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.

Colour scheme fundamental to battlefield performance, say experts

An extensive survey of the Stormcast Eternals has just been completed measuring a range of factors, from success in the field to general feelings of wellbeing. While the results are being collated one finding has immediately been brought to the public’s attention: the colour of a Stormcast’s armour will significantly affect how they perform during wartime.

“Oh it’s been something of an open secret for some time,” confided Pabla Esabco, contracted colourist for the Stormcast. “You paint ‘em gold, they start hanging around battlefield objectives. Paint ‘em silver, and their Liberators start whacking things before they get zapped back up to Azyr. There’s no explaining it, but it’s the truth.”

Further study has unveiled an even darker truth; many Stormhosts are painting themselves in unique, never-seen-before heraldry in order to tap into forbidden pigmancy and acquire the power of colours whenever they so choose. This allows them to fight in the style of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer one day, and the Knights Excelsior the next. How this is achieved is a closely guarded secret, and is keenly sought by the witch-hunters of the Order of Azyr.

Some have questioned whether this magic should be made common practice, and the Stormhosts able to harness whichever powers are best suited for their battles at the time. Pushback has been limited but passionate, with detractors arguing that the lack of consistency will make it harder for spectators to understand the ebb and flow of battle. Most generals however agree that this can be overcome with some simple, clear communication.