Welcome one and all to the grand city of Talabheim! The eye of the Forest, the city of laws. The great bastion of humanity nestled in the bosom of the vast crater which mars the surface of the Empire like a vast pockmark, and juts high above the trees of the great forest.
I'm starting a Talabheim army, if you hadn't gathered by my ramblings! I've always liked the empire, but I was wary of trying to build an army, as the sheer amount of Infantry dressed in gaudy puff-and-slash is quite daunting to a mediocre painter such as myself. Howerver, as always, the best remedy for trepidation is a healthy dose of inspiration, and I've found that in buckets on this forum. It also helps that I've finally learned to paint white reasonably successfully too!
So why Talabheim? Well I'm a bit of a fan of American Football, having played on my Uni team, and as a Brit, I've always wanted a team based here called the Redcoats for added fun when they play the Patriots! Naturally, my Blood-Bowl team was called the Redcoats, and, purely down to the City States colours of Red and White, I based them in Talabheim. When it came to picking an Empire army, Talabheim seemed the obvious choice.
I love researching the lore of armies and races (probably due to a habit picked up when studying for my history degree) so I've been reading up on Talabheim, from as many source as I can. The Empire army book, and as many previous incarnations as I can get my hands on, Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire, The Empire collectors guide has some too (If you can get past the sadness of realising that up until recently you could still get all these amazing old models straight from GW). However the best resources I found were the old Warhammer Fantasy roleplay books, particularly Terror in Talabheim. I can't recommend this book enough, the first half is solely about the city, with maps, descriptions of people, places and factions. If you have a Talabheim army or are thinking of getting one, have a read of this book!
I'm planning to set my Army just after the Storm of Chaos has been pushed back. The Elector Count, Helmut Feuerbach is missing, presumed dead, along with much of the standing army of Talabheim. The Countess Kreiglitz-Untern, ruling in his stead hopes to cement her position as Feuerbach's successor, but is shrewd enough to realise she'll need powerful allies to do so. Talabheim was relatively unscathed by the Chaos incursion, but much of the empire is still in ruin, and it will take decades to rebuild. The city, and particularly the outlying town of Talagaad are still overflowing with refugees from Hochland and further north.
Yet even as it seems that the worst is over, news comes of an incursion in the south. Orks have again crossed into the empire through Blackfire pass, and the Emperor has sent out word to muster whatever forces remain to join him and the Dwarfs in pushing back the Green menace.
Countess Keiglitz-Untern cannot afford to waste this opportunity to garner goodwill from both Karl Franz and the Dwarfs, but she is perilously low on troops. Therefore, she sends out a ragtag group of troops - the Talabheim Expeditionary force. This is a mix of regular state troops, under-strength veterans of the Storm of Chaos, men of the City Watch (the Dogfaces), her personal bodyguard, Guns taken from the walls of the Taalbaston, street gangs and Hochlander refugees.
Each time I complete a unit, I'll try and post a little background with it, and why I've included it in the army. Hopefully there will be a few specific Talabheim touches such as a Warrior Priest of Taal to keep this interesting.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the first (very basic) test model WIP:
All C&C welcome, and thanks for reading!
