From the Journal of one Wigmar Heck, pt 60 (The siege of Brass Keep)

 

18 Pflugzeit, 2500

Brass Keep picket, Eastern Middenland

The last week has been quite eventful.

Various factions have vied for control over Brass Keep and its "treasure" of warpstone. Chaos, Undead, Skaven, Greenskins, and humans. Despite some setbacks regarding a Skaven ploy to destroy our supplies of powder, I am happy to report an Empire victory. Thousands and thousands of enemies lie dead in the valley, burning as I write this to prevent them from being raised again. We hold the Keep, and the Stone (and a certain axe) are being covered in heavy lead plating. The Middenlanders under Heinrich One-Eye shall remain in force to make sure the Keep does not fall again.

In other news, my cavalry contingent has finally arrived, and with them, Ankh, our Lord of Light, beloved of Soll, and so forth. The infantry and the artillery have not yet arrived, and no one can tell me anything of their progress. No matter. Ankh and the soldiers will go to Salzenmund.

I've also had a vision of Ulfberth and the others. Granted me by Ulric, I believe. They are indeed in Norscan lands, far to the north, in the mountains, seeking the true flame of Ulric.

I will head for Altdorf at speed. My wife-to-be is getting impatient. We're talking about the ball at least once a day, and it's starting to become tiresome. Best get this over with.

From the Journal of one Wigmar Heck, pt 59 (The charge of Brass Keep)

 

10 Pflugzeit, 2500

Brass Keep picket, Eastern Middenland

Back home, spring will be in full swing. 

Not so in the shadow of Brass Keep.

Instead, the land is eternally swathed in cold mist, and dark clouds cover the sky, always.

But Ankh's grace is upon me, I live in his light, and the daemons of Chaos fear my presence.

This Brass Keep is a foul place, this old necromancer's keep. Legends of its vile disposition run back centuries, if not longer. It is claimed that Magnus the Pious purge and purified it. Maybe he did, but why then is it guarded by a wall at the mouth of the valley, with two companies of soldiers and three batteries of guns? There is an entire barony ruled by the Kärzburdger family, whose only task is to man this wall!

(and whose gunpowder the Skaven had gotten hold of - more about that later)

That was a rhetorical question, by the way.

 I just led a charge against the Keep, a coalition of Nordland, Middenland, Knights of the White Wolf, and my own men. We faced off against a horde of Chaos. Deranged men, mutants, beastmen, chaos warriors - and a genuine daemon of Khorne. I cast down the foul creature, smiting with my left and my right, until he lay broken on the ground, begging for mercy. But Ankh gives no clemency to the darkness, and I banished him back into the Warp.

It was a tough battle. A third of our brave warriors we lost (or will lose in the coming days as they succumb to injuries). I myself took five blows that would have ended any lesser warrior. But I stood fast in arms and faith and could not be undone.

Unwilling to risk more valorous men for little gain, I gave the order to fall back to the wall. The lump of warpstone sitting in the Keep's courtyard is as big as a house, and cannot easily be moved.

Now, we must rest and wait for the rest of my army to arrive. Then we shall put this matter to final rest.

Addendum: I seem to have picked up a troop of wild wood elves along the way. It's a long story that I'll save for another day, but I think they will serve me well.