Place 1: Archaon the Everchosen
Just like Abaddon, Archaon is a champion of all four gods of chaos. Archaon leads the last incursions of chaos against the world of mortals in Warhammer Fantasy, and as the first of the chaos champions, he has succeeded: He truly destroys the world.
A rift that emanates from the two poles of the world consumes it and plunges it into the void. Only a few survive, saved by legendary figures like Sigmar and the intervention of some divine beings.
Through Archaon’s actions, the “End Times” truly come to an end, and Warhammer Fantasy canonically ceases to exist. Instead, the Age of Sigmar begins, in which the struggle for the realms of mortals continues – albeit with a new, fifth chaos god.
Archaon himself – then under the name Diedrick – was once even a templar of Sigmar and devoted to the faith. It was only through reading forbidden writings that disparaged the religion of Sigmar and praised chaos that he fell into chaotic power, which often supported him in his life:
- The gods have allegedly predetermined the fate of the Everchosen even before his birth.
- Be’lakor, the first daemon prince, has claimed to have ensured multiple times that Archaon (or Diedrick) was even born and survived until he fulfilled his purpose.
- Archaon’s life was unnaturally extended for him to gain his legendary equipment: the Six Treasures of Chaos.
These treasures ultimately grant him the strength that makes him the greatest champion of chaos of all time: his black armor withstands nearly every blow, his crown brings terror to enemies and grants him command over daemonic powers. The most powerful artifact is probably his sword, the Slayer of Kings, in which the soul of a daemon is imprisoned.
Archaon has not only ensured that chaos prevails but literally erased an entire world with consequences in real life… more or less. For his victory led to Warhammer Fantasy no longer being continued and instead Age of Sigmar takes its place: Age of Sigmar was long regarded as the least popular Warhammer, now it excites fans: “High Fantasy meets Heavy Metal”.
