[The Rumour Thread]

1 minute ago, shinros said:

So in other words when the chips are down and they are in Nagash's presence it's pointless, but they can still do their own little side shows. This fits with LON, where it says Nagash doesn't require their loyalty. Since no matter how much they scheme when Nagash says jump, each Mortarch will say "How high?" and when they finished jumping they will turn around and begin plotting again until Nagash asks them to jump again. Am I on the right track? 

Yep, that's it exactly. 

[The Rumour Thread]

20 minutes ago, michu said:

Yeah, @Sleboda IIRC @JReynolds said once that  when you start worshipping Nagash and using necromancy he imbue you with part of his power and it slowly replace you - it still thinks like you, it even thinks it's you, but you really  just became a mini-Nagash. 

Bear in mind that this doesn't preclude rebellion of some sort. Mannfred rebels all the time, often loudly and with explosions.  Arkhan rebels as well, albeit in more subtle ways. So does Neferata. 

Think of it like Doombots. Dr. Doom (bad guy from the Fantastic Four, if you're not familiar with comics) makes robot doubles of himself to undertake dangerous tasks, enact certain schemes or to do the stuff he doesn't want to bother with.  These doubles are so perfect that they assume that they're the real Doom, unless he's in the room with them - and even then, some of them maintain a strong suspicion that they're real and he's not. And since they think like Doom, they act like Doom.  So they plot and scheme against each other (and the the real Doom) because there can only be one Doom, and obviously it's them. 

Basically, Nagash has absolute control, except when he doesn't, because his servants are all to one degree or another shadows of him.  Which means that like him, some want to be on top and they'll knock over anyone they have to, to do it. Including him. If he's paying attention, he can swat them down without any real difficulty. But if he's not (say, because he's preoccupied waging war on Sigmar, Archaon et al), then there's a good chance they might get away with it for a while. 

So if you want your Death leader to be a rebel against Nagash, the established meta-narrative is flexible enough to fully support that. Same as if you want them to be an unwilling slave of Nagash, a contented servant, or an unwitting dupe. 

At least in my opinion. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. 

[The Rumour Thread]

41 minutes ago, Overread said:

@JReynolds can probably give the best answer as he's a writer for BL (I believe he has actually referenced the Settra situation a couple of times) and has often been willing to share some details of behind the scenes. 

 

If my experience is anything to go by, said Easter egg would have been vetted, first by the editors, and then by lore guys at the editing stage. If it got through, then chances are that there are no plans for Settra's return as the leader of a faction of anti-Nagash undead. Too, the likelihood of getting such a faction anytime soon is infinitesimal, and even if it did happen, it's even less likely that it would bear any resemblance, lore-wise, to the Tomb Kings. At best, I could see them adapting some of the designs for potential Deathrattle releases down the line, if only to make the skeletons look more cohesive with Nagash and Arkhan the Black.  

(Also, some skeletal archers would be nice, just saying...)

This isn't to say that it's impossible. I am not keyed in to the company, or privy to any discussions regarding this sort of thing. But it ain't likely at this stage. 

tldr; it could happen, but it probably won't. 

[Eight Lamentations: War Claw]

12 minutes ago, michu said:

@JReynoldsDoes it mean "no Eight lamentations in any way" or just "no main books" so short stories could be still published?

I'm leaning towards the former. There were plans for me to write the second book this year,  as well as several short stories, but those plans got changed.  At this point, both the series and the short stories are on hiatus.  That might change, or it could prove indefinite. It's all up in the air at the moment, unfortunately. 

[Eight Lamentations: War Claw]

On 5/13/2019 at 11:00 PM, Bosmer Nightblade said:

Is the url you linked still up to date? I'm finally getting around to reading spear of shadows and enjoying it. Is there a book 2, or still on the short stories for now?

It's still up to date.  There's no book 2 for the foreseeable future. 

[Black Library and the Age of Sigmar complete listings and collections]

13 minutes ago, Gorthor21 said:

@JReynolds I just want to thank you for being such a prolific writer.  You have really helped bring age of Sigmar to life for me and Gardus is my favorite character in all the warhammer books I have read above Gotrek and Honsou.

Thanks! I appreciate you saying that. Glad you enjoyed the stuff I've written. 

[Black Library and the Age of Sigmar complete listings and collections]

1 hour ago, alghero81 said:

If anyone reads  Maledictions please let me know which stories are AoS. Thanks

Mine is. "A Darksome Place". 

[Age of Sigmar RPG]

17 minutes ago, HorticulusTGA said:

I hope so !!! And don't be afraid of the IP guys, I think they trust you and generally let you having a bit of creative freedom (like establishing the location of Sigmaron on Mount Celestian in your (excellent) Soul Wars , instead of "in space" as it was in AOS first ed.)  

Funnily enough, I didn't make that up. I asked IP because anything having to do with Azyr goes through IP.  So, officially, the Sigmarabulum is in space ('the Firmament').  Sigmaron is on the highest peak in Azyr, overlooking Azyrheim (on the same mountain(s) where the Pantheon gathered). 

And Sigmar Lane is, of course, in North Azyrheim, west of Rodeo Drive.

[Age of Sigmar RPG]

8 hours ago, Gecktron said:

Thats actually a good point. Azyr would be the starting point for a lot of expeditions in the realms. I can understand that AoS itself doesnt focus that much on the realm of heavens since its pretty much safe and without any big battles, an RPG would be the perfect place to explore Sigmars home. 

I wrote up a big thing on Azyr, its cultures (human and otherwise) and various potential adventure hooks, so we'll see if that makes it past IP. 

[Eight Lamentations: War Claw]

20 minutes ago, stato said:

Wait, WHAT!   There is a short story????   Honestly, Black Library doesnt want my money, as part of my previous response I went on Black Library and neither 'Tainted Axe' or 'Auction of Blood' (yes fans, there are TWO short stories most of us probably didnt know about) were given as recommendations from Spear of Shadows.

 

Black Library, your website is rubbish!

If people are interested in those stories (plus "Road of Blades", which is a prequel) they're all in the new anthology out this weekend. 

https://www.blacklibrary.com/coming-soon/january/gods-and-mortals-ebook.html

And, if you're wondering about reading order, I've done a chronological list here, that I'll be adding to as stories come out (and there are more coming this year, including a second audio drama):

https://joshuamreynolds.co.uk/works/eight-lamentations/

[Eight Lamentations: War Claw]

8 hours ago, Painbringer said:

I am currently reading the "Spear of Shadows" (and I like it so far), but I have one question - is this audio drama the continuation of the story, or some "additional" story? How is it related to the second book in the trilogy?

It is a continuation, but it's bridging the gap between the first book and the second book, much like the short story, "The Tainted Axe". 

The audio dramas and short stories are there to flesh out the world/characters and/or prod the meta-plot along while I wait for the go-ahead to pitch the second book. 

[Eight Lamentations: War Claw]

4 hours ago, Gorks Pokin' Finger said:

No narrator. The characters detail what's going on. Usually I prefer a narrator setting the tone to help flesh out the story in my mind, but Josh's writing for the audio drama does a good enough job of it

Interestingly, BL has started asking us to cut down on narrators (or leave them out entirely), when it comes to the audio dramas.  I don't know why, but I suspect that they want to make them more like radio plays.  Makes for an interesting challenge to write, though.  You never realise how much you relied on a narrator to deliver exposition until you can't lean on that particular crutch anymore.

Also, glad you enjoyed it!

[The Rumour Thread]

11 hours ago, Gecktron said:

From Josh Reynolds Tumblr:
 

So it looks like this is not the second part of the "main" Eight Lamentations story.

It is, in the sense that it's a continuation of the plot - the overall plot-line and character development moves forward with this one, it's not a side-story, like "The Tainted Axe". But it's also not, in the sense that only two of the characters show up, and it's fairly self-contained. 

Due to my schedule, I won't be able to write the second novel until late next year at earliest, unless I manage to juggle some stuff around. But, rather than let the series lie fallow, the current plan is to fill the gap - and move the plot forward, if only in small, incremental ways - with short stories and audios, like this one.  

Basically, it's the MCU Avengers plan - a few stories with individuals, or duos, then everybody together for one big adventure, then some more individual stories, then another big story, repeat as necessary.  This is partly due to the fact that we're not sure yet whether the series is finite (i.e. three books and done), with potential spin-offs, or whether it's going to be an ongoing (i.e. Gaunt's Ghosts).  A lot of that is down to sales, but some of it just depends on scheduling. 

[The Rumour Thread]

3 hours ago, Brad Gamma said:

This x100. I have never been particular interested in Khorne, and I found the bloodbound dull, perhaps because of their prevalence in the release of AoS. However having read spear of shadows and followed Ahazian Kel's hunt for his prize, I am a convert. I will now very likely make a khorne skirmish warband at some point.

Well done @JReynolds, you sneaky genius.

Thanks! I'm a follower of the Larry Hama school of tie-in writing...you know you're doing your job right if  people are buying the toys.  Or miniatures, in this case. 

[The Rumour Thread]

6 hours ago, Double Misfire said:

I'd thought that too, it's described somewhere as having a mortarch on board and there can't be that many of them, so it would make sense of it to be bumped up to named/unique status.

The ghosts hovering outside appear to be carrying the deceased passenger's possessions, and the sword seen here isn't so different that it couldn't be Blood Drinker without the weird handle:

Sorry, hadn't meant to cause any offence, it was a very well written novel overall and I've loved your recent stuff, especially Spear of Shadows.  

Oh you didn't! Don't worry. I was being tongue in cheek. I knew I should have used an emoji. 

[The Rumour Thread]

12 hours ago, Double Misfire said:

Er, that tie-in novel has Tyrion straight up executing Eldyra (who apparently was a vampire with no reference to her ascending as the new elven god of the underworld), so I wouldn't take everything it says as consistent with the design studio's canon.

Regardless, Isabella was never explicitly killed off in End Times: Archaon, so she's got as good a chance of turning up in AoS as anybody (not that dying in the End Times ever prevented Mannfred, Valkia or Scyla from turning up in AoS or having a successful Blood Bowl career ?).

Hey, that's what happens when you have to write a tie-in novel in a month and some change without having access to the product it's ostensibly tied to. 

Fun times, fun times. 

[Chaos Dwarfs in AoS?]

1 hour ago, Gecktron said:

I have a few head cannons about how the Chaos Dwarfs came to be, but this isn't the place for them.

The only official piece of lore I know about is a short reference in the short story "Auction of Blood" by Josh Reynolds, a Tie-In to the Spear of Darkness Book. 

They're also mentioned in Legends of the Age of Sigmar: Black Rift and Eight Lamentations: Spear of Shadows.  

[The Rumour Thread]

1 hour ago, Ar-Pharazôn said:

Anyone see the new Black Library article on the community site? 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/12/06/coming-black-library-near/

Mentions how in the new Undying King novel for Nagash, Nurgle is launching an assault of Shyish, and how it's people are looking for the return of their king.

Technically not new, as it was released as a Warhammer World exclusive last year.  But now people can actually buy a copy! 

Anyway, the book takes place in the Age of Myth, not long after Nagash got his face pushed in by Archaon, the first time.  Just thought I'd mention that. 

[The Rumour Thread]

29 minutes ago, sandlemad said:

He also mentions an upcoming AoS novel set between the Realmgate Wars and the 'current' time of City of Secrets/Spear of Shadows, covering the founding of a city by the forces of order.

That'd be the second Hallowed Knights novel (which I'm due to start writing in January), if anyone was wondering. 

[The Rumour Thread]

1 hour ago, sandlemad said:

Is there any particular book/story you'd recommend reading to get some lead-in/background on this? Already read the Black Rift of Klaxus books and Nagash: the Undying King is a little out of my reach...

You could check out Fury of Gork or Skaven Pestilens, if you like.

Fury of Gork deals with one of the Eight Lamentations - the sword of fire, Marrowcutter - being discovered and features several characters who appear in Spear of Shadows, while Skaven Pestilens takes place in one of the locations that the characters will be visiting - Shu'gohl, the Crawling City.

You could also read the short story, "Road of Blades", which acts as a prologue of sorts. 

[The Rumour Thread]

3 minutes ago, KillagoreFaceslasha said:

Res assured we are going to make sure you get that second book commissioned. *Prepares sacrifice and contacts russian doctors*

I appreciate your enthusiasm. Hopefully, y'all will enjoy the book. 

[The Rumour Thread]

1 minute ago, Caladancid said:

Is that an elf or a vampire on the cover?

Vampire. It's Adhema, the Blood Knight who previously appeared in Nagash: The Undying King. Though there may be an aelf or two in the second book, if one gets commissioned. 

[The Rumour Thread]

45 minutes ago, Joakim said:

Do we only have the cover available, so no description/teaser yet?
Im curious about the big gray guy in the top! : )

Blurb:

In the beginning, there was fire. And from that fire came eight weapons of terrible power, honed to a killing edge by the chosen weaponsmiths of Khorne. Now, as the Mortal Realms echo with the thunder of war, the great powers seek to acquire the eight wherever they might be found, no matter the cost. In a city of prophecy and secrets, Grungni, smith-god of the duardin, gathers together a group of mortal warriors from across the realms in order to locate the first of the eight weapons. But they are not alone in their quest; agents of the Ruinous Powers search for the weapon for themselves. Now the race is on, as man, duardin and daemon alike seek to claim the Spear of Shadows...

Big grey dude is Grungni, though he doesn't exactly look like that in the book.