Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.
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"Forged from the other world, six treasures shall he possess...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 nourishment 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 is in his name...And with the coming of the end the old will fall by the hand of the new..."
- —"The Prophecy of Fate," an excerpt from the Celestine Book of Divination by Necrodomo the Insane.[3a]
The "Storm of Chaos" (2521-2522 IC) was the name later given to the greatest assault launched by the mortal and Daemonic servants of Chaos upon the Old World, this time intended to conquer first Kislev and the Empire, and then the rest of the continent, though it would ultimately be defeated at great cost by the defenders of Order. This great failed Chaos assault occurred in an alternate timeline whose events were ultimately superseded in the true timeline of the mortal world by those of the End Times.
The invasion was initiated by the forces of Chaos under the leadership of the thirteenth Everchosen and Chaos Lord Archaon, the "Lord of the End Times." The Storm of Chaos broke over the northern territories of Kislev and the Empire in 2521 IC and was finally broken by a potent grand alliance of Men, High Elves and Dwarfs at the Battle of Middenheim in 2522 IC. However, while Archaon's forces rampaged across the north, it was also a conflict that affected the entirety of the Known World. It was not only the Men and Dwarfs of the Old World attacked by the Lord of the End Times and his champions who were engulfed in the Storm of Chaos. Even regions as far south as Lustria and the Land of the Dead, felt the effects of the surging energies of Chaos unleashed by the invasion.[2b]
The Chaos assault involved nearly every major faction in every nation of the Old World, and was an incursion that was intended to herald the apocalypse that had been long prophesied by the Dark Gods. From the Chaos Wastes, Archaon, the Lord of the End Times, initiated his invasion of the southern lands in Kislev, laying waste to entire villages and towns along the River Lynsk. His vast horde of Chaos Warriors, Norscan Chaos Marauders, Beastmen and Daemons of all the Ruinous Powers swept south, laying siege to the Kislevite city of Praag, and sacking the port city of Erengrad. From there Archaon's horde surged through the war-torn Imperial Grand Province of Ostland, laying the entire northern lands of the Empire to smouldering ruin.
To the east, Archaon's herald, the Chaos Lord Crom the Conqueror, had already smashed his way through the treacherous roads of High Pass and broke through the eastern borders of the Empire, laying siege to Karak Kadrin and invading the sinister, Vampire-ruled lands of Sylvania.
To the west, the Witch King Malekith of the Dark Elves made an unholy pact with the Ruinous Powers. While the High Elves sent troops into the Empire to aid in the efforts of Men to stem the tide of Chaos, Malekith launched his massive invasion force towards the shores of Ulthuan, breaking through the once-impenetrable High Elven naval blockade guarding the coast, and moving onto the Blighted Isle, in hopes of recovering the lost Altar of Khaine and claiming the legendary Sword of Khaine as his own.
The sheer size of this invasion force was beyond imagination, and on all sides, Chaos once again surged into the lands of Men, Elves, and Dwarfs. If the Empire had fallen, the Old World would have been lost to Chaos.
Yet all was not lost at this time, for the whole of the Old World finally united under the banner of Order and preserving mortal civilisation. Men, Dwarfs, and the High Elves met in the Conclave of Light to forge a temporary alliance and together they fought side-by-side in a war that heralded the beginning of the End that was soon enough to come -- but not yet.
History
Dark Destiny
"Every beginning, comes from some other beginnings end."
- —Senectra the Younger
By the dawn of the 26th century of the Imperial Calendar, the Known World stood on the brink of annihilation. It had done so since the beginning of mortal civilisation, when the great Old Ones of ancient times were destroyed during the Great Catastrophe. The Polar Gates of the Old Ones, once a marvel of magic and arcane technology, had collapsed due to an accident of unknown provenance and with them, the energies of Chaos flowed like water into the cold, harsh polar lands of what became the northern and southern Chaos Wastes. Since then, every few centuries, the Chaos Gods will reach out their hands towards this dying world and demand a claim of it as their own. So it is fitting that a Champion of Chaos would be the one to unite the warring tribes of the north and bring about the end of time as mortals know it.
The threat of Chaos comes in many guises, from the mutating Winds of Magic that pour across the Known World, to the vile Beastmen tribes that lurk within the dark forests of the Old World, and the numberless hordes of barbaric Human warriors who live in Norsca and the Chaos Wastes. However, it is the corruption of mortal souls, the pollution of ideals and dreams, that is its most subtle and deadliest weapons, for within every thinking person lurks the heart of Chaos. It is perhaps fitting then that the greatest threat to the Empire of Man came not from a Kurgan warlord, nor a chieftain of the Beastmen, but from one of their very own.
Born Diederick Kastner, he was once a very devout and zealous templar of Sigmar, born a scant few years after Emperor Magnus the Pious had won victory in the Great War Against Chaos in 2304 IC. The templars of the Cult of Sigmar were sworn to protect the Empire from the sinister lure of Chaos in all its forms. This templar had carried out such deeds for many years, ever believing in the divination of his god, and the righteousness of his cause. However, the threads of fate were moving, leading this lone templar to betray his own people and the deity his people worshipped.
There are a great many books and teachings, treatises and scrolls that are kept by the templars of Sigmar from the stray eyes of the common masses, for these books hold heretical and blasphemous text that tells the truth about Chaos and the truth of the mortal world's eternal peril from the Ruinous Powers. The zealous templar Kastner read those very manuscripts written in the Book of Divination by the seer Necrodomo the Insane. Driven with horror by the revelation of the destiny that these oracles claimed to lay before him, in utter hopelessness Kastner made his way towards the centre of his faith. Upon the massive Holy Temple of Sigmar in the Imperial capital of Altdorf, the cursed templar knelt before the golden statue of Sigmar and begged for a sign, to ask for his help from the darkness that would surely come to consume him.
But the golden statue stood silent, and with the deity's unspoken words, the templar knew that it was hopeless. From there Kastner left the Old World behind and travelled to the Northern Wastes, where he knew his destiny truly lay. There he offered himself to the Chaos Gods, hoping against hope that by his embrace of them he could yet serve as the tool of their own destruction.
His lifespan was unnaturally extended by his new divine patrons, and thus the man who would soon be known as Archaon spent the next century gathering the legendary Six Treasures of Chaos, the artefacts of the Dark Gods required to lay claim to the mantle of their greatest Chaos Champion, the Everchosen of Chaos Undivided.
Quest for the Six Treasures of Chaos (Unknown Date to 2520 IC)
So it was that the former Imperial templar of Sigmar Diederick Krastner, who later took the name Archaon, journeyed through the Chaos Wastes of the northern and southern poles for nearly 100 years, searching for the legendary artifacts that would exalt him and allow him to claim his true destiny. The first treasure he sought was a unique Mark of Chaos Undivided that bore the blessings of all four of the major Ruinous Powers in unison, combining all of the advantages of the individual Marks of Chaos, and blessing the bearer with all their power.
The first part of Archaon's dark quest was to go to the Altar of True Darkness in Naggaroth and offer himself to the Chaos Gods to gain their favour and recognition. He gathered a small but potent warband of Chaos Knights 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 said to be blacker than even the heart of a Dark Elf's soul, for when one of Archaon's followers attempted to light a torch, it was snuffed out instead by the near-living darkness.
Archaon was unafraid, and marched off alone into the darkness. Such was his skill in combat that he was able to slay hundreds of the misshapen monsters that infested the mighty citadel. Archaon reconsecrated the altar to the Dark Gods, 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 Undivided on his forehead.
The next artefact the Chaos Lord sought was the Armour of Morkar, the suit of Chaos Armour worn by Morkar, the very first Everchosen. It made the wearer invulnerable to all but the most powerful of attacks, essentially transforming them into a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut in the heat of combat. After leaving Naggaroth on a stolen ship made of black metal and pulled by a massive sea-drake, Archaon took leadership of a seafaring war band along the way to his destination.
They sailed to a mysterious land in the Northern Wastes populated with savage half-Humans. Neither sun nor moon had ever touched their pallid skin and after six days and six nights of battle after battle, the city of these creatures had been reduced to rubble. Archaon delved deep into their necropolis until he found the Tomb of Morkar and the armour he sought. However, as Archaon reached out to take it, the spirit of Morkar himself animated the armour and attacked his would-be successor. The vengeful spirit laid down a relentless flurry of blows until Archaon cursed it in the archaic language of the Unberogen tribe of Sigmar, who had been Morkar's great enemy and his undoing. The attack ceased for a moment in the wraith's surprise, and Archaon smashed it aside, banishing the spirit of Morkar back to the Realm of Chaos and allowing him to claim the first Everchosen's armour as his own.
Then there was the Eye of Sheerian, which 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 fullest ability and 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, who valued the Eye above all of the other treasures in its great hoard.
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 whole, but the Armour of Morkar protected him from its acidic stomach. 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 Chaos Dragon and hung it around his neck as his rightful reward.
The next treasure to be won was the dreaded Steed of the Apocalypse. Alternatively known as Dorghar, Ghurshy'ish'phak or Yrontalie, this Daemonic Mount 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 Chaos 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 to the mortal world on its back.
Eventually, Archaon sought a legendary Daemon Weapon, known by many as the Slayer of Kings, which was the unholy Daemonsword of Vangel, the second Everchosen. Vangel had bound the Greater Daemon U'zuhl into the blade, and the millennia of imprisonment that followed made it insane with rage and fury. The sword was said to rest at the top of Chimera Plateau, located near the roof of the mortal world, where Archaon and his steed Dorghar had journeyed. The warriors battling around the plateau saw the determination and destiny of Archaon, and he quickly gathered a huge horde of followers to wage war against that of the Chimeras who claimed the plateau. They swiftly defeated the Chimera hordes guarding the higher passes where Archaon and his three companions climbed to the top of the plateau.
From the top, Archaon looked down on the Known World, swearing that he would one day rule over all of it. 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 soon realised that the mountain was actually not a geographical feature but the body of the father of the Dragon Ogre race, Krakanrok the Black. Even he could not defeat such a foe, so instead Archaon and his companions sneaked past the titanic monster, only to find that the Slayer of Kings was clasped into its chest.
Prince Ograx the Great, the strongest of Archaon's companions, was able to lift one of Krakanrok's talons up high enough for Archaon to retrieve the Daemonsword. However, the Greater Daemon bound inside began to shriek with deafening volume. As Krakanrok started to stir, Archaon thought fast and plunged the Slayer of Kings into Prince Ograx's chest. With the blade's endless thirst quenched with royal blood, Archaon was able to quietly sheathe it and return from the plateau to the cheers of his followers, carrying his new blade with him throughout all the battles to come.
After many years of endless journeying, Archaon had finally gathered all five of the artefacts save one. Forged before the dawn of Men, the Crown of Domination had once held the Eye of Sheerian, but had since been lost to history. It struck terror into its bearer's foes and gave great strength and courage 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, the first Daemon Prince Be'lakor, the Dark Master, revealed its location, planning to steal the crown for himself 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, Dorghar, the Steed of the Apocalypse, carrying him over the most difficult terrain. After a day and a half of ceaseless climbing, Archaon stood before the massive double gate that was the entrance to the First Shrine. Through the gateway was a labyrinth filled with dire Chaos beasts and vengeful Daemons. Within, Archaon was tested by each of the major Chaos Gods to see if he was truly worthy to be the Everchosen.
Nurgle sent deadly diseases that Archaon fought off through the exercise of sheer willpower. Tzeentch created a labyrinth of crystal, but Archaon blindfolded himself and used instinct alone to navigate it. Slaanesh sent temptation after temptation to seduce him from his goal, but Archaon resisted, never diverting from the path to the inner gates of the First Shrine. After passing through those portals Archaon found himself on a narrow causeway surrounded by 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 its own whip. The hellfire died away, leaving Archaon gravely injured and standing in a simple shrine. A throne stood at the back of the shrine, with a withered corpse sitting upon it. On the top of its withered skull sat the Crown of Domination. Archaon took up the crown and, with his wounds healing and his frame swelling with the power of Chaos, he held it to the heavens. After over a century of searching, he had at last claimed the title of the thirteenth Everchosen of Chaos. All that he needed now was a coronation.
Upon retrieving the Crown of Domination, Be'lakor begrudgingly performed the coronation of the new Everchosen as he had for each of Archaon's predecessors that made Archaon officially the Lord of the End Times in the eyes of the Dark Gods. On that day, it is said that a Twin Tailed Comet, an omen of both great and terrible things, appeared in the sky of the Known World, foretelling the coming of the Storm of Chaos. The Twin Tailed Comet was seen in the bright night sky that very day.
In the city of Altdorf, capital of the Empire, thousands of people thronged the streets, driven to hysteria by the rumours of Archaon's horde in the north and the coming of the comet. Grand Theogonist Volkmar, high priest of the Cult of Sigmar, appeared daily on the steps of the Holy Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf after that day looking to confirm the rumours that flew thick and fast through the city.
Rumours began to pour in from the north about a strange and terrible army marching southwards, and the great storm that was gathering in the far north of Norsca and the Chaos Wastes. The streets were lined full of doomsayers, flagellants, curates, students, scholars, fishwives, pickpockets, preachers, and the riots that resulted from the nervous excitement of the increasingly agitated mob. With the coming of doom, there persisted another rumour, one that brought a bit of hope to the frightened, about a man that would deliver them from this horror, a Champion of Light in the service of Sigmar who would arise to face the Everchosen and finally decide the fate of all the mortal world.
The Spring Driving (Early Spring 2521 IC)
The coming of Archaon and the storm from the north that was sure to follow did not go un-heralded. In Norsca and the Chaos Wastes, all four of the major Chaos Gods had once more united in the common cause of Chaos Undivided to finally bring the mortal world to its knees, calling forth champions of their own respective powers and sending forth visions to all among their worshippers who sought plunder and bloodshed. The shamans of the Northmen saw these same visions of the coming invasion of the weakling realms of the south and urged the chieftains of the tribes to gather for war.
Daemons of all kinds began to claw at the edges of the physical world, awaiting the day that they would be unleashed. Finally, four Chaos Champions gathered their own armies under the banner of one of the four major Ruinous Powers, and began their ceaseless march towards Archaon's ever-growing horde. However, some members of his horde were far more eager than most to join in on the coming slaughter and so an army of Chaos Warriors under the leadership of High Zar Surtha Lenk of the Kurgan marched south from Blackblood Pass and attacked the northern lands of Kislev, intending to clear the path for the larger Chaos invasion force of the Everchosen. This preemptive invasion would be later referred to by the Imperials as the "Spring Driving."
Even in the lands of the Empire, discontent had begun to boil within the clergy of the Cult of Sigmar as a zealous and radical Warrior Priest of Sigmar by the name of Luthor Huss began preaching against the Sigmarite clergy's corruption and spiritual decadence. Many demanded the usurper to be burned at the stake, but Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim, the leader of the Sigmarite church, knew better than most, and simply silenced such accusations.
However, as the drums of war began to beat in the north once more, Volkmar enclosed himself inside the high pinnacle of the Holy Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf, reading through unholy tomes to find answers for the dark menace gathering at the Empire's gates. Soon, some within the Sigmarite clergy even questioned the Grand Theogonist's sanity, and eventually the Cult of Sigmar became divided and fearful over the situation.
By the 2nd of the month of Pflugzeit, several battalions of Kislevite Winged Lancers and Ungol Horse Archers intercepted the Chaos hordes coming southwards in an effort to stall their advance, but High Zar Surtha Lenk and his Kurgan vanguard army smashed their way through the Kislevite defences and eventually reached the borders of Ostland and the Empire by the 1st of Sigmarzeit. The sudden arrival and the sheer ferocity of the Chaos assault had taken the State Army of Ostland by surprise.
Not only did the High Zar manage to reach the borders of Ostland to the east, but Chaos warriors and marauders sailing south down the Norscan coast had already made landfall on the shores of Starivoda Bay in Nordland. Disembarking and marching inland in great secrecy, this second Chaos host ambushed the Ostland State Army, destroying a greater part of its military might. With the enemy in disarray, Surtha Lenk and his Chaos horde smashed their way through the village of Smallhof and delved deep into the Forest of Shadows, en route to the Ostland provincial capital of Wolfenburg.
Despite his best efforts, Elector Count Valmir von Raukov of Ostland had no choice and issued a plea for aid to the other Elector Counts of the Empire. However, the High Zar anticipated this and sent forces to intercept these messengers before they reached their destinations. Miraculously, several messengers survived and with the call for aid came Elector Count Helmut Feuerbach, the Grand Duke of Talabecland, and his elite force of battle-hardened Imperial soldiers.
But the greatest aid for the beleaguered northern province came when one of the Ostlander messengers reached the Imperial Court of Emperor Karl Franz himself in Altdorf. Slowly dying of exhaustion and blood-loss, the messenger gave a quick but extremely vague description of the Chaos army that was assailing the gates of Wolfenburg. Assuming the worst, Karl Franz mustered every military asset at his disposal and called for the creation of the Grand Army of the Empire, comprised of the State Armies of each of the Electoral Provinces, to combat this great threat. However, by the 31st of the month of Sigmarzeit, Surtha Lenk's vanguard army had smashed their way across Ostlander territory and finally reached the capital of the province without much resistance, resulting in the devastating First Siege of Wolfenburg.
The Imperial Army, along with regiments of the emperor's own Reiksguard, departed Altdorf by the fourth day of the siege. Cadres of wizards from several of the Colleges of Magic had also joined their arcane power to the growing Imperial army, as well as the aid of Volkmar the Grim and his growing host of Sigmarite Warrior Priests, flagellants and zealots. As they reached Talabheim on the twentieth day of the siege of Wolfenburg, the Imperial army met the army of Middenland and awaited the coming of the other Imperial forces.
After eight days of preparation, the armies of Averland, Stirland, Nuln, and Talabheim were assembled, allowing the Grand Army of the Empire to depart to relieve the siege of Wolfenburg. Along the roads leading to Ostland, the Grand Army was caught in a massive ambush by an enormous horde of Beastmen, resulting in Emperor Karl Franz and his Griffon mount Deathclaw being gravely injured. Saved by the heroics of an Averheim greatsword company, the emperor had no alternative but to return to Altdorf with the Red Arrow coaches along with Volkmar the Grim.
Before his departure, the emperor appointed Reiksmarshal Kurt Helborg as the new Supreme Commander of the Grand Army, though his command was strongly opposed by the Elector Count of Middenheim and Middenland, Graf Boris Todbringer, and his noble supporters. After five days of bitter fighting, Reiksmarshal Helborg managed to break the Beastmen horde and sent them reeling back with the aid of local forces from Hochland.
However, the Reiksmarshal and the Grand Army of the Empire arrived at their destination too late, for by the first day of Vorgeheim the city of Wolfenburg had been sacked by the armies of Surtha Lenk. Enraged at his failure, Helborg ordered the Grand Army to attack the fallen Wolfenburg and break the Kurgan horde into smaller, individual hosts. Leading the charge was the elite cavalry core of the Grand Army composed of the knights of the Reiksguard and the White Wolves templars. Surrounded and tired after a thirty-three-day siege, the vanguard army of Surtha Lenk was broken and scattered by the Imperial charge.
It would not be until the Battle of Mazhorod that this Kurgan army was destroyed entirely with the aid of Boyarin Kurkosk's Kislevite forces, where it was said that the mighty High Zar had fallen in combat.
In the week that followed the retaking of Wolfenburg, the remaining vanguard Chaos hordes under the leadership of the Chaos Lord Aelric Cyenwulf and his mighty Dragon Ogres were defeated at the Battle of Urszebya by the combined forces of the Empire, Tzarina Katarin Bokha of Kislev, and General Albertalli of Luccini commanding a force of Tilean mercenaries. Though it was a total victory, the battle was nonetheless costly for the forces of Order.
Volkmar's Challenge (23rd of Nachgeheim 2521 IC)
"I see more and more people enter these Temple doors each day. I wish I could say it was my teachings that summoned them here, but alas, I believe it is fear and uncertainty that brings them."
- —Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim
Though many in the Old World breathed a sigh of relief with the death of the High Zar Surtha Lenk and his army of Kurgan Chaos Warriors, many were still naive as to the true intentions of this preemptive attack. The Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, Volkmar the Grim, was not one of them, for he had read the unholy books and knew the true darkness that awaited the Men of the Empire in the far north.
And so Volkmar issued an ultimatum for all those loyal to Sigmar and his cause to join him on his crusade north to put an end to Archaon before it was too late for the civilisations of Men. Many heeded the call, those of pure faith joining the fledgling army, both templars and commoners alike, though others joined simply out of fear of the coming invasion. The faithful Grand Theogonist led his Sigmarite followers north, hoping to intercept Archaon's horde before it reached the Empire. With the visions he received from his god, and the unbending strength of his faith in the God-King, Volkmar led this fanatical Sigmarite army into the icy tundra oblast of Kislev.
However, some within the Empire had doubts about this holy crusade, one of who was Emperor Karl Franz himself. Assuming the worst, by the 5th day of the next month, the emperor sent word to all his allies, requesting aid for his cause, and to come to a meeting in Altdorf later called the "Conclave of Light" to discuss the issue at hand. Many would answer the call, but such a gathering would take much time to accomplish.
After several weeks of tracking the forces of Chaos through the lands of Kislev, Volkmar and his fanatical army finally faced the hordes of Chaos in the lands just north of the Troll Country. Hoping to avert the coming assault that was already called the "Storm of Chaos" in the south, Volkmar attacked Archaon's large horde with his own fanatical Sigmarite warriors. Before the battle commenced, however, Volkmar issued a challenge to the thirteenth Everchosen to meet him in a single combat that would finally decide which of their gods was truly stronger than the others.
Volkmar knew that Archaon couldn't ignore such a challenge, for his position as Everchosen could only be maintained with the fear and respect of his warriors. Thus Archaon met Volkmar's host and did battle. The two armies clashed long and hard, each fighting with great zeal and faith. Volkmar on top of his War Altar of Sigmar led the charge to face Archaon, but as the Grand Theogonist charged the Everchosen, Archaon struck with amazing speed and seemingly slew Volkmar with a single stroke of his infernal Daemonsword, Slayer of Kings. The Everchosen battered the War Altar aside and proclaimed the duel his and that the Dark Gods had triumphed over Sigmar. Volkmar's body was left amongst the many others on the unnamed battlefield.
Though their leader had been seemingly killed at the hands of the Everchosen, the Sigmarite army fought on courageously, but after many hours, the fanatics, their morale and strength ebbing, were slowly surrounded and cut to shreds by the Chaos forces. Routed and broken, the retreating Imperial army, now commanded by the surviving Elector Count Helmut Feuerbach of Talabecland, was finally destroyed as the remnants of Surtha Lenk's Kurgan forces appeared on the battlefield and thrust their way into the retreating ranks of the Imperial soldiers. Almost all of the remaining Imperial troops died in the resulting massacre, but it was said that the Elector Count and a few others managed to escape, though none could confirm the rumours.
By the thirty-first day of the month of Brauzeit, news of Volkmar's demise had reached the ears of the people of Altdorf, and to mark his death, temple bells rang to mourn the passing of such a faithful leader and warrior of the Empire, taken from his people in this most dire time. Or so it seemed in that moment.
With Volkmar's death proclaimed, the Cult of Sigmar and the remaining Lectors of the Sigmarite clergy assembled from across the Empire to decide who would be the new Grand Theogonist of the God-King's church. After many days of much debate, Arch Lector Johann Esmer was elected to take Volkmar's place as Grand Theogonist Esmer III.
After the death of Volkmar and the coronation of Esmer III, the famed Warrior Priest of Sigmar Luthor Huss left the city of Nuln after a failed protest at the city's Sigmarite cathedral against Johan's coronation. Following this outburst against his rule, the new Grand Theogonist denounced the upstart Warrior Priest, forcing Huss to make his way to Ubersreik in the Reikland. Undeterred by the Grand Theogonist's opposition, Huss continued his persecution against Chaos in all its forms, beating back Chaos Cults and warbands of Beastmen that had risen from the Empire's forests.
It was during this time that word first came to Huss of an extraordinary boy living in the lands along the River Reik. This child was tall, blonde of hair, and powerful in strength. Having beaten back a horde of Beastmen using only two of his fathers' smithy hammers, the boy, named Valten, led the survivors of the attack and killed the Beastlord Rargarth in single combat. Eventually, Huss met with the young man, and saw in him the reincarnation of Sigmar himself. With Huss' aid, they managed to save the life of Stefan Wierde and began their march towards Altdorf.
To the north, the ancient Daemon Prince Be'lakor had finally broken free from his bondage to the Ruinous Powers after crowning Archaon as the new Everchosen. On that dark day in the Chaos Wastes, the Daemon Prince conjured up a great portal from which his ancient army of Daemons and mortal Chaos-worshippers would begin their own march south towards the Empire to aid Archaon in his bid for the destruction of the mortal world.
Conclave of Light (4th of Jahrdung 2522 IC)
"The Realms of Man must not fall. Our fate is intertwined with theirs, and if they fall, so too do we. For this reason, I taught their first masters of magic, and for this reason, we must not abandon Men, despite their barbarous ways"
- —Teclis, Loremaster of Ulthuan, during the Conclave of Light.
On the fourth of Jahrdung, Emperor Karl Franz hosted the grand Conclave of Light at his capital of Altdorf in the Empire. He had invited heads of state from across the Old World, to whom he explained the coming invasion of Archaon, and asked for their aid in repelling it. The first to arrive was Snorri Thungrimsson, envoy of the Dwarf Slayer King Ungrim Ironfist, who arrived at Altdorf's east gate in the early morning of the eighteenth of Jahrdung. After a lengthy discussion, the Dwarfs promised to lend their aid towards the beleaguered Empire.
By the thirtieth of that month, urged on by the Fay Enchantress and messengers from the Empire, King Louen Leoncoeur of Bretonnia declared a new Errantry War to aid the Empire against the forces of Chaos. Legions of knights from all across the kingdom gathered for the coming march, eager to prove their worth to their king and goddess, the Lady of the Lake. Many Grail Knights had dreams of this day and all began their march to the gathering at Montfort, determined to do their part to bring salvation to the realms of Men.
The last to arrive were the envoys of the High Elves of Ulthuan and Tzarina Katarin Bokha of Kislev. The High Elves pledged to assist the Empire in its time of need, as did the Ice Queen. At the Conclave of Light, plans for the defence of the Empire were laid out, and ancient alliances renewed. Coming alongside the High Elf delegation was the legendary High Elf Archmage Teclis. Teclis warned the gathered patriarchs of the Colleges of Magic that he had helped to found over two centuries before that now, as their ancestors had done during the Great War Against Chaos, the magisters would have to mobilise to resist this greatest of all threats.
To the north, Archaon and his great horde of Chaos-worshippers, Beastmen and Daemons breached the northern defences and began to close in on the Kislevite port-city of Erengrad. In an effort to stall the invasion, the tzarina sent three armies of Kislevites towards Archaon's host to ensure that the horde didn't cross the River Lynsk.
At first the armies of the Ice Queen managed to hold, but the horde's numbers proved too many, and eventually the three Kislevite armies were destroyed, leaving the path clear to Erengrad for the servants of the Dark Gods. Desperate to hold the city, the Kislevites made many modifications to its defences to ensure that the horde wouldn't be able to breach its formidable walls. However, Vignar, a Champion of Khorne from the Aesling tribe of Norsca, led his band of Chaos Marauders to blockade the port of the city, ensuring that Erengrad's inhabitants had no way to escape the coming assault.
Siege of Erengrad (8th of Sigmarzeit 2522 IC)
The first days of the siege of Erengrad by the forces of Chaos resulted in massive waves of Chaos-worshippers sent against the city walls, as well as a continuous bombardment from an array of Daemon-infused Hellcannons. In response to these attacks, skilled archers from a variety of Ungol tribes unleashed volley after volley of steel-tipped arrows against the advancing hordes, with cannon batteries unleashing barrages of shot, destroying droves of Northmen with every shot. Not wanting his rear exposed to the Kislevites, the Everchosen ordered a portion of his forces under the leadership of the Chaos Lord D'aggron the Exalted to lay siege to the city of Praag, and to continue on to the capital city of Kislev itself.
For nearly six days the siege of Erengrad continued until, finally, Archaon demanded of his warriors that the city was to fall by the seventh day. The battle began with another volley of hell-fire from batteries of Chaos artillery. Screaming hell-fire exploded from the maw of the infernal machines, streaking over the teeming mass of savage Northmen that filled the plains around the doomed city. Even from their location, the horde could see great destruction being wrought around the city, huge infernos gripping the buildings while masonry collapsed like sand before a wave.
After the murderous volley of Chaos fire was spent, the Chaos horde used catapults to launch massive boulders of pure warpstone into the city's streets, spewing uncontrollable, toxic green lightning. Soon after, war drums were sounded in perfect unison as immense siege towers were brought up, hauled by massive shaggy beasts, pushing or crushing aside those that got in their way.
The drum tempo began to beat faster and faster as hundreds of ironclad Chaos Warriors and fur-covered barbarians marched in formation towards the city. Chaos Sorcerers and cloaked Northmen shamans of all kinds began chanting their blasphemous spells and called down lightning to smite their foes on the battlements of Erengrad. Hundreds of misshapen Beastmen and mutants of Chaos marched beside the warriors only to be greeted by a murderous volley of arrows which felled them by the hundreds.
Finally, the horde once more swept against the city walls, crushing aside their fellows in a mass rush to come to grips with the enemy, climbing the steep walls with improvised grappling hooks. They were soon greeted with a shower of rocks and arrows, killing many outright, but the massive chains the Chaos Marauders carried allowed their comrades to climb the steep slopes and make breaches in several sections of the city's walls.
In response, massive arrays of cannon batteries began firing their projectiles at close range amongst the teeming mass of the Northmen horde, ploughing through rank after rank of Chaos Warriors. Finally, the siege towers reached the walls of the city intact, unleashing packs of Marauder Berserkers against the frightened Kislevite defenders. Many towers fell, and many more were crushed under the splintering crash of the infernal contraption, each killing as many of the defenders as every volley shot by the Kislevites.
The besieged fought on savagely, more out of fear then courage, but such was the overwhelming power of the Chaos host that they eventually faltered. The Everchosen then ordered in the infernal battering ram, Gharl Mortez, to tear through the northern gate. After a full hour of hammering, the ram bested the city's great gate. With an ear-splintering crack the ram burst through the Kislevite port city's north gate, unleashing the foul armies of the Dark Gods who came surging in through the gap.
As the fighting continued, the Chaos-worshippers parted as they saw their dreaded leader ride towards the doomed city with baleful eyes. The Everchosen cared not for this city, it merely stood in the way of his march towards his inevitable destiny. As he drew closer to the breached north gate, a hail of arrows struck the Everchosen in a futile attempt to end his life, yet a man like Archaon would never fall to mere mortal weapons. The arrows simply shattered against the unholy Chaos war-plate that was the Armour of Morkar.
As Archaon entered through the gate, he bore witness to a gruesome battle taking place where man and beast fought each other to the death. All around him bodies lay mangled and broken. The presence of such a dreaded figure on the battlefield as the thirteenth Everchosen was too much for the remaining Kislevite defenders and they fled in terror through the streets of the battered city.
Suddenly, a unit of noble Kislevite horsemen crashed through the remains of the northern gate into the Chaos armies on the blood-soaked plains. They battled past monsters and men, almost breaking through the enemy's ranks. But as the horsemen crushed a platoon of Gors, the ground beneath them suddenly imploded, leaving many of the Kislevite horses dead. From the darkness came a cadre of black-armoured Chaos Dwarfs, marks of evil on their axes and shields.
Soon after, in the distance, war horns roared to signal the Chaos horde's Norscan longships making successful landfalls in the harbour of Erengrad. The coastal batteries facing seaward roared to life, trying desperately to sink the Norscan ships before more made landfall. Every shot fired came with a splintering crash as a cannonball wreaked havoc upon the flimsy Northmen vessels, yet there were far too many to sink. The fearsome Norscan marauders all disembarked at the harbour and one-by-one the coastal batteries were silenced by a wave of tattooed bodies overwhelming the crew of the cannons.
As the city finally fell, Archaon gazed at the battered buildings surrounding him, his armies pillaging the riches of the city as the last of the Kislevite defenders' futile resistance was crushed even as he watched. His steed pawed the ground, anxious to join in the slaughter. The mighty Chaos Lord could feel the pleasure of the Ruinous Powers as they looked upon him and could feel their approval swelling him with their awful power.
His legions streamed over the uncontested walls, and many more poured forth through the shattered north gate, seeking out the last remnants of the defenders to quench their unrelenting thirst for blood. The city was ablaze, its intensity strongest in the harbour where the Norscans had landed and broken the last vestige of the defenders' courage. Archaon was grimly satisfied by the thought that this same destruction would soon be visited upon every city of Men in the Old World.
Battle of High Pass (13th of Sigmarzeit 2522 IC)
The day before the fall of the city of Erengrad, Archaon's Herald, the Chaos Lord Vardek Crom and his army of savage Kurgan warriors, made preparations to invade the eastern lands of the Empire through the High Pass. Blocking his way, however, was a massive horde of Greenskin warriors led by the Black Orc Warlord Grimgor Ironhide.
Having beaten every challenge presented to him, the battle-hungry Greenskin warlord had stationed his horde upon the narrowest part of the pass, forcing the Chaos army to attack him, hoping to face the infamous Vardek Crom in combat. With no other alternative, the Chaos horde rushed headlong into the mass of Greenskin warriors. As the sun rose from behind the Mountains of Mourn the two armies met. This would become the greatest battle that had ever been seen in the Dark Lands.
Within moments, the fighting became fierce. The two armies collided in battle, Men and Greenskins died in the hundreds, the Kurgan warriors fought for their lord Crom and their Dark Gods as if they had been possessed, while the Orcs and Goblins, indifferent as always to their losses, fought just for the sheer joy of battle and killing.
But this time it was the Greenskins that faltered. Never before had they faced Men who fought with such blood-rage. For every Kurgan warrior cut down, two or three were there to take their place, and there seemed to be no end to them. The Greenskins had finally met an opponent that was just as indifferent to losses as they were, an army of Men so unlike the weak Humans of the western lands. After hours of battle, with thousands killed on both sides it was the Orcs that were defeated and who fled the battlefield.
As the battle was raging Grimgor Ironhide was still looking for an opponent that could give him a challenge. All the Kurgan that he had faced and killed did little to satisfy his need for violence. Fighting in the thick of the battle he fought his way deep into the Chaos horde's lines, fighting and killing dozens as he raged about without finding a worthy opponent. Then he saw Vardek Crom. Like Grimgor, Crom easily bested any who faced him. Goblins, Orcs, Black Orcs, Orc Boar Boyz and Trolls all died to his sword and axe. Crom, too, was looking for an opponent that would test his skill. And then Crom saw Grimgor.
As each set eyes on the other, both knew they had finally met a worthy opponent. For hours they duelled as their two armies battled around them. Both gained the advantage at times but neither proved able to kill the other. As the sun began to set Crom and Grimgor pulled apart, each staring at the other with respect, wondering how to end the other's life. After several minutes of silence, Crom stepped back, lowering his weapon, signalling an end to their fight.
Grimgor at first howled in rage at the implied insult, wanting to continue combat. Yet as Crom continued to simply stand before the enraged Orc silently, Grimgor looked around for the first time since the battle began. All he saw was dead bodies everywhere and the army of Kurgan and the Warriors of Chaos staring down at him, his own army having long since fled eastward into the mountains. Looking back at Crom and the Chaos Warriors around him, Grimgor retreated slowly from the field, daring any to stop him. Once clear he turned and fled slowly south away from the High Pass. For the first time Grimgor Ironhide had been defeated. For the first time in his life, he had failed to master a challenge.
Grimgor's personal standard was almost captured during the battle. A Champion of Chaos was about to break it over his knee, when a Black Orc named Taugrek throttled the Chaos Champion with his bare hands, before claiming the standard and fleeing with the rest of Grimgor's army.
As the days passed and Grimgor proceeded to gather up his scattered forces, he felt the unfamiliar pangs of defeat eating away at his pride. He vowed that he would absolve himself in the eyes of Gork and Mork, the Greenskin gods. He vowed that he would gather together the greatest Waaagh! that the Known World had ever known, so massive and destructive that it would wipe away the stain of his loss to the Men of the North.
The Storm Breaks (23rd of Sigmarzeit 2522 IC)
"Sigmar was a weakling, and his Empire founded on falsehood. I shall destroy him and his false gods. The city of Ulric will burn and the memory of the upstart king shall be obliterated!"
- —Archaon, Herald of the Apocalypse and thirteenth Everchosen
Having beaten the last obstacle standing in his way, Archaon finally led his Chaos hordes into the lands of the Empire. In desperation, the Imperial State Armies began mass mobilisation of all available military assets towards the northern provinces. Upon the Everchosen's arrival within the borders of Ostland, the great Chaos force split up into four separate armies comprised of the mortal and Daemonic servants of each of the major Chaos Gods, each led by one of Archaon's four lieutenants, with the fifth and largest Chaos army, dedicated to Chaos Undivided, commanded by Archaon himself.
In an effort to bolster his devastated city's remaining defences, Valmir von Raukov, the Elector Count of Ostland, hired the famous Star of Victory mercenary company to aid in the defence of the provincial capital of Wolfenburg. Led by Captain Bruno Hauptleiter, a native of the city, these veteran warriors were the primary force holding the city against the hordes of Northmen that would flood onto its ruined streets.[5a] Yet, also standing in the horde's way were the Ostlander towns and villages of Kursk, Ferlangen, Zundap and Bohenfels. Though badly damaged, these small but stubborn fortified positions were the only obstacles holding back the dark tide that threatened to sweep Wolfenburg away.
The first engagement in the Chaos invasion of Ostland occurred in the small village of Kursk, where a mighty Imperial Steam Tank along with the village's local defenders miraculously held the village against several waves of incoming attackers. In response, Chaos artillery was brought up and began a heavy bombardment to remove the threat. To the south-east of Kursk, a massive Slaaneshi army sacked the town of Boven, but had unexpectedly bypassed the neighbouring town of Wurzen. This miracle came as a gift to the Baron of Wurzen, who had betrayed the layout of his neighbouring town of Zundap's defences to the Slaaneshi host as a sign of his "good faith."
The next day, on the 24th of Sigmarzeit, news began streaming in from the south that a mighty vanguard host of elite Bretonnian knights under the leadership of Duke Bohemond Beastslayer had broken through the treacherous Axebite Pass and begun a ceaseless march north to aid the beleaguered forces of the Empire. In Zundap, the soldiers of Count Valmir von Raukov were pushed to the west after their fortified position on the old Steam Mill was overrun by an unstoppable force of Dragon Ogres and Chaos Giants.
The fighting in Zundap continued for the next few days, with the town changing hands several times. In an effort to push the Imperial forces out, Styrkaar, a Champion of Slaanesh, began to mobilise his forces for a concentrated attack on their fortifications. During the fighting that resulted, a massive horde of Greenskin warriors suddenly entered the contested battlefield. Under the ruthless leadership of Grimgor Ironhide and his army of 'Ard Boys, the Black Orc warlord began to fight the Imperial and Chaos forces alike in his effort to reach Middenheim.
On that same day, the village of Kursk finally fell to the Chaos forces after the boiler of its defending Steam Tank ruptured, resulting in its total immobility and the destruction of the village's defenders without its stalwart protection.
By the 26th of Sigmarzeit, Northmen Chaos Cultists, Chaos Marauders, and Chaos Warriors of the Dark Gods began to pour in through the shattered remains of the city of Wolfenburg's walls, initiating what was later remembered as the Second Siege of Wolfenburg. As the Chaos armies surged into the streets of the fallen city, bands of courageous Imperial soldiers stalked its shattered buildings, ambushing isolated bands of Chaos troops from a variety of cellars and ruined passages before retreating once more. These hit-and-run tactics managed to stall the horde in the ruins of the city, buying precious time for those defenders further west.
At Bohsenfels, the defenders of that great Imperial fortress-city had managed to hold out against the relentless tide of Chaos Warriors assaulting its fortifications by retaining possession of the castle's well-stocked underground catacombs from a Chaos assault. However, the leader of the Chaos besiegers, Melekh the Changer, a Champion of Tzeentch, used the sacrificed lives of his troops as an offering to the Chanmger of Ways, gathering an immense amount of dark, magical power he intended to use against the fortress' Imperial defenders.
At the town of Ferlangen in Ostland, the initial successes of the Imperial defenders began to fade into memory when the hunters of Ostland were driven back towards their homes. Others had retreated to their lodges in the mountains, expecting the town to eventually fall to Chaos. The day after this retreat, the town's defences were weakened to the breaking point, and the generals of the Imperial command was torn about whether they should order fresh reinforcements into the beleaguered town to hold Ferlangen, weakening their defences in other areas, or to simply surrender the town to Chaos, which would cut off the possibility of any support coming from Bohsenfels Keep.
After nearly seven days of hard fighting, Count von Raukov ordered the Imperial defenders within the city of Wolfenburg to withdraw from the provincial capital and retreat towards their fortified positions at Castle Lenkster. Most obeyed the order and hastily retreated from the shattered city, but a few determined and vengeful souls stayed behind to continue their harassment of the forces of Archaon and his two lieutenants, Feytor, a Champion of Nurgle, and Haargroth, a Champion of Khorne. With the time bought by their sacrifice, the defences of Castle Lenkster were strengthened and refitted with new fortifications with each passing hour.
On the 29th of Sigmarzeit, the Champion of Tzeentch Melekh the Changer finally unleashed his potent sorcery upon the Imperial defenders of the northern approach to the Middle Mountains, using his Dark Magic to turn them against their brethren defending Bohsenfels Keep like men possessed. Eventually, Bohsenfels' garrison began to buckle under the relentless assault, and the remaining officers debated whether to withdraw their forces to the Imperial positions in Ferlangen.
However, by the 1st of Sommarzeit, Ferlagen had also fallen under the iron-fisted rule of Kordel Shorgaar, standard-bearer of Archaon the Everchosen. With their line of retreat cut off, the Imperial defenders of Bohsenfels were trapped. However, the delay at Bohsenfels had forced the other Chaos armies to halt their advance further into the Empire as their commanders awaited news of Melekh's victory.
Coronation of Valten (1st of Sommerzeit 2522 IC)
As the war ravaged the lands of the Northern Empire, terror and utter fear had gripped the once proud and loyal citizens of the Empire. Messenger pigeons from a variety of outposts and fortified garrisons all along the war-zones of the northern provinces had begun to flow into the capital city of Altdorf like a flood. Soon, the entire city knew that the mighty fortress-city of Wolfenburg had fallen, and that the lands of Nordland and Ostland were burning to the ground. The city was gripped in fear, and many decent folks of the Empire began to renounce their devotion to Sigmar, believing that the Empire was lost, and that Sigmar had indeed forsaken his people in their time of need.
However, to the south, a mighty horde of fanatical followers arrived at the city of Altdorf by the 1st of Sommerzeit. Luthor Huss, the now self-proclaimed Prophet of Sigmar, led this mighty host alongside the boy Valten, Sigmar Reborn, in their bid to see the Emperor and proclaim him as the reincarnation of Sigmar himself. By the time this army of Flagellants, Warrior Priests and Witch Hunters reached the outskirts of Altdorf, the great capital gates were immediately locked shut to them. Huss demanded entrance into the city, threatening the Reiksguard Captain guarding the entrance with holy retribution if he did not allow passage. Whilst the army stood outside, the nobility of Altdorf began a discussion about this issue with the Emperor and Grand Theogonist in court. Some believed that this was indeed Sigmar Reborn, coming to the Empire's side in their time of great need. Others, however, were filled with a sense of false hope and foreboding disappointment. This split between opinions forced the Court to continue its discussions for another three days, allowing Archaon to slowly make his way towards Middenheim.
However, the delay at Castle Bohsenfels had forced Archaon to react to the incompetence of Melekh the Changer and his Tzeentchite warriors. Archaon arrived in the twilight hours outside the besieged castle of Bohsenfels, and with him the dreaded riders of the Swords of Chaos. Fighting stopped as he immediately summoned the warriors of Melekh to pull back from the walls and hear his words. There are jeers from the defenders, loudest amongst them from the mercenaries that had initially been paid to hold the castle and yet now fought merely to survive. Archaon brought the curses of the gods upon the followers of Tzeentch for failing to take the castle, and as an example, five hundred warriors were ordered butchered by the Swords of Chaos. As the heads of the dead Tzeentch followers were piled onto a great pyre, Archaon confronted Melekh himself. Pleading for forgiveness, the Champions of Tzeentch watched helplessly as Archaon severed Melekh's head with one mighty sweep from his blade. A grim silence descended as Archaon commanded Melekh's son, the mutated Cyspeth, to leave only a holding force behind and advance through Ferlangen to the town of Nordbergbruche. With the death of his father, Cyspeth followed Archaon orders to the letter, allowing the remaining Imperial survivors of the siege to be able to live through this Chaos invasion.
With the Chaos armies on the move once more, Imperial forces at the fallen town of Zundap had retreated back to the eastern end of the bridge at the town of Struhelspan. The excesses Styrkaar and his army of Slaaneshi warriors indulged themselves after taking the steam mill at Zundap had allowed time for these retreating forces to gather themselves again and join the garrison at Struhelspan. When Styrkaar's vanguard army of demented warriors finally launched their attack upon Struhelspan, they found their initial assaults blunted from a barrage of devastating cannon and handgun fire, forcing the assault force back into the forest to seek cover. In an effort to bypass their defences, Grey Seer Verminous Fang and his host of Skaven warriors began putting into action a devious plan to tunnel under the river itself and assault the enemy from behind. Initial attacks on the bridge fortifications themselves were lacklustre and the men of Ostland and Middenland were able to strengthen their defences. Hearing about these failures, the Champion of Slaanesh and the rest of his Slaaneshi army marched from the ruins of Zundap towards the siege at Struhelspan.
With the fall of Ferlangen, another Chaos army, bolstered by Beastmen from the Middle Mountains, marched speedily along the pass from Ferlangen to the town of Nordbergbruche, the glimmering sides of the mountain's tallest peak, Nordberg, stretching above them. The scattered bands of hunters and Imperial troops present have managed to slow the advance for a few hours, however, they soon became outflanked by a force of Skaven that had been instrumental in the fall of Ferlangen, led by a Grey Seer named Skoll. Buckling under the assault, the town of Nordbergbruche began to break by the sheer ferocity of the Chaos attacks. Luckily however, entire companies of Dwarf warriors from the Middle Mountains few remaining Dwarfholds and mines lent their aid to the beleaguered warriors of the Empire, fulfilling their long-standing oath of brotherhood to the heirs of Sigmar's kingdom. However, with the aid of their Skaven allies, the Chaos forces managed to bypass the Imperial defences by going into underground tunnels underneath the Nordbergbruche, but Imperial and Dwarf forces quickly reacted to the exposure and began to halt their advance.
To the south of Norbergbruche, the fighting at Castle Lenkster continued as an Imperial strike force under the leadership of Lord Jared von Strudt prepared to defend against an assault brought upstream. Under the cover of a bombardment, Lord Jared, amongst others, fought a valiant defence against the Chaos forces until a sortie from the castle garrison pushed back the invaders. With his position being reinforced with the soldiers of Captain Kaufmann, Lord Jared then conducted a counter-attack that drove the attackers from the northern castle wall. Demanding its downfall, Archaon changed course towards Lenkster to put an end to all this himself.
Back in Altdorf, after nearly three days of constant deliberation, the court of the nobility of Altdorf was unexpectedly interrupted as Luthor Huss and his entourage managed to finally get inside the city after a Captain of the Reiksguard, filled with religious fear of Huss' declaration, disobeyed his orders and opened the gates. This incident eventually escalated to a small-scale civil war within the Grand Order of the Reiksguard, as those loyal to Karl Franz clashed against those Knights that believed Luthor Huss's claim that the boy Valten was truly Sigmar. Upon entering the Imperial Palace to meet the Emperor in person, people gathered by the thousands at the Coronation Square to hear what Karl Franz would do next. Those Elector Counts from the more southern realms truly believed that this boy was indeed Sigmar reborn, and wished him to receive the proper coronation as the heir to the Imperial kingdom, whilst Johan and his clergy supporters demanded the upstart to be denied such a declaration.
Threatened by the appearance of Valten, Karl Franz had a difficult decision to make. To spurn the young man would be to invite disaster from those who believed in him. To accept him would be to splinter the Empire when strong leadership was needed the most. The faith of his kingdom hung in the balance, but Karl Franz once more showed his skills as a true leader and bestowed a gift to Valten that would unite his people and quell such infighting. Karl Franz handed the young blacksmith boy the mighty warhammer, Ghal Maraz, and bestowed upon him the title of the Chosen of Sigmar, the spiritual leader of the Empire, much to Johan's dismay. As prince of the Reikland, Karl Franz once more took up the sacred Runefang of his forefathers and walked side by side with Valten as they and the entire Empire began to march north to face Archaon and end this Storm once and for all.
The Push Westward (4th of Sommerzeit 2522 IC)
"Hochland was once the Light of the East. Now its just embers."
- —A Hochland refugee
Though the threat of civil war had been averted and the whole of the Empire finally united under the banner of Valten the Chosen of Sigmar, it would still be many days before the mighty armies of Reikland, Averland, Stirland, and Wissenland reached the war-torn provinces of the north. As the men of the southern realms picked up old halberds and blunted swords to once more fight for their home and country, the lands of Hochland had begun to suffer as the war gradually moved the battlefield towards the forested regions of their homeland. To the East, Vardek Crom the Conqueror had managed to breach the first two defences built by the Slayer King Ungrim Ironfist, and had pushed his way towards the gates of the Slayer Keep itself.
To the northeast, an army of Dwarf Slayers and Kislevite horsemen were battling against the Chaos hordes of D'aggron the Exalted, fighting for control of the capital city of Kislev. To the West, Wood Elf warriors and Beastmen tribes hacked at each other with gruesome butchery as they fought for the dominion of the sacred woods of Athel Loren. But it was in the lands of the Empire where the true fate of this world truly lay, and it was there where Archaon sought to destroy the last vestige of courage the Imperials at Castle Lenkster still possessed.
However, the arrival of the School of Engineers' expeditionary force from the city of Altdorf greatly stemmed Chaos forces from crossing the treacherous river. Demanding its downfall, Archaon has brought up his array of Hellcannons to put an end to this stubborn defence. By the 8th of Sommerzeit, the bombardment of Castle Lenkster began. The air was ripped asunder by the tortured screams of the Imperials as the first arcane blasts from the Chaos Hellcannons screeched through the air, and impacted upon the keep’s formidable walls, shattering stone and flesh in equal measure. For half a day the infernal cannonade continued its deadly barrage, resulting in parts of the eastern tower crumbling to ruins and the northern walls being breached in several places. Yet despite this damage, Archaon held his forces back, waiting perhaps for some signal, some sign from the gods, that it was time to launch the final assault.
It was only by the next day that Archaon continued the bombardment once more, unleashing foul chemicals upon the walls above. Those defenders in the castle walls quickly fell to their knees gasping and spewing the contents of their guts over the battlements. Even the doughty Dwarfs that had raised their axes in defence of Castle Lenkster were afflicted by this strange malaise, their legendary constitutions no safeguard against the unnatural disease. Faltering, only the Imperial gunboat from the recently arrived Engineer Expedition managed to hold the bridge from Chaos forces. This allowed Count Valmir von Raukov to muster some semblance of a retreat from the rout that had threatened to destroy his forces, eventually forced to fall back towards Breder in Middenland after Archaon's horde overran the Castle by the 9th of Sommerzeit.
Just a few days behind the Chaos horde, Grimgor Ironhide and his army of Greenskin warriors were slaughtering their way towards Castle Lenkster, picking up odds and ends of tribes and warbands along the way in his efforts to prove himself mightier than Archaon by reaching Middenheim first. Orc and Goblin tribes from the Worlds Edge Mountains and beyond had begun to join en masse towards Waaagh! Grimgor, making daring attacks against the rearguard of Chaos forces heading further west.
Further south, a small force of Bretonnian Knights, the scouting vanguard of an even larger force of Knights under Duke Bohemond Beastslayer, reached the lands just south of the Middle Mountains. On their way to the Nordbergbruch, the cavalry force was intercepted by a force of Chaos Warriors of the Tzeentchite Warlord Asil Yarp, who unleashed a volley of Chaos fire from his artillery train of Chaos Hellcannons, scattering the brave knights to the wind. With this counter-attack foiled, the Imperials at the Nordbergbruch had lost their only hope of reinforcements, inevitably allowing Cyspeth and his Skaven allies to flesh out their latest strategy.
Around the 10th of the month of Sommerzeit, Imperial and Dwarf forces around the bridge of Norbergbruch were suddenly assailed from the far end by Skaven that had tunnelled around their defences. At the other side of the valley, Cyspeth and his coven of sorcerous allies unleashed raw chaos energies upon the Imperials holding the bridge, striking their enemies with a barrage of Chaos bolts and mutating them into twisted, mewling wrecks. The sheer ferocity and speed of the onslaught swept away their resistance, and within an hour the bridge was taken. With the path cleared, the Tzeentchite army and their allies moved eastward, eventually reaching the great Imperial Fortress of Brass Keep.
Imperial Counter-Offensive (11th of Sommerzeit 2522 IC)
As Count Valmir von Raukov and his Ostland army fell back towards the town of Breder after the Fall of Lenkster, the armies of Middenland and Middenheim moved eastward to reinforce the defences around the village of Esk. Upon his arrival, Count von Raukov established Breder as his new headquarters, mustering forces in an attempt to reclaim the fallen Castle Lenkster. But the forces of Archaon and Feytor had crossed the river in considerable numbers during the night, and dawn saw them advancing rapidly on Breder. Caught unprepared for this attack, the soldiers of Breder were hard-pressed to hold back the avalanche of howling warriors and roaring monsters that descended on their town, and Archaon, sensing victory, urged his warriors to press home whilst they held the advantage.
Siege of Middenheim Begins
In the city of Middenheim, under the hot midday sun, the troops of the Empire heard the clear blast of horns. The forest around Middenheim came alive with brightly coloured hats and magnificent pennants, and the sun shone from thousands of lance spearheads as the Knights of Bretonia formed up and charged. They threw themselves at the rear guard of the Chaos army, led by a shining figure on a majestic Gryphon horse, King Louen Leoncoeur himself. He threw himself straight into the heart of the Chaos line, surrounded by a tight wedge of Pegasus Knights. The minstrels of the realm will have their hands full in the coming weeks
As Boris Todbringer gave the order to retreat to the outer defences of Middenheim, and the Imperials, Dwarfs and Elves withdrew from Grimminhagen, a solid charge led by King Louen dispersed the pursuing Chaos forces. As the defenders began to rejoice, the air began to shimmer and the sky itself seemed to crumble like a corpse. A great lake of darkness spilled towards Middenheim, merging into ten thousand Daemons. Eyes glittered in the shadowy veil, and cruel laughter and nightmarish curses were carried on the hot wind to the retreating defenders. Waves of darkness engulfed the imperial army, and visible fear took hold within its ranks. Hundreds knelt and bawled their eyes out as a great, shadowy, winged figure rose into the air above the unnatural legion. It was the mighty Be'lakor and his godless army, marching on Middenheim with the Great Theogonist of the Empire chained to his war banner
In the battle that ensued, the Breton king and his knights fought a fierce battle against hosts of daemons. Protected from the evil spells of the Daemon Prince by the spells of the Lady, Louen stood to duel with Be'lakor. As the King of Bretonia fought bravely against the Dark Lord, an anguished cry rang out across the battlefield. Volkmar the Grim broke free from the chains that bound him to Be'lakor's banner, and with those same enchanted chains, he laid siege to the surrounding demons. Bloodied, but unharmed, the wounded Volkmar was freed on the back of the hippogriff Louen and taken to the Temple of Shallya in Middenheim
Having rescued the Grand Theogonist, Louen was later forced to lead a group of Errant Knights against an ambush set by Archon and his Swords of Chaos. Even with Leoncouer at their head, the young nobles had little chance against the most powerful Knights of Chaos. Louen and the brave Leofric were the only survivors.
After weeks of fierce fighting the attackers were bled dry by the strong defences of Middenland. Despite this, Archaon and his lieutenants began to attack Middenheim itself. The first attacks were successful and forced desperate counterattacks by the defenders to hold the eastern and western causeways.
However, the arrival of the Kislev and Breton allies began to tip the balance of victory to the defenders. Attacked by these armies from the woods and badly pinned down by the defenders' excursions from Middenheim, the hordes of the Dark Gods gradually went to pieces. The attacks of Grimgor and his companions further weakened Archon's army and pushed it back northwards. All the while the armies of Karl Franz and Valten, planning to break the siege, were getting closer.
While armies of Humans, Elves, Dwarfs and Daemons fought for Middenland, another enemy unnoticed by anyone was preparing for battle. The Skaven, always ready to exploit the weakness of the Empire secretly devised a diabolical plan known as the Supremacy Project. The thirteen Lords of Decay brought together the strongest clans of warriors, while the great clans put aside their animosities for a time to work together on a devious plan.
Clan Skryre constructed the Doom Hemisphere, a warpstone-powered device that was, as the Council of Thirteen was assured by the Warp Engineers, capable of destroying Ulricsberg and the city that stood atop the mountain. Unnoticed by the army commanders marching through Ostland and Middenland, the Skaven expanded their Under-Empire simultaneously with the fighting on the surface. At Zundap they occupied an abandoned steam mill, while at Middenheim a bloody siege provided ideal cover for them to penetrate the Ulricsberg with the Hemisphere of the Pernicious End.
On the sixty-second day following the incursion of Archaon's Chaos forces into the Empire, the armies of Emperor Karl Franz and Valten, the Champion of Sigmar, arrived at Middenheim and the battle proper began.
Battle of Sokh
Day One - Attack of Karl Franz
Emperor Karl Franz was followed by two of the Empire's greatest warriors -- Grand Marshal of Reiksguard Kurt Helborg (Grand Marshall of Reiksguard) and the Emperor's personal shaman Ludwig Schwartzhelm (Personal Champion). Helborg advised attacking Archaon's army as soon as possible, as long as it wobbled from the counterattacks of the Middenheim defenders. The Grand Marshal feared that Archaon could move further northeast and possibly even reach Brass Keep. If he succeeded, Archaon could fortify the castle and create a base for further attacks against the Empire. Karl Franz agreed with this point of view and ordered Helborg to lead the army to victory later that day.[4b]
Archaon withdrew the artillery range of Middenheim. Near the village of Sokh he waited for the attacks of his enemies. He knew that Valten and his righteous army of flagellants and priests were approaching from the east and decided to destroy the two main enemy forces one by one. If he allowed them to join together he would lose his numerical advantage and be outflanked.[4b]
And so, in the early afternoon hours, the Reiku Guard led the first strike against the Archaon army. Supported by artillery, they bravely withstood the fire of the Infernal Cannons of the Chaos Dwarfs from under Sokh and drove deep into Styrkaarr's hosts. Seeing the threat, the Archaon counterattacked, attacking not the Reiku Guard, but the infantry regiments that were coming with support. While Archaon the Lord of the World's End, slaughtered hundreds of soldiers, Haargroth cut off the retreat of the Reiku Guard. Helborg, in his tactical genius, saw the trap closing, stepped up his attack, broke through Styrkaarr's hordes and headed north as far from the battlefield as possible.[4b]
Archaon was satisfied and allowed the Imperial army to retreat, knowing that his enemies would be heartbroken by such resistance from a supposedly shattered enemy. He planned to head east for the next day and attack Valten while on the march.[4b]
Day Two - The Arrival of Valten
Believing the Archaon to be stationed near the village of Sokh, Valten and Luthor Huss hurried west with their armies. However, shortly after dawn, as the thousands were still gathered along the road, they were attacked by the Archaon. The magical powers unleashed by Cyspethr and his sorcerous rituals swept across the Old Forest tract. A wall of multicoloured fire incinerated and warped everything in its path. Horses and their riders melted together, while trees and stones were torn from the ground and whirling struck Sigmar's army in deadly rainbows of fire.[4b]
With his army engulfed in chaos, Valten did the only thing he could think of - he attacked. Protected by his armor of gromril and the spells of Teclis, Valten survived the terrible spell and charged into the heart of the Archaonic army. Accompanying him, Huss and the surviving priests began to battle the arcane magic unleashed by Tzeentchra's champions.[4b]
At first it seemed as if Valten was lost, standing alone against an entire army. Without even thinking of retreating or doubting for a moment he rode into the heart of the Chaos army with the burning Ghal Maraz in his hands. Archaon's personal band, the Swords of Chaos, rushed to stop the enraged Exalted by Sigmar, but they were struck down by Sigmar's Hammer and scattered.[4b]
In the midst of Valten's ill-advised assault, the frenzied hosts of deranged Flagellants surged forward, ignoring the shockwaves of magic tearing through their ranks. The Priests of Sigmar battled the howling followers of Khorner and the rotting warriors of Nurglea. The flickering pulse of the priests infected the foul hordes with the burning power of righteousness. The impure magic of Chaos caused the ground to throw up great mounds of flesh-eating worms, while burning blood began to fall from the sky, burning the bodies.[4b]
Amidst the carnage and the magical storm, Valten toiled to find Archaon. Valten was disappointed to find Kordel Shorgaar, the flag bearer of Archaon, at the head of the army instead of Archaon. Valten launched an attack to sever the head of the Chaos Champion Ghal Maraz, but the Chaos Gods used the banner of the Swords of Chaos to block the blow. The pattern of black magic on the banner absorbed the momentum of the Hammer of Sigmar. As the battle raged around them, Valten was unable to complete his attack and Shorgaar fled the battlefield to return to his master.[4b]
By nightfall the tract in the Old Forest had been cleared as far as the foothills of Sokh, thousands of followers of Chaos lay dead by the side of the road, their numbers rivaling the dead men fighting on Valten's side. In the darkness the fires of the encampments of the three armies were perfectly visible to each side. To Karl Franz, Archaon's camp seemed much smaller than that of the Empire's army. The next day, if the gods so willed, Archaon would be crushed and his invasion driven out of the Empire.[4b]
Day Three - Dark Warriors
Impatiently awaiting the end of the battle, Karl Franz ordered his generals to march at dawn to meet the greatly weakened Archaon army. As they advanced, the Hell Cannons (Hellcannons) rang out again, churning out magical energies. However, under the Emperor's watchful eye, the army marched forward.[4b]
From the east followed Valten and his warriors, now numbering only a few hundred. The Champion of Sigmar together with Luthor Huss walked at the head of the marching column. Seeing this, the Archon ordered the Hellcannons to fire upon Valten and a fierce barrage began, tearing through the land and filling the sky with magical smoke. During this heavy artillery fire, Valten was hit by a blast of infernal power. He was thrown into the air and his elven steed was torn to shreds. The warrior's face burned from crumbs of molten gromril, and his hair blackened. Valten rose from the smoking crater and marched forward on foot.[4b]
To the west, the air shone with an unnatural energy, and the sky rolled and swirled as if tortured by some invisible hand. The shadow began to gather in the woods and began to stretch towards Middenheim. From this great lake of darkness came jazzy squeaks and monstrous throaty roars. Blinding lights flashed in the darkness, and cruel laughter and nightmarish curses rose above the hot wind. Terror gripped the ranks of Karl Franz's army as the demonic army approached, and a dark, winged figure rose into the air above the legion from another dimension. The demonic being's wings were stretched to their maximum, and its claw-armed paw extended towards the Emperor. Berlakor ordered his legion to attack, cutting off Karl Franz and leaving Valten's decimated forces alone to fight the Archaon.[4b]
As if this were not enough for Valten, a new enemy appeared and surrounded his several hundred followers. Green-skinned warriors attacked Valten's army from the forests to the south. At their head, Grimgore Ironhide killed dozens of warriors with every blow. Ignoring this new threat, Valten and Huss gathered a handful of warriors and fought their way deeper into the Archaonic army in an attempt to bring them face to face with the All-Saint.[4b]
As the shadow of the Demonic Legion reached Karl Franz's armour, a blaze of white broke the wave of darkness. The glittering blades of three hundred Swordmasters of Hoeth (Swordmasters of Hoeth) rose and struck, ripping apart disembodied forms and tearing apart the immaterial bodies of their cursed opponents. Though the elves fought in unparalleled fashion, they were few in number, and any who fell were engulfed by endless waves of demonic claws, talons and blades. In the middle of the elven troop, in a circle formed by his devoted warriors, stood Teclis. Drinking to the bottom from his shining vial, he unleashed his power. Flames of luminous energy leapt from the ground and formed a hemisphere around the elven mage. Blinding in its brilliance, the magical fire expanded upwards and sideways, further and further away from Teclis. The Demons' squeals filled the air as the purifying fire banished them back to the Chaos Dimension. For a brief moment more, the elusive taint of darkness in the air remained, only to fly away and disappear a moment later. No Demon remained on the battlefield.[4b]
With his army fighting the Orcs, Valten, searching for Archaon once again encountered the Swords of Chaos. This time his enemy was there, riding on his Steed of Apocalypse, towering above his warriors. Archaon's company dismounted, making Valten's way to the Lord of the World's End. With a roar, Valten charged at his opponent with the rocking Ghal Maraz. The hammer crushed the magical form of Archaon's demon mount. The steed exploded with flames and smoke, and Archaon was thrown to the ground.[4b]
Valten dashed forward to seize the advantage and raised the Hammer of Sigmar above his head to strike a killing blow. A rasp filled the air as Archaon countered with the Slayer of Kings and unleashed the power of Urzhul. The blade pierced through the gromril armour and entered deep into Valten's abdomen. Slowed but not stopped, Valten continued his attack. The Ghal Maraz's head came off its target and hit Archaon in the shoulder.[4b]
Rising to his feet, the Lord of Time's End snatched the Kingslayer and struck again, slicing the comet-emblazoned breastplate in half and sending Valten to the ground. Through the blood of the serious wound on Valten's chest, Sigmar's mark could be clearly seen. Archaon staggered backwards along with his Kingslayer as if he had been stunned by a comet with two tails etched deep into Valten's body. Luthor Huss rushed at Archaon. His hammer caused a rain of sparks to strike Archaon's Chaos armour. A powerful blow to the side of the head caused Archaon to lose his balance and kneel down on one knee.[4b]
The next blow missed because the Lord of the End of Time raised his shield to block it, and the momentum of the blow knocked the hammer from Huss' fingers. The Chaos Champion struck Huss with a roar and, breaking his bones, threw the Prophet of Sigmar into the air. Monstrous battle roars rang out around the Lord of the World's End along with the shouts of his warriors. Standing to his feet, Archaon turned towards the next figure that appeared before him.[4b]
Grimgor made his presence known by slamming his green-skinned forehead into Archaon's helmeted face. Behind him his Harde Chopcs fought the heavily armoured Swords of Chaos. The Orks forged their way through Valten's forces to reach Archaon. With Middenheim out of anyone's reach, Grimgor was left with only one way to prove himself to Gork. Grimgor lifted Gitsnik with both hands, took a wide sweep cutting off the lower part of Archon's shield and sending Archon sprawling backwards.[4b]
Again the Kingslayer struck with lightning speed, but Grimgor was expecting a counterattack and parried it with the handle of his magic axe. The Black Orcs' leader placed his heavy-shod foot on Archaon's shoulder and wrested the demonic blade from his grasp. He struck twice with the Gitsnik amphibian on Archaon's head and then put the blade to Archaon's throat. The Black Orc raised his head and roared towards the leaden sky. rGrimgor is the greatest![4b]
The Orcs began to raise mighty cheers, deafeningly chanting Grimgor's name over the battlefield. Grimgor lifted Gitsnik above his head, roared and raised his fist into the air. Having proven his dominance, the Herst, along with his horde, moved south. Their shouts of victory were heard long after they had disappeared from sight.[4b]
Luthor Huss came to his senses and regained his horse. Putting Valten on the saddle, the Prophet left the battlefield, taking his master's motionless body away from the battle. He slowly made his way to Middenheim and took Valten to the Shallya shrine. Although Hussr's wounds were also serious he did not let anyone tend to them until Valten was taken care of. Only when the Mother of the Order (Abess) gave him word that Valten was alive did Huss collapse to the ground exhausted. His body was carried to the main chapel by Volkmar, who rose from his bed as soon as Huss arrived.[4b]
Outside, Archaon's warriors were dismissed to Sokh. They abandoned the Hellcannons and awaited the terrible battle that was to begin the next day.[4b]
Day Four - Assault of the von Carsteins
In Archaon's broken army, there still remained several thousand warriors reinforced by hundreds more coming from the south from Frote . At the head of the army was Haargroth and his bloodthirsty berserkers Khorner1a. The berserker champion stood and hurled curses at the approaching enemies after Karl Franz moved forward with his army. Although the Imperial army outnumbered the Archaon forces by several thousand, Kurt Helborg warned that victory would not be easy. His forces faced the veterans of the campaign: the toughest soldiers, the most brutal beasts and the most terrible monsters.[4b]
Imperial artillery began firing on Sokh shortly before midday, unleashing a rain of cartridges and shells on the village. Karl Franz vowed to compensate the villagers who looked at their crumbling houses. Many of them had to be forcibly restrained from cursing the gun captains as they fired on the village.[4b]
After nearly an hour the guns fell silent, which was not in the Empire's plan. Hidden from Boris Todbringer, the doubled forces of Khazrak One-Eye returned near Middenheim and struck the artillery from the forest side. Fierce fighting broke out there to hold the firing positions. The thunder of volleyguns and the terrible howling of Shaggoths carried across the battlefield. Knowing that his knights would be useless in the narrow streets of Sokh, Karl Franz ordered them to turn back and support the artillery while the infantry moved forward.[4b]
The Teutogen Guard Corps, commanded by Ar-Ulric, led the attack and was the first to reach Sokh. Calling for Ulric's support, Ar-Ulric struck left and right with his Skoll Hammer-Topor. Hargroth slammed into the Teutogen Guard and left a trail of severed limbs and chopped off heads. His axe crushed armour and bit into flesh and bone. Three dozen skulls were offered to Khorner before Ar-Ulric Valgeir moved forward. He launched a blow with the head of his blessed weapon at Hargroth's helmet, then drove the blade through Khorner's chest. With the name of his god on his lips, Ar-Ulric delivered a blow with the Hammer-Axe of Skoll at the head of Haargroth and killed him.[4b]
Very fierce fighting continued in the streets of Sokh. The numbers and training of the Imperial army succumbed to the ferocity and cruelty of the Northmen. In the afternoon the bleeding and broken regiments retreated from the battle, unable to gain any foothold in the village. More men joined the retreat when the sky on the horizon clouded over and thundered with unearthly lightning. Lightning tore through the black clouds. There was no doubt that some impure magic was at work.[4b]
In the complete darkness, sounds from the east could be heard, and in the flashes of lightning, metal shimmered and bones glittered. A red glow filled the space. As it expanded it revealed the gathered ranks of the Sylvanian army. Ragged banners fluttered, moved by unnatural breezes, while hosts of motionless warriors stood in the semi-darkness. At their head was Manfred von Carstein riding a skeletal steed with burning eyes. He was surrounded by a group of vampires and minor necromancer servants.[4b]
Having dismounted from his horse, the undead ruler of Sylvania took a few steps in front of his army and raised his hands in the air. As he began his incantation, the air above him began to swirl and the whispering chants of his servants grew louder. At the final incantation, Manfred put his hands together amidst the deafening sound of thunder. Lightning struck the battlefield, and where it hit, a small cloud of energy floated for a moment. Slowly, the thousands killed over the past four days began to rise to their feet. The undead Chaos Warriors raised their axes and mace once more, and the dead Imperial Halberdiers gripped the spars of their weapons.[4b]
The army of the undead, constantly augmented by incantations, fell upon Sokh and slaughtered everything it met on its way. In the face of such terror, the Archaon army was finally shattered and the survivors fled north. With Middenheim and Valten beyond his reach, Archaon knew he had lost. It is not known at what point in the battle he fell, but it is believed that he fled to the Middle Mountains and from there to the northern Chaotic Wilderness.[4b]
After the destruction of the Chaos army, Manfred turned his army towards Middenheim. While Karl Franz's terrified army was retreating under the eastern causeway, a single silhouette emerged from the ranks of the Undead. It was Mannfred himself, who slowly rode up on his steed and stopped a few dozen paces from where Karl Franz sat on Deathclaw, flanked by Kurt Helborg and Ludwig Schwarzhelm. The Vampire's voice rose above the tumult of the storm:[4b]
"As my father once called upon your ancestor, so will I call upon you. Surrender the city to me and you will be spared. Resist and you will all die."[4b]
A lone figure stepped out from behind the Imperial regiments and faced Mannfred. His bald head glistened in the light of the raging storm, and his long moustache flew across his cheeks in the howling wind. With crossed arms and furrowed brows, Volkmar the Grim stared into the Vampire Lord's eyes:[4b]
"Almost five hundred years ago, a man like me killed a monster like you. It can be done again."[4b]
Mannfred considered his options and looked at the Theogonist with a stern face. The vampire remembered well the sight of the Great Theogonist Wilhelm throwing himself from the walls of Altdorf along with Vlad von Carstein and impaling them both below. He also thought of his lands and the encroaching army of Vardek Crom. With a growl, Mannfred turned his nightmarish steed and rode east, his deadly army following him.[4b]
As night fell, the fields and forests around Middenheim were quiet, almost silent. For the first time in nearly three months, the sounds of war could not be heard.[4b]
After the Battle
Archaon's hordes brought misery and death to Ostland, Hochland and Middenland. Tens of thousands were left homeless and starving. Fields were burned and homes lay in ruins. After seeing the full force of Chaos many villagers went mad with horror and misery. The forests were teeming with soldiers and labourers who had forsaken their gods and given their souls to the almighty power of the Dark Gods.[4b]
Although Middenheim defended itself to the end, and Archaon's army was crushed, its remnants and herds of beasts roamed the northern Empire. Zundap was captured by the Skaven, who turned the old steam mill into a breeding ground for rat-like creatures. Brass Keep was now just an empty shell. Its dark recesses were the refuge of many mysterious beasts and perverse brigands and warriors of the Dark Gods gathered in ruined towers and dungeons.[4b]
Middenheim itself was devastated by Archaon's Hellcannons, and its dikes were completely clogged with corpses. Deep within Ulryksberg, the skaven Hemisphere of the Doomed End glowed brighter and brighter gathering the energy needed to detonate. The tunnels and corridors were swarming with skaven fleeing from the impending blast. Clashes broke out between them and the searchers and sewers who had taken up the dangerous task of exploring the underground after hearing tales of doomsday weapons in the catacombs.[4b]
In a flash of green light, the Hemisphere of Doom exploded, flooding the tunnels with waves of mutagenic energy, although the complex device did not explode at full power.[4b]
Humans and Skaven were infiltrated. Their bodies melted and their skin was covered in blisters from the deadly energy. Rocks melted and flowed down to open new caves and close old tunnels. Although its power has been unleashed, the Hemisphere of the Doomed End has not been completely destroyed and remains dormant, waiting to be used again somewhere deep within the maze of new tunnels.[4b]
Although the threat from Archaon's hordes had been averted, a new danger loomed in the Empire ; schism. While Valten lay in a coma in the temple of Shallya and Huss kept vigil by his side, the Great Theogonist Johannes Esmer arrived in Middenheim. Upon Volkmar's return, probably cursed with the taint of Chaos that was the source of his rebirth, voices were raised calling for Esmer to abdicate. However, the current supporters of the Grand Theogonist called upon Volkmar to officially support Esmer's election.[4b]
The few remnants of Valten's army, the crazed Flagellants and battle-hungry priests; began to riot at Middenheim and call for Esmer's departure. In the midst of these tense moods the priests of Ulric raised their voices, demanding a reformation of the Elector system, an eternal problem which was again raised.[4b]
Alongside all this, there was conflict over the person of Valten. There were voices calling for him to be proclaimed Emperor as soon as he is well enough. Other voices claimed that Huss' request was a mistake and pointed out that the serious wounds that Archaon had inflicted on Valten were proof that the blacksmith's son was no saint. With the Empire in chaos and with a weakened army, Karl Franz knew that law and order must be established as soon as possible. Robbery, self-righteousness and forbidden cults began to spread through the Empire. If this lawlessness continued, the Empire would fall into anarchy.[4b]
So the emperor conferred with his advisors, among them Volkmar and Esmer, about Valten. Bound by his duty to maintain his inherited rule in the Empire, Karl Franz had no desire to give up his position to Valten. However, retaining the position was tantamount to declaring Huss a liar. Who wouldn't want to see Sigmar reborn in the person of the new Emperor?[4b]
Esmer and Boris Todbringer asked for three days time to find a solution. Emperor Franz told them that anything they could do to avoid a bloody conflict would be greatly appreciated.[4b]
On the second day Karl Franz had a visitor. It was a weeping Luther Huss. He held tightly in his hands the Hammer of Sigmar. When the Emperor asked what had happened, Huss told him in a broken voice that Valten had been murdered. When Huss visited him, he found Sigmar's chosen on his bed, pierced by a shining green blade.[4b]
Shocked and unsure of what he was hearing, Karl Franz went to Shallya's temple to see for himself. The Teutogen Guard blocked the entrances, but allowed him to go to the chamber where Valten slept. There was no trace of him. There was blood on the bed and the floor. On the walls, an irregular triangle with a long and deep cut was carved in red. Huss asked what he should do. The Emperor taking the Ghal Maraz from Huss' hands looked around the room once more and then turned to Luther.[4b]
Go among the people and say that Sigmar has forsaken us, as he did many centuries ago. Give them hope in these bad times. Do not betray their faith. Tell them that he has left his hammer to me as a sign of trust and tell them that you are still his prophet and will wait for his coming again when we are in need.[4b]
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the great Storm of Chaos, many minor events took place that brought stability or destruction to other parts of the Empire and the other realms of the Old World. All of the events listed below happened within the span of one year following the war's end.
Archaon’s Horde had spread misery and death across Ostland, Hochland, and Middenland. Tens of thousands were homeless and starving. Their fields had been burned, and their homes were left in ruins. Confronted by the full horror of Chaos, many were the folk who had been driven insane through terror and misery. The forests were crawling with soldiers and peasants who had abandoned their gods and bartered their souls to the all-conquering power of the Dark Gods.[4b]
Though Middenheim had been defended to the last and Archaon’s horde was shattered, the remnants of warbands and Beast Herds still lurked throughout the northern Empire. Zundap was overrun with verminous Skaven, who had turned the old steam mill into an unholy hive of rat creatures. Brass Keep was just an empty shell. Its dark corners were home to strange beasts and twisted spawn, and the warriors of the Dark Gods gathered in its ruined towers and cellars.[4b]
Middenheim itself had been scarred by the Hellcannons of the Everchosen, and its causeways were choked with the dead. Deep in the Ulricsberg, the Doom Hemisphere of the Skaven emitted light an energy as it gathered power for detonation. The tunnels and corridors were teeming with Skaven as they fled the coming blast. Skirmishes erupted between them and the adventurers and sewer jacks who had ventured into the depths after hearing tales of a doomsday device within the catacombs.[4b]
With a blast of greenish light, the Doom Hemisphere exploded, flooding the tunnels with waves of mutating energy, though the intricate device did not fully explode. Men and Skaven were twisted inside out. Their bodies melted, and their skin was blistered by the baleful energies. The rocks themselves melted and ran, opening up new chambers and sealing old tunnels. Though its power had been unleashed, the Doom Hemisphere had not detonated fully and now sits dormant, awaiting activation once again, somewhere deep in the twisted maze of new tunnels.[4b]
Even as the threat of devastation at the hands of Archaon’s followers passed, a new danger rose up within the Empire – schism. With Valten lying comatose in the temple of Shallya and Huss maintaining a vigil by his side, the Grand Theogonist Johannes Esmer came to Middenheim. With Volkmar returned, but possibly cursed by the taint of Chaos that had been the source of his rebirth, there were calls for Esmer to stand down. However, the current Grand Theogonist’s supporters called for Volkmar to bless Esmer’s appointment.[4b]
The few survivors of Valten’s army - crazed Flagellants and battle-hungry Warrior Priests – began to stir up trouble around Middenheim and called for Esmer to leave. In the midst of this confusion, there was a growing voice among the priests of Ulric for there to be reforms in the Electors, the ancient arguments resurfacing in the wake of the conflict.[4b]
And at the heart of it all, there was growing strife over Valten. There were calls for him to be named Emperor once he recovered. Others maintained that Huss’s claim was false and pointed to Valten’s grievous wound at the hand of Archaon as proof that the blacksmith’s son was not divine. With the Empire still in disarray and his armies much reduced, Karl Franz knew that law and order needed to be restored as quickly as possible. Looting, lynch mobs, and dark cults were beginning to spread across Middenland. If lawlessness were allowed to continue, the Empire could be lost to anarchy.[4b]
So it was that the Emperor consulted with his counselors, among them Volkmar and Esmer, regarding what to do with Valten. Still bound by his duty to the Empire to maintain the rule he had inherited, Karl Franz was loath to give up his office to Valten. However, keeping his office was tantamount to declaring Huss a liar. Who would not see Sigmar reborn as the new Emperor?[4b]
Esmer and Boris Todbringer asked for three days to find a solution. Emperor Franz told them that anything they could do to halt the impending internecine conflict would be welcome.[4b]
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.[4b]
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.[4b]
"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."[4b]
The Empire
The Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar Esmer III fled to Marienburg before Volkmar the Grim returned to Altdorf. There wasn't much support for Esmer among the clergy of the Sigmarite church, but he still claimed to be the rightful Grand Theogonist and spoke out against Volkmar. When Volkmar returned to Altdorf he took over command of the the Templars of Sigmar (a force of witch hunters and templars originally created by Esmer). Volkmar gives them even more rights within the Empire to hunt down the hidden servants of the Dark Gods who lived among the Men of the Old World likes wolves among sheep.
Archaon's great Chaos horde had spread misery and death across the Imperial Electoral Provinces of Ostland, Hochland, and Middenland. Tens of thousands were homeless and starving. Their fields had been burned, and their homes were left in ruins. Confronted by the full horror of Chaos, many were the folk who had been driven insane through terror and misery. The forests were crawling with soldiers and peasants who had abandoned their gods and bartered their souls to the all-conquering power of the Dark Gods. Though Middenheim had been defended to the last and Archaon’s horde was shattered, the remnants of warbands and Beast Herds still lurked throughout the northern Empire. Zundap was overrun with verminous Skaven, who had turned the old steam mill into an unholy hive of rat creatures. Brass Keep was just an empty shell. Its dark corners were home to strange beasts and twisted spawn, and the warriors of the Dark Gods gathered in its ruined towers and cellars.
It is little surprise that Boris Todbringer has led the White Wolves and the remnants of the forces of Middenland into the south and west, seeking a sign of Khazrak's whereabouts. His search is cautious, though, for he knows well the dangers of fighting in the Drakwald.
Helmut Feuerbach, Elector Count of Talabecland, survived the failed attack against Archaon with Volkmar the Grim in 2521 IC. But he has not returned from the battles of the Storm of Chaos and is now feared dead. With him also disappeared the Knights of the Red Shield (the Elector Count of Talabecland's personal bodyguard).
Vampires from all of the known the bloodlines have suddenly "awoken." Many among their ranks believe that the legendary time of the Age of a Thousand Thrones is near.
Two powerful Beastmen have arisen among the scattered tribes of the Drakwald -- Shaman Urslak Cripplehorn and Gargorath the God-Touched. Shaman Urslak's plan is to cast a mighty ritual that will transform everyone living in the forests of the Empire into Beastmen using enchanted menhirs as foci for the magic. Gargorath's herd was huge by the end of 2522 IC, when he moved them against Imperial forces.
The dreaded necromancer Heinrich Kemmler has returned to the lands of the Empire. He remained unseen and disguised until such time as he finally decided to strike.
Athel Loren
As the winds grow chill and the first fingers of autumn grip parts of Athel Loren, Orion begins to weary of the hunt. He has retreated to the Great Hall to feast and celebrate his great victories of the summer, his exploits now retold in the songs and dances of his subjects. Winter comes soon and the Time of Dying, and before the cold touch of snow falls upon the mystical forest of Athel Loren, Ariel bends her will to healing the lands despoiled by the Beastmen. The forest itself has claimed many victims, the blood and flesh of fallen mutants nourishing the magically-charged soil of Athel Loren. The haunting melodies of the Dryads and the bass rumblings of the Treemen echo through the boles of the trees, singing of the long depredations suffered at the hands of the kin of Morghur and the joy of victory.
But in the shadows, a few twisted beasts still lurk, fearful of the woods and the shadowy warriors within, but with ancient hatred burning in their hearts. Vanquished, cowed by the fury of the Wood Elves, they slink through the guardian stones, taking out their petty anger on villagers and livestock, retreating back to the Vaults and the Forest of Chalons. It will be a while before the fires burn bright at the herdstones again, for there are hundreds of warbands that will no longer fight, dozens of shamans who will no longer bring the blessings of the gods. But Morghur still remains, and while he lives, the Beasts will forever turn their jealous eye towards the enchanted realm of Athel Loren.
Badlands
The Greenskin hordes are on the move once more. Many tribes from the Worlds Edge Mountains and in the Border Princes and Badlands will cause much trouble in the near future attacking southern and eastern provinces of the Empire, Dwarf Holds and Border Princes.
New World
Fearing assault from the north while her son, the Witch King Malekith, fought on Ulthuan, the Dark Elf Sorceress Morathi sought to embrace the coming of the Chaos legions and turn them to her own ends.[2b]
With Malekith utterly fixated upon reclaiming Ulthuan, Morathi was concerned with the amount of energy this ongoing war was draining from the Druchii nation. Morathi decided the time was right to revive the Cult of Slaanesh to become a significant power once more. Though the Hag Queens believed that they had suppressed the Cult for years, almost stamping it out utterly, this was merely an illusion, and the growth of the Cult dramatic. The power of the Convents of the Sorceresses had grown strong in recent years with their increasing involvement with the Cult of Slaanesh.[2b]
Seeking to strengthen the Cult, Morathi travelled far to the north. Borne upon the back of her Dark Pegasus, Sulephet, and accompanied by a coterie of Sorceresses also riding swift, flying steeds, she soared through the darkness over the mountains and forest. They flew on past the great spires of the northern watchtowers that marked the border of their realm. Yet still they flew on, pushing far into the enemy territory of the savage Chaos tribes known collectively as the Hung.[2b]
Eventually, Morathi and her coterie directed their steeds to land upon the tainted soil in the midst of a great gathering of warbands. An enormous fire burned at the heart of the gathering, around which sat the warlords and chieftains. The grim northern warriors clutched their cruel weapons tightly as the female Elves leapt lightly from their saddles, and gracefully walked through the campsite. None dared to halt their progress, for all could feel the power these strange, lithe women wielded as they made their way to the centre of the gathering.[2b]
The warlords rose from their council to confront the interlopers. The savage sorcerers of the tribes gasped as they saw the beauty of Marathi; the eye of the great god Slaanesh, who they knew as Shaarnor, was upon her, proclaimed the mystics. In their eyes, the favour of the Prince of Pleasure coiled around her like a serpent.[2b]
In a spectacular, orgiastic ritual, Morathi summoned sixty troupes of six Daemonettes, and bid them descend upon the tribe's main Kurgan rivals. The Daemonettes ripped through the Kurgan warbands with insouciant ease, and the warlords swore their oaths of alliance with the Dark Elf Sorceress. So it came to pass that Morathi allied herself with the tribes that had been previously raiding the borders of Naggaroth. Word of her alliance spread throughout the Hung tribes, to whom she became known as the Consort-Queen of Shaarnor.[2b]
Dark Elf Lokhir Fellheart loots the sunken ruins of the Lizardmen Temple-City of Chupayotl and finds the Helm of the Kraken.
Morathi has heard rumour that Hellebron has moved against the temple of Slaanesh that is now found in Naggarond, and is returning to the capital of Naggaroth to see off the Witch Queen's challenge. It is likely that the encounter will be bloody, as followers of both sects seek to dispose of their rivals. A potential civil war could erupt if the situation is not brought back under control.
There are rumours of the dreaded Dark Elven Black Ark in the western parts of Sea of Claws few months after the war.
Notable Events
- 2520-2521 IC - Be'lakor, in his new guise as the Dark Master, seeks to escape his curse once again: Be'lakor regains his sanity for a brief time, as a new chosen warlord of Chaos, Archaon, approaches. Before the rising warlord is ready to fulfill his destiny, Be'lakor makes one more attempt to escape his curse. Be'lakor senses the awesome power of Albion's Ogham Stones and realizes that, with these sources of magic, he could finally claim the Crown of Domination for himself and break Tzeentch's curse. Be'lakor corrupts some of the Truthsayers, protectors of the Ogham Stones, and sends them out as Dark Emissaries to gather the Ogham Stones' power for himself. Truthsayers and Dark Emissaries both seek allies and escalate the conflict. Ultimately, Be'lakor's bid for power is thwarted, but he absorbs just enough magic from his attempt to stave off his madness. His mind now focuses on revenge. Rise of Archaon, Lord of the End Times. A former Templar of Sigmar, the man who would become Lord of the End Times ends the quest he began over a century ago. Archaon wrests the six Treasures of Chaos from their guardians and proves himself worthy to become the Everchosen, Champion of Chaos. Archaon faces further tests to retrieve the final Treasure, the Crown of Domination, and bests each challenge the Chaos Gods issued. Finally, Be'lakor is forced to crown Archaon as Lord of the End Times. Archaon thirsts for revenge against the Empire, and so, his first command rang out to his followers. Archaon ordered them to gather their strength before heading south and taking war to Archaon's homelands. Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim dies in battle against Archaon. Seeking to end Archaon's threat before the Everchosen can amass an unstoppable army, Grand Theogonist Volkmar gathers a force and utters a challenge to Archaon. The Everchosen accepts, but Volkmar miscalculates his opponent's power. Archaon triumphs, slaying the Grand Theogonist and leaving his broken body behind on the bloody battlefield. A new Grand Theogonist is chosen; Luthor Huss meets Valten. With Volkmar dead, a new Grand Theogonist is chosen to take his place. Johann Esmer, however, is nothing like his predecessor and angers some members of the Sigmarite church with his secular interests. Luthor Huss is particularly enraged by Esmer's policies and is eventually denounced by the Grand Theogonist for speaking out against him. Huss wanders for some time before encountering rumours of a blacksmith who fought off a Beastmen attack. This blacksmith turns out to be Valten, a young man with the sign of the comet as a birthmark on his chest. Luthor Huss believes he has found Sigmar reborn in Valten and finds his faith renewed and stronger than ever.[4a]
- 2522 IC - The Conclave of Light: Karl Franz hosts a grand Conclave of Light at his capital of Altdorf and invites heads of state from across the Old World to a conference where he explains the situation of Archaon's invasion and asks for aid. The Dwarfs and High Elves pledge to assist the Empire in its time of need, as do many others, such as the Tzarina of Kislev. At this Conclave of Light, plans for the defence of the Empire are laid out, and ancient alliances are renewed. Crom the Conqueror arrives in the east as the Herald of Archaon: Vardek Crom, the self-titled Herald of Archaon, leads a massive army of marauders out of the Dark Lands toward the Empire, only to find his path halted by Grimgor Ironhide and his Black Orc army. The two forces clash in an epic conflict, ending in defeat for the Orcs. Grimgor and Crom duel in single combat, stopping only once Grimgor's army has fled. Grimgor abandons the battlefield to Crom, vowing revenge and leaving the way open for the Chaos Marauders to pass through the mountains and fall upon the Empire. Only the Dwarfs of Karak Kadrin could blunt Crom's advance. Valten and Karl Franz meet. Threatened by the appearance Valten, who Luthor Huss and many others believe to be the living reincarnation of Sigmar, Karl Franz has a difficult decision to make. To spurn the young man would be to invite disaster from those who believed. To accept him would be to splinter the Empire when strong leadership was needed most. The Emperor comes up with a compromise that satisfies all parties and gives the hammer of Ghal Maraz to the young blacksmith without surrendering control of the Empire. United, the two leaders now turn their attention toward the threat of Archaon. Archaon's forces make a deal with Throt the Unclean. A marauder tribe that displeased Archaon is given to Throt the Unclean as test subjects for the Skaven's unclean experiments in creating new and foul forms of life. In return, Archaon's forces are bolstered by some of Throt's creations. From this unholy pact, the Flayerkin join the Chaos hordes. Morathi eeaffirms her ancient pact with Slaanesh. Seeking power and a way to dominate the Druchii nation of Naggaroth, Morathi travels far to the north accompanied by many of her favoured Sorceresses. In the Chaos Wastes, Morathi reaffirms her ancient pact with Slaanesh, and with the power of her Daemonic patron, takes over a tribe of marauders known as the Hung. Morathi takes her forces (including her allies from the Chaos hordes) south toward Lustria, seeking ancient artifacts of power from the temples of the Old Ones. Be'lakor resurrects the dead Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim. Marching at the head of a legion of Daemons, Be'lakor pauses on the battlefield where Archaon killed Volkmar. Sensing a means to assert his superiority over Archaon, Be'lakor draws forth his most ancient magics and drags the Theogonist's soul back into his body. Returned from death, Volkmar is chained to Be'lakor's battle standard, where the priests screams will unnerve the enemies of Chaos.[4a] Tilean mercenary regiments fought alongside General Pavian at Krasicyno and held the line for three hours straight. Later General Albertalli of Luccini led the charge against the Kurgan line at Mazhorod in 2522 IC. Alongside the armies of Stirland, Talabecland, and the Ice Queen, Albertalli fought at Urszebya against the hordes of Aelfric Cyenwulf in 2522 IC.[1b] The Fall of Miragliano. A massive Skaven force from the Blighted Marshes crushes the defending mercenary army and sacks the city of Miragliano. The disgraced former Imperial Count Leopold von Stroheim - once an aspirant to the lordship of the fledgeling province of Neuland on the island of Albion - led the remnants of the defeated force through the Blighted Marshes until cornered and destroyed by a force led by Warlord Quickpaw and Grey Seer Squelch. Skaven plot new attacks against the weakened Empire in the north.
Notable Participants
- Aislinn - Admiral of the High Elven fleet deployed from Ulthuan to aid the Empire against the Forces of Chaos. For many generations the Norse will tell of the White Ghost, the Sea Spectre, the Mist with Fangs. Lord Aislinn and his warriors of Lothern have been ruthless in their patrols of the Sea of Claws, slaying thousands of warriors destined for the coasts of Nordland and Kislev. It is unsure whether Aislinn and his fleet have returned to Ulthuan, where they are needed to support the war against the Druchii – the terror amongst the Norse tribes that he is still prowling the waves is enough now for the seas to be free of their longships. How long the fear remains cannot be judged, and perhaps as soon as the next summer, the Dragonships and Hawkships of Ulthuan will be sorely missed.
- Albertalli - Leader of the Tilean mercenary regiments that fought alongside General Pavian at Krasicyno during which Albertalli's countrymen held the line for three hours straight[1b] and later led the charge against the Kurgan line at Mazhorod in 2522 IC. He is described as a dark-haired man with swarthy skin, his moustache waxed in an elaborate upward curl.[1a] Alongside the armies of Stirland, Talabecland, and the Ice Queen, Albertalli fought at Urszebya against the hordes of Aelfric Cyenwulf in 2522 IC. He and his huge, greataxe-wielding, Tilean sergeants defended the standard of Luccini as they made a brutal counterattack against the Kurgans. He himself wielded a heavy sword alongside his halberdiers, only to replace the thing mid-battle (having left its dull blade inside the enemy's groin) with a fallen halberd of his own. This weapon would also be lost after its tip snapped off inside the belly of a horned, dog-headed beast. Before he could fire with his personal flintlock, the general's head was torn off by the bite of that very same creature.[1c]
- Alexi Makarev - Boyar Alexi Makarev, having fought valiantly in the defence of Middenheim, rided with all speed to his homeland to assist in the reclamation of Erengrad, and on to the fighting still raging at Praag. Having disobeyed the wishes of the Ice Queen and ridden south to the Empire, it remains to see what reception he will receive.[5b]
- Archaon - The Everchosen, the "Lord of the End Times," Champion of Chaos Undivided and leader of the Swords of Chaos warband. Archaon is the Everchosen, the supreme champion of the four Great Gods of Chaos who led the last terrible Chaos incursion - known as the Storm of Chaos deep into The Empire. According to rumours, he was once a zealous Templar of Sigmar, devoted to battling the menace of Chaos. He read ancient manuscripts written by Necrodomo the Insane, which contained blasphemies about the religion of Sigmar and the nature of Chaos. Screaming in rage, he called the gods liars and burned down the temple and manuscript. He then hunted down and killed his entire family. Adopting the name Archaon, he travelled north towards the Chaos Wastes. He is known as the greatest Chaos Warlord to have ever lived, doing feats that even surpass that of previous Chaos Lords, even that of the Dreaded Chaos Lord Asavar Kul. He is also the instigator and bringer of the Storm of Chaos, having fought and killed his way through the trial's the Chaos Gods has sent him. He himself has bested Greater Daemons, deadly monsters, and scaled great feats of power and determination that the gods finally bestowed him the title "Lord of the End Times" and giving him the complete control of all Chaos Worshippers in the Warhammer World. He was last seen in the Siege of Middenheim, where he lost against Grimgor Ironhide. His fate is unknown.
- 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. Before the time of Men, Elves or Dwarfs he was the first mortal Chaos Champion to be elevated to the glorious title of Daemon Prince, and some say was considered a Demi-God among men. His pride however ensured that Be'lakor's will consider himself an equal of the Gods, which incurred their wrath. His fate is unknown.
- Borgut Facebeater - An Orc Nob and Grimgor Ironhide's second-in-command. He and Grimgor were present during the chaotic battle of High Pass, where tens of thousands of Greenskins and ten-times the amount of Chaos Worshippers fought savagely. He was last seen with Grimgor after the war.
- Boris Todbringer - Elector Count of Middenland and considered an unsurpassed warrior and general. He and the Al-Ulric were in charge of the defence of Middenheim, and the armies sent to protect it. After the war, the Elector Count was responsible for repairing and rebuilding his ravaged lands and to ensure the Chaos taint removed from the lands surrounding Middenheim after the siege.
- Deathmaster Snikch - the most deadly and skilled Skaven assassin to have ever lived. Sniktch is a member of the Council of Thirteen, a covenant of all the major leaders of the whole Skaven race, where he is the supreme leader of the feared Clan Eshin, a cadre of the most skillful and dangerous skaven assassins in the world. Thought to have been the assassin of Valten.
- Ar-Ulric Emil Valgeir - High Priest of Ulric, and the central authority in the Cult of Ulric. He is bestowed the greatest seat of power in the cult, having almost as great an influence and power as those of other Elector Counts. He is also an extremely exceptional warrior, as the Cult of Ulric values valour and power above all else, which would make the priesthood of the religion nothing more than pious wolf-furred warriors. He fought and defeated Archaon's Lieutenant Haargoth the Bloody, Champion of Khorne.
- Emperor Karl Franz - Karl Franz, also sometimes styled Karl-Franz or Karl Franz I, Protector of the Empire, Defier of the Dark, Emperor Himself and the Son of Emperors, Elector Count of Reikland and Prince of Altdorf (formal titles) is the current Emperor of the Empire of Man, the Elector Count of Reikland, the Prince of Altdorf and the greatest statesman and general the Empire or perhaps the entire Old World has seen in many centuries. Karl Franz, who was elected to the Imperial title in 2502 IC and inherited it from his father, is acclaimed as a patron of the arts and science, as a military innovator and as a valiant general. Thanks to his tireless efforts on the behalf of its people, the Empire has flourished during his reign as never before: the Imperial Engineers School in Altdorf has grown, the Colleges of Magic have thrived and his armies have marched from victory to victory, most recently during the terrible events of the Storm of Chaos. The Emperor frequently takes personal command of his troops, wielding Ghal Maraz, the fabled magical warhammer given to Sigmar himself by the Dwarf king Kurgan Ironbeard over two thousand years ago, or his Runefang sword, and riding atop Deathclaw, his Griffon mount of many years.
- 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 and War-Mourner of Karak Kadrin, 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. His fate after the battle is unknown.
- Haargroth the Blooded - Once a simple goatherd of one of the Graeling tribes, Haargroth was chosen by the god Khorne for great and power. As a young lad, he happened upon a beastkin warlord and in a rage, killed him with his own axe. By chance, the weapon was marked by the Blood God and set Haargroth on the path to glory. He took control of his tribe by sheer strength and will and dedicated himself solely to the worship of the Norse warrior-god. Haargroth led his tribe to many victories, assimilating many of the other clans of Norsca to his banner and annihilating those who would not join him. The fearsome reputation of his raiders became such that his tribe was later termed as 'the Slaughterers of Haargroth'. Haargroth even led his fellow Norscans on daring and bloody longship raids, despoiling the Empire, Kislev and even the mangrove-lined shores of Lustria to the south. Eventually, while raiding in the Chaos Wastes, Haargroth came into battle with Archaon himself. Howling and thanking his god for finally sending him a worthy adversary, Haargroth fought Archaon, but even the Norseman could not prevail against one so favoured by all four of the Chaos Gods. Haargroth was laid low, but Archaon was sufficiently impressed with his skill to offer him leadership of one of his armies. Haargroth accepted the offer, becoming one of Archaon's Four Lieutenants. He was slain by Ar-Ulric Valgeir during the Battle of Middenheim.
- Johann Esmer (Esmer III) - The weak-willed Grand Theogonist of Sigmar, Esmer was central in the opening phases of the Storm of Chaos. He was a very corrupt and unpious Theogonist, who was later removed from power after the return of Volkmar, the former Theogonist. He was last seen fleeing towards the port-city of Marienburg.
- Kordel Shorgaar - One of Archaon's lieutenants and the standard bearer of the Swords of Chaos.
- King Louen Leoncoeur - The Duke of Couronne, one of the mighty Grail Knights and the penultimate warrior-King of Bretonnia. Louen took the Questing Vow when he was a young prince. He travelled across the realm of Bretonnia and into lands beyond, displaying such courage and honour that he earned the epithet Leoncoeur or "Lionhearted."
- 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. He was also credited for finding the reincarnation of Sigmar, Valten. Once founded, he lead Valten towards the court of the Emperor himself, along with an army of Peasants and religious fanatics. There Valten was proclaimed "Exalted of Sigmar" and Huss granted the title "Prophet of Sigmar". After the war he would to become the new Theogonist of the Sigmarite Cult.
- 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. He was also central in the Storm of Chaos event, as he himself managed to stop the Chaos armies coming in from the east to invade the lands of Stirland and Averland. He and his army destroyed the remnants of Crom's army that managed to bypass the Dwarfs of Karak Kadrin.
- Melekh the Changer - An Aesling blacksmith and warrior whose wife died in childbirth, after the tribal sorcerer, known as Gaerkoll attempted to use his magic to ease the birthing process. Gaerkoll's drunkenness caused his spells to spiral out of control and instead cause the infant within the woman's womb to mutate, thus did Melekh father a monstrous mutant for a son. Seeing this as the sign of favour from Tzeentch, the chieftain ordered much feasting in Melekh's and the child's honour. Melekh was later charged by Gaerkoll to journey into the Chaos Wastes and learn the true name of a Lord of Change. He accomplished this task and later returned to his people, and found his son had murdered the shaman outright, allowing his father to take leadership. Thus an ancient prophecy was fulfilled of father and son uniting and the old falling by the hand of the new -- recognizing this, Archaon rode down and offered both champions of Tzeentch leadership of one of his hordes.
- 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.
- Styrkaar - A Chaos Champion of Slaanesh and chieftain of the Sortsvinear tribe, Styrkaar gained much fame from daring longship raids on the southern lands and against the Kurgan tribes to the east. From birth he shared his body with a daemon of Slaanesh and merged with it after gaining the title of chieftain by killing his own father in single combat. Styrkaar was later recruited by Archaon the Everchosen to lead one of his armies.
- 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.
- Ungrim Ironfist - The "Slayer King", or more properly, the King of the Dwarfhold of Karak Kadrin. Even as Slayer King Ungrim heard the great gates of Karak Kadrin slamming shut once more, he was brought news of the death of his son, Garagrim. It was too much to bear, and through the ancestral debt to his people had been lifted, Ungrim once more renewed his Slayer oath, to avenge his fallen son and to atone for his defeat. It was a bitter king that brooded upon the dragonbone throne of Karak Kadrin that night.
- 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.
Notable Armies
Chaos
Empire of Man
Kislev
Greenskins
Dwarfs
Dark Elves
- Dark Elf army of the Witch King Malekith
Vampire Counts
- Army of Sylvania (Vampire Counts)
Bretonnia
- Bretonnian Armies of the Errantry War
Skaven
High Elves
- High Elf Navy and Ulthuani Sea Patrol (Lothern Sea Guard)
Game History
The Storm of Chaos was originally a monumental narrative campaign crafted by Games Workshop for the Warhammer setting, unfolding in the real world during the summer of 2004 in the northern hemisphere.
At its core, the campaign invited players of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Mordheim, and Warmaster to record the outcomes of their battles on the Storm of Chaos website. A tactical map of the northern Empire served as the focal point. Upon submission of battle results, one army would be designated the attacker, while the other took the role of defender. Depending on the outcome, either the attackers or the defenders would gain territory on the map, along with occasional supplementary advantages.
Several sources like the 2nd and 3rd Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, along with many novels and White Dwarf articles, have built in time a huge narrative that spanned from the conflict to the further years aftermath of the conflict.
The numerous sources that have expanded Warhammer lore since the Storm of Chaos campaign describe an alternative narrative to that covered in the now canonical End Times of the setting. The Storm of Chaos and all the events of its aftermath are now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.
- Storm of Chaos - The main rulebook for this 7th Edition worldwide narrative campaign.[2]
- Darkness Rising: The Complete History of the Storm of Chaos - An in-universe background book that provides a complete chronicle of the campaign as well as events leading up to it.[8]
- Warhammer Fantasy 7th edition - This edition, as well as campaigns during it like the Nemesis Crown, takes place in the aftermath of the Storm of Chaos.
- The Ambassador duology - This duology consisted of the novels The Ambassador and Ursun's Teeth by Graham McNeill.[1]
- Guardians of the Forest - A novel by Graham McNeill.
- The Mark of Damnation duology - Consisting of the novels Mark of Damnation and Mark of Heresy by James Wallis.
- Schwarzhelm & Helborg duology - Consisting of the novels Sword of Justice and Sword of Vengeance by Chris Wraight.
- Reiksguard - A novel by Richard Williams.
- The Matthias Thulmann trilogy - Consisting of the novels Witch Hunter, Witch Finder and Witch Killer by C.L. Werner.
- The Blood on the Reik trilogy - Consisting of the novels Death's Messenger, Death's City and Death's Legacy by Sandy Mitchell.
- The Blackhearts trilogy - Consisting of the novels Valnir's Bane, Broken Lance and Tainted Blood by Nathan Long.
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition - Roleplaying game set in the aftermath of the Storm of Chaos campaign.[5]
- White Dwarf - The White Dwarf short stories narrated between volumes 268 and 293 were set during the Storm of Chaos campaign.[6][7]
Sources
- 1: Ursun's Teeth (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- 2: Storm of Chaos (7th Edition)
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Corruption (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 10
- 4: stormofchaos.uk.games-workshop.com (Website)
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
- 6: White Dwarf 266
- 6a: pp. 17-22
- 7: White Dwarf 268
- 7a: pg. 85
- 8: Darkness Rising: The Complete History of the Storm of Chaos (Background Book)
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: The Enemy Within (RPG), pp. 32-53
- Warhammer Armies: Chaos (7th Edition)