The Age of Sigmar lore and novels thread 2

[xking]

Thread for the discussion of AoS lore and novels.

 

 

Also AoS lexi

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by xking

[Baron Klatz]

Huzzah! It's back and you're okay.

Well I guess posting the new Ghur map would set things off.

And credit to Athrawes for this tidbit.

"one of the cool conceptual descriptions of Ghur was that everything in the realm (including continents) are predators. I love how it looks like they all have jaws, and as per the lore blurb, you can see what eating a continent looks like. On the right side of the map above Andtor, is a place called Carcass Donse, it is described that Donse used to be another continent but is being consumed  by Thondia, which is described as an Apex predator among the other continents. 

Love this."

 

Then we got the Mega-gargant audio drama.

https://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-age-of-sigmar/featured/sons-of-behemat-mp3-2020.html

On that you can find the cover artist here:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/B1a9lz

And finally on the titanic news is two lore bits I liked from the new tome.

First is Old Ropey, a Mega-gargant in the realm of death that's called Ropey because his muscles and veins hang down from his body like moss. A very gruesome fellow that be perfect for this month.

And then this fellow from the battletome someone has gone and modeled.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheMortalRealms/status/1316050411321724928

"The Mortal Realms

@TheMortalRealms

 

So, a little late to the party, but always read the lore first! If you don't read the lore then how can you be inspired by GREEDY HEKK THE SPIDER KING???

@Pjschard

went ballistic on reading it and insisted on converting it right quick!"

@KingBrodd

 you might like this.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Baron Klatz

[Oceanic_Eyes]

 

8 minutes ago, Baron Klatz said:

@KingBrodd

 you might like this.

Wow that's gorgeous

[Baron Klatz]

Yeah, Sons of Behemet are taking off right now on Twitter with a bunch of conversions. Lots of armored up ones and undead mega-gargants.

Held myself back though from spamming. I'll save it for the general hobby posts.

[KingBrodd]

9 hours ago, Baron Klatz said:

Huzzah! It's back and you're okay.

Well I guess posting the new Ghur map would set things off.

And credit to Athrawes for this tidbit.

"one of the cool conceptual descriptions of Ghur was that everything in the realm (including continents) are predators. I love how it looks like they all have jaws, and as per the lore blurb, you can see what eating a continent looks like. On the right side of the map above Andtor, is a place called Carcass Donse, it is described that Donse used to be another continent but is being consumed  by Thondia, which is described as an Apex predator among the other continents. 

Love this."

 

Then we got the Mega-gargant audio drama.

https://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-age-of-sigmar/featured/sons-of-behemat-mp3-2020.html

On that you can find the cover artist here:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/B1a9lz

And finally on the titanic news is two lore bits I liked from the new tome.

First is Old Ropey, a Mega-gargant in the realm of death that's called Ropey because his muscles and veins hang down from his body like moss. A very gruesome fellow that be perfect for this month.

And then this fellow from the battletome someone has gone and modeled.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheMortalRealms/status/1316050411321724928

"The Mortal Realms

@TheMortalRealms

 

So, a little late to the party, but always read the lore first! If you don't read the lore then how can you be inspired by GREEDY HEKK THE SPIDER KING???

@Pjschard

went ballistic on reading it and insisted on converting it right quick!"

@KingBrodd

 you might like this.

This is incredible, this the kind of thing I've been waiting to see!!

[sandlemad]

So I just finished the Sons of Behemat audio drama. It’s good. Whole thing is essentially campfire tales by freeguild troops the night before battle with an ork horde accompanied by a mob of gargants. It’s a fun format and hard to mess up really. The old tropes of bruised and nervous soldiers talking about their chances, wishing they each had their own stardrake to ride, and sharing old stories. Decent performances and suitably grounded.

Quite a bit of dialogue from the gargants themselves too. 

The stories are below:

Spoiler

 

• the story of a Freeguild captain who was aboard a Kharadron airship when they and a gargant named Barran went hunting a kraken that had been preying on ships on Lake Caldy. The gargant grumbles about humans and duardin riling up beasts with their industry but isn’t too put out as it means he gets a fight. The gargant describes chaos as something like ‘the old enemy’. The captain thinks that he’d never really be a friend but an ally, certainly, and something like honourable in his own way. The captain gave the gargant a hand when he struck off a smaller tentacle, so the gargant idly gave him a sword he’d tied to his belt as some loot. Turned out to be a relic from the age of myth.
• the story of a Freeguild soldier who was defending a city under siege from the dead. The walls were broken by a Gatebreaker gargant who, along with the similarly hooded goblin pal sitting on his shoulder, chased said soldier through the ruins. This gargant is a touch more sadistic and enjoys telling the soldier how he’s going to pull off his arms and make him watch them get eaten. Fun effects work here, hope you like the sound of someone being messily devoured and then their mate throwing up afterwards while a goblin cackles.
• the story told by a Liberator-Prime of the Hallowed Knights who was passing by the troops’ campfire, and who tells them of the realmgate wars and the awakening of Behemat. It’s apocalyptic and has a surprise appearance by the Celestant-Prime. Wasn’t as keen on this one, it’s more or less just the same old story told by one who witnessed it, doesn’t make for all that compelling a story. Nice touch at the end though where the stormcast comments “Before you ask, yes, I really died.”

 

There’s then some speculation about why the gargants are becoming bigger over the generations and how eventually there’ll be another world-titan, or eventually a new pantheon of zodiacal god-beasts. They’re tied to the world and this long climb to apotheosis in a way that makes them different to orks or ogres.

Then the battle.

Spoiler

The next morning after more nervousness and a speech from the captain (the usual stuff about if they can bleed…), battle commences. They fight through goblins and orks, then the gargants charge and start breaking the lines. The Hallowed Knights appear and turn the tide briefly, but are overcome. As things go from bad to worse, the captain realises that one of the gargants wading into the melee is his old ally from the kraken-hunt, Barran. He tries to flag him down, with Barran only recognising him when he waves the old sword around.

“We’re friends, Barran! I know you! You’re a good man, a good gargant! Join us!"

“We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the sons of Behemat march. […] Behemat calls and we answer.”

“Behemat is dead!”

“And yet, he calls. We listen to him. Not to meat. Once we were allies. Now we are enemies. I’ll have my sword back.” He picks up the captain. “I respect you human. For that reason, you die first.” Squish.

As the last soldier lies dying, staring at the sky, he notices it getting dark, thinks it’s his death before noticing stormclouds. He starts shouting about how Sigmar’s sending aid to kill the gargants, then coughs, choking, and fades away. There’s a thunderclap and the audiodrama ends.

It's worth a listen, more for the atmosphere than any complexity or grand lore revelations. A fine performance and a good production. It's nice to see BL lean into what the audiodrama format can offer.

Edited October 19, 2020 by sandlemad

[xking]

The City of Sigmar, Excelsis.

[mojojojo101]

If people haven't seen already there is a Black Library Humble Bundle on at the moment featuring.

Seemed weel worth picking up 13 books for under £8 (I didn't want the extra 40k books)

[RandyRyan]

What happened to the old thread?

 

Also anyone know if there's more Gotrek stories in the pipeline? I'm keen for MegaGargantSlayer... 😅

[Baron Klatz]

That's what I've been asking along with the inspirational art thread going kaput.

Oh well, starting anew is better than nothing.

20 hours ago, RandyRyan said:

I'm keen for MegaGargantSlayer...

Oh same. On their Facebook they showed a model showdown between him and the Mega-gargants and asked who would win so they're not blind to the opportunity. 

On 10/19/2020 at 3:58 AM, sandlemad said:

There’s then some speculation about why the gargants are becoming bigger over the generations and how eventually there’ll be another world-titan, or eventually a new pantheon of zodiacal god-beasts

The pantheon has me greatly interested because not only was there a wide range of fantastical God-beasts that tried to claim the realms ranging from bone hydras to sentient amber blobs but Behemat's lore has him freeing him And his siblings from his father's guts. So there's even more out there.

It all feels like foreshadowing that Gorkamorka's gonna show the God-king how to have a propa' pantheon with the primordial gods that first claimed the realms as home.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Baron Klatz

[Bayul]

On 10/23/2020 at 7:31 AM, RandyRyan said:

Also anyone know if there's more Gotrek stories in the pipeline? I'm keen for MegaGargantSlayer... 😅

Gotrek - WalletSlayer: An Age of Sigmar Horror Story

[Baron Klatz]

Reading the Forbidden Power tales again and I hope the next Gloomspite sub-faction is all the mutants they have.

"He slowed as a fungus-keepa scuttled overhead from a crack in the tunnel’s roof. Recognising through some uncanny sixth sense that it was being watched, the once-grot paused. Snaggit swallowed, clasping tighter the jagged shard of loonstone that served as both blade and light-source as the creature twisted to look down upon him. It was more mushroom than grot now, peering at him with eyes mounted on long stalks like those of a slugfungus. Pulsating organic growths had spread all over its face and brow in a grim exaggeration of the Loonking’s crown. They sprouted through the creature’s skull, distorting it under the guise of parasitic ‘blessings’."

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/05/13/whispers-by-loonlightgw-homepage-post-2/

Guy on reddit made a great Scuttling Grots army and it'd be great for the hinted at Grotbag Scuttlers to be all manner of bizarre grots.(sky ships using spider webs and fungus growths as rigging while grotlings scurry about them on numerous legs)

(Interestingly even though they're just Stabba proxies paring them with a Gobbapalooza Spiker makes them work just like if the Silver Tower Grotlings became an army)

Edited October 25, 2020 by Baron Klatz

[NinthMusketeer]

Just want to jump in and say the fluff in the Sons of Behemat battletome is fantastic. All of it. It is well written, perfectly in-universe, expands the setting, offers a load of fun details. It is everything I could want out of battletome fluff and I loved reading it.

[Popisdead]

1 hour ago, NinthMusketeer said:

Just want to jump in and say the fluff in the Sons of Behemat battletome is fantastic. All of it. It is well written, perfectly in-universe, expands the setting, offers a load of fun details. It is everything I could want out of battletome fluff and I loved reading it.

I'm keen to read it.  That battle tome is appealing.

[Baron Klatz]

It's awesome. There's not much rule-wise so they pumped it full of lore instead and it's glorious.

If I had to use one word to describe why it's worth it for lore and those Destruction chuckles then it's "Sole Wars".

(Also kudos to them nicely tying in the Bonesplitterz Drakkfoot battletome lore into that. It reminds me how the Stormcast tome had both stuff from Malign Portents "spell hunters" in their cities section and expansion references for Excelsis. The lore devs who are taking the time to have so many connections between books and tomes need a Big raise. )

[Carnelian]

Cool things:

1) looks like we are getting some new Malign Portents-style free fortnightly short stories to accompany Broken Realms

2) I though Realm-Lords was really good. Although the last third of the story arc is reasonably predictable, I really enjoyed the actual words. I thought it was really well written. I could luxuriate in some of it.

3) the lore in the Sons of Behemat Battletome was 👌. So many fun stories/asides to kindle the imagination. I absolutely love some of the imagery.

One bad thing:

I tried to make a list of all the AOS Black Library content the other day so I could tick off what I have read and what I haven't read and it's so frustrating. There is no chronological list on the Black Library website and there are so many bundles of short stories that include just a few unique short stories.  Does anyone know of a definitive and well-organised list anywhere?

 

 

 

[HorticulusTGA]

In regard to the excellent fluff in the SoB BT, I love how they explain that the regions around Excelsis (thx @xking for the pictures) is relatively stable in regards to other predatory continents, because Thondia is an "apex predator", so isn't easily disturbed !

[NinthMusketeer]

I was disappointed with the Realm Lords novel, it was the first AoS novel I've disliked in a long time. I could describe why in detail, but...

Let's just say it would make a very good anime.

[Candlelight]

6 hours ago, Carnelian said:

I tried to make a list of all the AOS Black Library content the other day so I could tick off what I have read and what I haven't read and it's so frustrating. There is no chronological list on the Black Library website and there are so many bundles of short stories that include just a few unique short stories.  Does anyone know of a definitive and well-organised list anywhere?

 

 

 

I've been working on a list/excel sheet, to say. I should be done with it by the end of the week (just a list of novels/shorts), I can upload it here later on if you're interested. You probably know about it, but I also recommend Goodreads.com it seems AoS is not getting any love there (ratings/reviews numbers) but it's a great source.

[Candlelight]

Here's a working version

Untitled spreadsheet.xlsx

[xking]

Check out the AoS  lexicanum for lore.

https://www.tga.community/forums/topic/24823-age-of-sigmar-lexicanum/

 

[Overread]

I did lists a while back for both AoS and Old World

 

https://warminiatures.wordpress.com/black-library-publications/

 

It's mostly up to date, though its only showing the published books and which short stories are in which collection and such. I've not even attempted to put things into chronological order; especially since so many are only possible with rough major events (eg before or after Necroquake)

[Greybeard86]

Nice compilation! I want to ask, are there any novels dealing with Kurnous / Kurnoth and the fate of Orion? Also, related, is there any "legal" way to bring Orion to the table in pitched battles?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[EMMachine]

21 hours ago, Carnelian said:

I tried to make a list of all the AOS Black Library content the other day so I could tick off what I have read and what I haven't read and it's so frustrating. There is no chronological list on the Black Library website and there are so many bundles of short stories that include just a few unique short stories.  Does anyone know of a definitive and well-organised list anywhere?

I have tried to list all stories in the german spoken wiki Sigmarpedia (with Authorspecific Lists. A list of the Books and CDs )

Even though it is a german wiki, it has the english titles as well (maybe this could help). I tried to get some order with prequel and sequel inside the articles where I know them.

Maybe it helps you at least with your storylist.

[Overread]

51 minutes ago, Greybeard86 said:

Nice compilation! I want to ask, are there any novels dealing with Kurnous / Kurnoth and the fate of Orion? Also, related, is there any "legal" way to bring Orion to the table in pitched battles?

Many thanks in advance!

 

Orion has no legal model outside of legends rules. Only way to bring him on would be to make a conversion of a tree-man model and use that. Basically make it the same size, same base and use the tree ancient rules and just have it look like Orion. 

I'm not aware of any Kurnothi stories, but I'd expect there to be one out there since they are part of the starter pack. Right now Kurnothi are a concept, we've no real idea if its a concept GW will run with in the future as part of an update to Sylvaneth or if its just a conceptual idea that GW is doing a one-off through Underworlds. One power Underworlds has is being able to do small groups like that to be creative and expand on the setting, without having to make full armies. WE can hope for them, but I'd treat it like stories and artwork - nice to see but never pin hopes on them appearing.