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See also the Cult of Ulric


"Ulric is in the wild places, in the wind, in the storm, in the snow, in the howl of the wolf. You cannot find him in your cities or your temples of stone."

—Heikki Russ, Wanderer of Ulric[2a]
PBTTC-Special-Edition-2

A depiction of Ulric, the god of war, winter and wolves

Ulric is the god of war, winter and wolves in the Old World Pantheon, one of the older gods of the Human tribesmen that created the Empire of Man.[4c][5c] Once the foremost god of the Men of the Old World,[12a] looked to by its people in times of war[2b] and seen as the patron deity of the early Empire,[12a] his influence in the southern regions of the Empire has been fading, mostly overshadowed and overtaken by the Sigmarite faith in political presence and further struggling even for control over the portfolio of war with the foreign Myrmidian cult. Despite this decline in worship, Ulric retains a stronghold in the northern lands of the Empire,[2b] particularly Middenland,[12a] and his faithful remain in a position of undeniable political power in the present-day Empire.[2b] In some of the north he is venerated above even Sigmar by peasants and nobles alike,[15] his devout sure that there is only one true divine warrior amongst the heavens.[2b]

Having been worshipped since the earliest days of Human occupation of the lands of the northern and central Old World that became the Empire, there are many local names for Ulric that honour a particular aspect of his nature.[8c][9e] Some minor, regional deities are aspects of an official Imperial deity like Ulric, and thus tolerated by the official Imperial cults.[3c] For instance, Ulric "Blood-hand", the personification of berserk fury, is popular with footmen and templars who lose themselves in rage on the battlefield and often become a danger to their friends as much as their foes.[8c] The domain of Ulric "Snow King", by contrast, is winter, and his followers, scattered throughout the colder regions of Nordland, Ostland, Kislev and southern Norsca, are ascetics more focused on the struggle to survive the rigours of winter than battle.[1d][8c]

There existed a bloodier interpretation of Ulric among the Norscans called Olric, a name also often used among the poorest citizens of the northern Imperial province of Nordland.[13a] A purely Norscan sect venerated Ulric as a hunter of bears, which often raid Norscan farmsteads, known as Ursash.[8c] There was also potentially an early aspect of Ulric in the form of the predator god Lupos the Wolf, which was undergoing a resurgence in Hochland and possibly tied Ulric back to the ancient nature deity Ishernos.[1a][8c]

Tileans use different names for the Northern Gods, but have no equivalent for Ulric at all, although some brave theists have dared to draw comparisons between Ulric and Khaine, the god of murder.[1a] Some scholars, such as the former Sigmarite priest Richter Kleiss, have gone so far as to directly question Ulric's association with the Chaos God Khorne.[10]

Ulric is sometimes called "Lord Ulric",[11a] "Ulric the Wolf",[1d] "Great Wolf",[5a] the "White Wolf",[2b] the "Wolf God of Winter",[12a] the "Winter God",[1a] "Lord of Winter",[6a] "God of Battle",[9a] and "God of War".[1f] In the days of Sigmar, Ulric was known to be personified as the "Wild Wolf".[5b] As Lupos, he is known as the "Lord of Predators"[8c] or "God of Predators" rather than god of winter or more specifically the god of wolves.[1a] According to Ulrican lore, he was the "King of the Gods", although other cults dispute this.[14b]

While it is true that the highly organised Cult of Ulric is limited to Middenland, specifically its capital city of Middenheim, let there be no mistake: Ulric is a powerful and important god, prayed to by every man or woman who has to do battle, and in the Old World, sooner or later, that is everyone.[9e] Ulric the mighty, Ulric the proud, Ulric the wolf as white as snow,[2b] is the god of battle and destruction[9e] and the patron of soldiers[12a] and wolves,[9e] and his followers fight with their ferocity.[2b]

Southern folk often mock the devotees of the White Wolf for their bestial nature, but Ulricans pay little heed to such sentiments.[2b] Indeed, Ulric is a harsh god,[9e] but so too is the mortal world a harsh one, and when the winters come and icy storms grip the land, it is the wolves who survive while the lambs perish.[2b] It is little wonder then, that such a place as Middenland has a deity as harsh as Ulric for its patron. The Wolf God is as unforgiving as the country he watches over, demanding of his followers the strength they need to survive there, such is the simple reason behind their veneration.[12a]

Ulric is also the divine spirit of winter,[9e] and is known to be personified as the savagery of the piercing winter's chill.[12b] By the autumn equinox celebration of "Less Growth," his brother Taal, the god of nature, animals and the wilds and Taal's wife Rhya, the goddess of agriculture, love, fertility and nature, are said to hand their power over the land to him. A portion of the harvest and some form of animal were quietly sacrificed to Ulric to keep his wolves at bay in the bitterness of winter. Around this time frost begins to creep over the land,[1e][9c] and in ancient Teutogen folklore, Skoll, the legendary wolf companion of Ulric himself, soon chases away the sun to allow the onset of winter.[12b]

By the winter equinox, also called "World Still," Ulric is at his height in the Old World, and hungry wolves begin searching for easy meals of livestock and the occasional Human victim. Bonfires are lit in hopes of guiding Taal and Rhya back into the world, and in the farthest reaches of the Empire, the pelts of wolves are raised on sticks outside village perimeters, both as a sign of respect for Ulric and a warning for his "children" to stay far away.[1e][9c] During Sigmar's time the people waited for Ulric to return to his frozen realm in the heavens, and for Taal to bring balance to the world in the spring.[7b] By the spring equinox or "Start Growth," Ulric's reign of ice and snow ends[1e][9c] and he returns the world to Rhya.[16a]

Yet, some Ulrican myths do not portray all this as a smooth or certain process. There exist invocations to Rhya to intercede with Ulric to force him to relinquish the land when spring comes,[16a] and it is said that if the Sacred Flame of Ulric in Ulric's Middenheim temple were to ever go out, then the next winter would last a whole year or possibly even forever.[3b] Ragnarites, followers of Ulric in his aspect as the "Snow King," believe that winter is simply a training ground for Evernacht, an eternal winter that will choke the life from Ulric's greatest enemies, the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. Some extremists of the order believe it is their duty to prepare the mortal world for this imminent cleansing, and so sacrifice food raided from silos across the north in Ulric's name, a practice few appreciate.[1d]

History[]

"Great wolf, god of war and fury and battle, lend me the strength of your arm, the courage in your heart and the fire in your belly so that I may prevail on the morn and be forever renowned in the history of my people. Accept my offering with the promise of more, if you bring me victory tomorrow."

Sigmar Heldenhammer[5a]

Ascension of Sigmar[]

Wolf Priest

A Warrior Priest of Ulric

Within a generation of Sigmar's abdication and disappearance, the wild-eyed friar Johann Helstrum preached that he had ascended to divinity at the hands of Ulric himself. Helstrum claimed to have witnessed Ulric standing cold and proud, holding a magnificent, golden crown in his heavy hands, and surrounded by the other divinities, looking on with pride and approval. Kneeling before Ulric was Emperor Sigmar, and Ulric slowly placed the crown on his head. So it was that the Cult of Sigmar was born in the belief that it had been sanctioned by Sigmar's own patron deity Ulric during his lifetime.[1a]

Ulrican-Sigmarite Conflicts[]

"Friends, let me explain what I mean; Sigmar was an Ulrican. Sigmar founded this empire, thus, the Empire is Ulric's nation. We are all Ulricans! This slavish devotion to Sigmar must end!"

—Johann von Schattenlas, Carroburg politician[1d]

"Evina Klug, Verena's high priestess in Middenheim, allowed me to access her libraries, and there I uncovered the tale of Lupos, a Wolf God associated with Taal and Rhya, possibly as part of an ancient triumvirate. In particular, the White Wolf was of especial importance to that deity, and represented the long-dead religion's ferocity and passion. Does it not seem likely that the early Teutogens may have absorbed the Cult of Lupos, probably at the end of an axe. Thus, Ulric's association with wolves may be stolen from another cult, and may have nothing to do with the original cult at all? If my suspicions are true, they will bring many Ulrican religious texts into question, for wolf iconography is now associated with Ulric from the beginning of time-and I believe that may be a lie!"

—The 3rd journal of Werner Stoltz, Sigmar's High Capitular in Middenheim[1a]

It was inevitable that the Cult of Ulric felt threatened by the rise of the Cult of Sigmar to religious predominance in the Empire. Ulric represented the old ways, Sigmar the new Empire. They are both fierce gods of war and battle, yet Sigmar had bested Artur, chieftain of the Teutogens and champion of Ulric, atop the Fauschlag, proving Sigmar's dominance. Ulric was always a distant god, yet Sigmar had stood among his people in flesh and blood. Worshippers flocked to the new shrines dedicated to the God-King; only in the northern provinces of the Empire did the Cult of Ulric remain powerful.[3a]

This was not helped by the views of the Teutogen tribe. As the centuries passed, worship of Ulric spread throughout the other Human tribes, but as far as the Teutogens were concerned, the White Wolf was still their god. Unfortunately for non-Teutogens, things have changed little over time. Although Ulric is worshipped across the Old World, the descendants of the Teutogens -- almost all in the north of Middenland and south of Nordland -- have a firm grip on the cult, and intend to keep it. Teutogens tend to succeed where others are overlooked, ignored, or even shunned; indeed, all of the Ar-Ulrics who lead the cult have been pure-blood Teutogens. For non-Teutogens, this is intolerable, but they have yet to make any impact in changing these views.[1d]

The Ulricans are proud of their god, of their traditions, and of the Empire, but are resentful of the notion that it is solely the empire of Sigmar and the Sigmarites' newfound political influence over the realm. It was primarily Ulrican blood that was shed in order to establish it, and is still spent daily to guard it. Yet, an atmosphere of Sigmarite hegemony continues to persist across the Empire, especially in the south,[2b] so many Ulricans see it as their duty to carry the Word of Ulric to even the warmer climes where his benevolence and power may not be apparent. His place amongst the gods must be fought for with words and deeds.[3f]

Ulricans often go out of their way to prove to the Sigmarites that it is the Ulricans who are the Empire's true strength. While most Ulricans are happy to give the Sigmarites their due respect, they are not inclined to deference, and believe that respect should be earned, particularly through feats of valour on the battlefield. It is an accepted practice within the Cult of Ulric that the stories of Ulric's warriors must be presented to show them in a good light when compared to Sigmar's.[3f] More than once, posturing between the two cults has thrown the Empire into civil war, and under the rule of a weaker emperor than Karl Franz, it may yet do so again[2b]

In most respects the Cults of Ulric and Sigmar are friendly and in accord, as both have a hatred of evil and respect might and power,[12a] but even today many Ulricans regard Sigmarites as arrogant upstarts, while Sigmarites reciprocate with the view that Ulricans are boorish barbarians.[2b] The two have, if not contempt, then certainly suspicion of each other.[12a] The situation is not helped by the fact that Ulricans love to fight,[2b] although the undeniable fact that the God-King Sigmar himself was a devout Ulrican crowned as the first emperor by that period's Ar-Ulric, the supreme leader of the Cult of Ulric, casts the Ulricans' complaints in a more understandable light.[1d]

The Ar-Ulric still retains his single vote in the process of the Imperial election for emperor, just as his counterpart, the Grand Theogonist of the Sigmarites, also has his single vote, giving the Cult of Ulric incredible political power and influence when compared to other, lesser cults of the Empire, such as the Myrmidians and the Morrites. However, when one takes into account the single votes afforded to the two Arch-Lectors of the Cult of Sigmar, the Ulricans' power begins to pale in comparison. It is the view of many Ulricans that the Empire would be better served by having a more even balance of power between the two great religious institutions, although whatever their theologians may think on the matter, it is true, put simply, that the Ulricans are not too fond of the Sigmarites.[3f][12a]

Some priests of Ulric, however, often extremists among extremists, go further than that. They are adamant that Sigmar is not a god at all, but merely a powerful mortal warrior blessed by Ulric with the strength and will to unite his people, and thus go on to decry the entire Cult of Sigmar as being founded on heresies, lies, and perhaps Daemonic delusion. The Cult of Ulric refused to acknowledge Sigmar's divinity for centuries, even though some of the cult's own seers had received visions of Ulric crowning Sigmar as a god like Johann Helstrum, the first Grand Theogonist, but now most Ulricans believe Sigmar is as much a god as any other. Still, some secretive sects firmly believe Sigmar was nothing more than a mighty mortal hero who never ascended to divinity.[1d][8c][12a] Conversely, some claim Sigmar was always a god, and was the son of Ulric, a stance far more difficult to defend as he clearly had a mortal father among the Unberogen tribe.[1a]

Mythology[]

Ulric and Chaos[]

"And then the Cataclysm came.
King Taal rose from His Forest, and with Dark Morr muttering dire portents in His ear, He banished all immortals from the world.
But the Cataclysm's architects refused His order.
The Crow, the Hound, the Serpent, and the Vulture were jealous of King Taal, and had tried to use the Great Gates to take what was His.
They had failed.
As the other immortals fled, the Four attacked, bitter and angry with their frustrations.
Many died.
After countless battles, King Taal was eventually surrounded. There were few still by his side. Ulric the Wolf. Noble Margileo. Just Verena. Sotek the Snake. Manann of the Sea. And Gentle Shallya, tear-stained and afraid.
Even Smiling Ranald had fled, and now hid in the Places Between, fearful for the future.
Then, just as the Four and their allies arrived for the Final Battle, Flaming Phoenix, whom all had thought dead, returned from atop His Gleaming Pyramid, and He smote about Him.
Thus the rebels were pushed behind the Great Gates, and were sealed there forever.
But they were restless in their cage, and soon worked to escape.
"

—Translated from the Obernarn Stone, now held in the Imperial Museum, Altdorf[1b]
Ancient Ulrican priest

Long before the rise of the Sigmarites, the Cult of Ulric was the most powerful faith in the land that would become the Empire.

This myth about Ulric is taken from an ancient collection of legends now kept in the Temple of Ulric in the city of Middenheim as a religious relic. The tome is titled Lord Ulric and the Making of the World and neither the author nor collator is known.[11a]

There was a time, when the mortal world was young and Men had just come forth onto the earth, that there was no taint of Chaos upon the land. Father Taal and Mother Rhya tended the things of the land, and their son Manann was master of the things of the sea. Morr was king of the darkness, and Verena the queen of the light, and so all was in balance.[11a]

In the high summers, Lord Ulric, brother of Taal and prince of the snow and ice, had no realm to tend to, so he had taken to walking the earth and the sky and the stars to seek adventure. He travelled far beyond the ken of man or god, fought and slew the greater monsters and Dragons and gave names to all the wonders that he found. With him in many of these journeys came his cousin, Prince Ranald the Trickster, and many are the tales told of these two friends and their brave deeds. But all journeys must end, and this is the tale of their last journey together.[11a]

Ulric and Ranald had journeyed far to the north, farther than any god or man had ever gone before, into the frozen wastes, where the air is so cold it freezes like the water and the earth shatters under one's feet like the first film of ice on the lake, and no man nor Dwarf can survive. And here, at the very top of the world, Ulric and Ranald came upon a crack in the sky. Looking through it, they saw a great horror: it led to the Realm of Chaos. There stood all the beasts and Daemons and Gods of Chaos, a great and terrible horde, straining to widen the crack and hungry for conquest of this new world.[11a]

Ulric knew that should this Daemonic army breach the gate, all of this world would be forever destroyed. He called to his brother Ranald to immediately run to tell Father Taal and King Morr of what they had seen, so they might make ready their armies to drive back this horde. Ulric said he would stand at the crack and hold it closed as long as he could. Ranald nodded to his cousin, and ran.[11a]

But the Trickster was a coward, and when he had seen the Chaos hordes he had known only fear. Instead of running to tell his lords and family what had happened, he instead ran and hid. He ran far, far away, to the burning deserts in the south, and buried himself deep under the sand there.[11a]

Ulric waited at the crack, holding it closed with all his might, though on the other side a million Daemons clawed and grabbed at it, desperate to tear it further and gain their entry. Ulric stood and held the gate for a thousand years and one, his muscles ever-straining with the effort, waiting for his cousin to return. But Ranald never came. Enraged at his cousin's cowardice, Ulric swore never to speak to Ranald again, nor ever to suffer a trickster to travel with him, for all that trusted in tricks were nought but cowards, weaklings and deceivers.[11a]

Finally, Ulric's strength began to wane, and he knew his weakling cousin had not delivered the message. He knew too, that he could not hold the gate closed much longer. So despite his fears, he was forced to let go and bear the terrible news to his family himself. But when he arrived to do so, he found himself ignored and discounted.[11a]

His brother Taal did not believe that there could be another world beyond his, and Manann had no care for things of the land. Great King Morr believed Ulric's story, but did not see a great danger -- certainly it was nothing Ulric himself could not handle. Ulric despaired, knowing that even now the Chaos hordes must be pouring into their world, led by their own great and hideous gods, ready to destroy all they had made.[11a]

Finally, he appealed to Queen Verena, and in her wisdom, she saw that the danger was indeed very real and very great, and that these fiends would destroy all of the Beauty and Reason she had created. She swore that even if her husband would not act, she would, and she took up her husband's sword and rode out to battle with brave Lord Ulric. And to this day, Verena still carries that sword, as a reminder to Morr and to all her subjects that wisdom must be joined with action, lest all wisdom be lost.[11a]

Shamed into action by his queen, Morr rallied all the gods behind him, and all their loyal followers, and rode out to meet the Chaos Gods and their Daemonic armies. Morr was no great warrior, and Ulric had proven his wisdom in seeing the danger, so Morr gave over to Ulric command of all the gods' forces, and Ulric thence became the god of battle. Wearing his great helm and swinging his massive warhammer, Ulric led the gods forth to meet their enemy.[11a]

And where the hoof beats of their horses fell, they cut a trail of mud far deep into the earth, and the sea rushed in to fill it up, and became the great River Reik. All the while, the Chaos Daemons ran on their claws of fire and blood, so sharp that they bit into the very land itself, which is why the coast of Norsca is now so ragged and torn.[11a]

The two forces met with uncontained fury. The Chaos force was uncountable in number, unending in hunger, unimaginable in savagery. Yet Ulric's courage never faltered. His fury would not abate, and his strength never wavered. He smashed the Chaos ranks with his great warhammer, breaking every charge that came. Behind him rode King Morr, bringing the darkness of death, and Queen Verena with her sword of light, and Father Taal with the fury of the lion, and Mother Rhya with the strength of the mother bear, and Manaan brought the sea forth into the field, dragging thousands of Daemons down into his realm where he could choke the life out of them.[11a]

Still the Daemons and Chaos beasts came on, still the Gods of Light fought back. The battle raged for a thousand years, until at last all the armies of Chaos were routed, and the Chaos Gods themselves were smashed to pieces beneath Ulric's great hammer. But the victory was not without cost. Thousands of the gods' servants lay dead. Lesser gods and heralds had been lost forever from the world. The Dragons that had fought with the gods had seen most of their number fall. And worst of all, King Morr himself was gravely wounded. He lived, but was forced to find succour in the Dark Lands and was never more seen on this earth.[11a]

Seeing all this suffering and loss, Queen Verena fell to her knees and cried. And her tears flowed over the battlefield, and from them came the newborn goddess Shallya, patron of compassion, bringing her mercy and healing to the injured and despairing. Exhausted and grief-stricken, Ulric and his fellow gods left the battlefield, carrying all their dead home to give them proper burial.[11a]

But here was their great mistake. For the bodies of the Chaos hordes still lay on the battlefield, a vast carpet of carnage. And on top of it all lay the hideous bodies of the Chaos Gods themselves. As they lay there rotting, there came what always must come to battlefields: a plague of rats to feast upon the dead. And with such a feast, the rats came in their thousands, then in their millions.[11a]

They fed on the beasts of Chaos and the Daemons and the beasts. So great was the frenzy of feasting that the rats grew gigantic with the food, and fought savagely with each other for the greatest spoils. Finally, the largest and strongest rats fell upon the Chaos Gods themselves, and as they did they gained something of their nature. They grew even more in size, and in cunning and in brutality, into things that were a mockery of man himself.[11a]

And so it was, when Ulric returned to the battlefield, he saw the rats feasting, and realised his great mistake. In their great consumption the rats had taken on a remnant of those foul gods' power, and become like them: a new race of ratmen, the Skaven, like Men and Dwarfs, only made from pure Chaos. They, like all things of Chaos, would work forever to destroy Humanity and all it had built, and to one day bring about the victory the Chaos Gods had been denied.[11a]

Ulric saw too that the Daemon troops that had been routed had returned and carried away what was not eaten, and then had fled to the darkest corners of the world. They, too, these Beastmen, would watch and wait for their chance to reclaim the world from Men and Dwarfs.[11a]

Ulric had saved the earth, but he had doomed the mortals who lived there to ever face the threat of a similar destruction. Although it was too late, Ulric struck his warhammer hard on the stony ground and brought forth a great flame with it. And with that flame he burnt all that foul offal that remained to ashes. Then he charged his brother Manann to drown the whole field with water so it could never more taint the land. The waters of the ocean poured over the field, and it became the Sea of Chaos.[11a]

Then Ulric turned to the fate of Men. He taught them how to mould steel to make warhammers and swords and axes, and taught them how to wield them. He taught them how to fight, and to hunt, and to kill. And lastly he taught them how to make fire and how to use it. All of this was to prepare them for their endless battle with the minions of Chaos. He taught them well, and gave them courage. He took charge over Mankind, and promised he would ever watch over them, for now their lives would know only battle.[11a]

In return, the people of Ulric pledged to never suffer a Chaos-thing to live while they had breath in their bodies, and to ensure that every beast of Chaos that fell would be burned to ash, cleansed from this world by Ulric's Holy Fire. Thus, the taint of Chaos would never spread again. Ulric's mistake must never be repeated, and creatures like the Skaven must never again be born unto this world. And so the Men of the Old World keep this pact forevermore. They strike without fear against the ratmen, and the Beastmen, and all the creatures of Chaos, and raise the cleansing flame of Ulric to all the heavens above.[11a]

The Ulric Creed, one of the most popular holy books of Ulric, contains most of the great sagas of his deeds, and teaches, through metaphor and analogy, how he expects all his worshippers to act. It too teaches that when the Dark Gods grew fat in the north, Ulric pleaded with his divine brothers and sisters of the Old World Pantheon to strike before they grew too powerful. However no help came.[1d]

In this version of the myth, however, Ulric marched north by himself, there to survive by his own wits against the might of all the profane gods of the north. Thus, the Howling Wolves teach that self-reliance is of paramount importance, for their god prefers his followers to fend for themselves, just as he once did.[1d]

Creation of the Ulricsberg[]

"Ulric give me the fangs of the wolf,
Ulric give me the claws of the wolf,
Ulric give me the coat of the wolf,
And I will show your enemies the mercy of the wolf.
"

—A prayer to Ulric
300px-Ulric2

Ulric, the Imperial warrior god of winter and wolves.

Legends speak of the creation of the Ulricsberg.[3b] The teachings of the Cult of Ulric tell that when the world was young, their God sought a place to call his own.[9g] The brothers Taal and Ulric were the most powerful of the gods, and both were widely worshipped, yet Ulric was troubled, for it seemed that his older brother came before him in all things. To Taal he voiced his concern, who then asked what would make him content, and Ulric replied that he desired a place, a realm that he could truly say belonged to him alone. Taal considered this and decided to grant his younger brother’s request.[3b]

Taal gave to Ulric a vast rock, surrounded on all sides by harsh forests filled with beasts,[3b] a great mountain that rose up out of the forests like a spear.[9g] Ulric was well pleased with the gift. Thanking his brother for his kindness, he struck the rock with his fist, smashing the top away and leaving a plateau a mile across.[3b] In some versions, Taal struck the mountain top flat with his own mighty fist,[3a] while in others Ulric smote the rock with the iron-shod haft of Blitzbeil, causing a silver-white flame to spring into existence.[4b]

Regardless, from this legend it was given its name by the ancient Teutogen people, the Fauschlag — meaning fist-strike.[9g] It was here that Ulric would establish a home for his followers.[3a] Here, he declared, his followers would build a great fortress-temple and a city, where his fires would burn eternally and where men would come from far and wide to pay him tribute.[3b]

The cult of Ulric as it is currently constituted dates back over three thousand years, with its leader able to trace his succession across millennia.[9e] Like the other gods of the Old World, Ulric was the god of one of the great tribes of men that would eventually come together to form the human nations of the present day.[12a] Ulric was the patron God of the Teutogens, the people from whom Sigmar himself sprang[9e] and who inhabited the lands that are now the north of the Empire. But they did not always live there.[12a]

The forefathers of the Teutogen tribe crossed the frozen and terrible World's Edge Mountains of the Old World to come to the land that is now the Empire. It was their chief god Ulric who guided them, sending wolves to protect them on the way.[1d][9e] The tribe was wild and savage, and when Ulric led them to a boundless, forested land they took to slaughtering the indigenous people to prove their worth. He led them to bloody victory after blood victory, and they quickly spread through the forests, butchering for many generations, exalting their God with every kill.[1d]

The Teutogens searched long for a safe place to live,[8a] and after uncounted years of war and conquest, a vision from Ulric led them to flat-topped Fauschlag hidden deep in the darkest recesses of the frigid north,[1d] standing like a fortified island amidst the surrounding forest.[8a] It is said Artur, chief of the Teutogens in -50 IC, discovered the mountain.[3b] In some versions it was at this point that Ulric struck the mountain with his fist, and a roaring, silvery flame sprung forth to light the Teutogens' way.[1d] Artur is believed to have tunnelled up to the peak.[3b]

The Teutogens followed this unearthly glow, until, in the heart of winter, they arrived at the base of the holy mountain. Hungry White Wolves hunted there and let loose blood-curdling howls as the Humans invaded their territory. The cold, weary tribesmen hefted their weapons and howled in return, unwilling to back away, no matter how tired or sore they were. Ulric, pleased with this, bathed them all in bright, white light, which panicked the wolves and caused them to flee.[1d]

The Teutogens, in awe of the hallowed place, immediately swore to build the greatest of temples, and to forever worship Ulric.[1d] Artur had a mighty fortress constructed, and in 63 IC, Wulcan experienced his vision that inspired him to build a temple to Ulric on the site around the flame.[3b]

And so it is more than simple chance that Middenheim is the centre of the Ulrican cult and itself a site of pilgrimage. Middenheim is Ulric’s city, for the rock upon which it stands is Ulric’s own domain.[12a] The Great Fortress Temple to Ulric on the Ulricsberg is the most important shrine to the God in the Old World, and all members of Cult of Ulric are expected to make a pilgrimage,[3b] and bathe in its cold light at least once in their lives.[14b]

At the back of the high temple still lies the Flame of Ulric, the huge, ever-burning, argent fire granted by the winter god to guide his people.[14b] Tens of centuries later the cold fire on the mountain still blazes with blue-white rage, hidden from sight by the massive temple. Called the Eternal Flame, it is of extreme importance to the cult.[1d] Ulric himself is said to have guaranteed that Middenheim[4b] can never fall while the hoary fire still burns, and the failed siege during the Storm of Chaos only strengthened this belief. After all, where Valten, Sigmar Reborn, disappeared when the war ended, the Eternal Flame burns on, and always will.[1d]

Ulric and Sigmar[]

According to local legends, Sigmar was said to have met with Ulric himself in wolf form at the Shrine of the Wolf. He fought the wolf to a standstill and, depending on the version of the story, either Sigmar was impressed by the wolf's bravery and agreed to spare it, or the wolf was impressed by Sigmar and agreed to spare him. However, both versions of the story are now obscure legends.[3b]

Tenets[]

"I anoint myself with the blood of Ulric that I shall not fear to bleed.
I pledge myself to Ulric's work that I shall not fear to suffer.
I give myself to Ulric, that I shall not fear to die.
"

—Ulrican Initiation

"The words of our god will howl in your heart like the wolves of winter. They will move you to fear and then to strength."

The Ulric Creed[9f]
Ulricstatue

Statue of Ulric, much akin to those found throughout his shrines in Middenland and elsewhere in the Empire.

Ulric is aggressive, argumentative, and arguably stubbornly single-minded.[1d] He favours the direct approach in all matters[14b] and clearly relishes the inevitable confrontation this causes.[1d] The clash of blades is music to his ears, and the blood of his enemies splashing the ground makes him smile.[2b]

Ulric teaches his warriors never to back down when challenged,[2b] and while to outsiders this might seem to conflict with the Ulrican desire to work in groups, Ulricans see arguments, flaring passions, and even fist-fights simply as part of the order of things. Most Ulricans harbour no ill-will from defeat to another Ulrican since, to them, the best teacher is the defeat you survive, and for many conflict forms tighter bonds of friendship.[1d] Brothers-in-arms will frequently fall into brawls, but Ulric's devotees know that they are strongest together, like a pack of wolves.[2b]

However, Ulric also demands that his followers should be strong alone,[2b] and expects independence to be displayed in all walks of life.[12a] He is a distant, harsh and unforgiving god who expects his followers to stand on their own two feet,[9e] relying on their individual strength[14b] and putting their faith in martial prowess. He is considered to be indifferent to the outcome of wars,[9e] and watches over battles letting warriors live or die by their own skill.[9d] The least Ulric expects of his followers is to keep his lands free of his enemies, and to always meet them face to face without fear.[3f]

Ulric despises cowardice; according to myth he punishes those who succumb to fear.[1d] Ulric despises weakness;[9e] to him, might is right,[1d] and he has no time or sympathy for those without strength.[12a] Ulric despises lies and trickery in any form;[2b] he expects his followers to always take the direct approach to solving a problem.[9e] However, Ulric possesses pragmatism to pair with his vengefulness.[12a] He rewards his followers' obedience with courage, endurance, and terrible battle fury.[2b] Those who demonstrate strength of character as well as body gain both his favour and respect.[12a] And, befitting his hate of deception, Ulric is an honourable god who always keeps his word.[1d]

Favoured offerings to Ulric include ale, weapons, trophies, banners, and wolf pelts. His favorite form of sacrifice is a weaponless wolf hunt,[9c][14a] and the slaughter of a live wolf is the ultimate sacrifice to him.[3e]

Relationships[]

"Old White Wolf will sniff you out, Old White Wolf with braided hair,
Old White Wolf will hunt you down, Old White Wolf will rip and tear!
"

—A children's rhyme often heard in Middenheim.[2b]

Ulric's relations with the other gods of the Old World Pantheon are mostly peaceful. For the most part he is distant, and has little interest in their affairs, while they in turn rarely conflict with his.[12a]

Ulric has an ally in his brother Taal as a fellow god of nature and the north, and there exist many shrines dedicated to both of them as the gods of the four seasons.[3d] Ulric is also close to Taal's wife Rhya and the two have a familial bond. It is she who hands the land to Ulric at the autumn equinox and he returns it to her at the beginning of spring.[16a]

Along with Sigmar and Myrmidia, Ulric is a warrior god of the Empire, but he differs from them in what he stands for. Myrmidia stands for the art, strategy and science of war,[9d][12a] and places an emphasis on learning and thought.[1C] Sigmar stands for the righteous power of civilised Men to smite evil, and places an emphasis on mental resolve and protection.[12a] By contrast, Ulric's domain is honour, bravery and prowess.[12a] He stands for the fury of battle,[9d] with ways that bring a visceral appeal not found with Myrmidia,[1c] and for the strength of combat,[9d] putting a focus on physical might and self-sufficiency that Sigmar does not.[12a]

The only cult that Ulric actually takes issue with, and even then only on occasion, is that of Ranald, the god of thieves and tricksters, for he sees the methods of the Trickster God as underhanded and dishonourable.[12a] This enmity possibly stretches back to the days of the ancient Teutogens. In Middenland, there is known to exist a divine "Chieftain of Cats," who is presumed by many to be an antecedent of Ranald, and the values of the warrior god clashed with those who resorted to his tricksy ways.[16a]

Appearance and Symbology[]

"Old Wolf White Back prowls the hills,
Belly craving fresh new kills.
Bloody Blitzbeil wants him dead,
So, it slices off his head!
Old Wolf White Back howls out loud,
To the cheers of Ulric's crowd.
"

—A Middenheim childhood rhyme, "Old Wolf White Back"[1a]
PBTTC-Special-Edition-1

A depiction of Blitzbeil, the legendary battleaxe of Ulric.

Ulric is normally portrayed as a massive, Human barbarian alike in form and armament to the warriors of the tribes who first founded the Empire.[9e][14b] His long and wild black hair flows unbound, and his black beard is thick, bushy, and silvered by hoar frost.[1d][9e][14b] He wields a giant two-handed warhammer and goes into battle without a helm to show his bravery.[9e] On his back is a white or silver-grey wolf-skin cloak,[9e][14b] and he is also represented from time to time as a huge silver-grey wolf.[9e]

Normally Ulric is portrayed bearing his mighty black battleaxe,[1d][14b] the ever-thirsty Blitzbeil.[3d] According to the vision that inspired Wulcan, the high priest of the Cult of Ulric at the time the temple of Ulric was first built atop the Ulricsberg, Ulric smited the top of the mountain with the butt of his axe rather than his hand.[12a]

Ulric's minor divine servants -- supernatural minions of the gods in the mortal world as Daemons are to the Dark Gods -- include the bestial entities known as White Wolves. Large, magical, and frenzied, Ulric was known to send them to fight with his faithful in response to their howls for aid. When their task was finished, the White Wolves would vanish back to Ulric's Hunting Grounds with a spectral, blood-chilling howl.[14c]

The symbol of Ulric is simply the wolf.[9e] A fist with the index and smallest fingers raised is used to symbolise a wolf's head by his followers.[3d] Other common holy symbols of Ulric include white wolves, claws, and a stylised "U".[14b]

Omens of Ulric[]

"When weapons clash, when cold winds blow, when wolves howl—you know that Ulric is with you."

—Torsten, priest of Ulric[9b]

"You will be no spectator. Like a true warrior, you will be in the fire of battle, where Ulric's wolves await to take the dead to their rest."

Freya, ruler of the Asoborn tribe[7a]
WhiteWolf

A White Wolf of Ulric, foremost omen of the god

The definitive sign of Ulric is the wolf. The lone wolf in winter, striding through virgin snow amidst bare trees, is a sign that all is right with the Old World. Other than that, the situation the wolf is seen in could be an indication of a looming danger. Passing through a twisted and mutated wilderness would indicate the presence of the forces of Chaos. A rheumy-eyed beast with sores upon its back might portend a plague. A nest of wolf cubs being attacked by a ferocious horned ram foretells of a Beastmen raid.[3d]

It is not uncommon for a travelling Ulrican to see fleeting glimpses of a wolf in the distance among the trees. Try as they might, they will not be able to catch up with the beast, and it will always be just ahead of them, seemingly enticing them further. More often than not, this will lead the follower to where they are needed to do Ulric's will in the mortal world.[3d]

A vision of ill tidings to the followers of Ulric might be a parched landscape with a hot, high sun shining down upon it. This could mean that the forces of Ulric will be weakened or that a harsh test is imminent.[3d]

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation (RPG)
    • 1a: pp. 12, 13, 15, 17
    • 1b: pg. 22
    • 1c: pg. 40
    • 1d: pp. 66-71
    • 1e: pp. 144-145
    • 1f: pg. 237
  • 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Tome of Blessings (RPG)
    • 2a: pp. 5-6
    • 2b: pp. 17-18
  • 3:Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Signs of Faith (RPG)
    • 3a: pp. 4-8
    • 3b: pp. 14-15
    • 3c: pg. 28
    • 3d: pp. 33-34
    • 3e: pg. 37
    • 3f: pp. 44-46
  • 4:Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Ashes of Middenheim (RPG)
    • 4a: pg. 5
    • 4b: pg. 16
  • 5: Life of Sigmar (Background Book)
    • 5a: pg. 66
    • 5b: pg. 90
  • 6:Empire (Novel) by Graham McNeill
    • 6a: pg. 18
  • 7: Heldenhammer (Novel) by Graham McNeill
    • 7a: pg. 241
    • 7b: pg. 250
  • 8: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
    • 8a: pg. 12
    • 8b: pp. 33-34
    • 8c: pp. 40-42
  • 9: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
    • 9a: pg. 130
    • 9b: pg. 170
    • 9c: pp. 172-174
    • 9d: pg. 177
    • 9e: pp. 179-180
    • 9f: pg. 186
    • 9g: pg. 215
  • 10: Liber Chaotica: Khorne (Background Book)
  • 11: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat - A Guide to Skaven (RPG)
  • 12: Warhammer Chronicles 2004 (6th Edition)
  • 13: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Salzenmund - City of Salt and Silver (RPG)
  • 14: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
  • 15: Mordheim: City of the Damned (PC Game)
  • 16: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of The Empire III (RPG)
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