Altdorf
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Altdorf, originally Reikdorf, is the Imperial capital of the Empire and the province of Reikland. [2a]
It is the seat of the Emperor Karl Franz; home to the Great Cathedral of Sigmar, the Colleges of Magic, the Imperial Engineers School, and the Imperial Zoo. The city is a centre for trade and learning; its docks teem with merchants, its taverns with students. From the strange creatures housed in the Imperial Zoo, to the majestically solid, dwarf-built walls, Altdorf is a city of great beauty and variety.[2a]
Altdorf is one of the Empire's oldest cities, built upon the site of the ancient Unberogen settlement, but has not always been the capital. For example, Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer made his capital at Middenheim after becoming Emperor in 1124 IC, and Magnus the Pious had his capital at Nuln. [5a]
Contents
Government
The city’s official ruler is Karl Franz Holswig-Schliestein; Emperor, Elector Count of Reikland and Prince of Altdorf.[3a] Naturally, the Emperor has other duties to occupy him; as a result, Altdorf is really governed the Council of Altdorf, a large council of rich merchants, governors, Guild Masters, priests and minor nobles. Corruption is rife; if the Emperor is aware of it, he does nothing. [5b]
The Imperial Palace is a vast building, easily the largest in the city. The Emperor’s court is always filled with nobility from across the Empire, and is a hotbed of political intrigue, social manoeuvring, and hedonistic frivolity. Foremost on the political side is the Council of State, a group formed from the noble families of the most ancient lineage. Though the Council has no constitutional authority, it advises the Emperor on all matters of state. The Grand Theogonist is always a member of this council, and is behind many of the more urgent suggestions – not for nothing is the head of Sigmar’s priesthood regarded as the most powerful man in The Empire.
The Elector Counts, though physically distant from the politics of Altdorf, employ their own council of representatives. The Prime Estates, as this council is known, act as a check on the Emperor’s powers – they study the Imperial edicts, tax levies and so on, reporting their findings back to the Electors. Tradition forces the Electors to provide troops to the Emperor and his wars, but other demands and commands are a different matter. Should an Imperial proclamation be regarded as undesirable, impractical, or just plain foolish, the Electors can simply refuse to enforce it. Even the strongest Emperor is helpless in the face of unified defiance from the Elector Counts. [5b]
Additionally the Reikland Council meets each week and concerns itself with the matters of the province. [5b]
History
During the reign of Phoenix King Bel Shanaar the Explorer, the Elves built a settlement, Kor Vanaeth on the site where later Altdorf would be created. The town was stormed and destroyed by the Dwarfs c. -1850 IC during the War of Vengeance. [5a]
The human Unberogens built a settlement named Reikdorf assisted by a small community of Dwarfs whose quarter became known as ‘Metallschlacke’. Fortifed, the town flourished, exporting pottery and raising cattle in the fine pastureland. [5a]
Sigmar was born in the town of Reikdorf in -30 IC and became its king in -8 IC. He went on to create the Empire in 1 IC.[2a][2c][9a]
A series of wars, bad harvests and social decline took its toll on the area and walls were added to the town around 300 IC. [6a]
However by 500 IC it had grown to house thousands and defied Emperor Sigismund the Conqueror's edict to build only in stone, although he commissioned the Dwarfs to create strong white stone walls to defend the city he now called Altdorf. His son, Siegfried the Lawyer was so disgusted by the city, often called the Great Reek that he moved his court to Nuln but Altdorf remained an important trading hub. [5a]
Emperor Hasso created the first Imperial Navy, the Keepers of the Coast in 632 IC, with an important base at Altdorf.
In 850 ICGrand Theogonist Marius Mollus declared that the only true god is Sigmar but is then dragged screaming to his death by a huge three headed blood red hound. [5a]
In 924 IC Daemons of Nurgle attacked and destroyed the Temple of Shallya which is said to have discovered a cure for the Crumbling Ague. [7a]
Grand Theogonist Zigmund II renovated the Imperial Palace in 990 IC and invited Emperor Ludwig to wild parties, finally bringing the court back to the city. In 1000 IC the Great Cathedral of Sigmar was completed. [5a]
During Boris Goldgather's reign, Altdorf, or the Great Reek as it was also known, was infamous for both its riches and its thieves. After riots when several priests of Sigmar were exposed for corruption alongside their mistresses and or harems, martial law was imposed. [6a]
The Skaven-developed Black Plague hit Altdorf in 1111 IC. [9a]
After Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer defeated the Skaven, he moved the court to Middenheim. The importance of Altdorf began to wane and many of the nobility left. This lead to the merchant class rising in power. [5a][6a] The cult of Sigmar attempted to take control using a policy of bread for believers but this was subject to almost inevitable corruption. [6a]
The Electors meet in the city in 1359 IC and elect Count Wilhelm of Stirland and furious, Ottilia I of Talabecland declares herself Empress backed by the Cults of both Taal and Ulric. The civil war of the Empire begins.[9a]
Emperor Hjalmar the Tyrannical creates the Pillar of Sigmar in 1416 IC. [5a]
Grand Theogonist Siebold II tasked the Order of the Silver Hammer with defending humanity against Chaos in 1682 IC. [5a]
Gorbad Ironclaw attacked the city in c. 1707 IC and even the death of Emperor Sigismund IV did not break the will of the defenders. [9a]
Emperor Carolus I made the mistake of trusting the word of the Great Enchanter Drachenfels and died at the infamous posion feast in 1937 IC.
Leonardo da Miragliano founded the Imperial Engineers School in 2012 IC within the city.
The Vampire Counts of Sylvania attacked the city twice during Wars of the Vampire Counts and although badly damaged, it remained defiant on both occasions.[9a]
Count Vlad von Carstein, greatest of the vampire counts, came closest to taking the city in 2051 IC. It is said that the entire population sought surrender, but Wilhelm III, Grand Theogonist, rekindled the true spirit of Sigmar within them and convinced them to fight. Wilhelm knew the secret of Vlad’s invulnerability: he dispatched the great thief Felix Mann to break into the vampire’s pavilion and steal the Carstein Ring. Deprived of his magical protection, Vlad was slain when Wilhelm threw himself and Vlad off the walls onto stakes at the base of the wall. The undead army disintegrated, Altdorf was saved, and to this day, Wilhelm III is invoked as the patron saint of those who seek protection from the unquiet dead.
Mannfred von Carstein, last of the vampire counts, besieged Altdorf a century later (2132 IC)) to finish what Vlad had begun. It was another Grand Theogonist, Kurt III, who was Mannfred’s undoing. Kurt read the Great Spell of Unbinding from the Liber Mortis, a work of vile necromancy that had once belonged to Vlad himself, and so devastated Mannfred’s army that the vampire was forced to retreat. [5a]
The city was struck by the Great Boil Plague in 2302 IC.
The Colleges of Magic were founded the city in after the Great War against Chaos with the help of Supreme Loremaster Teclis of the High Elves in 2304 IC. [5a][9a]
In 2324 IC, the water and sewer system collapsed creating the Summer of Cess and uniting the various guilds to create aqueducts, wells and line sewers over the next hundred years via the Clean Water Company. [6a]
In 2415 IC duels between rival wizards of the Colleges escalated into Night of a Thousand Arcane Duels. Six of the eight Patriatchs of the Colleges of Magic die and the teaching of magic is suspended by the Emperor Dieter IV. [5a][9a]
Altdorf has been the capital ever since Wilhelm the Wise became Emperor in 2429 IC and moved the court back from Nuln. He also reinstated the Colleges of Magic following his defeat at the Battle of Grootscher Marsh. [5a]
A fire destroyed over four-fifths of the city in 2431 IC and Emperor Willhelm III both rebuilds the city and curbed the Bright Order. [6a]
In 2453 IC, Arkhan the Black besieged Altdorf, stealing the Liber Mortis before departing and leaving his army to rot outside the walls. [5a][9a]
Riots broke out across the city in 2506 IC after the so called Thumb Tax was imposed by Chancellor Mornan Tybalt. [5a] The Stench Act of 2506 also reduced the power of both the Guilds and the Colleges of Magic, to the predictable outrage of both. [6a]
End Times
During Geheimnisnacht 2525 IC the city was lost to the legions of Chaos. [10]
In 2527 IC, the ruined city was being besieged by the Skaven although it was holding out under the leadership of the Emperor, Ludwig Schwarzhelm and Gregor Martak, Supreme Patriarch. A rag-tag army under Valten arrived and broke through the divided ratmen and it was decided to use this force, assisted by Martak to stage a diversion to allow the main bulk of the remaining army to break out with the surviving civilians. This worked exceptionally well - helped by the fact the Skaven were fighting amongst themselves. The ruins were left to burn. [11]
Military
As the largest and richest city in The Empire, its troops are perhaps the best equipped of all the state armies. Altdorf maintains not only its own army, but also the Emperor’s guard. In time of war, the Emperor can call upon the Elector Counts, and also the Burgomeisters of the city-states, to supply troops directly, and thus form the Imperial army.
The Moot also supplies troops to the Imperial army at Altdorf: these constitute the Imperial Halfling corps. However, Halfling regiments are generally assigned to foraging and provisioning rather than actual fighting – though they make excellent baggage train guards, willing to fight to the last to protect the food. The Halfling Hot Pot, invented by master chef Gambo Hartstock and first used against the goblin warlord Grom, is a key part of the corps. Hartstock was unable to reveal the secret of Hot Pot preparation to the Imperial Engineers, since it would have meant betraying the Chef’s code. Thus the weapon remains a uniquely Halfling one.
The uniform colours of Altdorf are red and blue but may be combined in various ways, usually changing when new uniforms are issued and to distinguish separate regiments from each other. [8a]
Altdorf Bowman
Altdorf Crossbows
Knightly Orders
There are four major Knightly Orders based in Altdorf.
- Foremost amongst these is the Reiksguard, founded during the reign of Emperor Wilhelm III of Reikland as the bodyguard of the Emperor. Their ranks include nobility from every corner of The Empire.
- The High Helms are a new order, regarded as one of Karl-Franz’s more extreme eccentricities – the order accepts only very tall men, and is said not to be overly concerned if the recruits lack even the most basic degree of intelligence.
- The Knights of the Fiery Heart are fanatical templars of Sigmar, and form the personal guard of the Grand Theogonist.
- Finally, the Knights Griffon were formed by Magnus the Pious in 2305 to protect the Temple to Sigmar in Nuln, but moved to Altdorf after it became the Imperial Capital in 2429.
There is some rivalry between the Fiery Heart and the Knights Griffon, as each sees the other as impinging on their duty.
Knight of the Fiery Heart
Knights Griffon
Reiksguard
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Guilds
There are many guilds in the city, all of which are recorded in the Civic List but the most powerful chartered Guilds can even defy city law. They can offer many benefits to a member including matchmaking, funds for widows, pensions and scholarships. Some of the most prominent are: [6a]
- The Blackpowder Men. [6a]
- The Butchers' Guild. [6a]
- The Guild of Stevedores. [6a]
- The Imperial Guild of Arms and Armourers. [6a]
- The Lawyers Guild. [6a]
- The Masons' and Carpenters' Guild. [6a]
- The Mercer's Association. [6a]
- The Mercantile Society. [6a]
Locations
- Sapherian Embassy: A white marble tower surrounded by alabaster walls located on the north bank of the Reik in the University District, this is the offical embassy of Ulthuan to the Empire - the diplomatic delgation is headed by Farforian Whiteshore, whilst Captain Ophelion commands the embassy’s 120 Lothern Sea Guard. [4a]
- The Colleges of Magic: Altdorf has been the home of magical study since the time of Magnus the Pious. The three most spectacular college buildings – the flame-topped towers of the Bright college, the lofty spires of the Celestial college and the mystic pyramid of the Light college – are magically concealed so that few residents of Altdorf are even aware of their presence.There are eight colleges of magic, one for each of the colours of the winds of magic:
- Amber Order (beasts): The only College not within the city, preferring instead the caves of the Amber Hills, away from the civilisation that is anathema to their magic.
- Amethyst Order (death): overlooks the infamous haunted cemetery of Old Altdorf, the resting place of the plague victims, and few dare go near it.
- Bright Order (fire)
- Celestial Order (heavens)
- Gold Order (metal): Alchemists maintain a vast, smoke-billowing forge complex, and pollute the river Reik with their arcane chemicals.
- Grey Order (shadow): A run-down building located in the city’s poorest slums, and allegedly connected with many secret tunnels.
- Jade Order (life): Formed from living trees, the College is hidden behind high stone walls.
- Light Order (light).
- Imperial Engineers School: The School has been responsible for some of The Empire’s most amazing technical breakthroughs, especially in the field of warfare. The School’s founder was the legendary genius Leonardo of Miragliano, whose Steam Tanks are still repaired, maintained and refitted here (though it has so far proven impossible to create new tanks from scratch). The weapons produced by the engineers range from the infamous Helblaster Volley Gun to the useless von Tropp’s Spring-assisted Chain Lasso, though most lie somewhere in between. Many of the engineers are Dwarfs,[2a] banished from their holds for showing too much innovation - a trait not popular among the traditionalist dwarfs. Altdorf has a large Imperial Dwarf population, not only engineers but merchants, workers, and indeed members of all branches of society. Dwarfs fight in their own units rather than being recruited into state regiments – they will often wear uniforms of their own design, and favour Imperial fashions over the sombre clothing of other Dwarfs.
- University of Altdorf: The most highly respected centre of learning in the Empire. [2a]
The River Reik
Though far inland, the river Reik is still phenomenally deep and wide at Altdorf. Even ocean-going war vessels can dock here, and do so at the Reiksport.[2a] The ships of the Imperial fleet lack the grace of those of Bretonnia or Marienburg; they are boxy, practical constructs laden with heavy weaponry. Of particular note are the Hellhammers – wargalleys that mount a solitary, massive cannon capable of sending a Man o'War to the bottom with a single shot.
Religion
Altdorf is the centre for the worship of Sigmar, founder and patron of The Empire. Fittingly, it boasts a tremendous cathedral dedicated to the god. The cathedral is octagonal in shape, very richly decorated, and is said to be built upon the very spot where Sigmar was crowned as the first Emperor. A large palace nearby is the official residence of the Grand Theogonist.
Gallery
College of the Bright Order
College of the Gold Order
Grand Astrolabe
Altdorf’s Temple of Myrmidia Incazzata
Citizens of Altdorf
Miniatures
Altdorf Spearman
Altdorf Spearmen
Reiksguard Knights
Reiksguard on foot
High Helm Knight
See also
- Under-Altdorf: The Skaven City-burrow that lurks beneath Altdorf. [1]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Chronicles: Thanquol and Boneripper (anthology): Grey Seer (Novel)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (4th Edition)
- 3: Sigmar's Heirs (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd Edition))
- 3a: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pg. 81
- 4: Patrons of the Old World
- 4a: Farforian Whiteshore, pg. 8
- 5: Altdorf: Crown of the Empire
- 6: Spires of Altdorf
- 6a: Heart of the Empire, pg. 5-8
- 7: Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos (7th Edition)
- 7a: Daemonic Incursions, pg. 27
- 8: White Dwarf 146 (UK)
- 8a: The State Regiments, pg. 38
- 9 Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)
- 9a: Timeline of the Empire, pg. 16-17
- 10: Warhammer: Glottkin, Chapter Four: The Fall of Altdorf, Autumn 2525.
- 11: Warhammer: Thanquol, Chapter 6: The Battle for Middenheim, pg. 180-181
| The provinces & city-states of The Empire | |
| Provinces | Reikland - Middenland - Nordland - Ostland - Hochland - Talabecland - Ostermark - Stirland - Averland - Wissenland - The Moot |
| City-states | Altdorf - Nuln - Middenheim - Talabheim |
| Lost provinces | Drakwald - Solland - Westerland - Sylvania |
