This is the background for my Empire army, any comments would be appreciated.
Just north of Aver Reach, sandwiched between the haunted Ghoul Wood and the World's Edge Mountains lies the small region of Vinland. The rolling foothills make it the ideal place for growing grapes and this is where some of the best of Stirland's (already excellent) wine comes from.
In the times before the Von Carsteins Vinland prospered, huge barques took great casques of wine down the Aver to Altdorf, Nuln and Marienburg. The Margrave of Vinland was one of the richest men in Sylvania and one of the most influential men in the court of the count. Vinland's downfall however, is intertwined with that of Sylvania. In the year 2009 IC just one year before Vlad seized Sylvania the Countess of Averland commanded that her troops take the wealthy region for Averland. Ten thousand men gathered on the Aver's bank as the Margrave received a message demanding surrender.
The Margrave, Yuri von Tempelhof, was by this time nearly eighty and losing his mind. He refused to surrender, and ordered Vinland's troops southward to the river, insiting that the mad count of Sylvania, Otto Von Drak would come to reinforce them. Von Drak however, was at this time planning an invasion of the Border Princes involving an army a million strong, a legion of dragons and his prized cat. The battle of Aver Ford lasted for three days, in the end the Margrave's troops were victorious but only just and the Margrave himself had drowned in the raging river. The new Margrave, Yuri's son Karl, knew that it would be many years before the army would recover. He was right.
Just six months later Von Drak was found dead in his bed and Vlad von Carstein became the Count of Sylvania. The Count of Stirland, Graf Jungmann, ordered the Margrave to stop Vlad and his army of the undead on the Moors to the north of Vinland's main town, Keysergrad. The Margrave knew the task was impossible with his weakened army, but he was a soldier at heart and he could not ignore his orders. He marched north to meet the foe and just two days later almost the entire army of Vinland lay dead. Vlad captured Von Tempelhof and although the Margrave begged to be killed he was cursed with Undeath, but not before he had had his eyes and tongue torn out. It is said that Karl still wanders the moor until this day, never able to leave his living nightmare.
Keysergrad and Vinland were only spared due to the massive occupation of the region by troops from both Averland and Stirland to protect the vines. After Vlad's defeat the Counts argued over who should rule Vinland, for Karl was the last of the Tempelhof Family. Averland still desired it for obvious reasons, but Stirland felt that they had lost more men protecting it and therefore deserved it more. In the end the Emperor himself decreed that the region should be under the jurisdiction of Stirland but that its ruling should be left to the last living Sylvanian noble, Johann Hitterschon. He had only escaped the corruption of Sylvania's nobles by serving as a lawyer in Altdorf. Along with his wife Elsa and the last few remaining Sylvanian troops he was given the task of defending the region. Today Vinland's soldiers still wear the purple of Sylvania to commemorate Hitterschon. To ensure that Vinland would never be left without a Margrave again, Karl had twelve sons to ensure that the family name would live on.
Over 500 years later, however the impossible was coming true. Margrave Felix Hitterschon was found dead in his bed, both his sons had been killed in the wars with the undead and he had no clear heir. By now, Vinland's soil had turned sour through the magic of the vampires and the only wine it could export was that in Keysergrad's vast underground wine cellars. The region had suffered much, although it was now no longer cut off from Stirland (as Sylvania had now been annexed) the region was in destitute poverty and Ghouls and Varghulfs preyed on the citizens.
The Margrave's herald was ordered to find an heir, and after nearly a year of searching find one he did. Ivan-Karoly Kapotov was the half-Kislevite descendant of Johann's twelfth son Claus. He had been living in Marienburg with his mother since the death of his Kislevite father. The Herald informed the young man that he was the last known descendant of the Hitterschon family, third cousin nine times removed to the last Margrave. The young noble was bored with life in cosmopolitan Marienburg and accepted the offer of the herald. He was proclaimed the new Margrave two months later, with his Imperial name Johann-Karl IX.
Colours: Purple (This is expensive and only worn by certain regiments, most wear combinations of green, grey and brown)
Province: Stirland
Capital: Keysergrad
Main Exports: Vintage Wine, Religous relics, Mercenary soldiers
Ruler: Johann-Karl Hitterschon von Capestang (Kapotov): Margrave Johann-Karl IX
