Stormcast Eternals Lore: Sigmar's Reforged Heroes, the Realmgate Wars and the Cost of Reforging (Plus How to Start)

The Stormcast Eternals are the heroes of Age of Sigmar: the greatest mortal warriors, taken by the god-king Sigmar at the moment of death, remade as immortal champions in sigmarite armour and hurled into battle as bolts of lightning. But every death and rebirth costs them a piece of who they were.

Army guide, last updated November 4, 2026. Lore summarised in our own words from Black Library novels, codexes and community wikis. For game rules, use the official battletome or the official app.

The Stormcast in 30 seconds

First, the Mortal Realms

Age of Sigmar takes place in the Mortal Realms, eight magical worlds born from the ruins of the old Warhammer world: the realms of Fire (Aqshy), Metal (Chamon), Life (Ghyran), Death (Shyish), Beasts (Ghur), Heavens (Azyr), Light (Hysh) and Shadow (Ulgu). Each has its own wild landscapes and magic, and Chaos, Death and Destruction fight Order for control of them all.

Sigmar and the Age of Chaos

Sigmar was once a human hero who became a god in the world-that-was. When that world was destroyed, he survived by clinging to its molten core and drifted through the void until he found the Mortal Realms. He united the gods and peoples in an Age of Myth, until the Chaos Gods invaded. In the Age of Chaos, the realms fell one by one, and Sigmar retreated to Azyr and sealed the gates behind him.

The forging of the Stormcast

Sealed away in Azyr, Sigmar prepared his answer. He snatched the souls of mortal heroes as they died fighting Chaos and, with the help of the smith-god Grungni, reforged them on the Anvil of the Apotheosis into giant warriors in armour of sigmarite. These were the Stormcast Eternals.

The cost of Reforging

When a Stormcast dies, their soul returns to Azyr as lightning to be reforged. But each time, something is lost: memories, emotions, sometimes their very humanity. Some veterans become cold, distant and strange. Others carry fragments of lives they can no longer remember. It's the Stormcast's great tragedy: immortality slowly erases them.

The Realmgate Wars and the Soul Wars

When Sigmar opened the gates of Azyr, the Stormcast struck back in the Realmgate Wars, seizing the magical portals between realms and freeing cities from Chaos. Later, the god of death, Nagash, unleashed a wave of death magic called the Necroquake, and the Stormcast fought the Soul Wars against his ghostly armies. They have since fought invasions of Destruction and the great Skaven uprising that opened Age of Sigmar's 4th edition.

Stormhosts and Chambers

Stormcast are organised into Stormhosts, each with its own colours and character. The Hammers of Sigmar are the first and most famous, in gold and blue. Others include the grim Anvils of the Heldenhammer, the fiery Celestial Vindicators and the wild Knights Excelsior. Within each host, warriors fight in specialised chambers: frontline warriors, cavalry on dracoths, flying units and Lord-Celestants who lead them.

Famous Stormcast

• Vandus Hammerhand: Lord-Celestant of the Hammers of Sigmar, hero of the Realmgate Wars.
• Neave Blacktalon: Sigmar's Knight-Zephyros, a hunter of Chaos champions.
• Gardus Steel Soul: a kind-hearted Lord-Celestant famous for his compassion.
• Yndrasta: the Celestial Spear, a winged huntress of monsters.

Black Library books to read

• Hallowed Knights: Plague Garden (Josh Reynolds): Gardus and the Stormcast in the Garden of Nurgle
• Warqueen (Andy Clark): the Stormcast and the free cities

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Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.

Collecting Stormcast: a quick guide

Stormcast are elite and flexible, the Space Marines of Age of Sigmar. Start with: a Stormcast Spearhead box, or the discounted Christmas Battleforce.

Painting tip

Gold armour with blue: prime gold, wash with a sepia shade, highlight the edges. A gold paint does most of the work.

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