Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave Unboxed & Lore Changes
Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave is up for pre-order this weekend and we’ve got a copy – so what’s coming to the Mortal Realms? Take a look!
By now, you’ve hopefully seen all the new stuff coming in season 3 for Warhammer Underworlds. The website is updated with all the new cards as well as info on the two new warbands. As for what’s in the box – take a look:
Beastgrave: Times Are Changing
Inside Beastgrave, there are some rules updates. There are also two new warbands which we have already seen but here are their sprues for a closer look if you haven’t seen them:
Skaeth’s Wild Hunt
Grashrak’s Despoilers
They are, of course, highly detailed plastic miniatures and yes, the plastic is dyed. We’ve come to expect that from GW’s Warhammer Underworld’s warbands. Honestly, the miniatures are great – they all have interesting poses that are pretty eye catching and are dripping with details. Plus the bases are sculpted and are also interesting to look at, too. Again, it’s what you’ve come to expect from GW and they didn’t disappoint.
There are also two double-sided boards included in the box along with all the extras you need to play (dice, cards, rules, etc.) Beastgrave is a self-contained release for Warhammer Underworlds and if you’re new or interested in getting started, this box is perfect for that.
Lore Updates
Now, let’s talk about some of the new Lore things that are happening. The first big question is “Why/how did the setting change from Shadespire to this new ‘Beastgrave’ setting?” That’s a two part answer and it requires that you know the history of Shadespire and the Katophrane Curse. If you’re not familiar with the Shadespire, it was a city cursed by Nagash and the inhabitants were to never truly “die” and they would be locked in this “purgatorial twilight existence” forever. Doomed to relive a cycle of violence forever. That was the Katophrane Curse.
And then the Necroquake happened.
The magical spell that Nagash had prepared was thrown ever-so-slightly off by the interference of the Skaven. This caused vast magical energies to seethe throughout the Mortal Realms. These shock waves of magical force found Shadespire and hammered against it. The magical assault fractured reality and the Mirrored City was corrupted once more. The spider web-like fractures “cut the weave” of reality and the curse spread through them – and into the Mortal Realms.
So What Is Beastgrave?
Beastgrave is both a region within Ghur and a mountain. This mountain is so large, you can see it wherever you are in Ghur – you just have to look to the horizon to spot it. It reaches up beyond the clouds and casts a shadow over the lands below. It’s within this shadow that the region known as Beastgrave begins. But the true nature of Beastgrave is within the mountain itself.
For Ages, explorers, hunters and treasure seekers have come to the mountain and enter it’s tunnels and caves – as if they are called by something within. It’s typically greed that calls them forth. Rumors of fortune and glory. Great treasures below and inside the mountain, just waiting for the taking. But some believe that the call of the mountain is the bait and those who fall for it are the prey of the mountain itself.
It’s the glint of gold or the echoes of battle that keeps the prey coming. Countless explorers and treasure hunters have died in those caves and tunnels. Bestial things live deep within the rock and warbands rove the insides looking for the weak to consume. All those bodies and bones – it’s no wonder why the death magic was attracted to such a place…
The Kataphrane Curse has corrupted the insides of the mountain of Beastgrave now. And things that were long dead have risen-up, doomed to also repeat the cycle of violence in those dark tunnels. For the souls that were trapped in Shadespire, these tears in reality offer a chance at escape from the Mirrored City. But they may have found themselves trapped in a new cycle beneath the mountain. Welcome to Beastgrave!
New Warbands?
Inside the Rulebook, we get a few teasers for the upcoming Warbands. We already know about Skaeth’s Wild Hunt and Grashrak’s Despoilers. We’ve also seen Rippa’s Snarlfangs:
And we’ve seen teasers for The Grymwatch:
In the video, I also point out a section called “Silent People” – after the video I went back and read that section:
To me, this doesn’t sound like a new warband but something else that stalks the tunnels of Beastgrave. Maybe it’s going to be something new and different! That said, we’ve got 4 warbands confirmed in the rulebook and this was really the only other section that hinted at something else. BUT…we also had a look at the tokens and counters set:
And those may provide some clues as to what else GW has planned. But that’s for another time.
Beastgrave is up for Pre-Order this weekend! Will you answer the siren’s call?
