The Mark of Nurgle
Nurgle, also known as the Pestilent Lord of Decay, is one of the four gods of Chaos in Games Workshop's Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. He is the god of disease, decay and destruction and oldest of the four. He has the most care for his followers (or indeed, anyone infected by one his "gifts"), leading to his other name, Grandfather Nurgle. He is also god of rebirth, as death and decay breeds new life in many cases. His desire to break down and destroy anything he touches has led to a rivalry between him and Tzeentch, who seeks to build, plot and scheme.
A number of Nurgle's followers turned to him willingly not through corruption, but from the agony caused by the gifts he bestows on mortals, gifts those who don't worship Nurgle see as disease. The greatest and worst of these is known as Nurgle's Rot, and it responsible for the creation of the Plaguebearers that make up the brunt of his daemonic forces. He is also responsible for kidnapping the Aeldari goddess Isha during the birth of Slaanesh in Warhammer 40,000. In this depiction, he shows a great care for Isha, demonstrating his love for her in the only way he knows how, by infecting her with only his most virulent diseases.
Appearance[]
Like his brethren, Nurgle's true form is beyond mortal comprehension. However, when he does manifest to mortals, Nurgle's form is consistently that of a giant, bloated corpse, it's skin a rotting green and covered in weeping sores. Several horns sprout from Nurgle's head, as well as mouths in places a mouth shouldn't be. Interestingly, Nurgle is the only god to share it's appearance with it's daemons, as both Nurglings and Great Unclean Ones share many similarities with their Grandfather.
Followers of Nurgle[]
Daemons of Nurgle[]
Nurgle's daemons share his rotting visage, as befits the Plague God's own. His foot soldiers are the creatures known as Plaguebearers, humanoid demons created through the disease known as Nurgle's Rot. Nurgle's Rot is a spiritual disease as well as a physical one, its victims souls being used to grow a pod in the Garden of Nurgle. When they inevitably die to the disease, the pod bursts open, releasing a new Plaguebearer to spread Nurgle's gifts and punish his enemies. Another notable member of Nurgle's menagerie is the Nurgling, a daemonic entity probably about as tall as the average human child. These creatures generally come in swarms, either following behind great champions of the Grandfather or bouncing across battlefields like a living wave of putrid flesh and filth-encrusted claws. Finally, the greatest of Nurgle's daemons is the aptly-named Great Unclean One. Unlike their equivalents in the legions of the other gods, Great Unclean Ones aren't immensely powerful daemons in service to their patron, but a facsimile of Nurgle himself, sharing in Papa Nurgle's personality and appearance, and even being referred to as such by Nurgle's mortal followers.
Daemonic beasts in service to the Plaguefather are perhaps more numerous than their equivalents amongst the other gods. They also bare a strong resemblance to normal animals, especially those associated with disease. The most notable of these is the Beast of Nurgle, a daemonic slug with the friendly nature of a puppy. These creatures will wander across battlefields, seeking friends to play with, only to inevitably kill their new playmates with the virulent plagues they exude. Occasionally, these accidental murders will cause the Beasts of Nurgle to enter a sort of depression. During this period, they enter a cocoon and, in a parody of the life-cycle of a butterfly, are reborn as hateful creatures known as Rot Flies. These colossal flies are used as mounts by champions of Nurgle. Another lesser beast is the Battle Fly which, as it's name suggest, also takes the form of a giant fly, though smaller than the Rot Fly. The Molluscoid is a similar creature to the Beast of Nurgle, taking the form of a demonic snail instead of a slug. Bloatflies, yet another fly-like daemon, differ from most in that they are familiars for mortal mages and psykers, more reasonably sized, yet feasting on the dregs of magical or psychic energy from their host. Plaguetoads are, like Rot Flies, commonly used as a mount for champions and as daemonic cavalry, and take the appearance of a massive toad with a single horn sprouting from their forehead. Finally, the Feculent Gnarlmaw is an oddity amongst daemons, and one that defies the normal categorisation. Gnarlmaws are carnivorous trees native to the Garden of Nurgle, though they can appear in the mortal realms during a daemonic incursion, where they bolster Nurgle's forces with the tolling of their bells and hinder his enemies with their aura of disease.
Warhammer[]
Nurgle's mortal cults are spread through much of the Old World. These cults are formed by the diseased, and survive through the continued propagation of disease, both to new converts and passers-by. As Nurgle is a benevolent god, mortal followers of Nurgle are quick to gain his blessing. The most notable of these cults is the Fraternity of the Second Flesh, a cult formed of noblemen in the Empire and Nurgle also sees worship amongst the Norscan tribes, under the aspect of the Crow. Amongst the beastmen tribes, those most closely aligned with Nurgle are known as Pestigors.
Though not worshipped by them, Nurgle is somewhat linked to the Skaven, particularly Clan Pestilens and others related to the plague monks. Though the Skaven and Nurgle's followers have opposed each other in the past, such as the time members of Pestilens summoned the Great Unclean One known as Lord Bileflood, sparking a war between themselves and Nurgle's tallyman Epidemius, they have also worked alongside the forces of the Plaguelord, with the best example being Clan Fester's alliance with the Rotblood Tribe, a warband of Nurgle-worshipping Norscans, to utilize the Skittergate during the End Times in an assault on the Empire's mostly-undefended south, particularly the city of Ubersreik.
Warhammer 40,000[]
Nurgle's mortal followers range from assorted cults to the might of the Chaos Space Marine legions. Most notable of these is the Death Guard, sons of the primarch Mortarion. Once, when they were still loyal to the Emperor and the Imperium, the Death Guard believed in freeing humanity from oppression and facing down hardship with inner strength. However, with the Horus Heresy, these beliefs turned into a contempt for the weak and, perhaps tragically, when the traitorous elements that made up the bulk of the XIV Legion succumbed to Nurgle, this contempt turned into self-loathing, as they saw their own failure to stand against Nurgle's influence as weakness. As such, they now seek to spread plague to the furthest corners of the galaxy, as a means of softening the blow to their own pride more than in service to Nurgle.
Some followers of Nurgle are directly tied to certain diseases. The three most notable of these are the Poxwalkers, Plague Zombies and Gellerpox Infected. The Poxwalkers are victims of the Walking Pox, believed by some to be a variant of Nurgle's Rot. This is due to the fact that many Poxwalkers share similar features with Plaguebearers. Poxwalkers are, in the most basic sense, zombies, their souls trapped inside their bodies as a cruel jest by their god. Plague Zombies are much the same, although they are afflicted with a disease known either as the Zombie Plague or the Curse of Unbelief. A variant of Plague Zombies, known as Doubtworms, are much rarer, and work by providing a sort of immunity to the Curse of Unbelief. Those infected by Doubtworms will appear human through the disease's first phase, hidden amongst other plague zombies as pockets of seemingly immune humans. However, come the second phase of infection, these humans will converge and mutate into a single worm-like creature with a single giant eye and multiple eye-mouths.
The Gellerpox Infected, as their name suggests, are those infected by Gellerpox, a disease which targets those who operate the Geller Fields on Imperial starships. Gellerpox cults are usually little more than zombies, much like the above, with two very specific exceptions. The first is that they are usually accompanied by mutated vermin, such as Sludge-Grubs, Cursemites and Eyestinger swarms, as well as cybernetic variants of Nurglings known as Glitchlings. The second major difference is that mutations often occur in Gellerpox Infected, leading to one of two larger forms of infected. The first is the Nightmare Hulk, a hulking monstrosity of mutated flesh that was once a human, and is the furthest a person can get before devolving into a Chaos Spawn. The second, and perhaps the worse of the two, is the Twisted Lord. Whilst their bodies are equally as mutated as a Nightmare Hulk's in some cases, Twisted Lords differ in that they possess the strength of will to hold on to the intellect, serving as the leaders of Gellerpox cults wherever they crop up.
Age of Sigmar[]
Nurgle's followers are known as the Maggotkin of Nurgle. They're split between three major subfactions, the Plague Legions, representing the daemonic followers of the Dark Prince, the Nurgle Rotbringers, representing the Fly Lord's human worshippers, and the Rotfrays, a subsect of the Beastmen Greatfrays that follows the Lord of Decay. There also exists a minor faction dedicated to Nurgle, known as Tamurkhan's Horde. This horde is made up of a mix of the above and is led by Tamurkhan, a champion of Nurgle who has returned from the World-That-Was. Tamurkhan's horde is unique in that it also includes Bile Troggoths and Plague Ogors, both creatures missing from the major subfactions.
Garden of Nurgle[]
A map of the Realm of Chaos, with Nurgle's realm depicted in the bottom-left corner.
Nurgle's domain in the Realm of Chaos is commonly known as either the Land of the Plaguelord or the Garden of Nurgle, though whether it truly is a garden or this is merely the mortal mind's attempt to rationalise what they see is unknown. Like a true garden, the Garden of Nurgle is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, with an ecosystem that propagates following the same rules as reality, despite the Garden's location in the Realm of Chaos. This is likely due to Nurgle being a god of stagnation, and the cycle of life and death.
Shovelpetal plants dig themselves up, leaving the dirt in which they grew free for the plaguebearer gardeners to plant new skullseeds in the rich loam. The skullseeds grow and blossom, attracting beasts of Nurgle that mistake their fruit for the heads of new playthings. The beasts' play scatters skullseed matter into the air, where it comes to rest on the wings of the daemonic flies that populate the skies. This slows the insects, making them easy prey for the other flying creatures that soar through the pestilent air. These bloatflies are carriers of many of Nurgle's more experimental plagues and diseases. Once infected, they vomit the contents of their guts all across the garden, until they eventually explode, the shower of gore from their remains serving as fertilizer for the continued propagation of the Garden's ecosystem.
Visitors to Nurgle's realm will find many plants created from others who have made the mistake of entering the Plaguefather's domain. Trees formed from nothing but the flesh of elves, fields of blistered tongues sprouting from the earth like weeds, and countless other examples of plants that should not be.
For the most part, the Garden of Nurgle is an ever-changing realm, shifting according to the whims of the Plaguelord. Many areas exist temporarily, either to allow Nurgle the chance to indulge in a particular fancy or to reward an especially accomplished Great Unclean One. However, certain areas remain constant. Nurgle requires fields for his crops of blighted herbs and pits for the bodies he uses in his experiments, and most importantly, the decrepit mansion that serves as a sort of home for the Lord of Decay, where he entertains guests and brews his contagions.
Mansion of the Plaguelord[]
At the centre of Nurgle's Garden lies a decaying and decrepit house, its structure creaking and groaning as it is buffeted by toxic winds. Shutters barely cling to window frames half-filled with broken panes of filthy-encrusted glass, whilst sewage drains spill forth with countless beetles, maggots and centipede-like daemons with tongues for bodies and human fingers for legs. Paint cracks and peels away from the wood beneath, yet the house remains a grey-green hue, whilst the roof is lined with hundreds of chimneys, each bellowing out dark clouds composed of countless millions of flies. The house is surrounded by trees of bone that bear fruit which rots as it swells, their boughs harboring daemonic birds who's song has been likened to a funeral dirge for unwelcome visitors.
This is Nurgle's Mansion, a house of pestilence, rot and death, that only remains standing by the will of its daemonic occupant. Nurgle himself often sits just outside, where he greets visitors both summoned and unexpected, the jovial Plague God inviting them to share tales and questionable libations, and explore the countless rooms of his home. Should one accept the offer to explore the Plaguefather's manor, they will likely find themselves lost. Rotten floorboards may collapse, sending guests to be slow consumed by the carrion feeders in the mansion's basement, whilst moth-eaten rugs lead visitors up staircases that end in chambers of daemons eager for new, fresh flesh to work with.
Should a guest avoid these dangers, they will find the attic, where samples of Nurgle's countless plagues are catalogued and counted over and over again by plaguebearer attendents. Alongside these samples are souls left to dim and fade, maladies of the spirit causing them to waste away just as the diseases of the flesh brought them into Nurgle's care.
Deeper in the mansion still lies the kitchens and larders, where Nurgle keeps every ingredient and component, some of which defy sanity, he needs for preparing his virulent concoctions. A great black cauldron, filled to the brim with a noxious stew, is the centrepoint of this part of the mansion, and it is where Nurgle's great work is performed. For those willing to walk the halls of Nurgle's mansion, it is recommended not to linger in the kitchen - seldom can the Plaguelord resist the temptation to flavour his concoction with hapless visitors.
Grounds of the Plagued Estate[]
The Garden of Nurgle
The gods of Chaos rarely leave their throne for any reason. Khorne barks orders at his generals from atop a mound of skulls, Slaanesh watches all that goes on in its realm from his Palace of Pleasure, and Tzeentch is more interested in plotting and interfering with other realms, both mortal and those belonging to rival gods, than with the state of his warped and fractured lands. Only Nurgle differs in this regard, routinely taking strolls among the twisted paths, cavorting with his daemons and observing the toll his diseases take on wounded captives.
During these wanderings, Nurgle will visit his favourite locations, some of which have existed since the Plague God was first birthed into the Realm of Chaos. First along his path are the Death Beds, the pits where wayward travellers and defeated invaders are stored, awaiting whatever future use Nurgle might have for them or, if they're lucky, their eventual demise. But it also serves a secondary purpose.
Nurgle loves to hear stories of the realms beyond his own, using them as inspiration to create new plagues better suited to other lands. And in the Death Beds, he has countless potential storytellers. Sometimes, he offers these unfortunates the chance to improve their position, by sharing tales of their worlds with him. Those who amuse him sufficiently are granted perhaps the greatest honour Nurgle can bestow. They are taken to the Mansion, where they are infected with the Plaguefather's newest plagues. Once they are properly infected, Papa Nurgle sends them back to the lands their stories described, to spread his gifts to others.
Beyond the Death Beds lies the Poxyards, where Nurgle tests the efficacy of his diseases. The Poxyards have no fixed form, as each plague requires a different set of trials to gauge its ability to achieve the Plague Lord's goals. A test of the spirit, for example, may have the Poxyards take the form of a crystal clear lake. A dehydrated subject will be brought in and, seeing the clean waters in the otherwise disease-ridden Gardens, will naturally be drawn to quench their thirst, only for the water to turn into pus. Or, to test a skin-eating disease, the Poxyards may be filled with daemon-plants called Clawthrust Brambles. Infected captives would run through the fields, chased by beasts of Nurgle. If they scream as they pass through the razor-edged branches of the plants, Nurgle knows his affliction needs further refinement, as the infected can still feel pain.
There are many other locations such as these, with their own purposes. The Morabusium and the Dunglash Arboretum share similar purposes, for example. Both provide Nurgle with the ingredients and insights he needs to further his work at his cauldron, with the Morabusium providing precious and toxic herbs, and the Dunglash Arboretum having trees lined with vines of refined excrement.
There are also many regions within the Garden that, though temporary, find themselves returning to existence from time to time, with the ascendancy and passing of certain plagues. The Deathbell Lily Fields, for example, are fields of daemonic flowers, so named because of their pallid colouring and the tinny chime they emit upon blooming, which marks the success of Nurgle's handiwork.
Alternate Depictions[]
Warhammer 40,000[]
In the 41st Millennium, Nurgle's realm plays host to two noteworthy additions, lacking from other depictions of his realm. The first is the Hanging Gardens of Thush'Bolg. A reward to the Great Unclean One Thush'Bolg for his use of a choking plague to wipe out an ork infestation on the planet Hurax, the Hanging Gardens are a forest that the Great Unclean One has decorated with his own intestines, using the guts to hang every single ork from the colony throughout the trees of his domain. These orks are left to slowly rot, dying a death no ork would respect, without an enemy to fight, but refused their final end.
The second, and perhaps the most famous difference between this depiction and those found in the other Warhammer settings, is the caged Aeldari goddess Isha. When Slaanesh was "born" in the early 30th Millennium, their gods were slain and absorbed by the newly-formed Dark Prince. Only three survived. Khaine survived due to his nature as a war god. Even weakened by the deaths of billions of Eldar, he was still more than a match for Slaanesh, and was only defeated when Khorne interfered, shattering his physical form into the Avatars of Khaine that can be found on several craftworlds. Cegorach, the Laughing God, survived by hiding, first behind Khaine, then, after Khaine's defeat, in the webway.
Isha, however, was taken captive, for reasons none know nor would care to think about. Nurgle, however, took it upon himself to "rescue" the Maiden Goddess of the Aeldari. His reasons are unknown, though some believe it was to put the youngest Chaos God in its place. Nurgle was victorious, and brought Isha back to his Garden, where he keeps her safe from his youngest sibling.
Nurgle, surprisingly for a Chaos God, shows a twisted form of love for his new companion. Though his actions towards her are cruel, he does so for reasons that, in his own corrupted mind, are seen as kind. Her cage is not to stop her from escaping him, but to protect her from those who would take her away again, whether they would be Slaanesh or the remnants of the Aeldari race. He constantly blesses her with the chance to try his latest disease, forcing the contagion upon her and watching with excitement for the symptoms to manifest.
As a goddess of healing, Isha can cure herself of the disease's effects, but the speed with which she does so is how Nurgle judges the disease's virulence. If he is pleased, he empties his cauldron into a bottomless drain, the noxious liquid falling as rain upon one of the countless worlds of mortals. If, however, it fails to meet his expectations, he drinks the contents of the cauldron, vomits it back into the pot, and starts fresh. Isha, for her part, accepts her lot stoically, whispering the cures to these new diseases into the universe as an act of rebellion against the Plaguefather.
Trespassers are viewed poorly in Nurgle's realm, and the Seers of Lugganath are an example of this. Craftworld Lugganath were believers of the story of the Caged Maiden, and sought to one day free Isha from Nurgle's grasp. When the craftworld was ravaged by the Brittle Coma, Lugganath took its chance to achieve this goal, an army of gifted psykers forcing their way into the Garden of Nurgle to find both Isha and a cure for their disease. They knew they'd die, but believed that their souls would, as normally happens for Craftworld Eldar, be drawn into the spirit stones that adorned their clothing and armour. Once safe in their crystal afterlife, they could then tell the Spiritseers of Isha's fate and how to lift Nurgle's curse.
At first, they were able to slip through the Garden without problem, their ghosthelms rendering them insubstantial. However, the rot flies warned Nurgle of the intruders, and as the Seers approached the Mansion proper, a host of plaguebearers rose from the mud to meet them. The Seers used their psychic abilities to blast the enemy with cleansing blue flame, but for every plaguebearer they killed, dozens more rose from the filth and muck to replace them.
For several Terran days, the battle raged, burning large swathes of Nurgle's Garden in the process. However, in the physical realm, the bodies of the Seers began to succumb to the Brittle Coma, their bodies shrivelling and their spirit stones turning to mulch, ultimately trapping the souls of the Seers in the Plaguelord's realm.
As punishment for daring to attack his realm, the Seers were imprisoned in the Garden forevermore, their feet taking root and their skin hardening to bark. Their arms split into gnarled branches, each finger hung with ripe nurgling-fruit. To this day, the Seers of Lugganath remain a permanent fixture in the Gardens of Nurgles, a wailing copse of trees that brighten Nurgle's walks and bring despair to Isha, whilst serving as a warning that, despite his jovial and kind-hearted appearance, even the Lord of Plagues' generosity has its limits.
Age of Sigmar[]
Like the other realms of the Chaos Gods, Nurgle's Garden also possesses several Realmgates, allowing the Plaguefather's legions to invade the Mortal Realms. Whilst it is unknown exactly how many Realmgates link to the Garden of Nurgle, two are known by name - the Crackenbone Realmgate, which links to the realm of Shyish, and the Gates of Dawn, which linked to Ghyran. However, the Gates of Dawn were destroyed when the Great Unclean One Bolathrax tried to squeeze through, pursuing Lord-Celestant Gardus of the Stormcast Eternals back into the Garden during an invasion of Ghyran.