Mortarion, the master of the Fourteenth Legion, the Daemon Primarch of Nurgle, a harbinger of plagues and a cursed soul lost to despair.
For the longest time, Mortarion had contentedly ruled over his domain on a world deep within the Eye of Terror. He was the lord of the Plague Planet, a figure with little ambition and even less drive to explore or conquer. Instead of waging war across the stars, Mortarion preferred to remain in his decaying corner of the universe, tending to his grotesque gardens and reveling in the sickening sounds of buzzing flies, bubbling streams of corruption, and the squelching laughter of his "new father," Nurgle, who whispered sweet corruptions into his ears. For Mortarion, this was joy—a home that was his alone and a father who truly cared for him, in his own putrid way.
However, the sudden disappearance of several Daemon Primarchs caught the attention of the Chaos Gods. Furious at the unexplained events, the gods vowed to uncover the truth. Nurgle, the "Grandfather," ordered Mortarion to remain within the Eye of Terror, safe from the unfolding mystery.
At first, Mortarion obeyed without question. He was content with his current life of grotesque peace.
But it didn't last.
Soon, whispers from Tzeentch began to infiltrate Mortarion's mind. The Changer of Ways taunted him repeatedly: Angron had been defeated. Fulgrim had been defeated. Magnus had been defeated. But at least they were brave enough to face the challenge. What about you, Mortarion? You coward, you failure. Once again, you've chosen to flee. Once again, you've chosen submission. You're still that wretched, gasping weakling lying in the toxic fumes atop Barbarus Mountain, waiting for death or salvation to come from someone else.
"I am not a coward!" Mortarion roared. At first, he managed to resist the whispers, but his will was not infinite. After endless days of such taunting, the furious Daemon Primarch finally snapped.
He declared to Tzeentch that he was no coward and that he would never back down from a challenge.
Delighted, Tzeentch fed Mortarion crucial information: the Chaos Gods had discovered traces of the missing Daemon Primarchs.
Determined, Mortarion decided to take matters into his own hands. He gathered several legions of Nurgle's daemons and set off to cross the eternal warp storms surrounding the Eye of Terror. He would "recover" these missing brothers himself.
If others couldn't do it, Mortarion would succeed.
The children of Nurgle are truly superior! Mortarion thought. How I love Grandfather Nurgle!
But the journey was far from pleasant. After traversing the gargantuan warp storms, only one legion of Nurgle daemons and a squad of Deathshroud Terminators survived the ordeal.
Upon arriving in this new world, Mortarion realized that his power had been severely restricted. The daemons under his command were even more affected, forced to temporarily retreat back into the warp to conserve their strength. They would wait for Mortarion's summons.
Exhaling a cloud of mustard-colored, fetid gas from his respirator, Mortarion noticed one of his descendants had also survived the journey. Typhus, the Harbinger of Nurgle and master of the Plague Hive, stood before him. Yet even Typhus seemed gravely weakened, his swollen boils dimmed, and his rotting swarms of flies noticeably duller.
How much strength does he still have left? Mortarion wondered, observing Typhus's deteriorated state. But as a father, he knew one thing: unless Typhus explicitly asked for help, Mortarion would offer none. Typhus's pride made such an appeal impossible. Thus, father and son remained locked in their silent, strained rivalry, each unwilling to bridge the divide.
As expected, Typhus shot his gene-father a look filled with disdain and contempt before leaving with the few loyal followers who still supported him.
Mortarion, undeterred, began his march toward Constantinople. There, he would face another Daemon Primarch, Daniel Davis, and settle the score.
He would win.
Poison clouds separate the narrative here—let's continue.
Meanwhile, Vaishna the World-Ender, riding a black dragon, approached Constantinople from the air.
For this dark elf warlord, now a general of the Chaos Gods, the campaign had not gone as planned. His original intention had been to lead his invincible army on a surprise attack against the City of the Sun, an ancient lizardman stronghold. He had hoped to destroy it and pillage its treasures, earning the Chaos Gods' favor and gaining insight into even darker secrets.
However, upon entering the Isthmus of Lustria after passing through Naggaroth, Vaishna's army faced constant harassment from Tiktaq'to, the Sky Leader of the lizardmen, and his flying squadrons. This delay cost Vaishna an entire week and stripped his invasion of its element of surprise.
To make matters worse, the gods then issued a new decree that enraged Vaishna: abandon the assault on the City of the Sun and instead attack the human city of Constantinople.
By the time Vaishna's 40,000-strong army arrived outside Constantinople's outskirts, the Skaven army led by Warlord Skruk and the undead pirate fleet of Luthor Harkon had not yet joined him. From a distance, Vaishna quickly assessed the defenders: at least 50,000 troops, 500 cannons, and thousands of cavalry.
Vaishna immediately realized that two outer fortresses—the Golden Horn Bastion to the north and the Arrowhead Bastion to the west—had to be captured first. Otherwise, a siege would be nearly impossible.
Just as Daniel Davis had anticipated, Vaishna ordered simultaneous attacks on both fortresses.
Five dark elf legions and three Chaos legions launched their assault.
The Golden Horn Bastion was defended by the Gold Mage of Araby and the Wood Elf Princess Carona. With powerful magic and overwhelming ranged firepower, the defenders held their ground. Over the course of five grueling hours, they repelled six assaults from the Chaos legions, forcing Vaishna to call a retreat and reconsider his strategy.
The Arrowhead Bastion, however, proved far more volatile. Defended by Estalian forces and defected Imperial soldiers, the defenders relied on strict discipline and tight formations to resist the enemy. The battle for this fortress saw the bastion change hands multiple times, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Reinforcements flowed in from Vaishna's army and the Ashes Legion, turning the bastion into a hellish battlefield. Knowing the strategic importance of the bastion, Daniel Davis ordered it held at all costs.
But as the bloody struggle dragged on into the evening, news arrived that tipped the scales: the Skaven army, led by Warlord Skruk, had finally arrived. Although Skruk's forces had been delayed and reduced due to battles with serpent-god-aligned forces, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Facing this new threat to the south, Daniel reluctantly ordered a withdrawal from the Arrowhead Bastion to reinforce the city itself.
By the end of the first day of the siege, Vaishna's forces had suffered over 4,000 casualties, while the Ashes Legion had lost more than 6,000.
Although the Chaos forces appeared victorious, Vaishna recognized a troubling fact: there were almost no prisoners.
This meant that the defenders were fighting with unyielding resolve, willing to die rather than surrender. Gazing at the city's reinforced walls and formidable artillery, Vaishna ordered a temporary halt to the assault.
Meanwhile, the Skaven army swarmed into the ruins of the Arrowhead Bastion. Warlord Skruk deployed clan war machines, monstrous creations, and endless waves of plague-ridden Skaven slaves.
Vaishna followed suit, unleashing his trump card: the Chaos Hellcannons. These terrifying weapons, stationed in the ruins of the bastion, launched shells infused with chaotic energy. Constantinople was soon engulfed in hellish flames.
But Daniel Davis launched a surprise counterattack that night.
Through a hidden underground passage beneath the Arrowhead Bastion, Daniel personally led the Phoenix Guard in a daring assault on the Chaos artillery positions. With a single devastating strike, he destroyed multiple Chaos Hellcannons, dozens of Chaos dwarfs, an entire shield wall of Chaos warriors, and even part of a fortress wall. His sword tore through the dark clouds above, scattering the Chaos champions and dark elf commanders who dared challenge him. Before Vaishna could respond, Daniel retreated back into the tunnels and collapsed the passage behind him, leaving nothing but destroyed artillery and mangled Chaos corpses.
This bold counterstrike forced Vaishna to reconsider. The defenders were strong, disciplined, and full of morale. He decided to wait for Luthor Harkon's undead fleet before resuming the attack.
The first round of probing assaults concluded with both sides regrouping for the next phase of the battle.
That night in Constantinople's war room:
The city's commanders gathered to discuss their next steps.
"After the fall of the Arrowhead Bastion, the enemy's bombardment has nearly overwhelmed the walls. We can only keep patching them up for now," said Jerick Grim, the Dwarven Engineer responsible for fortifications. "We
don't have enough rotorcraft to deal with all their artillery."
"Didn't we already destroy the World-Ender's Hellcannons?" Julius, commander of the Hunter Cavalry, asked anxiously. "Why do they still have such overwhelming firepower?"
"Because of the Skaven," Pedro replied grimly. "Their numbers increase every day, and more war machines keep arriving. We have 550 cannons defending the city, but the Skaven alone have concentrated at least 370 cannons on a single point."
"Let me lead a cavalry raid to destroy their artillery!" Julius demanded.
"That would be suicide, Julius!" Daniel interjected, shaking his head. "Leaving the city now would be no different from seeking death. Our walls are our greatest advantage."
The commanders fell into a tense silence. The fall of the Arrowhead Bastion and the heavy casualties weighed heavily on everyone.
"They're waiting," said the Gold Mage, breaking the silence. "The enemy is clearly biding their time, waiting for something else to arrive before launching their next attack."
"Indeed. Strengthen the defenses," Daniel commanded. "We must hold on."
Later that night:
Wood Elf Princess Carona rushed into the war room.
"Daniel, come quickly! Something terrible is happening on the northern front!"
"What is it?" Daniel asked, rising to his feet.
"Just follow me!" Carona pulled at his sleeve, dragging him outside.
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel and the other commanders stood atop the northern wall, staring in shock at the scene unfolding before them.
To the west of the Golden Horn Bastion, undead warships were moving—on land.
Hundreds of undead pirates had laid down miles of wooden rollers, creating a path across the land. Enormous undead galleons, dragged by countless skeletal hands, rolled over the makeshift road, bypassing the bastion entirely.
At the prow of his flagship, Luthor Harkon stood tall, his curved blade raised high. His vengeance was at hand.
"Sailing... on land?!" Daniel murmured in disbelief. Ryan's prophetic words echoed faintly in his mind, but the gravity of the situation quickly sank in. The undead pirates had bypassed the bastion, creating a new breach in Constantinople's defenses.
The defenders' morale faltered at the sight, and panic spread among the troops.
"We can't hold off an assault from three sides!" General Weidenfeller exclaimed. "There are fewer than 2,000 soldiers on the northern wall!"
"I know!" Daniel growled. "Reinforce the northern wall immediately! Send two regiments to counter the undead!"
"What about our allies?" Weidenfeller asked desperately. "The lizardmen? The high elves? Will they come to help us? Where are your brothers, Daniel? Where is their reinfor—"
Daniel silenced him with a raised hand.
"The most effective defense right now," he said firmly, "is courage, faith, and justice. The entire city is watching us, as are the gods. Do not let them down."
He took a deep breath and continued, "The true war for the Ashes Legion begins now!"
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