Places Of Power
The Warhammer world contains many places of power dotted across it surface and there are many myths, legends and stories associated with them in the official history of the Warhammer world.
However, I thought I would share with you my unofficial explanation and history of the many places of power that one comes across on Warhammer maps, novels, and in WFRP adventures. I would stress that, as far as I know, this is my own interpretation of the lore as written (and over-written) in the Warhammer sources of the past and that as far as I am aware these details have not been described or confirmed by any WFRP official sourcebook and so, they are unlikely to be canon or official lore. But I just like to think they make sense.
The most plausible explanation for their existence is that these places were built by The Eldar race under the guidance and instructions of the Slann Mage Priests commonly known as The Old Ones. They are not as is often assumed magical places, but are in fact, distribution nodes. They were built as part of a power distribution network designed to channel Aethyric Energy around the planet for use and consumption in the terraforming of new planets. As such they also form hubs in a network that connects the power transfer conduits now commonly known as Ley-Lines. Of course, The Old Ones are now long gone as are their Eldar servitors. They left their legacy on the planets surface along with their elven descendants whose skills were genetically designed to give them the skills and abilities necessary to maintain the power grid pending their return. Hence, why elves can see the flow and colour mix of Aethyric Energy where most other races on the planet cannot. However, The Old Ones will not be coming back. they were driven out of the Galaxy and hunted to extinction by The Necrons, but The Elves have no way of knowing that and still try their best to maintain their power network even though the reason for its existence is long forgotten and now shrouded in myths of sacred religion and magical purpose. The fact remains that most of these places of power still act as processing nodes on the Aethyric Power network. The standing stones (Way Stones) still channelling power through the grid and so they are a natural magnet for sorcerers and daemons who seeking a power boost for their magical activities. Some have been destroyed over the millennia and their way stones broken or toppled but they remain natural power nodes on the network and could in theory be repaired.
What are places of power and where did they come from?
Controversially. places of power in my world have nothing to do with Chaos or the Chaos Gods. Whilst it is a fact that many cults labeled as the followers of Chaos are drawn to places of power the simple truth is that most of these places existed long before 'The Great Cataclysm' and The Birth of Slaanesh, the first of the gods Of Chaos to be given sentience.The most plausible explanation for their existence is that these places were built by The Eldar race under the guidance and instructions of the Slann Mage Priests commonly known as The Old Ones. They are not as is often assumed magical places, but are in fact, distribution nodes. They were built as part of a power distribution network designed to channel Aethyric Energy around the planet for use and consumption in the terraforming of new planets. As such they also form hubs in a network that connects the power transfer conduits now commonly known as Ley-Lines. Of course, The Old Ones are now long gone as are their Eldar servitors. They left their legacy on the planets surface along with their elven descendants whose skills were genetically designed to give them the skills and abilities necessary to maintain the power grid pending their return. Hence, why elves can see the flow and colour mix of Aethyric Energy where most other races on the planet cannot. However, The Old Ones will not be coming back. they were driven out of the Galaxy and hunted to extinction by The Necrons, but The Elves have no way of knowing that and still try their best to maintain their power network even though the reason for its existence is long forgotten and now shrouded in myths of sacred religion and magical purpose. The fact remains that most of these places of power still act as processing nodes on the Aethyric Power network. The standing stones (Way Stones) still channelling power through the grid and so they are a natural magnet for sorcerers and daemons who seeking a power boost for their magical activities. Some have been destroyed over the millennia and their way stones broken or toppled but they remain natural power nodes on the network and could in theory be repaired.
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