[Alaric's] peers considered the Runefangs Alaric's greatest achievement, but the Runesmith himself refused to accept that he had reached the height of his art. Alaric sought a new rune, and in time, found a variation on the Rune of Kingship – the Rune of Ages. This rune would not only retain and distill the wisdom of each of its bearers and pass it on to those who followed but also give the bearer control of his very destiny. Any who carried the rune would become master of his fate and that of his entire race.
But Alaric found that no matter what material he set the Rune of Ages upon, it would shatter as the last blow was struck. Stone, iron, gromril, dragon scales – all proved too weak to contain the mighty energies of his new Master Rune. He set out upon a great quest to find a substance strong enough to bear the rune's awesome power. For long decades, Alaric wandered the dark roads of the Old World, through mountains and forests. Nowhere could he locate the material he sought. As time went on, he became more and more obsessed, prompting Dwarfs and men to give him a new name – Alaric the Mad.
[...]
Deep beneath the knotted roots of a twisted oak, he found a chunk of material strong enough to hold the Rune of Ages – warpstone.
[...]
The crown would not distill the destiny of those who wore it, but would instead draw out even the smallest shred of evil intent and transform him into the vessel for all the malice of every former wearer. Alaric was horrified by what he had created, but he knew that the crown could not be destroyed. Thus, he resolved to hide it away. He traveled to the Great Forest and the wind-swept Howling Hills and descended into the depths of a worked-out Dwarf Mine and sought a place to hide his artefact.
[...]
The crown lay hidden for many long centuries. The chamber remained intact, even as the mine entrance eventually collapsed upon itself. Then, a mighty earthquake shook the Howling Hills and brought tales of fresh gromril seams and wealth to be had in the area of the old mine.
[...]
Now, armies muster to retrieve the crown, for wild rumors of its powers have spread far and wide. The Dwarfs seek to return it to their holds where Alaric's madness can be hidden for all time. Grimgor thinks that, should he gain it, the strongest warriors in the land will come to fight him. The Emperor sees in the crown an invaluable artifact of the Age of Sigmar and believes that its power could be harnessed for the good of Man.
