in the
Warhammer universe, an ancient race of giant amphibian superbeings.
They are largely responsible for the state of the World as it is today, having:
-
created the warpgates at the two poles
-
created all existing races on the planet through breeding
-
placated the creatures of the Warp
-
travelled the universe doing similar things to other planets
By some colossal error, they also brought about the destruction of the warpgates.
This caused:
-
the entities known as Chaos Gods to enter the material universe,
-
the creation of two continent-sized radioactive hellholes known as the Chaos Wastes
-
the corruption of early Man, Dwarfs and Elves.
-
the creation of the condensed warpstuff known as Warpstone
-
the almost complete extinction of their race, with the exception of their degenerate descendants, the Slann
The Old Slann also play an important role in galactic history; in the
WH40K worldview the Slann's catastrophe occurs simultaneously on all Slann worlds in the galaxy, and has been postulated to have created
The Eye of Terror.