Grungni
 | |
| Titles | The Maker[2] The Shaper of the Realms[15a] The Builder[2] The Wondersmith[7] Ironhand[7] Forge-King[7] Thrower-of-Hammers[7] Breaker-of-Chains[7] Lord of all Forges[8a] Master-Smith[8a] God of Metal[8b] Master of the Forge[15a] The Lord of Smiths[15a] The Forger of Miracles[15a] |
| Domains | Smithing Metal[8b] |
| Type | Ascended deity Ancestor God |
| Status | Active |
| Home | First Smithy |
| Relatives | Grimnir(brother)[8c] Valaya Ong(creation) |
| Affiliation | Order |
| Followers | Dispossessed |
Grungni is the Ancestor-God of creation, the Shaper of the realms and the lord of Chamon. [15a][17a]
As the mightiest duardin Ancestor-God, the God of Metal once walked the World-That-Was as a mortal. His direct descendants have endured to thrive anew in the Mortal Realms. [15a]
Contents
History
Age of Myth
Of the Duardin’s hundredfold Ancestor Gods, Grungni is the mightiest to awaken in the Mortal Realms. [7d] Many ancient myths recount how the various duardin factions revived and choose their own patrons from their extensive pantheon. [4a] [4b]
Using the four Great Tethers forged by Grungni, Grimnir chains the solar Drake Ignax to the Land of the Chained Sun so that all might have light and fire. The godbeast becomes the second sun of Aqshy. [4b] [10a][7b]
| ‘We had a sister, Grimnir and I. Aye, and more than one. Brothers too. Sons and… and wives. Our voices shaped the realms of metal and fire, and the roots of more realms besides. Our song drew up the stones from the seas and our hands crafted the mountains. Or maybe I misremember. I am old, as I said, and I have lived many lives. Older even than he who sits upon the throne of Azyr.’
– Grungni. [8c] |
The Great Betrayal
As Grimnir rested from binding Ignax, a great evil befell the duardin’s Ancestor Gods. Known as the Thagduegi – the Great Betrayal – a wave of ignoble traitorous acts make the duardin pantheon break apart. [4b]
Following the Thagduegi, Grungni, now crippled in form, and Grimnir are left chained atop the tallest of the Iron Mountains in Chamon. [4b] [18a]
| ‘More than one dark legend has it that Grungni forged the chains that bound himself and his brother, though no Duardin living can say why.’
– Yjurgen, Battlesmith of Vostarg Lodge. [7d] |
The Chains Are Broken
Venturing across Chamon, Sigmar stumbled upon Grungni and Grimnir atop the highest peak of the Iron Mountains, and manages to free them. [4b]
Both Ancestor-Gods pledged an oath to repay the favour in the way they saw fit. [4b]
| ‘Sigmar and I are allies. I am no more his servant than he is mine. I swore an oath to aid him, but it is up to me to fulfil that oath how I see fit.’ |
The Labours of Grungni
After retrieving his freedom, the Maker brokered a lasting peace between the First Clans of the Khazukan and the Twelve Tribes of Azyr. [7d]
The Master-Smith also undertook the construction of marvels that eclipsed all that had come before them. Those went from the Sigmarabulum and the Anvil of Apotheosis to the reshaping of entire regions of the Mortal Realms. [18a]
Following is a list of known achievements accomplished by The Maker in these times:
- He taught mortals metalcraft. [7a]
- He taught mortals how to craft magical artefacts. [7d]
- In Azyr, he built the Sigmarabulum. [18a]
- In Azyr, he built the Anvil of Apotheosis. [18a]
- In Azyr, he crafted the Thunder-Gates. [2b]
- In Azyr, created the Six Smiths. [1a][5a]
- He forged the weapons and armour of Sigmar’s followers. [7d]
- In Shyish, he forged the black chain that sealed the Gates of Deepest Night. [7d]
- In Ghyran, he planted the seeds of iron that allowed Alarielle’s folk to forge weapons and armour. [7d]
- In Chamon, he taught Odrenn’s singing bladesmiths the secret of liquid-core blades. [7d]
- In Chamon, he crafted the Nineteen Wonders of Chamon.[18a]
- In Chamon, he forged the Godwrought Isles – a gleaming utopia of order and technological progress. [15a]
- In Chamon, he established the Iron Karak.[1b]
- Some stories say that before Grimnir bade Grungni forge him a new axe before setting out to kill Vulcatrix. [4b]
The Nineteen Great Wonders of Chamon
The Nineteen Wonders of Chamon perhaps stand as the pinnacle of the many grand masterpieces created by the Forge-King during the Age of Myth. [18a]
Following is a list of the known Great Wonders of Chamon:
- Godwrought Isles: Located at the heart of the Realm of Metal, the Godwrought Isles were geometrical marvels linked together by flawlessly built bridges and each possessing unfathomable treasures and alchemical wonders.[14a] Each of these heavenly islands is bestowed upon one of Grungni’s worshipper clans. [5b]
- Cog-People of Odsin: Disowned after an event known as the Winding Storm. [5b]
- Maraz Drang: The Steel City. [5b]
- World Hearth. [5b]
The Breath of Grungni
While the true nature and origin of aether-gold are ultimately unknown[Note1] many legends say that Grungni’s exertions were such that the metal-dust shed by his hammer mingled with his breath to form air-borne clouds of aether-gold. Others say that the creation of aether-gold was Grungni’s folly and the reason he would ultimately leave the Pantheon of Order. [5b] [12a]
The Khazalid Empire
Before departing to Azyr to build the Sigmarabulum, Grungni founds the Khazalid Empire. This unequalled civilisation of engineers and craftsmen saw the Duardins work alongside Humans, Aelves, Gholemkind and many others. [9b] [18a]
Soon, countless Khazalid Empires were built into the heart of entire mountain ranges and subterranean caverns of every single Mortal Realm. Ruled by the worshippers of the Forge-King, they mastered the arts of blacksmithing and masonry, constructing illustrious underground holds festooned with gems, gold and gromril. [13a]
As the forebears of the Fyreslayers swore themselves to Grimnir, those of the Khazalid Empires took Grungni as their patron. [4c]
The Penumbral Engines
Sigmar tasks Grungni to rework Teclis’s Enlightenment Engines into Penumbral Engines, allowing them to shroud the eldritch caches known as Stormvaults. This deeply insults Teclis. [7e]
The Disappearance of Grungni
After repaying his debt to Sigmar, Grungni goes on a self-imposed exile, leaving the Khazalid Empires to fend for themselves. [18a]
Grungni valued self-sufficiency and autonomy amongst his subjects. He knew that his students could only be guided for so long before they came to resent his teachings. The Master-Smith recognized that only the fires of adversity could bring out the best in mortals. [7d] [14a]
Age of Chaos
His choice to let his people fend for themselves cost Grungni dearly; for it nearly sundered his hearth to watch his beloved duardin kin suffer from afar. [7d]
As the ancient karaks of the Khazalid Empires fell, many duardins sought sanctuary in the nascent sky-ports in a period called the Sky Exodus. Other Dispossessed duardins fled to Azyr to avoid the ravages of the Age of Chaos. Many duardin begin to resent Grungni for his perceived abandonment. [19a]
Grungni’s abandonment of the Khazalid Empires got some duardins out of their hiding places and forced them to evolve their technology, many taking to the skies to start new lives as the Kharadron Overlords. These sky-fairing duardin became everything Grungni hoped his people could be, arguably the cleverest and indisputably the most technically advanced of all nations in the Mortal Realms. The Kharadrons never forgave the Maker for abandoning them, however, and they now live in a mostly secular society entirely distinct from the greater duardin race. [7d] [16a]
The Stormcast Eternals
Once the Gates of Azyr had closed, Grungni aided Sigmar by masterminding the creation of the Stormcast Eternals. Having perceived Sigmar's intention to free the Mortal Realms from the tyranny of chaos, the Shaper of the realms gave him the servitude of the Six Smiths and captured the Winds Celestial to make comet-headed thunderbolts that allowed Sigmar to cast bolts from the heavens.[1a][5a] [7d] [15a][1a]
The Grand Work Begins
When Grungni felt that his task in Azyr was complete, he vanished entirely from the councils of Sigmar. Passing his duties onto the Six Smiths that he had assembled to work alongside Sigmar, Grungni went into self-imposed exile. [5a] [7d]
Legends say that the Maker was overwhelmed by the guilt he felt at turning a deaf ear to his people’s prayers in their darkest hour. Others insist that he retreated to begin work on great engines of reclamation that will allow the Dispossessed to rebuild the fallen Khazalid Empires. [7d]
Age of Sigmar
The Shaper of the realms dispatched adventurers to search for the Eight Lamentations.[2]
The Maker is also partly responsible for the foundation of the free cities. [15a]
The Return of Grungni
Rumours of Grungni’s return spread throughout the Mortal Realms. It is said that the Forge God has returned from his self-imposed exile and founded a new stronghold hidden beneath Chamon’s the mountains. Some whisper that, in solitude, Grungni is crafting something wondrous that will reunify the Dispossessed. [4d]
Reports differ on what this could be:
- A new duardin bloodline. [4d]
- Bringing back Valaya. [4d]
- A great machine. [4d]
- Great engines of reclamation. [7d]
During the Siege of Vindicarum Be'lakor came face to face with a white-bearded duardin whose eyes blazed with the fires of the forge, and abandoned the battlefield. Few among the Kharadron Sky-Fleet knew that it was he who gave the information that allowed Imoda Barrasdottr to call the final motion at the Second Conference of Madralta.[21a] Fewer still knew the true identity of that ancient warrior - that of Grungni, the Great Maker, returned to unite his people at last.[20a]
| ‘There are growing rumours of Grungni’s agents roaming the realms, hunting for certain mystical artefacts, exploring the ruins of ancient forge citadels and safeguarding things brought to light with the revealing of the god-King’s Stormvaults. There are whispers in the forges, signs in the fires of Aqshy, echoes in the clashing metals of Chamon — hope grows that the Maker may yet return!’
— Yjurgen, Battlesmith of Vostarg Lodge. [7d] |
Manifestations
Grungni's form expands and shrinks like a cloud of smoke vents from a chimney. His spade-shaped beard, composed of swirling ash, and moustaches of flowing smoke cover the lower half of his lumpen features. A thick mane of fiery hair cascades down his scalp, spilling over his shoulders and crackling against his flesh. His forge-spark eyes are like molten gold and are as vast and as hot as distant suns. [8a] [8e] [8d] [8b] [8c]
The Shaper of the realms towers over people in ways no mortal being ever could. Like smoke filling a flue, Grungni expands outwards through all of one’s perceptions – he is not simply there, but everywhere, in every moment and every thought. [8e]
The Maker often takes the shape of a duardin the size of an ogor, dressed in a stained, much-patched smock over his bare torso. He had thick arms and bandy legs that supported his bulk. He is remindful of the great statues the Dispossessed carve in their underground karaks.[2]
Other times, he appears as a stretched and swollen duardin head twisting in the flames. The Wondersmith embodies the flame and the smoke, his face made from heat and cinders. In such occasions, the Maker does not speak in words, but in sound: hammers striking hot metal, the hiss of molten gold, the roar of the forge. [8b]
Seat of Power
The First Smithy is the seat of power of Grungni. It touches many realms, yet stand apart from them all. [7d]
In the First Smithy can be found Duardin, Human, Aelf, even a few Ogors, Grungni welcoming all who seek to shape metal, only barring an obvious few. Like many of the great powers, the Maker has a network that spans the realms. [8a]
Followers
The God of Metal teaches those who wish to learn the art and craft of smiting and in the First Smithy can be found Duardin, Human, Aelf, even a few Ogors, welcoming all who seek to shape metal, only barring an obvious few. Like many of the great powers, he has a network that spans the realms.[2]
With the bulk of Kharadron being largely secular, most Duardin no longer actively worship of the Ancestor-Gods.[7d]
Grungni’s followers are now few and scattered. While some warrior-societies are known to venerate a weapon or artefact crafted by Grungni, most of his remaining worshippers are either smiths or artisans. These servants of the Forge-King carry one or more master forged tools or weapons. [7d]
The Master-Smith can see all of his children in the flames of his forge.[8d] He is worshipped at the forge by doing, not in public, with words.[7d]
He has many apprentices, amongst those are:
- Volundr of Hesphut: Forgemaster of Aqshy. He betrayed the god and left his service to become a warrior-smith of Khorne, a Skullgrinder of the Soulmaw.[2]
Creations
- The complex of fortresses to guarding the Mercurial Gate. [6a]
- The Sigmarabulum. [18a]
- The Anvil of Apotheosis. [18a]
- The Thunder-Gates. [2b]
- The black chain that sealed the Gates of Deepest Night. [7d]
- The seeds of iron. [7d]
- The Nineteen Wonders of Chamon.[18a]
- The Iron Karak.[1b]
- Grimnir's new axe. [4b]
Sentient Races Crafted
- The Six Smiths. [1a][5a]
- The Cog-People of Odsin: Disowned after an event known as the Winding Storm. [5b]
- The lightning-powered automatons excavating raw sigmarite ore on Mallus. [2c]
Relationships
- Grungni considers himself Sigmar's oath sworn ally, however, Grungni will fulfil that oath how he sees fit.[2a]
- Grungni was a rival of Teclis during the Age of Myth.[3]
- Gorkamorka is despised by Grungni as the very antithesis of all he sought to build. [7c]
- The Kharadron Overlords are everything Grungni hoped his people could be, arguably the cleverest and indisputably the most technically advanced nation in the realms — but they never forgave the Maker for abandoning them.[7d]
Religion
Miracles
Though the Maker was long absent and silent in regards to the affairs of the Mortal Realms, he has ever lent his power to those individuals who place faith in him, in the form of Miracles of Grugni.[22a]
Strictures
- Repair that which has been broken; rebuild that which has been destroyed. [7d]
- If a thing must be done, let it be done well. [7d]
- Oppose the followers of Chaos in all their forms. [7d]
- Aid the Duardin in their struggles, but only when they falter. [7d]
Sayings
- Come not between the Maker and his anvil is a common saying among the Dispossessed. [8e]
- Grungni was only as good as the weapons he forged is a saying among the Kharadron Overlords. [9a]
Sacred Artefacts
- The Maker’s Rune. [7d]
- The first rune and the mightiest. [7d]
- The Godwrought Helm: This large crested helm is said to have been forged by Grungni. [11a]
Pronunciation
Grungni is pronounced ‘Groong-nee’. [17a]
See also
- For Grungni in the World-That-Was see: Grungni.
Notes
- Note1: Even though one source mentions the provenance of aether-gold[5b], there is a clear intention to leave the origin of aether-gold mysterious and open to interpretation. This is mostly shown by the non-mention of its origin in the two Kharadron battletomes, even if both have entire sections dedicated to the substance.[12a]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
- 2: Spear of Shadows (novel) by Josh Reynolds
- 3: Forbidden Power: The Lore
- 4: Battletome: Fyreslayers (2019)
- 5: Age of Sigmar: Core Book (2nd Edition)
- 6: The Realmgate Wars: All-Gates
- 6a:The Ironholds, pg. 82
- 7: Soulbound Core Rulebook
- 8: Spear of Shadows (novel)
- 9: Code of the Skies (novella)
- 10: The Realmgate Wars: Godbeasts
- 10a: To Bind a Godbeast, pg. 137-139
- 11: Malign Sorcery
- 11a: pg. 81
- 12: Battletome: Kharadron Overlords (2017)
- 12a: The Breath of Grungni, pg. 12-13
- 13: Battletome: Cities of Sigmar (2019)
- 13a: The Dispossessed, pg. 36
- 14: Aether War (boxed set)
- 14a: The Spiral Crux, pg. 2-3
- 15: White Dwarf July 2019
- 15a: pg. 8-11
- 16: White Dwarf October 2019
- 16a: pg. 9
- 17: White Dwarf December 2019
- 17a: pg. 9
- 18: White Dwarf November 2020
- 18a: pg. 10-13
- 19: White Dwarf December 2020
- 19a: pg. 10-13
- 20: Age of Sigmar: Core Book (3rd Edition)
- 20a: Cursed Skies, pg. 64
- 21: Broken Realms: Be'lakor
- 21a: A City on the Brink, pg. 54-55
- 22: Soulbound: Champions of Order
- 22a: Chapter Four: Talents and Miracles
