Know Your Gods - Sigmar

Part Three of Ten - Know Your Gods is an original Warhammer Online lore series by Cicadymn (Sam).

Now I don’t want you Order boys mad at me for focusing too much on the Chaos gods, so it’s time to talk about the second biggest god in Warhammer Online’s setting, Sigmar! Sigmar started out like every other man; born to a normal mother in a normal tribe. However, upon his birth there was a twin-tailed comet in the night sky. The people of the tribes took it as a sign of great importance. By the age of fifteen, the young Sigmar pulled off an amazing stunt: he fought back a marauding band of Greenskins. That same year Sigmar lead a force against a group of Greenskins. These Greenskins had captured Kurgan Ironbeard, the High King of the Dwarfs at Karaz-a-Karak. After rescuing the Dwarven King he was gifted with the mighty Ghal Maraz in Dwarfish tongue, better known to us as the Skull-splitter. The hammer is still passed down through the new generations of Emperors and at this time, it is held by the current Emperor, Karl Franz, even though conspiracy theorists tend to disagree. Sigmar later united the human tribes in his Empire against the forces of Chaos.

That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really sound godly now does it? Well that’s not quite the end of his tale. The last that humans ever saw of this god-man was when he set off alone to do battle with the forces of chaos in the wastes. This of course was in similar fashion to Grimnir, an ancient Dwarven god. He was never seen again. So at this point you may be wondering, “How the hell did he become a god figure?” Well, after his disappearance, a cult was established in his name This cult proceeded to become so popular it turned into a full-fledged religion, now being the most wildely practiced in all the Empire. Sigmar has traits just like any other deity in Warhammer. He is seen as a unifier, a protector, and the salvation from the forces of Chaos. I can tell you’re still not convinced. The main thing pointing to Sigmar’s god status is that many times priests praying to him will often receive powerful and visible answers. Remember to be good though, because Sigmarites believe in a glorious afterlife with Sigmar, aiding him in his eternal battle against the forces of Chaos. Not that bad of a deal in my opinion. I mean, would you rather spend eternity fighting alongside a man you worship, or be a skull in the middle of a mountain of other skulls with a fat daemon sitting on top of you, revelling in his ocean of blood. I know which one I would pick…

But let’s move on. Other than eternal salvation and a glorious afterlife, what will you get if you join Sigmar? Unlike the Chaos gods you wont be gifted with many unsightly appendages, nor will you be forced to battle constantly with only the next kill to look forward to. As a follower of Sigmar you are blessed with his protection. As such, you have many choices of the particular group you want to be involved with. There is the Order of the Silver Hammer, featuring the beloved Warrior Priests in all their hammery goodness. There is the Order of the Torch, which is basically the clergy of the cult of Sigmar. I’d suggest this if you don’t want to be attacked by armies and would like a peaceful life (as peaceful as life gets in the Warhammer universe at least). If pacifism isn’t your thing, feel free to join up with the Order of the Cleansing Flame. You know, witch hunters, who spend their time fighting against the forces of Chaos, rooting out heretics and acting as the judge, jury, and executioner. There is also the Order of the Anvil. These followers fall more into the monk role, spending their days in solitude and prayer as their way of worshiping Sigmar. If that’s what floats your boat. Go for it!

One last thing to mention, there was a character that for a while seemed to be the reincarnation of Sigmar. He was heralded as the Avatar of Sigmar by many and the more he was in the spotlight the more people began to flock to him. This man, Valten, born to a humble blacksmith bore a large birthmark of a twin-tailed comet on his chest. At a young age he was sorely tested when a band of Beastmen, much like the Greenskins of Sigmar, attacked his home village. Wielding a pair of blacksmith hammers, Valten took it upon himself to save his village. After slaying the Beastmen’s Chieftain he was regarded as a local hero. When word of what happened reached the ears of Luthor Huss, it wasn’t long before the pair had marched to Altdorf and confronted the Emperor Karl Franz in an attempt to have him step down. After much thought, Karl Franz decided to gift Valten with Ghal Maraz and proclaim him as a spiritual leader rather then relinquish his throne as Emperor. After a massive but victorious battle against the Chaos champion Archaon the Everchosen, Valten was murdered in his sleep by a skaven assassin of all creatures. Leaving only blood splatter and a green glowing dagger, the wall was marked with the runes of the Horned Rat (the skaven deity). The Empire’s official stance on the incident is that Sigmar has left the realm of man once again, but Ghal Maraz was returned to Karl Franz as a sign of trust. Think of it what you will.

If being a good guy, protecting the innocent, and saving the world from the eternal forces of Chaos is something you can agree with, then you may have just found your god. However, if you don’t quite like the sound of that, don’t want to deal with corrupt church officials or clergymen, there are still many more wild and untamed gods for the picking in upcoming installments of Know Your Gods! Stay tuned for more articles of all shapes and sizes.

-Cicadymn

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