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WIP Guide to the Empire:

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rufus sparkfire:
Great work!

However, I don't want to update 'A is for Altdorf' in this way (it would be more like a replacement). I like it the way it is (and I don't think the novels count as proper fluff). But if you want to write your own guide to all the provinces, there is plenty of room in the Library for both.

S.O.F:

--- Quote from: rufus sparkfire on July 10, 2010, 10:49:50 AM ---Great work!

However, I don't want to update 'A is for Altdorf' in this way (it would be more like a replacement). I like it the way it is (and I don't think the novels count as proper fluff). But if you want to write your own guide to all the provinces, there is plenty of room in the Library for both.

--- End quote ---

Whatever works sir. On your point about novels I used to feel that way as well but I came to realize after reading enough of them it was really only the extremes of plot that ruined their position in proper fluff (if all were true there would not be much left of the Empire at this point). The little details no matter the author seem to blend into a pleasant non conflicting story.

Anyway I'm game for a separate guide. Currently my plans were to have a section on each province and city state along with sections on the semi provinces (Solland, Drakwald, Sylvania, and Marienburg). I've also considered a rough section on the main institutions of the Empire like the Colleges of Magic (I'm pretty certain with the Liber Chaotica we have the name of the head of every college of Magic), Templars of Sigmar, and the like.

Thoughts? Perhaps on sections of interest I may hove overlooked in the Stirland overview?

132nd:
  Thanks for some great info on my province of choice.  I really enjoyed it. 

S.O.F:
Had this half done so I knocked out the rest of it for a rough guide to Ostland. Sources used Sigmar's Heirs, Empire Heraldry, Mordheim Ostlander Rules, Heldenhammer/Empire, and Riders of the Dead. Sadly not as many sources to go on as Stirland but still an interesting bit of information.

The Grand Principality of Ostland
Elector: Valmir von Raukov
State Livery: Black and White
Heraldic Devices: Bulls Head and Bulls Rampant

Geography
   The province of Ostland has two definite borders; the Sea of Claws to the north and the River Talabec in the south. Ostlands eastern and western borders are less well defined. To the west from the River Talabec to the Middle Mountains, Ostland is separated from Hochland by the River Wulfen but north of the mountains no similar feature offers distinction from Nordland. In the east, as the forest gives way to the steppe, Ostland’s border is set along a rough line from the Gulf of Kislev to the point at which the River Urskoy joins the Talabec. Ostland is dominated by the Forest of Shadows which stretches from eastern Nordland to the edges of western Kislev. It is a dark and foreboding wood and has a reputation only slightly less ill than the Drakwald.  Ostlanders are greatly dependent on the timber industry and other trades the forest can provide. The narrow slip of land that is not encompassed by forest is found along the coast of the Sea of Claws and the northern Kislev Ostland border. This coastal strip relies on fishing and salt mining for its economic survival.

The People
   The people of Ostland are descended from the Udose tribe who ruled the region in the time of Sigmar. Then as now, Ostlanders are very clannish and oriented toward large extended families. Many smaller villages in Ostland are made up of a single extended family group. Ostlanders are extremely loyal to their kinsmen and outlanders who pick a fight with a single Ostlander may often find themselves facing a dozen of his relatives in short order. Though initially cool toward outsiders, once a person has ingratiated themselves with a group of Ostlanders they can expect similar loyalty and near familial treatment.
   Ostlanders are famed for their stubbornness. It is very hard to make and Ostlander do something they do not wish to do without first entering into a long argument.  Ostland is a poor province and its people make do by being exceptionally thrifty. As long as an item still has use no Ostlander will discard it and will use even the smallest scraps of food to scrap together a meal. If Ostlanders are unsparing with anything it is alcohol. Beer and spirits (Kislevite vodka in particular) are imbibed in great quantity by Ostlanders, so much so that the common caricature of an Ostlander is a belligerent drunk.

The Ruling House
Von Raukov Coat of Arms: A red Bull’s Head on a bisected white and black field.
   Valmir von Raukov is the first of his dynasty to sit upon the Electoral throne of Ostland but his family has long been important figures in Ostland’s government. Originally the von Raukovs were merely the Barons of Ferlangen but their connections to the preceding von Tasseninck dynasty vaulted Valmir into the Electoral seat. Several generations of von Raukovs married into the ruling family and served as the Elector Count’s marshal. Though the last of the von Tassenincks were weak and poor military men, the von Raukovs honored their familial obligation to the ruling dynasty without question. When the last of the von Tassenincks died without an heir, Valmir inherited the electoral seat.
   Valmir is a career general and a skilled leader of men. He has fought many campaigns against marauding Greenskins, Beastmen, Norscans, and the odd band of bandits. Von Raukov has continued a tradition toward modernizing Ostland’s military which began during his father’s tenure as Marshal of Ostland. Under the von Raukovs, Ostland has drastically increased the size of its artillery train, number of handgun regiments, and vastly improved the fortification of its cities. This is not to suggest that Ostland has been put in financial strain because of these expenditures, as the von Raukovs are as thrifty as the next Ostlander. However the von Raukovs have been keenly aware that though the crossbow in the arsenal may still work it doesn’t hurt to import a large number of handguns to have issued as the primary weapon of state regiments instead.

Religion
While the worship of gods like Taal and Ulric are common in Ostland, the province is anomalous for its devotion to Sigmar when compared to its neighbors.
   Scholars often debate the reason for the strength of the Cult of Sigmar in Ostland and are torn between two great tales about the Man-Gods life. The first and least credible tale is that Sigmar smote a dragon at the behest of Wolfila thus earning the Udose King’s respect and sword oath. This interpretation is often discredited as an exaggeration of overly zealous preachers in the early days of the Sigmarite Cult. More learned scholars say that it was Sigmars campaigns against the Norsii that won the respect and loyalty of the Udose. The Udose lived far from the Uberogen heartlands and when Sigmar brought his armies to the aid of Wolfila unbidden, the Udose King felt indebted to a man who treated him as if he were his own kin. Whichever story is true, most Ostland villages have some sort of Sigmarite temple.
   As most Ostlanders depend on the woods for their livelihood, the Cult of Taal is the second most powerful force in Ostland. While Ostlanders may not be as skilled hunters as Hochlanders or as skilled in woodcraft as Talabeclanders, Ostland lumbermen know it is important to honor the god that protects them from the threats the forest offers.

Important Towns
   Though sparsely populated compared to other provinces Ostlands boast three major towns. These large concentrations of people are partially due to the inhospitableness of a great deal of Ostland’s woodland.
   The capital and largest town in Ostland is Wolfenburg. Located at the foot of the Middle Mountains and on the River Wolfen, Wolfenburg is the first major stopping point for land based trade between Kislev and the Empire. Trade income is supplemented by the local timber industry as well as pewter ware cast from ores extracted in the nearby mountains. Wolfenburg also sports the most modern fortifications in all of the eastern Empire. Under the constant threat from forest goblins, beastmen, and the random chaos warband, such modernization has been important to the provinces survival. Wolfenburg is also home to the largest Sigmarite Cathedral in the eastern Empire.
   Ferlangen is Ostland’s second city. Sitting astride the trade road that connects Wolfenburg to the Salzenmund-Erengrad road, Ferlangen is made wealthy from trade coming from the south destined for markets in Nordland. This wealth has allowed regiments raised in Ferlangen to be perhaps the best equipped outside of those of the major nobility’s own household troops. This may in part come from the initiative by the von Raukovs who have ruled Ferlangen for generations.
   Ostland’s port, Salkalten, is the last major town in the province. A century ago the town was nothing more but just another small fishing village on the Sea of Claws. With the secession of Marienburg, Imperial merchants contrived schemes to create port cities to rival that of Marienburg and increase their profits by reducing the number of duties paid to outside middlemen. While most of these schemes have been failures, Salkalten at least has grown to a moderately large town. Though nowhere near a successful as had been hoped, it provides Ostland with a point to ship its products from and a small base for the Imperial Navy to protect the coast from Norscan raiders.

Military
   Near constant conflict keeps Ostland's military sharp. Though it may not have as many toys as the armies of other provinces, they know how to get the most out of what they have. Junior officers and sergeants in Ostland are also renowned for their bland appearance, sergeants in particular. Ostlanders don’t need extra tassels or fancy plumes to show they of a higher rank merely the respect of the men they lead. Should an Ostland sergeant or junior officer come into some money they often spend it on a single item of extremely high quality made by a name of significant bearing. Many non-Ostlander officers are thrown off by the fact that their Ostland counter part may be wearing a well maintained armoury grade suit of armour but carry the finest Estalian rapier, Tilean pistol, or Hochland made double-barrel hunting rifle. Ostland regiments are also very tight knit units as they are often raised from a single area and the unit consists of a mix of cousins and other relatives. Even when this is not the case, Ostlanders tend to project their social norms onto their military life and look at their regiment as a ‘family’.

Famous Regiments
Ostland Ogres. Nowhere else in the Empire is there as large a congregation of ogre tribes as Ostland. Though opportunity may offer a chance to raid with forest goblin or beastmen tribes, Ogres in Ostland predominately find service under Imperial commanders (mainly since the food is much better). Ostlanders and ogres get along surprisingly well as both peoples enjoy drinking, brawling, and more often than not a combination of the two. Individual ogres may even find employment in lumber camps or as town guards. It is not uncommon for these ogres to be brought into the same familial bond Ostlanders have with their human kinsmen. Ogres may be flattered by this and it may even remind them of their own clannish nature but should food run short, Ogres will still eat their human kinsmen as readily as they would fellow ogres

osterknact:
This is awesome stuff could you bump up the ostermark on your list... i cant wait to read it!

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