Grimstonefire:
Week 2 ← Week 3 → Week 4
As written by the Hand of Hashut War Council members: Grimstonefire, Uzkul Werit, chaoticRunesmith, Lord Zarkov, Harvestmouse and Hashut’s Blessing.
The Draken Downs Week 3
In their eagerness to complete their mission, the Garrison of Gash Kadrak had literally been tearing the forest apart. Great fires honouring the Father of Darkness soared high into the sky, bringing terror and woe to the enemies of Hashut. Meanwhile, the attack on the Wyrm and Bucket had been progressing well, with a wagon load of beer being captured intact.
Much to Uzkul’s displeasure a hobgoblin messenger had returned to report on the rumoured Hellcannon located in the Dragon’s Cave. He had sent out dozen of scouts and the only one to ‘return’ was a charred pile of arms and legs. If he wasn’t already dead Uzkul would have shot him on the spot for being so late.
A token force was to be left behind to continue the attack on the Inn, mainly Warriors and Blunderbussers. The few Orcs remaining had eyed up the Death Rockets and Earthshakers with a greedy look, so with all haste these were packed up and dragged onwards for their quest. Hundreds of slaves were assembled to be part of the ‘special mission’ heading to the caves. Marching up and down the shackled line, Uzkul announced that once they reached the caves the last one standing would be allowed to go free! With any luck the slaves would be so busy trying to earn their ‘freedom’ the Dragon would be distracted, and would be an easy target for a few salvos of missile fire. With the scaly beast taken care of, obtaining the lost Hellcannon should be relatively simple.
After only a few bribes of rotten meat their suspicions about their allies had been confirmed. Their Greenskin allies had secretly captured a Hellcannon and had embellished it with childish trinkets, war paint, Orc dung, and other more unpleasant things. The Greenskins had been worshipping ‘Gork’s Spirit Kannon’ as if it were a totem to a primitive god, not some sort of technological masterpiece!
The Hellcannon was taken back and penned up ready for escort back to Zharr Naggrund. It appeared to have gone somewhat. native, and nearly ripped off Uzkul’s head with one bite. Added to that it stank worse than a Hobgoblin dung heap. The appropriate disciplinary action was yet to be taken.
The Drakwald Deeps Week 3
The Combat engineers were almost at breaking point. Both their allies had retuned victorious from their battles, and had once again returned to hostilities. With the clumsy Greenskins to one side, and the thieving Skaven to the other, their diplomatic skills were tested as never before.
As before, they were to be sent out on another mission before the situation got out of hand. The Skaven ‘Gunrats’ had been requested to attack the manling town of Magnusdorf, but for some unknown reason had refused! The Chaos Dwarfs had studied much about the race of Skaven in the Libraries of Zharr Naggrund, and knew better than to suspect that the foul rat-men were in league with them. Instead they had announced that the Great Plaguelord Festerspike had concocted a foul contagion to inflict upon the armies gathering at Schwakzlache’s Tower, and a devious method of delivery. The Chaos Dwarfs were to fill rockets with virus, and bombard it from afar. Once those defending the Tower had fallen, the Skaven would move in to capture the Necromancer.
The Orcs were once again attack Jutonkraag, their brutal assault had not been a great success before, and once they had run out of the blasting charges had lost interest. With their charges replenished, and with several Combat Engineers armed with flame throwers to help, the lake and all its lost treasures would be theirs!
After many days of secretive discussions, the Chaos Dwarfs were still no closer as to finding out what the ancient Sorcerer Grakan Bloodfist was up to. Rumours abounded that he was entering into some sort of arcane pact with the mysterious Grey Seer, and that he would be a traitor to them all.
Such questions were not to be answered however, Grakan refused to comment on what it was the Skaven had carried out into the forest in the thirteen metal chests. The only thing he said before returning to the dark tunnels was that ‘the Nameless One is coming’. All the Chaos Dwarfs present knew instantly what this meant, and what the cunning old Dawi Zharr was up to.
The Reik’s Marches Week 3
As their scouts had reported the ambushing army came upon them at Albrecht’s Tower before the day was out. From the west the manlings of Bretonnia arrived, their thundering horses sounding like the fall of a thousand forge hammers back in Zharr Naggrund. Hundreds of horses flooded into the narrow clearing surrounding the tower, heading straight for the Greenskins and their Chaos Dwarf allies.
Although the Chaos Dwarfs had taken the time to build a small defensive wall from a collection of boulders, the Orcs surged forwards to meet their enemy head on. Defence was never one of their strong points, but this was what the Chaos Dwarfs were there for.
Giving the signal to attack, a single rocket was fired into the sky giving off a brightly coloured flash before falling to the ground. At this the Orc Arrer boyz launched their salvo of explosive arrows into the sky. Predictably most had missed their mark, but being explosive they created devastation wherever they fell.
At this point the Bretonnians were supposed to scatter, falling into the pits they had dug in their confusion. With a dumbfounded gaze from the Chaos Dwarfs, the cavalry just thundered straight through the Orcs, and out the other side of the clearing. They had taken many casualties approaching the Orcs from arrows and traps, even more from the ferocious Greenskins themselves, but they had not stopped to fight?
Before they could begin to dwell on this, the answer became immediately apparent. With bone chilling screech dozens of massive undead carrion birds swooped over the orcs, close behind them hundreds of skeleton cavalry and chariots. The Tomb Kings from the southern deserts had arrived in the Reiks Marches from their attack on Altdorf in massive numbers, and this was only the initial scouting party. It was no wonder the Knights had fled before such terrors.
The Orcs were apparently less worried than the Chaos Dwarfs, they seemed to be more annoyed that the skellies wouldn’t put up a decent fight and that it didn’t feel ‘propa orcy’ to kill something that was already dead.
With such terrors bearing down upon them, the Chaos Dwarfs knew they would need to act quickly. Setting off dozens of explosive charges the path before the charging cavalry collapsed down into burning pits. The Chaos Dwarfs had bought time for a withdrawal, but against such numbers could there be a victory?
Meanwhile on the river the Hammer of Hashut returned to deliver its cargo. Dropping off reinforcements and supplies on both sides of the River Talabec, it them made a detour towards the Barren Hills. There it was to tug a massive raft that had already been built back towards the Drakwald Deeps. The only information about the mission being that it was imperative that the ‘Nameless One’ be delivered with all haste.
The Howling Heights Week 3
Day and night the Chaos Dwarfs marched towards the Orc stronghold Fort Gutrippa. The bewildering things they had seen at the Lost Mines of Khrazi Drudd had given them a lot to think about. What did it all mean, and how was it connected to the reappearance of the Nemesis Crown?
The army of mutant creatures they had discovered living under the Mines had been. unexpected, and had almost destroyed them. Once they reached Fort Gutrippa they would gather fresh supplies and an army of reinforcements before marching back to the Mines. By the will of Hashut they would get to the bottom of all this, even if it killed them!
Approaching Fort Gutrippa from the south, it was not hard to find the trail. For miles in every direction the bodies of Manlings, Elves and Dwarfs had been nailed to trees with their guts hanging out. Far above a group of carrion birds circled, no doubt preparing for their next feast. Marching closer to the camp, the Combat Engineers grew ever tenser, they had not seen a Greenskin anywhere.
It was only as they entered the camp itself that their questions were answered. A lone Goblin had been left behind as a messenger should any of their allies show up. After nearly an hour of rambling they learnt that an army of ‘orange ‘aired stunties’ had attacked the fort before retreating back into the forest. From the description the Dawi Zharr knew these to be Dwarf Slayers.
Their paths had already crossed with this army. Should they be as fierce Orc Slayers as the Chaos Dwarfs were dreading, they would have to hurry if they were to have any reinforcements at all. After several hours of heated discussions, they finally decided upon a course of action. It was exceptionally risky and might ultimately prove fatal, but these were desperate times that called for desperate solutions.
Reciting the Liturgy of Darkness from the Arcane Book of Alshazzier, a cloud of thick black smoke slowly spread its tendrils and enveloped the army. Once they had been completely obscured the cloud dispersed and the Chaos Dwarfs were no longer there.
With such powerful dark magic at work, only time can tell where and when they will appear.
The R�uberthal Week 3
Before the Combat Engineers knew what happened their illustrious leader Rambok had been carried off into the distance by a giant eagle. They spend many long hours enraged at the loss, Rambok had not deserved such a fate and there was still so much left to be done.
Should they organise a party to go and search for their leader? Or presume the worst and accept his passing? Ultimately they knew what he would say; such decisions were not theirs to make when there was still work to do. The Orcs had once again found an enemy to attack at Trenkenkraag and were even now raising an almighty WAAAGGH.
The ‘Wood Ead’ had been destroyed by one of their crazy shamans, the frenzied orc roaring "Da Eye of Mork is comin’" continually through the ritual. The forests themselves seemed to creak and moan, falling silent once the ancient spirit died. The Chaos Dwarfs knew that the Wood Elves would not allow such an act to go unpunished, and were not surprised at all when the ambush finally came.
From the depths of the forest the furious assault began, nothing could stand before the vengeance of elves. Hundreds of Orcs fell before they knew they were even under attack, and the traps of the combat engineers did little to slow their progress. Even the timely arrival of a regiment of Bull Centaurs was not enough, the elite troops attacking like a lightning strike before disappearing once more into the forest.
Surrounded on all sides by countless enemies, the thousands of Greenskins around Trenkenkraag roused themselves for the final battle. Defeat was not an option for the Chaos Dwarfs, and with an evil laugh they set off the hundreds of incendiary devices they had located around the perimeter of the camp. With a hellish scream the daemon bound bombs went off, each one mutating and corrupting anything nearby. Many Greenskins fell, but many more Wood Elves perished. Those not fortunate enough to die fell upon their comrades in a broken heap, whilst others were mutated into the spawn of Chaos itself.
Against such horrific destruction the Wood Elves didn’t stand a chance. Panicked and broken they fled before the furious onslaught of the Orcs, never to return in such numbers.
The Great Confluence Week 3
Since their defeat at Benedict’s Retreat the Chaos Dwarfs had retreated back towards the Bridge of Styx. Once this towering bridge was complete the Chaos Dwarfs would be able to march right into the heart of the Great Forest, allowing them and their allies to bring a devastating combined force against their enemies.
Work had being going on for many weeks, but the bridge had suffered much damage early on by a bombing run from a squadron of Gyrocopters. Machines such as the Whirlwind had cut down lumber with terrifying efficiency, and with thousands of slaves they had almost finished the bridge.
Zhathrak stood on the bank of the Talabec silently waiting. Even as the final bridge supports were put into place he noticed that the fast moving stream of ripples were now heading against the current. He grinned as with a great hiss the Hammer of Hashut surfaced and began to deploy its cargo. Rank upon rank of Chaos Dwarf Combat Engineers marched out from the depths of the submersible, followed by more than a dozen assorted machines from the Dark Lands. Whirlwinds, Tenderisers, Earthshakers and Death Rockets. All came forth from the depths of the Hammer to bring destruction.
As their Greenskin allies readied themselves for another attack the Chaos Dwarfs assembled for battle, they would have their vengeance.
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Garazad was beginning to become angry. Even with the Vicinerator to aid the Greenskins they still hadn’t made it out of the Green Heart. Constant attacks by pointy-ears had slowed them sufficiently that it looked like they might never get out of this accursed forest before Grimgor left the area. Snarling at a group of unfortunate goblins, he thundered forwards until he reached where his precious Vicinerator was blazing away.
“When we goin’ to get out of ‘ere an’ do some real fightin’?” He roared over the noise.
One of the Chaos Dwarf Engineers shouted back “Depends on if these accursed elves give up their attacks anytime soon.”
The flanks of the army, guarded by large numbers of Forest Goblins, were under an almost perpetual state of attack. This more than anything had slowed the Greenskin Waaaggh down. With a roar Garazad turned back to the rest of the army.
“Get da Big 'Uns, and get 'em up 'ere now!”
With earth trembling steps a group of almost a dozen giant Orcs stepped over, and occasionally on, the heads of the other Greenskins. Turning back to the Stunties the Orc’s features split in a feral grin. “We wuz savin’ dees boyz until we was outa 'ere, but deys gonna 'elp da Vicinerator now.”
Within the Green Heart the forest itself trembled as the Greenskins surged forward with renewed vigour, and the Vicinerator opened fire with everything it had, clearing as much space for the Greenskins as possible. Though they were now moving unheeding of the attacks launched by the elves it would remain to be seen if the losses would pay off.
The Talabec Borders Week 3
After what seemed like weeks of work, the Combat Engineers had finally finished the construction of fortifications at Gork’s Maw and Port Maw. Mrythark had sent a messenger back to the Diabullus to inform the Hand of Hashut of their rapid progress… The messenger envoy returned with instructions to start the creation of the next stage of the Talabec Borders stratagem.
Around Gork’s Maw the assembly of large silo-shaped pits had already begun. Throughout the Talabec Borders dozens of large armoured wagons were arriving, within them were barrels of gunpowder, rocket tubes and the occasional daemon bound talisman. Hundreds more of these rockets arrived every hour and thousands were expected.
During the next phase of the plan each tube was to be filled with black powder, with some having the power of daemons bound to them. Some of the Dawi Zharr had already begun their training to arm and fire the death rocket batteries, even a few of the ‘smarter’ Greenskins had been shown how to launch the deadly missiles. Despite the Chaos Dwarfs insisting that they were not needed, hundreds of goblin “boom-powda Doom-Divaz” were arriving and fighting for the flashiest rocket. The Orcs of the Dragoneyez tribe had begun taking Boom-Divaz and strapping them to trees, laughing at the comical explosions of their smaller kin.
Meanwhile the Granite Guard continued pressing their attack towards the Hunter’s Haven, fending off even more of the accursed Asrai. Many of their number had fallen in the past week, more to the cursed tree-spirits that infested the surrounding forest than to the arrows of the wood elves.
Word was sent back under Rykarth’s command to bring forth the Pyromancers. These crazy disciples of Hashut began to almost ritually burn the forest, turning all around them into an inferno of cindering ash. These Chaos Dwarfs had spent so long sacrificing slaves into burning pits that only when the world was on fire would they be satisfied.
The Barren Hills Week 3
With the Greenskins finally picking up some momentum and driving back the other forces, Sorcerer-Lord Zarkov was at last starting to feel that things were going in the right direction. The humans of this ‘Empire’ were being enslaved in their thousands, the armies of the Chaos Dwarfs and of their allies were prospering, and not only were their treacherous kin being defeated and beaten, but Baragronti himself was on his way towards them!
Lord Zarkov however had better things to do than wait around for the Kollossus, there was work to be done! The Bitter Moon had already been massively ravaged and they had yet to attack Egondorf to the north. As well as raiding the town for slaves, its buildings would make good materials to build the various strongholds and forts required by their Greenskin allies.
The turning of events in their favour would bring fresh heart to the Chaos Dwarf forces as began their assault on the new objective. The Diabullus was now prepared to move again and the ancient Sorcerer-Lord took great pleasure in directing it towards the now doomed manling villiage.
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Many miles away Durgrim rested his aching back and sat down with a cool tankard of beer. It had been a long time since he had been able to do this; the Dwarfs had been very busy fortifying and fighting for their new stronghold under Giant’s Tump - Kazad Grontal. It had not been easy, but after several weeks the old longbeard was just too tired to do any more.
With a thundering boom, a great hole opened up in the cavernous roof above his head. Large blocks of stone came crashing down around him killing many Dwarfs.
Brushing off the dust and bemoaning the loss of his pint, Durgrim gazed with horror as a massive mechanical arm came fumbling through the hole, tentatively groping its way around the cave. What in Grungi’s name??
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Baragronti the Unstoppable had marched unopposed into the Empire and towards the land of men. Nothing had attempted to stop him, and the foolish creatures that had tried had regretted it.
As he approached Giant’s Tump, the daemons bound within the mechanical giant sensed Dwarf blood nearby. Leaping over the small defences, the giant reached out towards a rocky outcrop and punched its way through into the caverns beyond.
Many Dwarfs were killed by the sheer force of the monster, others being dragged by hungry daemons into gaping holes on the machine itself. The speed of the attack had taken the Dwarfs completely by surprise, dozens had been killed and hundreds wounded within a few minutes.
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Instinctively reaching for their runic axes, Warmourner Durban Heldour and the Slayer Brotherhood decided such a beast would make a mighty doom. They hacked at the arm before them tearing off great chunks of metal. However much they fought, the spiteful daemons within began to instantly reform the areas with a form of liquid ‘ichor metal’.
Deciding his fate had come, Durban braced himself and leapt up onto the arm. Running along it, he left the caves behind and saw the monstrosity towering before him as he ran up onto the shoulder.
With a roar to Grimnir he hewed at the back of the head. Baragronti attempted to swat the pesky dwarf off but his hands could not find their prey.
Before long the head hung by a few cogs, its weight eventually causing it to fall. The towering giant stumbled and collapsed, with the slayer leaping onto a ledge on the cliff.
As evening came, the body of the once great beast lay broken next to the Tump. The vengeful dwarfs had cut it limb from limb, finally setting off blasting charges within the torso.
The Dwarfs left the vanquished beast behind, and withdrew for the night. Upon waking the news came that the monster had disappeared completely, leaving little trace that it had ever been there other than the lines of dwarf dead.
The Taalford Lowlands Week 3
Overall things were starting to go better for Borri, but working with hundreds of Greenskins on their monstrosity ‘Da Tenderiza’ was proving difficult. They just didn’t understand mechanics and the thing just wasn’t going be effective on this scale. However, at the rate they were losing goblins to it he would soon have the upper hand!
“It’s time to move again master”, sighed Frothwight Crabclaw, Borri’s second in command. "Apparently we are all to head towards the Kemperbad Road, attack the Watchers Keep and the town it defends."
Glad to finally see the back of the wooden monstrosity, Borri assembled the army and got ready to march. Unfortunately he was heading in the wrong direction yet again, which Frothwight wearily corrected. Nevertheless within three hours the newly found Greenskin and Chaos Dwarf alliance was moving, and in the right direction.
After a days march the sizeable warband reached the Kemperbad-Talabheim Road, unfortunately further south than they intended, infact only just north of the twin towns of Nadjagard.
“This isn’t good master, but the Greenskins don’t seem to care” Frothwight ventured.
“Oh I shouldn’t worry” Borri countered “I doubt they’ll notice”.
Before he could finish the sound of a huge cannon discharging drowned him out. Several seconds later green and red fireworks flashed in the sky over the goblin position. Borri was confused; those weren’t fireworks, they were the bloody parts of goblins! Before he knew what was happening the familiar booms of cannons thundered once more in the evening air. The first shot was off target, fortunately hitting only a few worthless Greenskins. The next two were not. The first destroyed one of his artillery wagons, full of bombards and swivel guns, the second miraculously deflecting off of his only unit of Immortals. Even their stone armour could not save them, several dying soundlessly.
This was all Borri could take. Roaring his battle cry he jumped onto Binky, his mount, and raced forwards. The town would fall, even if it meant doing it himself.
Frothwight stood impassively as usual, surveying the destruction. However much the old fool annoyed him Borri had done a great job. He might be a terrible general, but as a fighter he was truly frightening. The jovial fool, that stood next to him only seconds ago, had been replaced with a raging red-eyed demon dwarf with the snarling fangs of a monster. Frothwight couldn’t help himself, he was impressed and terrified as always in these situations, and for someone so cynical he hated himself for it. However, he knew exactly what to do. The army had to follow Borri and pick up the pieces.
“After your general. Get those warmachines functioning NOW!! You Greenskins, get down that road. By Hashut this town will be ours” bellowed Frothwight.
Racing forwards he thought to himself; maybe that monstrous machine might actually be of use after all.
Problem solved. (I did Talabec Borders 
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