Age of Sigmar: Broken Realms Kragnos Shockers
The Broken Realms saga continues and Kragnos shakes the Mortal Realms to their foundations. Take a look.
Broken Realms: Kragnos is upon us and it picks up the tale after the events of Be’lakor.
Broken Realms Kragnos doesn’t so much continue the story from part 3 Be’lakor, as weave everything together and tie them all up – setting up the events that GW will use to take us into AoS3. You will recall the major events that have happened so far, summarized very very much are:
- Morathi achieved demi-godhood by stealing a lot of Aelf souls from the belly of Slaanesh, and swiped the Sigmarite city of Anvilgard afterward.
- Teclis defeated Nagash and ended the magics of the Necroquake – banishing him back to Shyish.
- Be’lakor tried to corrupt all the Realmgates and create zones where Stormcast Eternals can’t reincarnate – but was beaten back by a very potent white-bearded Dwarf.
Now the story begins…
Alarielle Did It!
In the aftermath of the previous events, the Everqueen decides to purify Ghyran or die trying. She and a Sylvaneth army march on the Oak of Ages Past. Surrounded by masses of Beastmen she reaches the tree and begins to sing a song of healing. This in turn releases acorns housing spirits of the World that Was who quickly mature into Warsong Revenants and join their music to hers. This creates her version of the Necroquake as a wave of life expands across the realms healing and revitalizing all it touches.
In the distant wilds of Ghur, it sparks life deep within the under mountain of Twinhorn Peak and breaks an ancient Seraphon spell that was imprisoning Kragnos.
Welcome to Excelsis
In far eastern Ghur the Sigmarite city of secrets, Excelsis is wracked by infighting and intrigue. In the past Tzeenchian forces tried to take the city, only to be beaten back by its human, duardin and aelf citizens. But the scars of mistrust run deep. The city is at each other’s throats, and human zealots patrol the streets, blaming aelfs for all of their misfortune. It is all the Stormcast Eternal garrison can do to keep the powderkeg from erupting into full civil war. As tensions reached a fever pitch the defensive Aelf Privateer fleet raise anchor and sails away, leaving the city to fend for itself.
Galen and Doralia Ven Denst, a pair of witchhunters suspect darker forces may be at work, and visit the Seraphon temple within the city. There Doralia is given a vision of something unknowable and ancient bringing doom upon the city. In horror, she passes the story onto The White Reaper, the head of the Stormcast forces in the city. Then the attacks begin…
Chaos from Below and Within
The Skaven have indeed been knawing underneath Excelsis and attack in force. A desperate battle ensues as the ratmen swarm up from seemingly everywhere as the Stormcasts fight them back.
But deep within the city a gathering of human zealots who have been kidnapping aelfs gather und their leader in a hall of hundreds of mirrors. They sacrifice all their victims while Skaven heeding promises heard in dreams finish the ritual and destroy all the mirrors. All intrigue now finished, the unwitting zealot and skaven allow their puppetmasters, Dexcessa and Synessa to step through the portal and enter the city…
Kragnos and Prehistory
We get an aside to discover a lot of the Mortal Realm’s pre-history. In ancient Ghur before the destruction of the World that Was and the rule of men there was a centaur race known as Drogrukh, and their nation of Donse. They lived in harmony with the Draconith empire of drakes until the coming of a young warrior named Kragnos. He was warlinke and with his like-minded brothers began to strike out at all perceived enemies. Kragnos grew in stature and power, recovered magical weapons and armor and in time laid low all the petty empires around Donse – save one – the Draconith.
Kragnos provoked a war for no reason with the Draconith empire and both almost wiped each other out in a frenzy of destruction that pleased Gorkamorka greatly. With no options left the Drake princes of the Draconith reached out to the heavens and cut a deal with Lord Kroak for survival. Slann Mage-priests and drakes lured Kragnos to Twinhorn Peak a node of power of the Godbeast Dracothian. There they constrained him in a mighty spell and trapped Kragnos deep underground for eternity – ending the danger to the world. Or so they thought.
Kragnos Awakened
Once freed by Alarielle’s magic, Kragnos literally punched his way out from under the mountain and returned to his homeland of Donse – expecting a warm welcome. Not knowing how long he has slumbered, he found only desolate land with no trace of his people – except for the gleaming beacon of Excelsis far on the horizon. It was time for someone to pay!
During Kragnos escape, all manner of forces of Destruction from Orruks, to Gargants, to Trolls, to Gitz heard his call and began to migrate to his homeland. these forces of course came to blows upon encountering each other but sorted out who was the toughest and meanest in short order. By the time Kragnos arrived in Donse a giant army led by the pair of Gordrakk (really in charge) and Skragrott (scheming) was waiting for him. They came to blows immediately!
The fight was epic and blood was spilled freely. For the first time in his life Gordrakk and his trusty mount Bigteef met their match. Kragnos beat Bigteef to the edge of death and Gordrakk got in many blows all to no effect. At the battle’s climax Skragrott called down a divine intervention by The Bad Moon to break up the fight and the two joined forces to march on Excelsis.
Excelsis Besieged
The defenders of Excelsis could not escape and knew not of the Slaanesh twins and their daemonic coven already within their walls. They focussed all attention on the endless Destruction horde as it moved on the city. An initial frontal attack cost the assaulters their shock troops and most of their Gargants, along with the loss of their mighty magical battering ram. Lord Kroak had arrived in the city as the behest of the Stormcast Eternals knowing that his ancient enemy had returned.
As the defenders breathed a sigh of relief, Kragnos appeared and struck. In an instant, he destroyed large sections of wall, and his earthquakes caused more to collapse – exposing undermining by Skaven!
Dexcessa and Synessa led a daemonic assault from within the city and all looked bleak – until the lightning began to pour down. A reinforcement champer of Stomrcasts arrived and for a time stabilized the city – but it is too little too late. Kragnos would not be denied and attack by attack began to whittle down the defenders sending them to their deaths or back to Azyr for reforging.
With things looking dark – on the horizon a mighty fleet of Scourge Privateers arrived, bearing an army of Daughters of Khaine and Morathi herself to lead it. In short order Morathi and Kroak team up to take on Kragnos… but to no avail. His sheer power and immunity to magic is too much for them. In a move of desperation, they combine magics to redirect Kragnos, opening a portal to a distant part of Ghur with a mighty Chaos Dreadfort in view and an illusion of drakes flying about it. Fooled, Kragnos steps through and is gone.
In the heart of Excelsis, Galen and Doralia Ven Denst, along with The White Reaper face Dexcessa and Synessa and banish them back to the Realm of Chaos.
Epilogue
As the leaderless forces of Destruction flee and Excelsis recovers mighty powers in the realms reassess what just happened.
Be’lakor meets Dexcessa and Synessa in the Palace of Slaanesh and plot to break up the grand alliance of order.
Kragnos smashes the Chaos Dreadfort and attracts new swampy forces (Kruleboyz)
Teclis realizes the forces he unleashed and has a celestial smacktalk session with Nagash.
Morathi laughs at the Celestant-Prime who accuses her of Treason for taking Anvilgard from Sigmar. They almost come to blows when in walks… Grungni – The Great Maker, the god of the Duardin (SURPRISE!). He councils clemency for Morathi and sits down telling all present “We’ve got work to do”.
~What do you think GW is setting up with this one?
Promotional material provided by Games Workshop PLC
