Captain's Log:
Our night at The Crossed Lancets was uneventful. Until after four hours of sleep. Blessed Jim walked in, gave a worried glance outside the room before closing the door behind him. He had heard of a heinous plot: several fellows were stripping slain guards of their gear and donning them as a cunning disguise. Any foe that would resort to such trickery instead of a honest fight was clearly no match for the Heroes of the Hammer! We grabbed our weapons and shields without question and I calmly knocked on the door of The One's room.
"It's happening again!" I yelled.
The "guards" approached our room first and asked us to step outside. They claimed that one of their party was stricken with some sort of malady and that help was sorely needed. We gave them a few swears in response and the bastards could do nothing but grumble and step away. The One decided, with a cunning ruse in mind, to go along with their plan to see to their "healing needs". She followed them down to the ground floor and yelled during their ambush. It was unusual tactic but we were ready to support her! We confidently marched down the stairs, swords, shields and night caps at the ready, and broke their ranks with our heroic ferocity. The cultists were no match for our might, as The One's bolts flew true and left nothing but ashes. Blessed Jim struck one particularly well in the spine! Werner discovered with Death Dealer that the priest was no spell user but it was not enough to save him! I sent a finger flying from one cultist and thrust Fiendcutter through the heart of another. Soon all but one was left a bloody wretch and that one was hardy and quick! A slam from my arm was not enough to stop him from running. Werner eventually caught him in the light of a street lamp. The cultist bit a strange vial of something and both he and Werner recoiled in horrible pain. Acid! Werner survived the burning, unlike the cultist. We had lost any chance of letting The One interrogate him. On the other hand, we had a pretty good idea of who was behind all of this...
The staff of the inn had been subdued and tied up. They had no idea what had happened, just that they were quickly overwhelmed. I imagine that these cultists would have used them as sacrifices if they had killed us. That was very bold of them to assume! The morning was filled with a radiant joy that seemed to permeate every single corner of Altdorf still standing. No one had believed us before that Heinrich Toddbringer would their new Emperor but they were now joyous. More thrills and camaraderie rushed through the streets than any festival and I've seen a fair few! I bought an Empire cake while we walked out of the inn. I don't think there was real difference in the recipe but I was happy to share in the wonderful enthusiasm of the moment! Hans Bauer, a messenger, ran up to us red faced and exhausted. We bought him a drink and waited until he felt able to speak. Heinrich himself wanted to see us and talk to us about a special role we'll play! I was delighted with such an honour! There was an old woman on that very corner of the street. She was wailing something about the forces of Chaos being among us. I looked at Werner for a second before she was taken away by two large guards.
Meeting Heinrich in The Imperial was still like seeing that glowing warrior upon the battlefield. I knew at that moment that he would be the best Emperor since Sigmar himself! Blessed Jim and I were to present Ghal Maraz to the Grand Theogonist during the ceremony. We were also asked to don our war gear to remind the audience of our struggles in reclaiming the hammer. He seemed quite upset after a moment. He sighed and spoke to us plainly of a strange dream that haunted him. A dream of a mask falling to the ground and a surrounding darkness. He was, however, very confident in the abilities of those around him. I am still pleased with the recognition, after all the time spent struggling with Chaos plots in the gutters! We were given the opportunity to travel to the Volkshalle using one of the fine royal coaches. A small, dignified clerk politely shook our hands and introduced himself as Grossplatter. Or something like that. He was very hard to understand. At least he understood how these political things work. He gave Jim and I the instructions on how to properly present the hammer. I think he spent most of the journey explaining it to me but I got the gist in the end. Pillow, hammer, turn right, hand over, done. Or was it turn left?
The place was absolutely full to the brim with people, hushed in silence as the various officials and Elector Counts said each part of the proceedings. I can't remember most of it but it sounded very good and proper, I can assure you! I did however recognize the words "HAMMER OF SIGMAR!". I stood up immediately and gave Blessed Jim a huge grin. I tried to give The One and Werner a little nod but Grossplatter, standing nearby them with a pained expression, quickly waved his arms to get me to focus on the ceremony. Ah, the coronation, right. Ghal Maraz began to hum. We all knew what that meant: Chaos was near! The hammer floated before Blessed Jim, intensely humming with divine power. Heinrich stood staring at the hammer while Yori suddenly flinched. Jim pondered for a second what exactly to do. I stood there and still held the pillow, eyes wide and mouth agape. The Dolgan warrior called upon Sigmar himself to guide the hammer to its true enemy. He didn't become a Ranger Captain with just his brawn! Ghal Maraz shot through the air like a cannonball and smashed into the Grand Theogonist, knocking him to the ground! He coughed up blood, crushed Kaslain's skull with one brutal motion and then began a sickening transformation. Claws, wings, feathers as blue as murky waters, and a roar let loose from a vicious beak! He was a giant, daemonic albatross all along! Pandemonium in the hall as large masses of people wildly fled, screaming and begging Sigmar to save them. Jim and Werner both yelled at the top of their lungs and charged the great daemon with selfless bravery and terrific fury! I was unfazed by such a horror but noticed The One, quietly trembling in terror, in the corner of my eye. No, the chosen one of Sigmar could not fail now!
I begged her to help us but the daemon had left her helpless by its awesome might! A flurry of what seemed like tens of claws, tentacles and other things were lashing and swiping at both Jim and Werner. Jim took a dreadful swipe across the chest from a wicked claw. It almost ended his life but the ranger refused to die and continued to battle the fiend! Werner and Jim cut into the monstrosity a few times but its hide was tougher than anything we had ever fought. I desperately pleaded with The One to save us from this horror, in the name of Sigmar and all of the Empire. I turned away when she did not respond and for a moment thought that we doomed. I then felt an energy behind me and turned to see her launch a bolt of pure witchery at the great albatross. She had regained her senses and joined the fight! The daemon had summoned a strange gas that drove the two warriors fighting it into a bloodthirsty frenzy. The thought had passed my mind of pushing The One towards the gas to cease her fear but I quickly figured out that it was a terrible idea. As soon as I had stepped into the fray I was forced to narrowly dodge the daemon's wrath! I retaliated as Fiendcutter bit deeply into the thing's chest! It screamed in surprise as ungodly blood seeped from its breast. It laughed cruelly as it struck my left leg, clawed my shield arm and pecked Werner's head! Our marine nearly had his arm torn off but some strange power diverted that blow. His eyes suddenly poked out of his helmet on two ugly stalks!
I knew that the day would come when his Chaos mutations would be revealed to civilization. In front of our new Emperor! I had kept my word from the hammer's last resting place and had vowed to never reveal to anyone his secret: he was a warrior of Chaos, serving a great daemon that demanded him to undo the plans of the other Chaos powers! Now I could do nothing but look in horror as his body changed before me. I called upon Heinrich's might to aid our battle but I realized that he was weakening the beast with a beam of light from the holy hammer. The One's holy lightning flashed across the hall and forced that great bird to shriek in agony! Jim slashed into one of its gangly arms and Werner broke part of the damn thing's beak with Death Dealer! A mace tail grew from it and it forced one of Blessed Jim's ribs through his lung! He was barely alive and had to be dragged out by one of the knights. Werner swung with both speed and precision but the daemon was too fast and powerful. I was ready for all of us to die. I ran forward with my blade and flung myself into the great abomination. Fiendcutter found its place within the thing's very heart and, after a moment, its hideous death cry was cut short by its body bursting into blood and guts. I wiped off the blood and could see Emperor Heinrich throw the hammer into an infernal mist. It glowed as brightly, no, brighter than the sun itself! Ghal Maraz soon left this mortal world but had forever banished the daemon! Cultists of Chaos were killed left and right by inspired clerics and knights. Werner knelt before me and cried out:
"PLEASE... KILL ME NOW JOHANN. DO IT!"
I unsheathed his knife and looked at it. It could not be avoided, he was too tainted and I had made a promise. Tears ran down its blade. I spoke for one last time with my battle brother, the greatest of friends: "WERNER MURRMANN, YOU HAVE SERVED THE EMPIRE AND FOUGHT CHAOS WITH A BRAVERY AND STRENGTH THAT WOULD MAKE SIGMAR PROUD! FAREWELL MY FRIEND, AND MAY SIGMAR GRANT YOU THE SALVATION YOU'VE TRULY EARNED!"
I cut his throat and dropped the knife. I sat next to our Emperor on the steps. He was crowned Emperor soon as the Grand Theogonist was dead. I wept beside him.
I now finish this journal with my own writing, as Protector of Talabecland. Yes, my own writing! I have not had too much excitement recently. That's fine by me. I was offered the role of Knight Eternal by Heinrich but I could not do it justice. I asked briefly for a naval career but as soon as I heard the name "Lustria" I politely refused. I've heard enough from sailors to know that it's a death trap! The One was given the title of High Wizard of Middenheim. I hear that she throws many parties, frequently involving elephants as a unique spectacle. Well, it's not too surprising to me but you probably know that already! Blessed Jim is now Marshall of Ostermark. No finer man for that job! He probably loves it. I haven't heard from Harbull in a while but I like to think that he's doing well and that his stories have won him entry into a fair few parties. I wonder what Werner would have done after all this? I imagine that he'd become a great leader of armies!
I'm sending these journals to the only man that I believe could make this story into something magnificent: Ludwig von Wittgenstein! Perhaps a play or opera? I must make a note telling Ludwig to include lots of exciting battles.
With actors aiming for the neck, not the sword!
Johann Dasbuut.
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