While the Twin-Tailed Crusade continues its journey into the inhospitable wilds of Aqshy and Ghyran, Hammerhal, the crucible of this great endeavour, is under attack from within and without. Casks of fine wine marked with the kingsblood seal continue to be smuggled in through the choking, crime-ridden district of Cinderfall, turning any who are exposed to it into frothing, flesh-hungry maniacs.
To deal with a problem this big you need a rag-tag band of heroes, led by a no-nonsense witch hunter in a tall hat. Luckily, that’s just what you get in Dawnbringers: Book V – Shadow of the Crone.
The Saviours of Cinderfall are tasked with scouring the Kingsblood Curse from the Cinderfall District and saving Hammerhal. They are led by veteran witch hunter Hanniver Toll and his long-standing ally, the ex-Freeguild officer Armand Callis. You’ll recognise them from their Black Library exploits, and the Warhammer+ animation Undercity.
To get to the bottom of the plot to collapse Hammerhal from within, Callis and Toll have recruited a formidable rogue’s gallery.
Integral to the mission is Lyssa Revenya, a talented thief from the morbid city of Lethis who specialises in navigating trap-ridden crypts and catacombs – an ideal ally for navigating the twisting depths of Hammerhal. Despite her status as a fugitive, Toll was sufficiently impressed by her skills when they first met.
Mistress Verentia, the Weaver of Secrets, is a mythic figure whose name is well-known by all of Hammerhal’s criminals. She has eyes and ears all over the realm-spanning city thanks to a menagerie of felines who relay their findings to her via jewelled collars linked to a magical gauntlet given to her by a mysterious stranger.
The final member of this unlikely group of heroes is Valius, the Keeper Aqshian, and his Gryph-hound Balthas. A Lord-Castellant, Valius was present at the founding of Hammerhal many, many years ago, and carries the Clavis Magna, the key to the city. Not just a symbolic artefact, this key allows him to walk through one threshold in the city and emerge through any other. Such a powerful ability has been crucial in rooting out the seditious threats that threaten Hammerhal, but Valius cannot be everywhere at once, and his task is endless.
This set of miniatures will be released alongside Dawnbringers: Book V – Shadow of the Crone, which features rules for using them in Cities of Sigmar Armies, or as a Regiment of Renown in other Order armies. The story of the slow infection of the city and Callis and Toll’s efforts to expunge it will also be expanded upon in Callis & Toll, a forthcoming Black Library novel by David Annandale.
Along with the Cities of Sigmar, these new heroes provide a ground-level view of life in the Mortal Realms, and the challenges that face one of its most important cities during the Age of Sigmar.
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