History Characters / TotalWarWarhammerTheDaemonsOfChaos

* BadassBookworm: Any follower of Tzeentch is certainly well-read, and very accustomed to reading [[TomeOfEldritchLore Tomes of Eldritch Lore]] and researching the intricacies of Chaos. They are no less powerful and deadly then the other daemon factions.

* AchillesHeel: Ranged troops and elite troops with small unit numbers. As Khorne hates most forms of ranged combat, his armies field even less ranged options than the regular Warriors of Chaos and even less shielded units. They are also quite reliant on collecting skulls and spilling blood of their foes to get stronger, meaning that if the enemy brings a smaller but more elite bunch of soldiers to fight, they will have less buffs to enjoy during the battle. This is very likley to compensate for the fact that next to no one can best Khorne in close quarters (only Norsca and the Warriors of Chaos at this stage can match the quality of their infantry). Skarbrand in partiuclar is a powerful melee fighter, but lacks a good counter to ranged units save just rushing them. Also, Khorne does not welcome nor tolerate feeble weaklings as they are inherently offensive to the virtues of physical strength and martial prowess that he embodies, leaving his armies with no Tier 1 infantry to use as cheap and expendable cannon fodder. Khorne ''also'' abhors magic and his faction has absolutly no wizard lords or other spellcaster to speak of.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Nurgle is the ''worst'' ally. Being his ally doesn't prevent you from getting his ''brutal'' Corruption trait and his plagues don't distinguish between ally and enemy. This is especially true in cooperative play because playing effectively as Nurgle makes you a danger to everybody that is anywhere near you. Not a shock considering Nurgle is the god of disease and diseases don't distinguish between friend and foe.

* AnimalMotifs: Among the Norscans, savage Khorne is depicted as a [[SavageWolves wolf]], cunning Tzeentch as an [[FeatheredFiend eagle]], death-loving Nurgle as a [[CreepyCrows crow]] and wily Slaanesh as a [[SnakesAreSexy serpent]]. Beyond that, Nurgle draws heavily on stereotypically filthy creatures like [[FliesEqualsEvil flies]], toads and MessyMaggots, while most daemons of Slaanesh possess attributes of [[ScaryScorpions scorpions]] (usually in the form of PowerPincers and the occasional [[BewareMyStingerTail stinger tail]]).

* ArchEnemy: Of Tzeentch, to the point where Nurgle is happy to make allainces with Slaanesh and Khorne just to spite the Changer (as an early diplomacy tech explains). All Nurglish characters can take the skill "Hates Tzeentch" for some circumstantial combat bonuses, while Nurgle's tech tree includes "Despicable Rival" which grants faction-wide leadership and missile resistance bonuses against Tzeentchian armies.

* HatesEveryoneEqually: As the embodiment of hate. The only factions Khornate warbands are permitted to engage in diplomacy with are other Chaos-worshiping factions (this includes the Skaven). War is automatically declared upon encountering any other faction.

* FantasyPantheon: The Ruinous Powers are four beings worshipped as empowering gods by the Beastmen, the Fimir, the human tribes of the north, and countless secret cults across the world. They're roughly correspondent to the Norse Gods. Khorne being Odin and Tyr, Tzeentch being Mimir and Loki, Slaanesh being Frey and Nurgle may correspond to Hel. And that's only for the Norscans, they all correspond to various Turkic or Slavic gods for the Kurgan and Hung, Tzeentch is Tengri or Sventovid (it's also notable the Kurgan name for Tzeentch -- ''Tchar'' -- appears to be derived from Tsar), Khorne is Kyzaghan or Perun, etc, etc.

* GodOfEvil: Strictly speaking; they are by far the most powerful beings in the setting and they are ''very'' bad news. And there's ''[[FourIsDeath four]]'' of them.
** There are also supposed to be multiple lesser Chaos Gods ("lesser" being a relative term) with their own agendas, though thankfully most of them have yet to gain a real foothold in the physical realm. The only two with much of a presence are [[Characters/TotalWarWarhammerTheSkaven the Horned Rat, god of the Skaven,]] and the bull god Hashut, master of the Chaos Dwarfs.

* GreaterScopeVillain: In the first two games, where the armies of Chaos are represented almost exclusively by their mortal servants (the Warriors of Chaos, Beastmen and Norscans), while the daemons themselves are only ever [[TheGhost mentioned]] or shown as individual characters. This is because the Great Vortex of Ulthuan siphons enough magic from the world to prevent daemons from simply manifesting their armies at will -- a factor that forms the stakes of the second game's ''Eye of the Vortex'' campaign, where the Vortex is at risk of failing. They're able to manifest during the events of ''Total War: Warhammer III'' because the flailing of the slowly dying Ursun is ripping apart the fabric of reality, allowing them to bypass the Vortex issue altogether.
* GrimUpNorth: The Chaos Wastes are the EldritchLocation that surrounds the shattered [[PortalNetwork warp-gate]] of the Old Ones, located exactly at the planet's north pole. It is from here that magic pours into the world from the Realm of Chaos, twisting the landscape and allowing daemons to sustain their manifestations indefinitely. The Warriors of Chaos also gather here, competing in warbands for the favor of the Dark Gods until a champion wrangles them together for a march on the south.
* HardCodedHostility: During ''Total War: Warhammer III'''s launch, Daemon factions were completely unable to engage in diplomacy with all races except Warriors of Chaos, Beastmen, Norsca and Skaven. They would automatically declare war on every non-Chaos faction they came across as soon as they were encountered, with the sole exception being the Daemons of Slaanesh, who had the ability of engaging with all races normally as part of their mechanics. With the release of Immortal Empires, this limitation was removed, though Daemon factions are predictably subject to a very high Aversion penalty when engaging with pretty much everyone else.
* TheHeartless: Even positive emotions such as Hope or Acceptance feed the Chaos gods.

* LargeAndInCharge: Daemonic lords often tower over their armies. Exalted varieties of gigantic Bloodthirsters, morbidly obese Great Unclean ones, and exceptionally tall Keepers of Secrets especially fulfill this trope.

* NoBodyLeftBehind: Daemon units' morale and health is a measure of their stability on the mortal plane. When daemons "die", they vanish in a burst of bale-fire flames, and when broken they begin to fade back to the Realm of Chaos (i.e. crumbling like undead).

* TheOmnipotent: Within their own planes of existence. Their influence in the real world, while still extremely palpable, is very limited by comparison.

* PhantasySpelling: As noted above it's spelt "Daemon" rather than "Demon" but the word is still pronounced "Dee-Mon" rather than "Day-Mon."
* PrecursorKillers: While the exact fate of the Old Ones is ambiguous, what is known is that the Old Ones disappeared completely during the Great Catastrophe, when the Gods of Chaos breached their PortalNetwork at the planet's poles. Not for nothing do the lizardmen refer to the Ruinous Powers as "the Great Adversary".

* RedBaron: The True Gods, the Gods of the North, the Northern Powers, the Aesgardr, the Hungry Gods of the Dark, etc. This is just what the Norscans and other followers of Chaos call them.

* SigilSpam: Chaos as a pantheon is known for plastering eight-pointed chaos stars everywhere, but each of the Dark Gods also has a personal sigil used by their daemons and most devout followers. The mark of Khorne is [[SkeletonMotif a heavily stylized skull face]], the mark of Nurgle uses an arrangement of three circles that [[{{Plaguemaster}} resembles a biohazard symbol]], the mark of Tzeentch is [[EyeMotifs a stylized flaming eye]], and the mark of Slaanesh [[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous is a merging of the Venus and Mars symbols]].
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Once in a while, the Chaos Gods will stop their infighting and work together. Fortunately, it never lasts long. In ''Warhammer III'' proper, they are able to coordinate the crowning of another Chaos Prince of Undivided... but soon after fall into conflict once more at the start of the campaign proper.
* TopGod: The Chaos Gods are constantly competing against one-another to become the strongest member of the pantheon. Every ten turns or so, based on the global balance of corruption, one of the Gods will make a play in the Great Game and achieve ascendancy, briefly providing his daemons with upgraded Unholy Manifestations.

* PetTheDog: His schemes in the Darklands and Naggarond involve creating mass (potentially empire-destroying) slave uprising in those regions, because it's a delightful and Tzeenchian prank to turn the masters into the ones being whipped.

* CompleteImmortality: Actually killing a daemon is basically impossible. It's possible even the Chaos Gods can't do it, as [[TheStarscream Be'lakor's]] continued existence would seem to suggest. Their physical forms can be destroyed but they reform in the Warp. That said being so destroyed does ''hurt'' and seems to weaken them, at least for a while (and for a daemon "a while" could be centuries or longer) and the Chaos Gods have also found creative ways to make out-of-favour daemons wish they ''could'' die.

[[folder:The Blue Scribes]]
!P'tarix and Xirat'p, the Blue Scribes and Tzeentch's Quaestors

[[quoteright:683:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twwiii_blue_scribes.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:683:]]

It is said that in ages past, Tzeentch was once the most powerful of the Chaos Gods - so much so that his ever-bickering brother Gods united against him and cast him down after a massive war. Tzeentch himself was shattered into thousands of shards that were flung across time and space, eventually landing on the material realms. These shards, as many legends claim, are known to mortals as "magic".\\

Tzeentch has since recovered from this humiliating defeat, but now his sorcerous might is a fraction of what it used to be. Pieces of his essence remain unaccounted for, to which he created two daemons, P'tarix and Xirat'p, whom he tasked with recovering them. To ensure they do not use the fragments for themselves, Tzeentch created the daemons with limits to their intellect: P'tarix can write down a lost fragment but he cannot read it, while Xirat'p can read his brother's writing but cannot comprehend its meaning.\\

Thus, the Blue Scribes travel across myriads of realms atop a Disc of Tzeentch, where they believe the shards of their god could be found. Every shard or magic spell that they do encounter, the Scribes catalogue in parchment and ink, and now their Disc is almost filled to the brim with scrolls of sorcery. Unfortunately for them, their task is an impossible one, as mortals are constantly reinventing magic to suit their purposes. The Scribes are also often drawn towards battlefields, as it is here where the most potent and most powerful spells are unleashed. To defend themselves, Xirat'p rummages through the scrolls he and his brother have accumulated, causing them to fling random spells left and right, and showering their foes with bizarre magics that even they themselves cannot predict. Once the battle is over, the Scribes scour the field of any new magic to scribble down before they move on to continue with their (unbeknownst to them, eternal) mission.\\
\\
The Blue Scribes are a Legendary Hero for the Daemons of Tzeentch, introduced in the ''Shadows of Change'' DLC.

* TheDividual: Like the Sisters of Twilight, the Blue Scribes are counted as a single flying entity and cannot be commanded individually.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Tzeentch created the Blue Scribes to collect every known magic spell in existence, as these are lost fragments of his being. This is actually an ImpossibleTask because magic, especially in the material realm, is constantly evolving and new spells are being made much faster than the Scribes can hope to find and catalogue them.
* HoverBoard: They ride atop a Disc of Tzeentch laiden down with books and writing supplies.
* IMeantToDoThat: Xirat'p has a tendency to play off most of his random spellcasting as well thought out plans whenever it works in his favor. And if it doesn't, [[NeverMyFault he'll just blame P'tarix for giving him a useless spell]].
* SdrawkcabName: P'tarix and Xirat'p.
* SecurityCling: Their death animation has them holding each other in fear just as they are sucked into a Chaos Portal, likely because they know that they will be punished by Tzeentch for failure.
* RandomEffectSpell: Since they've been cataloging every form of magic in existance, but don't actually ''understand'' any of it, the Blue Scribes just fire off spells at random and hope for the best. In gameplay terms, their available spell list is a random batch drawn from every spell lore in the series. When they pick a spell to cast, the list immediately reshuffles to provide new choices.
[[/folder]]

!Daemons of Nurgle
[[folder:General Tropes]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/total_war_warhammer_3_race_nurgle_chaos.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Share the gifts of Nurgle!"'']]
->''"Rejoice, children! Your Father brings you hope in your darkest hour. Let those who would accept his gifts come forth and receive the blessings of the Lord of Decay. Cast away your crutches and doubts. Put aside belief in false masters who fill your hearts with lies, sorrow, and regret. Embrace instead the glorious gifts of rot and decay. Revel in the beauty of putrescence and be reborn a living symbol of perseverance."''
Nurgle, also known as the Plague Lord, the Lord of Pestilence, The Crow, the Fly Lord, and the Ur-Father, is the Chaos God of disease, decay, destruction, and death by rebirth. He is the eldest of the four Chaos Gods and is the most directly involved with the plight of mortals, particularly humans who suffer so acutely from a fear of death. Indeed, Nurgle is undoubtedly the oldest of the Chaos Gods, for the process of death and decay is as old as life itself.\\
\\
The Daemons of Nurgle are the embodiment of entropy and decay. They are truly putrid in their appearance and are sickening to look upon, their flesh pulsing with the feverheat of corruption, their innards pushing through lesions in their putrid skin and their bodies oozing with sticky slime. Yet in contrast to their hideous appearance, Nurgle's daemons are cheerful, energetic beings that show a disturbingly friendly demeanor. They are jovial in their work and show great pride in their accomplishments, interpreting the groans of the afflicted as expressions of gratitude.\\
\\
----

* CollectorOfForms: One of the Changeling's gimmicks is the ability to adopt the form and statistics of any legendary character he's [[MegaManning defeated in battle]] or formed an alliance with. By the end of an average campaign, he'll have an extensive library of faces to choose from.

* BasiliskAndCockatrice: ''Shadows of Change'' adds the Cockatrice, a Chaos-warped avian GiantFlier whose "[[BrownNote petrifying gaze]]" ability passively reduces the melee attack and speed of nearby enemies by 10%. When it dies, the cockatrice's powers [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turn against itself]], as it falls to earth and shrivels into [[TakenForGranite an inert stone statue]].

* BasiliskAndCockatrice: ''Shadows of Change'' adds the Cockatrice, a Chaos-warped avian GiantFlier whose "[[BrownNote petrifying gaze]]" ability passively reduces the melee attack and speed of nearby enemies by 10%. When it dies, the cockatrice's powers [[HoistByItsOwnPetard turn against itself]], as it falls to earth and shrivels into [[TakenForGranite an inert stone statue]].

!P'Tarix and Xirat'p, the Blue Scribes and Tzeentch's Quaestors

Tzeentch has since recovered from his humiliating defeat, although his sorcerous might is but a fraction of what it used to be. Pieces of his essence remain unaccounted for, to which he created two daemons, P'tarix and Xirat'p, whom he tasked with recovering them. To ensure they do not use the fragments for themselves, Tzeentch created the daemons with limits to their intellect: P'tarix can write down the lost spell but he cannot read it, while Xirat'p can read his brother's writing but cannot comprehend its meaning.\\

Thus, the Blue Scribes travel across myriads of realms atop a Disc of Tzeentch, where they believe the shards of their god could be found. Every shard or magic spell that they do encounter, the Scribes catalogue in parchment and ink, and now their Disc is almost filled to the brim with scrolls of sorcery. Unfortunately for the Scribes, their task is an impossible one, as mortals are constantly reinventing magic to suit their purposes. It is no surprise, then, that the Scribes often find themselves on the battlefield, as it is here where mortals often unleash their most potent, powerful spells. To defend themselves, Xirat'p rummages through the scrolls he and his brother have accumulated, praying to Tzeentch to give them the right spell for the situation. In truth, this results in the brothers flinging random spells left and right, showering their foes with bizarre magics that even they themselves cannot predict. Once the battle is over, the Scribes scour the field of any new magic to scribble down before they move on to continue with their (unbeknownst to them, eternal) mission.\\

* TheDividual: Like the Sisters of Twilight, the Blue Scribes are counted as one entity and cannot be commanded individually.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Tzeentch created the Blue Scribes to collect every known magic spell in existence, as these are actually lost fragments of his being. This is actually an ImpossibleTask because magic, especially in the material realm, is constantly evolving and new spells are being made much faster than the Scribes can hope to find and catalogue them.

[[caption-width-right:350:]]

* TheChessmaster: One of Tzeentch's aspects is the Great Conspirator, wielding his powers over fate and prophecy to orchestrate bizarre schemes. With the "Changing of the Ways" mechanic, Tzeentchian factions can pull off stunts like transferring settlements between factions, manipulating and spying on various armies (including giving war-coordination targets to non-allies), instantly inciting rebellions, breaking alliances between factions or outright starting wars out of the blue.%%Tzeentch Campaign Mechanics blog

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Taken to its illogical extreme. Tzeentch will '''die''' if '''any''' of his myriad plans succeed, thus every one of his plans will fail because he sabotages them, and he has several plans that run completely contrary to each of his other plans by design (though not as the end). This is the ''real'' measure of his [[TheChessmaster chessmastery]] skills, the fact that he has ''millions'' of these simultaneously running, most extremely complex and many spanning centuries, and not one of them succeed even by ''accident'' because he is that damn good.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"I make my home in the darkest pits of your soul. In the shadows, I bide my time."'']]