– A Designer Diary by Senior RPG Designer Jay Little
The Old World is a place of unending war and strife. The legions of Chaos threaten to demolish all bastions of civilization while spreading their corruption and heresy across the land. The Four Ruinous Powers continue to gather worshippers among the nobles and commonfolk alike, allowing them to spread their dark designs from within the Empire. Amidst this gathering darkness burns a light of hope that slowly gains strength, lit by those who follow the signs of faith...
Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce Signs of Faith, an upcoming supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Signs of Faith introduces valuable background information on the Cults of the Empire as well as insights on the Ruinous Power Nurgle, the Plaguefather. For players, Signs of Faith introduces new rules for priests, dozens of new blessings across all nine major Empire faiths, and suggestions on how to play priest characters. GMs will find new rules for disease and Nurgle’s daemonic minions, and players have access to ten new careers. In addition, Signs of Faith includes a complete adventure for GMs to test their players’ newfound faith!
The Importance of Religion
Religion is an important part of the culture of the Old World, perhaps nowhere moreso than within the Empire. Humans pray to their many gods for favour, and devout priests turn the tide of battle with their blessings. Yet the Empire rots from within, for Nurgle, the great Lord of Decay, sends his poxes and plagues to afflict the realms of mankind.
Fortunately, the signs of faith are everywhere–for those who know how to look. Priests of Manann protect the Empire’s vital waterways while priests of Taal prowl its forests and wilds. Priests of Ulric take the might of the wolf god into battle, and priests of Verena plumb tomes and lore for insights that may provide an edge against the trouble brewing across the Empire. Despite their different beliefs and tenets, the Empire Cults are united in their struggle against the surging tide of Chaos.
As major spiritual and political institutions in the Empire, the religious cults have a broad and widely varied influence on the lives of the Empire’s citizens. Through some of the cults’ significant religious sites and interesting followers, an observer can learn quite a bit about how religion stretches across the Empire.
While it can seem that Imperial religion is split into many different cults all vying for influence and power, this is not necessarily the case. Ultimately the official cults of the Empire are on the same side, and when it comes down to it, they will fight and die for each other against their common foes. What must be remembered is that all the gods are real, and all the common folk acknowledge this. Everyone believes in all the gods. Even the most fanatical cultist is in no doubt that all the other gods are just as real as their chosen patron deity. It is only the priests, with their particular fervour for a single deity, who might give the impression that there is division between the religions.
Of course, the priests fight like cats and dogs over the most trivial of theological matters. However, the enemies of the Empire and the enemies of all the people of the Old World are not trivial. Anyone who allows cult rivalries stand in the way of a united defence against the awesome might of the Dark Gods is a fool, and is playing a dangerous game.
A Foe Most Foul
But the Great Lord of Decay and his jovial minions have their own plans – to merrily spread disease, filth, and infection across the land. Plaguebearers, nurglings, and the horrific Great Unclean Ones do the bidding of the mighty Plaguefather. The new rules for disease expose the characters to greater afflictions and dangers during their adventures, for the gifts of Father Nurgle are foul and frightening. Woe unto the adventurer who contracts Yellow Skull Fever, the Grim Ague, or worse – Nurgle’s Rot!
Despite their many differences, the one thing that binds all mortals, from the crude tribesmen of the Northern Wastes to the refined aristocrats of Altdorf’s Imperial court, is that every one of them is subject to illness, gradual atrophy, and eventual death. They are bound to a world where nothing is permanent – in future aeons even the great Fauschlag, upon which Middenheim is built, will be worn away to dust.
Most civilised folk hide from this fact by finding solace among immortal deities in stone temples that emphasise the illusion of eternal permanence. However, there are some who fully embrace their mortal condition and offer their souls to the Chaos god who embodies this mouldering state: Nurgle, Lord of Decay. Nurgle’s worshippers can be said to be the most joyous of mortals, but it is the insane glee of those who have resigned themselves to damnation.