Josh Reynolds’ short story The Iron Promise, available from Black Library either as a standalone e-short or within the Warcry anthology, is a tale of twisted honour, oaths and bloodshed in the Age of Sigmar. Vos Stalis, Dominar of the Iron Golems, has been tasked with a dangerous mission, leading a small warband into the Bloodwind Spoil to assess the loyalty of a duardin forgemaster whose tithe to the Iron Golems has dried up. A test of his strength and loyalty as much as the forgemaster’s, it sees Vos venture deep into the forge and confront the danger that lurks within.
Clearly intended as a tie-in to the Warcry game and specifically the Iron Golems, this offers plenty of bruising, close-up action, not to mention a brief but welcome exploration of one part of the Eightpoints. There’s not a huge amount of background detail but it serves as a useful introduction to the Iron Golems (which is particularly great for hardcore Chaos fans) without trying to cram in too much game-centric detail, and it could easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone Age of Sigmar story without any concern for Warcry. As you’d expect from Reynolds it’s enjoyably character-led, with enough of a dynamic within Vos’ warband to make things interesting beyond the fighting, and while it’s essentially a straightforward, self-contained story there’s enough invention in the plot for it to rise above mere action fodder.
Check out the main Age of Sigmar reviews page on Track of Words.
Here is the world’s easiest question: what’s Black Library’s favorite metal?
Must be Iron, with Ceramite and Sigmarite on the second and third steps of the podium. But it’s ‘Lead’ that comes with the more results if you use the search box of the BL site. The more you know!