The Search for Ghal Maraz - Spoilerific Discussion.

[Mr Mystery]

Yep. I'm sure our regulars will know the drill by now :)

But for the myriad newcomers, here's a quick recap of how these threads work. You get a warning. Just the one mind....

And after that warning?

HERE BE SPOILERS

Right, that's your one and only warning, now it's time to crack on with some early observations, based on what GW has teased us with.

Ready?

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Seems Sigmar was tricked by Tzeentch into throwing Ghal Maraz through an open portal. Sigmar had just chinned the four Greaterest of Greater Daemons, one after another and thought to splash Archaon's brains to the eight winds...but his target was an illusion.

This little whoopsadoodle cost Sigmar the war, and lead to the Age of Chaos.

Next? Looks like the Sylvaneth do indeed fight alongside the Stormcast Eternals, as there's pictures of them fighting on the same side.. Whether this is a formal alliance, or one of convenience remains to be seen...

[Erik Setzer]

I thought Nagash was supposedly the reason he lost? Now it's because he failed to confirm if he was fighting an illusion and got tricked by a simple ploy?

I feel like even Thor isn't tricked that easily. That's a major-level screw-up, especially when fighting the Chaos gods.

[Path Walker]

It is both of those things together.

After being tricked and the cost being so high, Sigmar realised he could no longer be a Warrior God and so decided to become the God King his people needed.

[Drew da Destroya]

I feel like even Thor isn't tricked that easily.

Will you ever not fall for that trick, brother?

[Mr Mystery]

I thought Nagash was supposedly the reason he lost? Now it's because he failed to confirm if he was fighting an illusion and got tricked by a simple ploy?

I feel like even Thor isn't tricked that easily. That's a major-level screw-up, especially when fighting the Chaos gods.

Not as if Sigmar was having a nice walk in the Meadow, followed by 'there you are! *YOK!*......oh bugger'

Full on cataclysmic warfare. It has a tendency to, you know, introduce what in the insurance industry is known as 'agony of moment', when circumstances cause behaviour or actions one would not consider reasonable.

[Erik Setzer]

Sorry, I just can't picture Sigmar any more without thinking of Thor having drank too much mead.

They even both have hammers.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Seems fairly reasonable. Can't see Sigmar walking around with a sack of bricks, throwing them at people to test if they're illusions. Certainly wouldn't benefit his popularity any. Additionally, it makes the point that Sigmar considered going toe-to-toe with Archaon too big of a risk.

[Mr Mystery]

94 pages in, and it's pretty storming so far.

Silver Maiden is my stand out character so far, I really hope we hear more from her.

[Mr Mystery]

Need to get me a bigger flat.... battle of the bridges must be fought!

[Mr Mystery]

Right, just finished it.

1. A more entertaining read than its predecessor volume. Whether it's the story, or that I'm now more accustomed to the setting, it's a rollicking read.

2. You do not want to piss of Alarielle. She is seriously hard! Yep, she is found, and forms at least a temporary alliance with the Stormcast Eternals.

3. It's not a 'Holy Beast' that Sigmar goes to visit. It's a 'Numinous Being'. Beyond that, nothing is known because that's where this part of the story ends.

4. Ghyran, Chamon and Aqshy have, largely, been taken back from the brink of a Chaos domination.

5. The Oak of Ages Past....half of it is despoiled by Nurgle. The other half remains pure, and may have enough power to cure the rest of Ghyran. It's waters had been corrupted by a Great Unclean One sitting in them. As soon as its banished though....those Waters are very potent!

6. The Silver Maiden is still my stand out character, even though it's more of a cameo type character. I really hope we see more of her.

[eldargal]

Yay Alarielle.

[Mr Mystery]

Far more 'ARRRRRRGH! ALARIELLE! LEG IT!!!!!!!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!!!'

And she's more than just a willowy she-elf now. She's gone somewhat beyond Aerial and all!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and the Silver Maiden? Kind of an Undead T-1000 type, who can control every weapon she ever forged......

[eldargal]

Wonder if she's Neferata, her home was the Silver Pinnacle.

[Mr Mystery]

Definitely not - her background is (briefly) explained. She was a Sword Maiden who oversaw production in one of Chamon's many cities.

I'll dig out the passage once I'm home and post further. Either way, she's shaped up to be a really, really awesome character and I genuinely hope we hear more of her, especially as Tzeentch's stranglehold on Chamon has been broken.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I thought she was pretty ace, and I already have her with my Stormcast army as of this weekend just gone.

You know "Numinous" means "possessing strong or religious qualities" right? So... holy...

[Mr Mystery]

Yeah, but 'Holy Beast' isn't 'Numinous Being'.

Beast is far too specific for the info we have!

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

But it is holy. Whatever it is.

People just assume, given the context of the passage, that it is a mount. Which in my mind doesn't make much sense as Sigmar said that he needed to be a God and not a Warrior anymore. I believe he is giving Ghal Maraz to another entity.

[Mr Mystery]

Interesting thought!

Unless he's off to wake up Grungni, and have him replicate mini-Ghal Marazseseses?

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I suppose Grungni would be a holy entity.

Hmmmmm, Chamber Extremis... It must be something big. Or something that until now was forbidden.

[Mr Mystery]

Unless by Extremis they mean 'outside'?

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Outside of reality? Maybe this is his way of contacting the Seraphon?

[Mr Mystery]

Or just 'outside' the realm of Azyr?

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I don't think he'd trust anyone outside of Azyr. After Alarielle, Gorkamorka and Nagash...

[Erik Setzer]

Maybe he's waking up a C'tan?

[Mr Mystery]

Wrong game :p

Whatever it is, this book has me wanting more.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Yey marketing!

[Mr Mystery]

Yup!

Just read the second part of the 'Black Rift of Klaxus' story. Superb stuff!

[Erik Setzer]

Wrong game :p

Whatever it is, this book has me wanting more.

We have Orcs, Elves, Undead, Dwarfs, Chaos, Old Ones/Slann, and even Space Marines now. I'm not ruling out anything. :-P

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

We have Orcs, Elves, Undead, Dwarfs, Chaos, Old Ones/Slann, and even Space Marines now. I'm not ruling out anything. :-P

If they add in amorphous blobs I will personally kiss the CEO.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

They aren't Space Marines, at all.

[Erik Setzer]

They aren't Space Marines, at all.

Let's see... Heavily armored, strike from the skies, meant to be larger-than-life heroes, created by a God-Emperor to reunite the kingdoms and drive back the savages...

Yes, they're fantasy Space Marines. Just like Necrons are Space Undead, and Eldar are Space Elves. They stopped short of giving them rifles because their ranged weapon naming convention would have meant they'd be using "boltguns." They're AoS's version of Space Marines, and trying to deny that is just silly, no matter how much you feel you have to rush to GW's aid. They even replaced their statue of a Space Marine with a statue of an Eternal.

Of course there's differences... just like there are differences between Undead and Necrons, but we all still know the Necrons are Space Undead. Only people so in love with GW they'll deny the obvious would claim there's no correlation between Space Marines and Stormcast Eternals. I doubt that the design studio would deny it if you could get them "off the record." I don't know why people act like it's something dirty, either.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

So in an age of huge war, you don't want to wear the heaviest bloody army you can get? Enjoy your inevitable fictional demise.
They remind me more of Chaos Warriors, or enemies from Dark Souls.

If that's all you can see, well, I'm glad we don't talk much.

[Mr Mystery]

Gimme my leather kit any day. Less clanky, moar sneaky.

Well. Sneaky as a big blundering ox can be in New Rocks running through a wood.....

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

How sneaky.

[Mr Mystery]

Much sneaky.

Very stealth.

Wow.

Though to be fair, the amount of weaponry I typically carry would be a dead give away (sword, spare sword, 6 quarrels, crossbow, dagger, hand axe, mace and shield)...

[Erik Setzer]

Yeah, you can resort to silly insults all you want, but they're still a fantasy version of Space Marines. That's their purpose in the fluff and the game.

Not sure why you take that to be some horribly, evil thing to say, but hey, if you get so offended over people stating the obvious, then yeah, maybe it's good you don't talk to me much, because I rather enjoy honest discussions, and I find silly insults in place of reasonable arguments to be quite boring.

[40kGamer]

Without a doubt they are the fantasy equivalent of Space Marines. Even fluff wise it reads like a sword and sorcery version of their 40k equivalents... they even have their own version of Chaplains.

[Erik Setzer]

To be fair, there are certainly differences. But then, there'd have to be, because this is fantasy. Technology is replaced by magic. Space Marines can't come back to life (though they might be preserved to be stuck in a Dreadnought). Vehicles are replaced by mounts.

The core concept is the same, though. Still not sure why that's supposed to be a bad thing? Are Space Marines supposed to be a bad concept or something?