PROLOGUE
TIDES
* * * * *
"It is the force of Chaos that corrupts, but the hearts of Men that are corrupted."
"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
"What does not kill you can only make you stronger."
* * * * *
It was late in the fourth century, C.E, when the fall came. The tides of Chaos poured from the Northern Wastes, destroying all those in their path. Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch all united to destroy the peace and prosperity brought by the Empire.
An alliance of great proportions, Men, Elves, Dwarves and Lizardmen, stood fast in a last stand against the tide of evil. They were crushed mercilessly. Karl Franz, Emperor of the Old World, was dead. Men fled to the south and west, hiding in small colonies, trying to survive. The Elves left the Ulthuan and the Old World, through great rifts in space. Dwarves retreated to their mountain holds, or were corrupted by the evil gods of Chaos. The Lizardmen simply disappeared.
The darker races, Skaven, Dark Elves and Orcs, held fast against Chaos. No one was sure why they did no join them, but several theories were put forward. The Dark Elves were not without a sense of honor, albeit a twisted and painful one. The Orcs had never heard of alliance, and the Skaven pulled back into their tunnels under the world.
Several years later, the rumors of a power rising in the west spread quickly. Some said the dark times were over, but the skeptics shook their heads. Chaos had taken the whole continent by now, and the 'power' would have to totally vanquish them and repopulate the Old World.
A new kind of magic, slow to rise, became known: the Lore of Emotion. It deals with human feelings, and is powerful enough to render an army useless in fear, or despair.
Rumors of a man in the west, a powerful man armed with a sword of flame, spread through the lands of Chaos. Hope rises in the hearts of the Chaos Tide survivors. Spirits of men are lifted, and it is believed that the Elves have returned to the Old World.
His name was Sigmar. He united humanity, and led them to war.
He marched on Basul'dur, a major Chaos outpost. The victory was stunning. More humans joined His army, and soon half the Old World was under His control. The two sides warred for decades, sustaining great losses but gaining nothing. So Sigmar challenged the Chaos king to a duel. The results would determine the fate of the Old World.
They met on the slopes of Mount Tar'çir, their entire armies at their backs. And it began.
Legend tells that they dueled for two and a half years, but historians now think it was closer to three. The godlike Sigmar was the perfect match for Archaon, Lord of the End Times.
Then, with His sword of flame, Sigmar cut the head of Archaon clean off, and victory was His. But a warrior fired an arrow at Sigmar, taking His life. The avatar (for now Mankind realized that he was the Avatar of their god) rose to meet his god on the wind, and under His banner charged Humanity in a desperate attempt to free the lands of Chaos.
The battle was hard and fierce, but Man was beaten back again. He retreated to his mountain holds and his colonies in the Northern Wastes, and the rumors of the Elves dissipated like steam in a gale. But the determination of Man to free the Old World could not be destroyed so easily.
And now, in the seventh century, rumors of Him are spreading.
TIDES
* * * * *
"It is the force of Chaos that corrupts, but the hearts of Men that are corrupted."
"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
"What does not kill you can only make you stronger."
* * * * *
It was late in the fourth century, C.E, when the fall came. The tides of Chaos poured from the Northern Wastes, destroying all those in their path. Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch all united to destroy the peace and prosperity brought by the Empire.
An alliance of great proportions, Men, Elves, Dwarves and Lizardmen, stood fast in a last stand against the tide of evil. They were crushed mercilessly. Karl Franz, Emperor of the Old World, was dead. Men fled to the south and west, hiding in small colonies, trying to survive. The Elves left the Ulthuan and the Old World, through great rifts in space. Dwarves retreated to their mountain holds, or were corrupted by the evil gods of Chaos. The Lizardmen simply disappeared.
The darker races, Skaven, Dark Elves and Orcs, held fast against Chaos. No one was sure why they did no join them, but several theories were put forward. The Dark Elves were not without a sense of honor, albeit a twisted and painful one. The Orcs had never heard of alliance, and the Skaven pulled back into their tunnels under the world.
Several years later, the rumors of a power rising in the west spread quickly. Some said the dark times were over, but the skeptics shook their heads. Chaos had taken the whole continent by now, and the 'power' would have to totally vanquish them and repopulate the Old World.
A new kind of magic, slow to rise, became known: the Lore of Emotion. It deals with human feelings, and is powerful enough to render an army useless in fear, or despair.
Rumors of a man in the west, a powerful man armed with a sword of flame, spread through the lands of Chaos. Hope rises in the hearts of the Chaos Tide survivors. Spirits of men are lifted, and it is believed that the Elves have returned to the Old World.
His name was Sigmar. He united humanity, and led them to war.
He marched on Basul'dur, a major Chaos outpost. The victory was stunning. More humans joined His army, and soon half the Old World was under His control. The two sides warred for decades, sustaining great losses but gaining nothing. So Sigmar challenged the Chaos king to a duel. The results would determine the fate of the Old World.
They met on the slopes of Mount Tar'çir, their entire armies at their backs. And it began.
Legend tells that they dueled for two and a half years, but historians now think it was closer to three. The godlike Sigmar was the perfect match for Archaon, Lord of the End Times.
Then, with His sword of flame, Sigmar cut the head of Archaon clean off, and victory was His. But a warrior fired an arrow at Sigmar, taking His life. The avatar (for now Mankind realized that he was the Avatar of their god) rose to meet his god on the wind, and under His banner charged Humanity in a desperate attempt to free the lands of Chaos.
The battle was hard and fierce, but Man was beaten back again. He retreated to his mountain holds and his colonies in the Northern Wastes, and the rumors of the Elves dissipated like steam in a gale. But the determination of Man to free the Old World could not be destroyed so easily.
And now, in the seventh century, rumors of Him are spreading.