Werner Flamefist
Werner Flamefist, also known as Werner Thunderfist (see below), Flamefist/Thunderfist and Tzy'y-chy-ikch, is an old school Chaos Champion turned Daemon Prince of Tzeentch. He debuted in the Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned splatbook as one of two examples of how to play the new Path to Glory mechanics, the other being his Nurgle counterpart Lothar Bubonicus.
Werner's story took the form of a sagas written up as if the reader were reading it off of his Chaos Monolith, with each stanza being accompanied by a plain text account that summarized the events in plain detail, as well as detailing any followers gained or lost as well as Chaos rewards earned by Werner or his followers.
After his appearance, he vanished, but his name would be dropped again in the 7th edition Warriors of Chaos splatbook.
The Story[edit]
Werner was originally a nobleman who dabbled in alchemy, an activity that attracted the eye of Tzeentch. The Chaos God of Magic blessed Werner with a crystal of Warpstone, which eventually grew into crystalline Chaos Armor as well, and psychedelic color-changing skin, which caused the noble to begin worshiping Tzeentch and gathering a coven from his fellow nobles. However, a family feud led to the discovery of the cult and its mutant leader, forcing Werner and his surviving cultists to flee into the wild hills beyond his former family lands.
In the wilderness, Werner's powers and Tzeentch's favor swelled his warband's ranks with powerful beastmen, who aided him in battling bands of brigands. Imbued with the power of rapid regeneration by his daemonic patron, Werner triumphed over his foes. Eventually, his wanderings led him to a cave system, where he was compelled to enter. In the depths, he found a Chaos Blade, and then a cockatrice appeared and guided them to the exit - which brought them all the way to the Chaos Wastes, where Werner secured a Disc of Tzeentch as his steed and a minotaur to join his forces.
Now Werner began to roam the Chaos Wastes. The first of his notable encounters was a foetid swamp occupied by Nurgle worshipers; Werner slew them all and dumped their bodies in the stinking pools, whereupon Tzeentch rewarded him with three Chaos Spawn to serve his forces. For a long time, Werner roamed the Wastes, picking off lone Champions and small Warbands, attaining a withering gaze and a pair of orc followers, but whittling down the ranks of his cultists, beastmen and spawn. He might have exhausted himself and become prey in turn, had he not stumbled across a volcanic crater where three warbands were using the flames to cook their meals. Enraged by what he saw as a desecration of one of Tzeentch's sacred sites, Werner attacked all three at once, a brutal fight in which he triumped. Tzeentch blessed him with a partially daemonic aspect, fusing him with a Flamer and bolstering his ranks with new beastmen.
Realizing that he needed to step up his game, Werner vowed to slay a powerful foe purely with spellcraft. He set his sights on a Chaos Champion of Nurgle named Festus the Fiend (unrelated), and spent years hunting him down before they finally fought their climactic battle. Though Werner's warband was slaughtered, Werner fulfilled his vow, and the discharge of magic to destroy one of Nurgle's champions pleased Tzeentch greatly. Werner became a fiery Daemon Prince, and cast off the warpstone charm that had begun his long journey, challenging others to dare to find it and follow his footsteps. He departed to the Realm of Tzeentch, and the survivors of his cult erected a monolith to bear the saga of his ascension before one of them took up the role of Champion in Werner's place.
The Saga[edit]
- "In the darkness I practised the secret arts.
- I was then but a collector of charms.
- I looked to the Lord of Changes for wisdom
- And Tzeentch found me and led me into the light.
- I searched for Fool's Gold and found the magic stone.
- I bathed in the rainbow of Chaos
- High priest of the coven."
- "Daggers in the great hall.
- I fled into hiding, my followers with me.
- Tzeentch strengthened us
- A long-arm for Kaspar, a crystal helm for me."
- "From the castle crags to barren hills
- Tzeentch led us.
- The horned ones were our swords and shields
- Against the brigands of the night.
- Weapons harm not the followers of Tzeentch."
- "In dark caves, the eye of Tzeentch found me.
- He sent a skittering beast to lead me through the dark.
- Tzeentch forged for me a sword and made me his warrior."
- "Brighter than the light of day
- Shines the gaze of Tzeentch, Changer of the Way.
- Upon the gleaming plains of endless change
- Stretching to infinity
- There speed the Steeds of Tzeentch.
- By the will of Tzeentch are the savage beasts tamed
- To serve his worshippers."
- "The vile pools of stench
- We cleansed with blood offerings to Tzeentch.
- The foul waters boiled in rage
- Under the searing gaze of the Changer of the Way.
- From the murky depths came beasts fashioned from his thought.
- Tzeentch creator of creatures, defies the worldly way.
- Vicious spawn, who ask not where or why
- Eager only to eat the foe, or die."
- "One by one, the foes of Tzeentch I laid low.
- No one could stand the gaze of Tzeentch
- Granted only to his favoured ones.
- I spared the green-tusked warriors.
- When they saw the signs of Tzeentch
- They fell upon their faces
- For Tzeentch spares those who can change with the times."
- "In the crater of fire
- The arrogant ones met the wrath of Tzeentch
- And the Lord of Change rewarded me accordingly.
- As a Flamer I shall be.
- All Beastmen shall call me master."
- "To wield magic in the name of Tzeentch
- To change his foes by awesome flux
- That was my final task, the last challenge.
- I sought a powerful foe
- Hunted him for many years.
- I confronted mighty Festus the Fiend.
- My spell skills counted for more than any weapon
- The glint of magic caught the eye of Tzeentch.
- He knew my worth in his eternal legions.
- This stone was raised by my followers
- It marks the birthplace of a Daemon Prince."
Warhammer 40K[edit]
Werner's 40K history is pretty much is Fantasy history but sci-fi'd. He was still an Alchemist, but rather than warpstone, he found a stone bathed in warp energies (So warpstone in all but name?) He still gathered a Chaos cult, still got chased from his home by angry relatives, and still fought a Nurgle Champion named Festus to ascend. the most notable difference is that his home planet is shared by the 40k versions Bubonicus and N'kari. But unlike them he doesn't seem to have any further appearances down the line.
Stats[edit]
Before his Daemonic Ascension, Werner was a Realms of Chaos-era Chaos Champion riding a Disc of Tzeentch. He had the Chaos Attributes Dimensional Instability, Rapid Regeneration and Vividly Colored Skin; the Chaos Gifts Chaos Armor, Daemonic Crossbreed (Flamer Arm), Chaos Blade (Deflection), and Withering Gaze; and a Warpstone Charm as a Magic Item. He also gained +1 Attack and +1 Wound as a Chaos Reward.
Weirdly, his model and artwork both depict him with a skeletal, rat-like head, but he never actually earned such a mutation according to his stats; he was accompanied by a multi-headed Beastman, a beaked Beastman (a very early Tzaangor, maybe?)), and two humans with the Bestial Face mutation, though...
The Naming Debate[edit]
Originally, Werner appeared in Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned with the surname "Flamefist", which likewise becamse his common-tongue moniker amongst cultists after ascending to the position of Daemon Prince. But as early as the sagas being reprinted in White Dwarf #124, Werner's name was changed to Thunderfist instead.
Gallery[edit]
-
Werner looking appropriately psychedelic on his disk -
It SAYS "Disk of Tzeentch with Rider" but its clearly the same model from a different angle, right!? -
Werner's actually pretty kickass personal standard, held by a helpful Orc. -
The Warband of Flamefist. Cool band name.
