[Archive] [Nemesis Crown] Hand of Hashut Narrative: Week 5

Grimstonefire:

As written by the Hand of Hashut War Council members: Grimstonefire, Uzkul Werit, Hashut’s Blessing, chaoticRunesmith and Harvestmouse

The Draken Downs Week 5

After nearly an hour of frantic fighting, the rampaging pair of Hellcannons inside the Dragons Cave were captured with little loss.��A few slaves were burnt, eaten and ripped limb from limb, but in Hashut’s eyes that�s just acceptable losses.��

The magical shield created by the Sorcerers had been sorely tested by the raging inferno of flames from the Dragon, but once the beast realised that they had only come to remove the infernal machines biting at its ankles he let them pass.

The process of capturing the machines themselves was little more than a baiting exercise.��The pair of Hellcannons (which Uzkul had affectionately named ‘The Twins’) were locked up in two massive iron cages, sealed with many layers of daemonic bindings.

Having captured the Hellcannons, the Chaos Dwarfs turned their attentions to the Dragon itself���The wounded monster had an intelligience spanning millennia, but for all this it was simply too weak to fight.��After several days of construction they managed to build a frame with which to drag the monster along.��The thousands of slaves quailed at the sight of the immense beast before them, but looking back at their Chaos Dwarf slavers they knew which the worse fate was.

Even though the war machines were in such disrepair they could’ve been made by a blind Goblin, Uzkul was happy with the result. It would certainly be a surprise for Zhatan the Black!��With several of the daemonic machines already being dragged behind his army, Uzkul marched toward the town of Delberz and the final Hellcannon.��As they marched a guttural braying could be heard in the distance.

A wagon accompanied by dozens of Chaos Dwarfs had arrived the previous week and had decided to start unloading their goods in seemingly random places throughout the Draken Downs. The Engineers assured Uzkul it was all part of the plan to misdirect their enemies. When Uzkul asked what exactly it was they were doing, the engineers revealed the fake Nemesis Crowns.

The rest of the march was relatively uneventful until late the following evening.��As night fell and the Chaos Dwarfs made camp the braying from the forest grew louder and louder until a swarm of Beastmen swarmed from the trees.��Leaping over the shield wall into the heart of the Chaos Dwarf army, the mutant creatures caused mayhem.��Whilst they attempted to fight them off, a massive army of the foul creatures encircled them and dragged away many Chaos Dwarfs and all the captured Hellcannons.

The Drakwald Deeps Week 5

Across the Great Forest, the Forge Masters of the Chaos Dwarfs had been hard at work.��The venerable sorcerer Grakan Bloodfist had made a pact with the treacherous Skaven; they would provide enough warpstone to make 13 fake Nemesis Crowns, whilst he would part with golden treasures and a few secrets on arcane engineering.

Such a trade might have seemed absurd, for it was widely known that the Skaven treasured the magical Warpstone above all other worldly possessions.��The Hand of Hashut unanimously agreed; for the Sakven to part with it in such quantities of the stone means that the ancient sorcerer Grakan Bloodfist must have divulged some exceptionally secret information.��In his madness to obtain the crown, the old sorcerer must have betrayed them.��For such a deed the rituals were performed to cast him out from the Order of Sorcerers, leaving him to live out his life a godless exile in the lands beyond.

Whatever the reasons behind his madness, Grakan had managed to obtain the stone, and have it delivered to the Forge Masters.��These Dawi Zharr had travelled in eight massive armoured Forge Wagons all the way from the Dark Lands, with the intention of fixing war machines and weaponry within.������

From the armoured belly of their wagons, the furnaces fired night and day across many parts of the Great Forest.��The Forge Masters worked constantly until their work was done, creating detailed works of art to confuse even their western Dwarf kin.

Once the thirteen fake Nemesis Crowns were complete, the Skaven runners returned to distribute them amongst the forest.��Unbeknownst to their ratmen allies, the Chaos Dwarfs had also manufactured dozens of other fake crowns and were also distributing these amongst the forest.

With so many fake crowns travelling around the forest, there should be enough to confuse even the most skilled of Runelords for a while�

The Reik’s Marches Week 5

After their horrific ordeal but a few short days earlier, it was something of a relief for the crew of the Hammer of Hashut as it made its final voyage into the Great Forest.��The vessel had undergone a complete exorcism by the Sorcerers at their staging point on the coast of Norsca, yet as the crew walked up and down the packed gangways, they still had a sense that things were not quite what they seemed.

This was to be the final wave of reinforcements and supplies being brought into the forest.��The Hand of Hashut had prayed for answers, and had used the hourly reports from scouts to calculate that the Nemesis Crown would be found soon.��To bring many more troops into the area would needlessly endanger their lives.��Now was not the time for a full scale assault on the Empire, they were still a few years away from that���

Throughout the Reik�s Marches their Greenskin allies head made significant progress compared to a few weeks earlier.��Several ruined towns had been occupied, the Orcs and Goblins digging themselves in for the inevitable counter attack.��The Combat Engineers were perfectly willing to help them with this, the buildings in the towns themselves being perfect for concealing traps.��One small village was filled with so many traps that the Manlings would need to completely demolish it to be sure there were none left active.��Albrecht�s Tower had also been broken into, the heavy iron door being no defence against a well aimed rocket attack.



The Chaos Dwarfs had also supplied Hobgoblin Wolf Riders with one of their fake crowns to take to the Bergerhoff.��With so many armies fighting in this region they could annihilate each other if they suspected the Nemesis crown had arrived.

The Howling Heights Week 5

Once more the Book of Alshazzier had worked its terrible magic. The Chaos Dwarfs appeared deep within the Howling Heights, close to the Lost Mines of Khrazi Drudd.��Could they not escape this accursed place?

Unlike the last time they had seen the craggy peaks, the forest loomed over them in the same way it had for the last couple of months.��By some miracle they had also appeared right in the midst of their Greenskin allies� camp.��After five long weeks of fighting they had finally met up with the Orcs, who were not nearly as surprised to see them as they had expected.

�Took yous long enouf ta get here you lazy stunties� Roared the Orc Warlord.

Gritting their teeth and ignoring this observation the Chaos Dwarfs told the fearsome Warlord what it was they needed to do, and where some loot was likely to be found.��The Greekskins were quick to muster; they had been kicked around the Great Forest for too long, and were eager to get some reward.

Marching back towards the Mines, the Chaos Dwarf army found its way back along the well remembered tunnels and halls.��They dreaded coming across the mutant army they had faced before, but they had a mission before them and by Hashut it would be finished.��As before the deadly traps took countless casualties, and the mysterious architecture and arcane runic patterns confused all.

Finding their way back into the largest hall, they were somewhat relieved to see the piles of Night Goblin corpses around the eight metal boulders.��Moving towards the concentric stone circles in the centre of the floor, the Combat Engineers twisted them round one by one until they formed the pattern they had copied from the last time they were here.

As the last circle was twisted into place, a loud grinding sound drowned out even the infernal racket of the Goblins.��The stone circle in the centre moved to reveal the entrance to the winding stairs.

Bracing themselves to once more descend into the unknown, the Chaos Dwarf army begin the long march down the stairs.��What they would discover there would finally answer all the questions that had plagued them on for so long�

The R�erthal Week 5

The forest was silent, too silent���Eldreth the Hunter and his Eternal Guard were used to the sounds of animals in the trees, they were Wood Elves and had dwelled in this forest for centuries uncounted.��Though their quiet home had be all but destroyed in recent months, they would die before abandoning it.

The evil Dwarf they had been tracking had been a cunning foe indeed.��Many times they had tracked his movements, but always they had lost his trail.��They had never known a Dwarf as resourceful as this one, a truly unique foe for them to capture.��Their stunted foe had even managed to drop an ancient crown as he ran, though on close inspection they found it to be a fake.

As night fell on the third day of their hunt, the silent elves listened carefully.��Trees were slowly creaking around them, but on a stormy night such as this it was to be expected.��A storm was brewing, and the distant rumble of thunder broke the uneasy silence.

As if from nowhere a sharpened wooden stake came flying, hitting one of the Elves in the back and killing him instantly.��The whole regiment had spears within their hands within seconds, forming a defence ring.��Minutes passed, and the rain began to fall.��From their left another stake came flying, felling yet another elf.��Even with their piercing stares they could not find their enemy.

Over several hours the old Chaos Dwarf threw many wooden stakes at his hated foe.��With thunder, lightning and rain distracting his enemy, dozens fell before him.��At last they broke ranks and ran out into the trees.��This was exactly what Rambok had been anticipating, he knew he could not build traps around the elves whilst they made camp, so he had prepared the area days before.��How it is he knew his enemy would make their camp in this exact spot is a mystery, but by dawn the next day not a single Elf lived.��Skewered by spikes held under tension, falling through into bear pits or crushed by falling trees, they had met their end painfully.

Rambok had achieved his mission; the foolish Wood Elves had completely underestimated him and his Chaos Dwarf Combat Engineers, and when he returned to his army he would end this war once and for all…

Elsewhere in the R�erthal the Combat Engineers and a massive Orc Waaagh began their attacks on the Ruins of Untergard.��Regardless of whether they could stop the Nemesis Crown going west, it was vital they kept this crossing open for the Chaos Dwarfs to consolidate back towards the Dark Lands should the crown be discovered.

The Great Confluence Week 5

Zhathrak cursed as he surveyed the wreckage of the bridge. Though the western side of the bridge was still reasonably intact, the eastern side which connected it to the Great Confluence lay in smouldering ruins. The defences of the Chaos Dwarfs had killed many of their attackers, but their traitor kin the Dwarfs had claimed many more lives by far.

Scores of corpses covered the banks of the river, mostly hobgoblins and goblins, but many Dawi Zharr lay amongst the broken timbers.��The burning wreckage of many of the Death Rocket emplacements created a thick smoke that hung heavy in the air.��At least it had finally stopped the attacks of those damned Dwarf Gyrocopters.



Roaring out commands he regrouped the survivors of the attack. He was still furious at the petty manlings for their victory at the Benedict�s Retreat in previous weeks, and by Hashut he would have his revenge!



Garazad Da Mightey booted Gorestusk into a charge. The woods around him roared as the flames burnt all in their path.��The Orcs had finally broken through the Green Heart!

The Vicinerator had burnt great swathes of the forest to the ground, its alchemical fire burning on and on, far longer than any natural fire would have done.��Though many Wood Elves had fled from the inferno surrounding their ancient home, those that remained continued to harass the Greenskins.

By a curious twist of fate a manling army had followed in the destruction caused by the Orcs, no doubt trying to crush their enemies in a pincer movement with the Wood Elves.��Garazad grinned, the humans were far easier to catch than pointy-ears, and were nice and squishy.��Within minutes the foolish manlings had been all but wiped out.��As the last human fell one of the crew of the Vicinerator approached the Black Orc Warboss.

�This was an army from Benedict�s Retreat.��Our scouts reported that around it there are many of your,� and here the Chaos Dwarfs voice turned into a sneer, �kin�s bodies. It appears they have been beaten many times.�

Garazad grinned. �If da humies want a fight, a fight is what dey�ll get!� he declared to the assembled Greenskins, �Kill dem all! WAAAAGH!!!�



Zhathrak patiently waited at the side of the River Talabec as the Hammer of Hashut surfaced.��The submersible had returned with hundreds of Warriors and Combat Engineer reinforcements and a variety of war machines, including the feared Earthshaker cannons.��Within hours the army was on the march again towards the Benedict�s Retreat. His forces arrived just as Garazad da Mightey�s great army of Greenskins attacked, with the Vicinerator belching smoke and fire as it moved within the green tide.

Zhathrak turned to the Dawi Zharr at his command and gave the order.

�In the name of Hashut, ATTACK!�

The Talabec Borders Week 5

The rocket attack on the Talabec Borders had been brutally effective.��Great swathes of the forest were now burning, and in the summer heat these fires would quickly spread.��The heat was nothing to the Chaos Dwarfs, they had spent most of their lives in forges and iron works far hotter.��

The choking smoke was even reminiscent of many places in Zharr Naggrund.��The Orcs were coughing and spluttering, and hundreds of goblins had died, but in this war it was survival of the fittest.��Nothing else would be strong enough.

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Rykarth had paced the area around Gorks Maw all day, roaring his frustrations to Hashut.��The Nemesis Crown had eluded him, and even with his Granite Guard hacking at anything that moved, they had still not found any clues to where it was.�� The time was drawing near when the Crown would be found, the only questions were when and where?

Mrythark and his scouts had covered much of the Talabec Borders in their quest, yet even the veteran fighter had failed.��Even their Orc allies led by Tarlen da Foeburna had been unsuccessful.��The hundreds of Ironbacks Mrythark had traded had been of little use, they simply brought the Orcs to their deaths even quicker.

Yet the reports coming in were not all bad.

Mrythark and the Greenskins had launched a massive attack on the Hunters Haven.��With so many of their number away searching the forest, the defenders had finally been overwhelmed.��For revenge against the dozens of Dawi Zharr they had slain in recent weeks, the Chaos Dwarfs left the manor house intact, but with a bomb concealed in the basement�

Reports had also come back from their hobgoblin scouts that a huge river battle had been fought with the Manlings of the Empire near Port Maw.��Fortunately their allies had won this battle, so at least the Chaos Dwarfs could continue the search without being targeted by Warships.

The Barren Hills Week 5

Across the Barren Hills, rumours were spreading that the Nemesis Crown had already been found.��Some suggested that the Orcs had it and were redoubling their efforts for their �Great Migrashun�.��Others claimed that the Hunters of Sigmar had it, and had already destroyed it.

Even more confusing was the sheer number of armies making claims that they already possessed the Nemesis Crown itself.��The Chaos Dwarfs knew better�

Their plan to spread confusion and misdirect their enemies with fake crowns had worked better than expected.��With so many of them around it would take months to ascertain which would be the real one.��All the time, the Chaos Dwarfs would be able to capture more slaves to take back with them to Zharr Naggrund.��Once the crown had been found their enemies would no longer be distracted and would unite to push them back, so time was of the essence.

They had even managed to confuse their hated Dwarf kin in the west.��As more and more reports came in that the �genuine� Nemesis Crown had been found, they realised all too quickly that only their fiendish kin in the east could be responsible.��No other race would possess the skills or resources to manufacture so many in such a short space of time.

Dozens of Runesmiths and Runelords were being taken out of the search to inspect the more authentic looking one, this serving only to deprive them of magical defence on the battlefield.��Though there were only thirteen, the Warpstone combined with their keen eye for detail, had ensured remarkably realistic forgeries had been made.��The Chaos Dwarfs and their Greenskin allies had made sure these special ones would fall into the hands of the Dwarfs.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Dwarfs and Goblins continued the fight around the Bitter Moon.��Lord Zharkov had already sensed that they would need to start consolidating back towards the Diabullus, and had instructed all armies to return.��When the real Crown was found, they would then have enough strength to make one final push to capture it.��If it was too far away they would start the long march back to the Dark Lands and accept the Crown was lost.

The Taalford Lowlands Week 5

As the last rays of light broke through the dark clouds overhead. Frothwight surveyed the carnage before him.��This was proving to be a costly war for everyone, and especially so for the army to finally claim the Crown, who ever that might be.

On the third day of their attack on the twin towns of Nadjagard things hat taken a turn for the worst. The long drawn out campaign had attracted unwanted visitors. The besieged manlings had somehow managed to get a messenger out, and reinforcements had arrived.��Although Borri had tasked the Orcs with making sure no-one could get in, some of the reinforcements hat managed to fortify parts of the defeated eastern city. Luckily Frothwight had had the foresight to spike the manlings deadly artillery, so they might be in for a surprise.

The rest of the manling reinforcements had been fighting using guerrilla tactics all day, causing heavy losses to the unobservant Greenskins. Now a large part of the Chaos Dwarf army that should have been retaking the eastern city, were drawn away to guard the western flank and the rear of their battle lines.

To make matters even worse, a large force was moving through the eastern woods towards their position, obviously attracted by the smoke. The red beady eyes of their scouts could already be seen in the darkness of the woods.��If they were Skaven, they might be reasoned with.��But if they were Beastmen things could get bad indeed.

As if this wasn�t bad enough a small army of mercenary manlings from Tilean had set up camp on the opposite side of Nadjagard.��Their elaborate banners clearly showing their origins.

.

Frothwight considered carefully.��Were these mercenaries already in employment, or were they waiting for an offer?��Could the Hand of Hashut have sent them?. He would have to find a way to pay off these mercenaries.��With their enemies closing in around them the Chaos Dwarfs could not afford any more.



Such decisions would have to wait, for Borri appeared as if from nowhere.

�That’s it� said Borri through gritted teeth.���’This ends now.��Summon that Hell-spawned daemon and strap him to his carrier�.

Frothwight�s eyes widened in horror and he stammered, �surely not Borri� you can’t mean the Chaos Siege Cannon?�



�By Hashut Nadjagard will fall Frothwight� Borri roared.���This ends NOW!�