Endhammer

Endhammer

Endhammer (also known as “AU9” or “9th Edition AU”) is a community-driven project to create a campaign setting for Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Mordheim, and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay in the wake of the End Times. It is also an experiment to see how easily /tg/ can come up with a better story than Games Workshop.

With the aim of demonstrating that the plot can be “moved forward” without squatting the entire setting, Endhammer provides a broken and divided Warhammer Fantasy world, where brother fights brother, maps are redrawn, and the lizards didn't fuck off to space. In doing so, parts of The End Times are retconned and Age of Sigmar is entirely scrapped. The world isn't dead, but it's also not in good shape.

What's Different?

Three major points of divergence are responsible for the "Endhammer" setting:

Thanquol, realizing that Screech Verminking and Archaon were getting all of the glory and credit for ending the world, decided to do his thing and cock it all up. With lots of warpdust. He annihilates a good third of the Hordes of Chaos after inhaling what some ratmen reported to be a slave's weight in warp snuff. At the moment, he's fled towards Khuresh with Clan Eshin assassins on his tail.

In general, the Underempire's attack was not as successful, and some humans survived in Estalia, Tilea, Araby, and Bretonnia. In fact, Bretonnia's doing pretty well.

Valten doesn't die via Verminlord killsteal. Instead, he and Archaon take each other out at the First Battle of Middenheim. After tanking a warpstone bullet from Brunner the Bountyhunter (who, let's be honest, was the real hero of the story), Archaon and Valten went toe to toe. The fight goes as it did in the End Times, but some Butterfly Effect bullshit causes the Verminlord's glaive to miss Valten and stun the Slayer of Kings instead. Ghal Maraz once more proves itself the bane of the Everchosen, and the armies of Chaos are scattered, but the Herald of Sigmar dies in the process.

The Setting

Set ten years after the End Times, the world of "Endhammer" is still a broken and bloody place. Archaon may be dead, but the largest Chaos invasion the world had ever seen still occurred. The apocalypse was only averted at the final hour. Lustria remains a cratered mess. The Empire is burning and survivors squabble over the ashes. Refugees strike out to establish new nations and colonies, leaving their shattered homelands behind. And unto this, Grimgor, destined to bear the jeweled crown of Cathay upon a troubled brow...

Beastmen

• Beastmen are the principle inheritors of the eastern Empire. After Archaon's hordes burned and killed their way to Altdorf and Middenheim, the massive herds moved in to pick up the spoils. Now, they hunt down errant survivors in the deep forests of Hochland and Talabecland and dance in the ruins of Bechafen and Wolfenburg. Yet, they are wary of a new power gathering in northern Ostland.
• With Kharazk the One Eye and Malagor the Dark Omen both dead, new chieftans are rising among the disparate herds of Beastmen.
• In far-flung Ind, Arbaal the Undefeated personally took the heads of the thousand living gods. The human kingdoms were shattered and exotic beastmen of all kinds poured from the jungles. A kingdom of beasts is growing in the subcontinent, led by the engimatic "Raj," a man with a tiger's head. The mutated rule and pure-born humans work as slaves.

Bretonnia

• Fair Bretonnia has fared far better than its eastern neighbor, as the Empire took the brunt of Archaon's invasion.
• This doesn't mean the situation is good. The north is covered in Norscan raiders, and Mousillon is becoming a petty kingdom of ghouls. The Civil War and the subsequent Battle of Altdorf have devastated the kingdom's population and robbed it of much of its knightly class.
• Gilles le Breton has returned to Bretonnia as its King to right the ship in this anarchic world.
• Gilles le Breton has kept the Lady of the Lake's manipulations a secret. Better his knights think they continue to serve a benevolent deity rather than a scheming elf-goddess.
• With much of Bretonnia's knightly class lying dead at Altdorf or in Moursillon, leaders among the peasantry have been knighted by the country's new God-King. While this has upset the reigning, Bretonnian aristocracy, too many of them are dead to do much more than complain.
• Errantry Wars were called to reclaim Tilea and Estalia from the Skaven hordes to much success.
• Men who had been petty hedge knights or peasant sergeants in Bretonnia now rule as Crusader Lords in Estalian and Tilean cities like Bilbali, Tobaro, Pavona, and Miragliano, much to the chagrin of the refugee locals.

Dwarfs

• Ungrim Ironfist is once again denied the opportunity to fulfill his slayer oath as he is pulled between his twin duties of dying in battle and leading his people. With Thorgrim Grudgebearer dead by a cowardly Skaven's blade, and other leaders such as Thorek and Belegar having similarly kicked the bucket, Ungrim is de facto leader of the surviving Dwarfs.
• An exodus from the World's Edge Mountains occurred as the last holds were sundered. Dwarfs joined the host of Ungrim Ironfist making its way through the Empire, first to break the siege of Averheim, then to recover Nuln, and finally to find safety in Karak Norn, one the last surviving holds in the Grey Mountains.
• Many Dwarfs complain, either because the Grey Mountains are incredibly poor in resources compared to the World's Edge (“What? You're mining tin?!”) or because they are Grey Mountain natives resentful of their insulting kinsmen (“Tin is used in many things! Such as cups! And pans!”)
• While no High King has been elected, Dwarfs naturally look to Ungrim Ironfist for guidance. A council of the surviving thanes is called to determine which of their holds should be recovered first: Karak Eight Peaks or the Everpeak. The Grey Mountain Dwarfs say they're quite happy where they are, thank you very much.

Elves

• I will admit, we need more input for these guys. Not an Elf-player.
• Malekith is the Phoenix King, ushering in a new era of greatness or terror for elfkind.
• Tyrion and those High Elves unwilling to serve the Witch King leave Malekith's court and declare everlasting hostility towards him and their turncoat brethren.
• A prince is born to Alarielle and the new Phoenix King.
• Teclis remains with Malekith, wondering if his machinations to put the Witch King on the throne were worth it. For now, he hopes to groom the new prince of elfkind to be nothing like his father.
• Two factions arise among Malekith's council in Athel Loren. They debate how elfkind should move forward. Some urge the Phoenix King to return to the cold, chaos-overrun ruins of Naggaroth, as the heirs of Asuryan need a home. Others would prefer they return to their old colonies in Tilea and Estalia, the humans in the way notwithstanding. With Ariel and Orion getting pretty pissy, Malekith needs to make a decision fast.
• Meanwhile, remnants of the Aestyrion and Morathi's loyalists plot against the Witch King and scheming Teclis.
• Ulthuan has been destroyed. The region it once occupied is now an expanse of ocean broken by a few rocky islands. Sailors claim that strange and chaotic events occur in the "Ulthuan Circle."

The Empire

• Sigmar's Empire is in shambles after Archaon's nearly successful conquest of the world. Ostland, Ostermark, Talabecland, and Hochland are blighted wastes, infested with beastmen and fouler things. Pockets of defenders persist in isolated forts and outposts, surviving by strength of arms and a healthy helping of luck.
• Altdorf, Jewel of the Empire, is a broken ruin and Talabheim Crater remains a lake of pus.
• Middenheim was spared when Archaon fell. Averheim was rescued by the one-two punch of a treacherous Thanquol and the host of Ungrim Ironfist. Nuln is reclaimed and Emmanuelle von Liebewitz returned to her palace.
• The sons of great men squabble over the ashes of the Empire. Heinrich Todbringer, the bastard son of the late Elector-Count of Middenheim, is legitimized by Ar-Ulric's decree and given the seat of Middenland. Ruling from Carroburg, Karl-Franz's son, Luitpold II, takes the seat of Reikland. Both assume they will be Emperor.
• Luthor Huss has been elected Grand Theogonist. It helps that most of Sigmar's clergy were killed in the fall of Altdorf. Being the only significant leader left to the church, and wrapping a conspicuous scarf around his neck, the radical priest is throwing his support behind Luitpold, not wanting some northern pagan like Todbringer to take the imperial throne.
• Balthasar Gelt, persona non grata in most of the Empire after his necromantic shenanigans were discovered, has secreted himself in the Court of Emmanuelle von Liebewitz, Elector-Countess of Nuln. Gelt wonders why the Empire should even be allowed to elect a leader? Why not assure the Emperor is someone with true ability and vision; someone like the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic?
• In Ostland, a mysterious Norscan has set himself up as Earl of Salkalten. Both errant raiders from the Everchosen's horde and what few survivors remain in Ostland flock to his banner as he cuts down the wicked beasts that prowl the eastern forests of the Empire and offers protection to those who will serve him. He and his huscarls cast aside the Dark Gods after witnessing Archaon's fall at Middenheim, and wonder which southern deity grants such power to the weaklings of the Empire. In addition, he seems to have a penchant for killing the living dead...

Estalia

• Most of Estalia got royally fucked by the Skaven invasion. Now, Bretonnians rule much of the eastern and northern parts of the peninsula.
• One bright light was Magritta, where the priestesses and guardians of the Temple of Myrmidia, Warrior-Goddess of Strategy, led the defense of the city. Being the gathering point of all of Estalia's surviving warriors, it presented the Skaven with the cream of the peninsula's crop.
• Magritta is now the only major, Estalian city still in the hands of Estalians. And they are ever more dedicated to their warlike goddess, who they see as responsible for saving their people from the rats. Like Tilea, the rest of the cities are in the hands of up-jumped, Bretonnian knights.
• Bloody priestesses of Myrmidia now roam the countryside, burning out Skaven and enforcing the goddess's will.
• Many disenfranchised Estalians are boarding ships and making way for Lustria, establishing colonies in the cratered archipelagos that once made up the southern continent. Great deposits of warpstone or “green gold” are making returning conquistadores rich, especially with so few lizards left to stop them.

Kislev

• Kislev was conquered when the End Times began, but the Tzarina Katerina, the Winter Queen, refused to give up. She leads a guerrilla resistance against the remaining forces of Chaos who despoil her country.
• Joining her is Valmir von Raukov, Elector-Count of Ostland who was trapped on the wrong side of the Auric Bastion when it fell, having led the defense of Erengrad. He knows little of what has happened to his province in the mean time, but Katerina promises him Praag if they ever prove victorious.
• Throgg's dreams of an intelligent troll race ruling over Kislev went up in smoke when a particular slayer got into the mix. Kurgans and Hung control the steppe-lands instead. Well, them and Chaos Spawn.

Lizardmen

• They didn't go to space.
• Instead, the flying pyramids of the Lizardmen landed in the northern jungles of the Southlands, joining Zlatlan and flattening trees and wildlife for miles (in addition to a Savage Orc Waaagh!).
• With their greatest Slann Mage Priests dead and their home a warpstone-cratered mess, the Lizardmen are trying desperately to recuperate. Tetto'eko works furiously as de facto leader, despite his extremely old age for a Skink.
• Kroq'Gar, still bitter over the loss of Grymloq, sets his eyes on the Skaven-infested ruins of Araby and a Khemri now lorded over by a Chaos-touched Settra.

Ogre Kingdoms

• This is another faction where the setting could use some help.
• Greasus Goldtooth gets his face krumped by Grimgor Ironhide, throwing the ogres into disarray, even as the world is cracking apart and falling around them.
• In order to cope, the ogre begin an eating contest (that is, eating each other) to determine who will be their next king.
• Golgfag, the obvious favorite, is too busy bumming around Ind to participate.

Orcs & Goblins

• As in the End Times, Grimgor's Waaagh! conquered its way across the Dark Lands, into Cathay, and took the Great Bastion from the Chaos Dwarfs that had conquered it from the puny humies of the east.
• Rather than being teleported to the Empire in skubtastic fashion by Teclis, Grimgor and his boyz realize that Cathay is something of a paradise. The massive populations of the east result in almost endless streams of men on which the greenskins can blunt their choppas. And the Dragon-Emperor, having retreated to the rice paddies of the south, doesn't disappoint.
• Grimgor is Warhammer's Kublai Khan, setting up shop in the Dragon-Emperor's Summer Palace in northern Cathay, cutting down wave after wave of weak, Cathayan soldiers with one hand. An abortive invasion of Nippon was ended by sabotage from Clan Eshin sinking most of his ships and many of his boyz.
• But Grimgor's getting bored of Cathayan blood and he's setting his sights back west.

Skaven

• Disappointed in the Council of Thirteen's failure, the Horned Rat annihilated Skavenblight in a very Skaven-like huff. The surviving clans (sans Pestilens, which is recovering after the “moonshot”), are now fighting over who will make up the new Council of Thirteen.
• They are also squabbling over where to locate the “new” Skavenblight, and the plagued depths of the Slayer Keep have never seemed so homey.
• Knowledge of the Skaven is now commonplace in the Empire, but it hasn't amounted to anything productive. It has only made already paranoid villagers even more suspicious, seeing rat-things around every corner.

Tilea

• Trantio, Pavona, Tobaro and Verezzo fell in the initial Skaven attacks. All except Trantio are now ruled by Bretonnian lords.
• Remas is now ruled by an iron-fisted Ricco and his “Republican” Guard. The Marksmen of Miragliano serve him as roof-top sentries and hunters for errant ratmen.
• Lorenzo Lupo and Leopold of the Leopard Company died in the final battles for Tilea. With the scions of the Leopard twins dead, Luccini elected Roderigo Delmonte as its new prince. He rules as a benevolent ruler, and the Alcatani Fellows finally live like kings.
• The northern Tileans, refugees from the Skaven, return to find that Bretonnian crusaders have claimed their farms and palaces. The Tileans have three choices: fight for what is theirs, submit to their new overlords, or abandon their country for the west, following Pirazzo and his Lost Legion to steaming Lustria.

Tomb Kings

• Not getting a lot from TK-players either.
• Nagash underestimated the result of eating and taking the position of a god that oversaw a fundamental part of reality like Usirian/Morr(makes Nagash seem incompetent, consider revision). Nagash's corporeal form dissipated and he is now bound to the Underworld as a particularly pissed off Hades, hoping that his buttboys Mannfred and Arkhan figure out a way to get him out of this job of 'overseeing the dead' (or at least bring him a Persephone to keep him company).
• Settra has considered splints to make it physically impossible for him to kneel. Chaos-touched though he may be, he does not serve the Four. Settra only serves himself. And right now, he's wondering what the hell to do with all the reptiles who moved in next-door, and whether now isn't a nice time to take all the territory that his descendants allowed barbarians to conquer all those thousands of years ago. He's awake and active and not about to sleep any time soon.

Vampire Counts

• Vlad and Isabella never died and the End Times were averted! How lovely! So, now we've got a Vampiric power-couple wondering why Vlad doesn't put his hat in for Emperor. Again.
• Mannfred, that fucking weasel, realizes he's probably not going to be welcome at daddy's castle any time soon. He and Arkhan fuck off to find out what the hell happened to Nagash.
• Abhorash, having reached an accord with Gilles le Breton, has returned to the Blood Keep to meditate and see if he can't find any more dragons to drink.
• Ghouls continue to gather at Mousillon, loyal to a new king – no, not the Red Duke, but Ushoran, progenitor of the Strigoi. Even as Bretonnia expands into Tilea and Estalia, a darker threat awaits in the Haunted City.

Warriors of Chaos

• To be decided.
• Arbaal the Undefeated killed the living gods of Ind and took their skulls for Khorne.
• Kurgan warlords now roam the steppes of Kislev and feast in the Winter Palace. Troll Country has expanded to encompass much of the Empire's eastern neighbor.
• With the Great Bastion sundered, the Hung harass the Orcs in northern Cathay. Unfortunately, they find much less success against the greenskins than they did against the forces of the Dragon Emperor.
• Many Norscans return to Norsca with spoils from the Empire. While the trade routes with Marienburg are now defunct, many warlords will find themselves temporarily wealthy due to Imperial gold and silver.
• But most of the examples above imply that there's bands of 'em running all over the world in a disorganized mess smashin' shit.

Geography

• Lustria: The fall of Morrslieb broke Lustria into a series of archipelagos. Water has flooded in to cover the abandoned Temple Cities and cool the warpstone meteors that shattered its surface. There are very few survivors. However, an Age of Exploration has begun as refugees flee the burned and bloodied Old World, looking to make new lives for themselves in the remnants of Lustria, establishing colonies and engaging in dangerous recovery operations for Lizardman artifacts and the ever-valuable “green gold.” Myrmidian missionaries try to convert the surviving Amazons of Anaconda as Estalians and Tileans establish the first of the colonies, followed quickly by a party of Hochlanders and Talabeclanders putting their foresting skills to use.
• Naggaroth: Overwhelmed by Chaos and its cities put to fire by their own residents prior to the Dark Elf exodus.
• Ulthuan: A continent lost beneath the ocean.
• Albion: Flooded and broken by the fall of Morrslieb. Old mountain-tops and highlands now make up island chains: the remnants of the mystic isle.
• The Southlands: Not nearly as injured by the Skaven moonshot as Lustria, though the southern tip was broken to pieces. It is now full to the bursting with Saurian refugees from its western counterpart.
• The Badlands: What few Strigany remained are making the pilgrimage to Moursillon, happy for the chaos of this post-End Times world as many leaders are too distracted to pay attention to their usual punching bags.
• Araby: Few of the Arabyan cities survived, but Al Muktar's trek into the desert ended with his return to Copher at the head of a small army of refugees, ready to rebuild their culture.
• World's Edge Mountains: Most of the Dwarf holds were collapsed, flooded, or lost during the End Times. The World's Edge Mountains are now the lonely home to a few greenskins and Skaven.
• The Dark Lands: The land of the Chaos Dwarfs and Hobgoblins has been thrown into anarchy by Grimgor's rampage.
• Mountains of Mourn: Thoroughly wounded by volcanic eruption, the Ogre homeland is now a volatile place, where the ground could open and consume a platoon without warning, or else belch out sulfurous fumes that would fell an Indish elephant.
• Ind: The thousand gods of Ind were culled by the Undefeated. Now, Beastmen play at kings in their place, enslaving what few humans remain.
• Cathay: Split between an Orc-held north and a southern half loyal to the Dragon-Emperor. If not for Grimgor Ironhide, all of Cathay would have been enslaved or put to the sword by the forces of Chaos. Otherwise, its territory is intact.
• Nippon: Nippon and the Dragon Isles survived the fall of Morrslieb unscathed. This is not to say the humans of Nippon were spared by Clan Eshin.

Would You Like to Know More?

There are some factions which have had considerably more contributed to their stories than others. As we get more information, this is likely to balance out. The above is shorthand. What you'll read below is for those who really want to get into the fluff.

What's the Deal with the Empire?

With the Everchosen dead and the Empire saved, Sigmar's spirit left Karl-Franz's body at Averheim. The Emperor seemed to age half a century in a day, his anatomy burned out by housing a god. The greatest Emperor since Magnus the Pious died bedridden and infirm in the moment of the Empire's triumph, leaving it leaderless and divided. Boris Todbringer, the next logical leader of the Empire and Karl-Franz's only rival during his election... died after completing his mad quest to kill Khazrak the One-Eye. His only acknowledged bastard, Heinrich Todbringer, was quickly legitimized by Ar-Ulric and (lest some weak, southern Sigmarite become the new Elector-Count of Middenland).

Who is Heinrich Todbringer? Champion rider. Warrior extraordinaire. Dark of hair and broad of shoulder, and already father to numerous bastards of his own. He is exactly the kind of leader Middeland needs in the anarchy of "Endhammer." He is also a cruelly efficient man, and all of his half-brothers have been assassinated since he took the throne of Middenland. Even now, he leads sortes out into the Drakwald to clear out what remains of Archaon's horde (and engage in the futile effort of recovering his father's remains). After promising Theoderic Gausser the ruined city of Marienburg, Nordland swore to support him in his bid for Emperor. Even now, Gausser capers madly in the ruined manors of Marienburg, wearing a mask filled with mint and other “protective herbs.” The Glottkin's plague made sure there are no more Marienburgers to make good on their promise to behead him. In addition, Heinrich has sent messengers to the Norscan of Salkalten, wondering if he can't win himself another supporter by offering him the Electorate of Ostland.

Todbringer's rival is Luitpold Holswig-Schliestein II (A.K.A. “Karl's Jr.”). He rules the remnants of Reikland with the support of Grand Theogonist Luthor Huss. The surviving Reiksguard have also sworn for Luitpold, and while Stirland is considering its options, they appear to be in the Sigmarite camp. Luitpold is not a ruthless warrior like Heinrich, having learned far more from his father's role as a statesman. The makeshift palace at Carroburg is abuzz with messengers and diplomats, looking for support in Wissenland, Averland, and even far-flung Bretonnia.

Balthasar Gelt thinks both of these young men are fools. He finds the entire Electoral system foolish. After all, if you wanted a bloody republic, why limit the candidates to a group of inbred, overly suspicious Elector-Counts? He hides in the court of Emmanuelle von Liebewitz, living by her good graces and his continues supply of zombie sentries for the vulnerable Nuln sewer system. Feelers are being sent out to his colleagues and former pupils in the magical community. Why let these noblemen decide who leads the Empire? A man like Karl-Franz or Magnus the Pious comes once every half-millenium. Far better if the Emperor was the best man for the job, and not just the man with the deepest pockets or biggest army. And who could claim to be more skilled or more intelligent than Balthasar Gelt?

Meanwhile, Stirland, Averland, and Wissenland are full to bursting with refugees from the east. Kislevites and Hochlanders mix with halflings of the Moot. Realizing they can never return home, some turn to the western horizon, looking for new opportunity.

The authorities of the Empire once tried to conceal the existence of Skaven from the public, but that is now impossible. The terrified survivors perceive Skaven schemes everywhere. Political agitators accuse their opponents of working with them. Peasants sometimes accuse people with buckteeth or large ears of being Skaven in disguise. Corrupt politicians blame all the shortcomings of their regimes on "Skaven saboteurs". Posters are pasted around cities by religious orders warning the public not to fall into vice, as this is "just what the corrupting ratmen want them to do". A paranoid "Rat Scare" has gripped the Empire.

Tilea During the End Times

Of the fallen cities... Lucrezzia Belladona took poison as Pavona fell around her, and most of the city's nobility died, starving in their tall spires while listening to the screams of the peasantry in the streets below. Marco Colombo, Prince of Trantio, raided his hordes of Lustrian artifacts as Stormvermin battered down the doors of his palace, looking for something that would save him (and his city, of course). No one knows what he found, but the Prince's palace exploded in a flash of brilliant light that scattered Lizardman gold and jade across the ruined city. Positioned so close to Skavenblight, Tobaro's defenders were taken by surprise. The Birdmen of Catrazza were killed before they could leave the ground and Vespero's Vendetta was last seen retreating into the Temple of Morr. Verezzo's colorful political parties were unable to agree on the manner in which they would respond to the Skaven attack and died debating whether they should hire Braganza's Besiegers or flee the city.

And of the cities that survived... The Republic of Remas got its shit together and came up with a unique decision: abolishing itself. With “Ragged” Ricco elected as dictator, the Republican Guard and the Marksmen of Miragliano blunted the nose of the Skaven invasion. Realizing the city was too tough of a nut to crack, the ratmen put it to siege and moved on to Luccini. Lorenzo Lupo and the princes of southern Tilea, dressed in the best armor that money could buy, met the Skaven in the hills around Luccini. Having seen the Skaven's failure to take Remas, Lupo knew it was his time to shine and take the battle to the rats as the Champion of Tilea. He died, wishing he'd never fired Golgfag and his Maneaters. With Lupo dead, Leopold and the Leopard Company were invited back to the city. The Temple of the Leopard empties its treasury, fattened by years of donations, bought the services of Pirazzo's Lost Legion, Braganza's Besiegers, and Bronzino's Galloper Guns. Roderigo Delmonte and the Alcatani Fellowship volunteered to defend the last bastion of Tilea after shepherding the population of the countryside into the city walls. Even Asarnil the Dragonlord was in attendance, his pride not letting him ignore a battle joined by all of the most famous mercenaries of the Old World.

The Plain of Luccini had never been so colorful as mercenary companies and regiments of renown, paid at triple their going rates, prepared to die as heroes. Leopold, the newly elected Prince of Luccini, directed the battle from a hill behind the Tilean forces. Again and again, the Skaven hordes threw themselves against the pike walls, steadily battering down the Dogs of War and pushing them to the coast, making room for a column to strike for Luccini. Roderigo Delmonte and the Alcatani Fellowship led a fighting retreat towards the city, buying time for the population to board ships and flee into the sea while the Besiegers, the Leopard Company, and the Lost Legion died on the beach. Asarnil the Dragonlord was last seen fighting beside with his broken lance next to his felled, jezzail-riddled dragon. Ships came into view over the horizon, and explosive cannon fire surprised and shattered the Skaven horde. The pirates of Sartosa had come to the aid of their old rival. They still claim there is no truth to the rumors that Long Drong promised to skin them all alive if they didn't give them the opportunity for a proper doom. Leopold's gambit to steer the Skaven towards the coast had paid off. It was a pity he died in the process.

Beastmen? Important? What?

The Beastmen have come into their own in the broken world left by the End Times. Across the eastern half of the Empire, mighty herds roam over ruined cities and blighted countrysides, having finally conquered the civilization that scorned and hated them. Even now, as Heinrich, Luitpold, and Balthasar Gelt scheme for the Imperial throne and worry about the walking dead of Sylvania, the mighty herds remain on their mind. However, it is not in the Empire where the Beastmen are truly triumphant. In far-off Ind, a Kingdom of Beasts has arisen under the direction of the ruthless and mysterious Raj Bhagha. The tiger-headed king of the sub-continent took the throne of Ayodhya, the relic city, after God-King Darahma was killed by Arbaal the Undefeated. The great Khornite champion left Ind in ruins, letting the beasts of the jungle enjoy the spoils. Raj Bhagha has established a perverse hierarchy of classes into which all of his citizens fall. The untainted humans; the lowest of the low, work as servants and slaves, tilling fields and sweeping the streets before their bestial masters. Those Beastmen that resemble service creatures, such as goats and pigs and horses, are the bulk of the Raja's infantry and make up the land-owning class, overseeing their human slave labor. Twisted and feathered beastmen resembling birds and serpents make up the priestly class, devoted to divining the future and overseeing the proper sacrifices to the new gods of Ind. At the top of Bhagha's caste system are the mighty predators of Ind's jungles: panthers, leopards, and of course, tigers, making up the warrior class of the Indish Animal Kingdom.

Raj Bhagha is not stupid like many of his fellow Beastmen. Already, he has sent emissaries to faraway kingdoms, offering trade and access to the untouched resources of Ind. But the Beastman King is arrogant and prone to violence. It is well-known in Cathay that one should always send two dignitaries to Ind: one to parley with Bhagha, and the other to serve as his meal. The mighty Raj Bhagha of Ind looks down on humanity as little more than work-horses for his kingdom, possessing all of the failings of animals, but none of their talents and filling none of their niches. No claws or hooves or sharp teeth. Good for little other than slave-labor and the occasional snack. Those human babes which show signs of stigmata are taken from their families to be raised as mutants among their fellow beastmen.

Leaders in the Empire, Bretonnia, and Tilea are unsure what to do about the new King of Ind. On the one hand, his panther emissaries are clearly the spawn of Chaos. On the other, they offer access to enough gold and spices to make a man Emperor three times over. Witch Hunters, frothing at the mouth in fury, must be restrained lest they insult these foreign dignitaries with their accusations of demonic corruption.

The Mist Shrouded Land

Albion has been devastated by the End Times, suffering the same fate as many lands after the fall of the Morrslib. The highlands and mountains are the only true remnants of the mystic island. Yet, the druids foresaw the devastation and were able to save many of their savage people by bringing them to these few safe places. Unfortunately, the taint of Chaos has killed many of these survivors. The druids now fight to redirect this corrupting, magical power into the steaming sea.

Albion was once one of the focal points to tame the Winds of Magic. Now unbridled, Chaos and the essence of the arcane seep into the world. With many of the old ones ruins and Ogham Circles destroyed, it has become a task that is almost impossible to do with just the mystic knowledge of Albion soothsayers. Tecilis has been seen among the druids, researching the leylines and the ancient, Albion legends of the vortex; visiting what few ruins of the Old Ones remain. A fury of work can be seen around the great Ogham as they begin this undertaking. In addition, the seas around Albion have become deadly and tainted with warpstone, attracting great and mutated sea beasts. Serpents and sharks are the least of these new monsters, making travel between the islands an ordeal.

The Rules

• To be decided.
• Rules for Age of Exploration?
• Rules for Balthasar Gelt's Automatons?
• Rules for Altdorf-Mordheim map?

Gallery

The Old World's Political Divisions (Red: Bretonnia; Yellow: Estalia; Blue: Todbringer; Pink: Luitpold; Green: Nuln/Gelt; Orange: Surviving Imperial Counties; Purple: Von Carstein Vampires)