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If you want an outlet for anger or to fight, you turn to Khorne. If you want pleasure, you turn to Slaanesh. If you want power socially, politically, or psychically, you turn to Tzeentch.

Why would someone proactively turn to Nurgle?

I know some decide to give themselves to him reactively to save themselves from his plagues, but why would someone make the decision proactively?

Because when all has forsaken you, Nurgle will smile at you and embrace you. He does not judge, he does not hate, he merely loves you, and loves you for who you are. You will be adopted into his family and receive his love.

Immortality, fear of aging and inevitable death or pain, you really really like popping zits... idk

Because, unlike the other gods, Nurgle genuinely cares about his followers. By giving them his plagues for them to spread, they become immune to their effects, and thus have no fear of death. In addition, he is a very jovial being, which is a surprisingly appealing aspect of him; hence the nickname "father" or "grandfather" for him. Many of his followers see him as a beloved family member than a distant ruler.

When you have a face that hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down, when you smell like something that would make an open sewer gag, when you've spent your last penny on your so called friends at the sweet shop and they run away. That's when you turn to father Nurgle, then it's time to open some whoopass on those that mocked you

I agree with all of the above poster comments, he is salvation from the darkest despair. He is the sick twisted joy of death and the embodiment of struggle through life's torments.

For death will never touch thee, and thy touch shall grant immortality.

And because looking scary is awesome.

Good question!

Why anyone would turn to any of the Chaos Gods is a mystery - until you realize that the 40K Galaxy is largely ignorant of the true nature of Chaos and the eventual true 'end' of those who worship the Ruinous Powers.

Well, other than that they end up dead. Usually burnt to death too, I suppose!

Alpharius wrote:Good question!

Why anyone would turn to any of the Chaos Gods is a mystery - until you realize that the 40K Galaxy is largely ignorant of the true nature of Chaos and the eventual true 'end' of those who worship the Ruinous Powers.

Well, other than that they end up dead. Usually burnt to death too, I suppose!

Then we have lust for power,psychic powers of Chaos Gods and their minions(Greater Daemon when summoned cause sector wide insanity-Grey Knights) and simple ignorancy as said above.

When you're a beat up wussy who hates pain...you turn to Nurgle.

Nurgles are damage sponges...with high toughness and feel no pain and poisoned attacks...they can wound others despite being weak, they can save wounds that would normally kill. They are slow and purposeful...meaning that they won't be dissuaded once they set their sights on something. Maybe you don't want power...or pleasure...and maybe you''re not that angry. Maybe you just want to be able to stand up for yourself.

And Papa Nurgle is nice for a daemon

There's usually noble reasons at first, and you're not actually out and out worshiping the Chaos Gods. That comes after damnation...

Say you're a doctor, and you want to save as many of your patients as possible, because it is right and good. However, as it turns out the task is impossible: hospitals breed and spread infections, the budget won't cover enough antiseptic, and it's not like your patients help themselves by quitting smoking and so on. Eventually you become obsessed. It's no longer about helping the patients as it is about winning your own personal crusade against disease. In your obsession you delve into difficult and uncertain cures, such as bacteriophages, retroviruses, and maggots to clean wounds. Finally, despite all of your best efforts, something got through all that scrubbing and cleaning and you've finally caught something yourself. Then, lying awake in bed at night you can hear the roaches scratching around your cheap bed-sit, and their scratches make a voice, one that validates that you've been hard done by, that the infected scalpel wound on your hand wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given everything to the community, for which you got nothing in return but gangrene, halitosis from cheap coffee, and a used up body from lack of healthy food and exercise. Once you've turned in on yourself in self-pity and despair, once you're treating diseases instead of patients, once you've given up and grind through an endless series of operations, procedures, and interventions in the endless grubby hallways of the sagging wreckage you still call a hospital, then the Grandfather takes you in. He brushes away your fears and misery, and gives you some perspective, because you just have to laugh at it, you know? From then on you carry his Mark, and your treatment of disease markedly improves. The cockroaches in the walls no longer bother you, and the dying old consumptive on the operating table is just another petri dish from which new and beautiful life can burst forth. You come to realize that there is life and beauty even in death and ugliness, and you praise God the Father for all that He has given you, and for all that you have now to give.

Nurglitch wrote:There's usually noble reasons at first, and you're not actually out and out worshiping the Chaos Gods. That comes after damnation...

Say you're a doctor, and you want to save as many of your patients as possible, because it is right and good. However, as it turns out the task is impossible: hospitals breed and spread infections, the budget won't cover enough antiseptic, and it's not like your patients help themselves by quitting smoking and so on. Eventually you become obsessed. It's no longer about helping the patients as it is about winning your own personal crusade against disease. In your obsession you delve into difficult and uncertain cures, such as bacteriophages, retroviruses, and maggots to clean wounds. Finally, despite all of your best efforts, something got through all that scrubbing and cleaning and you've finally caught something yourself. Then, lying awake in bed at night you can hear the roaches scratching around your cheap bed-sit, and their scratches make a voice, one that validates that you've been hard done by, that the infected scalpel wound on your hand wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given everything to the community, for which you got nothing in return but gangrene, halitosis from cheap coffee, and a used up body from lack of healthy food and exercise. Once you've turned in on yourself in self-pity and despair, once you're treating diseases instead of patients, once you've given up and grind through an endless series of operations, procedures, and interventions in the endless grubby hallways of the sagging wreckage you still call a hospital, then the Grandfather takes you in. He brushes away your fears and misery, and gives you some perspective, because you just have to laugh at it, you know? From then on you carry his Mark, and your treatment of disease markedly improves. The cockroaches in the walls no longer bother you, and the dying old consumptive on the operating table is just another petri dish from which new and beautiful life can burst forth. You come to realize that there is life and beauty even in death and ugliness, and you praise God the Father for all that He has given you, and for all that you have now to give.

Most definatly could not have been said any better!

I suppose the travel benefits, the bonuses, the short work week.

But mostly the healthcare plan.

Plus, why care what you look like when you can take any panuishment this galaxy can give. you feel no pain, no exhaustion, in death, you are immune to all misery.

To some people, this logic is backwards, which is why others will to slaanesh, fearing the disgusting look of nurgle, and others will turn Tzeetch, rejecting the finality of it all. Those that that don't want to take the hits, but instead fight back will turn to khorn.

Different factions are more attractive to different people.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
To those that like the social sciences, this is a very interesting topic.

Because the only constant in the universe is decay, and the only way to survive it is to embrace it.

And besides, religion and worship can make people do strange things. Thousands of people jump in the Gangees river every year for example.

Because in worshipping Nurgle, you can escape the clutches of diseases, and as a chaos lord once put it 'I became what I once most feared. Death.'

Crantor wrote:But mostly the healthcare plan.

lol. Unlike joining the ranks of the imperial guard, nurgle has dental.

I'm curious, why did the primarch join nurgle in the first place? I mean, he had to have a good reason, right?

Nurglitch wrote:There's usually noble reasons at first, and you're not actually out and out worshiping the Chaos Gods. That comes after damnation...

Say you're a doctor, and you want to save as many of your patients as possible, because it is right and good. However, as it turns out the task is impossible: hospitals breed and spread infections, the budget won't cover enough antiseptic, and it's not like your patients help themselves by quitting smoking and so on. Eventually you become obsessed. It's no longer about helping the patients as it is about winning your own personal crusade against disease. In your obsession you delve into difficult and uncertain cures, such as bacteriophages, retroviruses, and maggots to clean wounds. Finally, despite all of your best efforts, something got through all that scrubbing and cleaning and you've finally caught something yourself. Then, lying awake in bed at night you can hear the roaches scratching around your cheap bed-sit, and their scratches make a voice, one that validates that you've been hard done by, that the infected scalpel wound on your hand wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given everything to the community, for which you got nothing in return but gangrene, halitosis from cheap coffee, and a used up body from lack of healthy food and exercise. Once you've turned in on yourself in self-pity and despair, once you're treating diseases instead of patients, once you've given up and grind through an endless series of operations, procedures, and interventions in the endless grubby hallways of the sagging wreckage you still call a hospital, then the Grandfather takes you in. He brushes away your fears and misery, and gives you some perspective, because you just have to laugh at it, you know? From then on you carry his Mark, and your treatment of disease markedly improves. The cockroaches in the walls no longer bother you, and the dying old consumptive on the operating table is just another petri dish from which new and beautiful life can burst forth. You come to realize that there is life and beauty even in death and ugliness, and you praise God the Father for all that He has given you, and for all that you have now to give.

this is written so good, i want to join nurgle right now. bitter sweet and all so true...

@Ailaros

Mortarion joined nurgle because he most values endurance, and doesn't really care for looks. He hated weakness, which lead to him hating regular humans because he was forced to serve and protect weaklings who were lower than him.

but why doesn't that drive you to Khrone?

Why go to the lord of DECAY if you're looking to be stronger?

Nurgle genuinely cares and loves his followers and daemon servants

Ailaros wrote:

Crantor wrote:But mostly the healthcare plan.

lol. Unlike joining the ranks of the imperial guard, nurgle has dental.

I'm curious, why did the primarch join nurgle in the first place? I mean, he had to have a good reason, right?

Mortarion and the Death Guard fleet were stuck in the eye of terror, when they were ravaged by a disease that rendered their resilience nothing. For Mort it took him back to his days on Barbarus, but this time he didn't have the Emperor to save him. Finally, he could take it no more, he cried out for help, and Nurgle drew them to his breast and made them his own.

I think strength can be attributed to all 4 gods (well Tzeentch prefers deception over strength, but its still power.) What matters is the path you take, those who are fearful of a galaxy filled with innumerable horrors, those who grow to hate their repeating days of dull-drum in the Imperium and those who simply have lost any reason to care for things.

Nurgle is the power to endure, it's not about what you can dish out, it's about what you can take. Mortarion hates the weakness of fragility.

-Cause he's bringing sexy back.
-Nurglings
-He's fun, jovial, and a paternal figure.
-I have a tendancy to constantly pick at open soars and wounds... so it only seemed natural.

Because the the only constant in this universe is the common cold!

When you have a cold, trench foot, a chest infection and S.A.D. brought on by all this grimdark... who else would take you?

Slaanesh is childhood, knowing nothing more of the cosmos than he receives as sensory input. He puts everything in his mouth to taste it, craves sweets, sees, touches and hears everything for the first time. He receives pleasure from these experiences.
***
Khorne is the young adult, fighting authority, brawling in the pub and at football games, asserting himself violently in and against the world of adults.
***
Tzeentch is the adult, plotting, politicking, jockeying for position in society. Budgeting, planning and scheming for the future. Fruitlessly manipulating his circumstances hoping for something, it will never come.
***
Nurgle is maturity and truth. When you truly know all that has passed was futile. You understand it is all a cycle, which has an end that is also its beginning. The previous things are temporary. This is the conclusion that awaits them all. You enjoy the life and laughter for what its worth...

Look at human culture today... the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, the "Bone" Church at Kutná Hora, the popularity of Halloween and horror movies. How many Warhammer armies adorn themselves with skulls and other symbols of death?

We are both repulsed by and fascinated with death. As we seek to avoid it, we draw ourselves ever closer to it. Studying our adversary so deeply, we fall in love with him. Knowing that we will end, we resign ourselves to mortality and enjoy the time we have. Our resignation to the conclusion makes us immune to the fear it brings others.

What I wanna know is why Nuglites aren't happy and jovial like their master. All the other Chaos worshippers take after their gods:

Khorne clutists = blood crazed maniac killers
Slaanesh cultists = hedonistic debauchers
Tzeentch cultists = scheming magic-users

So why aren't Nurgle cultists more good natured. The Death Guard should always have a funny story / anecdote to share and be great to hang out with, and Typhus should be the life of the party (so to speak).

Oh ,they're smiling, it's just hard to tell since their lips have fallen off.