The Blades of The Elder Darkness

Player Name: 

James O'Brien

Army Title: 

The Blades of The Elder Darkness

Backstory

Druchi legend holds that it was Morathi who first sensed that intriguing dark forces were stirring in the Old World.  The Brides of Khaine dispute this, claiming that as Crone Hellebron raised a chalice of wood elf blood to her lips she caught the scent of an old tomb, dust and the end of death.  The Beastmasters of Kar Klarond speak of a lone Shade staggering back into the dark tower from the chaos wastes and whispering a single word in his final breath.  That word was… …Nagash.  Malekith is reputed to have sensed an ending of times many centuries ago, and having spent the time until know perfecting how these end times could be manipulated into the destruction of the High Elves.  

Howsoever the Dark Elves of Naggaroth came to learn of the impending darkness, it was one of the few times in recorded history that the pillars of Druchi society agreed to a coherent response to events outside their borders.  Malekith himself selected one of his most devious young Dreadlords, Kalan Quickstrike,  to lead the raiding force that came to be known as the Blades of the Elder Darkness.  In what could be perceived as either an overt display of support or an attempt at maternal supervision, Morathi immediately responded by appointing Telara Vein, a promising (and impressively seductive, even by Druchi standards) Sorceress as young Quickstrike’s principle advisor.  Not to be left behind, the Priestesses of Khaine offered the services of the vastly experienced Death Hag (and reluctant chaperone) Grimscythe.   The three leaders did not travel from Naggaroth alone however; every noble family seeking influence, every far flung tower, every remote community of beastmasters and every nomadic band of shades volunteered their support, both to appease the masters of dark elf society and to satisfy their own curiosity as to what was unfolding amongst the slave races.  For where there is turbulence, there is opportunity for those with vision, guile and the power to seize it…

With this groundswell of support, the Black Ark Elder Darkness sailed forth for the Old World; their route through the Sea of Chaos and the Northern Passage.

Campaign Generals

Name: Master Kalan Quickstrike

Army entry: Master

Signature Item: Crown of Command

History:  Quickstrike was born at the right time, into the right house.  His father Galan ‘the  Darksword’ Quickstrike  slew the High Elf Prince Y’Siladrassil as the prince prayed and immediately elevated the proficient but otherwise unremarkable Quickstrike family to Malekith’s inner circle.  Malekith rewarded the family with the gift of a Crown of Command, made from a shard of his own Crown of Domination.  Following the family’s elevation, Galan withdrew from being a fighting Dreadlord and gave himself entirely to the many pleasures of Druchi society, whilst his son Kalan made his name leading many daring raids, characterised by his mastery of both the blade and the many beasts he rode into combat.  Following his many victories, it seemed only natural when Malekith nominated the younger Quickstrike to lead his expedition into the Old World.  Quickstrike senior refused to part with either the eponymous Darksword, or the crown of command.   What followed was not recorded in the books of history, but as the Elder Darkness sailed forth, Telara Vein was seen to smirk as she slipped a crown onto Kalan’s head, and placed a dark  sword in his hand……

Name: Talara Vein

Army entry: Supreme Sorceress

Signature Item: Sacrificial Dagger

History:  Some dark elf sorceresses are famous for their spell casting, some for their beauty, some for their devious nature and skills of skulduggery.  Talara Vein is all three.  Favoured by Morathi since she was a young apprentice, she rose through the sorcerous ranks at an alarming rate.  She lobbied hard to be named as Morathi’s representative on this expedition, seeing it as the springboard for her elevation to the ranks of the Supreme Sorceresses.  The nature of her relationship with Quickstrike is not clear at this point, but the Druchi rumour train is at full speed…

Name: Grimsycthe

Army entry:  Death Hag

Signature Item:   Obsidian Blade

History:   Grimscythe has been favoured by Khaine for as long as any elf can recall.  She earned her name and her blade for single handedly cutting through a block of Swordmasters of Hoeth and their Loremaster.  Since that day she has graced the battlefield for centuries, rolling forward mounted on a Cauldron of Blood, a horde of witch elves at her back, with the most heavily armoured foes falling in their droves to her obsidian blade….  The centuries have ravaged in Grimscythe mind and body, leaving her hideous to look upon, dark, cruel and twisted.  Hellebron chose her champion well, the perfect foil to the youth, arrogance and beauty of her counterparts.

Regions:

Name:  The Spiteful Shore

Region:  Badlands

Rules:   Desolate Ground

Description:  The Elder Darkness first made landfall on a desolate, inhospitable shoreline ravaged by the vicissitudes of time and chaos.  Grimscythe looked down from her Caludron of Blood as it rolled off the back ark, and felt very much at home….

Name:  The Underdark

Region:  Caverns

Rules:   Under the world

Description:  As the Elder Darkness pulled towards the Spiteful Shore, Quickstrike snatched a telescope from one of the corsairs.  As he surveyed the shore, he spied subtle markers indicating safe harbour, invisible to the untrained eye.  He smiled.  His scouts had successfully navigated the perils of the underdark, and secured safe landing for his expedition.  He ruefully recalled his hard days serving with the Shades; hard bands of dangerous elves and the finest scouts in the world.  To have navigated many hundreds of miles through the underdark to reach this point was testament to their brilliance.  He pondered (for a split second) what perils they had faced on that journey, and (at much greater length) how he might turn these caverns to his advantage.

Name:  Dark Lands

Region:  The Forgotten Fields

Rules:   Evil Roots

Description:  Growing bored by the long sea journey (the Corsairs presenting only so many novel pleasures for her to partake of…) Telara ‘borrowed’ a Dark Pegasus from the beast holds in the belly of the Ark and ranged far ahead of the vessel.  She flew over the shore at which they were to land, and felt a dark and thrilling energy draw her further inland.  She touched down in a field where nothing grew, evidently the site of some old battle.  She shivered as she felt the winds of magic blow harder in the desolate place, and tasted death in the air.