Warpstone

Warpstone of Turmoil

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Warpstone, also known as wyrdstone, is solidified Chaos. As the raw stuff of Chaos it is the ultimate magical substance and greatly sought after by the followers of Chaos.

Upon the breakdown of the Old Ones' Warp Gates, Chaos entered the world in the form of warpstone dust which rained down upon the world, warping many species into monstrous new forms, as well as leaving a far more subtle and insidious mark upon other races. ^[2a]

Warpstone of more substantial size can also be found throughout the world, but especially in the Chaos Wastes and where comets or meteors have fallen to the earth. Warpstone usually takes the form of an irregularly-shaped lump about the size of a man's fist. ^[2a]

In its solid, unrefined form, warpstone seems to swallow all light around it, creating a small patch of darkness around it. It also radiates a deadly and corrupting energy; creatures suffering prolonged exposure eventually die or become warped by mutation, although this may not affect the Skaven, as many of them wield weapons and talismans containing unrefined warpstone with no obvious dangerous and corrupting effects (although it may explain their backstabbing and egotistical nature). ^[2a]

Warpstone can be refined by Skaven Grey Seers into a grey powder, allowing it to be used in more controlled ways. ^[2a] While the Skaven use and rely on warpstone, the use and possession of warpstone is strictly forbidden in any civilized human society like The Empire. Nevertheless after the destruction of the city of Mordheim by a comet of warpstone, adventurers throughout the Old World flocked to the ruins in hopes of finding the dangerous but precious fragments of the comet.

Sources of Warpstone

Dark magic can coalesce into warpstone and throughout history, comets of warpstone have fallen to the earth, the largest often creating vast craters suffused with corrupting magical energy and the skaven are said to be able call down meteors showers. ^[2a] The best known of these include:

• the ruined city of Mordheim
• the ancient city of Kavzar - now known as Skavenblight
• the Warpstone Desolation around the Great Maw east to the Mountains of Mourn
• the cursed land of Sylvania, where lots of smaller warpstone meteorites rained down during the Great Plague
• Cripple Peak where Nagash built his fortress Nagashizzar. Nagash referred to the substance by the name abn-i-khat, which translates to 'burning stone' in Nehekharan. ^[1a]

Warpstone Weapons and Equipment

The Skaven make many and varied items with Warpstone or are powered by it, these include:

• Black Arc ^[2a]
• Doomwheel ^[2a]
• Plague Censer ^[2a]
• Poisoned Wind ^[2a]
• Screaming Bell ^[2a]
• Skavenbrew ^[2a]
• Warpfire Thrower ^[2a]
• Warpscroll ^[2a]
• Warpstone Charm ^[2a]
• Warpstone Shard Teeth: The claws and fangs of Wolf Rats are augmented with Warpstone shards by Clan Skyre Warlocks. ^[4]
• Weeping Blades ^[2a]

Quotes

Most precious of all substances, the pulse of our life. If the Horned Rat is our father, then surely Warpstone is our mother. Its uses are infinite. Like the heart of an endless fire it is. Even the smallest pieces will continue to give power indefinitely, allowing many of our devices to become somewhat portable. Warpstone fire can not only consume a substance but actually change its structure to far more that just burned due to it's holy poison......I subscribe to the secular view - that is chunks of the dark moon, Morskrit, which has managed to gift us with pieces of its essence. Dangerous it is, to touch Warpstone often. But that is what slaves are for, yes-yes. ~ Narshift, Warlock Engineer of Clan Skryre.[3a]

Notes

The following information is not to be considered officially sanctioned and/or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

• A Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay fan magazine is also named "Warpstone".^{Needs Citation}

Sources

• 1: Rise of Nagash (anthology) by Mike Lee: Nagash the Unbroken
  • 1a: Chapter Two: The Burning Stone, pg. 419
• 2: Warhammer Armies: Skaven (4th Edition)
  • 2a: Warpstone, pg. 10
• 3: Old World Bestiary
  • 3a: Warpstone, pg. 38
• 4: Monstrous Arcanum: Wolf Rats, pg. 57

Uncited

• Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 11
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (??? Edition), pg. 193