Chaos Wastes
Encyclopedia
The Chaos Wastes is a fictional place in Games Workshop
's Warhammer Fantasy
world setting. The Chaos Wastes are a vast warped, cold and barren wasteland to the north (and probably also the south) of the habitable areas of the world. It is referred to by the Norse as Shadowlands and sometimes as Umbra (or Umbra Chaotica). With Norsca Wastes are part of the Northlands. The Wastes are mentioned in many of the Warhammer sourcebooks. It borders Cathay
, Naggaroth
, Ogre Kingdoms and Norsca
. The southern area of the Wastes is part of the Eastern Steppes.
The Chaos Wastes are inhabited by various mutated flora and fauna, Daemon
s, Chaos monsters (including Beastmen
) and the barbaric human tribes of Kurgan and Hung who worship Chaos
gods whose influence is strong here. A great Chaos Portal between the material world and the Realm of Chaos spews raw magical energy, the stuff of Chaos, into the world. Several other, lesser rifts also exist in the wastes. Unstable energies change the climate, radically causing mutations to anybody moving there.
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
's Warhammer Fantasy
Warhammer Fantasy (setting)
Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop, which is used by many of the company's games. Some of the best-known games set in this world are: the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay pen-and-paper role-playing game, and the MMORPG...
world setting. The Chaos Wastes are a vast warped, cold and barren wasteland to the north (and probably also the south) of the habitable areas of the world. It is referred to by the Norse as Shadowlands and sometimes as Umbra (or Umbra Chaotica). With Norsca Wastes are part of the Northlands. The Wastes are mentioned in many of the Warhammer sourcebooks. It borders Cathay
Cathay (Warhammer)
Cathay is a fictional nation in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy universe. Cathay is the Warhammer equivalent of China, based upon Chinese History with an added mixture of High Fantasy and Chinese folklore. Cathay was actually the name given to northern China in the 14th century by Marco Polo...
, Naggaroth
Naggaroth
Naggaroth is a fictional land in the Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe. Geographically, it corresponds closely with North America in the real world, but mostly the Hudson's Bay and Great Lakes regions of Eastern Canada and upper New England...
, Ogre Kingdoms and Norsca
Norsca
Norsca is a fictional place in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy world setting. It is analogous in position within the "Old World" to Scandinavia and its human occupants, the "Norse", are a fantasy version of the Norse peoples ....
. The southern area of the Wastes is part of the Eastern Steppes.
The Chaos Wastes are inhabited by various mutated flora and fauna, Daemon
Daemon (Warhammer)
In the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos...
s, Chaos monsters (including Beastmen
Beastmen (Warhammer)
Beastmen in the fictional Warhammer Fantasy setting from Games Workshop are humanoid creatures with a variety of animal features, usually including cloven feet, horns, excessive body hair, and bestial faces. They are mutants formed from humans by the corrupting influences of Chaos such as warpstone...
) and the barbaric human tribes of Kurgan and Hung who worship Chaos
Chaos (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
gods whose influence is strong here. A great Chaos Portal between the material world and the Realm of Chaos spews raw magical energy, the stuff of Chaos, into the world. Several other, lesser rifts also exist in the wastes. Unstable energies change the climate, radically causing mutations to anybody moving there.
- Champions of Chaos travel to the wastes to gain respect and rewards from their masters. The mightiest of these champions may even become a Daemon Prince. Followers of different ChaosChaos (Warhammer)In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
gods constantly battle in these waste, until a powerful enough warlord unites the different tribes and starts a Chaos incursion to some location of the Warhammer World. - The mighty empire of Cathay has built a huge wall, known as 'The Dragon's Spine' (similar to the Great Wall of ChinaGreat Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
) to protect their lands from invasion from the Chaos Wastes. The Dark Elves also maintain a series of watchtowers in order to prevent incursions into Naggaroth by the denizens of the Chaos Wastes. - Huge Chaos Monoliths are a common site in the wastes.
- The Chaos Wastes will also be the Tier 4 zone in the Empire versus Chaos area in Warhammer Online: Age of ReckoningWarhammer Online: Age of ReckoningWarhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting. It was developed by Mythic Entertainment and simultaneously released in North and South Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand on September 18, 2008...
which must be captured by the Empire before they may assault The Maw.