Last time we left off with Sigmar befriending the godbeast Dracothian and learning how to cross over into each of the eight mortal realms via the use of bridges made of stars and crystalline passageways. But before continuing his journey, we must figure out just what exactly are the mortal realms and how did they come to be?
The Forming of the Realms
In the World That Was, they referred to the magical energies present in their world as “The Winds of Magic” and allocated each individual type of magic a name, and colour and each one having a lore of spellcasting associated with it.
Aqshy, The Red Wind, Lore of Fire
Azyr, The Blue Wind , Lore of the Heavens
Chamon, The Yellow Wind, Lore of Metal
Ghur, The Brown Wind, Lore of Beasts
Ghyran, The Green Wind, Lore of Life
Hysh, The White Wind, Lore of Light
Shyish, The Purple Wind, Lore of Death
Ulgu, The Grey Wind, Lore of Shadows
When the world that was ceased to be, these magical energies coalesced together, along with various cosmic energies and materials into different realmspheres, which were shaped by the dominant magical energy contained within into the Mortal realms we know now.
Each realm has inherited its former magics name and attributes, and this in turns effects the way each realm works, those that inhabit it and the very laws of logic itself that govern it! These attributes become wilder and more intense the further from the core of each realm you travel. Each realm’s magical energies can also be found in a physical, hardened form throughout the realm, these are called realmstome, the effects of each stone differ and can be given many different uses and are used in trading between realms or for……other nefarious deeds.
[Credit: https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AoSRealms-May12-RealmMap10rm.jpg]
We will give a quick look into what some of the realms are like in general, as we get further into the series each world will have a more in-depth look at what it might be like to live in each realm and the dangers that come with it.
Aqshy, Realm of Fire
Taking on the aspects of fire the people of aqshy can come off as brash and inpatient people full of aggression and live life to its fullest, primitive tribes favour big, bold rituals such as sulphur running and cliff diving to celebrate coming of age.
The landscape itself is often seen as full of high cliffs, and fragmented land masses separated by lakes of lava and fire. Though that’s not to say there aren’t normal lakes too! In Fact in Aqshy water is more precious than gold in most places
[Credit: https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Z0xhv8A8rA4zD5EV.jpg ]
Ghyran, Realm of Life
Otherwise known as The Jade Kingdom, Ghyran finds itself home to a myriad of flora and flourishes with life, entire towns may be made in the roots of trees gaining natural protection, or in more extreme cases an entire town may simply grow and be shaped by the various plants. The seasons of Ghyran are numerous with there being at least 20 noted seasons!
Some adventurers who were brave or foolish enough to travel to the far edges of the realm found the very magics of life twisting their bodies into living plants.
[Credit: https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HZoP4rVlcNwXWnz0.jpg]
Shyish, Realm of Death
Living in the realm of death? It doesn’t sound like the easiest of times by any stretch, but from documented notes, living in the more civilised and controlled areas of Shyish isn’t all that much different from life in our world, your neighbour just may be a skeleton.
In areas that are more touched by Shyish’s magical energies you’ll find rivers of souls, mountains made of skulls and at the very edge of the realm you may find Shyish’s realmstone- Grave-Sand which if you touch it may just kill you instantly!
[Credit: https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/w8toqBudQYdIgr45.jpg]
With that, next time we’ll follow Sigmar as he discovers each of these realms and how he finds the denizens of each!
