This post continues my history of WFRP1, which started here.

This post has been modified from its original form.

Chaos warriors were one of the first elements of Chaos to be depicted in Warhammer in any detail. They are described in the insert that accompanied the second version of Citadel’s SS1 boxed set (August 1983):

The Chaos Gods summon ten mighty Warriors of Chaos … dour heroes, once human but strangely transformed by contact with the forces of Chaos. – ‘The Quest for Chaos’

Chaos warriors had already featured in Asgard’s miniatures range and in the earlier version of the SS1 boxed set. The miniatures accompanying ‘The Quest for Chaos’ were clearly a continuation of these designs. They are generally characterised by heavy armour and enclosed helmets, adorned with horns, skulls and demonic faces.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Asgard Chaotics (AFB2, AFB3, AFB4 and AFB8)

Citadel Champions of Chaos boxed set (SS1, v1)

Citadel Warriors of Chaos boxed set (SS1, v2)

‘The Quest for Chaos’ says nothing significant about the Chaos warriors’ relationship with the gods of Chaos. There are no mentions of divine pacts, gifts or Chaos attributes. All we know is that they have “contact” with Chaos.

Chaos warriors are subsequently also mentioned in ‘The Duelling Circles of Khorne’ (November 1983). This seems to present Chaos warriors not as the leaders of loose warbands, but as parts of organised regiments, with training grounds.

… The Martial Orders of Chaos have founded their grotesquely ornate temples and training establishments…. … A squad of elite Chaos Warriors might strut past on their way to weapons training. – op cit

‘The Warrior Knights of Chaos’ (November 1983) provides the most detailed account of Chaos warriors from this period. It introduces the idea that gods act as patrons of individual warriors and bestow Chaotic attributes on them.

All of the Warriors are devoted members of powerful chaotic sects, each sect being one of those associated with the war god Khorne. … All of these gods have their own peculiar characteristics which enable their followers to aquire [sic] equivalent chaotic attributes. – op cit

It is notable, though, that the Chaos warrior miniatures mentioned here show very few signs of mutation. The only visible mutation in any of the Asgard and Citadel miniatures above is one elongated head included in the first version of the SS1 boxed set. It is possible that in the early stages, Chaos attributes were not primarily mutations, but powers bestowed on disciples. They may therefore have been more akin to the Chaos gifts of later rules.

By the first Citadel Compendium (November 1983) the term “Chaos attribute” clearly included both mutations (such as a prehensile tail) and special powers (such as magic resistance or characteristic advances).

CHAMPIONS OF CHAOS Those who ally themselves with the dark forces of Chaos can gain great power, but as their affinity with Chaos increases, their very body and soul may be distorted, until eventually they are not even recognisable as human, [sic] this is simulated by gradually gaining Chaotic Attributes. – ‘The Mark of Chaos’, the first Citadel Compendium

By the release of Forces of Fantasy (March 1984) there was still some ambiguity as to whether Chaos attributes were afflictions or benefits:

The Realm of Chaos supplement can be used to determine the type of the many strange Chaos Attributes that afflict some unfortunate creatures. … Extra points must be paid for these powers as detailed in Realm of Chaos. – Forces of Fantasy, ‘Forces of Fantasy’, p39

Forces of Fantasy also introduces the idea of Chaos warriors leading heterogeneous warbands, rather than existing as regiments of their own.

Players wishing to general the Chaos Hordes will have to assemble their armies after generating their Champions, followers and appropriately weird Chaos Creatures, using the various charts in our arcane Realm of Chaos publication. – ibid

In fact, by the publication of Forces of Fantasy, it seems that the core ideas of Warhammer‘s Chaos warriors had already coalesced.

From the beginning Chaos Warriors were established as a really important part of the Warhammer landscape. Those early models, drawn by John [Blanche] and sculpted by Michael and Alan [Perry], found a special place in the hearts of gamers and collectors…. Certainly, Michael Moorcock was an influence and inspiration … [but] I don’t think our vision of Chaos Warriors overlaps much with that of Michael Moorcock (although we did occasionally borrow his arrow symbol). For me, all the roots of the Chaos Warriors that Citadel made over the years lie with Frank Frazetta’s ‘Death Dealer’ paintings and sketches, the first few “Chaos Warriors” that Tony Ackland made at Asgard (also the one that Stan Pochron made) and John Blanche’s sketches from the early 80s. – Bryan Ansell, Realm of Chaos 80s

There are certainly visual parallels between Frazetta’s Death Dealer character and the early Chaos warriors. Enclosed horned helmets, like Death Dealer’s, recur in the miniatures.

‘Death Dealer’, by Frank Frazetta

Nonetheless, it is worth highlighting that all except the first of Frazetta’s Death Dealer paintings postdate Citadel’s Chaos warrior designs, and in other respects Citadel’s Chaos warriors do seem to owe a significant debt to Moorcock. They in many respects resemble characters such as Elric, Jagreen Lern and Prince Gaynor the Damned: their armour and weapons and their double-edged pacts with Chaos gods, for example.

On his body, scarlet armour glowed as if red-hot. On his left arm was a shield of the same stuff and in his hand a steel sword. He had a narrow, aquiline head with a closely trimmed black beard and moustache. On his elaborate helm was the Merman Crest of Pan Tang…. Jagreen Lern. – Michael Moorcock, Stormbringer, Book II Chapter 4 (1963-1964 as novellas, 1965 as book) Prince Gaynor sat in the middle of this, near the leaping fire, all encased from head to foot in his flashing armour. It was sometimes silver, sometimes gold, sometimes bluish steel. A dark yellow plume nodded on the helm and on the breastplate was engraved the Arms of Chaos — eight arrows radiating from a central hub, representing, according to Chaos, all the rich possibilities inherent in its philosophy. Prince Gaynor did not carouse. He did not eat and he did not drink. He merely stared at his warriors, his metal-gloved hands upon the pommel of his big sword which was also sometimes silver, sometimes gold, sometimes bluish steel. He was all of a piece, Prince Gaynor the Damned. – Michael Moorcock, The Queen of the Swords, Book III, Chapter 3 (1971)

Warhammer‘s Chaos warriors may owe a partial debt to Death Dealer, but Moorcock lay at their heart.

There are also many comments alluding to Moorcock’s influence on Ansell (beyond his eight-arrowed Chaos symbol).

The core idea came from Bryan’s fascination with the Chaos gods featured in Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion books. – Tony Ackland, Realm of Chaos 80s

Whereas Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories were the main source of inspiration for Bryan, I leaned more towards H P Lovecraft. – Tony Ackland, Realm of Chaos 80s

Dedicated to Phil Barker, Donald Featherstone and Michael Moorcock, whose fault it all is. – Warhammer Fantasy Battle, second edition

In my view Chaos warriors owe a greater death to Elric and other characters in Moorcock’s fiction than to Death Dealer. Ansell’s comments perhaps underplay Moorcock’s influence.

The next post will continue the thematic review of the evolution of Chaos, with a look at creatures of Chaos.

Title art by Frank Frazetta. Internal art by Frank Frazetta, John Sibbick and Michael Whelan. Used without permission. No challenge intended to the rights holders.