For the fifth Call of Archaon short story, The Trial of the Chosen, Guy Haley returns to the tale of Khornate champion Ushkar Mir. Following on from The Solace of Rage, Mir finds himself in the lifeless realm of Shyish, and faced with a series of tasks to prove his worth before he can go any further on his quest to reach Archaon. There’s precious little blood to be shed on the Bone Sands, but plenty that will test Mir and his warband, not just physically but mentally as well.
The fourth of Black Library’s Call of Archaon short stories, Knight of Corruption sees David Annandale take over the reins of Copsys Bule’s tale from David Guymer, continuing the story from Beneath the Black Thumb. Forging on through a new realm, Bule and what’s left of his warband stumble across a newly-raised temple to Sigmar, built atop the ruins of an older age. Hopeful at first of a quick, satisfying victory to raise the morale of his men, Bule finds himself battling a foe previously thought to be a myth, but now standing between him and his new path.
Part three of Black Library’s Call of Archaon eight-part short story arc, The Solace of Rage by Guy Haley introduces the third of Archaon’s prospective champions, Ushkar Mir. One of many Khornate champions vying for the leadership of his tribe, Mir has…unusual reasons for following the path of the Blood God. Driven by a furious determination, he faces off against his main rival, before the appearance of a rampaging hordes of ogors sees the warring elements of the tribe put their enmity temporarily aside at the prospect of the greater bloodshed to come.
The second story in Black Library’s eight-part The Call of Archaon, Rob Sanders’ Eye of the Storm follows Tzeentchian champion Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers, on his quest to reach Archaon. Guided by a daemonic familiar, Zuvius leads his warband across the Blasted Plain, determined to prove his worth to Archaon. When he’s forced to ally with the warband of a powerful Khornate champion, he has to use his cunning as well as his strength in order to succeed in his quest and walk the Beaten Path.
The first of eight short stories making up The Call of Archaon, book four in Black Library’s Realmgate Wars series for Age of Sigmar, David Guymer’s Beneath the Black Thumb introduces Copsys Bule, Lord of Plagues. After years tending his garden in Nurgle’s name, he knows his work is looked on with favour by Grandfather Nurgle, and he keeps to his path despite the machinations of his allies. When the great ritual to open a realmgate is disrupted by forces of Light, however, he begins to hear the pull of another call.
There’s been a lot of talk online of late that since Black Library have started talking about upcoming releases it’s been all 40k and Horus Heresy, but there’s not been any new Age of Sigmar books mentioned. I wrote a quick blog post a couple of months ago about the two upcoming Age of Sigmar novels that were discussed at Black Library Live, but there hasn’t been any word on what else might be coming up in the Mortal Realms.
On the 20th day of Black Library’s 2016 Advent Calendar it’s back to the Mortal Realms for the third and final Age of Sigmar story – Pantheon by Guy Haley. On the highest peak in the realm of Azyr, Sigmar waits amidst the remnants of past glories for a visitation from a fellow deity. With his Stormcast Eternals taking the fight to Chaos across all of the realms, he’s now turning his mind to a later stage of his plans. Hoping to sway Alarielle to his cause, he shows her an ancient story from a time before the Age of Chaos.
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Day eleven in Black Library’s 2016 Advent Calendar brings a second Age of Sigmar story – Bear Eater by David Guymer. Following on from the events of Guymer’s Knights of Vengeance audio drama series, it sees Lord Castellant Hamilcar of the Astral Templars, known as the Bear Eater, leading a handful of Stormcast to meet with the ruler of a nation seemingly untouched by Chaos. Still hunting for Mannfred von Carstein, Hamilcar hopes to warn the people of Jercho (yep, subtle…) of the vampire’s trickery, but even in a realm of constant sunlight he finds that darkness is already waiting for him.
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Day four of Black Library’s Advent Calendar sees the first Age of Sigmar story, in the shape of The Road of Blades by Josh Reynolds. Tying in loosely with his Black Rift novel and setting things up for the upcoming The Eight Lamentations, it follows Ahazian Kel, Deathbringer of Khorne, as he searches for the Road of Blades that will lead him further on his path to claiming ever more powerful weapons. Constantly being tested as he strives to prove himself in the eyes of the Blood God, he uses both his strength and his wits on the perilous journey.
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As is fast becoming tradition, it’s December and Black Library are celebrating the approach of Christmas with an Advent Calendar consisting of twenty-four new stories released one per day right up until Christmas Eve. After 2014’s selection of 40k and Horus Heresy short stories and audio dramas, and 2015’s Call of Chaos mixing stories and Games Workshop rules content for 40k and Age of Sigmar, this year we’re getting a variety of content across 40k, Horus Heresy, Age of Sigmar and even Blood Bowl!
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