The Fall of the Old World
Chaos consumed the Old World, and from its ashes, survivors fled to the pre-existing Mortal Realms.
The Fall of the Old World represents the cataclysmic end of the previous reality and the dark prologue to the Age of Sigmar. In the lore of the Mortal Realms, this event marks the moment when Chaos consumed the material plane known as the Old World, forcing the God-King Sigmar to flee into the already-existing, primordial Mortal Realms with what survivors he could save from total annihilation.
- Event Type
- Chaotic World-Ending Cataclysm
- Outcome
- Destruction of the Old World; survivors flee to the pre-existing Mortal Realms
Lore & Background
Sigmar, rallying the remnants of Order, fought a desperate, multi-battle war known as the End Times against the overwhelming forces of Chaos. Despite their valor, the world was not shattered by Sigmar's hand but was consumed and destroyed by the Ruinous Powers. As reality collapsed, Sigmar escaped into the already-existing, separate realms of magic and matter—the Mortal Realms—where he would later rebuild civilization. Fragments of the Old World and its survivors were incorporated into these realms, but the realms themselves were not formed from the debris.
In Their Own Story
The sky above the capital did not darken; it fractured like glass. A soldier gripped his spear, watching the horizon dissolve into violet storms and screaming faces. There was no retreat left, only the command from the throne: break the world to save its soul. He raised his shield as the ground beneath him turned to void.
Reader's Guide
The conflict began when Chaos forces overwhelmed the defenses of the Old World, corrupting armies and twisting landscapes into nightmares. Mortal kingdoms fell one by one, unable to withstand the combined might of Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh. Sigmar rallied the remaining champions of Order for a final crusade against the Chaos Gods. They fought through corrupted lands, seeking to strike at the source of the corruption rather than merely defend territory. The turning point occurred when Sigmar shattered the world's physical structure using divine magic. This act banished the Chaos Gods from direct dominance and scattered the remaining matter into distinct realms like Azyr and Ghyran. This event established the current Age of Sigmar, separating gods and mortals while creating a new battleground where Order fights to maintain existence against eternal Chaos.
Did You Know?
- The Mortal Realms were not formed from the debris of the Old World; they are distinct, pre-existing realms of magic and matter.
- Sigmar did not sacrifice his physical form to create the Mortal Realms; he fled to them as a survivor.
- This event is often referred to as 'The End Times' in older lore contexts.
- Many AoS factions trace their origins back to survivors of this destruction.