The War of Life goes underwater as the defenders of a hidden reef in Ghyran face Nurgle's Rotbringers in a brand new digital tale – renowed author Jaine Fenn's Black Library debut!
READ IT BECAUSE It's a chance to see a previously unknown battle from the War of Life, and a branch of the Sylvaneth a bit different from anything we've seen before…
THE STORY In the verdant realm of Ghyran, the War of Life rages. The sylvaneth, forest spirit defenders of the realm, battle the pustulent might of Nurgle's Rotbringers, with the future of their very land at stake. But beneath the calm surface of the Sea of Serpents, the war is being waged on another front. The Naereids, custodians of the underwater forests, are beset, as bloated Blightkings intrude upon their sunken fields and threaten to destroy everything they hold dear. Kelara, leader of the Naereids must muster her defences and hold off the relentless assault – or all she has known may be lost.
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it's also far harder to track down. Jaine Fenn has had numerous short stories professionally published, some of which appear in the collection 'Downside Girls' and has won the British Science Fiction Association Short Fiction award. Her Hidden Empire space opera sequence, published by Gollancz, starts with the novel 'Principles of Angels'. Her Shadowlands science fantasy duology is published by Angry Robot.
A Black Library debut from Jaine Fenn, From the Deep is an Age of Sigmar short story set during the War of Life in the Realm of Ghyran. While the events of CL Werner’s Wardens of the Everqueen are taking place, in the shallows of the Sea of Serpents Kelara, Guardian of the Kelp Forests, marshals her Naereids in a determined defence against sorcerous underwater Rotbringers.
It’s interesting to spend time with some of the never-before-seen denizens of the Mortal Realms, although with so little to work from it’s tricky to really grasp exactly what a Naereid is and just what drives Kelara. That notwithstanding, it’s a nicely paced story with a good balance between unusual action scenes (it’s mostly underwater, after all) and quieter, more reflective moments.