Long time ago, far away, in the shadow of the endless war, amidst the clamor of swords and the roar of engines, there lived a Gretchin named Sniv. Small in stature, but vast in ambition, Sniv was an unlikely figure to be caught in the great clash of cosmic powers. However, fate had drawn him into a drama far grander than the petty skirmishes of his kind, for Sniv's path crossed that of a divine relic, a tool of unimaginable power, one that could either save or damn all existence.
The war began in the distant recesses of the galaxy, on a forgotten world once home to ancient and powerful deities. The relic, known as the
Heart of the Forge, had been lost to the eons of time, its true purpose obscured by the sands of history. Whispers of its rediscovery spread like wildfire, igniting a frantic search by the forces of the universe. Among these forces, the Orks, a mighty and chaotic race driven by war and destruction, had taken an interest, and so too had the Eldar, whose knowledge of the cosmos spanned millennia. But what none expected was the involvement of a lowly Gretchin, a mere underling among the Orks.

The sun’s harsh rays pose a significant risk to Krot, whose small, delicate skin is prone to sunburns and damage. Shelter becomes crucial in sun-exposed environments.
Sniv had always been overlooked in the sprawling Ork mobs. A mere grunt in a world full of larger, meaner, and more dangerous creatures, he had learned the hard way that survival came not from strength, but from cunning. His role as a scavenger had made him adept at finding scraps, and that was how he first encountered the
Heart of the Forge.
It had been an accident, really. Sniv had been searching for spare parts in the ruins of an ancient city when he stumbled upon the relic - an object of strange beauty, pulsing with an ethereal light, buried deep in the wreckage of a temple. His instincts as a scavenger screamed at him to take it, to sell it, to gain enough power to rise above the endless slights of his fellow Orks. But as his fingers brushed the surface, a surge of energy coursed through him, filling his mind with visions of fire, smoke, and a thousand voices speaking in unison. The
Heart of the Forge was no mere object - it was a sentient being, a piece of something much greater, and it was now bound to Sniv.
The first voice that spoke to him was not of his kind. It was an Eldar's - sharp and elegant, full of ancient wisdom.
"You have awakened it, little one," the voice said,
"but you do not understand what you hold."
At first, Sniv thought it a trick, but the voice persisted, guiding him with cryptic instructions. The
Heart of the Forge was more than just a relic - it was a key, a catalyst for forging alliances between the ancient powers, the gods, and the forces that shaped reality itself. Sniv, with his newfound connection to the relic, could sway the course of history, but only if he could navigate the dangerous waters of political intrigue, deception, and war.
What followed was a game of power unlike any Sniv had ever encountered. The Ork Warbosses, sensing the power of the relic, desired it for themselves. The Eldar, ever wary of the Orks gaining too much control, saw in Sniv an opportunity to manipulate the situation. They had no choice but to seek an alliance with the cunning Gretchin, though they knew it would come at a great cost.
On the other side, the Chaos Space Marines, led by a dark sorcerer, also sought the relic. To them, the
Heart of the Forge was more than a tool; it was a means to bind the gods themselves, to reshape the very fabric of existence to their will. Sniv, now a pawn in a game played by titans, found himself holding the fate of countless worlds in his small hands.

The mist serves as the perfect backdrop for the Krot, whose translucent body provides an exceptional advantage for hiding from predators and remaining unseen.
But it was not only the grand players who took notice. In the shadows of the galaxy, a faction of human rebels - warriors of honor and ambition - had caught wind of the relic's power. They, too, came to Sniv, offering a different kind of alliance. Their plan was simple: unite the forces of good and evil under a common banner to face the encroaching doom of the universe. Their vision was one of peace, of balance - something Sniv had never known.
Sniv was torn. The Orks, with their love for chaos, would destroy the galaxy just for fun. The Eldar were too distant, too proud to be trusted. Chaos promised power beyond measure, but at the cost of everything Sniv had ever known. And the humans, though seeming noble, were just as capable of deception as the others. But it was not only the warlords and sorcerers that Sniv had to contend with; he had to grapple with the
Heart of the Forge itself. The relic's power was too great to ignore, and with each passing day, it spoke more clearly to him, urging him to take a side, to make a choice.
Sniv's cunning, however, outstripped them all. In an audacious move, he brokered a secret alliance between the Orks and the Eldar. The Orks, with their sheer strength and desire for war, would serve as a distraction, while the Eldar, with their knowledge and finesse, would guide the Gretchin in unlocking the true potential of the
Heart of the Forge. Together, they would face the Chaos forces, who sought to corrupt and destroy everything in their path.
But the alliance was not without its cost. The Orks, led by Warboss Gutstompa, grew restless with the subtlety of the Eldar, and soon the two factions were at odds. As the war raged on, Sniv's position became more precarious. Betrayals became commonplace, and even Sniv found himself tempted by the promises of power whispered by the Chaos sorcerer.
It was in the final battle, amidst the burning ruins of the ancient temple where the
Heart of the Forge had first been found, that Sniv's true moment came. As Warboss Gutstompa charged the Eldar lines, and the Chaos forces clashed with the humans, Sniv stood alone, holding the relic aloft. The energy of the
Heart of the Forge surged through him, amplifying his will. The choices were clear: the Orks would destroy everything, the Eldar would abandon all in the name of their own survival, and Chaos would bring the galaxy to its knees.
But Sniv - wise in his smallness - knew that the only way forward was not through destruction, but through unity. In a bold, defiant act, he wove the energies of the relic to forge an alliance between the warring factions. It was not perfect. It was not clean. But it was enough.

In a world shaped by unpredictable weather, the Krot’s travel plans are often hindered by treacherous snowstorms and icy roads.
The war ended not in victory, but in a fragile truce, with Sniv standing at the center, his hands still holding the relic. His name would not be sung by the bards or remembered by the great heroes of the universe. But in the dark corners of history, where the great powers met and clashed, the story of Sniv - the Gretchin who forged a galaxy-spanning alliance for a divine relic - would be whispered, a legend in the making.
And so, the
Heart of the Forge lay in the hands of one who had once been nothing, now a key to an uncertain future.
This is the chronicle of Sniv.