Warp (Warhammer 40,000)
The Warp is a dimension that features in Warhammer 40,000.
Contents |
History
The Warp was an other dimensional realm that existed in the universe that was separate from the material plane.
Overview
In appearance, the Warp was a mirror dimension that consisted of pure energy in opposition to the material plane. It was known by a number of names that included the Empyrean, the Immaterium, the Aether, the Sea of Souls, the Realm of Chaos, Warpspace and so on.
It was said that the Warp was akin to a vast sea of energy, that was subject to constant movement, currents, undertows, and so on. Immaterial space and real space bear a relationship as the dimensions parallel with each other. The fact that they share this relationship allows a Warp-capable craft to enter the Warp, carried for a time along the Warp flows until re-emerging into real space a distance away from its starting point. The common metaphor used for Warp-jumping compares the Warp to a fast flowing stream. Its motionless banks represent real space. A leaf dropped into the water upstream will be carried along by the currents. This is a useful metaphor in understanding Warpspace, although the Warp is far more complex in its movements than a linear stream. The Warp moves in endlessly unpredictable and convoluted patterns.
The Warp was a dangerous place for any organism that has a sane mind. The bewildering psychic energies torture the minds of any who lay susceptible to the Warp. Even the most powerful Librarians and Psykers couldn't be able to withstand the torments of the Warp without proper protection. This is why Warp travel is considered to be dangerous. It is also the reason that The Imperium of Man is not able to wipe out Chaos completely as human forces sent into the Warp couldn't last too long before succumbing to its corruption. Also the presence of demons and other Chaotic creatures make it a very hostile environment.
Its existence was fuelled by the emotions and souls of all sentient beings in the Materium.
The Ruinous Powers of Chaos and their Daemonic servants are known to inhabit the portion of the Immaterium often called the Realm of Chaos. Daemons are only able to exist within the Immaterium, unless certain conditions are met within the material realm. The Immaterium was what empowered the Daemonic and mortal servants alike of the four Dark Gods -- Khorne the Blood God, Slaanesh the Prince of Pleasure, Tzeentch the Lord of Change, and Nurgle the Lord of Decay -- and their followers will undertake any action to increase this power and their standing with their unholy masters. Each of the Chaos Gods maintains a domain within the Realm of Chaos, the nature of which matches his own personality and interests exactly. Khorne commands the Blood God's Domain, Nurgle the Land of the Plaguelord, Tzeentch the Realm of the Sorcerer, and Slaanesh the Dark Prince's Realm. The Realm of Chaos is marked by nearly constant warfare and strife between the Daemonic servants of the Ruinous Powers, who constantly scheme and battle against one another in an eternal struggle for dominance known as the "Great Game" that can never be won. The Chaos Gods and their servants are consumed by this struggle and in truth pay very little attention to the doings of realspace, save when the actions of mortals either present a threat to all of the Chaos Gods' continued activities or an opportunity for the Ruinous Powers to enhance their position against one another in their eternal conflict.
The Formless Wastes, also known as the Chaotic Abyss and the Land of Lost Souls, were those regions of the Immaterium that do not fall under the dominion of one of the four major Chaos Gods. Much of its landscape is simply a terrain of pure chaos that is forming and reforming constantly based on the psychic currents roiling the minds of the sentient mortals of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as the psychic currents of the Realm of Chaos. The Formless Wastes are a place where the laws of physics hold no sway. Within the Formless Wastes sit rivers of tar that flow through petrified woodlands beneath crimson skies. Great stairways ascend into the heavens where they connect back on themselves in an endless loop. These celestial stairways sit alongside castles crafted from bone and fortresses of ichor while pillars of fire burn on the horizon. Every dream, nightmare and vision ever had by one of the sentient species of the galaxy has a representation within the Formless Wastes. The Wastes are also the home of the Daemonic Furies who watch for any prey, mortal or Daemon, that comes within their reach. Those Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes that are strong enough to maintain a level of psychic control over their environment within the Warp also make their homes within the Wastes. These islands of horrific stability stand out within this chaotic wilderness with some only appearing for an instant whilst others are as old as the Ruinous Powers themselves. Each of these sub-realms is a small extension of the Realm of Chaos that embodies the whims of its creator and has a shrine or temple dedicated to its beliefs. Some are even populated by Daemons born from the mind of the Greater Daemon or Daemon Prince, though these entities are usually short-lived as they tend to be consumed by the Furies that populate the Formless Wastes and are much weaker than the Daemons of the four major Chaos Gods.
Locations within the Warp included:
- Fortress of Khorne :
- Brass Citadel :
- Garden of Nurgle :
- Palace of Slaanesh :
- Crystal Labyrinth of Tzeentch :
- Impossible Fortress :
- Hidden Library :
- Formless Wastes :
- Forge of Souls :
- Well of Eternity :
The Warp is an extremely volatile medium. At times, disturbances can turn areas of the Warp into raging storms of incomprehensibly destructive fury. These storms can last for days, months, or even centuries. Ships caught in these storms, at best, might be blown off-course, to emerge thousands of light-years off course into uncharted areas of the galaxy, or can find themselves trapped inside the Warp, a terrible fate for its passengers as they become playthings for the dark creatures that inhabit the malign realm. Sometimes, a ship, after traveling through the Warp for only a short time, will emerge from the Warp and find that centuries have passed in real space. The storms also cut off Warp travel through certain regions, isolating systems from the Imperium for months, years, or even centuries. Some systems have always been isolated and show no hint of becoming otherwise.
A Warp rift is a weakening of the barrier between real space and the Warp, allowing its creatures to enter the material universe. Sometimes, Warp rifts occur randomly, while other times, the Chaos Gods or mortals manufacture them. Some last mere moments, others for days, years, or even centuries. They can take many forms, often a seething whirlpool of raw magic, other times they may show a glimpse into the realm of Chaos, they have also appeared as gates of green fire, clouds of impenetrable shadow, boiling lakes of pus, and other terrifying visions driving mortals mad. Examples that can induce a Warp rift include unpredictable movements of the Warp causing a break into real space, daemon possession of a mortal, deliberate rituals of daemon summoning, a focus of suffering and death from a great war, chance circumstances such as a Warp drive implosion, or most insidiously through the mind of an unprotected psychic creature.
There were a number of creatures native to the Warp that included:
- Psychneuein :
- Astral Spectre :
- Enslavers :
- Daemons :
A spaceship may enter the Warp through the use of Warp drives. This is the means by which spacecraft effectively travel faster than the speed of light. This is achieved because Warpspace is a domain of pure energy, where spacecraft can navigate between streams, as in an ocean. The Imperium uses Navigators, a sub-race of humans, for this purpose. Time also proceeds a great deal slower- or faster- in the Warp than in the material universe, resulting in forms of time stasis, acceleration, reversal, and other chaotic violations of physics. While this solution is effective, it is far from perfect.
The best mechanism to protect oneself from the Warp is to avoid warp travel altogether and find an alternative. But only very few races could do this, namely, the Eldar, Tyranids, Necrons. The Eldar use Webways as an alternative to Warp Travel, as Webways are a quicker means of travel than the Warp and that its free from the demonic forces of Chaos. The Necrons do not use the Warp as well. They travel by means of their unknown phase technology to move around the galaxy, which means they have no need of any protection mechanism. The Tyranids also don't travel through the Warp, instead, they use Bio-Ships called "Narvhals" that manipulate their intended destination's own gravity to compress realspace into a type of gravitic transit corridor or worm hole, allowing the Hive Fleets to cover vast distances very quickly. The mechanism that Orks use is still a mystery. But it is generally agreed that concentration of Orks psychic powers could generate a shield against the powers of the Warp. The Tau do not directly travel through the Warp, instead they use a process known as Warp Diving, in which they travel between sectors by diving into the boundary between the warpspace and real-space at definite intervals for recharging power. And finally, the Imperium of Man accomplishes the Warp travel and protects its fleets by a special field known as the Gellar Field. It creates a shield of realspace or a real time barrier around the ships. Its an invisible field and due to this realtime field, the warp creatures are repelled due to their contradiction with the realspace or the Materium.
Casting a Shadow across the Warp was a power belonging to the Tyranids. When the Hive fleets pick their targets and engage them, the Hive Mind will direct its fleets through its psychic powers. So, due to the presence of the strong, immense psychic powers of the Hive Mind, it would make the sections of the Warp unfit for travel. No other fleets could travel through that region. Thus, sectors which are under the attack of Tyrannids are often lost if not garissoned properly, as the psychic power of the Hive Mind makes it impossible for reinforcements to arrive from distant sectors. The Hive Mind could thus isolate entire sectors and systems from the rest of the Galaxy, thereby casting a shadow and thus the name "Shadow across the Warp".
Notes
- The Warp was created by Games Workshop and featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
In other media
Video games
- In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, the Warp appeared in the setting of the real-time tactics video game. The story mode was set during the Gothic War which was cut off from the wider Imperium by a warp storm.
- In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, the Warp appeared in the setting of the real-time tactics video game.
- In Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters, the Warp appeared in the setting of the turn-based tactics game.
- In Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the Warp appeared in the setting of the 2023 isometric role-playing video game.
Appearances
- Warhammer 40,000:
External Links
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