Two explosions lit up the Rondholian night sky almost simultaneously. One constant, one a flash that seared the eyes. The first, a crimson that continues to bleed into the air, the other was an amethyst spike that rippled across the hidden clouds far above. Both spelled trouble, both caused harm to the continent.
To the north-east, on the side of a mountain-top, stands an ancient fortification from the age of Chaos. It is here where the Templars of our Burning Saviour have opened up a rift in reality – opening the way for Khorne daemons from the Killing Fields to pour out into Furyoth Dell. Old Brass now flows red onto the white of the mountainside, as daemons tear asunder the local fauna, while the seraphon of the Xarlanth attempt to close the gate to the Realm of Chaos, before more damage can be done. The rift, or at least the horrid glow that emanates from it, can be seen across the Dell; all the way to the otherside of the valley as far as the Castle of Silk, where Aegnor, Gondrysdassnir’s first and go too commander sees it and sends word to his master. Likewise, other warbands throughout the Dell look to the horizon, wondering at this new development. Those much closer, within the forests that drape across the lower reaches of the range, hear the screams of death – of horror made personified.
Just as the Templars managed this feat, far away to the south, a necrotic amethyst beam also punctured the dark void. For those looking in the direction of Civilia’s Ruin, the energies could be seen from the Svlind to Lynx’s Crescent all the way into the Rondholian Heartlands. Although brief, the magic – for magic it obviously was – scarred the night for longer then was natural. Elanor Fordreth, recently betrayed by Sorrah Nikos had successfully raised the dead in Civilia’s Ruin, and the city is yet again under siege. To the chagrin of many though, is seems that Nikos’ agents continue to protect her – with the flags of Blackmaw and the icons of Templars both seen in the vicinity.
As those that are educated in such matters in Khardhir looked out into the night they knew just one thing for certain – Rondhol would not be pleased.
And it wasn’t.
Moments after the two events, as darkness returned to Civilia’s Ruin and the dead began to lift themselves from its watery depths, the continent shuddered. From the Mountains of Maraz where the Inquisition has only just punched through from the Shattered Temple, all the way south to Lake Retch, Rondhol moved and pitched and shifted.
The most intense destruction was found in Furyoth Dell – great rifts have opened up, splitting the earth along unknown fault lines. One such place that felt these effects was the Black Pits, found to the east of the valley. The ground shook so violently here that it turned out many of the dark holes completely – and in-so-doing actually saved the sylvaneth that had recently been drawn into the deep there.
Large veins also formed in the city of Drown where the Iron Bloods currently roam, and the Sibilant Jungle where the Lamastian Empire were recently seen. Both groups were largely unharmed, though their camps are damaged, and, of course, the creatures of the wild now look on the two groups with greater curiosity, wondering if the predators have become the prey.
Many of the warbands within Furyoth Dell have since followed these new cracks in the earth, and have begun to find sections of amber blood being mined. It is then that the messages out of the valley start to get out – coalescing into a picture that makes some sense. The creatures known as slag-haulers are clearly mining the ore. Massive lines of these creatures, many of which march on with visible wounds or broken bodies, rotate in and out of these makeshift mines. Many of the first warbands to find these work-gangs don’t live to tell the tale, for the Knights of the Chalice, who seem to patrol these mines on there massive creatures, soon find the skulking warband and destroy them entirely.
Some, though, manage to acquire information without such dire consequences. And so, as reports are collected on the desks of ship captains, city officials, and war leaders, the situation has begun to take shape. The Fae have not been idle. Nor are they drawing creatures to the Dell for no reason at all. These creatures that many have found, the slag-haulers, are mining this amber blood – and they’ve been doing it for some time now on behalf of the Fae, some of which have actually been seen, though very rarely indeed. The Fae don’t align themselves to the more traditional alliances found within the Mortal Realms – they’ve been capturing Chaos worshipper as well as orruk, Dawnbringer as well as vampire. So, to what end? At this stage, it seems very few indeed have even begun to guess at the extent of the Fae’s presence here in Furyoth Dell, let alone understand what they could possibly be intending.
