Storm of Chaos

"Forged from the other world, six treasures shall he posses....Upon his head the crown shall see all, and open eyes will prove woe to mortal kind.....Then shall he ride unto the World...Then will the World know that the last war has begun....With the coming of doom will march a lowly boy. Anger his nourisment and blood his wine....And from the Land tamed will rise a Champion. Disease shall be his downfall and saviour divine.....A King's son shall be chosen. In power will he thrive and glory in is name....And with the coming of the end the old will fall by the hand of the new...."

- The Prophecy of Fate, take from the Celestine Book of Divination by Necrodomo the Insane

The Storm of Chaos (2521-2522 IC) was the great Chaotic assault intended to conquer first Kislev and the Empire, and then the rest of the Old World, launched by the Forces of Chaos under the leadership of the Champion of Chaos Undivided known as Archaon the Everchosen, the "Lord of the End Times." The Storm of Chaos broke over the northern territories of Kislev and the Empire of Man in 2521 IC and was finally broken by a potent grand alliance of Men, High Elves and the Dwarfs at the Battle of Middenheim in 2522 IC.



The Invasion involved nearly every major faction in every nation of the Old World, even those in fabled Ultuan and Naggaroth. From the North, Archaon, Lord of the End times invades the northern portion of Kislev, laying waste to entire villages and towns along the river Lynsk. His vast horde swept south, laying siege to Praag, and sacking the port city of Erengrad. From there Archaons forces surges through Ostland  and invading the Norther portion of the Empire. To the East, Archaon's herald, Crom the Conqueror, has breached through Peak Pass and as we speak is breaking through the Eastern Border's of the Empire, laying siege to Karak Kadrin and invading the lands of Sylvania. To the West, the Witch King Malekith has made a pact with the Runious Power's and simultatiously, while the High Elves send's troops into the Empire to aid in their efforts, Malekith launched his invasion of Ulthuan, breakign through the High Elven fleet's blockading the coast, and moving into the The Blighted Isle, hoping to recover the lost Altar of Khaine.

The sheer size of this invasion force is beyond imagination, on all sides, Chaos is once again surging into the lands of Man, Elves, and Dwarves, and if the Empire falls, then the whole Old World will be lost to Chaos. Yet all is not lost, for with this coming invasion, came a common goal, the whole of the Old World has finally united under the Banner of Order, Man, Dwarves, and High Elve have met in the Conclave of Light and togather they fight side by side in a war that will forever decide the fate  of the Three Kigndoms.

The Storm of Chaos was also a massive narrative campaign created by Games Workshop for the Warhammer Fantasy Battles tabletop miniatures wargame setting, played as an international tournament in the summer of 2004.

History
"Fear me mortals, for I am the Anointed, the favoured Son of Chaos, the Scourge of the World. The armies of the gods rally behind me, and it is by my will and by my sword that your weakling nations shall fall."

- Archaon Lord of the End Times

The World stands in the brink of Annihilation. It has done so since the beginning of time itself, when the great Old Ones of ancient times were destroyed. The gate of the   Old Ones  , once a marvel of techonology, had collapsed and with it, Chaos flowed like water into the cold harsh lands of the north and south poles. Since that time, the world has been doomed to a fate of total destruction. While the world itself dies its slow death, the fragile civilizations of the Old World, cling to their existence. They battle and wage war against the thing's that never sleep, creatures that speak no reason, and those that seek nothing more then to usher in destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the Chaos Gods, and heroes and armies of the World fight for the very survival of their race. They battle against the corruption of Chaos from within. Fight wars in order to protect themselves from the selfish Chaos Gods that constantly seeks to overthrow them.

They fight corruption, mutation, and arnarchy, within their very homes, their very lives, and those people that live in it. Decent man fall back to ancient terrible rituals and sacraments, Mutation runs wild in the lands of Man, twisted beast roam freely in the dark dense woods of the Old World, and the leader's of the world looks to the north with fearful eye's for they know, that the End Times......have Begun.

The Beggining of the End
The threat of Chaos comes in many guises, from the mutating winds of magic that pour's across the known world, to the vile beastmen that lurks within the dark forest of the Old World, and the numberless hordes of barbaric warriors who lives within the Chaos Wastes. However, it is the corruption of souls, the pollution of ideals and dreams that is its most subtle and deadly weapons, for within every person lurks the heart of Chaos. It is perhaps fitting then that the greatest threat to the Empire came not from a Kurgan Warlord, nor a Beastmen Cheif, but from one of their own. No one knows his original name, but, he was once a devout and zealous Templar of Sigmar, born scant few years after Magnus the Piou's Great War against Chaos. The Templars, known by most as the Witch Hunters, were sworn to protect the Empire from the influencing threat of Chaos. This Templar had enacted these deeds for many years, ever believing in the divination of Sigmar himself. However, the threads of fate were moving leading this lone Templar to betray his own people and the god his people worshipped.

There are a great many books and teachings, treatises and grimoires that are kept from stray eyes, for these books hold heretical and blasphemous text that tells the truth about Chaos, the true Truth of the World. The Zealous Templar, read these manuscripts written from the Book of Divination from the words of Necrodomo the Insane. Driven with a sense of revelation and rage, he burned down the Cathedral that held the sacred books, and ran outside. He threw his fist towards the sky, calling the Gods liars and began to go around and kill is own family. From there he traveled to the True North, where his destiny finally lie.There he offered himself to the Chaos Gods as a tool of destruction. His lifespan unnaturally extended by his Chaos patrons, Archaon spent the next century gathering six artefacts of Chaos.

The Crowning of the Everchosen
A unique Mark of Chaos, and the blessing of all four powers in unison. It combines all of the advantages of the individual Marks of Chaos, but is even more powerful. The first part of Archaon's dark quest was to go to the Altar of True Darkness in Naggaroth. He gathered a small band of Chaos Warriors called the Swords of Chaos and battled his way to a citadel so tall it appeared to pierce Morrslieb itself.Inside the citadel it was so dark that when one of Archaon's followers attempted to light a torch it was snuffed out instead by the darkness. Archaon was unafraid, and marched off alone into the dark. Such was his skill that he was able to slay hundreds of the misshapen monsters that infested the citadel.Archaon reconsecrated the altar for the Gods of Chaos, offering up the hearts of the creatures that had crawled in and defiled it. When he emerged he bore the eternally burning Mark of Chaos on his forehead.

The Armour of Morkar belonged to Morkar, the first Everchosen. It makes the wearer invulnerable to all but the most powerful of attacks. After leaving Naggaroth on a stolen ship made of black metal and pulled by a sea-drake, Archaon took leadership of a seafaring war band. They sailed to a mysterious land populated with savage half-humans. Neither sun nor moon had ever touched their pallid skin. After six days and six nights of battle, the city of these creatures had been reduced to rubble. Archaon delved deep into their necropolis until he found the Tomb of Morkar. Within lay the Armour of Morkar. However, as Archaon reached out to take it, the spirit of Morkar animated the armour and attacked him. It lay down a relentless flurry of blows until Archaon cursed it in the language of the Unberogen tribe. The attack ceased for a moment, and Archaon smashed it aside, banishing the spirit of Morkar and allowing him to claim the armour as his own.

The Eye of Sheerian is named after the Tzeentchian Sorcerer who discovered it. Although on its own it grants the bearer prophetic powers, when placed in the Crown of Domination its prophetic powers can be used to their true ability to allow the bearer to predict and avoid the attacks of the enemy. After claiming the Armour of Morkar, Archaon set out to retrieve the Eye of Sheerian. At that time it lay in the lair of the Chaos Dragon Flamefang, and the ancient drake valued the Eye above all of it's other treasures. Archaon placed his claim for the Eye by smashing his axe into Flamefang's head. Long did man and monster battle at the base of the Cliff of Beasts. Flamefang breathed fire and even swallowed Archaon, but the Armour of Morkar protected him. Archaon hacked his way out of the Dragon's gullet with the ferocity of a Flesh Hound, until Flamefang's throat was hacked to shreds and it died of exhaustion and blood loss. Archaon plucked the Eye of Sheerian from its place on the belly of the Dragon and hung it around his neck.

Alternatively known as Dorghar, Ghurshy'ish'phak, Yrontalie and the Steed of the Apocalypse, this daemonic beast was stolen from the menagerie of the Daemon Prince Agrammon in the Realm of Chaos. Archaon battled his way past the Daemons guarding Agrammon's palace and sneaked inside, hiding beneath a beast that was part man, part mammoth and part insect. Inside was every beast imaginable, and some that are not.Archaon tracked Dorghar through the menagerie by its sulphurous stench. When he found it he vaulted on to its back. The Steed of the Apocalypse changed shape and burst into flames, but Archaon was able to break it like a wayward stallion and escape from the Realm of Chaos.

The Slayer of Kings was the sacred blade of Vangel, the second Everchosen.He bound the Greater Daemon U'zuhl into the blade, and the millennia of imprisonment have sent it insane with rage and fury. It was said to rest at the top of the Chimera Plateau, near the top of the world, so this is where Archaon went after stealing Dorghar from Agrammon. The warriors battling around the plateau saw the determination and destiny of Archaon, and he quickly gathered a huge horde of followers. They swiftly defeated the Chimeras guarding the higher passes and Archaon and his three companions climbed to the top of the plateau.From the top, Archaon looked down on the world, swearing that he would one day rule over it all. Suddenly, what he had taken for a mountain behind him turned over in its sleep, causing a series of earthquakes in the lands below. Archaon realised that the mountain was actually the father of the Dragon Ogre race, Krakanrok the Black. Even he could not defeat this foe, so instead he and his companions sneaked past the titanic monster, only to find that the Slayer of Kings was clasped to its chest. Prince Ograx the Great, the strongest of Archaon's companions, was able to lift up one of Krakanrok's talons high enough for Archaon to retrieve the Daemonsword. However, the Daemon bound inside began to shriek with deafening volume. As Krakanrok began to stir, Archaon thought fast and plunged the Slayer of Kings into Prince Ograx's chest. With the blade's thirst quenched with royal blood, Archaon was able to sheath it and return from the plateau to the cheers of his followers. Now Archaon carries the blade with him into battle. Although the blade is potent enough already, he can unleash the power of U'zuhl to become a lethal killing machine - although sometimes it will try to attack him or his companions in its fury. Once U'zuhl has been unleashed it cannot be rebound until the end of the battle

Forged before the dawn of man, the Crown of Domination once held the Eye of Sheerian, but had been lost to history. It strikes terror into the bearer's foes and gives strength to his allies. Decades after finding the Slayer of Kings, Archaon still had no clue as to the whereabouts of this ancient battle-helm. Eventually Be'lakor revealed its location, planning to steal the crown after Archaon found it. The crown lay in the First Shrine to Chaos, high on an icy peak in the Worlds Edge Mountains. Be'lakor led Archaon up the mountain, the Steed of the Apocalypse carrying him over the most difficult terrain. After a day and a half Archaon stood before the massive double gate that was the entrance to the Shrine.Through the gateway was a labyrinth filled with dire beasts and vengeful Daemons. Archaon was tested by each of the Chaos Gods to see if he was worthy to be the Everchosen. Nurgle sent deadly diseases that Archaon fought off with sheer willpower. Tzeentch created a labyrinth of crystal, but Archaon blindfolded himself and used instinct alone to negotiate it. Slaanesh sent temptation after temptation, but Archaon resisted, never diverting from the path to the inner gates of the Shrine. After passing through the inner gates, Archaon found himself on a narrow causeway surrounded with hellfire that scorched his skin and burnt away his hair. Suddenly, a mighty Bloodthirster of Khorne erupted from the flames and attacked the potential Everchosen. The Greater Daemon was strong, but Archaon drew strength from the Slayer of Kings and wrested the Bloodthirster's weapons away and strangled it with it's own whip. The hellfire died away, leaving Archaon standing in a simple shrine. A throne stood at the back of the shrine, with a withered corpse sitting on it. On the top of its withered skull sat the Crown of Domination. Archaon took the crown and, with his wounds healing and frame swelling with power, he held it to the heavens. After over a century of searching, he had claimed the title of Everchosen. All that he needed now was a coronation.

Upon retrieving the Crown, the daemon prince Be'lakor performed the coronation that made Archaon the Lord of the End Times.

The World Engulfed
"Then shall he ride unto the World......Then will the World know that the last war has begun"

- Part of the Prophecy of Fate, read in the Celetine Book of Divination by Necrodomo the Insane

Upon his coronation as Everchosen, the whole of the Chaos Waste has begun to go to war once again. Beastmen warherds, Chaos Warbands, and Mutants armies of all kind flocked to the growing army, all hedding the call of the Chaos Gods. During this time, Malekith Witch King of Narragoth has made a pact with the Runious Powers, from which while the Chaos Legions launched their armies south from Axebite Pass and creating chaos in the Kingdoms of Man, Malekith and his Dark Elven armada will simultanously attack Ulthuan while the High Elves lend aid to their allies. Along with this, Archaon order his Herald Vardek Crom, also known as Crom the Conqueror to marshal with another Element of Archaons army and break through Peak Pass to invade the Eastern Border's of the Empire, most specifically to invade and destroy the Kingdom of the Dwarves, also known as Karaz Ankor.

Along with this, Archaon has send a vanguard of his troops under the leadership of Surtha Lenk, ahead of his army to clear the way for the invasion force. From the north, the vanguard swept south, eventually reaching the borders of Ostland. From there the army ravaged the lands and despite the stalwart defenses of the city and the armies of Hochland, Wolfenburg was eventually sacked. Only after the battle of Mazhorod did Lenk eventually fall and his army destroyed, and many of the Empire held a sigh of relief for they thought the worst has gone. However it was not the case, and the greatest war that has ever been seen since the time of Magnus the Pious will engulf the the world in war.

Soon the whole Chaos Waste is emptying as we speak. Hundreds of tribes of marauding Norscan warriors are once again marshaled for the coming invasion, ether joining Archaons own main element of the army, or doing retaliatory raids against the shores of Nordland. The sheer size of the raids has made it near impossible for Grand Baron Gausser, Elector Count of Nordland to even spare a single regiment to the war effort, much to his comrades dismay. All along the coast Norsemen had made numerous landings in the coastal town of Nordland. The hardy Nordlanders, fierce and used to these common raids on their town were not able to push them out of the landings. Most of the major fleets of wolfs hips and dragon ships have made landfall in the port city of Engrand, laying siege to the city.

To the Far East, Kurgan horsemens from a hundred tribes have begun making their way towards Peak Pass, their horses iron-shob hooves creating huge dusk clouds miles high as they stomp the earth in their pursuit for both glory and plunder, joining Crom the Conqueror's own growing army and desecend towards the Empire. However, the Chieftians of the Kurgan tribes have warned Crom about a the Green Beast, living in the Hearthlands of hte Kurgan territory killing and maining hte tribes own warriors. As we speak scouts heading towards High Pass has reported sightings of a large horde of Greenskins blocking their path, where rank upon rank of Ironclad greenskins warriors eagerly await the coming storm, and also reported of a massive Black Orc leading them. Whether or not Crom would face this beast remains unclear, but if they would it would mean the greatest and most bloodiest battle every seen in the DarkLands.

With the coming of the End, Chaos Cults from all over the Empire has finally emerged opening to herald in the End Times. In nearly every major settlements, these cults have begun making preperations for their coming lords, and has made daring attacks and ambushes against several Imperial authority, etheir trying to suppress or undermine the Imperial war effort or to stop them from reinforcing the armies mustering for the war. The cult spreads confusion and terror among the more superstitious of the populous and even decent people are already reverting back to dark rituals and sacraments in hopes of feeling mercy to their new Dark Overlords.

Not even the forest of the lands are safe. Since the dawn of time itself, the Children of Chaos has ever been living in nearly all of the dark forest of the world. These creature have forever lived a life of constant agony, suffering and bloodlust, not even the Gods could relieve these foul beast from their miserable life. In the ancient forest of the Old World, these beast have forever lived in the shadow of Mankind, malign and savage to the last, they brim with Bitterness for the works of man. They constantly raid and pillage countless villages in the early days of the Empire, but never in such greater numbers then when chaos invaded. With the Chaos army invading, Beastmen raids are becoming more frequent each day. Soon the beast of the forest will once again come from their forest and lay siege to the civilization of man for good.

In the far side of the World, in the cold desolate lands of Naggaroth, Morathi Hag Queen of the Dark Elves and Mother to Malekith himself has once again renewed her heretical pact with the Dark Prince of Excess of Excess himself. Fearing another great Incursion gathering in the north, Morathi found it wise to ally herself to the Runious Powers, while her son Malekith is invading Ulthuan, and draining the power of the druchii nations. Though the other Hag Queens believed that they have suppressed and came close to nearly exterminated the cult for years, this was sorely mistaken. The power of the covenant of Sorcerous has wax strong over the years with their increasing involvement

The days of peace after Emperor Karl-Franz ascension to the Imperial throne were all too short. By 2521 IC, word  reached Altdorf of a new threat in the north. A Chaos army of Northmen under the Chaos Lord Surtha Lenk invaded Kislev once more and smashed into the territories of the Empire. The Kislevites and the forces of the Empire were handed several bloody defeats and the city of Wolfenburg was brutally sacked and despoiled by the Forces of Chaos. Lenk's forces were finally defeated at the Battle of Mazhorod. At first it seemed the Chaos threat had ended, but it soon became apparent that Surtha Lenk's army was merely the vanguard of a much larger Chaos force. The true enemy of the Empire was a mighty Champion of Chaos Undivided namedArchaon Everchosen, known as the "Lord of the End Times," for his ambition was nothing less than to augur in the final consumption of the Warhammer World by the Chaos Gods.

Archaon had united armies dedicated to all of the Ruinous Powers under the banner of Chaos Undivided and legions of Chaos Warriors and Beastmen dedicated to Nurgle, Tzeentch, Slaanesh and Khorne marched to war under his command. Dvine signs and portents all foretold the inevitability of an attack, one even greater than that faced by Magnus the Pious during the Great War against Chaos. Knowing that he would need to gather all the forces he could to defeat Archaon, the Emperor invited the Elector Counts of the Empire, and indeed the whole of the forces of Order in the Old World, including the Dwarfs and the peoples of Estalia, Tilea and Bretonnia, to a great council in Altdorf in 2521 IC known as the Conclave of Light. Many answered the call, even the High Elves of Ulthuan, and the mighty Elven Archmage Teclis once again walked the streets of Altdorf. At the Conclave the rulers of Man, Elfand Dwarf agreed to set aside their disputes to fight under the banner of Order against the threat of Chaos Undivided.

And yet, all was not stable within the Empire. The threat of Archaon's invasion had made the Chaos Cults bold across the Empire and even decent people fell back on forbidden ways and secretly prayed to the Dark Gods of Chaos for mercy, as they had done before the coming of Magnus the Pious. Yet, another movement was already afoot to stir the better angels of Men's natures. The Sigmarite warrior-priestLuthor Huss claimed that he had found Sigmar himself, bodily reincarnated in the powerful body of a lowly blacksmith's son named Valten. Whatever the truth, a desperate people needed to believe in something and they flocked to Huss's banner, forging a Sigmarite Crusade of the fanatical and the just plain frightened. At Altdorf, Luthor Huss presented Valten to Emperor Karl-Franz and proclaimed him Sigmar Reborn. Huss had rallied a great deal of political support among the common people and thus the Emperor could not simply dismiss his claims without risking a religious schism or fanatical violence in the streets. Karl-Franz presented Valten with the magical warhammer Ghal Maraz and dubbed him the Champion of Sigmar, though he prudently retained rulership of the Empire and command of its armies for himself. The Emperor called upon the Elector Counts to muster their forces and he ordered the Imperial Banner to be unfurled for war.

Archaon launched his great invasion in 2522 IC, sweeping again through Kislev and into the northeastern Empire. Ostland was overrun, whilst Grand Count von Raukov's forces fought a desperate delaying action. Graf Boris Todbringer led his forces from Middenheim, whilst the armies of Hochland and Nordland tried to join him. Archaon's forces were too powerful, however, and the Imperial armies fell back to Middenheim, where Archaon laid siege. All waited for the Emperor to arrive with reinforcements and all wondered if Valten was truly their divine saviour come again in his Empire's time of greatest need.

On the 62nd day of the war, the armies of the Emperor and Valten arrived at Middenheim. Archaon withdrew his siege to prepare for battle, which was finally joined at the village of Sokh. For four days the battle raged, with the forces of the Empire barely holding their own against the combine force of the Greenskins and Chaos army,even with the aid of contingents sent by the Dwarfs and the High Elves. With his army fighting against the Orcs, Valten, seeking Archaon, once again drove into the Swords of Chaos, Archaon's personal warband. This time, his foe was there, mounted on the Steed of the Apocalypse and towering over his warriors. The warband of Archaon parted to allow Valten to approach the Lord of the End Times. With a roar, Valten charged, Ghal Maraz swinging toward his foe. The hammer smashed through the magical form of Archaon’s Daemonic mount. The steed exploded in flames and smoke, and Archaon was hurled to the ground. Valten lunged forward to press home his advantage and raised the Hammer of Sigmar above his head to strike the killing blow. A screech filled the air as Archaon struck out with the Slayer of Kings and unleashed the power of U’zuhl. The blade bit through the gromril armor of Valten and drove deep into his gut. Slowed but not stopped, Valten continued with his strike. The head of Ghal Maraz fell wide of the mark and tore a shoulder plate from Archaon’s armor.

Pushing himself to his feet, the Lord of the End Times ripped the Slayer of Kings free, struck again, split the comet-emblazoned breastplate of Valten, and sent him onto his back. Through the blood of the grievous wound, the birthmark across Valten’s chest could be clearly seen. As if stunned by the twin-tailed comet etched into Valten’s flesh, Archaon took a step back with the Slayer of Kings held to one side. Luthor Huss launched himself at the Everchosen. His hammer sent up a shower of sparks from the impact with Archaon’s Chaos armor. A mighty blow to the side of the head caused Archaon to lose his footing and sent him down to one knee. The next blow did not land, as the Lord of the End Times raised his shield to block it and jarred the hammer from Huss’s fingers. With a howl, the Chaos Champion batted Huss aside and shattered bones as he flung the Prophet of Sigmar through the air. The sounds of guttural war cries resounded around the Lord of the End Times, along with the shouts of his warriors. Regaining his feet, Archaon turned as another figure appeared in front of him. A green-skinned forehead slammed into Archaon’s helmeted face as Grimgor made his presence felt. Behind him, his ’Ardboyz fought against the heavily armored warriors of the Swords of Chaos. The Orcs had fought their way through Valten’s followers to reach the Everchosen. With Middenheim beyond anyone’s grasp now, there was only one way left for Grimgor to prove himself to Gork and Mork. Grimgor hefted his weapon Gitsnik in both hands, swung it in a wide arc, sheared the bottom from Archaon’s shield, and sent the Everchosen sprawling backward.

Once more, the Slayer of Kings flicked out, but Grimgor had expected the counterattack and parried with the hilt of his magical axe. The Black Orc Warlord brought his booted foot down hard onto the arm of Archaon and knocked the Daemonic blade from his grasp. Using the flat of Gitsnik, Grimgor battered Archaon across the head twice and then placed the tip of the blade on the Everchosen’s throat. The Black Orc pulled back his head and roared into the leaden sky. “Grimgor izz da best!”  A great cheer went up from the Orcs, a deafening chant of Grimgor’s name that echoed over the clash of fighting. Grimgor raised Gitsnik above his head, roared again, and pumped his fist in the air. Having proven his point, the warlord turned south with his barbaric horde. Their cheers of victory were heard long after they disappeared from sight. Luthor Huss recovered his senses and regained his horse. Dragging Valten across his lap, the Prophet rode from the melee, carrying the still form of his master free of the fighting. He rode hard to Middenheim and took Valten to the shrine of Shallya. Though Huss’s own wounds were grievous, he would have no one tend to them until Valten had been seen. Only when the Abbess gave word that Valten still lived did Huss allow himself to collapse. His body was carried to the main shrine by Volkmar, who had roused himself from his own sickbed shortly after Huss’s arrival. Outside, the battered forces of Archaon withdrew. They abandoned the Hellcannons and awaited the grim battle that would surely commence the next day. Finally, the arrival of the Undead army of the Von Carstein line of Vampires from cursed Sylvania  tipped the scales, breaking Archaon's troops and forcing his outright retreat from the walls of Middenheim. At first it seemed that the Empire had only exchanged its Chaotic invader for an Undead one, but the Vampire Count Manfred von Carstein, faced by an assemblage of the mightiest men of the Empire and their Elf and Dwarf allies, turned his decaying army around and returned to Sylvania, more than happy to wait for a more felicitous moment to seize the Empire for himself and his Undead hordes.

On the second day, Karl Franz had a visitor. It was Luthor Huss in tears. He cradled the Hammer of Sigmar in his hands. When the Emperor asked what had happened, Huss told him, his voice torn with anguish. Valten had been murdered. When Huss had visited this morning, he had found the Exalted of Sigmar on his bed, transfixed by a glowing green blade. Shocked and unsure, Karl Franz made his way to the Temple of Shallya to see for himself what had occurred. Teutogen Guard barred the entrances but allowed him to pass into the chamber where Valten had slept. There was no sign of him. There was blood on the bed and floor. On the walls, in crimson, was scratched a rough triangle with a slash through it. Huss asked what he should do. The Emperor, taking Ghal Maraz from Huss’s grasp, surveyed the scene once more and then turned to Luther.

''“You shall go forth among the people and say that Sigmar has left us, as he did so many centuries ago. Give them hope in these dark times. Do not betray their faith. Tell them that he has left his hammer to me, as a sign of his trust, and tell them that you are still his prophet and shall look for his return again when we most need him.” ''

The Emperor knew that his people needed hope in the aftermath of what the Men of the Empire were already calling the Storm of Chaos, and he told Huss, now the Grand Theogonist of Sigmar, to tell the populace that Sigmar had returned to the realm of the Gods once more but had left his warhammer to the Emperor as a sign of trust and that he would return one day when the Empire needed him the most. Today, in the year 2522 IC, the Empire is not yet safe, but it has gained some crucial time to recover its strength before the next threat rears its head. Archaon's nightmarish minions of Chaos have scattered and he himself has retreated to the ancient Brass Keep in the Empire's Middle Mountains or the great Chaos Waste of the North to lick his wounds and plot his next campaign to destroy the hopes of Mankind. At the same time, the Storm of Chaos has battered the Imperial armies and the Emperor and his Counts need time to rebuild.

The Empire itself is sorely wounded at present. The north and northeast are in utter ruins, with Ostland in particular in the worst shape, having borne the savage brunt of Archaon's invasion and the depredations of the Forces of Chaos. Hochland also suffered greatly, with many of its towns and villages overrun, along with eastern Middenland and Nordland. Nor is the danger now over. Although Imperial forces defeated the Forces of Disorder at the Siege of Middenheim, the remnants of all their armies, Chaotic and Greenskin alike, have retreated into the vast woods and forests of the Empire, from which they now launch raids on surviving Imperial settlements or small groups of travellers, merchants and soldiers. And where monsters and mutants do not roam, Human bandits do. Neither the Imperial roads nor the rivers are safe and only a fool would travel without an armed escort.

The dislocation of the Empire's population in the northeast was also massively disruptive to the realm's health. Those who were not killed or mutated face a slow death by starvation and exposure to the elements. Famine is almost certain, for Archaon's troops burned what crops they did not steal. Farmers either fled or died defending their steadings and the destruction of provincial records means that many land-titles are in dispute, delaying new planting. Trade is at a near-standstill and some areas have been forced to rely on a barter economy. Civilisation itself seems on the verge of collapse in the northeastern Empire with reports of cannibalism and the spread of Chaos Cults reaching ears in Altdorf. The southern and western provinces of the Empire fared much better, for their lands did not become battlefields. Yet they face their own difficulties. The disruption of trade and commerce has led to supply shortages, spurring inflation and a flood of refugees has moved into western Middenland, Talabecland and Stirland, putting a strain on those provinces' cities and the goodwill of their people. Nor has it escaped the Electors of some of the southern Imperial provinces that the war presented an opportunity to settle some old scores with their northern counterparts.

All in all, the Empire today has more than its fair share of problems that call for the attentions of those special men and women who are willing and crazy enough to take up the mantle of heroes.

Factions

 * Archaon's Swords of Chaos warband and Chaos Horde
 * The Daemonic Legions of Chaos
 * The Imperial Army of Middenland
 * Orc Warboss Grimgor Ironhide's WAAAGH!
 * The Dwarf Slayers of Karak Kadrin
 * The Dark Elf Cult of Slaanesh
 * The Vampire Counts' Army of Sylvania
 * The Bretonnian Armies of the Errantry War
 * Skaven Clan Eshin
 * High Elf Sea Patrol (Lothern Sea Guard)

Notable Participants

 * Archaon - The Everchosen, the" Lord of the End Times," Champion of Chaos Undivided and leader of the Swords of Chaos warband.


 * Ar-Ulric Emil Valgeir, High Priest of Ulric


 * Be'lakor, the Dark Master, a daemonic power that had been punished by the Chaos Gods for thinking he was their equal. Be'lakor was finally released from his prison to perform the coronation of Archaon as the Everchosen of the Ruinous Powers, a position he himself coveted.


 * Borgut Facebeater - An Orc Nob and Grimgor Ironhide's second-in-command.


 * Boris Todbringer - Elector Count of Middenland.


 * Deathmaster Sniktch - the most skillful Skaven assassin in the world. Thought to have been the assassin of Valten.


 * Emperor Karl Franz - or more properly: 'His most Imperial Highness, Emperor Karl-Franz Holswig-Schliestein, Grand Prince of Altdorf, Count of the Reikland, Protector of the Empire'.


 * Feytor the Tainted - One of Archaon's four lieutenants. A Chaos Lord devoted to the Plague Lord Nurgle.


 * Garagrim Ironfist - The son of the Dwarf Ungrim Ironfist, Garagrim had devised a plan to rid his family line of its dishonour. By dying in combat as his father's champion, Garagrim believed he would prove the worthiness of the Ironfist bloodline. He was killed when a Chaos Giant fell on him as it died, thus fulfilling his Slayer vow.


 * Grimgor Ironhide - The greatest living Orc Warboss suffered defeat at the hands of Crom the Conqueror a couple of months before Archaon's Chaos Horde attacked the Empire. Shamed and now in a risky position, Grimgor kept control over his Orc WAAAGH! only by claiming that the Orc God Gork had given him a religious vision. Guided by this vision he ordered the massacre of all the Goblins in his army. He later managed to defeat Archaon in single combat before the gates of Middenheim, effectively ending the Storm of Chaos by badly wounding the Chaos Lord. Thus satisfied at the level of carnage he had unleashed, the Orc Warboss quit the field.
 * Haargroth the Blooded One - Haargroth was a peasant boy who proved his mettle in combat, and became a Chaos Lord devoted to the Blood God Khorne and one of Archaon's four lieutenants. He was slain by Ar-Ulric Valgeir during the Battle of Middenheim.


 * Johan Esmer - The weak-willed Grand Theogonist of Sigmar, Esmer was central in the opening phases of the Storm of Chaos.


 * Kordel Shorgaar - One of Archaon's lieutenants and the standard bearer of the Swords of Chaos.


 * Mannfred von Carstein - The Count of Sylvania and a powerful Vampire lord who used the political instability caused by Archaon's invasion of the Empire to launch his own invasion of the Empire with a massive army of Undead in a bid to become its new master like the von Carstein Vampires before him.


 * Melekh the Changer - One of Archaon's four lieutenants and a Chaos Lord devoted to Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. He was executed by Archaon.


 * Morathi - The Hag Queen of the Dark Elves. Morathi once more swore her loyalty to Slaanesh, the Prince of Chaos, and led the Dark Elf Cult of Slaaneshi forces in an invasion of the Lizardmen city-states of Lustria in an attempt to parallel Archaon's accomplishments in the New World even as the Everchosen sought to conquer the Old World.


 * Luthor Huss - The self-styled "Prophet of Sigmar" who spoke up against the corruption and complacency that was rampant among the Sigmarite priesthood before the Storm of Chaos.


 * Styrkaar - A Norscan prince and one of Archaon's four lieutenants. A Chaos Lord devoted to the Prince of Chaos, Slaanesh.


 * Teclis - Teclis was the greatest of the High Elven High Mages. Teclis had always worried about the place of Mankind in the struggle between Chaos and Order because of humanity's easy susceptibility to Chaotic corruption, and was therefore eager to once again help the human Empire in battle when the next great Chaotic incursion swept over the lands of Mankind. It was Teclis who presented Valten with the magical steed Althandir, and banished Be'lakor's Daemonic Legions back to the Warp at the Battle of Middenheim.


 * Valten, Exalted of Sigmar - Valten was the young man who Luthor Huss claimed was the reincarnation of the Imperial warrior God Sigmar. He was defeated by Archaon in battle before the walls of Middenheim and was later assassinated by the Skaven assassin, Deathmaster Sniktch.


 * Vardek Crom the Conqueror, Herald of Archaon - A Chaos Lord who was Archaon's second-in-command of the Swords of Chaos warband. During the Storm of Chaos, Vardek Crom was supposed to manoeuvre his troops so that they could attack the Empire's frontiers from the east. Vardek Crom defeated the Orc Warboss Grimgor Ironhide in single combat, leading to the Orc’s shaming and his determination to find redemption at the Battle of Middenheim where he defeated Archaon, Crom's superior, in personal combat. At the end of the campaign, he is presumed to have died, leading an army of Chaos-loyal Kurgan tribesmen through Sylvania, the Vampire Count Mannfred Von Carstein’s cursed homeland.


 * Volkmar the Grim - The resurrected former Grand Theogonist of Sigmar whose death at the hands of Archaon had marked the start of the Swords of Chaos' invasion of the Empire.


 * Ungrim Ironfist - The "Slayer King", or more properly, the King of the Dwarfhold of Karak Kadrin.


 * Sea Lord Aislinn - Admiral of the High Elven fleet deployed from Ulthuan to aid the Empire against the Forces of Chaos.