Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Updated Q&A - The Warrior Priest Class and the Empire Faction

Two designers from EA Mythic fill us in on the Empire faction and its warrior priest class.

By Staff, GameSpot

Posted Mar 15, 2007 5:30 pm PT

When Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning launches later this year, it will bring the rich universe of the Warhammer Fantasy setting to life as a massively multiplayer role-playing game for the first time. Players will create their own characters and adventure and battle in huge virtual worlds populated by monsters and thousands of other player characters. The battle lines are drawn between a number of colorful and memorable factions. The one that we might relate to the most is the human-based Empire faction, with its horse-mounted knights and medieval-like warriors. And one of the most unique units in the Empire faction is the warrior priest, a warrior that combines melee combat with holy-power abilities, such as healing injured teammates and strengthening them with magical spells that "buff" their abilities. The warrior priests can easily be identified on the battlefield thanks to their long robes and vestments, as well as their signature war hammer. To answer our questions about the warrior priest class and the Empire faction, we turned to senior designer Steve Marvin and content manager Doug Woolsey.

GameSpot: The big reveal this time around is the warrior priest class. Give us an overview of this character and its abilities.

Steve Marvin: The warrior priest is a follower of Sigmar and comes of age in the Empire, the human lands savagely beset by the forces of Chaos. He is part churchman, part soldier, part healer, and part justiciar. His realm, his race, and most importantly his faith are all in danger of extinction at the hands of a ravening evil flood of appalling monstrosities. He is the levee that will hold back that dark tide. This is no Friar Tuck; the warrior priest strides to the front line, singing the praises of Sigmar and inspiring his fellow soldiers to hold fast. His is a grim responsibility, and the only times he smiles is as his hammer slams a creature of Chaos to the ground.

Warrior priests revel in combat, with their blessed hammers sanctifying each blow to the greater glory of Sigmar and his inevitable triumph over darkness. As his faith and righteous fury rises within him, his god fills him with the power to heal and bless those who join him in his struggle. There is no sight like that of a warrior priest in the thick of combat, dispensing death to his foes and life to his allies.

His blessings deliver health, morale, and strength to all of those within range of his voice, which seldom halts in its righteous soliloquy. Any who stand close to a warrior priest for even a few moments feel their bodies refreshed and their faith renewed. In the height of his faith and fury, he can call upon Sigmar to heal the injured, purge taint and poison from the faithful, or even return life to the newly dead. He can also call holy power to his hammer to deliver devastating blows, or channel Sigmar's wrath directly into the hearts of his foes.

The warrior priest kicks butt and takes names. He wades into combat and smashes things left and right, building up his righteous fury ability with every blow. He then releases that pent-up power with heals, cures, and devastating attacks. Just being near a warrior priest buffs you.

GS: We understand that even though the warrior priest is the "healer" class for the Empire faction, the profession isn't about quietly sitting in the back of the adventuring party, casting healing spells. It's much more warlike and able to fight in the frontlines. Just how strong of a fighter will this character be, and why was this direction chosen?

SM: All of our healer careers work this way. We don't just want to avoid the creation of pure support classes; we want to make it positively counterproductive to play any career that way. This is Warhammer Online. Everybody fights. Nobody hangs back. There's no crying in Warhammer.

Now, will the warrior priest be among the strongest fighters? No, of course not. Though, he will be very difficult to kill because he can rebound from damage and purge debuffs. Since he can buff everyone in his party with his continuous blessings, he is likely to be a rallying point for his group. However, his most damaging blows come only when he has built up a reserve of righteous fury through combat and chosen not to spend it on his party's health. It is a trade-off the warrior priest must constantly assess based on the needs of his group.

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Beta Schedule

WAR Beta Details: Stages Defined

Current Beta Phase: First Stage of Closed Beta (Beta 1)
Includes: EA Mythic / EA / GW / GOA - Staff only.
Estimated Numbers: 400

Beta Defined!
By: Sanya Thomas 09 Nov 2006 15:22:56 EST

Originally posted 7/14/06

Here are some handy definitions of what the different phases of beta are. I also provide, for the first time, some extremely vague and tentative dates. Some of you have already won betas, and to spare you the whole "having to read" thing, you are listed as "Early Spring 2007." In theory and indeed in schedule, it may be sooner than that - but I am a bitter, cranky, old community weenie who has been through many betas, and I no longer believe in anything I can't grasp in my withered talons.

EDITED, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 2006. Clarifications, mostly, but one fairly giant change relating to my not totally understanding the implications of us becoming EA Mythic. All of my dates are still listed as they were on 7/14/06.

Alpha: What we are in now. I made the grievous error of calling it a very early beta, for which I am terminally sorry. I will regret that until I die. Alpha does not have anyone playing who does not draw a paycheck from Mythic.

Double Secret Beta: What we will be in "Soon, TM." That is just beyond alpha, and includes people who draw paychecks from Mythic and selected partners. STARTS: Summer 2006

First Stage of Closed Beta (Beta 1): Sometimes called "Friends and Family," somewhat inaccurately, this is a stage where there is actually a game, but it is not usually very complete or even stable for that matter. People who don't work here are in this stage, but usually fewer than a hundred, and they are nearly all such old, old friends that they are often mistaken for employees. STARTS: Fall 2006] [CURRENT BETA PHASE]

EDITED TO ADD, 11/9/06: Tragically, when I originally wrote this document in mid-July '06, I was still learning the EA ropes. I defined "First Closed" with the old Mythic way, because we were a pretty small company. Now, with thousands of employees around the world, this phase of beta is "EA Employee Only." Double Secret Beta is EA Mythic Studio Only. In this first closed phase, we begin including people outside our studio, but bound by the employee NDA.

Beta 1.7, After Things Stop Going Boom Every Day: This is the stage you'll start seeing community testers. People who have tested for Mythic for years, or have been otherwise recommended to us as quality volunteer testers, are starting to be included. There is usually a restriction on how many people get in at this point, and often perfectly wonderful people are left out. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Early 2007

Beta 2: Still closed and covered under NDA, invitees include prize winners, guilds that win the guild contest, and some members of the print and web media - usually the ones we have relationships with. People who work at GW retail shops are getting in here, and we've got some plans for existing Dark Age of Camelot players to be invited to check out their new sibling. There will be up to a thousand people by the end of Beta 2. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Early Spring 2007

Beta 3: Closed, NDA. This is where Lady Luck will wave her wand. We will be choosing randomly from the giant pool of people who are subscribed to our newsletter. This phase will have thousands of people invited, possibly as many as ten thousand. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Summer 2007

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Summer 2007

Provided By www.warherald.com

Warhammer Online UI

Victory Points and Capital Sieges

"By using skirmishes, battlefields and scenarios you generate, as a player, what we call “Victory Points” for your realm. These aren’t personal things, these are things that you’re gaining for your realm. So as the two sides are fighting in RvR, one side is eventually winning by gaining more victory points.

What this plays into is the fourth type of RvR which is the campaign game. So the campaign game takes place in this high level area between the two capital cities. The way that it works is as we’re fighting within a zone and I’m gaining victory points, my realm eventually gains enough victory points over you to capture the zone. At that point the zone subtly changes to demonstrate my ownership of the zone. I can then move to the next zone and we can fight over that zone. If I can win that zone then we can move to your capital city. In the capital city we have scenarios that become active and that I can fight for your capital city.

We’re making sure that in each capital city there is a safe area. For example, there may be certain administrative functions that we don’t want to take away from a player: we’ll put that in the safe area. Or we may want to give you a place, for example your flight path will probably come into the safe area, so if your capital city gets captured you can fly in to help try to take it back through the flight path.

The capital city scenarios are things like capture the gates, blow a hole in the wall, dig under the gates, climb over the wall, take the capital city in whatever way you can. The scenarios at the capital city are instanced. But once you win enough victory points at a capital city to capture it, the instances close down and the static world, the gates literally open up, and everybody can pour into the capital city to loot and plunder it."
-Jeff Hickman

Seige Warfare

It has not been confirmed but hints by Paul Barnett
has suggested that Warhammer Online will have siege weapons.

From Cannons to Catapults.

War Experts Looking for staff

We are looking for:

Part time graphic designer
News Reporters
Forum Moderators
Website Designers

If you are interested-

Firestar250@gmail.com

Warhammer Online Backstory

When the first reports of the Chaos Plague begin to appear in the fringe settlements of the Empire, they are dismissed as fanciful tales conjured to frighten away unwanted visitors. When the plague appears in the streets of Altdorf, however, the situation changes completely. By the time the Emperor issues his first quarantine order, the vile disease has already spread across most of his lands. The Empire's doctors work day and night to combat the sickness, but the plague defies all efforts at a cure.
Map of the Empire © Games Workshop 2000-2006 Victims of the Chaos Plague first experience tiredness, aching, soreness and extreme thirst. Bouts of nausea follow, but it takes nearly a month to reach the final stages of the disease. It is only then that the horrific nature of the plague is made clear; those unfortunate souls who have experienced plague symptoms for three to four weeks begin to change, transforming into fiendish Chaos mutants that savagely attack any living creature that they see. Those lucky enough to avoid contracting the plague are often killed by the savage monsters spawned from it. With each passing month, the death toll mounts. Quarantines and martial law fail to slow the spread of the disease, and paranoid fear grips every village and town within the Empire's borders. Militiamen in plague-wracked cities are forced to combat the hordes of Chaos mutants roaming their streets, leaving their walls undefended against threats from without. Emboldened gangs of brigands roam the countryside, looting, burning and killing at will. The scope of the tragedy is almost unparalleled in the history of the Empire, but the Chaos Plague is merely a precursor to a much greater evil yet to come.

Black Fire Pass Overview

Black Fire Pass has been the site of many battles throughout the course of history, but none were as significant as the first which was fought there. At Black Fire Pass, a great force of Dwarfs led by King Kurgan Ironbeard joined with a human army under the command of a young hero named Sigmar to confront and ultimately destroy a great horde of greenskins. Following the battle, King Ironbeard swore a great oath that for all time, the Dwarfs would safeguard the eastern mountain approaches to the lands of men. In the following year, Sigmar was made the first Emperor, uniting the scattered tribes of humans under one banner.

Since that time, the Dwarfs have faithfully upheld King Ironbeard's solemn oath, guarding with great diligence each of the mountain passes that might tempt an enemy seeking to invade the Empire. In the Age of Reckoning, this sacred vow will be severely tested.

All throughout the Old World, tribes of Orcs and Goblins are leaving their territories and marching to the captured Dwarf stronghold of Karak Eight Peaks in answer to Warlord Grumlok's summons. On the advice of his Shaman advisor Gazbag, Grumlok has sent some of his best fighters to challenge the Dwarfs for control of several key mountain passes throughout the World's Edge Mountains. With these passages under greenskin control, Orc and Goblin tribes from every part of the Old World will be able to reach Eight Peaks and join the growing ranks of Grumlok's horde.

When a force of Bloody Sun Boyz arrives in Black Fire Pass, they discover a tribe of cunning, rebellious Goblins called the Moon Fangs. The Goblins have blatantly defied the summons to Eight Peaks, though they know it will mean their deaths if Grumlok finds out. Instead, the Moon Fangs, accustomed to being bossed around by tribes of Orcs that have now left to join the Waaagh!, have decided to take advantage of their newfound freedom and attack the Empire through Black Fire Pass. The uprising must be put down swiftly, for if Grumlok is to maintain control of the Waaagh!, he cannot afford to show any sign of weakness.

Joining this crucial battle is the Empire, which has settlements in the pass and a vested interest in seeing it kept safe. Devotees of Sigmar will fight to the death to protect their great temple, perched high on a cliff overlooking the village of Priesterstadt. There, refugees from the nearby hamlet of Altstadt seek shelter while the courageous Altstadt Huntsmen fight desperately to save their home from the greenskin invaders.

As the forces of Order and Destruction clash, a new foe is watching, waiting eagerly for the opportunity to strike. A sinister presence has tunneled up from beneath the earth, drawn by the sound of conflict and the stench of death. In the depths of an abandoned Dwarf mine near the Empire town of Hindelburg, countless pairs of red eyes glow in the inky darkness. Elsewhere in Black Fire Pass, tribes of Beastmen prowl the wooded slopes in search of sacrifices for their dark altars.

In the fight for Black Fire Pass, there is far more at stake than territorial control. For the Dwarfs, a failure at Black Fire would be a failure to uphold one of the most sacred oaths ever taken – an oath for which every living Dwarf bears responsibility. Perhaps more importantly, Black Fire Pass is also the site of Bugman's Brewery, the most famous brewery in all the Old World and a cultural treasure for the Dwarfs. Its loss would be catastrophic. A defeat for the forces of Order could also spell doom for the Empire, for its southern provinces are largely undefended. For Warlord Grumlok and the Bloody Sun Boyz, the conquest of Black Fire Pass is vital to the success of the Waaagh! and the tribe's position as the dominant force among all the greenskins.

In a bygone era, the armies of Dwarfs and men joined forces against the greenskins and altered forever the course of history. Now, in the Age of Reckoning, the fate of nations might once again be decided in the snowy forests of Black Fire Pass.

Kadrin Valley Overview

Among all the warriors of the Dwarfs, the doom-laden Slayers are the most feared. Driven by some secret shame or disgrace, these fearless fighters have pledged to regain their honor by seeking death in battle. Upon taking the Slayer oath, a Dwarf severs all ties to home and family and wanders the world in search of his fate. Though they often travel alone, there is one place where the Slayers are known to gather in force. That place is Karak Kadrin, the Slayer Keep.

Karak Kadrin is unique among all the holds of the Dwarfs in that its ruler, Ungrim Ironfist, is himself a Slayer. Bound by his duties as a monarch, he cannot leave and seek death in combat, and so he fulfills his Slayer oath by providing for other Slayers as they seek to fulfill their vows. At Karak Kadrin, a weary Slayer may find lodging, food and hospitality for as long as he needs it before resuming his quest for death. In return, those Slayers who remain at the keep are expected to help the King uphold his pledge to guard the Peak Pass, along which much trade flows between the lands to the east and west of the World’s Edge Mountains.


As the Peak Pass leads directly to the eastern border of the Empire, it is a desirable route of invasion for warriors of Chaos swarming down from the north, or bloodthirsty greenskins seeking to ravage the lands of men. For this reason, the Slayers diligently guard the pass, in particular the stretch which runs nearest to Karak Kadrin, which is known as Kadrin Valley.

As the greenskin leaders Grumlok and Gazbag plot their war against the Dwarfs, they know that the most fearsome enemies they face will likely be the Slayers. If King Ironfist is warned of the imminent attack on the Dwarf capital of Karaz-a-Karak by the greenskins’ gathering Waaagh!, he will send a host of Slayers to defend the city, lessening the greenskins’ chances to successfully conquer it. In order to prevent this, the two leaders of the Bloody Sun Boyz decide to launch an attack upon the Slayers and engage them in Kadrin Valley, keeping them well away from the capital city of the Dwarfs. A large horde of Orcs and Goblins marches northward from Eight Peaks with orders to keep the Slayers occupied and away from Karaz-a-Karak.

The greenskin assault takes the Slayers completely by surprise, for most of the fighting has until now remained well to the south. Even Malekith, ruler of the Dark Elves, is surprised by news of the attack on the Slayer Keep. The move is exceptionally cunning for the leaders of the Bloody Sun Boyz, who have until now been little more than pawns in his grand scheme to conquer Ulthuan. Intrigued by the greenskins’ new strategy, the Witch King commands one of his most trusted agents, Beastmaster Vauroth, to lead a battalion of Dark Elf warriors to Kadrin Valley. There, Vauroth is commanded to observe the actions of the greenskins while aiding them in their attack on the Dwarf hold.

Seeing the Dark Elves join the battle against his Slayers, King Ironfist realizes that Karak Kadrin is in dire peril. His concern turns quickly to surprise when a company of High Elves arrives to aid the beleaguered Dwarfs. The company, led by Tarril Bladedancer, had been shadowing Beastmaster Vauroth’s regiment, hoping to discover the purpose of their journey to Kadrin Valley. Though not particularly fond of High Elves, King Ironfist reluctantly accepts Tarril’s offer to help, for Vauroth’s forces have already overrun the Dwarf outpost of Grung Grimaz and claimed it as their own.


In Kadrin Valley, the fighting is fierce and relentless, for not one, but two ancient conflicts have erupted into violence and bloodshed. Any hope of victory for the Armies of Order hangs by the slimmest of threads, for the alliance between the Dwarfs and High Elves is tenuous at best. Though it was long ago, the Dwarfs have never forgotten the terrible war they fought with the Lords of Ulthuan. It is likely these two ancient races will never again trust each other as they once did, even though the fate of both their peoples may depend on it.

Black Crag Overview

Long ago, before the Time of Woes, the kingdom of the Dwarfs spanned the whole of the World’s Edge Mountains and many lands beyond. Among all the southern holds of the Dwarfs, Karak Drazh was second only to the mighty fortress at Karak Eight Peaks in its size and splendor. Situated at the mouth of Death Pass, Karak Drazh was surrounded by rich veins of ore that provided great wealth for the Dwarfs who lived within the great hold.

The Dwarfs of Karak Drazh would survive the tumultuous Time of Woes only to see their fortress fall soon afterward to the Orc Warlord Dork. Charging into Death Pass at the head of a great horde of greenskins, Warlord Dork drove out the Dwarfs and conquered the hold, renaming it ‘Black Crag’.

In the Age of Reckoning, the narrow, twisting ravines of Black Crag are infested with Orcs, Goblins and other unsavory creatures. Some of the deadliest among these can be found in Poisonwing Canyon, which is home to a great brood of Wyverns that will viciously attack any creature that enters their territory. Perched high atop a pinnacle of rock where she watches over her brood is Diemonus, the great matriarch of the Wyverns. She is an ancient and terrible creature, and when she alights from her loft to hunt for a meal, the other beasts who make their home in the crag wisely seek dark places to hide.

The Wyverns in Black Crag may be deadly, but for the greenskins, there is a far greater threat taking shape. Rumors have surfaced that one of Warlord Grumlok’s strongest and most effective enforcers, a titan of a Black Orc named Skargor, is questioning the leadership of the Bloody Sun Boyz. Using strength and intimidation, Skargor has been pressing the Orcs and Goblins in Black Crag into his service, claming that he intends to put the tribe ‘back on track’. If these whisperings prove true, Skargor’s plot could unravel the great Waaagh! before it has begun, leaving the Armies of Destruction with little hope of victory in the war.

The greenskins’ power struggles have created an opportunity for their old enemies, the Dwarfs. The road that joins the Dwarf capital of Karaz-a-Karak to the lost fortress of Karak Eight Peaks runs directly through Black Crag, making control of this thoroughfare vital to the war effort. High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer intends to do everything in his power to deny the greenskin horde access to the ancient road, and so he has dispatched a force of Oathbearers to secure it. It is a dangerous mission; the Dwarfs will be alone and far from help, yet the outcome of the conflict in the World’s Edge Mountains may well depend upon their success.

As the Oathbearers struggle to claim a foothold in Black Crag, they find themselves surrounded on all sides by enemies. Among these is a powerful Sorcerer named Kaspar Vogt. Once a promising Wizard of the Grey College, Vogt fell in with a sinister cult and pledged his soul to Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, in exchange for secret knowledge and power denied him by his instructors at the College. The cult was discovered soon afterward, and Vogt fled before his part in it was discovered. Knowing he would not be safe among the people of the Empire, he fled to the World’s Edge Mountains to continue his dark practices. In the Age of Reckoning, the winds of magic have grown strong and Vogt has discovered that his powers are suddenly amplified. When he spies the Dwarfs, he decides to test his newfound abilities. Now, he summons terrifying creatures of Chaos to send against them, all the while pleasing his dark master.

The Dwarfs are not alone in their battle against these unnatural terrors. The Oathbearers have recently been joined by a Witch Hunter named Sigismund, who for years has hunted for the fugitive Wizard Vogt. Sigismund has guessed correctly that Vogt’s disappearance and the discovery of the cult are more than a coincidence. His search has led him to Black Crag, where his suspicions have been confirmed beyond any doubt. Now, with the help of the Dwarfs, he seeks to bring the evil Sorcerer to justice.


Of all the enemies the Dwarfs face in Black Crag, the most fearsome is the Orc Warboss Brugash Redfang. Redfang commands a large force of greenskins garrisoned at a great fort that guards the approach to Karak Eight Peaks. The brutal Warboss has single-handedly wiped out nearly half the Oathbearer force and the Dwarfs have taken to calling him ‘Grudgemaker’. The conquest of the Orc fort and the death of its leader are the highest priority for the Dwarfs, but they will be hard-pressed to claim victory without reinforcements.

In the Age of Reckoning, the war between the Dwarfs and the greenskins rages on many fronts, but few are as important as Black Crag. If, against all odds, the Dwarfs can claim a victory in this dangerous maze of winding canyons and jagged spires of rock, the road to the greenskins’ fortress will be open. Then, finally, the sons of Grungni will be able to strike back against their hated enemies and turn the tide of the war.

Thunder Mountain Overview

Thunder Mountain, or 'Karag Dron' as it is known in the Dwarf tongue, is one of the largest and most powerful of the numerous volcanoes found in the southern reaches of the Worlds Edge Mountains. Here, the vast armies of the Dwarfs and greenskins clash in an epic battle for mastery of the region, for Thunder Mountain is equidistant from the Dwarf capital city of Karaz-a-Karak, and the greenskin-held fortress of Eight Peaks. Control of Thunder Mountain is vital to the battle plans of both sides, and the army which holds this important region will have a great advantage in the struggle for domination of the Worlds Edge Mountains.

The main warcamps of the Dwarf and greenskin armies in Thunder Mountain are in close proximity, separated from each other by Dragonsmite Ravine. The bridge connecting the two sides of the canyon was sundered long ago by the creature for which the ravine was named. Here, the Dwarf and greenskin forces remain in a constant stalemate, each side awaiting reinforcements that will enable it to vanquish the other..

On the northern side of the ravine, Hargan Hammerstriker's Dwarf encampment is under intense pressure, not just from Orcs, but also from High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer. The Dwarfs have come to Thunder Mountain for two reasons: to secure the region against the coming greenskin Waaagh!, and also, following a direct order from the High King himself, to mine gromril. This valuable metal is needed for the forging of the Doomstrikers, mighty weapons that that Dwarfs hope will turn the tide of the battle against their ancestral foes.

Obeying the dictates of the mighty Warlord Grumlok, the Orcs and Goblins of the Bloody Sun Boyz draw up their plans to crush the Dwarfs and clear a path through Thunder Mountain for the great Waaagh! Gazbag, powerful Shaman and advisor to Grumlok, whispers in the Warlord’s ear that the fewer distractions the horde encounters on its march to the Dwarf capital at Karaz-a-Karak, the swifter the greenskins’ conquest of the Dwarfs will be.


West of the volcano, the ruins of Karak Palik beckon both sides. The Dwarfs are interested in securing the Runed Anvil at the center of the ruins, and the greenskins are keen on keeping swarms of stunties out of the ancient towers. Both sides are committed to securing this ancient objective no matter the cost, for the ruins represent an easily defensible position that could allow one side or the other to fortify its position and strengthen its hold on the territory.

Elsewhere, in a location long kept secret, the Dwarf Guild of Engineers maintains a workshop for the development and testing of radical new war machines. At a glance, some might say that the strange devices arrayed in this hidden ravine are little more than the mad inventions of crazed tinkerers, but if the Master Engineers who labor day and night on these peculiar engines of war can get even one of them to work properly, it might be enough to tip the balance of power in the region.

While the greenskins and Dwarfs wage their war for domination of the lands around Thunder Mountain, other foes wait and watch for an opportunity to take advantage of the conflict. Reichert’s Raiders, a nefarious group of outlaws from the Empire, have been lured to the slopes of Thunder Mountain by tales of the fabulous riches stored within two ancient Dwarf vaults abandoned long ago during the Time of Woes. Now these outlaws prey upon the Dwarfs’ supply wagons and raid their mining camps, threatening to undermine the war effort and tip the scales in the greenskins’ favor.

Enemy to both the Dwarfs and greenskins are the Drakk cultists. These humans, who have lived for generations in the barren wastes that surround the great volcano, worship the ancient Dragon that once dwelt there. When the armies of the Orcs and Dwarfs clash perilously near to their homes, the cultists hire a great Ogre Chieftain named Tuff Gutbash for protection. With the Gutbash clan at their side, the cultists present a real threat to both sides in the conflict.

With its rivers of molten lava, pits filled with choking sulfurous gas and broken landscape of jagged black rock, Thunder Mountain is a fitting backdrop for the conflict that now rages on its slopes. The landscape is harsh, unforgiving and lethal, much like the warriors of the Dwarf and greenskin armies who wage a bloody battle here. The stakes are high – the victor in Thunder Mountain will open the route of invasion to the enemy capital, and perhaps strike the decisive blow that will decide the outcome of the war between the forces of Order and Destruction.

Nordland Overview

More than any other subjects of the Empire, the Nordlanders know what it means to live under the shadow of Chaos. The Barony of Nordland lies but a short sail across the Sea of Claws from the havens of the Northmen. Constant incursions by these savage barbarians are nothing new to the Nordlanders; they have withstood assaults from the hordes of Chaos for centuries.
The people of Nordland are as tough and uncompromising as the rugged land in which they live. This might be due to the rumored mixing of their bloodlines with those of the barbaric Northmen. Perhaps because of these rumors, Nordlanders seem to go out of their way to prove their loyalty to the Empire.

That is not to say that the inhabitants of Nordland are considered civilized in the eyes of the Empire. By and large, they embrace traditions and practices that would seem at best quaint and at worst primitive to the gentlefolk in Altdorf. Nordlanders value action over words, and can seem gruff and quick to anger to an outsider. When they do speak, they show little regard for the intricacies of diplomacy and as often as not will say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time in an attempt to "settle accounts."


At the dawn of the Age of Reckoning, the Barony of Nordland finds itself the target of yet another invasion by the Northmen. A massive horde of Marauders has swarmed into Nordland under the banner of Tchar'zanek, a Champion of the Dark Gods. The sheer size of Tchar'zanek's warhost cannot be ignored by the Empire. The Nordland provincial army, its ranks already decimated by the terrible plague that is sweeping through the Empire, cannot hold against so large a force without help. Karl Franz will need to intervene.

Unfortunately, the provincial army is having a difficult time mustering troops in this area effectively. The plague is hampering any hopes of a swift response, leaving too few men to defend the Empire’s northern borders. A company of militiamen is camped at the fishing village of Neues Emskrank. Under the leadership of General Breuer, the militiamen are doing their best to protect the shoreline against raiding fleets of black longships from the north.

As his men fight desperately against the overwhelming might of the warhost, the General dispatches riders to muster as many of the local villagers as they can. The plague has taken its toll on the province, however, and too few can find the courage to fight what seems like a hopeless battle. Instead, a steady stream of refugees flees southward hoping to get out of the path of the encroaching horde of Northmen.

The situation is dire and the Emperor knows that without help, Nordland will soon fall and the enemy will have a clear path to the very heart of the Empire. In a council with his chief advisors, Karl Franz devises the Order of the Griffon, an elite military force answerable only to the Emperor himself, with an authority that supersedes that of the Elector Counts and their provincial generals. Freed from these bureaucratic constraints, the Order will take swift action to unify all defensive measures being engineered in the north.

Soon afterward, emissaries from the Order of the Griffon pour into Nordland with a stern mandate: train and arm those willing to defend the Empire, and compel those who would turn tail and flee to join the fight, by any means necessary.

One such emissary is Viktor Riese, who has been tasked with preparing the townsfolk of Grimmenhagen, a small village just a short ride from Neues Emskrank, to join the battle against the Warhost. The farmers and peasants of Grimmenhagen are forced to trade their plowshares for swords, or risk losing their lands, their families and even their lives.

Grimmenhagen is but one front in the first battles the Empire will fight against Tchar’zanek’s warhost. It is a struggle that will be fought both without, against an implacable horde of barbarians bent on total conquest, and within, where the people of the Empire must find the courage to face a deadly foe even as they suffer from a terrible plague. For if the people of Nordland should lose heart and give in to their fear, the Empire may be doomed before the war has even begun.

Norsca Overview

Norsca is a forbidding realm of rocky hills and dark, overgrown pine forests haunted by long winters that blanket the land in perpetual frost. Though the jagged mountains and deep forests of ancient pine are a daunting challenge to men who would settle this cold northern expanse, the woods, rivers and bays of Norsca are rich with resources that sustain the hardy people who dwell there. Within the borders of this vast wilderness is a bountiful harvest for the many traders, trappers and fisherman that journey from the more civilized lands to the south.

In the eyes of most citizens of the Empire, Norsca is a wild and untamed land, full of dangerous creatures both natural and unnatural. Perhaps this is true in the deep north, but along its southern borders where Norsca joins with the northernmost provinces of Kislev, a civilizing influence has taken hold. Here, brave adventurers and resourceful frontiersmen who don’t feel at home in the cities and towns of the south cross the border into Norsca to find their fortune. Towns, villages, and isolated farms are scattered across the rugged landscape, and though their residents lead a hard life, they are largely happy in it.

For all the settling influence of civilization however, the dangers for which the land is known are quite real. In the northern reaches, barbarian tribes and followers of Chaos are numerous, and their raids frequently strike deep into the southern regions of Norsca. The residents of the villages here sometimes forge pacts with these tribes, intermingling and opening themselves to the influence of the Dark Powers through their alliances. Thus, even the most civilized of Norse are not to be trusted by righteous men.

The greatest dangers of Norsca are less commonplace by far, for this is the staging ground of Chaos. Here in the frozen north the servants of the Ruinous Powers draw together their numberless hordes, their ranks swollen with Northmen, twisted beasts, and terrible Daemons. These foul armies then march south into the lands of men, obliterating any civilization which stands in their way.

As the Age of Reckoning arrives, just such a force storms out of the brutal north, and down into the realms of civilized men. The isolated villages and settlements of Norsca find themselves besieged by the Chaos warhost and, stubbornly refusing to give up their way of life and join the invading army, prefer to fight to the death instead.

In the eyes of Tchar’zanek, leader of the warhost and Champion of the Raven God - one of the many guises of Tzeentch - the meager villages of the north are hardly a concern. They are at worst a nuisance, and at best a proving ground where his warriors may cut their teeth and gain a taste of the victory which must surely come in the south. Some villages hold out, defended by a courageous Wizard or hero. To these unfortunate souls, Tchar'zanek offers a bleak choice – join the legions of the Raven God, or be sacrificed in his name.

As the warhost marches, all that bars the way south is destroyed. Woods are cleared by unholy fire, and towns are put to the torch to make way for Tchar’zanek’s army. The advance of Chaos is as inexorable as the approach of a thunderstorm, and as ominous. This land will not be the stage of the final battle between the realms of Order and Destruction, for there can be no battle in a land so utterly defeated. Here, Chaos has won out completely over what little resistance there was, and has only gained momentum in the process.

Sacked and looted by the outriders of the advancing horde, the village of Gotland now serves as a base for the sinister agents of Tzeentch. Drawing on great magical powers to rend the very fabric of reality, they aim to consecrate the land itself with the essence of Chaos in the name of their dark master. When their sinister rites are complete the village will be used as a staging area from which the warhost will cross the borders of Norsca and begin its assault upon the nearby Empire. In towns along the Sea of Claws, the forces of Chaos gather and build, constructing great Dragonships that will carry them south to raid the coast of Nordland. This combined assault by land and sea will send the forces of the Empire reeling, unable to guess from where the next attack will come.

Norsca has always been a land of peril, but now it lies fully in the shadow of evil. Though it was never truly theirs, Norsca is now more lost to the forces of Order than ever before, and whatever buffer it might have provided against the forces of Chaos is now utterly overrun. It has become a place of bloodshed and ruin, and it seems it will remain so until men drive back the enemy warhost, or until Chaos ends the rule of men in the Old World once and for all.

Ostland Overview

With its back pressed hard against the Middle Mountains to the south and west, the Grand Principality of Ostland is a province dominated by the dark and forbidding Forest of Shadows. Hulking and ancient, the trees of this vast woodland realm shroud the land in a perpetual green dusk, broken only by the occasional clearing or settlement hacked from the dense undergrowth. Ostland is a realm of damp, creeping mists and shifting shadows that conceal the remnants of millennia of civilization and conflict behind an impenetrable veil of foliage.

The people of Ostland are loyal citizens and devout followers of Sigmar. For generations, they have carved lives from the rugged land, and they are well known throughout the Empire for their steadfast and stubborn nature. Time and again over the centuries, the famed Ostlander stubbornness has been tested and proved true in the face of invasion from the forces of Chaos. The Forest of Shadows conceals the remnants of a thousand battles, and the province has been ransacked by invaders dozens of times. On each occasion the people of Ostland have fought to defend their land with enviable resilience.


Even when such attacks are repulsed, there is a lingering danger. Each invasion brings with it the taint of Chaos and some remnants are inevitably left behind, lost in the vast overgrowth. The wooded darkness harbors innumerable minions of the Ruinous Powers, and even the most experienced scout moves through the forest deeps with caution, lest he stumble upon a lost tribe of Beastmen or a Daemonic servant of the Dark Gods.

Ostland seems ripe for the picking but may prove to be bitter fruit. Sparsely defended at the best of times, the province could hardly appear more vulnerable, but the ferocious Ostlanders are primed to hold their land to the last living soul. With a force of skirmishers and raiding parties, the Chaos warhost faces the daunting task of conquering a land that is itself as much an obstacle as its staunch defenders. And yet conquer it they must, for deep within Ostland is one of four forgotten relics of power that holds the key to Tchar'zanek's master plan.

To accomplish his goals in Ostland, the Raven God's Champion will turn to the methods he knows best: corrupt the strong, destroy the weak, and sow the fields of battle with terror until no resistance remains. In the woods and dales of Ostland, the enemy infiltrates and raids, striking at random, sacking farms and villages without warning and leaving just enough alive to spread the panic they carry. In the cities and towns, Tzeentch’s subtle minions twist the minds of men, raising up cults and converting secret sympathizers to their unholy cause.

As confusion and anarchy spread throughout the province, Tchar’zanek dispatches his elite, handpicked warriors, the Raven Host, to carry out a secret mission behind enemy lines. Success will bring the dark Warlord that much closer to his ultimate goal of destroying the Empire forever.

The men of Ostland resist, as they always have, fighting with relentless tenacity, seeking out those who have turned to the ways of ruin and meeting the stark terror of bloody battle with uncommon valor. Their cause seems a lost one – the Empire cannot afford to offer them support, and their numbers dwindle day by day – but in every tavern and shrine the rallying cry is raised, calling upon men to keep their faith, hold their ground, and let no foul thing shake their courage.

In Bohsenfels and Wolfenburg, refugees come day by day, reporting invaders in all directions. Local leaders struggle to muster troops for the defense of outlying territories. Witch Hunters and vigilantes torture and burn so-called heretics on the vaguest suspicion of collusion with the Ruinous Powers, while men of faith preach repentance to the huddled masses. The future of Ostland is a bleak one, win or lose, but the people find solace in their faith and courage in their stubbornness and zeal.

The folk of Ostland have weathered many assaults in the past, and perhaps that provides them a glimmer of hope, but as with every invasion the threat of annihilation is all too real. The subtle claws of Tzeentch have struck at the heart of the Ostlander people, and the spears of his warriors have bled the land of its best and bravest. Without the intervention of forces from elsewhere in the Empire, it seems Ostland will die a slow death, sacrificed on the altar of battle, in the name of the Raven God and his dread Champion.

Barak Varr Overview

Barak Varr is the lone seaport of the Dwarf lands, and has long been a key commercial center of the Old World. The lion's share of goods exported from Barak Varr to places such as Tilea, Bretonnia, and the Empire pass through the city's heavily-fortified docks. Although the lands of Barak Varr technically include all of the ports, docks, and anchorages that line the easternmost limb of the Black Gulf, what most mean when they refer to 'Barak Varr' is the Great Cove, the massive port facility hewn deep into the Cliffs of Gamrud.

In response to a request by the High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer, King Byrrnoth Grundadrakk, lord of Barak Varr, agreed to send a significant portion of his flotilla of ironclads to support the Dwarf recovery of Ekrund, leaving only a token force behind to defend the harbor. A short time after his ships had departed, a massive greenskin assault was launched upon the port. The Orcs and Goblins came by both sea and land and quickly overwhelmed Barak Varr's remaining defenses. The Dwarfs were barely able to repel the attack, leaving King Grundadrakk with little choice but to gather his people, seal the gates leading to Barak Varr and fall back to the shelter of the Great Cove.

Without naval superiority, King Grundadrakk has been forced to accept the greenskin presence in Barak Varr until the main fleet can return from Ekrund. The King's remaining ironclads now fight to keep the greenskins pinned down with intermittent bombardments while avoiding attacks from the numerous Orc war barges in the harbor. Also lending aid to the defense of the Cove is a bank of massive cannons that line the rocky promontory high above the bay.

Sturdy Dwarf-constructed lighthouses line the interior of the Black Gulf, guiding ships into the harbor of Barak Varr. These have become hotly contested areas for the greenskins and Dwarfs. The fighting is heaviest at the Black Gulf lighthouse where a small, but resolute band of Dwarfs holds out against hordes of greenskins. These brave warriors know that if the ironclads dispatched to Ekrund should return, they will need the lighthouse to guide them safely to the Great Cove. Showing typical Dwarf fortitude, the defenders have repelled every attack made upon the lighthouse. However, their supplies are dangerously low and they will not be able to hold out much longer.

Despite their losses, the greenskins continue to throw wave after wave of attackers at the gates surrounding the city. The fighting is fiercest at the Bar Dawazbak, the Dwarf Head gate, where a brave contingent of King Grundadrakk's best warriors has been ordered to hold to the last Dwarf. It is this gate which protects the overland entrance to the Great Cove, and if the greenskins should get through, the Dwarfs would be cut off from retreat and forced to make a last stand.

The One Tusk tribe vastly outnumbers the Dwarfs holed up in the Great Cove, and so it is lucky for the Dwarfs that some unexpected help has recently arrived. Sensing an opportunity for profit, the fabled regiment of Slayer pirates led by the doomed Captain Long Drong set sail for the harbor at Barak Varr. The mercenary pirates offered their services to the besieged Dwarfs in the Cove, and when King Grundadrakk scrounged together enough gold to pay them, Long Drong's men sailed out to take on the entire greenskin war barge fleet. It's a hopeless mission against impossible odds, and just the sort of challenge the Slayers relish.

With the rekindling of ancient hostilities between the forces of Order and Destruction in the Age of Reckoning, the significance of the Dwarf port at Barak Varr has grown exponentially. While the greenskins continue to blockade the harbor, the vital supply line that links the Dwarfs to their allies will be cut, and the Dwarfs will have little hope of surviving the great Waaagh! that is about to march on their capital.

Mount Bloodhorn Overview

Decades ago, an Imperial expedition set out to establish a profitable trade route to the lands far south of the Empire. Unfortunately, the expedition suffered one hardship after another. The terrain was treacherous and the wagons were constantly in need of repair. Supplies ran short, and the caravan was frequently attacked by packs of wolves and bands of brigands. The expedition's leader, Erich Krieghoffer, the son of a wealthy Imperial Baron, frequently argued with the captain of the mercenary guard hired to protect the convoy. This captain was none other than Dietrich Lichtermann, founder of the renowned Imperial militiamen regiment "Dietrich's Dogs". More used to giving orders than taking them, the veteran soldier found it increasingly difficult to put up with the spoiled, impetuous Erich.

Following a heated argument, Lichtermann decided to abandon Erich and the remaining members of the expedition. His mercenary warriors following behind him, Lichtermann struck out into the Badlands, determined to find his way back to the Empire. Without the expedition's maps, however, the mercenaries soon become lost in the wilds.

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Lichtermann knew he would never see the Empire again unless food, shelter and water could be secured. Though his warriors had no supplies, they did have weapons and the skill to use them. They hunted to feed themselves and while exploring a network of caves they had discovered in a winding canyon, found an underground stream suitable for drinking water. The caves soon became the mercenaries' home and Lichtermann ordered his men to begin stockpiling supplies in the hopes of making a second attempt at returning to the Empire.

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Those plans were dashed when a great horde of Orcs and Goblins suddenly appeared. Before long, the surrounding area was saturated with the green-skinned creatures, and the mercenaries were hard pressed to defend their caves. Meanwhile, back in the Empire, Baron Krieghoffer, determined to establish the trade route he was certain would ensure his wealth as well as to learn the fate of his son Erich, sent another expedition along the same road the previous one had taken. Though they found no trace of Erich, this second expedition was successful in reaching the southlands and regular commerce began to flow along "Krieghoffer's Road".

Fortunately for Lichtermann, Krieghoffer's Road passes very close to the caves in Mount Bloodhorn that his men now call home. The numerous Orc tribes that had settled in the area make hunting for food extremely dangerous, and so the Imperial merchant wagons now passing regularly north and south along the Road are an excellent source of fresh supplies. Fancying himself a bandit hero, Lichtermann has named his crew "Dietrich's Dogs" after his former militia regiment. The Dogs have a reputation as a nuisance for merchants wishing to make a rich profit by trading along Krieghoffer's Road, and if there were not so much money to be made in doing so, more of them have given up due to the frequent bandit attacks.

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Other challenges await those souls intrepid enough to brave the dangers of Mount Bloodhorn. In order to build their stockades and siege engines, the Orcs and Goblins that have recently come to occupy the area around the mountain eagerly hacked down every tree in sight. In so doing, they discovered a number of Dryads living among the trees, which they slew without hesitation. So strong was their magical bond with nature, the spirits of the Dryads return sometimes as vengeful ghosts bent on destroying any living creature they encounter.

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Also, to bolster their presence in the region, several of the greenskin tribes have moved their Squig pens to Mount Bloodhorn. Here, they breed, train and stable their creatures of war, keeping them close at hand to better deal with the many threats they face in the area.

Badlands Overview

'The Badlands' is the name given to the arid, rocky country that lies between the Worlds Edge Mountains and the Dragonback Mountains. To the north of the Badlands lie the Black Gulf and the Blood River, and to the south, the Blind River and the Marshes of Madness. Thorny scrub brush and gnarled, ash-grey trees are all that grow in the dusty, barren wastes of the Badlands. What water can be found is a foul and stinking brown, thick with mud and unfit for any creature to drink. Contributing to the dismal mood are twisting formations of jagged rock and the omnipresent ruins of the Mourkain Empire, still adorned in leering skulls and other emblems of death and decay.


This desolate land is home to some of the most vicious and brutal tribes of greenskins to be found anywhere. These tribes war constantly with one another, and many of the most successful greenskin leaders in the history of the Old World emerged from the Badlands to lead their tribes on a path of destruction and conquest. The harsh environment and constant state of conflict weed out the weak and unworthy. In the Badlands, only the strongest survive.

It is hard to imagine a less hospitable place for a Dwarf to visit, and yet they have come to the Badlands in force to carry out an important mission. In response to the fall of Karak Eight Peaks and the resulting blow to the morale of his people, the wise High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer has proclaimed that the Dwarfs will forge mighty weapons, more powerful than any the world has ever known. These weapons will be crafted from the best and rarest materials in the Old World, and one such ingredient is the gem called Brynduraz, or 'Brightstone' in the language of men.

In an age long past, the Dwarfs mined Brightstone from the tunnels beneath Mount Gunbad. It was in the Time of Woes that a horde of Night Goblins attacked the gold-rich mines and drove the Dwarfs out. Many years later, Mourkain Necromancers divined the existence of a powerful intersection of magical ley lines beneath the Gunbad mines. Determined to reach this nexus of power, they used their undead laborers to dig a great tunnel joining the mines with their own Empire, which at that time stretched across the Badlands. In the deepest hollow of the Gunbad tunnels, they built a great obsidian henge to channel the potent energies of the ley line convergence. The Mourkain never had the chance to use this power, for their great empire was destroyed soon after the completion of the henge.

Rumors of the existence of the Mourkain tunnel eventually reached the Dwarfs, but the tale was widely dismissed as a fanciful legend. Interest in the story was renewed when the High King announced his ambitious plan. Because the Gunbad mines were the only known source of Brightstone, the Dwarfs had tried many times to reclaim it. All such attempts had failed disastrously, for the Night Goblins were too well entrenched. A secret tunnel leading into the depths of the mines, however, might just give the Dwarfs a chance.

Even if the Dwarfs can find the tunnel, shipping cartloads of Brightstone safely back to Karaz-a-Karak will be a monumental undertaking. Like the nearby Marshes of Madness, the Badlands are tainted with the warping power of Chaos. All manner of predators both living and dead prowl the barren, rock-strewn hills and valleys. Ghouls stalk the craggy bluffs while packs of ravening Chaos Hounds hunt for easy prey under the light of the green-tinged moon, Morrslieb. Black-feathered carrion birds circle high above, searching with greedy eyes for their next feast. In the southern reaches of the Badlands dwells a great tribe of Ogres, and they will suffer no trespassers to enter their territory.

It will take every ounce of courage the Dwarfs can muster - and no small amount of good fortune - if they are to complete their task in the Badlands. If they can find the legendary Gunbad tunnel, they will bring much-needed hope to their people, and that alone may be enough to turn the tide of the war in their favor.