LEGIONA WARPSTONE PUBLICATION

issue six - january 2006

Editors: The usual suspects.Legion is a Warpstone publication. Warpstone can be contacted at 47 Snowden Avenue, Hillingdon, Middlesex, UB10 0SD or contact us by e-mail at warpstone@bigfoot.comor for more info check out www.warpstone.darcore.netWarhammer, White Dwarf and Games Workshop are registered trademarks and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and the names of all prominent imagery, places andcharacters within the Warhammer world are trademarks of Games Workshop Ltd. and are used without permission. Warpstone recognises the status and ownership of allcopyrights, trade marks and registered names that may be used herein and the use of the aforementioned within this publication should not be construed as a challenge tosuch status and ownership. Warpstone (ISSN 1465-6604) & Legion are independently produced magazines, and not owned, licensed or approved by Games WorkshopLtd, Black Industries or Green Ronin. All original material is copyright to the respective author/artist.

HELLOHELLOHELLOHELLOHELLOWelcome to this special issue of Legion,dedicated to the Fimir as support for thearticle in issue 25. Here are two origin mythsfor the Fimir and thoughts on the lands theyinhabit. Throughout you will also findsketches from John Keane, early ideas for theillustrations in the final article. This pageshows an alternative border from MikeRooth. More sketches are found in AlfredNuñez Jr's Warhammer Fantasy Battle 6stats, available separately.

MORE ON THE FIMIRMORE ON THE FIMIRMORE ON THE FIMIRMORE ON THE FIMIRMORE ON THE FIMIR

Record of the Old SlannRecord of the Old SlannRecord of the Old SlannRecord of the Old SlannRecord of the Old Slann

A carved crystal fragment (a significant portion isbroken off and missing), translated from the Old Slannby Kerielle of Saphery, Librarian of the Tower ofHoeth:

Eyes of: Blessed Tech-Priest GoolaumpHand of: Humble Tech-Scribe Adulp

Following the Catastrophic Gate Collapse andAnnihilation of the Old Ones, surviving members ofHigh Slann Control discussed, organised andimplemented a variety of damage-control and clean-upprojects. One of these was Project: Warp-Bane. The aimof P:WB was to seek and destroy intruding warp entitiesand limit further incursions, with a long-term goal ofcomplete eradication and permanent control. In theshort-term, P:WB involved specialist Slann and supporttroops, but due to resource losses this could only be

considered a holding action. It was felt that a long-term,and likely post-Slann, solution was necessary. On thisbasis, P:WB was expanded into a Racial ConfigurationProgram: the Geno-Priests would construct a new race,or modify an existing one, with specific abilities tocontrol and destroy warp entities. Once again, resourcelimitations meant the Geno-Priests could not build awholly new race. It was decided that the new race wouldbe constructed from the relatively fresh racial stock ofHumans, combined with that of ourselves.

Divination Scans were targeted at larger congregationsof Human tribes, specifically looking for individualsdemonstrating warp-control techniques. A number ofsuitable specimens were identified, but one stood outas having exceptional intelligence, physical strength andwarp-control abilities. Additionally, this individual wasfemale, making her suitable for in-utero transformation.The Geno-Priest in charge of the project self-modifiedhis glands to render his cells compatible with that ofHumans, as well as adding in sequences identified asenhancing warp-control capabilities. It should be notedat this point that his resources and facilities were limited,and procedures were necessarily basic.

In-utero transformation involves natural coupling andbirth processes. The Geno-Priest took advantage of thetarget females normal interaction with warp entities tomake himself known to her, and he was believed by herto be a warp entity himself. As a priest (of sorts) herself,she was to a degree isolated from others of her kind,which facilitated the interaction. At this time, support-Slann were withdrawn to work on other vital projects,in the belief that the fathering Geno-Priest could overseethe remainder of the work with a single Elf technician.With hindsight, this was a mistake [crystal tabletbroken at this point]

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The Fimir are described as living in places casuallyreferred to as marsh and moor, swamp, fenland andbog. All these words conjure up images of remote,desolate places where earth and water meet.Certainly, these are images we should evoke whenwe talk of the Fimir, but it is wrong to assume allthese places are the same. The way the scenery isdescribed to players is important as it createsatmosphere. A barren windswept moor can beenormously atmospheric if described well, but thesame description every time the characters encounterFimir not only loses its freshness, it also short-changes the Fimir and the range of landscapes theyinhabit. Think about the shape of the differentlandscapes, the types of plant and animal life livingin them, the quality of the air and weather and thedifferent challenges characters might face whentravelling across each of them. General descriptionsof the different lands of the Fimir are given below.Use them and play with them to developatmospheres of loneliness and isolation, but onesin which the players and their characters can alwaysfind something new to look at and think about. Playup different aspects that might be of interest todifferent characters: a hunter will notice the differentbirds and animals, a herbalist may be interested inwhat plants are found in the different regions, aDwarf may feel more comfortable with the lonelysea cliffs than he does with the lonely open moors.Use things like the presence of medicinal plants(sigma-foil), spell components (wing feathers froma bird of prey, bog octopus eyes, water beetles), andvaluable animal products (beaver pelts, rare birdseggs) as hooks to draw the PCs to a certain regionin the first place.

The Moors: Moorland is typically windswept,perhaps gently undulating or with smooth high hillsand streams running in rocky gullies. The ground isoften completely carpeted with heather, so the latesummer landscape is coloured pink or purple orwhite, with occasional rocky outcrops covered with

mosses and lichens. The heather tends to grow ondrier ground, a fact used by knowledgeable rangersand travellers to avoid treacherous bogs. The groundunderfoot is often springy, thanks to the thick soiland heather, but it can be hard to run though thiscoarse vegetation. Trees are scarce because the windtends to batter and uproot exposed saplings, buttough and gnarly shrubs and yellow-flowered gorsescling to exposed and weathered rock surfaces. Curlewand grouse are common moorland birds, with foxes,merlins and buzzards being their typical predators,which also prey on the rabbits. Wild goats and sheepare found wandering over the landscape, and possiblyherds of deer. Whilst upland moors are sometimestoo exposed and dry for the Fimir, they are oftensuitably desolate and craggy, and when they bringdown their mists these areas become quite appealing.

Swamps: There are not too many proper swamps inthe northern Old World, and they are morecommonly found in warmer southern climes.However, swamps are essentially flooded forests and

IN THE LANDSIN THE LANDSIN THE LANDSIN THE LANDSIN THE LANDSOF THE FIMIROF THE FIMIROF THE FIMIROF THE FIMIROF THE FIMIR

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there is no reason why there shouldnt be a fewswamps in low-lying regions of the heavily forestedOld World if you want them. Treat them as hiddenplaces, impossible to navigate on foot and besttraversed by canoe or raft, with only a few patchesof drier ground - a clan of Fimir living in crude,rotting houseboats may provide a novel encounterfor PCs and players who think theyve seen it all.The trees should be suitably tangled and twisted,their branches laden with shaggy lichens and fungiin the autumn. With few landmarks, swamps shouldbe places where it is dreadfully easy to get hopelesslylost. There is a lot of life in them too, from cloudsof annoying biting flies in summer, to the fish andthe frogs, to coypu, water-voles and waterfowl.Throw in a few snakes too, either swimming throughthe water or slithering along vines and branchesabove the PCs.

Bogs: Bogs are regions of ground where watercollects, but where there is no actual circulation offresh water. There are no rivers or streams to carryaway waste products, and they are fed only rainwater,which lacks any nutrients. The accumulation of deadplant material makes the still water acidic (after awhile the water stains anything in it a dark rustyorange colour - the lighter-skinned Shearl and FimmWarriors often get stained this colour). This meansonly plants able to cope with acidic, low nutrientand waterlogged conditions grow there. Sphagnummoss, or peat moss, is a dominant plant in bogs,acid-loving and extremely water absorbent. In theOld World this moss has two useful properties - itsabsorbency makes it ideal for babies nappies and itcan also be used to treat wounds (the acidity fromthe bog water it absorbs helps control infection).Other plants of interest include the cranberry andthe carnivorous insect-eating sundew and pitcherplant (mutant varieties of these are of obviousinterest to GMs). Perhaps because of the limitedplant life, animal life is sparser here too. Insects,snakes, various amphibians and a few small rodentsare here, preyed upon by larger birds. Fish are notfound, as the acidity of the water is a problem forthem. The smell of marsh gas and stagnant poolscan be strong. Of all the environments the Fimirinhabit, this is probably the harshest due to therelative scarcity of useful plants, animals and fish.Fimir who live in the bogs are likely to feel that theyhave been forced there by the Humans who

dominate more fertile land. This resentmentcombined with sheer need for resources means bog-dwelling Fimir can be a serious scourge of the nearestHuman communities and travel routes. NearbyHuman communities often rely on digging peat forfuel and for sale. Large holes where peat has beendug for centuries fill with rain water and sometimesconnect with river systems, forming fertile shallowbroads, navigable by small boats.

Fens: These are also low-lying areas of land wherewater collects, but there is circulating fresh water.The eastern fens of Albion are a prime example inthe Old World. Here can be found numerous islandsof various sizes and height above the waterline, setin a landscape of broad lakes, ponds and marshes.The water is full of life: fish, frogs, snails, otters andwater voles. Bird life is abundant. Long grasses andespecially reeds dominate the land and shallowerwaters; those in canoes or on rafts can easily hide ifthey keep their heads down. As the land is flat, thewinds can be strong, and very cold in winter. Thetrees are often spindly and flexible, and have adistinctive lean indicating the dominant winddirection. Humans have begun digging ditches todrain parts of the fens to use the excellent dark soilfor arable farming.

Estuaries: Tidal marshes are dynamic places, wherewater levels rise and fall with the tide, creating islands,rivers and pools. For this reason, they can betreacherous for those who lack local knowledge and

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understanding. Here, saltwater meets fresh, and thisbrings plant life that can survive the changes. Aswell as fish and seabirds, there are crabs and shellfish.Underfoot is a thick matting of dead grasses andseaweeds, fish bones, dead crab legs and carapacesand seashells. The smell of salt, rotting seaweed anddead fish is strong in the air. As entry points to thesea, estuaries are often sites of Human settlementstaking advantage of ships coming from inland outto sea and vice versa, and this might make them afocus of Fimir raids. However, salt marshes are ofno use for growing crops, so farming communitiesdo not develop here.

Sand Dunes: Large, deeply undulating dunecomplexes are fantastically atmospheric places. Thesandy dunes are often high with very steep sides.Deep hollows (called slacks) form between thepeaks and when youre in one, it seems that yourecut off from the outside world as the surroundingdunes block even the sound of the wind coming inoff the sea. The silence can be terribly eerie, but thesensation of utter isolation is enormously appealingto the Fimir. The dunes are held together by thedeep roots of densely-growing maram grass withits sharp-edged leaves, as well as many other grasses,and dotted over with sea holly, yellow-floweredevening primrose and pink-flowered sea stock. Insummer, the dunes are alive with insects,grasshoppers, butterflies and moths. Rabbits andnesting sea birds, lizards and even hedgehogs arefound here. Few Fimir permanently settle in dune

complexes, but the more nomadic clans may over-winter in the dunes when the mists roll in off thegrey seas to settle over the hills and hollows. Dunesare notoriously dangerous to burrow into (unlessyoure a rabbit), usually collapsing onto anyonefoolish enough to try. However, an earth elementalcan stabilize a tunnel system for a time.

Cliffs: Battered by winds at the top, showered withsalt spray at the bottom and often terribly cold alongthe Sea of Claws, cliffs are seemingly inhospitableyet often covered with life. There are nesting seabirdsby the hundreds if not thousands, small snakes,lizards (eating eggs, no doubt) and insects on thecliff face, not to mention crabs and snails and othersea animals in rock pools at the bottom. The rock isoften covered with lichens, tough mosses andheathers, and other hardy flowering plants (as wellas thick masses of bird droppings which someenterprising souls gather for fertilizer); at the baseof the cliff seaweeds of red, green and dark browncling in rubbery clumps, full of small snails, someof them edible. Centuries of waves smashing intothe rock can open up crevices, working them intopassages and caves where the Fimir or worsecreatures crawling from the sea may be found. Thisis another bleak landscape, but a noisy, lively one asthe winds and waves crash against the rock and theseagulls call and screech.

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sketch for unsused art

A SkaA SkaA SkaA SkaA Skaveveveveven’s Tn’s Tn’s Tn’s Tn’s TalealealealealeThe Horned Rat and the Great Lord of Chaos Nurglehave always been the best of friends. During the Timeof Chaos, they spent years together sorting and siftingthrough the flotsam and jetsam of the world, trying tooutdo one another with the interesting titbits they foundlurking in its cracks. They worked together on creatingwonderful new diseases and afflictions for the Skavento carry through their tunnels to every known land,laughing and smiling at each success, learning from everyfailure.

One day, the two gods had nothing in particular to do,and were on the point of becoming bored when Nurglesuggested a game, more of a contest really: to see whichof them could shave the most Skaven in an hour. TheHorned Rat thought this an excellent idea, and the pairwent straightaway to the nearest Skavenhold. Nurglebunged up all but two openings with dirty old rags, andthe Horned Rat put his mouth to one opening and blewhard until all the Skaven rolled and tumbled down thepassages and popped out the remaining hole. With thedazed Skaven in a huge heap between them, the godsset their hourglass and began shaving.

The Horned Rat was armed with his mighty sword, itssingle razor edge made of thousands of incisors pulledfrom the jaws of the greatest Skaven heroes and warriorsto have passed beyond; Nurgle wielded a short, bluntand rusty knife, its handle bound round and round withgreasy string. The Horned Rat shaved his Skaven withfinesse, Nurgle with gusto. The Horned Rats sword slidneatly along tail and under armpit, barely leaving hintof a nick or shaving rash, and he was soon in the lead,piling up Skaven nude as they the day they popped fromthe womb. Nurgle, despite his immense enthusiasm, hadless success with his rusty blade. He lopped off ears,mutilated tail-ends and made such a mess of turningeach Skaven head that he always gouged out one eyeball.

Of course, the Horned Rat won, as he always does inthe end. Nurgle was disappointed in his performance,but the Lord of Decay has always been a good sportand was not bitter about it. He immediately had anothersuggestion for a different game to play, this timeinvolving rotten old vegetables, worms and any Elvesthey could find.

As the gods wandered off, the shaved Skaven pickedthemselves up and dusted off the furry shavings. TheSkaven shaved by the Horned Rat shivered a little, butthe sun was bright and they were not too cold as they

hurried off to unblock the openings to their Skavenhold.However, the Skaven who had been shaved by Nurglewere in a sorry state. Bleeding, earless and with onlyone eye left each, they fled from the sun, scared andconfused. Nurgles sickly touch infected them throughtheir wounds and changed them in many ways: theirskins changed colour, their bellies became swollen andthey all became very, very stupid. Whilst the hair grewback on the Skaven shaved by the Horned Rat, thoseheld in Nurgles mucky palm remained hairless for therest of their days. In time, Nurgles shaven stopped beingSkaven altogether, and the real Skaven forced them outof the Skavenhold, up into the world of men.

And that, my little ratlings, is how the Fimir came intobeing.

early draft of cover layout

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