Much has been said and unsaid about “The Flaw” in the Reforging Process of Stormcast Eternals. Even those within their respective stormhosts dare not speak about it openly, for what many fear most is not the killing blow, but the potential to lose one’s self-being.
A Stormcast Eternal is still human, with all their hopes, fears, and ambitions, but these and many other traits can be warped into something else.
Many warriors have admitted to losing memories from their mortal life, their emotions, or a sense of their identity. Others have gained strange side effects, like reforged Stormcasts in the Anvils of the Heldenhammer who are unable to speak above a whisper, while the Hallowed Knights have seen some of their reforged return with a nimbus-like halo around their heads.
Yet “the Flaw” can have dark side effects, like the Knights Excelsior, who develop a monochromatic view of good and evil, or the Celestial Vindictors, who can succumb to the power of rage and hatred in the heat of battle.
These thoughts clouded Lord-Imperitant Garbaldis’ mind as he struggled through the muck of a corrupted village, one of many Packhome settlements contaminated by Nurgle’s corruption. Weeks after Garbaldis pledged his stormhost’s aid to the warlords of the Hungering Steppes, corruption struck several tribes, and the Maggotkin, led by a Great Unclean One dubbed the Dolor Pox, began to encroach upon their lands. Like the Beastmen herd, the Astral Templars once more declared they would hunt down the source of the corruption.
While much of the stormhost remained optimized for duty, some of the Thunderstrike brethren had shown signs of the Astral Templar’s “flaw.” These Stormcasts would give in to animalistic savagery like the beasts they hunt. Disregarding orders, they would become a threat not just to the enemy, but to their own allies as well. It took all of Garbaldis’ personality and leadership to keep his brothers and sisters from succumbing to the Astral Templars’ “flaw.”
The worst of which was Annihilator-Prime Volodyrmyr Thunderpelt and his warriors. Veterans of countless hunts across the Jhokulands and pivotal in the Dawnbringer Crusade that tamed stretches of the Balitello Peninsula. Their glory had come at the cost of several trips to the Anvil of Apotheosis. It was amid the hunt across the Hungering Steppe that Garbaldis realized how damaged Volodyrmyr and his Annihilators had become. Such damage had befallen their souls that Garbadlis kept them in reserve as the Astral Templars marched upon the Dolor Pox’s lair. He would not call upon them unless their situation was so dire.
As Garbaldis and his Stormcasts Eternals stepped towards the edge of the village, they startled hundreds of flies from the surrounding area, and a foul smell gripped the village. Three hundred yards away, the host of the Dolor Pox emerged, including the Great Unclean One itself.
Volleys from Vanguard-Raptors and Hunters peppered the slow, shambling horde of Pox, yet the daemons, blessed by the Great Grandfather, shrugged off and regenerated their grievous wounds. Lightning storms summoned by Knight-Arcanum Larysa Seloriam torched the ground and plaguebearers in front, yet the daemons lumbered forward.
As the Astral Templars shifted into attack formation, the buzzing of flies became louder. From above, the Lord of Afflictions Maggosus Hackbelly and his Pusgoyle Blightlords descended upon the Stormcast Eternals. Their plague-touched weapons wreaked havoc upon the off-guard warriors. The situation worsened as the Dolor Pox and his daemons charged into the fray.
Despite their resistance, Stormcasts began to fall. The Dolor Pox dealt a terrible toll against the Astral Templars. The Great Unclean One smashed aside the Vanguard Raptors trapped in combat and severely wounded Lord-Relictor Adonias Thunderheart. One unfortunate warrior was smothered by a swarm of Nurglings before his essence shot back to Azyr.
Garbaldis attempted to reconstitute his warriors and regain control of the battlefield. Vanguard Hunters fought valiantly against hordes of plaguebearers, but were losing ground. Even the timely arrival of a Stormstrike Chariot was unable to break the daemon’s position. The Fulminators, weakened by the Blightlords, withdrew, leaving an opening for Vanguard Palladors to countercharge. Maggosus Hackbelly merely laughed as his wounds healed. He then turned his attention to Knight-Arcanum Larysa Seloriam and punctured her armour with his trident. Her skin turned a sickly green before she burst into lighting and returned to Azyr. This wounded the Lord of Afflictions and forced him to reposition.
Meanwhile, Garbaldis found himself alone against the Dolor Pox and his minions. If he could bring down the Great Unclean One, then the Astral Templars could cripple the Nurgle host and salvage the deteriorating situation.
The Lord-Imperitant dodged and parried whatever the Dolor Pox threw at him, and even managed to land a fury of blows with his Stormaxe. The Greater Daemon screamed, throwing his weight and wailing bell at the Stormcast, though the Azyrite stood his ground. As fierce as Garbaldis fought, he felt his strength starting to wane to Nurgle’s rot. Recognizing his fight, and the battle overall, was nearly lost, the Lord-Imperitant called forth for reinforcements.
Thunder roared above the battlefield as Vindictors descended onto the left flank. They quickly engaged a Poxbringer and his cohort, providing ample time for their brethren nearby to regroup.
Nearby, The Fulminators rallied and charged into the Blightlords. Their glaives struck into the hearts of the enemy while their dracoths ripped their rotflys apart. And behind Garbaldis, a massive bolt of lightning struck the earth, wounding several of the Maggotkin. Emerging from the dust clouds were Volodymyr and his Annihilators as they charged forward like hungry animals.
The Thunderpelts hit the Dolor Pox like the force of a falling star. Their meteoric hammers pummeled the Greater Daemon’s blubbery diseased flesh with azyrite blasts. The Great Unclean One cried in pain before falling over onto a swarm of Nurgling. Volodymyr delivered several killing blows to the daemon’s skull until it began to disintegrate.
Relief found Garbaldis as the greater daemon disappeared from the mortal realms. He hoped that the Dolor Pox’s death would stop the corruption’s spread at its source. Already the Nurgle forces were reeling, but that had more to do with Volodymyr.
Garbaldis, starting to feel his injuries, ordered his forces to fall back. He dragged the wounded Adonias to the crew of the Stormstrike Chariot to carry him back. He then called out to the Annihilator-Prime, who was still swinging away at a Beast of Nurgle. Once it was dead, Volodyrmyr turned towards Garbaldis.
Those eyes weren’t Volodyrmyr’s, thought the Lord-Imperitant. Those eyes were deep, bloodshot, and menacing. He growled a threat, then snarled towards his fellow Thunderpelts. “The Flaw” had taken hold of Volodymyr and his warriors. Driven by primal primal fury, the Thunderpelts rampaged towards the Lord of Afflictions Maggosus.
Ignoring his failing health, Garbaldis continued calling out to Volodyrmyr, trying desperately to reach whatever shred of humanity was still within him. Resilient as they were, Maggosaus and his remaining Blightlords were swatted into the earth by the Annihilator’s bloodlust. Volodymyr himself dismounted the Lord of Afflictions and proceeded to stain the ground with pieces of the bloated warrior.
Garbaldis reached the Annihilator and grabbed his shoulder. The Paladin shrugged him off as he obliterated another Blightlord. As he brought his hammer down to blast another corpse, Garbaldis’ stormaxe intercepted him
Volodyrmyr snapped at the Lord-Imperitant, barking a threat and shoving the head of his hammer into his chest. This threw the wounded Garbaldis on his back. The Untamable approached with his hammer raised.
Garbaldis spoke softly, “You are stronger than this Volodymyr. Tame the flaw before it consumes you!”
The Annihilator roared and slammed his hammer down, embedding it into the earth next to Garbaldis’ face.
Volodyrmyr’s eyes were his once more. He saw what he had done, the mighty foes he had slain, and what he and his warriors had succumbed to. Despite the animalistic urge fighting within him, Volodyrmyr had control over himself once again.
With the remaining Nurgle forces converging, Volodymyr corralled his surviving warriors and helped Garbaldis to retreat from the battlefield.
At best the Astral Templars could claim was a pyrrhic victory. With several Stormcasts dead, wounded, or sickened, it would be some time before Garbaldis and his surviving warriors would be fit to resume their hunt in the Hungering Steppe.
