2020 Mordheim Campaign

The GodSeed

Corpses are slow to rot in Mordheim. Even after a year since the twin-tailed comet fell upon the city, the stench of suffering lies thick upon the ruins. Among the carnage and blood-slick rubble of skirmishes past, whispers have begun to manifest. Rumors swirl and spread like decomposing tentacles. They Tempt those across the realms who desire that which has been hidden for countless ages, a GodSeed.

Where among the rot and corpses does the GodSeed lie? A forsaken map, forged under a blood moon from the flayed skin of lesser souls this black relic was torn asunder, six pieces scattered across Mordheim. 

With only rumors to light their way, It is up to the War Bands to search the foul streets of the damned to find these fragments and uncover where the GodSeed slumbers. However, as they scour the ruins, an icy wind blows through the city sending shivers across the withering land, it seems you are not alone. 

With haste! Find the map fragments before it is too late…

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Warbands

The following six bands contested to uncover the secret of the GodSeed Mordheim in 2020:

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Part One:

With only rumors to guide their way, it is up to the War Bands to search the foul streets of the damned to find the hidden map fragments and uncover where the GodSeed slumbers. There are 15 locations in Mordheim where the six warbands sought the map, but which locations would they discover treasure and glory? And which locations will they find only pain and anguish?

Battle #1

Belligerents: Court of the Alabaster Duke (Undead) vs. The Creme Bois (Bretonnian)

Location: The Rock

Scenario: Skirmish

Summary: Fog rolled in heavily over the River Stir, making the towering Abbey of the Sisters of Sigmar appear like a floating castle rising above the clouds. Rumors of wyrdstone led Bretonnians to skirmish against the evil undead in this holy bastion of Sigmar. It was the Creme Boys who came off to a strong start– their arrows cutting down the horde of living dead. Eventually the luck of the Bretonnians ran out; the hungry ghouls of the alabaster duke devoured the humans, causing them to flee from the field of battle. But this wasn’t the end– after the battle ceased, the Alabaster Duke summoned his cohorts together to conduct an ancient ritual of necromancy. The spell of awaking was successful, and two of the slain Bretonnian knights were resurrected to fight alongside the vampire count as mindless ghouls.

Battle #2

Belligerents: The Hell Patrol (Beastmen) vs. The Order of the Resplendent Cross (Marienburger)

Location: Statue of Count Gotthard

Scenario: Chance Encounter

Summary: The Statue of Count Gotthard and its surrounding area was rumored to contain a mysterious sorcery. Beastmen and humans alike were lured by the chance of leveraging this magic to aid in their quest for the Godseed, but it was a trap! Alas, there was no enchanting magic to be found– only dangerous booby traps that thwarted escape from the chance encounter. The Order of the Resplendent Cross and the Hell Patrol clashed, and the streets ran red with blood. The illusioned Marienburgers held strong, but in the end were unable to defend against the onslaught of the marauding Beastmen, and fled from combat to fight another day.

Battle #3

Belligerents: The Paralegals (Averlanders) vs. Sons of Stone (Dwarfs)

Location: Mordheim University

Scenario: Occupy

Summary: The belligerents engaged in bloody combat as they struggled for control of the Mordheim U campus. The sharp eyes of the Averlanders availed them from little: many shots went wide of their marks. The sturdy dwarfs weather the storm of lead, dispatching four of their opponents and losing only one. However, a tactical victory was achieved by the wily gunners, who held their ground despite the tragic death of the leader, Huxtable Charming. The bards may sing of Thorlock the Mad’s heroic diving charge, but they would be remiss to omit the travails of the daring young Geryorman Shorn, who survived multiple injuries and a melee in the Pits to come away hardened, sharpened, and brimming with hatred for the Sons of Stone.

Battle #4

Belligerents: The Hell Patrol (Beastmen) vs The Court of the Alabaster Duke (Undead)

Location: Clocktower

Scenario: Skirmish

Summary: In the shadow of the clocktower, two mighty forces of evil clashed. The beastmen initially cowered in fear of the undead horde, led by the Alabaster Duke and his vanguard of risen warriors. As the battle waged on, each side took significant casualties in hand to hand combat, but in the end the beastmen fled from the field of battle and the Duke’s army was victorious. Afterwards, a strange wanderer bestowed a map fragment to the undead, but only after a flesh price was payed. Before being able to put the map to use, however, the Duke’s hubris got the better of him, and he sunk to the bottom of a well in search of extra wyrdstone.

Battle #5

Belligerents: Sons of Stone (Dwarfs) vs. The Creme Boys (Bretonnian)

Location: Temple of Sigmar

Scenario: Occupy

Summary: Guthrum Graniteskull looked past the tattered and decaying buildings below him, fixing his eye on a crumbling ancient temple. He recognized the markings as those of the God of Men, Sigmar. “Perhaps those greedy priest left behind a chest of gold for the sons of stone!” he muttered with a grim smile. He began to stide forward, but a firm hand gripped his arm. Turning, he saw Bander Stondbeard, periscope pressed to his eye, peering into the ruins. “Men”, he whispered, motioning his hand downwardly. Turning, Graniteskull whispered to his men, “to the temple carefully. The treasure will be ours!”  

In the end, it was a tie between the forces of Dwarfs and Bretonnians.

Battle #6

Belligerents: Order of the Resplendent Cross (Marienburgers) vs. The Paralegals (Averlanders)

Location: Count Steinguard’s Palace

Scenario: Skirmish

Summary: Although heroic, the Averlaner’s great marksmanship was no match for one the ensorcelled minions of evil. Huxtable Charming knows when fleeing and running away allows for the flag to continue to wave. Alas poor Pippen The Halfing Scout perished; he was as annoying as he was useless (very).

Battle #7

Belligerents: The Hell Patrol (Beastmen) vs. The Paralegals (Averlanders)

Location: Great Library of Mordheim

Scenario: Defend the Find

Summary: Legend says that the great library of Mordheim contains tombs imbued with fantasical knowledge so great that entirekindoms have fallen in pursuit. After the comet struck, rumors told of an ancient map therein, that leads to the labyrinth below Mordheim. No sooner had Averlanders entered the library and locate the map, they heard a primal bestial roar echo throughout the hallowed halls. The Beastmen had arrived. Volleys of pistols belched black smoke and fire, felling the Beastman that approached from all sides, but they were too many. Soon they swarmed the library like maggots on a corpse– a common sight in the hellscape of Mordheim. In one last desparate attempt, Huxtable Charming of the Averlanders fired his brace of pistols from the library gallery into the crazed beasts below, but his men were already fleeing. The battle was lost, and the map fragment had fallen into the hands of the fiendish Hell Patrol.

Battle #8

Belligerents: Sir Ekhardt of the Resplendent Cross (Marienburgers) vs. The Creme Bois (Bretonnian)

Location: Executioner Square

Scenario: Wyrdstone Hunt

Summary: Trudging through a cold and miserable rain, the Bretonnian questing knights marched cautiously toward the Executioners district and its rumored wyrdstone stashes. Shambling hideously from the fog, human shapes coalesced along the crumbling raised highway. The rotten and decayed pageantry was unmistakable– Sir Ekhardt and his damned were her. A short period of skirmishing commenced as both bands vied for positioning, and hid from arrows flying over head. Then, surging ahead, Ekhardts sworn men secured both wyrdstone shards and looked poised to make a bloodless escape, but the twisted and blind honor of the damned compelled them to pause, call challenge, and stand before the horde of ill-equipped Bretonnian soldiery. Throwing themselves en masse to fill the ruined bridge with their bodies, the combat was choked and vicious. Two squires of the Creme were quickly ground under foot in the ensuing melee while the Bretonnians punctured the defenses of an Ekhardt swordsman, opening his guts to the hungry paving stones. It was over as soon as it began, with the Bretonnians breaking and fleeing before the dead men’s ferocity. The Creme Boys fled back across the bridge to live and fight another day.

Battle #9

Belligerents: The Court of the Alabaster Duke (Undead) vs. The Sons of Stone (Dwarfs)

Location: The Pit

Scenario: The Shadowlord’s Doorstep

Summary: The dread duke and his shambling horde crested the rise and looked out upon a blasted landscape. Flattened buildings, wyrstone shards, and gnawed bones littered the wastes surrounding the pit. The Duke sought one more thing before engaging the foul east, through: wyrdstone. Spying the greenish glow at the bottom of a well, he slid easily down the rope to the bottom. Suddenly, the frayed cord snapped under the vampire’s weight. Plummeting to the bottom of the well, the duke realized too late that his minions had no way to hoist him back out. They would have to fast the beast alone.

Thus diminished, the undead horde was left vulnerable to the chaos spawns onslaught, and to that of the troupe of dwarfs that hove into sight. Amid swarming rats, wailing walls, and other freak events each queerer than the last, the beast was slain and the undead routed, leaving the soils– and a shred of the legendary map– for the Sons of Stone.

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Part Two

The warbands had been battling for some time now. Many heroes and henchmen alike had died, but new blood was refilling the ranks to seek out the GodSeed. With the aid of riddles, several map fragments had been discovered already. They were getting closer to finding its secret location, but there were yet more mysteries to uncover, and they were soon to learn more about their mission…

A distant bell tolls, a skeleton wolf howls, and nearby screams fade to indecipherable gurgling. An omen. Rumors spread throughout Mordheim that three of the six map fragments have been found. You are half-way to piecing together this black relic, however, this omen bears also ill news. Korgg a Chaos Ogre has been searching for the Godseed among Mordheim a well! And now has begun to draw to near to his treasure and his efforts have caused upheaval among the dead, causing them to stir from their eternal slumber…

Now the players knew they were up against more than just each other. Rumors told that Korgg the Chaos Ogre was seeking the Godseed in order to ascend to godhood, and challenge the might gods of Chaos. A formidable opponent indeed. Perhaps the warbands would have to unite to take down this foe, but it would seem that Korg had no intention of making it easy for them. The next two battles are subject to the (#24) SKELETONS Random happenings!

Battle #10

Belligerents: The Paralegals (Averlanders) vs. The Court of the Alabaster Duke (Undead)

Location: Wizard’s Mansion

Scenario: Wyrdstone Hunt

Summary: The very walls of the Wizard’s Mansion are saturated with the magic of slain wizards. Many times strange lights and sounds have been heard coming from the tower. Rumors said that hordes of wyrdstone were hidden amongst the ruins, but few dared to explore them in fear of the dormant sorcery. However on this day, both the brave Averlanders and the fearless Undead found themselves in contention to discover the wyrdstone for themselves, or perhaps a secret map to the underground location of the Godseed. This battle started cautiously; each warband maneuvered around each other for position. The Paralegals and their mighty Averlander blackpowder prowess struck several of the undead from afar, including the Alabaster Duke himself, but the undead were not so easy to dispatch. The Duke’s warlocks responded with teleportation magic, but were unable to gain any advantage in the fight over Huxtable Charming’s pistol barrage. In Mordheim, heroics are often found in the most unlikely of warriors– and indeed, it was the stout halfling scouts that stood fearless against the hordes of ghouls and monsters– slaying direwolves and holding steadfast against the onslaught. After several rounds of combat, the gunsmoke cleared the wizard’s mansion, revealing a stalemate. Both sides claimed some of the fabled wyrdstone, and both sides had had enough fight on this day. The Paralegals decided to route from the battlefield, taking their wyrdstone with them, and leaving the map fragment into the hands of the Alabaster Duke.

Battle #11

Belligerents: The Hell Patrol (Beastmen) vs. The Creme Bois (Bretonnian)

Location: Amphitheater

Scenario: Chance Encounter

Summary: The Blood God was smiling upon Mordheim on this day. The Beastmen and Bretonnians chanced upon each other at the amphitheater after hearing rumors about wyrdstone, but all they found was death and carnage. Korg’s zombie minions littered the city scene, but were no match for these hardened warriors. The Hell Patrol devoured the zombies as appetizers, and the Creme Boys were the main course. The Bretonnians fought to nearly the last man, but eventually their morale broke, and the triumphant cry of the chaos beasts rang throughout the amphitheater.

Battle #12

Belligerents: The Order of the Resplendent Cross (Marienburger) vs. The Sons of Stone (Dwarfs)

Location: Quayside

Scenario: Breakthrough

Summary: The objective was simple: the Order of the Resplendent Cross needed only to cross the river and pass the ruined buildings that once served as warehouses, catteries, and gambling dens for the dockside laborers. Their only obstacle was the band of hardened dwarf warriors standing in their way. After smashing a few wayward skeletons, the dwarfs turned their attention to the Marienburger thralls. Bloody battle soon gave way to a route, as the Order of the Resplendent Cross fled the field. Also the pit fighter fell to his death attempting to jump off a wall.

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Part Three

At last, the warbands had uncovered all of the six map fragments. Together, they reveal the location of the Godseed, hidden in Mordheim. Or do they? The warbands on this quest were in store for yet another revelation…

A distant bell tolls, a skeleton wolf howls, and nearby screams fade to indecipherable gurgling. An omen! Rumors have spread throughout Mordheim that all 6 map fragments have been found! 

However this omen also bears ill news. The map points not to the GodSeed but to 3 different entrances to a place that lurks beneath all of Mordheim, known only as The Necropolis: City of the Dead.

Behold the new map! Beneath Mordheim lies the Undercity known simply as The Necropolis. Korgg and the GodSeed are closer, but now the warbands must fight through the Necropolis if they are to get to the GodSeed before it is too late. In their path are fiendish monsters that make themselves home in the Necropolis, so the first round of subterranean battles pit the warbands in free-for-alls against a terrible beast. Will the warbands find common ground and fight together to slay the monsters and share the treasure? Or will they betray one another in an act of greed to take the treasure for themselves?

Battle #13

Belligerents: The Sons of Stone (Dwarfs) vs. The Hell Patrol (Beastmen)

Location: Lava Pits

Scenario: Monster Hunt (Young Dragon)

Summary: Dwarfs have been battling the beasts of Chaos for untold generations, and so when these two warbands found themselves face to face with each other in the underground bowels of Mordheim, there was no doubt that they would be fighting to the last man. Between them was a young dragon– its subterranean lair surrounded by pits of lava, bubbling forth molten rock and incinerating those who approach. The air was hot and thick with the stench of smoldering flesh, as the two warbands charged into each other with the ferocity of an ancient blood feud. The beastmen, quick upon their cloven hooves, smashed into the young dragon’s lair, and slashed the beast with razor sharp claws and weapons. The young dragon retaliated with a bellowing roar and spewed fire from its gaping maw, setting afire the tough beastmen hides. The dwarfs, not to be outdone by their ancestral enemy, fired crossbow bolts and blackpowder weapons into the melee, felling several beastmen where they stood, and wounding the dragon. Towering over the swarming pack of gors and ungors, the most terrifying of all chaos beasts emerged to challenge the dragon– a hulking Minotaur. After a short time, the dragon proved to be no match for the horde of chaos beasts, and a deadly strike from a Gor champion felled the monster. But the battle was far from over. Just as soon as the Beastmen’s gor shaman has cast chaos magic to bolster a beastigor to insane combat ability, and it seemed like the beastmen would win the day, a bolt from a dwarven crossbow pierced the leathery hide of the chaos beast chieftain, taking him out of action. The fight continued in the dragon’s lair, where frenzied dwarven slayers whirl-winded into the giant minotaur, gashing its hide and spilling the beasts blood. This only served to anger the minotaur, which felled one dwarf with its mighty cleaver in one hand, and with its other hand, picked up another dwarf by his head, and crushed his skull with bestial strength– the lifeless dwarf corpse dropped to the cobblestone floor of the dragon’s lair. The stalwart dwarfs kept fighting, however, and it was only a matter of time until the leaderless beastmen could not hold their resolve, and fled from the battle field. The dragon’s horde of treasure was left to the Dwarfs.

Battle #14

Belligerents: The Court of the Alabaster Duke (Undead) vs. The Order of the Resplendent Cross (Marienburgers)

Location: Vault of Kings

Scenario: Monster Hunt (Young Chimera)

Summary: The cursed sorcery that ensnares the minds of Sir Ekhardt and The Order of the Resplendent Cross is cast by a mysterious wizard with unknown motives. This magic bestows the human warriors a false identity; granting them illusions of grandeur, glory, and chivalry. However, this vision of splendor exists only inside the Marienburgers’ heads, and it belies their true form that all who cross their path in Mordheim see– one of of rotten flesh, foul deeds, and putrid misery. Their cursed existence is a ruse– a trance manufactured by the mysterious wizard, whose ensorcelling magic enslaves the befouled humans to unknowingly commit atrocities to aide his nefarious machinations. 

On this day, Sir Ekhardt and his troop of Marienburgers had descended below Mordheim into the Necropolis, and found themselves face to face with a Young Chimera in a vast underground treasure vault. Much to their surprise, another troop of human warriors flying the flag of Marienburg were there to aid in their cause. “Hail, friends!” shouted Sir Ekhardt from across the battlefield, eager to share treasure and exchange tales of their journeys after dispatching the beast together. However, as the two warbands came together and approached the monster’s lair, with flags waving and trumpets sounding, something terrible happened. Sir Eikhardt could not believe his eyes as the friendly humans disappeared in front of him. In their place, they had transformed into monstrous undead– ghouls, direwolves, dregs, and led by a horrific vampire. It was a trap! There could be no doubt it was an illusion perpetrated by the undead warband before them. “Kill them all!” shouted Sir Ekhardt, and The Order of Resplendent Cross charged into battle.

From afar, the wizard grinned. His minions were performing his bidding perfectly. It was so simple to fool them– an illusion spell on the undead warband, lifted at the last minute, created the perfect element of surprise that they needed to be victorious. There was no risk in betraying the Alabaster Duke, the wizard mused to himself. After his puppet warriors dispatched the undead, he assumed, there would be nothing between himself and the Godseed. Or so he thought… 

Battle #15

Belligerents: The Paralegals (Averlanders) vs. The Creme Bois (Bretonnians)

Location: Underground Lake

Scenario: Monster Hunt (Young Hydra)

Summary: The Averlanders and Creme Bois found themselves hunting a beastly hydra, whose lair was an island at the center of an underground lake deep beneath Mordheim. The two level headed human warbands decided it would be prudent to work together, thus saving their strength for the upcoming battle for the Godseed. The two warbands dispatched the Hydra, and shared the treasure between them. 

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Part Four

As the warbands fought against each other and the bestial inhabitants of the Necropolis below Mordheim, they could feel the end approaching. Battle weary foot soldiers were at the end of their wits, and although they had gained much experience and prowess through battle, even the most undaunted champions were feeling the burdens of war, but they could not rest when their objective was so near. They could feel the proximity of the GodSeed as they closed in, almost as though it called to them. They would need to summon the courage for one final battle, where the victor would be determined. At long last, their quest was nearly over.

A distant bell tolls! But the cries of the wolf and nearby screams are all drowned out by hideous laughter. The sound churns through The Necropolis, infecting the flesh of war bands and wretched denizens alike. It can only mean one thing. 

Korgg has found the location of the GodSeed! Fortunately for the approaching war bands, his haunting cackle leads them right to him.

Korgg is found at the heart of the Necropolis, a place that has been christened: the Sanctum of Korgg. Swarms of undead stand between the approaching Warbands of and Korgg. Their only hope is to work together to stop him from consuming the GodSeed. Will they be able to tear the GodSeed from the clutches of Korgg? Or will they join the undead hordes for all eternity!

Final Battle

Five warbands contested Korgg for the GodSeed. The sixth warband, The Paralegals, had returned home to Averland to tend to their wounds and share tales of their conquests in Mordheim. The remaining five entered Korgg’s sanctum from opposite ends of the battlefield– the Dwarfs and Undead from one side, and the Beastmen, Bretonnians, and Marienburgers from the other. At the center was Korgg, well defended in his underground lair, GodSeed in hand. Between them were the minions of Korgg– skeletons, chaos marauders, and deadly chaos knights. The battle deployment was as follows:

During the first rounds, warbands tried to avoid each other, in the hopes of reaching Korgg relatively unscathed. Korgg’s chaos minions proved to be little challenge for the hardened warriors of Mordheim– and the skeletons, chaos marauders, and chaos knights barely slowed them down. However, the paths that led to the Godseed through the ruined streets of the Necropolis invariably came together. There would be no avoiding each other in order to reach the inner sanctum– it became clear that there was no unobstructed path, and only the winner of a bloody free-for-all would be left standing to challenge Korgg.

Horned Beastmen clashed into Bretonnian knights. Undead dregs hacked at Dwarven warriors. Marienburger arrows let fly into Dwarven Armor. Beastmen Gor raged into marching Dwaves. Dire wolves swarmed Marienburger soldiers. It was madness. It was a bloodbath. Meanwhile, Korgg perched in his tower and laughed at the chaos before him, and prepared the ritual that would see him consume the GodSeed and ascend to the ranks of the Chaos gods.

The free-for-all waged for several rounds, and blood soaked the streets of the Necropolis below Mordheim, but all of a sudden, something changed. For the first time, Korgg’s sinister cackle came to a stop. Korgg’s challengers had arrived– the undead had breached his complex. Dregs and dire wolves managed to negotiate the free-for-all unscathed, and swallowed up the chaos defenders. The Alabaster Duke himself burst into the inner sanctum, and swung his sword at the mighty Chaos Ogre. Korgg was undaunted and fought back– cleaving his mighty great axe through the air with reckless abandon. This enormous weapon was the size of a man, but Korgg hefted it like it was weightless. Deftly dodging, the Alabaster Duke scored several slashes against the Chaos Ogre, whose own blood began to cover his inner sanctum. After a few rounds, both combatants were gravely wounded, but Korgg summoned what strength he had left and let out a mighty bellow, spitting blood into the air, and connected his axe to the Duke– sending the vampire crashing to the ground, stunned. At that final moment, Korgg was heavily wounded and bleeding, but it appeared as if he had fended off the pesky undead warband. However, upon seeing his hallowed Duke cut to the ground, a lowly undead dreg summoned the courage to make his mark on the cursed city of Mordheim forever. The dreg jumped over his fallen leader, attacked, and against all odds, felled the mighty chaos ogre– Korgg’s enormous body crashed to the ground, his wounds too grave to recover from.

When he came to, the Alabaster Duke realized that Korgg had been defeated and the Godseed was his own. Wasting no time, he lofted the Godseed , crushed it in his grasp, and consumed the seed. Almost immediately, he felt a power surge inside of him. A transformation occurred; he was no longer just the Alabaster Duke. Leathery wings sprouted from his back, and claws and fangs grew. Newfound omnipotence coursed through his veins. With his new strength, he felt as if he could dispatch entire warbands with one swing of his arm. Mordheim would be his for the taking. No one would dare challenge The Alabaster Duke. Or would they??

… to be continued!