Chaos Wastes

The Chaos Wastes is a fictional place in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy world setting. The Chaos Wastes are a vast warped, cold and barren wasteland to the north (and probably also the south) of the habitable areas of the world. It is referred to by the Norse as Shadowlands and sometimes as Umbra (or Umbra Chaotica). With Norsca Wastes are part of the Northlands. The Wastes are mentioned in many of the Warhammer sourcebooks. It borders Cathay, Naggaroth, Ogre Kingdoms and Norsca. The southern area of the Wastes is part of the Eastern Steppes.

The Chaos Wastes are inhabited by various mutated flora and fauna, Daemons, Chaos monsters (including Beastmen) and the barbaric human tribes of Kurgan and Hung who worship Chaos gods whose influence is strong here. A great Chaos Portal between the material world and the Realm of Chaos spews raw magical energy, the stuff of Chaos, into the world. Several other, lesser rifts also exist in the wastes. Unstable energies change the climate, radically causing mutations to anybody moving there.

• Champions of Chaos travel to the wastes to gain respect and rewards from their masters. The mightiest of these champions may even become a Daemon Prince. Followers of different Chaos gods constantly battle in these waste, until a powerful enough warlord unites the different tribes and starts a Chaos incursion to some location of the Warhammer World.
• The mighty empire of Cathay has built a huge wall, known as 'The Dragon's Spine' (similar to the Great Wall of China) to protect their lands from invasion from the Chaos Wastes. The Dark Elves also maintain a series of watchtowers in order to prevent incursions into Naggaroth by the denizens of the Chaos Wastes.
• Huge Chaos Monoliths are a common site in the wastes.
• The Chaos Wastes will also be the Tier 4 zone in the Empire versus Chaos area in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning which must be captured by the Empire before they may assault The Maw.

References

• Williams, Richard (2005), Liber Chaotica (complete edition), Black Library, ISBN 1844163946, http://www.amazon.com/Liber-Chaotica-Complete-mysteries-Warhammer/dp/1844163946/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211263585&sr=1-1 
• Williams, Richard (2003), Liber Chaotica Volume I: Khorne, Black Library, ISBN 1841542725, http://www.amazon.com/Liber-Chaotica-Vol-1-Khorne/dp/1841542725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211263649&sr=1-1 
• Von Staufer, Marijan (2003), Liber Chaotica Volume II: Slaanesh, Black Library, ISBN 1844160432, http://www.amazon.com/Liber-Chaotica-Vol-2-Slaanesh/dp/1844160432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211263697&sr=1-1 
• Von Staufer, Marijan (2003), Liber Chaotica Volume III: Nurgle, Black Library, ISBN 1844160645, http://www.amazon.com/Liber-Chaotica-M-von-Staufer/dp/1844160645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211263739&sr=1-1 
• Von Staufer, Marijan (2003), Liber Chaotica Volume IV: Tzeentch, Black Library, ISBN 1844160858, http://www.amazon.com/Liber-Chaotica-Vol-4-Tzeentch/dp/1844160858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211263841&sr=1-1 
• Werner, C.L. (2007), Palace of the Plague Lord, Black Library, ISBN 1844164810, http://www.amazon.com/Palace-Plague-Lord-Warhammer-Novels/dp/1844164810 
• Schwalb, Robert J. (2006), Tome of Corruption, Black Industries, ISBN 1844163091, http://www.amazon.com/WFRP-Corruption-Warhammer-Fantasy-Roleplay/dp/1844163091/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211264140&sr=1-1 
• Thorpe, Gavin; Priestley, Rick; Reynolds, Anthony and Alessio Cavatore (2002), Warhammer Armies: Hordes of Chaos, Nottingham: Games Workshop, ISBN 1-84154-222-9 
• XXX, XXX; XXX (2008), Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos, Nottingham: Games Workshop, ISBN 18441548839 
• XXX, XXX; XXX (2008), Warhammer Armies: Warriors of Chaos, Nottingham: Games Workshop, ISBN XXX