Millennia ago, before humans, before even elves and dwarves, this world was very different. Much of it was covered with shifting quagmire and swamp, inhabited by reptilian animals and crude life forms. Into this rich source of life came the Great Old Ones. They had fled their world, which was being consumed by the ravages of chaos, unleashed by the Old Ones’ experiments in warp-gate technology, and were seeking a new home. Little did they realise how soon the cycle would repeat itself.
The
Old Ones had enormous minds, they were great wizards and cunning artificers and
they set about shaping the world to their whim and forming intelligent life to
instruct as servants. Their first experiments with the reptilian beasts were
unpromising, but then they had a breakthrough combining reptilian and amphibian
forms and created bipedal, tough, intelligent creatures, sallow of skin and
with a single eye and prehensile digits. The Old Ones taught them craft and
instructed them in the ways of nature and initially it seemed this servant race
was a success. As the centuries passed and their drones grew in wisdom (they
were long-lived, some passing a thousand years in age) they noticed a change.
Their creatures were becoming more independent, longing for freedom and
beginning to form their own ideas, opinions and theories about their masters.
The Old Ones realised that nurturing a race into knowing submissive servitude
was heading for disaster and so the spawning process stopped. No more were
created. The Old Ones had bred the race to be unable to reproduce naturally,
ensuring that every creature produced was male, and so when they stopped the
programme the doom of the species was sealed... or so they thought. The
attention of the Old Ones turned to further experiments, eventually raising the
lizardmen in a similar fashion, and then the elves and dwarves as privileged
children, keeping them servile by love, not enforced obedience. Their original
creations they cast adrift to wander until death in the forming wilderness of
the world.
There
was one of the Old Ones whose name was Balor. He was accounted among the most
powerful of the race and was appointed as sentinel of the northern warp-gate
and tasked to watch there day and night without rest, as such he was prevented
from taking part in the creative shaping that engaged the rest of the Old Ones.
Balor had a single eye in the front of his face, which he turned towards the
warp. This eye never closed, never blinking or in sleep, and its direct gaze
was death to any enemy he looked upon. In the back of his head he had another
eye, so that he was still aware of the goings-on in the world he guarded. As
the first-born of the Old Ones wandered northward Balor took pity on them.
One-eyed himself, at least to their world, and denied the creative pleasure of
offspring he saw in them an echo of himself and adopted them as his children,
appointing them earthly guardians and servants of the northern gate. He named
them ‘Formorii’, or ‘orphans’ and would accept no other servants sent by the
Old Ones.
The
Formorii loved Balor and served him without reticence as the years wore on, but
their population was ageing and with no replacements the extinction of their
species seemed imminent, and it was here that Balor erred. Maybe exposure to
the stuff of the warp had twisted his judgement. Maybe the denial of a chance
to create had made him over bold, maybe his love for the Formorii overcame his
moral standing. Whatever the cause, Balor held captive members of a detachment
of elves, primitive forms, not elves as we know them, which had been sent on an
errand by the other Old Ones. And Balor instructed a handful of hand-picked
Formorii how to interbreed with the elves. When the other Old Ones heard what
their kinsman had done they were outraged and sent out a great army to destroy
the Formorii, but Balor turned his body and gazed upon them with his dreadful
eye and they were destroyed, and the north of the world burned to a charred
wasteland. The moment of Balor’s turning was instantaneous, but it was enough
for an entity of chaos, which had been lurking in the warp beyond, to creep
into the world. No doubt Balor intended the creation of a new generation of
Formorii to be an occasional event, or even one of a kind in order to produce
females for the rest of the race, but this chaotic force latched onto their
consciousnesses and awoke in them a terrible lust. Today, some may call this
entity Slaanesh.
Seeing
his children changed, Balor watched them ever more intently. Whenever a group
would go abroad to try and find captives of other species for their own twisted
breeding experiments he would turn his deadly eye upon them, and yet the urges
that had been awakened in a race so long forced to undergo celibacy were
strong. Balor’s intent gaze rendered the entire race very sensitive to light and
so they began to shun daylight, preferring to move abroad by night, though even
this did not deter Balor’s stare. As his attention focussed more on his errant
children the forces of chaos mustered behind the warp-gates. And without the
full attention of their guardian and the maintenance work of the Formorii, the
gates fell. Chaos entered the world.
The
Formorii fled to caves and wastelands across the north of the world, many were
destroyed but those who had the awakening of Slaanesh within them were spared
the destruction and survived the first incursion. When they emerged they had
grown in strength and determination for the continuance of their race, striking
deals with the lords of the warp for continued existence. Seeking to keep them
in line the forces of chaos twisted their genetic makeup, radically decreasing
the possibilities of producing female children, forcing them to continue their
degenerate rampage in order to survive. They gave themselves a new name, the
Fimir, or ‘adopted’, in a foul irony. They believed, for the most part, that
Balor had, in fact, stepped aside to allow chaos through, bringing righteous
retribution to the Old Ones who had denied them life and vindicating the
behaviour of the Fimir. During this period the race mutated, producing five
strains of creature which gave rise to a hierarchy based on physical and
magical power. The lowest and weakest were the Shearl, quickly pressed into
service as the Formorii had been of old. The most common retained the physical
characteristics of the Formorii, albeit now infused with the daemonic, and were
named the Fimm. The Mistmor stood taller and stronger than the Fimm, and
initially retained intelligence, yet with the generations their cognitive
ability dimmed and failed, a victim of warped mutation. The Dirach were the
result of those Fimir who walked most closely with the daemons, possibly even
interbreeding with them at times. Some were as tall as Mistmor, some had four arms, all were horned and
possessed of terrible magical ability. Some female Fimir were born despite the
attempts of chaos to prevent them. These grew against strong oppression and
soon became forged by tribulation into the most powerful of the Fimir. The
Mearghs, as they became known, were even more powerful wizards than the Dirach,
maybe the intervention of chaos leaked more magic into their blood than
intended, and soon began to draw other Fimir in bands around them. They were
proud and would not tolerate competition, nor would they accept the advances of
Fimir males they considered inferior, and so over time grew sterile.
For
all their allegiances with chaos and attempts to repopulate, the Fimir were
decreasing in number. Elves had withdrawn from the extremities of the world
(which they had only ventured into in service to the Old Ones, now disappeared)
and attempts to interbreed with dwarves and even animals had proven
unsuccessful. The
Fimir were engulfed in a wave of something not experienced before or afterward.
All memory of what happened is lost, but it appears the entire race of the
Fimir slept, enshrined in their great castle, for five thousand years. During these
years it is believed Balor spoke to each individually, setting a task for each
clan and each individual to perform.
When they finally awoke, the world outside was much changed, as were the Fimir themselves. Numb, they staggered out of the castle to behold a world populated with new species. Factions divided, each claiming a different view of their situation. Some claimed this was their punishment, new races would fulfil the role the Fimir were to have played. Others declared these new creatures were rich pickings provided by Balor. A fierce battle broke out and the Fimir drifted their separate ways. Few survived the slaughter or the following decades in the radically changed climate. By far the largest clan was headed by Morrigû. Legend says that Morrigû was chosen to be the mother of the Fimir species, and so, probably alone of the race, she encouraged the birth of daughters who she taught and equipped to become clan leaders and form their own tribes as offshoots. Those recorded of her children are Fea, Neman, Badb and Macha. It is rumoured these clans keep strong ties and will aid each other if need arises, a rare claim for Fimir tribes.
In
the Old World, the tale of the Fimir picks up again in a region known as the
‘Waterland’, where a Fimir, possibly a Dirach, calling himself Fimul courted
and sired offspring with a woman named Maris. Whether this was a romantic
affair as reported, or merely an idealised telling of yet another case of
abduction and rape is open to debate. My source would not confirm or deny this
legend, declaring it only to be a ‘possibility’. If true it would explain resurgence in Fimir
activity, which had previously been in decline. The time is drawing
near when all things spoken of by Balor in the ‘dreaming’ are coming to
fulfilment.
Clan Maer, a large colony of Fimir living on an island off the coast of Norsca, follows the typical tribal structure of the race.
Clan Maer, a large colony of Fimir living on an island off the coast of Norsca, follows the typical tribal structure of the race.
Fimm
The
Fimm are regarded the ‘normal’ pattern for Fimir. Their form is said to be
unchanged from the earliest days of the race and the majority born are of this
caste. Within the Fimm there is a hierarchy, with ascension through the ranks
usually gained by brute strength, cunning, deception and backstabbing. Those at
the bottom, the warrior class, band together into groups known as Septs, often
drawn along lines of common parentage. Septs are governed by a Flaithmor and
are grouped together in clans ruled by a Meargh.
It
is the Fimm who make the most frequent raids, the Fimm who oversee their Shearl
and human slaves and the Fimm who propagate the species, without the feudal
core of Fimm society the race would be long extinct.
Fimm
warriors may be led into battle by one of their Finmor, ceremonial champions
favoured by the Fimm nobles.
Fianna
The
Fianna are the elite of the Fimm warriors. These warriors are hand-picked,
sometimes at birth, sometimes as a result of some great deed but most
frequently by displaying prowess at the Haakskikaah, an annual contest held to
commemorate the breaking of the crystal at Khulaine. Fianna are removed from
their ancestral Sept and form a separate group which serves as bodyguard to the
clan’s Dirach and Meargh. Normally Fianna will only leave the fortress if their
clan is threatened but they are sometimes sent abroad to accompany a Dirach on
a mission of importance or as support for Fimm on a particularly difficult
raid.
The
Fianna are normally marked out by their ceremonial armour, more for
ornamentation than protection since the Fimir shun such signs of weakness.
The
mightiest of the Fianna Fimm are the Flaiths. Awarded the same status in Fimir
society as a Flaithmor, the Flaiths are regarded as having no retinue, or Sept,
to govern. Although in practice the ranks of the Fianna are theirs to command,
these commands are meant to come direct from a Dirach or the Meargh herself and
so in theory the Flaiths are to pass on orders only. The reality is that Fimir
clans are such a hotbed of intrigue and deceit that should a Flaith command his
troops to carry out orders on his own behalf, or that of a Flaithmor with
wealth or power to offer, it is unlikely anyone would notice.
Places
in the ranks of the Fianna Fimm are often awarded on the outcome of a duel or
contest and many of the Fianna continue to bear the ‘Haakskarl’ or ‘Trial
Sword’, with which they won their station, as their main weapon in combat.
These long, curved blades have a ferocious reputation for being able to cleave
stone, bone and the thickest of armour.
Shearl
The
lowest caste of Fimir society is the Shearl. Physically smaller and weaker than
their cousins they are born into a life of servitude, carrying out menial tasks
for those of nobler birth. Shearl are rarely seen outside the fortresses of the
Fimir, not that they do not venture out, they do so to forage and hunt small
prey for food, but they are careful never to be seen. Typical employment for
the Shearl is in the form of household staff and retainers, cooks, cleaners,
porters for example, but some are skilled craftsmen and almost all weaponry,
armour, jewellery, clothing and utensils possessed by the Fimir are skilfully
forged in their workshops. This is about the only way a Shearl can ever find
himself of value to those of higher caste so apprenticeships are much sought
after and only the most naturally talented are permitted to become craftsmen,
ensuring only the highest quality. These artisans are also the only Shearl
permitted to reproduce, and so the positions are highly coveted.
When the Fimir go to battle they are usually accompanied by a Shearl baggage train and some may be drafted in to fight. Their lives are not highly prized but large units are a useful distraction, allowing the Fimm to draw close to the enemy undetected.
Mistmor
The
largest of the Fimir are the Mistmor. Mistmor denotes ‘Life of the clan’. Tall
as a troll and easily as strong they are prized as defenders of Fimir
settlements. Their size and strength are equalled by their mindless obedience,
raised from birth not to question authority lest they should decide to use
their physical prowess to gain power. The Mistmor are most frequently used to
build the Fimir settlements, hewing and stacking rock to form the stony
fortresses, and they take enormous pride in their handiwork, defending the
structures at all costs should they come under threat. It is this possessive
attitude which makes them such fearless guardians.
Marsh Chariot
The
Fimir have developed an ingenious chariot able to roll happily through the
murkiest of swamps, usually pulled by a Woldlouse, Gelfkin or team of Fir Kith.
The chariot is wheeled and has vicious scythes at the front and on the wheel
hubs for clearing marsh grasses out of the way (and cutting through units in
battle) however it also has sled-like skis on which it glides across bogs.
Usually only Flaithmor ride in chariots, perhaps accompanied by a chosen
retainer, but it has been known for Dirach and Meargh to travel by chariot.
Marsh
chariots ignore long grass and marsh-type difficult terrain since their scythes
and wheel/ski design clears a path and stables them on swampy ground.
Scea-Rung, the warchief, maintains two very special attack chariots pulled by rare Norscan Rhinotaurs. These are a huge sign of status for him and shows them off whenever possible. Scea-Zok the slavechief also uses a variant on the marsh chariot to ferry captives back to the clan stronghold.
Scea-Rung, the warchief, maintains two very special attack chariots pulled by rare Norscan Rhinotaurs. These are a huge sign of status for him and shows them off whenever possible. Scea-Zok the slavechief also uses a variant on the marsh chariot to ferry captives back to the clan stronghold.
Gelfkin
As
with much of the history of the Fimir, nobody is quite sure how the Gelfkin
originated. It is said that when the first Meargh grew to adulthood some did,
in fact, bear children. However these offspring were of little or no
intelligence, went about on all fours and could not speak. Put to work as
beasts of burden they were effectively cast out of the Fimir race, ironic since
their particular strain seems to have been able to reproduce quite
successfully. Their species has retained the single eye of their distant,
dismissive cousins, and their hairy tails lend some possibility to the tale of
their origins.
Druí
Fimm
who show most magical prowess are often selected for enrolment in the
brotherhood of whichever corrupted deity that particular Fimir settlement
worships. These priests owe no allegiance to Flaithmor but devote their whole
attention to mystical study and contemplation of their dark lord. Druí are isolated
beings, keeping themselves apart from the rest of the settlement, making their
sacrifices on behalf of the whole clan. They can be consulted as oracles by
Flaithmor and have some ability to foretell. They occasionally join raiding
parties if the intent is to capture human victims for sacrifice, since it is in
their interests to gauge the suitability of those chosen. If the clan is drawn
forth to battle the Druí will join the ranks on the field to
provide reassurance of their god’s favour and to beseech their master for
direction and might in the conflict.
Some Druí join the seer covens
of the Dirach who mentor the Fimm
mystics in their magical studies. The coven of
Dirachs form an elite brotherhood which advises the clan nobility and is revered but treated with great suspicion. The lesser-magic of the Druí is insufficient for battle-practice, but a group of the mystics working together are able to exercise mind control over some of large beasts which make their home in the swamps and use them as war machines.
Flaithmor
The
nobles of the Fimm caste are usually selected on the basis of might in combat
but the most cunning Fimm are able to work their way up to Flaithmor by devious
cunning and backstabbing. There is no formal election process, the individuals
the Fimm are willing to obey merely subdue opposition or are usurped. Flaithmor
denotes ‘Fist of the clan’ and each is in charge of a Sept, or sub-division of
the clan. These divisions are usually based around the role of their leader, but movement and in-fighting between Septs is common and the retinue of a
Flaithmor may grow or shrink in number as fickle allegiances are made and
crumble.
There are three principle Septs of clan Maer. Scea-Zok the slavechief has oversight of the Shearl and captives from other races which fall under the Fimir's dominion. Scea-Shille the holdchief has oversight of the Mistmor, Fianna Fimm and Kelpies which protect the stronghold. Scea-Rung the warchief has control of the standing army and its Woldlice and chariots. Such was the enmity between these Septs that the clan Meargh, Maire Scathach, grew sick of their constant quarrelling and fighting. She chose from the ranks of the Fianna a mighty warrior who owed no allegiance to any one of these Flaithmor. Weaving potent charms over him she struck a bargain with the dark gods and so was born Bran the Blessed, a champion of enormous size who she named clanchief and set above all others to control the bickering of the Septs.
There are three principle Septs of clan Maer. Scea-Zok the slavechief has oversight of the Shearl and captives from other races which fall under the Fimir's dominion. Scea-Shille the holdchief has oversight of the Mistmor, Fianna Fimm and Kelpies which protect the stronghold. Scea-Rung the warchief has control of the standing army and its Woldlice and chariots. Such was the enmity between these Septs that the clan Meargh, Maire Scathach, grew sick of their constant quarrelling and fighting. She chose from the ranks of the Fianna a mighty warrior who owed no allegiance to any one of these Flaithmor. Weaving potent charms over him she struck a bargain with the dark gods and so was born Bran the Blessed, a champion of enormous size who she named clanchief and set above all others to control the bickering of the Septs.
Dirach
Known
to the human tribes as ‘Demon-Fiends’, the Dirach are most frequently seen
among Fimir raiding parties. Their spellcasting second only to the Meargh’s
among Fimir they shape the very weather of the marshes to aid their foul cause.
Even among the Fimir they are regarded with fear. As strong as they are
powerful in magic, they tower above their smaller cousins and regard the human
tribesmen with disdain. Dirach occupy high positions in the clan, advising and
assisting the Meargh. One or more Dirach may be assigned the responsibility of
watching over the spiritual wellbeing of the clan, by offering appropriate
sacrifices and divining by the five traditional lores of stars, moon, water,
blood and rock. This task is usually carried out with the assistance of a coven
and the clan Druí.
Not all Dirach belong to such a coven, some shun the company of others or give their allegiance wholly to a single noble. When large raiding parties go into the
outside world it is usual for them to be accompanied by a Dirach. Not only does
this assure the raiders of strong magical support, but the presence of these
beings is usually enough to keep the devious Fimm in line.Dirach are smooth-tailed, horned and usually about the same size as Mistmor, although smaller Dirach exist.
Meargh
The
Meargh (or ‘Witch Queens’) are the only female Fimir. They are powerful
wizards, saturated with the raw magic of chaos and passing on the knowledge
first received from the Old Ones to each subsequent generation. The Meargh live
for millennia, unless slain or consumed by their own spellcasting, and it is rare
for human women to give birth to these creatures. It is rumoured that elven
women are more likely to conceive and carry Meargh but, perhaps because of a
shortage of elf settlements in the north of the Old World, perhaps because the
Meargh are jealous of power and do not wish to have to contend for supremacy,
this remains a Fimir myth. Since they are so rare, and preoccupied with the
running of the clan, Meargh do not often venture out of their stony
settlements. Yet, when provoked or forced abroad by great need, they are a
terrible foe, weaving spells among the winds of magic as though they themselves
directed the flow, and maybe they do.Maire Scathach is the Meargh of clan Maer and rules her tribe with an iron fist. She spend much of her time in a trance, closeted with trusted Dirach and seeking the will of Balor for the clan. In her absence the Flaithmor scheme against one another, under the watchful eye of her representative, Bran the blessed.
Bansidheia
The Fimir are not alone on their mist-wreathed island in the sea of claws. A clan of humans lives there, a clan called the Atrebodil. Possibly they settled there from Albion, possibly from the Old World, possibly from Norsca. Probably from all three for their culture suggests a people well-travelled and steeped in the customs of these places. Many of the Atrebodil are very tall, evidence perhaps of shared lineage with the frost giants of the north. Unlike other humans, the Atrebodil do not shun and detest the Fimir. Instead they deify and revere them as a great warrior people. It is the greatest honour for an Atrebodil woman to be the consort and mother of the gods and there are no shortage who willingly give themselves to the clan. This is probably the reason why clan Maer continues to flourish. The Fimir, however, do not just accept any Atrebodil partner. They insist that the honour be granted to only the fiercest and finest warriors the tribe can present. Thus is the fighting prowess of the clan preserved. The Bansidhe are such candidates, those who fight alongside the Fimir to prove themselves worthy in battle. Many will fall in combat, but from those that survive will be chosen the dams of the next generation.
Bolg
In times of need the men of the Atrebodil tribe (who the Fimir call the Bolg) join them on the battlefield. They are not as accomplished in combat as the womenfolk, nor as driven, but they provide some useful missile attacks in the form of the slingshot.
Kelpies
Jabberwock
Interesting story, that with your permission I will pass it to my forum translated.
ReplyDeleteHi Fimm, when are you going to update this - it is inspiring to add to my Fimir army!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Awesome story and army. What are the gelfkin models? Are they still available?
ReplyDeleteThey're from an old Grenadier 15mm fantasy range. No idea what they are but they came with the Orc that became the charioteer and the cart which formed the base of the chariot.
Delete