Chaos

The Five Great Gods of Chaos are one of the most powerful Pantheons in existence, with only the Ork Gods being greater than them, and the next most powerful pantheon having only a fraction of the power of a single Great God of Chaos. Chaos is also the most evil and corruptive force known to humanity, and is directly responsible for the Fall of the Aeldari Dominion and the Death of the Imperium of Mankind.

## Nature of Chaos

Saint Lin discovered much on the fundamental nature of Chaos, the greatest evil known to mankind. He tells you that at their core the gods of chaos are all tied to the Primordial Sea, either directly or via an intermediary. From what he can tell the Primordial Sea is what existed before the creation of the universe, and what will exist when the universe comes to an end, and as such is near incomprehensible to even a divine mind. However Saint Lin has been able to infer a few aspects of the Primordial Sea from the effects on those connected to it, namely that it is fundamentally a force of change, and mostly destructive. According to Saint Lin the stronger a being's connection to Chaos, the stronger its links to the Primordial Sea, which will both empower them and twist their mind in a way very familiar to all who fight the forces of chaos. This twisting is most likely why the gods of chaos generally embody the utter worst aspects of their domains. However, if the Great Gods of Chaos themselves are twisted by their corruption, then it begets the question of how did they come into contact with the Primordial Sea, which should be near impossible for even gods to touch?

## The Great Gods of Chaos

While there are countless minor gods serving Chaos, of whom Malal is the most prominent, the vast majority of the Pantheon's power is held by the Five Great Gods of Chaos.

### The Dark Prince

The Dark Prince, Slaanesh, is a Primal Great God whose domain centres around the domain of Excess. He has also claimed many other domains such as Sin, Sensation, Obsession, and Freedom, but the true core of the Dark Prince is Excess.

While it is possible, and even common, for one of the slaves of the Dark Prince to focus on another part of his domain, the more ‘gifts’ he has granted them the more they are inclined towards Excess in all that they do. This means that not only can many slaves of the Dark Prince get lost in their own particular pursuits, often at their own expense, but also that when a slave of the Dark Prince commits to doing something they often bend their whole being towards achieving this goal. This can lead to success granted by the utilisation of the full force of the resources that the slave can bring to bear, but it can also lead to the slave of the Dark Prince overextending themselves. Very rarely a slave of the Dark Prince can commit so fully to some particular task that they twist themselves so much that they are unrecognisable from what they were even after their utter corruption.

The Dark Prince was created primarily though the actions and emotions of the citzens of the Aeldari Dominion, and since then has remained connected to the Eldar in some manner. For most of her existence this connection allowed her to pull on their souls, claiming them on death or if they let their guard down. However shortly after her birth Ynnead was able to sever this connection, freeing the Eldar. The Dark Prince has always believed that he/she/it has rightful domain over the souls and worship of the Eldar, and loathed those that opposed this, whether it is the Eldar themselves or their few remaining gods. This hatred has risen to new heights after the Birth of Ynnead and the wounds inflicted on the Dark Prince after the birth, making the Dark Prince and all of his/her/its forces a dedicated enemy of the Empire of Ashes and all that it attempts to achieve.

The forces of the Dark Prince are the least disciplined of the forces of Chaos, with each warrior and champion distracted by their own personal excesses. However despite this they can act with terrifying unity when under the influence of the supernatural charisma of one of their lords. As such the cults of pleasure in all of their forms are even more vulnerable to decapitation strikes than most Chaos forces.

### The Changer of Ways

The Changer of Ways, Tzeentch, is a Great God whose domain centres around the domain of Ambition. He has also claimed many other domains such as Change, Intrigue, Fate, Sorcery, and Hope. Of his lesser domains Change is by far the most influential, almost matching Ambition.

Saint Lin had great difficulty determining how the Changer of Ways formed, until a comment by Areatha gave him a key bit of inspiration. Unlike every other god that Saint Lin knows of, the true origin of the Changer of Ways lies not in the past, but in the future. It is entirely possible that one of the main schemes of the Architect of Fate is currently to bring itself into existence. With this insight Saint Lin was able to determine that the Changer of Ways is most likely not a Primal God, though he could be either a Religious or Transcendent God. Given that Gods seems to get a major power boost on their birth, Saint Lin worries what the Changer of Ways will be able to accomplish in the years following its birth, if it ever gets born that is.

As with the slaves of the Dark Prince, it is impossible for one of the pawns of the Changer of Ways to avoid being influenced by the core domain of their god. This makes it impossible for a pawn of the Changer of Ways to be content with what they have and what they are. There will always be a drive to be greater and have more. This ambition inevitably leads to a need to change both themselves and their situation, and is the reason that the Domains of the Changer of Ways are always shifting as every pawn seeks to better themselves and their positions. The unending ambition of the pawns of the Changer of Ways gives them the drive and courage to attempt schemes that no one else would dream of, often for good reason, and means that no one's position is ever secure, as their subordinates always scheme to take their place.

The forces of the Changer of Ways are the least predictable of the forces of Chaos, with every warrior and champion having their own plots to better themselves, which can interact in unusual ways. While this unpredictability can be a problem when facing them on the battlefield it more often acts against them, as a Lord of Chaos finds his forces not acting in the manner he expected them to. The consent scheming of the forces of the Changer of Ways make them more prone to factionalism then any of the other forces of Chaos, and therefore the most willing to turn on their leaders at the merest hint of weakness.

### The Blood God

The Blood God, Khorne, is a Great God whose domain centres around the domain of Combat. He has also claimed many other domains such as Rage, Blood-Spilt-in-Battle, Honour-in-War, Strength-of-Arms, and War, although the final domain is not uncontested. Unlike the other chaos gods, these domains are mostly limited due to the sheer number of contenders for them, but given their nature they are still just as powerful, if not more so, than the unified domains that the other Great Gods of Chaos lay claim to. While he has a less complete claim over war than his primary domain, it is still his strongest domain, due to the sheer number and scale of the wars being fought in the galaxy.

From what he can tell the Blood God is the oldest of the Chaos Gods, born either in or just after War in Heaven. Saint Lin tells you that the exact period in which the Blood God was born is unclear due to confusion with the Eldar War God Khaine, who shares many traits with the Blood God. Saint Lin tells you that the Blood God is most likely a Primal/Religious God formed out of a mix of the War in Heaven and the worship of those that witnessed it.

Like the other Chaos Gods the Blood God’s worshippers can focus on one or more of his aspects but will not be able to avoid being influenced by his core domain of Combat. This makes it impossible for any of his worshippers to be able to deny the thrill of combat for long. As such the forces of the Blood God find it impossible to rest, and often move on to one battle as soon as the last has been completed. This can lead to their equipment being poorly maintained and their forces suffering incredible attrition, but does build up a solid core of some of the most experienced warriors in the galaxy. Given the near addiction for combat the followers of the Blood God feel they often have trouble with those positions that while necessary do not see much combat, whether it is general staff, artillery crews or quartermasters. While the smarter Lords ofthe Blood God will try and recruit followers of chaos undivided to fill those rolls that are unsuited for their own men and can’t be trusted to slaves even they often stumble on the less battle related tasks and positions.

The forces of the Blood God are the most predictable of the forces of Chaos, with most of their battle-plans being some variation of charge. While this can be taken advantage of an unfortunate number of the Champions of the Blood God are gifted with the more tactical aspects of his domain of war, allowing them to come up with masterful plans that take into account their forces preferences. In general the forces of the Blood God are able to avoid infighting when the battle has started, fighting as a whole even if their leaders are assassinated. Off the battlefield however they are if anything more inclined to turn on each other then other followers of chaos, though they are also known to unify the faster when faced with an external threat. In many ways the forces of the Blood God are remarkably similar to the Orks, and can be treated in similar ways.

### The Lord of Decay

The Lord of Decay, Nurgle, is a Great God whose domain centres around the domain of Decay. He has also claimed many other domains such as Death, Plague, Destruction, Despair, Perseverance, and Rebirth, although the final domain is not uncontested. Several of his domains, such as Decay and Plague, are uncontested, with others such as Death and Destruction have several other claimants.

From what Saint Lin can tell the Lord of Decay is a Primal God born after as what was left of galactic civilisation decayed. It like the other origins of Chaos also has a connection to the Primordial Sea, from which reality was born. This connection greatly enhances the powers of the Lord of Decay and gives it the mematic contagion that Chaos is best known for, though at the cost of making it even more inhuman and other then even its nature as a Primal God would imply.

Like the other Chaos Gods the Lord of Decay’s children can focus on one or more of his aspects but will not be able to avoid being influenced by his core domain of Decay. This makes it impossible for any of his worshippers to avoid the decay of all that they posses, including their own body. However this can be alleviated by gaining more favour, which can grant gifts that replace what was lost to decay. As such followers of the Lord of Decay need a constant influx of favour to remain intact, favour that can be gained either from the sacrifice of those under them or by spreading decay to new regions. This means that domains ruled by children of the Lord of Decay need victories or they begin to decay. This requirement for success can lead to the children of the Lord of Decay attacking without sufficient preparations.

The forces of the Lord of Decay generally rely on toughness and the spread of plagues to achieve victory by turning battles into wars of attrition. While this is usually an effective tactic if you can bring to bear enough combat power to force a decisive conflict they can find themselves lacking. Where most forces of chaos are highly prone to infighting the forces of the Lord of Decay are more competitive, trying to out achieve their rivals rather then directly slay them. While this does remove a traditional chaotic weakness it also means that they are even less prone to working well with their peers then is normal for the forces of chaos, quite an achievement. When combined with their general slow mobility this makes divide and conquer tactics highly effective against the children of the Lord of Decay.

### The Tyrant

The Tyrant, Tjapa, is a Great God whose domain centres around the domain of Tyranny. He has also claimed many other domains such as Obedience, Fanaticism, Tradition, and Faith. While not his central domain Faith is still possibly the most powerful.

From what Saint Lin can tell the Tyrant is a Religious/Primal God born from the Imperial Creed and the Imperium as a whole, and kept dormant by the efforts of the Emperor until his death. As such it has claim over most of the symbols of the Imperium, and all of the symbols of the Ecclesiarchy.

Like the other Chaos Gods the Tyrant's thralls can focus on one or more of his aspects but will not be able to avoid being influenced by his core domain of Tyranny. Thralls of the Tyrant are influenced constantly push to achieve ever higher rank, and to control those below them to an ever greater level. This leads to leaders who demand that their orders be followed to the letter, and who attempt to micromanage to an extreme amount. This means that the Tyrants domains cope poorly with changing conditions unless their supreme leader is present, and armies that have issues dealing with the more complex battles due to leaders have major issues with delegation.

The forces of the Tyrant generally rely on discipline and numbers to overwhelm the enemy, fighting on in situations that would shatter conventional forces with a level of cooperation that no chaos forces can match. While this leaves them without many of the traditional Chaotic weaknesses they have their own vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are their communications, which if cut will often leave the majority of their forces following their last orders, decapitation which can shatter the cohesion that they rely on and harassment tactics which can overwhelm their commanders ability to multitask.