The First Incursion of Lord
Mundfilth:
An Excerpt from the Great Chronicle
of Robert of Norden
Map of the County of Nordland (https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Nordland)
The so-called “Everchosen” Archon’s
defeat before the walls of Middenhiem in 2504 resulted in a rapid retreat of
the armies of the Dark Gods to the north
and east throughout the remainder of that year. The seemingly unstoppable
warbands of the spring and summer became leaderless, dispirited, and
disorganized mobs streaming back from whence they had come.
Behind them, like vengeful ravening dogs pursuing deer in the hunt, came
the swords and axes of Imperials, Kislevites, Elves, and Dwarves. These forces of the Grand Alliance gave no
quarter to the disheartened forces of the Dark Powers, and just as palls of
black smoke from burning settlements had been the harbinger of Aarchon’s
advance throughout the spring and summer, palls of black smoke from burning
pyres of bodies of beastman, Skaven, and human alike served to mark the puruit of Karl
Franz and his elector counts as they recovered lands in Middenland, Ostermark,
and Kislev throughout the autumn and winter.
On the Nordland coast the grand
armada of Norse raiders that had descended like a gale in the night and driven the Imperial fleet back to its base at Deitershafen, receded like a dense fog
burning off in a warm autumn sun. Without
the powerful will of Archaon and the unity of the Dark Gods to hold them, the
Norse once again returned to squabbling among themselves like brats struggling
over a toy at Yuletide in the muck. In
the early winter of 2504 Lord Tykel von Hargelfels, Admiral of the North, led a
rebuilt armada of Wolfships and Greatships to scour the North Coast. In a matter of weeks he had swept the seas of
the Norse raiders who retreated before him without giving battle. The Elector Count of Nordland, Theodoric Guesser, had
gone to the East with the Emperor to harry the retreating remnants of Archaon’s
host, but Martin of Altdorf, Grand Master of the Triton Order of Knights, led
many expeditions against the beasts of Chaos in the Forest of Shadows. By Yuletide thanks could be given in Sigmarite and Mannanian temples that Martin of Altdorf and the brave men or Nordland had cleared the Great Northern Road from
Middenheim to the sea. The Great Northern Road remained free from vile children of the Dark
Powers for many a year.
By
Yule 2504 Archaon’s army had been destroyed or driven north of Kislev. The Sea
of Claws was free of Norse raiders, the Forest of Shadows was largely free of
Chaos beasts, and the Elves of Laurlorn had returned to merry friendship with
their Nordland neighbors. While there
were those like Frederich Weirde of Altdorf who saw only defeat in victory,
many others in the Empire disagreed. To be sure, the Yuletide Horn of Plenty in 2504 was indeed to be found
wanting, the spirit of the people was merrier than it had been for many a year, and
Nordlanders looked forward to the coming years with hope and satisfaction that
their mettle had been tested and they had emerged stronger from that test.
Across the next decade the Empire
did as it had always done since the days of Sigmar: it rebuilt its towns and
cities, roads and bridges, farms and fields.
The Emperor and his Council took stock of the Empire’s condition in the
spring of 2505 and soon realized that Archaon’s incursions had been confined to
a relatively small area. To be in the
path of his host meant certain destruction, but the necessity for the “Everchosen”
to keep his forces close to him meant that his path of destruction was narrow
and the devastated lands could be restored with less effort and money than at first many feared. In the summer of 2505 the Emperor called a
council of Elector Counts to Altdorf.
The College of Magic and the Grand Theogonist were consulted as to what
had become of Archaon and asked the haunting question: "Would he rise again?"
While wizard's divined, read the stars and movement of birds, and while Theogonists sought answers in prayer, no one knew the answer to the Council’s question.
Wild theories seemed to sprout from the
ground with the crops growing in the fields that spring.
Many stories claimed that Archaon had been betrayed by the treachery of
the same Skaven assassin that had slain Valten, but that the “Everchosen” had
been restored to power and would again rise to power and invade the Empire that
very summer. One Prophet of Doom in Nuln told
that he beheld a vision from Sigmar himself that displayed a confrontation
between Archaon and the Four Dark Gods.
The Dark Powers berated Archaon for his failure and were about to tear
him asunder before the “Everchosen” drew his blade “Deamon Slayer” and subdued
each of the Four in turn before setting himself up as the unified Dark Lord who
would come again with unconquerable power. It was purely a Wurtbader (the capital of the
province of Stirland) joke to tell of how the fickle Dark Gods stripped Archaon
of his powers and turned him into an ox to serve as a beast of burden for a
Stirland peasant. These and other rumors and gossips, some
amusing some intentionally terrifying, were abroad in the land in these first
years after Archaon’s defeat, but trying to find the truth of the matter was as
easy as trying to capture the time in a bottle.
Archaon’s fate greatly worried the
Emperor and his Council. Karl Franz set
the most powerful Imperial magicians and the most wizened Sigmarite clergy to
discover what had become of Archaon after his retreat out of Norsca into the
Chaos Wastes. While the magicians and
clergy were able to definitely prove that the tide of chaos had receded through
Norsca and even beyond the Sea of Chaos in the far north, they failed to divine
anything about Archaon’s whereabouts or what had become of him.
In the spring of 2507 the Emperor himself
led a large expedition into Norsca.
Karl Franz’s intentions were multifold.
He first wished to exact a measure of revenge for Archaon’s incursions
on the Norse who had been so large a part of the “Everchosen’s” host. He also feared there might be another
incursion by Arcahon, and so Karl Franz hoped to move the “seat of war” from
the rebuilding Imperial provinces to the Norse lands. Last and most importantly, Karl Franz hoped
he might discover the truth about Archaon’s fate. In
March the Emperor directed Lord Tykel von Hargelfels, Admiral of the North, to
sweep the seas of any Norse raiders. von
Hargelfels completed his task by the middle of April after meeting meager
resistance. In May Karl Franz assembled
a great fleet at Dietershafen and led an army of 20,000 across the Sea of Claws
to the Bay of Blades. The Imperial
forces splashed ashore near the Altar of the Crimson Harvest, a shrine sacred
to Khorne in the territory of the Skaeling tribe, and laid the area waste. Many Skaelings are devotees of the Blood God,
but they would not confront him openly with so a large and powerful an army. Without the power of the Dark Powers their
devotees in Norsca found themselves without allies, firm leadership, and
powerful magic. Nevertheless, a number
of small skirmishes were fought under the leadership of aspiring Khornate
champions, and while the Skaelings fought bravely, the Emperor destroyed them
all and reduced the devotees in Khorne in both size and number. Karl Franz then
marched to the Hall of Sneagr, where he chief of the Skaeling tribe held his seat. Snegar, Chief of the Skelings, met the Emperor as a friend, and
sought to treat with him. Snegar also
brought Beorg of the Bjornling tribe, and Alfric of the Graelings to their
meeting. The Norse chieftains threw
themselves on the Emperor’s mercy. They
brought silver, gold, and ancient weapons of great power as gifts. They brought food and wine in abundance and
pledged never to make war upon the Empire again. While pleasant words were exchanged, gifts and gold exchanged, treaties
of peace sealed, and the security of Imperial merchants in Norsca assured in
perpetuity, Karl Franz cared little for these things. He knew well that all of these things would
mean nothing the moment that the last Imperial lancers left Norsca. If the promises the Norscan princes made
lasted a season or more, so much the better, but the Emperor had no such
expectations or even hopes for what he, his wizards, and Theoganists sought was
information and they hoped that they had gleaned more of that commodity when
they departed the hall of Snegar in early July than the Norscan princes wished
to give.
After feasting and spending
mid-summer’s day with three Norscan chieftains, Karl Franz then moved north and
west across the windswept tundra into the land of the Vargs. The Varg tribe held lands on the south coast
of the Sea of Chaos. Surely, the Emperor
thought, if any information on Archaon’s fate would be found in Norsca chances
were good that it would be found among the Vargs. His army swept up to the walls of Doomkeep in
mid-July. Like the Skaelings, the Vargs,
devotees of Slaanesh, the so-called Prince of Chaos, also refused to fight Karl
Franz in the open field but retreated behind the walls of Doomkeep. The Emperor possessed neither the time nor
the siege train to reduce Doomkeep and Raylon, chief of the Vargs, refused Karl
Franz’s attempts at negotiation. Thus,
thus the Emperor contented himself with laying waste to the surrounding
country. Wherever his lances went
wizards and theogonists went with them scouring the countryside for information
regarding Archaon’s fate.
The shimmering lights in the
northern sky heralded the coming of the brief autumn in Norsca. Snows and bitter weather would come early. While the powers of the Dark Gods seemed on the wane, the Emperor had no desire
to be fooled into complacency and caught unawares. In early August, the Imperial army returned
to the Bay of Blades and thence back across the Sea of Claws to Deiterhafen
before dispersing for the winter. The Emperor was back in Altdorf well
before Yuletide.
The campaign yielded little in terms
of booty or diplomacy, but these things were not the true object of Karl
Franz’s expedition. News of Archaon’s
fate was shrouded in story, rumor, and half-truths. From the hushed stories, tall tales, and
rumor the Emperor’s wizards and theogonists pieced together a narrative that
Archaon returned to the Northern Wastes, to the very Realm of Chaos itself
where time and space move in mysterious ways, where minutes may seem like an
eternity and where an eon may seem like a day.
Here it was where Archaon met face-to-face with the Dark Gods. The Four Powers berated their Everchosen for
his inexplicable failure before the gates of Middenheim.
Beset by enemies from all sides who possessed immense power, Archaon stood little chance and he was quickly captured.
His sword, armor, and helm were all stripped
from him, and his soul was left bare for the torture and pleasure of the Dark
Gods themselves. At first the Four Powers were unified in their
torture and in Archaon’s ultimate fate.
All stories agreed of the depths of depravity of Slaanesh’s torture,
Nurgle’s filth ridden punishments, Tzneech’s painful transformations, and
Khorne’s blood lust. But, as the powers
each took their turn at the torture they began to squabble amongst themselves
as to what was to be Archaon’s ultimate fate.
It was said that Tzeentch wished Archaon’s
soul to be stripped from him layer by layer and piece by piece with each being
cast into a different plane of oblivion so that they could never be
recovered. It was said that Khorne
wished Archaon bound him to the outer walls of the Fortress of the Damned with
golden chains for the sport of deamonic hordes and as a lesson to other
followers of the Dark Gods that the punishment for failure would be swift and
unpleasant. It was said that Slaanesh wished
Archaon imprisoned alone in the deepest dungeon of the Writhing Fortress so
that he would be forgotten without even a tormentor for company; and it was
said that Nurgle wished Archaon transformed into a tree standing in a swamp
which would forever be in rotting decay.
It was not long before the
disagreement between the Four Powers turned from a torture of Archaon to
outbursts of violence between themselves.
The Dark Gods forgot Archaon and in their selfish wretchedness turned to
rend each other without mercy or remorse and the fragile unity that had come
together in the person of the Everchosen proved ephemeral. Whatever the truth was, one thing seemed
clear and this eased Karl Franz’s mind: Archaon had met an unpleasant, if
deserved end, and the unity of the Dark Gods was at an end.
For the next decade there was peace
in the Empire for those who wished it.
In Nordland the roads through the Forest of Shadows remained clear,
Herring returned to the fishing grounds in abundance and fishermen grew fat and
wealthy on selling the salted fish to the southern provinces. To the Emperor’s surprise many of the Norscan
tribes kept to the promises of peace and trade that they had made to him in
2507, and goods flowed across the Sea of Claws with few incidents. Lord Tykel von Hargelfels’s Northern Fleet
brought what little piracy there was under control, his fleet turned the Sea of
Claws into an Imperial lake. Trade and
commerce flowed easily to and from the great city of Marienburg, and even the
Wood Elves of Lauelorn happily traded with Imperial and Norscan merchants
alike.
But by 2515 rumors crept across the
Sea of Claws that powerful minions of the Dark Gods was again stirring in the
Chaos Wastes. The depraved champion of
Slaanesh, Lord Mundskrog, together with a mighty warband descended on the Vargs
and subjugated them once again. Lord
Mundskrog’s brother, Lord Mundfilth, devoted to Grandfather Nurgle came
across the Sea of Chaos spreading the foul influence of the Plague God across
Norsca and subjugating the Skaelings. In
the early months of 2517 Imperial merchants in Norsca began to retire south as
quickly as they could bringing with them tales of corruption and depravity. Those Imperial subjects foolish enough to
stay in Norsca after midsummer 2517 were never heard from again. By the end of that year Plague Fleets began appeared
on the Nordland coast with the coming of the winter fog. Monsters of the deep stirred again driven by
the malice of Nurgle. The Watch Towers
of the Nordland Shore were again manned, training for local militias enhanced,
and Lord Tykel von Hargelfels’s Northern Fleet brought back to a wartime
footing. In October 2518 Tykel suffered
his first defeat at the hands of Lord Mundfilth when the latter’s Plague Fleet
descended on the Nordland fishing fleet near Mannan’s Teeth.
Lord Mundfilth's Plagueship, "The Ark of Filth" plies the Sea of Claws looking for Imperial or Marienburger merchants to prey upon.
Tykel and his wizard councillors had sensed
the Nurgle Lord’s coming on the winds of magic and moved to intercepted his
fleet. In a brief but sharp skirmish was
defeated by the Nurgle Lord, but his intervention allowed the fishing fleet to
scatter without loss.
The two fleets charged at each other....
Lord Mundfilth's Plagueship, "The Ark of Filth" left a trail of putrid slime behind it!
A general melee ensued between the two fleets.
"The Ark of Filth" plowed through the center of the Imperial line scattering the brave defenders of the Nordland coast.
While
the fishing fleet was saved and the Nurgle fleet withdrew to the North across
the Sea of Claws, an uneasy peace settled in over the Nordland coast. Coastal Watchmen were set, patrols of Pegasus
Squadrons were mobilized, fishermen again armed their boats with whatever
missile weapons, magic spells and sigils of protection they could. Yet, 2519 passed without incident. Rumors came south from Norsca about power
struggles among the forces of the Dark Gods. The few Norscan merchants came to Nordland’s
docks that year told only of anarchy and chaos at home, and of those Nordland
merchants brave enough to venture North across the Sea of Claws few returned
which encouraged those who remained to find ports of call in Ostland or the
friendly docks of Marienburg to the south.
