Valten

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**Valten**
Personal information
Age	early twenties
Race	Human
Current status	Unknown (presumed dead)
Profession	Champion of Light

Valten was a fictional character prominent in the background material to the tabletop game of Warhammer. He was a prominent figure in the Warhammer Fantasy Battles Storm of Chaos campaign. Valten was seen as the reincarnation of Sigmar Heldenhammer, patron deity and protector of the Empire, the mightiest and most progressive country in the fictional fantasy setting. Public perception was almost true, for Valten, like Magnus the Pious before him, was the chosen avatar of the deified Sigmar's powers.

1 Origins
2 Sigmar Reborn?
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Origins

The son of a blacksmith, Valten was born in the small village of Lachenbad, and grew up to be a strong and beautiful young man. His only deformity was a large birthmark, shaped like a twin-tailed comet. Valten lived his life in idyll, and had always been known to be special. But he was sorely put to the test when Beastmen attacked his village. While others ran in fear, he took up two hammers from his father's smithy and struck down Beastman after Beastman, eventually slaying their chieftain. Valten was regarded as a local hero, and word of his deed spread, eventually reaching the ears of the rabble-rousing Luthor Huss.

[edit] Sigmar Reborn?

Proclaiming Valten as Sigmar reborn, Luthor and his army of the faithful rallied around Valten and marched to Altdorf, where Luthor demanded that Emperor Karl Franz step aide to allow Sigmar's Chosen to take his rithful place on the throne. After long consideration, the Emperor refused to step down, but instead gifted Valten with Sigmar's hammer Ghal Maraz. The Emperor proclaiming Valten as the spiritual leader of the Empire, and vowed to lead the Imperial armies by his side. Together, Valten and Karl Franz set out to help the besieged city of Middenheim.

After the armies Karl Franz had mustered reached their final staging point at Talabheim, Valten was gifted with a suit of gromril armor from the dwarfs. It has originally been forged for Sigmar over 2,000 years ago, but was never claimed. From Teclis, the High Loremaster of the High Elves, Valten received the mighty Elven steed Althandin, sired by Prince Tyrion's own mighty steed, Malhandir. Cheered on by the rank and file, the army headed for Middenheim.

Karl Franz's army relieved the bloodied yet victorious Middenheim defenders, forcing Archaon and the remnants of his forces to withdraw, before fighting a series of battles to drive them from the mainland. In the final battle, Valten finally brought the Everchosen, Archaon, his fated nemesis, to single combat.

In revenge for the steed he had (by then) lost to Chaos artillery, Valten destroyed his foe's daemonic mount, hurling him to the ground. Raising the Hammer of Sigmar high for the killing stroke, Archaon unleashed the daemon bound within his weapon and with it impaled Valten. Valten's aim was spoiled, but not ruined: the blow opened Archaon's armour and dashed him to the ground.

As Valten attemped to pull his foe's blade free from his belly, Archaon regained his feet and mortally wounded Valten, carving open his breastplate and sending him flat onto his back. Seeing the mark of Sigmar on Valten's chest, Archaon let his guard down and stepped backwards, as in shock. Luthor Huss charged the Everchosen. Huss landed a series of mighty strikes, including an almighty blow to the side of the head, that sent the Chaos Warlord down to a knee. Archaon counter-attacked, however, breaking Huss's ribs and hurling him across the battlefield into unconsciousness.

Panting, bleeding, Archaon's head met that of the Orc Warlord, Grimgor Ironhide. Splintering the Chaos lord's shield and sending him sprawling, Grimgor battered Archaon twice around the head before placing his axe on the tip of his throat. Rather than landing the killing blow, Grimgor spared his opponent, letting him slump to the ground. The Orc proclaimed 'Grimgor iz da best!' and quit the field, cheered by his followers.

Valten lay comatose within the temple of Shallya, having been carried there by Luthor Huss. Despite his own wounds, Huss kept a bedside vigil by Valten. Meanwhile, the same arguments for and against Valten's divinity and suitability to be Emperor remerged, with potentially disastrous results. Graf Boris Todbringer and Grand Theogonist Esmer asked for three days to resolve the situation. The next day Luthor Huss visited Karl Franz. His eyes filled with tears as he told the Emperor the news: Valten had been murdered in his bed. Shocked, Karl visited the room where Valten had been recuperating. The bed and the sheets were covered in blood, and the Exalted's body had been taken. A green glowing knife had been stabbed into his mattress, and the sign of the horned rat (a rune used by the Skaven) had been carved on the wall. Huss asked the Emperor what he should do. Karl took the Hammer of Sigmar back from Huss. He gave the priest a new duty: he would proclaim to the people that Sigmar had once again departed, his duty done and his Empire saved; that he had left Ghal Maraz to the Emperor as a sign of his trust; and that Huss was still his prophet, and would look for his return when the Empire needed him most once again.

Fan speculation on the true identity of Valten's murderer matter is rife. While many players took the signs of Skaven involvement at face value, many also believed the signs and the dagger were purposely misleading, and that an Imperial Elector arranged Valten's death. A minority believed that Valten is in fact merely missing in action as only his blood was found. In the background book the Loathsome Ratmen and All Their Vile Kin, however, it is confirmed that Valten's assassination was indeed performed by the Skaven.

Valten appears as a minor character in James Wallis's novel Mark of Chaos.