Lord-Celestant Gavriel Sureheart has been in the thick of things, and he’s encountered his old comrades in arms Ionus Cryptborn and Vandus Hammerhand. Not all is well among these heroes of the Stormcast Eternals…
Entry MDLXVII; Zenithus.
Today saw my Questors and I headed for the Adamantine Chain. We were to deliver one of my eldest warriors to the tower being erected there. Though the orders came from the Lord-Commander himself, he declared his ignorance as to the purpose of the construction and the need to deliver our kin to its gates. God-King only knows what it is all for if even Bastian has been kept in the dark.
The Warden has done well in ensuring this project’s seclusion. We were beset by a strong desire to turn back long before we saw our destination. No natural reticence sparked this urge but one of arcane origin, as if our very passage and intent drew unto us a sense of foreboding. If not for the Lord-Commander’s instruction, we would have surely turned back; we observed herds of parchboar, a lone gargant, and several marauding warbands all seemingly moving away from the object of our heading. We dispatched those of the enemy whose paths crossed with our own. The unnatural feeling of apprehension only abated when we laid eyes upon the construction site. A half-finished shell of black stone piercing the clouds like a needle through pale cloth, similar in design to the buildings of the Relictor temples. We set up camp amidst the duardin who were working on it. All were white-bearded and had apparently undertaken a vow of silence. These mysteries aside, it was a relief to have passed beyond the Warden’s strange barrier. Tomorrow we leave for Hammerhal Aqsha to reinforce our allies fighting at the city walls.
Lord-Celestant Gavriel Sureheart
Entry MDLXVIII; Sunwane.
Ulros and Angathia caught me writing yesterday. There was some laughter over my habit of log-keeping, which I indulged, but say what they will: it is a comfort to engage in something so human. Ulros later approached me after the jesting, though. He said my log-keeping moved him, though he did not fully understand why. I gave him some of my own parchment so that he could keep his own records. I can only hope he remembers this feeling after the next few decades of war.
Today we began our march to Hammerhal. The evening was blessedly uneventful, though sleep was fitful under the shadow of the black-stone shell. The Warden did, however, reluctantly answer some of my questions: the brick was of Lethisian origin, inlaid with that city’s customary charms, which explained its foreboding aura yet still shed no light on its purpose.
Ionus did have some wisdom to share regarding my own mission in Hammerhal. I perceived melancholy in his voice as he mentioned Vandus Hammerhand heading to the same location. It has been a while since I last saw my old ally, and I look forward to our reunion, though the Warden has warned me to temper my expectations. Admittedly I have heard the rumours, but I cannot help but wonder if Ionus’s long sojourn in the Amethyst Realm has accentuated his Shyishan pessimism. I claimed that the fight awaiting us would reignite Vandus’s spirit, and that a battle blazing with passion to preserve our city would bring the noble determination back to his brow. Ionus said something about passion being part of the problem, but he would not elaborate when pressed.
I fear from his cryptic rumblings that prolonged isolation may have made Ionus paranoid. Why warn me to be wary of Vandus when Khul’s forces are once more casting a shadow over the people of the Parch?
Lord-Celestant Gavriel Sureheart
Entry MDLXXII; Cometsday.
We were not prepared for the numbers assailing Hammerhal Aqsha. On arrival, my chamber reinforced that of Lord-Celestant Arryn Stormwing. The number of Bloodbound has nearly doubled since her last correspondence with me, yet with Tahlia Vedra leading the defence, the task ahead is far from impossible. It has been decades since I fought alongside a Grand Marshal of her calibre; her eagerness to join her soldiers on the front line sets a fine example, and her skill is obvious. No wonder those around her fight so doggedly. Make no mistake, this battle will prove hard, but I believe our victory is assured.
Tonight, our numbers will match those of the Goretide. Tomorrow, we will be joined by the Hammerhands, and I am certain the city will soon return to its smoke-belching, noisome self once we secured the borders. We will launch one more attack wave this eve; Vedra has even ordered the cogforts on the offensive.
Reports sent ahead of the Hammerhands have declared the deaths of Khul’s most trusted generals, names that used to inspire dread in the soldiery. Threx Skullbrand and Vekh the Flayer are slain. Morale here has never been higher.
Lord-Celestant Gavriel Sureheart
Entry MDLXXIII; Moonday.
Reinforcements arrived at noon today. The mortal fighters finally have a moment of respite. The guards have been stretched thin following the departure of the Twin-Tailed Crusade. Though Marshal Vedra has deployed those who remain with great shrewdness, one can only compensate so much for human fragility.
Vandus rides at the head of the reinforcements upon mighty Calanax, looking as regal as his statues within the Perspicarium. Were it not for Ionus’s counsel, I would have never believed the truth of his imprisonment between campaigns. Yet now that I know what to look for, I can understand the Warden’s warnings a little more clearly. Vandus’s greetings were clipped and devoid of warmth. His eyes wandered constantly as I asked him of his journey, as if being anywhere other than the battlefield caused him discomfort.
Though Vandus now slays Bloodbound with even greater efficiency, I am perturbed. There is a wildness to his strikes that I have never before seen in my friend. Yet still we need him here. We are not the only army set to receive reinforcements, and scouts bear reports of an even larger host three days’ march away. I pray this battle does not escalate into a siege before we can rout the foe before us.There’s a look about Vandus now that reminds me of my youth, the look of those who had grown old in the fighting pits, rendered cold and hollow by the ceaseless bloodshed.
Lord-Celestant Gavriel Sureheart
Dawnbringers Book IV: The Mad King Rises is available for pre-order this Saturday, alongside Ushoran and the rest of his Flesh-eater Courts. Troubled times are ahead for the forces of Order…
