Franz Lohner’s Chronicle - Long Shadows

An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.

Well, we’ve finally had our confirmation about who’s causing all this trouble up by the Citadel of Eternity: Be’lakor the First Damned, the Dark Master, Old Hornhead and bang on target to be my biggest migraine for the foreseeable future - and that’s a crowded field, let me tell you! He’s been playing us for fools – getting our little pilgrimages to clear the way for his own connivances – and I don’t take kindly to that, no sir!

As to what he’s up to, I’m still not entirely clear. Almost certainly some attempt to garner that power he’s always been denied. Between the Citadel of Eternity being up for grabs and the ongoing anarchy in the Chaos Wastes, I’d say he’s chosen a pretty good moment. Not that I think he’s that interested in the Citadel, to be honest. Given Be’lakor’s legend, I can’t see him wanting to actually talk to the gods, and if he did I reckon he’d confine himself to a few choice, terse words that I won’t repeat here.

All I know for certain is the form his mischief takes. According to Okri – who’s had a bit of a stroll about the place – Be’lakor’s fixing on raising himself a fortress in the grim north and has enlisted some mighty warlords known as Shadow Champions to help do it. Now, these fellows are a bit of a mystery to me, but Okri says he’s crossed axes with a couple of them and that they’re not to be underestimated. He beat them, of course. It’s Okri. He’d scarcely tell me if they’d gotten the better of him. Problem is, they didn’t stay dead. Bound to Be’lakor’s dark majesty, they are, and as long as he’s strutting his shadow stuff, so will they.

Sounds bad, I know, but it does give a bit of a ray of sunshine amid the grey. You see, I’ve encountered this kind of magic before - never mind where - and I reckon that by binding himself to mortals in this manner, Be’lakor’s made himself vulnerable through those mortals. So whatever the Ubersreik Five need to do to put paid to his nasty little schemes, it’s bound to begin with them. Could be they’ve a fight on their hands, but if Okri can take all three of these Shadow Champions at once then I reckon the Five can handle them one at a time, right?

Matter of fact, I’ve a feeling Saltzpyre will give it a go alone, should it come to it. He has the look of a man who’s been played for a fool and doesn’t much like the feeling. There’s going to be a reckoning, I’d say.

Let’s hope it’s in our favour.