Overview
@Norscan (Humans) @Norsca is a vast, frozen peninsula lying at the very threshold of the Chaos Wastes, a savage land where storm-lashed seas meet mountain chains and taigas warped by the northern warp-gate’s corruption. To the south lies the Sea of Claws, to the east the Kurgan steppes, and to the north the Sea of Chaos, beyond which stretches the realm of madness itself.
Its people, known variously as Norscans, Norsemen, or Northmen, are amongst the most feared raiders in the world. Once called the Norsii in the age of Sigmar, they were kin to the tribes that would form the Empire. But those who remained in the north were forever marked by the breath of Chaos. In Norsca, no single ruler unites the land — it is instead divided among hundreds of warring tribes, each following their chieftain, champion, or Chaos Lord.
Where civilised lands see Norsca as a barbarous frontier, the Norscans themselves see their homeland as the crucible of strength: a place where only the hardiest survive, and where the gods themselves watch and judge.
Geography
Norsca is colossal — large enough to swallow the Empire whole — yet most of its expanse is a near-uninhabitable wilderness.
Mountains such as the Jotunheims, Mountains of Frost and Dusk, and the peaks of Thjazi dominate the land. Myths speak of ice-dragons, giants, and ruins of forgotten fortresses hidden within their crags.
Taigas and Forests cloak much of the south, said to be home to beasts twisted by Chaos and spirits of the Dark Gods.
Glaciers and Pack Ice choke the north, culminating in seas of frozen waste like the Hellwyrm Glacier and the Ice Fields of Drergan Mort, which have hosted countless battles between Norscan tribes and their rivals.
Fjords and Coasts form the lifeblood of Norscan life. Here, longships are built and tethered, the gateways by which the Norscans descend upon the rest of the world.
The land is too harsh for steady farming. Thin summers allow meagre crops, but the winters are endless twilight and freezing storms. Survival depends on hunting, fishing, and above all — raiding.
People
Norscans are tall, broad, and muscular, with pale, weathered skin and hair ranging from blonde and red to black. They favour wild beards and long manes, and adorn themselves with trophies of their kills: fangs, skulls, runes, and grisly charms. Tattoos and ritual scars proclaim loyalty to the Chaos Gods.
Strength defines them. From birth, life is struggle: the weak perish, the strong rise. A Norscan warrior dreams of becoming a Champion of Chaos, earning the dread marks of divine favour. To southerners they appear savage berserkers, but to themselves they are chosen vessels of strength, tempered by their homeland’s brutality.
Society and Culture
Tribes and Rule
Norsca is fragmented into countless tribes: Aeslings, Skaelings, Sarls, Baersonlings, Bjornlings, and more. Leadership is earned through might and loyalty, with a chief or Chaos Lord ruling from a great hall or fortress until slain or usurped. Rivalries and blood-feuds are constant, shaping the endless cycle of raids and wars.
Despite their ferocity, Norscans value honour and kinship. To betray one’s lord or kin invites exile — a fate worse than death, for few tribes accept a dishonoured man except as a thrall.
Raiding and Warfare
Norscans live for war. Every summer, when ice loosens, their fleets of wolfships and dragonships set sail. To hear the blast of Norscan warhorns upon the wind is to know doom: plunder, slaughter, and fire follow.
Their raids stretch across the world: Kislev, the Empire, Bretonnia, the Tilean city-states, even as far as Naggaroth and Cathay. They fight not only for survival but also for glory and divine favour.
Sagas and Honour
Oral tradition binds Norscan culture. Deeds are remembered in sagas sung by skalds, immortalising heroes and tribes alike. Every warrior yearns for his name to be sung for generations, a legend to inspire awe and dread.
Religion
The Norscans are wholly devoted to the Chaos Gods, though under many names. To them, the Ruinous Powers are not distant beings but ever-present forces shaping their lives. Each tribe interprets the gods differently, yet all sacrifices, raids, and battles ultimately feed the same dark patrons.
Shamans and seers read omens in storms, bones, or blood. Superstitions abound: talismans made from beast fangs, enemy skulls, or stranger relics like daemon tongues or cockatrice eyes are believed to hold power. Whether these fetishes truly work is irrelevant — faith in them drives the Norscans to ever greater feats of savagery.
Monoliths and Great Halls
Norsca is dotted with Chaos Monoliths: towering runestones of stone, bone, or stranger materials raised to commemorate heroes and channel the raw power of Chaos. Inscriptions record deeds and sagas, while offerings are left to ensure divine favour. To rob such a place is near-suicidal, for both men and gods guard them.
Each tribe also gathers around vast great halls of timber, where feasts, oaths, and war-councils take place. Some halls are legendary: the Hall of Strovengaard, seat of Egil Styrbjorn; the Hall of Urslo, home to Beorg Bearstruck and his tribe. Fortresses also rise in Norsca, crude yet formidable: Doomkeep, the Forbidden Citadel, and Ormfell, built upon the bones of a slain wyrm.
Practices and Traditions
The Norscans are infamous for their cruel rites. The most dreaded is the Blood Raven (or Blood Eagle), a sacrifice to Khorne in which victims’ ribs are split and lungs torn out to resemble wings. Originating in Valkia the Bloody’s wars, it remains a feared execution, carried out with ritualistic zeal.
Other traditions include:
Berserker Frenzy – warriors work themselves into ecstatic rages through chants, drugs, or bloodletting.
Sacrificial Feasts – captives are offered to the gods on pyres or altars after victorious raids.
Talisman Crafting – charms of bone, hide, or daemon remains worn to court divine favour.
Such practices, though abhorrent to southerners, are seen by the Norscans as sacred acts of devotion.
Relations and Raids
The Norscans’ greatest enemies are the Kislevites, whose frozen realm lies closest to their shores. Endless raids have burned Erengrad, threatened Praag, and driven Tzarina Katarin to reinforce her borders. Beyond Kislev, the Empire is a frequent target, as are Bretonnia and the coastal lands of the south.
They war constantly with their fellow northmen — rival tribes, the Kurgan, and Hung — yet when united by a mighty Chaos Lord or an Everchosen, their hordes become a tide that threatens the entire world.
Conclusion
Norsca is a land forged of ice, storm, and Chaos. Its people are brutal yet proud, warriors whose lives are devoted to battle, blood, and the dark gods. From their fjords and halls sail the longships that have haunted southern dreams for centuries. When the banners of the tribes are raised and their horns sound across the Sea of Claws, kings and emperors alike tremble — for the Norscans come not only to raid, but to kill and to conquer in the name of Chaos.