Realm of Shyish

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Mortal Realms: Aqshy • Azyr • Chamon • Chaos • Ghur • Ghyran • Hysh • Shyish • Ulgu
Never have I seen such bleak landscapes, such forlorn vistas. It is a grim place for grim folk, and for the dead, for everywhere there can be found spirits.

- Anaximander, cartographer of Azyrheim[28a]

The Realmsphere of Shyish with the Primer Innerlands marked right above the Shyish Nadir at it's center.

The Realm of Shyish, also known as the Amethyst Realm or the Realm of Death, is one of the eight Mortal Realms and is aligned with the wind of Shyish. Nagash ruled the realm until it was overrun by the forces of Chaos during the Age of Chaos.[6a]

Pronunciation

Shy-eesh to rhyme with Sheesh. Natives are Shyishan. [32]

Symbol

The Scythe

The Rune that is used to represent the Realm of Shyish is the Scythe always pointing down, represnting the heavy burden that those who serve the Underworlds carry. Both wizards and warriors often wield such a weapon in defence of the realm. [27]

Characteristics

The land of Carstinia

A reality of endings and the grave, the Realm of Shyish is a place of the dead. The embodiment of death and inevitability. [27]

Shyish was once the resting place for the souls of the departed in the Mortal Realms, who having traveled across the void to the realm of the dead would become a spectral inhabitant of one of the myriad of underworlds. Each was different, shaped by the beliefs of a specific civilisation, race and culture. The realm was a place of paradises and hells, each a final destination for the dead before they moved on. When Nagash took control of the realm, he was able to use these legions of spirits for building vast monuments and places of power, as terrifying armies or for other purposes.[17]

In turn Chaos rested control from the Great Necromancer and many of the underworlds became mere playthings of the champions of the dark god and places of torment for the souls of the dead, a true living hell. It was only in the Age of Sigmar that Nagash arose once again to blight the realm and contest the other gods for control of shyish. [17]

Celestial Phenomena

The Wraith Moons of Shyish are silver and dead, scoured of all threat by the will and power of the Undying King, Nagash.[10]

Food

The soil of the realm has been leeched of nutrients and only the most hardy, but often somewhat tasteless strains of fruits and vegetables gorw successfully here. [34a] One of the main food sources in Shyish is fish, like the Bledrigs fished in Lake Lethis.[30][31]

Culture

The peoples of Shyish are grim, somber and insular. Life is tainted with a since of dread, for the threat of Nagash hangs over their heads, like a cruel executioner's axe. In so, quite ironically, this mentality has breed fearsome warriors and mages. For the realms peoples will attempt live as long as possible and will fight any enemy tooth-and-nail. For many fear they will become the tormented slaves of Nagash when they die. [27]

Fashion in the realm is represented with the colors often associated with Shyish, Black and Purple. But there are many other colors, from the gray of grave-dust and deep red of blood, to the brighter colors, white, pink and light blues of the paradise underworlds. [27]

History

The Black Pyramide of Nagash

Age of Myth

  • The Skeletal Hydragors that defend the realm from the living are defeated by Sigmar who opens the Starless Gates and escapes the wrath of Gnorros, the Father of Hydragor's.[25]
  • The living began to colonise the realm, they co-existed with many of those spirits that dwelt there, some being their ancestors. Out of necessity they also learned to guard against those that had become malign or had taken hatred into the next phase of their existence.[18] The energy of death flows to the edges of the realm with little in its centre which allows mortal civilisations of mankind, aelf and duardin to set roots and flourish in what became known as the Innerlands. Great cities and powerful empires arose, guarded against night terrors with soulful music and amethyst sky-lanterns.[18]
  • The Amethyst Princes, led by the ven Denst Dynasty [25] establish trade with the Realm of Ghur via the Penultima Realmgate network.[18]
  • Freed by Sigmar, Nagash joined his Pantheon and made his home also in the Innerlands, apparently lending his own power to aid these growing empires. However he planned to slowly gain control of the entire realm. [18]
  • Shyish is dominated by the Wars of the Dead as Nagash and his Mortarchs conquer the realm and he devours the other gods of the dead. [25]

Age of Chaos

During the Age of Chaos, both sides initially fought to a stalemate, as Nagash's alliance with Sigmar bolstered his forces. Archaon and Tzeentch conspired to drive the allies apart, leading to a breaking of this alliance and the conquest of the All-Points by Chaos.

Sigmar invades the realm in revenge for what he sees as the betrayal at the All Points, he destroys many powerful servants of Nagash before he retreats to Azyr.[25]

After Nagash was left vulnerable by the War of Heaven and the Underworlds, the realm was invaded by the forces of Chaos an event that would be known as the Wars of the Dead. Nagash was slain in the Battle of the Black Skies but the Mortarchs managed to rescue his corpse and retreat to the underworld of Stygxx. The stronghold of Nagashizzar was razed by skaven during the War of Bones. Nagash later returned slaughtering the Chaos forces at the Starless Gates and reawakening monuments of necromantic power from Helspoint to Morrsend.[1a]

Many powerful souls, near dead and dead are claimed by Sigmar, robbing lands such as Hallost and Ossia of their best warriors and leaders.[25]

The lord of death conceived of a plan to consolidate his power and ensure eternal dominance over the realm and beyond. Undead minions were set the task of gathering realmstone and amassing it at Nagashizzar, creating gigantic monuments to concentrate the power of shyish in these structures – in particular the Great Black Pyramid. [18]

Nagash takes control over many underworlds and consumes the minor gods of death that ruled them.[18]

Age of Sigmar

The Undead forces attacking the Arch of Bones were turned aside by the Bloodthirster Khar'zak'ghul only to be rescued by the arrival of the Stormcast Eternals.[1a]

During the Realmgate Wars, the Anvils of the Heldenhammer Stormcast Eternals came to the aid of Neferata to defend her city Nulahmia against a Slaaneshi champion, Lord Lascilion with Sigmar offering Nagash the chance to re-forge their alliance.[6d]

Kharadron Overlords, renowned traders, still venture to Shyish, though it is rare they descend past the highest mountain peaks, where the duardin clans of Shyish mainly live. They rarely built their strongholds beneath the earth itself - too many things came creeping through the dark of the underworld for their liking, although a few still lived in the old manner - the duardin of the deserts and wastelands of the south, for instance. [10]

In the Time of Tribulations, Nagash enacts his Great Ritual, triggering the Necroquake and altering the whole Realm so that it became a metaphysical whirlpool drawing souls down to Nagashizzar and the Black Pyramid.[24a]

Locations

The Prime Innerlands

The Prime Innerlands

For more information see: Prime Innerlands
  • Assassin's Rest: A vast island and killers paradise, where the souls of those who killed for profit can find peace, if they can avoid the blades of their compatriots. [16]
  • Athanasia: In the Age of Myth, mortals in this land would only live a set span of time before going to their appointed death - they would then be reborn with the rising sun.[25]
  • Carstinia: The gloomy realm of Mannfred von Carstein, a dark mirror of his own bitterness. [19b]
  • Charnel Court[16]
  • Hallost: The Land of Dead Heroes - once a valhalla like underworld, it was invaded by the forces of Khorne and it is now inhabited by creatures of Chaos and the spirits of the heroes who hunt them. [16]
  • Lyria: Dominated by the City of Sigmar - Glymmsforge.[25]
  • Morthaven: A large island once famed for its bread that fed the fleets who docked at its coastal ports.[16]
  • Mute Island: Once a haven for those who swore a life or unlife of silence, its now been claimed by the flesh-eater courts.[16]
  • Necros is a continent where a powerful vampire dynasty has repeatedly driven off the hordes of Khorne.[16]
  • Neferatia: The personal kingdom of Neferata, carefully shaped by its queen to resemble her original home [19a] and populated by the spirits from the World-that-Was.[6b]
  • Ossia: In the Age of Myth a place of peace where the dead and the living worked together, now armies of Nighthaunts arise and fall upon the remaining forces of Chaos.[25]
  • Stygxx: The Land of Forgotten Gods [22a], to which Nagash and his Mortarchs retreated following their defeat by Chaos. [1a]
  • Amethyst Princedoms: A continent, and the nations that ruled them, in the northern Innerlands.[16]

The Ossiarch Empire

The Shyishan underworlds to the east of the Prime Innerlands are together known as the Ossiarch Empire.[33]

Blood Wastes

A vast desert made mostly from powdered blood. Before the coming of Nagash it was populated by the 'Duchies of Geist' that raised the raiding giants bats there. Nagash fought with the Duchies of Geist and ultimately conquered them. Powdered blood and some giant carcasses - is all that left from the defenders. Also it is a location of the 'Temple of Final Rest'.[4]

The Carrionlands

Once one of the grandest of the soulblight empires, now ruled over by the The Carrion King[5b]

Nagashizzar

Nagash's stronghold, little more than a blasted crater after his overthrow [1a] but it was rebuilt in its full glory in the Age of Sigmar.[24a]

Nightlands

Contains the 'Corpsefane', a ghoul church to Nagash covered with ten thousand flayed faces.[5c] The River of Souls also runs through it, moving from the Arch of Secrets to the DeathLords' Gate, this area was ruled by Queen Aylessa, a vampire servant of Queen Neferata, but both her great barge-keep and city of Crookback were destroyed by the Ironjawz Megaboss Dakkbad Grotkicker [8a]

Voldyr

The Fallow Kingdom of Voldyr

A ruined kingdom containing the Gate of Corpses Realmgate to the Realm of Azyr. Ruled over by the Abhorrant Ghoul King Marrowthirst.[5e]

Other Locations

Realmgates

Inhabitants

A procession of Nighthaunt

Flora and Fauna

Magic

The Realmsphere Magic and spells associated with the realm of Shyish are known as Amethyst Spells.[34b][34c]

Quotes

Once, Shyish was as much a paradise as a living hell. Every conceivable afterlife has materialised within its reaches. Since the coming of Nagash, many of those have been enslaved by the power of undeath - and the scourge of Chaos has driven the rest to the brink of damnation.

~Katophrane Jensai Mor.[18]

Sources

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