Twelve years of near-constant war left the current state of the Empire seemingly normal. By any reasonable standards, there was much cause for worry, but the people had adapted. Peasants rationed and hid what they could, while the many Elector Counts of the realm took what was left. Roads once teeming with activity were left desolate, overgrown with weeds, the trails made twisted from wildlife come to repopulate what was once theirs. When darkness fell at night, all manner of beast and demon lurked within the shadows, and the merchants were forced to take to the seas. The many kingdoms within the Empire were forced to forget their grudges and open their borders. Trade flourished, and those with skill at sea knew nothing of the hardships of the landfolk.
Since his ascension, Emperor Karl Franz had been warned by the wisest of his councilors and mages of magical storms in the north and the chaos they prophesied. A storm was coming, they said, and His Majesty had been chosen by Sigmar himself to shelter his people. With the time he was given, he had done what he could. Many strained relationships among the kingdoms of man had been mended. When the Norsemen had come to raid the Nordlanders in the beginning of Karl's reign, he smashed them personally upon the coast.
Shortly after, the Beastmen were met with a reckoning, disappearing for many years deep in to the darkest of the Empire's many forests. However, in recent years they have reclaimed many of their formerly abandoned hovels and converted raided villages in to temples dedicated to their monstrous gods. The seeds of Chaos have been sewn in to the fertile lands of the Empire; Emperor Karl Franz will have none of it.
A decree has been issued to all faithful Sons of Sigmar! Take up arms immediately against any and all Beastman settlements that border an Imperial holding and ensure that Sigmar's name is praised throughout his righteous lands! Additionally, the recruitment and training of priests in the face of the coming onslaught of chaos and corruption will be of paramount importance. The Elector-Count in possession of the most pious priest at the start of turn 10 shall receive a bounty of 3,000 gold. but only if you have max priests ; )))
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Meanwhile, word has begun to spread to the rest of the Empire about the victories of Reikland and Nordland. Upon receipt of the imperial decree, General Ferdinand von Wallenstein immediately began preparations for a surprise raid on the nearest Beastman temple. He gathered the few troops he could and moved his meager force to live within the forests indefinitely, until one morning the beasts marched forth for, presumably, some raid. Scouts were sent to forewarn those in the path of the beasts, while Ferdinand waited the whole of the day until the last light had fallen over the horizon, then sprung his trap.
The gates were open before the beasts knew what was happening, and the battle was over so quickly that Ferdinand was able to link up with his Emperor to do battle together against the raiding force. A slaughter ensued, nearly at the same time that another was taking place. Prince Wolfgang was at battle in a much more even tilt under the watchful eye of Reiksguard Commander Kurt Helborg, arguably the second most powerful man in the Empire. In one fell swoop, nearly the entire Beastman presence within Reikland had been sundered.
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In Nordland, Count Theodoric sees this decree as an opportunity to repay an old debt to his Emperor. Karl Franz had answered the call to defend Nordland against the Norsca incursion, and now Theodoric Gausser would see to the defense of Sigmar's reverence on Imperial soil. Already, Theodoric and his son had defeated a mighty horde of beasts and trolls with an elite contingent of 400 crossbows and as many swords. After properly burying the majority of his swordsmen and burning the beasts, Theodoric dispatches his son with a spy to head north and seize the beastman temple west of the Nordland borders. The temple falls in short order, and with the last of the Chaos threat within Nordland dealt with, Theodoric turns his attention inward to a band of rebels who think themselves fit to rule.
Last edited by cowcow; September 20, 2017 at 01:38 AM.
I kick Kolu for being absent for too long and Amon also said he is dropping this due to real-life issues. Melon will take over Amon's Nordland faction and I posted for a new Averland player.
"The Dragon is wise, a sage among the ignorant. He knows not all that glitters is gold."