Strike Out! Nagash slams use of Longstrike Crossbows, threatens escalation

Emotions are running high in the Realm of Death as the Supreme Necromancer picks up his army and leaves, in the middle of a war heavily featuring the Stormcast Eternals.

“There’s absolutely no point in fighting if the Soul-Thief is going to engage in tactics like this,” the Undying King was reported as having said on Femmur, a Death-focused social communications network. “This type of behaviour is ruining the wars that I love.”

Onlookers have described Nagash’s displeasure as focusing particularly on the Vanguard-Raptors, ace hunters of the Stormhosts. Their Longstrike Crossbows are reportedly able to shatter his skeletal form with only seconds of sustained fire, a situation with obvious negatives for the death god.

Nagash has later come out and clarified his comment, stating that the Stormcast generals he did face appeared to be noble opponents (despite being the result of nefarious soul-crime). He has instead reinforced his plea to Sigmar for him to tone down his warriors’ weaponry, threatening to release his own crossbow-wielding ghosts if action is not taken.

Public urges dragon-use be declared a war crime

Controversy in Azyr today as Sigmar is flooded with pleas to outlaw the use of dragons in his armies, with petitioners citing the horrendous damage they inflict on the battlefield.

Sigmar has refused to entertain the requests, insisting that he has already moderated their use and there is no need to go any further. Supporters of the Dracronith have suggested that perceptions of the dragons’ power have been distorted by propaganda circulating amongst the Realms’ commentators and taste-makers, an accusation refuted by many.

Left to their own devices, some generals have begun debating how to limit the use of dragons by themselves. This has hit significant snags, with Nagash refusing to stop use of his own Zombie Dragons and the Seraphon airing concerns of a slippery slope that might occur with the banning of giant, vicious lizards. While some have insisted that the ban needn’t move beyond the Draconith of Azyr, this has not stopped others from hitching their own desires to the movement.

Veterans have urged calm, suggesting that this is simply part and parcel of life in the Mortal Realms and that generals might spend their time more usefully with a cup of tea and a good book. Where this advice leaves those in the thick of the fighting remains to be seen.

Morathi-Khaine accused of clinginess, micromanagement

Several months ago we reported on the results of a survey showing that Morathi-Khaine, also known simply as Morathi, was considered the most active god in the Mortal Realms. We return to that story today with reports that what was previously understood as dependability has now crossed into something worse, with Morathi now seen as something of a micromanaging menace.

After speaking with several anonymous generals of the Daughters of Khaine, we have built the picture of a goddess who cannot trust her worshippers, and accompanies them on every single expedition and battle. An intern sent to peruse the war records was unable to locate any significant battles fought by the Khainanites where Morathi was not in the thick of the action, to the detriment of her most zealous worshippers.

“We think it’s because she doesn’t believe in us,” confessed a local Witch Aelf. “She never lets us fight the most dangerous opponents, she always sends the Shadow Queen in instead. There are plenty of us really wanting to spill blood and worship our god, but we’re lucky if we even get to tag along and catch some of the blood spray.”

A ~~hired Skaven spy~~ noble Azyrite informer confirmed the rumours by sneaking into Hagg Nar and listening in on Morathi’s secret councils. She reportedly believes that her followers “can’t cast Mindrazor to save their lives” and that they should be much more like her “darling Blood Stalkers”.

Editor’s Note: We asked Morathi-Khaine for comment before this article went live, and have just received our intern’s head back on a silver platter. We have chosen to interpret this as a ‘no comment’.