Waaagh!_Azhag

WAAAGH! THE CROWN OF SORCERY The Crown of Sorcery speaks to Azhag with a voice as dry as the grave and as old as the southern deserts, offering words of counsel and power way beyond the ken of most Orcs. The crown not only grants Azhag with an otherworldy companion but has given the Orc Warlord a talent for death magic.

72 WHITE DWARF

AZHAG O ne of the most dangerous Orc Warlords of recent history, Azhag’s campaigns of destruction brought the eastern provinces of the Empire to the brink of ruin. Azhag possessed a strange iron helm, which appeared to give him sorcerous powers, and rode to battle on the back of his malodorous Wyvern, Skullmuncha, directing the arcane fury of his crown against the foe.

The Waaagh! of the Slaughterer Azhag the Slaughterer was never the same after he won the Crown of Sorcery in the ruins of Todtheim, for the Liche Nagash’s insidious spirit still clung to the artefact

WAAAGH! AZHAG

and began to dominate the Orc’s somewhat uncomplicated psyche. From that day forth, Azhag’s primal power was combined with the tactical genius and arcane fury of the ancient Liche. Though he was never truly able to convince his followers as to the value of turning an enemy’s flank, the new-found insights Azhag gained from the crown allowed him to make short work of the rival Warbosses who stood in his path. Prior to each battle, Azhag dictated the plan of attack, speaking in a decidedly un-Orcy voice that seemed heavy with the weight of centuries, and then bellow at his ladz to get moving. Such successes swiftly

Praag

1

Kislev

AI

Middenheim Wolfenburg Bechafen Hergig Talabheim O S T E R M A R K

2

2512-2515

The Battle of Butcher’s Hill

Empire Army

2

The Battle of Osterwald

gained him a huge following of greenskins – they didn’t care that Azhag spoke funny, just as long as he ‘showed ’em where da fighting wuz.’ As his horde marched into the Empire, Azhag’s strategies became ever more complex. This led to, amongst other things, the infamous synchronised Goblin attack waves at the Battle of Dark Moor and the dastardly Snotling pincer assaults at Butcher’s Hill. Those foes that exemplary tactics did not vanquish were easily dispatched by the dark magics that the crown placed at Azhag’s command. With brain and brawn so closely aligned, it seemed that no force could stop Azhag’s mighty Waaagh! The Green Horde continued to cross the Empire, heading west towards the Middle Mountains. In Ostland the horde began to loot and destroy with customary Orc efficiency, crushing the spring crops underfoot and gorging on the hard-won stores of the local people. After besieging Wolfenburg, the Waaagh! turned south and then east through the Great Forest and into Ostermark once more. Azhag finally met his match at the Battle of Osterwald. Werner von Kreigstadt, the Grand Master of the Knights Panther, slew Azhag and left the Waaagh! leaderless. After the battle, the Orc horde dispersed into the forests and hills. As for the Crown of Sorcery, it was recovered by the Grand Theogonist who took it back to Altdorf and placed it in the deepest vault of the Temple of Sigmar to be guarded for eternity by powerful spells.

O

1

W

Azhag’s Waaagh!

R

L

THE EMPIRE

Black Water

ED

The Moot

S

Nuln

GE

Karak Kadrim

Mordheim

D

Altdorf

S

M O U N TA I N S

N

WA S T E L A N D

Erengrad MIDDLE

NT

MIDDEN MO ORS

MOU

THE

100miles

It was at the Battle of Butcher’s Hill that Azhag earned the title ‘Slaughterer’. The battle commenced with Azhag deploying his horde in three separate cohorts that quickly surrounded the foe. As if such a cunning deployment by an Orc were not dire enough, what followed would ensure Azhag’s place amongst the most hated of man’s foes. Bellowing in a voice not his own, Azhag drew on sorcerous powers. His words bound the spirits of the recently slain, turning them upon their stillliving fellows. The last, doomed defenders of Butcher’s Hill stood backto-back upon its peak, battling Azhag’s Orcs whilst the bloody limbs of the Undead tore at them from below. So terrible was the slaughter that none escaped Butcher’s Hill, the slain bound to Azhag’s will, enslaved and forced to rage bitter war upon their living kin. It was not until the Battle of Osterwald that Azhag was finally defeated and the dead avenged.

Azhag’s Wyvern, Skullmuncha, is a craggy beast noted for the thick plates that cover its spine. Many a heavy blade or magical weapon has broken upon its tough scales.

Azhag’s totem is a tangled wooden marionette, symbolising his predicament under the dark influence of his crown.

Skullmuncha’s belly, usually the Wyvern’s one weakpoint, is covered with a large iron plate, granting the monster formidable protection in battle.

The mean visage of Azhag upclose. Joe Tomaszewski, who painted this model, has given him malignant red eyes and painted the crown with sinister purple hues.

‘Now is your time,’ murmured the ancient voice inside Azhag’s head. ‘Just what I thought,’ growled the Orc Warlord, kicking the flanks of his Wyvern. The creature leapt into the sky with a vicious hiss. ‘Time for some fun.’

74 WHITE DWARF

Fielding Azhag the Slaughterer Azhag is the most expensive Orc character in the game and for good reason – you’re not only getting a powerful close combat warrior, but he’s mounted on a winged monster that also has an impressive profile and hardy saves of its own. But that’s not all, as the Crown of Sorcery gives Azhag the magic power of a Level 2 Wizard with access to the Lore of Death. With such a powerhouse on the battlefield it can be tempting to place him front and centre in your battleline and charge him forwards as fast as possible. This can work, but you need to be aware that a well-placed cannonball can still

WAAAGH! AZHAG

bring him down. Still, keeping Azhag with your troops is a good idea as his ‘Get on Wiv It’ rule means you can re-roll failed animosity rolls and keep the battleline moving. Azhag will prove a massive distraction, allowing your blocks of infantry to reach their targets relatively unscathed. He can then fly in to support a charge or countercharge fast-moving enemy units such as knights. And, with the Lore of Death containing many offensive spells you can start causing casualties relatively early on. For more tips on using special characters in your games, check out next month’s White Dwarf, as Andy Hoare presents a guide to these mighty heroes.