Father Nurgle
Nurgle is the god of pestilence and diseases. The plague in medieval Europe (“The Black Death”) is said to be closely associated with him. He is “the source of all diseases, plagues, parasites, and epidemics that have ever plagued mortal beings.”
Nurgle does not even see his diseases as something bad, but rather as a gift he wants to give to every living being. Ironically, his goal is to maintain the cycle of death and the subsequent “unrestrained life.”
Nurgle is usually depicted simply as a large mass of decaying flesh that is infested with maggots and other vermin. He spreads a stench that “can make reality itself rot.” He is often seen stirring happily at his plague cauldron.
Nurgle’s realm in the warp is a large garden that brims with wild life. However, there are no beautiful flowers and birds here, but rather stinking swamps and swollen plants that generate all kinds of diseases. In his realm, he is said to also keep the Eldar goddess Isha captive, who represents agriculture and fertility. He tests his new diseases on her.
The most dangerous demons of Nurgle are his Great Plagues. Nurgle’s followers carry his gifts into the world and strive to delay their decay as long as possible to hold on to it. His deadliest disease is the Rot of Nurgle, which slowly turns its victims into Plaguebearers.
