The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

Speaking of the War of the Beard, it's a complex history involving the rise and fall of elves, dwarfs, and chaos forces before the rise of humanity, and it would take tens of thousands of words to fully explain. Here's a brief overview.

After the first Phoenix King, Aenarion, and his close friend Caledor Dragontamer established the Great Vortex, Aenarion single-handedly killed four greater demons of chaos, was severely wounded, and died after returning the Sword of Khaine to its altar. The Dragontamer was trapped in the Vortex forever, and the world finally saw peace.

After Aenarion's death, due to the fear of the curse left by Khaine, the elven council did not choose Aenarion's son Malekith as the new Phoenix King but instead chose "the Explorer" Bel Shanaar. Bel Shanaar's reign was the peak of the Elven Empire, during which the high elves and dwarfs formed an alliance, destroyed all chaos armies left in the world, and ushered in a golden age remembered fondly by the elves to this day.

Unfortunately, this age did not last long (a few hundred years). As Malekith poisoned Bel Shanaar and launched a rebellion, the high elves fell into civil war, and the dark elves split off, marking the end of the golden age. The high elves and the dark elves then began a history of thousands of years of internal conflict.

Centuries later, the dark elves sent a small squad to deliberately attack a dwarven trade convoy, causing severe losses. The then High King of the Dwarfs, Gotrek Starbreaker, unaware of the elven split, demanded the high elves make double restitution for the losses and apologize and punish those responsible. The Phoenix King at the time was Caledor II, who, arrogant and foolish, saw this as a provocation from the dwarfs and ordered his servants to shave the beards of the dwarven emissaries.

For dwarfs, losing a beard is a terrible humiliation, and so the War of the Beard erupted. The war ended with the death of Caledor II, the loss of the Phoenix Crown, and the shattering of the alliance. Since then, the high elves were busy with their endless internal wars with the dark elves, while the mountain kingdoms of the dwarfs fell one by one to the greenskins, paving the way for humanity's rise in the Old World...

"Your human texts always record that the dark elves split from the high elves after their withdrawal from the Old World, but in reality, the high elves had already split before the War of the Beard," Tigris calmly explained. "The last of the Dragonmaster's bloodline died here, and the art of dragon taming was lost. That's the real tragedy."

"But I thought there were still dragon princes among the high elves?" Ryan asked, puzzled.

Dragons were once the dominant species of the world, ruling before the arrival of the Old Ones. When the Old Ones arrived, they altered the planet's orbit to make it more suitable for the species they created.

The climate became colder, less suitable for dragons, and most went into hibernation in nearby mountains or underground caves. The volcanoes of Caledor were said to house many dragons.

"It's different now. Before the extinction of the Dragonmaster family, the dragon princes were 'taming' dragons. After the extinction, the dragon princes could only 'ask' dragons," explained Tigris. "Without the art of dragon taming, the dragon princes had to try to befriend dragons and sing a 'dragon song' for three days and nights without stopping to awaken a sleeping dragon, and the song had to be pleasing to the dragon in its dreams."

"I see," Ryan nodded in understanding. "Indeed, I know there's a dragon in the royal zoo in Brunswick, but most are hibernating and only awakened by the Empire in the direst circumstances."

"Speaking of which, aren't dragons rare in the Old World?" Tigris asked casually. "Logically, there should be a significant number of sleeping dragons here, but I rarely see them..."

"They've been hunted," Ryan stated flatly.

"Hunted?"

"Yes, hunted. In Bretonnia, dragon hunting is not uncommon," Ryan explained. "In the current Order of the Grail Knights, there are several who have slain dragons during their quests, including lesser dragons and wyverns. Fewer have killed true dragons, but there are many historically who have."

Indeed, from its inception, Bretonnia was known for dragon slaying. Its founding knight, King Arthur, had slain dragons, as had his son Loholt and direct descendant Duke Bathalzar Gelt, and many Grail Knights during their quests, as slaying dragons was a quick way to catch the Lady of the Lake's attention.

Whenever there was news of a dragon

's presence, knights would rush to slay it to earn the Lady's favor, a method... remarkably effective. Even if a dragon slayer did not become a Grail Knight, he would still be hailed as a hero of the kingdom.

"By the gods! There's a dragon! Quick, tell the Bretonnians!"

—An Imperial proverb

"Pfft, Ryan, why haven't you slain a dragon for the Lady to see?" Sulia couldn't help but laugh as she spoke to her husband.

"I've never encountered a dragon. Actually, there are quite a few sleeping dragons in the Grey Mountains and the interior of the Empire's Black Forest, but dragons hibernate for millennia; it takes luck to encounter one," Ryan retorted.

"The dragons here are mixed breeds, bipedal wyverns, and some flying lesser dragons," Tigris shook his head. "True dragons aren't that numerous... But being able to slay such a creature alone still speaks to one's strength."

"The number of dragons falling into hibernation in the Caledor volcanoes is increasing, and fewer dragon princes can ride them now," Tigris said sadly. "The power of order is always declining, yet my Asur kin still stubbornly refuse my proposals for an alliance."

"At least the Empire won't refuse you, and neither will I... Alaros probably won't refuse you either." Ryan thought, What use is telling me this? Can I convince the wood elves for you? Those with heads of elm wood are beyond even a Phoenix King's messenger, let alone me...

"It's hard to say. Emperor Karl Franz might not refuse my request, but as you know, the Empire is made up of many provinces, and the Elector Counts' recognition of the emperor varies..." Tigris seemed to realize his words were futile and abruptly stopped talking.

"Does he seem upset?" Sulia whispered to her husband as they walked aside, her respect and slight fear for the high elven Archmage evident.

"Some things, even Tigris... or even the Lady herself cannot foresee," Ryan said, embracing his wife gently. "I will tell you many things bit by bit, my wife."

"I am ready, my husband, for my lifetime," Sulia replied with a smile, her eyes full of happiness.

"Let's go down. I've borrowed the music hall from Lord Tigris for an hour; I want to teach you something~" Ryan gestured for his wife to head back to the cabin first.

"What are you going to teach us?" Sulia followed him toward the cabin interior.

"A dance step... called the Formosa."

"Formosa dance step? I'm looking forward to it."

...

The high elf oceanic juggernaut sailed swiftly across the ocean, its triangular sails powered by magic aiding its speedy voyage. The helmsman easily steered the giant ship through the winds, and the Lothern Sea Guard maintained order on the deck. In just one day, Le-Angron was far behind, and the ship entered the Claw Sea.

This sea region is notorious for the frequent presence of Norscan pirates. The Imperial Navy, Bretonnian privateers, Norscan pirates, and dark elf corsairs were constantly at war here. This area also often fell into territorial disputes between Bretonnia and the Empire, complicating relations between the two nations. When barbarian and dark elf pirates appeared, the two nations naturally allied against the pirates, but when there were no pirates, skirmishes and frictions often broke out between their fleets.

The Knightly King and the Emperor of the Empire repeatedly emphasized the futility of internal human conflict, but the privateers and the often corrupt Imperial Navy risked dangers for profit. A successful raid meant high profits, and few were willing to pass up such opportunities, even if it ended up in court, where national courts tended to favor their own people.

This is why Ryan had to cooperate with Duke Bordric. Without the protection of the Sea God's fleet, it was difficult for merchants to trade independently.

"..." Tigris, leaning on his staff at the prow, suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze toward the horizon.

A large Norscan longship was slowly emerging from the edge of visibility, carrying about two hundred barbarians.

"Barbarian pirates... Prepare for battle." The high elves on the juggernaut immediately noticed the Norscan longship, shouting loudly to ready everyone for combat.

Dozens of eagle-claw ballistae were activated by the elf crew, and nearly two-meter-long bolts were loaded. The Lothern Sea Guard assembled on deck, and Horst Magicsword Zoltan approached from behind: "A barbarian scum's broken ship."

Tigris looked up, focusing his gaze on the ship's masthead.

There, an ice phoenix was nesting at the top of the mast, sleeping within its nest. Tigris thought for a moment, then shook his head to dismiss the

 impulse to awaken the phoenix and instead ordered Zoltan: "Go call Ryan and the others up here."

"Them? Everyone?"

"Yes."

Horst Magicsword hurried off, returning with Ryan and his wife, the two witches, and the servants Sulia had brought: "Lord Tigris?"

Tigris wondered why Zoltan had called the servants too. Do these even count as people? However, the Archmage always kept his emotions hidden, simply calmly saying to Ryan: "Barbarians have come."

"That's great! My Mjolnir has been itching for action." Ryan pulled out Mjolir, its lightning flickers putting pressure on the nearby Lothern Sea Guards.

"No, just watch." Tigris shook his head, indicating Ryan did not need to act, and motioned Teresa and Veronica to come forward: "Miss Trevick, Lady Benadotte, come here. I think it's time to test what you've learned."

"Yes, Lord Tigris!" The two witches indicated they were ready, Veronica looking serious, while Teresa was a bit nervous.

"I will bind that Norscan longship. Then, Miss Trevick, please remember my guidance and use the Breath of the Frost Dragon to freeze the ship within a circle. I want the circle as round as possible, and it must not touch the ship's body," Tigris first instructed Teresa.

"Understood." Teresa gripped her staff, immediately starting her spell preparation.

"Lady Benadotte, please remember my guidance too. After Miss Trevick freezes the longship, release a Meteor Shower. My requirement is that your meteor shower must sink the longship but must not touch Miss Trevick's ice circle."

"I understand." Veronica, her sweet face very serious, nodded in agreement, her magic gathering at her fingertips.

As they discussed, the Norscan longship gradually approached, its barbarian crew already aware of the high elf oceanic juggernaut. These barbarians, fearless in death, only thought of how to plunder the giant ship and then set it ablaze to please their dark gods.

"Ready... Fire!" The Lothern Sea Guard and the ship's dozens of eagle-claw ballistae fired together, thick bolts and dense arrows instantly killing dozens of Norscan raiders. The barbarian captain on board was shocked and immediately ordered the barbarians to speed up their approach to the giant ship.

"Amintorok's Net." Tigris picked up Lilith's Moon Staff, and after chanting two spells, he gently tapped the staff tip on the deck. The winds of light surged, and dozens of golden magical threads bound the Norscan longship completely. The barbarians desperately turned the ship's wheel and tried to cut these threads with their swords, but to no avail.

"Miss Trevick?"

"Breath of the Frost Dragon!" After chanting for several minutes, Teresa released an eighth-level spell, Breath of the Frost Dragon. A magical dragon made of frost energy rose from above the sorceress, flew towards the longship, and after crossing hundreds of meters, opened its mouth to release a massive breath of frost, circling the ship.

Teresa concentrated all her attention. Sweat soon appeared on her forehead. Sorceresses were traditionally taught to cast spells directly at targets, and once a spell was released, they typically didn't manage it further. The Breath of the Frost Dragon was usually a straight-line attack, so asking her to control her magic afterward was challenging, but she knew she must master it.

She couldn't let anyone look down on her! She must become stronger to stay by Ryan's side!

The Breath of the Frost Dragon traced an elliptical shape on the sea, trapping the longship within it. The icy surface formed on the sea made it impossible for the ship to move, and the barbarians began to sense their doom, some starting to jump into the water to survive.

"Meteor Shower!" Veronica's spell arrived, and the sky filled with dark clouds, rolling heat waves as several meteors fell from the sky, spewing black smoke and burning red waves, then harshly smashing onto the Norscan longship.

The ship underwent violent explosions as the meteors broke the masts, collapsed the deck, and pierced the hull, the resulting smoke engulfing the entire ship.

Veronica gritted her teeth and continued releasing meteors. Three were not enough to completely destroy the large longship, so the Garon witch summoned three more meteors, ensuring the ship's body was thoroughly destroyed, nearly draining all her magical power.

"Help!"

"It's bad! Water's getting in!"

"The ship is sinking!"

"Abandon ship!"

The barbarians continued to howl as dozens of bolts and hundreds of arrows shot from the elf juggernaut once again struck the unfortunate barbarians. The longship's body split in the middle, scores of barbarians were killed outright, and everything began to quiet down. The sea was left

 with only the smoking remains of the Norscan longship and an elliptical ice berg.

After releasing her magic, Teresa was drenched in sweat, her legs gave way, and she almost collapsed, but Ryan immediately caught her around the waist. Veronica, also panting heavily, leaned on Ryan, waiting for Tigris's evaluation.

"Not bad," Tigris was silent for a while before nodding: "For humans, this level is quite good. Reflect well on the winds of magic, and come to me with any questions."

"Continue onward, Asur."

"Yes!"

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