Player Army Overviews All players begin WAR as part of an army, but they are not your everyday, rank-and-file grunts. No, each player is part of an elite fighting force that will play a significant role in their race’s ongoing war efforts. Dwarf Army - The Oathbearers News of the fall of Karak Eight Peaks dealt a grievous blow to the pride of the Dwarfs. Thorgrim Grudgebearer, High King of the Dwarfs, faced not only a large enemy army preparing to march on his capital, but also a crisis of morale. Being a wise Dwarf, he knew that in order to withstand the coming attack, his subjects would need the proper motivation. The High King went before all the gathered Dwarfs of Karaz-a-Karak and made a grand proclamation. The finest Runesmiths and Forgemasters in all the Worlds Edge Mountains would be gathered together to craft weapons of power rivaling those made by the ancestor smiths of old. The High King named these weapons Doomstrikers, for they would be the doom of the Greenskins. To ensure the quality of these mighty weapons, only the finest ores, gold and gems would be used in their making. To gather these precious resources, the Dwarfs would have to travel to some of the most dangerous places in the Old World. Only Dwarfs of exceptional skill and courage were fit for such a task, and so the High King decreed the founding of a new regiment, which he called the Oathbearers. Such was the importance of their task, any Dwarf wishing to join the Oathbearers would be required to swear an oath to the High King himself. When the ranks of the new regiment were filled, the High King ordered his Oathbearers to venture out into the Old World and gather whatever materials the Forgemasters required. As a reward for their bravery and dedication, the High King promised that when the Doomstrikers were finished, it would be the Oathbearers who carried them into battle at the head of the Dwarf army. Greenskin Army - The Bloody Sun Boyz The Bloody Sun Boyz tribe is one among hundreds of Greenskin tribes that populate the Badlands. Led by a huge Black Orc named Grumlok and his most powerful Goblin Shaman, Gazbag, the tribe quickly conquers its rivals and begins to grow in size. The story might have ended there if not for Malekith the Witch King. As part of his plot to conquer Ulthuan, Malekith must manipulate the Empire into asking the High Elves for aid. To ensure that this happens, the Witch King devises a plot to embroil the Dwarfs in a war with their ancient adversaries, the Orcs and Goblins, ensuring that they cannot come to the Empire's defense in its hour of need. Without help from the Dwarfs, the Emperor will have no choice but to turn to the Phoenix King of Ulthuan for help, and when the armies of the High Elves sail for the Old World, their island home will be ripe for invasion. Malekith dispatches hunters to the Badlands with the task of capturing the most powerful Orc Warboss that they can find and bringing him back to Naggaroth. They return with Grumlok and Gazbag, to whom Malekith gives amulets that increase their powers tenfold. When the Orc and Goblin return to their tribe, they lead a campaign to conquer their neighbors and amass a great horde. Compelled by the power of their amulets, Grumlok and Gazbag march to Karak Eight Peaks and obliterate the Dwarf garrison there, taking over the fortress. Grumlok has summoned all the tribes of the Old World to join his great Waaagh!, but it is the Bloody Sun Boyz who will command the most respect and fear among their green kin. Grumlok expects his lads to keep the other Orcs and Goblins in line, and when the time comes to break down the great gates of Karaz-a-Karak and rampage through the streets of the Dwarf capital city, it is the Boyz who will lead the charge. Empire Army - The Order of the Griffon In the Age of Reckoning, the Empire is ravaged by a strange and terrible plague that transforms its victims into savage murderers. Soon after the appearance of this vile disease, a great Chaos warhost assaults the weakened Empire from the north, crushing what little resistance remains in the plague-wracked villages of Nordland. In the face of these dangers, many of the Empire's citizens have given in to fear and panic. Some have abandoned their homes to settle elsewhere, believing the battle to be a lost cause. Others have embraced the powers of darkness, thinking it best to side with foes that cannot possibly be defeated by force of arms. Too few have found the courage to stand and fight, and even with the help of the Dwarfs and High Elves, the greatest nation of men in the Old World is perilously close to destruction. Seeking a solution to the many difficulties arrayed before him, the Emperor summons forth the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, and the Grand Master of the Reiksguard. Together with these advisors, Karl Franz devises the Order of the Griffon, a military force made up of highly skilled soldiers, Wizards and devotees of Sigmar's cult who will be charged with facing the gravest threats from within and without. Receiving their orders directly from the Emperor, the leaders of this new regiment will act as an extension of his will and authority, free to take any action necessary to protect the Empire from threats of any kind. Also, the regiment will serve as a proud example of the glory of the Empire and its ruler, meting out swift justice to those who would betray their countrymen or abandon their duties in these desperate and dangerous times. Chaos Army - The Raven Host In the lands of the far north, where tribes of savage barbarians worship the abhorrent gods of Chaos, a new champion has risen. His name is heard on the howling of the icy winds and the shrill cries of ravens. It is proclaimed in peals of thunder and whispered in the nightmares of men. He is Tchar'zanek, Chosen of Tzeentch, and he will shake the very foundations of the Old World. His warhost is vast, and counted among its numbers are hundreds of tribes that he has conquered. They are joined by the supernatural servants of Chaos such as the dreaded Firewyrms and daemons such as the ever-changing Horrors of Tzeentch. Many are the servants of the Champion, but among them all, the Raven Host is exalted. They are the deadliest, most potent and most ruthless of his warriors, fated to stand at the side of their dark master in the hour of his final victory over the Empire. To be a member of the Raven Host is to commune with the essence of Tzeentch itself. Those who accept the gifts of The Changer of Ways are blessed with unimaginable power, and are forever changed. In the eyes of the Northmen, there is no greater honor, and each desires above all to prove his worth to the dark Champion and his Raven god. It is to these most trusted warriors that the Champion will turn when the time comes to reveal the true nature of his attack upon the Empire. High Elf Army - The Shining Guard The Shining Guard is the elite band of warriors that lead the High Elves’ citizen militia, which is charged with the defense of Ulthuan when the Phoenix King sets out to aid the Empire. The Shining Guard is led by the famed Lord Tyrion, Defender of Ulthuan., and is a comparatively small, but very elite force. Lord Tyrion personally selects the High Elves who will be elevated to the ranks of the Shining Guard from among the best and bravest of the citizen militia, and these prestigious warriors stand as an example of the highest honor that a High Elf in the militia can hope to achieve. When word reaches Tyrion of the Dark Elves' landing in the Blighted Isles, he leads the Shining Guard from the gates of Lothern and races northward to meet the enemy. As the invasion spreads, the Guard and the militia will be divided into several smaller regiments, each tasked with resisting the Dark Elves' attack in a different part of Ulthuan. Dark Elf Army - House Uthorin Informed of the coming assault on the plague-ridden Empire by the forces of Chaos, Malekith, the Witch King of the Dark Elves, has put into motion a grand plan that will see the Dark Elves restored as the rightful masters of Ulthuan. Malekith has enlisted many pawns, willing and unwilling, in the orchestration of this plot. One such cog in the mechanism is the powerful and influential Dark Elf noble Lord Uthorin. To Lord Uthorin and his powerful house, Malekith offered the honor of spearheading the great invasion that will lead to the Dark Elves' final victory over their despised kinsmen, the High Elves. Bringing to bear their own formidable military power, the elite warriors of House Uthorin have succeeded in establishing a foothold in Ulthuan, and they now continue to press forward into their ancestral homeland. As with all of the Dark Elf noble houses, House Uthorin is not free of its own unseen power struggles and intrigues. Leaders of the various factions within the house vie for favor and influence even as Lord Uthorin eyes the throne of the Naggaroth and draws up plans of his own.
