History of
Altdorf
By Alfred Nuñez Jr. with Arne Dam
Additional background
provided by Tim Eccles, Anthony Ragan and Ryan Wileman
Centuries before the
birth of Sigmar, the Unberogen tribe settled along the western valleys of the
River Reik and its tributaries. They
were a farming tribe and one of the largest and more powerful in the land north
of the Black Mountains. In time, they
built small villages and became prosperous.
The largest settlement in the entire land , Reikdorf, was founded by the
Unberogens long before the appearance of the twin-tailed comet and the birth of
Sigmar.
There are many myths
surrounding Sigmar in his youth, many based upon whatever historical records
can be found. During that time, the
Dwarfs and Humans warred against the Orcs and Goblins who infested the forests
and hills from the Dark Lands far to the east.
Word came to the Tribes that the Dwarf High King wanted to meet with the
elders in the newly founded trading village of Nuln to plan their next
attack. The Unberogen chieftain, Gertar, brought his
strappingly son in order to teach the lad the negotiation skills needed for one
to become a successful leader of men.
The Dwarf High King was
uncharacteristically late for the council.
While the gathered chieftains grew more concerned, Sigmar left Nuln and
trekked eastward along the River Aver.
In a small wood, Sigmar came upon an encampment of Orcs and
Goblins. He crept up to their camp and
noticed that the wounded High King Kurgan Ironbeard
was their captive. The Orcs were
feasting on one of the Dwarf’s fallen companions and would soon turn their
attention to Kurgan. Without warning,
the fifteen year old Sigmar descended upon the greenskin camp and
single-handedly slaughtered the hated creatures. All twenty Orcs fell as did many of the Goblins. Others scampered away to spread the word of
a giant of a man who fell upon their camp as the God of Death.
This rescue forged an
eternal friendship between the Dwarf High King and young Sigmar as well as an unwavering alliance between the Dwarf
Empire and Unberogens. Upon their
arrival to Nuln, High King Kurgan bestowed upon his saviour the great runic
warhammer, Ghal Maraz as a token of Sigmar’s great deed and the lasting
friendship between the two.
A few years later,
Gertar was slain during an Orcish raid.
Enraged, Sigmar decided that there was only one way to deal with the
foul greenskins. He then travelled the
length of the land in order to bring a Grand Alliance of tribes under his
banner. The United Tribes would then
ally themselves with the Dwarf realms and drive the greenskins from the
land. Sigmar’s efforts came to fruition
in the Battle of Black Fire Pass. In a
cataclysmic battle of epic proportions, the horde of greenskins was annihilated. The few who survived scattered, most
returned to the Dark Lands while a few hid in the deepest forest.
By popular acclaim as
victorious war chief, Sigmar was proclaimed Emperor in the following year and
crowned by Ar-Ulric, the High Priest of the Ulrican cult. Except for an occasional outbreak of
hostilities, Sigmar’s reign was the first period of extensive peace in the
land. Under Sigamr’s wise rule, towns
and cities began to grow and prosper.
In addition, many Dwarfs immigrated to the Empire, setting up shop as
blacksmiths, craftsmen, stonemasons, and traders in these growing settlements.
After 50 years on the
throne, the still hale 80 year old Emperor abdicated his throne. With Ghal Maraz in hand, Sigmar departed for
one last journey, this time to the Imperial Dwarfhold of Karaz-a-Karak. There, he would return his runic warhammer
to the Dwarfking.
Sigmar’s
departure caused consternation among the tribal chieftains. They needed a system to select who among them
would succeed Sigmar as Emperor and the first among equals. The chieftains gathered in Reikdorf where
they debated long in council along with the High Priests of the various cults
across the land. In time, the assembly
crafted an Electoral system whereby each chieftain, known as an Elector, would
vote for one among their number to become Emperor. The vote would continue until one of them won the majority and
that person would serve until their death.
The chieftains agreed and soon Drestan, chief of the Avermanni, was
elected to succeed Sigmar.
Years
after Sigmar’s departure, Reikdorf was preparing to celebrate the goddess
Dyrath’s Summer Feast as the people have done since well before Sigmar’s
time. In the midst of the revelry, a
malodorous hermit climbed upon the table where the Unberogen chieftain sat and
proclaimed to all that he had a vision where he saw Sigmar in all his glory
join the council of the gods. Further,
the hermit claimed that Sigmar was proclaimed as the greatest patron of the
Nation of Mankind. The scandal caused
much excitement among the crowd. The
ranking priest of Ulric sought the hermit to inquire more about the vision, but
the recluse had vanished without a trace.
Word of the hermit’s vision began to spread across the Reikland.
Within
a year, the cult of Sigmar was established in Reikdorf. Johann Helstrum, one of the Unberogen
sub-chieftains, became the cult’s first High Priest. He then arranged the construction of Sigmar’s first temple in
Reikdorf. The Ulrican priest Volman
objected strenuously as there was no proof that the hermit had received a
divine vision. It mattered little to
the new cult as many were eager to proclaim Sigmar’s divinity.
The cult of
Sigmar quickly grew in power and influence in the Unberogen homeland. By the second century, the cult was as
influential as any of the established cults in the Empire.
Soon after
his ascension as Primate (formerly High Priest) of Sigmar, Kazgar I began
gathering evidence which supported allegations that practitioners of the Old
Faith partook in “unwholesome rituals of worship,” including human sacrifice
and “wanton immorality.” Once he was
satisfied with his proof, Kazgar I met with the leaders of the cults of Ulric,
Taal, and Mórr to call for the salvation of the souls of the duped followers of
the Old Faith and the suppression of that tainted belief.
After examining the evidence, the religious leaders jointly declared that “all who follow the Old Faith must denounce their heretical faith and embrace the true gods. The leaders of the proscribed cult will be persecuted unto death unless they abandon their sacrilegious ways and seek our mercy.” The Druids throughout the Empire rejected these demands and many in the Reikland were burned at the stake. Others quickly fled with their people into the trackless forests, hidden mountain valleys, and remote borderlands of the Empire. A few small outlying villages in the Hagercrybs and Skraag Hills escaped this War of Cleansing.
The
ascension of the Reiklander Elector Sigismund to the Imperial throne was marked
by the people of Reikdorf with celebration.
In recognition of its importance, Emperor Sigismund II renamed the city
Altdorf and returned the Imperial Court to the capital of the Reikland. After initiating a building programme the
likes that Altdorf has not seen, Sigismund embarked on a mission of
conquest. Several battles northwest of
the Empire resulted in the subjugation of the independent Kingdom of the
Jutones. Sigismund renamed the land as
the Barony of Westerland and allowed the old king to become his vassal.
A devout
Sigmarite, Emperor Sigismund then turned his attention to spreading the worship
of the Father of the Empire. Resistance
was met with force of arms and several rebellions had to be violently
suppressed. Word of a Norse invasion of
in the north-eastern Empire compelled The Conqueror to move his armies
northward. Meanwhile, the worship of
Sigmar expanded beyond the Reikland and Stirland, the cult’s heartlands.
Sigismund
was unable to expel the Norse, but did reach an accord after several indecisive
battles which limited the invaders expansion as well as forcing their leaders
to pledge an oath of fealty to the Emperor.
Satisfied with the terms, The Conqueror led his armies to eastern
Stirland to suppress the uprising in that fell land. Sigismund was severely wounded in the engagement, but prevailed
in destroying the rebellious peasants.
He returned to Altdorf to the acclaim of being the greatest Emperor
since Sigmar.
From
Sigismund the Conqueror’s time few Emperors set their mark on Imperial history.
One of these was his son, Emperor Siegfried
I. The Conqueror’s successor passed
laws that established the rights and obligations of the Emperor, the Electors,
and the Nobles of the Empire, with the highlight being the Imperial Codes of
Law. These achievements earned him the nickname of “The Lawgiver”. In addition, Siegfried oversaw the
completion of the building programme that his father started, including the new
and enlarged Temple of Sigmar. After
Siegfried’s passing in 557 I.C., the Imperial court moved from Altdorf.
Though no
longer the seat of Imperial power, Altdorf continued to prosper as both the
seat of the Reikland Elector and the centre of the cult of Sigmar. Now known as the Grand Theogonist, Yorri II
invited Dwarf engineers in 934 I.C. to lead the building of the first Grand
Cathedral in Altdorf. The immensely
influential Grand Theogonist intended that the massive House of Sigmar would
stand finished in the 1000th year of Sigmar’s Empire.
In 990
I.C., Grand Theogonist Grimnar I convince the newly elected Emperor Ludwig I
during a rather extravagant feast that it was Sigmar’s will that the Head of
the Sigmarite Church should be appointed as Imperial Elector in
perpetuity. The corpulent Emperor
issued an edict to this effect, which caused enough backlash that Ludwig moved
the Imperial court from Nuln to Altdorf.
As
Sigismund represented the zenith of the Emperors following Sigmar in the first
millennium, Emperor Boris I represented the nadir. Known to history as “Goldgatherer” and “the Incompetent” for his
insatiable appetite and destructive tendencies, Emperor Boris was one of the
longest reigning Emperors. He was
elevated to Emperor at the young age of 21 by Electors who believed that they
could manipulate the hot-headed, but dull-witted Count. One of Boris’ first acts was to establish
his court at Nuln, the most cosmopolitan Imperial city at that time. Tilean architects and Dwarf artisans were
employed to rebuild Nuln into a city of splendour, matching its influence on
politics of the Empire. Another 1400
years would pass before Altdorf would once again be the capital of a unified
Empire.
Decades
passed before Emperor Boris I showed his true colours and obsession with
wealth. At the beginning of the twelfth
century, Boris conspired with the High Priests of the Imperial cults to charge
wizards across the land with heresy and daemon worship. His principal aim was to lay claim to their
riches and treasures under the guise of dealing with enemies of the
Empire. Many wizards perished while
others denounced their trade as the religious cults moved to solidify their own
power. A number of wizards were able to
make their way to Midddenheim where the Graf protected them from the Emperor’s
wrath. Meanwhile, a few of the more
dedicated wizards continued their art in utmost secrecy.
When the
Black Plague broke out in the Empire two years later, many blamed the Emperor
and the Grand Theogonist for offending the gods. Riots broke out in Altdorf amid the misery of the
pestilence. The Cathedral of Sigmar was
stormed and the cowering Grand Theogonist dragged out by the murderous mob from
his hiding place among his concubines.
The mob hoped to appease the gods, especially Sigmar, by offering the
Grand Theogonist as a sacrificial offering.
The crowd shouted with glee as Mordrek I went up in the flames. If not for the timely intervention of Grand
Prince Manfred von Schilderland (whom some scholars confused with Graf Mandred
of Middenheim) and his retinue, more Altdorfers would have perished in the
rioting. Within a few years, Emperor
Boris I died of the plague.
After the
death of Emperor Boris I, the Empire nearly collapsed into anarchy. More than a quarter of Altdorf’s population
was decimated by the Black Plague and rumours circulated that inhuman, bipedal
beasts were killing and kidnapping whole villages in the eastern
provinces. There were even fanciful
stories of the walking dead battling these abominations. Graf Mandred von Middenheim gathered an army
to combat these unholy evils. He soon
became Emperor with his capital in Middenheim.
Peace reigned across the land as the Empire rebuilt and strengthened
itself after decades of unjust rule by Emperor Boris I and years of devastating
plague. Then it all came crashing down. An unknown assassin ended 28 years of
Emperor Mandred I Skavenslayer’s glorious reign and plunged the land into
war.
The
Electoral Council was unable to agree on a successor to Emperor Mandred I and
found itself reduced to petty bickering and reprisals. Many Electors led their retinues away in
disgust while plotting their own bid for power. Soon, armies were raised and war commenced between those who
believed that they should be Emperor.
Cities were
devastated and the countryside ravaged.
Altdorf shared the fate of other large settlements and found itself at
the centre of many battles. Many
records and artefacts from the Empire’s first millennium were either destroyed
or lost during this time.
After more
than 200 years of continuous war, the ambitions of the nobility were near
exhaustion. An attempt at reunification
of the Empire failed as Talabeclander Grand Duchess Ottilia Untermensch storms
out of the Electoral Council of 1359 I.C. to protest the election of Grand Duke Otto von Wurtbad of Stirland to the Imperial
throne. With the support of the
Ar-Ulric, who fled to her court to escape the intrigues of Middenheim, Ottilia
soon proclaimed herself Empress.
Altdorf
found itself caught between the competing Imperial Courts of Nuln and
Talabheim. Only its position as the
centre of the Sigmarite cult provided Altdorf with some measure of
security. Many nobles still affiliated
with Nuln left Altdorf for the southern city.
The influence of the Grand Prince over Altdorf diminished while that of
the Grand Theogonist rose. The latter
also presided over the constitution of the Order of the Fiery Heart in order to
protect Sigmarites from the predations of the Ulricans from Talabecland.
The
election of 1547 I.C., brought further ruin to Sigmar’s Empire. Rebuffed by his attempt at securing the
Imperial throne, Graf Heinrich von Middenheim declared himself Emperor in the
same fashion as Empress Ottilia nearly two centuries before.
The
Reikland princes at this time were too busy patrolling their borders and
fending off Ulrican encroachments that they were unable to effectively govern
Altdorf. The Grand Theogonists used the
opportunity to step into this vacuum and solidify their own political hold over
Altdorf. They quickly expelled the cult
of Ulric from the city and, in time, placed undue hardship on the other
cults. This forced a number of priests
of the other deities to seek freer places to continue their beliefs. Thus, the birthplace of Sigmar effectively
became a theocracy.
The only
interruption to the Grand Theogonists’ rule came in the early 18th
century when an Orcish invasion laid waste to the southern Imperial provinces
and forced the court at Nuln to flee to Altdorf. Emperor Sigismund V died protecting Altdorf from the ravages of
the greenskins. The Orc Warlord also
perished, which caused the Orcs to disperse.
The Imperial Court returned to Nuln under the leadership of Sigismund’s
successor, Emperor Heinrich IV.
With the
Empire spiralling further into decadence in the early 20th century,
the Grand Theogonist officially granted the Order of
the Templars of Sigmar a charter to eradicate the scourge of daemonology and
Chaos-worship wherever it hid. Witch
trials and burnings became commonplace in Altdorf and the surrounding
lands. Eventually, these events spread
across the Sigmarite provinces as well as those lands held by the Emperors of
Middenheim and Talabheim.
In 1979, Magritta (Margaritha) of
Nuln was elected Empress despite the Grand Theogonist’s less than subtle
efforts to get himself elected. Thus
frustrated, the Grand Theogonist declared that the Electoral system was
effectively ended. Empress Magritta I
ignored “the vile little man” and established herself in Nuln. Meanwhile, the “Wizard’s War” that erupted
in Middenheim spread across the rest of the Empire. Many wizards and suspected wizards met their fate at the stake
and the Sorcerous Arts was declared illegal by the Ulrican and Sigmarite cults
(each accusing the other of following their lead).
Two decades
later, a meteor slammed into and destroyed the eastern city of Mordheim. Soon, rumours of riches and unholy creatures
in Mordheim reached Mordrek’s ears.
Determine to keep the prize of Mordheim away from the Faithless (which
includes everyone other than devout Sigmarites), the successor Grand Theogonist
to the one who ended the Electoral system dispatched his witch-hunters to do
their sacred duty.
Ten years later, an unholy army emerged from Sylvania ravaged the eastern
provinces. The Grand Theogonist
realised the imminent danger, but did not want to risk his own troops in the
event that the Undead found their way to Altdorf. Instead, he used his influence to call upon the Imperial court of
Nuln to ally itself with their rivals to end this threat to the land.
A new Grand Theogonist was elected and proved to be even more ambitious
and unyielding than his predecessor.
Not being satisfied by being the ruler of Altdorf in all but name; this
Grand Theogonist wanted to be recognized as Holy Prince of Altdorf, and
successor to the newly enthroned Emperor in Altdorf. In the name of the Church of Sigmar, Mordrek IV declared that
Altdorf would no longer be part of the Reikland, but the religious city of
Sigmar ruled by His priests and their agents.
Though concerned with the Vampire Wars in the east, Grand Prince Ludwig
von Holzkrug had enough of these pretentious upstarts who cloaked their
ambitions in the name of the Empire’s patron deity. The Grand Prince led the Reikland army
he raised to victory over the forces of the Church in a decisive battle east of
Altdorf. Von Holzkrug executed the
Grand Theogonist and his cronies before mercifully pardoning the minor
offenders. Many of the Church rebels
blamed their defeat on the Order of the Fiery Heart for remaining neutral. The situation became more acute when the
Grand Prince compelled the Church leaders to elevate the Reikland Lector
Wilhelm von Ostwald to the office of Grand Theogonist. The new Grand Theogonist then crowned the
Grand Prince as the Emperor Ludwig V.
Now, the Empire had one more Emperor to rival those in Middenheim, Nuln
and Talabheim.
The choice of Grand Theogonist Vikram I (Wilhelm) proved to be a wise
decision. Several years following his
ascension, Altdorf was besieged by the Undead army led by Count Vlad von
Carstein. The battle seemed to be lost
until the Grand Theogonist hurled himself and the vampire Count over the
parapets and to their respective deaths.
Without their lord’s will to maintain their unnatural existence, the
army of von Carstein crumbled into dust.
The periodic struggle between the Grand Prince and Grand Theogonist for
control of Altdorf continued. At the
close of the 22nd century, the Grand
Theogonist unsuccessfully attempted to compel the Lectors to choose his own son
as his successor. Opposed to the
perceived threat of a rival Sigmarite “dynasty,” Emperor Manfred I von Holzkrug
use his considerable influence to ensure that the Lectors not only rejected the
Grand Theogonist’s design, that they pass an edict which stipulates that all
Lectors of Sigmar must maintain celibacy to hold the high office. The Grand Prince’s favoured candidate,
Alders von Walfen, was elected to succeed the disgraced Kazgar XII.
As a whole, the remainder of the von Holzkrug dynasty
was rather unremarkable. Most Imperial
historians hardly consider them equal to the other three Emperors and their
line. The one noteworthy accomplishment
was the founding of the Great Hospice near Frederheim. Altdorf Emperor Eberhardt the Just, a
postulate priest of Shallya, granted the cult land and money to undertake their
great endeavour.
The
Incursion of Chaos was the even that changed the Empire and Magnus von
Bildhofen – known as “The Pious” – was the catalyst. The future Emperor unified the country that has not been united
since the days of Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer. During the two years of war, Altdorf was placed under martial law
and under the watchful eye of the Grand Theogonist. The Templars of Sigmar virtually terrorized the populace while
rooting out the followers of Chaos.
During the
Battle of Kislev, Grand Prince Lorenz von Grünburg, last of the House of
Holzkrug, is slain. Though a distant
relative of late Elector’s made a bid to replace him, the Grand Theogonist
declared that the would-be successor’s claims could not be substaniated. Instead, Kazgar XII elevated Magnus to the
position of Grand Prince for his services to the country in the name of
Sigmar. Thus as Elector, Magnus was
then elected to become “Emperor of Sigmar’s Empire Restored”.
One of
Emperor Magnus I’s first acts was to convince the High Elf mage, Teclis, to
open a Wizards’ Colleges in Altdorf (this as a concession to the Grand
Theogonist who wanted to keep an eye on the institution). The Emperor then began reforming the laws
concerning sorcery, which caused strong opposition among the religious
cults. As a concession, Magnus agreed
that admission to the colleges would be regulated by the newly-created Governing
Council of Sorcerous Practices. The
members of this august body would include a representative of the Emperor, the
Grand Theogonist, and the High Priest of Verena.
Thus
settled, Emperor Magnus I followed with the Articles of Imperial Wizardry, which
also settled the debate over the power of the Sigmarite Witch-Hunters by
reaffirming the Church of Sigmar’s Charter of 1913 and charging the Church with
enforcing the Articles.
A
decade later, Emperor Magnus I issued the Shallyan-sponsored Law of Imperial
Salvation and Mercy which encouraged the Electors to reform the capital
punishment for certain crimes by establishing prisons for their confinement and
(hopefully) rehabilitation. In his role
of Grand Prince of the Reikland, Magnus had Mundsen Keep converted into a
Debtors’ Prison.
After
Emperor Magnus the Pious died, the Electors named Count Leopold von Krieglitz
of the Stirland House of Unfahiger as Emperor, passing over Magnus’ brother and
heir Grand Duke Gunther von Bildhofen of Middenland.
When Magnus
became Emperor, he decided to make his old city Nuln the centre of the restored
Empire. He then elevated Wilhelm
Holswig-Schliestein, the Duke of Ubersreik, to the position of Chancellor and Plenipotentiary of the Reikland,
while the Emperor - successfully - concentrated on re-establishing Imperial
institutions. When it became obvious that Magnus would have no legitimate
offspring decades later, he named Wilhelm Holswig-Schliestein heir to the Grand
Principality of Reikland.
The
fortunes of the Holswig-Schliesteins improved further when Emperor Dieter IV,
last of the Unfahigers, was forced to abdicate the Imperial throne after the
Marienburg Provincial Council declared the Wasteland's independence and seceded
from Empire. Grand Prince Wilhelm
Holswig-Schliestein of Altdorf, great-grandson of Magnus’ Reikland Chancellor,
is elected Emperor Wilhelm II and moves the Imperial Court to his seat of
power. Altdorf becomes the Imperial capital
once again, roughly 1400 years after Emperor Boris I’s ascension.
Dieter von
Krieglitz attempted to win back the Imperial throne, but the War of Succession
failed and the former Emperor was forced to flee to Talabheim. In response to the destruction of much of
Altdorf, Emperor Wilhelm II stripped von Krieglitz of his lands in the Stirland
and elevated Erich Haupt-Anderssen von Striessen to Grand Count and Elector of
that province. Von Krieglitz was soon
given the title of Grand Duke of Talabecland, which resulted in the declaration
of Talabheim as an independent city-state.
Whilst he
unsuccessfully waged war to forcibly return the Wasteland to the Empire,
Emperor Wilhelm II abolished the Governing Council of Sorcerous Practices over
the protestations of the Grand Theogonist.
He declared that each of the Colour Colleges would administer their own
affairs and the Primarch would be answerable to the Emperor for any breech of
the laws established for the sorcerous arts.
In order to
placate the wounded Church of Sigmar, Emperor Wilhelm II commissioned the
Empire’s foremost architect of his day, Hotto
Krieger, to rebuild the Grand Cathedral as the previous one had been destroyed
in the War of Succession. After three
decades, the new Cathedral was consecrated.
Through
the efforts of Emperor Wilhelm II the Wise and his successors, Altdorf reached
its former splendour and became the foremost of Imperial cities. The Imperial Capital is famous for its
University, Colleges of Wizardry, libraries and other aspects of learning. Prominent scholars throughout the Empire
make their way to Altdorf as do many students – both the serious and those who
do so in order to continue to live off their wealthy parents.
In
addition to the Cathedral of Sigmar, many of the other temples and shrines in
Altdorf have benefited from reconstruction programmes. Many clerics and other pilgrims,
particularly Sigmarites seeking the blessings of the Grand Theogonist, come to
the great city to see the holy sites.
Altdorf is
the largest trading port in the Empire and gateway to the rich markets in the
Empire’s interior. Traders from all
over the Old World make their way to the Imperial capital. Imperial messengers frequently pass through
the gates of the city, bearing messages to the Imperial Court of to the
ambassadors from far-flung provinces and other realms in the Known World.
Most
travellers arrive in Altdorf by boat, though there are some who will brave the
roads. One leaves through the north
gate of the city heading towards Middenheim.
The other road departs through the southwest gate and branches into two
roads. One heads towards Bögenhafen and
Helmgart to the southwest and the other to the southern Reikland. Visitors arriving to Altdorf will first
notice the city’s tall, majestic white walls topped with red tile roofs. They may also notice activity on these walls
as recent events in Kislev have led to the decision to strengthen city’s
defences, including the modification of the outer walls to allow larger gun
emplacements. Dwarf Engineers are the
major contractor, but there are a number of humans labouring on the wall as
well.
Just before
the turn of the 25th century, Lector Jan Todbringer of the Reikland
was elected to succeed the late Gludred III as Grand Theogonst. He took the name Yorri XV. A few years later, Karl-Franz of the house
of Holswig-Schliestein, was elected Emperor Karl-Franz I.