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The following is the response from Josh Reynolds, author of part of the End of Time pentalogy, to fans interested in knowing what happened to the regions and factions that were only mentioned in passing in those books. They are not considered official material because they were not published by Games Workshop, but we find it interesting for fans to have access to them anyway.

Disclaimer[]

Josh Reynolds is the author of the two novels "Return of Nagash" and "Lord of the End Times", either the first and the last novels of the End of Times. On the author's blog, a comment points out that in this capacity, Josh Reynolds is the “death bite” of all the characters and peoples of the world of Warhammer.

In these novels, J. Reynolds tried to cram allusions or wrote some cameos for many characters in the world of Warhammer, but could not quote them all, due to lack of time, and because he did not have a list of all characters. He also reveals that a novel was planned on the siege of Averheim and was finally canceled, depriving him of several scenes he had planned. It is therefore quite naturally that the readers of his blog asked him a few questions about events not described in the novels or in the playbooks. The author played the game with good grace, and finally wrote , in the form of short answers to these questions, many answers which are here compiled, reclassified and translated.

While Reynolds has an excellent knowledge of the world of Warhammer, his answers are not always complete or correct. Sometimes he deliberately leaves a blur, sometimes he mixes his brushes, sometimes his writings are contradictory with other pieces of official history. As far as possible, I corrected these small errors, and put in footnote the explanations of what was corrected.

Finally, it is important to note that Reynolds' interlocutors did not content themselves with questioning him on official figures, but also on lesser-known armies such as Estalia or Nippon, and on the unofficial figures of these peoples. army books by Matthias Eliasson.

Sadly, the game of questions and answers came to a halt when Games Workshop asked Josh Reynolds to stop playing with their intellectual property, and no longer answer questions about Warhammer. Maybe one day the original text will disappear from the network, but this document is there to keep it in memory. I replaced the links to the different fragments used in the footnote, as long as these links work you can refer to the original text.

Here is therefore a compilation of apocryphal texts on the End of Times, completing the account given in the official books. As their author Josh Reynolds indicates in his blog, they are in no way official and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop, but they do have the merit of existing and being written by the man who wrote the last novel. taking place in the world of Warhammer, before the End of Time.

The History[]

The Invasion of Archaon[]

End Times- Archaon

Archaon

I have gathered here the events related to the invasion of Warriors, Demons and Beasts of Chaos in the Old World only. The Skaven invasion is treated separately, and the war in the east is also recounted in another chapter. Rimefrost was assassinated by relatives of the previous Jotun leader, Yagamir, because he too refused to join Chaos. The remaining Jotuns joined Valkia's hideous crusade against the Karak of the Nordic Dwarves. The Blood Queen led the bronze legions of Khorne against Karak Drak. Although the dwarves resisted for several weeks, it was in vain: no reinforcements could come and no escape was possible. Eventually the fort fell, and the few survivors could only retreat into the ancient caves beneath the fort and from there into the underground ways. It is said that many Jotuns perished during this siege.

Norsca[1][]

The Chaos troops descended from the north in the early days of the invasion, and ravaged everything in their path.[2]

The tribes of Aeslings, Vargs, Sarls, and Baersonlings were mobilized by various Chaos Champions, including Haargroth the Blooded, Valkia the Bloody, and Gutrot Spume. Some like Beorg Bearstruck and his Bearmen were delighted to join such a large army,[3] others were not. Eric Red Hatchet the High King refused the reduction of his authority, and received from the hand of the Promise of Khorne a death worthy of a hero. Valkia wanted to slaughter Red Ax's jarls, but Ravenswyrd stopped her.

After Red Ax's death, many of the Norse tribes revolted against the forces of Chaos, once and for all refusing to limit their sovereignty. Part of this discontent crystallized around the enigmatic Sturmjarl, who directed his magic against that of the gods themselves, and met his fate during the ravage of Ejsgard, where it is said that Khorne himself crushed the mountain in the summit from which Sturmjarl had chosen to fight.

Drenok Johansen was one of those who refused, like Sturmjarl, to serve the Gods of Chaos. The bearer of the Great Ax slaughtered the servants of the Blood God by the hundreds as they attacked him on the mountain slopes of Clan Icefang. He eventually fell in battle to the blows of demon prince Kastragar Stymir.

Rimefrost was assassinated by relatives of the previous Jotun leader, Yagamir, because he too refused to join Chaos.

The remaining Jotuns joined Valkia's hideous crusade against the Karak of the Nordic Dwarves. The Blood Queen led the bronze legions of Khorne against Karak Drak. Although the dwarves resisted for several weeks, it was in vain: no reinforcements could come and no escape was possible. Eventually the fort fell, and the few survivors could only retreat into the ancient caves beneath the fort and from there into the underground ways. It is said that many Jotuns perished during this siege.

Other jarls and champions like Keorl Thunderhand, bowed to Haargoth and Valkia after seeing Red Ax's fate, and feared the consequences for their people if they refused. Keorl led the Sarls to the siege of Kraka Dorden. The Thunderhand met his fate on its snowy slopes, when he led his jarls in an attack on the eastern gates of the fort, and suddenly found himself in front of the fort's drake cannons, cleverly concealed under a thin patch of ice on the mountainside. The Thunderhand alone survived the blaze, but fell under the axes of the dwarven defenders. Keorl's death nearly resulted in the loss of her tribe, ready to flee, but Ravenswyrd held her back lest all these men end up under the blade of Khorne's Legion.[4] Kraka Dorken held back the Storm of Chaos better than Kraka Drak, but eventually gave in, when Valkia's legions crossed the mountains to the city gates.

Khorne's Promise repeated her feat to Kraka Ravnvake, who also resisted at first, but bowed under the assault. Ravenswyrd was last seen in Kraka Ravnvake, facing off against the Dwarven Rune Priests on the southern slopes on Fort, before a large explosion sent. This section of the mountain crashing into the valley below. Isolated, Kraka Ravnvake could not resist, and those who could fled to the Undrim Ankor, where they joined the growing throng retreating towards Sjoktraken.

Kraka Onsmotek was destroyed from within, although no one knew if this was the work of the enemy or the dwarves themselves. Anyway, no one escaped to tell it.

The port of Sjoktraken, though it stood firm in the face of Khorne's fury, fell under the blows of Gutrot Spume's plague fleet. Jora and Bjorn also fought Chaos, allying themselves with the dwarves of Sjoktraken, and holding the position against the Legions of Blood. Jora herself perished in Valkia's wrath, but Bjorn was so enraged that not even the Blood Queen could stand up to the great bear. Bjorn remained like this for hours, protecting Jora's body, until Blood Drinker Skarbrand swooped down on him.

Satisfied with the toll of skulls and beards collected, Valkia turned her attention to Naggaroth, as, silently, a fleet of dwarf dreadnoughts sank into the depths of the Frozen Sea.

Kislev[5][]

Kislev

Kislev's Map

After conquering Norsca, Archaon's vanguard set out to conquer Kislev. In 2522, Grimgor grew weary of slaughtering the Skaven of Malefosse, and came out of his galleries to face the Chaos Champions who presented themselves. He had already slain quite a few when Vardek Crom the Conqueror, Herald of Archaon, entered the fray. Their duel lasted for hours, and only Vardek Crom's perfect martial mastery kept him up against the brutality of the orc and the magical power of Gitznig. In the end, Crom disarmed the orc, who realized while he was alone, his troops slaughtered. In an incomprehensible gesture, Crom spared Grimgor Ironhide, who, boiling with rage, set off for the Haute Passe at is to rebuild his army, and form the largest Waaagh! ever seen.[6]

Praag was the first Kislevite town to fall.[7] Despite Ilja of Mordova's best efforts, the Troll King refused to die, and his great bear was crushed at the foot of the city walls. Throgg killed Ilja then established his ice palace in Praag, satisfied to finally be king of a city to his measure. He was unaware then that Gotrek, the famous mercenary, would end up finding him there.

Erengrad fell under the maritime assault of the fleet of Gutrot Spume, which bombarded the port from its ships with filthy projectiles which spread pox and infections. In a few days, the city was doomed.[8]

At the battle of Kislev, Count Mordrek the Damned decimated the Gryphon Legion. Its captain, Tordrimir Lubovasyn, was devoured by the monster that emerged from his steed, Serafima Quixana, after the Earl wounded the animal in the head with his sword. Countess Gabriella, sent to Kislev by Neferata to look for her protege, Ulrika, as well as the other Lahmianes who had fled Kislev and Erengrad, discovered the extent of Archaon's legions and returned to the Empire to warn her mistress.

When Kislev fell, the Ice Queen was not in town. His army had led a counteroffensive further inland, and had not returned in time to defend the city. In Urszebya, the army of Tzarina Katarin Bokha had put an end to the invasion started the year earlier by Aelfric Cyenwulf, but the general of the Empire, Kaspar von Velten[10], and much of the Kislevite army had perished. On her return, she discovered her ravaged city, and could not escape from the net of the Chaos army which was closing in on her only by the sacrifice of the last charge of the Ungols, led by Stepan Rasin, who opened a breach in the enemy army. Rasin was taken aback by the lance of a Chaos Knight.

Katarin set out again towards the south and the Empire, to discover a new frontier: the Golden Bastion, erected by the magic of Balthasar Gelt in a few weeks, now cut him off. With the small group that still remained by her side, the Czarina joined Erengrad, discovered there the horror of what her population endured, and almost boarded an imperial ship which was still anchored in port when an army of beastmen attacked the city. The Tzarina then remained behind to protect the flight of the last Kislevites who fled towards the Empire, as well as Thyrus Gormann, the patriarch of the Bright Order who had joined the Kislev to bring hope there. It is said that a storm of ice and fire blanketed the city, and was still raging when the world died out.[11]

The Chaos hordes then descended towards the south, and gathered at the foot of the Golden Bastion, looking for the slightest loophole to finally force the passage to the Empire.[12]

The Glottkin Invasion[]

1280x1024 Glottkin

The Glottkin

The Chaos troops were stopped at the Golden Bastion for a time, but the fall of Balthasar Gelt caused the wall to collapse. Then the Glottkins launched their invasion.[13]

Roland le Marechal perishes while facing the monstrous champion of Nurgle named "the Knight variola", during the invasion of the Glottkin in the Lost Country and the adjoining lands. This Smallpox Knight was subsequently killed by Archaon when he attempted to usurp his authority.[14]

When Gilles le Breton reappeared - and took back the throne - Bretonnia was already on the brink of disaster. The plagues of Nurgle had ravaged the population, and the dead in the loose were a danger to those who remained. Chaos Raiders cut their way inland from the northern coasts, while the Skaven crossed the Irrana Mountains from the south.[15]. With a heavy heart, Gilles sent his best, most valiant knights, to strengthen the Empire, and prepared to save what he could of his kingdom.[16]

After uniting the herds, Malagor urged them to converge on the Empire[17]. Along the way, the Beastmen laid waste to the woods where the forest goblins were hiding. Snagla Grobspit and her giant spider confronted them, and ended up like a delicacy in Taurox Brazen Bull's stomach.[18]

Nurgle's troops devastated everything in their path. Wolfenburg was razed by the Maggoth Lords, and its Count Valmir von Raukov slain. In Nordland, it was Gutrot Spume who devastated Salzenmund, Theodoric Gausser was killed in combat.[19]

During the battle of Altdorf many heroes perished. If we know the fates of Louen Leoncoeur, Kurt Helborg or Festus the Leechlord, others less famous, like Prince Luitpold[20] or Markus Wulfhart[21], were also killed. Feytor the Tainted, one of the lords of the Glottkins army, also perished in Altdorf, at the very hands of Karl Franz[22]. As for Serpent's Tongue, which had joined the Glottkins' service, it was destroyed when the Emperor purified Altdorf[23].

One of the Maggoth Lords, Orghotts Daemonspew, suffered the same fate, when his semi-demonic nature was reduced to ashes by the magic of the Incarnation of Heaven. After the Battle of Altdorf, the surviving Nurgle troops fled. Among them, Bloab Rotspawned was hunted down by Elspeth von Draken and the Sons of Shallya, an order of knights devoted to the goddess of healing. The Lord of Chaos killed all the knights, but Elspeth's magics, greatly enhanced by the Wind of Death, were far too powerful for Bloab Rotspawned and his demonic mount.[24]

Albion[25][]

Albion map

Map of Albion

As war ravaged the Old World, Albion was no less shaken. The Oracles and the Dark Emissaries were caught in a never-ending war. As events began to spiral out of his control, Be'lakor took it upon himself to hunt down, with the help of the Emissaries, the surviving Oracles. Then he abandoned the Emissaries to their fate, some joined Chaos gangs, others vanished into the confusion of the End Times.

Albion herself was destroyed, in the tidal wave that followed the destruction of Ulthuan. Its entire population perished, and only a few individuals who were not on the island escaped, such as Hengus the Druid and the two giants Bologs and Cachtorr, as well as a few oracles and emissaries who were at war.

Bretonnia[26][]

400px-Bretonnia

Map of Bretonnia

Only a few of the following challenges and acts of heroism were known, as one by one the provinces fell. Bordeleaux and the other coastal provinces, including Couronne, were swept away by a massive invasion, led by Slaanesh's chosen son, Sigvald.

The city of Aquitaine was attacked by the host of Styrkaar des Sortsvinaer, Sigvald's lieutenant. As the latter ravaged the coast, Styrkaar and his bodyguards engaged Duke Gilon and his knights, and the aged Duke fell under Styrkaar's blade. His son, Sir Richmont, managed to rally his father's remaining forces, and after rescuing Iselda from the newly erected Vandred the Cruel Pleasure Lodge, withdrew in hopes of fortifying the city of Aquitaine. There they were joined by Agravain the Just, who came to lend his sword for the defense of the city.

Vandred laid siege to Aquitaine, while Styrkaar continued east. The city resisted for a fortnight, before the Three Reds - specially trained siege giants bought from the Dawi Zharr - were unleashed on the city walls. As the giants destroyed the wall and the forces of Chaos penetrated it, Agravain led his men in a counterattack, and settled two of the monsters, before the third crushed him between his black steel claws. . Sir Richmont encountered Vandred in single combat as the city burned, and killed the Chaos Lord, though the latter's blade pierced his heart. Even then, Iselda's magics nearly managed to turn the situation around, before she was outclassed by the powers of Secret Keeper Amin'Hrith.

Meanwhile, Ushoran the Stryge had taken Mousillon. The ghoul tribes that lurked beneath the city rose up at his call, and the debased knights who ruled the city joined him in exchange for the Blood Kiss. The Strygany had migrated west, through the Gray Mountains, and with them came the survivors of the ancient Strigos, including the infamous Black Prince Gashnag. A new kingdom, smaller than Strigos, arose, even as Bretonnia crumbled under the onslaught of Chaos.

Gilles withdrew to Parravon with his surviving forces, while Mousillon fell into the hands of the Undead and Brionne and Carcassonne were overrun by the Skaven. Fort Gaudaron held out for several weeks under the command of the Grail Knight Sire Amalric de Gaudaron, but in the end he also fell. Amalric fell back to Brionne, but was intercepted by the Skaven, and assassinated by agents of Clan Eshin.

It was then that Abhorash arrived in Mousillon, having carved his way through Araby and Estalia with a handful of chosen followers. Ushoran and Abhorash repelled many attacks on Mousillon, but even they could not hold the city indefinitely. The Stryge proposed to retreat to the ghoul galleries under the city and there to fight the Skaven. But, eager to protect his new kingdom, he asked Abhorash to bring a proposal of alliance to Roy Gilles. Abhorash decided to take his warriors and all the blood knights who wanted to follow him to break the siege of Parravon and finally honor his debt to Gilles.

Bastogne was the next duchy to fall. Druid Hengus and the two giants Cachtorr and Bologs, who had escaped the shipwreck of Albion as they were in the Old World at that time, had joined Duke Bohemond's fort before it was besieged by the forces of Chaos. Hengus and the Giants fought side by side with Tristan the Troubadour, Julius the Jester, and the Bane Scourge himself against a massive army of beastmen. Bologs was the first to fall, after a battle against a massive Ghorgon. Cachtorr was next, buried under the walls of the fort, in a futile attempt to prevent them from falling on Hengus' unconscious form. Sad was the last to die, his heroic voice silenced forever by the cruel bite of an ax. The Scourge of Beasts rallied his people and began to retreat.

Quenelles was ravaged by the dead, Skaven, and Chaos during the End Times. With its Duke fighting in the Empire, the duchy was guarded by William of Grenouille, who, although valiant, was no match for the monstrous Sigvald and his beastman allies. Aloys de Montjoie died in the ensuing siege, one more victim for the opportunist combat eunuchs of Sigvald, while the Lord of Chaos cut William to pieces in a duel. Quenelles was reduced to ashes. The survivors made their way to the Massif Orquemont, led by Elanor, who sought an unlikely sanctuary for her people in these mountains. They were pursued by the Beastmen, who had ravaged Bastogne, while Sigvald led his forces east, towards Parravon.

The siege of Parravon saw the death of Bertrand the Brigand and his company. The Brigand planted a blessed arrow in the eye of Soul Eater, Amin'Hrith, and the Keeper of Secrets demolished the ramparts of the walled city, burying Bertrand under debris. As the demon scrambled towards him, Bertrand hauled himself out of the rubble, stepped over the bodies of his loyal companions, and prepared his last arrow. With his ultimate shot he pierced the demon's guilty brain and freed the souls of the dwarves of Karak Vlag who were imprisoned there, the spirits ravaged the ranks of Host Slaaneshi before vanishing into nothingness.

The siege of Parravon thus lasted several weeks and the only respite was when the dead from Mousillon finally arrived, led by Abhorash, and breaking the lines of Chaos. Abhorash killed Styrkaar, Sigvald's lieutenant, allowing Gilles and his remaining knights to lead those in the mountains to the Abbey of La Maisontaal.

There, they found the lahmian Genevieve, who had crossed half the world to find a haven in which to hide. The abbey, half rebuilt by Abbot Bagrain after Arkhan's attack a few years earlier, was the target of both Skaven and Slaanesh's warriors and demons.

These were no longer led by Sigvald, recalled by Archaon to Middenheim, but by one of his lieutenants. But the two immortals, Gilles and Abhorash, were tireless and talented warriors, and no one managed to pass their defense.[27] La Maisontaal was still undefeated when the world was drawn into the Realm of Chaos.

The End of the Empire[]

Empire Map 2502 IC

Map of the Empire

When Nuln was destroyed by the Skaven, old Harald helped Countess von Liebewitz escape the city, and escorted her to Wurtbad, where he mobilized troops to defend it.[28]

More than a year after the battle of Altdorf, the Emperor decided to evacuate the city, permanently besieged by the Skaven, and made indefensible because of the

walls already broken by the previous battle. Valten covered the Emperor's retreat with a daring sortie that deflected the enemy, then continued on to Middenheim.[29]

When Archaon presented himself to Middenheim, he was accompanied by many champions. Among them, Beorg and his Bearmen took part in the battle, and pursued the Templar Wendel Volker, bearer of Ulric's power, when he escaped from Middenheim. Volker killed Beorg in the ruins of Wallengertz, and the knights and state troops fighting with him dispersed the remaining Bearmen.[30] The battle of Middenheim saw, in addition to those of Valten and Gregor Martak, the death of many heroes, among which Vorn

Thugenheim[31] the bearer of the Great Banner of the Teutogens, and the mercenary Voland and all his band of knights.[32]

As for the Countess Gabriella, who had fled Kislev at the advance of Chaos, she found a new way to escape from Middenheim to reach this time the edge of Bretonnia, not without having pushed one of Archaon's generals. , the Chevalier-variola, to revolt.[33]

Kaleb Daark, Malal's only Paladin, continued his tireless task of destroying Chaos from within. He hunted down Archaon's lieutenants, killing them one by one. His presence became so annoying to Archaon that she pushed the Lord of the End of the Times to leave his throne of Middenheim to deal with the renegade himself.[34]

Altdorf deserted, the Chaos troops advanced into the Empire. Vilitch's army easily took Wurtbad, where Harald, the Countess of Wissenland's faithful companion, was killed. No one knows if the countess managed to reach Averheim or not. During the Battle of the Stir, Count Alberich Haupt Anderssen of the Stirland was killed, thrown by a huge Chaos Troll into the river, where he drowned.[35]

The Mask of Slaanesh wandered the world dancing and destroying at will. Like Azazel or the Changeling, she was less interested in fighting than in causing damage when the mood took her. She was still dancing in the ruins of Wurtbad when the world crumbled...[36]

During the march of Tzeentch's troops to Averheim, Vilich's mocking words and hatred for Tzeentch's minions that Morbidex Twiceborn felt eventually drove him into ill-advised rage. He attempted to kill the two-headed champion of Tzeentch, but the magic of the Cursed annihilated him, as well as Triple-Tongue.[37]

The Battle of Averheim became legendary as Ungrim led his last fight there after killing Scyla Anfingrimm[38], but many lesser-known destinies ended in this city.

Melekh the Changer, for example, ended his existence under the ax of Ungrim the Incarnation of Fire.[39] Likewise, it seems that the standard of the Fighting Roosters of Lupine Croupe was seen in Averheim. The halflings would have crossed the Apuccini Mountains after the defeat of the Tileans, would have carved their way north, and would have joined Averheim in the absence of Mootland, constantly harassed by the Skaven.[40]

When Archaon snatched the Wind from Heaven from the Emperor, and he was forced to flee, his retreat was covered by two heroes who sacrificed their life for their lord. Elspeth Drake, witch of Amethyst, and Matthias Thulman, the famous witch doctor, managed to hold back the Lord of the End Times while the Emperor disappeared in the spell of Gelt.[41]

After Averheim, the last great city of the Empire, fell, Archaon offered it to Moonclaw to do whatever he wanted with it. And what Moonclaw wanted was to gather the rags to search for the fallen fragments of his moon mother to collect them, although it was never known what he wanted to do with them.[42]

And in the ruins of the cities of the Empire, the incessant gallop of Ghorros Warhoofs, the Father of a Thousand Sons, could be heard echoing until the end of the world. Finally the Sons of Chaos had obtained satisfaction - just before the end.[43]

The Second Battle of Middenheim[]

Middenlanders

Middenlanders against Norscan

In Middenheim occupied by Archaon, rival champions gathered. Kholek Suneater was killed by Settra, in a test for

prove to Archaon his strength. The ogre dragon was out of control, and therefore of no use to the Three-Eyed King. The battle lasted four days, and trampled most of the forest at the foot of Middenheim, before Settra managed to behead the Mountain Lord with his khopesh, then he brought the head to the temple of Ulric and laid it down. at the feet of Archaon.[44]

During the Battle of Middenhim, Gutrot Spume also ends up falling in battle.[45] The battle also saw the return of Grombrindal, who joined the Zhufbarak in their last fight. Josef Bugman was there too, in spirit, although no one knew how or where the Brewer perished.[46]

Dieter Helsnicht, who became the guardian of the underworld by Nagash's will, was probably destroyed along with his master. Was he brought back to existence at the same time as him, after Sigmar forged the Mortal Realms, nothing is certain but the Great Imprecator had already become a polycephalous cerberus, an immaterial entity in a spirit world, who knows if he has been able to maintain its own identity.[47]

During these last days, Krakanrok the Black awoke, and arose from the Chaos Wastes to ravage the countless cities and tribes that still remained there. In his rage, he demolished the top of the Tower of Hateful Stars, and razed the Impossible City. The tribes of the far north fled before him in Kislev, and Krakanrok followed them, destroying everything in his path. As he finished cleaning up the ruins of Praag, Archaon's final bet came to an end. Krakanrok was sucked, roaring, from the Chaos Realms. His final fate is unknown.[48]

The Skaven Invasion[]

Skaven-new-army

This chapter is about the Skaven, and their invasions of the Old World, Lustria, and the Dwarf Kingdoms. On the other hand, the eastern invasion is treated separately.

Estalia[49][]

Estalia was taken completely by surprise, when the Skaven emerged from the tunnels and sewers. The Grand Inquisitor of Hojeda had been assassinated in the months preceding the invasion, his death caused great disorder in Estalia, providing the Skaven with an opportunity for contention, and weakening the country before they revealed themselves. Politically fractured and quick to conflict, the city-states could not ally themselves in time for a coordinated defense. One by one, the great cities fell, and the refugees fled from the ports of Bilbali and Magritta, or through the Irrana Mountains.

Juan Federico perished while defending the Tagos Gate in Magritta, when Skaven saboteurs blew up the walls on the river side, killing many of the city's defenders. Federico and the Order of the Righteous Lance held the breach for a few hours, before the weight of numbers and fatigue overwhelmed them. Federico was the last to fall under the blades of the Shock Vermin. But the survivors who fled north were able to reach the fortresses of the Irrana mountains, where only the local population managed to hold back the vermin until the end of the world.

Estalian Mosaic

Map of Estalia

Magritta, the stronghold of the Myrmidia cult, held out longer than Bilbali, as the Sun Knights fought to save as many citizens as possible, aided by the Duelist Guild led by Alonso Diaz de Mirajo and the enigmatic Lady Khemalla of Copher, a servant of the Queen of the Silver Pinnacle. Florin and Lorenzo[50] died defending the temple, just like Pieter Verstohlen[51], who was then on a diplomatic mission in Estalia. All were submerged in the last pockets of resistance against the horde. Alonso Diaz de Mirajo was still present when the temple fell, he was last seen fighting side by side with Isabella Giovanna Luccelli, in the shadow of the large statue of Myrmidia, surrounded by a horde of rats. Isabella fell in battle as the Skaven ravaged the temple of Myrmidia, leading the Order of the Eagle and the Sun Knights. Some say that she was possessed by the spirit of Myrmidia in her last hours because it is said that as the last defenders fell, they were joined by a mysterious woman clad in bronze and gold.

Maria de Salvo was also present in Magritta. She fought from the rooftops, hunting down the Skaven chieftains and slaughtering them whenever she found them. His efforts allowed the city to survive for a few more hours, although his fate was unknown. Finally Magritta fell into the hands of the Skaven, as ships full of refugees embarked for the Arabyn coast.

Tilea[52][]

Tilea Mosaic

Map of Tilea

As in Estalia, the Skaven attacked Tilea by surprise. So close to Skavenblight, the city-states didn't stand a chance. Gangrened by their internal rivalry, the city-states took too long to react, and could not unite until it was too late. The Skaven clans, paradoxically, were unified from the start, with many minor clans, such as Skurvy, Carrion, and Klaw, allied to cripple the cities from below and from within. Interestingly, none of the four major clans participated in the sack of Tilea, although some of its members represented them in the larger hordes.

Miragliano was the first to fall, in 2522[53]. She fell so quickly, in fact, that few knew that anything was happening until the Skaven forces simultaneously attack Tobaro and Trantio. The Marksmen of Miragliano and the Birdmen of Catrazza were present in Tobaro when the Skaven of Clan Skurvy emerged in the streets.[54] So complete was their surprise that few of the birdmen could take to the air, and those who did were quickly slaughtered by the sewer runners and jezzail crews. Dadallo himself was last seen carried to safety by Maximilian Damark, captain of the Miragliano Crossbowmen, as the crossbowmen retreated towards the Temple of Morr.

A week after the fall of Trantio, it was the turn of Pavona and Remas to be attacked. The Vespero's Vendetta were last seen in Pavona, in a bloody chase against Gutter Runner.[55] Lucrezzia Belladonna perishes during the sack of her city. Some say she committed suicide with a poisoned stiletto rather than being captured by the Skaven. Others believe that she was killed when the ducal palace was besieged.

As Remas fell, the survivors were already heading south, towards the sea. Several of the remaining city-states put aside their differences to form a large armed force in an effort to repel the Skaven as they crossed the Plains of Luccini. This is where Lorenzo Lupo perished, fighting alongside his rival Leopold di Lucci. It is said that he died laughing, as he pushed his way through a phalanx of Stormvermin at the head of the Leopard Company survivors, carrying Leopold's body on his own shoulders.

The Pirazzo's Lost Legion also fought its last fight on the Plains of Luccini, alongside the Leopard Company of Leopold and the Republican Guard of Ricco, Mydas the Cupid, and the survivors of Remas, Verezzo and Luccini. The immense phalanx of pikemen and crossbowmen held back the Skaven horde for almost three days, before the last of them were overwhelmed. The few who were able to escape joined the column of refugees.[56]

The Battle of the Plain of Luccini was the final defeat for the cities of Tilea, although the might of no less than three minor clans, including Clan Gritus, was subsequently decimated in the clash.

Refugees, mercenaries and survivors fled to the Pirate Principality of Sartosa, in a vain effort to flee the swarming horde. Rodrigo Delmonte and the Alcatani Company, like many other mercenaries, were taken by surprise when the Skaven suddenly emerged from their underground empire. But unlike other companies that either fought for the Princes of Tilea or fled to milder skies, the Alcatani Company attempted to save as many common people as possible. The Company and a few other mercenaries including Asarnil the Dragon Master who joined them on the way, tried to make their way through the mountains and coast, leading the ever-growing column of refugees. On their way, they fought to free the unfortunate captured by the Skaven. They managed to reach Sartosa, pursued by the Skaven. It was during this retreat that Mydas the Cupid perished. His gold, however, enabled Sheikh Yadosh to pay for the trip to Sartosa.

Sartosa[57][]

Giacchino de Falco attempted to steal a fast ship as soon as the rumor of the Skaven invasion reached Sartosa, intending to flee without asking for his remains. Unfortunately, his plan was compromised by sewer runners, who were tasked with sabotaging ships in port. De Falco sounded the alarm, giving the Sartosians time to save most of their ships. He was last seen dancing a gavotte aboard on the deck of a burning ship, surrounded by clan warriors.

In Sartosa, the Alcatani Company held its position to the end, supported by the Braganza Brigade and the Bronzino Tractor Cannons. Asarnil and his Deathfang dragon fought vermin, and were among the last to fall, after that a battalion of Stormfiends brought down the great dragon with a flurry. Even in death, the dragon discards his assassins, crushing them under his great carcass. Asarnil finally found redemption in those tragic days, or died as he lived, arrogant to the end. He was seen for the last time brandishing his broken spear against a tide of hungry vermin ...[58]

Krusher also perishes in the Battle of Sartosa Harbor, facing the mutant rat-ogre named Spitebelly, on the steps of Mannan Temple. Doc Exmelin was last seen leaning over Krusher's body on the Temple steps as the Skaven ascended the steps.

Fleur and Estalla appeared for the last time taking part in the street combat which kept the Skaven forces occupied during the brunt of the Battle of Sartosa. The two women, along with Mr. Bill, were making their way to the harbor when Sartosa's arsenal exploded, filling the streets with flames and smoke. Their final fate is unknown. Long Drong and his killers were next to the arsenal and were consumed by the explosion that destroyed it.[59]

The Skaven eventually invaded the island. While the great harbor was on fire, and the Dogs of War occupied the enemy, the Pirate Princess and her fleet, carrying the last survivors of Tilea, set out to sea in search of a safer harbor ... Aranesa Salspite succeeded. to go out to sea, in the fleet of the Pirate Princess. The Swordfysh had to face two merwyrms transferred by the Moulder clan to go west, with a bunker full of gold and refugees. Araby was right across the sea.

Araby[60][]

Araby Canon Map

Map of Araby

But Araby suffered the same fate as Tilea and Estalia, because it was also invaded by the Skaven. It just took them a little longer, which gave the Empire and Bretonnia a few more months without a Skaven invasion. But the caliphates were too isolated to be able, in the end, to offer concentrated resistance. The desert tribes managed to survive without much difficulty, but city after city fell, as the Skaven traveled through the network of canals to urban cisterns to poison them or to emerge from wells and armed fountains to the teeth.

In Copher, the Golden Magus took to sea as soon as the Skaven filled the streets of the city.

Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough, as the sewer runners were already searching her ship for her three mystical urns. What happened next is unknown, as the ship and all its occupants were consumed by a magical storm that carried the glowing remains of the ship beyond the clouds, from which they never descended. The Prince of Thieves was also in Copher when the Skaven came out of the old pipes. He and his guild hunted down the Skaven in the qanats and under the streets, and so they vanished. When in Malik, he died alone and ignored by all during the carnage, after having killed ten of the thirteen assassins sent to kill him. He died under the twin blades of the Master Assassin himself, after a brutal duel on the rooftops of the city.

In Martek, Jasmine led her people into battle against the Skaven, where her abilities were matched to the task of repelling the invader. Unfortunately, she was slain by Skaven assassins as she pursued a gang of fleeing shock vermin.

Gilead Lothain and Fithvael were in the city of Lashiek when the Skaven emerged from the qanats. As the Corsair City fell, the two elves fought to assemble the humans into a true defense, but they were forced to abandon the city. Along with Sinba'ahd, Al Muktar and his Desert Hounds, Gilead and Fithvael led as many survivors as they could into the relative safety of the desert. Not a single Skaven chasing them came back to say where they had gone.[61]

So the Skaven had conquered all the human kingdoms south of the Old World. The Frontier Principalities offered no resistance, being even more disorganized than the city-states of Estalia or

of Tilea or the Arabyn Caliphates. Hands free after eliminating all opposition, their jails full of freshly captured slaves, the Skaven were able to concentrate their power on the real war that was beginning in the Underground Empire, against their sworn enemies the Dwarves.[62]

The Dwarf Kingdoms[63][]

At Karak Hirn, no less than three entire clans of enslaved Skaven were shattered, along with most of the Gnaw and Skully clans. Their leaders fell under the ax of King Alfrik Ranulfsson, before the dwarves brought down the fortress on itself. So the king perishes with his people, as a king should.

Grimm Burloksson, the son of Burlok Damminson who died a few years earlier in mysterious circumstances[64], was one of Zhufbar's defenders when it fell into the hands of the Skaven. His final experiments included multi-barrel fire dracs for the Iron Dracs of the fortress, remotely controlled gyrocopters, and what came to be known as "Eausèche", a hot liquid, projected from a cannula, which could digest even the thickest armor. Unfortunately, despite all its inventiveness, these new weapons had little impact on the enemy as no less than five clans besieged the fortress from above and below.

Bugman's Rangers paid a heavy price in this war. Durzak Dragonback, Bazrak Bolgan, and Skeggi Threkkson all perished in the

battle which came to be known as Bugman's Last Square. Far below Zhufbar, Bugman and his rangers fought to push back

the skaven rising from the depths. Bazrak fell under fire from the Stormfiends, and Skeggi was killed by a mob of enraged clan warriors. Durzak was among the last, and held his position at the top of the South Arch, which marked the entrance to the fort.

interior. The Dragonback banner vanished as a horde of elite Shock Vermians scaled the ark, and pounced on the brave dwarf from all sides at once. Of the fate of Josef Bugman, on the other hand, nothing is known.

But Bugman's Rangers had played their part in holding back the Skaven. Meanwhile, Grombold Kruddson and Grimm Burloksson made their way to the large underground machines that lay beneath the fort. Grombold did not reach his destination, and was last seen burying his runic pickaxe in the skull of a foaming wolf rat. But Grimm succeeded, when Zhufbar's defeat was inevitable, in planting the explosives that released the Black Lake into the fort, drowning the remaining Zhufbaraks as well as their enemies, and sealing the fort and its secrets that had become inaccessible to anyone who wanted to plunder them.

Barak Varr, like Zhufbar, was drowned, although it is not known whether this was done by the dwarves or the Skaven. Byrrmoth Grundadrakk, its king, and his elite Hammers were still battling the greenish-furry Shock Vermin of the Gowjyer clan when the fort sank.

Lustria[65][]

Warhammer Lustria Geometric Web

Map of Lustria

The Great Temple of Rigg, deity of the Amazons, was destroyed early in the Skaven invasion of Lustria. Its defenders fell to the blows of an enemy no martial prowess could have fought: Skaven scouts released plague rats into the temple complex. Each rat had been tampered with by the Moulder clan to secrete enzymes which, when exposed to air, released poisonous gas. Soon the Great Temple fell silent, aside from the disgusting noise of rodents devouring the bodies of the victims. Thus, the Skaven prevented the Avatar of Rigg from playing any role in the Lustria War.

When the legions of slaves and plague monks entered the Marshes of Death, the Amazon Lwaxana was there. No Skaven emerged from this swamp, although it is unknown what happened to the fungal expanses of the Blue Stumps.

The Skaven attempted to invade the Amazon town of Genaina, but Queen Thalestris led the defense, alongside her daughter Princess Azura and Lysippus. They were still fighting the Skaven tide when the moon exploded and death fell from the sky.

Likewise, the Skaven invaded Skeggi, the Norse colony. As the Norscan warriors drove back the Skaven, the Amazons Melandre Falcon-Eye and Penthesilea entered the city in an attempt to free the Amazons who were enslaved there.

What happened next remains a mystery, but some claim that Melandre survived her infiltration into Skeggi and met her fate in the Piranha Marshes, where she had lured several Skaven gangs into a death trap.

Gor-Rok, the immortal saurus, participated in the Battle of Itza. But even an immortal fighter couldn't tell the difference in the face of millions of Skaven. It was then that Nakai, the Holy Kroxigor, emerged from the jungle, plowing a unit of Stormfiends at the critical moment, allowing Gor Rok to lead a counterattack against the rats. Back to back, the two great warriors fought tirelessly, giving the magi priests time to unleash their final ploy, until they were overwhelmed by a swarming horde. Nakai faced Morbus Sanguis there[66], and tore the Skaven with its claws, before perishing, poisoned by the Yellow Death carried by the Skaven. The horde covered Gor-Rok, and the saurus vanished.

When Lord Kroak saved the planet from total destruction with a single word of power, Ten

Zlati, his steward, stood by his side. Loyal to his master, he disappeared with him into the conflagration.

The Estalian mercenary Francisco Cortez was then in Plascia, when the moon exploded, and he perished in the cataclysm.[67]

In the Southern Lands too, the lizardmen had to face the lunar catastrophe. Tichi Huichi and his Riders had returned to the Southern Lands when the final war for the Temples of the Ancients began. The famous skinks were stuck in a chase with the Festerlingus clan in the ruins of Enxilada when the moon fell. Even as the Cold Blooded Riders harassed their enemies, they were disintegrated along with the Skaven by the impact of meteorites.[68]

The Amazons of Anaconda all also perished. Even their devotion to the Lizardmen gave them no place aboard the star pyramids that took off to save some of the slaans and their minions.[69]

Skeggi, like the rest of Lustria, was destroyed by the Warpstone meteorites that fell from Morrslieb. [70]

Settling Scores[71][]

The Industry and the Southern Lands were destroyed, the lizardmen had disappeared, all dead or exiled in space. But the Pestilens clan was decimated, its last leaders vying for power. So perished Nurglich, murdered in utter confusion, while the seventh Plague Lord, Skrolk, survived.[72]

Prince Apophas survived Nagash's grip, and the latter having devoured Usirian, he became the new god to whom Apophas was accountable. After the destruction of the Black Pyramid,

Nagash ordered Apophas to bring Ikit the Claw's head back to him.

Apophas began his research with Malefosse. He razed the lair of the Moulder clan and faced Ghoritch, his castellan. The scarabs that make up his form devoured every shred of Ghoritch's flesh, as Apophas already searched for any sign leading him to Ikit the Claw.

Apophas subsequently traveled to Skaron, where he killed Klawmunkast with his own hands. The death of the Skaven, however, provided enough time for Ikit to trap Apophas in the lower levels of Skaron, and thus throw him into the Realms of Chaos as the city passed through the realities.

As for Master Assassin Snikch, Throt the Manly, Skweel the Gnawer, and Trench the Queue-qui-Frétille, they probably survived when Skaron fell into another dimension.[73]

But the most extraordinary fate was that of Gor-Rok. The saurus survived the Battle of Itza, and carved its way through the mountain of bodies that had fallen on it, just in time to see the moon explode. A meteor fell on top of him, burying him deeply, but then again he survived, making his way through the stone only to find on its surface that everyone was gone or dead. When the world exploded, Gor-Rok found himself in the void, but still immortal he managed to propel himself to Skaron.

War in the East[]

I have put together one of the most important segments of the narrative here, telling the end of no less than four nations, and the merging of three different armies.

The Grand Cathay[74][]

Cathay Far East Map 7th Edition Illustration

Map of the east of the world

The Great Bastion fell around the same time as the Golden Bastion, due to the siege machines of the Chaos Dwarves. Dwarven war machines, commanded by Hothgar the Renegade[75], destroyed the army of Terracotta Soldiers, awakened by the invasion, from the earliest times of the invasion. The ceramic soldiers were powerful but unfortunately no match for the inventions of the Dawi Zarr and the ferocity of the Chaos forces that supported them. Likewise, the Bronze Titans sent to repel the invasion fell one after the other in the face of war machines or siege giants, specially mutilated and equipped to increase their effectiveness. Other titans were sabotaged by the Skaven, although this fact remained secret for a long time, the Skaven continuing to conceal their presence.

Despite everything, the Cathayans resisted. The Monkey King fought outside the Wall, piling up seventy-seven Chaos Champions heads in the shadow of the Wall, including that of Grydal, the Lord of the Snaegr whom he defeated in single combat. Zhao Fei led the defense of the Great Bastion at the start of the assault, but was killed on the 33rd day of the bombing, when one of Hothgar's great killing machines struck and gripped the stronghold. The armored mouth of the craft opened, and regurgitated Chaos Dwarves, Khazags, furious Wo, and Hobgoblin warriors. Zhao Fei led a counterattack, and was killed in the melee by Rykarththe indestructible. The latter led the forces of the Chaos Dwarves in battle, and single-handedly wiped out an entire section of the Great Wall of all its defenders.

The Celestial Dragons who then took part in the resistance were destroyed by the magics of the Chaos Horde, as well as by the beasts brought in from the Chaos Wastes: corrupt wyverns, drakes, toad dragons, and monstrous shaggoths. The remaining Celestial Dragons retreated to the Mountains of Heaven, and defended these lofty peaks and all who took refuge there until the end of days.

During this time, the imperial court was paralyzed. The Vampires of the Maatmeses lineage had crept into the Dragon Emperor's celestial bureaucracy over the centuries, but they weren't the only ones. The Cults of Tzeentch had also entered it, and the two groups fought secretly, pitting plan against plan, which helped slow down any decision considerably. A few hundred executions later, the Dragon Emperor had taken matters into his own hands, thanks to the discreet help of the undead. Tian Shi led this purge, hunting down the servants of the Dark Gods with the help of Naaima, the Queen of Mysteries' follower.

But of course, by then it was too late. The Bastion was no longer a wall facing the enemy, but had become a fortress in the hands of the Chaos Dwarves. Rykarth the Indestructible hunted down the last warrior monks who guarded its inner chambers. The stronghold allowed the forces of Chaos to plunge into Cathay's heart with impunity. They burned the monasteries of the warrior monks, looted stupas, devastated farmland, while the Imperial Army fought to buy time and allow the southern provinces to mobilize reinforcements. Dalai-Tai led his tribe against the savage horsemen of the Khazags, shortly after the fall of the Bastion. Whether or not he survived this initial assault is unknown.

At this point, Clan Eshin was assassinating any official figure of importance in Cathay, neutralizing the military effort through sabotage and murder. Chu-Ye Xian was among those members of the Imperial Court who were murdered before the evacuation. Once the Skaven were detected, the Dragon Emperor himself led the Celestial Guard into the underground maze running beneath Weijin in order to slaughter the Skaven. Chen-Long also descended into the maze, alone. What happened then is unknown, but no Skaven survived and the maze collapsed, preventing any attempt to follow it. The Skaven were no longer a threat, but only a tenth of the Heavenly Guard's men emerged from the dungeons.

The Dragon Emperor ends up leaving the city to face the enemy in front of the very gates of the capital. He even managed, with the help of Huan Bei, to repel them again and again, despite the plagues of Nurgle that smiled in the streets and the courtiers of Slaanesh who corrupted his advisers. Only the arrival of the Chaos Dwarves and their cannons allowed the city walls to be brought down.

Kingdoms of Ind[76][]

During this time, the Ind suffered much the same fate as Estalia, Tilea and Araby. Clans Eshin and Volkn destabilized or slaughtered the various kingdoms and principalities, as the forces of Chaos invaded the land from the jungles and seas and Dechala the Repudiated unleashed the revolt of the fun cults in the south of the land. Various champions rose or fell, heroes fought and perished, unknown or ignored, while the vast cities of Ind burned and filled the sky with ashes ...

The Shark Ships of the Khornesque fleet docked in the south and poured out the forces of the Blood God. At the siege of At the siege of Lakshana, the Skull Taker landed in order to kill Karishana. The two immortals dueled for hours, before Karishima faltered, and the Skull Taker claimed his head.

Wulfrik the Drifter's flying ship was seen more than once, and the champion took his share of lives. So he brought down Parashuruma. The Sacred Slayer responded like many others to the Wanderer's challenge and perished, in the first days of the invasion.

Galrauch was too unpredictable even for the forces of entropy, so in order that his varying allegiance could not compromise the ultimate goals of Chaos, he was sent to Ind. As the end of time drew near, his demonic half grew stronger, but when Tzeentch's influence abruptly waned at the end of the war, his two halves rebalanced. At the very end, when the world was swallowed up by Chaos, Galrauch devoured one another.[77]

Karanak, the Cerberus of Khorne, was released to aid Arbaal the Invincible in his conquest of the land, his prey were the demigods of this land. At the head of a huge pack of Khorne dogs, Karanak savagely hunted down all the avatars of the gods of Ind, and brought them to the ground so that the champions of Khorne could claim their immortal skulls. Urjana was killed by Arbaal the Invincible, after he had spent all his arrows on the Khorne Dog pack of Karanak. Urjana thus killed three hundred demons before being engaged in combat by the Invincible, and beheaded. Moghli was also hunted down by Karanak, through the jungles of Khuresh, and both disappeared from history. Karanak was still chasing the last of the avatars when the world ended.

Arbaal continued his work relentlessly. In Ind, vampires were worshiped as gods in the isolated regions where they had taken up residence. Never very numerous, they controlled

strictly the recipients of the Blood Kiss, giving it only to those who deserve it. When the Ind burned, the vampires were already tearing each other apart, some wanting to join Nagash in the west, others preferring to remain isolated. Their attention divided, the vampires were unable to resist the Chaos for long. One by one, they were destroyed, and their founder Herakthe fell under the have of Arbaal. During this war, the Invincible piled the skulls of his enemies higher than the immense stupas that were emerging from the jungle before Archaon called them back to Middenheim.[78]

The people of Ind and their gods fought until the last moments. Their access to the sea was cut off, and their only route of retreat was inland, into the jungle and the mountains, where they were still fighting the legions of the Blood God when the world was destroyed. In a sense, the Ind finally managed to draw: the country was not completely overwhelmed, and it was still fighting when Middenheim exploded.

Nippon[79][]

Nippon was the center of activity of Clan Eshin, as Lustria was that of Clan Pestilens, and suffered a comparable fate. When the great Skaven invasion began, Clan Eshin systematically isolated Nippon from its closest neighbors, killing merchants, sinking their ships, assassinating ambassadors, in an effort to keep it for their own enjoyment. Not for a massive enslavement of the population or for looting, but to carefully orchestrate a campaign of political, social, economic and military deconstruction.

Thus, Yoritomo Ieyasu was assassinated. As a Shogun, he was a priority target for the Skaven, and his death led to great upheaval in Nippon.

Then the Skaven were discovered, by the clumsiness of a few who were not discreet enough. War broke out, and the Skaven unleashed the full force of their immense hordes.[80]

Sarutori Hanzo led the fight against the invader, chasing them across rooftops and through galleries, tracking down the creatures responsible for Ieyasu's death. His skills were put to the test fighting any Clan Eshin assassins he could find, and he was still hunting them down.

when the world ended. Likewise O-Sayumi fought the Skaven wherever she could find them, and delivered their captives when she could. It was she who led many inhabitants of the coasts to the land, into the mountains, and defended them against anyone who stood in their way.

The Waaagh of Grimgor[81][]

Grimgor Ironhides

Grimgor ironhide

After leaving Malefosse, Grimgor crossed the World's Edge Mountains, then descended into the Dark Lands, along the mountain range. He was determined to assemble the greatest waaagh that had ever existed, and set out to challenge and assimilate all the tribes that crossed his path.[82]

This is how Grotfang met his fate, challenging Grimgor and paying the price. The Orcs of the Iron Fist, now led by Snagga, Grotfang's lieutenant, were absorbed into Grimgor's growing horde. Then it was Morglum Brise-Nuque's turn to face the Iron Box, and die there, his back broken.[83]Oglok and his boar riders joined the Waaagh after Morglum's death.

Other champions voluntarily joined the army: Ruglud and his Crossbowmen, Badruk Kass'Tête, Uzgub and Nazgob, or Grabnatz - although the latter did not last, because in wanting to impress Grimgor with his magical prowess, he disintegrated with poor Gulag. Others were enslaved, such as Grotsnag who became a scout for the Waaagh. Oddgit, although powerful, was killed by Grimgor for being too talkative; his head rolled away from his shoulders and his body was thrown to the squigs.

Having gathered nearly all of the Greenskins of the Eastern World's Edge Mountains, the Waaagh set off eastward, across the Hobgoblin Steppes, where they faced the immense hordes of Hobgoblin horsemen. In the end, Grimgor faced Hobgobla Khan, their supreme leader, and killed him in single combat. Most of his lieutenants, including Oglah Khan and Ghazak Khan, swore allegiance to the Black Orca.[84]

His ranks reinforced by those of the Nape Breaker and the tribes of the great Khan, as well as by the ogre tribes, Grimgor carved a bloody path for himself through the territories held by Chaos. The Eastern War then really began, as the orcs swooped down on Cathay from the Wasteland. The wild orcs emerged from the jungles far to the south, led by Wuurzag.

Grimgor smashed what was left of the Great Bastion, and swept away the Chaos Dwarves garrison. He was unknowingly aided in this by the Monkey King, who by freeing the fiery wyrms enslaved by the Chaos Dwarves guarding the Bastion, distracted the Dawi Zharr's attention as Grimgor attacked.[85] The battle was savage and lasted for days. Oglok was killed by Rykarth the Indestructible, who in turn fell under the blows of Grimgor, after a duel that lasted for hours. As the sun set over the smoldering ruins of the Bastion, Grimgor hung Rykarth's shattered form from the parapet of the wall, with the own chains the Chaos Dwarf used to immobilize his ogre slaves.[86] The Bastion was taken, and the dwarves were on the run. It is not known what happened to Hothgar the Renegade, but a single Death Machine, severely dented and partially on fire, was seen jolting north, away from the Bastion and the orcs that were devastating it.[87]

The capital fell, torn apart by permanent battle and raw witchcraft, as the Dragon Emperor and the rest of his Celestial Guard carved a path for the survivors to reach the Perfumed Harbor, and the great treasure fleet that awaited them. . But Grimgor arrived at the port at the same time, so Huan Bei confronted him with his troops to protect the emperor. He managed to hold the monster long enough to allow the Emperor to embark, and had his skull split in half as a reward. Where the Emperor and his court went next, no one knows. We whispr that many vampires accompanied him. What is known for sure is that Tian Shi, who had fought alongside the Emperor before the fall of the city, was on board and summoned a magical wind to sweep the fleet away, followed by the last Bronze Titans.[88]

In the ruins of the capital, the orcs and the minions of Chaos clashed again and again, until the Dark Gods turned away in frustration, and Gork and Mork laughed in satisfaction. May weak humans have the west ... the east was green!

But Grimgor was seething with rage. The Dragon Emperor had eluded him, and he wanted his head. Quite rightly, a motley fleet of Orc pirates, headed for the coast by the whispers of Mork and the bellows of Gork, presented themselves at the Perfumed Harbor. The orcs having a very rough sense of navigation, Grimgor made him take the direction of the closest land mass: Nippon.

Before the Waaagh reached the coast, Clan Eshin had entrenched the country's defenses. A few isolated warlords or a few mountain clans still resisted, but there was no longer an organized force - nothing that could prevent Grimgor and his army from landing. The Japanese fleets were burnt in the ports, the major cities fell soon after, while the Clan Eshin redeployed its forces to counter this new threat to its sovereignty. Nothing is known of the war that followed, except that barely three in ten greenskins emerged alive, while all of Clan Eshin's strongholds were razed to the ground.

The Japanese warriors still free to act did not give way, and fought the orcs as much as the skaven. The Red Ronin, in particular, took a heavy tithe from Grimgor's forces, before encountering the Black Orc Durkol Crêve-Eye. Their fight was intense, and the orc ended up slicing the ronin in two. But he did not live long to savor his victory because the Vengeance sword had reached his heart. Empress Jungi was seen in the last days of the invasion, protecting the mountain fortresses with his magical powers, in the name of the Kami.

Then Grimgor, under the inspiration of Gork, re-embarked his exhausted forces in his ships, forgetting in passing some late units such as Grotsnag and his wolf riders.[89]. The Black Orc let the human survivors begin the long struggle to purge their land of the remaining Skaven, led by the Empress who came down from the mountains after the Greenskins left - a fight they could not win. Because some time after the Waaagh had disappeared from Nippon, a huge tsunami, caused by the destruction of the Lustria devastated the island[90]. The Nippon thus entirely disappeared from the face of the world.

The Dark Lands[91][]

Darklandsmap

Map of the Dark Lands

Meanwhile, Grimgor had brought his horde to the ground. The Black Orc was more powerful than ever, vibrating with unmatched savagery, radiating power from Gork, Mork and the Maw that came to fill his troops with boundless ferocity. In fact, the Wind of the Beast Ghur had found a worthy guest in Grimgor, and bestowed upon him its brutal power.[92]

Grimgor ascended up the Mountains of Tears, and there faced the tribes of the Ogres, driven from their domains by the constant volcanic eruptions, and who waged a relentless internal war for the scarce resources of this wasteland. His Waaagh was indeed composed of Greenskins, but Grimgor admired strength no matter what the color of his skin, and the ogres pleased him with their ferocity.[93]

Bragg the Tripier was one of the first to join him, as was Golfag the Mercenary. But only after defeating Graisssus Goldentooth, and slaying the arch-tyrant with his own club[94], that Grimgor received allegiance from many tyrants and their tribes. Malron Mord-l-Oeil, Blaut the Master of the Feast, and Bauldig Mountain Eater were among these.[95]

Even Skrag the Butcher joined him at first, but Grimgor - who was starting to take a big head - demanded to be recognized as an avatar of the Maw, which he saw as an emanation of

Gork and Mork. Skrag refused to recognize him as such, attempted to gut Wurrzag, and after a brief struggle, ended up drowned in his own cauldron of blood by Grimgor himself. His body was used to feed the cannibals that followed him.[96]

More confident in his strength than ever, Grimgor moved north at the head of his Waaagh, to do away with the creators of his kind, the dwarf slavers of Chaos. Drazoath's Legion were among the first to experience Grimgor's new fury as the Waaagh crossed the mountains. The Ashen proudly defended the Black Fortress, his massive artillery scattering the orcs or shattering them. So ended Uzguz and his boar riders, pulverized by a well-adjusted shot. Magic was also the strong point of the dwarves, Drazoath releasing incredible energies, toasting Nazgob in the process. But the defense was in vain as Grimgor freed the Wind of the Beast and demolished the citadel, burying its defenders under the rubble. Drazoath was thrown down from his in the countryside of Cathay or Nippon, so when Grimgor smashed Ashbreath's skull, then the wizard-prophet vanished, trampled under the green tide.[97]

Grimgor then began to ravage all the forts, attacking every citadel and city-temple between Cathay and the Darklands. Isolated, arrogant and paranoid, the Dawi Zharr ignored the threat until it was too late. With each victory of Grimgor, his horde was enriched with freed slaves, while the Orc tribes of the Darklands launched more and more attacks and the Chaos Dwarves themselves quarreled, the old rivals taking advantage of the upheaval to pay the price. old debts or secure their power.

Thus Astragoth, the High Priest of Hashut, was betrayed by Ghorth the Cruel who usurped his position. Astragoth's machine was sabotaged, and the high priest became a living statue, unable to act or speak as Ghorth took his place. Later, during the destruction of the temple of Hashut, Astragoth's petrified body was shattered by an unknown person.

Although Hashut was powerful, he was no match for Gork and Mork who were, for the first time in a long time, perfectly in tune, so powerful that even the Gods of Chaos kept their distance. The powers of the gods being at an impasse, the war was decided by the power of arms alone.

And on that side, Grimgor had the advantage of numbers, as well as the weight of fate. With Wurrzag at his side, declaiming him the Most Chieftain, the Chaos Dwarves quickly lost control of their slaves and foremen. The Hobgoblins had turned their jackets once, they did it again.

Some ogres had sided with the Chaos Dwarves, such as Ghark Ironskin or Braugh the Slaver, who fought against Grimgor. The Ironskin tribe held their last position at the Sentinels, in an attempt to break up the invasion movement. Ghark was struck down by Grimgor in single combat, while Braugh was brought down by the combined efforts of Wurrzag and Golgfag, who strangled Braugh with his own chains.[98]

The final battle took place at Zharr Naggrund, as millions of ogre and greenskin slaves, finally freed, assaulted the center of the empire of their former masters. The weapons and demons of the latter gave them a chance but it was not enough. Gorduz the Traitor turned against his masters at the Battle of Hashut's Maw, opening the great eastern gate with his ziggers, letting their eastern cousins ​​enter Zharr Nagrund.

Grimgor and his coterie entered the city, and devastated the great ziggurat, bathing the steps in obsidian in blood. Along with Ghazak and Oglah Khans, Gorduz led the temple city hobgoblins against their former masters. He paid for his cheating, however, when Zhatan the Black ended his life on the steps of Hashut's temple. Zhatan was a mighty warrior, and he also killed Badruk Kass'Tête and Snagga before being gutted alive by Bragg the Tripier in the Battle of the Ziggurat of the Nine Hundred Sorrows. The Tripier left the dying warlord in the care of the gnoblars and goblins and Zhatan's last moments were very unpleasant, not to say too much.[99]

Ghorth the Cruel took command of the Tower of Zharr defenses after Zhatan's death. His sorcery pulverized Bauldig Mange Mountains, but he was lobotomized by Borgut Eklat'Pif on the dais of the great statue of Hashut, and his body was thrown by Golgfag into the midst of the swarming sea of ​​newly freed slaves.[100]

Grimgor, Golgfag and Wurrzag thundered their waaagh from the top of the ziggurat, for Grimgor had become the greatest conqueror in the world, having trampled all lands since the Mountains from the Edge of the World to distant Nippon.[101]

In the isolated outposts, the surviving Chaos Dwarves hid themselves, hoping the green wave would forget them, but the Chaos Dwarf Empire was dusted.

Of course, Grimgor had to sort out some internal affairs. Malron Mord-l-Œil then Borgut Eklat'Pif tried to take his place and he had to kill them. He regretted Borgut later, fleetingly.[102]

But his mind did not linger, for Ghur's fury drove him into more and more brawl, and his good eye turned to the west, beyond the mountains, where there were still many champions to challenge.

The Fist of Gork and the Hand of Mork[103][]

Clan Mors had finally detonated one of the Eight Peaks where the armies of the Hooked Moon lurked, and for a time Skarsnik was lost - now more vulnerable in the absence of his giant squig. [104]

We just know that Gitila the Hunter was with him at the time. The Wolf Rider and his Lupine coterie were employed as scouts in Skarsnik's forces as they left the mountains, taking all the mountain greens with them.[105]

Grimgor's waaagh, tens of kilometers long, eventually encountered Skarsnik's forces in the midst of the Dark Lands. [106]

Wurrzag immediately recognized Skarsnik as the Hand of Mork, and permitted the alliance of the two warlords. It was not an easy job for the prophet to reconcile these two chiefs and prevent them from killing each other, but he struck a balance, and the waaagh resumed.[107]

But the immense army never reached its destination. Across the Empire, in the heart of Athel Loren, Teclis used the divine blood of Lileath to teleport all Incarnations to Middenheim, the seat of Archaon's power and the site of the excavation of an artifact that could cause the destruction of the world. As the Incarnation, Grimgor was also teleported with the elite of his army, massed around him and most of his lieutenants. His sudden disappearance plunged the green skins and the ogres remaining in place in confusion, Grimgor himself, threw himself happily into the fray ...[108]

In Middenheim, if Eternity King Malekith distinctly saw the Wind of the Beast embodied in Grimgor, he also saw in the orc and his goblin alter-ego the forces of Gork and Mork embodied in their chosen avatars.

At the very end, when the orcs and ogres set out on the hunt for the forces of Chaos, Skarsnik is said to be leading the charge, mounted on Golgfag's shoulders.

The War of Incarnations[]

This somewhat more disparate chapter ultimately brings together stories related to the peoples who gave birth to the Incarnations, as hence the title.

Flashback - In Sigmar's Time[109][]

Amon Chakaï was the major demon responsible for imprisoning the man-god Sigmar in the Vortex after his deification. Tzeentch feared the damage a young and mighty god could cause - Sigmar, Unifier forever, could have brought

the gods of men, elves and dwarves ally against the powers of Chaos, once accustomed to his new status as a deity. So Amon Chakaï and Kairos the Weaver of Fates were sent to lure the newly deified Sigmar into a prison from which he could never escape.

Unfortunately, although Amon Chakaï was smart enough to train Sigmar in it, he was not smart enough to get out of it, and was dragged into the maelstrom of magic by the proud man-god, where he ultimately was.

destroy. Kairos the Weaver of Fates took his place as Tzeentch's vizier. Some in the Change Court whisper that it was actually Kairos who brought about the downfall of his rival, and that Sigmar's deification was just one step in a bigger plan ...

Invasion of Naggaroth[110][]

Warhammer Naggaroth Map

Map of Naggaroth

When Valkia was done with the Norsca, she turned her gaze to Naggaroth. His army passed through the frozen wastes and reached the

first watchtowers. One by one, these were destroyed, but they fulfilled their role and messengers were able to go south to warn the cities.

Valkia's army then split in two, the Blood Queen making her way south as her Lieutenant Haargoth was in charge of the easternmost cities of the country.[111]

By this time, Malekith had not yet returned from the Chaos Realm from which he assassinated his rival Finubar the Phoenix King of Ulthuan, and command fell to Kouran Darkhand, captain of the Black Guard. The latter organized the defenses, but the cities, independent, contented themselves with walling up to repel a conventional siege.

Ghrond, the city of Morathi, although the first on the road to Valkia, long resisted the assault, the Queen Mother's Witch Convent managing to override the natural magical resistance of Khorne's troops. Valkia let part of her troops lead the siege as she rushed to the heart of the realm, Naggarond. When Malekith returned some time later, he left at the head of an army to join his mother to convince her of the need for a total evacuation, but was unsuccessful. However, Morathi had other plans in mind, and when she too abandoned the city, Ghrond fell into the hands of the Blood Warriors.[112]

Haargoth the Bloodthirsty led Karond Kar's sack, and fell in battle against Mengil Manhide. Unfortunately, the sadistic elf was subsequently devoured by Haargoth's pack of Skinwolves. Mengil's men all died in the conflagration that consumed the city, as they fought the bloodthirsty warriors.

During the battle, Malida confronted the demon prince Kastragar, who killed her as she attempted to banish him. Kastragar was later cut to pieces by Caldrath the Black. The assassin survived the fall of Karond Kar but his final fate is unknown. When the city finally fell, Lokhir Fellheart's fleet was already far away.[113]

In Naggarond, Kouran held siege against Valkia, and confronted the Blood Queen. The battle was as much on the walls as it was in the air, and there Beast Master Rakarth faced off against the flying ship of Wulfrik the Wanderer. Wulfrik pierced Bracchus the black dragon's heart with the bow of his ship, and thrust Rakarth as the dragon and ship fell from the sky into the icy wastes below. Wulfrik had to find a way out, since it is reported that he participated in the sack of the Ind two years later, before ending his career in Middenheim, under the blows of Ghal Maraz handled by Valten.[114]

The duel of Kouran and Valkia ended with the defeat - ephemeral - of the latter. Malekith then returned to find his city under siege and after a proper cleanup by the staff, decided on the total evacuation of the country to launch the ultimate invasion of Ulthuan, a project made possible by Finubar's death. he had murdered.

The tyrant Malus Darkblade was therefore appointed to lead the assault in Ulthuan, and abandoned his city Hag Graef. Morathi, disguised, took the opportunity to enter the city and kill in a magical duel one of her rivals, the witch Eldire, mother of Malus. The city, deprived of its ruling family, quickly fell prey to chaos and offered no resistance.

The City of Executors Har Ganeth, ruled by Hellebron the Elder, faced the invasion before the evacuation order was ordered. A prophetess - sent in secret by Morathi to deceive her greatest rival - had informed Hellebron that Tullaris could be the receptacle of Khaine, so he was sent to Ulthuan, but the Queen of Massacre remained until the end to face the servants. from Khorne. She did not make up her mind to abandon her city until it became clear that she was lost. No one knows how she managed to cross enemy lines and reach Ulthuan.

The sea raged by the magical storms, and the attacks of Khorne's troops did not help the smooth crossing of the ocean. Mortharor's black ark was attacked by a Chaos merwyrm,

Orgalyx the Vast, during the crossing. The merwyrm trapped the ark in its slimy tentacles and dragged the ship - and its captain - through the bottom of the Sea of ​​Malice.

The Return of Nagash[]

Nagash1

Nagash the Great Necromancer

Meanwhile, Mannfred was preparing his plan for independence from Sylvania. He began by purging Sylvania of all the blockers from going around in circles, starting with the witch doctors Johan and Wilhelm.[115]

Then came the civil war in Bretonnia, led by Mallobaude, which was part of Arkhan's plan to resuscitate Nagash. The Red Duke did not ally

not to Mallobaude, as he had his own plans, and they did not include serving a usurper. He tried to take advantage of the surrounding chaos for his own ends, but this interference in his plans greatly displeased Arkhan. The lich reduced the noble vampire's retinue to dust, and put him to flight. The Dark Knight and the Banshee were among the living dead that Arkhan's witchcraft put to rest for good. As for the Red Duke, he was unable to resist Nagash's will when the latter resuscitated in 2524, and crossed the mountains to join him in Sylvania.[116]

Before Kemmler joined Arkhan's force in the Vault, the necromancer took on Mercal. The Holy Knight fought valiantly against Krell, but was no match for the murderous ghost. Its armored form was raised to join the Cursed Legion, in the service of its assassin. Then Arkhan teamed up with the evil duo, and before heading to Maisontaal Abbey, Kemmler took the time to kill Duke Tancred to settle an old grudge.[117] The Sacred Knight was finally restored to peace by Abbot Bagrain during the Battle of the Maisontaal. After Arkhan's assault, Bagrain set about rebuilding the ruined abbey.[118]

When Nagash was brought back to life, he snatched the Wind of Death from the vortex, which killed the majority of wizards bound to that wind. Elspeth Drake, as an amethyst wizard, suffered terribly when Nagash released the Wind of Death. She disappeared from the Empire and was not seen again until much later, in Altdorf.[119]

Sethep the Merciless then attempted to take control of the released Wind of Death, and for a few moments he was almost able to subdue it. But Nagash's will was too strong, and the Lich snatched away the Wind gripped by Sethep, and Sethep's evil spirit with it. Now, the spirit of the Merciless is locked in Nagash's scepter.[120]

When Nagash failed to control the Wind of Death, and decided to surround himself with the Mortarchs, he also made this proposal to Richter Kreugar, who refused to serve him. Kreugar was torn apart by Nagash's magic, and his immortal essence bound to Nagash's scepter, along with that of others who dared to resist him, including Zacharias the Immortal and Sethep. the Merciless.[121]

Nagash's choice ultimately turned out to be bad enough, as Walach Harkon, Mannfred von Carstein and the Nameless ended up betraying him. But concerning

the latter, what else to expect from him, who was the sinister Constant Drachenfels?[122]

After conquering Nehekhara, Nagash settled in Sylvania. Sehenesmet, the Grand Vizier of Quatar, was among those who bowed to Nagash after he conquered Nehekhara. He traveled to Sylvania, where he worked to strengthen the defenses of this desolate land. It was Senehesmet who himself defeated the great shaggoth Hashek the Red, and killed the Chaos Giant Bloodthirst at the Battle of the Valiant Corps.[123]

The War in Ulthuan[124][]

Ulthuan

Map of Ulthuan

Even before the evacuation of Naggaroth, Ulthuan fell prey to the demons of Slaanesh. Few famous heroes died in this war, but Kelendar was one of them.

Subsequently, the civil war was much more deadly. If we know the tragic fate of too many brave - or dark assassins - in the three camps, others less known also fell, like Alatar and Salendor, killed by their adversaries, or worse still Imrallion who died when the madness of Khaine took hold of his mind. Kaldor the Cruel fell in battle with his relative Calaidan during this invasion.

Malekith discovered that Hotek, the former priest of Vaul who had forged his armor, was imprisoned in Ulthuan, mysteriously still alive. Teclis saw in him the embodiment of Vaul, and allowed the blacksmith to create Asuryath, the sword of Asuryan, capable of competing with the Widowmaker. This act cost the life of the old priest, thus perished one of the incarnations of Vaul, who completely disappeared with the death of Daith the blacksmith, his other avatar.[125]

The battle of the Isle of the Dead brought about the destruction of Ulthuan, but also the birth of the Incarnations. The elves migrated to Athel Loren, where they had to fight further.[126]

The War in Athel Loren[127][]

For the Wood Elves also paid a heavy tribute to the Rhana Dandra, and this long before the death of their king Orion. Early in the war, they lost Wychwethyl the Savage in the assault on Tyr Edrell. Morghur, the Lord of the Skulls, killed the Bladesongs as the city burned.

Then came the engagement of the Asraï alongside Alarielle the new incarnation of Isha, and finally the return of all the elves gathered under the foliage of Athel Loren for the coronation of the King of Eternity. But the Rhana Dandra was not over, and the forces of chaos continued the assault.[128]

So Skaw the Falconer fell while defending the Sylamel Tree against a pack of armored minotaurs. It was a lonely death, without witnesses, and forgotten in the midst of the ensuing madness.

Eldyra introduced herself to Tyrion, brought by Vlad to Athel Loren, and asked the prince to end his suffering. Tyrion did her this favor, but the elven princess only lost her physical form, her mind already being that of a goddess.[129]

Ka'Bandha's Blood Hunt attack on King's Glade came at a high price. Yolath the Terrible's great eagle was shot down in flight by a Blood Drinker, and the elf was slain on the ground by a regiment of Bloodthirsty. Meanwhile, Gruath the Beastmaster and his pack were torn to pieces by Blood Drinker Skul'gath the Hunter and his Khorne hounds.

When Alarielle summoned the spirits of the Treemen to defend the Council of Incarnations against the Wild Hunt, the lemure Amadri Ironbark was also summoned. He fell in battle during this battle, along with Gwercus the Treeman, shot down by Ka'Bandha.

Teclis then succeeded in teleporting the Incarnations and their armies in the middle of Middenheim - as well as Ka'Bandha involuntarily - leaving a large part of the Wild Hunt but also many defenders condemned in this way. [130] Alith Anar mobilized the remaining elves, and many heroes joined him - and perished.

Thalandor and his great eagle were shot down in flight by a Blood Drinker, who threw them to the ground with his brazen scourge. As Gwandor gasped in the In agony, a bloodied Thalandor hurled his spear through the demon's skull, before collapsing alongside his flying steed.

Lothlann the Brave rallied the last of the Grove Riders with Alith Anar. He was chopped by demon blades, but held the Sacred Banner of Athel Loren upright, even in death.

Sceolan had been killed on the banks of Saphery[131], but his relatives had survived him, and held back the bloodthirsty long enough to allow Alith Anar to withdraw from the King's Glade and join the Oak of Ages. So Alith Anar fought for the defense of the sacred tree, alongside Athelwyn and Elthryn, slaying gigantic demons with a single well-placed arrow, and rallying the exhausted defenders. As the world dissolved around them, Alith Anar was the last king of the elves, a king for a few hours or days - for time didn't matter - but a king nonetheless. Then the Oak of the Ages, the last vestige of this world, also disappeared.

Appendix 1 - Chronology of the End Times[]

Chronology not written by J. Reynolds, but recomposed from the concordant dates.

2519[]

2520[]

  • Valkia gathers the tribes of Norsca, and destroys the resistance fighters.
  • The Year of Misfortune: Kairos attacks Bretonnia.

2521[]

  • The Year No One Can Forget: Aelric Cyenwulf devastates Kislev.
  • Surtha Lenk crosses Kislev, attacks the north of the Empire and is driven back. In its wake, Crom and various champions descend to the South.
  • Grimgor flees to the Darklands after his loss to Crom; N'Kari attacks Ulthuan, Finubar disappears.
  • Valkia attacks Naggaroth.
  • At the end of the year, Mallobaude launches his revolt in Bretonnia.

2522[]

  • Crom devastates Kislev. The Tzarina is lost in battle.
  • The Empire strengthens its borders.
  • Volkmar alone launches a crusade in Sylvania but he is captured. Gelt creates the Wall of Faitha.
  • Battle of Quenelles: Louen is defeated by Mallobaude.; Ariel is poisoned, the Asrai retreat into the forest.
  • The Skaven conquer Estalia and Tilea.
  • Grimgor gathers the Orcs of the Darklands.
  • The Chaos Dwarves cross the steppes, the hobgoblins flee them. Then the Chaos Dwarves begin the siege of the Grand Bastion.
  • Arbaal invades the Ind.
  • At the end of the year, N'Kari is killed and the demons are banished from Ulthuan.
  • Valkia conquers the north of Naggaroth, Ghrond and the southern cities resist.

2523[]

  • Gelt creates the Golden Bastion to push Chaos back north.
  • Arkhan and Mannfred set out on a quest for the relics of Nagash.
  • Mallobaude is defeated, Gilles becomes king of Bretonnia again.
  • The Skaven launch the invasion south of the Old World, as well as the Dwarven Realms.
  • The Skaven bring Morrslieb closer, knocking out the Slaans, then launching the Lustria invasion.
  • Grimgor annexes the tribes hobgoblins of the steppes.
  • The Chaos Dwarves and the Khazags enter the Great Bastion and invade Cathay. The Skaven sabotage Cathay from within and begin the invasion of Japan. Wulfrik joins the war in Ind.
  • At the end of the year, Malekith orders the total evacuation of Naggaroth.

2524[]

  • Supported by Gelt and Karl Franz, the Golden Bastion still stands.
  • Bretonnia faces the Beastmen and Skaven from Estalia.
  • The Skaven conquer Araby and the Frontier Principalities. Belegar takes refuge in the depths of Karak at the Eight Peaks.
  • The Lizardmen push back the Skaven in Lustria.
  • The Skaven conquer Japan. Grimgor destroys the Grand Bastion and also enters Cathay.
  • Arbaal withdraws from devastated Ind. Wurrzag gathers the wild orcas of the Ind forests and joins Grimgor.
  • At the start of the year, the Drucchi invade Ulthuan.

2524, Geiheimnistag[]

  • Battle of the Nine Demons, and resurrection of Nagash.
  • In Ulthuan, Tyrion becomes Khaine.

2525[]

  • The Golden Bastion collapses. Battle of Heffengen: Karl Franz is lost.
  • The Glottkins invade the Empire. The Skaven take Nuln.
  • Nagash conquers Nehekhara and brings his pyramid and allies back to Sylvania.
  • The Skaven conquer Karak Azul and Karak Hirn.
  • The Slaans are awakening. The Skaven resume the war in Lustria.
  • Grimgor conquers Cathay then Nippon.
  • War in Ulthuan: Malekith becomes Phoenix King, and is joined by the Asrai. The Vortex is destroyed, the Incarnations appear. Dark Ulthuan and the Elves regroup in Athel Loren.

2526[]

  • Fall of Altdorf: Nurgle's troops are pushed back, the Emperor becomes Incarnation of Heaven.
  • The Skaven poison Karak Kadrin. Barak Varr is inundated. The Skaven destroy part of Morrslieb, meteorites devastate Lustria and the Southern Lands.
  • Become Incarnation of the Beast, Grimgor assimilates the ogre tribes in his Waaagh.
  • The Nippon is destroyed by the tsunami which follows the cataclysm in Lustrie.

2527[]

  • The Emperor evacuates Altdorf for Averheim. Archaon take Middenheim.
  • The Skaven finally take Karak-a-Karak.
  • Grimgor destroys the Empire of the Chaos Dwarves.

2528[]

  • Zhufbar is abandoned, the dwarves join the Empire.
  • Chaos conquers Averheim then Sylvania. The Emperor and Nagash join Athel Loren.
  • Be'lakor, then the Blood Hunt attack Athel Loren.

2528, Fall[]

  • The Battle of Middenheim ends with the activation of a Chaos Portal that destroys the world.

Appendix 2 - Alternative Ends[]

Josh Reynolds also spoke about the consequences of some alternative choices. In these worlds that were not, the fates of each other would have been very different.

Alternative 1: Nagash does not return[132][]

Imagine if Ungrim had managed to reach Eltharion and Leitdorf in time, or if they had waited for him. Worse, imagine if Ungrim hadn't come alone - if Thorgrim, still furious after Mannfred had kidnapped Aliathra right under his nose and especially under his beard, had decided that his honor was more important than his distaste for the elves? What if Eltharion had put aside his own disgust and asked directly for the help of the dwarves rather than going through Karl Franz? They could have prevented the resurrection of Nagash and would have saved Aliathra. Such a fact could have led the Elves and Dwarves to come to the aid of the Golden Bastion. They could have held the enemy there, and pushed further into Kislev, sending the enemy back. Ungrim, Eltharion and Leitdorf could have shown what the three races could have accomplished together, and given their aura, they would no doubt have attracted others to follow their example. This is exactly what Archaon feared.

From there, everything would go wrong. With the loss of Nagash, Vlad and the Nameless would have remained dead. Arkhan and Krell would have run away to betray the good guys later, Mannfred would have been destroyed once again. Neferata would never have been so involved. In fact, she would probably have sent someone to the Golden Bastion (probably Ulrika or Genevieve) to help on the spot or would have helped subtly in pushing back Archaon. The other vampires would have continued their activities had it not been for Nagash's call.

The dwarves would never have lost their ancestral goddess and their most famous runelord when they needed it most. Bretonnia would undoubtedly have declared a Crusade but would have sent to Kislev (or perhaps Marienburg or Estalia).

The Skaven would no doubt have taken Tilea, Estalia and Araby, but would no doubt have decided not to continue the campaign in Lustria or Bretonnia.

Without Nagash, the Tomb Kings would have stayed where they were, and done nothing. They would have been oblivious to what was going on outside their borders anyway.

Aliathra saves, Tyrion would not have gone mad, and the High Elves would have done much better - Teclis would still have planned in secret, but perhaps to place Tyrion on the throne instead of Malekith.

Teclis's plan was flawed from the start, because it was based on the lies of Lileath, whose goal was never to win but just to grab time. But if Teclis could have planned his actions without Lileath's interference, he might have succeeded in binding the winds and preventing Nagash's resurrection.

The Incarnations of the Winds should all have been elves: Alith Anar should have been the Incarnation of Shadows, Daith of Torgovan become the Incarnation of Metal, Tullaris captain of the Executors should have endorsed the Wind of Death, and Korhil of the White Lions that of the beast. Of course, Alarielle, Tyrion and Malekith would have received the winds of Life, Light and Fire respectively. Only the wind from Heaven, in which Sigmar was locked, would inevitably have escaped Teclis.

Alternative 2: Nagash and Teclis plan works and Chaos is defeated.[133][]

Warhammer Teclis Art

Teclis, High Loremaster of Hoeth

Nagash would then have taken on the role of the big bad, while Chaos would have retreated for a few centuries until a new Eternal Chosen One emerges. The demons would have been immediately thrown out of the world.

In this reality, the Skaven would not have succeeded in destroying the Black Pyramid (although they almost succeeded, forcing Nagash to join the Incarnations),

and Nagash would then have quickly regained his energy. Nagash would then have spent most of his energy against the Skaven to settle his old resentment born of their past betrayal. The Skaven would have moved Skaron to the Chaos Realm to escape Nagash, and were unable to return quickly - even if they could later. The remaining Skaven in the real world would then have been busy evading the victorious Incarnations, Orcs and Undead, and licking their wounds - Clan Pestilens as well as many minor clans being decimated, such as Eshin bled dry in Cathay. and Nippon, Mors decimated by the Dwarves and Moulder trapped in the north occupied by the Chaotics.

Then Nagash would have retreated to Sylvania to rebuild his forces, the survivors fleeing from him. Nagash is said to have gathered his forces in Sylvania for a few decades, sending his Mortarchs to torment his enemies. The living dead, rather than the armies of Chaos, would have been the new threat to the Empire. Vlad, Mannfred, and the other vampires would have been wild cards, serving Nagash or their own interests.

This would then have left time for the Lizardmen and the Empire to regain their strength. Had Sigmar survived the War on Chaos, Nagash would have immediately retreated to

Sylvania, while Gelt and Sigmar would have prepared the country as best they could for the war to come. If Sigmar had not survived, Nagash would then have attempted to kill the other incarnations. Together they could have gotten rid of him, but even so he would have run away in smoke

immaterial, maybe he could even have killed one of them.

Even depending on who commands it, the Empire's reaction would not have changed much. With the influx of refugees from Kislev, their army would have been reinforced just in time to accommodate Sylvania's threat. New voters would have been in place to replace those fallen in action. A voter for Sylvania would have even been chosen to better lead the crusade against this haunted region. Perhaps this role could be attributed to Valten, because after all who better than the Herald of Sigmar could lead the fight against Nagash? Or would Isabella, now Countess Electress of Sylvania, have sought to resuscitate her deceased husband, or even have supported the Empire, but he would have accepted it?

The Skaven armies are said to have periodically overrun the mountains. Bretonnia would have sent a War of Wandering in the neighboring occupied countries, like Tilea, Estalia, the Frontier Principalities.

Chaos would have been in decline for a while. Small war bands would have continued to launch raids against the south, but more rarely large armies. The Beast-Men would have been the biggest chaotic threat, with herds led by deadly champions.

The Waaagh of the Beast is said to have separated, Grimgor disappearing under mysterious circumstances. The shamans would have spoken of the return of the Pluss'

Leader to lead the Greenskins to victory, while the warlords would have fought for power.

The Lizardmen are said to have occupied Nehekhara, re-fertilizing this once desolate region. They would have faced the Skaven in Araby, and the Orcs and Ogres in the Wilderness.

Settra would have been a thorn in Nagash's side, sabotaging his power base. He would have driven the forced servants of the Immortal King into rebellion (if they could resist Nagash's will), while others would have preferred the safety of their servitude. Either way, it could have led to yet another "War of the Dead", diverting Nagash's attention to Settra instead of the Incarnations.

The elves would be united, but their power passed, like the dwarves. While Malekith and Alarielle are powerful, it's a safe bet that they couldn't agree on how to proceed after the war and would go their separate ways. Malekith would have wanted to restore the elves to their glory while Alarielle only to keep her people alive, this would have led the elves to a new schism. Then Malekith would have turned his attention to Chaos, sending his armies across Norsca and Naggaroth, fighting to reclaim his lands in a vain effort to expand his dying empire.

Tyrion, now a king without a kingdom, would have played much the same role as the White Dwarf, a wandering warrior who appears when the hour is dark, in the hope of redemption. But unlike the White Dwarf, his own people (or at least some of them) would have tried to get rid of him.

The dwarves, like the Empire, would have been pretty much what they always have been. Their doors closed, their attention still directed at the goblins and the

skaven, they would occasionally attempt an sortie to fight the orcs or the living dead. Maybe even Thorgrim would have killed the Master Assassin.

In Kislev, the Czarina would have led a guerrilla warfare to confront the residual forces of Chaos. Periodically, Kislevite refugees are said to have formed a crusade to aid him in this objective, or to recapture one of their lost cities.

Either way, if the Incarnations had won, there would have been survivors from each faction, ready to rebuild their forces for the next war.

Small Variation 1: Nagash Returns, More Powerful[134][]

Assuming Tyrion and Thorgrim manage to save Aliathra in Nagashizzar, but Mannfred can find another acceptable sacrifice, in order to

resurrect Nagash, the dwarves and elves would have remained on good terms, and Tyrion would not have gone mad.

But Nagash would not have been weakened by the Curse of Aenarion and would have been able to bind the Wind of Death, and thus control the unbound dead and get rid of the Tomb Kings much sooner. So Nagash could have decided to send the countless dead against Archaon, turning the north into a butcher's shop where the living dead and Chaos try to choke each other.

mutually.

The dwarves and the Empire would have found themselves facing a new threat from the Von Carsteins, as Nagash would have sent the other mortarchs north and delegated Sylvania to Vlad and his family. Nagash himself would have walked on Skarogne to sort out this old Lethal Blade story, before turning to the Empire ...

Small Variation 2: Nagash Returns, But Loses Against the Tomb Kings[135][]

Assuming that Apophas kills him with the Blade of Eternity, or else Settra manages to confront him, the end of the world could have come much faster, without Nagash to distract the Chaos Gods. Without him, the Wind of Death would have been attributed to an elf no doubt, according to Teclis's plans, or would have been liberated, and Chaos would have rolled over the Empire because he would not have needed to lead part of his forces to contain Nagash.

But it might have been interesting to see if the Wind of Death had found a host in Gelt or Vlad (or even Mannfred) ...

Small Variation 3: The Slanns Manage to Prevent Morrslieb's Reunion Ritual[136][]

The Slanns would then have been aware of the impending Skaven attack instead of being taken by surprise. They could have prevented the invasion, or even used the destruction of Morrslieb to send meteorites to Skaron to wipe out the Council of Thirteen, or even Nagash - and fail to destroy them altogether. Or they could have rearranged the continents as they already did, so as to hinder the Chaos.

Small Variation 3: Ungrim Survives Averheim[137][]

Ungrim would then have participated in the Council of Incarnations, and would have called for a march against Middenheim much earlier, an argument which would have earned him to be on Sigmar's side in the debates more than once. He probably would have been better than Caradryan against Ka'Bandha, but he probably wouldn't have survived this fight.

Small Variation 4: The Dark Elves Invade Ulthuan Dduring the Demonic Invasion Instead of After.[]

This war would then have brought the Elven race to the brink of extinction, removing them from the equation for quite a while. Teclis could have attempted maneuvers to make things go as in the original storyline, allying with Malekith or else Tyrion gets rid of him and becomes king (and who knows how the gods would have reacted then).

But it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had lived long enough to see Grimgor…

Small variation 4: Thanquol Betrays Archaon[138][]

Thanquol

Grey Seer Thanquol

If the Skaven had understood Archaon's real plan, having conquered three-fifths of the world themselves, would they have abandoned him to Chaos without a fight?

Perhaps then they would have turned on Archaon just before the Incarnations' assault on Middenheim, giving an air of "every man for himself" in the course of events, while the Orcs, Skaven and Incarnations would all attempt to do so. stopping Archaon, but stepping on top of each other. It wouldn't have changed much in the end but would have been funnier.

Maybe even Thanquol and Canto Unsworn would have allied, Gotek and Felix way, to assassinate Archaon, that would have been… pathetic.

Small variation 5: Thanquol Does Not Ally with Archaon But With the Incarnations by Going to Athel Loren[139][]

That ultimately wouldn't have changed much, as Thanquol would have ended up in Mannfred's place in the end, stabbing everyone in the back. Let's be honest, the Skaven can't help themselves, after all.

Of course, this is all guesswork that never happened, because the world was destroyed. The defenders of order could not have won. This is why the End of Times is a tragedy, not a farce.

Trivia[]

  • Rodrigo Delmonte could not witness the events having lived in another age.
  • In this story it seems to come out that the identity of the Princess of Sartosa was that of Aranessa Saltspite.
  • There is even a story arch that covers the Moot but it is just ironic.

External Links[]

Sources[]