It was a dark, bloody time, a time when demons and magic coexisted; A world on the brink of extinction, an era of war and death. In the midst of these wars and swords, this is also an era of heroes and generosity.

At the heart of the Old World is the Empire, the most powerful human nation, known for its engineers, magicians, merchants, and armies. It's a land of majestic mountains, wide rivers, dark forests, and sprawling towns. The current ruler of the empire is Karl Franz, Emperor of the Aldolf, a divine descendant of Sigmar, the land's founding father, who wields his warhammer.

But there is something in the Old World that is far from the age of civilization. Throughout the Old World, from the knightly castle-strewn Bretonnia to the snow-covered city of Kislev, there are trumpets of war everywhere: in the towering mountains of the edge of the world, the greenskinned orcs are gathering for their next attack; Robbers and traitors constantly harass the deserted southern lands of the frontier prince; There are also rumors that the Skaven Rats are breeding and spreading in the underground waterways and swamps of the land. And in the northern wastelands, there is a constant threat of chaos, demons, and beastmen corrupted by the evil power of the dark gods. With the era of war looming, the time has come when the empire needs heroes the most!

Disclaimer: The translated version of this work is for personal learning and entertainment purposes only.

Preface:

It was a dark, bloody time, a time when demons and magic coexisted; A world on the brink of extinction, an era of war and death. In the midst of these wars and swords, this is also an era of heroes and generosity.

At the heart of the Old World is the Empire, the most powerful human nation, known for its engineers, magicians, merchants, and armies. It's a land of majestic mountains, wide rivers, dark forests, and sprawling towns. The current ruler of the empire is Karl Franz, Emperor of the Aldolf, a divine descendant of Sigmar, the land's founding father, who wields his warhammer.

But there is something in the Old World that is far from the age of civilization. Throughout the Old World, from the knightly castle-strewn Bretonnia to the snow-covered city of Kislev, there are trumpets of war everywhere: in the towering mountains of the edge of the world, the greenskinned orcs are gathering for their next attack; Robbers and traitors constantly harass the deserted southern lands of the frontier prince; There are also rumors that the Skaven Rats are breeding and spreading in the underground waterways and swamps of the land. And in the northern wastelands, there is a constant threat of chaos, demons, and beastmen corrupted by the evil power of the dark gods. With the era of war looming, the time has come when the empire needs heroes the most!

Map:

Mystery Night

NOTE: THE TITLE OF THIS CHAPTER IN THE ORIGINAL BOOK IS, GEHEIMNISNACHT, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF TWO GERMAN WORDS: GEHEIMNIS AND NACHT, THE FORMER MEANING MYSTICAL AND THE LATTER MEANING NIGHT. IN FANTASY WARHAMMER, GEHEIMNISNACHT REPRESENTS A POINT IN TIME, THE LARGEST AND ROUNDEST NIGHT IN THE SKY FOR THE "MOON OF CHAOS MORRSLIEB", AND THE NIGHT WHEN CHAOS IS AT ITS STRONGEST.

"After a series of horrific events and nightmarish adventures in Aldolph, my companions and I fled south like headless flies, using all the vehicles available to us on the road: wagons, farm carts, freight wagons, and when we had no choice, we had to rely on our feet.

It was a difficult and scary time for me. At every turn, I seemed to be in danger of being arrested, imprisoned, or beheaded. I seem to be able to see sheriffs in every tavern, and I feel like there are lurking bounty hunters in every grove. However, if the Troll Butcher notices that something is wrong, he never bothers to communicate with me.

For someone like me, who had no knowledge of the real state of the law, I thought that the entire national authorities would almost certainly catch fugitives like us. I really didn't know that our laws were so lax in their implementation. Actually, it's a bit disillusioned, the sheriffs and bounty hunters that were once ingrained in my imagination don't exist. If this were not the case, probably those evil things would not be so rampant in our border areas.

After we got into a stagecoach heading south, the evil became very evident in the darkness of the night. It was probably the most unfortunate night of our entire trip...... ”

—From My Adventures with Gotrek, Vol. 2, by Felix Jaeger (Aldolph Press, 2505)

"Damn human coachmen, and women," Gotrik Grisson grumbled, followed by a dwarven swear word.

"You're going to scold that lady Isold, do you?" Felix replied impatiently. "Luckily, they didn't shoot us at the time, and if we were "lucky" to be dumped in Rick Forest on the eve of Mystery. ”

"We paid the fare, and we were supposed to sit in the carriage like her. The coachman is also a coward," Gotrek continued to complain. "They refused to go toe-to-toe with me. I don't mind being hacked, but getting blown up by buckshot isn't the way a troll butcher should die. ”

Felix shook his head. He noticed that his companion's anger was coming up again. There was no need to argue with him anymore, there were a whole bunch of other things that worried Felix. At this time, the sun was setting, and the misty forest was flushed.

The oblique shadows are strangely intertwined, reminiscent of the horror stories that took place in the jungle.

Felix wiped his nose with the edge of his cape, then wrapped his Sol collar sweater tightly. He took a deep breath and looked up at the moons of Morrslieb and Mannslieb in the sky, two moons one small and one large had come out. Moss Moon glowed with a faint green light at this time.

This is not a good sign.

"I'm probably going to have a fever," Felix said. The Troll Butcher looked up at him with contempt. In the last rays of the sun before setting, his nose chain from his nose to his earlobes was like a trail of blood.

"You humans are too weak," Gotrek said. "The only fever I felt was the battle frenzy that had been singing in my head the night before." He turned, glaring at the dark jungle. "Come, beastmen cubs!" He yelled. "I have a gift for you."

He then laughed out loud and slid his thumb along the blade of his two-handed axe. Felix then saw blood coming out of his fingers. Gautrek quickly snuck his thumb.

"Sigma bless, be quiet!" Felix booed. "Who knows what danger there will be on a night like this?"

Gotrek glared at him. Felix could see the maddening violence in his eyes. Felix instinctively brought his hand closer to the saber.

"Don't give me orders, human! As an ancient race, I obey only the kings beneath our mountains, even if I am in exile. ”

Felix quite formally bent down to apologize. He was well educated in swordsmanship, and the multiple scars on his face were the result of many duels with his classmates when he was a student. During a duel, Felix mortally wounded his opponent by a miss, which cost him his studies. But he had no intention of fighting the troll butcher. Although Gortrek's crowned hair reached as high as Felix's chest, the dwarf was heavier than him and was a muscle mass all over his body. He had also seen Gotrek in battle.

Gortrek accepted Felix's bow and apologized, then turned back to the dark jungle again. "Come out!" He shouted. "All the demons and monsters come out tonight, I don't matter, I won't refuse to come!" The dwarf was drifting into a berserk state. Felix was already familiar with the situation, and the troll butcher would go berserk after being serious for a while. Of course, that's what interests him. He knew that Gautrek had become a troll butcher to atone for his sins, and had sworn to die a glorious death in battle with powerful monsters. His madness seemed to be accompanied by bitterness – but he kept his vows.

Perhaps, Felix thought, if I were exiled to a strange alien land, I would also go mad. Thinking of this, he felt some sympathy for the mad dwarf. Felix also knows what it's like to be banished in questioning. The duel with Wolfgang Krasna had him questioned. (Translator's note: Felix was expelled from Aldolph University for accidentally killing his classmate in a duel.)

And at this time, it seems that he wants them all to die. Felix didn't want to be a victim.

Felix continued to shuffle along the road with a tired pace, occasionally looking worriedly at the full moon in the sky. Behind him, the dwarven roar continued.

"None of you have warriors coming out? Come out and taste my axe, she's! ”

In the dark jungle of Mystic Night, only a madman would have such contempt for life and the forces of darkness, Felix secretly decided.

He heard Gautrek singing a dwarven ballad in a hard guttural voice, and then he heard another Rick saying, "Let your champion warriors come here!" ”

There were seconds of silence, and a condensed mist dripped down his eyebrows. Then from the far distance, the sound of galloping horses' hooves broke the silence of the night.

What did that madman do, Felix thought, that he offended the ancient powers? Are demonic messengers coming to capture us?

Felix hurried to the bushes on the side of the road, shivering, and the damp leaves scratched his face, making him feel like a dead man's hand. The thunderous sound of horses' hooves is getting closer and closer, and the speed of speeding on the jungle road is already terrifying. It must have been an unnatural force that could run so wildly on such a winding forest road, Felix thought, and he felt his hand tremble as he drew his sword.

I'm stupid to follow Gotrek, he thought. Now I can't finish my poems.

The neighing of horses, the rattle of whips, and the turning of big wheels were getting closer.

"Good!" Gotrek shouted. The sound echoed through the forest road. "Good!"

A loud roar was heard, and the black carriage with four black horses galloped by, and Felix saw that the carriage had pressed over the ditch in the road, causing a strong jolt. When he saw the coachman in the black hood, he immediately retreated into the bushes. Then he heard footsteps approaching. The bushes were pushed away. Gotrek standing in front of him looked even wilder. His head was disheveled, his tattooed body was covered in mud, and his leather studded tunic was torn.

That stinky guy actually tried to crush me! He shouted. "Let's catch up."

He turned around and ran on the muddy road. Felix noticed that he was getting excited again and began to sing in dwarven language.

Along Bogenhafen road, the duo discovered the Standing Stones Inn. But the doors and windows of the small hotel were closed and there was no light. They heard the sound of horses in the stables, but when they looked over, they found no black carriages or anything black, only frightened ponies and a trader's cart.

"We've lost it. Why don't you just stay here," Felix suggested. He glanced worriedly at the little moon, and the miserable green light of Moss Moon became even stronger. "I don't want to rush on such a ferocious night."

"Weak and timid humans."

"They'll have wine there." "On the other hand, some of your suggestions are not without merit. Of course, your human beer is bland and tasteless. ”

"Of course," Felix said. Gotrek didn't hear the mockery in his tone.

The inn was not heavily protected, but the walls were thick, and when they tried to open the door, they found that the door was bolted inside. Gotrek began to tap with the handle of his axe, but did not respond.

"I smell someone inside," Mr. Gotrek said. Felix wondered how he could smell something other than the foul smell on him. Gautrek almost never bathes, and in order to straighten his head, he smeared it with animal fat.

"They locked themselves up. No one is going to rush on a mysterious night. Unless they are a fellow sorcerer or demon. ”

"Isn't that black carriage on its way?" Gotrek said.

"There should not have been any good people in the carriage, the windows were covered, and the coachman didn't have any armbands."

"My throat is dry, and I won't discuss these details with you. Hurry up and open the door, or I'm going to move the axe! ”

Felix must have heard footsteps inside. He pressed against the door and heard grumbling and low sobs inside.

"Unless you want me to cut off your head, human, I'd suggest you dodge aside," Gortrek said to Felix.

"Wait a minute. I'll say: the people inside! Open the door! My friend has a long axe and a short temper. I suggest you do as he says, or the door will be gone. ”

"What is 'short'?" Gautrek said sensitively.

There was a shrill trembling sound from behind the door. "Sigmar is on it, get out, you demon seeds!"

"Alright, that's it," Gautrek replied sharply. "Then you're welcome."

He pulled the axe back in a large arc. Felex saw the runes on the axe glow in the moonlight. He quickly jumped to the side.

"In the name of Sigmar!" Felix shouted. "Don't drive us away, we're just tired travelers."