In the first years of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, we witnessed a desperate battle between Order and Chaos rock the Mortal Realms. Death later came to be in the ascendent, while gods played dangerous games with one another.
Now, Alarielle’s Rite of Life suffuses the eight realms with powerful life energy, and Ghur becomes the focal point as the cosmos thrashes and convulses with untamed vigour.
The story of the third edition of Age of Sigmar is a complicated one, with events happening in secret only to be revealed much later. Our recap will cover everything in chronological order – as best we can – so you can see all of the pieces come together. Welcome to the Era of the Beast.
Emerging from the swamps
With the arrival of Morathi and Lord Kroak, Kragnos’ siege on Excelsis is cut short as he is tricked and teleported away from the city, stranding him in the dreary swamps of Ghur. Shaking with rage, he charges off to find a new challenger, but the beating of his primal hooves awakens the lust for war in the Kruleboyz. Gobsprakk takes charge of these more furtive orruks and begins raiding the settlements shattered by the thundering charge of the god of earthquakes.
Mean-spirited, sadistic, and smart enough to use the gifts of the swamps against their foes, the Kruleboyz present a significant threat to the cities and settlements of the Mortal Realms. Sigmar dispatches his Stormcast Eternals to meet them in battle – their sleek new thunderstrike armour an invention of the duardin deity Grungni. The Draconith, led by the brothers Krondys and Karazai, renew their allegiance with Sigmar – Kragnos is the last survivor of a race that once hunted the Draconith to near extinction.
Not all is well for the Stormcast Eternals, as Ionus Cryptborn takes his leave from the Hammers of Sigmar, suspicious that the flaw inherent in the Reforging process cannot be cured. Partnering with the Draconith Cthorak, he receives Sigmar’s blessing to build the first of the Bleak Citadels – something that will stay hidden from the masses until many years later.
The Era of the Beast
Destruction’s first great victory transpires when Gordrakk uses cunning to trap the godbeast Fangathrak. By prising its mouth open, his Ironjawz are able to mount an invasion of the Eightpoints through the Archway within its gut – a savage gambit that enables the Fist of Gork to rebuild his tarnished legend after the defeat at Excelsis.
Elsewhere in the Realm of Beasts, the Sigmarite explorer Anorio ven Talax discovers the resting place of the Eye of Chotec, a Seraphon temple-ship that crashed into the jungle in ages past. The terraforming power of its engines is even now twisting already bestial growth into the far more deadly Gnarlwood. This area, now known as the Ravening Ruin, becomes a hotspot for treasure hunters, and warbands from all across the Realms are drawn to it.
As part of the offensive in Ghur, Yndrasta, the Prime Huntress, leads the Auric Lions and Astral Templars into the Krondspine Range to hunt down one of the recently manifested Incarnates of Ghur. They are taken off guard by an alliance of orruks and beastmen, but Yndastra manages to slay the Krondspine Incarnate in time to prevent the Bray-Shamans wresting control – though not before they spread the secrets of these primal magics to the Greatfrays. In Chamon, airborne Skaven warp-blimps perform a bombing run against the city of Tempest’s Eye, while on the ground the ratmen engage with the city's defenders.
Plans in the shadows
The Horned Rat enters into a secret alliance with Archaon the Everchosen, and the Skaven begin to work on their dastardly scheme: poisoning nexus points across the realm with warpstone to weaken the very fabric of the realms. The carnage of the Era of the Beast masks their movement, however. Elsewhere, a new hero rises to prominence: Marshal Tahlia Vedra performs a series of novel military movements that will later become Freeguild martial doctrine – the Castelite formation.
As an act of petty vengeance against the forces of Death, Archaon leads his Varanguard in an attack on Shyish, smashing through the Arx Terminus and humiliating Katakros. It is around this time that the Varanguard Atarus loses faith in Archaon, pleading himself in secret to Be’lakor to be remade in the Cursed Skies as Eternus. Much of the Eighth Circle of Varanguard follow suit, and sedition breeds within the ranks of the Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse.
Deep in some forgotten cave of Aqshy, a sneaky grot by the name of Rabble-Rowza Braggit awakens Trugg from his long, long slumber. The Troggoth King begins to make his way through the Adamantine Chain, smashing up Fyreslayer magmaholds and amassing a lumbering troggherd. A mysterious ailment called the Shudderblight Plague descends upon the realms, heralded by Nurgle’s mordant Harbingers of Decay. While investigating its spread in Hammerhal Aqsha, Callis and Toll find their first shipments of tainted Kingsblood.
Gunnar Brand and the Darkoath of the Snow Peaks begin poisoning ley-lines, unwittingly helping further the machinations of the Skaven. Alarielle and Rotigus begin their Duel of Rains in Ghyran, flooding the realm with deluges. Things go from bad to worse in Hammerhal Aqsha, as Tahlia Vedra acts on the damning evidence found by Callis and Toll to launch a coup, killing four prominent members of Hammerhal’s Grand Conclave for treason. Bastian Carthalos is sent to mete out justice, forcing Tahlia to join the political system she despises so much.
The Dawnbringer Crusades begin
With the Lioness of the Parch in charge, the Twin-Tailed Crusade is launched from Hammerhal Aqsha and Ghyran. Their goal is to reclaim lands and settlements lost during the Age of Chaos. Tahlia initially leads the Aqshian campaign from the front, but the Goretide besiege the Hammerhal and force her to return to defend the city walls. Pontifex Zenestra takes charge, and the Cult of the Wheel begins to spread.
It is not long later that they stand in defence of Trucebreak, and attempt to hold off a combined force of Gloomspite Gitz who have allied with Trugg. Only a valiant defence mounted by the Fyreslayer Bael-Grimnir and the rearguard of the crusade allows the rest to escape, with the troggoths in hot – for them – pursuit.
In the Scabrous Sprawl, King Brodd rallies Mega-Gargants to attack Fort Gardus, in an attempt to smash it out of existence. His success hinges on the arrival of Tuskboss Hornsplitta and Zoggrok Anvilsmasha, truculent Ironjawz who bring metal might and puissant porcine fury to the orruk armies. The Twin-Tailed Crusade is able to save a large number of refugees as they pass, though Gardus Steel Soul is slain by Brodd, and ultimately the Stormkeep falls.
In Ghyran, the crusade becomes embroiled in battle with Ogors and Kruleboyz under the command of Kragnos. Their fate seems sealed until a combined force of Draconith and the Evergreen Hunt – led by Belthanos, First Thorn of Kurnoth – arrive just in time. Kragnos and the Ogors are redirected to the Banyan Gulf, an area populated by prowling Seraphon, while Gobsprakk leads his Kruleboyz off into the overgrown wilderness.
Madness spreads and cities burn
The crusade continues, breaking through a barrier of Ossiarch Bonereapers and meeting up with Astreia Solbright and her Shimmersouls. Their destination is the mountain range known as the Neck, the home of New Summercourt. Ushoran extends a benevolent invitation, and a tense feast begins as humans, ghouls, and the vampires of Nulahmia sit shoulder to shoulder. Whether through madness or cunning, this foils an assassination attempt on Ushoran – who succeeds in murdering Astreia, driving the scheming lackeys of Neferata from his court, and regaining control of the distribution of Kingsblood. Game to the Flesh-eater Courts, who then sally forth to terrorize the realms anew.
Pontifex Zenestra arrives at the Ashenmont in Aqshy, the site of the ancient city of Embergard and a former stronghold of the Cult of the Great Wheel. They expunge the Necromancers who have made it their home and begin to lay new foundations. Embergard is now one of the key defensive strongholds in Aqshy, and the rich seams of valuable emberstone in its mines become a prime export.
Callis and Toll’s continued investigations discover vast amounts of corrupted Kingsblood pumping through the sewer system of Hammerhal Aqshy – and a cannibal court lurking right under their feet. Their salvation comes at the hands of Krethusa and her Crone Heralds, daughters of Khaine who have denounced Morathi and chosen to follow the long-forgotten aelven goddess Morai-Heg.
The Twin-Tailed Crusade meanwhile purges a host of Hedonites from the Ghilnarad Plateau in Ghyran, laying the foundations for the City of Verdigris. This new city’s first challenge comes in the shape of Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen. She has risen from the gladiator pits to become one of Archaon’s most trusted subordinates, marshal of the Swords of Chaos – a prestigious circle of the Varanguard. Their assault on Verdigris is rebuffed by the arrival of Belthanos and his Evergreen Hunt, not helped when Abraxia accidentally consumes cursed ghoulblood.
Looking for fresh prey, Abraxia sets her sights on the Phoenicium, conducting a dark ritual and launching an attack on the city from the skies above. This gambit is foreseen by the Phoenix Guard and the Lumineth Realm-lords, but even the gift of prophecy is nothing in the face of the Spear of the Everchosen’s white-hot wrath. To seal her victory, Abraxia gorges herself on the avatar of the Ur-Phoenix, purging herself of the Flesh-eater curse. Ellania and Elathor escape, taking with them the last embers of the sacred flame.
The Vermindoom
Gunnar Brand finally discovers the trick played on his Oathbound by the Great Horned Rat. Mustering a handpicked warband, they infiltrate the warpstone foundries of Chakrik’s Folly, but are foiled by the arrival of Skreech Verminking. With the final piece of their plan in place, the Skaven activate their colossal warp-drills – machines that take advantage of the poisoned nexus points that have maintained the cosmic balance, they force the Mortal Realms out of cosmic alignment with disastrous effects.
The Vermindoom is felt across all eight realms, but the Great Parch suffers most as Blight City smashes through reality in a catastrophic explosion. The resulting corruption turns the land into a twisted nightmare known as the Gnaw. Elsewhere, similar corruptions occur, creating pockets of pollution known as the Lands Anathema. In the wake of this devastation, the Ruinous Powers mount their attack, seemingly endless swarms of Skaven leading the charge.
Just before this catastrophe, Korghos Khul launches a mighty assault on Gavriel Sureheart’s warriors at the foot of the Adamantine Chain, trying to coax Vandus Hammerhand into a final duel. The Hammerhands arrive, but Khul is so shocked at the degeneration of his erstwhile adversary that he refuses to duel lest it besmirch the glory of Khorne. Still eager for a fight – and needing one more worthy skull to earn ascension – Khul and his host slays Gavriel, achieving daemonhood just as the battlefield is rocked by the Vermindoom.
Tahlia Vedra finds Embergard in ruins, where crazed survivors stagger through the destruction, and Pontifex Zenestra is nowhere to be seen. However, the mines below the city are still full of precious emberstone, and worth defending.
With the Mortal Realms teetering on the brink of a second Age of Chaos, and the Great Horned Rat’s schemes complete, the stage is set for the current edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
