Necroquake

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The Shyishan Necroquake is a magical catastrophe that occurred during the Age of Sigmar that changed the nature of magic in the Mortal Realms, a time that would be known by many as the Arcanum Optimar.[1a]

Origins

Nagash since the Age of Myth had hatched a plan to claim all of the Realm of Shyish for himself in a magical ritual, and use the power he would gain from that to conquer the living and the rest of the Mortal Realms. He would gather the largest deposits of Shyishian Realmstone and gave Arkhan the responsibility of managing the undead legions that would transport the Grave-sand to the centre of the realm. Each skeleton only able to carry a single grain of such strong death magics, bringing in vast lines. [1a]

These magical minerals were then turned into Shadeglass and used to build cyclopean edifices in Nagashizzar that surrounded a upside-down black pyramid. This pyramid designed by Nagash would draw arcane energy like a funnel and would change the magic of Shyish so that it was no longer stronger at it periphery, but instead at it's centre.[1a]

Once the gods realised what was Nagash's plan, they send portents of doom to their armies, to muster them so they would march to Shyish and stop the Great Necromancer. This was the Time of Tribulations and while many tried to stop it, the ritual would eventually be completed.[1a]

But interference by skaven of Clan Slynk led by Kriktail, who infiltrated the Great Black Pyramid to steal Realmstone. Their attempts at plundering the Realmstone crystals from a chamber and their very presence as chaos-touched creatures corrupted the spell. The very pyramid started to revolve and drilled towards the centre of the realm, creating a vortex that would be known as the Nadir of Shyish. Despite not being exactly to plan, Nagash entered the eldritch gales and absorbed as many death magic as he could until he could contain no more of it.[1a]

Effects

The magic energies that Nagash failed to absorb exploded outwards, releasing a shockwave of death magic that spread like a spectral tide. It swept through Shyish, spread throughout the void and that crashed on each of the Mortal Realms. The dead began to rose up and attack the living, felling many cities in it's onslaught. Elemental creatures would rage and the godbeasts would be disturbed in their slumber by this disaster.[1a]

Not all were caught unaware, as the Tower of Prios, built by Teclis out of Hysh's Realmstone, used its purifying beam to lessen the effects of the Necroquake on the Realm of Hysh.[1b]

Aftermath

Following its many dreaded aftershocks many wizards found that the very nature of magic had changed. They could more easily channel magic of the realm around them by instinct. Many objects touched by greatness or made out of realmstone, grew stronger or became spontaneously enchanted. A wizard could now shape magic into Endless Spells, self-sustaining spells that seemed to almost have a will of their own.[1a]

The power Nagash absorbed and the newly-awakened undead emboldened him to begin the Soul Wars. Spearheaded by his Nighthaunt hosts and led by the Mortarchs, the God of Death would seek to undermine any who denies his rightful due over the spirits of the deceased.[1a]

The Kharadron found that aether-gold veins were heavily disturbed by the garaktormun. The resulting scramble to re-establish mining operations, stake new claims, and develop countermeasures for the new threats became known as the gorak-drek - the Great Venture.[2]

Alternate Names

The various cultures of the Mortal Realms have given different names to the Necroquake. For example, the Kharadron call it the garaktormun - the "great gale of death" [2] - while the Fyreslayers call it the uzkull-krunken[4a], many orruks call it the deffstorm, and ogors refer to it as Gork's gutrumble.[3]

Sources