Elves Re-enforce the Border Princes
The sanctity of the Wood Elf holdings within the Border Princes was shattered when Daemons tore through the fabric of reality and invaded the hallowed glades. Forewarned by their seers the Elves made short work of the foul intruders but their leaders recognised that more intrusions could well follow and that steps needed to be taken to improve the forest’s defences. Tree singers set to work, using all of the Elves available resources in their incantations. Soon the edge of the forest knit itself into an impenetrable barrier, isolating the Wood Elves from the rest of the Border Princes. In the troubled times ahead the Wood Elves would ride out the storm in their fortress forest, separated from the outside world and its fate.

The High Elves of the Phoenix Tower also took steps to improve their security. A large host of re-enforcements from Ulthuan sailed up the Tana Dante river, slipping past Freihafen under a magical cloak in dead of night. The newly arrived troops quickly set to work, driving back inquisitive human forces who strayed too close to the tower and massacring a band of chaos marauders that had made its way through Bretonnian territory to the boundaries of the Elven protectorate.

Magical Maelstrom Breaks Out
Already a tempest, the magical vortex centred on the Border Princes increased its ferocity allowing Daemons to spew forth onto the mortal plane. Beneath the Black Tower the forces of undeath fought to drive the daemons from their mine workings, banishing them back into the warp. Finally, after months of build up, the tempest broke through the boundaries of reality. A massive blast with its epicentre somewhere in the north of the Apuccini Mountains demolished entire peaks to send giant landslides of rock tumbling down, chocking mountain passes and opening up new ones. The giant cracks in the landscape offered new routes to Tilea and The Vaults for anyone who would dare try to wrest control of them from the gibbering hordes of daemons now roaming the landscape.

Rejoice! A time of Chaos is upon us!
The rate at which tears are appearing in the fabric of space time has escalated alarmingly. Daemonic assaults have been reported all over the Border Princes, from west to east. Only the virtuous knights of Bretonnia have so far succeeded in repulsing their intrusion without severe loss and even they have been suffering from the ravages of bands of mortal Chaos worshippers, raiding out of the vaults. In the east the unquiet dead stir once more, spewing out from the dungeons underneath the Black Tower and probing into the populated lands nearby.

Something, somewhere within the Border Princes is weakening the materium and allowing raw magical energy to permeate the region. If it is not located and dealt with soon it could result in a total collapse of the barrier between the warp and real space.

The Fall of Fort Karn

Ian has written this short story which will let you know a bit more about the background to his Dark Elves and what they are up too in the campaign.
Go there now

If anyone else wants to flesh out their empire by sending in some background or a short story you can pm it to me on the forum and I'll put it up on the blog.

Daemonic Assault
It rapidly became apparent just how thin the barriers between reality and the warp had become as numerous rents across the Border Princes allowed daemonic legions to pore forth into the material universe. The fabric of reality was already badly weakened within the chaos haunted forests outside Vidovdan following a previous daemonic incursion and more rents tore asunder to vomit their daemonic filth into the mortal plane. Minions of Khorne reeked havoc, claiming the beast clan’s totems and trophies for their own before instability sent them back to the void. Beneath the Tombs of Kairnos more portals opened and daemons ran amok in the sacred catacombs, defiling and cackling with insane glee. There were also faint reports of fighting in the deep places of the north, but the dwarves fought their own war, alone and unheeded by the outside world.

House Séregon demonstrates its power
Seeking to confirm their position as the most powerful force in the Border Princes the Dark Elves of House Séregon marched on the city of Somjek and laid siege to it. Alarmed and seeking to contain the growing threat the Dark Elves posed to the entire Border Princes the Alptraum-Leiberwitz alliance sent an army south down the river Trebleca to defend the city. If Somjek fell then House Séregon would control the mouth of the river allowing them to contain the Alptraum-Leiberwitz fleet docked further upriver at Brasoc. Lord Valandil lead the assault, successfully breaching the walls and contemptuously crushing the army lead by a heir of the Leiberwitz family. In desperation the degenerate people of Somjek turned to darker allies. Using the remains of the Alptraum-Leiberwitz army as a sacrifice they summoned a daemonic legion of the Blood God Khorne to defend them. The mighty minions of Khorne succeeded where the steel and discipline of mere mortals had failed, checking the dark elf advance at the city walls but failing to drive them from the city. With their existence in the material universe limited for the time being the daemon host evaporated leaving Somjek at the mercy of the elves. Somjek called upon its last line of defence, the Nipponese mercenaries of Kasos. The army was trounced, fleeing from the approaching dark elves with barely a fight and allowing the city to fall. A lesson to all who would rely on mercenaries: never pay up front.

Meanwhile, Lord Tathar lead his own forces in an attack on Fort Karn further west. Safe from the prying eyes of his nephew Lord Tathar, a secret Slaaneshi worshipper, summoned a daemonic host of his own to attack the fort. It successfully cleared the walls, defended by an army sent from the Alptraum-Leiberwitz alliance, saving the dark elves many casualties. Finally Lord Tathar allowed his Corsair allies to storm the fort, slaughtering the Nipponese mercenaries holding the central keep and offering up their heads to Slaanesh. Now House Séregon controlled a fortress and major port who could dispute their supremacy?

Battle for the forests
As it turned out the Wood Elves disputed their supremacy. Mustering all their forces they drove the armies of House Séregon from their forests, pursuing them deep into their own lands and claiming them as the dominion of the Wood Elves. Tree Singers were soon at work and before the end of the month where once there were barren planes now there was verdant forest. The elves further strengthened their hold on the recently disputed lands, weaving the trees into a living fortress so that they never again would fall.

Revenge of Cernunnos
Frustrated by the inability of his beastly followers to repulse the wood elves from their ancestral homes Cernunnos lead his minions against the Orcs infesting the mountains to the north of his new realm. Finally he found success as his followers slaughtered the primitive tribal orcs, driving them back into their underground tunnels and claiming vast areas of mountain for the beastmen. The unexpected magnitude of his success opened up new opportunities. Whilst the wood elves fought their dark kin to the east Cernunnos invaded the weakly held west of the elven realm. The Elves were not expecting an attack from this direction and were unable to hold against the baying hordes. The forests, part of their dominion since time immemorial fell the darkness.

Diplomatic Fallout

Despite the legions of darkness marching through the Border Princes, the followers of Sigmar have still found time to fight amongst themselves. The incident occured when the Arch Lector of Freihafen greeted a delegation sent by a nearby princedom. Seeking to make peace with Freihafen the delegates presented gifts which unfortunately included an illustrated copy of 'Sigmar Holds His Hammer', a rather risque farce by noted playwright Johan Mailer, which imagines some rather bawdy adventures for Sigmar.

The Arch Lector was outraged at the blashphemous present and ordered the envoys hung. He then instructed the Grand Master of the Order of the Tolling Bell to lead an attack on the delegates' accompanying army. This was done swiftly and efficiently, with most of the newcomers' army wiped out, despite the prescene of a tame giant which was run down by the Grand Master himself. Though the insult would now appear to have been paid for, any enovys would do well to demonstrate their piety before the Arch Lector in future.

Air Raid!

In the small village of Haffleford, in the lands outside Friehafen Chaos Dwarfs once more attempted to make off with some unsuspecting villagers. To what end, few can guess, but the Arch Lector of Friehafen would be damned if he let these twisted little runts make off with his flock. At the first sign of armed resistance the dwarfs took up a defensive position, seeking to hide behind their shields and trust to the aerobatic prowess of their lord. Unfortunately for them, "The Taurus" was quickly felled by a well aimed cannonball (the explosive result led to many 'ooohs' from the empire lines and gave an important practical demonstration of the flaws in filling a flying machine with flamable gas). The warriors of the people's republic quickly attempted to readjust their battleline, but apart from the Templar Grand Marshal and his knights, none saw real combat. This allowed the Chaos dwarfs to retreat with few casualties and no prisoners. The empire had protected their citizens, but failed to damage the slaving army.

Horror in the Forests
Determined to gain the edge needed to drive the Wood Elves from the forests and claim them for His Children, Cernunnos, Lord of Beasts, ordered his shamans to prepare a summoning. Gharz Nughal, chief priest of the beast tribes warned Cernunnos that the veil between the warp and reality was dangerously thin and that the ritual posed great dangers. Enraged Cernunnos commanded the ritual to proceed, indicating that if Gharz wished to retain his position within the tribe there would be no problems with the summoning. Despite this gentle motivation the massive energies of the ritual and the unpredictability of the magical tempest was to much to contain and a massive magical backlash destroyed the minds of Gharz and his chief acolytes. This was perhaps a mercy as the uncontrolled energies allowed a daemonic horde to poor forth into the stone circle - one not under the control of Cernunnos as had been intended. Cernunnos lead his warriors into the fray, destroying many of the lesser daemons. However he had no answer to the mighty Blood Thirster that struck from the skies, nor the foul Blood Crushers that lead the charge of the daemonic legions. Cernunnos was forced to fight a delaying action until finally the horde lost its purchase in the material world and returned from whence it came. In despair Cernunnos surveyed the carnage. He was the Chosen One, He knew it, so why did the Gods inflict such cruel setbacks upon Him?

For the Greater Glory Slaanesh!
Lord Tathar of House Séregon took to show his troubled and headstrong nephew that the sword was not the only way to expand the power of house Séregon. Lord Tathar lead a small band into the low hills and haunted marshes lying between the Tana Dante and Treblecca rivers. These were inhabited by the scattered and warring tribes that were all that was left of the Chaos Lord Tragen’s once mighty empire. Lord Tathar, a secret cultist of Slaanesh, presented himself before a Dungbah, a meeting of tribal leaders, and offered them great wealth and the prospect of glory for their allegiance. The chieftans talked long into the night and, as dawn broke, assented to Lord Tathar’s offer. Too long had they been content to squabble and bicker rather than gain souls for the Greater Glory of Slaanesh! They would once more be strong and feared.

Their price was steep however and drained the coffers of the rich Séregon family, in fact weakening their empire. But House Séregon now controlled vast tracts of land and a route through princedom of Darstadt…

Elves locate dragon egg
The lure of the Tombs of Cairnos brought more raiders to its shadowy confines. A mysterious Elven expedition broke into the tombs. They seemed uninterested in the treasures they found within, fending off the undying defenders of the catacombs for only as long as it took to retrieve a casket found near the body of an old traveller who had perished within the depths. The Elven Lord commanding the host opened it, gazed upon the dragon egg within, and smiled.

Elves probe into Black Mountains
Acting on evidence gathered from their raids and investigations throughout the Border Princes, a High Elven expedition wound its way deep into the Black Mountains to the site of an extinct volcano believed to be the nesting site of a rare Red Dragon. Instead they met with the mysterious corrupted dwarf forces that had been staging airborn raids throughout the Border Princes. The Elves found their way barred in the ruins of an abandoned dwarf mining hamlet. The chaos dwarfs took the high ground and set their shields for the charge of the glittering Elven cavalry. Dwarf steel triumphed, despite the presence of a mighty dragon. Keeping their nerve the Dwarves succeeded in driving off the Elves, their prince receiving a near lethal bolt to the chest as he screemed invective at his diminutive opponents.

Buoyed by their victory over the Elves, the Dwarfs sent out a raiding force to the southern wetlands, to the territories surrounding the port of Achaes. Unfortunately for the Dwarves their confidence overreached their ability as their magic was thwarted and their artillery failed to find its targets. Although initially intimidated by the strange flying machine of the Dwarf Lord it was soon brought down in a hail of bolts and arrows. Masterful planning coupled with cat-like reflexes saw the elven host smash into the Dwarven line, sweeping it aside in a wave of mithril blades and white robes. The battle was over quickly and after interrogating some of the captured Dwarves the victorious elves sent out a task force to rescue their kin captured in the Black Mountains.