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.
