The Great War Against Chaos, also spelled Great War against Chaos, sometimes called simply the "Great War" or Great Invasion,[1a] and referred to as the "Great Aethyr Crusade" among the worshippers of Chaos[7a] and the "Great War in the North" by the Ogre mercenaries who fought for both sides,[9a] was the name later given to the massive invasion of the Old World by the forces of Chaos out of the Chaos Wastes beginning in the year 2301 and ending in 2304 IC. The invasion was commanded by the twelfth Everchosen of Chaos Undivided, the Kurgan Chaos Lord Asavar Kul, and his forces ravaged the lands of Kislev and the northern Empire. [3a][6a][7b]
The Chaos horde that invaded the Old World during this time was said to be the largest army to have ever gone to war on that continent, constituting at least 100,000 and possibly as many as 300,000 combatants. The Chaos horde was gathered from all the lands of the north, including Norsca, the northern Chaos Wastes and the Eastern Steppes, and came together in the Troll Country.[5a]
Simultaneously, the Dark Elves, with their own Chaos-worshipping Northmen and Daemonic allies, invaded the High Elves' homeland on the island-continent of Ulthuan.[6a]
Eventually, both Chaos invasions were driven back by the forces of Order and the war culminated at the Battle of Finuval Plain on Ulthuan and the Battle at the Gates of Kislev in the Old World in 2304 IC. Victory was won largely due to the leadership and heroism of the Imperial general Magnus von Bildhofen of Nuln, later remembered as "Magnus the Pious," who would go on to be elected as the first emperor of the Empire of Man to hold the throne in several centuries, finally ending the disunity and strife of the Age of Three Emperors. Additionally, the demands of the war led Magnus to remove the traditional ban on the use of magic within the Empire and to found the Imperial Colleges of Magic in Altdorf with the aid of the High Elf Archmage Teclis.[3a][6a][7b]
History
A Time of Dark Omens (2301 IC)
Throughout the summer of the 2301 IC, portents of disaster blossomed across the Empire. Wells mysteriously overflowed with blood and pigs rose up onto their hind legs and began to scream with Human voices. Crops shrivelled, or were devoured by plagues of insects which appeared as if from nowhere, many of which were reported to possess the leering faces of Men.[1a]
Few doubted that the Empire lay under a curse, and whom else but the Ruinous Powers could be responsible for such a catalogue of woe? To the Kurgan Chaos Lord Asavar Kul, "the Anointed," the Empire seemed weak and ripe for conquest. There was no centralised authority to oppose him, for the Empire had been divided for several centuries at this time, a period now known by Imperial scholars as the Age of Three Emperors, between its squabbling Elector Counts, none of who could agree to elect one of their fellows as emperor.[1a]
So it was that Kul made ready for war.[1a]
Gathering of Might (2301 IC)
As the gateways that divided worlds swelled with magical power, a dark shadow spilled southwards, engulfing the Chaos Wastes and absorbing them into the Realm of Chaos. Before this irresistible tide, the minions of the Dark Gods gathered, and Asavar Kul drew them to his cause. He was joined by countless tribes of Northmen barbarians and roving bands of Chaos Warriors.[1a]
As the shadow of Chaos fell over Troll Country, all manner of mutant Chaos beasts flocked to Kul's banner, attracted by the unmistakable lure of raw power. Daemonic hosts crossed the veil from the Realm of Chaos as the growing power of the Chaos horde and the many Dark Magic rituals and blood sacrifices they enacted weakened the barriers between dimensions and marched to the Anointed's side, and in the northernmost forests of the Empire, Beastmen gathered in unprecedented numbers.[1a]
Ogre mercenaries, too, were drawn to the service of the Chaos armies from their homeland in the Far East, as they always were by the chance to comsume fresh meat. Yet over the course of the conflict to come, Ogres would serve on both sides.[9a]
As the twelfth Everchosen of Chaos Undivided, Kul truly had the favour of all four of the major Chaos Gods, who appeared to have put aside their timeless rivalries in the Great Game and united their Daemonic and mortal armies for the subjugation of the mortal world. So it was that the Anointed emerged with an unholy horde so massive that it was like a sea of blades sweeping over the lands of the Old World.[1a]
Blood in the Snow (2301-2302 IC)
As winter dug into the northlands, the Chaos host marched south. This invasion force was spotted by Kislevite outriders who quickly raised the alarm. Reinforced by the Imperial soldiers of the Elector Count of Ostland, the entire army of Kislev moved north to intercept them without delay. The Kislevites fought like maddened bears, but the ironclad Warriors of Chaos infantry regiments at the heart of the Chaos host proved nigh unstoppable.[1a]
Nonetheless, a cavalry charge from Kislev's Gryphon Legion collapsed one enemy flank, and for a moment, hope glimmered in the hearts of Men. But soon the skies blackened and were riven by lightning, and that hope was quickly extinguished. The mighty Dragon Ogre Shaggoth known as Kholek Suneater stormed into the fray, leading a throng of his Dragon Ogre kin, and the Gryphon Legion were scattered before their fury. The Chaos forces renewed their assault, and in the space of an hour, the virgin white snow underfoot was turned into a bloodstained slush strewn with the remains of the Kislev and Ostlander soldiery.[1a]
The dread horde paused only to lay waste to northern Kislev before moving further south. The surviving Kislevites thought that the raging River Lynsk would force their enemy to cross at the bridges. The tzar's armies thus prepared to defend them to the last, but Asavar Kul's sorcerers unleashed fell magic, and as they did so, the waters grew thick with blood and froze.[1a]
Kul's vanguard of Chaos Chosen crossed the frozen river in lockstep, thousands of heavily-armoured feet crunching upon the hard crust of blood-red ice. The Kislevites were caught from all sides and swiftly butchered. There was now nothing to bar Kul's path into the heardands of Kislev and to the gates of the teeming city of Praag.[1a]
A Green Tide (2302 IC)
In the year 2302 IC, during the descent of the warriors of Chaos many northern Greenkins were pushed from their lands. Some tribes joined alongside the forces of Chaos, but most attacked the Chaotic armies as they passed.[16a]
Fall of Praag (2302 IC)
"Fill the moat with the corpses of your comrades. Trample on their broken carcasses to reach the ramparts. Bring down the walls with the weight of the dead."
- —Arbaal the Undefeated at the Siege of Praag.[19]
In 2302 IC, the forces of Chaos, comprised of Northmen Chaos Marauders, Chaos Warriors, Chaos Knights, their Beastmen allies and even powerful Daemons of Chaos, crossed the River Lynsk into Kislev, laying waste to the Kislevite cities of Erengrad and Praag and marching on to besiege the capital city of Kislev. The Siege of Praag lasted throughout the spring and summer of 2302 IC, with the city's brave defenders hurling back their attackers time and again with desperate heroics and stalwart bravery.[1a][15a]
But as winter set in and the year drew to a close, Praag fell after the infamous Champion of Khorne, Arbaal the Undefeated, breached the city gates with his axe and the hordes of Chaos ran through its tortured streets. In their wake, the raw, transforming magical power of Chaos engulfed the city and Praag was changed forever, its survivors fused together into hellish and inhuman mutant shapes.[1a][15a]
Living bodies fused into the walls of the city itself, so that it became impossible to tell flesh from stone. Distorted Human faces peered out from the walls, agonized limbs writhed from the streets and pillars of stone groaned with the voices of Men. Praag had become a living nightmare and stood as a grim warning of the suffering that lay ahead for the whole of the Known World if the servants of the Ruinous Powers proved victorious over the forces of Order.[1a][15a]
Dark Elf Invasion of Ulthuan (2301-2302 IC)
Even as the Warriors of Chaos and their Daemon and Beastmen allies penetrated deeper into the realms of the Old World, the Dark Elves of Naggaroth struck their own pact with the Ruinous Powers in Malekith's determination to retake his birthright no matter the cost and the Black Arks sailed out together with a Plague Fleet manned by the worshippers of Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and despair. Malekith had summoned a truly massive force to assault Ulthuan. Hundreds of thousands of chaos troops had sworn loyalty to Mortathi due to her entrancing beauty[13a]. Malekith had also enslaved the greater daemon N’Kari to his will. He used its knowledge of the Path of the Old Ones to teleport his armies through Elvendom. The chaos troops swarmed through the North in thousands of ships, overwhelming the High Elf forces. The High Elves captured on the shore were brutally crucified and tortured.[6c]
The Dark Elves and their Chaos allies swept the seas clear of Ulthuan's once-vaunted navy and took the Blighted Isle and the lands of Nagarythe. In 2301 IC, Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth, set foot once more upon the land he had so long lusted after. The unprepared High Elves faced defeat after defeat and a large part of Ulthuan was looted, burned and pillaged. Using the Paths of the Old Ones, Druchii forces were essentially able to teleport to the waystones scattered around Ulthuan. Malekith's main strategy was to use these lightning raids to overwhelm the Asur and capture their Everqueen to destroy their morale.[6a] [6c]
General Dorian Silverblade and his secret lover Cassandra were to lead a surprise attack on the center of Avelron and capture the Everqueen. Khainite assassins slit the throats of the sentries as the Dark Elves poured in. Thousands of Asur were killed within the night, taken completely by surprise. The Maiden Guard did their best to keep the Queen safe, but they were overwhelmed and slaughtered. Dorian and his guards gagged and bound Alarielle, intending her to be a slave to Malekith. However, Tyrion was able to penetrate the tent with a disguise and cut through the command staff, freeing the Everqueen(chapter 21). The two ran through the forest, fighting off a dozen witch elves, during which Tyrion suffered a wound from a poisoned dagger.[6c] A company of knights led by Prince Arhalien of Yvresse also managed to just barely break out of the massacre.[6c]
A horrific hunt for the Queen and the young Prince began, as General Dorian, wounded by not killed, knew that if he failed, it would mean certain execution. Cold Ones and thousands of foot soldiers were sent to track them down. Malekith sent forth four Khainite Assassins to bring him the body of the Everqueen. She and Tyrion tried to hide from their Dark Elven pursuers as Tyrion, struck earlier by a Witch Elf's blade, slowly succumbed to its poison. Upon their discovery, the assassins were killed, but not before sending a message to the Witch King, who summoned N'Kari, a powerful Slaaneshi Keeper of Secrets, and sent the Greater Daemon forth to slay the High Elven leaders.[6a]
Meanwhile, the Dark Elves and their allies were absolutely ravaging Ulthuan. Lothern was besieged by not one, not two, but three Black Arks and hundreds of their accompanying sea monsters and escort ships. Siege engines were brought up as the High Elves fought traitors within their walls. Thousands of Dark Elves infested the hills outside the city who began to launch flaming artillery towards the battlements. Most of Cothique had been overrun by the barbarian horde that reached nearly a million foot soldiers, and Tiranoc was facing devastating naval assaults from Black Arks. However, the Chaos horde began to disintegrate into smaller warbands, as Morathi fled home after Caledor Dragontamer appeared to her in a dream, warning her to not unravel the Great Vortex. Without the leadership of the Hag Queen, the Northmen formed individual raiding parties instead of capturing important strategic targets. The horde continued southwards, pillaging Yvresse while Malekith destroyed the ancient city of Mancastra.[6c][6e]
The High Elves were driven back until only the kingdoms of Caledor, Saphery, parts of Avelorn and the city of Lothern remained under their control. The High Elves' military had been so thoroughly ground down by the Dark Elves and their Nurglish allies that they could muster little more than a campaign of guerilla warfare to harry the advancing foe, but with the help of the High Elf Mage Teclis, then an unknown, young High Elven wizard, small victories were achieved. Among the greatest of these was when Teclis slew Ferik Kasterman, a powerful sorcerer of Tzeentch and his Coven of Ten fellow sorcerers at the Battle of Hathar Ford.[6a]
Battle of the Finuval Plain (2302 IC)
"Whatever the price is, we will have to pay it, brother. If our lands are to survive, if our people are to be free, if our world is to avoid destruction. Tomorrow for better or worse, it will be our names that are written in the pages of the history books. If there is anyone left to write them."
- —Loremaster Teclis[6d]
It was Teclis who came just in time to banish the Daemon back to the Realm of Chaos and save his brother, Tyrion, and the Everqueen from death. The three were picked up by a white ship on the shores of the Inner Sea of Ulthuan and they swiftly joined the remains of the High Elven army assembling at the Finuval Plain just in time to meet the gathering Dark Elven and Chaos forces as they moved to claim the rest of Ulthuan. Both forces gathered for a final confrontation in 2302 IC upon that plain in Saphery that would determine the destiny of the island-continent and the High Elven people.[6a]
Lord Telmar was sent by Malekith and ordered Dorian Silverblade to meet on the Finuval Plain. Both sides were slowly summoning their troops there. Malekith kept bringing the disorganized tribes with him, and the Asur kept rallying noble houses to reinforce their position. Meanwhile, Teclis, Tyrion, and the Everqueen all arrived at the camp, cheered on as heroes.[6d]
The Dark Elf army that massed on the Finuval Plain was large beyond counting, bolstered both by its fell Warriors of Chaos allies from the Old World, and by the Witch King's terrible sorceries. Yet the High Elves possessed the courage of desperation -- they knew that defeat here would doom not only their fair land, but also the entire mortal world.[6d]
The High Elves were seriously outnumbered in this battle. Hordes of chaos worshipping barbarians stood along heavily armored Druchii infantry. Alariellle the Everqueen gave a rousing speech before the battle calling forth Teclis and Tyrion. His father Arathion came up and asked if he was ready to receive the Armour. Tyrion responded he was and donned it with this father and brother’s help.[6f] The armies marched forward, just out of range of the missile infantry. A dark elf emissary rode forth with a flag of truce and challenged any to single combat with Malekith’s champion. Arhalien of Yvresse answered. The Everqueen gave him her blessing, and he rode forth. Urian slew him in an instant. Korhien Ironglave stepped forth, but the fight was just as short. Tyrion finally walked through the ranks as the entire army began to cheer his name. Malekith, on a throne carried by slaves, was shocked to see his father’s armor and sword carried by this man. Korhien was barely alive and asked Tyrion, his good friend, to kill the Witch King’s champion for him. The duel was intense, but Tyrion prevailed and killed Urian Poisonblade. Then the main bodies of the two Elven armies clashed. The Dark Elf army was bolstered by their Chaos Warrior allies, though the High Elves fought with courage and initially were able to bring about a stalemate. Eventually, though, the tide slowly began to turn against the High Elves. Outnumbered by the combined forces of the Dark Elves and Chaos, the High Elves, though fighting desperately for their homeland, were slowly driven to retreat before the Chaotic onslaught.[6e]
As the battle raged, the monstrous reptilian Cold Ones mounts of the Dark Elves were hamstrung by nimble Shadow Warriors, and poisoned bolts ricocheted from the armour of Caledorian Dragon Princes. Khainite Assassins plied their bloody trade, striking down princes and mages wherever the High Elves gained advantage. Phoenixes swooped through rank of Witch Elves, the roiling air of their wake setting hair and flesh ablaze. On the right flank, full plate-clad Chaos Warriors exchanged blows with Swordmasters of Hoeth, and White Lions hacked at Slaughterbrutes and winged Chimerae. All about, spells crackled back and forth through the air, and blood mingled with the dust thrown up by battle. Thousands died, but neither side gave any ground. So great was the carnage that warriors fought over the bodies of the dead, and ravens feasted upon the wounded trapped within the mounds of corpses.[8a]
Both armies threw themselves at each other as Tyrion rode through the frontlines. He was a whirlwind of death and entire regiments fled in complete terror before him. After killing a Chaos Warrior standard bearer, he looked and understood the battlefield, heading towards the weakest points of the Asur line. The two forces clashed, with Tyrion fighting in the centre and Teclis facing Malekith himself in a duel of magic. Tyrion fought in the very centre of the battle, striving with the fury of an enraged beast. His great, burning blade cut down foes with every stroke, and where he rode, the High Elves took heart. Meanwhile, Teclis wrestled with the Witch King's dark sorcery, and for the first time, encountered a foe that was his match. Lightning streaked across the darkening sky. Terrible clouds of black sorcery, capable of stripping warriors to the bone, were turned aside by magical winds. Daemons tore their way through to the mortal world and brought fresh carnage to a battlefield already heavy with slaughter.[8a]
This alone might have spelled doom for the Asrai, had it not been for the actions of the Everqueen, who sent a wave of blazing, magical light slashing through the Daemonic ranks, banishing many thousands of them from the mortal world and back to the Realm of Chaos. Alas, this deed saw her already waning powers completely spent; moments after, her unconscious body was borne from the battlefield by her surviving Handmaidens.[8a]
Meanwhile, Teclis was launching devastating lighting strike after devastating strike. Malekith summoned his own spell, a poisonous cloud of death and choked entire ranks of Asur spearmen. The cloud also killed Malekith’s own men, not caring for who it touched. Teclis countered this by summoning a massive wind that blew the storm back into the Druchii lines. He then flew towards the Witch King. The battle continued to rage in titanic proportions. Thousands of troops were dying and being injured with every passing moment. Teclis knew that they simply did not have the numbers to win. He couldn't counter every spell, and Tyrion couldn't be at every weakpoint. He flew towards the Witch King and cast an incantation, reigniting the Flames of Asuryan that had burnt him so long ago. The excruciating pain forced Malekith to throw himself into the Realms of Chaos, but to the combatants on the battlefield, it looked as if he had been obliterated. A scream of despair went up through the Druchii ranks as their lord died.[6e]
Freed now from the burden of dealing with the Witch King, Teclis turned his sorceries upon the evil horde of Druchii and the worshippers of Chaos. Magical flame sprung up amongst the Dark Elf ranks and bolts of pure magic thundered from the heavens. Through the maelstrom of magic rode Tyrion, his sword-arm weary, but his wrath unabated. With a single mighty blow, the High Elf prince cut down the Witch King's standard bearer, and his steed trampled the fallen banner into the mud. Seeing their dread lord defeated, the Dark Elves fell into despair and withdrew from the field.[8a]
In the wake of the battle, Tyrion led the army south into Eataine. The vengeful High Elves fell upon the besiegers of the city of Lothern, putting them to the sword even as the Phoenix King Finubar led a sally from within the walls. Caught between hammer and anvil, the invaders were utterly crushed. Two days later, the High Elves went on the offensive. Tyrion led an army to relieve the Tower of Hoeth, whilst the Phoenix King took another northward, to directly confront the remaining main Dark Elf host.[8a]
For his part, Teclis took ship overseas, bringing aid to the embattled Old World, for the High Elves knew well that if the kingdoms of Men fell, then the hordes of Chaos would soon turn their attention again to Ulthuan's shores. Though the war was far from over, the tide had turned in the direction of the forces of Order.[8a]
Liberation of Caledor
After the Battle of Finuval Plain, Asarnil the Dragonlord, commander of the Dragonriders of Caledor, was ordered to link up with the High Elven forces marching from the city of Lothern. Once the Dragon Princes arrived, the combined forces of Lothern and Caledor was able to destroy the last major Dark Elven invasion force still left on Ulthuan.[22a][23a]
But before Asarnil could fly to the Phoenix King's aid, word came that Caledor itself was under attack. Under the command of Asarnil, an entire flight of Dragonriders sped back through the skies to protect their homeland. In a brilliant assault, the Dragonriders of Caledor swept the Dark Elves into the sea, and Caledor was saved from conquest.[22a][23a]
Triumphant, Asarnil headed back towards the rendezvous with the Phoenix King Finubar the Seafarer, confident that great rewards and honour awaited him upon his arrival. Yet, upon hearing that his orders had been disobeyed, the Phoenix King became enraged. If his troops had come under attack without the support of the Dragon Princes, they would have faced total destruction.[22a]
When Asarnil and his fellow Dragonriders arrived at the Phoenix King's camp, no parade awaited them. Instead, Asarnil was summoned before Finubar to account for his actions. Enraged that the Phoenix King would accuse him of betrayal after saving his homeland from destruction, Asarnil swore that he was no longer a subject of the crown of Ulthuan. The response from Finubar was quick and harsh. Asarnil was to be stripped of his title and lands and banished from Ulthuan, unless he would face the Phoenix King's justice and accept his punishment.[22a]
Prideful to the last, Asarnil declined. Asarnil was now a prince without a domain, a High Elven lord in exile. He gathered his weapons and armour, mounted his Dragon Deathfang, and left the blessed island of Ulthuan behind. Asarnil headed towards the old ruins of a High Elf city in the south of the Old World, where he found that Men now inhabited the land. His Dragon descended upon the city-state of Remas in the lands of Tilea, much to the dismay of the citizenry.[22a]
The Empire United (2302 IC)
As the conflict on Ulthuan was concluding, a Chaos Fleet sailed the Sea of Claws unchallenged, laying waste to the coasts of the Old World, ravaging villages and sinking any ships they could find. The Tzar of Kislev sent messages to each of the courts of the Elector Counts of the Empire, begging for help, but the response was confused and bordered on panic.[3a]
No leader was chosen for the Empire's combined military efforts, for, in the time of disunity that was the Age of the Three Emperors, none of the Electors trusted their fellows enough to cede authority to him or her. The High Priests of the Cults of Sigmar and Ulric squabbled with each other over who should take the overall command of the Imperial forces, whilst many of the nobility refused to send help for fear their neighbours would attack their lands in their absence. Some even felt the cause was lost and openly began to worship the Dark Gods, hoping for mercy from the forces of Chaos after the Empire's inevitable fall.[3a]
Yet one defender of the Empire did not give up hope or give in to fear and apathy. Magnus von Bildhofen of Nuln, a young noble and priest of Sigmar, still believed in Sigmar's dream of a united Empire strong enough to defeat the forces of Chaos and the Daemonic servants of the Dark Gods. Within the city of Nuln, a powerful Tzeentchian Chaos Cult known as "The Magi" led the largest of the uprisings that plagued the Imperial lands during the conflict, unleashing summoned Daemons and other horrors of Chaos upon the great Imperial city.[3a]
Magnus saw the comet, and, inspired by his grounding in the faith of the Cult of Sigmar, used his influence as a minor noble to rally the people of the city. Under Magnus' leadership, Nuln was liberated from the influence of Chaos, and he took his crusade across the Empire. Magnus was a magnificent orator whose rousing speeches raised a massive following amongst the common folk of the Empire. He marched northward from city to city, addressing the people in the market places, gathering about him an army the likes of which had not been seen within the Empire for centuries.[7b]
Other Imperial armies had also begun to muster that were raised by the Elector Counts and other powers such as the churches, either swayed by Magnus' oratory or afraid of the consequences of any refusal to aid the growing and increasingly fanaticalforce. Even many mercenary bands and generals from Tilea took part in the conflict, attracted by the potential profits if victory actually proved possible.[4a]
Siege of Middenheim (2302 IC)
By the time Magnus reached the great city of Middenheim in late 2302 IC, his legion of followers had become the largest military force ever assembled in the Empire up to that in time. At Middenheim, Magnus sought an audience with the Ar-Ulric Kriestov to gain the Cult of Ulric's support for the war.[20a]
After Kriestov denounced Magnus as a charlatan who had no divine mandate to save the Empire, Magnus bravely walked through the Sacred Flame of Ulric, a holy site of the Cult of Ulric that was said to separate the pure from the tainted and the truthful from the liar. After miraculously emerging unscathed, Magnus had proven the righteousness of his cause and gained the support of a powerful ally. Magnus tactfully appointed Kriestov as the leader of his cavalry force.[20a]
After the departure to Kislev of the Ar-Ulric and his swift army, Beastmen warherds attacked Middenheim in their absence, and the siege was not lifted until the Ar-Ulric's return at the onset of winter.[26a]
Battle at the Gates of Kislev (2304 IC)
A map depicting the advance of the forces of Chaos under the command of the twelfth Everchosen Asavar Kul into the lands of the Old World during the Great War Against Chaos.[14a]
Just as the Empire finished uniting almost miraculously behind the leadership of Magnus von Bildhofen, a message was received from the Kislevite Tzar Alexis Romanoff. It told of a crushing defeat inflicted on the army of Kislev by the forces of Chaos, leaving her remaining cities wide open to attack.[1a]
Magnus heeded the news and decided to march to Kislev, and there take the fight to their common foe. As the new year of 2303 IC began, Magnus finished consolidating his army and split it into two mighty forces, one of infantry and one of cavalry, setting Ar-Ulric Kriestov to command the former and leading the latter himself.[7b]
With their greater mobility the Imperial cavalry force headed towards Kislev to buy time for the second half of the army to arrive. In Talabheim Magnus met with Pieter Lazlo, who was accompanied by three High Elven emissaries who had recently arrived following the end of the conflict on Ulthuan to provide their aid to Men as they faced the common foe of Chaos. The war had reached its climax as the forces of Chaos prepared to cross the Kislevite border into the lands of the Empire.[7b]
The High Elves who met with Magnus were powerful archmages, including Teclis and his two comrades, Finreir and Yrtle.[25a] Although Magnus possessed a powerful faith in Sigmar, he did not have the same faith in the Men he led. Despite knowing they could defeat any mortal enemy, the Daemons of Chaos were not mortal. Magnus knew that the advantage the armies of Chaos had over his own lay in their command over the Winds of Magic, but traditionally any man of the Empire who dabbled with magic was seen as simply a pawn of Chaos and the use of magic had long been banned and ruthlessly suppressed by the witch hunters.[7b]
Yet with the help of Teclis and the other High Elves, a new system of magic-use could be devised to allow Men to safely wield the Winds of Magic without opening themselves to Chaos corruption. With this new status quo possible, Magnus declared an amnesty for all those in the Empire who could wield magic, subject to the judgement of their fitness by the High Elf archmages. Teclis and his brethren subsequently used their own arts to assemble those who they believed could be taught to safely wield the power of the Aethyr.[7b]
Teclis and his High Elven wizard companions joined Magnus and the Imperial infantry army during the march north to Kislev and assisted him with their advice and magic and also trained a few of the Imperial wizards who had joined them in how to use magic to defend their brethren. After they learned of the fall of Praag and the horrible fate that had befallen it, Dwarfs from Karaz-a-Karak, though themselves under siege by Chaos forces and Greenskins, joined the forces of the tzar within the city of Kislev.[7a]
The first assault of the Chaos forces, mainly composed of Beastmen, drove the Kislevite defenders from their outer defences and behind the city walls. It was only the stolid determination of the Dwarfs that prevented the hordes of Beastmen from breaking through the city gates. Yet, as the Chaos hordes prepared for a second attack, they were struck in the rear by the combined forces of Magnus' Imperial troops and Teclis' devastating magical assault. The Everchosen, Asavar Kul, divided his forces and sent one to attack the city and one to counter the on-coming Imperial army.[7b]
The Imperials managed to resoundingly defeat the Chaos troops of the horde sent against them with Teclis' magical support, but the forces of Chaos arrayed before the gates of Kislev were too large to be completely destroyed and they eventually redeployed and managed to push the Imperial army onto the defensive, keeping it away from the relief of the city.[7b]
The High Elven mage Yrtle was slain by a Slaaneshi Keeper of Secrets during the struggle even as he incinerated the clawed fiend with the fire flashing from his hands. He was buried in Ostermark with all honours.[24a][25a] On the city walls, the battle between the forces of Chaos and the Imperial relief army was seen by the Kislevite defenders. Three hundred Dwarfs sallied out of the city gates in an attempt to try and reach the Imperial relief forces, but they were beaten back. Only half of the Dwarfs returned to the beleaguered Kislevite capital.[7b]
When it seemed that all hope was lost to the defenders of the city, the advance Imperial force which had been sent by Magnus to relieve already-fallen Praag, but had turned back to rejoin the main body of the Imperial army once they learned their mission was futile, appeared on the northern horizon, on the "Hill of Heroes," and launched a devastating attack borne of pure hatred against the Chaos forces. The battle once more raged in earnest.[1a][7b]
Death of the Twelfth Everchosen
Upon seeing the enemy broken by the appearance of the Imperial reinforcements, Magnus spurred his troops on to one last herculean effort to relieve the city of Kislev. Seeing that the forces of Order had regained some momentum, the gates of Kislev were opened and the Kislevites and their Dwarf allies within spilled forth to slam into the army of Chaos from yet another flank.[1a]
The combined Dwarf, Kislevite and Imperial force smashed through the barbarians' lines from both sides, allowing vital supplies to reach the city's terrified inhabitants. Dwarfs and Men alike repeatedly regrouped and charged the enemy again and again.[21a]
Suddenly caught between three separate forces striking them from every side, the forces of Chaos lost all discipline, milling as a mass to be cut down where they stood. From that point forwards, different stories are told. Some say the favour of the Dark Gods was now withdrawn from Asavar Kul at a critical moment, as a dire punishment for his failure. Another common claim is that Kul was found murdered after the final assault, a jagged blade punched through the back of his neck.[1a]
If this latter tale is true, it is believed by many that one of Kul's opportunistic lieutenants, Engra Deathsword, killed the twelfth Everchosen while his back was turned.
One popular story claims that, as Magnus prepared to lead another charge, a voice warned him of a "beast in Human form" approaching: the enemy leader, Asavar Kul. The twelfth Everchosen challenged the champion of Sigmar to single combat, as a test of might between their respective gods. Though he at first seemed doomed, the spirit of Sigmar was said to have infused Magnus. After an awesome conflict of great magnitude, Magnus eventually triumphed, disarming Kul and knocking him to the ground, mortally wounded. Upon removing his helmet as he lay dying, Kul admitted defeat, saying he had failed the Chaos Gods and the victory belonged to Magnus. Having slain the Everchosen, Magnus touched his golden warhammer and reflected: "It was your gods who failed you. My god is always with me."[27a]
At the same time, the Kislevite and Dwarf troops broke through and engaged the Warriors of Chaos army on their respective flanks. Caught between the three armies, the Chaos horde was finally ground down and destroyed, saving the Old World from the madness of the Ruinous Powers.[1a]
High King Alriksson of the Dwarfs and General Vassilivich of Kislev recognised Magnus as the instrument of Chaos' defeat. With Erengrad soon to be relieved and Praag to be razed so that a complete purification and reconstruction of the city could begin, the forces of Chaos were once more driven back to their domains in the Chaos Wastes. In a final great cleansing, Magnus's army destroyed the cursed city of Mordheim, before liberating Ostland and the Ostermark and clearing the Empire's forests of Beastmen.
Skaven Assault (2302-2304 IC)
In 2302 IC, as Magnus the Pious sought to unite the Empire in holding back the forces of Chaos, the rising tide of Dark Magic across the Known World prompted the Grey Seers of the Skaven to step in and call upon their god, the Horned Rat, for divine judgement upon their people to stop the constant warring between the Skaven clans.[10a]
In a massive ceremony at Skavenblight during Vermintide, the great annual feast of the Horned Rat, the Grey Seers succeeded in summoning an incarnation of the Horned Rat into the mortal realm. The clan lords were terrified by its apparition into a level of obedience and cooperation previously unthinkable as the Horned One dictated the plan they were to follow. The Under-Empire's ruling Council of Thirteen was completely reorganised and all hostilities between Skaven were ended immediately.[10a]
Afterwards, during the Great War Against Chaos, the Skaven fought the Chaos armies as well as the Human armies of the Empire and Kislev, but after several hundred years of their constant internecine warfare, the Skaven's numbers are almost exhausted. After the Chaos hordes were eventually defeated by Magnus the Pious at the Battle of the Gates of Kislev in 2304 IC, the Skaven ambushed several contingents of the Imperial army as it returned home, and soon afterwards minor plagues erupted in Nuln, Talabheim, and Marienburg, but overall the Skaven proved to have little impact upon the outcome of the great conflict or to use it to their own advantage.[10a]
As the leadership of the Empire had long declared that the existence of the ratmen was a myth, the Imperial soldiers who survived those encounters with the Skaven were understandably confused and frightened by what they had witnessed and fought against. As no one in the Empire was willing to countenance the reality that the threat of the Skaven might actually lurk beneath their feet, the Imperial authorities once against dismissed these encounters as conflicts with unusually rodent-like Beastmen.[11a]
Aftermath
After the defeat of their twelfth Everchosen, the strength of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos slowly ebbed and returned to their pre-war strength, but an echo of the Realm of Chaos would always remain within Praag, though it was completely razed to the ground and subsequently rebuilt.[1a]
The Chaos Gods returned to the eternal bickering and infighting of the Great Game, the power of Chaos Undivided once more submerged beneath the Ruinous Powers' own intense antipathy for one another. Magnus von Bildhofen, who had earned the moniker "Magnus the Pious" for his great faith in Sigmar, returned to the Empire as its greatest saviour and warrior since Sigmar himself and was quickly installed as the new emperor by the Elector Counts, largely to popular acclaim -- and because he now commanded the loyalty of a very large, very battle-hardened army. The fractious infighting of the Age of Three Emperors that had long sapped the strength of the Empire was finally at an end.[1a]
Magnus proceeded to purge the lands of the Empire of the taint of Chaos and the anarchy caused by bandits, Greenskins, and Beastmen that remained for several years after the end of the Great War. Order was eventually restored across the Empire and in Kislev. The High Elf Archmage Teclis remained for a time in the Old World to teach the Men of the Empire the principles of magic as understood by the High Elves and helped them found the Imperial Colleges of Magic with Emperor Magnus' full agreement, as it had become clear that despite the Imperial prejudice against the use of magic as being tainted by Chaos, Humanity and the Empire would need its power if it was to successfully defend itself from the future depredations of Chaos.[25a]
On Ulthuan, despite Tyrion's attempts to reclaim the Blighted Isle, the Dark Elves eventually succeeded in occupying the Altar of Khaine.
Emperor Magnus I reigned for sixty-five years and many regard his reign as among the happiest periods in the Empire's long history since Sigmar's own rule. A general peace reigned throughout the land, and the reunification of the Empire brought increased commerce and prosperity as trade flowed like water. A new age of intellectual vigour and inquiry had begun for Humanity.[3a]
Magnus also recognised the changing balance of Imperial power between city and country, granting Nuln the official status of a city-state, whilst ratifying the political reintegration of Middenland and Middenheim under the rule of the Grafs of Middenheim. His distant cousins, the von Bildhofens of Middenland, had died during the war, but Magnus had no desire to claim that province for himself, and denied his brother's right to do so. Instead, its electoral vote was put into abeyance. Magnus also acceded to the formal reunification of Talabheim and Talabecland, which had already occurred for all practical purposes centuries before.[3a]
Magnus of Nuln died in his sleep in 2369 IC. For his great works, devotion to the Empire, and dedication to Sigmar and his dream of the unity of Mankind, a conclave of the Elector Counts voted to give Magnus the posthumous title "the Pious" and declared his birthday to be an Empire-wide day of thanks forever after.[3a]
Canon Conflict
Both Vassily Zykov[18a] and Alexis Romanoff are referred to as the Tzar of Kislev during the Great War Against Chaos. Despite this, Vassily Zykov is only mentioned once, while Alexis Romanoff appears in numerous sources as the ruler of Kislev during that conflict.[17a]
Trivia
The charge of the Imperial and Kislevite cavalry which struck the rear of the Chaos army on the so-called Hill of Heroes during the Battle at the Gates of Kislev is most likely inspired by the charge of the Imperial and Polish cavalry during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, where a force of 18,000 Holy League cavalrymen, lead by the Polish winged hussars, broke the back of a much larger Ottoman army numbering sone 120,000 troops.
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Warriors of Chaos (8th Edition)
- 1a: pp. 16
- 2: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (7th Edition)
- 2a: pp. 76-77
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
- 3a: pp. 17-18
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation - Priests of the Old World (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 160-161
- 5: Warhammer Armies: Chaos (4th Edition)
- 5a: pg. 33
- 6: Bane of Malekith (Novel) by William King
- 7: Liber Chaotica (Background book)
- 8: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
- 9: Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdoms (8th Edition)
- 9a: pg. 23
- 10: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
- 10a: pg. 36
- 11: The Loathsome Ratmen and all Their Vile Kin (Background Book)
- 11a: pg. 5
- 12: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Stone and Steel (RPG)
- 12a: pg. 42
- 13: Sword of Caledor (Novel)
- 13a: Ch. 1
- 14: Warhammer Armies: Hordes of Chaos (6th Edition)
- 14a: pg. 13
- 15: Warhammer Armies: Champions of Chaos (5th Edition)
- 15a: pp. 28-29
- 16: Warhammer Armies: Orcs and Goblins (8th Edition)
- 16a: pg. 29
- 17: The Empire at War (Background Book)
- 17a: pg. 64
- 18: Inferno 6
- 19: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
- 20: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Middenheim - City of the White Wolf (RPG)
- 20a: pg. 15
- 21: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Book of Grudges (RPG)
- 21a: pg. 7
- 22: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 22a: pg. 42
- 23: Triumph and Treachery (8th Edition)
- 23a: pg. 10
- 24: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Altdorf - Crown of the Empire (RPG)
- 24a: pg. 164
- 25: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realms of Sorcery (RPG)
- 25a: pp. 27-28
- 26: Warhammer Armies: Beasts of Chaos (6th Edition)
- 26a: pg. 11
- 27: White Dwarf 270
- 27a: pp. 24-29