Topic: The Barony of Sonnefurt, Wissenland

[Le Pistolet]

It looks ok, yet I also liked it how it was.  I can see why making it look bigger could make sense.

I think both parts needed to be a bit bigger as I wanted it to properly represent the scale of the town, not just be a rough outline of it. Sonnefurt is growing rapidly and is expanding greatly. Ertingen is also full of huge merchant houses of those who couldn't stand living in the posh suburbs of the city but still wanted links to the Soll.

If you're interested, heres the original map of a very, very old Bristol: http://www.oldmap.co.uk/images/Old-Map-Bristol.jpg

[Derek Contyre]

GAH thanks alot Le Pistolet, now I have a crushing need to begin writing my own background again about the Contyre family and Stattenland, my own province...

I hope you are happy.

[Le Pistolet]

I hope you are happy.

I am, and very much so, gives me something to read 

Glad I could be a slightly irritating inspiration. Hope to see your stuff soon 



PS I changed the map again, completely forgot about the River Sonne  . I will hopefully shortly be putting up an annotated version too 

[Le Pistolet]

The Military is the aspect of Sonnefurt that changes most, mainly due to my whims about which models I want to see. However, I now have a plan, and have factored in contingencies so that I dont always seem to be fielding Sonnefurt's military at its full capacity in a 2000 point game. Anyway, I have it sorted now, so here goes (its rather long.... )


Sir,

If you remember correctly, you asked me to ascertain the military strength of all the towns and cities in our Grand County so that you can assess Wissenland’s military strength. Herein is attached a detailed overview of all of the Barony’s of the land, their military capacity and nuances. I hope this is what was required of me.

Yours humbly
Sergeant Hofstadter

The Barony of Sonnefurt

The Barony of Sonnefurt has a relatively haphazard approach to its military. The Baroness relies on her Marshall, a certain Richter Eichhorn, once a Captain in our provinces’ Soll River Patrol, along with his Bailiff and Sheriffs to organise and recruit the soldiers. However, the Lord-Mayors of the local towns are responsible for the raising of the militias. This creates an ineffective and disorganised military which struggles to bring itself to full strength at any occasion. However, in a recent territorial dispute with neighbouring Kroppenleben, the use of volunteers, allies and mercenaries meant the Barony actually somehow defeated a superiorly organised military force.

Due to the complexity of the military of the Barony, I shall break it down to make it more manageable.

Command

Executive command of the Sonnefurt’s military at any occasion always falls upon the Baron’s chosen Marshall. Currently this is Marshall Richter Eichhorn, chosen by the former Baron Max von Heisenberg and reinstated by his daughter, the current Baroness, Katarina von Heisenberg.  This is not to say the Marshall is not sworn to follow the orders of the current Baron, as he falls under their command at all times, but the Baron’s normally defer to the Marshall for his expertise in military tactics.

The position of Marshall is purely based on merit, and is normally chosen from a member of the Barony’s own military. Marshall Eichhorn was different however, having been poached from the Soll River Patrol.

The Marshall is entitled to appoint his own Bailiff, with the consent of the ruling Baron, who acts as his second in command. This job currently falls to Bailiff Arthur Kuhn, appointed from the ranks of the Sonnefurt Regiment. The Bailiff is tasked with managing the Sheriffs on behalf of the Marshall, as well as being the acting commander of the Sonnefurt Regiment, overseeing their training, upkeep and recruitment. The Bailiff will lead the armies of Sonnefurt in tasks which the Marshall cannot oversee, which presumably will increase as the Marshall grows ever older. Finally the Marshall is also tasked with carrying the standard of Sonnefurt into battle on behalf of the town.

The Sheriffs are appointed in each town by the Marshall, with consent of the towns Lord Mayor. The Sheriffs task is to manage the militias of each town on behalf of the town’s Lord Mayor. They will lead the militia into battle, but have no other position besides this rank. The current Sheriffs are: Jonas Kerrmann in Thalfang, Dietrich Kurst in Ostrach and Tobias Aulen in Ertingen. In Sonnefurt itself, Father Josef Schmidt acts as the Sheriff, declaring it part of Sigmar’s mission to protect the Barony.

Organisation

The military of the Barony has two distinct groups, the professionals and the irregulars. The irregulars form by far the largest part of the Barony’s military, making it incredibly difficult to assess the total capacity of the Barony’s military strength. However, there are several main regiments that appear on the Barony’s Order of Battle

The standing regiment of Sonnefurt are called the 1st Sonnefurt Regiment of Foote, sometimes dropping the ‘first’ as it is self evident. These soldiers are the professional soldiers, required by the law of the Empire, and the soldiers that will be called up to fight for Wissenland. They also act as the town watch in Sonnefurt.

The Sonnefurt Volunteers is the official name given to the regiment formed from the militias of Sonnefurt’s own townsfolk.

The Dieten Township Militia is the official name for the regiment made up of the militias of Ertingen and Strazen, the Ertingen Irregulars and Strazen Levy respectively.

The South Soll Coalition Militia is the official name for the regiment comprised of the militias of Thalfang and Ostrach, the Thalfang Yeomen and the Ostrach Men at Arms respectively.

The Ostrach Sharpshooters is the official name for the semi-professional regiment recruited from across the Barony that resides in Ostrach.

Recruitment

The Sonnefurt Regiment is recruited, unlike the militias, from the entire Barony. For many peasants, it is an attractive option, for the Barony is relatively safe and pay is decent. To save on having too large a standing army and having to pay for housing, Sonnefurt makes use of a rotary system, meaning that soldiers spend years in the service, and years out until they have completed their set number, and payment is then received. This means it is possible for the farmers of the land to be professional soldiers and still maintain a farming business on the side through their family. The vast majority of the Sonnefurt Regiment seem to be recruited from Ostrach, as it is a poor town and thus has a military background, as many seek the riches of war.

The Sonnefurt Volunteers are just that, volunteers that are innumerable and appear at random when the cry for war goes out from the Sanctuary of Sigmar. They rally at the Church en masse and are then delegated as detachments to the professional militias by Father Schmidt. Anyone is permitted, provided they are a resident of Sonnefurt, whether they be man or Dwarf. If there are many volunteers, then they may for their own regiment with the permission of the Bailiff.

In order to maintain their position as Lord Mayor of their town, the Mayors in Sonnefurt are obliged to maintain a militia for each town of a certain quota of men, decided upon each year by the Marshall and Bailiff and overseen by the Sheriff of the town. The militias are recruited on a voluntary basis, a muster list being recorded of those obliged to fight for the Barony when called upon. Notice will be given to those required to fight by the town’s Sheriff, however sometimes anyone available will be drafted in quickly to react to an immediate threat. If the number of volunteers is insufficient then men of a certain age will be picked at random and instructed to fight.

The Ostrach Sharpshooters are unique in that they are a semi-professional regiment, not a militia or a standing company. They thus recruit from across the Barony, basing their recruitment solely on merit and accuracy with a crossbow. Pay is good and the regiment have many applications at their bi-annually tryouts. Many of the men over the years have come from the villages of Martinskorf and Bezeinhof as their skills as hunters give them keen eyes. As semi-professional soldiers, the regiment is not stationed at all times, but when called up, all must answer the call.

Training and Equipment

The Sonnefurt Regiment are paid for and equipped mostly by Sonnefurt’s coin purse and in part by the taxes imposed by the Empire. The standard equipment required of a standing regiment is a halberd, a suit of chest armour, boots and uniform. As this is the minimum, this is how Sonnefurt equips its soldiers.  However, the regiment does enjoy a detachment trained in the use of black powder weaponry from Nuln, unofficially named the Sonnefurt Fusiliers, a gift from trade links further north.

Training is regular, interspersed between shifts on the town watch, sentry duty and patrols of the Barony. The training is overseen by the Bailiff of Sonnefurt. The upkeep of the military is funded by the Barony and the regiment have their billets in the Military District in the town itself.

The Sonnefurt Volunteers are self equipped, bringing whatever they can find to battle. There is no official training either and combat experience is not required.

The Dieten Township Militia are equipped and paid for by Lord Mayor Walter Heim, and Lady Mayoress Elinor Helemburtus, each overseeing the equipment of their individual town’s militias, but liaising so that equipment correlates.  As the Lord Mayors only have to provide weaponry and training, the militias equip themselves with a uniform and their own armour. The two Mayors opted to equip their militias with the half-pike, an option chosen for its ease of use in battle, so that they could call upon anyone, and save drastically on training their militias.  Training occurs as such only once a year in each town and is compulsory for anyone who has their name on the muster.

The South Soll Coalition Militia are equipped and paid for by Lord Mayors Willi Vogt and Gunter Funk. The two men are incredibly competitive and both relatively rich and as such try to outdo each other with the equipment provided for their militias. The two Mayors managed to agree to equip their militias with halberds and glaives. In order to encourage their militias, the two have begun to provide better armour for veterans, and as such, in comparison to the Dieten Township Militia, the South Soll Coalition seems better armed and equipped. Training is fairly regular for the men of the militias, as the Mayors want their soldiers to represent them well on the battlefield. Many of their militiamen go on to join the regular regiment after service in the militias.

The Ostrach Sharpshooters are a unique regiment, paid for by Mayor Vogt as a personal favour to Sonnefurt, established many generations ago by his family, and funded by an aeons-old investment ago for their construction. Each Sharpshooter is required to provide his own crossbow, as it is an honour to be accepted. No uniform is provided either and is the prerogative of the Sharpshooter himself. The Mayor thus only funds their wages and bonus for accuracy and kills, but this still costs him a large amount of money.

Markings and Heraldry

The Sonnefurt Regiment are denoted by their cut and slash uniforms, standard across the Empire. They are coloured in the grey and white of Wissenland, but are marked by the crimson red of the Von Heisenberg, having sashes and feathers this colour at the digression of the individual soldier. In battle they carry the Sonnefurt colours, bearing the Rose and Briars of the Von Heisenberg family. Those who form the Sonnefurt Fusiliers are permitted to die the cloth covering their arms a darker grey to avoid soot stains.

The Ertingen Irregulars have no official uniform, but most choose to bear the colours of Wissenland and Ertingen. Ertingen’s official colour is yellow, owing to former Solland alliances of the Heim family when they paid allegiance to Kreutzhofen. The Heim heraldry is the Sun of Solland.

The Strazen Levy are also not required to wear a uniform, but those who represent their town bear its colours and those of Wissenland. Strazen’s official colour is a pale blue, the colour of the Helemburtus family. They also bear their heraldry of the family, the White Stallion.

The Ostrach Men at Arms are required to wear the colours of Wissenland, under the orders of Mayor Vogt. They are however also permitted to show their town allegiance with minimal use of the Vogt Green, a dark green. The Vogt family heraldry is that of the White Lion of Wissenland.

The Thalfang Yeomen are also obliged to wear the livery of Wissenland by Mayor Funk. Furthermore, in order to distinguish themselves more from their rivals, they are encouraged to decorate themselves with the Funk family colouring, a deep purple, owing to their wine heritage. The Funk family use the Fleur de Lys as their heraldic symbol.

The Ostrach Sharpshooters are independent to the militias and can decide their own livery. Due to the mixed origins of the recruits and that no equipment is provided, no Sharpshooter looks the same. They tend to associate themselves to the Barony through the use of their respective town colours, or in the case of the few nobles who fight in the regiment, their own families. All tend to have the Wissenland colours prevalent on their outfits too, to distinguish themselves from any other rival provinces.

The Sonnefurt Volunteers wear whatever they have available at the time a call to war is heard. They sometimes wear sashes and ribbons with the Von Heisenberg colours or the Wissenland colours although this is not at all required. They are a mix batched of well dressed and shoddily clothed men who look a mess on the battlefield.

Other Notable Military Assets

The Sonnefurt Battery is a rather loosely applied term that covers all the artillery pieces in use at the time of conflict. Despite the Beyer Foundry churning out many artillery pieces in the town, few are bought by the town’s own military. We recently commissioned them ourselves to make weaponry for the 9th Regiment of the River Patrol. The Baroness deems that artillery is too expensive to maintain when the Barony sees little regular conflict. The available pieces are often in various states of disrepair and are crewed by experts, paid per battle to man the guns. These men are normally workers in their workshops and as such have no uniform, wearing what they so desire.

The Von Heisenberg Guard are the Baroness’ personally funded bodyguard, established by Phillip von Heisenberg when he became Baron.  They are recruited from the best of the Barony’s soldiers and the best mercenaries in the region. They accompany her everywhere she goes, forming the garrison at either of her homes. They act only on her own orders, and as such do not see battle particularly often, for she likes to have them all travel with her. They may be commissioned to perform a task on her behalf on the battlefield but this is only in dire emergencies. If the Baroness chooses to go to war, they will protect her valiantly, but this only ever happens in the direst of emergencies. They last saw prolonged conflict in the war with Kroppenleben, but before that had performed mainly bodyguard and ceremonial duties.

Sonnefurt can also call upon many mercenary Knights when the time calls for it. The mercenaries that regularly appear are press ganged, accused of false charges or held on tenuous grounds and released so long as they fight for their freedom. Others are hired, but this is an expensive business which Sonnefurt does not like to resort to. Some are sons of rich merchants or nobles who want to prove themselves, but like to earn money at the same time. The mercenaries are not reliable unless the Barony pays a decent wage, so cannot be truly counted in their muster.

Recently, Sonnefurt called upon allies from Meissen and Heisenberg to aid against Kroppenleben, as well as the Nuln Volunteer army. These allies can be bargained for but are not a common sight unless the Barony is in dire peril.

I have also heard rumours that the 9th Regiment of the Soll River Patrol have been known to act against our direct orders from their Wissenburg headquarters and aid the armies of Sonnefurt. This must only be in covert actions however, or Captain Strotmann would have been reprimanded severely.

Order of Battle: The Battle of the Bezau Hills

This was the last major conflict in the Barony of  Sonnefurt before the war with Kroppenleben, in the year 2419. The army of Sonnefurt faced a relatively large Goblin band descending from the Black Mountains into the Barony via the Bezau Hills, determined to pillage and kill the inhabitants. A large force was hastily assembled to defend the Barony, comprising a typical muster of Sonnefurt, as the call was unexpected, however, the raid threatened the Baroness' villa, and as such her guard were dispatched.

General: Marshall Richter Eichhorn

Left Flank

Commander: Sherriff Tobias Aulen

The Dieten Hills Township Militia Half-Pikes
50 Men at Arms
Accompanied by small detachment of 10 of the Ostrach Sharpshooters

George Languedoc’s Mercenary Company
10 Armoured Knights

Frau Hilda- Imperial Cannon from Ertingen

Centre

Commander: Marshall Richter Eichhorn

1st Sonnefurt Regiment of Foote
50 Professional Soldiers, 10 Fusiliers

Fett Gertrude- Imperial Mortar from Sonnefurt

Hasslich Bessy- Imperial Cannon from Sonnefurt

Detachement of the Von Heisenberg Guard
50 Highly Trained Soldiers

Right Flank

Commander: Sheriff Father Josef Schmidt

South Soll Coalition Militia Billmen
50 Men at Arms
Accompanied by a small detachment of 10 of the Ostrach Sharpshooters

Sonnefurt Volunteers
30 Free Company

Helga- Imperial Mortar from Thalfang


Subject to change

[GamesPoet]

More good fluff!

[Le Pistolet]

Cheers GP, knowing someone's reading my efforts make it not seem like a waste of a evening   

I have some more stuff planned, but I'm not sure what else to do after those are done, I'm trying to think of aspects not yet covered.

I have the intention of doing:

Crime- ie the role of Marius Blech and other crime syndicates in the town and Barony (a follow up to the law article)
The Baroness' Court- a reworking of my original personalities post, basically to explain who the characters are like Grubart and Arthritiknes
The Aristocracy of Sonnefurt- the different Lords and Ladys of the Barony and their role. Also how nobility in the Barony works.

I can't think of anything else though, any other suggestions?

I also want to do a few folk tales, the Defence of the Dockyards, the Dark Year, the King of the Dieten Barrow, the Hermit of the Aschen Hills, Morr's Chasm etc. These things could be fluffed out in another thread I think, but I'll get to that at some point.

[Derek Contyre]

I demand a map! lol

And nice work on your background pistolet... one of these days I will get around to mine, but for now, my star wars roleplay calls.

[Le Pistolet]

A map of where exactly? There are a few in the first two pages of this thread...

[Derek Contyre]

You know, I think I missed it . will have to read back on it... and on Sonnefurt of course.

[Le Pistolet]

A Collection of Drawings, Sketches and Paintings of the River Port of Sonnefurt
- Johaan Vertig

In my journeys around the South of our Empire, I have found many, many wondrous sights in our Empire's towns. The town that caught my imagination the most however was the humble river port of Sonnefurt. I stayed here for an entire year and endeavored to capture every angle of the wonderful town. On the next few pages, I will present my compiled paintings, and briefly describe them.

The Baroness' Mansion



A beautiful building which the Baroness herself does not actually tend to spend much time in, despite its splendour. It is protected and cut off from the centre of the town by a small moat, making it very private. I was lucky to get close enough to the mansion to paint it, as the Baroness' guard are very protective of their lady, even when she is not there. Fortunately they did not seem to mind a humble painter and I could paint this magnificent building.

The Von Heisenberg Theatre



Sadly, seeing as this building is an exquisite piece of architecture, I have only so far managed to sketch this magnificent structure. This is truly the Von Heisenberg family's greatest donation to this town, and the building dominates the small square in which it resides. It is adorned with carvings of the Rose and Briars of the von Heisenbergs, which looks excellent, and is a testament to its Dwarfen masons. 

The Upper/Lower Riverside Docks



These docks see little commercial business, which is centred around the Dockyards, and is instead where the rich have their marina. As such it is a much nicer location and brilliant to paint. I do believe this painting shows the commotion of the area, but the pleasant nature of it at the same time.

The Ertingen Ferry



The nicest part of the riverside area is definitely the area surrounding the ferry to neighbouring Ertingen. There are many large townhouses here which are splendid to paint. This painting looks down the Soll, eventually going towards Kreutzhofen at its source. To the right I managed to capture the closest part of Ertingen. It is at these points the two towns are the closest, making many, like I did at first, think they were one and the same.

The Sonnefurt Lighthouse



Jutting out into the fork between the Soll and Sonne rivers, this centuries old lighthouse is an imposing sight. It was built by the Pfeifraucher family many aeons ago, and has outlasted much of the architecture in Sonnefurt. At night, its four fires provide a welcome sight for the trade ships of the Soll.

The Dockyards



Definitely not a nice place to be, and especially not after dark. The Dockyards are the commercial powerhouse and slum of the town and the buildings there are dilapidated and decrepit. However, they are interesting to paint due to their quirky nature and I did enjoy trying to capture the despair of this neighbourhood.

The Upper River Side



In stark contrast to the Dockyards, the Upper River Side is a much nicer place to be as it houses the richer, more extravagant residents of the town. As such, their houses are wonderful townhouses, full of luxury and grand in every way. They were a joy to paint.

The Lower River Side




As this district houses the most of the residents of the town, it is crowded, but not to the extent of the Dockyards, and houses everything the people might need. There are many merchants living here, and thus shops and houses mix in an incredible interlocking nature, making use of all available space. It was hugely enjoyable to paint the people in their unusual surroundings and having lived in the area, I think it became my favourite district.

The Sanctuary of Sigmar



I have painted many churches of Sigmar in my time as an artist but I can safely say that Sonnefurt's Sanctuary is by far one of the most amazing ones I have seen and had the pleasure of painting. The tower is visible from all around the town, reminding its populace of their god, and its bells can be heard every hour echoing around the streets. The attached alms house is one of the nicest buildings in the town, it seems to make being destitute in this town a good thing!

The Dwarfen Quarter



The Dwarf Quarter, in appearance is much like the Upper and Lower River Sides, but a predominance for stone is more evident, as is the size of the doors. Most of the Dwarfs own a workshop, and the entire district is one for manafacture. I managed to convince one Lowland Dwarf to let me draw him as he worked. Being an Empire born Dwarf, he does not share the waistline of his mountain cousins, and actually looks fairly skinny, perhaps because the Dwarfs compete so much for business, many are very poor.

Sonnefurt Market



he town's Market District is where many of the merchants and trading companies have their offices, and is actually very boring. For an artist however, the Market Square, in the very centre of Sonnefurt is a hive of activity almost every day and is the best place to capture Sonnefurters from all walks of life. In this painting you can rich nobles perusing the wares of poorer townsfolk, whilst the Sonnefurt military patrol in the background. I loved watching the activity of all these townsfolk as I sat and painted.

[Le Pistolet]

Again, something a little different to what I had planned to write about the Barony. I am actually hugely interested in toponymy being a language student and this was a lot of fun to look up and work out. I used Google translate to find the roots of these words so they may be a little wrong. I also shoehorned stories around difficult things, but this was brilliant fun. I think I will start writing the prehistory soon. Maybe a short folk story concerning the three warring Kings and the arrival of Father Martin, perhaps in a ballad style...


A study of Imperial Toponymy: Volume X: Wissenland
-Monsieur Geoffrey Leblanc, Lecturer of’ Reikspeil and Imperial History’ at the University of Paravon
- Edited and translated from Brettonian  by Otto Gerten of the University of Altdorg for Imperial consumption and study.

Chapter XIV: The Toponymy of Sonnefurt


Towns and Villages

Sonnefurt

Sonnefurt is named after the Sonnefurt, the ford that appears in the River Sonne that allows traders to cross and opens the link to the other side and to Kreutzhofen.

The River is named after King Sonne who had his fort on the location Sonnefurt now occupies and met a grizzly fate in its waters.

Thalfang

The roots of Thalfang come from a crude reworking of the name of the god Taal and the old Imperial word ‘fang’ meaning ‘catch’ or ‘haul’.

The origins for this naming come from the old legend which states that once, King Aschen, another tribal chief of the region and cousin of Kings Sonne and Eieten, came across an incredibly old man fishing at the fork between the River Soll and the River Aschen. He did not recognise the man who was fishing as one of his tribe, and believed him to be poaching fish that rightly belonged to his people. He challenged the man and the man made a deal with the King, stating that if he could catch more fish than the King, he was entitled to keep his haul. The legend states that during the competition, the fish just jumped out of the water at the man’s feet, and the King caught nothing. The angry King begrudgingly let the man take his catch, but the man refused, giving the huge amounts of fish to the King as a gift. The man then disappeared, and the King realised he had been blessed by the god Taal. He quickly set up a shrine to the god, and moved his fortress to this location, where he enjoyed bountiful fishing and his tribe flourished in the name of his god.

Ertingen

Ertingen stems from the name of a former tribal king, King Eieten and the suffix ‘–ingen’, meaning ‘descendants of’.

King Eieten is famous as being the King who slew the great King Sonne, making him the mightiest King in the region, inheriting the lands of his cousin and merging the tribes. However, the intense rivalry of the tribes meant they did not want to coexist or move to the large fort at the Sonnefurt. As such, King Eieten decided to build another fort across the river for only his tribe, his descendants. The two forts were linked by a ferry but were not merged. It is perhaps this relationship that explains why the towns are still not merged.

Ostrach

Ostrach literally means ‘east of the River’ in the old Reikspiel.

Due to it being a relatively recent town development, springing up post 1707 and the Orc rampages, it does not benefit from a rich back story.  The town is indeed located east of the River Soll (although maps of the Barony and of Wissenland seem to show it to be on the South side, due to the infamous ‘Wissenland slant’ employed by Imperial cartographers). It is the only large settlement in the Barony not to be found on the River’s edge, owing to why it might be so distinguished as being distant from the River.

Strazen

Strazen roughly means the ‘lost one’.

 This name refers back to it having been the former fort of King Eieten, but when he lost in a battle against his cousin, King Aschen, the fort was razed and he was forced to flee into the Dieten Hills to save his tribe.

Bezeinhof

The closest translation of Bezeinhof is ‘the square marked with warnings’.

This is thought to originate from the very early beginnings of the town, in 1805, when a very small settlement was established on the edges of the Martinswald, still rife with dark beasts that had fled to hide in there after the disintegration of Gorbad’s invasion.  It is said that the entire settlement were slaughtered and disappeared without a trace, but strange markings were left on the buildings threatening any more settlements. This attack provoked a purging of the Martinswald for the next ten years, and it was declared fit for habitation and felling in 1815. The villagers of the newest town chose to remember their former settlers by naming their town after their fate, a reminder to themselves that dark things lay in the forest.

Martinskorf

Martinskorf simply means ‘Martin’s Courtyard’.

This was named as on the towns establishment in 1815, a statue to Father Martin was erected and the simple villagers decided to name it after their meeting place.

Places

The River Sonne

The River Sonne which gives the town and Barony its name is named after an ancient King, King Sonne. The King ruled over the lands around Sonnefurt, his primitive fort residing where the town now rests. The river took his name as it was in the river his body was unceremoniously tossed after he was brutally cut down by one of his cousins, King Eieten.

 Ancient tales tell that he met with Lacothea as his body and spirit entered her holy waters and bargained with her to become the spirit of the river. It is said that he controls the appearance of the ford, for he wanted to spite his cousins by controlling their usage of the waterway, being able to render it entirely useless at his whim.

The Aschen Hills and The Aschen River

The hills are named after King Aschen, who had a large hill fort in the hills before his legendary encounter with Taal upon which he moved his tribe down to the fork between the two Rivers and established Thalfang. The River is only named the Aschen River as its source is derived in the Aschen Hills.

The Dieten Hills

The hills, an amalgamation of the word ‘the’ and King Eieten’s name were not named as he had a fort there, but as that is where he was killed and buried. The mysterious barrow found in this hills is said to be his, and due to his vengeful spirit he is believed to still roam the hills with his armies, who were crushed their by the converts of Father Martin, for King Eieten was the only King not to turn to the way of Sigmar, and was subsequently subject to the Father’s hammer.

The Bezau Hills

In Reikspiel ‘bezau’ translates as ‘entranced’, making the closest translation of the ‘Bezau Hills’ the ‘entrancing hills’.

This stems from 1804, when the green lights stemmed from the Martinswald upon the opening of ‘Morr’s Chasm’, the huge pit that emerged magically and is presumed to lead to the underworld. The goat and sheep herders of these foothills were the first to notice these lights, as their sheep began to wander uncontrollably towards it, as if possessed by the mystical lights. Thus, the hills gained their name.

The Martinswald and the River Martin

The forest (wald in Reikspiel) and the river are named after the legendary hero Father Martin, a follower of Sigmar and the bringer of religion and unity to the warring tribes of the region. Upon his return from the Battle of Blackfire Pass, he began a mission to cleanse the woodland, lasting many, many years, often leading the armies himself. It was on one of these excursions, many, many years later, he was to fall foul of Goblin trickery and succumbed to a poisoned arrow. He became entombed in the Sanctuary of Sigmar he had established and the people of the Barony named the woodland in his honour. The River was then named in the local tradition of what it passes through, being the Martinswald. The bridge that crosses this river is also the Martin’s Bridge, and whilst this is only named due to the river it crosses, it does bear carvings depicting his life, acting as his memorial.

Editors note. By the time of printing this 4th Edition of Monsieur Leblanc’s compilation, in 2526, the Martin’s Bridge was destroyed in resistance actions against the Kroppenleben occupiers. It has been rebuilt in a memorial to these resistance fighters. The masonry that survived the blast is now kept in Father Martin’s shrine in Sonnefurt’s Sanctuary of Sigmar.

[Le Pistolet]

The Prehistory of Sonnefurt
Report commissioned by Baron Max von Heisenberg, performed by Arthritiknes

Little is known of the tribal history of Southern Wissenland, for nothing was permanently recorded, and thus the pre-history of Sonnefurt cannot be accounted for hugely. Likewise, many records that have existed were destroyed in 1707, making it incredibly different for anyone to work out the history of those 1700 years. However, on your commission my noble lord von Heisenberg, I have studied to the surviving tomes in Nuln, Altdorf and Wissenburg’s archives and libraries, as well as any archaeological finds from the Barony. I hope this will give you a clearer guide as to your inherited Barony’s heritage.

Yours faithfully,

Arthritiknes

Of the Warring Kings

Records from Karak Hirn actually do show that these Kings of Sonnefurt legend did actually exist. They are the only Kings mentioned in the records, proving they must have made the notice of the Dwarfs, and other Kings must have been much more peaceful.

The Kings were all related, cousins via a paternal grandfather. It is thought that they split his once enormous kingdom between them in a civil war due to petty differences that became exacerbated and turned into an ongoing pointless three way feud.

King Sonne ruled the land that lies between the Sonne and Martin Rivers and some land across the Martin River’s banks,  and stretching back all the way to the Bezau Hills. These hills were however heavily wooded, and patrolled regularly by Dwarf warriors, who were a much mightier power than they are presently. 

King Aschen ruled beyond his namesake hills, to the borders of King Sonne , a hotly contested area.

King Eieten ruled across the banks of the Soll, around the Dieten Hills, stretching back into some of the moorland, and reaching beyond the Sonnefurt and Aschen forks.

King Sonne was the oldest had the mightiest army and the most strategic location. His fort overlooked the vantage point of the river fork and was protected on two sides by the river, making it easier to defend and keep watch from the dark beasts of the woodland that would regularly take advantage of the civil feud to raid and pillage. King Aschen was the second oldest and had his hill fort deep in the Aschen Hills, heavily fortified to protect his people as he had a smaller army that could not stand up to King Sonne’s in pitched battle. King Eieten was the youngest and the most hot-headed, his army wanting to prove themselves as they had drawn the poorest lot of land. He located his fort on the banks of the Soll at Strazen, a weak position but brilliant for fishing and its harbour fed a large population.

The three Kings would regularly besiege each others forts and pillage, causing mayhem just to spite their bitter rivals. The battles were fairly inconsequential and the stalemate continued.

However, the stalemate was broken when King Aschen supposedly met with god Taal, who gifted him with a prime fishing location on which to base a new settlement, in what is now Thalfang. The bountiful fishing opportunities have long dried up as you know and farming is now the main concern of Thalfang, but his population, once smaller than the others, boomed significantly due to the plentiful fish. Seeing this as a blessing from the gods themselves, King Aschen decided to redouble his efforts in conquering the lands of his cousins.

He launched a devastating attack on King Eieten’s settlement, razing it to the ground and forcing the refugees to hide in the barren Dieten Hills, living a nomadic life trying to lick their wounds and launch a counterattack. King Aschen then turned on the mighty King Sonne, hoping to seal his victory by smiting down his biggest contender for dominance. There are archaeological records of a large battle taking place at Ostrach, with many dying on each side, but no major headway being made. It is said the two Kings fought an epic duel, but neither could best the other and their armies began to disintegrate around them, forcing them to withdraw to fight another day.

With his two enemies weakened, King Eieten seized a very underhand chance, and launched an attack by boat on King Sonne’s fort at night. His vengeful army ravaged the fort, burning buildings and slaughtering unsuspecting innocents. The King himself found King Sonne asleep in his longhouse and butchered him there and then. He then tossed his mauled body into the River Sonne, which came to bear his name.

Enslaving the rest of the population, for they had no King, King Eieten became the most powerful King in the region, for King Aschen was still recovering from his battle with King Sonne and could not hope to rival the numbers Eieten had on his side. Eieten ruled both Kingdoms for several years, establishing Ertingen as its capital, a place for his tribe to call home with King Sonne’s people as their servants. This period was the only period of relative peace in their entire history, as King Aschen was too afraid to take on his youngest cousin and risk total annihilation.

Of Saint Martin of Sonnefurt

It was at this point that a man approached King Aschen bearing the word of the great chieftain, Sigmar, who was at that point unifying the tribes to fight to drive the Orcs out at what would become the Battle of Blackfire Pass. The King knew he could not pledge any men to the cause without his cousin taking his lands whilst he was gone, and asked the stranger for help. The stranger, the man who became Saint Martin of Sonnefurt, rallied a large army of Sigmar’s followers from further up the Soll and he and King Aschen turned on King Eieten.

The battle ended in a catastrophic defeat for the followers of King Eieten, his captured soldiers from King Sonne even turning on him mid battle. He retreated into the Dieten Hills, but was hounded by Saint Martin and eventually the Saint found him and was able to smite the cowardly King with his mighty hammer.

The armies of the two defeated Kings were assumed under King Aschen’s new mighty Kingdom and he ordered them to participate in the Battle of the Blackfire Pass. Many stories exist about Saint Martin’s role in this battle, many of which are just legend, but it is known he led the three Kings forces and aided in victory for Sigmar.

After the battle, King Aschen ruled for several years, and Martin stayed to help unite the region into the new Empire that Sigmar was forming. The Kingdom became the Barony of Aschen, its capital being at Thalfang, not Sonnefurt as it now is.

Saint Martin aided the King for many years in cleansing the Barony of foul creatures so it could prosper, and lead many excursions into the woodland to clear it of the goblins that dwelled within. However, when leading an excursion near what is now Sonnefurt, for the Martinswald stretched to only ten miles to the banks of the river before being cultivated for agriculture, Saint Martin was struck by a poisoned arrow.

He was carried back to the small village that had been established in the ruins of King Sonne’s fort, and succumbed to his poison whilst resting there. He was buried and a small shrine built to remember him. This was housed by small building, which would eventually become the Sanctuary of Sigmar.

The Formation of the Barony of Sonnefurt

Upon the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Saint Martin, the cult of Sigmar was just extending to the people of the Barony of Aschen. Feverous devotion was displayed by many, remembering the teachings of Saint Martin and all he did for the Barony. King Aschen had long died, and was succeeded by his son, a weak willed Baron who had none of the prowess of his father and lorded over his citizens.

As such the Baron could not stop the religious fever surrounding the cult of Sigmar and consequentially Saint Martin. People flocked to his shrine and quickly a large population sprung up around it. Over the years this would become the town of Sonnefurt, which came to rival Thalfang in size and power in the region.

Neither the Baron nor any of his successors were able to control the people, and they succeeded many years later, forming the Barony of Sonnefurt, which was incredibly small in comparison to today, only encompassing the lands between the Sonne and Martin Rivers.

Its succession was not well planned, and the new Baron was equally as weak as Baron Aschen. It was no surprise when the tiny Barony fell victim to an annexation by the Pfeifraucher family after it had failed to truly establish itself even after over two decades of independence.

Over time, the Pfeifraucher family would come to annex Thalfang too, and the whole area would fall under the Great Barony of Kreutzhofen, only to gain its independence once again in 1932 as you and the people of the Barony well know.

The Coming of the Dwarfs

During this period of turmoil the Dwarfs began to descend into the Empire, looking for work opportunities and teaching the fledgling communities their ways. Their skilled masons constructed the foundations and fortifications that can still be seen today, although many were ripped down as the towns expanded and used in the construction of new districts. Sonnefurt’s harbour and lighthouse were commissioned by the Pfeifraucher family to expand the river ports business, and this construction was to mark the start of extensive trade with Karak Hirn, contributing to a large influx of Dwarfs to the region.

On the one hundredth anniversary of Saint Martin’s death, the Pfeifrauchers also commissioned the Sanctuary of Sigmar, a huge church to house the shrine of Saint Martin and the focus place for the worship of Sigmar through the Saint.

Many archaeological findings show that the Dwarf population expanded increadibly slowly steadily after the influx for many centuries, and eventually seemed to cease, and the Dwarfs began to withdraw into their holds to fight their enemies within. As the ‘lowlanders’ became cast out by their holds, there are no records in Karak Hirn or surviving in Sonnefurt from these Dwarfs. Thus, a large section of history is left unknown until records started again in 1708.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here is where the conclusive records end, except for a few dates. Kreutzhofen was hid incredibly hard by the Orc invasion and their records of this period almost entirely obliterated. However, I hope this has shed some light on our unique heritage for you my lord.

I have also compiled a timeline on what I believe must be the dates for these events for your pleasure.

-37 The conflicts between the three cousins begin, with evidence of many battles from this period.

-22 King Aschen supposedly meets Taal, Thalfang is founded

-17 King Aschen attacks King Eieten, destroying his fort at Strazen. King Eieten becomes a nomad in the Dieten Hills

King Aschen attacks King Sonne in a huge battle. Many are killed and both sides suffer horrific casualties.
King Eieten kills King Sonne and destroys his settlement, enslaving his subjects.

-16 Ertingen is founded. King Eieten rules over the Eieten and Sonne tribes.

-2 Saint Martin arrives and seeks an audience with King Aschen

In an alliance with King Aschen, Saint Martin kills King Eieten in battle in the Dieten Hills. King Aschen assumes all of his grandfather’s lands for himself.

-1 The Battle of Blackfire Pass

1 The Barony of Aschen is formed.

19 King Aschen dies, his son inherits his position as Baron

25 Saint Martin dies in battle after being poisoned. A shrine is built to him in Sonnefurt.

73 Johann Helstrum arrives in Altdorf, preaching that he has received a vision of Sigmar ascending into Heaven to become a god, and crowned King of the Gods by Ulric himself. Although controversial at the time, the worship of Sigmar Divine takes strong roots in the lands of the Unberogi, and spreads throughout the Empire.

75 The Cult of Sigmar reaches the Barony of Aschen

87 Sonnefurt succeeds from Aschen

107 Sonnefurt is annexed by the Great-Barony of Kreutzhofen

126 Thalfang is annexed by the Great-Barony of Kreutzhofen

154 The first walls of Sonnefurt are built by Dwarf masons.
162 The Lighthouse and Harbour of Sonnefurt are built, increased Dwarf influx

173 The Sanctuary of Sigmar is consecrated on the anniversary of Saint Martin’s death. It is dedicated in his honour and houses his shrine. It is a site of pilgrimage and comes to include an alms house to cater for all the vagrants of the city and its many pilgrims.

173-1111 Little is known of these period except that the towns of the Barony expanded under Pfeifraucher influence and with the help of the lowland Dwarfs.

1111 Black Death sweeps the Empire, many die, although no records survive in the region of how many. Dwarfs withdraw from the Old World and Sonnefurt presumably becomes stagnant.

Records end until 1708

[Le Pistolet]

I recently stumbled upon these two websites whilst doing some more work on Sonnefurt:

http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm

http://www.writing-world.com/sf/hordes.shtml

The first one is exceptional. It entirely changed my perspective of Sonnefurt. All along I had thought it was a little small, especially when maps state that the distance between Sonnefurt at one end and Thalfang at another was over 30 miles, and that I was proclaiming the town of Sonnefurt was booming, but yet could only muster 300 or so in its army. This seemed stupid, especially after writing Sonnefurt in Flames, where I imagined much larger armies duking it out. Thus, my perspective of Warhammer has changed. It is no longer skirmishes (unless I so wish) but instead each man has to be worth around 10 men in reality.

To work out how big Sonnefurt's army should really be, I found the second link, which wittles down your population (worked out from the first link) and shows how many can fight. I added numbers onto this to represent it being Warhammer, with more men needed to fight than in your typical medieval town (there are goblins everywhere of course  ).

Anyway, both links made my work seem a lot more realistic and are really worth having a look at.


I have also managed to compile a census of the Barony using them below. A map will accompany sometime soon, showing more exactly the locations of all the small settlements and the Shires I have mentioned.



Key:

Square: Major Town
Circle: Village
'X' Cross: Hamlet
'+' Cross: Isolated Settlement
Red Line: Shire Territories
Black Line: Major Road
Broken Black Line: Ferry Crossing

Dark Green: Woodland
Blue: Water
Brown: Hill
Light Green: Arable and Cultivated Land

Land
630 Square miles of land
315 square miles of agrarian land (Fertile River Banks, Aschen Hills, Bezau Hills)
148 Square miles of water (Rivers Soll, Sonne, Aschen, Martin, Dieten)
13 Square miles of unfarmed hills (Dieten Hills)
154 Square miles of dense woodland (Martinswald)

Population
Average of 90 Inhabitants per square mile
Population of approximately 56500 people

Distribution
Urban Population 30518 (54%)
Population of Sonnefurt: 5263
Population of Thalfang: 3157
Population of Ertingen: 3316
Population of Ostrach: 2653
Population of Strazen: 1857
Population of Martinskorf: 743
Population of Bezeinhof: 729

Rural Population 25982 (46%)
94 Villages (200-300 people) - 23212
40 Hamlets (50-80 people)- 2460
9 Isolated settlements (20-40 people)  310

By Shire
The Shire of Sonnefurt: 1 Large Town, 24 Villages, 9 Hamlets, 2 Isolated Settlements= Approx 16 000 people (28%)
The Shire of Thalfang: 1 Town, 25 Villages, 8 Hamlets, 2 Isolated Settlements= Approx 10 500 people (20%)
The Shire of Ostrach: 1 Town, 24 Villages, 7 Hamlets= Approx 9 500 people (17%)
The Shire of Ertingen: 1 Town, 7 Villages, 7 Hamlets= Approx 8000 people (14%)
The Shire of Strazen: 1 Medium Town, 10 Villages, 6 Hamlets= Approx 7000 people (12%)
The Shire of Bezeinhof: 1 Small Town, 2 Villages, 1 Hamlet, 4 Isolated Settlements= Approx 3000 people (5%)
The Shire of Martinskorf: 1 Small Town, 2 Villages, 2 Hamlets, 3 Isolated Settlements= Approx 2500 people (4%)

Size of Towns
The Large, Fortified Port of Sonnefurt -86 acres
The Town of Thalfang- 52 acres
The Port of Ertingen- 54 acres
The Town of Ostrach- 43 acres
The Medium Town of Strazen- 30 acres
The Small Town of Martinskorf- 12 acres
The Small Town of Bezeinhof -11 acres

Livestock
188100 Livestock
127908 fowl
60192 cows/pigs/sheep/goats

Nobility
The Von Heisenberg Family and 188 other noble families

Distribution
30 Nobles Families in Sonnefurt
16 Noble Families in Thalfang
17 Noble Families in Ertingen
14 Noble Families in Ostrach
10 Noble Families in Strazen
3 Noble Families in Martinskorf
3 Noble Families in Bezeinhof
94 Noble Families (One in each Village)

Analysis

The findings of the census seem to show a shift from the last census performed, and the majority of the population (54%) now lives in the seven main urban areas of the Barony. This is only 8% of the population and 4520 more citizens however, so is not an enormous change.

The population distribution is puzzling, as the Shire of and town Ostrach, a significantly smaller town than Ertingen, has a larger proportion of residents. Granted, the shire is bigger, but Ostrach is not a particularly affluent area. Perhaps more residents of the Ertingen Shire live in the town itself for the business opportunities, whilst Ostrachers prefer to live out as their town declines in importance. The Shire of Ostrach also includes the infamous “Sonnefurt-Bezeinhof Belt”, fertile ground along trade routes for the timber industries in the town, perhaps giving rise to more settlements along this area.

It is also interesting to note the comparative size of the Shires of Sonnefurt and Thalfang, for they seem to encompass roughly the same amount of settlements. However Thalfang falls a whole 6000 people behind the predominant Shire of Sonnefurt, 4000 more than in lacks due to size of the main town. This is potentially due to the smaller settlements focussed around the wine growing fields of the Aschen and Bezau Hills which fuel a lot of the Thalfang economy. These settlements do not support as many people as the agricultural settlements of Sonnefurt and are thus perhaps smaller.

Finally, considering almost half the Barony’s lands are uncultivable, consisting of torrents of water or thick forest, the number of settlements is staggering. Furthermore, their distribution does not seem to hinder their development, and the villages are well spread out across the Barony, never overly competing with each other.

[Derek Contyre]

That is some cool stuff there Le Pistolet, I will have to go through it again when I have more time... I.e. I'm not painting my Stattenland pistoliers for a tourney in just under two weeks.

[Derek Contyre]

Well I finally finished it all... And my oh my has it given me some insight to writing my background about the Contyre household and the Principality of Stattenland...

Yeah, I upgraded it from a County, after realising that it is waaaay too big to be a county. I checked out those websites for resources you had, and, well, lets just say I was a little shocked.
So it is now a Principality.

Its so big, it has three baronies, a county and a dukedom all inside it!!!

And you heard it first.

[Inarticulate]

Well I finally finished it all... And my oh my has it given me some insight to writing my background about the Contyre household and the Principality of Stattenland...

Yeah, I upgraded it from a County, after realising that it is waaaay too big to be a county. I checked out those websites for resources you had, and, well, lets just say I was a little shocked.
So it is now a Principality.

Its so big, it has three baronies, a county and a dukedom all inside it!!!

And you heard it first.

Make a thread. The fluff-monster is hungry.

[Le Pistolet]

Make a thread. The fluff-monster is hungry.

Nom nom nom

You'd better feed the fluff monster.   

[Derek Contyre]

Make a thread. The fluff-monster is hungry.

Nom nom nom

You'd better feed the fluff monster.   

ROFL LOL. 

[Le Pistolet]

Am I now trolling my own thread? Oops. 

In serious news, post it. I finished exams today so need stuff to read, I've got three months of Summer to fill. Speaking of which, expect quite a bit more background to come out of Sonnefurt over the next few months, I'm back 

[Derek Contyre]

I've been working on it the last few days when I have time... but I cannot garuntee it will be ready for another week at least... But whatever I get doen I will post up.
Eventually. Keep watching the office for it.

[GamesPoet]

   Some how that was a very appropriate picture.

[GamesPoet]

Ah, here we go ...

Baroness Katrina von Heisenberg
The Baroness rules over the small Barony of Sonnefurt. She is fairly young, at 27 and is by all accounts very beautiful, as well as being intelligent and very charismatic.  The von Heisenberg family came to rule Sonnefurt two generations ago, with the Baroness’ grandfather, Baron Heinrich von Heisenberg, distant and last surviving relative of the ruling Tol family. Her father, Baron Max von Heisenberg passed away just under a decade ago and has ruled, with help for the first few years, ever since.

The Baroness spends roughly three quarters of the year in her private villa in the hills South of Sonnefurt, and the rest of the year, normally the deep winter months, in the city, in her large town mansion. On several occasions she will make the long trips to her ancestral home of Heisenberg and Messen, as well as occasional trips to Nuln, where she visits her distant relatives of the Liebewitz family, the family of Countess Emmanuelle. Relations with the Countess, her second cousin are frosty at best and it is commonly believed that the Countess is jealous of the youth and beauty the Baroness possesses, as well the fact she is the second most successful female member of the family. Relations with the rest of the family in Northern Wissenland are on good terms and the Baroness has quite a bit of sway at Court and many allies with a lot of money.

The people of the Barony love their Baroness, and she is well respected amongst her peers and her councillors. Her harsh attitude towards Solland rebels has made relations with those in Wusterburg and Kreutzhofen a little tense in recent years, but they respect her leadership of her Barony, and border disputes are infrequent. Cooperation has occurred between the local regions, especially in the face of larger threats to the entire region. However, Baron von Kalb of Kroppenleben is the Countess’s biggest rival, constantly vying for total control of the trade routes with Karak Hirn, of which Sonnefurt controls half, and scheming against the Baroness.

The Baroness does not lead her own armies, for she is more of a political mind than a fighter, but she does coordinate armed efforts and offers her tactical insight. Her links to Messen, Heisenberg and Nuln do offer the opportunity, on the most dire of occasions, for armed help, but during the rule of the von Heisenberg family, this has only be required the once. The Baroness, however, does sometimes join the army to inspire the men, but will retreat back behind her lines before the fighting begins.

Mention is made of the Baroness being 27.  I'm prepping a possible suitor for the "Wedding in Wissenland" thread, and so in what year is this refering to?

[GamesPoet]

2497- Current ruler, Baroness Katarina von Heisenberg is born

Here's a nugget.  And so in 2527, when she is looking for a suitor, she's actually 29 or 30 years old, depending on when her birthday is.

[Uryens de Crux]

Yeah, cos women never lie about their age

[Chev]

Bloody interesting fluff/backstory mate, Dont know how you can go into such detail. Inspires me to do one for my own army, not sure if thats a good thing though

Will be keeping a keen eye on this thread.