Warhammer Strife Within Order

Warhammer Strife Within Order:
A Warhammer story set in the universe of Warhammer Fantasy as a continuation of the series setting. It will of course be disregarding the events of The End Times campaign. It is the 5th Century of the 3rd Millenium of the Imperial calendar. For nearly a thousand years the infamous Chaos Warp Gates have been closed though the power of Chaos, greatly diminished as it is, does survive.

The last great war with Chaos ended with the near destruction of the world. Great calamities struck the Earth, the armies of Ruin fought the alliance of men, elves and dwarves outside the very gates of Altdorf itself, the continent of Ulthuan was almost cast into the ocean depths and a great warpstone device hidden centuries ago was detonated beneath Middenheim. However in all of this an ancient artefact of the Old Ones was uncovered and at the cost of many of the world's finest mages, was activated. The rifts that led to the Realm of Chaos were sealed and the greatest means by which the Dark Gods could affect the world was closed forever.

With the Polar Warp Gates closed the Winds of Magic dulled slightly but remained fairly strong, though less erratic. The entire ordeal shook the world and threatened to obliterate every living thing on every coastline ever. The coastal peoples of Ulthuan experienced the worst of it as their entire continent shuddered and barely escaped slipping into the sea. Magic still leaked into the world from the Poles and other points but never in the great torrents of uncontrollable energy that threatened the world before.

The closing of the Chaos Warp Gates gave the Slann of Lustria a great revelation. Their vision had been clouded by the Dark Gods of Chaos but the reduction of their influence allowed the Slann to see the desires of the Old Ones. Lord Mazdamundi, the most active of the Slann saw that he had been correct, the world as it currently existed was incapable of being returned to the Old Ones' great plan and had to be forcibly returned to what it was before the collapse of the Polar Gates. The Slann convened and agreed that direct intervention was necessary. They also understood that the other races were not likely to comply with their demands, having strayed so far from the Old Ones' directions. Then of course there were those races that were not a part of the Old Ones designs and therefore had to be destroyed.

Since this great decision was made the Slann and the rest of the Lizardmen have made it their mission to cleanse the Earth of the remaining taint of discord. Such an endeavour will require immense changes to the planet but the Slann have deemed such measures acceptable. The planet has already strayed from the Old Ones' designs so a few temporary changes aren't that much of a problem. Long abandoned temple cities are being resettled by the Lizardmen as the Slann prepare to reconstitute the ancient Geomantic Web. Their attempts to regain control over their immense powers have even led to them expanding their influence over other magical focal points and nexuses from afar. Unfortunately certain cities like sunken Chupayotl and the plague ridden cities of Chaqua and Quetza remain beyond their ability to recover. Even then certain measures are being prepared to return them to some form of use as the Geomantic Web is rewoven.

The Lizardmen spawning pools have been birthing warrior strains of the Lizardmen like never before, adding further evidence in support of the Slann's decisions. Even the pools of the recently reoccupied cities have been cleaned and quicken with life once again. In both Lustria and the Darklands, the Lizardmen are rebuilding. New outposts are being established for their expansion and Skinks and Kroxigors both slave away to expand the temple-cities and even build new ones on the reconfigured Geomantic Web.

The whole world now their enemies, the Lizardmen prepare for war. Legions of Saurus and endless packs of Skinks have been assembled and sent across the world. Ancient artefacts and weapons have been gathered by the brave Skinks that have sought them out on grotesque Troglodons. Devices beyond understanding have been brought out and made ready for war. The deep jungles of Lustria and the Dark lands have been penetrated by these intrepid hunters and numerous lost artefacts have been recovered. Though their purpose and deeper secrets remain a mystery, even to the Slann, the Skinks have uncovered the means through which they can work many of them and turn them into engines of destruction.

Even the beasts of the jungle answer the Slann's call and entire armies of Skink beast-handlers have slaved away to raise and train the monsters of the jungles to suit the Slann's purposes. Veritable swarms of flying Terradons and Ripperdactyls are being prepared for the great conflict.  Packs of ravenous Carnosaurs, groups of immense Sauropods and entire herds of Stegadons have been prepared. Even the mighty and mysterious Arcanodons have been harnessed for battle and now carry massive howdahs, equipped with great bows and esoteric machines, covered in runes and carved from stone, gold and obsidian. Even the most ancient relics have been brought out of the temples in preparation for the great war against the world. Through gateways and portals that have not been travelled since the times of the Old Ones, these armies are sent to prepare the way for the great purge that will return the world to the way it should be. Outposts and beachheads have been set up at places like Albion, Western Naggaroth, Khuresh and even on the southern Wastes. Wherever the Lizardmen march the climate is altered further and lush jungles spread, bringing the ravenous and violent beasts of Lustria and the Dark Lands with them.

In order to facilitate this expansion and prevent their forces from weakening, the Slann are slowly altering the climate. For centuries the world's temperature has risen and the jungles have crept north as the climate becomes warmer and more humid. In such environments the Lizardmen thrive and though it may damage the world it is a small price to pay to repair the Old Ones plan. A temporary alteration of the climate is nothing compared to the thousands of years of disarray that have shaken the world since the Old Ones departed.

The Last War with Chaos almost threatened to destroy the Elven race. The near destruction of Ulthuan, the losses incurred in the war and the death of Malekith led to both sides of the Elven Civil War returning to their homelands to lick their wounds. However something strange happened as a result of the Last War. It started slowly but the number of births in the Elven kingdoms began to increase. This development was startling to the entire race as they had noticed their gradual decline centuries ago and were surprised at its sudden reversal. The reason behind the change in their fortunes has yet to be discovered but it is a mystery that countless scholars and mages are trying to find an answer for.

Ulthuan has rebuilt its great cities but the nation has been irreversibly changed by the Last War. The leylines that the Waystones directed and stabilised have been altered and the flow of power that permeates the island has shifted in ways that the mages of Ulthuan are still trying to decipher.

The closing of the Chaos Warp Gates and the usurpation of the Waystones completely collapsed the Vortex, an act that was responsible for the horrible tsunamis that almost sank the continent. However this also released Caledor and the mages that had been maintaining it in a state of limbo for millennia. Miraculously they were still alive and the people of Ulthuan rushed to save the invaluable figures that had been returned to the world of the living. Coreath the current Phoenix King, is a radical rebuilder who has coordinated the rebuilding process since the death of Finubar in the Last War. He is the one who organized the reconstruction of cities, the strengthening of the Gates and fortifications along the Western Annulii Mountains and the recovery of the rural manors and farms that were devastated by the tsunamis. Caledor and the great mages of the Age of Aenarion have recovered and are embracing their lessons of the new world they now inhabit. Though they have watched the world from their limbo for countless centuries, actually experiencing it is a different matter that they have spent decades adapting to. They have also provided the mages of Saphery with invaluable tutelages in ancient magics that were lost to the world when they created the Vortex.

Ulthuan's navy remains the pride of the world, even though many warships from the Empire exceed them in terms of raw power (not counting magic). The sudden rise in their population has allowed them to expand their military once again and the navy has experienced the most benefits. The citizen levy is still in place which provides Ulthuan with a truly immense army for its population size, especially as their numbers increase. The Dragons, though still few in number were especially restless in the age leading up to the Last War and have remained so since then. They still do not rise with enough frequency to provide the Dragon Knights of Caledor with enough mounts but they are once again relied upon as a regular military asset. That aside, with Chaos gone, the reasons for their new found energy are rather disconcerting for those who feel the manipulation and reconfiguration of the magical leylines of the world.

Though the cities and manors of Ulthuan have still not been refilled the high Elves are once again confident enough to establish colonies, at least in vital areas. Arnheim has been resettled once again much to the annoyance of the Dark Elves and new outposts in the Old World, Norsca, Araby and around Ind have been built, mostly in areas that humanity has abandoned. However whilst new colonies are built in the north the older ones in the south are coming under attack. Time and again the scouting forces of the Lizardmen have assaulted the elven strongholds that guard crucial ocean passages in the southern hemisphere. As the armies of Lustria and the Dark Lands grow in both size and readiness tha ttacks have grown larger and the cost of defending of them has grown greater.

For the most part Ulthuan is safe but the climate change is starting to become apparent. The climate change is disturbing the enchanted weather patterns that provide the Inner Kingdoms with their beautific climate. Wild storms now lash the Inner Sea and strike the coastlines with unsettling frequency. The skilled sailors of Ulthuan are able to navigate these disturbances but it is a worrying prospect to the High Elves who have always known a constant stable summer inside the rings of the Annulii.

The Wood Elves are suffering a crisis. The appropriation of the Waystones' power has had a strange effect on their woodland realm of Athel Loren. With every passing year, Orion and his Wild Hunt have broken free of the boundaries of the Waystones and rampaged through neighbouring Bretonnia. In recent decades the warding abilities of the Waystones have deteriorated further. Now the forest is spreading as well. The Wood Elves have lost complete control of the forests growth and the disruption of the magical leylines have had a strange effect on the forest's growth. Despite apprehension from the more docile clans there are many who are actively supporting and exacerbating the expansion of Athel Loren regardless of the consequences.

Neither Orion or Ariel have actively intervened in this crisis. Orion instinctively continues his Wild Hunts, accepting the expansion of his domain and continuing his rampages beyond the forests new boundaries and into the surrounding regions. As always he is followed by hordes of Dryads, Treekin and the Wild Riders.

The Wood Elves have also experienced the rather inexplicable increase in their birth rate which has had some unprecedented side-effects. Though intrinsically capable of coexisting with the forest with ease they have had to expand their halls to keep up with the sudden population growth. The armies of Athel Loren have expanded for he expansion of the forest has forced the Wood Elves to finally take notice of the world around them. They may have little love for the races beyond their border but they did make common enough cause with the Bretonnians, who have always honoured their boundaries, to try to assist them and sway Orion's decisions. Athel Loren has also grown far enough that it is beginning to feel the influence of the Drakwald and is not only beginning to experience mystical battles between the magic of the two forests but is also beginning to be infested with Beastmen and Drakwald Skaven.

The alteration of the magical leylines has also had other disastrous effects on Athel Loren. The waystones along the Cullodinen Edge have faltered as their magic is siphoned away and rearranged. Now the vicious spirits of Cythral, the Wildwood, are free to spread their influence into the rest of the forest. With every passing year and the change of the seasons the Wood Elves are finding the forest is becoming more hostile to their presence. Already the south-western portion of the forest has been overrun by the savage and bitter spirits of the Cythral and even several halls have been overrun. Led by twisted spirits like Briarmaven Drycha and the insane Treeman Ancient Coeddil, the forest spirits of southern Athel Loren are swarming through the groves and glades, hunting any elf they believe is a threat, and they believe that all elves either create threats or invite them on the forest.

Even Athel Loren is not immune to the climatological alterations of the Lizardmen. Though the passage of time and the seasons has always been affected by the magic of the forest the Lizardmen's changes have had their impact. Already the summers are longer and warmer while the winters are shorter and milder. With the power of the woods already unbalanced and out of control many elves are concerned about the effects that such drastic changes will have on the balance of the forest.

Life for the Druchii of Naggaroth was irreversibly changed in the Last War. During that time Malekith devoted whatever forces he had not already committed to fighting Chaos in one final invasion of Ulthuan. This attempt to usurp the Phoenix King not only failed but claimed his life this time. Without him the Dark Elves were routed and when the news was brought back to Naggaroth it completely collapsed the teetering hierarchy the Dark Elves lived under (the soldiers who reported the Witch King's death were summarily executed for spreading disruptive information). Civil war broke out in Naggaroth as the various competing drachau turned on one another.

By this point the various factions have largely wiped one another out or absorbed them. Minor lords have either accepted the dominance of the two major power blocs or been killed. Th first major faction to emerge were the Old Temple Khainenites. Crone Hellebron was long dead by the time of the Final War and her successors had to fight one another to claim her mantle. The Hag Queens that took the seat of power in the Cult of Khaine are all lunatics. Though still prone to fighting one another they believe it their duty to unleash Khaine's destruction on the world. The torment and carnage they endured in the battle for power have driven them insane and the chaos that overtook Naggaroth in the wake of Malekith's death provided them with the means through which they could infect all other Dark Elves with the same insanity.

The Khainenites control the cities of Har Ganeth and Karond Kar as well as the fortress of Ghrond along with numerous colonies and outposts in the northern half of the old Dark Elf kingdom. The Cult of Khaine dominate the various lords and petty hierophants that rule the citizenry in the Cult's name and enforce the edicts coming from the Temple of Khaine in Har Ganeth. Religious zeal and the fundamentalist teachings of the Cult have driven the Khainenite Dark Elves to new heights of bloodthirsty madness. Every city is dominated by vast fortress temples to Khaine and no other gods are observed outside of small shrines. Arenas and executioner plazas see daily sacrifices at the hands of man, elf or beast. Despite their eternal war with the southern Dark Elves the Khainenites acknowledge that they still need slaves to till the land, mine the metals and provide flesh and blood in sacrifice. Numerous Black Arks have been conquered or converted and then sent to ply their bloody trade in the Old World, Ulthuan and Cathay.

The armies of the Khainenites are all skilled killers. At their head are the blood-drunk Witches of Khaine that caper around the disgusting Cauldrons of Blood, bathing in the spilled life fluid and drinking it down in great draughts. They dance across the battlefield, taking lives with every smooth movement and flicker of their blade studded and armoured limbs. Every Khainenite soldier is now considered an executioner and every weapon they wield, no matter what it is, is a Draich blessed in ritual execution. Ghrond has become a blasphemous temple-prison where rouge warlocks and sorceresses are brought, broken and twisted into bitter abominations that wield their magic in service to the Old Temple. Finally there are the Beatmasters of Karond Kar. Though they are far from devout they are more than happy to provide the monsters they capture and train to the Hag Queens. In return for the vile Hydras, Kharybdis, Manticores and other monstrosities that are held in Karond Kar's cages, the city is granted a fair amount of leniency and autonomy to do as they will.

The rest of the Dark Elves rallied in the south around Malus Darkblade, the nigh-immortal Drachau of Hag Graef. As the other squabbling lords and 'would be kings' fell Malus Darkblade consolidated what he had. His bitterness and anger drove him to acts of cruelty and strength that destroyed his enemies and attracted allies. Khainenite moderates (as much as there can be any) began to resurrect an old title that he had only been given once. The Scourge of Khaine. With that proclamation countless Dark Elves flocked to his banner. Other drachau and petty lords swore allegiance to him even as they plotted some way to overthrow him or steal his power. From this alliance rose a new Dark Elf kingdom in opposition to the Old Temple.

Malus Darkblade is ageless and though he may be old his hatred and drive have not faded in the least. His recent rise to unimaginable power has only spurred him onwards. The daemon Tz'arkan is still tied to him and keeps him safe from age however the battle for dominance between the two greedy beings is endless. When the new Witch King (as many sycophants have called him) goes to war he bears the fabled and feared Warpsword of Khaine which drives him to commit violence on levels unimagined by all but the most debauched members of the Khainenite Old Temple.

The Scourge Dark Elves control the southern half of Malekith's old domain. Based in the expanded fortress city of Hag Graef, Malus Darkblade rules over the cities of Clar Karond and Naggarond, which is under constant attack from the Khainenites. Both Dark Elf kingdoms have experienced the sudden rise in their birth rate but it is the Scourge that are able to capitalise on it as they less prone to bloodthirsty outbursts and learn to pick their opponents in battle. The lands of the Scourge are no less militarised than those of the Khainenites but in a much more traditional sense. Malus' status as the Scourge of Khaine has assured his control over the more religious segments of the population. The loyalist Khainenites provide invaluable skill and fanaticism to his armies. Robbed of the skilled beastmasters of Karond Kar it is up to the Black Arks of the Scourge armada to provide war beasts. However Hag Graef's connection to the Black Way gives the Scourge greater access to the savage Cold Ones that the Scourge are now infamous for. Sorceresses and warlocks alike are provided by the Black Arks now whose services have become increasingly invaluable as a source of warbeasts, slaves and magicians. The Scourge Dark Elves match the bloodthirsty zeal of the Khainenites with a cold-hearted determination instilled into them by their dark lord who has taught them that “with hate all things are possible”.

Hidden from either faction is Morathi. The now truly demented Hag Sorceress leads her remaining followers in a secret war of subterfuge. Sequestered away in an underground fortress, Morathi gathers information to use in her hidden war and slaves to sacrifice to feed her Cauldron of Blood. From her refuge beneath the Blackspine Mountains, she sends her followers to infiltrate both factions and manipulate them. By her command well placed agents will turn armies in new directions, open cities to besieging forces and assassinate important figures. Once both sides are too weak to oppose her she will make her move.

Whilst the fortunes of the elves seem to have reversed (in some ways) those of the men of the Old World have not been as kind.

Centuries before the Last War the Skaven had prepared an immense warpstone device and hidden it in the warrens under Middenheim. The device had failed to go off and was lost for a time but just before the end of the Last War the Skaven found it. Middenheim was already being broken into by besieging Chaos and Beastmen forces and the humans were thus distracted. The Skaven successfully detonated the device, dying in the process. The warpstone bomb was so immense that its explosion destroyed the Ulricsberg and flattened land for hundreds of miles around it. It spread warpstone dust, wyrdstone and magic throughout the forest. This foul poison persisted even after the closing of the Polar Warp Gates and continues to mutate much of the former Empire to this day.

The Skaven Under Empire now controls lands above ground. The region, colloquially called the Drakwald, is a vast twisting forest of mutating trees and glowing veins of wyrdstone. Clan Rooter controls most of this land and orchestrates vast foraging bands that uncover and excavate the wyrdstone deposits that can be found just under the topsoil. Clan Rooter is relatively young but it is already powerful. The wyrdstone they provide is invaluable in a world where warpstone formation is now much less common or pervasive. However despite the vast wealth they have been afforded they cannot exercise much power for they are under constant attack. Whether it is from rival clans or Beastman warherds, the assaults on Clan Rooter's bases and foraging teams are endless and require constant vigilance and guarding. Slaver raids are sent out both overland and underground into the surrounding lands to acquire more slaves for Clan Rooter's industries. Another major export of Clan Rooter are the crops of the Drakwald which, whilst prone to mutation, are far more nutritious than the black corn of the swamps around Skavenblight.

However despite the vast wealth afforded to them Clan Rooter is not on the Council of Thirteen, a fact that many warlords have noticed and plan to rectify. Many times the leaders of Clan Rooter have travelled to Skavenblight to challenge a member of the Council for their position and each time they have either been assassinated en-route or have failed to defeat their opponent once they challenge them.

The Skaven experienced a major upheaval after the events of the Last War. Despite successfully detonating the warpstone device underneath Middenheim and then occupying the warpstone tainted Drakwald, the closing of the Polar Warp Gates has been disastrous. With no more volatile Chaos energies flooding into the world there is precious little warpstone forming. It is only in locations like the Drakwald, Sylvania and the Darklands, which are too saturated to not attract enough magic to solidify, where sufficient quantities can still be found. In order to preserve their society and their own lives the Council of Thirteen have refocused the entire Under Empire on these areas. Clan Rooter formed too quickly for the other clans to monopolise the Drakwald but the wars for the other warpstone rich regions have begun and are still going.

The Skaven Under Empire has expanded in some areas and retracted in others. The wars with the Dwarves and the Greenskins in the Worlds Edge Mountains continue but they now receive lower priority from the Greater Clans and the Council. Instead they are used to secure the tunnels to the major offensives in the Dark Lands and other eastern area where warpstone can still be found in abundance. Clan Skryre continues to supply new weapons. Warp tanks, derived from Empire weaponry, plough over battlefields (usually before malfunctioning in a catastrophic fashion) and unleash bolts of warp lightning from poorly maintained cannons whilst rickety warp flappers (think of a hang glider with a motor and propeller attached) allow squealing pilots to soar over battlefields, dropping bombs and vials of foul potions on the enemies below. Clan Pestilens plague cauldrons and Clan Eshin assassins are as invaluable as always but it is Clan Moulder, with their immense mammoth rats and their brand new ratling hives (huge carpets of flesh and teeth that scurry and undulate over the land on hundreds of feet) that truly compete with Skryre for customers. Warpstone sustains these war efforts and drives the Skaven to attack these lands all the more.

Sylvania, one of the targets of the Skaven Under Empire, is no longer in Empire hands by any means. The Vampire Counts rule openly here once again. The Von Carsteins are gone and the lands of Sylvania have fallen into the hands of other Vampire Counts. The dead remain as restless as ever in this cursed land and present a great obstacle for any would be conqueror. The various Vampire Counts spend much of their time feuding except whenever a large Skaven assault takes place. However whilst the Vampires may be more concerned with fighting one another the numerous Necromancers that call this vile place home are much more ambitious. Warpstone is being gathered by numerous sorcerers in order to assist in raising armies of the dead. These great rotting hosts are often then sent out to the Drakwald for the wyrdstone that is scattered throughout the region or for the numerous strange artefacts and mutations that are waiting to be discovered and exploited. The most notorious Necromancer of this age is Erich Kleiner who is famous for creating armies of fleshy monstrosities out his zombies, substituting limbs for weapons and stitching cadavers together into writhing lumpen giants of flesh, wood and metal.

With their ancient heartland contaminated with warpstone and overrun by mutants, Beastmen and Skaven, the Empire was divided. Desperate for more land to settle and with the influence of Chaos retreating faster and further than ever before the people of the Empire brought their prodigious strength to bear on their neighbours. The Empire is now technically two lands, forever feuding and struggling to barely cooperate.

The Northern Empire expanded into the former lands of Kislev which had been destroyed before the Last War. Though centred in the old eastern provinces of the Empire the Northerners are now heavily influenced by the steppe people they have conquered and assimilated. Sigmar is worshipped by the Northerners but the old gods of the Empire are far more prominent. Popular deities like Taal and Ulric have also been joined by other gods like Ursun and older practices such as the veneration of household deities and ancestors. This is just one of the many causes of the tension between the North and the South. The Northerner armies still employ the hardy blocks of state soldiers and artillery batteries but they have been joined by the fabled light horsemen of the steppe and fanatical berserker warriors of such gods like Ulric and Ursun. These armies are frequently tested by the still numerous Greenskins, Chaos Marauders and Beastman warherds. New colonies are being built in Norsca as the last Chaos worshipping tribes are forced out of the prosperous coast-lands which have become temperate and fertile in the steadily warming climate. Overall the Northern Empire is far more conservative than the South and is often viewed as rustic and almost barbarous by the Southerners.

The southern portion of the Empire looked to the south for more land just as their northern counterpart headed north. The city states of Tilea and most of the Border Princes have either been conquered or forcibly made into satellite states. The south’s industry has been expanded over the centuries and the old College of Engineers in Nuln has continued to experiment. The Tilean and border Prince people have had an impact on Southerner culture, affecting language, diet and even some political attitudes. The old aristocracy still hold most of the power but the mercantile class is also immensely powerful now. As industry expands so too does the power of the new industrialists, many of which are commoners. However these social climbers tend to buy titles of aristocracy once they are rich enough, usually perpetuating the social classes by doing so. Sigmar is still the major patron deity of the Southern Empire but other deities like Myrmidia are now noticeable competitors thanks to influence from the Tilean portion of the population. Major advances in science have produced a myriad of strange devices, many of which are still experimental whilst others are still uncommon sights. The armies of the Southerners are largely centred around large pike blocks alongside the traditional knights that the Empire is well known for. The scientific marvels of the Empire have also been adapted for the military. Steam tanks and the immense steam fortresses roll over battlefields whilst steam powered aircraft inspired by Dwarven gyrocopters allow daring pilots to fire from greater vantage points. Steam powered mech suits of various sizes, whilst still rather experimental, are also featured on the battlefield and armed with steam cannons, grenades and flails though they will on occasion malfunction and cook their pilots.

Brettonia has suffered immensely at the hands of the Wood Elves and the rampant spirits of Athel Loren. Many cities like Quenelles and Parravon have been lost to the growth of the forest. Even after a thousand years the influence of the Wood Elves and the Lady of the lake have kept them in a state of social and technological stagnancy. Though cannons were reluctantly included in their arsenal (the coastal cities were already using them even before the Last War) the old reliable methods of war have remained the Bretonnians standard response to problems. The displacement of people by the Wild Hunt and the growth of Athel Loren has disrupted things in the north and west. The Bretonnians have expanded north and west, conquering all the way to Marienburg and even annexing the city state as a vassal. The wealth derived from this mercantile satellite have helped Bretonnia somewhat but the ideas flooding out of the city are beginning to cause trouble. The Bretonnian mercantile classes have already been getting uppity as of late and unrest is starting to become a concern.

During the Last War the strain on the Dwarven kingdom almost became intolerable. On the verge of total defeat the period immediately after the end of the Last War provided a respite. Ever since the Skaven redirected their efforts towards securing the few remaining warpstone deposits their attack on the Dwarf holds have decreased, though only because the majority of their resources have been diverted elsewhere. The Dwarves still receive plenty of attacks from Skaven, Greenskins and the forest spirits of Athel Loren to test their warriors against and fill the Great Book of Grudges with grievances.

The Dwarf kingdoms are slowly rebuilding but they remain on their guard. The holds are expanding once again, mines are being expanded and halls are being excavated with all of the precise industriousness the Dwarves are known for. New outposts are being constructed but the roads through the World's Edge Mountains are still as dangerous as they have ever been. The birth rate has increased and the lower levels of conflict have consequently lowered the mortality rate as well. However whilst the Dwarves are recovering their numbers they are still losing. Great battles still take place and as before, their losses remain intolerable. However whilst their numbers are more easy to replace, the weapons and runes lost in battle can never been recovered. Vast knowledge has been forgotten over the centuries and whilst their technology improves their older heritage remains beyond recovery.

The Ogre Kingdoms are empty. Ever since the the closing of the Chaos Gates the weather patterns of the Mountains of Mourn have changed. The climate change caused by the Lizardmen is having a very bizarre effect on the weather patterns of the region. There are no summers in the mountains, the snow never stops and the animals have left. Afflicted with hunger the Ogres have been forced to leave. Forced to unite under an ultimate Overtyrant the many Ogre tribes have formed a single great horde of muscle, steel, teeth and hunger. The Darklands have already been overrun. Orc WAAGHS, Chaos Dwarf strongholds, merchant caravans and Skaven armies have all been crushed and devoured. The Ogres know from even the oldest tales of the Maneaters that there is wealth and food in the west. Dozens of tyrants lead this great host, guiding the ravenous hunger and violence. The elderly and most of the young are long dead and have been devoured since this great migration began. Ogres of all kinds male up this horde. Gorgers have been driven from their caves, Yhetees have been brought down from the mountain peaks and even the entire remaining giant population of the Mountains have been shackled, broken and dragged along to aid in this war/feeding frenzy.

Beyond the world is a realm of infinite Chaos. Their most obvious entry points have been taken from them but that still hasn't sealed them off for the world entirely. Tears in reality still open up in places and allow hordes of demons to break through into the world. There are still countless thousands who worship the Gods of Ruin or who have been tempted by their influence. The tribes of the Wastes are being pushed back but they remain resolute in their faith as the sorcerers can still summon demons and the mutated landscape around them still stands as a testament to the power and insanity of their gods. The Beastmen may not have their numbers supplemented by random mutation (outside the Drakwald and Sylvania anyway) but there are still countless thousands of them and they can still reproduce anyway. These vast forces of destruction are still incredibly powerful but without the immediate power of the Gods being provided through the Warp Gates the disorder and internal strife that permeates the children of Chaos is making it easier to divide and destroy them.

Things have been put into motion. The weakening of the power of Chaos has provided respite for more than the people of the world. The gods of Elves, Men and Dwarves have recovered their strength and tried to bestow their renewed strength and guidance on their people. Though they have been borne from the races they sponsor they are not children of the Old Ones. They have rejected their plan and now support their children's new ventures and decisions. The world is what the mortals have made of it, not the alien creatures that moulded it in ancient days. A great war is coming, the gods are aware of it and they seek to prepare all of their followers for it.