The history of the Dark Elves is the history of the Witch King himself. Without his long-remembered insurrection against the callow Phoenix Kings, there would be no kingdom of Naggaroth and no Dark Elf race to rule it.[1a]
Malekith's long reign has been one of blood and terror, of iron-fisted rule backed by assassination and subterfuge. His will, and his will alone, guides the Naggarothi onward to their dark destiny. The Witch King may court the opinions of the Dreadlords who bask in his reflected glory, but only when it amuses him to do so. Only Morathi's sibilant voice does he heed, and then always with an ear alert to deception. Even the eldest of his other courtiers has strode the world for but a fraction of Malekith's existence, and the Witch King hangs upon their words no more than he would consider the counsel of a clever child. So long has Malekith lived - and so generous has he been with his blood - that few of Naggaroth's nobles do no claim descent from his line.[1a]
At Malekith's command, the Dark Elves have brought war to hated Ulthuan many times, their goal to claim by arms the birthright that was denied to them. Time and again, the Witch King's armies bring ruin beyond imagining upon their hated foes, only to be cast back across the western ocean through the vicissitudes of fate. To a mortal ruler, even one such defeat would be a tragedy, the undoing of a lifetime's work. For Malekith, who long ago achieved immortality, they are but setbacks that create fresh opportunities. When brute force failed, the Witch King sent infiltrators and assassins to undermine Ulthuan from within. When subversion did not yield lasting results, Malekith reached out to other realms, bribing their armies to make war in his cause.[1a]
To date, Ulthuan has endured every attack, but has each time paid for its survival with slaughtered warriors and ravaged kingdoms - yet it will not be able to do so forever. The fires of war that have left Ulthuan scarred serve only to temper the Witch King into ever more powerful forms. From every death, Malekith emerges stronger than before, and ever more determined to triumph. Where the High Elves despair for each of their warriors that fall, the Witch King spends the lives of his followers without care for their survival - they are the weapons of his vengeance, nothing more.[1a]
The Dark Epochs[]
Having known only the guidance of Malekith's firm hand, the Dark Elves cannot reckon time according to the rule of kings, as is custom with the High Elves. Rather, they record the great epochs of the Witch King's rule, ages of the world that turn on deeds of fire and slaughter. Only the first of these epochs - the Age of Glory - tallies exactly with the rule of a Phoenix King. Aenarion was father to both the children of Ulthuan and Naggaroth, and is revered as such in both lands. Other ages might end in conjunction with the close of a Phoenix King's reign, but only in order to celebrate his death.[1a]
Dark Elf Calendar[]
The Dark Elf Calendar contains four seasons, though they are not founded in changeable weather - bleak Naggaroth is ever cold and wracked with storms, no matter the time of year. Dark Elves therefore dedicate the seasons (Blood, Despair, Decadence, and Savagery) to their four most worshipped deities (respectively Khaine, Ereth Khial, Atharti and Anath Raema). In Naggaroth, dates are therefore recorded by age, then year, then season and finally the day (though the latter two are seldom used in regard to momentous occasions).[1a]
Timeline[]
I: Age of Endless Glory, 1-80 (ca. -4500 to -4419 IC)[]
- I, 1 (-4500 IC) - Aenarion passes through the sacred flame and then defends the Shrine of Asuryan against the first Great Chaos Invasion.[4a]
- I, 2 (-4498 IC) - Aenarion arrives in Caledor and is recognized as the chosen of Asuryan by Caledor Dragontamer. The great dragon Indraugnir becomes Aenarion's steed. They fly to Vaul's Anvil where the Dragon Armour of Aenarion is forged along with many weapons that will eventually become heirlooms of the great Elf noble families. Technically, the rank of Prince in present day Ulthuan belongs to anyone who can show possession of one of these ancient weapons.[4a]
- I, 3 (-4497 IC) - The war against Chaos begins in earnest as the Elf Dragonriders from Caledor take the fight to the enemy.[4a]
- I, 21 (-4479 IC) - The forces of Chaos are driven back for a time and a fragile peace descends on Ulthuan. Aenarion marries the Everqueen Astarielle and two children, Yvraine and Morelion, are born to them.[4a]
- I, 30 (-4470 IC) - The forces of Chaos attack Avelorn. The Everqueen is slain and her children believed lost. In fact they are in the care of the Treeman Oakheart. Wracked with grief, Aenarion flies to the Blighted Isle and draws the Sword of Khaine. Armed with this terrible weapon he is all but invincible for a time.[4a]
- I, 44 (-4461 IC) - Aenarion, the first of the Phoenix Kings, rescues the seeress Morathi from an army of Chaos Daemons. They make their court in the fortress of Anlec.[2a]
- I, 47 (-4458 IC) - Birth of Malekith. Morathi bears Aenarion an heir. The seers of Nagarythe fortell he will know a long life and a glorious reign.[1a]
- I, 79 (-4421 IC) - In the Battle of the Isle of the Dead, Caledor Dragontamer creates the Great Vortex, and the Daemons are banished from the world. Aenarion the Defender suffers a mortal wound, and as his last act flies to the Blighted Isle to drive the Sword of Khaine back into its Altar. His body is never found.[3a][4a]
II: Age of Betrayal, 1-1696 (-4419 to -2723 IC)[]
- II, 1 (-4419 IC) - The princes of Ulthuan refuse Malekith his birthright, and appoint Bel Shanaar as the new Phoenix King.[1a]
- II, 256 (-4164 IC) - The foundation of the first colonies across the Great Ocean, lands later known to Man as the Old World. Malekith defeats the Orc warlord Gritok Redfang and saves the city of Athel Toralien.[2a]
- II, 423 (-3997 IC) - Malekith fights alongside the Dwarf High King, Snorri Whitebeard, against a horde of Beastmen besieging Karaz-a-Karak.[2a]
- II, 1001 (-3419 IC) - Worship of the Underworld Gods, the Cytharai, begins to spread in Nagarythe. Over the coming centuries these grow into dark cults that spring up across Ulthuan.[2a]
- II, 1581 (-2839 IC) - Malekith is made ambassador to the Dwarfs.[2a]
- II, 1631 (-2789 IC) - Malekith begins his great period of exploring the world. In the northern wastelands he finds the Circlet of Iron in the ancient ruins of Vorshgar.[2a]
- II, 1646 (-2774 IC) - Malekith returns to Ulthuan to lead the war against the Cults of Excess and denounces his own mother as a traitor to the Elves.[2a]
- II, 1669 (-2751 IC) - Malekith murders the usurper Bel Shanaar and enters the Phoenix Flame. Rejected by Asuryan and horribly mutilated, he flees to Nagarythe.[1a] Later that year a band of Nagarythian assassins attempts to slay Prince Imrik, chosen successor to Bel Shanaar, but are foiled by Chracian hunters. Imrik passes through the flame of Asuryan to become the Phoenix King, taking the name Caledor.[2a]
- II, 1670 (-2750 IC) - Civil war erupts as Malekith's armies march in their prince's name.[1a]
- II, 1671 (-2749 IC) - The armies of Nagarythe occupy Tiranoc and much of Ellyrion. The eastern kingdoms hesitate, whilst Caledor I fights a series of desperate battles to stall the Nagarythian advances.[2a]
- II, 1673 (-2747 IC) - Battle of Dark Fen. Nagarythian princes loyal to the Phoenix King fight against the army of Morathi and are defeated. They become exiles under the leadership of Alith Anar, the so-called Shadow King.[2a]
- II, 1678 (-2742 IC) - War breaks out in Saphery between mages loyal to Caledor I and wizards corrupted by the powers of darkness. The lands are desolated by their magical battles.[2a]
- II, 1680 (-2740 IC) - The Dark Elves, as the Nagarythians are now called, are pushed from the Inner Kingdoms back into Tiranoc and Nagarythe.[2a]
- II, 1681 (-2739 IC) - A renegade priest of Vaul, Hotek, steals the Hammer of Vaul from the shrine in Caledor and travels to Nagarythe. Sorcerers loyal to Nagarythe flee the Sapherian Mages.[2a]
- II, 1684 (-2736 IC) - With the aid of the renegade Sapherians and Hotek, Malekith's Armour of Midnight is forged and the Prince of Nagarythe becomes known as the Witch King.[2a]
- II, 1685 (-2735 IC) - Led by the Witch King atop the Black Dragon Sulekh, the Nagarythian armies push into the Inner Kingdoms once more.[2a]
- II, 1696 (-2724 IC) - Malekith and Caledor I finally meet upon the field at Maledor. Sulekh is slain and the Witch King is forced to retreat.[2a]
- II, 1695 (-2723 IC) - The Sundering. The Witch King fails to destroy the Great Vortex, and the magical backlash shatters Ulthuan.[1a]
III: Age of Restless Spite, 1-2032 (-2723 to -692 IC)[]
- III, 2 (-2722 IC) - The Witch King founds the city of Naggarond upon the western shore of the Sea of Malice and creates the kingdom of Naggaroth. The Dark Elves begin to raid the shattered lands of Tiranoc for slaves to build their new city.[2b]
- III, 94 (-2630 IC) - A Dark Elf expedition returns to Ulthuan and hostilities resume. Caledor reorganizes the High Elf army for defence and begins the building of the gateway fortresses across the mountain passes of the Annulii.[2b]
- III, 124 (-2600 IC) - Morathi founds the Dark Convent of Sorceresses and begins the construction of Ghrond.[1a]
- III, 299 (-2425 IC) - The Dragonship Indraugnir, armed with a mighty starblade ram, sinks the Black Ark Palace of Oblivion near the Blighted Isle. This comes as a great blow to the Dark Elf fleet and marks the beginning of High Elf naval supremacy for many centuries to come.[2b]
- III, 381 (-2343 IC) - The Dark Elves begin to explore the caverns beneath Hag Graef and discover the Underworld Sea. Many Dark Elves never return from the black depths. The caves and the tunnels are found to stretch far beneath the Blackspine Mountains, and the first Cold Ones are captured and brought to the surface.[2b]
- III, 405 (-2319 IC) - Dark Elf knights mounted on Cold Ones and chariots pulled by the reptilian beasts are used in battle for the first time, smashing a High Elf army. The Witch King rides to war atop the Black Chariot. Despite the impact of these new troops, the organisation and numbers of the High Elves prove insurmountable.[2b]
- III, 505 (-2219 IC) - The High Elves finally succeed in pushing the Dark Elves from the northern coast of Ulthuan and begin to sweep the northern seas clear of Naggarothi ships.[2b]
- III, 524 (-2200 IC) - The High Elves take the Blighted Isle. Morathi conjures a storm to isolate Caledor and his ship is attacked. The Phoenix King throws himself into the sea rather than be captured and taken to Naggarond.[2b]
- III, 525 (-2199 IC) - Army commanders fearing for their lives after their defeat take refuge in the port of Hag Graef, which will eventually grow into a mighty city.[2b]
- III, 719 (-2016 IC) - The city of Karond Kar is founded in the eastern wilderness of Naggaroth.[2b]
- III, 730 (-2005 IC) - Attacks by Dark Elves disguised as their kin from Ulthuan further heighten growing tensions between the Elves and Dwarfs. Elven arrogance and Dwarfen stubbornness pitch the two races into a bitter war that lasts for centuries, exhausting the armies of both empires.[2b]
- III, 767 (-1968 IC) - A group of sorcerers and sorceresses from Ghrond are shipwrecked upon the north coast of Nehekhara and tortured by the priest Nagash until they teach him the secrets of Dark Magica. He eventually imprisons them within the Black Pyramid and goes on to become the Great Necromancer.[2b]
- III, 990 (-1745 IC) - Har Ganeth becomes the centre of the Cult of Khaine, ruled over by the Hag Queens.[2b]
- III, 1076 (-1659 IC) - Battle of Despair. A vast Chaos army sweeps out to the north to besiege Ghrond. Morathi's sorceries defend the city until the Witch King can lead his armies to crush the invaders.[1a]
- III, 1157 (-1578 IC) - The Dark Elf slaver host known as the Children of the Black Lotus descend en masse upon the Black Guff tribe of Night Goblins. In desperation, the beleaguered Night Goblins empty their entire harvest of Mad Cap Mushrooms into the Cave Squig pens. The resultant carnage sees a most undignified retreat by the Dark Elves before the frenzied, frothing squigs turn upon their Goblin masters.[5a]
- III, 1136 (-1599 IC) - The Black Arks Citadel of Damnation and Jade Palace of Pain are beached upon the shattered isles of northern Ulthuan and Anlec is rebuilt. For the next hundred years the Dark Elves launch an invasion from Anlec that drives back the High Elves, but is held by the great gates of the mountains. Unable to breach the defences of the Inner Kingdoms, the Dark Elves tighten their grip on the northern lands.[2b]
- III, 1143 (-1592 IC) - The Witch King rebuilds Anlec and begins a fresh assault on the High Elf mainland.[1a]
- III, 1482 (-1146 IC) - The port of Sartosa is set aflame as the Druchii raiders ravage the city, looking for loot and slaves. They end up fighting against Neferata and her minions.[8a]
- III, 1608 (–1020 IC) - Abruzzi of Sartosa makes a deal with Neferata in the guise of a woman from Cathay, in exchange for a seat in the Senate for a protege of hers, Neferata would help the island of Sartosa break free from Dark Elf raids and consolidate her position against Araby, the second maritime power of the time, all without having to shed Sartosan blood.[8b] Shortly after Neferata, not respecting the pact taken, or perhaps with the tacit consent of Abruzzi, raids a village on the coast of Sartosa, ordering her ghouls to take the commoners as hostages without eating them. They should then have been used as a gift for the Druchii corsairs in exchange for a respite and logistical support.[8c]
- III, 1749 (-986 IC) - The Phoenix King Tethlis the Slayer commences the Scouring to drive every Dark Elf from Ulthuan.[2b]
- III, 1789 (-946 IC) - A Dark Elf counter-offensive reaches Griffon Gate but is wiped out in a trap. Dark Elf forces fall back to Anleca. [2b]
- III, 1813 (-922 IC) - A Dark Elf army is ambushed at the Battle of Grey Canyon while camped in a hidden valley of the Shadowlands.[2b]
- III, 1958 (-777 IC) - Dark Elf scouts trap Tethlis close to Phoenix Gate but the Phoenix King and his bodyguard fight their way free, slaying their attackers.[2b]
- III, 1992 (-732 IC) - The Witch King launches a devastating winter offensive, cloaking his soldiers against the cold with powerful spells. They take several High Elf fortresses, percipitating the bitterest fighting seen since the civil war.[2c]
- III, 1994 (-730 IC) - The siege of Tor Lehan, which sees both sides wiped out to the last Elf.[2c]
- III, 2028 (-696 IC) - The Dark Elves are driven from the shore and Anlec is destroyed.[2c]
- III, 2032 (-692)[1a] - A great armada sails for the Blighted Isle and Naggaroth. The Battle of the Waves is fought on the Blighted Isle. The armada is forced to turn back. Tethlis dies in the Shrine of Khaine, his demise shrouded in mystery.[2c]
IV: Age of Hateful Peace, 1-1816 (-692 to 1123 IC)[]
- IV, 455 (-238 IC) - Kaledor Maglen discovers the Black Way, a series of caverns in the Underworld Sea that lead westwards into the Boiling Sea. The Dark Elves capture Helldrakes and Sea Dragons and fashion new seacraft pulled by these monstrous beasts.[2c]
- IV, 869 (176 IC) - Following incursions by growing numbers of Chaos warbands, Malekith begins to build a line of defensive watch towers on Naggaroth's northern border.[2c]
- IV, 904 (211 IC) - The watch towers are completed and almost immediately prove their worth when a Chaos army is spotted and destroyed before it can penetrate deep into Dark Elf territory.[2c]
- IV, 1144 (451 IC) - The shores of the Tilean Sea are ravaged by the combined fleets of Settra and the Dark Elves. Sartosa is destroyed.[1a]
- IV, 1192 (499 IC) - Aethis the Poet becomes Phoenix King. The Witch King's agents in Ulthuan rekindle the cults of excess and begin to recruit members from the nobility.[2c]
- IV, 1244 (551 IC) - A Dark Elf corsair fleet is dragged beneath the waves by an onslaught of submersible craft that appear to be half ship and half kraken. Only one of the Druchii corsairs survives, and his tales of needle-fanged warriors from the depths are dismissed as salt-madness.[5b]
- IV, 1446 (753 IC) - Dark Elf ships raid far and wide across the globe, bringing back entire tribes and the populations of whole cities to labour in Naggaroth.[2c]
- IV, 1553 (860 IC) - The Black Ark Talon of Agony is over turned and sunk by a gigantic magical tidal wave off the coast of Cathay.[2c]
- IV, 1796 (1103 IC) - Laithikir Fellheart shadows the High Elf fleets around Cathay and Nippon and begins a century of merciless raids that see the Fellheart family rise to great power. With her charts, other Dark Elf fleets maraud with much success along the rich coasts of Ind and Cathay.[2c]
- IV, 1813 (1120 IC) - The eighth Phoenix King, Aethis, is assassinated at Malekith's command.[1a] Posing as chancellor to the Phoenix King, Girathon assassinates Aethis and then escapes.[2c]
- IV, 1815 (1122 IC) - A retaliatory High Elf fleet invades Naggaroth.[1a] The attack is foreseen by the Sorceresses of Ghrond and annihilated by the Dark Elves as the Asur forces try to land.[2c]
V: Age of Blood, 1-381 (1123 to 1503 IC)[]
- V, 3 (1125 IC) - The Dark Elves retaliate and invade the Shadowlands again. In a series of lightning battles, the High Elves are driven back until only scattered bands of Shadow Warriors inhabit the Sunken Lands. So begins a long guerrilla war between the descendants of Alith Anar and the Dark Elves.[2c]
- V, 9 (1131 IC) - The Dark Elves rebuild Anlec once more.[2c]
- V, 11 (1133 IC) - Griffon Gate is besieged by the Dark Elves. The Phoenix King Morvael appoints Mentheus of Caledor as his military commander. Citizen-militia are trained to keep the garrisons of the gates at fully strength.[2c]
- V, 12 (1134 IC) - Malekith begins to visit horrific nightmares upon Morvael, driving him ever deeper into paranoia.[2c]
- V, 19 (1141 IC) - The siege of Griffon Gate continues. The fortress is surrounded by immense Dark Elf siegeworks and pounded by war machines and sorcery, but still holds against assault.[2c]
- V, 24 (1146 IC) - A citizen army of spearmen led by the renowned general Mentheus eventually lifts the siege at Griffon Gate, overwhelming the weary Dark Elves with their numbers.[2c]
- V, 365 (1487 IC) - Unseasonal mists descend on Remas and result in their fleet of galleys having to remain at sea. A Dark Elf raiding fleet penetrates the harbour. They are beaten back at the Battle of the Bridge, but not before they have inflicted great damage on the city and absconded with many captives.[7a]
- V, 370 (1492 IC) - The Tilean explorer Marco Colombo "discovers" the continent of Lustria. Upon his return, his ships are laden with gold, and he is lauded across Tilea. Word of his discovery soon spreads, swiftly followed by a veritable armada of treasure seekers setting sail for the New World, intent on following his example. With the lands north of the Chaos Wastes relatively quiet, the followers of Chaos are abroad, setting sail for the corners of the globe in order to win glory for their dread masters. Many Norscan pirates attack ships of the other races at sea to reach the riches of Lustria. At the same time, other Norscan reavers wait until they have landed upon the shores of Lustria to ambush other Old World explorers in lands that the Norscans themselves have already explored long before the newcomers. The followers of Chaos are eager to find even more rewards on the continent, from gold, slaves, magical artifacts, and even the many extracts of exotic plants which are particularly attractive to the followers of Slaanesh. For the Dark Elves, it is a time of conquest, for the weaker races are ripe for the plucking and the slave ships of the Druchii are weighed down with their rich cargoes.[9a][9b]
- V, 370 (1492 IC) - Marco Colombo witnesses the defeat of the same Dark Elf pirates who had plundered the city of Remas against the Lizardmen of Tlaxtlan.[7a]
- V, 380 (1502 IC) - Mentheus is slain as he assaults the Dark Elves at Anleca. Upon his death, Mentheus' Dragon goes berserk and routes the Dark Elves. Phoenix King Morvael, finally driven mad by the nightmares visited upon him by the Witch King, throws himself into the sacred flame of Asuryan in perishes.[2c]
VI: Age of Glorious Torment, 1-798 (1503 to 2300 IC)[]
- VI, 280 (1783 IC) - An army led by Yrtain Nightwind assaults the High Elf colony of Arnheim in Lustria after Shades discover tunnels beneath the mountains and swamps protecting the northern approaches to the city.[2d]
- VI, 353 (1856 IC) - The Dark Elf Lord Maranith takes to the air mounted on the Black Dragon, Wrath. He attacks the fleets of Ulthuan from the Black Ark Fortress of Eternal Torture. Never bested in aerial combat, he slays several Dragon Princes above the waves of the Great Ocean. The High Elves name him Caledor's Bane and the title is carried by his deadly lance ever after.[2d]
- VI, 404 (1907 IC) - Lokhir Fellheart inherits command of the Black Ark Tower of Blessed Dread. His first act is to have his father's officers sacrificed to the Dark Elf gods in return for their divine favour.[2d]
- VI, 471 (1974 IC) - The Beastlord Rakarth leads an attack on the Bretonnian city of Brionne. War Hydras tear down the gates and the city is sacked.[2d]
- VI, 485 (1988 IC) - Soldiers from the Elector Count of Nordland's army find the coastal town of Debneitz in ruins, its inhabitants' flayed corpses nailed to nearby cliffs.[2d]
- VI, 502 (2005 IC) - An attempted assassination of Morathi is foiled. The Assassin dies before interrogation. Hellebron is suspected by the Hag Sorceress but nothing can be proven.[2d]
- VI, 584 (2087 IC) - Lokhir Fellheart butchers the priests of the Temple of Gilgadresh and has the Red Blades forged from looted statues.[2d]
- VI, 770 (2273 IC) - The Everqueen is poisoned with Dragonspike by Urian Poisonblade.[6a] Meanwhile, deep below Naggarond, Malekith binds the Keeper of Secrets N'Kari to his service, intent on using the daemon's knowledge of waystones to transport his armies across Ulthuan in the blink of an eye.[6a][6b]
VII: Age of Vengeance, 1-Present (2300 IC to Present)[]
- VII, 1 (2301 IC) - Great Chaos Incursion, and the War of Vengeance. Morathi strikes bargains with the northern Marauders and turns their armies upon Ulthuan rather than Naggaroth. The Dark Elves invade the isle of the High Elves alongside the barbaric hordes. Malekith sends the Daemon N'Kari to slay the Everqueen, but the Keeper of Secrets is defeated by Tyrion and Teclis.[2d]
- VII, 2 (2302 IC) - Battle of Finuval Plain.[1b]
- VII, 3 (2303 IC) - Year of Blades.[1c] The Dark Elves are finally pushed from Ulthuan after much bloody fighting.[2d]
- VII, 4 (2304 IC) - Morathi forges Heartrender in the fires of the Burning Mountain.[2d]
- VII, 7 (2307 IC) - The Assassin Gloreir leads a coterie of Dark Elf killers into Lothern to slay the Phoenix King, Finubar. The Phoenix King is saved by his White Lions bodyguard led by Korhil. A swirling battle takes place across the rooftops of the city.[2d]
- VII, 40 (2340 IC) - Battle of Tor Dranil.[1c]
- VII, 76 (2376 IC) - Ritual of Awakening.[1c]
- VII, 79 (2379 IC) - Corsairs from Karond Kar are shipwrecked close to the pirate isle of Sartosa. They steal several ships to escape and with the aid of local sellswords attack the cities of Luccini and Remas. They are betrayed by the mercenaries and enslaved by the pirate captains whose ships they had taken.[2d]
- VII, 81 (2381 IC) - Chaos rises in the Human lands, and the High Elves send aid. Malekith sends Morathi to forge an alliance with Human Chaos worshippers, and the combined armies invade Ulthuan once more. Unbeknownst to his allies, Malekith withdraws his finest troops shortly after the invasion, using his erstwhile allies - and many untrustworthy Dreadlords - to test the defences of Ulthuan without committing the bulk of his armies. With the High Elves ravaged and reeling, the stage is now set for Malekith to finally claim his due.[1a]
- VII, 87 (2387 IC) - Lokhir Fellheart raids the town of Tor Canabrae on the Ulthuan coast.[2d]
- VII, 90 (2390 IC) - Plunder in the Jungle.[1c]
- VII, 102 (2402 IC) - The Witch King Returns. Having wandered long through the Realm of Chaos, Malekith finally claws his way back to the world of mortals. A patrol of Dark Riders discovers the Witch King's broken body in the shadow of the northern watchtowers, his armoured skin rent and torn. Morathi nurses her son for a year, pouring all of her vile magic and malice into his soul that it might see him restored. In the ranting of waking nightmares, the Witch King spoke of bone castles and forests of eyes. When he awakes, Malekith's eyes burn with a new light. Morathi fears that some part of her son is still trapped in the world beyond the world, but the Witch King will not be drawn into discussion. The Hag Sorceress' only clue is a broken tip of Daemon-horn the Dark Riders had found at Malekith's side.[1c] Also in this year, a band of Shades sneaks ashore on the coast of Chrace, hiding out in the forests, raiding villages and ambushing patrols. It is a full year before a force of White Lions managed to bring them to battle, riding them down with their Lion Chariots. Nevertheless, a handful of the Dark Elves escape and are never found.[2d]
- VII, 105 (2405 IC) -Finally recovered from his travails, the Witch King begins drawing new plans for Ulthuan's destruction. Summoning his Corsair captains, he orders them to focus their raids on the High Elves' far-flung colonies and those realms with which they trade.[1c]
- VII, 108 (2408 IC) - At the Witch King's command, Lokhir Fellheart leads a great fleet of vessels against the far-flung High Elf colony of Tor Elasor. At dawn, the Black Arks Tower of Blessed Dread and Immortal Agony breach the shoreward walls with a barrage of sorcerous shot, allowing Corsairs to ransack the city beyond. Though the High Elves within fight valiantly, they could not match their attacker's ferocity. By the time dusk falls, Tor Elasor is a blood-wreathed ruin. Fellheart nails its still-breathing warden, Prince Datherion, to the uppermost wall of the central keep. So swift had the attack been that no word escapes to reach Ulthuan. When Sea Lord Aislinn leads a fleet to discover the cause of its silence, he finds the colony a charnel place of rotting flesh and rampant decay.[1c]
- VII, 115 (2415 IC) - Takon Draak, last noble scion of Har Kaldra, is finally hunted down and slain by Malekith's assassins.[1c]
- VII, 116 (2416 IC) - Alondir Deathshard, Assassin Master of Har Ganeth, is slain by his best pupil, Shadowblade.[2d]
- VII, 117 (2417 IC) - Sea Lord Aislinn's Downfall.[1e]
- VII, 118 (2418 IC) - The corpse of Ernezio Porcurio, mercenary captain of Luccini, is found inside a windowless basement beneath his castle, the cellar firmly locked from the inside. No trace of the killer is found.[2d][7a] Also in this year, having observed the realms of Ulthuan and Bretonnia making common cause on several occasions, the Witch King determines that the Human kingdom should be punished. Sending emissaries to the Beastmen of the Forest of Arden and the Greenskins of the Massif Orcal, Malekith stirs up such carnage that King Charlen is forced to leave many coastal fortresses undefended to quell the tumult in his heartlands. With the armies of Bretonnia distracted, the Dark Elves rampage across its northern coast. Towns and villages burn by the score, their defenders slaughtered, and their peasants shipped north to slave in Naggaroth. L'Anguille, greatest of Bretonnia's ports, is left in ruins, the mutilated dead splayed across its streets. The Witch King is pleased, it will be some time before the knights of Bretonnia will give strength to spare in a cause not their own.[1e]
- VII, 122 (2422 IC) - Lokhir Fellheart loots the sunken ruins of the Lizardmen city of Chupayotl and finds the Helm of the Kraken.[2d]
- VII, 123 (2423 IC) - Eltharion, son of Moranion, leads a daring raid against Naggarond itself. The Witch King swears revenge on his hated kin. He commands the ruling families to recruit fresh troops, appoints commanders from the most favoured lords, sends word to the raiding fleets to set sail, and launches a new invasion of Ulthuan.[2d]
- VII, 125 (2425 IC) - Outraged by Eltharion's sacking of Naggarond, the Witch King orders reprisals against Yvresse. With its heartland under attack by Grom the Paunch, the realm can muster only a token defence. By the time aid arrives from Cothique, the Dark Elves have withdrawn, leaving ruin in their wake.[1e]
- VII, 152 (2452 IC) - Night of Pain and Pleasure.[1f]
- VII, 168 (2468 IC) - The Crusade of Blood.[1g]
- VII, 172 (2472 IC) - Battle of Blood and Gold.[1g]
- VII, 183 (2483 IC) - A Game of Reavers.[1g]
- VII, 194 (2494 IC) - No fewer than five Black Arks sail down the Black Gulf and blockade the Dwarfhold of Barak Varr. Outnumbered and overmatched, King Gundadrakk orders his folk and their vessels of war to retreat behind the great sea gates. On this occasion, however, the Dark Elves do not seek the hold's destruction. Indeed, they are well content with their tithe of prisoners, who are soon put to work in Naggaroth's mines.[1g]
- VII, 214 (2514 IC) - A Drakwald Betrayal.[1g]
- VII, 218 (2518 IC) - With the High Elves distracted by Tullaris Dreadbringer's newest assault on the Blighted Isle, Shadowblade leads a coterie of Assassins through Nagarythe and Chrace, coming at last to Cothique. There, they poison the rivers with a noxious brew of Manbane and daemonic ichor. Before long, Cothique is in the grip of a crippling plague for which no cure can readily be found.[1g]
- VII, 222 (2522 IC) - No longer content to tolerate the presence of High Elves on Naggaroth's shores, the Witch King leads an assault on the port of Arnheim, obliterating it.[1g]
- VII, 223 (2523 IC) - After long years of preparation, the Witch King now unleashes the full might of his armies against Ulthuan once again. For centuries, he had undermined and harried the High Elves, breaking their colonies overseas and isolating them from potential allies. Now, Malekith deems it time for his works to bear bitter fruit. All through the Season of Blood, the moons had shone with the light of slaughter, and there was no truer sign of Khaine's favour. All along the Naggarothi coast, Black Arks slip their moorings and sail east. The hour of the Witch King's triumph is finally at hand.[1g]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (7th Edition)
- 3: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
- 3a: pg. 15
- 4: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (7th Edition)
- 4a: pg. 36
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Battles Core (8th Edition)
- 6: Sword of Caledor (novel) by William King
- 7: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 7a: pp. 85-88
- 8: Neferata (Novel) by Josh Reynolds
- 9: White Dwarf 305