I make no secret about my love of lost and neglected fantasy races in Warhammer, both the Fantasy Battle Setting, the Age of Sigmar setting and to a lesser extent the 40k universe.
In fact one of my current projects is a small force of Fimir for Age of Sigmar. the general idea that they come from the Realm of Shadow. which I think suits the Fimir.
Still a bit of a work in progress, but you can see where i'm aiming.
One of the most recent official publications to talk about them with any background information is Warhammer: Storm of Magic, which at this point is getting on for about 10 years old.
it gives an overview without actually going into some of the more problematic aspects of their background, and I have a proposition on how to alter the background of them ever so slightly from the early canon, that gives them an element of body horror and keeps them the big, bad, boggy boogymen inspired by Celtic myth.
The entry in question is found on page 134, opposite the entry on Zoats (I may do a post about those yet) and accompanies the entry for the the Fimir Balefiend.
One of the most recent official publications to talk about them with any background information is Warhammer: Storm of Magic, which at this point is getting on for about 10 years old.
it gives an overview without actually going into some of the more problematic aspects of their background, and I have a proposition on how to alter the background of them ever so slightly from the early canon, that gives them an element of body horror and keeps them the big, bad, boggy boogymen inspired by Celtic myth.
The entry in question is found on page 134, opposite the entry on Zoats (I may do a post about those yet) and accompanies the entry for the the Fimir Balefiend.
The Fimir are amphibious humanoid monsters that haunt bogs, fens and desolate moorlands throughout the northern and western Old World. Their Strongholds take the form of forbidding, craggy piles of rock, crudely built in the semblance of the castles of the more civilised races. Such dwellings are seldom seen by outsiders, for they are wreathed in a thick mist, a miasma which is magically generated by the Fimir to shield their fortresses from prying eyes, and themselves from the harsh glare of the sun.
if there were a race more suited to Ulgu then I've not heard of them
it continues:
Long before the rise of Man, the Fimir worshipped the Chaos Gods, and for a time enjoyed their favour. Alas, the Eye of the Gods was swiftly drawn to the more vibrant and amusing race of Man, and the Fimir were abandoned, reduced to seeking boons from bound Daemons where once they had enjoyed the blessings of gods. Nowadays, the Fimir are a dwindling and reclusive race, little given to leaving their swampy fastnesses, save for the occasional raid for food and slaves.
This is one of those interesting points which I hope to try and address with the musings in this post.
How did they lose favour? how is it that they are such a dwindling race? If the Fimir are Larger and Stronger than humans, why do they raid for captives. if they are outnumbered by humans surely the last thing they would want is plucky bands of adventurers on quests to free their loved ones from the clutches of these evil half demonic creatures right?
Also, from older sources we also know the Fimir are Caste based, and have a fairly strange hierarchy in terms of societal structure. they tend to be led by a queen, but that queen is infertile. So it's not like a naked mole rat situation (like it kind of is with the Skaven), or like Bees (like the Tyranids)
The point of contention was always the idea that they snatch women to reproduce, the implications being a less than stellar situation to use as a plot point, especially a plot point within a game, and especially a game aimed at those aged 13+, this is the biggest problem they have within their backstory.
BUT,
BUT...
It's not just women that they take, so what if we're looking at it the wrong way.
if the people that they captured aren't just for workers, which there is a caste of Fimm for that, called the Sherl, or for Food, as already stated above why risk bringing an army down on your stronghold for the sake of a protean source when there are other sources in bogs and fens.
Within Current lore, The bit of blurb we got with the Fimarch Noble when they finally released his model.
if the people that they captured aren't just for workers, which there is a caste of Fimm for that, called the Sherl, or for Food, as already stated above why risk bringing an army down on your stronghold for the sake of a protean source when there are other sources in bogs and fens.
Within Current lore, The bit of blurb we got with the Fimarch Noble when they finally released his model.
Marked for greatness at birth, a Fimirach Noble is raised to be a deadly killing machine in
service to a stronghold’s Matriarch. Possessing a tougher hide and stouter build than its kin,
the Noble has a cunning intellect, making it an ideal leader for bands of Fimir Warriors.
wait, not that bit, although that does show that the "Nobles" are beneath the Mearch (or Matriarch) in terms of hierarchy. but I refer you to the Born to Lead command ability.
Set upon their path from the moment they hatch, Fimirach Nobles are well-versed in the intricacies of warfare, able to direct their warriors to exploit their foes’ smallest weaknesses.
Yep, that's the one, it says they are hatched, but I don't think this is a retcon, Baby Fimm have to come from somewhere and if its not the Matriarch then where? it also answers why they are now a "dwindling race"
The answer comes from a really unlikely source, that being a deleted scene from the original Alien film.
Wait, What?
you read that right. specifically the Eggmorph scene.
The answer comes from a really unlikely source, that being a deleted scene from the original Alien film.
Wait, What?
you read that right. specifically the Eggmorph scene.
so in the film, anyone who didn't die on screen became a Xenomorph captive, and is glued to the floor in the Xenomorph's nest. This scene is still in the novelisation for the first alien film, but was cut before the final version of the film for pacing reasons.
Obviously this is something that was later discarded in terms of the lifecycle of Aliens, but the Xenomorph does draw on the same sources as the fimir in terms of boogymen who live in the dark places, are inhuman but will steal them away in the night.
So what if being half demons as they are, the Fimir require souls of sentient races to reproduce?
its something that would put them at odds with every other race within the mortal realms, which is why they are a Destruction force. they steal the souls from Nagash, he doesn't like that as they are very much his. They steal away members of the order faction who are now too well organised for them to do it too often. They can't be "tainted" or "corrupted" by the chaos gods, given they are already part demon woven into flesh. it makes sense.
it also explains how the Fimir are a race older than Man, they don't need humans to reproduce, they just need flesh and souls untainted by Chaos.
The Mearch is needed because she is the only one who can enact the ritual to transform the flesh and spirit of the captured mortals into new eggs that the Fimir then hatch from.
it changes almost nothing about the established lore and background of the Fimir, it slots into place like a missing Jigsaw piece. And if we go back up the the Niki Biki illustration further up this post, the one with the captive and the Mearch leading them somewhere, that to me says ritual sacrifice. which retains the Celtic influence by adding a little bit of Druidic ritual into their lifecycle.
So what if being half demons as they are, the Fimir require souls of sentient races to reproduce?
its something that would put them at odds with every other race within the mortal realms, which is why they are a Destruction force. they steal the souls from Nagash, he doesn't like that as they are very much his. They steal away members of the order faction who are now too well organised for them to do it too often. They can't be "tainted" or "corrupted" by the chaos gods, given they are already part demon woven into flesh. it makes sense.
it also explains how the Fimir are a race older than Man, they don't need humans to reproduce, they just need flesh and souls untainted by Chaos.
The Mearch is needed because she is the only one who can enact the ritual to transform the flesh and spirit of the captured mortals into new eggs that the Fimir then hatch from.
it changes almost nothing about the established lore and background of the Fimir, it slots into place like a missing Jigsaw piece. And if we go back up the the Niki Biki illustration further up this post, the one with the captive and the Mearch leading them somewhere, that to me says ritual sacrifice. which retains the Celtic influence by adding a little bit of Druidic ritual into their lifecycle.
to me, the idea keeps the Fimir as dark and sinister as they ever were. and still gives them a place within the worlds of Warhammer and Age of Sigmar.
And the Fact they got included in Total Warhammer (2 I think), and not that long ago had a featured army on Twitch, shows that they are still waiting in the dark corners for their time.
And the Fact they got included in Total Warhammer (2 I think), and not that long ago had a featured army on Twitch, shows that they are still waiting in the dark corners for their time.
I don't know, maybe this is the retcon Games Workshop intended but didn't know how to include within publications without sounding weird. but this will definitely be my headcanon for them while I build my Dark Age of Sigmar warband.
