Broken Realms was a narrative campaign that reshaped the AoS setting. Key events: Morathi’s ascension to godhood, Teclis’s war against Nagash, Be’lakor’s return, and Kragnos’s release. Each book advanced the story for multiple factions.
Broken Realms was the most ambitious narrative event Games Workshop had ever attempted for Age of Sigmar. Spanning four hardback books released between late 2020 and mid-2021, it fundamentally reshaped the Mortal Realms by advancing the stories of multiple factions simultaneously. Unlike the Soul Wars, which focused primarily on the Stormcast vs Nighthaunt conflict, Broken Realms gave every major faction its moment in the spotlight, with consequences that permanently altered the setting’s status quo.
The series name was deliberate — the realms were literally broken by the events described in these books. Ancient alliances shattered, gods fell and rose, entire nations were reshaped, and the cosmic balance of the Mortal Realms shifted in ways that set the stage for Age of Sigmar’s third edition. For players who followed the narrative, Broken Realms was a thrilling ride. For the setting itself, it was a watershed moment that proved Games Workshop was willing to make permanent, meaningful changes to their game world.
What Happens in Broken Realms: Morathi?
The first book, Broken Realms: Morathi, focused on one of the most dramatic events in Age of Sigmar’s history — Morathi-Khaine’s ascension to godhood. Morathi had spent millennia scheming to reclaim her lost divinity, and in this book, she finally achieved her goal through a combination of manipulation, betrayal, and sheer ruthless ambition.
Morathi’s plan centred on the Slaaneshi prison — the magical cage in which the Chaos God Slaanesh had been trapped by the combined efforts of the aelf gods Tyrion, Teclis, and Malerion. Morathi had been siphoning souls from Slaanesh’s prison for years, using them to fuel the Daughters of Khaine and grow her own power. In Broken Realms, she took the final step, consuming enough divine energy to achieve apotheosis — literally splitting into two forms: Morathi-Khaine (a divine avatar of war) and the Shadow Queen (her true, monstrous serpentine form).
The consequences were enormous. Morathi’s actions weakened Slaanesh’s prison, meaning the Chaos God was closer to escaping than at any point since the Age of Myth. Her betrayal of the other aelf gods — particularly Malerion, who had been her ally — fractured the fragile alliance that had kept Slaanesh contained. And her seizure of the city of Anvilgard (which she renamed Har Kuron) demonstrated that she was willing to attack Order factions to achieve her goals, making her an unpredictable and dangerous wild card in the Mortal Realms’ politics.
On the tabletop, Broken Realms: Morathi introduced new rules for the Daughters of Khaine, the Idoneth Deepkin, the Stormcast Eternals, and the Cities of Sigmar. The fall of Anvilgard was reflected in new narrative scenarios and army-building options that allowed players to recreate the battle for the city.
What Happens in Broken Realms: Teclis?
The second book shifted focus to Teclis, the aelf god of light and wisdom, and his campaign against Nagash. Teclis had been horrified by the Necroquake and the ongoing disruption of the Mortal Realms’ afterlives, and he resolved to strike directly at Nagash’s power base in Shyish to undo the damage.
Teclis led his Lumineth Realm-lords — the aelven faction of Hysh, the Realm of Light — in a military campaign into Shyish. The Lumineth were uniquely suited to this task, as their mastery of Hysh’s light magic was antithetical to Shyish’s death magic. Teclis’s forces fought through layers of undead resistance, battling Nagash’s legions in the very heartlands of the Realm of Death.
The climax of the book saw Teclis achieve a significant victory — he shattered one of Nagash’s key arcane constructions and weakened the Supreme Lord of the Undead’s grip on the Mortal Realms’ soul-cycle. However, the victory came at a cost. Teclis’s intervention had unintended consequences that would reverberate through later Broken Realms books, demonstrating the law of unintended consequences that runs through all of Age of Sigmar’s storytelling.
Broken Realms: Teclis also expanded the Lumineth Realm-lords range significantly, introducing new units and characters that reflected different aspects of Hysh’s elemental magic. The Hurakan (wind) temple joined the existing Lumineth range, and new hero characters provided additional tactical options for Lumineth players.
What Happens in Broken Realms: Be’lakor?
The third book brought Be’lakor — the First Daemon Prince, the Dark Master — back to prominence in the Age of Sigmar setting. Be’lakor had been a background figure for much of AoS, but Broken Realms established him as a major antagonist with his own agenda that was distinct from the four Chaos Gods he nominally served.
Be’lakor’s plan was characteristically ambitious and treacherous. He sought to create a permanent rift between the Mortal Realms and the Realm of Chaos, establishing a domain of shadow and darkness that he alone would rule. His campaign involved manipulating multiple factions — including other Chaos forces — and culminated in an assault on the Stormcast Eternal reforging process itself. Be’lakor discovered a way to intercept Stormcast souls during reforging, trapping them in a limbo state and potentially turning them to his service.
This book was significant for several reasons. It elevated Be’lakor from a minor Chaos character to a major antagonist, provided new context for the Stormcast reforging flaw introduced in the Soul Wars, and introduced the concept of the “shadow realm” — a domain between reality and Chaos that would play a role in subsequent storylines. The battle against Be’lakor’s forces also brought together unlikely allies, as Order, Destruction, and even some Chaos factions united against the Dark Master’s overreach.
On the tabletop, Be’lakor received a stunning new model — one of the largest and most impressive daemon miniatures Games Workshop has ever produced. New rules for Slaves to Darkness and various Stormcast Eternals reflected the narrative events of the book.
What Happens in Broken Realms: Kragnos?
The final book was the most explosive. Broken Realms: Kragnos introduced an entirely new character — Kragnos, the End of Empires — and set the stage for Age of Sigmar’s third edition.
Kragnos was an ancient god of destruction who had been imprisoned beneath a mountain since the Age of Myth. A being of raw, primal power, he was revered by the centaur-like Drogrukh and represented the ultimate expression of Destruction — not the cunning of Gorkamorka or the greed of the Gloomspite Gitz, but pure, unstoppable, rampaging destruction incarnate.
His release was triggered by the cascading consequences of the previous Broken Realms events. The weakening of magical barriers caused by Morathi’s ascension, Teclis’s campaign in Shyish, and Be’lakor’s shadow rift all contributed to the cracking of Kragnos’s prison. When he burst free, the earthquake he caused was felt across multiple realms, and his rampage began immediately.
Kragnos’s campaign of destruction targeted the Cities of Sigmar, and the climax of the book saw him assault the city of Excelsis — one of the most important free cities in the Mortal Realms. The defence of Excelsis brought together a desperate alliance of forces, including Stormcast Eternals, Cities of Sigmar garrisons, and unexpected allies. The battle was among the largest set-piece engagements in Age of Sigmar’s lore, involving street fighting, magical duels, and the direct intervention of multiple god-level entities.
Broken Realms: Kragnos effectively served as the bridge between AoS 2nd and 3rd Edition. The events of the book directly set up the Era of the Beast — the narrative framework for 3rd Edition — in which Ghur (the Realm of Beasts) became the primary setting and the primal forces of Destruction took centre stage.
How Did Broken Realms Change the Setting?
Broken Realms made several permanent, significant changes to the Age of Sigmar setting:
New gods: Morathi-Khaine became a fully fledged god, the first mortal to achieve apotheosis in the Age of Sigmar. This established that godhood was achievable — a precedent with enormous implications for other ambitious characters.
Weakened Slaanesh prison: Morathi’s actions weakened the magical cage containing Slaanesh, moving the setting closer to a potential return of the Dark Prince. This ongoing threat has driven multiple storylines since.
Diminished Nagash: Teclis’s campaign weakened Nagash significantly, reducing his control over the Mortal Realms’ death magic and creating opportunities for other factions to operate in Shyish without facing Nagash’s full power.
Be’lakor’s ascendancy: The Dark Master established himself as an independent Chaos power, no longer merely a servant of the four gods. His shadow realm and his ability to interfere with Stormcast reforging made him a unique and persistent threat.
Kragnos released: An entirely new god-level entity was added to the setting, giving the Destruction Grand Alliance a powerful new figurehead and changing the dynamics of the Mortal Realms’ ongoing wars.
Excelsis damaged: The siege of Excelsis demonstrated that even the most powerful Cities of Sigmar were vulnerable, reinforcing the setting’s theme that civilisation in the Mortal Realms is always under threat.
Do I Need to Read All Four Broken Realms Books?
Each Broken Realms book is self-contained enough to be enjoyed on its own, but reading them in order provides the richest experience. The narrative threads connect — Morathi’s actions in book one have consequences that ripple through books two, three, and four. If you can only read one, Broken Realms: Morathi is generally considered the strongest narratively, while Broken Realms: Kragnos is the most important for understanding the transition to 3rd Edition.
From a rules perspective, each book contains new rules and warscrolls for specific factions. If you play Daughters of Khaine or Idoneth Deepkin, Morathi is essential. Lumineth Realm-lords players need Teclis. Slaves to Darkness and Stormcast players benefit from Be’lakor. And Kragnos introduces rules for the titular god-beast as well as updates for multiple factions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Broken Realms still relevant to current Age of Sigmar?
The lore changes from Broken Realms are permanently part of the setting. Morathi is still a god, Kragnos is still rampaging, and Be’lakor remains a major threat. However, the specific rules and warscrolls from the Broken Realms books have been superseded by current battletomes and edition updates. Read them for the lore; use current rules for gaming.
Did Nagash die in Broken Realms?
No. Nagash was weakened by Teclis’s campaign but not destroyed. Gods in Age of Sigmar are extraordinarily difficult to kill permanently — even “death” for a deity is often temporary. Nagash was diminished and forced to retreat, but he remains one of the most powerful entities in the Mortal Realms and continues to scheme for dominance over all souls.
Can I use Kragnos in my army?
Yes. Kragnos is a playable model with rules for the tabletop. He can be included in any Destruction Grand Alliance army, making him available to Orruk Warclans, Gloomspite Gitz, Ogor Mawtribes, and Sons of Behemat players. He is an extremely powerful but expensive centrepiece model that can dominate the battlefield when used correctly.
Is Morathi a villain after Broken Realms?
Morathi occupies a morally grey space. She is part of the Order Grand Alliance and fights against Chaos, but her methods — betrayal, manipulation, seizing cities from other Order factions — make her deeply untrustworthy. She is an Order faction leader who acts in her own interest first, making her an anti-hero at best and a self-serving manipulator at worst. This moral ambiguity is one of the most compelling aspects of her character.
Were the Broken Realms books well received?
Generally, yes. The community praised the bold narrative choices — particularly Morathi’s ascension and Kragnos’s introduction — and appreciated that Games Workshop was willing to make permanent changes to the setting. Some criticism centred on the pacing (four books released over roughly eight months was a lot to keep up with) and the perception that some factions received more attention than others. Overall, Broken Realms is regarded as a high point for Age of Sigmar’s narrative.
Are the Broken Realms books novels?
No. Broken Realms is a series of four hardback campaign books, not novels. Each one mixes narrative lore with rules: new warscrolls, army options and narrative battleplans for the factions involved. The four books are Morathi, Teclis, Be’lakor and Kragnos, released between late 2020 and mid-2021. The story is told as illustrated campaign chronicle rather than as a single prose novel.
What came before Broken Realms in Age of Sigmar?
The Soul Wars came before Broken Realms. It began with Nagash’s Necroquake, which launched Age of Sigmar’s second edition in 2018 and unleashed the Nighthaunt across the Mortal Realms. Broken Realms continued directly from that era, following the fallout of the Necroquake through Teclis’s war on Nagash and the weakening of Slaanesh’s prison.
What came after Broken Realms?
Age of Sigmar’s third edition followed in 2021 with the Dominion launch box, beginning the Era of the Beast. Kragnos’s release at the end of Broken Realms set this up: Ghur, the Realm of Beasts, surged with primal energy, and Sigmar’s Dawnbringer Crusades pushed out to build new cities in the wilds. The Stormcast against Kruleboyz clash in Dominion opened that new era.