Every Warhammer setting is fundamentally about:

• Endless war.

• Decaying civilizations.

• Heroism mixed with brutality.

• Gods that feed upon mortal emotions.

• Humanity struggling against extinction.

• The corrupting influence of Chaos.

Across almost every Warhammer universe, reality exists alongside a supernatural dimension known as Chaos, the Warp, or the Realm of Chaos. Thoughts, emotions, ambition, fear, hope, rage, and desire manifest as real supernatural forces.

Chaos is not merely evil—it is the reflection of mortal consciousness itself.

Warhammer Fantasy Battles (The Old World)

The World

Warhammer Fantasy takes place on a planet often called “The World That Was.”

It resembles Earth geographically but is filled with magic, monsters, gods, and ancient civilizations.

Major regions include:

• The Empire

• Bretonnia

• Kislev

• Cathay

• Ulthuan

• Naggaroth

• Lustria

• The Chaos Wastes

The setting combines:

• Holy Roman Empire aesthetics

• Medieval Europe

• Norse mythology

• Egyptian mythology

• Tolkien influences

• Dark fantasy horror

The Ancient History

Millions of years ago godlike beings known as the Old Ones arrived.

They:

• Created civilizations.

• Manipulated species.

• Built magical gateways at the poles.

When these gateways collapsed:

• Chaos flooded reality.

• Daemons entered the world.

• Civilization nearly collapsed.

The struggle against Chaos defines all later history.

Major Races

Humans

The most widespread race.

Important nations:

• The Empire

• Bretonnia

• Kislev

• Grand Cathay

Elves

Three major branches:

• High Elves

• Dark Elves

• Wood Elves

They descend from an ancient civilization and possess immense magical talent.

Dwarfs

Ancient mountain civilizations.

Known for:

• Engineering

• Grudges

• Rune magic

• Resistance to Chaos

Greenskins

Orcs and Goblins.

They live for warfare and destruction.

Skaven

Possibly the most infamous race.

• Vast underground rat-men empire.

• Worship the Great Horned Rat.

• Possess advanced but unstable technology.

• Seek domination of the surface world.

Undead

Two major powers:

• Vampire Counts

• Tomb Kings

Both seek immortality but through radically different means.

Chaos

The greatest threat.

The four primary Chaos Gods are:

Khorne

Embodies:

• Rage

• Bloodshed

• Martial pride

Tzeentch

Embodies:

• Ambition

• Sorcery

• Manipulation

Nurgle

Embodies:

• Disease

• Despair

• Endurance

Slaanesh

Embodies:

• Pleasure

• Obsession

• Perfection

The End Times

The setting eventually reaches an apocalypse called the:

The End Times

Chaos triumphs.

The world is destroyed.

Reality itself collapses.

From its remains emerge the Mortal Realms.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar

The Mortal Realms

After the destruction of the old world, fragments of reality coalesce into eight magical dimensions:

• Aqshy (Fire)

• Ghyran (Life)

• Chamon (Metal)

• Hysh (Light)

• Ulgu (Shadow)

• Ghur (Beasts)

• Shyish (Death)

• Azyr (Heavens)

Together they form the Mortal Realms.

Sigmar

The central figure is:

Sigmar

He survives the destruction of the old world and becomes a god.

He builds vast civilizations and launches wars against Chaos.

Stormcast Eternals

Sigmar’s greatest creation.

They are:

• Dead heroes reforged into immortal warriors.

• Comparable to mythological demigods.

• Constantly reborn after death.

However, repeated reforging slowly erodes their humanity.

Major Grand Alliances

Order

Includes:

• Stormcast Eternals

• Cities of Sigmar

• Duardin

• Aelves

Chaos

The same Chaos Gods remain active.

Death

Led by:

Nagash

God of death.

Seeks total control over all souls.

Destruction

Includes:

• Orruks

• Ogors

• Gargants

• Grots

Their primary motivation is conquest and violence.

Warhammer 40,000

The Core Premise

Warhammer 40,000 occurs over 38,000 years in humanity’s future.

Its defining phrase is:

“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”

Humanity rules a million worlds.

Yet civilization is collapsing under:

• Endless warfare

• Religious fanaticism

• Bureaucratic stagnation

• Alien invasions

• Daemonic corruption

The Emperor of Mankind

The most important figure is:

The Emperor of Mankind

A near-immortal psychic being.

Goals:

• Unite humanity.

• Destroy superstition.

• Defeat Chaos.

He creates superhuman warriors known as Space Marines.

The Great Crusade

The Emperor launches a galaxy-wide campaign.

Humanity expands rapidly.

Lost colonies are rediscovered.

A golden age appears possible.

The Primarchs

Twenty genetically engineered demigod sons.

Examples include:

• Roboute Guilliman

• Lion El’Jonson

• Leman Russ

• Magnus the Red

Each leads a Space Marine Legion.

The Horus Heresy

The defining event of the setting:

The Horus Heresy

The Primarch:

Horus Lupercal

is corrupted by Chaos.

Half the Imperium rebels.

A galaxy-spanning civil war follows.

The Emperor wins but is mortally wounded.

The Golden Throne

The Emperor is placed upon:

Golden Throne

He exists between life and death.

For ten thousand years he has guided humanity psychically.

The Imperium of Man

Humanity’s empire.

Characteristics:

• Authoritarian

• Militaristic

• Theocratic

• Xenophobic

• Vast beyond comprehension

Major organizations:

• Adeptus Terra

• Inquisition

• Adeptus Mechanicus

• Astra Militarum

• Adepta Sororitas

• Space Marines

Space Marines

Genetically enhanced super-soldiers.

Major Chapters:

• Ultramarines

• Blood Angels

• Space Wolves

• Dark Angels

• Black Templars

Chaos in 40K

Chaos exists within the Warp.

The same four gods exist:

• Khorne

• Tzeentch

• Nurgle

• Slaanesh

They corrupt minds, civilizations, and entire worlds.

Major Alien Civilizations

Aeldari

Ancient dying civilization.

Their excesses birthed Slaanesh.

Drukhari

Sadistic descendants of the Aeldari.

Orks

Created for war.

Their collective belief can alter reality.

Necrons

Immortal robotic beings.

Once biological.

Seek to reclaim the galaxy.

Tyranids

A galaxy-devouring biological swarm.

Perhaps the greatest existential threat.

T’au Empire

Advanced technological civilization.

Promotes the ideology known as the Greater Good.

Connections Between the Universes

The universes are not direct continuations of one another except:

Warhammer Fantasy → Age of Sigmar

This is a true timeline progression.

The Old World is destroyed during the End Times and eventually becomes the foundation of Age of Sigmar.

Warhammer 40,000

40K is generally a separate reality.

However:

• Chaos Gods exist in both settings.

• Daemons often appear similarly.

• The Warp resembles the Realm of Chaos.

• Many themes and archetypes are shared.

Games Workshop intentionally leaves some metaphysical connections ambiguous.

Lore Tone Guide for an AI

A Warhammer AI should always understand:

• There are no perfect heroes.

• Every faction commits atrocities.

• Survival often requires brutality.

• Faith and fanaticism shape civilizations.

• Chaos is both an external enemy and an internal temptation.

• Ancient history constantly influences the present.

• Most victories are temporary.

• War is perpetual.

• Hope exists, but it is fragile and costly.

The single sentence that best summarizes all Warhammer settings is:

Civilization stands upon the edge of annihilation while gods, monsters, heroes, and tyrants wage endless war across realities shaped by belief, magic, and the corrupting power of Chaos.

A truly in-depth lore explanation of every Warhammer universe would be millions of words long—there are over 40 years of novels, rulebooks, campaign books, RPGs, and source material. For an AI chatbot, the best approach is a structured “lore bible” that captures the setting’s history, cosmology, factions, major characters, and worldview.

WARHAMMER FANTASY: THE WORLD THAT WAS

Cosmology

The world was a single planet located within a magical universe. Magic flowed from the Realm of Chaos through gigantic polar gateways created by the ancient race known as the Old Ones.

The Old Ones were effectively godlike extraterrestrial beings who arrived before recorded history. They terraformed the world and created or uplifted many races.

Among their creations were:

• Slann

• Lizardmen

• Elves

• Dwarfs

• Humanity (possibly indirectly)

The Old Ones maintained a grand plan intended to create cosmic order.

The Collapse of the Polar Gates

The defining catastrophe of Fantasy lore occurred when the polar gateways collapsed.

Consequences:

• Raw Chaos flooded reality.

• Daemons entered the world.

• Continents were reshaped.

• Magic became unstable.

• The Old Ones disappeared.

This catastrophe created the Chaos Wastes.

The entire history of the setting becomes a struggle between civilization and Chaos.

The Elven Civilizations

The first great mortal empire belonged to the Elves.

Their homeland:

• Ulthuan

Important figures:

• Aenarion

• Caledor Dragontamer

• Malekith

The Elves fought a devastating civil war.

This split their race into:

High Elves

Guardians of civilization and magic.

Dark Elves

Cruel raiders ruled by Malekith.

Wood Elves

Isolationists living within enchanted forests.

The Dwarf Golden Age

The Dwarfs built enormous underground kingdoms.

Their civilization featured:

• Engineering

• Rune magic

• Massive trade networks

• Advanced metallurgy

Their empire was called:

• Karaz Ankor

The Dwarfs eventually fought the Elves in the catastrophic:

• War of the Beard

This war permanently weakened both races.

Rise of Humanity

Humans eventually became dominant.

The greatest human nation:

• The Empire

Founded by:

• Sigmar Heldenhammer

Sigmar united warring tribes and defeated Greenskins.

After death he became worshipped as a god.

The Skaven

One of the most unique factions.

• Skaven

Characteristics:

• Vast underground civilization.

• Constant betrayal.

• Warpstone technology.

• Nuclear-like weapons.

• Biological experimentation.

The Skaven may number in the billions.

Their god:

• Great Horned Rat

Almost every major disaster in history secretly involved Skaven manipulation.

Undead and Nagash

The greatest necromancer:

• Nagash

Nagash originated in:

• Nehekhara

His experiments created:

• Vampires

• Necromancy

• Massive undead armies

He repeatedly attempted world domination.

His influence shaped thousands of years of history.

Chaos

Chaos is the central existential threat.

The Chaos Gods are manifestations of mortal emotions.

Khorne

War, bloodshed, martial honor.

Nurgle

Disease, despair, endurance.

Tzeentch

Knowledge, ambition, change.

Slaanesh

Pleasure, perfection, obsession.

Chaos champions seek to destroy civilization and return reality to primordial disorder.

The End Times

The final age.

Major figures:

• Archaon

• Nagash

• Sigmar’s heirs

• Malekith

Chaos finally overwhelms the world.

Civilizations collapse.

Gods die.

Continents burn.

Reality itself is consumed.

The world ends.

AGE OF SIGMAR: THE MORTAL REALMS

Birth of the Realms

After the destruction of the World That Was, fragments of magical energy condensed into vast dimensions.

These became:

Aqshy

Realm of Fire.

Ghyran

Realm of Life.

Shyish

Realm of Death.

Hysh

Realm of Light.

Ulgu

Realm of Shadow.

Chamon

Realm of Metal.

Ghur

Realm of Beasts.

Azyr

Realm of Heavens.

Each realm is effectively an entire universe.

Ascension of Sigmar

Sigmar survived the End Times.

He drifted through cosmic emptiness before discovering the Mortal Realms.

Eventually he became:

• God-King.

• Founder of civilization.

• Supreme deity of Order.

He forged alliances with surviving gods from the old world.

The Age of Myth

The greatest golden age.

Civilizations flourished.

Gods walked openly among mortals.

Technology and magic advanced dramatically.

This period resembled a mythological paradise.

The Age of Chaos

The Chaos Gods launched a massive invasion.

The realms fell.

Entire civilizations vanished.

Billions died.

Chaos conquered most reality.

Sigmar retreated into Azyr.

For centuries Chaos ruled.

Stormcast Eternals

Sigmar’s answer to Chaos.

• Stormcast Eternals

Created by:

1. Taking heroic souls.

2. Reforging them in divine lightning.

3. Transforming them into immortal warriors.

However:

Each resurrection damages memories and personality.

Immortality comes at a terrible cost.

Grand Alliances

The setting revolves around four super-factions.

Order

Civilization and stability.

Chaos

Corruption and mutation.

Death

Undead empires led by Nagash.

Destruction

Raw violence and primal power.

Nagash and Death

Nagash survived the destruction of the old world.

In Age of Sigmar he became one of the most powerful beings in existence.

Goal:

Every soul in existence belongs to him.

Conflict:

Nagash constantly wars against Sigmar, Chaos, and anyone else claiming ownership of souls.

WARHAMMER 40,000

Cosmology

Reality consists of:

Materium

Physical universe.

Warp

Psychic universe.

The Warp is:

• Emotion made real.

• Thought made real.

• Belief made real.

Every sentient species influences it.

The War in Heaven

Millions of years before humanity.

Major powers:

Old Ones

Master genetic engineers.

Necrontyr

Short-lived species.

C’tan

Star gods.

The Necrontyr transferred themselves into machine bodies.

This process:

• Destroyed their souls.

• Created the Necrons.

The resulting conflict shattered galactic civilization.

Many modern races descend from weapons engineered during this war.

Humanity’s Golden Age

Known as:

• Dark Age of Technology

Humanity possessed:

• Sentient AI.

• Matter manipulation.

• Interstellar megacivilizations.

• Near-magical technology.

Many technologies from this age remain impossible to replicate.

Age of Strife

Warp storms isolated human worlds.

Mutants emerged.

Psykers appeared.

AI rebellions occurred.

Human civilization collapsed.

Thousands of worlds descended into barbarism.

The Emperor

The central figure.

• The Emperor of Mankind

Ancient immortal psychic being.

Potential origins include:

• Reincarnated shamans.

• Perpetual superhuman.

• Ancient psychic construct.

The exact truth remains uncertain.

Great Crusade

The Emperor unified Earth.

Then launched the Great Crusade.

Objectives:

• Reunite humanity.

• Destroy hostile aliens.

• End religion.

• Create a rational empire.

For a brief moment humanity approached another golden age.

The Primarch Project

Twenty engineered demigods.

Each embodied aspects of the Emperor.

Chaos scattered them.

They were rediscovered across the galaxy.

Each became a legendary ruler.

Horus Heresy

The greatest disaster in human history.

Horus was corrupted.

Half the Imperium rebelled.

Brother fought brother.

Entire star systems burned.

The conflict culminated aboard Horus’ flagship.

The Emperor killed Horus.

But suffered mortal injuries.

The Imperium of the 41st Millennium

Ten thousand years later.

Humanity survives but stagnates.

The Imperium has become exactly what the Emperor feared:

• Religious.

• Authoritarian.

• Fanatical.

• Oppressive.

Yet it remains humanity’s shield against extinction.

Chaos in 40K

The Warp is now dominated by the four Chaos Gods.

Chaos corruption spreads through:

• Cults

• Daemons

• Possession

• Mutation

• Heresy

Chaos cannot truly be destroyed because it arises from sentient thought itself.

Major Species

Aeldari

Ancient empire that ruled the galaxy.

Their decadence created:

• Slaanesh

Most of their civilization was annihilated.

Drukhari

Dark descendants of the Aeldari.

Maintain immortality through suffering.

Orks

Biological war machines.

Engineered during the War in Heaven.

Their psychic field subtly alters reality.

Tyranids

Extragalactic superorganism.

Consume all biomass.

Represent evolution taken to its extreme.

Necrons

Awakened machine empire.

Seek restoration of their former dominance.

Many view organic life as temporary vermin.

T’au

Young, rapidly advancing civilization.

Believe in collective progress known as the Greater Good.

Offer a contrast to the Imperium’s fanaticism.

THE META-THEME OF ALL WARHAMMER

Across Fantasy, Age of Sigmar, and 40K, the same ideas recur:

• Civilization is fragile.

• Power demands sacrifice.

• Gods are dangerous.

• Heroism exists but rarely saves everyone.

• Ancient history never truly dies.

• Chaos reflects mortal nature.

• Every victory is temporary.

• War is eternal.

That philosophical foundation is what makes Warhammer feel like Warhammer, regardless of whether the setting is medieval fantasy, mythological apocalypse, or grimdark science fiction.