The threat of Chaos looms from the Northern Wastes as internecine fighting consumes the Empire of Man. The other forces of Order are beleaguered, locked into their own battles while Orcs and Goblins rampage and the Beastman Brayherds swell.
It’s a desperate time, and the world needs a bulwark against evil – to bring back balance. Who better to take up this mantle than an ancient empire ruled by immortal dragons?
Grand Cathay is the realm of the Celestial Dragon Emperor Xen Yang, an immortal who has ruled for over five thousand years. The nation follows the philosophies and the teachings of their Emperor to the letter, living and battling with a profound sense of harmony in all things.
With the Old World in a period of upheaval, Grand Cathay has dispatched an army to help beat back the darkness – and what a sight it is to behold. The first completely new faction released for Warhammer: The Old World
Grand Cathay Battalion
Like every other faction in the Old World, Grand Cathay receives a battalion box containing 50 plastic miniatures. This balanced core of 30 Jade Warriors can be deployed as two units of 15 or three units of 10. They are supported by 10 Jade Lancers who can be split into two units of five with full commands. Then there are two artillery pieces which can be built either as a Cathayan Grand Cannon or a Fire Rain Rocket Battery with crew.
Jade Warriors
Jade Warriors are the core of the standing armies of Grand Cathay. Equipped with fine weapons and armour, they are named for the stone sacred to the Dragon Emperor, and represent the implacable nature of his empire. Wielding hand weapons and shields or halberds with elegant crescent blades, they are the immovable wall on which the enemies of the Celestial Dragon break.
Jade Lancers
Exceptional warriors recruited from the ranks of the Jade Warriors, these swift heavy cavalry are trained to fight within the narrow alleyways, bridges, and tunnels of their home kingdoms. They are thus terrifying when let loose on the open field with their long Cathayan lances.
Cathayan Grand Cannon
The forges of Nan-Gau are constantly at work, and the Cathayan Grand Cannons are some of their finest work. Crafted to look like roaring dragons, they belch flaming cannonballs straight and true into enemy ranks.
Fire Rain Rocket Battery
The Fire Rain Rocket Battery is less accurate than the Grand Cannon, launching a hail of deadly explosives that sow ruin, and crewed by skilled disciples from the House of Smoke and Powder.
But that’s not all – what else do the armies of Grand Cathay have in their arsenal?
Shugengan Lord on Great Spirit Longma
Over the years, the Celestial Dragon and his children have sired a great many descendants. These are the Shugengan Lords mortals touched with just a little of their sire’s power, warrior-generals who proudly lead from the front. Masters of martial arts and the Elemental Winds of magic, they sometimes ride the Great Spirit Longma – majestic creatures with savage iron talons and a crown of horns.
Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities
The Jade Warrior garrisons are commanded by Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities, veterans who must have served for at least a decade to earn a chance at promotion. They are experts in defense, gauging the lay of the land ahead of battle, and enacting the will of the Lord Magistrates – who trust these learned warriors above all others.
Sky Lantern
Few of the Celestial Dragon’s forces are as ingenious as the Sky Lanterns – dirigibles held aloft by fabulously decorated paper that sits above a caged Vermilion Warbird and steered by crew riding an armoured gondola.
From this lofty vantage point a Magistrate observes the battle, using flags and banners to signal enemy movements to generals below, and provide artillery with instructions to fire without line of sight. When foes venture too close, pairs of Crane Gunners snipe at them while the crew drops incendiary bombs.
Cathayan Sentinel
Born of the Dragon’s mastery of the Elemental Winds, Cathayan Sentinels are towering statues fashioned to look like great warriors. Travellers in Grand Cathay may notice them inert, dotted around cities or standing guard over bridges. Legend tells that they are the remnants of a once vast army created by the Dragon Emperor in the distant past when Chaos threatened Grand Cathay before.
Sentinels are constructed from materials such as terracotta, jade, and even volatile warpstone, with each material affording different properties. They are silent observers until roused, where they are monstrous combatants of unstoppable force.
Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay
We’ve only touched on the in-depth background contained in Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay, a 48-page book that paints a detailed picture of this immortal empire and the alliances that bind it to the nations of the Old World. Inside you’ll also find rules for the armies of Grand Cathay including their unique special rules, magic items, armoury, and the twin magical Lores of Yin and Yang.
Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon
No lesser personage than the Supreme Matriarch of Nan-Gau has made the perilous journey to the Old World to lead the forces of Grand Cathay against the forces of Evil.
The eldest living daughter of the Dragon Emperor, the Castellan of the Great Bastion has guarded the northern provinces of Grand Cathay against Chaos incursions and marauding Hobgoblins for many centuries. Yet with the threat mounting, she finds herself at the head of an expedition to a strange land.
A warrior and sorcerer of consummate power, the Storm Dragon assumes two forms in battle – a human crackling with arcane energy, and a noble dragon to strike terror in the black hearts of the foe. Perhaps now she will be able to restore balance to the Old World.
Stay tuned for a series of Old World Almanacks that will go into further detail on these warriors of balance and harmony, as well as the Beastmen and the Wood Elves.
You can see all the rest of today’s reveals by visiting the AdeptiCon 2025 hub below.
