The Great Parch

The Great Parch is a continent located in the Realm of Aqshy, one of the eight worlds of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. It is the region that the Age of Sigmar Roleplay game is initially set in.

The continent is also the site of a number of major events in the AOS timeline:

• It was here that Grimnir fell fighting the Godbeast Vulcatrix, and in their mutual destruction scattered Ur-Gold across the Realms. Following this, the first Fyreslayers would discover this divine substance in the Great Parch and would go on to found the Vostarg Lodge, the first and oldest of the Lodges.

• During the opening stages of the Age of Chaos, the various tribes of the Flamescar Plateau began to slowly succumb to the influence of Khorne, including one warrior named Athol Khul, later known as Khorgos Khul. Khorgos would go on to create the infamous Goretide, a Khornate horde so vast that it would devastate and massacre vast swathes of civilization in Aqshy and beyond.

• Sigmar's forces would make their first major push to retake the Realms in the Great Parch, with the Hammers of Sigmar driving out the Goretide and securing footholds for the forces of Order around the various Realmgates on the continent.

• Gotrek Gurnisson would make landfall in the Mortal Realms in the Great Parch, eventually going on to save Hammerhal Aqsha from being destroyed from within by a Tzeentch cult.

Notable Locations

Aridian

A land never reconquered by Sigmar's forces, the majority of Aridian is ruled by the Chaos Lords collectively known as the Scavenger Kings, with the local Fyreslayers and their allies being the only major force of Order left.

• Vostargi Mount: A giant volcano said to be formed from the heart of Vulcatrix. Lots of Fyreslayer lodges are based here (most notably the Vostarg lodge), but there's also the city of Brimstone built for foreigners to conduct business with them.

• The Forge Anathema: Chaos Dwarf fortress that sells weapons to anybody willing to deal with them.

• The Reaver Wastes: A bloody battleground where tribes alternately loyal to Sigmar and Khorne smack the shit out of eachother. Outsiders sometimes come here seeking to scavenge the ruins of Ahramentia, the capital of the Agloraxi Empire. Too bad that Archaon's also interested in it, and has sent a Chaos warband called the Doom Lords to prevent anybody from nicking the goods he thinks are rightfully his.

Aspiria

One of two major nations that survived the Age of Chaos, Aspiria is a confederation of magocratic city-states formed of wizards who broke off from the Agloraxi empire.

• Lumnos: The last of the Aspirian city-states, and the home of the House of Rising Embers, one of the most esteemed colleges (for both the magical and liberal arts) in the Mortal Realms. The markets here sell some of the most powerful magical artifacts in Aqshy, but it is said the mage-traderes prefer payment in forbidden lore and dangerous favors.

• Steel Spike: A immense fortress designed to guard the only crossing (outside of the Kindling Forest) to the mainland, Steel Spike never fell during the Age of Chaos, mainly because its defenses were so good even the forces of Khorne weren't stupid enough to assault it. As such, the resulting influx of refugees has made it become a city in its own right.

• The Timestolen Empire: Time itself is broken in the lands conquered by Tzeentch. Warriors killing their past selves, crops growing from seed to plant to dead within a few days, and so on. Although going to such a chaotic place is a really stupid idea, you still get some idiots who come here seeking to gain knowledge from the past or future.

• The Bright Mountains: This mostly unexplored mountain range is home to the Scions of the Flame, the chaos fire-cultists from Warcry. On the bright side, its also home to a Fyreslayer lodge and several Dispossessed Karaks.

• The Disintegrated Shore: When the Agloraxi Empire ceded this land to the mages who would found Aspiria, they left behind a whole bunch of magical citadels containing various secrets. They never explained what these secrets were, because they were a bunch of assholes like that. The forces of Tzeentch prowl this place, interested in claiming the secrets of the Agloraxi Citadels for themselves, while the forces of Order seek to reclaim them, most notably Brightspear, a citadel that has been turned into one of the Cities of Sigmar.

Bataar

The other major nation to survive the Age of Chaos. A proud merchant people, the folk of Bataar are unusual in that they prefer the use of barter to direct currency (although they still accept coinage, they find it less sporting), and as such have grown adept at negotiating complex multi-party trades. While for a long time isolated to their floating city, when Sigmar's armies arrived they started spending the gold they had stockpiled for centuries to hire as many Fyreslayers as they could in order to reconquer their homeland.

• The Floating City: Originally a bunch of trading boats strapped together to form an impromptu bazaar. This amalgamation of ships grew until it was the size of a city, then the Aspirians enchanted it to fly as a gift to their allies. Governed by the Traders Guild, who determine their ranks through the "Game of Razored Gifts", where each member seeks to increase his status by giving the most extravagant gifts they can.

• Flamespider Woad: The forest home of the flamespiders. Most civillizations upon hearing the word "flamespider" would immediately decide to exterminate the species out of principle, but the Bataari were enterprising enough to build a mercantile empire off exporting their firesilk. Unfortunately, the forces of Nurgle have started taking up shop here, and diseased spiders are beginning to attack neighbouring villages.

• Lake of Dark Pacts: Local legend claims this place was named for two lovers who drowned themselves in a suicide pact when their love was denied. After the Necroquake this place has become haunted, with ghostly pleasure barges slaying visitors so they may "join in their revels". Its commonly rumored that this place is a Realmgate to Shyish, but nobody knows how to open it.

Capilaria

Formerly the home of skilled smith-tribes (most notably the Direbrands, the original tribe of Vandus Hammerhand), it is now the most war-torn region of all Aqshy, containing the headquarters of both Order and Chaos within the Great Parch.

• Hammerhal Aqsha: The twin-tailed city, half existing in Aqshy, half existing in Ghyran.

• Skulpile: A Khornate city that quite literally is a giant pile of skulls. The inhabitants have carved some of the larger ones into crude homes, and pilgrims come from all around to add their own trophies to the heap.

• The Eye: The giant portal to the realm of Khorne opened by Khorgos Khul that first introduced Chaos to Aqshy. Everyone in Order knows the only way to rid Chaos from the Great Parch is to close the Eye; too bad nobody knows how they're gonna do it. Nearby the portal are numerous large volcanoes, which make The Eye a holy site for the Firebelly ogor shamans.

• Everlyme Point: This place has its innocuous name due to originally existing as a lime-mining colony back in the Age of Myth. Now its a Khornate fortress.

• Vandium: A city named in honor of Vandus Hammerhand itself, containing a precious Realmgate to Azyr.

The Eastern Parch

Seperated from the main continent by the Adamantine Chain mountain range, the Eastern Parch is the most frontier region of the Great Parch (which is saying something, seeing as the entire continent is mostly frontier).

• Chakrik's Folly: The biggest Skaven undercity in the Great Parch. Chakrik was a warlock engineer who built devices that he claimed would protect the city from earthquakes, and who quickly died when all but one of them exploded. The sole remaining device isn't enough to prevent thousands of skavenslaves dying each time an earthquake happens, but the Skaven don't care so long as it exposes another vein of Warpstone.

• Hel Crown: Khornate fortress built into a volcano. A realmgate to the realm of Khorne exists in the mouth of the volcano, but has a bad habit of going out unexpectedly, leading to the unfortunates trying to enter plummeting to their firey deaths.

• The Reclaimed Demenses: These Order villages, geographically cut-off from the rest of the Cities of Sigmar, are in a daily struggle to survive. As such, the colonists here tend to be the hardiest and bravest of them all, typically native Aqshyian warriors who turned to farming.

• The Stain: This lake was the site of an epic battle between Stormcast and Khornates where so much blood was shed that the water was permanently stained red.

Flamescar Plateau

Formerly the domain of the powerful magocratic Agloraxi Empire. The setting of the Age of Sigmar expansion Firestorm, detailing the conflict between all four grand alliances over the control of their ultimate weapon, the Prismatikon. The tribes who live here are notoriously firey even by Aqshy standards, and many of them view Sigmar's folk as invaders no different than the forces of Chaos or Death. Also the home of the Caverns of Fulminax, an elemental used to fuel the Agloraxi's superweapons. Within these caverns lives a type of unique fire-loving Troggoth species; the Sulphurbreath Troggoths, who prey on the giant lizards native to the caverns.

• Edassa: African-esque nation with a heavy lion theme going on, to the point where they often worship Sigmar in the form of a man with a lion's head.

• Anvilguard: Coastal city perpetually shrouded in mist, which is actually a weedkiller sprayed into the air to prevent the jungle from overtaking it. The city is secretly ran by the Blackscale Coil, who are basically all the old Dark Elf factions from Warhammer Fantasy united with the purpose of dicking everyone else over. Nearly overran by a horde of undead dinosaurs until the Seraphon came, saved the city, and started their own colony there for their own inscrutable purposes.

• Anvalor: Legends say this city is cursed, for whenever the forces of order try to reclaim it they always get foiled, be it by Chaos, Skaven, greenskins or just natural disasters. Doesn't stop them from planning to try it one last time, because in addition to being on a major trading route it also has a good source of precious water.

Golvaria

Formerly a nation ruled by necromancers, until their crimes saw them invaded by Aspiria and banished to the Isle of Ghouls. With the coming of the Necroquake, it is now rumored that the necromancers are growing in power and planning to reconquer their old homelands.

• Hallowheart: Founded in a formerly Tzeentchian stronghold, Hallowheart is a city of wizards, with the local population being significantly more likely to have magical talent. The citizens aren't unaware that being built on an ex-Chaos stronghold isn't a good omen, and as such have become extremely superstitious and paranoid.

• Castle Drakesbane: The home of the Daemon Prince Lord Zaronak, also known as the Fist of the Everchosen. Charged by the Everchosen to stamp out all hope within the Great Parch, he mostly spends his time working on his schemes to destroy Hallowheart.

Khul's Ravage

The name of this land has long been forgotten, Khorgos Khul having wrecked it so bad that everyone has just named it after him instead. This was the first theatre of war the Stormcast Eternals were ever deployed to (more specifically the Brimstone Peninsula, where the original starter box for Age of Sigmar took place), and as such Order now has a decent grasp over this territory, even if the land is still too damaged to support proper agriculture.

• Tempest's Eye: Mountaintop city with a strong alliance with the Kharadron Overlords. The vast observatories of the city keep an eye on the rest of the realms (both through scrying the future with astrology and just spying on shit with giant telescopes), so the armies of Tempests Eye have a habit of miraculously intervening when they're most needed.

• Obsidian Fortress: Former Chaos fortress that was taken over by the Tempest Lords. Spends most of their time teaming up with the armies of Steel Spike to kill whatever Tzeentchian abomination crawls out of the Timestolen Empire.

• Horn of Ignax: Nobody knows what this bright... thing is. Some say its the literal severed horn of the solar drake Ignax, others that its just some naturally occuring gas vent. Whatever the case, it makes a convenient lighthouse for nearby sailors, as its so bright that on a good night even the Idoneth Deepkin can see it from the bottom of the ocean.

Vitriola

The tribes of Vitriola were once famous for two things; having the reddest hair in the realms, and being notoriously fickle mercenaries who switched sides at a moments notice. This did not endear them to the forces of Chaos, who punished such betrayal brutally, and now the remaining few tribes of Vitriola are weak and desperate, especially because their old reputation means they have few allies willing to help them reclaim their lands.

• Hag's Delta: This marshland has long been known to house the Daughters of Khaine. Although the Witch Aelves stationed here were recalled to defend Ulgu during the Age of Chaos, recently the Khailebron sect has returned to the Delta to embark on a campaign of guerilla warfare against the forces of Zaronax.

• Kindling Forests: Long ago, the Bright Wizards of Aspiria, seeing that their lands were about to become the target of a Waaagh!, decided to summon a whole bunch of fire spirits to start a perpetual wildfire that would stop anybody from invading them. This has pissed off Claggit's Smotherers, the local Gloomspite Gitz clan dwelling beneath, who have vowed to put out every fire in Aqshy.