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Sylvania's Human Host:
>When the von Carstein family used their undead minions to conquer Sylvania and turn them into the skeletal legions of the modern world the human population was on the back foot. The large majority of the population died to be joined to the Carsteins in death but some resisted. After the battle of Old Forest Road and Vlad von Carstein was revealed to be a Vampire and Necromancer, many fled into the mountainous areas near the dwarfs. Here they resisted the relentless attacks of the unliving hordes and formed their own state.
Vlad knew that these ‘pathetic’ humans would be a thorn in his side. Gathering his troops he visited graveyards all around <st1:city><st1:place>Sylvania</st1:place></st1:city> to gather skeletal minions for the coming fight. Thinking this would be an easy victory Vlad sent forward his troops to attack forward positions of the Indo-Drakenhoffs. This action kicked off the eighteen month war commonly known as the First Sylvanian War.
At the of the eighteen month war the von Carsteins were lured into a valley and ambushed on three sides. With Lord Vilhelm I effectively cutting off his reinforcements and line of retreat, Vlad was killed (again&hellip 
and his army butchered. Lord Vilhelm and his army lavished in the spoils of war and became greedy and overconfident.
Vilhelm led an attack on Valhaldenschlosse and after a quick battle against the forces of Vlad the castle was raised to the ground and Vlad’s cousin was killed (for ever). Having recovered from his previous wounds Vlad counter-attacked using his Undead Drakenhoff Templars to surround and destroy Vilhelm’s reserves and gunnery positions, while flanking the celebrating force with horde upon horde of zombies and skeletal warriors. The human army was promptly destroyed and Vilhelm I slain by Vlad himself. Though he obtained a great victory Vlad wasn’t satisfied, he resurrected Vilhelm and chained him to his banner where he remained screaming for the next five years.
The battle of Valhaldenschlosse was a great demoralisation to the humans and during next few years under the guidance of Vilhelm’s son Lord Edmund I they fortified their mountain positions and begun building great cities like their current capital of Hawkshire.
The next war begun five years later when Edmund I launched a daring raid deep into <st1:city><st1:place>Sylvania</st1:place></st1:city> to rescue a large number of Drakenhof Templars. The undead army besieging the fortress was caught between the hammer and the anvil and destroyed piecemeal. Isabella von Drak, Vlad’s wife raised legions of skeletal cavalry to give chase. With the foot Templars and escorts slowing them down, Edmund ordered his spearmen and halberdier escorts to hold their position. The men disobeyed orders and refused to stay there and die. With no other option Edmund stayed with the men and ordered his second-in-command to take his royal guard and the rescued Templars back to the mountains. The battle that followed in unrecorded by any scribe living or dead (or undead), but it is known that Edmund perished alongside his men.
Lord Edmund’s successor was Lord Vilhelm II, who was thrust into command of the Indo-Drakenhof army mere weeks before Isabella’s army, led by another of Vlad’s cousins, Kragg von Carstein. With masterful planning the vampiric army was whittled down by being lured into perfectly placed ambushes, hit and run attacks and natural barriers, before being annihilated at Darken Moor, with Kragg himself falling during the fighting. Several days after the decisive battle of Darken Moor, Vlad was killed alongside the Grand Theogonist below the walls of the Imperial Capital, Altdorf. When hearing of the news Isabella committed suicide. This action effectively marked the end of the Second Sylvanian War.
For the next six hundred years the successors of the von Carsteins either fought amongst themselves, against Bretonnia or the Empire or simply didn’t fight and the Indo-Drakenhofs enjoyed relative peace.
Konrad von Carstein unified <st1:city><st1:place>Sylvania</st1:place></st1:city> once again and upon ascension vowed to destroy the Indo-Drakenhof resistance once and for all. For the next two years Konrad visited the site of great battles and graveyards (even travelling within the Empire itself) to gather troops for his impending wars
Like Vlad had done almost a decade beforehand, Konrad was overconfident because of his army’s numbers, reputation and resolve. Sending a token force to destroy the resistance proved costly, losing almost ten thousand men for almost no gain. Too distracted by the wars he had simultaneously started against the Empire to care, Konrad dished command to Sven, one of his cousins who massacred an ambushing human army before being able to retake Darken Moor from Lord Richard II himself. Leaving at the dead of night Richard and his most elite soldiers escaped hours before the final attack was launched.
Sven then carried on his successes, utterly annihilating no less than three Indo-Drakenhof armies mustered to stop him before laying siege to the outlying castles. Any army that showed any power was destroyed within days as the undead hordes swept across the mountains. He slaughtered and resurrected what is now thought to be almost five-hundred thousand soldiers and civilians during the three-months he ravaged the countryside.
Lord Richard finally managed to put up a decent defensive wall at <st1:place><st1:placetype>Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Haberbrook</st1:placename></st1:place>. Using the fort’s strong stone walls and cliff top position to his advantage he made the undead pay a very heavy toll for every metre they gained. Knowing that his army was going to be slowly worn down Sven launched a final attack. In the ensuing battle Richard II lost his life defending a stretch of wall almost single-handedly. Due to his bravery and the courage and determination of the Indo-Drakenhof soldiers the undead army was beaten back.
Sven withdrew to Darken Moor where he remained for the next twenty-five years. Richard’s successor was his brother, Lord Marcus I. At the end of the Third Sylvanian War Indo-Drakenhof was effectively made into a police state. Civilian signed up en masse as Marcus sent agents into the villages to exaggerate their victory over the undead. Growth rates went through the roof as citizens from the Empire tired of Chaos and Undead invasions (effectively using the dwarves as a stepping stone) migrated to this ‘safer’ place. The Drakenhof Templars were ‘re-founded’, building a chapter house in the capital, Hawkshire.
Under Marcus the Indo-Drakenhofs enjoyed a peaceful time. It was also during this time they renamed themselves the Alsdrunia (als-droo-nian) Empire, severing all times with the undead that were trying to destroy them. They also made strong ties with the Empire and the dwarves. The dwarves gifted them with greater secrets of metal working and army tactics while the Empire gifted them with large amounts of steel and brass and equipped them with modern black powder weapons such as Cannons and handguns. At the end of a long and mostly peaceful reign Marcus died of natural causes, twenty-five years after taking the crown.
His successor was his son, Lord Vilhelm VI promised peace and prosperity. This was short lived however as Konrad’s successor Manfred was intent on wiping them out and initiating the Fourth Sylvanian War. When he heard that the Vampire Lord had reinforced his army at Darken Moor, Lord Vilhelm prepared for war. He ordered fully eighty percent of Alsdrunia’s soldiery to reinforce and strengthen the defences leading into the mountains.
Manfred once again dished command to Sven and the Vampire’s attempted to destroy the resistance once again. As Sven advanced out of his camp, Lord Vilhelm ordered the attack. Infantry swarmed out of the mountains to attack the front while Drakenhof Templars and armoured knights led by Lord Vilhelm himself circled around the horde and attacked their rear and flanks. In an action that cost him his soul, Sven cast a spell of unprecedented proportions. All the soldiers who had fallen rose to their feet and after another ten minutes the humans were beaten back. With Sven now dead, Manfred and his guard of undead Drakenhof Templars set out from Castle Drakenhof to command the army.
Recovering from their previous defeat the Alsdrunians, reformed and prepared for the inevitable attack. For over three weeks they waited and nothing happened. Several ghoul scouts had been killed and the men grew overconfident and impatient. A female captain named April quickly gained the men’s trust through promises and her good looks. She usurped command from Lord Vilhelm and led the men in search of the undead horde. Lord Vilhelm and his few remaining men waited anxiously for news for three days before a figure appeared on the horizon. Captain April came galloping into the camp and was taken to Lord Vilhelm in chains. She explained that the army had been cut off from its supplies and destroyed. Vilhelm dismissed her and she was whipped and demoted for treason.
Within the hour Manfred’s army had descended upon the Fort Goldberg where the remaining army was stationed, the shambling hordes of undead swamped the fort and overran the walls and bitter fighting erupted in the streets and civilians and soldiers alike fought for humanity. Manfred carved his way through the human warriors until he stood before Lord Vilhelm VI. With just one swipe of his staff he knocked the man over and disposed of him with a ball of dark magic. The human warriors were disheartened with the death of their lord and Manfred pressed his attack, and within several minutes all the humans were either dead or fleeing blindly into the mountains.
The Alsdrunians were now leaderless and without most of their army. With no heir, the High Council offered the position of lord to <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city>. <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city>’s parents were Vampires and after they revealed that fact to their son he murdered them in their sleep. Burning their castle to the ground the young boy had fled into the mountainside with dire wolves hot on his heels. Once he reached the relative safety of the resistance’s borders he was welcomed as a hero but shunned because of his parentage. Gradually he earned the trust and respect of the community, through battle, tournament and good deeds. He fought in the army for thirty years as a captain and fought in battles such as Fort Haberbrook and the just outside Darken Moor just a month beforehand. When <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> heard of the offer he rallied his men in the mountains outside <st1:place><st1:placetype>Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Goldberg</st1:placename></st1:place> and ordered an organised retreat towards <st1:place><st1:placetype>Camp</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Earthwolf</st1:placename></st1:place>.
As <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> prepared to leave for the capital of Hawkshire, Captain April, her hands still bound together came up and handed him the crown. <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> drew his sword and cut the bindings around her hands. Taking the crown in her hands and his loyal mount, Darkmane he rode out of the camp with only three guards.
He was given a hero’s welcome as he arrived in the capital just under three days later. He was quickly shuffled into the grand chambers of the High Council and in a short ceremony he was announced as Lord of Alsdrunia. Taking the city’s spare soldiers he galloped towards the Camp, stopping only for supplies. As he reached <st1:place><st1:placetype>Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Timberclaw</st1:placename></st1:place> he was given word that <st1:place><st1:placetype>Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Goldberg</st1:placename></st1:place> had been overrun with no survivors. He marshalled the Fort’s defences and prepared for the attack. Luckily for the Alsdrunians the fort had a supply of cannons that was being transported up to the frontline. <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> ordered these to be placed at strategic locations along the walls.
The next morning a badly wounded Drakenhof Templar came through the Fort’s gates and told Lord Vladimir that the Vampiric army was less than a day’s march from here and that Manfred von Carstein was no longer leading it and that he and most of his army had been distracted by more important affairs in the Empire (notably the Storm of Chaos). With command of the army now resting the hands of a lowly necromancer Vladimir knew it could be easily defeated. Taking all bar one of the Fort’s cannons and most of its soldiers, he rode out to meet them.
As he camped overnight on Runehill he could see the small <st1:place><st1:placetype>village</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Jutesberry</st1:placename></st1:place> being overrun by swarms of undead. In the morning <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> ordered the camp to be moved to the reverse side of Runehill and the cannons deployed at its peak. Though it was only thirty or forty metres high <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> knew that his cannons would excel on higher ground.
At <st1:time minute="0" hour="12">midday</st1:time> the undead army attacked. Though they were outnumbered almost 3:1 <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> was confident of victory. Over the following hours the undead army attacked human positions seven times and were beaten back again and again. The necromancers commanding the army did their best to reinforce their troops with the animated dead but the skill and determination of the Alsdrunians was too much and the Undead began to break up. Vladimir himself slew four of the five necromancers while April’s sister May slew the other one. Seeing the girl’s ability in battle <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> gave her a field promotion after his second in command, Major Ildas was torn apart by Fell Beasts and Captain Teray was dragged from his saddle by Dire Wolves. After a cannon volley ordered by Captain May smashed apart the stage coach which contained the earthy remains of Sven von Carstein the undead army was finally broken. Without the support of unearthly magics it crumbled to dust in merely twenty seconds.
Now that the undead army had literally disintegrated the Alsdrunians consolidated their position. They first reclaimed <st1:place><st1:placetype>Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Goldberg</st1:placename></st1:place> and then began retaking and refortifying mountain positions and their defences. Shortly after, <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> returned to Hawkshire and in a grand ceremony he was first coroneted and then less than a week later he married Captain May
Lady May stayed in the capital, Hawkshire to manage political affairs for the couple. While her husband, Lord Vladimir returned to the front lines to oversee the rebuilding of the defences along the border.
Alas, days after returning to the frontlines, a powerful necromancer and his minions attacked <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city>’s escort. Though the undead lost ten creatures for every brave human they struck down, victory was beyond the human's grasp. Near the end of the battle <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city> was struck down by a sorcerous blast unleashed by the necromancer. Knowing his death was near, he threw his sword with his last ounce of strength, impaling the necromancer and crumbling his minions. His remaining men in solemn silence bore his body to the great chapel of Hawkshire where, in a great ceremony he was buried. Lady May took control of the army effectively becoming the first female ruler of the nation.
It was short lived though, as the next day they crowned Richard III and the new lord. Richard however was a shy and political man and quickly gave command of the army and Grand Mastery of the Drakenhof Templars to Lady May.
<strong style=""><em style="">Composition: [/i][/b]
<em style="">The battle line of an Alsdrunian army mainly consists of Spearmen and Swordsmen backed up by elite hand-gunners. They also make extensive use of cannonry, handgunner units and militia detachments. Their soldiers are mostly humans but the Alsdrunian mages have managed to bind skeletons to their will for long periods of time. These inhuman soldiers fight alongside their living brethren against the von Carsteins and other enemies who would despoil their kingdom. [/i]
<em style="">Backing up the infantry are the indefatigable Drakenhof Templars. Many a battle has been won by the last minute charge of mounted Templars of the stubborn defence of a dismounted Templar unit. The Lord of Alsdrunia is both commander of the army and Grand Master of the Drakenhof Templars. On several occasions over their long history the Lord has placed surrendered command of the army and his title as Grand Master to a more suitable military man, while he takes care of politics in the capital. [/i]
<em style="">The order of the Drakenhof Templars is different to regular orders of the Empire. The younger knights must first prove themselves fighting on foot (like greatswords) before they’re gifted with a large cavalry sword (great weapon), shield and a warhorse. These junior Templars resolutely fight to the bitter end to try and impress their commanders and receive elevation to full status. On battlefields these more junior Templars are commonly outnumbered by their full status brethren. This is mainly because the coming of age of any of the restricted line of Templars in a rarity. The only way this noble order receives recruits is through the sons of existing Templars or a wealthy peasant equipping himself in the garb of the order and making a contribution to the chapter house in Hawkshire.[/i]
To represent the Cavalry with great weapons i'm using the customizable knight rules from WD310.
Advantage- Trademark Weapon: Great Weapon
Disadvantage- Recklessness
<em style=""> [/i]
/ 
, 
, 
....and Bretonnia 
skaven
knights
Ogres 
We will reclaim what is our