2nd Edition, beta version 2.0 - 24th December 2018 FAITHFUL ACOLYTES

Grovel before the ruthless and dedicated followers of the Dark Gods who pledged their souls to this tome. We'd also like to thank all the community members and other staff who contributed with their suggestions, feedback and support.

WRITERS PRODUCTION TEAM Lead Author & Exalted Herald, Feldraks Head of Rules Team Army Community Support Head of Playtesting Head of Background Chosen, Chosen Knights, Nathan Young Erik Aronson Ney, Arhain, Archeron, SirMC2015 Edward Murdoch Warrior Knights, Gustenpjevs, jirga, Forsaken One, Paths of Ascension, Rules Team tunasandwichify, Playtesting Team Barbarian Chief Barbarians & Flayers & sir_joker, Frederick Humcke, CogitoBandito, Fthunder, IoRi78, Red Blossoms of Itar Marauding Giant Drakkar Squirrelloid, Nicreap, John Wallis Alessandro Vivaldi msu117, Odoamar, Doomlord,Marko Lukić Fallen & arthain,Army slivek, Design Marko Team Lukić Head of Lectoring Aenarion43, ScumlordDodo, Wasteland Dragon Battleshrine & Background Team Erik Aronson, Björn Ericson, Dan DJWoodelf, Arhain, Llyr ap John Chimera Peter Orfanos, Rok Martinc, Jere Jukka zulu, Jomppexx, Callum Mellis QuantumCollider Lectoring Team Baldin, skipschnit, Chariots & Fallen Conceptual Design Support Orion, Vulgarsty, Lagoon, Palomita15, Charlie Lloyd skipschnit, ThereIsNoSpoon Swordthain, Raughri, umbranar, toddymac2012, Kisanis, Joel127, Just_Flo, Autumnus Herzogar, Shortbeard, ARTISTS Iamronchak, Liminal Head of Art Pg 31 Pg 61 Michele Bertilorenzi Johan Aronson Enrico Bertilorenzi

Front & Back Pg 33 Pgs 51, 58, 82, Cover Artwork Alberto Bontempi 83, 84, 85, 115 Thomas Carlson Marcos Barragan Pg 35 Pgs 5, 30, 40, Corpuscle Studio Pgs 16, 17, 18, 22, 48, 65, 72 25, 27, 37, 43, 50, Pawel Jakub Gòrecki Pg 41 55, 56, 60, 74, Michele Bertilorenzi 78, 79, 81 Pgs 6, 34, 53, 73 Avatars of War Krys Rackham Pgs 45, 63 The Galapalo Art Assistance Pgs 9, 10, 11, Shane Brockway 12, 13, 14, 15 Pg 47 Lucas Svedberg B.R.U.T.A.L Document Design Kacper Bucki, Dave Way Pg 19 Pgs 49, 67, 71 Mikhail Shubin Davide Castelluccio Slim Document Design Manuel Berthet, Neaj Pgs 21, 23 Pg 57 Grégoire Veauléger Casp

Pg 26 Pgs 59, 69, 77 Ollie Cuthbo John Lewenhagen CONTENTS

BACKGROUND Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland ...... 8 Fallen ...... 44 Pride ...... 9 Wretched Beasts...... 46 Lust...... 10 Forsaken One...... 48 Gluttony ...... 11 Sorcerer...... 50 Envy ...... 12 Battleshrine...... 52 Greed ...... 13 Barbarian Chief...... 54 Wrath ...... 14 Barbarians...... 56 Sloth ...... 15 Flayers...... 58 A Warrior’s Path ...... 16 Warhounds...... 59 Paths of Ascension ...... 18 Feldrak Ancestor...... 60 Exalted Herald ...... 20 Feldrak Elder and Feldraks...... 64 Chosen Lord ...... 24 Chimera ...... 66 Chosen ...... 28 Hell Maw...... 68 Chosen Knights ...... 32 Marauding Giant...... 70 Chariots ...... 34 War Dais and Scythed Skywheel...... 72 Warriors ...... 36 Wasteland Dragon...... 74 Warrior Knights ...... 38 Red Blossoms of Itar...... 78 Doomlord ...... 40 Banners of the Gods...... 82 Forsworn ...... 42 Epilogue...... 116

RULES Army Rules ...... 88 Core ...... 100 Hereditary Spell ...... 90 Special ...... 102 Special Equipment ...... 91 Legendary Beasts ...... 109 Characters ...... 92 Quick Reference ...... 112 Character Mounts ...... 96

Faithful Acolytes 6 Warriors of the Dark Gods TALES FROM THE EDGE PRIDE OF THE WASTELAND

Letters from my friend, March Lord Ilarion Yanovich, and additional material At dawn, a single figure came forward, collected between 942 and 962 AS, by Archbishop Voytyek Bistricha in Aschau University, my heart never left Volskaya. followed by a bannerman, carrying a My allegiance to nation disgusted him, and the last I symbol I knew on sight. A whispered saw was the unconcerned back of the Lord, and the Your Excellency, much impact on their fortunes as our own beloved threat in the halls of civilisation – Savar: sneer of his lieutenant. I braced for the inevitable Mrozomor has on our winters. I settled for board- the Fallen Star, Dark God of Pride. Seeing one assault my rejection had surely provoked. First, let me express my gratitude for your sup- ing the place up, thinking it a temporary measure. chance to protect my people, I descended to stand port in achieving my new position. Your patronage before the town gates, barred at my command. has been invaluable to me since our days studying A day later, I understood the truth of their fears. A My jaw clenched; it was all I could do to nod to together in Sonnstahl. This new posting is not at all band approached the walls, numbering in the hun- the guards to open the doors and admit this what I expected. Thirty miles beyond our border, dreds. A small enough host were I anywhere but on Lord of Pride. near the coast of the Sea of Gods where the Makhar the fringes of the Makhar Steppe. The bells called Steppe is narrowest, the certainties of Volskaya the alarm, and the town guard raced to hold the I stepped forward to do my duty... and fade into a murky mix of law, custom, religion walls. The aggressors strode towards the town was promptly ignored as my would-be and superstition. This town I command with a languid yet inexorable pace, certain foe strode past, weapon still undrawn. may be claimed by our Motherland, that nothing would hold them back. Be- As he marched towards the shrine, his but at times I feel I have taken up hind them rolled wagons and beasts lieutenant stood before me, weighing my residence in an untamed wil- of burden, powerful beings worth like a prize mare. When he deigned derness populated by savages. hauling the supplies needed to to speak with me, it was in a manner rem- A relic of the settlement's his- sustain a life of reaving. iniscent of the most conceited nobleman tory no doubt, so long in the in the court of Volskagrad. Makhar Steppe, at the edg- I stared for long moments, "Only the Dark Gods offer a path to true es of the Wasteland. watching death approach. Finally, pushing despair glory, and a name worth remembering. Totváros' solid wooden aside, I girded myself for See here: this scrap, I tore it from an walls hold a thousand battle. I tried to evacuate Imperial banner-bearer who tried to people, the most easterly the townsfolk, but their block our return from Sonnstahl. A lord settlement of its size. With- bemused expressions were of a dozen towns. This scar I took in sin- in are craftsmen and traders, a reasonable response – they gle combat with Tubroki of Clan Copper- furriers and farriers, all the could not hope to outrun the maul, the Dragonseeker who once slew peoples needed to maintain advancing horde. Indeed, they the beast Paytheinth. I made my pact in an outpost of civilisation. Yet, a were markedly calmer than I, Destria, but the journey since has made mere day’s ride away live barbarians going about their daily chores as me, and it would make you too." who openly worship the Dark Gods and prey though this were a normal afternoon. As he spoke, images were painted in on the unsuspecting who stray too close. And worse my mind of what I could achieve were still, the followers of those vile deities possess a By the end of that day, our walls were entirely en- I to join with him. No longer cast to temple within the town walls. circled, beyond effective bow range. Simple camps were raised, swiftly and efficiently; these were the fringes of society, but recognised My first response was one of horror, as you might people clearly accustomed to a life on the move. for my true worth. Reverie broken expect, to find this threat so close to our border Some faint flutter of hope stirred in me then. This by the heavy footsteps of the Lord, and within my own charge. But these first months force had no need of siege - our walls would fall in I realised the standard bearer was in Totváros have been a chastening experience. the first onslaught. Some other fate was coming, expectantly awaiting my reply. I My orders to burn the shrine were met with dis- it seemed, and I could but wait for the following shook myself, and duty reasserted tress by the locals, wary of angering Gods with as morning to reveal what it might be. its hold on my heart. All our years

Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 8 Warriors of the Dark Gods Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 9 Warriors of the Dark Gods LUST GLUTTONY

The next morning, to my bleary-eyed What entered Totváros was far beyond my Upon the third day, in a pattern I was what we choose, we drink what we desire, and we surprise, our walls remained un- expectations. Men and women, bedecked in coming to recognise like the rules crush any who stand against us. One day, we will stormed. Yet most of the force remained armour, no less dangerous than the herald of Pride. of a perverse game, a new faction consume the very world, but until then, we feast!" encamped around the town, save for Yet the steel that encased them was cast in images approached the walls of the town, the departure of Savar's dedicants. I watched for of entwined figures to make a courtesan blush. trailed by carts creaking under weight of supplies. Yet as we consumed, the true nature of my hosts hours, a condemned man still awaiting the fall of Masks covered faces, leaving merely the twist of The followers of Akaan: the Devourer, Dark God of began to show. Flesh bulged from beneath their the headsman's axe after a day’s reprieve. Noon lips or the quirk of an eyebrow to express intent. Gluttony, are not easily mistaken. Huge warriors, armour, straining to contain their bulk. Teeth tore passed and dusk approached before movement And despite their muscular power, they moved in a clad in brown or green armour, with lower jaws left through fatty meats, oblivious to the grease and came from the surrounding camps. Dark figures way that was somehow enticing. exposed and fearsome teeth on show. blood running down their many chins. Great sores, crossed the expanse to the gates that now lay open, pustules, boils and scabrous skin marked the end of That evening, to avoid offence, I accepted an As though the floodgates had opened, dozens lesson learned of provoking conflict. dignity and giving over of flesh to a rot which seemed invitation to dine with those followers within my of other Warriors crossed the expanse, and the to emanate outwards. walls. I can recall little of what passed during that townsfolk proceeded to establish a busy market. repast, save an intoxicating mix of scent and sight Grain and meat were traded for the proceeds The food turned to ash in my mouth, the - a reminder of our youth in the pleasure districts of dozens of raids and ambushes. The wine mere swill. I recalled the first of Aschau - together with an invitation to join the unexpected wealth of this outpost now years of trial and hardship ranks of Cibaresh: the Tempter, Dark God of Lust. had a clear explanation. And all the in service of Volskaya, while, Akaan's people acquired every learning the truths of "Think of the gratification awaiting you in the scrap of food on offer, making pay- Father Winter, and how service of Cibaresh, who knows your deepest de- ment in assorted coin, jewellery or to survive the harshest of sires. Those urges which set you apart from others, other remnants of past raids. circumstances. There was and you dare not share. In him you will find fulfil- no place for weakness, ment and reward to sate all appetites. Let slip the The feast they laid on that night softness or indulgence. shackles of morality, and become a new man, as you was a convivial affair. From a The excess of adolescence are meant to be." small chest, a handful of delica- was long past; only disci- cies were produced to rival an- pline can remain. Few are the women who have turned my head ything in the Tsar’s palace and since my service to the Motherland began. satisfy the most discerning of ep- The followers of Akaan Those in the shrine that night might icures. Somehow, fine wine from seemed unconcerned have, yet my heart belongs to another. Destria was produced, and with my refusal, yet their You will recall my wife, Šiva, whose consumed, along with great leader ran a tongue presence in Totváros has made quantities of poorer vintages. over foul fangs. He eyed this posting bearable, and to I was, for a time, the hedonist me with an open hun- whose family I hope to prove of my youth, and my appetite ger which had my hand my worth. Her beauty and seemed to become insatiable gripping my sword hilt grace have granted me all that as my host proclaimed: until I left them to fin- I require, and no tryst, however ish gorging. exotic, could turn me from such. "This world is ripe to be de- Returning to her that night voured. Indulge yourself now, spared my soul, yet the knowing and know that if you choose smirks as I left spoke of some Akaan, none will ever prevent joke to which I was not party. your satiation. We dine on

Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 10 Warriors of the Dark Gods Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 11 Warriors of the Dark Gods ENVY GREED

It had become my habit in these days to As they entered the town, these Warriors in their I heard the next arrivals long before a road to surpass them. To possess that which sets wait on the walls for the next group to sickly green armour looked everywhere, measuring laying eyes upon them. At first, I one man above another, to have others gravitate to approach. The encampment around our every scrap in sight. To have their eyes upon you took the clink of metal on metal for me by virtue of holding what they desire. walls was dwindling, yet a fraction could is to know the feeling of a pig led to slaughter. No the sound of ill-fitting chainmail "Coin. Such a simple thing, these discs of metal. overwhelm our defences. As always, the population offers of hospitality this time; I thought I was to or the tack of a horse. What emerged at my gates Yet within them is contained all the promise of the seemed untroubled by this presence, but I could be spared any attempt to secure my allegiance to was half a dozen Warriors, armoured in coins like a world. A shimmer not rest easy as more Warriors drew near. Bearing the Dark Gods, but Kuulima's vassals were not so bewildering hide of scales over their thick of silver can open tokens, weapons and armour from many countries, apathetic towards me as I believed. That evening, plate. The effect, timed to coincide with doors; the glitter of those who follow Kuulima: Lady of Flies, Dark God- she came to me, servant of Envy. I received her upon the dawn sun, was a blinding shimmer gold spills secrets dess of Envy, will al- the town walls, looking out upon the campfires in of gold and copper. If the followers of like water. From ways find some way the gloom, as townsfolk returned from the fields. Pride behaved as though they owned the most powerful to take that which She spoke to me as though she knew my mind. Totváros, I believed those who others prize. followed Sugulag: the Collector, court to the lowliest "A difficult task, to be sent to do that which your Dark God of Greed, could sell my hovel, money shapes masters will not. Much was promised, no doubt, own town back to me. this Mortal Realm as yet are you not further from power now than effectively as magic ever? Kuulima offers the means to pull down Two of those coin-clad men – and the Dark Gods those who set themselves above, to know the bore a sturdy yet decorative offer a path to both. truths in the hearts of men and take destiny chest between them. It held Power – and wealth – into your own hands." a weight which burdened beyond imagining." even their great strength. Only to my oldest companion can I Greed I had always Upon their departure, confess the temptation to strike at believed the simplest of I opened the chest to the mocking officers and nobles of motivations for a per- find it full of ingots of Volskagrad. Despite such urges, son, but my time among pure iron, with a hand- my thoughts turned to you. the Collector's enforc- ful of golden treasures Our long friendship has ers soon persuaded me atop. Your father's coin set my feet on a rising otherwise. The snarl- opened many a door for path. I cannot tar ing gold faces of their us both in adolescence, all with the same helms masked an intel- yet I could have chosen brush, unless I ligence and subtlety I a smoother path had coat you too, dear did not expect. wealth been my desire. Voytyek. I remain Now my dreams are of the loyal servant of Not once in an hour of Šiva and our unborn Volskaya, and your talk did their leader child. All other gems pale faithful friend. My visitor even look at the chest. before such joy. I sent departed silently, yet her No mention of money men to return the chest, considering gaze never left me was made, yet promis- knowing the value placed for as long as I could see her. es of wealth flowed like on these bribes and not wine nonetheless. In- wishing to incur any debt. stead of desiring anoth- Neither man returned er's station, they offered that night.

Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 12 Warriors of the Dark Gods Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 13 Warriors of the Dark Gods WRATH SLOTH

The sixth day did not find me at my squirming against a grip of iron. The third stood Upon the final day, only one camp goes no further. Only Nukuja pulls back the veil of customary post. Instead, I scoured before me, studying my face as the survivor was remained. This should have been a fate and reveals the possibilities beyond." the town for any who knew of my prostrated at my feet, and he spoke in doleful tones. comfort, yet those Warriors in their missing guards. What I found were rusted armour unerved me, stand- Neither outcome elicited any change in tone - they "I bring a gift: a deserter, and betrayer. We who missing clothes and supplies, and two horses taken ing immobile and watching, the fluttering of dirty were simply truths evident to her and hidden from follow Vanadra know the power of oaths. The only from the stables without permission. The situation white cloaks the only motion to be seen. They did me. Tales of seers have long plagued the superstitions words of any value are those we pledge to keep. Any galled me - these were not local folk. Trained not come that day, nor the next. Still they watched,, of our country. Yet never before have I been in the who would break them cannot be allowed to roam guards, brought from Volskagrad, and they had until I felt their gaze prickling upon my neck at all presence of one who revealed true foresight. It was free. Only by bringing such traitors to heel, hunting abandoned their station. That the chest had likely times: followers of Nukuja: the Sleeper, Dark God a chilling and exhilarating thought, and of all the them to the ends of the earth and delivering judge- contained enough wealth to buy both men acres of of Sloth. challenges of this past ten-day, it tempted me most. ment by steel can the world be set to rights. Vanadra land was little consolation. To know my future, or that of my unborn child? Yet lends strength to the vengeful, empowering her Finally, after a howling gale and nights of bitter for every part of me wishing for that certainty, a So it was I was caught unawares by disciples to correct the injustices done to them." cold, one of those statues stirred, just as I little more appreciated the the figures of three followers of readied a party to ride out to them. At freedom of mystery and I realised when he finished speaking that my sword Vanadra: the Adversary, Dark the gates, she spoke in curt tones. the ability to believe my was in my hand, a foot of steel bared above the God of Wrath, clad in red No word was wasted, no facades fate has still to be written. scabbard. Anger surged within me, both at steel and black gauntlets. enacted. Her black eyes seemed these interlopers usurping my position, and One bore a corpse in to pierce my flimsy form of With no sign of disap- at the traitor I now had in arm’s reach. town livery as though it flesh, framed by hair the white pointment or regret at My teeth grated together, my knuckles weighed nothing. The of snow, as though all colour my choice, she departed, cracked and tendons in my arm drew other restrained the was drained. with these last words: taut. All the while, the leader of remaining guard “Your line will play the cohort watched me with a "This place, this Totváros, with a single hand, its part in things to knowing smile. In that mo- was once a mere collec- come. The Gods are ment, I saw how close I had tion of farmsteads. I watching.” With come to playing judge and have watched it grow, that, this first chapter executioner – and realised I over centuries. First of my trials among the fol- did not share this thirst for the Makhar people, lowers of the Dark Gods retribution. then our Warri- drew to a close. I know not ors began to trade what game they played, I recall in the fiery days of my with the town, and nor why this town should youth we shared just such a discus- soon it gained in hold so much interest for sion, and I found myself on the side of stature. Now a them, yet I am certain expediency. I understand now the cor- new Lord com- this will not be the last I rupting influence such power can have, mands it, and shall see of them. and why you argued so fervently for the its future has process of justice, and I thank you for two paths. One —Your faithful servant, sparing me from this sixth trial. Though I leads to glory Lord Ilarion Yanovich held my rage in check, I did not sheathe my and the truths blade until Vanadra's Warriors departed, hidden in time. The lest they find me guilty of some infraction other ends in fire and seek to impose their own ruling. and death, and

Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 14 Warriors of the Dark Gods Tales from the Edge of the Wasteland 15 Warriors of the Dark Gods sparks showered as he beat thick, black metal into one step closer to my God. I felt their eyes upon shape. It took a week for my own plate to be ready, shaped to encase a frame which had engorged on in my belly, and my eyes began to perceive those my way to the quarry. A simple suit of armour, worthyme, and oftheir my favourGod's gracemalice me. as TheirI honed fires myself burned as A WARRIOR’S PATH with the symbol of my God inscribed, awaiting their instrument. the addition of the trophies I would earn in their name. Joining these self-styled Warriors Within, we Now I look ahead, and I see the summit of the struck out at the nation from the heart of its lands. path I have walked for a century. The Gods have granted me the fortitude to last these years, and y road to glory began in simple fashion. A me once. But now I know I have a chance to live My days became a contradictory mix of monotony the potency to bestride the world. In time I trust whispered word, a knowing nod – those forever, and not in some subservient afterlife. I will be worthy of their faith, and they will grant M masters, searching for weaknesses to exploit or me the true test: my chance for immortality at the who seek out would-be dedicants to the Dark Death is a yawning abyss - with my soul pledged, and fluctuation. Each was spent in service to our Gods have a talent for seeing what others would I walk a precipice above oblivion. Succeed, and new recruits to our cause. Yet we never stayed in hands of Father Chaos. I will know glory eternal; fail, and I will know the same place twice, always on the move, sleeping wherever we could. We ate only what we could —Parchment found clutched by a dead scribe in before the Inquisitors, Paladins, Deep Watch, or nothing evermore. But that risk is now my choice. the ruins of the Abbey of Listowell whoeverkeep hidden. else Aftermight all,seek they to root have them to find them take from others, and only paused to rededicate out. Having spent years indentured If any doubts of the wisdom of my choice lingered, they were was a comrade by necessity, but also a potential to a noble family, the promise of ourselves in a fitting manner. Each other Warrior freedom was no small lure. washed away in moments. The rival or weakness. Friendships were ephemeral, yet all longed to hear the stories of brothers and That fateful day, I stepped into body. It was intoxicating, like sisters who achieved the pinnacle of our promised power flooded my journey, the Exalted Heralds. and cowls, and listened as they too, more than all the whole- promiseda room me of all figures I desired, in told masks me somethe finest meals wine, I've everand fortifyingeaten. In Within my very core I felt the changes I was meant for greater things. By time I grew as though I were wrought upon me. That newfound en- the time the price was explained, a youth once more, until my ergy writhed within me, and I knew how could I do anything but past countrymen were like only the favour I possessed held agree? Such a little thing, a soul. children to my new shape. it in check. Witness the misshap- I've never felt the weight of it, en forms of the Fallen, and you even during all those sermons I felt a pull from that moment, will see how we fare without the on divine retribution. Instead, a lure drawing me away from embrace of our Gods. But so long I was offered the chance to the simple life I had once as I retained their approval - fa- take destiny in my own hands. led. Most think a Warrior's tigue, illness, cramps and aches, I knew I deserved the greatest pilgrimage is always to the these things became foreign to of prizes, and these people Wasteland, or maybe near me. I no longer measured my- recognised it too. the Shattered Sea. Indeed, self against my peers. Instead, those cultists who opened I looked to those with power Soon thereafter, I was in the my eyes offered to smuggle over me, and knew that I would presence of a daemon, sum- me past those who guard the one day pull them down and moned forth by those un- borders of civilisation. But stand in their place. known servants. I knelt before the truth is, I've learned there this transcendent being, and are many places of power Sure enough, my quest saw spoke the words that bound for the Dark Gods - not all so me earn many accolades. My my soul to the Dark Gods forev- permanent. My own journey took armour is wreathed with the ermore, a pact that can only be me to an abandoned mine, where marks and tokens of lesser mor- made freely. I felt it then, as though claws Warriors had taken up residence. Within tals - both my former people gripped something deep within me, and a single those tunnels, a forge burned, with a smith unlike and any Warriors who stood any I've ever encountered. between me and my goal. Each an oath more solemn than the one I swore that victory, each manifestation of day.flex wouldGiving rip up it thefrom shelter my body. of Nevera god havewho I nevertaken my master's precepts, every smouldered on the handle of a great hammer, and enemy overcome brought me Whatever possessed that artificer, his hands seemed to care for me... it might have terrified

A Warrior’s Path 16 Warriors of the Dark Gods A Warrior’s Path 17 Warriors of the Dark Gods PATHS OF ASCENSION

t is demanding and absolute. There can be no Lady of Flies punished his failings by making a I remorse, nor any reconsideration. As we say in reigning beast of him, that we name Doomlord. as the abyss, terrible as war. Such are the Paths Those who walk the Path of the Exiled are not ofSagarika: Ascension. ugrá, They śīghra, are tīvrá. not Fast for asthe thunder, weak. Theydeep completely lost. They are forgotten by their Gods, know no mercy. The Paths admit only dedication, but can still be raised by our benevolent Father, he who is the Chaos of all things, if they can prove reward in the end will be eternity, but failure means themselves worthy to him. It takes unfathomable deformity,unconditional the beliefloss of andeverything infinite for ambition. The acts of strength and will, but it can be done. something less than bestiality. Durmukh himself is ascending again among the Exiled, becoming For- We are not a church, we are not an sworn. Karna, as a Doomlord, could army. We are alone - the Path we yet be granted the same trial as chose to walk is unique to each any Chosen Lord. Yet just as the of us. We have abandoned hi- lost can rise, so they can fall erarchy and blind obedience. further, becoming the great- We shun any limitation. We est fear of us all, a monster strive only for Ascension, of madness and fury, for to transcend the shackles of which all hope is truly lost: a the mortal. Wretched Beast.

We are none of us immune to fear Glory and punishment are sides and doubt. I myself once faced such of the same coin, as the Path of the weakness. But I cut it out. I walked the Favoured and the Path of the Exiled. I Path. I faced every trial. I imposed my will pleased Sugulag by removing the head of and now I stand before the wretched slaves of the giant Bedawang and taking it as a trophy, an inferior herd they call civilisation. They look sacking the fortress of Sindhu and its treasures, at me with terror, and I understand the greatness raiding the plain of Vetia and making the name of our Father, the awesome potential of our Path. of the Collector feared all across the land of the We are Warriors of the Dark Gods: there can be weak and poor called Sonnstahl. Now here I am. A no pity, no rest, no love, for the prize is the glory Lord, soon to be tested with the blessing of Greed of the immortal. to become an Exalted Herald of our Father, his I’ve seen my brothers walking the Path of the Goldenhimself, Eye. the This Treasure is the and trial Selfishness of all trials. of Success Chaos, Exiled. I was spiteful once, but now I respect their means eternity. Failing means the nightmare of will as much as the power they possess in spite, us all: the absolute existential mark of failure, the or perhaps because of, their physical horror. My symbol of inhumanity itself, the Forsaken One. younger brother Durmukh, Warrior of Vanadra, failing to please his patron deity, was cast down —from the Litany of the Exalted, originally the from his revered position and became Fallen. At Diary of Duryodhana. Stored in a cabinet behind my side, my other brother Karna, a Lord under the fresco seen in the opposing image in the the auspices of Kuulima, betrayed his duties; the legendary Ur-Temple of Sugulag near Pavitrastha

Paths of Ascension 18 Warriors of the Dark Gods Paths of Ascension 19 Warriors of the Dark Gods Long did the lords endure the adversities of that sigil by his Ascension seared into the stone itself: land no mortal knows. Many hours were they seen to suffer the agonies of the trials! All at things, the beginning and the end, the very symbol once the thing was ended, and the Byrnlings and that which signifies the alpha and omega of all EXALTED HERALD Atharlings in the conquered hall were blinded with the power of the Veil rent, and deafened by ofPraise the infinite: be to Kuulima! ∞ Praise be to Athar, the the tumult of a thousand screams. Exalted Herald!

When they looked again they saw their lords had —Excerpt from the Atharsaga*, a ten thousand line vanished. Noble Byrn was no more; some great Gjotharic Epic in alliterative verse was Thord, the axe of Athar, that slew ten thousand Atharsaga, part 1 power had cloven through the huge oak walls of *The life of Athar is a contested topic among enemies. The great deeds of song pursuing, the hall, leaving Warriors stricken in its wake. In historians. Some question whether or not he really ear me! We of the Spear-Gjothar, in the days all the while each lord heard tales of the deeds the darkening forests beyond, a howling most existed. The figure of Grimar Valthjofsson is generally H of yore, heard of the glory of those clan- of the other. Verily, the Lady’s bile rose in their hideous was heard. agreed to be real, and it is known that Thrymland kings who performed courageous deeds. Often throats, as they strove to outdo their rival. They was devastated by northern raiders around the time Byrn, Borgar’s son, seized lands and treasures nurtured and cherished their deepest jealousies When they looked back to the place of Athar, before of his rule. from enemy hosts and terrorised the fearsome that pushed them ever to higher exploits. them was neither sign of man nor beast, except the Svjarskar who did not show respect. He waxed in power and wealth, thriving in the honours of the gods, until unto him each the mead hall of Grimar And finally they turned to of the bordering tribes had Valthjofsson, high king in The Timeless Titans to submit and yield tribute - Thrymland, he who sat that was a good king! in the splendour of the Hail to thee, Sol, Goddess of Heaven. She who grasps him, pulling her Veil to conceal herself, repairing Great Hall of the Fjord. the sun and brings light to all the lands. Hail our it when it tears. No less worthy in those days Athar and Byrn both beneficent lady, and the words that she has spoken. was the mighty Athar, son turned all their will upon Spake the Goddess: Still does he pursue, and of Athils, greatest jarl of this hall, which no army had Spake the Goddess: In the beginning was the Void, though he cannot cross, he sends suitors to test the mountain Veskar. He ever approached. They burned and the Void was still. her resolve. Ever does the essence of the Father's came into great mas- Thrymland to its roots, until chaos permeate the Veil, a force of limitless tery of his many gifts Spake the Goddess: There was a great chasm of change that men call magic, so that the Mother there was no one left to defend creation, and the Void was sundered. and the many favours its master. might never forget his touch. that the Lady of Flies Spake the Goddess: The two halves bestowed upon him, Great was their dismay Spake the Goddess: Ever does the awoke and they gathered the transcendent vitality in mor- and he cast down the when they found they had Realms around themselves, the mightiest of monsters reached the hall at the tal hearts, that men call soul, timeless titans, whose struggle return again to its second from the Giant Peaks. Did same time. But there was spans the eons. not Athar prove his worth no time for challenges, home in the Realm Immortal, to the world entire? for they had surpassed Spake the Goddess: Mother where dwell the Gods and the admirations of the Cosmos was unwavering. all the beings of that great With no little speed did Goddess, and had been offered She spun her cloak of laws land. Yet the Mother may these two champions of the great unto our Father, He who is all things and systems. An ordered allow those found worthy by Goddess, the Leveller of All, rise in her and all eternity. A great trial was upon these Realm where men may live, their deities to return, lifting approval. Lo, for they were chosen by her, and two sons of Envy! and a fundament above - to in- her Veil that they might rejoin were made the foremost lords of mighty Åskland. spire the divine. her place of constancy. And yea, mightily they achieved what all we noble Warriors who follow the Seven’s path seek: power blood decorating the high table. Terrible was Spake the Goddess: Father Chaos was And men rejoiced at the wonders she spoke, and dominion in the world, and true mastery of theirThe Warriors chanting filled as Byrn Grimar’s and Athar hall, theleft dead this plane,king’s ever-changing. He dwells in the tumult of purest our Lady of Sun, greatest goddess of our nation, the self. What glorious exemplars are they! taken unto the testing of Chaos that knows no entropy, unfathomable to mortals: that Realm and knew that it was so. threshold, no mercy for the unworthy. The two they call Immortal. —Inscription found in one of the oldest temples of Grim indeed was the power of Byrn, he who lords of men left their bodies, which writhed and Spake the Goddess: Ever does the Father lust for Avras, long buried beneath the modern-day brought the terror of Audun, the mace of his thrashed before the lookers-on in the center of his lost love, and ever does she withdraw from Great Sepulchre. ancestors, across the lands. And no less fearsome the Fjord Hall.

Exalted Herald 20 Warriors of the Dark Gods Exalted Herald 21 Warriors of the Dark Gods The Wasteland

Director Bao: These are the facts. The Wasteland Here we come on less certain knowledge. We was born when the Inferno was unleashed. We believe that the innermost parts of the Wasteland know that in the immediate aftermath, a great are so magically saturated that daemons can tide of magic swept most of Northern Augea. We cross the Veil there at will, and remain for as long as they please, with all but inexhaustible supplies some say it was simply the angle at which the of the magical sustenance they require to exist Infernaldo not know ziggurat why was it flowed positioned. in that direction, but in the Mortal Realm. We know that they some- times treat and make pacts with the Warriors of What is sure is that thousands perished in a the Dark Gods, who provide them steel that they heartbeat, and many more were mutated or set forge into impossible armours. upon by the legions of daemons that followed. We believe the great rent in the Veil lasted no more Yet even the Warriors, granted supernatural for- than a fraction of a moment before resealing titude by their dark masters, cannot remain long under its own enormous energy. That was all it in the Wasteland, always returning to congregate took for the raw essence of the Immortal Realm around its edge. to spew across our world. Emperor Haizu: So you're saying I cannot lead At the start, we think the Wasteland was some- my army across? what larger. But magic cannot linger forever - it is a substance entirely alien to our world that Director Bao: I humbly beg your forgiveness, my will always return across the Veil over time. The lord. It is impossible. Wasteland has slowly receded to its present size, —Transcript of proceedings in the Court of still covering uncountable miles of once-fertile Tsuandan, approximately 405 A.S. lands, from the Blasted Plain to the Sea of Storms.

All accounts describe the Wasteland as desolate. It is barren, arid and largely lifeless. Great grasslands and forests no longer support any vegetation at all. Nor can our kind enter this land without soon suffering debilitating sickness and a swift demise. Tales tell of men whose hair falls out in handfuls, whose skin peels away, who vomit blood, whose alsoflesh the withers matter on of the their so-called bones. madness: Some find victims their bodies twisting into horrific new shapes. There is hearIt is true voices that and some find parts their are very more will survivablebesieged. than others, and since it is unclear exactly where the those who claim to have penetrated a certain dis- tance.Wasteland As well begins, as the it degrading is difficult effects to judge of thereports magic, of there are also the dangers of great beasts such as dragons and chimeras, naturally attuned to magic, who dwell there - and, of course, the daemons.

Exalted Herald 22 Warriors of the Dark Gods Exalted Herald 23 Warriors of the Dark Gods Thanks to their surprise and swiftness, the Warri- but that evening saw an unlikely gathering. The ors held the advantage - until the arrival of the one chairs in our dining hall creaked beneath Ghul and element capable of reversing the tide of battle, a his lieutenants, their pagan helms forming a bizarre Kadim Titan. I have never witnessed such a being, centrepiece on the table. CHOSEN LORD but the stories tell of forms constructed of steel, stone and fire, with an unholy intelligence, towering Ghul himself spoke no more than a handful of words, above all else. allowing others to extol his skill and strategy. The story was crisp, told from the perspective of those Faced with such a threat, most forces would hes- who witnessed it first-hand. Ghul surveyed the town Your Excellency, reminded me of the visit of Count Lunin to my child- itate. I expected to hear of a tremendous effort to dignitaries, yet once his eyes settled upon Šiva, they hood home, and his disdain for "country nobles". bring down the creature - magic and monsters barely moved for the rest of the night. My knuckles It is with the most distressing and unspeakable news clashing on the field, the Kadim brought low by the cracked, feeling the strain of any man whose wife is I write to you now, though I barely know how to pen As they arrived through our gates, treasures were combined might of the army. What I did not expect so openly admired. It was not the first time Šiva had the truth. I hear the court gossips that my wife has unloaded for display and trade. Fresh from victory, was the story of a single man stepping forward to drawn stares, but this felt different. left with another man. That is a half truth; the full they wore those spoils openly. As they told it, a dar- engage the beast. story is much worse. ing raid on the foothills of the Inferno itself had tak- en a contingent of Infernal Dwarves unawares. No I have known rulers in my time. I served under Tsar A year has passed since our last significant encoun- mean feat, to surprise the followers of Nezibkesh in Oleg in my early days in the army. We met the Em- ter with the followers of the Dark Gods. In that time, their zealous vigilance over that fiery pit. Cen- peror himself all those years ago in Sonnstahl, and the occasional band would arrive to trade tral to those spoils was a skull of vast old General Charkov with his iron feet. Great men in or to worship at the temple and move proportions, formed of brass and their ways, and capable of significant bravery. Yet on. The town remained secure blackened stone, and with an for a commander to needlessly champion their own and even prospered. I began aura of menace that left me cause in the midst of battle is a mystery to me - a risk to believe a bright future lay relieved I had not faced the bordering on madness. Such behaviour must earn ahead, as you have so often owner in life. equally momentous rewards to justify the dangers. counselled. They were not sparing I heard fifty versions of the story that day, each a Yet Šiva grew increasing- with the details, eager little more embellished than the last. The first tale ly dissatisfied with our for the story to be heard ended with the Kadim cut down, its form crumbling station, as she nursed far and wide. They had in a cascade of bronze plates. The last spoke of a our young boy, so far crossed the fringes of gauntlet driven into the Titan's chest, and a beating removed from the com- the Wasteland, follow- heart of fire pulled from the wound and held aloft. forts of Volskagrad. My ing the coast of the Sea of The one consistency was the singular triumph of own life was infinite- Gods. Timing their move- Lord Ghul, and the blessings of Savar which would ly brighter since Lukas ments with a sandstorm fall upon his efforts. arrived, a son and heir, whipped up from the my heart fit to burst. Far more concerning to me was the effect the Blasted Plain, they crossed But dark clouds gathered dramatic story had upon the populace of Totváros, open ground at bewildering overhead with my wife's ob- who could hardly avoid the tale had they wished to. speed. Three times they fell vious displeasure. I promised I For every nine individuals who heard the story and upon Taurukh scouts, murdering At the conclusion of the story, Ghul smiled openly, would do all I could to speed our treated it with the wary respect it warranted, there without mercy, ensuring no warning glancing at me long enough to mockingly intone: return to high society, but my assur- was a tenth whose eyes grew bright at the prospect reached the target of the raid. of receiving some portion of the might and respect ances did little to comfort her. "I hope there will be some within this town with the they witnessed. Finally, emerging from the Wasteland like a wave of courage to set aside comfort and make their own My own doubts returned with the arrival of a large destruction, they fell upon the unsuspecting outpost, way." contingent of Warriors. No mixed horde drawn Seeing the insidious effect of these tales and the alarm raised mere moments before battle was treasures, I set the guards to stiffen the town's from all seven Dark Gods this time (an exceptional That smirk, coupled with his stares, set my blood joined. Still, the Infernal Dwarves are no paltry foe. resolve and ensure no one left the gates without my occurrence by all accounts). This force flew banners to boiling. He leaned back in the chair, legs spread Within minutes, battle formations were assembled. permission. Meanwhile, I was able to isolate Lord bearing the symbol of Savar, and at their head strode wide, still caressing my wife with his eyes. Before I Many of Savar's Warriors proudly bore the scars of Ghul by inviting him to dine. Perhaps it was the a Lord of Pride bearing a golden crown. The impe- could respond, a guard called me out to deal with an that fierce battle. acknowledgement of his status, or the opportunity rious expression with which he regarded Totváros urgent situation. for his story to be heard by a dedicated audience,

Chosen Lord 24 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chosen Lord 25 Warriors of the Dark Gods In the streets, chaos reigned. A dozen men and wom- worst, I burst into the nursery and fell to my knees. en stood with Warriors by the gate, bearing what The crib was empty. Our son, my boy, my Lukas... he appeared to be their worldly possessions. Distraught was gone. families looked on from nearby, begging their loved I remember little of the next day. I know I was re- ones to return. In those recruits I saw expressions strained by half a dozen of my men, held from the ranging from apprehension to unmasked exhilara- suicidal pursuit I would have begun then and there. tion, yet each had one thing in common - a deter- Days later, once the grief and rage subsided, I did mined set to their features. Their decision had been ride out, desperately seeking some trace. It was sur- made, their feet set on a path, for good or for ill. prisingly hard to follow the trail - wind and rain Seeing this, and the clear potential for violence, I had already washed most of it away. At every delay set myself to calming the families and moving them I ground my teeth, pushing on until my horse died away from the town gates. under me at the edge of the Wasteland. There, feel- In the half hour it took me to settle the populace, ing the faint sickness of that place on my shoulders, I my life changed forever. I retraced my steps, only fell to my knees and mourned, knowing my love had to see Ghul stalking away through the gate. The passed beyond me forever. Lord looked back at me, our eyes locked, and for a The journey back to Totváros took weeks of trudg- moment I felt the thrill of approaching combat. I felt ing, with only a dull sense of duty to drive me for- no fear, only readiness for the moment. Then a wolf- ward. I arrived back, weak and parched, to face the ish grin split Ghul's face, a triumphant smirk that prospect of a future without Šiva and Lukas. I tell chilled my bones to the marrow - and he turned and you this now, knowing that my shame is complete, left. Staring after him through the gates, I caught a and that no absolution will save my name. In truth, glimpse of green in the distance, so like the dress my such considerations are far behind me. Only duty own Šiva had been wearing... holds me to my course, and the vain hope to see my I sprinted to the manor house, heart pounding as Šiva again. I tore up the stairs, scattering serving staff and guardsmen. Our room was a mess of strewn clothing —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich - Šiva's prized possessions were gone. Fearing the

Chosen Lord 26 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chosen Lord 27 Warriors of the Dark Gods The third giant bull-bison was confronted by that was assaulting Yos Barbha - the largest set- the determined form of Anaba. She had come far tlement of Dathen west of the river Tietha. from her origins in the western Tanepe tribe. She faced the monster gladly, but the beast had seen Arriving in camp, I joined a group of Warriors

CHOSEN particularly inspired by the legend of Lord Opaga, into the woods, only to be arrested by a hand on around a fire as they discussed recent victories, hertoo shoulder. much. Anaba Shiye, began the Snake. to give chase as it fled who had Ascended not long before. Each saw their own future in his triumph. Then I noticed He was a saurian - if "he" is even the right term. Treating chaos as anathema, it is exceptionally senses were besieged by the customary stench naba, Chosen of Cibaresh, knelt to pray. She warbands I had known. Friendship has always the Chosen of Cibaresh. They had no fires, but my been a sign of weakness for those on the Paths of rare for his kind to make the pact with a Dark and moaning of their camp. A God, let alone be Chosen. Shiye was the only one the night's pleasures. Dark bottles lay scattered, Ascension. Clearly, this company knew the perils One among them did not partake in the regular was covered in blood and other effluvia from I have known to pledge himself to Cibaresh. He emptied of their nectar of the vine, fermented of intimacy better than most. debauchery. Anaba sat alone, on the very long years ago in a distant land they call Equit- took to it with fervour, every move- We went north. In my thin cloak, I was swelter- ment of his reptilian body strange- edge of the camp, staring into the aine. The thick aroma of incense, oil and sweat darkness of the night. swam within the teepee like smoke. Behind Anaba ing, but the Chosen in their steel cages marched ly sensuous and lithe. Now his lay an elven maid, stripped of more than just her as easily as mountain lions. We made camp again, forked tongue darted as he "You do not relish the Ascen- clothing, and unconscious from the exhaustion of and the cycle repeated. Long days of nothing. For bade Anaba let her quarry sion of Opaga," I stated, com- their labours. I believe she was the daughter of me, the boredom was almost unbearable, but for escape. With half-intelli- ing to her side. Daeb landowners, lately succumbed to Anaba's those who have been Warriors, patience is the gible hisses and clicks, he "Pah," she spat, betraying a unique charms. most deeply ingrained of assets. explained that if they let it live, they could track jealousy I was more accus- Finally, the journey was broken by the sound of "My pleasure is yours, yours is mine," intoned the the beast's scent to tomed to seeing in the fol- Chosen One, staring down at the expressionless, braying: a small warherd of man-beasts. I could lowers of Kuulima. "A few but disturbingly alluring battlemask she held. The greater glory. paltry monsters. He will three giant minotaurs among them. Towering find opportunity for yet be forgotten, while my muscles of her mighty frame bunched, steam ris- tell the Chosen were transfixed by the sight of above the rest, these creatures would make for Anaba seethed beneath legend is sung eternal." a mighty challenge, and their deaths could bring her impassive iron mask. "Still, you do not indulge me,ing fromlet me her bring back. eternal "We are glory one to flesh, your one name." passion. that which the members of this party craved be- She threw down her axe Oh great Tempter, work your fulfilment through yond all else: glory. in displeasure. Just last yourself tonight. And nei- month, her sister Macha ther do you join the others The Chosen nearest me, a crazed brute called Anaba to her private worship, turning to wander had attacked Shiye for his in camp." Pezi, was practically salivating. He punched him- throughI grinned, the peeking rest of the through camp. I thewas tent'senjoying flap. my I time left insolence. The Dark Gods self in the jaw, and howled. "Fresh-faced Warriors? I think with this warband. Those who had received the Fa- do not always object to strife not. They cannot conceive of true vour of Lust took no half measures. Every night was among their followers, but in "For Cibaresh, my everything!" devotion." Here she showed the dis- this case, it was punished. Macha dain of all Chosen for the lower eche- He lead the charge. The camp was a long way lost the favour of Cibaresh, the protection The days were not always so memorable. We lons of the Path. a magnificent abomination of carnal delights. off, but such was their yearning for this encoun- that kept her enormous strength contained, and had come deep into the untamed heart of Silexia, ter that their headlong rush did not falter for a she began to transform before their very eyes. She "Then tell me, Anaba, devotee of Lust: what ails far from the magics of the southern sea where moment. I watched the beautiful carnage from was forced out into the wilderness - weeks later you this night?" followers of the Dark Gods were as common as the trees, fuelling their strength with what mag- she was spotted, a hulking monstrosity in the ser- rattlesnakes. However, here in the great plains, ics I could muster. The minions of Cibaresh were vice of our Father. Abandoned by all she held dear, "I am Chosen of Cibaresh, sorcerer. You who have opportunities for violence and glory were hard to outnumbered, but they fought with insane zeal, she was Forsworn. Had that memory not been so made no pact do not speak to me with such impu- come by. Today was proving to be as uneventful as lasciviously welcoming their lover-enemies into fresh, Anaba may well have made the same mis- dence. If I am ailed, it is only for lack of the free- most. I watched as the Chosen strapped into their death's embrace. The smaller creatures didn't take. thick plates of armour and prepared to march un- stand a chance. Pezi slew one of the minotaurs dom"Freedom, to fulfil you my say?" destiny." der the pounding sun. single-handed after taking its horn through his Sadly, I left the warband before they could make good on the Snake's plan to track the minotaur. Very few words were spoken. They might know shoulder, bellowing his ascendancy even louder "These worms hold me back," she said, gesturing Their path diverged to the west, and I was contin- every inch of each other's bodies, but the Cho- than the beast. Another was brought down by a to the other Chosen in their teepees, and to the uing north in search of a fabled artefact. sen of Lust were even less sociable than most group of hacking obscenities. camp in general. "I yearn to follow my path alone. Many moons later, I joined a much greater force And yet...still I have these limits."

Chosen 28 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chosen 29 Warriors of the Dark Gods As I had seen once before, she took the battlemask "But you yearn to prove yourself in battle. The the apprehensive silence was broken - she carried on her hip, and stared down into its truce denies your indulgence in bloodshed." by a booming voice. ken, and Yos Barbha burned to the ground. Without any of the unmoving iron eyes. I recognised her condition. suppliesearly in the they fighting, needed, but our by sundown,army broke the up elven soon host afterwards, was bro She looked at me, darkly. "Those are your words, "Warriors of the Dark Gods!" it cried. She yearned to do great things, but she relied on and many Warriors perished that winter of starvation. sorcerer." I recognised the battlemask of Anaba others to achieve them. Those favoured by the and grinned. She had taken a position I soon forgot the whole matter. Many years have since passed. Dark Gods are no fools. They know they cannot "Indeed, I am just a sorcerer - one who makes on a nearby boulder, brazenly ad- But it came back to me recently, when - passing near the attack a fortress all by themselves. Death, after no pact, follows no path, has no hope for immor- dressing the entire army. former site of the elven city - I found a familiar battlemask all, is just another form of failure. They require tal fame. But I am closer than any one of you to half-buried in the dirt. strength in numbers - the very thing that dilutes the Gods." "We stand before a city rotten with their glory. They loathe this contradiction. mindless servitude. Built by a people —Extract from an untitled tome, known to scholars as the "Watch yourself..." who debase our gods-given freedoms. Finally, she spoke again. "Tomorrow, we will meet Dark Chronicle of the West. The manuscript was found in an People who despise self-determina- with the miserable slaves who live in that city, "Hear me. I was raised in the innermost isles of the abandoned camp in the new world by Arcalean explorers tion, with their rigid classes and slave- thinking themselves masters, and permit them Shattered Sea, where the Veil draws so thin one and sold to the Imperial Society of Eichtal. to continue their heathen existence in return for can almost taste the Immortal Realm. Every part of The original text is written in Daghid. me is a creation of the Dark Ones. I am their crea- the land, which by rights belongs to the great tribute." tilled fields. This nation is a stain on ture, their instrument. You serve your one God for Seven, and to the Father. We will not "Sounds like you have won a victory," I replied. your own glory, I serve all eight directly." treat with these insects. We will show "Yet you seem displeased." them what it means to make an enemy "So they say." of the Dark Gods. Let us raze this city, "We will continue to reap the great wealth of the and plunder all the lands beyond!" elves, adding to our future conquests and glory. It "Believe it. Do not forget that our star has eight is ...to be desired." spokes, not seven. The tallest, that which points She held her axe aloft, and it seemed to Ascension, belongs to Father Chaos. You know him merely as the saviour of the Fallen, but truly resounding cry of "For Cibaresh!" she he is lord of all things. Not just the pinnacle of our leaptto blaze from in the the rock sunrise. and charged With a head final,- star but its heart and centre. Your Cibaresh and long towards the elves. A breathtak- his siblings may have formed themselves around ing sight: the lone woman, heedless the great Sins of the mortals, but even they serve of her peers, running straight at the the designs of their Father. His plans underpin ranks of the enemy. theirs, his keys open up the gates of the eternal. Conquest and tribute have a dull taste beside I looked around. The Warriors were the sweet nectar of chaos, don't you think?" muttering. I heard a great battlecry to my right, where Pezi rushed out to Anaba stared at me. She was breathing heavily. follow her. The rest of the Chosen of "You speak in riddles, but I sense their truth. I Lust were not far behind. have failed to cut out my weakness: my pathet- ic loneliness, my wretched self-doubt. I will not The representatives at the negotia- stumble a second time." tion were aghast. "Stop! We are securing a mighty fu- the darkness. ture, the very goods of indulgence! She fixed the mask over her face, and I smiled in For the glory of us all!" cried Shiye, The next morning, the forces of the Dread Elves waving his claws at the onrushing were arrayed before their walls. Our battleline troops. As ever, it was almost impossi- formed up in response, considerably more im- ble to understand his hissing speech, posing than theirs. and in any case it was much too late. The rest of the army was caught up in Delegations moved forward to the cen- Anaba's infectious lust for war. The delegations had no choice but to sep- Shiye, had been selected to join arate as battle was joined. trethe of theenvoys. field. I sawThis that whole the Snake,plan reeked of his scheming. But then I heard later that Anaba was killed

Chosen 30 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chosen 31 Warriors of the Dark Gods CHOSEN KNIGHTS

oday, I went to purchase materials for a suit of their savagery and sheer weight of armour T of armour, commissioned by the Sultan. I are told across the continents. Moreover, Fareed claimed there were other ridden monsters among steel: a small, hairless man with haunted eyes, their ranks - huge boar-creatures of the Steppe, calledtracked Fareed. down Butthe hetrader had knownnothing to to sell give the me. finest ferocious mountain lions and more.

His latest shipment had returned empty. Initially, But the danger to Fareed lay not only in the un- he refused to say more to a woman, but when I stoppable karkadan and other brutes; the riders showed him the seal of the Sultan, he grudgingly displayed their own terrifying power. He said there loosened his lips. His steel is imported from Tsuan- were not just men, but man-beasts, dwarves and dan, explaining its exceptional quality, and he per- even orcs. sonally transports it by ship. On his latest voyage, he had arrived at his usual supplier in the north of theThere country, was an only encampment to find the town of ogres in an outside uproar. the gates - not an invading army, but refugees. They Their leader was a giant ogre, whom the represented several tribes of Khadamekai ogres: Khadamekai held in terror. This monster had nomadic peoples of the grasslands, very unlike been seduced by the promises of Savar. He had the mountain mercenaries Fareed claimed to once been a fellow tribesman, outcast after failing have dealt with in the past. to respect their traditions and spiritual beliefs. He had sought personal power - no rare thing for They had suffered terrible losses at the hands of a khan on the Steppe - but he had failed to win Warriors of the Dark Gods, and had made an alli- his kinsmen's admiration. Now he had returned, ance with the Tsuandanese. Ogres can, after all, be vastly empowered, seeking a new form of glory. reasoned with, while the Dark Gods bring nothing but destruction. They are the greatest fear of the Yet Fareed said the ogres were most fortunate that eastern empire. day - the Chosen knights had not come for them, but for the same purpose as Fareed himself: steel. Fareed attempted to secure his steel and leave be- They plundered the material from the town's fore the situation could deteriorate. But he was famed metalsmiths, and commanded more to be not fast enough. Soon the brutal minions of the produced for their return, or the entire settlement Dark Gods were upon the city - and these were would burn. no mere Warriors. It was a band of Chosen, led by knights riding gigantic battle-beasts. The ogres Fareed's business has suffered terribly because of fell back in terror, with shrieks of “Karkadan!” - a these events on the other side of the world, but creature I previously believed a myth. he was more than happy to have escaped with his life. Meanwhile, I will have to procure the materi- These mounts were as varied as they were enor- als for the Sultan's armour from another source. mous. The stories tell how the Chosen endure —Diary of Zuhra el-Habeeb, councillor and closest of living bonds. Clearly, mastery of such a attendant to Sultan Taaj Abdullah beastgreat would trials tobe findbeyond and any tame lesser them, warrior. forging Tales the

Chosen Knights 32 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chosen Knights 33 Warriors of the Dark Gods The first sign of the enemy was a gentle rumble that I ordered a fighting retreat, aiding His Grace in his steadily grew louder until we could see the dust courageous evacuation of the city. clouds rising on the horizon. Copper flashed through It was only when the rest of the raiders rushed into the dust. We had no idea what was concealed within. battle that we understood the cursed name upon CHARIOTS We assumed that the bands of raiders we'd been their lips. Kupash. chasing were small and would not risk a pitched I give thanks that the blood of the King’s loyal war- battle. We thought they'd turn aside when they saw riors stains the sands, honouring the gods. They will our numbers. They did not. fight this evil in the Realm Eternal. It is a glorious The goat-herders erected a pitiful defence. They Taphria. He theorised, and I concur, that it was They rushed toward us without hesitation, bellow- day for Naptesh. ranked between the river and the houses, thinking written by the enemies of Naptesh about the Bat- ing their incomprehensible savagery. to deny us room to manoeuvre. Fools! tle of Tarkaphut, which, according to our best esti- The name Kupash inspires much fear in the Naptan mate, occurred at the very height of Naptan power, We launched our own chariots towards them, but people, and much discussion has followed about We cried out, competing with one another and with long before the curse. The Naptan account of said their foul magics turned away the finest steeds of who or what that is. From the descriptions I have our beasts. Dust filled the air. For a moment, we lost battle gives further perspective. His Majesty's horse trainers. found across multiple sources, I feel it is unlikely sight of our quarry. to be anything but the Naptaan name for Vanadra.* We loosed arrows, but their dark ambitions drove That such heretics should have been operating be- Then we hit them. Bones crunched under hooves them to close the distance between us faster than we fore Naptesh succumbed to the desert is a horrify- and wheels. Blades tore through armour and flesh. could have anticipated. There was scarcely time for ing prospect indeed. They ran and we rode them down without mercy. a single volley before they were upon us. The front Their pathetic leader fled on a boat, surrounded by The mighty forces of His Majesty barred the ap- rank braced to intercept the charge, but it was not —Erika Leitzke, Ullsberg Imperial Academy, his cowardly colluders. We slew ten thousand weak- proach to the city. With the walls unfinished, it was hit by horses. On Worshippers of Darkness. lings in the city, and set loose six thousand slaves. It imperative that we stopped the raiders there. Three was a good day for the glory of Kupash. They were something altogether more ferocious. *Sensitive material redacted for external viewing lines of infantry and two loose blocks of archers Crazed beasts from the darkest pit of the under- by order of the Chancellor. formed the bulk of our forces, with a single force of This text was found by Karl Meisner of the Imperial world, pulling chariots twice the size of our own. chariots to corral the incoming foes. Society on fragments of pottery in the deserts of Our armies stood strong as they were decimated.

Chariots 34 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chariots 35 Warriors of the Dark Gods take the fight to them. Perhaps our charge might Warriors fell in droves as the Hussars struck home, have swung the battle. I hesitated - something half and the sight of so many of their allies struck glimpsed through the spyglass held my command. down, or perhaps the risk to themselves, broke the I swept my eye back and forth until I saw her... The Warriors’ resolve. woman, helm still discarded as though she scorned WARRIORS The Hussars gave chase only for a short distance. the foe, stood atop a mound of bodies, her sword With the light failing, the risk of ambush was too flashing in the torchlight. And it was my Šiva. Hair great, and the recall was sounded. I sighed with no longer cropped close, scars across her face and relief, and while I heard similar sentiments from a hardness in her eyes I had not seen before. Yet my men, their reasons were not my own. They cele- Your Excellency, must have arrived; the guard was out in force, ar- there could be no doubt: my wife lived. Seconds brated our triumph and the survival of the outpost, rayed upon the ramparts. Our men looked impos- stretched into minutes as I stared at her, and the It has been some time since we last spoke. A year in while my own thoughts turned to the flowing hair ing, uniformed and well-armed, banners flapping defenders died in droves while my men begged me Totváros has elapsed, with one day leaching into an- disappearing into the dark, one last glimpse of my in the breeze. Horns sounded clear in the dusk, and to join the fray. other. I have fulfilled the charges of my office, yet the torches sprang up along wall. Šiva, the Warrior of the Dark Gods. I despaired to months have passed in a fugue, and the drive I once My reverie was broken from an unexpected direc- have seen her in such dire company, and my heart possessed has vanished along with my beloved Šiva. Not a moment was wasted launching the attack, tion. North, from along the border, horns sounded ached at the thought of her soul in danger, yet I nor any fear shown of the defenders, despite being and hooves thundered. A contingent of Hussars, maintained a foolish, naive hope that I might still You will no doubt have heard the reports from outnumbered almost three to one, and attacking a winged helms visible in the gloom and lances lev- save her. the border - a warband passed this way some two defended position. The fighting, once begun, was a elled, hit the Warriors in the flank, driving them weeks past, heading for Volskaya. I duly sent word bloody affair. The Warriors formed battle lines, yet from the wall. The troops rallied and pressed the —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich to both the border forts and the capital. I imagined they seemed little concerned with the support of advantage. Within moments, the tide had turned. my part was done, but my men were hungry for ac- their fellows, fending off arrows which rained from tion, and I too felt the call to ride out. above onto their heavy shields. Each one pressed So we shadowed the band’s progress towards the forward, determined to wade in, to have their skill border. No great army led by a noted Lord this; the speak for them. Each time a Warrior fell, they were Warriors here bore few of the scars and behaviours left where they lay. No heed was paid to the dying I had come to expect. Yet they wore the same bru- or the wounded; it seemed those who could not tal armour no smith of my acquaintance could pro- hold their own had little place among such hard- duce: heavy layered plates of steel, like dark insect ened fighters. carapaces, adorned with spikes and cruel weaponry.

These Warriors displayed all manner of icons, but they were not segregated by Dark God. Instead, a mixed group marched together, with five of the seven represented. At their head strode a woman, whose face I could not make out, her hair stream- Yet for all their apparent unconcern, there was a ing behind her, her helm carried nonchalantly by flicker of emotion when one of their brethren fell. her side, bearing the telltale marks of Savar. Looking through the spyglass, a treasured gift from you I still hold dear, the expression was so brief I be- They marched without regimented discipline, yet lieved it imagined at first. But it was repeated over with a common purpose. The heft of their weap- and again - a flash of horror, a glimmer of dread ons and the alertness with which they surveyed at the prospect of life snuffed out. I cannot say I the surrounding landscape left little doubt of their understand it, when nothing else seemed to per- preparation. I am sure they saw us, but we were ei- turb them - neither our numbers nor the standards ther too far to present a tempting target, or simply of veteran regiments. Yet I am certain they feared beneath their concern. death, if not in the same way as other mortals.

After most of a day's travel, we neared the ob- So long as their enemy fell in greater numbers, the ject of their expedition - Fort Duvice, at the edge fight continued. Our lines wavered in places, threat- of Volskaya herself, guarding a narrow passage ening to fail. My own contingent was small, but the through the surrounding marshland. My messages Warriors were fully engaged and my men itched to

Warriors 36 Warriors of the Dark Gods Warriors 37 Warriors of the Dark Gods caught up with the Dark Gods, and the Inquisition took an interest." take those who consent of their own free will. They took all the eyesbeneath and them,set them fighting in a little unarmed pyramid slaves. on a The rock. Dark They Gods sat next only He took another swig. He could tell to it for the rest of the day, kneeling like they were praying, from my pleading eyes that he couldn't still as godsdamned statues. Finally we realised we were free WARRIOR KNIGHTS stop there. to go. We didn't know how to steer the ship without the Daeb, "We were camped on the shore one so we started walking west, leaving them to pray. Eventually day, loading and unloading, when we we reached the beacons, and you can imagine they had a few questions for us, still with elf blood splattered all over. Got re- was staying at an inn on the road to Narrenwald, "Nevertheless, it holds immense historical in- Horsemen, or so we thought. But these ported to the Inquisition straight away. The worst of the whole I and was about to turn in for the evening, when terest. I am not just a pilgrim but a traveller and weren'tsaw them any coming. regular Justriders. five They of them.came ordeal came when we were back in dear old Sonnstahl." I felt a cold wind, and the chatter of the patrons chronicler. See, this is my journal." on slowly-like, at a trot. We started to He drained his glass, and looked at me. "But that's a story for fell quiet. Two men in dark uniforms appeared see they were big fellas, huge great She inspected it like a dead rat found in the privy. another time, friend," he said. "May Sunna protect you from at the door, framed by a full moon in the winter armour with triangles engraved on it, her own servants. Goodnight." And with that, he walked out sky. Inquisitors. "Perhaps you have heard of me? For a penny I'll only their heads exposed, face and hair into the night. The pair approached the bar in disdainful silence, tell you a story to make you laugh or cr-" white as frost, pitch black eyes - I knew then that this was something worse —From the Diary of Samuel le Pepin, where the maid tried to still her shaking hands. "There we are then," interrupted my new friend, even than the slavemasters. There professional pilgrim and storyteller like it was all settled. "Nothing wrong with trav- "Traveller. Name of Pepin," grunted one of the were at least two dozen elves, and they formed ranks. no threat to the good of the people." heard my own name. My horror only grew as I elling. You can rest assured this fine gentlemen is watchedofficers. Ithe thought poor, quiveringmy heart barmaidhad stopped immediate when -I "Finally, when they were only as far away as the length of this room, the ly betray me with a movement of her eyes. speaker, and left, slamming the door behind them. The officers exchanged glances, glared at the riders broke into a charge. The elves The nearest Inquisitor smiled slowly. Only now I The whole room seemed to exhale. realised she was a woman, though she dwarfed "You must let me buy you a pint, my friend. I could guys can't take on 25, that's what an- were confident - even for cavalry, five my frame by at least six inches. She leaned back have been on my way to a cold cell or worse if it yone would have thought. The line and took a step towards me. Suddenly another weren't for you. My name is Samuel." broke apart like an eggshell. These body interposed itself between us. guys, they had to be knights, their ex- "Tobias," said the man, accepting my handshake pressions didn't change as they set - and the drink. "And it would have been much about killing. The elves couldn't touch lem here?" It was a large, gruff gentlemen who worse than an empty cell." them through the armour - one of had"Woah been there, nursing officer. a solitary What seemspint at to a nearbybe the probtable. them did get knocked off her horse by I had barely noticed him until now. "You have some experience with the Inquisition, a lucky halberd, but even then it took then." "This man was spotted crossing the border from Zagvodz," said the woman, scowling testily. "He's "You could say that," he replied, and pulled down Volund preserve me." at least five of them to bring her down. wanted for questioning." his shirt to bear his shoulder. It was hideously "So they took you then, the remain- scarred by burns. "What were you doing in Zagvodz, friend?" said ing knights? Did they work you or sell my unexpected rescuer, calmly, never taking his "I do not mean to pry, but like I said, I am a col- you?" I asked eagerly, failing to notice eyes off the inquisitor. lector of stories. I would be most honoured if you the harrowed expression and glazed could tell me yours." eyes. For a long time, he seemed to "A pilgrimage," I stammered. "I was visiting the stare at nothing. ruined Abbey of Kolk." As my readers know, this He regarded me a few moments and then snort- was Sunna's truth, but it did not seem to appease ed with a faint laugh. "It ain't pretty. Used to be a "Didn't take us. Didn't even look at us. the Inquisition. smuggler, once upon a time, running a small ship - ly gathered up the bodies and carefully the dread corsairs. From the stories they tell, I carvedWhen they'd out the done eyeballs fighting, from they each slow one. the Supreme Prelate. The pilgrimage was dis- wasup near one Alfhaven.of the lucky That's ones where - never I got takennabbed back by I couldn't look. Me and the other slaves "That abbey was desanctified on the orders of continued." to Dathen. Did three months working ships up were white with terror. But they didn't and down the Sea of Storms. That's when we got want us. I reckon they thought it was

Warrior Knights 38 Warriors of the Dark Gods Warrior Knights 39 Warriors of the Dark Gods she had landed a series of blows that could have open the rib cage to pry out an enormous steam- dislodged mountains. Without uttering another ing heart. With the blood of her victim, she traced sound, the beast collapsed, lifeless. and became calm once more. I think of this mo- She stared at her kill, then looked skywards once menta figure every... of eight, sideways, over her own heart DOOMLORD more. I followed her gaze, but when I looked back it seemed as if she was staring directly at me. It —Ripped page from the novel My Escape from must have been a trick of the light, for she con- Death’s Clutches by Igor Demark. tinued to ignore my presence. She dragged the ...and the night was as still and as cold as stone. by dark stains. She was covered in broken orna- clothes, once fine, were torn to shreds and marked thecarcass woods, to the followed fire, as by if a it deep was crunchas light as as she a quill. tore Nothing lived. Nothing moved. Fear clung to me ments, gems, and old signs of forgotten power. The sickly sweet smell of roasting flesh soon filled likeNothing an unwelcome stirred in embrace. the bleak, I saw petrified nothing, forest.heard Some reminded me of the sigils of Cibaresh, a name nothing except the steam of my breath and the I would not have admitted knowing in normal cir- unrelenting chattering of my teeth. After losing cumstances, but these were broken and cracked, - long left unattended. ing for all I held dear, I was completely lost in themy retinuemiddle ofin athat forsaken terrible land, skirmish with no and food, flee She sat as quiet as the moon above our heads, no shelter, no salvation. - steel blade on her lap, unmoving and alone. The I saw a distant light through the husky staring into the flames with an enormous black and, despite her unwavering form, she pulsed spoke sweet poetry to me. Slowly, care- firewith danced some on unholy the sword-edge energy. She and was in fascinather eyes- fully,trees Iand neared knew the it source. to be fire. It was Its notwarmth far ing. I all but ceased to breathe. away and I quickly advanced upon it. Trees had been ripped up to create a Then, as if by some twist of fate, there was clearing, and in the clearing was a a mighty crash beside me. I nearly leapt from my hiding place. I swear it and dark images across a was the largest Gortach frostyfire. The ground, flames where threw iceshadows ever spawned. Tall crystals caught and as the trees around refracted the light, us, it bore horns creating a dance sharp as scythes of red and black. I and an axe that stopped, clinging could split a ship to the shadows in in two. Seeing the treeline. I had the monstrous seen the clear- half-woman, it ing’s occupant. roared a ferocious challenge, spraying Sitting on a log, spittle that hissed in - tween us, was an im- mensewith the humanoid. fire be Once she In theresponse, fire. she merely might have been beautiful. Long dark hair fell looked to the heavens and whispered what may over a strong face, with eternal green eyes. But have been a prayer. I recognised the word for her frame had wandered from the path of human. “father”. Then, without warning, she launched like a cannonball at the beast. Her savagery was patchwork of old and rusty armour, parts of which awe-inspiring, as she rushed forth with her black hadHer fused disfigured to her body form, was with covered great, misshapen in an ill-fitting sin- sword and her many limbs, teeth, and claws. Be- ews and an excessive number of rangy limbs. Her fore the Gortach could so much as swing its axe,

Doomlord 40 Warriors of the Dark Gods Doomlord 41 Warriors of the Dark Gods Turning back, I studied the pursuing creatures. At The flagellants fought with brutal zeal. They sold first I took them for trolls, but no trolls ever bore their lives hard and brought down four of the at- such marks on their flesh or armour suited to their tackers before they were crushed underfoot. As the huge forms. The glyphs of the Dark Gods were vis- last of his protectors were cut down, the Prelate's FORSWORN ible, but faded and worn, overwritten with that nerve broke and he turned and ran for the sanctu- symbol of the infinite. Nor did a troll ever move ary of the town. For a moment, I thought he might with such purpose and determination. escape the notice of the Forsworn, but Sunna's for- tune did not spare him that day. He was felled well Eventually, the flagellants recognised that they short of the town gates, his last moments shielded would be overhauled, and turned to face. They Your Excellency, staggering along the path. Upon entering the gates from view behind a small ridge. were an imposing sight, these fervent disciples he sought me out, one dead eye looking past me, It is my regret to inform you that Prelate Grassl, the who have laid the greatest knights and monsters Whatever dislike I felt for the man, and however the other fixed with an unnatural intensity. missionary from Sonnstahl, has perished along with low, and would die to the last before turning from much he brought his fate upon himself, no man all his followers. The circumstances are regrettable, "Yer man won't make it back - he has brought their duty. I held any call for the guard, knowing deserves a death like that. His screams rang out not least as they were easily averted. From the mo- death upon all who stand with him. The Forsworn this matter would be decided long before we could for longer than I imagined possible, long enough ment he arrived, the Prelate seemed determined to are abroad." The words confirmed my suspicions of reach them. Their fate was in their goddess' hands. to persuade me that his foe was truly to be feared. ignore all advice that was offered to him. Grassl’s fate, yet raised other questions. All that could be done was to gather the bodies the In truth, there was little doubt of the outcome. day after, or whatever was left, and set a funeral After his entry to Totváros, I instructed Grassl on "The Forsworn? Explain yourself, old man!" Whatever those creatures had discarded, whatev- pyre. I am sorry to say that I am not certain which the particulars of life around the Wasteland - both er protections they lacked to have undergone such His wheezed response began to unpick much of the parts were Grassl. Perhaps peace does await him those details taught to us from our first days in drastic transformation, their potency was extraor- tangled logic of the Wasteland. on the far side, but it will take some time for my service to Volskaya, but also the hard lessons I had dinary. Their forms swelled under the armour once own peace to return. learned in my time as town commander. Upon ex- sculpted to their bodies - flesh, muscles and scales plaining that barbarian settlements a day's ride protruding from between plates. Other Warriors —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich beyond the town kept the Dark Gods among their pay lip service to Father Chaos; this was the first I pantheon, his incredulity was tangible. He resolved had witnessed of a true power to the name. to set out and convert those heathens who dared to bring the Dark Gods so close to civilised folk.

I told him such an action was folly and warned him of the dangers that awaited should Warriors come across his party. I even threatened that the gates "There are those who rise, and those who fall, but would be barred to him, if he returned bringing the Fallen may rise again with a new master. The retribution for his actions. Forsworn have spit in the eye of fate, and now they climb above the exiled masses. Warriors may sneer behind their back, but the Father gives power to those with the might to take it. Even now they draw near, and woe unto any who stand 'tween None of this dissuaded the young man, brimming them and their prey." with the fire of faith and the ignorance of youth. With reddish light turning the land into a The following day, he strode through the gates, blood-coloured plain, a torch came into view in leading his band of two dozen flagellants. Those, at the distance, topping a rise and moving quickly. least, were an imposing sight: hard eyed men and Through the eyeglass, the returning flagellants women, showing no fear, no doubt. Their loyalty gave the impression of being harried, glances cast was unwavering, and I felt perhaps they might see in every direction. Grassl himself was nervous- the fool back safely after all, despite his scoffing at ly loping at the head of the group. The source of the prospect of any Warriors within mere miles. their consternation soon became apparent - large For a night and a day, I watched the desolate shapes loomed behind them, gaining. Looking to lands to the east, waiting for some glimpse of the my side, I began to ask if these were the Forsworn, Prelate's return. Instead, there came a single figure but the rampart was empty, the old man gone.

Forsworn 42 Warriors of the Dark Gods Forsworn 43 Warriors of the Dark Gods FALLEN

Zoran, I yearn to feel your hands upon me daily, taste passion on your tongue and on your lips, Verena, to feel you wrap your arms around my hips, My dear, you know well my father's ire would rise to hitherto unseen excess descend into the nights denied us lately, if he should have a single cause to guess

But rather than permit us to dance gaily, I planned absconding with my heart's desire. our captors think us actors in their scripts, But truly I cannot deny this fervent fire, and seek to have our affection eclipsed, that flares so fiercely deep inside my chest, Each day I fear his wrath ever less. by suitors dragged before us, prancing palely. Without you this flame surely is my pyre. Beasts like us cannot be yoked forever, I therefore release myself from tethers, no matter what our fathers have to say. wrought upon me by familial servitude, Let us stride forth, leave their caged ways. deliver myself freely unto you. Race together and their fetters sever. I'll stand by you in every kind of weather.

Zoran,

When so long ago we fled united, your cowardice seemed unlikely indeed.

I should have seen it kindling in the seed Verena, Your eyes no longer show affection of your obedience, so unrequited I can no longer form the words of song You never sought to get yourself benighted, I barely grasp this quill, yet long as befits a woman of my forceful breed. You know me true, and lift rejection Now you splutter, splinter and you plead, I fell from you and Akaan both

Through a mouth the gods have justly blighted. Pain and loss are born aloft

Akaan rejects you, and thus so do I. The embrace of Father Chaos is not soft But hope it was, last chance for growth Though Father Chaos has a place for you, Fallen walk together, all others’ bane show those cloven feet to me anew, Following you for glory reflected I'll gift them from your legs unto the sky! Though banishment keeps us here rejected We hurl ourselves to battle, to rise again

Series of letters found on a twisted creature after a battle against raiders near Ullsberg. The last was written and rewritten many times over.

Fallen 44 Warriors of the Dark Gods Fallen 45 Warriors of the Dark Gods ness. Grief had become an alien con- sound drawn from a misshapen throat, and I saw despair in cept to her, and I was just one more one human eye in the creature's chest. pathetic worm. Then I was swinging the torch, screaming in fury, and draw- My torture was ended by the sounds ing other guards to the walls. I think the fire did most to drive WRETCHED BEASTS of heavy shuffling from the foot of the them off. There was no open show of fear, nor did they seem in wall. In the darkness, something had any rush to depart, yet move they did, and I could breathe once approached the walls - more than one! more. Whatever they were, I pray I will never again stand so Seizing a nearby torch, I peered down close to madness given flesh. into the gloom. Three dark, hulking Your Excellency, parapet and seeming to ignore my arrival. We shapes shambled beneath me. Reflect- Looking back over my shoulder, I caught one last glimpse of stood for a long while, silence stretching out like ed in the flame's light, I made out the Šiva as she turned from the wall, and I thought I could see a It has been years since the attack upon the border an eternity, until at long last she said my name. glow of eyes… too many eyes, and with weighing look in her eyes. Yet the delirium had passed, and I fort and my last sighting of Šiva. From that mo- "Ilarion" - one word, spoken grudgingly, as though no discernable symmetry. Recoiling, I recognised that the wife I had loved was gone. No heroics can ment, I have imagined what I will say to her on the I had won some challenge. I had not expected to could not help but exclaim: "What in bring her back to me. day we meet, for I never doubted we would meet hear my name from those lips again, and it fell on all the Hells are those?" again. Over and over I enacted the scene in my —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich my ears like rain on drought-stricken land. mind, lambasting her for turning from Volskaya, Beside me came the response, a quiet deserting her duty, abandoning me and destroying A tumult of emotions roiled inside me, until I could whisper, and what had been disgust our family. The reality was very different. master myself to ask the question which had burned was replaced with revulsion mixed on my mind for so long: why had she left? Her voice with fear: "Wretched Beasts." One crisp autumn morning, a warband advanced grew wintry as she answered, her bearing regal. upon the town and entered through the gates. The Surely such creatures, despite their Fabled Hoard was led by a Lord of Sugulag, and his enormous size, could hold no fear for battle standard was encrusted with enough gold Šiva now? I reached for a crossbow, but and gems to shame a dwarf. Yet my eye was drawn felt her hand on my arm. by the sight I had longed for – and feared. "No. Their fate was sealed by their At the head of a smaller cadre of Warriors of Pride, own actions. Whatever has been done all garbed in shining armour and sporting deep to them, their failure brought it upon blue cloaks, strode Šiva. Her helm was borne by a themselves. They have failed, and failed retainer, and her hair fell in waves to her shoul- again - even the Father will not have der. A new scar crossed one eye, yet somehow she them. Now they suffer, and death must seemed more radiant than ever. While I stared, she be earned." I realised then how far my barely flickered an eye in my direction, busying "This life is not enough. This existence of small de- Šiva had travelled: weakness and fail- herself with her fellows. They turned to trading or sires and petty ambitions. Was I to be a mere wife, ure touched her in a way the death of sharing tales, but holding themselves apart even to bask in the glow of whatever glory you might our boy did not. In that moment, I fi- from the other Warriors. scavenge among the scraps handed down from nally gave her up for lost. Yet part of me still wanted to prove my worth to I glimpsed my former wife several times that day, Volskagrad? You may have been a good husband this imperious woman who looked so while ensuring none of the townsfolk ran afoul of and a good man, but I refuse to leave my fate in the much like my wife. the Warriors. I was shocked by changes I saw in hands of you or anyone else." her. The slender woman I knew was now encased in I digested this for a time before croaking out my Sheer bravado drove my actions. Vault- armour she bore easily. Among her comrades she second burning question: ing the wall, torch in hand, I landed ten had appeared unremarkable in stature, but beside feet below in soft ground. Only then was the townsfolk, I realised she now matched me in "Our son?" I confronted by the true horror of these height, when once her head had nestled against my fiends. One resembled an outsized hu- The reply was delivered just as coldly. chest. Her shoulders were broader than mine, and manoid, with limbs bulging and vomit I had little doubt she was the stronger of us now. "He is gone." oozing from its jaws. The others were even stranger, flesh warped into im- Only once night had fallen could I catch my breath A sob wracked my body, escaping through gritted possible shapes, too many limbs or too and take my customary place upon the walls. There teeth. With that, I saw her turn to me with a look few. The closest moaned, a haunting I found her, mere yards away, looking out over the of profound disgust as she regarded my weak-

Wretched Beasts 46 Warriors of the Dark Gods Wretched Beasts 47 Warriors of the Dark Gods No servant of the Goddess came then into to battle noble. Red was the daybreak and terri- Åskland. This was a Warrior reborn, shieldbear- ble the cries of the Fairies stricken when the sun er now to none but the Great Father alone. A vi- warmed Åskland that morn. And then did Athar sion of power pure, and strength unchallenged: return once more to the side of his Lord, to rule FORSAKEN ONE the mighty Athar had come! Herald Exalted, Lord eternal in the Realm Beyond. Praise the Father of the Greater Realm - come to tame his rival of who watches over us! yore and the true nature of Chaos show. For verily Praise be to Kuulima! All praise to the Goddess! the monster was Byrn, Trial-failer, who held new wretched, beastly form: the mindless Forsaken. —Excerpt from the Atharsaga tongue. Grotesque and huge its muscled bulk, Atharsaga, part 39 With a single blow did Athar the Ascended bring many the misshapen spines that sprung across its the brute to heel. And with it beside him, he set n those days, the Byrnlings in the halls of the heinous crimson frame. Huge wings it beat, black upon the Elfen cohorts, laying their greatest Gjothar were set upon by Fairies from the West. as night, and tail whipped, and claws it slashed I champions low - and the Gjothar went with them In colossal wooden creatures they rode, over the like a wall of spears. endless ocean, bringing terrible magics and mer- ciless slaughter to we who are strong in the Seven. The Gjothar were in disarray; the beast was upon them with no thought of mercy. Many were the no- Great was the host that assembled to oppose the ble thanes that died that blackest night. Then did Skjolda Oddløgdottir, she who had been raised up faith. The Gjothar assembled, mighty chosen all, in the enchanted waste where men cannot enter, andhated went Elflings: to meet stout the its cursedWarriors enemy and fearsome before the in cry unto our Lady of Flies: eyes of the gods. “None can challenge the might of the Byrnlings! In black of night it came upon the Byrnlings’ We call one now to show this creature the mean- camp: the savage monster. Not one maw but three ing of strength!” And, with these words, cut the it gnashed, razor-full, thick with foam and lolling throat of her royal Faerie prisoner.

Forsaken One 48 Warriors of the Dark Gods Forsaken One 49 Warriors of the Dark Gods among daemons in the Wasteland, whispered their secrets from the cradle, suckled on magic itself. I shaped aether as other children shape sand, learn- ing truths which would blast your very sanity."

SORCERER I bristled at the conceit of this upstart, alone in my town, yet standing upon my walls as though he owned them. I burst out, only to be forestalled once more: "Why the h-"

Your Excellency, resting were the three horns protruding from his "Best not to speak of Hell when you cannot con- head. What might have seemed a parody of an un- It was fourteen years yesterday since that fateful ceive its true nature. Not to one who has walked gulate produced in him an otherworldly majesty. night, and the loss of my wife and child. I have en- its damned roads, gambled souls in the Palaces countered her a handful of times; with each she After the Talons departed Totváros, he remained, tak- of Pleasure, visited the Cornucopia and left the moves a little further from the woman I knew, and ing up residence in the temple. Each day he extolled Devouring Maw unscathed, and gazed upon the rises higher among the Warriors. As she grows the benefits of following the Dark Gods, of swearing Eternal Abyss until my eyes grew dark with the more distant, I find myself colder, as memories fade one’s soul for power and a chance of immortality. weight of the inevitable. As for my reasons, I have but the crib in my halls remains empty. I had thought the townsfolk mostly inured to such unfinished business in this town. Futures to come sermons, but the handful who congregated on the to pass, and truths known to be forgotten." Our most recent encounter still gives me pause first day grew steadily, until a week had passed and though. Not for Šiva herself, but rather for anoth- Finally I was able to break in, my voice rising in a crowd of two hundred gathered to listen. er who accompanied her to Totváros. She now anger and frustration: "Enough. Enough with this leads her own warband, the Gloried Talons, That evening found me upon the walls in my cus- cryptic nonsense. Enough of corrupting my people accompanied by dozens of Warriors and a tomary place, elbows resting on the parapet, and perverting my town. Why are you here? Your large contingent of barbarians from near- lost in thought. It is rare that I am caught kind comes and goes, they do not linger. Why won't by settlements. Yet for all those new ar- off guard, but a high pitched laugh from you leave us in peace?" rivals, it was one man who created the behind made me start. The object of With that I drew my sword, and took a step for- most disruption. my contemplation stepped from the ward. A flex of his hands and the fire on the shadows, wearing a mocking smirk. I saw him amongst their number, battlements enveloped me. My skin was un- With a few gestures, he conjured a striding with all the arrogance touched, but every nerve in my body burned handful of blue flames. I stepped I expected from my wife's in agony. I dropped to my knees, sword back and reached for the hilt compatriots. Yet he bore no clattering out of my limp hand, while his of my sword, but he giggled markings of Savar, nor grin dissolved again into shrill laughter. again, setting the fire to any of the Seven. In- hover next to him, illu- "When next we meet, you will know stead, he wore a flow- minating the battle- the truth. You will know my name, son of ing black robe adorned ments. We contemplated Volskaya. When you are ready." with white symbols. Each one another, neither seeking looked wrought with power, With one last knowing nod, his arms moved in a to speak first. as though they swam above the complex weave, unearthly sounds issuing from his cloth, like snow against a night Finally, I could wait no longer, and mouth, and the next moment he was wreathed in sky. The only one I could distinguish began the question burning on my mist. He descended through the wall and out to- was the sign of the infinite, the icon of mind. "Who-" ward the Wasteland. Enveloped once more by the their Father Chaos. night, my last thought was to wonder what further "Who am I?" he broke in, his smile broaden- tragedy would visit me from that blasted and dam- His attire was not his most striking quality. ing unpleasantly. "You should know me. I am nable place. His skin had a bluish hue I have never seen on a the son of the Father, the servant of the Infinite, living man. His fingers ended in sharp black claws. the keeper of Truth and the master of the Veil. I —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich I couldn't guess his age: his youthful complexion carry the Word of Chaos, and break the chains conflicted with the air of a veteran. His eyes were which hold others in bondage to kings or gods. As golden, glinting in the light of the sun. Yet most ar- with many of my kind, I was given to and raised

Sorcerer 50 Warriors of the Dark Gods Sorcerer 51 Warriors of the Dark Gods Powerless, we watched from the walls as the sav- The rest, Inquisitor, is a blur. The howling tide age demagogue began to dance, screaming incan- swept inwards, as emboldened by the interven- tations and cutting Vikesthol as he writhed. Our tion of their God as we were dismayed. I could only fear was palpable as dark, shimmering clouds watch as they slaughtered everything in their path, begun to gather, an eldritch storm rolling from my gaze torn between their jubilant savagery and BATTLESHRINE the North. As the minutes passed, these clouds the apparition that still slithered in the sky. formed a swirling maelstrom, the ritual climaxing I awoke two days later, emerging from a mound of with the brutal demise of Brother Vikesthol. Al- corpses to a scene from Hell itself. I can't describe most immediately, an unnatural wind parted the the horror of looking upon the mutilated remains clouds, and our doom was revealed. ou know who I am, Inquisitor. The oaths I by the holy scripture carved along the walls. The of those I called friends. Those who had been aban- Y have broken and the faith I have forsaken. Let Where the clouds had been, something akin to a doned by their Gods and left to die in a freezing me tell you what you do not know. at Mespelbrunn was one of the more formidable portal now sat: a window into a realm of primal waste, far from home. While our foes had moved enemy’s losses were significant, for the arsenal horrors. The surface rippled like that of a lake, on, Mespelbrunn was left a charnel house, its walls Five hundred of us left Ullsberg, sent to reinforce was a sea of corpses and bloodstained snow. They and beyond, silhouetted against a kaleidoscope the Beacon Garrisons. Templars led by Brother appearedalong this notwild to frontier. care in theThe slightest. field before the gates sky, what may have been an outline, the merest Vikesthol and myself, resplendent in our bur- I still hear the screams when I close my eyes. suggestion of a vast shape, gliding like a titan of daubed with unholy symbols and crude graffiti. nished armour, leading a column of state troops; Each day, as our battered adversaries limped back Still hear the chanting on the rare occasions that the deep. Terrible, unnatural sounds boomed we made a glorious sight, full of righteous zeal. to their camp, a curious structure was borne to- I sleep. Perhaps it is punishment for my failure, Only six would return. wards the scene of the slaughter. Von Hodenstant who can say? All I know is that by sparing my life, a monstrous god. All at once, a bolt of eldritch and I thought little of it. A crude platform car- Sunna condemned me to an existence of pain. I Our spirits held high for many months as we took lightningacross the leapt field; fromto me the it feltgateway like the to laughterstrike the of ried on the back of two mutated beasts of burden, hate her for it. up our post at the the fortress of Mespelbrunn. We shrine’s maniacal priest. The assembled barbar- daubed with crude iconography, topped with a were proud, and, I believe, we grew complacent. ians roared as this fell cleric turned towards the burning brazier and chanting demagogue. We —Testimony of fallen Prelate Nicolas Ungers gatehouse. Glowing with power, he unleashed a It was the depth of winter when they struck. Our recognised it as a religious dais but we knew not its purpose. patrols had been recalled due to bad weather; the iron gates of the fortress exploded inwards. snow lay thick and at night icy mists permeat- This strange construct moved slowly among the mighty storm of hellfire against us, and the great dead and dying, accompanied by a small retinue we had was the ominous sound of drums in the of robed attendants mumbling incantations and thicked the fog. very Brother fibre of Vikesthol our being. gathered The first thewarning tem- swinging sickly sweet censers. Their progress plars and rode out, despite objections from the fortress commandant, an experienced Marshall the throats of wounded Warriors and smeared by the name of Von Hodenstant. They did not re- theirwould blood pause upon briefly the amongsides of the this fallen, portable as they shrine. cut turn. The sound of battle carried through the chill It may have been a trick of the light, but I am sure mist. It was not long before the clash of steel and that with each fatality, the brazier atop the plat- screams of the dying were replaced by a far more form burned a little brighter. terrible sound: that of hammering, sawing and the deep call of beasts of burden. Despite my objections, Von Hodenstant elected

single, distant target. not to waste good shot and powder firing at this Two weeks later, something changed. After an- other ferocious assault, the barbarians retreated When the fog lifted, a sprawling encampment out of artillery range and were herded into some was revealed before the walls of the fortress. semblance of order by their chieftains. The ar- Over the coming days, our foes launched violent moured Warriors formed up impassively beside assaults against the walls. Day after day, great them, waiting. Then the chanting began. The beasts, howling barbarians and ordered ranks of shrine was carried to the front, directly ahead of Warriors advanced upon us. They were repulsed the fortress gates, and it was with horror that I saw through my spyglass the struggling, bloodied the fell sorceries of their leaders were defeated form of Brother Vikesthol chained to the front. by a storm of handgun and artillery fire, while

Battleshrine 52 Warriors of the Dark Gods Battleshrine 53 Warriors of the Dark Gods Harald Vidarsonn, fell-handed Warrior, His heart thirsted for battle, BARBARIAN CHIEF His axe reaped a bloody tally, His longhouse overflowed with loot.

Harald Vidarsonn, Hersir of Hrodgarlings, He reaved the seven shores, eeping our heads on our shoulders through arrows strung and clubs raised, all before we He crushed the three kings, K those wretched jungles beyond the Great could react, and poor Guido was seized. The He who sacked Miklagard. Ocean was a miracle. Even now, years later, when gnarled veteran howled like a cornered wolf as I close my eyes I can still see the Ucayali chief and they dragged him before the hearth, and then Harald Vidarsonn, Krakenborn, remember the smell of charred human hearts fell silent. The chief ripped the heart from his As the ocean was he, Strength of a leviathan, chest with a blunt bronze blade before tossing Fury of the winter storm. to explain to the bronze-skinned warlord we in- tendedthat filled only the to longhouse.pass through Our his guide lands didto reach his best the I waited for the barbarians to pounce on the rest Here he lies, judged by the Gods! saurian ruins to the south, but our pleas and gifts ofthe us, still-beating but their eyes organ were into on the the flames. chief with In horror, pride, —Inscription found on did not move him. lust and envy. Fornhaugr barrow runestone He might have looked like a barbarian king from a As I wavered over drawing my sword, he ap- long forgotten age, bedecked with bones, bird feath- proached me with the elegance of a jungle cat ers and the furs of spotted cats, but the intellect in on the prowl and a reptilian grin full of outland- those hazel eyes betrayed no simplicity. His scarred ish mirth. With the deliberation of an artist, he physique spoke volumes about his experience with smeared an alien symbol in blood across my the obsidian-bladed club resting on his shoulder, breastplate. Tomorrow, when we raided the ru- and I had no wish to test my mettle against such an ins, we would have the favour of their gods upon us. Never in my life have I felt so despoiled. opponent.A gentle nod There from was the no chief profit sent to be dozens made here. of gath- —Captain Andrea Barbiano, ered natives into action. Spears were lowered, The Tools of the Trade, 948 A.S.

“Come inquisitor! Cast thy brazier and light the pyre to the sun maiden! battle can bring. tavern wench and exhilaration that only fires of Who is right or wrong among the gods I leave to scholars and priests. Let my sizzling flesh fill the nostrils of the goddess withI am sweetthe son sacrificial Åskland, scents! the child of chained While my heart beats I will reave, while I reave lightning, and I know many gods. I will slay, while I slay I will be content, and if I must die then such is my wyrd! They are who they are: to deny them is folly, to put your trust in them doubly so! So end this charade, crimson-cloaked cleric, for I have no time to spare for the likes of you. May I have reaved from the stormy shores of Silexia to the fog-shrouded coast of your lands under of battles and her golden embrace be my reward. the gaze of the dark vultures of the deeper void, the flames consume me in the name of the lady and though you accuse me, I seek not their re- NOW LIGHT THE PYRE AND BE DAMNED!” wards beyond the gates of death. —Extract from the final act of the I live for the taste of red meat, the singing Fall of The Corsair King by Liam Quiverpike praise of the skalds, the steamy embrace of a

Barbarian Chief 54 Warriors of the Dark Gods Barbarian Chief 55 Warriors of the Dark Gods The soldiers spread through the camp, shoving the the matriarch herself, who used an old talisman of Hakim aside like animals. Entering the sacred tent, her ancestors to protect against the sorcerer’s ar- they became agitated. They had discovered the tribe’s holy relics, which combined idols of the an- chains broken - just days away from being sold BARBARIANS cient deities of their people and the desert, as well intocane a fires. lifetime The of children slavery were in the discovered, salt mines. and their as newer icons of the Dark Gods. The truth is that such episodes have become part of the life of the Hakim and the other desert no- the place. My suspicions that she was a sha- mads. This minor victory they knew would A finely arrayed woman came forward to inspect had spent a most enlightening week with the mysterious empire of Taphria rumoured to be bring further reprisals. They have been Hakim nomads of Western Taphria, and the time wealthier than all the kings of Vetia combined, hammered just as hard by the Qassari I theman desert were sand soon to confirmed consume the when, tent. holding was coming for me to bid farewell to my gracious thanks to its trade in salt and gold. These soldiers to the north - both civilisations have her hands aloft, she called forth fire from come to fear and hate the Hakim hosts. Like many such “barbarians”, their culture were well-armed, and I was told they coat their The Hakim cried out in horror, but and their new religion. Their an- is seen as disorganised and indulgent by so-called weapons in deadly venom. again an imperious command cient oases - vital for navigating “civilised” nations, but I found their less regiment- from their matriarch stilled their the desert - have been forti- ed way of life, and their lack of inhibitions, quite hands. One tribesman refused to refreshing. As I prepared to leave, they were in- submit, lurching forward with denied to them, making the sisting, against my protestations, on providing me his scimitar and a desperate The Hakim leader, a matriarch of imposing size, fiedsituation by Qassari even outpostsworse. Their and with meat and milk for my journey, when suddenly shout at the shaman. I’ll nev- went out to meet them. She gestured at her men to turn to the Dark Gods was the cry went up of ghabar: dust, in the distance. A er forget his look of anguish sheath their swords, which would be no use against already sparked by desper- force approaching from the south. as he was struck down by the larger, better-armed force. The Koghi com- ation, as with so many cul- arrows before he’d taken his At least a hundred men arrived on horses - a rare mander dismounted and walked directly towards tures driven to the margins second step. sight in the desert – wielding lance and bow. With her. After staring at each other for several moments, of the great nations of the their jet-black skin and strange language, I guessed he spat directly in her face. She did not twitch. But the miseries were not world. It has been fanned they must be Koghinan - hailing from a huge and over. Before they rode away, by a compelling myth the Koghi seized the tribe’s that is spreading through children. Eleven were tak- the tribes: tales of the en. I watched quiet rage lost “City in the Desert”, boil on the matriarch’s a promised land, where face: a rage which quick- the Dark Gods provide ly turned to action. Over both abundant resourc- the coming days, she es and the power to de- met with other tribes, stroy their enemies. and was soon heading Scholars have long south with a sizeable held the legend of this force of camel warri- desert city to be base- ors. I decided I had to less and impossible. see how this would But I know that when end, and was permit- I left the Hakim that ted to accompany the day after the raid, I raiding party. saw their eyes grow It did not take long. wide in wonder as - Soon they reached a Koghi frontier town, over- far in the distance - the shapes of huge, armoured whelming its forces with their powerful cavalry Warriors could be seen advancing out of the shim- and the element of surprise. These people, like mering heat. most outsider cultures we call “barbarian”, are —From The Chronology of Foreign Nations, built large and hardy by necessity. The shaman by Hudhaifa Uddin was found in a chief’s hut and was cut down by

Barbarians 56 Warriors of the Dark Gods Barbarians 57 Warriors of the Dark Gods FLAYERS WARHOUNDS

’ve seen many enemies in my life as a captain. If It’s no coincidence the locals called them rakshas, Your Excellency, The remaining animals backed off a little, still ferocious, ready you asked me to name the most feared among daemons. They ride any creature able to instil fear to attack again, while I staunched blood flow from a gashed left I Much has changed in this week, and them, without doubt I would say those who at- in the hearts of their victims. arm. At the last moment, as I braced to spring, a harsh shout a great threat to our Motherland has tacked us on the road to Varnavat, a coastal city in called the hounds to heel. Atop a mighty black horse sat Šiva, a They lashed heads and arms and limbs without emerged from the Wasteland. southern Sagarikadesha. cruel smile and weighing expression on her face as she surveyed mercy; they scourged children and women alike, the scene, and called for her Warriors to bring us back to camp. We were escorting our merchants and their fami- drawing pleasure from their screams of pain. They Early morning saw me accompanying It seemed my fate was to be worse than food for the hounds. lies as usual. “Terrorising” is not enough to describe appeared from the shadows themselves, attacked a regular patrol, circuiting the edge their tactics. Faster than the souls of the damned, of the Wasteland. Approaching the screaming like animals, showing the signs of their darkness afterwards. A feast of pride and terror, a crest of a bluff, the smells and sounds cruel nature in their eyes. nightmareand then vanished, lasting seconds. like a flash A rite of for lightning the Dark and Gods. the of a camp assaulted me and the half dozen men with me. We dismounted, With long beards, red hair and hellish mounts, —Malatesta da Pontefreddo, and crawled the last of the way. What they weren’t riding horses, but beasts of all shapes Mercenary Commander. greeted us at the bottom of the next – two limbs, four limbs, six... valley was a terrifying sight. The war- band there exceeded anything I had ever seen, anything I'd even imagined. It was as if the entire Wasteland had emptied into this one place.

A camp sprawled below us, Warriors in the hundreds, dozens of banners rippling in the wind and beasts of all manner prowling among the camp- fires and tents. Amidst it all, a flash of blue caught my heart in my throat. A glance through the eyeglass confirmed my worst fear - Šiva stood there, issu- ing commands, an imperious expres- sion and a gold circlet upon her brow.

I hesitated, delaying too long, fooling my- self that I was gathering more informa- tion, while my gaze barely shifted from my wife. My trance was harshly inter- rupted. Snarls and growls filled the air, as we were confronted by a dozen huge, dark-furred hounds, teeth bared and hackles raised. Behind us, horses bolt- ed, galloping into the distance. We drew weapons, and within moments battle was joined. Five of us were pulled down, while most of the hounds lay with them.

Flayers 58 Warriors of the Dark Gods Warhounds 59 Warriors of the Dark Gods We sat there, back to back under the watchful glare A titanic roar shattered the moment, trembling of the wyrm. Meanwhile, I observed another familiar the very ground on which we stood. The noise was face, so to speak. The dented and broken helm of Lord deafening, and I expected to see the earth torn Ghul adorned a spike over Šiva's banner. Small com- apart in some cataclysm. All other thoughts forgot- FELDRAK ANCESTOR fort, perhaps, but I could not help but enjoy his fall. ten, Šiva tore open the tent flaps, to be confronted by a scene from nightmare. Thundering through Our torment lasted for most of the day, until cir- the army in a direct path from a nearby mountain cumstances finally changed - and not for the better. strode a creature of legend: a Feldrak Ancestor. It One of my wife's retinue came for Sonin. My pro- seemed fixed upon something deep in the camp, ig- testations earned a blow that left me sprawled in Apprehension gripped me as we were dragged into chasers wove their way through the tightest of gaps, noring all else before it. the heart of the camp. Of my men, only Sonin re- flowing with barely a whisper of sound. Barbarians the dirt, one eye closing from the swelling. Sonin's mained. I tried to offer him reassurance, yet my massed in greater numbers than I had ever thought screams rang out from Šiva's tent and I wretched, Feldraks are not unknown to those of us familiar croaked words sounded hollow in my own ears. to witness, loud and boisterous, weapons clashing in stomach heaving at his suffering. When his lifeless with the Wasteland. Vast, scaled creatures, with Those vicious hounds still shadowed us, their eyes a clamour of pent-up energy. This was a warband body was hauled from the tent, it was hurled to the six thick limbs, like centaurs having undergone fixed upon us. I felt certain that only Šiva's com- assembled with a purpose, that much was apparent dragon. The crunching of his bones will stay with some horrific magical transformation. The fables mand stood between us and their bared fangs. to me. No alliance this aggressive could hope to hold me to my dying moments. surrounding these beings tell of a link with drag- ons, and a hatred to rival any vengeful dwarf for together for long. My own date with destiny would wait no longer. A handful of barked words pulled them to her heels anything that still possessed wings to fly. If I ever I was roughly pulled to my feet and deposited in as she peeled away from our captors. I stared after There were other creatures I did not recognise, doubted the truth of this, I no longer do. her, until a gauntleted hand grasped me by the neck or knew by repute alone. More of those Wretched the tent, alone at last with the woman I had once and thrust me forward, stumbling. Spared from the Beasts I recognised from our last encounter. Chime- loved. Šiva regarded me with a mixture of contempt slavering jaws of our canine attackers, and separat- ras, a vast battleshrine, and chariots of all shapes. At and what might have been respect. My own heart ed from the temptation of my wife, I began to regain the centre of it all, near the tent bearing Šiva's per- was empty, any emotion scoured away by Sonin's my wits. I cast my eyes in every direction, recognising sonal banner, lurked the most imposing beast of all grisly fate. Still, it was an unexpected rush to hear that, in the unlikely event of escape, I must be - a dragon. Dark red and black scales adorned my name pass her lips for the first time in years: prepared to report whatever I could learn. its body, and it crouched low to the ground "Ilarion. You should not have come." as though ready to spring at a moment's All around were clusters of tents and "You came here," I retorted. "You knew I would find notice. Its head swung towards us as we fires, which resolved themselves you. Just as when we courted." She smiled at that, were deposited a mere twenty into distinct camps grouped an almost friendly gesture. The absurdity of the yards away. My heart raced as around banners. Each of these comparison overwhelmed even the grim mood of those golden eyes with their clearly belonged to one of the that moment, and I snorted. Quick as it had come, dark slitted pupils fixed us as Dark Gods. Not only Savar, her humour departed again, and that haughty ex- a cat would a mouse. who had stolen my wife's pression returned to her still-beautiful face. devotion, but Kuuli- Sonin and I were left "I cannot let you leave. Even if I desired it, such ma, Vanadra...at least to our terror, hud- weakness...is no longer who I am." I felt certain she five of the seven were dled together. Sonin's had intended to say something else, but whatever it represented, a truly injuries were worse was, I recognised the intensity of her resolve. Like uncommon occur- than my own; he could her father, she was a formidable force even before rence. Not only Warri- barely sit upright, and pledging her life to the Warriors. I steeled myself, ors were present, but groaned as I bound knowing the end was near. all manner of other his wounds. The Wasteland creatures. thought of escape A quick shout brought two Warriors in, bearing a did cross my mind, collection of cruelly barbed implements. They still Karkadan lumbered yet it was an idle one. dripped with fresh blood and the new arrivals looked heavily between camps, Even the smallest of eager to spill more. I scrambled back into the tent, bearing armour and rid- stirrings brought the grasping an iron candlestick and ready to fight to er with an indifferent ease. drake's eyes back to us, the last. Oddly, I noticed an approving nod from Šiva. Black steeds tramped and while myriad Warriors Awaiting death, I drank in every last detail of her as I snorted, eager to be on gathered nearby. braced, hoping to force them to kill me quickly. the move. Lithe shadow

Feldrak Ancestor 60 Warriors of the Dark Gods Feldrak Ancestor 61 Warriors of the Dark Gods Its body was vast, not just in scale, but every part back upon my wife and her assembled Warriors. of the being was hard with corded muscle. As a I'm not certain a trumpet call could have torn any horse overtops a human, so did this being dwarf eyes away from their leader's confrontation; my even those feldraks I have observed. Scales like ar- own soft tread alerted none. Staying well clear of moured plates coated every inch of its form, with the leashed hounds, I walked carefully, never look- little in the way of visible flesh to strike. One bold ing back. Reaching the edge of the camp I broke Warrior tried, only to be crushed with a lash of a into a run; behind me I heard roars and a clash of long and remarkably dextrous tail. steel, shouts of support and thumps of impact.

It smashed through the encampment, brandishing Only upon reaching the ridge could I glance back both foot-long claws and a great maul that looked for a moment through the spyglass, to see the ex- fit to smash a castle wall. Its face bore little of the hausted yet proud feldrak sporting fresh wounds, expressivity of other feldraks, more bestial and pri- while Šiva's armour bore a great dent. They ap- mal than any I have encountered or heard tell of. peared to be conversing - the deep rumble of its Skin stretched between its arms and body in places, words reached me even there. With a last nod of its a webbing like that of a bat. head, the feldrak turned and strode to the edge of the camp, where it settled. Šiva held her blade aloft Scattering Warriors, horses and even karkadan, and a clamour of acclaim rose to the sky. the monstrous feldrak lunged with startling speed at the neck of the dragon. In the brief moments that Astounded, blinking as though to dispel a mirage, I the titans grappled for ascendancy, it seemed the forced myself to flee. If anything, the news I carried world would end. was now even more vital. Volskaya must know; the Motherland must not be left undefended. I prayed With a screech of desperation, the dragon squirmed my absence would be overlooked long enough to in the thing's grasp, and belched forth bright find one of the horses, and that I might never en- flames. I felt the wash of heat and saw the air shim- counter a Feldrak Ancestor again. mer, yet it appeared only to anger the feldrak fur- ther. Bellowing with rage and pain, its chest glowed and its own fire poured over the unfortunate drag- on, which thrashed as the deep red conflagration rolled across its back. With a horrifying crack, one of its wings broke in the feldrak's grip. Moments later, the dragon was pinned to the ground be- neath the Ancestor’s powerful legs, its struggles cut short as the maul was raised high, then crushed its skull in one last mighty blow.

Stunned silence settled over the camp, broken only by a rumbling laughter issuing from the triumphant beast, despite the bleeding scores raked deep by the dragon's claws. That laughter slowly fad- ed as Šiva stood before the monster, unfazed by its scale or the drake blood staining the ground all around. Her weap- on in hand, she was majestic - and doomed. What could stand against such a force?

Recognising that I might never gain such an oppor- tunity again, I slipped behind the tent, turning my

Feldrak Ancestor 62 Warriors of the Dark Gods Feldrak Ancestor 63 Warriors of the Dark Gods and waited. As dawn broke, we climbed into their shaking. She held it between three of her claws in her left hand, its tendons taut beneath her scales, her other hand hovering in the air. FELDRAK ELDER caves and begun to flush them out. Harpies are fearsome creatures on the battlefield, but poor Then she began to break his wings. I cannot de- fightersThe scene in wasenclosed chaos. spaces. Trapped low to the ground scribe it here. You could picture a creature the AND FELDRAKS - size of a house torturing a creature like you or ways into the waiting arms of the feldraks. Many I. The blood. The breaking of bones. I vomited. I circledby our innets, the thecentral harpies space, were while forced a few to hands fly side be- hen last we spoke, you said something was we walked down into the earth, she turned her the sea. I hoped to die. towards the Elder; the harpy feinted right and soiled myself. I fled that place. I threw myself into W troubling me. I couldn’t speak of it - I have gan to claw at the netting above. I saw one flying I do not think all the oceans of the world could never told anyone of this - but I thought perhaps along the walls, was a mural, picked out in thou- cleanse me of that sin. head towards us. Behind her, lit by massive fires it cleanly from the air. once we were parted I could write it down. It is a sands of bones, from those shorter than my arm, flew left, but the feldrak was faster still, snatching grave thing, a thing that weighs like chains upon to the great spars of the leviathans washed up I don’t know what I expected of her to do, but once —In the letters of Arnaud Fischer, my soul. on the beach. It showed the mightiest of their she held the harpy, I could see she was visibly from his friend, Jacob Summer kind poised in mythic stance above all manner of winged creatures. of Silexia. I was lazy and a wastrel - you’d say I stillBefore am we - and first I wasmet, a I poorplied hand.our trade I was up paid the badlycoast and treated worse. I lived from berth to berth. I’ve told you how the Dawn Star was wrecked at sea, and how I was washed ashore on the Shattered Isles. I’ve never told you what happened there.

We were taken in by the natives. A wild people: light, dark, old, young, all of them worshipping the did my best to blend in. Later I realised they had realDark power. Gods. At first I thought them mad, though I Before this display, I recalled the legends of They sought more, however, and I - now a part of feldraks spread between ports along the east- their band - rowed with them to the next island, ern coast. Tales of the Wasteland or other plac- where a tribe of feldraks lived. We dragged our es poisoned with magic. Issuing forth from these boat ashore and crossed the beach. The tower- twisted lands, the feldraks hunted anything that ing bones of great sea beasts covered the beach, a foreboding presence as we trekked towards the could fly. This gave credence to the rumour that feldrak camp. for them was some ancestral memory which only provokedthey were athe blind descendents rage for what of dragons, they had that lost. flight were enormous - each the size of a house. Their The Elder listened to the entreaties from our lowerMy whole bodies body were froze reptilian when I firstwith sawfour them. enormous They tribe, weighed them, but would not agree without legs. From above their front legs grew a huge tor- tribute. They would join us if we proved ourselves so like that of a scaled giant. They had heads like worthy and assisted them against the the harpies ogres and great burly arms, rumour claimed them of a nearby isle in battle. Our leader could barely to have once been wings, tipped with clawed restrain herself as she barked her assent. hands. Their dwellings, each the size of a castle, We rowed to the island, used as a nesting site by - the harpies, the feldraks swimming alongside us. ing roofs constructed using whole tree trunks. lay half submerged in the jungle floor, their slop We were led into the hut of their Elder. She was cannot be caught by the feldraks, and their holes Harpies nest in caves in the rocks. In flight, they a particularly large feldrak and her dwelling are too small for them to enter. Under cover of was built against the cliffs behind the camp. As darkness, we strung nets over the top of the holes

Feldrak Elder and Feldraks 64 Warriors of the Dark Gods Feldrak Elder and Feldraks 65 Warriors of the Dark Gods Now sir, I have fought many foes over searching for someone. She did not even draw her blade; not the years. Men, orcs, ogres, even the that she needed to, sir. She sat there and watched as the beast dead, but I swear to Sunna that I have ripped us and the townsfolk apart. never seen, nor heard of anything like what greeted us outside. I can’t even Hang me if you will, sir, but how do you beat that? We tried, CHIMERA describe it. Whatever the horror was, sir, I swear to Sunna we tried, but nothing could hurt it. What it was as if some madman had meld- else could we do? Stand us against any mortal foe, but the ed several beasts into one vile form. sheer wrongness, the sheer ferocity of the beast broke us. It must have been the size of a griffon, Jans threw down his sword and ran; Heinrich followed him. and honest to Sunna, sir, it had three I don’t think they made it. The others? Well, they fought and The Empire vs Sgt Ekkehard Metzmann, We gathered what human remains we could, and heads – one each of lion, drake and of died, sir. All except me. Empire Court Martial Reports, 962AS Lieutenant Krakov had us dig a grave for them by all things, goat. I know it sounds odd, the side of the road. Not much else we could do, Trial adjourned pending decision of the Judge Advocate e and the lads, we were out on patrol, along but I think it was that which shocked you know? Heinrich, our tracker, said that what- the North-Eastern Highway, heading to- me most – the madness and hatred —Extract from the Transcript of M ever did it must have been ‘big’, based on a series wards Vollergrad and the border. Twelve of us in in the eyes of a beast as harmless as the Military Trial of Sgt Ekkehard Metzmann: of large prints he had found, but couldn’t point all. It was that young Lieutenant Krakov that we a common farm animal just served to Cowardice, Desertion and Dereliction of Duty towards what it may have been. He swore blind that there were no tracks leaving the site, and the were covered in scales and its wings… fog made it impossible to go hunting. Eventually, wereTo be with,honest, his none first ofsolo us command,really wanted I understand. to be there highlight how wrong it was. Its flanks- the Lieutenant ordered us to continue our jour- – you know how it is. The weather was awful; fog ure, a woman clad in red plate with a ney, although he did send Corporal Ashton back so thick you could barely see more than a few me- full-facedlike a bat, helmsir. Upon and gauntletsits back rode of black. a fig ters ahead of you and rain that soaked you to the the way we had come, with instructions to inform bone. We had been on the road for over a week the nearest way station of the raid. The men from the stables were al- and were looking forward to reaching the tavern ready in the square, and through the in Gozlow to be sure. his pistol at the monster, to no effect; It was about halfway between Seelow and Golzow infleeing seconds crowds the we wound saw Neumanjust closed fire that we stumbled across them, although it’s hard over. As he fumbled to reload, quick to be sure, due to that damned fog. Now, I have seen a lot of things, sir, including my fair share pounced on him, ripping and tearing throughas a flash his the breastplate creature as turned if it was and wagons, it must have been a merchant caravan, paper. Franz and Peters tried to save of battlefields. Nothing like this. Judging by the though from where we didn’t know. Not enough him – hacked at it with their swords, left to tell, you see. Caravans tend to run heavily which simply glanced off its scaled armed in those parts, what with the bandits and Just before nightfall, we reached Gozlow, and the Lusty Goose tavern. The fog had just started to lift all, and I can’t imagine these fellows were any the beast’s tail and gored as they lay when we stabled the horses and I ordered Franz, stunnedflanks. They on the were ground. swatted aside by shout from Jans. The poor bastard had drawn the Peters and Neuman to rub the animals down and shortexception. straw Anyway, and was first the weoutrider know thatof it day;all was bug a- get them fed. The rest of us went to get some food, The Lieutenant, the brave, stupid ger was scared half to death, if you will excuse my and a drink too; I think we had all earned it, espe- fool, begging your pardon sir, drew coarseness, sir. cially Jans. He was still white as a sheet. The Lieu- that fancy sword of his, roared a chal- tenant went to supervise the care of the horses lenge and charged the beast head on. – said he couldn’t rest until he had seen all the He never made it. Out of the drake’s as some wagons were burned, others ransacked, tasks completed. We figured initially that it must have been bandits, as if someone was searching for something, but armour, before he had managed so An hour later there was a loud crash, followed by the bodies... Still gives me nightmares. We reck- muchmouth as came a few fire, paces. roasting To this him day, in his on there must have been thirteen in all, but we screams still haunt me. As for the rid- been someone tipping a wagon, but then I heard it. couldn’t be totally sure. They had been torn limb er? She just sat there, calling some- Acommotion roar, like no outside. sound AtI have first, ever I thought heard before;it must ahave call from bloody limb. Literally. Some of the parts thing all the while. I couldn’t quite that chilled us to the bone. We snatched up our weap- were spread pretty far out and the Lieutenant did tell exactly what, but I am sure it was ons and raced outside, ready (or so we thought), not want us ranging too wide, in case whoever a name. I think she must have been did it was still out there. to confront whatever had entered the village.

Chimera 66 Warriors of the Dark Gods Chimera 67 Warriors of the Dark Gods One more gesture from the sorceress, and when Šiva beyond all who think to oppose us? Immortality! It spoke, her voice carried across the open ground like is yours to take, so take it!" a god of old. I have no doubt she intended us to hear Her voice rose to a crescendo, and as her army every word, and what bolstered her followers struck roared its support, she raised her sword, pointing daggers into the hearts of the defenders. HELL MAW at the walls. Beside her, the thing with the ungodly "Sisters. Brothers. Warriors. Time has come to mouth flared, and an answering light blazed be- make good on your vows. Body and soul belong to hind me. Turning in shock, I saw the air shimmer the Gods, and in return they make us a weapon. A and bend, and a gate of light glowed in the cen- Following my escape from Šiva's encampment, I Feldrak Ancestor, like a mountain given scales blade to strike mortal hearts, a hammer to tremble tre of the fort. In front of the walls, the clamour raced for Totváros. Barely stopping long enough to and legs. their very foundations. They make us mighty!" was victorious as Warriors rushed through a twin opening. They emerged within our very defences, take up a fresh mount, I gathered my scouts and An answering bark came from the Warriors. Weap- rode like the wind for the border. I left orders to At the head of this legion, Šiva was held aloft on a rendering our walls worthless. platform borne by Warriors, moving beside a thing ons clashed against shields in a crash of thunder. dispatch birds with an urgent warning, but this We were lost. The fort fell in moments, and all I have never seen before. An appalling construct, "Now we fulfil their promise. We take their gifts, and was a message I needed to carry personally. Three thoughts of a valiant rearguard were swept away in with wheels and a gaping jaw like a cannon. Yet we forge our glory in the fires of battle. My star rises, times that night we were shadowed by hounds or a tide of death. I did what I could, commandeering no cannon barrel was ever fashioned of flesh, with and with it, so do yours. All that stands between you flayers. Once they tried to waylay us, but we cut the troops near me and fleeing through a side en- metal plates covering it like armour. and triumph are those too weak to take their fate in through their hasty blockade. Finally, we reached trance into the swamp. I think only the call of greater their own hands. Will you let them stop you?" the path through the marsh that led to the border. battles to be had in Volskaya herself, and the distrac- Our mounts were near collapse when we reached This time the response was loud and clear, seeming tion of tormenting those already held captive, spared Fort Duvice. I gave my report to the garrison com- to rattle the very walls: "No!". us from our foe’s pursuit and a horrifying end. mander, warning him that he could not stand As I watched, the throng came to a halt. A sorcerer Finally, Šiva turned towards the fort. I swear she —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich against the oncoming force. I counselled him to pull stepped forward, a woman I think, though it was looked right at me. "What lies beyond those walls, back his men and regroup with reinforcements sent hard to judge beneath the thick black plate and from Volskagrad. But I saw in his eyes that he would strange bird-like helm she wore. At a nod from my not leave. Volskaya does not breed soft men, and wife, the sorcerer's hands spread wide, and the those who man the border are harder than steel. beak of her helmet tipped skyward. From Šiva's ret- inue a naked figure was dragged forward, bound The following morning, the scouts departed, riding tight and covered in scars, bruises and dried blood. hard for the capital. Another dozen riders joined Staring through my eyeglass, I almost dropped the them from the fort - there could be no room for leatherbound brass tube. The wild-haired figure doubt. I chose to remain at the border. My reasons was Prelate Grassl. I had believed him dead, his were unclear, even to me. Perhaps it was reluctance corpse dragged deep into the Wasteland. Now here to return to high society and renew my shame. The he was before me, with glyphs carved into his skin bravery of the commandant certainly swayed me. and an empty despair in his eyes as he was laid I saw in him the man I believed myself to be. Yet across the awful maw. at least part of my reluctance was Šiva’s approach, and the realisation that our next meeting would The sorcerer bent, a wicked knife in her grip. With likely be our last, one way or another. a practised stroke, she laid open his throat, blood pumping from his veins and pouring down the Two days passed before doom approached. The sides of its fleshy barrel. Chanting in a high pitched full might of the Warriors descended upon this voice, the wizard drew all eyes. A glow surrounded border checkpoint. Warriors in ranks of plat- her as though she leeched the colour from her sur- ed steel. Hordes of barbarians, chanting and roundings. Finally, she finished whatever dire rite singing, urging one another on. Cavalry - both was underway: the radiance passed from her and the black horses and heavy karkadan. Banners into the thing beneath Grassl’s still-twitching form. waved throughout the host, displaying all man- ner of iconography, including each of the seven Then it moved. The maw expanded and contracted. Dark Gods. I counted three giants bearing enor- Eyes opened within the hideous mass. That unnat- mous weapons. And at the back of the host, the ural light settled into its core, throbbing and puls- ing like a heartbeat.

Hell Maw 68 Warriors of the Dark Gods Hell Maw 69 Warriors of the Dark Gods again and again to the records of the patrols and giant itself. If killing him proves inevitable, I will the villagers, through accurate interrogations, I’ve found the two giants in the different accounts against such creatures. bear, in fact, the very same sign on the face, a find his weakest points for future engagement Under the auspices of Sunna, vertical scar starting from the back of the head, MARAUDING GIANT Gottfried Heinrich Wallenstein, Inquisitor crossing the right eye.

My plan is to verify if such is the case, and to —Letter found trampled into the better understand the ties with both factions. mud near the Barren Mountains o my lord, the divinely beloved Prince Constan- The patrols from the south-eastern woods talk If necessary, I will capture and interrogate the T tianus, Inquisitor Wallenstein sends greeting. instead of a giant with a different appearance. He - My mission on the north-eastern limit of your ing with the aforementioned Warriors. He was in majesty’s dominion is now in its third month. I’ve awas rampant described fury, using looking a huge, for crueldirect flail hand-to-hand when raid been chasing the tracks of the tribes attacking our combat: the more he was wounded, the more he villages since then, collecting the reports of our attacked with renewed wrath. Nonetheless, he rangers and patrols. As of today, four of my men seemed to keep a somewhat tactical coordina- are dead, three are harshly wounded, a dozen tion with, or obedience to, their leader. He shows have taken minor injuries and two are still miss- marks and tattoos on his chest and face, presum- ing, for over a week. ably made to look like blood, due to the reported One of my largest patrols was forced to leave a color and consistency, similar to dark red limes- cale. He brought, tied to his back, a huge pano- against them, including the hurling of huge rocks. ply made of metal and bones, proudly displaying Duefortified to the tower varied due size to aand night trajectory assault ofunleashed these, it the collected heads of his victims upon it. Also, he seems unlikely they were launched by a war ma- has been reported as constantly yelling bestial chine. Of the casualties of these months, one was found completely dismembered, body parts miss- showed a growing tendency to look for food, be it war cries while fighting. Attacked patrols said he ing and no signs of wild animal attack. Another horses, humans or anything else, which seems to seemed to be squashed into the ground by a huge explain the dismembered bodies. footprint, which points obviously to the subject of my mission. It’s unclear if the dismembered one encountered the very same creature.

The accounts of the villagers from the northern area talk about one giant attached to a goblin scouting force, while those from the south-east- ern woods mention another following the Warri- ors warband I now seek.

Reports about the goblin wolf riders describe a giant throwing stones from long distance, avoid- ing direct contact with humans in the beginning. In one episode, he overturned a merchant wagon, When I learn anything certain or remarkable of but he struck the civilians only when attacked di- the enemy I will send you word. rectly. However, when he was provoked, he was a terrifying sight, destroying all in his way. He was Having examined the timing of the reports, I’m almost naked, but for a boar skin covering his not sure yet, but my instincts tell me that, despite lower parts. Some civilians, who survived the at- the distance between the two areas, it’s the very tacks by hiding in the high grass, reported he was clearly able to talk with the goblin witch doctors. later joined the Warriors. Perhaps the two forc- essame are giant even thatcooperating first fought in some with theways. goblins Listening and

Marauding Giant 70 Warriors of the Dark Gods coated the left side of her body entirely, while I rushed to Šiva's side, falling to my knees and cra- wounds and scars beyond counting were visible. dling her head in my arms. Her face was pale now, Still she looked like a queen, that chunk of steel and I could feel blood flowing over my hand from WAR DAIS AND and stone on which she stood serving her better the gash in her side. Looking down, I could not be- than any throne, carved with runes of Savar on lieve she had stood so long, let alone made it all SCYTHED SKYWHEEL every exposed inch. this way without showing weakness. My lady of steel was dying. I heard her as she drew close, berating those who carried her, challenging them to stand against her We spoke there, in her final moments. I will not if they would disobey. None dared, and their pace commit to parchment all we shared; some things Your Excellency, the lives I could not save. And beneath all of that, quickened as they entered the gates of the town. are between a man and his wife. She expressed no clutching at my heart, the sense of loss I could not In the aftermath of the slaughter at Fort Duvice, I Mere feet beyond the opening, Šiva's legs buckled regret for her choices, and I expected nothing less. shake, despite the long years. With each report was at a loss. I marshalled the handful of troops I and she fell heavily to the ground with a crash. Her Proud to the last, her only qualm was that I had from the capital I expected to read of her death, had salvaged to follow the trail of the Gloried Tal- followers, her lieutenants, stared at this woman never seen my way to joining her. she who was still foremost in my thoughts. ons, but without supplies or mounts we were left who had brought them to the brink of eternal glo- "Imagine the glory we could have carved together, far behind the warband as it cut a swathe through Four weeks after the ill-fated attack on Volskagrad, ry. Moments later, they turned word- side by side. To live forever with you..." She coughed, eastern Volskaya. I listened eagerly to reports of my apprehension was brought to an end. From lessly and stalked from the gates, blood coating her lips, and I thought she had passed. scouts we encountered and pieced together events the west, having evaded the many patrols before without a single glance back. Then she spoke her last words, so faint I had to press from the scattered intelligence. the border, came a small cadre of Warriors. Even my ear close to hear. "Our son... I miss our son..." from a distance they looked battleworn, armour The band had moved faster than anyone believed With that, she shuddered and lay still evermore. dented and torn. But there at their head, standing possible for a force of its size, approaching the Riv- erect atop her dais, still carried aloft by her fol- A dull drone on the edge of hearing worked itself er Volsk and Volskagrad itself. They swept aside lowers, was Šiva. Blood into my grief-stricken consciousness. Looking up, two companies hastily gathered to buy time. In through eyes that burned, I saw an object hovering, the end, only their ambition spared our nation. some way beyond the open gates. A circular wheel, it The Gloried Talons, determined to strike home turned constantly with no obvious source of power, against the Motherland, began to cross the Volsk in wicked blades lining its rim and humming as they full spate. At the perfect moment, in mid crossing, sliced through the air. Atop that contraption, eyes their forces divided, Tsar Oleg ordered the attack. fixed upon me, expression unreadable, stood the Striking against those on the western bank, the blue-skinned sorcerer. enemy were pinned against the shore. The battle was desperate and gory beyond anything seen in a I reached for my sword, in case he thought to take century, but the Tsar's tactical advantage won the my wife's body from me. I remembered his taunt day. Archers lined the bank to prevent any reprisals that I would one day learn the truth, and won- from the remainder of the Talons. dered if this future was the one he had forseen. He merely sneered, no humour upon his face Bloodied, their attack faltering, they turned away this time, and turned away, leaving me to bury from the capital. A sizeable force, they still had the the woman I had loved and lost, found and potential to threathen towns and cities, but the lost, forgiven and lost. Lancers rode in force, and fresh armies marched from across Volskaya. In the end, they splintered, —Your faithful servant, Lord Ilarion Yanovich and the remnants continue to plague us.

Our country is safe though, the true threat broken. In years to come, how close we came to disaster will be forgotten in songs and tales of glory and triumph.

After assisting with the aftermath, hunting strag- glers with various armies, I returned to Totváros under a cloud of mixed emotions. I was grateful our nation was spared. Glimmers of pride for my part in carrying the warning, and deep shame for

War Dais and Scythed skywheel 72 Warriors of the Dark Gods War Dais and Scythed skywheel 73 Warriors of the Dark Gods However, stories told since I was old enough to I cleared my parched throat. listen had instilled in me that the Wasteland was a dangerous, evil land, where men met madness, “My name is Guanlin Fu,” my voice sounded tiny as death or worse. It was said that the very air was I descended into the crater, “I was a captain of the WASTELAND DRAGON toxic, and no ordinary mortal could hope to survive armies of Tsuandan: the armies of your kind…” I its impossible aura. To my aid, I had my mother’s received no response. This did nothing to staunch pendant, an heirloom of extraordinary origin that my terror, but I continued. “I beg of you, tell me: was bound to me. I know that it was this charm what brought you into these wastes?” that protected me from the taint of the Wasteland Again, there was no response. I moved even clos- know that returning here means my life is for- I was resting after my kill when the world dark- on the borders of its domain, and I gambled that its er, guided by some foolish curiosity. I could smell I feit. I know that leaving my post on the eve of - aegis was potent enough for the Wasteland proper. the sulphur on its scales. I could taste blood in my battle was cowardly, putting my life at risk if ever I struck. Its body seemed to stretch to both ends of I set out into that barren, empty realm. Between mouth and felt a slight pressure against my ears, was caught. But worse still was that I besmirched theened. horizon. A shadow Even filledhigh overhead, the sky. I I stared,could feel dumb the the dust in the air and the lethargy in my legs, I a power emanating from the dragon. Just as I was my family’s honour. I did this because I could not wind that shifted under its giant wings. A dragon had no idea if I was continuing in the right direc- within touching distance, it turned its massive bear another moment under the Dragon’s regime. form and started to move away. I wanted more than to be a nameless soldier, for- tion, following only the memory of the direction To me, it seemed that the beast was struggling. ever at the mercy of another’s bidding. I was weak. in flight, heading straight for the Wasteland. Like a child climbing a rope, it seemed to claw at The Wasteland showed me the folly of my actions, the while I felt a presence watching me. It seemed the air for purchase, as if every moment were a in which the dragon flew. My lungs burned, and all and now I see the law of Tsuandan, though harsh there were shadows just beyond the corners of battle, a battle the Ancient One was losing. Sud- and unforgiving, is an ordered and liberal haven my eyes. But no matter how swiftly I turned, I denly, as it shrunk into the distance, the beast I was a fool to abandon. May my testament leave saw nothing. Many times, I thought to turn back, its mark on history’s scroll, and restore some sem- but my stubborn ambition was set against me. like a pebble sinking in a lake. Hidden by the crag- blance of mine and my family’s honour. It was my idea to enter the Wasteland, but some gyfinally terrain gave between up, and us,slowly I listened spiralled as itto smote the earth the pull was taking me further in. I understood now My tale begins at the edge of the Wasteland. Ru- ground in ruin. why there were so many tales of men who had en- mours of men succumbing to the will of the Dark tered, never to return. I stood for a long time, knowing what wealth could Its walk was not elegant. A slow, heavy, crawl like a Ones, and of the land pulsing with unholy energy, be made if only I could reach the corpse. I knew bat upon the ground. When it noticed that I was not ensured it was always isolated. I had hunted and After some time, I found myself on the edge of a that with its heart alone I could buy a new life for following, it stopped and turned its head. Although killed an abomination with no name that morning, small crater. In the centre of the depression, star- myself. I could be a free man once more. ing at me darkly, was a vast, reptilian monster. it did not speak, it was clear that it demanded my a creature of too many limbs, eyes, and mouths to attendance. It was as if every moment in my life be anything natural. The sight paralysed me to the core. If the Ancient had been leading up to this moment. One was large in the air, it seemed truly enormous before me now. All thoughts of stripping the carcass What happened over the next days, or months for valuable parts were gone. The dragon was alive. (time there was impossible to gauge) was unlike anything I ever thought I would experience. We My heartbeat raced like a marching drum, and the walked through the Wasteland, bound on an un- dragon was as still as a statue. The sense of fore- certain destiny. I was honoured that the dragon boding grew with each passing heartbeat, and I had chosen me to be its companion, or perhaps was seized by a sense of existential dread. simply its minion. I thanked my ancestors for this opportunity, and was saddened by the memory of Finally, after some semblance of calm returned, I the shame I had caused them. could look more closely at the formidable beast. It did not appear to be substantially injured. The I desperately tried to learn more about the fact that anything could fall from such height and Ancient One, to answer some of the riddles it survive was disconcerting; doing so all but un- carried, but to no avail. All I could tell was that scathed was terrifying. There was a feral glint in the beast had wickedly heightened senses and its eyes, as if it were holding its breath. My mind seemed to see more than just what was in front was screaming to run, but my body had other no- of us. My pendant would not have been enough tions. Slowly, I walked closer. to save me in that wretched place, which sapped my strength day by day. There were times when I I had heard that the elder race could understand was near death from thirst, and the dragon would speech - how else could they govern our people?

Wasteland Dragon 74 Warriors of the Dark Gods Wasteland Dragon 75 Warriors of the Dark Gods a rumbling growl, until gradually I resolved those animal where it seemed there were none. primal vibrations into words I could understand. miraculously unearth water, or find and slay an It said, repeatedly: It was after some time in the Wasteland the dreams began. Dreams that felt as real as you “With the blackened sun, look before me now. I saw myself as king of the the doom shall come, world on a mountain of skulls and blood. When I awoke from these dreams, my body felt pow- When shadows are no more, erful, though I could see it was no less withered, and the dragons fail to soar.” and I yearned to explore deeper. The whispers in my head and the sense of unseen watchers grew I stood, overwhelmed by all I had seen and heard. with each passing moment, despite the power of I watched as the dragon slowly, meticulously my mother’s pendant. I did not want to leave the walked away. I made to follow it, but a sharp turn Wasteland. I wanted to see more, to feel more, to of its head made it clear our time together was follow the Ancient One and revel in its might. at an end. It proceeded to climb out of the cave, leaving me alone in its shadows. It seemed the dragon had abandoned its wont for legs grew stronger and its wings diminished so Wasteland at any cost. The journey out was in- itflying walked and now never with took a powerfulto the air. gait Instead, and was its hindable And so, I vowed I would find a way to survive the to manoeuvre nimbly up and down rocky valleys. beings at my side, I faced all the hardships of that This change became apparent when we reached a mercilessfinitely more place. gruelling. I scavenged Without for scrapsthe mightiest of food. of I cave high on a cliff face. I was near exhaustion, but fought with the desperation of the damned, and I the Ancient One seemed untroubled by the climb. ran. I ran more miles than I can count. Upon col- The cave was dark, and the dragon was immediately discover my mother’s pendant was missing. on edge. I thought I could feel the creature’s muscles lapsing after days of relentless fleeing, I awoke to tensing, and a focused gleam burning in its eyes. I was near the borders of our lands, but I had lost Anxious, I searched for a threat. But I could see true horrors of the Wasteland were revealed to none. Still, I moved behind the dragon, who was me.my protection Within hours, from my the hair magic began filling to the wilt land. and The by - sniffingThough atI had the thoughtdeepest itshadows. only existed And inthen myths it came. and tling sacks of dust. The next day my lungs aban- stories, there was no mistaking what it was. If the donedthe end me of theand first a near day constantmy very boneshacking felt cough like rat of dragon was the mightiest creature I had ever seen, blood and bile had me begging for release. Some- then this other legend was perhaps its equal. In a how, powered by my shame, I managed to drag few short strides, the chimera stepped out of the my broken body away from the putrid plains, but shadows and into the pale light. My body failed I believe I will not live to see my story shared. me, and I dropped to my knees in wonder and This journey happened to me because I had been fear. There are no words to describe what it is like chosen. The dragon spoke to me - I am certain to see two legends in such proximity. I could do that was no illusion. And I forced myself to return, nothing but cower as they each roared, leapt, and to reach this outpost of civilisation and record my clashed until silence fell once more. tale. My last and most fervent hope is that these It is for what happened after the battle that I words will be passed on, that I can relay the drag- come here before you. Turning from the body of on’s prophecy, still vivid in my mind, and that per- haps my descendants will no longer know me as Guanlin Fu, the Honourless, but as Guanlin Fu, He itsIts voicedevastated was like foe, the the earth dragon shattering, finally spoke a noise to both me. Who Talks with Dragons. terrible and tremendous to behold. The sound was everywhere and nowhere, even seeming to —from a manuscript forgotten deep in the archives of the Imperial Palace in Longjing. come from inside me. At first, I heard nothing but

Wasteland Dragon 76 Warriors of the Dark Gods Wasteland Dragon 77 Warriors of the Dark Gods my father seemed to distort, stretching and blur- his knees and began to sob. ring, and I thought I could discern a cacophony ing to notice her for the first time. Then he fell to of half-glimpsed freakish shapes, writhing and For many weeks after that, his manner improved. frenzied. We started to hope the man we knew had re- RED BLOSSOMS OF ITAR turned. Then, one Spring day as the oleander blossomed and storm clouds began to loom, he formed from the offerings before my father: dirt, snapped. I do not know what set it off, but we wax,Finally, brimstone one shape - solidifiedand most as of the all, others my brother's faded. It heard shouting in his study and snuck up to peek blood. All were drawn into its body like a siphon. he oleander has come into bloom. Delicate In the days to follow, he would pace through all through the door. Yet, the materials exhausted, it continued to grow, “You try my patience, woman!” he was fuming T the desk, even wood from the very walls. at my mother, who wept openly. “For too long I pink flowers hang on fresh green shrubs, the rooms of the house, thumping his fist on the pulling metal from the fireplace, parchment from mind is cast back to another time, another night Finally, something in him broke and he rode away have been dragged down by pitiful temerity - and filled with deadly poison. Like every year, my wall, eyes wide and white, lips flecked with foam. at the start of Spring. The reports we receive in the middle of the night. it was you who counselled me so! No longer!” He these days (another outpost has fallen to the Three days later, bandits attacked the farm. My approached her like a mad dog. At this, my broth- mother ushered me and my brother into a closet er Vakous, who was twelve, rushed into the room and placed himself defensively between them, his Dark Gods, this time Volskayan), give the difficult where we hid in terror - although we could see It is time for me, at long last, to visit little face determined. thememories nightmare of yesteryear of that far-off a more time dire in significance. perfectly well between the cracks these pages. of the door. The men stormed the “What?!” screeched Titos, and I thought for a mo- house, beating two of the farm ment he would turn violent, so malevolent did he At seven years old, I still lived in hands who tried to stop them. look. But his expression darkened further. “I see,” innocence at the Manor in north- Some went through the rooms, he said, chillingly. “My own son.” ern Glauca. I had a loving fami- seizing or smashing our pos- ly, but I was aware that not all sessions. Others threw down was well with my father, Ti- my mother before my very thunderous cry that shook the house: a name to That night, I slept fitfully and was awoken by a tos. He was persecuted by of- eyes, laughing horribly as awaken dread in the heart of any Arcalean. - they tore at her clothes. “Vanadra! O Vanadra! I am rage! I am bloodshed! cipality of Zalos who claimed I am the storm!” partsficials of from his theland. nearby My father prin was All at once the laughter turned to screaming as a gleaming length I jumped from my bed and ran to the top of the of steel appeared in the throat of the but he lacked the funds necessary to staircase, where there was a clear view of the brute bent over my mother, spraying her standnot afraid against to fightthe aggressors. for what was his, dining room below. The sight haunts my dreams with dark blood. As the body slumped, we to this day. Among the candles, scrolls and ter- My mother, brother and I watched as he be- saw our saviour was father, returned home rible arcane patterns etched in blood along the came increasingly unhinged. He would rant just in time. His face was wild and he growled and rail at empty rooms, burst into sudden rag- like a beast. I saw little I could recognise in his helpless child brother by his black hair. Even as es at our smallest transgressions, hunt animals eyes. Ifloorboards, looked, before my Ifather had time stood to naked,gasp, he gripping plunged my a in the forest with a passion we had not seen be- vicious dagger into my brother’s innocent neck. fore. Worse, he would leave the farm altogether, “The Adversary is upon you, wretched weaklings of this world!” he cried, in a shrill voice I had never and spend days in Pontefreddo, or even travel to “Take it! Take it!” he cried, his eyes rolling back The whole process resolved in short moments, heard before. In a blur, he despatched the nearest Avras, refusing to discuss what he did there. The into his head, his arms and legs lashing out in de- with a rushing sound like an indrawn breath, and bandit with a clean decapitation, and slew anoth- farm began to decline in his absence, and the Za- mented convulsions. “I am yours!” there before me stood a being too hideous to be- er with a well-aimed throwing knife. There was losi buzzards circled ever closer. hold. I had a brief glimpse of something scarlet an awful silence as he stood hunched and pant- I shrieked, but the sound was lost under a sud- and huge before I had to turn away and wretch, its It was the morning after the solstice rituals when ing, looking around ferociously at the remaining den peal of thunder - a storm was upon us. At the essence too unworldly for my child’s eyes. a carriage, ornate and lavish, crunched the frosty men, surrounded by carnage and corpses. One of same moment, as Vakous’ limp body drained over driveway and disgorged a black-robed man, thin them vomited, and my brother fainted next to me “You seek power,” came a voice, deep and sono- and wealthy, with a fastidious black goatee - the no ordinary tempest. Suddenly, I felt sick in the pit rous, that reverberated through my skull. I covered Chancellor of Zalos. After a furious exchange, my ofthe my floor, stomach, I felt a andterrible my head static lurched fill the airas a- thissense was of father stormed off, more agitated than ever. in the closet. They fled. “You seek the favour of the Goddess of Wrath.” He spun around and stared into her eyes, seem- my ears with my fists, but it made no difference. “Titos?” said my mother, quietly, from the floor. vile wrongness filled the house. The space around

Red Blossoms of Itar 78 Warriors of the Dark Gods Red Blossoms of Itar 79 Warriors of the Dark Gods “Yes! Yes! I am hers!” cried a much smaller voice I crouched like a beast among dozens of brutal- With this, she leapt up and ran out from where rible fate as a Warrior of the Dark Gods. I stared recognised as my father’s. ised bodies on the driveway. Blood mixed with we hid. at my beautiful mother’s lifeless face and I won- the rain that coursed over his gigantic, muscled dered if he had any notion of the consequences of “And in return, you give her everything that you frame. For a brief moment, he looked up at us, all his decision. are,” continued the awful creature. semblance of humanity gone from his face. And arms. “Do what you must.” “Here I am, creature!” she cried, flinging out her The daemon stood for some time in the rain “Yes!” then he turned and ran into the dark. The beast stopped and smiled, while I whimpered, looking down at the corpse. Her tiny limbs, her too much in shock to act on the renewed terror. “It is your will and no one else’s that this is done?” “Remarkable,” stated the Chancellor, raising a sodden nightdress, her bare feet. Thunder rolled quizzical eyebrow. “What in the name of Theme- “How wonderful,” came the deep, resonant voice. more than once, and still it stood, a dark red stat- “It is!” The words hung in the air. There was a sis has he been doing?” “So rare to see true bravery. I see you will not ue glowing in the blaze that was once my home. pause, broken by another peal of thunder and the I watched through the leaves of the bush where He stepped calmly over the groaning fallen, and ap- give yourself to my Mistress. Very well. Your sound of heavy rain on the roof - and the over- I hid, and realised that other red splotches were proached the door of the house from which smoke death is quick.” whelming smell of something burning. - was billowing. Suddenly he dropped his torch as It leapt - and all of eternity congealed as it ile beauty of the wet, rosey oleander blooms all “The Adversary accepts your pledge.” Lightning terror seized his body. Trembling, he tried to back stretched out a paw and effortlessly swiped the aroundfilling my me. vision. When Blinking,I looked up, I noticed the daemon the fragwas - away, but tripped over a slain brigand behind him. head from her shoulders. nothing but a thin crimson blur, as the fabric of ing itself on my father’s head, his whole body vi- He stared up at the thing that approached, push- the world stretched back into the dull pain of re- bratingflashed acrossand seeming the image to grow… of a great red hand plac I have never spoken of this to anyone. It costs me ality, and I felt my tears mix with the falling rain. of matchsticks. Finally, I could see its full horror: a greatly to write it even in these private pages. Suddenly I was wrenched away in a rush of move- hugeing through red monster the flaming with hornsdoorway and like cloven it was hooves. made That image is one I have tried to keep from my ment. I was in the arms of my mother, and we —The Journal of Leonora Dimitriou, For a few seconds they formed a tableau: the dae- mind for so long. Yet there it stays - I believe it will Itar 3rd, 962 A.S. mon poised above the black-clad man, whose arm be the last thing I see before I die. in the master bedroom, through the back door. covered his face in a vain attempt to hide the ap- were fleeing - down the corridor, down the ladder There in the bushes, I thought also of Titos, my We were out in the rushing wind and stinging rain. palling vision. Then it reached down and crushed father, escaped to who knows what great and ter- Instantly, we were drenched. Sobbing, I looked up his head with one hand. into my mother’s face, and I saw her fear.

“Take this,” she said, eyes wide, and she placed mind. It smeared the man’s blood over its face a simple chain around my neck, with a locket. I and“Ahaha!” neck. it “What laughed, pretty its voice delights once the more mortals filling have my had seen her wearing it often enough, but I had here! Why would any forgo this glorious world?” no time now to admire the gift, for just as sudden- The men who held my mother levelled crossbows ly as she had come, my mother was pulled away. I found myself gripped in the arms of powerful men - she was held by others. I looked around in theirand firedweapons with and trembling ran. The hands. daemon The bounded red giant to- wardsflinched us. and My spun mother around. leapt In up dread, and torethey medropped from a burning brand that lit his broad hat and little goatee.confusion The until Chancellor I saw a of black-clad Zalos had figure returned, holding but her shoulder, I could see the creature devastating this time he had brought a much larger retinue. themy remaining captors, fleeing men, whooping in another with direction. eerie glee. From We The house was surrounded by armed mercenar- dove into some bushes and continued to watch ies, and smoke billowed from the roof that was through the leaves. Backlit by the burning house, the silhouette of the daemon tired of playing with alreadyAs another on fire. thunderclap shook the sky, we heard its mutilated victims. It began to sniff the air, and shouts on the other side of the house, by the front soon was striding right for us. door. The Chancellor gestured at his men - they “Do not hide from your destiny, little mortal!” it went to investigate, except those who held my shouted. “I can make you feel the true rage within!” eventually we were dragged closer to the scene As it drew near, my mother turned to me with a mother and me. We heard a great fighting, and as the Chancellor wished to see for himself. wild look.

“Do not leave this place ‘til it is gone,” she said, bright terrible shape of Titos, hideously enlarged and The flames of the burning house illuminated the eyes reflecting the fire. “Be brave - now and forever.”

Red Blossoms of Itar 80 Warriors of the Dark Gods Red Blossoms of Itar 81 Warriors of the Dark Gods BANNERS OF THE GODS THE GHOULS

Banner of Gluttony The followers of Akaan devour all The Ghouls Banner before them. Gluttons everywhere he followers of the Dark Gods have no desire to conceal their allegiances. In their quest to draw the seek his blessing, and receive his ac- T eyes of their sinister patrons, they carry their icons proudly. Banners bearing the symbols of the cursed appearance, leaving their jaws exposed even in combat. Browns and hearts of civilised nations. rotten greens form their colourings, Seven are seen on battlefields across the world, held aloft in gauntleted fists and striking fear into the all beneath the sign of the Lamprey, Most warbands are dedicated to one Dark God, yet each also carries its own identity. Named for their representing their eternal hunger. particular forms of worship, attire, practices or whatever else may set them apart among their kind, their name may rise and fall within a single season, or may become a legend to span a thousand years. The Ghouls appear to have contract- ed every possible disease and illness, Here I have gathered some of the most notorious representations to be found anywhere, exemplifying thanks to their horrifying practice of the behaviours of the Warriors, and the threats they pose to us all. Learn them, know them, and guard consuming the corpses of their vic- yourself against their ways. tims. They have even been known to strike at and devour leper colonies. —Captain Urs Bödeker, Iron Legions of Myra Yet they do not perish, lingering and growing ever viler.

STOLEN MOMENTS FORGEFATHERS

Banner of Envy Stolen Moments Banner Banner of Greed Sugulag collects more than simply Forgefathers Banner Kuulima sees the power of others andThe desires fly on theit for wall, herself. the Schemer,Some of way to his followers and into their her followers believe her to be the graspingpower. Lost hands. items ofMisers all kinds and find thieves their great leveller; the less fortunate sim- ply aspire to that which others have, mail formed of interconnected coins, and seek the strength to take it. They andfind golden-faceda home with the demonic Collector, helms. wearing adopt green apparel, then surround The Wasteland conceals on its fringes themselves with plundered heraldry, a market for the world’s most forbid- armours and weapons. den objects. The Forgefathers derive The Stolen Moments made their name their power from a monopoly on such reaving towns on wedding days, leav- goods, as well as myriad artisans and ing celebrations in ruins and com- blacksmiths willing to risk damnation munities torn asunder. Rumour has for the potential gain. it they are often called down by jilted ex-lovers, who depart with the band and the spoils of the day.

Banners of the Gods 82 Warriors of the Dark Gods Banners of the Gods 83 Warriors of the Dark Gods LIBERATING GIFTS FROST RIDERS

Banner of Lust Cibaresh is famed for toying with Liberating Gifts Banner Banner of Sloth The Watcher, Nukuja, sees all things. Frost Raiders Banner mortals, throwing temptations in Her followers believe she will observe their path to subvert their precious the end of things, and knows the morals. To him are drawn the devi- death of all mortal life. They have a ants and the debauched, often drawn timeless appearance, ancient armour from those with the strictest of up- and weapons put to good use in her bringings. The lips and tongue of se- service. Under the sign of the locust, duction decorate their standards, their dirty white cloaks cover rusted vibrant violets and blues leaving no metals, but they are no less danger- doubt of their intentions. ous for that decay.

The Liberating Gifts target the young The freezing gales of Åskland have been with great displays of generosity, known to lay strong men low in min- bringing entire villages under their utes with their ferocity. The Ice Raiders sway with their corrupting offerings. seem immune to such concerns, feared The Gifts have been known to leave for their ability to march through the villages bereft of an entire generation, wildest conditions and assault towns and their numbers grown still greater. cut off from all hope of reinforcement.

FEATHERED CROWNS BURNING HANDS

Banner of Pride The Fallen Star draws others with his Feathered Crowns Banner Banner of Wrath Vanadra's eternal fury is fuelled by be- Burning Hands Banner same self-destructive impulses. Those trayals and injustices, driving her fol- who have fallen from exalted stations lowers to form the vanguard of Father or believe their abilities set them Chaos' forces. With cruel armour the above others, despite a lack of recog- red of blood, and gauntlets seemingly - coated in viscera, they daub banners ural homes with Savar. Clothing them- with the symbol of their mistress, selvesnition in regaltheir bluescommunities, and purples, find theynat along with tokens of their victims. adopt crowns, stars and heraldry. Roars of approval and screams of ag- In the depths of Virentia, far from civ- ony mark the initiation ceremony of ilised realms, the Feathered Crowns the Burning Fists. Prospective mem- hold court. They style themselves bers test themselves by holding their with circlets of colourful feathers, adorned with trinkets inspired by gauntlets are blackened. Those who the birds to be found in those exotic cannotarms above bear athe roaring pain arefire, castuntil out their to lands. With these raiments, they im- join with lesser bands. pose their authority on native tribes.

Banners of the Gods 84 Warriors of the Dark Gods Banners of the Gods 85 Warriors of the Dark Gods Banners of the Gods 86 Warriors of the Dark Gods Banners of the Gods 87 Warriors of the Dark Gods Army Model Rules

Favours of the Dark Gods A Character with a Favour cannot join a unit that contains any models with a different Favour than the Character.

Favour of Kuulima, Goddess of Envy Favour of Cibaresh, God of Lust Attack Attribute – Close Combat Universal Rule

The model part gains Devastating Charge (+1 AP). The model gains Feigned Flight and Strider. Units Charge Range rolls by units with more than half of their with more than half of their models with this Favour models with this Favour are subject to Maximised Roll. may declare Flee as a Charge Reaction even if they have Fearless. The Rally Test after voluntarily declaring Flee Favour of Akaan, God of Gluttony as a Charge Reaction is subject to Minimised Roll. Attack Attribute – Close Combat Favour of Savar, God of Pride The first time a model with this Favour successfully Universal Rule Charges a Fleeing unit, or is on the winning side of a combat and does not Pursue or Overrun, its model Discipline Tests taken by units with at least one model parts with this Favour gain +1 Strength on all their with this Favour are subject to Minimised Roll. Close Combat Attacks (the effect lasts for the duration of the game). Favour of Nukuja, Goddess of Sloth Universal Rule Favour of Sugulag, God of Greed Universal Rule Models with this Favour gain +1 Resilience. If a model with this Favour declares a Charge against an enemy The bearer gains Great Weapon, Halberd, Paired unit that is more than 10″ away or performs a March Weapons, and Weapon Master. A Character with this Move of more than 10″, this effect is lost until the start Favour has its Special Item allowance increased by 50 of the Melee Phase in the next Player Turn. pts. Favour of Vanadra, Goddess of Wrath Attack Attribute – Close Combat

The model part gains Lightning Reflexes and +1 Agility. Close Combat Attacks allocated towards the model gain +1 to hit. These effects are only applied in the First Round of Combat.

Universal Rules Battle Fever Units with more than half of their models with Battle Fever must reroll any natural rolls of ‘1’ when rolling for Charge ARMY RULES Range. Favoured Champion The model gains +1 Agility, +1 Offensive Skill, +1 Defensive Skill, and +1 Health Point. Model parts with Harnessed are not affected. Army Model Rules Irredeemable The model cannot make Stomp Attacks and can make Grind Attacks as Supporting Attacks, ignoring the maximum number of Supporting Attacks. When a model with Irredeemable is killed by a Melee Attack, remove it as a casualty Favours of the Dark Gods only at the end of Initiative Step 0. A unit with at least one model with Irredeemable may never have more ranks A Character with a Favour cannot join a unit that contains any models with a different Favour than the Character. than files.

Favour of Kuulima, Goddess of Envy Favour of Cibaresh, God of Lust Path of the Exiled

AMR HS SI AO QRS 2 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Attack Attribute – Close Combat Universal Rule At the end of step 7 of a Round of Combat (after taking Break Tests), models with Path of the Exiled in a unit that failed a Break Test simultaneously perform Close Combat Attacks (ignoring the rules for Initiative Order, but otherwise The model part gains Devastating Charge (+1 AP). The model gains Feigned Flight and Strider. Units following the normal rules such as Supporting Attacks and Allocating Attacks). Afterwards, they are removed as Charge Range rolls by units with more than half of their with more than half of their models with this Favour casualties. Models with Path of the Exiled cannot join or be joined by models with Path of the Favoured. models with this Favour are subject to Maximised Roll. may declare Flee as a Charge Reaction even if they have Fearless. The Rally Test after voluntarily declaring Flee Path of the Favoured Favour of Akaan, God of Gluttony as a Charge Reaction is subject to Minimised Roll. Attack Attribute – Close Combat When the model issues or fights a Duel, it adds +1 to the Combat Score of its side until the end of the Round of Favour of Savar, God of Pride Combat (note that this bonus is lost if the model with Path of the Favoured is removed as a casualty). The first time a model with this Favour successfully Universal Rule Charges a Fleeing unit, or is on the winning side of Veil Walker a combat and does not Pursue or Overrun, its model Discipline Tests taken by units with at least one model parts with this Favour gain +1 Strength on all their with this Favour are subject to Minimised Roll. When a model with Veil Walker casts any non-Bound Spell, you may discard one Veil Token when declaring the Close Combat Attacks (the effect lasts for the duration target(s) of the spell and activate one of the following effects: of the game). Favour of Nukuja, Goddess of Sloth • Secret of Flesh: Failed to-wound rolls from this spell must be rerolled. Universal Rule • Secret of Separation: The spell’s range is increased by 6″. Aura spells only gain +3″ range. Spells with type: Favour of Sugulag, God of Greed Caster are unaffected. Universal Rule Models with this Favour gain +1 Resilience. If a model with this Favour declares a Charge against an enemy • Secret of Substance: Successful Armour Saves against wounds caused by this spell must be rerolled. The bearer gains Great Weapon, Halberd, Paired unit that is more than 10″ away or performs a March Weapons, and Weapon Master. A Character with this Move of more than 10″, this effect is lost until the start Favour has its Special Item allowance increased by 50 of the Melee Phase in the next Player Turn. Personal Protections pts. Unburnt Favour of Vanadra, Goddess of Wrath Attack Attribute – Close Combat Flaming Attacks made against the model must reroll successful to-wound rolls.

The model part gains Lightning Reflexes and +1 Agility. Close Combat Attacks allocated towards the Armoury model gain +1 to hit. These effects are only applied in the First Round of Combat. Hell-Forged Armour – Armour Follows the rules for Plate Armour (can be enchanted as if it was Plate Armour). The wearer’s model gains Fearless and Aegis (5+, against Toxic Attacks). Universal Rules Battle Fever Spiked Shield – Armour Units with more than half of their models with Battle Fever must reroll any natural rolls of ‘1’ when rolling for Charge Models on foot only. Follows the rules for Shields (can be enchanted as if it was a Shield). For each successful Range. Armour Save roll of 4+ made by the bearer against a Melee Attack while using a Spiked Shield, the model that caused the wound suffers 1 hit with the bearer’s Strength and Armour Penetration. This is considered a Special Attack. Favoured Champion TheArmy model Rules gains +1 Agility, +1 Offensive Skill, +1 Defensive88 Skill, and +1 Health Point.Warriors Model parts of withthe Dark Harnessed Gods Army Rules 89 Warriors of the Dark Gods are not affected. Hereditary Spell Irredeemable Casting Value Range Type Duration Effect The model cannot make Stomp Attacks and can make Grind Attacks as Supporting Attacks, ignoring the maximum number of Supporting Attacks. When a model with Irredeemable is killed by a Melee Attack, remove it as a casualty H Hellfire only at the end of Initiative Step 0. A unit with at least one model with Irredeemable may never have more ranks Damage* The target suffers 2D3 2D6 hits with Strength 6, 6+ than files. 18″ Direct Instant Armour Penetration 0, and Magical Attacks. 10+ Hex ਓ ਔ \ ^ ਓ ਔ *The\ spell^ can target enemy units in base contact with the Caster’s Front Facing.

AMR HS SI AO QRS 2 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 3 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Path of the Exiled At the end of step 7 of a Round of Combat (after taking Break Tests), models with Path of the Exiled in a unit that failed a Break Test simultaneously perform Close Combat Attacks (ignoring the rules for Initiative Order, but otherwise following the normal rules such as Supporting Attacks and Allocating Attacks). Afterwards, they are removed as casualties. Models with Path of the Exiled cannot join or be joined by models with Path of the Favoured.

Path of the Favoured When the model issues or fights a Duel, it adds +1 to the Combat Score of its side until the end of the Round of Combat (note that this bonus is lost if the model with Path of the Favoured is removed as a casualty).

Veil Walker When a model with Veil Walker casts any non-Bound Spell, you may discard one Veil Token when declaring the target(s) of the spell and activate one of the following effects: • Secret of Flesh: Failed to-wound rolls from this spell must be rerolled. • Secret of Separation: The spell’s range is increased by 6″. Aura spells only gain +3″ range. Spells with type: Caster are unaffected. • Secret of Substance: Successful Armour Saves against wounds caused by this spell must be rerolled. Personal Protections Special Items Unburnt Flaming Attacks made against the model must reroll successful to-wound rolls. Weapon Enchantments Artefacts Burning Portent 120 pts Ledger of Souls 90 pts Armoury Hand Weapon enchantment. Dominant. Attacks made with this weapon have their Ar- Whenever a friendly model with Hell-Forged Armour Hell-Forged Armour – Armour mour Penetration set to 10 and become Flaming or Irredeemable within 12″ of the bearer, or a model Attacks and Magical Attacks, and gain Multiple in the bearer’s unit loses its last Health Point, you Follows the rules for Plate Armour (can be enchanted as if it was Plate Armour). The wearer’s model gains Fearless Wounds (D3). gain one Veil Token for each Health Point the model and Aegis (5+, against Toxic Attacks). (that was removed as a casualty) started the game Symbol of Slaughter 35 pts with. In addition, at the end of Siphon the Veil, the Spiked Shield – Armour Hand Weapon and Paired Weapons enchantment. army may keep up to 6 Veil Tokens (instead of the When using this weapon, the wielder gains +2 Attack normal 3). Models on foot only. Follows the rules for Shields (can be enchanted as if it was a Shield). For each successful Value, +2 Agility, and Magical Attacks. Close Combat Armour Save roll of 4+ made by the bearer against a Melee Attack while using a Spiked Shield, the model that caused Attacks made against the wielder’s model gain +1 to Orb of Foreboding 55 pts the wound suffers 1 hit with the bearer’s Strength and Armour Penetration. This is considered a Special Attack. hit. At the start of the Deployment Phase, immediately be- fore step 1 (Determine who deploys first), you may choose one of the opponent’s non-Character units Armour Enchantments that can be deployed during the Deployment Phase. Thrice-Forged 65 pts This unit loses Vanguard and Scout. The opponent Hereditary Spell Standard Height models only. must immediately deploy this unit. This is done out- side the normal Deployment procedure and is ig- Suit of Armour enchantment. nored when determining the first deployed unit and Casting Value Range Type Duration Effect The wearer gains +3 Armour. the number of deployed units. H Hellfire Gladiator’s Spirit 35 pts Immortal Gauntlets 45 pts Damage* The target suffers 2D3 2D6 hits with Strength 6, Suit of Armour enchantment. 6+ At the start of any Round of Combat you may discard 18″ Direct Instant Armour Penetration 0, and Magical Attacks. The wearer gains +1 Armour and Parry. 10+ a Veil Token from your Veil Token pool. If so, choose Hex ਓ ਔ \ ^ ਓ ਔ either Divine Attacks, Flaming Attacks, or Magical *The\ spell^ can target enemy units in base contact with the Caster’s Front Facing. Banner Enchantments Attacks. The bearer’s Close Combat Attacks gain the chosen Attack Attribute. The chosen effect lasts until Icon of the Infinite 50 pts the end of the phase. Cannot be taken by units that count towards Core. 0–2 per Army. Lord of the Damned 45 pts The bearer of one or more Icons of the Infinite can Sorcerers and Doomlords only. cast Hellfire (Hereditary Spell) as a Bound Spell with Any unit with Irredeemable within 18″ of the bearer Power Level (4/8). may reroll the distance it moves in the Movement AMR HS SI AO QRS 3 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Phase with Random Movement. Zealots’ Banner 50 pts 0–3 per Army. Wyrd Stone 35 pts The maximum number of Supporting Attacks that One use only. Must be activated when the bearer’s models in the second rank of the bearer’s unit can model is hit by an attack with at least Strength 5 or perform is increased by 1. at least Armour Penetration 5. The bearer’s model gains Aegis (4+). Wasteland Torch 25 pts If the bearer’s model is Standard or Large, this effect The bearer’s unit gains Strider (Ruins). After deter- ends at end of the Player Turn. mining Deployment Zones (at the end of step 6 of the If the bearer’s model is Gigantic, this effect ends after Pre-Game Sequence), you may choose a single Field rolling the Aegis Save once (if the bearer is hit by sev- or Forest Terrain Feature that becomes Ruins. eral simultaneous attacks, the owner chooses which attack to use the Aegis Save against).

Army Rules 90 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMRArmy HSRules SI AO QRS 914 WarriorsCh ofMo the CoDark Sp Gods LB Chosen Lord Height Standard Army Organisation Type Infantry 300 pts single model Base 25×25 mm

A mount marked with (LB) counts towards Legendary Beasts. Additionally, the mount and its rider count towards Characters.

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 5″ 10″ 8 Path of the Favoured Characters Core Special Legendary Beasts Defensive HP Def Res Arm (Max. 45 %) (Min. 20 %) (No limit) (Max. 35 %) 3750 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Characters (Max. 45 %) 58527

Options pts Mount Options pts Exalted Herald Height Large Battle Standard Bearer 50 Karkadan 105 Type Infantry Special Items up to 150 Black Steed 120 850 pts single model Base 50×50 mm If General up to 200 War Dais 125 Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules A single Gift of the Dark Gods no limit Dark Chariot 130 Replace Shield with Spiked Shield 15 Scythed Skywheel 130 8″ 16″ 8 Fear, Fearless, Manifestation, Stubborn, Supernal, Wiz- Must choose one Favour: Chimera (LB) 180 ard Adept Envy 20 Pride 30 Wasteland Dragon (LB) (General only) Defensive HP Def Res Arm Gluttony 25 Sloth 45 Without Favour of Sloth 420 Greed 40 Wrath 10 With Favour of Sloth 510 5853 Aegis (4+) Lust free Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi One choice only: 69528 Paired Weapons 10 Great Weapon 20 Model Rules Halberd 20 Manifestation: Universal Rule. Lance 20 During Spell Selection, each Exalted Herald must choose two different Manifestations from the list below Optional Model Rules and apply the effects during the game. The model knows the spells indicated on the chosen Manifestations. Gifts of the Dark Gods. Each Gift is One of a Kind. This replaces the normal rules for Spell Selection connected to being a Wizard Adept. In addition, Guiding Light (Divination) becomes the Attribute Spell for all non-Bound Spells cast by the model, replacing the spells’ Daemonic Wings 100 pts Idol of Spite 60 pts corresponding Attribute where applicable. Models on foot only. One use only. May be activated at the start of a Round of Combat. For the duration of that Round of Combat, Optional Model Rules The bearer gains Fly (8″, 16″), Light Troops, and the bearer gains +1 Attack Value, +1 Strength, and +1 The Exalted Herald gains The Exalted Herald knows Swiftstride. Armour Penetration. Hard Target (1). At the end of each of Entropic Aura 60 pts your Melee Phases, if the Exalted Herald Luck of the Dark Gods 60 pts Abiding Spirit Smite the Unbeliever (Thaumaturgy). Standard and Large models only. has been on the winning side of a combat The bearer’s model gains Aegis (+1, max. 4+). Weapon Enchantments and Armour Enchantments in this phase, it Recovers 1 Health Point. carried by the bearer, models in the bearer’s unit, Master of Destruction 40 pts Fly (8″, 16″), Light Troops, Swiftstride, and models in units that are in base contact with the The bearer can use a Shield (or a Spiked Shield) simul- Brand of the Dragon and Breath Attack (Str 4, AP 1, Flaming Breath of Corruption (Occultism). bearer cannot be used. taneously with a Great Weapon or a Halberd. d Attacks).

Speaking in Tongues (Thaumaturgy) and Emissary of Chaos +1 Discipline and Terror. Wrath of God (Thaumaturgy).

Marked for Doom (Occultism) and The Grave Calls (Occultism). May replace one Sorcerer Immortal Veil Walker. of its Learned Spells with Hellfire (Hered- itary Spell) during Spell Selection.

+1 Strength, +1 Armour Penetration, and Unholy Avatar The Rot Within (Occultism). Divine Attacks.

d

Characters 92 Warriors of the Dark Gods Characters 93 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMR HS SI AO QRS 6 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 5 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Doomlord Height Large Barbarian Chief Height Standard Type Infantry Type Infantry 360 pts single model Base 40×40 mm 135 pts single model Base 25×25 mm

A mount marked with (LB) counts towards Legendary Beasts. Additionally, the mount and its rider count A mount marked with (LB) counts towards Legendary Beasts. Additionally, the mount and its rider count towards Characters. towards Characters.

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 6″ 12″ 8 Path of the Exiled 4″ 8″ 8 Battle Fever

Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 4651 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield 3540 Heavy Armour

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 57525 3 5 5 1 5 Deeds not Words

Options pts Mount Options pts Model Rules Mount Options pts Battle Standard Bearer 50 Wasteland Behemoth (LB) 260 Deeds not Words: Attack Attribute. Shadow Chaser 75 Special Items up to 150 The model part gains Battle Focus and Hatred Black Steed 85 If General up to 200 when in a unit that has R&F models with Battle Fever. Dark Chariot 115 Replace Shield with Spiked Shield 20 Options pts War Dais 125 One choice only: Battle Standard Bearer 50 Chimera (LB) 175 Paired Weapons 10 Special Items up to 100 Wasteland Behemoth (LB) 400 Halberd 15 If General up to 150 Great Weapon 25 Shield 5 d Throwing Weapons (4+) 5 One choice only: Height Standard Light Lance 5 Sorcerer Paired Weapons 5 Type Infantry Spear 5 145 pts single model Base 25×25 mm Great Weapon 10

A mount marked with (LB) counts towards Legendary Beasts. Additionally, the mount and its rider count d towards Characters. Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Feldrak Ancestor Height Gigantic 4″ 8″ 8 Fearless, Wizard Apprentice Type Beast 720 pts single model Base 75×100 mm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 3440 Light Armour This unit counts both towards Characters and Legendary Beasts.

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 24303 8″ 16″ 9 Primal Legend

Magic Options pts Options pts Defensive HP Def Res Arm One choice only: Special Items up to 150 8663 Unburnt, Light Armour Wizard Adept 75 If General up to 200 Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Wizard Master 225 Veil Walker 100 Plate Armour 15 66743Breath Attack (Str 4, AP 1, Dying Embers, Flaming At- Paired Weapons 5 tacks), Hatred (against Fly)

Alchemy Evocation Occultism Mount Options pts Model Rules Options pts Black Steed 50 Dying Embers: Attack Attribute. One Weapon Enchantment, Dark Chariot 65 After using the Breath Attack, the model loses a paying twice the listed point cost no limit Scythed Skywheel 70 Health Point with no saves of any kind allowed. One choice only: Battleshrine 310 Primal Legend: Universal Rule. Great Weapon 35 Wasteland Behemoth (LB) 405 The limit of Legendary Beasts is increased to “Max. Halberd 55 Wasteland Dragon (LB) (General only) 425 45%”. A model with this rule counts all units of Stan- Paired Weapons 65 d dard Height as Insignificant, and while it is on the board, friendly units with Fly may not use Flying Movement.

d

Characters 94 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMRCharacters HS SI AO QRS 958 WarriorsCh of theMo DarkCo GodsSp LB AMR HS SI AO QRS 7 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Battleshrine Height Large Character Mounts Type Construct 0–1 Mounts/Army Base 50×100 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Black Steed Height Standard 5″ 10″ C Beacon of the Dark Gods, Channel (1), Fear, Fearless, Type Cavalry Standard Bearer, Towering Presence, War Platform Base 25×50 mm Defensive HP Def Res Arm Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 5 C 5 C+1 Aegis (5+)

8″ 14″ C Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Defensive HP Def Res Arm Wretched One (2) 401Grind Attacks (D6+1), Harnessed CCCC+2 Model Rules Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Beacon of the Dark Gods: Universal Rule. 13403Harnessed After Spell Selection, the Wizard must replace one of its Learned Spells with one of the following spells: • Whispers of the Veil (Evocation) Options pts Optional Model Rules • The Grave Calls (Occultism) Barbarian Chief must take Prized Stallion free Prized Stallion: Universal Rule. • Wrath of God (Thaumaturgy) (only if Wizard Master) The model has its March Rate set to 16″. • Hellfire (Hereditary Spell) d d

Height Standard Height Standard Scythed Skywheel Type Construct War Dais Type Infantry Base 50×50 mm Base 50×50 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules

Ground C C C Fly (6″, 18″), Light Troops, Swiftstride, Tall CCC Tall, Throne of Eminence Fly 6″ 18″ Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 4 C CC+2 Cannot be Stomped

C C C C Cannot be Stomped, Hard Target (1) Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 45414Harnessed 303Grind Attacks (D3+1), Harnessed Model Rules Throne of Eminence: Universal Rule. d The model gains +1 Discipline, up to a maximum of 9. d Height Large Dark Chariot Type Construct Height Large 0–3 Mounts/Army Base 50×100 mm Karkadan Type Cavalry Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Base 50×75 mm 8″ 8″ C Swiftstride Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 7″ 14″ C Fear 4 C 5 C+2 Defensive HP Def Res Arm

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi CCCC+2 Black Steed (2) 13403Harnessed Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Chassis 52 Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate 23522Harnessed

d d

Character Mounts 96 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMRCharacter HS SIMounts AO QRS 9710 WarriorsCh of theMo DarkCo GodsSp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 9 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Height Gigantic Height Gigantic Wasteland Dragon Type Beast Wasteland Behemoth Type Beast 0–1 Mounts/Army Base 50×100 mm 0–2 Mounts/Army Base 100×150 mm

This mount and its rider count towards Characters. Additionally, this mount counts towards Legendary Beasts. This mount and its rider count towards Characters. Additionally, this mount counts towards Legendary Beasts.

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules

Ground 8″ 16″ C Fly (6″, 12″), Light Troops 7″ 14″ C Fly 6″ 12″ Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 7364

6564 Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 63633Harnessed

55633Breath Attack (Str 4, AP 1, Flaming Attacks), Harnessed Options pts Optional Model Rules Additional Limbs 50 Additional Limbs: Universal Rule. d The model has its March Rate set to 20″ and its Ar- mour set to 3. Height Standard d Shadow Chaser Type Cavalry Base 25×50 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 10″ 20″ C Light Troops, Strider, Vanguard (6″)

Defensive HP Def Res Arm CCCC+1

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 13304Harnessed

d

Height Large Chimera Type Cavalry 0–2 Mounts/Army Base 50×100 mm

This mount and its rider count towards Characters. Additionally, this mount counts towards Legendary Beasts.

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 8″ 20″ C Fear, Towering Presence

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 4 C 5 C

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 54524Harnessed

Options pts Optional Model Rules Wings 50 Wings: Universal Rule. The model has its March Rate set to 16″ and gains Fly (8″, 16″) and Light Troops.

d

Character Mounts 98 Warriors of the Dark Gods Character Mounts 99 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMR HS SI AO QRS 12 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 11 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Barbarians Height Standard Core (Min. 20 %) Type Infantry 135 pts + 9 pts/extra model 15–40 models Base 25×25 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Warriors Height Standard Type Infantry 4″ 8″ 8 Battle Fever, Scoring 24 10–30 230 pts + pts/extra model models Base 25×25 mm Defensive HP Def Res Arm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 1430 Light Armour 4″ 8″ 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 14403

1540 Hell-Forged Armour, Spiked Shield Options pts Command Group Options pts

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Shield 1/model Champion 20 Throwing Weapons (5+)* 3/model Musician 20 25414 One choice only: Standard Bearer 20 Options pts Command Group Options pts Paired Weapons 1/model Banner Enchantment no limit Only units with a Favoured Champion can and must Champion 20 Spear and Shield 3/model upgrade Warriors with a single Favour: Upgrade to Favoured Champion* 15 Great Weapon 4/model Envy 3/model Pride 4/model * Max. unit size reduced to 20 models * 0–40 Models/Army Gluttony 3/model Sloth 9/model Musician 20 d Greed 7/model Wrath 8/model Standard Bearer 20 Lust 2/model Banner Enchantment no limit One choice only: Paired Weapons free Great Weapon 4/model Halberd 6/model

d

Fallen Height Standard Type Infantry 160 pts + 23 pts/extra model 5–10 models 0–2 Units/Army* Base 25×25 mm

* 0–6 Units/Army if a Doomlord is General.

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 6″ 12″ 8 Light Troops, Path of the Exiled

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 1240 Hell-Forged Armour

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 24414Paired Weapons

d

Core 100 Warriors of the Dark Gods Core 101 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMR HS SI AO QRS 14 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 13 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Chosen Height Standard Special (No limit) Type Infantry 270 pts + 64 pts/extra model 5–10 models 0–4 Units/Army Base 25×25 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Warrior Knights Height Standard Type Cavalry 5″ 10″ 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring 240 pts + 44 pts/extra model 5–10 models 0–5 Units/Army Base 25×50 mm Defensive HP Def Res Arm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 2640 Hell-Forged Armour, Spiked Shield 8″ 14″ 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 3 6 4 1 5 Master of Battle

1542 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield Model Rules Command Group Options pts Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Master of Battle: Attack Attribute. Champion 20 The model’s maximum number of Supporting At- Musician 20 Warrior Rider 25414 tacks is set to 3. Standard Bearer 20 Black Steed 13403Harnessed Options pts Banner Enchantment no limit Options pts Command Group Options pts Chosen must choose a single Favour: Only units with a Favoured Champion can and must Champion 20 Envy 5/model Pride free upgrade Warrior Riders with a single Favour: Upgrade to Favoured Champion 20 Gluttony 4/model Sloth 11/model Envy 8/model Pride 3/model Musician 20 Greed 10/model Wrath 15/model Gluttony 7/model Sloth 8/model Standard Bearer 20 Lust free Greed 4/model Wrath 8/model Banner Enchantment no limit One choice only: Lust 12/model Paired Weapons 2/model One choice only: Great Weapon 4/model Great Weapon 2/model Halberd 7/model Lance 10/model d

d Chosen Knights Height Large Height Large Type Cavalry Warrior Chariot 435 pts + 127 pts/extra model 3–5 models 0–12 Models/Army Type Construct Base 50×75 mm 220 pts single model 0–4 Units/Army Base 50×100 mm Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 7″ 14″ 8 Fear, Path of the Favoured, Scoring

8″ 8″ 8 Path of the Favoured, Swiftstride Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 3642 Hell-Forged Armour

4551 Hell-Forged Armour Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Chosen Rider 36415Halberd Warrior Crew (2) 25414Halberd Karkadan 23522Harnessed

Black Steed (2) 13403Harnessed Options pts Command Group Options pts Chassis 52 Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate Chosen Riders must choose a single Favour: Champion 20 Envy 7/model Pride 3/model Musician 20 d Gluttony free Sloth 12/model Standard Bearer 20 Greed 3/model Wrath 1/model Banner Enchantment no limit Lust 6/model

d

Special 102 Warriors of the Dark Gods Special 103 Warriors of the Dark Gods

AMR HS SI AO QRS 16 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 15 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Chosen Chariot Height Large Wretched One Height Large Type Construct Type Infantry 340 pts single model 0–2 Units/Army Base 50×100 mm 110 pts + 90 pts/extra model 1–6 models 0–2 Units/Army Base 40×40 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 7″ 7″ 8 Fear, Path of the Favoured, Swiftstride 3D6″ - 5 Fearless, Irredeemable, Random Movement (3D6″), Un- breakable Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 5652 Hell-Forged Armour 3240 Fortitude (5+) Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Chosen Crew (2) 36415Halberd 401Grind Attacks (D6+1) Karkadan 23522Harnessed

Chassis 52 Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate d

Options pts Chosen Crew must choose a single Favour: Battleshrine Height Large Envy 20 Pride 15 Type Construct 315 pts single model 0–2 Units/Army Gluttony 15 Sloth 60 Base 50×100 mm Greed 10 Wrath free Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Lust 15

d 5″ 10″ 8 Beacon of the Dark Gods, Channel (1), Fear, Fearless, Not a Leader, Standard Bearer, Towering Presence, War Platform, Wizard Apprentice Height Large Forsworn Defensive HP Def Res Arm Type Infantry 180 pts + 60 pts/extra model 3–9 models 0–3 Units/Army Base 40×40 mm 5454 Aegis (5+)

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 6″ 12″ 8 Bodyguard (Doomlord), Path of the Exiled, Scoring Shrine Priest 14303

Defensive HP Def Res Arm Wretched One (2) 401Grind Attacks (D6+1), Harnessed 3441 Hell-Forged Armour Options pts One choice only: Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Ledger of Souls (see Special Items) 90 25414 Banner Enchantment no limit

Options pts Command Group Options pts Model Rules Spiked Shield 12/model Champion 20 Beacon of the Dark Gods: Universal Rule. Lose Path of the Exiled and Musician 20 Instead of selecting spells as normal, the Wizard must select one of the following spells during Spell Selection: gain Damnation* 25/model Standard Bearer 20 • Whispers of the Veil (Evocation) One choice only: Banner Enchantment no limit • The Grave Calls (Occultism) Paired Weapons 3/model • Hellfire (Hereditary Spell) Great Weapon 4/model d Halberd 5/model * 0–2 Units/Army and 0–6 Models/Unit

Optional Model Rules Damnation: Universal Rule. The unit cannot be joined by Characters, and it may never have more ranks than files. When the unit fails a Break Test, it does not Flee. Instead replace each model of the unit with a Wretched One model after step 8 of the Round of Combat Sequence (after taking Panic Tests): • The unit with Damnation is considered destroyed and its models are considered to be removed as casualties. • Each Wretched One model is placed in the same position and facing the same direction as the replaced model, even if the replaced model was in base contact with an enemy unit. In this case, the Wretched One model is placed in base contact with the enemy unit too. • The Wretched One models form a new unit. • The Wretched One unit follows the rules for Summoned Units, except that it ignores the Unit Spacing rule when placed on the board. d

AMR HS SI AO QRS 18 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Special 104 Warriors of the Dark Gods Special 105 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMR HS SI AO QRS 17 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Flayers Height Standard Warhounds Height Standard Type Cavalry Type Beast 140 pts + 22 pts/extra model 5–10 models 0–4 Units/Army Base 25×50 mm 100 pts + 10 pts/extra model 5–15 models 0–4 Units/Army Base 25×50 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Units of 8 or more models count towards Core instead of Special. 10″ 20″ 8 Battle Fever, Feigned Flight, Light Troops, Strider, Van- guard (6″) Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Defensive HP Def Res Arm 8″ 16″ 5 Insignificant, Release the Hounds 1431 Defensive HP Def Res Arm Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 1330 Flayer 14404 Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Shadow Chaser 13304Harnessed 13304 Options pts Optional Model Rules Shield 2/model Skinning Lash: Special Attack. Optional Model Rules One choice only: A unit with at least one model with Skinning Lash can Release the Hounds: Universal Rule. Bow (4+) 1/model make a Sweeping Attack against a single unengaged One use only. May be activated at the start of a friendly Player Turn (all models in a unit must activate this Throwing Weapons (5+) 2/model enemy unit when passing within 1″ (it does not need rule at the same time). The model gains +6″ March Rate and Devastating Charge (+1 Att, +1 Str) during this Skinning Lash* 5/model to and cannot move through or over that unit). The Player Turn. * 0–15 Models/Army enemy unit suffers 1 hit with Strength 4 and Armour d Penetration 0 for each model with Skinning Lash in Command Group Options pts the unit. A unit that loses one or more Health Points Champion 20 Height Large due to the Skinning Lash Sweeping Attack suffers −1 Chimera Musician 20 Type Beast Discipline until the end of its next Player Turn. 220 pts single model 0–3 Units/Army Base 50×100 mm

d

The model additionally counts towards Legendary Beasts when taking Wings. Barbarian Horsemen Height Standard Type Cavalry Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 130 pts + 25 pts/extra model 5–15 models 0–4 Units/Army Base 25×50 mm 8″ 20″ 8 Fear, Towering Presence

Defensive HP Def Res Arm Units of 8 or more models count towards Core instead of Special. 4353 Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 8″ 16″ 8 Battle Fever, Scoring 54524 Defensive HP Def Res Arm Options pts Optional Model Rules 1431 Heavy Armour Wings (0–2 Units/Army) 60 Wings: Universal Rule. Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi The model has its March Rate set to 16″ and gains Fly (8″, 16″) and Light Troops. Barbarian Horseman 14403 d Black Steed 13403Harnessed

Options pts Command Group Options pts Shield 2/model Champion 20 One choice only: Musician 20 Paired Weapons free Standard Bearer 20 Great Weapon 1/model Banner Enchantment no limit Light Lance 2/model

d

Special 106 Warriors of the Dark Gods Special 107 Warriors of the Dark Gods AMR HS SI AO QRS 19 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 20 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Feldraks Height Large Type Beast Legendary Beasts (Max. 35 %) 360 pts + 115 pts/extra model 3–6 models Base 50×75 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 8″ 16″ 8 Fear, Scoring Hellmaw Height Gigantic Type Construct Defensive HP Def Res Arm 280 pts single model 0–2 Units/Army Base 100×150 mm 4452 Unburnt, Light Armour Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 5″ 10″ 5 Fearless, Gateway, Supernal 34523Hatred (against Fly) Defensive HP Def Res Arm Options pts Command Group Options pts 5352 Aegis (5+) One choice only: Champion 20 Paired Weapons 9/model Musician 20 Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Halberd 12/model Standard Bearer 20 53521 Great Weapon 13/model Banner Enchantment no limit

d Options pts One choice only: One Ominous Gateway 50 Two Ominous Gateways 150

Model Rules Gateway: Universal Rule. At the end of each friendly Magic Phase, each Hellmaw may do one of the following: • Open a Gateway: Mark a single point on the Battlefield with a Gateway Marker. This point must be within Line of Sight and 24″ of the Hellmaw, and more than 6″ away from enemy units. There can never be more than 4 friendly Gateway Markers on the Battlefield (including Ominous Gateways). • Close a Gateway: Choose a friendly Gateway Marker with its centre within Line of Sight and 24″ of the Hellmaw. All units within 6″ of the centre of the marker suffer D6 hits with Toxic Attacks and Magical Attacks. Then remove the marker. If all friendly Hellmaws have been removed as casualties, immediately close all Gateways as described above. A friendly unit consisting entirely of non-Gigantic models that ends an Advance or March Move in contact with the centre of a friendly Gateway Marker may choose to enter the Gateway: remove the unit from the Battlefield. The unit: • Is then placed back on the Battlefield within 3″ of the centre of any other friendly Gateway Marker. No model can end up with its centre farther away than its March Rate from the centre of the chosen marker. • Must have the same formation, but may face any direction. • Must follow the Unit Spacing rule. • Suffers D6 + X hits with Toxic Attacks and Magical Attacks, where X is equal to the number of ranks in the unit. Hits distributed onto models with Hell-Forged Armour or Supernal automatically fail to wound. • Loses Scoring until its next Player Turn. Only a single unit may exit the same Gateway Marker in each Player Turn.

Optional Model Rules Ominous Gateway: Universal Rule. 0–2 per Army. During step 7 of the Pre-Game Sequence (Spell Selection), for each Ominous Gateway in your army, mark a point on the Battlefield with a Gateway Marker. This must be outside the opponent’s Deployment Zone. If both players have Ominous Gateways, the player that picked their Deployment Zone marks their Ominous Gateways first. d

Special 108 Warriors of the Dark Gods Legendary Beasts 109 Warriors of the Dark Gods

AMR HS SI AO QRS 21 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 22 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Forsaken One Height Gigantic Feldrak Elder Height Gigantic Type Beast Type Beast 390 pts single model 0–2 Units/Army Base 50×100 mm 460 pts single model 0–2 Units/Army Base 50×100 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 3D6″ - 5 Fearless, Irredeemable, Random Movement (3D6″), Un- 8″ 16″ 9 breakable Defensive HP Def Res Arm Defensive HP Def Res Arm 6563 Unburnt, Light Armour 6260 Fortitude (5+) Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 55633Hatred (against Fly) 621Grind Attacks (D6+3) Options pts

d One choice only: Great Weapon 30 Halberd 40 Paired Weapons 30 Height Gigantic Marauding Giant d Type Infantry 270 pts single model 0–3 Units/Army Base 50×75 mm

Global Adv Mar Dis Model Rules 7″ 14″ 8 Giant See, Giant Do

Defensive HP Def Res Arm 7351

Offensive Att Off Str AP Agi 53523Rage

Model Rules Options pts Giant See, Giant Do: Universal Rule. Big Brother 35 The model gains Battle Fever. One choice only: Rage: Attack Attribute – Close Combat. Giant Club 30 Whenever the model loses a Health Point, it gains Monstrous Familiar 55 +1 Attack Value. Whenever it gains a Health Point, it Tribal Warspear 65 suffers −1 Attack Value. Optional Model Rules Big Brother: Universal Rule. The model’s Health Points are set to 8, and its base size is changed to 75×100 mm. The roll for the number of hits from its Stomp Attacks is subject to Maximised Roll. Giant Club: Close Combat Weapon. Attacks with a Giant Club gain +1 Strength and +1 Armour Penetration. Monstrous Familiar: Universal Rule. The model gains Wizard Apprentice. Instead of selecting spells as normal, it must select one of the following spells (during Spell Selection): Glory of Gold (Alchemy), Breath of Corruption (Occultism), or Hellfire (Hereditary Spell). Tribal Warspear: Close Combat Weapon. Attacks with a Tribal Warspear gain +1 Strength and Multiple Wounds (D3, against Towering Presence). Charging enemy units in base contact with the wielder suffer −1 Agility. The wielder follows the rules for War Platforms with the following exception: it can only join Infantry units that include at least one R&F Barbarian Infantry model. d

AMRLegendary HS SI Beasts AO QRS 11023 WarriorsCh of theMo DarkCo GodsSp LB Legendary Beasts 111 Warriors of the Dark Gods

AMR HS SI AO QRS 24 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Quick Reference Sheet Core

Warriors Adv 4″ Mar 8″ Dis 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring Characters Standard, Infantry HP 1 Def 5 Res 4 Arm 0 Hell-Forged Armour, Spiked Shield Att 2 Off 5 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4

Exalted Herald Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 8 Fear, Fearless, Manifestation, Stubborn, Supernal, Wizard d

Adept Fallen Adv 6″ Mar 12″ Dis 8 Light Troops, Path of the Exiled Large, Infantry HP 5 Def 8 Res 5 Arm 3 Aegis (4+) Standard, Infantry HP 1 Def 2 Res 4 Arm 0 Hell-Forged Armour Att 6 Off 9 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 8 Att 2 Off 4 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4 Paired Weapons d d

Chosen Lord Adv 5″ Mar 10″ Dis 8 Path of the Favoured Barbarians Adv 4″ Mar 8″ Dis 8 Battle Fever, Scoring Standard, Infantry HP 3 Def 7 Res 5 Arm 0 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield Standard, Infantry HP 1 Def 4 Res 3 Arm 0 Light Armour Att 5 Off 8 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 7 Att 1 Off 4 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 d d

Doomlord Adv 6″ Mar 12″ Dis 8 Path of the Exiled Large, Infantry HP 4 Def 6 Res 5 Arm 1 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield Special Att 5 Off 7 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 5

d Warrior Knights Adv 8″ Mar 14″ Dis 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring

Sorcerer Adv 4″ Mar 8″ Dis 8 Fearless, Wizard Apprentice Standard, Cavalry HP 1 Def 5 Res 4 Arm 2 Hell-Forged Armour, Shield Standard, Infantry HP 3 Def 4 Res 4 Arm 0 Light Armour Warrior Rider Att 2 Off 5 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4 Att 2 Off 4 Str 3 AP 0 Agi 3 d Black Steed Att 1 Off 3 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Harnessed

Barbarian Chief Adv 4″ Mar 8″ Dis 8 Battle Fever d

Warrior Chariot Adv 8″ Mar 8″ Dis 8 Path of the Favoured, Swiftstride Standard, Infantry HP 3 Def 5 Res 4 Arm 0 Heavy Armour Large, Construct HP 4 Def 5 Res 5 Arm 1 Hell-Forged Armour Att 3 Off 5 Str 5 AP 1 Agi 5 Deeds not Words d Warrior Crew (2) Att 2 Off 5 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4 Halberd Feldrak Ancestor Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 9 Primal Legend Black Steed (2) Att 1 Off 3 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Harnessed Gigantic, Beast HP 8 Def 6 Res 6 Arm 3 Unburnt, Light Armour Chassis Str 5 AP 2 Agi Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate Att 6 Off 6 Str 7 AP 4 Agi 3 Breath Attack (Str 4, AP 1, Dying Embers, Flaming Attacks), d Hatred (against Fly) Chosen Adv 5″ Mar 10″ Dis 8 Path of the Favoured, Scoring d Standard, Infantry HP 2 Def 6 Res 4 Arm 0 Hell-Forged Armour, Spiked Shield Character Mounts Att 3 Off 6 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 5 Master of Battle d

Chosen Knights Adv 7″ Mar 14″ Dis 8 Fear, Path of the Favoured, Scoring

Black Steed Adv 8″ Mar 14″ Dis C Large, Cavalry HP 3 Def 6 Res 4 Arm 2 Hell-Forged Armour Standard, Cavalry HP C Def C Res C Arm C+2 Chosen Rider Att 3 Off 6 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 5 Halberd Att 1 Off 3 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Harnessed Karkadan Att 2 Off 3 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 2 Harnessed d d

Scythed Skywheel Adv C Mar C Dis C Fly (6″, 18″), Light Troops, Swiftstride, Tall Chosen Chariot Adv 7″ Mar 7″ Dis 8 Fear, Path of the Favoured, Swiftstride Standard, Construct HP C Def C Res C Arm C Cannot be Stomped, Hard Target (1) Large, Construct HP 5 Def 6 Res 5 Arm 2 Hell-Forged Armour Att - Off - Str 3 AP 0 Agi 3 Grind Attacks (D3+1), Harnessed Chosen Crew (2) Att 3 Off 6 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 5 Halberd d

Dark Chariot Adv 8″ Mar 8″ Dis C Swiftstride Karkadan Att 2 Off 3 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 2 Harnessed Large, Construct HP 4 Def C Res 5 Arm C+2 Chassis Str 5 AP 2 Agi Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate Black Steed (2) Att 1 Off 3 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Harnessed d Forsworn Adv 6″ Mar 12″ Dis 8 Bodyguard (Doomlord), Path of the Exiled, Scoring Chassis Str 5 AP 2 Agi Impact Hits (D6+1), Inanimate Large, Infantry HP 3 Def 4 Res 4 Arm 1 Hell-Forged Armour d

Battleshrine Adv 5″ Mar 10″ Dis C Beacon of the Dark Gods, Channel (1), Fear, Fearless, Standard Att 2 Off 5 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4 Bearer, Towering Presence, War Platform d

Wretched One Adv 3D6″ Mar - Dis 5 Fearless, Irredeemable, Random Movement (3D6″), Unbreak- Large, Construct HP 5 Def C Res 5 Arm C+1 Aegis (5+) able Att - Off - Str 4 AP 0 Agi 1 Grind Attacks (D6+1), Harnessed Large, Infantry HP 3 Def 2 Res 4 Arm 0 Fortitude (5+) d

War Dais Adv C Mar C Dis C Tall, Throne of Eminence Att - Off - Str 4 AP 0 Agi 1 Grind Attacks (D6+1) Standard, Infantry HP 4 Def C Res C Arm C+2 Cannot be Stomped d

Battleshrine Adv 5″ Mar 10″ Dis 8 Beacon of the Dark Gods, Channel (1), Fear, Fearless, Not a Att 4 Off 5 Str 4 AP 1 Agi 4 Harnessed Leader, Standard Bearer, Towering Presence, War Platform, d Wizard Apprentice Karkadan Adv 7″ Mar 14″ Dis C Fear Large, Cavalry HP C Def C Res C Arm C+2 Large, Construct HP 5 Def 4 Res 5 Arm 4 Aegis (5+) Att 2 Off 3 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 2 Harnessed Shrine Priest Att 1 Off 4 Str 3 AP 0 Agi 3 d Wretched One (2) Att - Off - Str 4 AP 0 Agi 1 Grind Attacks (D6+1), Harnessed

Wasteland Dragon Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis C Fly (6″, 12″), Light Troops d

Gigantic, Beast HP 6 Def 5 Res 6 Arm 4 Flayers Adv 10″ Mar 20″ Dis 8 Battle Fever, Feigned Flight, Light Troops, Strider, Vanguard (6″) Att 5 Off 5 Str 6 AP 3 Agi 3 Breath Attack (Str 4, AP 1, Flaming Attacks), Harnessed Standard, Cavalry HP 1 Def 4 Res 3 Arm 1 d Flayer Att 1 Off 4 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 4 Shadow Chaser Adv 10″ Mar 20″ Dis C Light Troops, Strider, Vanguard (6″) Standard, Cavalry HP C Def C Res C Arm C+1 Shadow Chaser Att 1 Off 3 Str 3 AP 0 Agi 4 Harnessed d

Att 1 Off 3 Str 3 AP 0 Agi 4 Harnessed Barbarian Horsemen Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 8 Battle Fever, Scoring d Standard, Cavalry HP 1 Def 4 Res 3 Arm 1 Heavy Armour Chimera Adv 8″ Mar 20″ Dis C Fear, Towering Presence Large, Cavalry HP 4 Def C Res 5 Arm C Barbarian Horseman Att 1 Off 4 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Att 5 Off 4 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 4 Harnessed Black Steed Att 1 Off 3 Str 4 AP 0 Agi 3 Harnessed d d

Warhounds Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 5 Insignificant, Release the Hounds Wasteland Behemoth Adv 7″ Mar 14″ Dis C Gigantic, Beast HP 7 Def 3 Res 6 Arm 4 Standard, Beast HP 1 Def 3 Res 3 Arm 0 Att 6 Off 3 Str 6 AP 3 Agi 3 Harnessed Att 1 Off 3 Str 3 AP 0 Agi 4 d d

Quick Reference 112 Warriors of the Dark Gods Quick Reference 113 Warriors of the Dark Gods

AMR HS SI AO QRS 25 Ch Mo Co Sp LB

AMR HS SI AO QRS 26 Ch Mo Co Sp LB Chimera Adv 8″ Mar 20″ Dis 8 Fear, Towering Presence Large, Beast HP 4 Def 3 Res 5 Arm 3 Att 5 Off 4 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 4 d

Feldraks Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 8 Fear, Scoring Large, Beast HP 4 Def 4 Res 5 Arm 2 Unburnt, Light Armour Att 3 Off 4 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 3 Hatred (against Fly) d Legendary Beasts

Hellmaw Adv 5″ Mar 10″ Dis 5 Fearless, Gateway, Supernal Gigantic, Construct HP 5 Def 3 Res 5 Arm 2 Aegis (5+) Att 5 Off 3 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 1 d

Forsaken One Adv 3D6″ Mar - Dis 5 Fearless, Irredeemable, Random Movement (3D6″), Unbreak- able Gigantic, Beast HP 6 Def 2 Res 6 Arm 0 Fortitude (5+) Att - Off - Str 6 AP 2 Agi 1 Grind Attacks (D6+3) d

Marauding Giant Adv 7″ Mar 14″ Dis 8 Giant See, Giant Do Gigantic, Infantry HP 7 Def 3 Res 5 Arm 1 Att 5 Off 3 Str 5 AP 2 Agi 3 Rage d

Feldrak Elder Adv 8″ Mar 16″ Dis 9 Gigantic, Beast HP 6 Def 5 Res 6 Arm 3 Unburnt, Light Armour Att 5 Off 5 Str 6 AP 3 Agi 3 Hatred (against Fly) d Shooting Weapons

Name Aim Shooting Model Bow 4+ Flayer Throwing Weapons 4+ Barbarian Chief 5+ Barbarian, Flayer

Favours of the Dark Gods

This is only a short summary. Check the corresponding chapter above for the complete rules.

Envy Model part gains Devastating Charge (+1 AP). Maximised Roll for Charge Range for units with Attack Attribute – Close Combat majority of models with this Favour. Gluttony Model part gains +1 Strength with Close Combat Attacks for the rest of the game the first time Attack Attribute – Close Combat it Charges a Fleeing unit or wins a combat and doesn’t Pursue or Overrun. Greed Bearer gains Great Weapon, Halberd, Paired Weapons, and Weapon Master. +50 pts Special Universal Rule Item allowance. Lust Model gains Feigned Flight and Strider. Units with majority of models with this Favour may Universal Rule declare Flee even if Fearless, and then Rally with Minimised Roll the next turn. Pride Minimised Roll for Discipline Tests. Universal Rule Sloth Model gains +1 Resilience, unless it declares a 10+″ Charge or March Moves for 10+″ (lost for Universal Rule a Player Turn). Wrath Model part gains Lightning Reflexes and +1 Agility. Enemies gain +1 to hit the model. Effects Attack Attribute – Close Combat apply only in the First Round of Combat.

Quick Reference 114 Warriors of the Dark Gods Quick Reference 115 Warriors of the Dark Gods

AMR HS SI AO QRS 27 Ch Mo Co Sp LB I hope this message reaches you. All that can be done to defend the EPILOGUE Motherland must be done. The horde that assails us now is at least twice the size of Šiva's. I pray you are successful and the gods are with you. I pray I will be reunited with my boy, Lukas. I pra

Your Excellency, I am writing this as swiftly as I can, expecting this to be my last Your Excellency? missive. The enemy is at our gates. Totváros will fall before the day It seems poor Ilarion was a little slow completing his little letter. All his hopes is out. I have failed in my duty, and I hold little hope that I will rest and prayers scratched on such a small piece of parchment. Still, a dying man in the halls of our ancestors. should have his last wish. His blood will serve to complete his work. He is correct that our forces are mighty. Enough to make any nation tremble. After the Battle of the Volsk, we believed the threat was broken. But the old man is wrong to fret about his beloved Volskaya, which loved him That it would take decades for a leader of Šiva's stature to rise again. so much it sent him to the wilderness and the grave. It was accepted that we had plenty of time to rebuild our defences and A man's ambitions should match his talents. Ilarion's permitted him to rule prepare for future assaults. this pitiful steading. Poor Šiva had dreams of proving wrong all those fops in Volskaya who disregarded her for her gender. But my dreams are not so petty.- We reckoned without two vital components. First, while Šiva's name Volskagrad will fall before us, as all paltry cities must. But the jewel of hu may never again pass a Warrior's lips, her failure resigning her to the manity, that is a prize worth fighting for. One city needs fear my coming above oblivion of history, her deeds proved a spectacular rallying cry. There, all others - Avras, bastion of the Ninth Age. the second element came into play. That cobalt-skinned sorcerer: he Perhaps we will meet in person on my journey. I look forward to that. In the spread the tale far and wide, repeating how close Volskagrad had come meantime, Ilarion says farewell. At least, I think that's what he says, I'm to disaster. He made that story of failure and defeat into a fable of afraid he's not in much condition for conversation. glorious victory partially achieved, a ripe pear waiting to be plucked for In the name of the father, those brave enough to grasp it. - From across the Wasteland and beyond they have come. Warri SorcererLukas of Yanovichthe Dark Gods ors by the hundred. Barbarians beyond my counting. Monsters and mounts, chariots and chimeras, feldraks and Forsworn; they flooded the plains and now encircle my town. And in the skies above, a sign of- the favour of this host: an Exalted Herald, emissary of their Fa ther. Even now I hear the battering upon our gates, a languid effort - a fight they have already won.

Epilogue 116 Warriors of the Dark Gods Epilogue 117 Warriors of the Dark Gods Behind its high walls, civilisation believes itself safe. Law, morality, order – these are its shields. But from places of power and even within their very borders, a threat grows. Come to tear down those walls, to break chains and destroy the very foundations of order: tremble before the Warriors of the Dark Gods!

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