As the dread tides of the Vitriolic Sea rise, and Ryftmar slips ever deeper into the boiling waves, Fury of the Deep draws that much closer.
This battlebox sees the merciless Idoneth Deepkin raid the halls of an ancient magmahold at the command of Carscalan, an Idoneth Thrallmaster whose story and skills we covered yesterday.
As the Idoneth infiltrate the Ancestor Halls at Ryftmar’s foundations they are met by Yaelgar, an Auric Flamekeeper of the Vostarg Lodge. Rudely interrupted in the middle of a funerary rite, this bellowing preacher takes up his brazier axe and turns his fury on the aether-sea raiders.
As a people preoccupied with fighting and glory, death holds a special place in the hearts of all Fyreslayers. They follow the example of the duardin war-god Grimnir, who sacrificed himself to defeat Vulcatrix, the Mother of Salamanders – a worthy foe if there ever was one!
Grimnir’s spirit burns on in the hearts (and ur-gold tattoos) of all Fyreslayers, where it is tended by the Auric Flamekeepers. These fiery funerary priests see to the last rites of Fyreslayer society, guiding fallen lodge members to the stone-sleep through ancient rites of cremation so they may return to do battle alongside Grimnir in Doomgron, the final battle.*
The Flamekeepers are formidable on the battlefield, armed with a mighty brazier axe and clad in a cloak of toughened Magmadroth-hide. While sombre, they are far from silent – chanting tales of glory from behind their ur-gold death masks, they fire up their allies to great feats of combat.**
Each Flamekeeper also carries a Masterflame Rune, an ember of the First Fire that erupted when Grimnir died. This shimmering rune is empowered by the deaths of nearby duardin, allowing the Flamekeeper to channel their spirits into powerful boons for their Auric Hearthguard and Vulkite Berzerker allies.
Grimnir’s Grit blesses your forces with a ward – perfect for keeping near-naked duardin alive long enough to slay some aelves. If you’ve accepted the inevitability of death, Grimnir’s Wrath will instead guarantee they can furiously hit back before they die in combat.
On the smiting hand, Grimnir’s Resolve lets you throw units into melee in the combat phase – neatly avoiding the Unleash Hell command ability – and Grimnir’s Vengeance improves the Damage characteristic of your weapons, to help your little lads carve through their fishy foes.
As Ryftmar crumbles into the violent Aqshyan seas and its halls ring with the screams of the fallen, the Auric Flamekeeper will have no shortage of work…
Fury of the Deep goes up for pre-order on Saturday.
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* Fyreslayer society, much like orruk society, really believes everything will just end with one great big scrap.
** Such puns are utterly forbidden to Flamekeepers during their bombastic orations.