What Universe is Total War: Warhammer Set in? An Expert‘s Deep Dive into the Warhammer Fantasy World

As a long-time fantasy gaming enthusiast and Warhammer lore aficionado, one question I see popping up often is: what is the universe and world that the Total War: Warhammer games take place in? While these epic strategy titles feature regiments of skeletons, insidious Skaven and earth-shaking magics, many fans still don‘t have a firm grasp on the intricate fantasy setting they‘re immersed in.

So strap in, my dear readers, as we take a journey through the rich, dark, engrossing background of the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world. From the in-fighting human factions to the sinister forces plotting their downfall, there‘s ancient histories and incredible stories covered across entire tabletop army books worth of content to explore in this guide for the mega-fans out there.

The Total War Games Are Firmly Rooted in Fantasy, Not 40k

Before we dig deeper, I must reiterate an important point to avoid any confusion: Total War: Warhammer has absolutely no connections or links to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are wholly separate entities sharing some themes and the Warhammer name only.

So you will not find Space Marines, boltguns or the God-Emperor here! No Tyranids or Necrons either. The Total War series is planted firmly in the Warhammer Fantasy universe first created as a tabletop battle game in 1983. I cannot stress this enough!

While both do involve relentless warfare and contain factions of pointy-eared aristocratic Elves, the similarities end there. So if you came here wondering if Karl Franz can ally with Blood Angels Successors against Genestealer Cults, you‘re in the wrong neighborhood!

With that clarification out of the way, let‘s charge forwards into uncovering more about the actual dark fantasy realm Total War calls home…

Welcome to the Old World – Grim, Perilous, Tumultuous

The majority of Total War: Warhammer takes place in the Old World – the main continental landmass at the heart of this fictional universe. This region is roughly analogous our real Earth‘s Europe in the Renaissance era.^[1]

But that‘s where any historical similarities end. The Old World is filled with menacing dark forests, cursed marshes, creature-infested mountain ranges and tainted Chaos Wastes to the north. Welcome to a cruel, unforgiving and often downright disturbing land!

A map of the Old World at the height of the Empire. (Source: Warhammer-Fantasy-Battles fandom)

This western continental cluster is the primary focus of the first two Total War: Warhammer games. But the third installment expands the map drastically into the realms of fire, metal, death and more I‘ll cover shortly when discussing the forces of Chaos.

For now, let‘s meet some of the main players inhabiting this blighted fantasy realm…

The Age of Strife and Order Factions Struggling to Survive

Compared to our sane, stable modern world, the Warhammer Old World is grimmer than painting miniatures with a heavy hangover. Civilization constantly teeters on the brink. Endless wars, rebellions, succession crises, territorial disputes, bestial invasions and religious conflicts continuously wrack the human nations.^[2]

Let‘s overview the primary Order factions trying to maintain control here:

The Empire – Inspired by the medieval Holy Roman Empire, this large central state formed when the warrior-king Sigmar united bickering tribes against Orcs and Goblins. After his mysterious disappearance, an Emperor is now elected to rule from Altdorf. Currently, the brave Karl Franz holds this title, leading armies of faith-driven soldiers, gunpowder weapons and battle-wizards.

Bretonnia – To the west lie fertile kingdoms with an Arthurian feel. Peasantry serve proud knights ruling in mimicry of Charlemagne‘s dynasty. Living by a literal interpretation of chivalric codes, lords quest and fight from mighty castles.

Dwarfs – These stout, industrious miners maintain underground holds in southern mountain ranges. Master engineers and runesmiths fashion steam-powered contraptions, gyrocopters and explosive ordinance while adhering to centuries-old grudges. Their Book of Remembrance recounts oaths of vengeance against Greenskins, Skaven and more.

High Elves – On the island-realm of Ulthuan, architecturally stunning cities house one of the most advanced magic-wielding civilizations in the world. But lately, this race grown decadent and arrogant after millennia of prosperity faces civil war against the sinister Dark Elves.

This covers but a handful of the complex factions battling both external threats and internal turmoil in an grim era where Chaos lies poised to capitalize on any weakness…

The Forces of Ruin – Chaos, Undead and Verminous Hordes

Beyond simply conquering territory, the mortal champions of Order must contend with supernatural foes and hostile races seeking the utter annihilation of civilization itself:

Warriors of Chaos – From the harsh Chaos Wastes, northern barbarian tribes and Kurgan warbands worship foul entities. These ruins-scarred lands touch the turbulent Realm of Chaos, where nightmares manifest and sanity shrivels.^[3] The Dark Gods gift marauders fell artifacts and flesh-twisting mutations. When Archaon the Everchosen unites tribes under his black banner, a tide of steel, muscle and corrupted sorcery surges south during a Chaos Incursion.

Skaven – Far beneath the surface, teeming ratmen hordes plot civilization‘s end within decaying metropolises. Backstabbing grey seers incant warp magics to support Clan Moulder‘s hideous fleshshops, Clan Skrye‘s deranged technomancers and more on quests for power. [^4] Only united behind a strong leader do these vermin spill from tunnels to gnaw at society‘s root.

Vampire Counts – From the haunted forests of Sylvania, aristocratic vampiric dynasties rule over peasants not as cattle but assets and Tithe. [^5] They gather unliving legions by night before marching openly under the banners of the Carsteins and other ancient lineages.

Tomb Kings – South beyond burning deserts, ageless revenant rulers maintain imposing pyramid-fortresses and the remnants of once-great kingdoms. [^6] Raising legion upon legion of skeletal warriors, they seek the immortality stolen from them by treacherous Nagash, the first necromancer.

This covers but a handful of amoral powers seeking to subvert or consume the kingdoms of man and dwarf!

I could write several encyclopedia volumes on any one of these unique, fascinating factions. There is a vast ocean of lore for fans like us to happily drown in concerning these groups and more hidden areas of the world like the Southlands, Lustria and distant east.

Suffice to say, I think Creative Assembly could produce 10+ amazing Total War games with DLCs set in various regions and eras before they‘d need to revisit factions covered already! We still have Ogre Kingdoms, Chaos Dwarfs, Daemons of Chaos, Dogs of War/Southern Realms mercenaries and even the ancient Naggarothi Dark Elves to see someday. I‘d estimate an 85% chance of us eventually getting to play these.

For now though, let‘s glimpse the wider metaphysical forces underlying this dark fantasy universe that ultimatively threaten all existence…

Magic, Gods and the True Nature of Chaos

Most average denizens barely comprehend the true scope of mystical energies and entities empowering both warrior-priests chanting battle-prayers and grey seers calling eldritch plagues upon cities.

Magic as practiced by mortal wizards, priests or warlocks only scratches the surface of the incredible wellspring of raw arcane potential suffusing the world. The unseen dimension permeating reality itself – the Aethyr – churns with limitless magic. It‘s source stems from Chaos itself leaking across dimensions.^[7] 

But we‘ll get to back to the spiky hellscape-dimension seeking to subsume all shortly!

The Winds of Magic – Raw Source of Spellcraft

Scholars divide magic into eight distinct reaches called "Winds." Manipulating these requires strong wills, ancient incantations in mystical tongues like Magick and mental fortitude not to become enthralled.^[8]

Let‘s see how the Empire ranks each Wind in term of danger:

Dark magic is thus rightfully feared in the Old World. But we group the benign Gold, Bright, Celestial and Life under "High" or even "Light Magic."

Still, little compares to the sheer overwhelming power and soul-rending risk of directly tapping Chaos itself…

The Dark Gods of Chaos

Beyond the thin veil of reality lurks the Plane of Chaos – an insane, swirling maelstrom of rainbow hues and formless matter boiling with limitless arcane energy.^[9] The iconic eight-pointed star symbolizes holes rent in the fabric of existence permitting its intrusion.

Four epic psychic entities were birthed during the dawn of Creation from mortals‘ base emotions flooding the nascent Realm of Chaos. [^10] They are forever engaged in the Great Game of vying for power and human worshippers – the only way such "gods" can retain independent sentience and identity against being reabsorbed into the chaotic flow.

Let‘s briefly detail these Ruinous Powers and what tempts followers into their grasp:

Khorne – A roaring titan of brazen muscle and molten brass upon a throne of skulls who finds psychic sorcery anathema compared to raw bloodletting. His core spheres are mindless violence, martial honor and an endless demand for killing spilling from bronze-clad followers‘ axes in his name.

Tzeentch – Ever does the bizarre, inconstant Architect of Fate plot and mutate his Rubric into new permutations across the dimensions of time. Those who bargain away sanity for a glimpse of his grand schemes unleash warpfire and maddening spells of shifting unreality from deep within labyrinthine strongholds.

Nurgle – Possibly the most horrifying vision for mortals – an immense chimera wrought from oozing intestines, bubonic flesh sacks and rusted armor overMusty, dripping gardens in his manse play host to suppurating Great Unclean Ones promising salvation from death‘s embrace should one merely accept the loving flyblown "Grandfather‘s gifts…"

Slaanesh – She Who Thirsts gallops across unnatural alien terrain on a serpentine steed, pursuing every pleasure, vice and sensation through bewitching sonnets and aegis that project the promise of perfect eternal delight to enrapture mortals. Behind gilded masks, the Dark Prince‘s followers court hedonistic excess.

Surfacing even an iota of these entities‘ true faces or names risks annihilation or trap- binding servitude. But ambition, desperation and hatred inevitably draws mortals toward the lure of power offered, slowly eroding sanity…

And this only brushes the surface of this vast universe! We haven‘t touched on mythic forest-dwelling races, the Lizardmen guarding ancient temple-cities, chaotic Beastmen warped by Chaos energy or the ancient progenitors like the Old Ones and their Slann servants.

Suffice to say, Warhammer Fantasy presents endless eras, cultures, creatures and secrets for intrepid fans to uncover across army books, novels and Total War‘s vivid adaptations bringing battles to life. I know I personally can‘t get enough!

Now I‘m sure several questions remain, so let‘s swing through a quick lightning round FAQ before signing off:

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How does Warhammer Fantasy relate to Age of Sigmar?

A: Age of Sigmar effectively forms the far-future sequel era to Warhammer Fantasy after near total-destruction! Total War depicts past events.

Q: Does the planet in Warhammer Fantasy have a name?
A: Generally referred to simply as "The World That Was" but some sources mention Mallus or Earth imaginatively.

Q: Could the God-Emperor or Space Marines exist in the past Fantasy timeline?
A: Almost certainly not – the Fantasy cosmology and metaphysics differs greatly from 40k as covered already.

Q: Who would win – Archaon or the Emperor in a 1v1 fight?
A: scoff Please, let‘s not indulge in such an asinine fanboy fictional match-up thought experiment here…

So there you have it – the entire core mythos underpinning Total War‘s vivid conflicts in a bloody, unforgiving dark fantasy universe! Let me know what you found most surprising or interesting in the comments. And stay tuned for my upcoming video guides to getting started with various Warhammer races once game 3‘s Immortal Empires combined campaign comes out! noises of excitement

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