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In the ''Warhammer Fantasy'' and ''Warhammer 40,000'' fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos. The daemons found in both universes are very similar, although the precise natures of their creation and existence vary slightly. == Daemons in ''Warhammer Fantasy'' == Daemons in the ''Warhammer Fantasy'' world hail from the dread Hell-like place called the "Realm of Chaos", an alternate dimension, which has giant breaches into the material plane at both poles of the world. They are used in both Warhammer and Warhammer 40000. This realm is composed of pure magical energy; this energy flows into the world through collapsed gates of the Old Ones that, by collapsing, caused the breaches into the Realm of Chaos, and powers the spells cast by wizards and sorcerers. This magical energy is affected by the subconscious minds of men; their thoughts, fears and wishes become manifest as living creatures in the Realm of Chaos. According to the Daemons of Chaos Army Book, there can also be other, smaller "rifts" in the mortal world, caused by excesses of the emotions and magic that fuel Demonic life. The smaller the rift, the fewer and lower power the demons that pop out of it will be. Furies, winged monsters that are not linked with any god, come first, followed by small demons like Nurglings, followed by stronger and stronger demons. These demons will stay in the mortal realm until all of the magic that created them is used up. In the realms of the Empire this is usually less than a week, but demons can evidently manifest indefinitely in the warpstone-encrusted soil of the great northern Chaos wastes. This is one reason why the expansion of the Chaos Wastes that heralds an incursion of Chaos into the civilised world is very important to the success of the incursion. Some of these entities have become immensely powerful over time, becoming the ''Chaos gods''. Presumably these gods could manifest if there was a big enough rift, but this has not happened in recorded history. Less powerful entities became ''daemons''; these are partly tied to the will of the Chaos Gods, but also remain tied to the thoughts of mankind. As most daemons serve one of the gods, when the armies of that god go to war, those daemons tied to it will often march alongside the army. In both of the Warhammer realms, there are four major gods of Chaos, each with its own personality and units. Khorne is the god of war and violence. Khorne believes in honour and will not reward those who kill the weak or puny. Unlike the other gods, there are no cults to Khorne in the empire, and no holy places in his name. This is because Khorne does not see the use of building places of worship when his followers could be practicing their worship of him in battle. The only religious practices of his followers are the shouts of "Blood for the blood god, skulls for the throne of Khorne", and the practice of skulltaking from defeated enemies. Simply put, every battlefield is a monument to the destruction that Khorne brings. He is portrayed as a large muscular form clad in armour of black and brass with a "visage that of a fierce and snarling dog with ravaged lips". Khorne dwells in a brass citadel, within a great vault at its black heart reclining on a throne of brass, set atop of a mountain of skulls, both those of all his champions who have died in battle and all those killed in his name. He is a master forger of armor and weapons, so much so that his armor survived an attack from the Bloodthirster Skarbrand who "cut the smallest of chinks in the Blood god's armour". He is constantly angry, with a mood that ranges from simmering rage to epoch-ending fury. He is also noted as being the God most willing to engage in combat inside the Realm of Chaos. Khorne's territory in the realm of chaos is a vast and hellish blood-soaked desert, where mortals and deamons fight desperately in the name of Khorne.〔Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos〕 Tzeentch is the god of scheming, ambition and trickery. He is most commonly referred to as ''The Changer of Ways'' or ''The Raven God''. Tzeentch is primarily worshipped by ambitious and intelligent individuals who seek to raise themselves above others by any means necessary. Tzeentch is the most weirdly formed of all his brothers. His skin crawls with ever-changing faces that leer and mock those who dare look upon him. His actual face is puckered and formed upon his upper torso, so his head and body are one and above Tzeentch's eyes sprout two sweeping horns that crackle with arcane fire. His territory in the Realm of Chaos is a great library in the Impossible Fortress at the center of a crystalline labyrinth; constantly shifting and changing, so that none who enter it will ever escape with their sanity. The Impossible fortress has no Daemons to protect it, as almost none will make it through. Only the Lords of Change, Tzeentch's greater Daemons, can safely traverse its corridors. His realm lies at the heart of chaos, connecting the realms of the other gods. Tzeentch is not above sullying his hands with the blood of war, though he much prefers to gain victory through guile, cunning and schemes rather than brute force. The Raven God perceives every event and intention and from this information his complex and vast mind can determine how each and every possibility will serve to influence the future. Only Tzeentch can see the tapestry of potential futures weaving forward in time like multicoloured threads. For Tzeentch, scheming is not a means to an end, it is the end itself. Contradictory to this, however, is that Tzeentch seeks no ultimatum for his plans, for if he were to reach a true end then what would the schemer do?〔Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos〕 Nurgle is the god of disease, pestilence and rot. He is usually called the ''Lord of Decay'', though his followers affectionately refer to him as ''Father Nurgle'', ''Papa Nurgle'' or ''Grandfather Nurgle'', as he is the only one of the Chaos Gods who actually cares about the fate of his followers. Nurgle is predominately worshipped by those who desire to cheat death or to attain immortality. Ironically, since Nurgle is a god of disease, he will afflict those who worship him with terrible infectious 'gifts', but they will become resistant to these and in turn, be all but immune to the effects of illness, pain and injury. Nurgle's territory in the Realm of Chaos is a great garden, filled with diseased, alien plants and other creatures. At the centre stands Nurgle's mansion, made of rotted wood and crumbling stone, where Nurgle resides. Under mildewed and sagging beams, Nurgle labours for untold hours at an iron cauldron, which is said to be large enough to hold all of the world's oceans. He works to create contagions and pestilence - The most basic form of life - and every so often he will cease his work to take a taste of his newest concoction. If he is pleased, he will pass the disease on and force it to a being he keeps in his room (Poxfulcrum, in the Warhammer world, a daemon blessed with the ability to heal all infections but cursed with vulnerability to them all. In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, this being is the Eldar god Isha who is Nurgle's prisoner). Nurgle watches the effects of his latest pathogen and if he is pleased he will pour the contents of his cauldron down into a massive iron grate in the floor of this vast room. This then rains down into the mortal world to infect those in it.〔Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos〕 Slaanesh is the god of pleasure, desire, hedonism and indulgence. Usually known as ''The Darkling Prince'' or ''The Prince of Pleasure''. Slaanesh can take male, female or hermaphroditic form at will though he prefers the form of a young strikingly handsome male. All those who look upon Slaanesh lose their soul and become slaves to his slightest whim. He is worshiped by those who seek pleasure and to indulge their every whim, no matter how vile or debauched. Slaanesh's territory in the Realm of Chaos is a great castle that contains six concentric rings. Each ring, as you progress inwards, present different manners of temptation. The circle of Avidity forms the outermost circle, appealing to an intruder's sense of greed. The next circle is that of Gluttony, and any who taste a drop of wine or a bite of food from the banquets and rivers will become a bloated fool who will indulge themselves until their body gives out. The third circle is the circle of Carnality, where all manner of fleshly pleasures may be sampled. Lissome maidens walk the verdant fields, their face and form seemingly sprung from the heart's dearest desire, yet to trust such a creature is purest folly, for there are clawed hands and serpent's teeth beneath the glamour. Upon entering the next circle, the traveler is greeted by a cheering crowd where intruders are tempted with power and its application. Then is the circle of Vainglory; it is a garden with beautiful flowers and heavy thorns. Unseen voices whisper of past glories to tempt an interloper's pride . The final circle is that of Indolence, a serene domain of heavenly choirs and perfumed seas. All within this domain seek to lure the senses with level sands and scented winds. The sands are the desiccated husks of those who have succumbed and the choirs the tortured souls of those lost here. Upon making the journey through this circle, a traveler can ascend to the seat of Slaanesh's power.〔Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos〕 Since Daemons are made of pure magical energy, they are difficult for weapons of the physical world to destroy. However, certain rituals (such as those performed by Imperial warrior-priests) can much more easily defeat them. Also, as the winds of magic fade, so do the daemons; this can even happen during a battle. If the daemons are overcome by their foes in combat, the magic binding them to the world begins to scatter, and the daemons can be banished back to the Realm of Chaos. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Daemon (Warhammer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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