The expeditions

The Empire

Imperial expeditions are often sponsored by merchant houses, wizard colleges, noble families, or ambitious officers. Some seek divine signs, some arcane knowledge, and many simple wealth and prestige in lands where fortunes may be won far from the courts of the Old World.

Sample Imperial Expedition: Magister Adelbert Kessel of the Bright College watched the comet blaze over Altdorf and felt at once the violent shudder it sent through the winds of magic. With the backing of a wealthy mercantile syndicate, he assembled an expedition of soldiers, scholars, and hired adventurers. His orders are simple: reach the impact site before rival powers and secure whatever fell from the heavens.

Halflings

Halfling expeditions come from the Mootland within the Empire. Halfling expeditions are unusual, but not unheard of. Some are sponsored by larger powers as scouts, cooks, or quartermasters; others are driven by curiosity, greed, or the simple desire to see what all the fuss is about. A Halfling band in Lustria is likely underestimated by everyone but themselves.

Sample Halfling Expedition: Folco Greenbottle first heard of the fallen comet from a merchant caravan master who swore it would make any man rich. Folco, sensibly, reasoned that there was no reason it should not make a Halfling rich instead. With a small band of archers, burglars, and cousins too curious for their own good, he booked passage westward, fully intending to come home with treasure, stories, and perhaps a few exotic recipes.

Cult of Ulric

Expeditions of the Cult of Ulric are usually driven by omens, holy duty, and the harsh conviction that only the strong are fit to master what has fallen from the heavens. Priests of Ulric may see the comet as a divine challenge, a trial of endurance, or a dangerous power that must be claimed before weaker faiths and corrupt sorcerers can defile it. Such warbands are often grim, zealous, and led by men who believe winter, war, and the wolf-god himself have hardened them for exactly such a task.

Sample Cult of Ulric Expedition: When the comet burned across the skies of Middenland, High Priest Arno Falkenhayn declared it no accident, but a sign from Ulric. If a star had fallen into the steaming jungles of Lustria, then only those with the will to endure fire, fang, and steel were worthy to stand before it. Gathering warrior-priests, wolf-cloaked devotees, and hardened northmen eager to prove their strength, Falkenhayn led a grim expedition westward to claim the fallen star in Ulric's name—or deny it to all others.

Kislev

Kislevite expeditions are often fueled by grim practicality, faith, and the will to strike at dangerous powers before they can threaten the wider world. Boyars, ice witches, and frontier veterans may all see a fallen comet as either a chance to win glory or a duty to prevent corruption from spreading unchecked.

Sample Kislevite Expedition: Boyar Mikhail Rykov heard the tale of the fallen comet and wanted nothing to do with jungles, lizards, or oceans. The Ice Witch accompanying him insisted otherwise. If a star of such power had fallen to earth, it was only a matter of time before chaos gathered around it. With grim resignation and a picked force of riders and axemen, Mikhail sailed west to ensure the thing was found by disciplined hands before madness claimed it.

Norse

Norse expeditions may be launched in search of plunder, glory, divine omens, or lands ripe for conquest. A blazing comet falling into distant jungle is exactly the sort of sign that would draw jarls, reavers, and seers alike. To the Norse, hardship only makes a prize worthier of song.

Sample Norse Expedition: Jarl Hroth Skallson saw the comet blazing above the sea and took it as a challenge cast by the gods themselves. If a star had fallen into the jungle, then a man worthy of saga must be the one to seize it. With longship crews, oath-sworn huscarls, and a howling war-priest in tow, Hroth set sail for Lustria in search of treasure great enough to make kings envious and skalds immortal.

Bretonnia

Bretonnian expeditions may be driven by divine visions, vows of knightly glory, desperate quests for land and wealth, or the ambitions of younger sons with little hope of inheritance. Others are formed by exiles, disgraced nobles, or hedge-knights who seek enough fame and treasure to carve out a place of honor for themselves.

Sample Bretonnian Expedition: Sir Guy du Vicheloc knelt in prayer beside a still lake when the Lady appeared to him in a vision. She spoke of a star that would fall into the jungles of Lustria and commanded him to seek it out. Taking this as a sacred quest, Sir Guy gathered loyal retainers and brother knights. When the comet was finally seen blazing across the heavens, he knew his hour had come.

Estalia

Estalian expeditions are often practical, ambitious, and bound up in rivalry between merchant families, cities, and captains of fortune. A fallen comet means relics, gold, and opportunities enough to lift a minor noble or mercenary captain into lasting prominence. Estalians may travel as conquistadors, scholars, or freebooters, but they rarely go without expecting profit.

Sample Estalian Expedition: Don Esteban de Vargas could not ignore the stories pouring into Magritta: a star had fallen into Lustria, and with it the chance to seize wealth that would humble every rival house on the coast. Backed by investors, priests, and a company of hard-bitten swordsmen, he crossed the ocean determined to carve out fortune with shot, steel, and stubborn ambition.

Dogs of War

Mercenary expeditions may be funded by patrons, merchant guilds, rogue princes, or by the captains themselves. Some march under contract, others simply follow profit. In a race for a fallen star, a company of hardened sellswords may serve as treasure hunters, escorts, freebooters, or all three at once.

Sample Mercenary Expedition: Captain Marco Belladonna heard three different versions of the same rumor in three different ports: a star had fallen into Lustria, and men with more gold than sense were already paying for maps and ships. Seeing an opportunity too fine to ignore, he raised a company of veterans, debtors, and rogues, then sailed west to turn rumor into fortune.

Pirates of Sartosa

Expeditions from Sartosa are rarely driven by prophecy or duty. Pirate captains sail for Lustria for one reason above all others: profit. Rumors of a fallen comet promising unimaginable wealth spread quickly through the taverns and docks of the pirate island. To the freebooters of Sartosa, the jungles of Lustria are simply another dangerous place where fortunes can be seized by bold men with sharp blades and loaded pistols.

Sample Sartosan Expedition: Captain Vittorio Salvano first heard the tale of the fallen star from a drunken Tilean navigator who swore he had seen the comet strike deep within the jungles of Lustria. Whether the story spoke of warpstone, ancient gold, or some other prize mattered little to Vittorio — any treasure that great would fetch a king's ransom in the markets of the Old World. Within days he had gathered a band of cutthroats, gunners, and fortune-seekers willing to risk the green hell for a share of the prize. Their ship now lies anchored off the Lustrian coast, and Vittorio intends to reach the crater before any empire, king, or priest can claim it.

Albion

Albionite expeditions are rare, but druids, chieftains, and seers may be moved by portents in the stones and winds. A comet falling far across the sea might be read as a sign of upheaval in the balance of the world. Those who travel from Albion do so less for simple wealth than for prophecy, warning, or sacred duty.

Sample Albionite Expedition: When the standing stones of his homeland groaned beneath a sky split by fire, the druid Mael Brannon knew some great wrong had entered the world. Gathering warriors of the mist-clans and those mad enough to trust his visions, he journeyed south and west toward Lustria. If the fallen star heralded doom, then it must be faced before its corruption spread across sea and stone alike.

Araby

Arabyan expeditions are often driven by prophecy, scholarship, trade, or the ambitions of powerful emirs and merchant princes. A fallen comet may be interpreted as a sign written in the heavens, a source of arcane power, or simply a treasure beyond measure. To the great cities of Araby, a prize wrested from distant Lustria could bring both immense wealth and lasting prestige.

Sample Arabyan Expedition: Astrologer-Emir Rashid al-Qamar had studied the heavens for years, but never had he seen a star burn so fiercely nor fall so far. Convinced that the comet marked the resting place of a celestial jewel, he equipped a swift expedition of guards, scholars, and seasoned corsairs. If the object truly held power from beyond the world, Rashid meant to be the one who returned with it to the courts of Araby.

Cathay

Cathayan expeditions are often scholarly, disciplined, and sanctioned by higher authority. Astrologers, magistrates, and generals alike may interpret celestial events as matters of grave importance. A fallen star in a distant jungle is not merely treasure, but a disturbance in the proper order of heaven and earth.

Sample Cathayan Expedition: When the astrologers of the Celestial Court charted the comet's descent, they warned that such an omen could not be ignored. By imperial command, Captain Jian Lo was ordered westward with a disciplined expedition of soldiers, scholars, and interpreters. Their task was not simply to claim the fallen star, but to ensure that its power did not pass into barbarous or corrupt hands.

Kingdoms of Ind

Expeditions from Ind may be driven by courtly ambition, trade, prophecy, or esoteric learning. In the courts and temples of Ind, celestial omens are not lightly dismissed, and a star falling into distant jungle may be seen as either a wondrous opportunity or a dangerous imbalance in the order of the world.

Sample Indan Expedition: Rajah Samudra's astrologers warned that the comet's fall in distant Lustria marked the arrival of a treasure touched by heaven and corruption alike. Rather than allow foreign powers to claim it uncontested, he dispatched a trusted captain with soldiers, elephant-handlers, and learned priests. Their charge was clear: recover what could be recovered, and let no lesser hand master what the sky itself had cast down.

Nippon

Nipponese expeditions may be commissioned by daimyo, temples, merchants, or ambitious captains seeking honor and advancement in distant lands. A fallen comet may be viewed as a heavenly sign, a dangerous source of sorcery, or a treasure worthy of great risk. Such ventures are often disciplined, proud, and shaped as much by duty as by greed.

Sample Nipponese Expedition: Lord Hidetora's astrologers observed the comet's descent and urged immediate action. If a jewel of heaven had fallen into the jungles of Lustria, then allowing foreigners to seize it unchecked would bring only dishonor and danger. Hidetora entrusted the mission to Captain Saburo Kenji, who assembled a compact but disciplined expedition and sailed west in search of the fallen star and the standing it might win him at court.

Ogre Kingdoms

An Ogre Kingdoms expedition typically comes from the eastern Ogre Kingdoms, even though Ogre mercenaries can be found elsewhere. Ogre expeditions are often blunt in motive but no less compelling for it. A fallen star might be seen as a sign from the Great Maw, a source of unimaginable strength, or simply something vast enough to be worth fighting over. Ogres will chase rumor farther than most if they believe there is food, glory, or plunder at the end of it.

Sample Ogre Expedition: The Firebelly Gutmaw declared that the comet was a sign from the Great Maw itself. If such a thing had fallen into distant lands, then surely it was meant either to be eaten or beaten open. Gathering a mob of hungry ogres, he marched toward the ships bound for Lustria, convinced that the crater would hold riches, battle, and perhaps the greatest meal of his life.

High Elves

High Elf expeditions are usually scholarly, aristocratic, or arcane in nature. Princes, mages, and sea-captains alike may be sent to investigate celestial omens, secure dangerous artifacts, or deny magical power to lesser races. Even when treasure is involved, the Asur rarely admit greed; theirs is a mission of stewardship, necessity, or destiny.

Sample High Elf Expedition: Prince Calithar stood beneath the starlit towers of Ulthuan when the comet passed overhead, and the winds of magic twisted sharply around it. At the urging of a Loremaster of Hoeth, he assembled a swift expedition of spears, bows, and arcane advisors. If the fallen star contains a force that could unbalance the world, then it must be claimed—or destroyed—before lesser hands touch it.

Wood Elves

Wood Elf expeditions are rare and usually motivated by disturbance rather than conquest. They may come to investigate corruption in the natural order, destroy an unnatural force before it spreads, recover some ancient thing tied to the stars, or answer the warning of forest spirits and prophetic dreams. They are not colonizers, but wardens acting where they believe balance is threatened.

Sample Wood Elf Expedition: When the comet passed overhead, the spirits of Athel Loren whispered in fear and anger. The glade captain Thalanwe listened as ancient trees groaned of poison carried across the sea. With a small host of scouts, wardancers, and grim wardens, he sailed for Lustria—not to claim the comet, but to ensure that whatever fell there does not spread ruin through root and branch.

Dark Elves

Dark Elf expeditions may be sent by sorceresses, corsair lords, beastmasters, or ambitious nobles who smell profit and power. Such ventures are often cruel, underhanded, and thinly veiled acts of theft. To the Druchii, the fallen comet is not a sacred mystery but an opportunity to seize advantage over rivals at home and abroad.

Sample Dark Elf Expedition: Vaelirra of Clar Karond saw the comet as either a gift from dark powers or a chance to become rich enough that the difference no longer mattered. Gathering corsairs, sellswords, and a handful of trusted executioners, she sailed west for Lustria. Whether the crater held warpstone, relics, or captives worth taking, she meant to return with her holds full.

Lizardmen

Lizardmen do not form expeditions in the same manner as the younger races, for they are not trespassers in Lustria but its ancient guardians. Their warbands are more properly temple patrols, relic-recovery parties, sacred hunts, or forces dispatched according to the will of the Slann. While foreign armies race inland, the Lizardmen have already been acting for months, seeking either to secure the comet or contain the disruption it represents to the Great Plan.

Sample Lizardmen Warband: When the comet struck Lustria, the Slann of the temple-cities recognized it at once as an event of profound significance. Skink astrologers compared its fall to ancient plaques, while Saurus patrols were dispatched to cleanse the region of intruders and recover whatever sacred or dangerous force had descended. By the time foreign explorers arrive, the servants of the Old Ones are already watching them.

Amazons

Amazon warbands do not come to Lustria from afar, but they may still converge upon the comet from hidden strongholds, sacred valleys, and jungle settlements. To the Amazons, the fallen star may be a divine sign, a weapon to be denied to invaders, or a threat to be destroyed before it poisons their homeland.

Sample Amazon Warband: Priestess-Captain Tlahua read the comet's fall as a warning from the goddess: a thing of terrible power had struck the heart of the jungle, and already foreigners came swarming like flies to a carcass. With chosen warriors, sacred guardians, and scouts who knew every hidden path, she set out not to enrich herself, but to ensure that no outsider carried the star's power out of Lustria alive.

Amazon Armies: Amazons are native to Lustria and may interact with the campaign differently than most expeditions. If an Amazon army is present and no Lizardmen players are participating, Amazons may use the special Lizardmen scenario notes when applicable, representing them defending sacred sites and jungle territory from invading expeditions.

If both Amazons and Lizardmen are present in the campaign, the Lizardmen retain their role as the primary guardians of Lustria. In this case Amazon forces are treated as an expedition emerging from deeper within the jungle, following the trail of the comet outward toward the coast.

Warriors of Chaos

Chaos expeditions may be driven by prophecy, mutation, divine command, or the naked desire for a source of immense power. Champions of the Dark Gods see omens everywhere, but a comet of corruption is difficult to misread. Such a force might be sent to claim the star, consecrate it, or simply prove its worth through slaughter.

Sample Chaos Expedition: Among the northern wastes, the champion Kargath Blood-Marked heard the prophets proclaim the comet a sign from the gods. To him, that meant challenge and reward in equal measure. He gathered a brutal band of chosen followers and set sail for Lustria, determined to claim the fallen star and offer its power to the gods—or use it to rise above every rival who had ever doubted him.

Beastmen

Beastmen warbands may be drawn by omens of ruin, the scent of chaos in the air, or the promise of despoiling sacred places. Bray-Shamans interpret falling stars as signs from the dark powers, and a comet rich with corruption would be reason enough to drive an entire herd into frenzy. Their “expeditions” are less journeys than migrations of violence.

Sample Beastmen Expedition: Khorgath the Bray-Shaman howled with delight as the comet burned overhead, for to him it was plainly a sign of favor from the Ruinous Powers. If chaos had fallen into the jungle, then it must be claimed in blood. Gathering a savage herd of gors, ungors, and braying monsters, he led them southward to desecrate whatever the star had touched.

Daemons of Chaos

Daemonic incursions are not expeditions in a mortal sense, but they may follow the same trail for reasons of corruption and manifestation. If the comet carries concentrated warp energy, daemons may be drawn toward it instinctively, or else summoned by cultists who seek to harness its power. Their presence means the barrier between worlds is already fraying.

Sample Daemonic Incursion: When the comet struck Lustria, the shock of its arrival rippled through the Realm of Chaos. In the wake of that disturbance, a hidden cult enacted forbidden rites near the impact zone, tearing open a breach through which daemonic entities emerged. Whether they sought to claim the fallen star or merely revel in the corruption around it mattered little to the mortals in their path.

Vampire Counts

Vampiric expeditions may be cloaked in secrecy, conducted through mortal proxies, or led openly by a lord confident enough to ignore the danger. The fallen comet promises magical upheaval, strange death, and relics steeped in power—all things that attract necromancers and undead nobles alike.

Sample Vampire Expedition: Lady Varena felt the comet's arrival as a cold ripple through the winds of death. Something potent had fallen into Lustria—something that might fuel dark rituals for centuries. Rather than march openly, she scattered her agents among a mortal expedition, ensuring that when the time came, the prize would pass quietly into undead hands.

Tomb Kings

Tomb King expeditions are usually ancient duties awakened by omen, prophecy, or arcane necessity. Liche Priests may read celestial signs as part of long-forgotten plans, while kings may seek relics that rightfully belong only in the keeping of Nehekhara. The dead do not race for fortune, but they do march with implacable purpose.

Sample Tomb King Expedition: Deep beneath the sands, Liche Priest Menkhotep studied ancient star-charts that spoke of celestial objects falling in ages past. When the comet appeared, he knew the old prophecies had awakened once more. Summoning a small but disciplined host of skeletal warriors and chariot riders, he sent them across the sea to secure the relic before the living could profane it.

Dwarfs

Dwarfen expeditions are often built around practical goals: the recovery of star-metal, the reclaiming of ancient lost things, the settling of grudges, or the testing of runic and engineering theories. Dwarfs do not rush into folly lightly, but once convinced that something of value lies in distant lands, they pursue it with stubborn determination.

Sample Dwarfen Expedition: Runesmith Borri Granitehand listened grimly as traders described the comet's fall in distant Lustria. Star-metal of such magnitude could not be ignored. He gathered a small but dependable expedition of warriors, engineers, and loyal clansmen, swearing that no elf, man, or rat would squander such a prize before a proper Dwarf laid claim to it.

Chaos Dwarfs

Chaos Dwarf expeditions are typically driven by industry, prophecy, and cruel ambition. Sorcerer-Prophets, Daemonsmiths, and wealthy overseers alike may seek the fallen comet as a source of rare star-metal, raw warpstone, or arcane fuel for infernal engines. To the Dawi-Zharr, the jungles of Lustria are hostile and alien—but that only makes the prize more valuable.

Sample Chaos Dwarf Expedition: Daemonsmith Zharkhul Flamevein interpreted the comet's fall as both omen and opportunity. If a stone of such power had struck the jungles of Lustria, then it might feed the furnaces of Zharr-Naggrund for years—or elevate its master above every rival in the forges of Hashut. With a small escort of infernal guards, hobgoblin servants, and chained laborers, Zharkhul set sail for the west, determined to drag the Jewel of Lustria back in iron chains.

Orcs & Goblins

Greenskin expeditions are rarely organized in any civilized sense, but they may still form around a great sign, a promising fight, or the rumor of shiny things worth stealing. A comet crashing into the jungle is more than enough to get a warboss moving. Some seek battle, some seek loot, and many seek both without caring much which comes first.

Sample Greenskin Expedition: When the blazing rock tore across the sky, Warboss Grimgut Skullkrakka took it as the clearest sign Gork or possibly Mork had ever sent him. Big sky-rock meant big fight, and big fight meant glory. He gathered his boyz, a pack of lunatic goblins, and as many beasts as could be bullied onto a ship, then headed for Lustria in search of a proper scrap.

Hobgoblins

Hobgoblin expeditions are usually motivated by greed, cunning, and the opportunity to rob stronger fools of their prize. Unlike Orcs, Hobgoblins are quite capable of crossing oceans and striking bargains if profit is to be made. A comet fallen in distant lands promises loot enough to tempt even the most suspicious khan.

Sample Hobgoblin Expedition: Khan Sharptoof One-Eye listened with narrow-eyed interest as foreign traders spoke of a star that had fallen into Lustria. He cared nothing for omens, but plenty for valuables. Gathering wolf riders, sneaks, and a mob of half-starved cutthroats, Sharptoof set out to let the big folk fight over the crater while he stole whatever they were too dead to carry home.

Skaven

Skaven expeditions are acts of greed, rivalry, and religious mania. A fallen star means warpstone, and warpstone means power. Grey Seers, Warlock Engineers, and ambitious Warlords alike might send clawpacks into the jungle, each hoping to seize the God-Stone before rival clans learn the truth. Their ventures are rarely orderly, but they are always desperate.

Sample Skaven Expedition: Grey Seer Skrikch nearly dropped his sacred warpstone when the comet screamed across the sky. A gift from the Horned Rat himself could mean only one thing: a vast shard of divine stone had fallen into Lustria. At once he gathered Clanrats, gutter-runners, and a suspiciously unstable engineer, then ordered them south. If rival clans reached the crater first, he would never survive the shame.

Sigmar's Empire & The Northern Realms