Warhammer 2K

Warhammer 2K:

This scenario will be using bits and pieces from Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Age of Sigmar and will be a little lose with bits of canon from all of them (especially 40k) to get everything together.

The world, or at least the Christian parts of it, used to think that the world would end in 1000AD. Whilst they were mostly wrong they were right in feeling that something truly catastrophic was about to happen on that year. As the winter equinox passed, stars aligned and the walls of reality spasmed and flexed. At both poles of the world, great rifts were torn in the fabric of the world.

Daemons flooded out of the rifts, tearing their way into a backward and unsuspecting world. Millions were struck down by the convulsions of energy and those with the natural sensitivity to such forces were almost driven mad by the entities that now pressed down on their mind. Many were mutated and many more swore allegiance to the Dark Gods that now whispered to them, finding new patrons and opportunities in their offers of power. Those who didn’t fall were soon beset by Daemons who could strike from anywhere and at any point in time or by warbands of disgusting cultists and monsters that emerged from within their own borders.

However the world was not defenceless. Millennia ago the ancient Old Ones had arrived on the world and had done unfathomable experiments on the native life. When they departed they left behind artefacts, unfinished experiments, plaques bearing instructions and rather lost servitors.

The moment the warpgates opened at the poles the Slann, toad-like rulers of the reptilian Lizardmen who had hidden away in the tropical forests of the world, immediately bent their will to stemming the flow. In the Pacific Northwest the enigmatic and inhuman Sylvaneth also felt the unbalancing of the Weave of the world and in the British Isles the Truthsayers, secretive human mages that had been taught by the Old Ones long ago, realised what had happened. These three races, masters of the mystical powers that flowed out of the Realm of Chaos all worked to end the flood of energy.

Though they did not know what they were truly doing, the three races managed to tap into the immense reservoir of power that the Old Ones had been building and redirected it back to the Poles. Forming an energy loop, they starved the hordes of Chaos of their magic and dammed the tide. The Daemons dissipated as the energy that sustained their manifestations was radically reduced and the number of mutations declined, depriving the followers of Chaos of their endless hordes of reinforcements.

The battered remnants of civilization pulled themselves back together and tried to adapt to the new world they found themselves in.

It is now the year 2015, over a thousand years since Chaos first came to the world and it is a very different planet. The forces of Chaos have left their mark on the world in the form of terrible catastrophes and monsters. However the most apparent change was the esoteric and uncontrollable forces that are generated in their anarchic realm by the emotions of sentient beings and harnessed by those mortals capable of wielding it.

The Holy Roman Empire currently bestrides the world with a vast empire extending over many distant lands. Having arisen in the wake of the catastrophic collapse of the Anglican Empire, the HRE tried to defend the European continent from the predations of Chaos and ballooned to immense size under a series of visionary, ruthless and powerful emperors. Since then the Holy Roman Empire has stood as the bulwark against the many threats that prey on humanity. It has also taken upon itself to safeguard the soul of humanity. In order to do this it endeavours to convert all the people it rules over to Imperial Catholicism in order to hold off the corruption of Chaos and other dark forces.

Life in the Holy Roman Empire can vary depending on the local environment but on the whole it is very hierarchical. Nobles, princes, grand dukes and other powerful lords rule over the various lands and provinces. The most powerful aristocratic families all have the right to elect the Holy Roman Emperor from amongst their ranks, ensuring that no single dynasty remains in power for too long. Representatives of the clergy also participate in the election and have a connection to the government through institutions like the Inquisition who have authority over certain secular matters. The cities are more likely to be under the influence of the mercantile elite, especially as the royal and privately owned companies grow and dominate the markets of the empire. The traditional aristocracy are still involved in the urban centres but most prefer to stay in their more rural domains and castles.

Life for most people is very precarious. The absolute rule of the elite and the threat of constant conflict often leaves many people impoverished, though there is still a substantial level of prosperity for most people to survive and thrive on. Religion is especially important to everyone as the existential threat Chaos presents is everywhere. Superstition and a fear of change are commonplace as people see new developments as an opportunity for Chaos to exploit them. However, despite this leaning towards traditionalism, revolutionaries have still emerged and gained followers. The chances of them being genuine advocates of intendedly positive social change are about as likely as them being chaos cultists trying to undermine the Empire's integrity. This has served to discredit these revolutions and preserve the existing order.

The Empire's military is vast and pressed on all sides. With countless enemies both within and without their borders, the Imperial armies are needed everywhere. Forests infested with Greenskins and Beastman have to be patrolled, coastlines raided by Chaos reavers and Dark Anglic slavers have to be watched and defended and roads raided by bandits and cultists must be policed. The army recruits from across the empire and though some specialised groups do exist they generally receive the same training and equipment.

The Holy Roman Empire still centres its armies around blocks of infantry armed with spears, halberds, crossbows and relatively simple handguns. Lighter cavalry and groups of heavily armoured knights support these regiments, either screening them or delivering devastating charges to finally break the foe. Certain beasts such as Griffons and Demigryphs have also been broken and harnessed to serve as mounts for the mightiest knights in the Holy Roman Empire. Powerful artillery batteries have made the Holy Roman Empire infamous, especially as Imperial engineers create new and more inventive weapons. The advent of steam-engines has allowed fleets of steam powered tanks and armoured cars that, whilst volatile and still somewhat unreliable, are immensely powerful. Though the empire is wary of magic there are official institutions that train specialised battle mages that can almost turn the tide of any battle with devastating spells. Magical weapons have also been created such as the devastating Luminarks and Hurricanums that unleash vast magical power and mobile towers that hover over the battlefield.

The Holy Roman Empire has many allies and vassals assisting them and by far the most famous are the Knightly Orders.

Imbued with the power of God by the Church, gifted the finest enchanted weapons and armour by Artifex smiths and forced to endure the most rigorous and gruelling training, the Order Knights of the Holy Roman Empire are the finest warriors that humanity can offer. Though many Imperial aristocrats can be knighted and wear armour, the Order Knights are a completely different category of warrior.

Order Knights are taken as children and inducted into a Knightly Order. They are then submitted to numerous trials that test their faith, integrity and strength. They are indoctrinated into the Order's beliefs which all maintain total loyalty to the Empire, the Church and God but also include individual characteristics and ideals that define each Order. Though they are few in number, each Order Knight is worth twenty men on his own and his faith and strength of character mean he will not fall to Chaos. This fanatical devotion to both their duties and their faith often makes them deadly enemies of those who's integrity is flagging as well and they often have the authority, both formal and informal, to decide the fates of others if they doubt their loyalty.

Order Knights are practically encased in armour blessed by the most holy clergymen and covered in consecrated sigils and pennants of protection. Though their many who ride into battle on massive and mighty chargers that are equipped with heavy plate, most Order Knights fight on foot. The Order's arsenals are vast, every weapon blessed and maintained by their dedicated wielders. Their weapons include great swords, hammers, axes and halberds as well as specially made longbows and crossbows. Magically enhanced crossbows and the newly manufactured repeating handgun also grant certain Knights even great fire-power.

The Papacy, which is still independent, has its own Knightly Order who are blessed above all others and granted superior weapons and equipment. Only they been granted other specialised weapons by the Artifex who still regard Rome with reverence. They often accompany inquisitors or crusading forces when they go to perform some righteous act of violence.

Though most humans rejected magic as an unclean force of Chaos, there were some that exploited it. Some turned to studying it but were reviled throughout Europe and fled to areas where they could find safety.

These scholars and craftsmen and their followers eventually developed their own culture based around their studies of magic and simple technology. Now fully independent, these scattered settlements became known as the Artifex. They favoured defensible location such as mountains, first building on and then in the great mountain chains. As they developed so did the complexity of their strongholds and soon they were building complex cities beneath the earth.

The Artifex are equal parts nation-state and religious order. Though there are many regular citizens charged with completing the regular tasks that are required to survive and thrive, the infamous members of the Artifex are the scholastic cults. The members of the Cult Scholae are mages, craftsmen and engineers devoted to the task of learning and understanding the secrets of magic and science. All Artifex revere their teachings and the products of their own invention, regarding them as sacred objects that should be treated with care and diligence. Two major sects have developed in Artifex society due to these beliefs. The Preservers, who believe that unnecessarily complex care should be taken and that blatantly rapid innovation is immorally careless and the Innovators who believe that new discoveries should be made regardless of the risks.

Regardless of their beliefs all Artifex consider their devices and the gift of knowledge to be sacrosanct. In battle, should an especially valuable machine be lost the Artifex will sacrifice as many warriors as necessary to recover it. The Artifex may devote themselves to their studies and workmanship, they do have a long alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. This partnership has benefited both nations as the HRE gets the Artifex's products and occasional military support and the Artifex get Imperial protection and materials.

Artifex settlements are heavily defended by stout well built walls and complex defensive systems. Their great mountain strongholds are marvels of engineering, able to house millions, defend the vast mines they are built upon (some suspect the influence of magic and Chaos may be behind the almost ridiculous mineral deposits they find) and provide the facilities they need to do their work.

The Artifex military is a well-oiled machine drilled repeatedly and supported by well built war machines. Blocks of infantry armed with well-made pikes, swords or handguns that form static defensive formations that weather enemy assaults behind their broad shields and heavy armour. Due to the environment they live in and their own martial ideals the Artifex do not field cavalry and instead defeat enemies they cannot reach with barrages of arrows and shot. More specialised troops armed with flame-guns, repeating handguns or steam powered armour can be fielded but are much more rare due to the rarity of the advanced equipment they are trained to wield. Steam powered vehicles like those used by their allies are rare due to the mountainous lands they prefer but they have built autogyro flying machines and complex Zeppelins that give them much more adaptability. Should the situation be important enough they will also deploy runic golems armed with all manner of magically augmented weapons.

Though nearly all of humanity has come under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, there is one major nation that remains independent.

The Empire of Nihon is one of the most vibrant and expansionist cultures. After uniting under one banner, the empire has been under a succession of modernising emperors for several generations. Though they still retain many of the traditions of their culture, the Nihonese have accepted technological and magical research and development as much as possible this has caused some issues but it has allowed the Nihonese to suddenly explode out of their fortified Home Islands and capture a swathe of territory from the Holy Roman Empire and the surviving Chinese states. Though they are still wary of magic and technology due to certain mistakes, they have developed new devices much more quickly than their rivals and are much more accepting of innovation.

Their new colonies are subjected to a cultural ideal the Nihonese have developed that espouses their culture and social structure to the rest of the world. This new cause is more focused on innovation and the removal of stifling institutions like politically organised religion (the Nihonese do still practise Shintoism but it is not as apparent). The people of the colonies are subjected to a series of often brutal methods to enforce Nihon's new ideals and colonial rule.

Nihon's armies have been reformed repeatedly into an experienced and efficient fighting force. Though they continue to fight with spears and bladed weapons, there are now great units of handgunners and cannon batteries. After encountering the Tomb Lords of China, they began to create their own war constructs. They were never able to build fully autonomous ones (they were unwilling to place souls into devices) they figured out how to build versions that could be piloted in an esoteric fashion. These new war-suits, which appear like giant versions of Japanese warrior elite, are now the most infamous weapon in their arsenal. They too are equipped with giant versions of a regular Japanese soldier's weaponry. In recent years the Nihonese have begun to equip some of their war-suits with bizarre magical handguns created after they captured an Imperial Luminark decades ago. These weapons are new and still rather volatile and so are still rare.

The Kingdom of France, despite being surrounded on all sides by the Holy Roman Empire has doggedly held onto their independence. Due to their proximity to the horrors of the Eye of Terror, the French have become a martial and ecclesiastic society.

French society has since become focused on facilitating these armies. The majority of the people are serfs devoted to supporting the armies and occasionally providing levied supporting infantry when it is necessary. The ruling aristocracy and their knightly retainers and vassals are the unquestioned rulers of much of the land, supporting the established social system in order to prevent the infection of Chaos. The only authority that surpasses them is the Church. Though technically separate from the Imperial aspects of the Catholic Church, the French clergy are just as devoted to fighting Chaos and corruption.

France may not have the Order Knights of the Holy Roman Empire but their knights are exemplary warriors. They have surprising numbers of these armoured aristocrats that are able to sweep aside almost any foe with their devastating charges. Their levy soldiers are far less effective but still provide a useful service in battle and allow the enemy to be held in place so that the knights can crush them. The Church provides all manner of holy relics that can renew the strength and spirit of those who wield them. There are also the Battle Sisters, warrior nuns who are imbued with the holy power of god. Fanatically devoted to combating corruption wherever it may exist, the Battle Sisters are the most infamous fighters in all of France and can even match the Order Knights on occasion for strength and piety.

Though the Holy Roman Empire now spans the globe the first great empire to cross the world's oceans were the people of the British Isles who became known as the Anglic.

The British Isles were the home of the Truthsayers, the first human mages. After the coming of Chaos it was, surprisingly, the Kingdom of England that managed to wrest control of the entirety of the isles from the remaining Gaelic kingdoms. Now ruling all of Britain, the English were the ones that inherited the Truthsayers gifts. Through these abilities they managed to build a mighty empire that drew strength from the powers that the Anglic, as the people of the British Isles eventually came to be known, could wield.

Today the Anglic are a divided shadow of the empire they once were. As they grew arrogant they became more flagrant in their use of magic and eventually caused a terrible catastrophe that ripped a new warp rift in the British Isles. Now Great Britain is the Eye of Terror, a land in constant chaotic flux.

The Grand Anglic are the survivors of the original empire. After their homeland collapsed into the Eye of Terror, most of the Anglic Empire fell apart. However many were able to flee and find refuge in their remaining colonies or in the massive Arkraft, immense ships the size of cities. They are the inheritors of the remains of the Anglic's magical power and expertise and still practise the traditions of the Truthsayers. However they have learnt the lessons that destroyed their empire and now practise more restrained lifestyles. Their lands are still wealthy and extravagant but the debauchery that damned their ancestors is strictly forbidden. The Anglic do still have their pride though and devote themselves and their powers (which are becoming increasingly common amongst the population with every generation) to producing exceptional devices, weapons and works of art.

The regional lords and surviving Truthsayers were able to cobble together a new government that placed a surviving member of he royal family on the throne. However the diverse nature of their empire, the great distances between the territories and the mobility of the Arkrafts that now house a large percentage of the population mean that government's grip is rather weak.

Though few in number, the Grand Anglic are still able to field impressive armies. In order to maximise their strength, every citizen of a certain age is required to undergo training for a citizens levy. This allows the Grand Anglic to increase their military strength more than their population would initially imply. Anglic longbowmen are considered some of the finest archers in the world and the enchantment of their weapons makes them even deadlier. There are also the descendants of the English knights. As new magical weapons were developed, the Anglic knights and men-at-arms devoted themselves more and more to their craft. Now they have developed into dedicated martial experts that spend their entire lives practising with their chosen weapons. Anglic cavalry are some of the best in the world due to their steeds being magically bred, making them stronger swifter and more intelligent than the horses of other lands. Finally there are the Anglic mages who are second only to the Slann in their strength and skill.

Not all colonies sided with the Grand Anglic. The colonies of the Hesperides, which had spent most of their existence battling the countless threats to their north, had already begun to take a dark path even before the collapse of the empire.

The Dark Anglic are the wretched descendants of these colonists. The empire's collapse, the near damnation of their entire race and their proximity to the marauding tribes of Chaos has made the Anglic of the west arrogant, selfish and almost nihilistic in their search for self-gratification. Their society is hierarchical and militant as the need for soldiers to defend themselves has forced them to treat their entire population as warriors. This militant culture has forced them to rely on slaves to do the other necessary tasks of their society. As a result of this a vast economy and system of slavery has been developed. Raiders set out in their own enormous Arkraft to raid the coasts of the world. After so many generations of practise the Dark Anglic have managed to learn to dehumanise the rest of the world to the point where they consider their slaving targets as little better than animals.

The religion of their empire is a bizarre faith that developed after the collapse of the Anglic Empire. Combining indigenous sacrificial practises (the Anglic conquered the Aztecs) with a crusading principle and the harsh attitudes that developed from their log war with Chaos, the faith of the Dark Anglic is harsh and cruel. Warrior witch cults and sorcerous cabals now rule the cities, barely held in check by the ruthless aristocracy who vie with them for power and influence. Assassination is common and entire organisations have been formed around the violent undertones of their politics. No one tyrant has ever managed to dominate the Dark Anglic as a whole but several prospective kings have emerged over the generations and fallen in the attempt.

The Dark Anglic, like their Grand brethren, are skilled and rely on a conscripted citizenry to make up the bulk of their troops. Due to their slaving fleets they also employ many fast and skilled raiders that are able to quickly dispatch their enemies before retreating to safer distances. Battle assassins and the adherents of the warriors cults also provide specialised and bloodthirsty killers that are to brutally and quickly tear apart their opponents with wild abandon. Followers of sorcerer cabals also create deformed monstrosities with their magical powers, warping and twisting unfortunate victims into abominations that they then take into battle to unleash upon their foes. Finally the sorcerers of the Dark Anglic, who are just as skilled as their Grand counterparts but far more depraved, can unleash great magical power.

Shortly after the warpgates at the poles were opened, a series of meteors hit the earth. They were small and harmless but they carried a terrible threat. Small spores that had been carried on the rocks sprouted shortly afterwards and developed into bizarre and violent fungal monsters, the races known collectively as Greenskins.

Four forms of these fungal creatures exist, Orcs, Goblins, Snotlings and Squigs. With the exception of Squigs, they are humanoid and recognisable by their green skin. All of them are naturally violent and have a natural instinct to fighting war. They are also repugnant, savage and individually stupid though exceptions do emerge every now and then. The only form of authority a Greenskin recognises is the strongest. Only through beating down challengers and impressing others of their kind can a Greenskin form a semi-coherent group usually in preparation for a fight against another enemy. If a Greenskin is impressive enough they can attract thousands of their kind to form a WAAAGH which is part holy-war and part migration and only ends when the leader dies, suffers a bad defeat (either in battle or a challenge) or simply runs out of targets and inevitably falls apart.

Orcs (or is it Orks?) are massive brutal creatures and often the most well known as they produce the most destructive WAAAGHs and lead them. Though some Orcs have at least learnt that they can enslave Goblins to craft metal weapons and armour for them, there are tribes that espouse such technology and resort to flint and bone like they did when they first arrived on the planet.

Goblins, which are much weaker but also much more more cunning, are even more numerous and can even form their own WAAAGHs. Some forms of Goblin are subterranean, herding Squigs that can grow to ridiculous size under their 'care' or farming alien mushrooms that grant their warriors and shamans bizarre powers. Another subspecies infest forests where they have made an odd connection with the Spiders that have swollen to gargantuan size thanks to the wild magic.

Snotlings are diminutive and stupid creatures even by Greenskin standards but appear in massive swarms that can drag down prey. They also seem to show an odd aptitude for ramshackle construction, creature rickety war machines that either they or bigger Greenskins can ride to battle on. Snotling made war-wagons (or Truks) are welcome additions to any enterprising war-boss' arsenal. Orc, Goblin and Snotling Speed Cults will often try to force their vehicles to go faster than normal, subjecting them to stresses their rickety manufacturing should not be able to survive and yet succeeding nonetheless.

Squigs are massive red balls of teeth that bounce and hop at anything that they see or smell. They are violent and difficult to control but have an intrinsic connection to the Greenskins. Goblins often corral and drive them into battle, using them as distractions or disruptive weapons when they are successful in their often dangerous herding. If a Squig lives long enough it can grow large enough to ride or transform into a giant ball of death that can dwarf buildings. Some even mutate transforming into gargantuan, almost elephantine Squiggoths that enterprising Greenskins will harness (as best as they can) and ride to war upon.

Greenskins seem to have an odd form of innate magic that is largely separate from the powers of the Warp. Through their connection to their gods Gork and Mork (or the one god Gorkamorka, or the Spider God of the Forest Goblins, it gets confusing) the Greenskin shamans can call upon great power. However a shaman that calls upon too much can in fact overload their simple brains and cause their heads to explode. On occasion a particularly successful shaman can craft an idol of Gork and bring it to life, allowing the WAAAGH the shaman is a part of to have a powerful and awe inspiring weapon.

When Chaos washes over the world the magic warps the natural order. One of the more disturbing phenomena is the tendency for the corpses and spirits of the dead to be granted a mockery of life.

It was only a century after Chaos infected the world that this horrible act of desecration was made into a blasphemous practise. An emperor of Song China, who was searching for immortality began to dabble in the magic of Shyish which he then combined with other sorcerous practises learned from unscrupulous Anglic traders. He learnt how to make an elixir that extended his life and youth and granted him greater strength, intelligence and magical skill. However, a necessary component for the elixir was the blood of a sacrificed human. Slowly going insane from his new powers, the emperor turned into a maniacal tyrant, conquering his rivals and oppressing his people to grow his own power further.

When his people did turn on him he turned the full might of his blasphemous powers on them, raising vast armies of the dead. His followers who had accepted his elixir resorted to more drastic means to retain their powers and eventually warped themselves into monsters that drank blood in place of the elixir. Though they lost and were banished, these necromancers and vampires (to use the European terms for them) went on to found their own domains.

Though the emperor responsible for creating necromancy is gone, he has left behind a horrible legacy. Vast areas of China now belong to the dead. The tombs of emperors have been saturated with magic, resurrecting them and entire armies of the dead to serve them. These vast armies are also supported by animated statuary of warriors, dragon and all other manner of constructs that were built into their burials. Unlike the lesser undead that can be found elsewhere these Tomb Lords are intelligent and continue to ape Imperial culture as well as the ambitions of the interred emperors. Their numbers are increased by the surviving Chinese petty states that refuse to accept the rule of the Holy Roman Empire and still bury their leaders in a traditional manner.

The Vampires scattered all over the world. The survivors of the first lineages retain their Chinese aesthetics and manners and will even craft traditional armour and weapons for the greatest of their undead servitors. However the new branches that developed in Europe and the remains of West Asia have taken up their own local decorations and habits instead.

The Vampire Lineages and lesser Necromancers are far less discriminating in who they resurrect to serve them than the Tomb Lords of the east. Whether they are recently buried Zombies or long dead and decayed Skeletons, the armies of the Vampire Lineages are vast and relentless. They are supported by cannibalistic and wretched Ghouls who gather in packs around the masters of dark death magic. Wights, the corpses of nobles and elite warriors, are raised as bodyguards, whether on foot or the skeletal remains of their steeds. Finally lesser Vampires and beasts warped by the corrupted blood of Vampires are also gathered. Some of these debased Vampires will even abandon their human form in favour of the twisted bestial creatures they can transform into, losing their minds and transforming into monsters. Finally there are the horrific constructs formed from the bones and rotting flesh of the dead and turned into grotesque war machines.

In the north of the Avalonian continents there lived a race of hair coated giants known to the indigenous people as the Sasquatch. They formed secretive packs and lived in the deep woods, living on the wildlife there and rarely interacting with the human population. When Chaos came they were driven from their homeland and forced to flee south.

They fled into the mountains to the south and tried to settle down. The warping powers of Chaos had not affected them bodily but they found a ravenous hunger had been set in them. They began to hunt anything they could find. When the valleys they made their homes in became filled with warped beasts they fled into caves and crevices and hunted them. The Sasquatch became strong and powerful on their diet of meat but their hunger could not be sated. Tribes were formed and their population ballooned as more swollen and angry animals entered their new lands but still they remained insatiable.

The Sasquatch tribes today have come far from their early days. Their race are now lean predatory creatures that tower over grown men. They used to craft tools from flint and some still do but when the Anglic came and brought metallurgy with them the Sasquatch quickly picked that up as well. They now build complex communities underground, safe from the herds of massive beast that now roam the mountains. They will often emerge in massive packs to hunt the animals and even war with one another for control of the richest territories. On occasion a tribe will be displaced or grow too large for their lands to support them and will descend into the lowlands for food or the chance to fight. These migrations of ravenous giants are devastating and cause immense damage to those unfortunate enough to be in their way.

Sasquatch armies often incorporate entire tribes, allowing vast numbers of the beasts to gather into a ravaging horde of hair, muscle and teeth. Armed with a wide assortment of weapons, the Sasquatch prefer speed and brute force rather than the tactics of other races. Strength often matters and so their greatest hunters will be equipped with the finest weapons they can craft, often enormous bludgeons, blades and mauls as large as a grown man. When a Sasquatch horde impacts with the enemy, it always ends in the slaughter of whoever is in their way. They have also learnt how to tame some of the large deadly beasts of the mountain, bringing them to war with them. Enormous, horn covered bison large enough to ride, huge, barely domesticated mountain lions and bizarre, ancient creatures uncovered from the forgotten parts of the mountains can all be called to war by a skilled beastmaster.

When the Old Ones came they planted a forest in the north west of the Hesperides. This forest was unlike any other in that it truly lived and thought. Shortly after its birth the forest was touched by a faraway power that nurtured the life and encouraged it to develop and grow. Thus was born the Sylvaneth and they named their land Atheltarnn.

The Sylvaneth are manifestations of the living forests. They are made of wood and bark but take a humanoid form and their skins can be as strong as steel. Their rulers are the Ancient Treelords, mighty Treemen who are often millennia old and have outlived empires. As they grow older their magical power increases and should any of their number fall, the eldest survivors of their kind gain their power and wisdom. Though they hold councils whenever a matter of great importance happens, they will often defer to the oldest of their number and consider their decisions and arguments rather than make their own. As the number of Ancients is reduced due to war, Atheltarnn has become more of out of control.

Most Sylvaneth take the form of dryads, disturbing humanoid predators formed of wood. They appear vaguely feminine and move with a graceful fluidity. Led by Branchwraiths and Branchmavens, the oldest and most magically attuned of their kind, they are the first line of defence. At other times the forest will raise the embittered spirits of enemy warriors that have been slain within their borders and force them to become Treekin, aggressive creatures formed of dead-wood. Finally there are the Treelords, great tree-men that tower over all other Sylvaneth. These armies are vigilant and aggressive towards nearly any intruder as they see all civilized races as a threat tot heir natural order. Even if the Sylvaneth are beaten off, the forest is a hostile labyrinth of thin animal paths and winding avenues that can lead to traps and ambushes. What's more the magic of Atheltarnn is strange and volatile. Time and space can warp and lead to those who are lost reappearing many years in the past or future if they are careless.

In the equatorial jungles of the world lie the remnants of the world's most ancient civilization. The Lizardmen, scions and servitors of the Old Ones, used to lie hidden away but the coming of Chaos has forced them into activity once again.

Long ago, the Lizardmen, whilst guided by the Old Ones, had a massive empire spanning much of the world. Then their masters disappeared and the Lizardmen, no longer having a clear duty other than to study the warm-blooded creatures their masters had left with them, contracted their holdings to the tropical lands they favoured. When the Old Ones were lost they also left numerous artefacts behind in the the care of the Lizardmen. These esoteric devices are cared for and maintained but the Lizardmen do not understand them and how they work more often than not.

The Lizardmen are divided into several racial castes that have clear roles in their society. The first and greatest are the toad-like Slann who are incredibly ancient and rare. They are the most powerful mages in the world and some have the power to move continents if they wish. They are coldly intelligent and operate purely by logic and the guidance of the Old Ones' plaques. The Saurus, massive crocodilian creatures, are the chosen soldiers of the Lizardmen. Bred for war and spared from ageing, these creatures are dedicated to their duties and carry them out with a reptilian efficiency. Only the promise of feasting in battle seems to break them away from their alien stillness. Massive, simple-minded Kroxigors, animalistic cousins of the Saurus, handle the heaviest and most difficult tasks in their society. They are the ones made to carry heavy loads, move obstructions and serve as shock troops in battle. The Skinks, smaller, more nimble and much more numerous, manage the running of Lizardman cities and communities. They are relatively short-lived and much more superstitious, having been responsible for the deification of the Old Ones and their works.

The jungles of the Lizardmen have also been changed by their presence. Though there are tribes of indigenous humans that have learnt to survive, the Lizardmen have largely made the environment hostile to others. They have unleashed the immense engineered dinosaurs (another experiment of the Old Ones) that they use as beasts of war and burden into the surrounding forests and their powers turn the very land into a hazard for those not adapted to its confines. Those that try to settle the tropical forests of the world will enter an environment specifically altered to kill anything that is not already native to it. The magical warping powers of the Lizardmen have transformed the forests of Africa and South America into an alien landscape as dangerous as the Chaos Wastes.

Above all things the Lizardmen are devoted to the Old Ones' plan for the world. The instructions that remain are vague and force the Slann to ponder on them for years and decades at a time in meditation. However they do know that the preservation of the world is necessary for such a task to be completed and so have dedicated themselves to combating truly terrible imbalances with their powers. Their greatest enemy, next to Chaos, are the Arlesic Brood Hives as they are completely alien, bearing no sign of the Old Ones' craftsmanship.

A few centuries ago another object fell from space. It was a fragment of a long dead Hive Fleet. These creatures from beyond the galaxy were part of an efficient and terrifying organic weapon, a living collective of creatures that consume all life within the areas of the universe they infest. This fragment was vestigial, mutated and very primitive compared to what the central portions of its kind had now become and had travelled far, entering the galactic spiral millions of years ago and drifting in hibernation. After landing, these Genestealer broods immediately moved to survive by infecting the first humans they came across. Slowly the Brood Hives grew, hidden away and harvesting small communities, capitalising on the superstition of the native inhabitants and keeping their activities secret.

The Arlesic, named for the city of Arles where they were first properly witnessed and reported, are a worldwide phenomenon with broods found all over the world. They appear to be grotesque hybrids of man, insect and reptile, standing upright and armed with long scything claws but covered in thick chitinous exoskeletons. They share a hivemind that connects the minds of all of their kind, allowing the intelligent and specially bred leaders to coordinate their more simple-minded subordinates. The Arlesic are a race that evolve rapidly, actively adapting their own bodies in order to combat an obstacle or enemy and will even assimilate native lifeforms if they find an advantageous adaptation, allowing them to create inbuilt countermeasures to their enemies.

Their leaders are the Brood Tyrants, a specially bred caste that is designed to efficiently lead their kind. Beneath them is a hierarchy of synapse creatures that relay their commands and lead the larger numbers of Brood creatures and Arlesic Genestealer cultists. There are also other specialist castes that are designed to harness the magical energy that flows from the warpgates, burrow under enemy fortifications, combat larger monsters, mutants and constructs and even serve as living artillery. All Arlesic also exhibit a strange phenomenon that serves as an artificial vortex that draws in the energies of Chaos and those that wield them. This Shadow in the World, as its commonly called by humans, allows them to combat Chaos without fear of corruption.

However the Arlesic suffer from a problem. The mutations and deformities that ravaged their hive splinter before they landed on earth damaged the Brood Hives' connection to the hivemind. Their connection to one another is now weak and fragmented, allowing individuality to creep in. all Arlesic are devoted to the spread of their kind and the consumption of the planet but they now suffer from division and infighting. So many times an Arlesic insurgence has been sabotaged as members of their hives get cut off from their leaders and exhibit initiative that is often detrimental to the Arlesic' designs. They largely build massive hives underneath the ground, hiding away an building their armies so that someday they can rise to drown the world in their endless hordes.

Looming over all of these other races is the threat of Chaos. The servants of the Dark Gods are numerous, deadly and exist all over the world. They are the existential threat that all life on Earth is subjected to and what they cannot convert or warp to their purpose and design they will destroy.

The Beastmen are the true children of Chaos. Born from the forced fusion of man and animal, the Beastmen are grotesque mutants dedicated to the total destruction of the works of civilization. They despise the order that humans and other beings try to impose on the chaotic state of nature and want desire nothing more than to tear it all down and return the world to their vision of nature, where they can prey upon all other life with impunity. They infest the forests of the world, breeding amongst themselves or accepting the spontaneous mutants that emerge from civilized society to bolster their numbers.

What rough organisation there does exist amongst the warherds is based on strength and the degree of mutation. Ungors, which still look relatively more human are the lowest in their hierarchy as they are not only less animalistic in appearance (its a relative scale mind you) but are also much weaker. Gors, which are far more bestial in appearance are the superior members of the warherd. Those who are the strongest are known as Bestigors and serve as the chosen warriors of the ruling Wargor or Brayshaman. The Bestigors are given the finest weapons and armour that the Beastmen can scavenge and serve as the warrior elite. Other forms of Beastmen can also be called upon if a Wargor is especially violent and prolific. Drunken Centigors, twisted fusions of Beastman and horse, will follow a warherd if the promise of blood and alcohol is good enough. Ravenously bloodthirsty Minotaurs and Doombulls will also accompany a warherd if their bloodlust draws them in the same direction. When a Brayherd moves, it destroys everything in its path until the Beastmen are exhausted or the Wargor dies.

Other disturbing beasts that have emerged in the world's forest are also harnessed for war. Tuskgors and Razorgors, the mutated, horn riddled kin of boars, serve as beasts of burden that draw the Beastmen's crude chariots. Enormous and unstoppable Ramhorns are tricked or prodded in the direction of the enemy, their massive horned heads thick enough to shatter castle walls. Cygors, cyclopean monstrosities that are almost blind to anything not of a magical nature and terrifying Ghorgons, cannibalistic multi-armed giants can be mentally dominated by a Brayshaman and forced to follow a warherd. On occasion the blood-curdling Preytons, madness inducing Jabberslythes and juggernaut-like Ramhorns can even be witnessed in a large enough warherd.

In the Arctic regions of the world live the minions of the Chaos Gods. Slaves to the darkness, these monstrous men, little better than the Daemons they worship, constantly assault the civilized worlds. The interiors of the Asian and North Hesperidean continents are especially vulnerable and have essentially fallen to Chaos, their steppe tribes converted to the worship of the Dark Gods.

Most worshippers of Chaos do not favour one god, instead appealing to them on a circumstantial basis and even adding in their personal petty-spirits and lesser Daemons whenever they need to. Whenever a mutation strikes a member of their tribe they are viewed as blessed and often considered a chosen of the gods. It is common for those who suffer such afflictions to rise to become chieftains and chosen warriors. Those that then devolve into mindless beasts and Spawn will be chased to the periphery of the tribe and kept as beasts of war. It is also common for outcasts and the corrupted from the south to wander north and join an existing tribe. More often than not they then chose a single demonic patron and go on to begin their path to blasphemous immortality.

Should a follower of Chaos accept a patron (or chose to follow Chaos Undivided) they will become a Warrior of Chaos. Granted cursed armour that seals itself around them permanently, they no longer feel the need for food, water or sleep, only a desire to serve their gods in whatever way they decide is appropriate. Should they survive they will gain more mutations and favour until they either die, devolve into a wretched Spawn or ascend to become a Daemon Prince.

Bloodshed and combat are constant features of these Chaos worshippers lives. When they aren't fighting one another they are launching assaults on the lands of the south. More powerful chieftains, warlords and champions will also gather more tribes and followers, making their invasions ever more destructive. On occasion, a powerful enough warlord will emerge who can gather together thousands of followers into devastatingly powerful armies. Certain warlords can even attract the myriad terrifying mutants of these Chaos Wastes, providing their armies with powerful shock troops. The more Chaos Warriors and lesser tribesmen congregate, the more the powers of Chaos concentrate as well. Daemons begin to emerge and even the land itself will warp. The massing of an army will often herald the beginning of far worse changes.

Every few centuries, a champion even more powerful than these will ascend. They will have all of the gods blessings and lead their followers against the entire world, seeking to tip the balance that will descend the entire planet into madness and anarchy. When this happens the forces of order are forced to unite their efforts and defeat these chosen champions. However, even then, the cost is incredibly high and the world appears to have been dragged close to the precipice.

By far the most feared and reviled figures in the entire world are the Traitor Orders. Centuries ago, when the Order Knights had only recently been formed, a terrible Chaos invasion threatened to sweep a weakened Holy Roman Empire aside in its entirety. In this hopeless situation, where the forces of Chaos seemed about to triumph, several notable Order Knight chapter-masters fell to despair and swore allegiance to the Dark Gods. It was only through a miracle that the forces of order, led by a new and potent Holy Roman Emperor, prevailed. The hordes of Chaos were scattered and amongst them were the Traitor Orders.

These fallen Order Knights are now pariahs, despised by humanity and all other righteous races and feared by the followers of Chaos. Their enchantments making them stronger than the average man, they have proven themselves to Chaos in ways that most other mortal champions could only dream. Though their numbers are low when compared to other slaves to the Dark Gods, a single Traitor Knight is worth ten lesser champions. They now adorn themselves with blasphemous symbols, have perverted their holy weapons into new and cursed forms and many of them have mutated horribly as they incur more blessings from the gods of Chaos.

Whenever there is a Chaos incursion, the Traitor Orders can be found at the forefront, butchering and despoiling with a fervour that many other Chaos followers struggle to match. They want nothing more than to cast down their brethren in the Holy Roman Empire and, for one reason or another, they all relish the prospect of the End Times.

In recent years things have been getting more difficult. The frequency and severity of mutations has been growing worse, eldritchian energies and storms have been building around the world, cults have become more bold and war and civil unrest have been striking everyone. The Arlesic have been sighted more often and their attacks have been more devastating than ever before and rumours speak of a mass uprising in the works. In the far north a lone champion completes his trials. He has been toiling for years to earn the Dark Gods' favour and has finally ascended to his position as the executioner of the world. He is the Everchosen, the lord of the End Times and he will be the one to end the world.

In Eastern Europe an impossibly old yet youthful man begins to put his plans into action. He has been bidding his time, even though the predations of Chaos enrage him. Soon his might will be known and by his hand humanity will truly unite to purge the Daemon, the mutant and the heretic. At the same time a strange electricity has been in the air. Stormclouds gather and thunder booms as a twin-tailed comet appears in the sky overhead.