From the Journal of one Wigmar Heck, pt 48 (Parravon Act 2: The attack)

 

26-28 Vorgeheim 2449, Parravon

The armies of Zul have been bled dry before the walls of Parravon. They tried crossing several times, but our gunfire - the cannons in particular - held them at bad. Zul's magic was a challenge, but not insurmountable - we had the Damsel of Parravon to protect us from the worst.

On the final day, the works crossed the river using a magically created bridge (more stone magic) to the north. Warned by scouts, Liberungen and Parravon joined together and defeated them on the field. The dragoons were hit hard, but it was a glorious victory for us. 

Note to self: Must have more cavalry. Our ability to maneuver and go on the offensive is limited.

Zul snuck into the city - I'm guessing more magic - with a handful of bodyguards. Long story short: we clashed beneath the temple of Myrmidia and he was finally brought low. The Earth crystal is now safely with us. I have also verified the whereabouts of the Air Crystal. It seems safe.

30 Vorgeheim 2449, Parravon

I received a letter from Isolde. It was... peculiar... I don't believe it. Sending Thesalva and Anna to track her down.

I'm also happy to write that Ankh is back. He's now more firmly entrenched in the body of pie-boy. It'll be a few years, but eventually, he'll grow into a man. We're thinking that the old body may finally have succumbed to the heart illness.

32 Vorgeheim 2449, Parravon

Cultist attack in the city! 

The Purple Hand tried to murder me but the Red Crown stopped them. Or maybe it was the other way around. Hard to tell, but they are all dead now.

3 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

The second battalion arrived in the afternoon.

5 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

We crossed the partially repaired bridge and sought to bring Zul's remaining forces to battle.

The enemy briefly skirmished before routing. I released the cavalry to pursue. 

On the plus side, the cavalry got some good training, but the second battalion infantry never engaged, but the artillery was barely across the bridge before the enemy ran away.

The green menace has been dealt with completely.

9 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

Baron Desmond Descartes has been brought to justice at the end of my blade. His foul priestess was sent screaming back to hell and his accomplishes dealt with. 

The Duke seems pleased. Philippe was reinstated as the noble ruler of the Descartes lands. My soldiers were released from Parravon's service. Our contract is completed in full.

18 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

Secured a trade deal with Adolphus Drücker (despite the name he's Bretonnian, but obviously has Reikland roots). Quite clever I must say, using his daughter, Wilhelmina, to gain access to the man in the first place. See's quite the little minx. She will come with us to Übersreik. I've sworn to protect her honor. And I will. Against other men.

24 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

Leaving Parranon for now. 

Our wagons have been filled with loot and trade goods. We bring with us more than fifty Parravonian recruits and a handful of men from the wider world. And enough good horses to get the cavalry battalion going.

27 Nachgeheim 2449, Parravon

We helped Philippe take possession of his lands and castle. Our next stop is Karak Azgaras. The roads are not good, but we will press on. If snow comes early... we could get stuck on this side of the mountains.

5 Erntezei 2449, Karak Azgaraz

Finally reached the dwarfhold. I presented my sword - which I got re-hilted in Parravon - to the loremaster. He examined the 12 runes that appeared on the blade when the Damsel examined it. 

The old dwarf was quite intrigued. It's an ancient sword - not Solland's lost Runefang - and the runes are written using a very old system that's no longer used. Not all the runes have magical powers. The loremaster promised to delve deeper into the mystery.

6 Erntezei 2449, Karak Azgaraz

I'm taking le Trois, our questing knight, Pie Boy, Ulfberth, and Annika with me through the tunnels to see Halmstad. The army will go the long way, down into the pass and on to Übersreik. Soon, we will be home!

From the Journal of one Wigmar Heck, pt 39 (First Battle of Karak Azgaraz)

 

27 Nachhexen

After a night spent huddled in the dark we marched on, following rough tunnels that ran through the heart of the mountain. 

Only a few groups of greenskins opposed the relentless march of Reiklanders and Wissenlanders. None can stand against the might of the Empire united. 

Furak Stonesplitter led us to Karak-Azgaraz before the end of the second day, knowing exactly which way to take. 

I wonder how many such tunnels exist beneath the Grey Mountain? Diirk Thunderhammer said something about there being fewer than in the World's Edge Mountains. And also haunted by orcs and worse. This particular stretch should have been safe enough, but that was before the orc horde descended upon Karak Azgaraz.

The journey would easily have taken two or three times that long on the surface - in the summertime. In winter I'm not sure it can be done at all - the cannons and the wagons would have to be abandoned and that would turned my force into nothing more than dead men walking, rifles frozen, powder damp.

Strange. I am now closer to home than I have been for half a year. All that stands between me and my holdings is a grey wall of rock, covered in ice and snow, that reaches so high it touches the clouds. To reach human lands you must either go south to Blood Keep - a road rarely travelled anymore says the dwarfs - or north, to the Grey Lady Pass and from there to Bretonnia or Übersreik.

At long last we could see a little light in the distance and feel cold, fresh air flowing from outside. We extinguished all light and crept forward. The tunnel deposited us on a stone bridge spanning a gorge. On the other side a stout stone door of dwarf make. Not the main entrance to the dwarf city, but a lesser gate that Diirk called the Copper Door. 

We made ourselves known and were let inside.

There was no time to waste. To orcs had breached the gate and broken the defenders. Even as we rushed inside, the dwarfs were being slaughtered. We fought the greenskins tooth and nail, shot and steel. We met them in pitched battle in the airy Chamber of Welcomes, killed all we could and pushed the rest out through the main gates and onto the plaza. There we slaughtered the rest, set up cannon and muskets to guard against further incursions, and started the process of rooting out whatever orcs and goblins remained within Karak Azgaraz.

We were too late to save the their King, Zaladrin Blood-beard. We found the high lord surrounded by his guards and courtiers in the High Hall of the Kings. Many columns had shattered and great slabs of rock had fallen from the roof, crushing the king and those closest to him.

When the battle was over only five hundred dwarfs of fighting age remained, maybe twice that number of women, children, and the elderly. A grievous loss for the dwarfs, but as was pointed out by their war-leader Thuringar Orc-heawer, infinitely better than total annihilation.

30 Nachhexen

We have repulsed a few orc probes as they tried to send scouts to determine the situation within the Kaer. We are entrenching and will not be moved. Inside the mountain the last greenskins have been dealt with. Groups of my men, guided by dwarfs have proven effective at the task.

The is no new king as of yet: the dwarfs must elect one from among their number. I suggested Diirk, being young, dynamic and well versed in Reikspiel, but this was immediately rejected. He's at least a century too young and also an illegitimate child.

The orcs were led by a human wizard going by the name Zul. An eye witness described him as strange looking. Sounds like a Kislevite or some such to me. He had led the orc horde to Karak Azgaraz, he had broken the gates with magic - despite their warding runes. He had gone to the king and demanded a heart-shaped red gemstone. When then king could not comply - that stone is in Halmstad's handed - he had brought down the roof and stormed off...

On war

Muskets and bayonets are relatively well suited for tunnel fighting. Smoke becomes a problem after the first volleys are fired, but as long as the tunnel is straight you don't really need to see the enemy to kill him. Just keep firing and eventually the survivors - even orcs - will either flee or run onto bayonets.

Grenades can be highly effective but care must be taken when employing them underground. I knew that from the sewers of Nuln but the lesson has been relearned many times in the past few days.

It was a resounding victory of the Empire and my tactics. My own men suffered less than ten percent casualties, the men of Nuln two or three times that, but still acceptable. We hold the battlefield and I expect many of the wounded to recover. We have brought healers and medical supplies, and we know what to do to combat the filth the orcs cover their blades with.

From the Journal of one Wigmar Heck, pt 38 (Grey Mountains in Winter)

 

15 Nachhexen cont.

We took up concealed positions some six hundred feet from the road. We had an excellent vantage point and a line of retreat. Hit the column with shot and arrows as soon as the vanguard came into view. Those orks are hard to kill, I'll tell you that. More heavily armored than your regular greenskin, and large shields too. Hard to tell if I got any hard kills, but at the very least there are a few orks that will carry bullet scars until their (soon to come) dying day.

After some confusion, the orks sent three groups on foot towards us. Twenty-something in total. The rest of the column, at least five hundred in number, marched on. Hard going for the orks, literally an uphill struggle on snowy grown, with a master marksman and his witch elf raining death on them every step of the way. Not every shot a kill, but out of formation opportunities for crippling shots to arms and legs (and  heads) did present themselves.

Not a single arrow shot back at us - a marksman's wet dream. The center group started to falter. We fell back to avoid the flankers. A spear came sailing out from between some white-cloaked boulders. Not orks, but a rugged-looking band of dwarfs, seven in number (like in the fairy-tales).

Their leader was one Furak Stonesplitter of Karak Azgaraz, envoy of King Zaladrin Blood-beard to Karak Norn, the great dwarf hold in the southern Grey Mountains. Sent to summon aid for the increasingly besieged Karak Azgaraz (other envoys had been sent to other holds - but none to human lands), he'd set out with a party of twelve, but five had died to ork attacks on the way back. 

Since there was little hope of actually getting back to the Kaer with an army of orks swarming the mountains, Furak's party made common cause with us. Between us we lured the remaining orks to their deaths. Not all the orks, of course... the ones sent to kill us.

We spent the rest of the day pursuing the ork horde down the valley. We stayed off the road. Hard going, but worth it. We managed another attack on the rear of the column. Predictably, they sent a platoon to deal with us. We fought a mobile battle, weakening them with missile fire until they were weak enough for the dwarfs to slaughter those who remained. Glorious. My load of powerder and shot is running low; I only have enough for another of these little skirmishes. Same with Thes; she's recovered some arrows, but some break and others are lost.

Note to self: These 'black orks' have almost no missile weapons. Some have spears and throwing axes, but nothing that can compete with elf bows and human rifles. I would hate to engage them in melee. Better to whittle then down with missiles!

16 Nachhexen 

We continued to hound the orks with some success. We can hardly kill them all. But we can slow them down. Struck the column several times, halting it. But we retreated before a real battle could develop, using the opportunity to get ahead of the orks to set yet another ambush. Fewer dead orks that way, but we buy more time for fewer shots fired.

Before dark we staged a more serious attack on the orks, attacking their lead elements from an advantageous position. Much bloodletting there was. We then retreated into Blood Wood. The orks followed as the pale creatures watched from the treetops. Deep in the wood a dread knight awaited our coming. We parlayed and it was agreed: we would be granted safe passage, the orks would not. In return: Blood Keep would be handed over to its "rightfull owner" when this debacle is over.

We reached the Keep, save a single unfortunate dwarf, some time during the night.

Had some words with Sister Superior Anastasia regarding the thing in the basement. A bastard of the highest breeding, from back in the day, when  the Dragon collected cunt, not gold. Sent away to rot in the dark when he started to change into... something special. Somehow I don't think twenty years locked in the basement of Blood Keep did the poor sod any favors!

Note to self: I sincerely hope my men got Ankh's message and are riding hard for Blood Keep. If not, we may be in real trouble. I also hope the light will forgive this alliance with the dead. It was entered willingly, to save the living from the orks.

17 Nachhexen

The orks made for the bridge, not the keep. Maybe they don't know we're here? Put a few shots into their backs. That got their attention. A company charged right up the path to the keep and went at the gate with massive axes. We kept at them but those damn shields and that armor make them painfully slow to kill. Before the gate could be breached, we welcomed them inside, then cut them down with a fusillade of fire.

As soon as could be managed I set out with Ulf, Thes and my five riders. The remaining orks, at least three hundred in number by my count, had split up, with one group going towards Königsdorf on either bank of the river. I sent Thes and Ulf to watch the southern group, then crossed the bridge and took the north bank myself.

We didn't kill too many orks. Maybe ten dead and twice as many wounded. But we got them to chase us back towards the bridge. They took up position in the woods, afraid to cross out into open ground. Wigmar has the orks running scared!

I sent riders to the north to see how far my troops had come. They could be here soon. On the other hand, things never go according to plan, so maybe not.

Thes and Ulf returned later in the day. The weakened ork horde had been pushed back by the local lord commanding a mix of militia and house troops. The orks had retreated - in good order - back the way they came: into Blood Wood. Ah, another night of terror for the greenskins. 

18 Nachhexen

My riders finally arrived at Blood Keep. The rest of the army is still days away. The orks north of the river are nowhere to be found. Retreated into the forest they have. Good luck with that my green friends.

23 Nachhexen

The rest of my army has arrived. A little worse for wear than the riders, but looking good. A day's rest and they will be ready to march towards the Karak. Outriders report no significant ork activity along the road into the mountains.

We have also been joined by Captain Kurt Grüber of the Nuln 5th Heavy Foot. It's a mixed battalion, half gunners, half heavy infantry. I will leave the captain and the regulars at Blood Keep, take the rest of the foot and horse and guns into the Grey Mountains. In the middle of the winter. Ulric, favor the faithful of thine brother. Failing that, Ankh, please provide sun and warmth.

24 Nachhexen

We set off into the mountains. A battalion's worth of gunners, a brace of pistoliers, and four cannon. The dwarfs came along of course. 

Two days of hard going along the snowy road but if it doesn't get worse than this, we'll managed. 

26 Nachhexen

On the third day, it got worse. Out of the valley we were now high up in the mountain. No trees, no protection from  the elements. Only grey rock, snow, and unrelenting wind. It would be slow going in the terrible cold. Five days by my best guess. We'd be completely ragged by the time we arrived, not accounting for ork attacks.

Dwarfs had a better idea. Take the underground road from the Holdfast of Drumstrang to the keep: a tunnel cut through the stone between a hidden outpost and the main dwarf town. We had no real choice, so Drumstrang it was.

The place was dead, it's location uncovered by the orks, doors broken, inhabitants slain to the last dwarf. We killed a few stray greenskins, then descended into the earth...

     

Black Orcs

 

Black orcs (so named because their skin color runs towards dark grey rather than green) are the largest, fiercest, and most disciplined of the greenskin races. Common orcs are bad enough: big and strong, hard to kill, and virtually fearless (at least as long as the battle is going in their favor). Black orcs are another level of bad entirely: each warrior is a match for any orc nob, is heavily armored (unlike common orcs), and carry heavy weapons that can shatter a human shield wall with a single blow. But worst of all is their tactical acumen and ability to work together as a cohesive military unit. They know no fear, even in the face of certain defeat, and seem completely immune to pain.

Fortunately black orcs are exceedingly rare in the Empire. Sometimes a lone black orc will lead a band of lesser greenskins or a small band of black orcs will come down from the World's Edge Mountains, but no unified force of such creatures have dared set foot in the Empire since before Magnus the Pious untied the provinces.

Empire scholars know very little about the origins of the black orcs, except that they probably originated from the World's Edge Mountains or in the Dark Lands beyond. Some have linked their creation to Chaos but this seems very unlikely: common orcs sometimes succumb to the lures of Dark Gods but black orc animosity towards Chaos is endemic. Then again black orcs hate elves, dwarves, humans, and every other creature - including other orcs - so maybe it's not so special.