The Skaven Infestation of Palurin (official skaven record)

Grey Seer Typhus was the Council of Thirteen's senior envoy to the Elythian Cartel, charged with ensuring there was no funny business with the cartel's regular tithe of warpstone. This tasking was a cushy number offering plentiful opportunities for personal enrichment so he was naturally upset when an ambitious underling framed him for embezzlement and reported him to the council. The fact that he had indeed been embezzling was beside the point.

Fortunately, the eternally paranoid Typhus had prepared an escape plan (actually, he'd prepared seventy three escape plans). Years previously an ancient tablet had been “recovered” from a band of lizardmen caught snooping in the cartel's territory. After “appropriating” this tablet and disposing of the witnesses Typhus had spent much time studying it, eventually translating the strange hieroglyphs and learning of a new world called “Palurin”.

Typhus went to the Cartel's ruling council and told them of a massive army poised to invade their territories and steal their wealth! Humbly and with no consideration of his own safety he offered to lead every warrior the Cartel could muster to head off the invaders. With nose held high he lead this host into the magical portal he had created and that was the last the Cartel saw of Grey Seer Typhus or their warriors.

On arrival in Palurin Typhus promptly executed any of the chieftains who wouldn't swear loyalty to him and set about activating the second stage of his escape plan – namely securing total dominion of Palurin beneath the thrall of his all powerful empire, raising an army of untold billions and then returning to destroy all who had wronged him (to which end he had composed an extensive list) and establish himself as emperor of all and most beloved of the horned rat. The Council of Thirteen would rue the day they made an enemy of Grey Seer Typhus!!!!

In order to begin his plans for intergalactic domination Grey Seer Typhus first needed a source of near infinite power. The huge active volcano next to his portal exit would do nicely in that regard. Ignoring the pathetic squeaking of those with minds too small to comprehend his ability to control the very forces of nature Typhus ordered a city and port to be founded at the volcano's base, naming it Boiling Peak.

It would take many decades to build up an army big enough to take on the Council of Thirteen's misguided minions and secure his revenge. Even with the extended lifespan of a Grey Seer he would die before his plans came to fruition, so he needed to become immortal. This sounded like a good idea to Typhus so he was extremely pleased when scouts located a city ruled by vampires further up the coast.

He immediately assembled his warriors and lead an expedition to steal the secrets of eternal life. His plan was both simple and absolute genius. He would lead his army against the gates of the city and force the inhabitants to come out and do battle. Whilst they were distracted his finest Clan Eshin agents would sneak around the back and steal anything that looked promising from the Vampire's libraries.

At first the plan appeared to be going awry as the disciplined elite of the Aquilan Empire sliced through the ravening skaven hordes, until in a fit of peek Typhus smote them down with sheer awesomeness. That done things seemed to be going superbly except for the enraged mountain chimera heading straight for him. Typhus squirted the musk of fear and threw the leader of his personal retainers into the monsters path, distracting it until a passing doomwheel ran it over. Finally, the enemy general fell to the envenomed blades of an Eshin Assassin and the Aqilan army lay dead on the battlefield (once more!).

Typhus returned victorious to Boiling Peak and ordered the building of arcane machineries and temples to the horned rat to harness the volcano's power and add it to his own. He would not rest until the secrets of eternal life were his!!!!

War in the south

Further south two other Empires had also clashed. Far to the south, the ancient rulers of the human empire of Aranur had been usurped by Vampire lords. The new Aquilan Empire, though a shadow of its former glory was on the rise once more, but did not occupy the southern lands alone. Even further south the skaven had established themselves amongst the volcanic peaks of the lands over the Naurel isthmus. Here they were pursuing a strange agenda which alarmed the Aquilan leaders. In 18 PC the armies of the Aquilans and the Skaven stronghold finally clashed.

War of Chaos Expansion (5-6PC)

With the Mallvass Mountains cleared of enemy armies, the armies of Chaos wandered across the northern plains of Canaur for much of the 5 and 6 PC. At this time there were poor pickings for the Kaalroens and norsemen of Skraeland, but they did encounter the Cloudy Mountain Orcs, culminating in a major battle in 6PC. The Orcs were defeated but retreated safe into their mountain strongholds, and in the years after, the norsemen returned over the Mallvass range and continued their persecution in Canabrin.

The Orcs, having been bested in the east, now turned their attentions to the west, ravaging and pillaging the sparsely populated realm of Arloth, after local tribes refused to pay them tribute. This activity concerned the Lizardmen, and by 12PC they were worried enough to send an army to put the Orcs in their place. A mercenary ogre army was dispatched, and after a savage battle the Cloudy Mountain Orcs were once again forced back into their mountain hideouts, where they multiplied.

Battle of Mallvass Pass (5PC)

The army of the Sigmarite Empire never reached Canabrin however, After many weeks marching across the empty lands of Canaur, they reached Mallvass pass in the Mallvass mountains which separated the two lands. There they found the Kaalroen army massed, blocking their way in the narrow pass.

The Empire force gave battle, though manoeuvre was practically impossible in the narrow confines of the valley between the high peaks. Von Halbrecht led his cavalry down the left flank, breaking the Kaalroen light infantry marauder units, and it appeared victory would be possible. In the centre of the battlefield the Empire blackpowder weapons and artillery did considerable damage to the chaos force, but nothing could stop the Kaalroen cavalry from slicing through the Empire lines on the opposite flank.

At this critical point in the battle, Halbrecht lost his nerve and refused to take on the elite chaos infantry in the centre, instead preferring to “await events”. As he waited, the rest of the Empire army, including his own elite greatswords, was cut down by the combined strength of the Kaalroen infantry, heavy knights and trolls. Halbrecht was forced to retreat and returned to the Empire in disgrace. It would be many years before the Sigmarites could put forward such a force again, and it is said Otto wept at the news of the destruction of his armies.

Age of Expansion

Following the initial colonisations the first new colonists began to come together and found their own nations, usually in the image of their homeland. The first of these were the Holy Sigmarite Empire in Canaur, and after twenty years of separation from the Empire, Otto Alptraum declared himself Emperor of the new realm, becoming Otto I. This year was determined to be year 1 PC (Palurin Calendar).

By this time other nations had already sprung up. North of the plains of Canaur in the Cloudy Mountains, orcs had established a realm, and the “Cloudy Mountain Orcs” soon began attempting to charge a tribute to anyone who wished to pass through the mountains between Canaur, Armeren and Canabrin.

Further to the west, the Lizardmen and a group of ogre mercenaries had established a kingdom, while in Canabrin, on the Canabrae river, ferocious bands of norsemen had settled in two distinct regions which they named Hjemland and Skraeland. In 5 PC these small countries were unified under the rule of Lord Traegan and his chaos worshipping followers, founding the Kaalroen Empire.

The Kaalroens then began sending out raiding parties, expanding their borders and bullying local tribes of men into subjugation while doing nothing for them in return. Late in 5 PC an emissary from the northern tribes was received by Emperor Otto in Sigmarheim. The emissary appealed for aid and sensing an opportunity to gain new territories and followers of Sigmar, Otto sent a large army under Grand Master Dietrich Von Halbrecht to aid the tribesmen against the Kaalroens.

Holy Sigmarite Empire