Starkenberg sat on his horse on the mound outside the city.
Surrounded by his herolds, standardbearers and captains. The wind blew down from the mountains, taking with it the screams and the smell of burning flesh from the town and the mountain pass.
This was his least favourite part, the part he had taken up in his prayers during the last year.
Taal had not answered.
They had taken the mountain pass easily enough. It wasn´t a great strategic or tactical victory, but easy because they just rode in as friendly allies and then attacked, without honour. Slaughtering anyone who resisted.
But as the old soldier he was, he knew that in war, every victory counts.
Even the ones that leave a foul taste in your mouth and haunt your dreams.
Another less honourable fact was that he now had let loose the clensing flame, the flame that burnt away all heretics, all enemies of the emperor of man.
Enemy in thought or action ...or just on the suspicion of impure behaviour.
He had let loose the Dracones Dominus....... the dragons of the lord.
The holy inquisition of Taal.
There had always been a presence at the fortress, but seldom more then 5 or 10 of them, and usually just there for studies, of course there was always the hovering presence of the inquisitorial advisor to the hochmeister.
The zeal of the hochmeister had thus far never been in question…thus far.
During the last six months they had arrived in force though, coming from their power basin in the countries close to Araby and Bretonnia.
The holy men with feverish eyes followed by their zealot soldiers, their tunics a dark red, the shade of dried blood…for a reason.
They had come to take part in the glorious campaign that would finally rid the empire of the weak, heretic fools that had brought it to ruin.
Or at least that’s how the High Inquisitor Rodrigo De Conquista had exclaimed it at the last council of war before they set off north.
Starkenberg had never dreamed that the inquisition had soldiers in such numbers or priests for that matter….they rivalled the bretonnian force in strength and their numbers were legio.
Before looking north he cleared his throat and spat…trying to get rid of the bile taste in his mouth.
To the north yes, Altdorf was so close and yet so far away. The rebellion was no longer a secret, he was unsure that it had ever been, but he also knew that no one could have ever imagined the scale of it.
This was the southern arm, all the might of the Templar order of Taal, Bretonnian noblemen in rebellion and their household forces, the holy inquisition of Taal and their Dragons and holy cross Soldiers. Numerous regiments of disgruntled border princes and dogs of war, also a few regiments of "little people", dwarfs out to get revenge on anyone from the old imperial administration they could get their hands on.
Border princes and dwarves operated far out on the flanks however. Starkenbergs idea was to use them to draw off imperial forces from the main body.
There was an eastern arm, lead by the man who for some reason was named by Taal as his right hand, the mercenary leader, (Starkenberg still shook his head every time he thought about it) von Ottenheim. Although he was of course a direct descendant of the Ottilian emperors. Forces of Ostland, Ostermark supported by Kislev, now allied with the descendant of Marius Leitdorf moving on Averland to support his uprising there, to take power from the rulers who still supported the Usurper. By pigeon he had received word that several battles had already been fought since they had crossed the upper talabec.
The northern arm he did not know much about except that it was lead by a young Wasa nobleman claiming to be the new Count of Nordland. With him at the siege of Marienburg was also the Electorcounts of Hochland and Middenheim.
How and why they had subjected to the leadership of the younger man intrigued him, but it was still unknown.
Opposing them was the might of the Usurper in Altdorf and the imperial army under his control, the mighty Reiksguard, the powerful warmachines and soldiers from Nuln,Wissenland, Stirland and the southern parts of Talabecland (although increasing numbers was going over to von Ottenheim as he moved through that province).
A large part of Middenland also remained loyal to the emperor in Altdorf, the reason for this was still unclear.
Powerful Knightly orders and the righteous followers of Sigmar was devoutly hunting down and persecuting anyone loyal to Taal that they found on land still under Karl-Franz shadow.
Many faithful had payed the ultimate prize already.
This was not only a war for the control of the empire and ultimately the world, it was also a war of the worst kind.
A religious war.
The Dragons had been let loose.