Naggaroth, close to the Northern Chaos Desert

The tent's tarpaulins were pushed inwards by a wind that still carried the full force of winter with it. Elsewhere spring might bring the promise of a new cycle of life, so far in the north the world might as well be in a grip of a Fimbulwinter.
Malus Darkblade watched the daily ritual with more interest than usual. The reading yesterday had been close enough, this would probably mark the end of their advance.

A number of steel wheels were laid on the table before him. They were precisely machined in Neustadt, like so much of the equipment that made Malus' campaigns possible. Without the industry managed by the never-sufficiently-damned Germans the true Elves could not operate so far North during the cold and without the weapons provided by them his Druchii would be overwhelmed in short order. He still did not have to like it.

An orderly opened the box that had been warded by a captured Asurian mage. Its contents were as shielded from Chaos as most things could be. From the carved box he extracted a back and yellow contraption that, again, screamed German manufacturing from its eldritch materials and precision.
He handled the contraption to one of Malus more trusted assistants who carefully pulled a white strip from it and wrapped it around one wheel after another. He then measured the distance from one edge to another while the orderly noted the results.
Both went and calculated what they had compared notes. Sirhar stepped a bit closer.

"3.155 Sire. This is the greatest deviance we have ever seen so far."
"Looks like we are in the right place then. This pass should be defensible and the farther we keep Hung from our lands the better. Herr Hertel, what do you say?"
"The frozen river valley allows for speedy resupply by sled. The trees here all look sick, but seem to be solid, we can construct field works here. The runoff of that glacier to the east is probably from ice that formed before the Chaos Gate opened, so it should be semi-safe at least. We can use this place from an engineering point of view."
"I am so happy to hear that this place finds your approval Herr Hertel."
"I live to serve Sire."
"Yes Yes."

There was only one German crazy enough to travel with Malus Darkblade's army. The nearest human who was not a slave was two months of hard travel away, the army consisted of psychotic sadists who despised him and its general hated all things German. What he did to the Hung he received from the war's spoils turned even Druchii's stomachs though.

Malus did not care about that, but he was rather good at what he did: advising on such mundane things as resupply and creating field works. None of this had ever been a Druchii specialty and like the gear provided by the renegade German works in Neustadt his army could not exist without him, not in this place.

The place where pi was 3.155.

"Weltensprung Workgroup", Magdeburg, Germany

The Weltensprung was undoubtedly the most important event in recent history. And no wonder that Germany wanted to know everything about it, so just days after Germany´s arrival on Warhammer a work group was founded. At first, to search for a way back, then when more understanding was reached whatever knowledge could be gleamed about this universe.
While there was a cadre of scientists who worked continuously on the subject, a huge number of people researched part-time. Every two years there was a meeting of all people researching the Weltensprung, to meet, talk and exchange their findings.

This year the meeting took place in the audimax room of the Otto von Guericke University in Madgeburg.
It was quite an illustrious collection of beings. German doctors of physics, mathematicians, sorcerers, Imperial sorcerers, Technici, scholars, even some priests, Nipponese scholars, shamans and Maho adepts, some Norscan Vitkis, Elven and Tilean scholars, some Vampires, mostly from the Carstein and Necrarch lines, the Wang Chan science council and last but not least, a lone Slann emissary. Two AI were not physically present, but quite definitively "there" via a well-encrypted link. They and the Slan had provided the meat of the theories that were now probed in various ways and so far stood up to all tests thrown at them.

That the Weltensprung itself was THE proof for the Multiverse theory, was a no-brainer, but researching the phenomenon taught the scientists much about the positioning of the various universes in Space-time and Warpspace.
The principles of similarity and attraction were true even on this scale. The various universes tended to cluster together based on their similarity and the possibility of connecting with the others depended very much how close to each other they were in Warpspace. For instance, the "Earth universe" was surrounded by universes which differed just in that e.g. an average boy or girl chose to eat potato soup instead of goulash soup one single day.

Likewise close to Earth, but a bit further out were universes with bigger changes, e.g. universes where the Central Powers won the Great War. Much more distant, but still comparatively close were "Earths" with even bigger changes, like the dinosaurs still the major species family instead of the mammals.
Further out came "Earths" with even more massive changes, different flora and fauna on changed continents or magic.

That Warhammer was close enough to Earth in Warpspace to allow connection and exchanges to happen, despite magic and other things, were the similarities. Especially the roughly parallel development of many societies down to similar languages (compared with Earth) spoken. Likewise the slight similarity of the landmasses of the Warhammer World and today's Earth, while with obvious differences were still closer to Earth nowadays than Gondwana-Time back in prehistory.

Warhammer actually was in a cluster of universes close to Earth with the commonality of working magic. It was ironically nearer to Earth than for example an Earth where the Pangea supercontinent still existed, according to several Order of Heaven wizards.
One thing which created some worries, at least among the teleported Earthers, was time. The place of the various universes in Warpspace was not fixed for all eternity, it was dependent on how all these places developed.

Germany´s and the other bits of Earth arrival on Warhammer and their integration into their new home, shaped the development of the Warhammer World into a new direction. Likewise the integration of the Wasteland and the other pieces of Warhammer which were displaced to Earth changed their development too.
And this had massive results. Earth and Warhammer had begun to drift further apart over the last decade. It was not a fast process, especially since there were still many similarities and commonalities, but that contacts with Earth did not get easier since about 4 years in a row, despite more refined magic and technology was a first hint.

While there was still a connection between the two universes due to the "exchange" of parts of themselves, the developments of the last years led to decreasing similarities and commonalities. It would not happen tomorrow or in a few months, but someday in the future the connection between Earth-Universe and Warhammer-Universe would become too strained to keep contact. Maybe High-Tech and strong Magic-use might open a window again, but that would be short-term exceptions.

Search for a "return-ticket" to Earth would now be under time pressure, with a majority of the researchers convinced that such a return would be impossible short of godly intervention. Open a gateway between Earth and Warhammer, to let a few thousand people through, was work intensive, but could be done.

But recreating a major magical accident to transport all pieces of Earth on Warhammer complete with their inhabitants back was very unlikely, even discounting the severe risks.

The magical theories behind it were known to beings like Lord Mazdamundi or the Elves in the Tower of Hoeth, even the Human and Vampiric Master sorcerers had working theories how to do it, but the execution of it was the kicker.

As far as it was known about the secretive Tower of Hoeth wizards they wanted to try it, send the Earth parts back where they belonged to, to heal the wounds both universes incured during "the Accident".

But beyond the discussion about this undertaking which would be on the highest levels of politics and science, there was another thing the Magdeburg meeting was eager convening about. The distance of the various universes to Warpspace.

Warhammer by it´s history was very close to the shroud keeping material and warpspace apart. Due to this, magical energies were available in abundance on Warhammer, learning to securely handle this power was the hard part for the people learning magic.

It was one reason those with few talent for magic learned only few spells and hard going at that, because they could do only so much without hurting themselves in a major way.
On Earth this was different. The Earth-Universe was rather distant to Warpspace, magical energies were a trickle compared to the streams of power on Warhammer. As such the Earthers with magical talent had to open up themselves to everything they could gather to work their limited magic. Something that was a distinct change for the Warhammer mages stranded on Earth with the Wasteland.

But that would change, at least in the long run. Many researchers were fascinated that Earth was slowly drifting closer to parts of Warpspace that provided more energy. While it would never be as near to it as Warhammer was, Earth now having parts saturated in magic from Warhammer, a massive amount of Warstone burned into the atmosphere, the Earth-Universe was becoming more attuned to "Otherspace".

Earth would be in for a future surprise, if they were not warned. The wizards around Magister VanderSchanz knew it from their talk with Lord Mazdamundi, which was the reason they did not return to Warhammer when they could. Their knowledge would be needed on Earth in the future. How much the Earth governments knew was a matter of debate in Magdeburg. Considering what happened during the early exchanges with the mirror hall link in France, the researchers were unsure how believable some governments on Earth were.
The decision was made to speak with a few trusted governments "eye-to-eye" and to keep observant of the matter.

Ringomori, Nanseitoshi, Germany

Daiki Harada had been working for the Japanese Embassy the fateful day Germany and the other parts of Earth were ripped through spacetime to the Warhammer world.
Like most of his compatriots stranded on Warhammer he was amazed and fascinated with the Nipponese splinter sitting in the Southwest. It was a partial mirror of a "Japan" of bygone times.

And he was happy when the German government decided to integrate the former Nonara province into Germany proper. That this was done mainly, there were other reasons from pragmatism to humanism, out of fear that Chaos could entrench so close to Germany, if the uprooted Nipponese did not get help, was something which did not matter anymore.
Daiki was visiting Ringomori, one of the three largest cities of Nanseitochi, how the Nonara province was now called. Lying close to the border with the Saarland and the Palatinate the city had become a major tourist and shopping spot.

Today being the home of nearly 400,000 citizens, Ringomori was also the largest city in the whole region. And a fascinating citiy to visit. A kernel of old-style Nipponese buildings were kept as a tourist spot of interest, while most of Ringomori was now made of baked stone buildings. Electricity, better waterlines, paved roads, Trams and the railway showed a modernising city, a place partly Asian, partly European.
The city was one of the centers of Manga and Anime production on Warhammer.

Teotihuacan, Mexico, Earth

The drone used eight rotors and sophisticated electronics to fly slowly and steadily down the Avenue of the Dead. It had just passed the Sun Pyramid and was halfway to the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. A gyro-stabilized pod under the drone allowed a high-res camera to take video both in the visible spectrum and the infrared. Given the bright afternoon sun the infrared was not used at the moment, it would not have brightened up the picture any.

The monitor in the container displayed the huge stones that made up the paved road that ran down Teotihuacan, the detailed friezes on the temple's sides and snakes. Snakes of all sizes, snakes with scales, with feathers, with wings and without them. Mostly they laid on the surfaces warmed by the sun while some of them went through the nooks and crannies in search of something that might serve as food.

"What is this, a bleeding snake convention? Slither with Plissken, or what?"
"Nobody believes this is natural Specialist Kyle, and we still have no better idea where these came from and why."
"There are too many of them for sure. This area will not be able to feed them."
"Yes, this is our concern too. These have probably eaten what rodents were in the area and are now resting. Before too long these will swarm out in a search for food and that is when we can no longer contain them. This is why we have to act soon."
"I am a bit useless against these. Have the Mexican Air Weenies drop Napalm on them. This is not a moving target, they should be able to do that."

"Please zip your fly, your prejudices are hanging out Specialist. Up from the fact that this would blow whatever cover exists for this clusterfrag wide open and the Mexican government is a bit reluctant to bomb their cultural heritage it would keep us from doing our job. We need to learn where these beasts come from and why they slither into the sun now."

"Wonderful"
"Yes, isn't.."
"Stop the video."
"Why?"
"Rewind the video, now. I think I saw something in the entrance to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent."
"Operator, make it so. So, what do you think what you saw?"
"This, but do not ask me what it is."

The temple's entrance was comparatively dark and the video could only be cleared that much. The only thing that could be made out was something that nearly reached the ceiling while the biggest part of the body still slithered along the stones. There was not enough contrast to make out the face, but the arms and the bow they held were unmistakable even so.

Naggaroth, very close to the Northern Chaos Desert

It had started to snow during the night. Given how far north the Druchii were this was no surprise given the time of the year. Given how close they were to the Chaos Desert bright sunshine, a steaming rain of blood or a sandstorm would not have surprised too many as well.

Now the weather cleared up, starting from the south and like by a lifting curtain the landscape before the ridgeline was revealed.
The reverse side of the ridgeline held a number of Druchii steeds and a lone Cold One. Their riders had climbed the 50 meters that brought them to the crest and were observing the landscape below as it was revealed.

Some of the terrain was covered by white, pristine snow, but not too much of it. The first to trample nature's funeral shroud were the scouts. Clad in leather and mail, riding shaggy ponies and armed with spear and bow they were the epitome of Hung raiders. They had been the masters of the steppe behind the Druchii observers until the true Elves gained better weapons, equipment and tactics.

The Hung were the tip of the spear, but there was quite a bit of shaft behind it. Other riders followed the scouts, clad in mail and riding something that bore a passing resemblance to horses if one did not look too closely. Both riders and steeds were bigger than they should be, light seemed to emerge from what gaps were exposed by the plate. They wielded weapons that would have taxed a strong man to lift and some of these seemed to move by themselves.

Palanquins were borne by slaves, beasts or simply floated along. Hounds the size of ponies ran between the lines and behind them the huge forms of Mastodons emerged from the snow.
All of that was shown in far too much detail in the Zeiss binoculars held by Malus Darkblade. This was not what Malekith's chosen general had expected. This was not the seasonal wanderings of the Hung, this was a fully-fledged Chaos Invasion, an army of which the liked of Naggaroth had not seen for Millenia.

The mind behind the binox saw countless problems to overcome, plenty of good Druchii dying and chanced to be gripped. He already led Naggaroth's most powerful army and had just found the reason to expand it beyond that. He would just have to slow down these brutes below sufficiently and avoid dying doing that.

Police Museum, Hamburg, same time

Most of the museum had been boring to Markus Rumpf, endured only as this was a school excursion. Uniforms of various times, history of Hamburg and its police, of its "disgrace" during the Nazi years and the "heroics" during the flood. There were rooms given to police methods, with "tasks" that could be solved by 12-year old kids. So very boring.

The last floor was more like it. It held the exhibits of past crimes, had been quite good at tying them to the crimes they were used in. Opened safe boxes, guns that had indeed killed people, gadgets that had confounded the police again and again.

One area was new and held only replicas. Wards that had helped the MEK to overcome mages, a mannequin that had Hamburg's first police thaumaturge's uniform and his wand.
Nice, but no Oscar. What drew Markus' attention was something else.

"Axe used by Hermann Ohlert, "Great Chief" of "Khorne`s Angels" during their assault on the 2529 Hamburg Cotillion. Examination revealed the weapon to be possessed by a lesser servant of Khorne, strengthened the user while enhancing his aggression. Original in safe storage at the Rungholt facility."

Even if the exhibit was just a replica it was divine. For other eyes the weapon might have been crude, forged with no eye for aesthetics or art. Instead the lines left by the smith and the scars of countess battles made a mosaic. Like the pictures he had colorized when much younger each line held a picture when one saw the pattern, told a story of bloody tidings.

The pictures formed in Markus' mind and the color that filled them was red. This was not a tool to split wood, not a fireman's axe to save lives. This was a weapon of war, like the ones wielded by Franks who had split Roman helmets together with Roman heads. They had made the Germany Markus lived in. This one had been used to kill many of the elite's children, the ones who were German in name only and who would look at Markus and his likes with disdain if at all.

If he would have such an axe in hand things would be so much easier. No struggling to keep up in school, no stumbling for words when he tried to chat up a girl. There would only be the blood and the spoils.

Markus jumped like a scolded cat when he realized the old man that stood before him had been there for quite some time.

"Young man, we should have a talk. I do believe you need a bit of help."

Markus would learn much later that he had been the third case in that month.