Blackflame's reports

To the hands of Commander Ven Brecht

My lord, our search for our lost brothers has taken us to other desolate lands. Yet our efforts have not been too successful. So far, all of the freed brethren have suffered the irreversible effects of soul degradation and we have had to send them all to the care of the Silent Ones to be held in one of the Bleak Citadels. The trail has led us to one of the many islands in Cinderfall Gulf.  All clues in the arcanas led us to a ruined port city where an ancient stormvaul was supposed to be located; opened, looted and resealed by mortals.

When we entered the city's ruins, all seemed quiet and deserted. Everything seemed swept away by the devastating pressure wave of recent events. Yet the streets were suspiciously empty and silent. We found the vault in the middle of the city, but to open it, we needed to activate two ancient runes.

Knight Vrax, with his retinue, wanted to explore the place and so, against my insistence, he divided the watch into several groups. I urged Vrax not to hesitate and to open the dungeon as quickly as possible. So did Captain MourndawnMourdawn. At the very moment when our forces were divided, it happened. The sound of a bell broke through the wall of silence, accompanied by the crackling of unholy energy. From the ruins of the surrounding houses, hundreds of rats rolled out, followed by dozens of skaven. Before Vrax could issue commands, the vault was occupied by the ratmen. The streets were filled with the sound of the hellish wheel, circling around us at incredible speed. Vrax and Mourdwan were arguing about the advance, so we were unable to react in time. At least I tried to lock the horned wizard, who was shrieking his orders and spitting curses, in a flaming cage.

When Vrax's knights finally swung into action, the skaven didn't stand a chance. The rat sorcerer conjured a portal that transported him to the other side of the main square. Vrax rushed headlong through the portal with his men behind him. Without my magical protection, they stood little chance. Though they managed to do much damage to the machine of destruction, they themselves were left lying badly battered and wounded on the ground. Meanwhile, the rat wizard gathered up his survivors, grabbed whatever valuable things were left in the city, and disappeared.

When everything had calmed down, I managed to open the vault. The runes that had sealed it weren't very strong. Praise Sigmar, it turned out that the dungeon was indeed holding several of our brothers from the Angelos Conclave, whose speed will surely come in handy soon. Much to my surprise, we also found an undamaged Dais Arcanum in the lower levels of the dungeon, a powerful artefact not seen in decades.

My lord, I know the expedition has just begun, but I pray you, relieve Knight Vrax of his command, or he will lead us to our doom, as he once did in the campaign at Hallost.

Sincerely, Morvak Blackflame

Blackfame's Report II

At the hands of Commander Ven Brecht

My lord, our search for our lost brothers has taken us to other lands. This time, Brother Halrik's vision led us far to the north. His vision spoke of torrents of blood and a terrible demon rising from the crimson lakes. Sigmar does not send his omens without intent, and so we obeyed. Carried by the storm, we reached the forgotten land of Ironwood. The ruins of a fortress stood on a small hill, and an altar to the Ruinous Powers was built nearby. Soon it was clear why Halrik's vision had led us here...

The blood god's henchmen had plundered a settlement of lumbermen and pitchers to sacrifice its inhabitants. A red mist began to gather over the altar, from which the talons of all sorts of devilish creatures slowly stretched out. My lord, I called for a coordinated action, but to vain. Knight VraxVrax and his retinue rushed headlong at the savage, beastly heathens. I and my mage companions tried to close the rift in reality. I imprisoned the demonic herald in a cage made of living lightning storm, which gripped him more and more until he was completely helpless and finally entangled. Vrax, meanwhile, was having an unequal battle with the warchief and his guards. Steel clashed against steel until lightning rained down. Meanwhile, our men were taking the terrified foresters to the ruins of a nearby fortress. The chieftain, driven by bloodlust, finally cornered Vrax and his paladins and we could not help them. 

The ritual was disrupted, and all demons were banished from the material world. But it was my doing, not Vrax's. Therefore, I ask you, my lord, how can we be led by this madman, blinded by his desire for glory, if he lacks even the most basic strategic sense. I urge you, my lord, to remove knight Vrax from leadership while we still have time.

your loyal servant

Morvak Blackflame

Blackflame's Report III
To the hands of Commander Ven Brecht

My lord,
The vision of our augur, Halrik Duskwhisper, led us into the godsforsaken mountains. We arrived at a place where the rocks reached toward the heavens, and vast deposits of emberstone surrounded us. Brother Halrik guided us to a forgotten mine or some ancient subterranean dwelling. He was driven by a powerful force—he sensed the presence of someone of great power from within our order, buried deep beneath the earth.

As we neared the entrance to the tunnels, unexpected adversaries barred our path. The servants of the elven Alarith temple refused us entry into the underground passages, claiming our presence would disrupt the geomantic arcana and destabilize the mountain range. However, Knight Vrax insisted on entry at all costs. The temple guards raised their weapons in defiance. Their preceptor summoned the spirit of a nearby mountain, which took physical form—a massive, living incarnation of the mountain itself. Vrax, in his arrogance, engaged the entity and, as expected, was swiftly defeated. An avalanche of boulders struck him down, and he had to be carried from the field, his armor cracked and spirit dimmed.

Despite this, we fought our way into the mountain’s depths, forcing the elven defenders into retreat. As we entered the gloom, I could still hear the curse the elven sorceress hurled at us—an incantation that sealed the entrance behind us with a rune of stone. With no way back, we had no choice but to press forward into the darkness.

Eventually, our search brought us to a sealed vault, thrumming with magical energy so intense it shook everything not firmly bound. When we broke the seal, we discovered Brother Nareth Umbraforged within—marked and weathered by long captivity. Yet, the Silent Ones immediately knelt before him, recognizing their inspiration and true leader. Perhaps his counsel will keep Kyros Vrax from dragging us deeper into ruin and oblivion.

Blackfame's Report IV

To the hands of Commander Ven Brecht
My lord, after we found Nareth Umbraforged, we had to make our way through a winding underground to an unknown destination. The road behind us was blocked. We walked beneath the ground for many days until we came to the surface on a certain plateau, completely lost. Knight Vrax went off on a scouting expedition with Lady Elaina and her retinue without any consultation. I, with the rest of the expedition, settled down in an ancient Emberstone mine with only a trickle of realmstone remaining. After several hours of waiting, a bestial roar began to echo through the basin. I knew immediately what it was. Orcs...
Ironclad greenskins appeared on the horizon, led by a great wyvern-riding warchief. When the monster caught our scent, it charged forward without much thought and blinded by bloodlust. Luckily for us, the beast got caught in the old mining apparatus and lost the ferocity of its attack. The Silent Ones took the opportunity to take on the beast with their axes. Eventually, the warlord was forced to turn his scaly pet to flight. It was at that moment that Vrax's retinue returned. The orcs, upon seeing their leader routed and coming of our reinforcements, showed their cowardly nature and turned to flee.
My lord, I must once again strongly object to the decisions made by Kyros Vrax. If he had not separated from our company, we would have been able to not only repel the orcs, but also slay them, and they would not have been able to harm Sigmar's faithful and their allies. Please pass command to the responsible person!

At the hands of Commander Ven Brecht

My lord, today's message will be bitter. After our encounter with the giant orc warlord, we followed the horde's trail and came upon a place that was crackling with magical energy. It was some sort of ancient totem that we decided to investigate. But as we approached, we were ambushed by the orc horde. This time, however, it was the creeping Kruelboyz, who seemed to be lying in wait for us. The ancient monolith seemed to be emanating some sort of malignant energy, as my wizards and I were almost unarmed. Our magic was so weak that we could not cast a single spell.

Orcs were everywhere. They were sniping at us from all sides. But the Vrax's knights held their ground. Our riders made a daring charge through a gap in the enemy lines and managed to eliminate some of the enemy crossbowmen. The Silent Ones fought on, holding back the tide of the greenskins. Suddenly, a large troll with what appeared to be an orc chieftain sitting on top of it broke through the front ranks. Under his blows, the brave reclusians fell to their last. In a fit of rage or despair over events, Knight Vrax left his post near the monolith and followed by his men, charged into the ranks of the orcs. The last I saw was the troll falling to the ground and the flashes of lightning that carried our brethren back to Azir. I was unable to make out more from my observation position. Our losses were heavy, and so, as the next in the chain of command, I called a retreat and we headed back to Ebony Keep. The orcs had taken control of the field and we could still see that they were heading further to the southwest.

My lord, I deeply regret my failure to magically support my brothers. At the same time, I want to point out that if knight Vrax had held his ground, I could have explored the monolith, exploited its potential and turned the tide of the battle. I don't want that small detail to slip under the table during your reading.

With humility, your faithful servant, Morvak Blackflame