My Asur Fluff project... Druchii input required!

[Arellion sapher]

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am a regular of the Asur.net forums currently engaged on writing a fluff project based on an (admittedly conjectural) history of the Day of Blood, that unique, but almost totally unchronicled, assault on Naggaroth by the army of Morvael the Impetuous. I have had some in-depth discussion on the Asur forum about this event but my knowledge of Naggarothi geography is sketchy at best so I though I could use some help from the Dark cousins in the North, and here I am.
I have a few questions straight off that would really help my writing...

#1: What are The Monoliths? they seem to lie somehat inland of the Western coast of the Dire Straits. I haven't found anything on Google and if they are a key location then I really ought to know about them...

#2: Aside from said Monoliths, Karond Kar and some of the Southern Watchtowers, is there anything important in the Sea of Chill which I ought to know about? The first stage of the Asur attack takes place there and I really need to get this environmental thing sorted...

#3: Can anyone give me a few names of the Druchii dramatis personae during this period? I'd like to tie in as much with the canon as possible and the only two 'named' Asur during Morvael's reign are the King Himself and Mentheus of Caledor, neither of whom participated in the Attack on Naggaroth. Thus on the High elf side at least I have been making up characters, hardly optimal but it cannot be helped.

In case you're wondering, this whole mad exploit is a cover for the renovation of my High Elf army, which I am basing on the Asur punitive expedition. Anticipate lots of fur-lined cloaks and snow bases...

If anyone has any advice for this fluff project, comments on the period or questions why one High Elf loremaster would be so damnfool as to walk unarmed into the enemy forum, then please post. My Internet connection is pretty bloody poor at the moment, posting as I am from a temporary base in South Kazakhstan (it's surprisingly hot in the Mountains of Mourn).

Cheers,

Arellion

[Yemeth]

To the enviroment. Sea of Chill is surrounded by pine forests and the Granite mts (something like that), which are steep and "harsh" with very little vegetation and freezing-cold surface. Both are, at lower attitudes, covered by a thin layer of snow and ice. There is a very strong wind and it's almost permanently snowing (a lot of sleets as well). It's quite misty 'round those parts too.
The water is almost frozen and great waves, as well as great differences between high and low tide, are characteristic for the Sea of Chill. The temperature is usually below zero.
Karond Kar, quotation from WH online wikia:


"Karond Kar, the Tower of Despair

Karond Kar is the great Dark Elf depot of slavery. It is here that thousands of slaves are brought by slave ships; Men, High Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and more brought here to serve the Witch King. From the docks the slaves are driven in chains amidst the jeering crowds. As the slave masters beat them forward many stumble on the steep rock and are trampled to death by the chained feet of those who follow. At this sight the crowds laugh and cry with pleasure, as this sorry spectacle is considered great entertainment. The wailing spirits of dead slaves are said to haunt the whole city. Many of the slaves are sacrificed upon the altars of Khaine, while others are sent north and south to labor in the mines, quarries, and shipyards that support the Witch King's war machines. The City is located in sea of chill on a small island with Karond Kar as it's single city so for a slave there is no way out."

As to the monoliths - I've never found an explanation. I've always thought of them as altars to either Ereth Khial or Hekarti. (But I'd put my dibs on Ereth Khial - the sister of Khaine and goddess of hunt) But, perhaps, the monoliths are older.. never saw it explained anywhere, sry.

Charcters: Can't help you here, sry. There's nothing about them either in the AB or on the GW web.


Basic FYI: Malekith used a marking of Nethu (God of the Underworld) to drive Morvael mad through nightmares. Morvael sent the attack as revenge for murder of Aethis.
Dark Elves have forseen Morvael's attack in the Realm of Chaos.
- Marking of Nethu is usually engraved on a wall, bed etc. (it's a small, puzzling and evil looking sigil), if there is someone sleeping near it, he will be visited by Nethu's demons (needs verification) and tortured (by nightmares - visions of death, desperation, hoplessness etc. - cpt. Obvious to the rescue).

To learn some Naggaroth-basics, please follow this link: http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Naggaroth it's rather useful.
Hope it helps. At least somehow.

[Arellion sapher]

Thanks for your help. My writing has hit a deadstop recently as I am unable to type and reduced to rewriting my draft works in paper format.

Aside from my necessary conceit of creating period characters (who I hope will prove satisfactory) I have also taken the liberty of tying together two strands of Elven fluff which have lain untouched and unexplained heretofore...

In the previous editionof the Druchii Army book it was stated that at one time the High Elves brought "As great an army as had ever been seen in the Witch-King's land" to Har Ganeth, where it was defeated and the prisoners were sacrificed to Khaine, the temple steps ran with blood etc. etc.

Our discussion on the Asur forums led me to believe that this battle for Har Ganeth can only have occured during Morvael's attack on Naggaroth. It is likely, therefore, that the campaign lasted for several months, and the term 'Day of Blood' likely applies to the destruction of the High Elf Fleet in the Sea of chill, not the land Warhost, which was probably eliminated later at "The Cursed Place"

There are some premises I am working on as part of the writing. See what you think:

#1: That the politicking which led to the succession of Morvael to the Phoenix throne resulted in the army of Ulthuian being deprived of the professional armies of Caledor, Ellyrion, Nagarythe and Tiranoc, who would have supported the warrior Mentheus of Caledor. Therefore the Eastern maritime powers would have composed the expedition.

#2: That, contrary to the Druchii 'official' history, the expedition sent to Naggaroth was difficult to defeat (or else why would they reach Har Ganeth?) although mismanagement and a politicised command limited their strength. Bearing in mind that as the citizen levy was created after the Dark Elf Counter-invasion, Ulthuan still fielded a professional army.

Thanks, Yemeth, for the tip about the Mark of Nethu. That adds another level to the story which I shall have to work in.

All further comments appreciated!

[Drainial]

It would seem strange if either the Monoliths or the Granite hills were encounterd by a Asurite army, unless prehaps you interpet the monoliths as being huge in which case prehaps they could be seen from a ship. I only say this because there is absolutly no point in an army disembarking on that shoreline, its not near anything. The closest thing is Hotek's column a good few hunderd miles away.

This is not to be a nay sayer, I have read your work so far (its good by the way) so understand that I am not just being pedantic.

As for Druchii charactors at that time, well Malekith and Morathi of course you already know. There is Furion, he was the third elf to "eat the fruit of the black tree" and was the one to find it (acording to the story in which the tree is physical and not metaphorical). He basicly invented dark magic and refomed much of Druchii society including the writen language. He is also the only male dark elf allowed to practise magic openly besides Malekith. He may or may not have had something to do with destroying the invasion, but he is a fun charactor and I hope you do include him.

I wish I could be more help.

[Yemeth]

So, I browsed the internets a little.

The monoliths:
Altar of ultimate dorkness - Archaon recieved his Mark of Chaos Undivided there. Further unexplained
The Column - http://www.druchii.net/monthly/issues/Jan04_2.pdf find Hotek in the issue, story of the column (relevant to your story - would make a good ending, imho) is in the boxes alongside the text.
Other monoliths - Built by Malekith (And Hotek?) to draw True Dhar (True Dark Magic) into Naggaroth (needs verification).

[Arellion sapher]

Dranial, thanks for the kind words about my fiction. There's not much of it yet and there won't be an update for another few weeks (Asuryan knows there's been a long enough interval as it is)

Yemeth, no joy on the column references, I can't find anything in that whole quarterly issue - is the link correct or am I missing a trick? (I blame Dark Magic.)

I will have a look at Furion and try to write him in. If he's alive at the time then I'll have to include him!
The Monoliths issue is merely one of aesthetics. If there is something important about them then I would include them. Otherwise, it's simply personal interest.

Thanks indeed for your help so far... keep it coming, I am scribbling away out here in Shymkent...

[Yemeth]

Yemeth, no joy on the column references, I can't find anything in that whole quarterly issue - is the link correct or am I missing a trick? (I blame Dark Magic.)

Yeeesssss, Dark Magic. 'twas in the May 04 issue. Sorry. Blast you, Dhar!

[Arellion sapher]

Thanks for the help.

Tell me, what is the Druchii consesnus on settlements outside the walls of the Great Cities? What kind of landscape/civilisation will the army face on its march toward Naggarond?

(You see, I know about as much of Naggaroth geography as the Asur did)

[Dalamar]

No villages, if it's not walled and defensible, it won't last. Pretty sure there are settlements other than the Great cities but they're all highly fortified.
Landscape is bleak and desolate, tundra like with great pine forests.
There's a high chance the climate and wild creatures will cause a lot of damage to an army before it even reaches its destination.

[Arellion sapher]

Aha, well to be sure the beasts of Karond Kar are the first thing the Asur find on shore... when I get transcribing back in Albion I'll post a link here. I'd appreciate it if you can tell me if I'm doing Naggaroth justice.

I hope you'll forgive the plot conceits I will be writing in. I have attempted to be as politically neutral as possible and hopefully you guys will see it that way too. When I start me army renovation, shall I post up pics on Druchii.net as well? Might be of interest as no other Asur have ever actually marched into Naggaroth at any other stage in history... (we will say nothing of Eltharion or Alith Anar)

[Drainial]

Bleak yes, but you should bear in mind that the land scape has to be habitable. I mean that in the strictest sense, in that it should be possible to live there. Much probobly would be tundra, but depeding on where in Naggaroth you decide to send your band of brothers there has to be at least some more hospitable ground.

Just something to keep in mind, Naggaroth must have enough resources to keep a large population going.

[Dalamar]

Naggaroth's food source is in majority, if not entirely, game and fish. I really doubt they can grow anything edible there. Raiding can also supply a good portion of resources required to keep the nation going.

[Arellion sapher]

I hear a good deal about the mines where slaves toil endlessly away from the sun's light, but I'm guessing those are further West. And even by an optimistic estimate I do not see the High Elves getting that far. I think we'd know about that in the canon.

I'm working on the assumption that Karond Kar is the only settlement on that lonely rock of an island in the east. And that the interior of Naggaroth is more densely colonised i.e. not an absolute wasteland. The odd fortified mansion, at least.

Writing this has made me realise just how vital the proxemity of miniatures and players is to this kind of project... there's a tactile element to the Wahammer mythos that doesn't flow too well when you're a few thousand miles from your troops...

[Arellion sapher]

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I'm back in Britain at last and will be transcribing this week.
I've one major question: Beastlord Rakarth. How old is this gentleman? Could he have been alive during the period of the day of blood?
I unearthed an old tale about the origin of the Spellthirster in White Dwarf 260 where Rakarth fought "a particularly bitter battle" with the High Elves where his War Hydras were done over by High Magic. There is no mention of location or time, and there are some named characters involved... if you guys think it possible that Rakarth, like many other prominent Dark Elves, had extended his lifespan with Dark Magic, then this would be a convenient piece of vague canon to tie in.

What I'm really looking for here is licence. I intend to write some fighting around Karond Kar and if Rakarth could be depicted as a young lordling who leads a counter-offensive against the Asur then this seems a perfect opportunity to write in some established history. What say you?

[Drainial]

I am fairly sure that the hydra incedent (if it was the one leading to the hydra type which is resistent to magic) was during one of the invasions of Ulthuan. I doubt if he would have been alive, that said its not impossible from what I know. Prehaps some one will have better knowledge than I, but in any case he would be with his Dragon as he won it at a very early age.

[Yemeth]

So, are there some sneak peaks/previews that we could feast our eyes upon in advance?

[Arellion sapher]

Right, here's the latest instalment link. It's quite Asur-centric but I'll be writing some more stuff from the Druchii perspective later. Thanks for the help so far... as it turned out the Furion suggestion was my saving grace. You'll see...

http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=27565

[Yemeth]

Wow, I mean the beginning was a little rusty but the rest is great (Black Library level, imho).
*SPOILER!*
Morvael's descent into madness - really enjoyed that part, good, GOOD, and eagerly waiting for more.

EDIT: And one thing. Basically, each and every story featuring the DE x HE conflict features a dark elf (as long as there is a DE perspective) who's father was killed by the HE and now he is angry (duh) and thirsts for vengeance.

[Arellion sapher]

Arkanos Sawtooth. Check.
Tropes are marvellous.

Morvael is a fun character to write, he's one of these chaps who does what he wants. In that chapter he basically started doing his own thing, and I was but the vessel. I'm trying to show the dark side of the Asur, you see. Tired of peaceful cooperation, I started listening all the hints GW have been dropping about High Elves being political and argumentative.
Conversely, the Druchii will see a bit of a change in pace too. I'll try to update next week, but I'm on the move quite a bit at the moment.

As for the BL comment: wow. Thanks for the accolade, I hope I live up to it.

[Yemeth]

So... any chance of the next part coming soon?

[Arellion sapher]

Yes, it's in production. There will be some fighting. I'd like to get it done by the end of the week.
And on that note, is there any information out there as to the nature of the Black Pillar? That mysterious landmark to the North of Har Ganeth might be worth including...

[Syjahel]

I've enjoyed it so far too - especially the part from the Cathayans onwards, and the clash of ... personalities? loyalties? both perhaps ... on board the ice-bound ship. I haven't read many of the Black Library books, so I can't really fairly compare your work and theirs, but if this was a novel I had bought I would really want to keep turning the pages

Edit: Having now read the scenes with Morvael at the Tower of Hoeth, I have to say that these are the strongest parts I've read so far and I found them actually quite affecting; I hadn't considered Morvael's madness in any depth before, but your handling of it makes logical sense to me. It's also a pretty powerful idea to work with and very well executed! I would perhaps have made the decadent courtier a little more subtle - the man is supposed to have the ah, 'confidence' of the Everqueen, and she can afford to be picky! and I wouldn't have Bel-Hathor both fall at Morvael's feet and cry, but I could easily see him being distraught. I'd just make it a bit more restrained or understated.

These are small quibbles that may well just be down to personal taste, as the actual nouns-and-verbs part of your writing is fully competent to do what it's supposed to There is both effective description and drama.

Anyhow I try always to say more than "hey! cool story!", but I also have to stop myself from writing an essay about it, so I'll stop there.

And - as I have been known to say to my brothers and sisters of Nagarythe - it's nice to see more attributed to the Asur than cowardice and decadence If it was as simple as that, Druchii would be ruling more than the waves ...

[Arellion sapher]

I've just published a new instalment. There are some Druchii, mostly seen from an outside perspective, but I will have a Druchii-centric interlude after I post up the next instalment (honest, guv'nor)

Syjahel, thanks for your kind comments. Bel-Hathor's collapse was a bit of whimsical proto-humour on my part. I thought as a future Phoenix King, it might be worth showing how the idea that he might be 'easy to push around' (the primary reason for his election after Morvael's Death, apparently) came about. Maybe it was a little excessive.
A lot of people have commented on the Everqueen/Sejanus/Morvael dynamic. I like being controversial, but see what you think of later chapters. I may have to tone it down.

Anyway, thanks for actually reading my stuff... in honour of the new chapter here are some Seaguard ready to slash and burn the cities of the Druchii!

[Syjahel]

You are most welcome. Never let it be said we do not appreciate good storytelling in the Land of Chill. I shall go and read at once

Edit: I have now done so, but I didn't want to put it in a different post, just in case it looked like post count chasing.

questions why one High Elf loremaster would be so damnfool as to walk unarmed into the enemy forum

That's easy. We are the darkside, we have cookies.


Back to the story, I thought that this was your best section yet, because I found it very tense and dynamic. I knew what the Asur didn't know, of course, but that didn't make it less tense for me and I thought you portrayed their sheer dumbstruck horror at finding not just a settlement, but a whole fortified city very well. You also got the look of the place right:

It was a city, a mighty metropolis, a jet reflection of the great towers of Ulthuan.

- I especially liked that phrase. Your overall description gives one an impression that there's a slight Caligari-esque note to Druchii architecture, viewed through Asur eyes, which emphasises the feeling of dislocation from home and normality. The similarities are almost more disturbing than the cold evidence of evil.

As the heat of the unseen battle gave way to the unending cold of the frozen isle, Darethis and Tholtan each thought they heard a call from far behind them, a last message from their dreadful saviours, though afterward neither mentioned it, each believing it was delirium induced by the biting wind and their fatigue.

“Let the new King know that the Shadow Warriors of Aenarion are with him still!”

I liked the way the Shadow Warriors slipped lethally in and out of the story, so fitting to their nature, and that last touch especially.

I would just like to state that I mean the above statement purely as a literary critique, and not as an endorsement of which forces are the rightful owners of lost Nagarythe.

And last of all, nicely painted Sea Guard.

... they're going to ravage Naggaroth? What, both of them?

[Yemeth]

Greetings. I AM going to criticize some things, but keep in mind that this part was AWESOME. That's why every 'critical' point I'm going to make will end by 'nonetheless, this part was awesome'. (Note that my favourite part so far was 'But I am no tyrant'. It made me really happy to see the demise of your king first hand.)

But to begin with praise ^^.
I really loved 3 things.

1) Naggarothi weather and nature. You can really feel the freezing wind and water, the ice and snow, and the overall hostility that is omnipresent in Naggaroth. Major points there.

2) The description of Karond Kar. The howling voices... what Syjahel said.

3) The hydra part. I don't actually remember what the text 'said' but I remember a war hydra chasing Darethis. And that's good.


Now for the other part.

1) It wasn't completely clear that they went off the ship. In the future, I'd keep an eye on such detail and I'd never forget to mention that they, say, leave the ship. You can mask this intention by including a little something to build up the atmosphere. For example, you could make a sea guard fall off board and drown when getting off the ship. Which would both say 'aaaaand they're off' and add to the story. Nonetheless, this part was awesome.

2) I intensely disliked the shadow warrior ending. It was like from a cheap american action movie. The situation being as it was, Darethis should have died. This felt like 'damn, now how do I save him? Yes! A suprise last-moment encounter with something previously left out from the story'. Syjahel liked it, I'm going for 'how about no'. At least they should have killed the hydra when it was chasing Darethis and not in the last possible moment.
The shadow warriors didn't feel natural. Were they waiting for the last possible moment to make a dramatic entry? Why didn't they help against the shades? When did they leave the ship? There were any on the ship? How did they find Darethis? One way or another, I'd reconsider including such events in the next parts. Nonetheless, this part was awesome.

I like how effortlessly you included 'And Furion is here and scheming'. That was great.

I would just like to state that I mean the above statement as a literary critique, and as an endorsement of which forces are the rightful owners of lost Nagarythe - the Druchii.

Good job painting, great job writing! As mentioned before, if this would be a book I'd turn the pages happily. (I'd even [kinda] prefer it, don't stone me HC DE, over the Darkblade series.)

(As to the Monolith. Sry, not a clue. I've played the DE only since the 5th ed, so I don't know older fluff [I don't think there were any information about it in the 5/6/7th ed armybooks.])