Chaos - Realm of Chaos: Insane scholars argue that the material universe experienced by mortals represents only the tip of the iceberg and unseen realms exist just beyond perception. They say that the limitless depths of the Realm of Chaos surround and infuse the tiny chips of physicality that are planets and suns to mortal eyes. They declare that what Humanity sees as "reality" is only a mask, a cloak of normality over the vast and swirling ocean known as the Immaterium, the Warp, or the Realm of Chaos.The raw, unfocused psychic energy of the Realm of Chaos forms a parallel dimension to the material universe, a place of infinite possibilities where raw emotion, belief and Jungian symbolism hold sway. The Realm changes constantly, ebbing and flowing in different locales as it does so. The flows, swirls, and eddies that it creates can form patterns and designs, drawing similar emotionally-inflected psychic energies into themselves until they achieve a level of consciousness and purpose. When they find the courage to acknowledge the existence of such powers Humanity calls them the "Chaos Gods".Many nameless gods have been cast up by the Warp only to be swept away again by the slow beat of aeons, but four great powers of Chaos seem eternal; Khorne the Blood God, Slaanesh the Prince of Pleasures, Nurgle the Lord of Decay, and Tzeentch the Changer of the Ways.In primitive cultures countless creation myths are told of the formless void before the coming of the gods. In some tales the gods are said to have shaped the world from parts of themselves, in others they slay a great beast and use its bones to lay the foundation of Creation, in others the mortal realm is formed from the debris left by their great battles with one another.Seers and magicians of more studious societies make complex arguments for the material universe having given birth to the Ruinous Powers rather than vice-versa. They hold that the ocean of primordial essence that we now see as the seething Realm of Chaos was calm and undisturbed until it began to be altered by mortal passions and desires.Materially it matters little what came first. The Ruinous Powers are real, tangible forces in both the Realm of Chaos and the material universe. They absorb the energies of countless souls in turmoil, waxing ever stronger on the hopes and fears of mortals until they have become truly god-like entities. If mortals truly gave birth to the entities that have become the Ruinous Powers no hint of mortal frailty remains. The Gods of Chaos represent absolutes completely unsullied by indecision or mercy.Even beyond the Realm of Chaos there are some that give their fealty to the Ruinous Powers. Those that proclaim themselves worshippers of the Chaos Gods must cleave their own path, and soon learn to fear the "blessings" of their deities. Countless gibbering madmen have declared that they have seen the true face of Chaos and received messages from the gods. Physical corruption, mutation and stigmata are apt to sprout from the followers of Chaos like unholy fruit. Even so, many mortals that lust for power disregard such risks, thinking they can evade the consequences of meddling with powers beyond comprehension.The gods care nothing for their followers or their machinations, granting them unimaginable power or withdrawing it from them just as quickly as their fickle whims decree. Mortals are mere playthings to them, to be used and cast aside at will, at best the objects of momentary fascination.Perhaps they know that once the process of a soul's corruption has begun it becomes inevitable, and that the taint of Chaos will bring living souls to the gods whether they declare themselves devout or not.It is more likely the Ruinous Powers are simply unaware of the mass of mortality in any conscious sense because their state of existence and motivations are too vast and alien to comprehend. The Chaos Gods are such remote and terrifying entities that most mortals who know of their existence hope only to escape their notice.