Filthy (Skaven AAR) [updated November 27]

[Alwyn]

Thanks, I enjoyed writing it (and shredding a zombie dragon with mini-guns was fun too)! Here's what happened next.

Chapter 17: The Ruins of Kislev

Kislev

Beyond the gates and their well-oiled hinges, a cobbled esplanade filled with market stalls is the first things visitors find within the city. The air is thick with the curses of shouting traders and the smell of fish. The buildings here are made from well constructed stone, with tiled roofs made of clay. Three streets lead deeper into the centre, each one similarly choked with people and pack animals during the day. The central street, known as the Goromadny Prospekt, leads through the city to Geroyev Square.

- The City of Kislev, Warhammer Wiki

Report for the Tzarina in Exile

Everyone knows that our capital, Kislev, has fallen and remains in ruins – but no-one seems to know who is responsible. The ragged, terrified survivors claimed that the city’s walls had been stormed by warriors of Chaos, marauders from ancient legends. But no other cities fell to warriors of Chaos and our patrols found no sign of the atttackers. Did the attackers use magic to cloud the minds of the survivors, causing them to flee imaginary enemies from children’s nightmares? If those who destroyed our capital were not warriors of Chaos, who were they, and will they pursue us in the settlements where the remnant of Kislev have found shelter?

Knowing that answers are needed, I entered the ruins of Kislev, despite your orders that no-one should approach the city. I ask for forgiveness for this decision, for which I bear sole responsibility. The regiment of Kossars who escorted me were brave men wanting to provide protection from any lurking predators. The town where this regiment was raised have been loyal to my family for generations and I hope that they will not be punished.

The wide esplanade inside the outer wall - where we played as children and watched market traders welcoming travellers with warm fires, smoked fish and mead - is strangely empty and quiet. The outer wall was breached and the towers were ruined, suggesting an attacker with powerful siege weaponry or aided by monsters of enormous strength.

The armour, weapons and bones of fallen defenders lie where they fell at the breach. There seem to have been few defenders there, so I wondered if the attacker used deception to lure many of the city’s defenders away before making a surprise attack. But perhaps the defenders retreated inside the city, so I searched the ruins.

In the southern corner of Geroyev Square, at the High Temple of Ulric, were the remains of more defenders. At first, I believed that the defenders used the Wolf God’s temple to make a last stand. When I found scraps of fur, I thought that this came from the wolf-cloaks of priests of Ulric – but, in the tombs under the temple, I found a dark tunnel opening that was not on the map. At the entrance to the tunnel were more pieces of fur, broken blades and the bones of creatures which were not human.

- Lady Valentyna Uritsdo

[Kilo11]

Alwyn, did you eat the people of Kislev? That seems tremendously rude.

[Alwyn]

Hi Kilo - Throt would say "who remembers?" because he wants to sound like a successful Skaven warlord whose followers will always have plenty to eat, but the reality is more complicated...

Chapter 18: Mitri Kyriakin’s Revenge

Standing at the very doorsteps of madness and corruption, the nation of Kislev has been, since its founding, a nation driven by warfare. Throughout the course of human history, Kislev has always bred hardy people, not only because of the harsh climate and generally infertile lands, but also due to the constant depredation by the raiders of the Northern Waste.
Warhammer Wiki

Reports for Throt, lord of the Hell-Pit

My lord Throt, I regret to interrupt your important work in the flesh laboratory, but I have news. Since your army defeated Count Mannfred von Carstein, there are no signs of his undead forces near our outposts. Perhaps the forces of the man-thing Empire to the south finally sent an army to respond to his attacks on their northern provinces?

I saw Kossars, the sturdy archers of Kislev, searching the ruins of their capital city. I got close enough to overhear without being detected. They were discussing the significance of scraps of fur found at the entrance to our under-city.

The Kossars of this regiment were looking forward to joining a Kislevite army which is being assembled by one of their boyars, Mitri Kyriakin. Apparently, after the fall of Kislev, he rallied the militia of one of their towns to repel an attack by Norscan raiders. When Norscan axe-men broke through a barricade, he defended the breach personally. When two regiments of Kossars arrived, he led them to destroy the raiders in their camp.

It seems that, when the man-things defending the walls of Kislev fell back from their outer defences, the members of our clan who lived under Kislev tried to break out. As far as I can see, the clan-rats were not successful. It is not clear who attacked Kislev, but it worries me that the Kislevite man-things believe that our clan was to blame for the destruction of their great city.

- Packmaster Scuttle

Boilrin and his guards investigating the fallen at Fort Ostrosk

My lord Throt, our outpost under the ruins of Fort Ostrosk has been destroyed. Many of our clan-rats were slain with arrows and the area reeked of the blood of Skaven and man-things, as well as an unfamiliar odour that I didn’t recognise.

There was an area of blackened ground with heaps of ash near the ruins. It seems that the man-things who attacked our under-town burned their dead so that they could march on quickly.

I suggest increasing the patrols around Hell-Pit. If you have any experimental subjects ready in the flesh laboratory, it may be wise to equip them for battle.

- Boilrin, Assassin

[Kilo11]

Very ominous update. The charred area and ash makes me think the men are exercising good due diligence in preventing undead uprising (gotta keep 'em down, after all). There is a lot of uncertainty here though, and it'll be interesting to see what ultimately pans out.