago? How many islands? What are their names? Who lives here? Are we even near Shadrac anymore? In the Realm of Shadows anything goes, mists and shadows hide many secrets and twist us all around.

New Waves of Colonists: Reshape our culture further with immigrants! Cities of Sigmar are nations of immigrants, and if we survive we'll be no different. Typically these come in the form of Order of Logisticians approved additional Dawnbringer Crusades from the mother city and local Reclaimed. But don't be afraid to get creative!

You can also add Strongpoints and vassal towns. The Swamp-Cantons of Greywater Fastness, Ringwall Strongpoints of Hammerhal, and Ketter-lands of Excelsis are a few of the largest examples.

Our Enemies Great and Small: Feel free to add as many foes to the island as you wish, especially the Grave-Empire that stands against. It's name, leaders, constituent parts, and all else are for you to decide.

Above all else! Have fun!

------------------------------------------

Factions of Spite, Major and Minor

Here all entries on major factions will be kept:

Hammers of Sigmar: Sent as a symbol of hope for the crusaders and the reclaimed of Ulgu, fighting hard against the enemies and protecting the city. Once established they build their Stormfortress from where they protect and expand Sigmar's rule. u/BrotherRegael

Penitents of Salvation: A minor Stormhost boasting a Stormcast Bastion, the sea vessel known as The Rewarding Storm, in the Wilder Shores district of the City of Spite. (Mentioned in the entry by u/Ur-Than)

Anti-Morathi Khainites: The city has a strong Khainite presence. This includes both laity among the common folk and sects of the Daughters of Khaine. But these Khainites are anti-Morathi. Reserving spite towards her for the Fall of Anvilgard. u/Trazenthebloodraven

Azyrites: Briefly mentioned in the entry by u/RosbergThe8th in the First Round. Live in numerous hubs throughout the city, some of these hubs are Anti-Aelf.

Spire District Aelves: A syncretic culture formed from the myriad Aelven communities of Spire District intermingling. (Mentioned the entry by u/RosbergThe8th in the First Round)

Weavepike Clan: The duardins of the Weavepike, represented on the Grand Conclave of Spite by the High Arbitrator Hlife Thurgrimmsdottir, mostly hail from an ancient, now fallen, Karaz of the Khazalid Empire in Ulgu. The whole clan threw their lot in the founding of Spite, seeing in the Crusade a chance to redeem lost honour, they have never lost the hope to someday cleanse their ancestral holds and cleanse their former kin of their corruption. For them, the foundation of the Wilder Shores was seen as an opportunity to put those hopes in practice, and the clan remains the main force supporting the Wilde-folks in city politics. u/Ur-Than

- Allied Clans: These are the Dispossessed Clans of the city that have allied with, and subordinated themselves to, the Weavepike Clan. (Mentioned in the entry by u/Lestrigone)

Labour-Clans of the Shadow Chasm: The Dispossessed mining clans that have laid claim to the great gash in the city known as the Shadow Chasm. u/TavernerHedris

Scourge Privateers and Keikallaneth: A pair of seafaring Aelven cultures, the former well-known across the Dominion and the latter a local Reclaimed people. A complex relationship unites these people, especially with the rise of younger Keikallaneth joining the Privateers (Mentioned in the entry by u/LeThomasBouric)

Wilde-folks: The most prominient Reclaimed culture in Wilder Shores. Composed of former members of Darkoath Tribes and their descendants who migrated to the city. (Mentioned in an entry by u/Ur-Than)

Grey Penitents: Because the Church believes there is no darkness that Sigmar's light cannot pierce, redemption plays an important role in their philosophy and they send many missionaries to unreclaimed tribes. Furthermore they grant asylum to all sorts of sinners, criminals and other reprobates, even tainted by Chaos (though only slightly) who repent for their wickedness. These "grey penitents" (named after the color of their robes and of the veils hiding their features) abandon their former identity and must work for the Church until they are judged to have atoned for their failings, at which point they are granted a new name and released from their obligations to the Church (though encouraged to become priests and missionaries themselves). (Mentioned in an entry by u/Fyraltari)

The Lynx Resplendent stand tall against outsider's accusations that all Ulguans are treacherous by nature, continuing to live by their virtues yet neither denying their pasts. Some join their ranks seeking atonement, or glory and exaltation that they've never received. For others, joining them comes from a deep sense of doing the right thing. Many of their number came to Ulgu seeking to disappear into (Realm of) Shadows, only to now find themselves as among one of the city's most renowned and forward-facing defenders. u/SciFantasy_Research (for more on this Freeguild/Cavalier Order read their comment below)

The Order of the Esoteric Shroud was one of the main sponsors of the Crusade that founded the City and remains its principal magical institution. While they provide basic training in the use of the other seven winds, their expertise lies in the Lore of Shadows. Unlike most Collegiates, the Order does not operate openly or out of a single building complex, but functions like a secret society woven throughout the City. Each member of the Order has a second occupation in addition to their wizardry, roles that vary from beggar to wealthy merchant, to member of organized crime, to priest and more and only knows the identity of handful of other members. To be recruited into the Order one must either be handpicked by a wizard looking for an apprentice or solve a series of clues and riddles hidden throughout the city. u/Fyraltari (for more read their comment below)

League of Mirrors: Alternatively the Luminous Guild. Navigation in Ulgus darkness is difficult so some Ulguan Free Cities have a network of mirrors to channel light from hyshian realmgates or elsewhere into Ulgu. In Spite the construction, maintenance and utilization of this mirror network is the job of this guild. They are responsible to channel light accross the cities territories. Be it as signals, orientation for travellers, day to day usage and what else you need light for. u/MrS0bek

Church of the Guiding Star: The foremost Cult Unberogen within Spite. They revere Sigmar as the Star-Maker who placed their light in the night sky in defiance of the darkness of Ulgu and so that they may lead all travellers home. The Church sees it as its holy duty to place and maintain millions, if not billions of lanterns along the roads, mountain passes and beaten paths of Ulgu, coordinating their efforts with the League of Mirrors to ensure the trails too remote to be shone on by a Hyshian mirror (especially in the woods surrounding Spite itself) remain usable. The most superstitious of the laity never stray far from these lamps, as they believe that to die in total darkness is to doom one's soul to wander the mists of Ulgu without ever reaching the afterlife. The highest spire of the Church's Grand Cathedral is tipped with a glowing orb of pure Celestium, allegedly a fragment of High Sigendil itself. u/Fyraltari

Grand Conclave

High Arbitrator Hlife Thurgrimmsdottir is a respected duardin matriarch who has held her position since the cities founding. Due to the nature of Ulgu she employs many arcanists and magitech to help sift through the deceptions the Realm brings regarding major investigations. She will loan such individuals to other organisations if needs must. She also employs agents to keep an eye one the various trade allies laws and political positions to make sure she is informed when major disputes occur over laws and jurisdiction between those partners. u/Low_Neighborhood_598

Masked Lady: Representative of the Esoteric Shroud to the Grand Conclave and Hidden Hand of the City of Spite. (Mentioned in the entry by u/Fyraltari)

Districts and Other Internals

This is everything we decide is inside our city:

Malice Nail (Central Island of the Archipelago, Where Most of Our Spite Is Found)

Stormfortress: The Stormkeep of the Hammers of Sigmar in our city. First suggested by u/BrotherRegael. (Available for name change and details). The Stormfortress is a coastal fortress whose shadow looms over the districts of the smaller island. u/lestrigone

The Spire District sits upon the inland edge of the city. Initially formed around a spire citadel built by a splinter sect of the Order Serpentis, unwilling to commit to Morathi's cause, but it was quick to grow into a broader community of Aelves and Khainites of varying creeds, swelled by an influx of Aelves who found themselves no longer welcome in the more fervent Azyrite hubs. The district has become famed for semi-religious chariot races hosted by the Order Serpentis which have become a popular spectacle among Khainites and non-Khainites alike. u/RosbergThe8th

Great Stone Recess, AKA Shadow Chasm: Discovered by the mining labour clans, a group of disposesed happened upon a huge cavern littered with realmstone that was quickly harvester for barter. But it's it's trail left a peculiar nexus of energies. Since the cave was first opened, a special operation was set in place by the collegiate arcane, an entirely duardin led operation of magic. They study and work the energies, channeling the magics of Ulgu to both learn, and to train powerful battle magi to help protect the city. u/TavernerHedris

Ebon District: A trade district close to the main harbour, dominated open market places. Goods that arrive from the harbours are frequently hauled here directly. This influx in wares and customers from all over the realm makes it one very important commercial areas. To avoid shady or unsanctioned dealings, all trade has to be performed in the open air. A rule which has limited effects in reducing criminal deals, but is enforced anyhow. (Mentioned by u/MrS0bek in their entry)

District A: A commercial district of Spite. (Re-added in a mention in the entry by u/hermit_of_nemeton)

- Ivaldi's Stone & Bauble: The jewelry shop of Viktoriya Ivaldi located in District A. (Mentioned in the entry by u/hermit_of_nemeton)

The Longnail: In a City of Sigmar, space is ever a premium. As a result tenements, townhouses, and high rises dominate the streets of Spite, not unlike its sibling metropolises across the Realms. Jutting skyward from one of these residential districts is an ugly spike of blackened metal, the Longnail. Originally built as the home for some noble family that has since fallen into disgrace, for a time it served as a grainhouse after which a Trade Commodore of Barak-Mhornar rented it as a personal warehouse. When exactly it became the premier metal market in Spite? None can recall. But nowadays the metalworkers of all Spite's diaspora peoples can be found here. The storefronts haphazardly pressed into any available room of the Longnail are home to Ironweld guilders selling medimantic appendages at a premium; Dispossessed of the Shadow Chasm proffering trinkets made of rare minerals dredged from their claims; Scourge-born Keikallaneth selling gear unique to their syncretic culture; and more besides. u/sageking14 (That's Me!)

Old Man: Shortly before reaching the location of what one day will become the City of Spite, one of the Exodus Hosts Cogforts finally broke down and planted itself on a small islet just right outside of the current city's main harbour. Unable to reach its new home, the "Old Man" now stands guard and guides others back, so that they don't follow its fate of never finding home. There are only a few people tending to the old fort, making sure it doesnt decays and rots away, but passing ships returning home might throw a little tribute in the direction of the islet. A foreign coin here, the pinky finger bone of a fallen comrade there. u/Gecktron (Possibly connected to the mirror array tended by the League of Mirrors

Smaller Island, Where Some Of Our Spite Is Found

The Great Bridge: A marvel of engineering and architecture, connecting Malice Nail to the closest island in the archipelago, allowing the city to spread on the shores of both. The construction of the Great Bridge led to the rise in station of the Weavepike Clan and the alliance of Duardin clans it leads, organizing their resources and labor in order to connect the isle of the Wilder Shores to the main city island and provide a reliable connection for the Wilde-folks to the city center. The quarrying of the stone needed for the building of this monument was responsible for an expansion of the Great Stone Recess, and eventually the formation and exploitation of the Shadow Chasm. The Great Bridge ended up becoming a major logistic hub of the city, and as a result it became its own District, as people built homes and shops on it. Overtime, the bridge grew so crowded that these buildings connected to each other with overhangs, and the street is now effectively a corridor / tunnel with a bustling, uneven district on top, with its own alleys of wooden planks. At the same time, in the water below, ramshackle huts of scavengers have formed around the bridge's pylons, creating a number of slums and villages where bizarre (and dangerous?) cults to minor deities of stealing and saltwater gain worship, and where smuggling and stolen goods become a major aspect of the economy. u/lestrigone

- Underbridge Slums: This seedy undercity beneath the Great Bridge is built around its support pillars, atop rubble left after its construction, and even on rafts not unlike those of the mother city. (Mentioned in the entries by u/lestrigone and u/Relative_War4477 )

- The Last Flame: Beneath the Great Bridge, deep within the shadow-choked slums of Spite, lie the broken remains of a Dawner's Triumph that marched with the Exodus Host from Misthåvn. Once a proud symbol of Sigmar's unyielding resolve, the monument stood at the heart of the crusade that founded the city. Now it lies shattered amidst a cramped square hemmed in by leaning shacks and sagging timber dwellings. Countless votive candles burn upon its cracked plinth, their flickering light never quite dispelling Ulgu's gloom. The city's orphans, beggars and other forgotten wretches gather here in silent numbers, warming their hands over guttering flames or leaving humble offerings amongst the melted wax. Yet one of Spite's most familiar sights is strangely absent from this place. The great shadow-roaming cats that prowl the city's forgotten corners—creatures said to vanish entirely into the gloom—are never seen near the fallen Triumph. Whether they sense something within the broken stone that even they dare not approach, or whether the whispers drive them away, none can say. For strange whispers drift from the monument whenever the mists grow thick, murmuring in voices too faint to understand yet too clear to ignore. Some claim they are the lingering echoes of the crusaders who marched from Misthåvn to found Spite. Others insist they are something older, waiting beneath the city for those desperate enough to listen. u/Relative_War4477

Cloud Town: The unofficial name of a harbor district inhabitted by Scourge Privateers and Keikallaneth, a local Ulguan Reclaimed kindred of Aelves. (Mentioned in the entry by u/LeThomasBouric)

Wilder Shores: It is walled off from the other districts as its population is largely comprised of former Darkoath raiders and sea-dogs who have been brought back into the fold of Sigmar's Empire by the efforts of the Penitents of Salvation Stormhost. Those Stormcast have a small bastion in the Wilder Shores in the form of a large, sea-faring vessel, and they rarely interact with those people who don't belong from their savage flock. City Ogors are a common sight here, as exotic meats and fishes are often delivered to the Shores. The fleet here is also often used to raid enclaves of Hedonites or other Chaos forces in the region. u/Ur-Than

- The Salt: Boasting to be the oldest watering hole in the City of Spite, The Salt is a reasonably-priced two-story establishment of grey stone and grey wood, completely unremarkable if not for the private skyvessel dock, maintained by the extended staff of The Salt. While not the largest of the docks in any form or fashion, it is not a rare thing to see a mercenary gunhauler or a merchant vessel of a smaller variety being looked after by the staff and the crew alike while their captains attended their business in the city proper. As a matter of fact, one of the six rooms of The Salt available for the guests, is dedicated and reserved to the esteemed Kharadron guests as their impromptu office, if need be. The current owner of The Salt is a human of ambiguous background. Commonly referred to as "Seahound", or "Captain Salt" by the staff, it is clear by the snaking, weatherworn tattoos now covered by Sigmarite symbols of fresher ink, that Seahound has a Darkoath background, and some of the staff of The Salt almost jovially add to the multitude of rumours by stating that their Captain Salt used to be a chieftain of a local tribe. Whatever the case, Seahound keeps a good order and is well-liked and well-respected by the staff and the patrons. Borders but is not in Wilder Shores. u/hermit_of_nemeton

Allies

A list of our beloved allies. Do we stand back to back, knives in each other's defense or poised to bury those knives at the nearest oppurtunity:

Shadowglen and the Moon Grove: A glade of Sylvaneth living in the forests surrounding the City of Spite. The glade has been in Ulgu long before the city’s founding, but welcomed the newcomers. The clans of Shadowglen have long been accustomed to the dangers of the island and found natural allies in the Sigmarites. Their Regent, a Treelord Ancient whose name translates to “Thornfather”, made first contact with the Stormcast Eternals when he led his people to help fend off an undead horde assailing the city as it was being founded. The Shadowglen’s numbers are not yet known to the city officials, but due to the island’s size it’s likely there is a small greenhold somewhere deep in the Moon Grove. u/Oragoss (for more read their comment in the thread below)

The Keikallaneth are an Aelven people native to the archipelago they call "The Dark Clouds". Though they at first blush appear to be a scattered, nomadic people much reduced by the Age of Chaos, plying their livelihoods aboard wave-cutting ships through the island chain, they are reputed to maintain fixed abodes on a handful of islands on the furthest west, closest towards the Realm's edge. No one aside from the Keikallaneth have managed to find those islands; those that attempt to sail west and return report that a thick fog descends upon their crafts, blinding them utterly. Only by following the sounds of tinkling bells were they able to escape. This defence regularly confounds the local Hedonite pirates, and even Idoneth have had their aquatic mastery thwarted. Without the founding of Spite, this way of life might have continued for centuries more. The most immediate change came when the Hammers of Sigmar smashed the forces of Chaos on the archipelago, with no small help from Keikallaneth pathfinders. As the Dawnbringer Crusade from Misthåvn settled in and built their new city, Keikallaneth ships became a more familiar sight amongst the islands, brought out of hiding by the wealth and security the newly-named Spite provided. Keikallaneth fishers, guides and even merchants became regular sights at Spite; at first only as temporary visitors, but that soon changed as Scourge Privateers opened up recruitment to the Keikallaneth. They worship Ahrasaroanarin. u/LeThomasBouric (For more read their comment below)

Enemies

Here will go the list of Our Foes.

The Legion of the Shroudweave (name by u/hermit_of_nemeton): Grave-Empire

• Irina Komarova is the leader of a Soulblight legion that has access to a horde of magical spiders native to Ulgu, they produce silk that can be used for crafting, sure, but also has bizarre Ulguan magical properties. She has a tapestry of this silk that can give her fragmented omens of the future, a cloak that can create illusory mirages, and other strange magical items. This silk is also infused into the bones of any Deathrattle/wights under her legion's control, giving them some weird quirks. u/DarkstarParagon (for more read their comment in the thread below)
• Glut Seekers: On the northern island of ozark a realm gate to ghur is activated by eshin forces who wish to use the stable gate to aid moulder elements in ghur. To their displeasure though once the gate is open a warband of ogors known as the glut seekers from the meat fists come marching through cleaveing and chewing the rat man assassins. Once annihilated, or fading iff into the shadows, the ogors began to set up a small gut fort, and their gnoblars begin to construct boats to leave the forests heavy island. They might hope to not only find food so they can grow in strength to challenge morga, but to also build wealth from near by factions. The jungle forest are filled with ulguish wild life changed by the gates re-awakening. Giving the ogors plenty of meals to fill their guts. Besides this the island have no other resources, making them egar tosell their services, even to the grave empire. u/magnusthered15
• The "Myriad", as they are known by their peers, are more or less loyal spies who work for Irina Komarova's Legion of the Shroudweave. The exact number and the whereabouts of "the Myriad" is perhaps only known to lady Komarova herself. Unfortunately, one of the spies of "the Myriad" has been unfortunately negligent in her work. Viktoriya Ivaldi is a jeweller and a shopkeeper of "Ivaldi's Stone & Bauble" of Spite's District A during the day. In the night, though, she's a vampire first and foremost. Her mistake was not realizing that Spite is one of those cities that do not truly sleep ever, and unwittingly more than once there's been an eyewitness to her more vampiric deeds in the night, and now there exists an inveterate rumour of a vampire terrorizing the poorer districts of the City of Spite. u/hermit_of_nemeton

Hedonite Enclaves: Enclaves and bands of Hedonite of Slaanesh pirates prowl the archipelago. (Mentioned in the entries of both u/Ur-Than and u/LeThomasBouric)

Contra-Yngra: An Ulguan Greatfray that harried the Shadowglen and the Keikallaneth before the Founding of Spite. The coming of the Hammers of Sigmar tipped the scales of the conflict, and the bonds forged in this early conflict is accredited to aiding in the alliances that now unite Spite, the Keikallaneth, and the Shadowglen Sylvaneth. u/Floodwater31

Neighbors

In case we have neighbors who are neither friend nor foe, yet:

Raiding Outpost of Queen Senebria: Nearby the archipelago we call home lies a small domain of the Idoneth Deepkin - belonging to Queen Sebebria and her Shadowtide Stalkers. Not exactly allies (they will occasionally poach some Sigmarite souls when able), but find a common enemy in the nastier, darker things that come from the deep Abyssal ocean... u/ThaBenMan

Locations

Malice Nail: Our Home, the main island of the archipelago. It is here that the Free City of Spite was settled. Like most of ulgu this island is shrouded in darkness. The physical characteristics of this island is sandy, with Rock formations spread across its surface. If you look from the sky it's as if the island covered with scabs. They managed this due to a man made rivers that allows boats to go to and from the ocean. This set up is perfect because no boat and leave the same way they came, meaning if enemies tried to sail down wards, the cities militia and warriors can easily hunt down Raiders and thevies. (Name and Description by u/magnusthered15) Spite is surrounded by the forests of the Shadowglen Glade of Sylvaneth, hidden deep within which is the Greenhold of Moongrove. (Forested bits by u/Oragoss )

Northern Island of Ozark: A resource poor island in the northern quadrant of the archipelago that Spite is located in. (Mentioned in the entry by u/magnusthered15)

Unnamed Spider Godbeast: Upon its back is the fortress of Irina Komarova (Mentioned in the entry by u/DarkstarParagon)

The Dark Clouds: The archipelago from which the Keikallaneth originate. (Mentioned in the entry by u/LeThomasBouric) As of yet unclear if it is the same archipelago as the one Spite is found.

Resources

Shadow Cats (Panthera Obscurus) The Spite Archipelago is home to a supposedly rare species of big cat suffused with the essence of Ulgu. This tenebrous aura makes it almost impossible for the untrained eye notice their existence unless directly interacting with them, allowing them to lazily walk up and attack their prey. While mostly seen as a nuisance that picks off livestock and the occasional traveler, it is not uncommon for those of means to raise them from cubs, resulting in almost invisible, feline bodyguards. Indeed, many bowls of meat are left out during Grand Conclave meetings, and many would be assassins have been found mysteriously mauled. u/Floodwater31

Events and History

Stirrings of the Unwanted: Long before Misthåvn sent an Exodus crusade to claim Spite, the Shadowglen and the Keikallaneth had to contend with the Contra-Yngra, or The Unwanted in Sigmar's tongue. This Greatdray's shamens had mastery over the Ulgish shadows, using shadows and sorcery to have raiding parties appear on ships or in the heart of their enemies defenses. It was the Hammers of Sigmar and the accompanying host which tipped the scales allowing The Unwanted to finally be put to the sword. This aid is often credited as being the start of these powerful alliances. All is not well however, every so often, shadowy beastmen burst from the dark or charge from the mist, murdering, pillaging, and burning up to a whole district. When defenders arrive however, they find no beastmen, no fire, and no injured or dead, only a terrified populace. Some believe these raids to be illusions cast by some surviving brayshaman, other believe they are ghosts under the control of Irina Komorova, ensnared by magical webs into her service, yet other believe they are the memory of Ulgu itself, misremembering their demise. Recently a witch hunter has found a commoner whispering to a shard of stone, claiming it to be yet another way to protect oneself from The Unwanted. What was different this time however, was the shard was determined to a piece of The Unwanted's shattered Herdstone. Since then, these herd shards have been outlawed and the conclave worries they may be contending with some cult, maybe even some sort of beast cult, using the face of their slain foe to strike terror into Spite. u/Floodwater31

Disclaimer

Oh I forgot to mention. Since this is intended to be a fully collaborative, community made thing for fun. You can use it for any projects you want. Battle reports, Soulbound, wargames, on and on. You don't have to but its an option if ya want to.

For clarity and ease of finding info, I will add additional entries when a participant's idea implies, suggests, or adds additional interesting details to the city. These will not count against a person's entry limit.

Many entries above are only partials. So check out the comments in this and the past post to see the full lore each participant has added.

A Bright City To Spite The Dark

Heraldry of Spite by u/Gecktron

"Disaster has been the watch word of our Dominion ever since the golden angels of the heavens brought storm and light back to Ulgu. Visions of betrayals, undead rising, beasts pounding at the gates, rats infesting our walls. And yet, here you all stand. We endured. Through valor? Perhaps. Through trickery? Well, are we not scions of Ulgu? Regardless of how, we endured. So let us show our spite to those who would burn the Realms!" ~ Lord-Audacious of the City of Spite

Welcome To Our City of Spite

Greetings and good tidings once more my fellow Realmwalkers, or though today I should be calling you fellow City Builders. Because we'll be building our own homebrewed City of Sigmar, as a community. The first time we did this was with the Free City of Prismatica and the second was the continent of Pyropia.

Like with those, this is to be a community homebrew developed in a round robin-ish style, insofar as this type of forum can emulate that. This time even the bones were community decided, in this post, from last week. Where it was decided Our Home would be a City of Sigmar in Ulgu.

That gives us a lot to work with!y contribution, to keep things fair, will be giving a vague outline. Rather than adding entries of my own.

Rules As Simple As Shadows

We're still aoslore, so you can fudge the rules a little so long as its fun and not mean. But in essence. Each community members is to provide a singular idea to shape the City.

• Not (1) per type. But one per mega-thread, so if this isn't popular enough to deserve a second round you get only one go.
• City Building Options Include: Factions, Resources, Allies, Neighbors, Enemies, Districts, Leaders, and any other category you might think up.
• This time around we also have a Main Enemy to develop.

As this is collaborative! You must be willing for other community members to effect your entry. As this is collaborative! You must remember each entry was made by a real person who is no less so for being a stranger divided by a screen and unknowable miles. So don't be a dick.

If someone makes the Pretty Pretty Mew Mew Brigade, sparkliest and nicest Cavalier order in the Cosmos, we are accepting that entry. You may not react by having your entry change their tone to evil. By the same dint you can't use your entry to make the Edgelords of Knife's Lament into hippies. Unless! You ask and the user agrees, but that conversation needs to be in the mega-thread so the community entire can see proof it happened.

In the end, just have a heart and implement any changes and effects respectfully and it should be fine.

In conclusion. Feel free to go nuts, all lore-friendly (I.E: Anything that is canon, could fit in the canon, or doesn't break canon) suggestions are welcome. No additions will be denied unless the category is already filled.

------------------------------------------

Spite Itself

Our Home, Our City of Sigmar, was founded by an Exodus Host sent by Misthåvn to claim this mist-shrouded archipelago for the Dominion of Sigmar. That's the rough! Why were we sent here? What dangers we faced? What even is our City of Spite's name? Well that's for you all to decide below.

------------------------------------------

So there you have it, that's what we have so far. But we could use more details don't you think? Clearly our Free City is missing quite a bit. So below you'll see a list of major and minor details to add to our new bastion of hope. So feel free to suggest anything from the following list, or even provide your own details. Sporadic Lex links added to help show examples and foster ideas:

Founding Stormhost: We only get one (with caveats)! So first come, first serve. Most Cities of Sigmar are Ward Cities of the Stormhost who most helped in its founding. Who will that be for us? It can either fit with our shadowy themes or go against.

Grand Conclave: Our Government is a Grand Conclave, a council of up to 244 representatives of every aspect of our city. These are elected guild leaders, military leaders, district reps, and more. Rules here are more complicated. A City must have a Matriarch/Patriarch/Whatever Gender Neutralarch would be as a Governor; A City must have a Prime Commander; A City must have a High Arbiter. But from there you can choose any of the options in that link above, or make something new. Conclaves are flexible outside those core titles. Avoid title and purpose overlap when possible.

Freeguilds: Freeguilds are semi-independent military guilds whose purpose range from city watch to crusading armies to firemen to artefact retrievers. It can get weird. We can have as many as the community wants.

Collegiate Arcane: What is the Collegiate presence in our city like? What can you tell us about the local academies?

Ironweld Arsenal: The Arsenal creates anything mechanical or artifice in the Cities from the high rises to the Cogforts to the wells. They are divided into Esoteric Schools, which kind of guilds, kind of schools of thought.

Cults Unberogen: The religions shaped around Sigmar take the form of chaotic cults with diverse opinions. Many worship him as a God-King on high, others as a flaming lionman or a comet or a giant, others take more philosophical or metaphysical views. Our city can have as many Cults Unberogen as ya'll want.

Other Cults: It has been said many a time that the Free Cities worship as many as hundreds of gods besides Sigmar. So anything is fair game!

Dark Cults: Are there... Necro-Cults to Nagash or Chaos Cults to the Dark Gods amongst our midst? Now these can be versatile as they can reveal issues within the city, create obstacles for future adventurers to face and more.

Order of Azyr: What Agents Azyrite stalk our streets? My suggestion would be to add members or chapters only after a decent number of other entries like say of Dark Cults as above.

Additional Stormcast: The Founding Host does not need to be alone. Do we have other Stormkeeps or smaller bastions? Perhaps a Hallowed Knight chapel or an Astral Templar lodge? A Brotherhood who calls our city home between adventures?

Minor Factions: Tractor Guilds, Road Agents, Roadwardens, Black Walkers, the Listening Order, Soulbound, adventuring parties, Lanternmen, guilds of a million flavors, megacorps, and more. Don't feel limited by what you think Cities are, this faction has a surprising amount of lore organizations. More can always arise.

Common Folk: What can you tell us of the Azyrite cultures in the city? The Reclaimed cultures? Who lives in our City? As a Free City there are elements of Humans, Duardin, Aelves, Ogors, and Gargants at the very least. What are they like? Do others live among us?

Dispossessed: Duardin labour-clans built the Cities of Sigmar, humanity's bonds with them are eternal. Are there notable duardin elements in our city outside the shuffling commons?

City Aelves: The Wanderers, the Scourge Privateers, the Swifthawk Agents, the Eldritch Council, Order Serpentis, the Darkling Covens, the Order Draconis, Lion Rangers, and many more. The Dominion is not lacking for Aelves loyal and true. Which have settled amongst us?

Districts: Every city needs districts. Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Markets, Military, Arcane, Medical, and on and on. What are notable ones in ours?

Embassies and Allied Enclaves: Not all Allies are beyond our walls. Cities of Sigmar set aside both Embassy Districts and Allied Enclaves for allies. The former are embassies, the latter are parts of the city where other peoples of Order casually live.

Events: What events shaped us during the Dawnbringer Crusades, during Founding, in our History? What festivals do we celebrate? Sporting events? Games culture? Dish out any events you wish!

Resources: Minerals or flora, fauna or metals, strange liquids or Realmstone deposits. A culturally unique way of weaving baskets or local cuisine. Anything can be added as a resource. So don't be afraid to do so!

Artefacts of Power: Can it truly be a Warhammer setting without saint relics, doomsday devices, and other strange artefacts scattered about?

Our Name: How should we decide what the name of the City and archipelago are?

Shaping The Archipelago: Where even are we? Is this even truly an archipelago? How many islands? What are their names? Who lives here? Are we even near Shadrac anymore? In the Realm of Shadows anything goes, mists and shadows hide many secrets and twist us all around.

New Waves of Colonists: Reshape our culture further with immigrants! Cities of Sigmar are nations of immigrants, and if we survive we'll be no different. Typically these come in the form of Order of Logisticians approved additional Dawnbringer Crusades from the mother city and local Reclaimed. But don't be afraid to get creative!

You can also add Strongpoints and vassal towns. The Swamp-Cantons of Greywater Fastness, Ringwall Strongpoints of Hammerhal, and Ketter-lands of Excelsis are a few of the largest examples.

Our Enemies Great and Small: Feel free to add as many foes to the island as you wish, especially the Grave-Empire that stands against. It's name, leaders, constituent parts, and all else are for you to decide.

Above all else! Have fun!

------------------------------------------

Factions of Spite, Major and Minor

Here all entries on major factions will be kept:

Hammers of Sigmar: Sent as a symbol of hope for the crusaders and the reclaimed of Ulgu, fighting hard against the enemies and protecting the city. Once established they build their Stormfortress from where they protect and expand Sigmar's rule. u/BrotherRegael

Penitents of Salvation: A minor Stormhost boasting a Stormcast Bastion, the sea vessel known as The Rewarding Storm, in the Wilder Shores district of the City of Spite. (Mentioned in the entry by u/Ur-Than)

Anti-Morathi Khainites: The city has a strong Khainite presence. This includes both laity among the common folk and sects of the Daughters of Khaine. But these Khainites are anti-Morathi. Reserving spite towards her for the Fall of Anvilgard. u/Trazenthebloodraven

The Lynx Resplendent stand tall against outsider's accusations that all Ulguans are treacherous by nature, continuing to live by their virtues yet neither denying their pasts. Some join their ranks seeking atonement, or glory and exaltation that they've never received. For others, joining them comes from a deep sense of doing the right thing. Many of their number came to Ulgu seeking to disappear into (Realm of) Shadows, only to now find themselves as among one of the city's most renowned and forward-facing defenders. u/SciFantasy_Research (for more on this Freeguild/Cavalier Order read their comment below)

The Order of the Esoteric Shroud was one of the main sponsors of the Crusade that founded the City and remains its principal magical institution. While they provide basic training in the use of the other seven winds, their expertise lies in the Lore of Shadows. Unlike most Collegiates, the Order does not operate openly or out of a single building complex, but functions like a secret society woven throughout the City. Each member of the Order has a second occupation in addition to their wizardry, roles that vary from beggar to wealthy merchant, to member of organized crime, to priest and more and only knows the identity of handful of other members. To be recruited into the Order one must either be handpicked by a wizard looking for an apprentice or solve a series of clues and riddles hidden throughout the city. u/Fyraltari (for more read their comment below)

Grand Conclave

High Arbitrator Hlife Thurgrimmsdottir is a respected duardin matriarch who has held her position since the cities founding. Due to the nature of Ulgu she employs many arcanists and magitech to help sift through the deceptions the Realm brings regarding major investigations. She will loan such individuals to other organisations if needs must. She also employs agents to keep an eye one the various trade allies laws and political positions to make sure she is informed when major disputes occur over laws and jurisdiction between those partners. u/Low_Neighborhood_598

Masked Lady: Representative of the Esoteric Shroud to the Grand Conclave and Hidden Hand of the City of Spite. (Mentioned in the entry by u/Fyraltari)

Districts and Other Internals

This is everything we decide is inside our city:

Stormfortress: The Stormkeep of the Hammers of Sigmar in our city. First suggested by u/BrotherRegael. (Available for name change and details).

The Spire District sits upon the inland edge of the city. Initially formed around a spire citadel built by a splinter sect of the Order Serpentis, unwilling to commit to Morathi's cause, but it was quick to grow into a broader community of Aelves and Khainites of varying creeds, swelled by an influx of Aelves who found themselves no longer welcome in the more fervent Azyrite hubs. The district has become famed for semi-religious chariot races hosted by the Order Serpentis which have become a popular spectacle among Khainites and non-Khainites alike. u/RosbergThe8th

Wilder Shores: It is walled off from the other districts as its population is largely comprised of former Darkoath raiders and sea-dogs who have been brought back into the fold of Sigmar's Empire by the efforts of the Penitents of Salvation Stormhost. Those Stormcast have a small bastion in the Wilder Shores in the form of a large, sea-faring vessel, and they rarely interact with those people who don't belong from their savage flock. City Ogors are a common sight here, as exotic meats and fishes are often delivered to the Shores. The fleet here is also often used to raid enclaves of Hedonites or other Chaos forces in the region. u/Ur-Than

Allies

A list of our beloved allies. Do we stand back to back, knives in each other's defense or poised to bury those knives at the nearest oppurtunity:

Shadowglen and the Moon Grove: A glade of Sylvaneth living in the forests surrounding the City of Spite. The glade has been in Ulgu long before the city’s founding, but welcomed the newcomers. The clans of Shadowglen have long been accustomed to the dangers of the island and found natural allies in the Sigmarites. Their Regent, a Treelord Ancient whose name translates to “Thornfather”, made first contact with the Stormcast Eternals when he led his people to help fend off an undead horde assailing the city as it was being founded. The Shadowglen’s numbers are not yet known to the city officials, but due to the island’s size it’s likely there is a small greenhold somewhere deep in the Moon Grove. u/Oragoss (for more read their comment in the thread below)

Enemies

Here will go the list of Our Foes. Greatest among them is a Grave-Empire (that's a Soulblight Gravelords civilization) that has harried us ever since we left Misthavn:

The As of Yet Unnamed Grave Empire

• Irina Komarova is the leader of a Soulblight legion that has access to a horde of magical spiders native to Ulgu, they produce silk that can be used for crafting, sure, but also has bizarre Ulguan magical properties. She has a tapestry of this silk that can give her fragmented omens of the future, a cloak that can create illusory mirages, and other strange magical items. This silk is also infused into the bones of any Deathrattle/wights under her legion's control, giving them some weird quirks. u/DarkstarParagon (for more read their comment in the thread below)

Glut Seekers: On the northern island of ozark a realm gate to ghur is activated by eshin forces who wish to use the stable gate to aid moulder elements in ghur. To their displeasure though once the gate is open a warband of ogors known as the glut seekers from the meat fists come marching through cleaveing and chewing the rat man assassins. Once annihilated, or fading iff into the shadows, the ogors began to set up a small gut fort, and their gnoblars begin to construct boats to leave the forests heavy island. They might hope to not only find food so they can grow in strength to challenge morga, but to also build wealth from near by factions. The jungle forest are filled with ulguish wild life changed by the gates re-awakening. Giving the ogors plenty of meals to fill their guts. Besides this the island have no other resources, making them egar tosell their services, even to the grave empire. u/magnusthered15

Neighbors

In case we have neighbors who are neither friend nor foe, yet:

Raiding Outpost of Queen Senebria: Nearby the archipelago we call home lies a small domain of the Idoneth Deepkin - belonging to Queen Sebebria and her Shadowtide Stalkers. Not exactly allies (they will occasionally poach some Sigmarite souls when able), but find a common enemy in the nastier, darker things that come from the deep Abyssal ocean... u/ThaBenMan

Locations

Northern Island of Ozark: A resource poor island in the northern quadrant of the archipelago. (Mentioned in the entry by u/magnusthered15)

Unnamed Spider Godbeast: Upon its back is the fortress of Irina Komarova (Mentioned in the entry by u/DarkstarParagon)

Resources

Shadow Cats (Panthera Obscurus) The Spite Archipelago is home to a supposedly rare species of big cat suffused with the essence of Ulgu. This tenebrous aura makes it almost impossible for the untrained eye notice their existence unless directly interacting with them, allowing them to lazily walk up and attack their prey. While mostly seen as a nuisance that picks off livestock and the occasional traveler, it is not uncommon for those of means to raise them from cubs, resulting in almost invisible, feline bodyguards. Indeed, many bowls of meat are left out during Grand Conclave meetings, and many would be assassins have been found mysteriously mauled. u/Floodwater31

Disclaimer

Oh I forgot to mention. Since this is intended to be a fully collaborative, community made thing for fun. You can use it for any projects you want. Battle reports, Soulbound, wargames, on and on. You don't have to but its an option if ya want to.

Edit: A ton of on the fly spelling and syntax fixes made with help from u/Ashendant

Edit 2: For clarity and ease of finding info, I have started adding (Mentioned in the entry by) additions throughout the post for incidentals like locations or characters that exist as a byproduct of folks' entries. Won't count against anyone's entries, just a way of tracking anchor points.

Heraldry of Spite by u/Gecktron

For those who don't know, which may be most of you, back in days so eldritch and ancient that Tahlia Vedra wasn't around yet this community made a collaborative setting called Pyropia, a continent in Aqshy.

That sort of fell apart but it was a lot of fun. With that in mind want to try again? The game is simple. As a start we'll need to determine a faction and a realm.

Cities of Sigmar would be easiest as the faction with the most organizations and elements to pull from. But I'm up for trying most anything the community is interested in.

The only votes for which Realm and which Faction to use that I'll accept is comments below. Both to encourage people to participate, and because polls on Reddit are exploitable and unreliable.

From there we'll work together as a community to set the bones of the region our faction will be in, once that's determined I'll then make a post where the real game begins.

Once we get the project rolling I'll make a Mega,-Thread with a list of options and suggestions for how you can shape our faction to be. Options will include:

• Faction Leaders
• Generals
• Guilds
• Cults
• Companies
• Districts
• Allies
• Enemies
• Resources
• And more

Each community member can add (1). Not one of each, (1) element. So choose wisely. Course if it takes off we'll make additional mega threads giving more opportunities.

Now. This is a collaborative event so your item can alter or add to someone else's. Do not add anything that you would be upset if it was altered.

That said. You're not allowed to be a dick about it. If someone adds a Cavalier martial order that runs soup kitchens, you can't then hoodwink reveal "No, vampires that eat babies". Every community member is another person, so don't be rude about it.

As comments come in I'll add them to the post body with a credit to the creator. If the project proves exceptionally popular we'll have to work around Reddit's word count limit.

I'll add a link to the Pyropia event, so everyone can reference how this all works. As well as see examples.

Votes So Far:

Realm

Ulgu or Hysh: 1

Ulgu: 13

Hysh: 1

Shyish: 1

Our Home

Cities of Sigmar: 11

Lumineth Realm-lords: 1

Fyreslayers or Sylvaneth: 1

Sylvaneth: 1

Main Enemy

Okay so folk are voting for main enemy. Did I accidentally say to do that? Ehh. Heck it! Evolve or die! Feel free to vote for it.

Slaves to Darkness: 2 (Be'lakor)

Slaves to Darkness: 1

Ossiarchs or Soulblight: 1

Ogor Mawtribes: 1

Flesh-eater Courts (Maybe?): 1

Flesh-eater Courts (Definitely): 2

Ossiarchs Bonereapers: 2

Wild Card Death: 1 (Add a tally to all Death Factions at End of Count) (Only for tie breaks) (Soulblight if the tie is between Death factions)

Soulblight Grave-lords: 3

Sylvaneth: 1

Gloomspite Gitz: 1

Greetings and Salutations Gate Seekers and Lore Pilgrims, and welcome to yet another "No Stupid Questions" thread

Do you have something you want to discuss something or had a question, but don't want to make an entire post for it?

Then feel free to strike up the discussion or ask the question here

In this thread, you can ask anything about AoS (or even WHFB) lore, the fluff, characters, background, and other AoS things.

Community members are encouraged to be helpful and to provide sources and links that can aid new, curious, and returning Lore Pilgrims

This Thread is NOT to be used to

-Ask "What If/Who would win" scenarios.

-Strike up Tabletop discussions. However, questions regarding how something from the tabletop is handled in the lore are fine.

-Real-world politics.

-Making unhelpful statements like "just Google it"

-Asking for specific (long) excerpts or files

Remember to be kind and that everyone started out new, even you.

Greeting and good tidings to all my fellow Realmwalkers. Now you may be wondering why I would title a discussion thread like that. After all. Are the Order of Azyr not a government agency tasked with censure of forbidden relics, hunting spies, and killing monsters?

Yes. But we've also seen evidence of them being adventurers. Evidence such as the new 4E Cities Battletome calling Callis, Toll, and the rest of the Saviours of Cinderfall a team of adventurers.

It was also revealed back in "Spymaster's Deal", a Dawnbringers free fiction, the members of the Grand Conclaves pay Witch Hunters for clearing out Chaos Cultist dens.

Which... if you think about it and go back to the beginning. Are not guilds and orders of adventurers government agencies tasked with censuring forbidden relics, hunting spies, and killing monsters?

What are your thoughts on the Witch Hunters' similarities to, if not outright being the same as, adventurers?

The Cosmos Arcane and the Realms therein are full of materials strange and familiar. From magical metals to mundane woods, arcane lumbers to basic hides, spectacular pelts to boring rocks.

So what do you, my Realmwalkers, know about any such material. Would you care to share what materials you've discovered on your literary journeys?

Greetings and Salutations Gate Seekers and Lore Pilgrims, and welcome to yet another "No Stupid Questions" thread

Do you have something you want to discuss something or had a question, but don't want to make an entire post for it?

Then feel free to strike up the discussion or ask the question here

In this thread, you can ask anything about AoS (or even WHFB) lore, the fluff, characters, background, and other AoS things.

Community members are encouraged to be helpful and to provide sources and links that can aid new, curious, and returning Lore Pilgrims

This Thread is NOT to be used to

-Ask "What If/Who would win" scenarios.

-Strike up Tabletop discussions. However, questions regarding how something from the tabletop is handled in the lore are fine.

-Real-world politics.

-Making unhelpful statements like "just Google it"

-Asking for specific (long) excerpts or files

Remember to be kind and that everyone started out new, even you.

Despite the rumors and claims of certain "reliable" leakers, the Ogors are keeping their blackpowder and cannons it seems. So don't let any other rumors get you down, or allow yourself to get too excited or certain they're fact. Rumor is always that even from reliable sources, we can never know until proof arises.

Also, I appreciate GW deciding to go with low sexual dimorphism for Ogors to really add some spice to all the claims they are different than Humans, Duardin, Aelves, and all that. Makes it even more fun that they can mingle with Order's factions with ease despite that massive difference.

So after all this time the ?Free? City of Verdigris is finally getting lore. On Pg. 27 (Edit: Of the 2026 Cities Battletome) we are told its population has swelled as it takes in refugees from across Verdia, people fleeing the horrors of the Hour of Ruin.

It also partook in the Battle for the Living City, a battle first mentioned all the way back in the 4E SCE Battletome, where the infantry of Verdigris stood with the Ghyran Guard to throw back the Glottkin. Living City and Verdigris have gained an eternal bond since then.

Greetings and salutations once more my realmwalking friends. A common misunderstanding I see in regards to Cities is the Dawnbringer Crusades and the Castelite Hosts, what they are and how they work.

So here's a short post giving an answer using the new 2026 Cities of Sigmar Battletome and old information. For Dawmbringer Crusades, short and sweet, they're just what Cities of Sigmar call any colonization, reclamation, or expansion effort that has military attachments. There's a lot of ritual and cultural significance to them but that's the short of it. They aren't a unique faction or subfaction, they aren't overtaking Cities, nor replace things like Freeguilds.

Speaking of replacing Freeguilds, the Castelite Hosts. I have seen some folk think that's what Castelite Hosts and other Castelite formations are doing. They have not, Castelites are a type of Freeguild formation not a replacement.

Moreover, they don't even include all the new Freeguild units. Castelite refers to the Steelhelms and Fusiliers who act as the "walls" of the metaphoric castle. Ogor Warhulks serve as the "towers" and Gate Gargants as the "doors". Other units work in tandem often but are not officially Castelites.

In fact, the Great Cannons and Cogforts often vital to the success of these hosts belong to the Ironweld Arsenal rather than the Freeguilds. The Cavaliers who also so often work with Castelites are knights, ennobled by deed not birth, so have their own hierachies and organizations. The Wildercorps and Grenadiers specializations covering roles that the Castelites don't fulfill.

Where Regiments of Renown and Spearhead Armies are usually representative of in-universe formations or concepts, Armies of Renown sometimes aren't.

For example the "Heroes of the First-Forged" Army of Renown, is composed of Bastian (the only First-Forged, which means Hammers of Sigmar, character you have to take) and four of the Inner Circle members (specifically the four who were never Hammers of Sigmar), and can take Warrior Chamber Heroes... which includes Gardus and Tornus, of the Fourth-Forged.

As such, I was surprised to find on Pg 13 of the new Cities Battletome that the Iron March is mentioned as:

>a battery of experimental Ironweld war machines crewed by veteran Castellan-Captains and engineers.

It is mentioned again in Pg. 27's "Duel of the Cannons" section. Tahlia Vedra sent the Iron March to avenge the lose of a Strongpoint to Hashutites of Forge Anathema. Though the Helsmiths were beaten at least one of the Iron March's Cogforts, Red Martyr, was completely destroyed.

So this all gives a neat explanation for why Immolator and Linebreaker pattern Cogforts are only available to the Iron March Army of Renown. These patterns are experimental and only trusted to a handful of trusted commanders and engineers.

As an aside. Let's list them! As they are listed on Pgs. 106-107 as the army's rules.

For the Castellan-Captains there is Commodore De Gracon, Castellan-Captain Vyan Philsin, and Castellan-Captain Regan Vandercloud. Now that we have more robust info on the Iron March, we can conclude that Miss De Gracon is the leader.

For the Engineers we have Kirsta Loudren, Guren Ashbrow, and Bartel Holst. Then for some juicy extra bits.

It lists Auxillaries. These are Battle-Priest Solantra Whyl, Marshal Broadmore and Relic Envoy Louse, and Master Sapper Gavelock Fiske. Solantra Whyl is carried on a pulpit as she sustained crippling injuries but still goes to battle aboard any Cogfort willing to have her. Hans Broadmoore is a foul-tempered Marshal who likes riding atop Cogforts and dragging his squire 'Louse' Renlik along, both fighting any who try to board. While Gavelock is a demolitions expert.

Salutations once more, my dear Realmwalkers. For those of you who do not know the Ven Denst Dynasty is a prestigious family in-universe whose members include not only Galen and Doralia ven Denst of the Order of Azyr.

But also the much older, lorewise and metawise, Lord-Celestant Thaddeon ven Denst of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer who was a major commander in parts of the "Realmgate Wars: Godbeasts" campaign. Ally to Gardus Steel Soul in the cleansing of the Great Green Torc and witness to one of the first appearances of the Celestant-Prime, when the first Eternal slew Behemat.

But none of these are the most renowned or revered ven Denst that you know, whether you know you know him or not. That honor goes to Eonid ven Denst, a proper prince of the family. Who you know better as: Ionus Cryptborn, Arch-Relictor and Warden of Lost Souls, founder of the Ruination Chambers. As well as one of the first heroes ever introduced in setting.

So prestigious indeed! In the Age of Myth, this family ruled as kings over the loose collection of principalities we know as the Amethyst Princedoms. Where King Thanator's famed Manse, which in the Age of Sigmar is a castle that has become a City of Sigmar, is found.

Now with all the preamble to why they're significant set. In the new 2026 Cities of Sigmar Battletome, on Pg. 44, it is finally mentioned that the survivors of this princely dynasty fled to the Realm of Azyr in those dark opening days of the Age of Chaos that sent so many to flight.

Those who made it dedicated themselves to serving Sigmar, and thus is how a famed family of warrior princelings and wise kings who once ruled one of the greatest empires of Shyish became a family of Witch Hunters.

>Bloody-minded zealotry will only get you so far in this line of work. You have to care about what you're trying to protect, even if you're willing to damn your soul to save it.

- Hanniver Toll, on Pg. 40, on being a Witch Hunter/Agent Azyrite

>You have to relish the work. No one can get by in this trade unless they wake up every day with the same burning desire to put traitors and abominations to the sword. The moment you lose that fire, you're dead.

- Galen ven Denst, on Pg. 44, on being a Witch Hunter/Agent Azyrite

What a fascinating dichotomy it turns out we have with the two old man Witch Hunters! So much said in two short excerpts, so much more said by the book giving both perspectives one after the other.

Whose take is better? Toll's or Ven Denst's? To overcome zealotry or embrace it? To damn one's self through self-sacrifice, or to damn one's self through self-preservation? To prioritize your goal, or your self?

Undeniably both attitudes are self-destructive. Neither can be anything resembling healthy without a deal of tempering, though for that we have Armand Callis and Doralia ven Denst. So if forced between such self-destructive routes.

Which bitter old man philosophy do you prefer?