Warhammer Fantasy Battles - Mordheim JumpChain

Not since the horrors of the Black Plague has our land seen such despair. Almost two millennia after Sigmar founded the Empire, the realm is fractured and broken. Three rival factions claim the imperial crown: Marienburg, Middenheim and Reikland. The lure of power brings the armies of men against one another in a seemingly endless tide of battle.

An island of peace in a sea of conflict. Mordheim drew wealth such as the city had never seen into its walls, but with its prosperity came the corruption of arrogance and hedonism and greed. The Gods could not long abide the outrages of Mordheim’s populace, in the Heavens, an ill star appeared, a great twin-tailed comet that some priests warned was nothing less than the Hammer of Sigmar. They preached tidings of doom and repentance, but their sermons were ignored. An attitude of rebellious revelry griped the city as the comet grew ever nearer. The grand festival to celebrate the turn of the year was a mockery of apocalyptic prophecies. It was then that the hammer fell.

The fiery comet ploughed through the city, gouging a deep crater in the midst of the poor quarter. The wondrous palace of count Steinhardt was broken, the grand amphitheatre shattered, the vast library blighted by a pall of ash. Fire and smoke decimated the populace, but worse awaited the survivors. A malignant corruption that brought with it mutation and madness. The vile taint of Chaos.

In the shattered city, strange green-black stones were discovered. Strange energies emanated from these shards. Warlocks and alchemists experimented with these ‘Wyrdstones’ and soon determined that their uncanny properties could work wonders. Wrydstone could heal the sick, regenerate the old or even turn base metal into gold. Lust for Wyrdstone focused avaricious eyes upon the ruined Mordheim, treasure hunters descended upon the city. Vying with both mutated horrors that claimed the ruins as their own and crusading zealots who sought to prevent the taint from spreading. Inhuman creatures filtered in Mordheim, staking their own claims. An endless pilgrimage of the greedy and ambitious fighting and dying in the place now called ‘The City of the Damned.’

Now another band approaches this mad city, ready to fight and bleed and die for the visions of the great. There’s opportunity though, if one was lucky enough to be gifted +1000CP and savvy in how they spent it, for ​ ​ greater rewards than the Old World could have otherwise offered.

Location So long as it’s in or around the Damned City, you may begin your time in world anywhere that reason would permit. Perhaps you’ve stuck to the outlying villages or dense forests, just arrived with a warband at the very gates of Mordheim or have an established camp within the ruins. You may not begin in the Pit, the impact site for the meteorite, for the beings that lurk there would not tolerate the lingering presence of free-willed mortals. Warband Listen to me Jumper, there are many in Mordheim who you must face. Men from the lands of Middenheim to as far as Marienburg have staked their claim upon this forsaken city. Then there are the rat-men, the Walking Dead and those crazed Witch Hunters So seeing as I’m feeling generous, I will describe them all. … Then maybe you’ll have an idea of what you’re up against. So pay attention boy, for this information just might save your life!

Averland Mercenaries Averland lies in the south of the Empire, between the rivers Aver and Upper Reik and borders upon the Black Mountains and the huge range that is the Worlds Edge Mountains. It’s a prosperous province, though it’s neither one of the largest or most influential in the Empire. Much of its wealth is spent on the uniforms of state soldiers, with seasoned veterans being flamboyantly garbed with impressively featured hats and lacey silks. The Averlander army is said to employ enough tailors to supply a small city, and men from the other provinces joke that the soldiers marching under the banner of Averheim are such capable archers and riflemen because they fear that blood or blade might ruin their clothes. Averland has no ambition for the imperial throne, but as an Officer of the Army you’ve realised that the wealth of Mordheim would best be ​ ​ reinvested into the textiles industry, filling your spacious leather purse.

Beastman Raiders The Beastmen are brutish, wild and unnatural creatures that live in the deep forests. Anyone travelling through this untamed wilderness risks being attacked by these unpredictable raiders. Many of those who dwell within the forests around the outskirts of Mordheim claim that these vile creatures of Chaos outnumber mankind, though such statements are impossible to prove, for the Beastmen build no cities and do not create any structured form of society beyond violent hierarchies under a Beastmen Chieftain. The ​ ​ carnage of the city’s destruction has given you free rein to raid travellers and outlying villages without retaliation and the gathering forces of Chaos promises an opportunity for grander depredation and perhaps marks the final decline of Order in this part of the world.

Carnival of Chaos The Old World is wracked with war and death and strife, and some concerned souls have taken it upon themselves to bring some levity and laughter back to the peasants most affected by the bloodshed. Carnivals have been moving from village to village entertaining the poor rural folk with their lavish shows and stage plays. Strongmen perform feats of incredible prowess to the adoration of the crowd, whilst players in garish, grinning masks juggle balls, knives and flaming brands. Each stop provides another evening of merriment that will surely remain treasured memories to all involved. That these villages have all been left as graveyards filled with bloated and pustulant corpses would dishearten other Carnival Masters, but the Plaguebearers, ​ ​ Nurglings and devotees to the Plague Father that just so happen to be your performers and companions are always so eager for an encore that you cannot help but to indulge them.

Cult of the Possessed Gold and social standing may be enough for the dross coming to this city, but men of true ambition will realise that Mordheim itself presents an opportunity for unlimited power. The meteorite was not unaccompanied when it crashed into Mordheim, for a new Dark Emperor has risen from the crater - the Shadowlord. A man, a Daemon, a new Chaos God; lots of rumours surround this figure, but many cultists have sworn themselves in His service in exchange for the power and mutations offered. Greatest of all His gifts is Possession, the act of taking a Daemon into one’s body and gaining power beyond that of mere Men. Though not a Possessed yourself, you have been placed at the head of a small coven and granted magical powers as a Magister of the Possessed. You’re charged to bring all the Wyrdstone scattered throughout the ​ ​ city to your master deep within the meteor’s Pit, surely so that he may accomplish some grand sorcerous working. Serve well and untold power could also be yours to wield.

Dwarf Treasure Hunter Dwarfs are a grim and exceptionally proud people. They respect three things above all else: age, wealth and skill. It is no surprise then that these grim warriors can be found in Mordheim searching for fame and fortune. Occasionally, a Dwarf Noble will find himself in desperate times. Your family hold may have been overrun by ​ ​ Goblins or Skaven, or you may have somehow disgraced yourself and been banished. It is against a Dwarf’s nature to lose himself in despair. Instead, a noble like yourself who finds himself in such dire straits will gather together a group of his closest friends and kin and go treasure hunting, hoping to accumulate a large enough hoard to establish his own holding. At this time, the largest source of wealth in the Known World is rumoured to be a city in the Empire. The city is known as Mordheim …

Kislevites The land of Kislev lies to the north and east of the Empire, just south of the territories held by the Norscan and Kurgan worshippers of Chaos. Kislevites are known to be extremely brave warriors, and they hold a loathing for Chaos that is much stronger than most of the peoples of the Old World. While many citizens of the Empire may remain ignorant to the initial signs of a Chaos cult, Kislevite citizens will immediately seek out any signs of depravity and cleanse the infected individuals with sword and flame. There’s only a few reasons why a Druzhina Captain like yourself would come so far south to Mordheim, but most would assume you’re ​ ​ ​ ​ here to cleanse the great gathering of your people’s ancient enemies.

Mercenaries This is a time of unremitting war, civil strife, violence and famine. A time of orphan children and wanton slaughter. It’s a time for you to ply your trade of soldiery as a mercenary, and the Wyrdstone of the Damned City is starting to gain a lot of attention from merchants, the nobility and even the Temple of Sigmar itself. You came to this little pocket of hell on behalf of one of the three most powerful contenders for the Emperor’s throne; the Grand Prince of Reikland, the Count of Middenheim or Lady Magritta of Marienburg. Taking up the role of a Mercenary Captain, you’re a tough professional warrior willing to fight against ​ ​ anything if the price is right. Mordheim offers such a man as you the chance to become rich beyond his wildest dreams should you possess the will to face it. It’ll take no small amount of ruthlessness and an inverse amount of mercy, but your aspirations are just a few dozen bloody skirmishes away.

Orc Mob Orcs enjoy fighting and looting more than anything else. Because of this, an Orc’s life is spent in constant ​ battle – either with his fellow Orcs or some other enemy. With its wealth of opponents and loot ready for the taking, Mordheim offers the perfect opportunity for an aspiring Orc Boss to prove himself. Among the races ​ ​ of the Warhammer world, none enjoy the prospect of a good looting more than Orcs and Goblins. For this reason many Orc warbands have been drawn to the city of Mordheim and the wyrdstone that lies hidden there. Of course, Orcs would much rather ambush other warbands and take their wyrdstone than collect it themselves, but their goals are the same as any other warband – collect as much treasure as possible!

Ostlanders The Principality of Ostland is the most sparsely inhabited of all of the Empire’s Electoral Provinces. Ostland’s isolation has greatly shaped its inhabitants and they are a poor but hardy folk. Each small village lives barely above subsistence levels and is usually composed of one large extended family split into root and tuber farmers or hunters that brave the Forest of Shadows. In Ostland, the oldest (or more often biggest) man in the village is given the title ‘Elder’. Your word is greatly respected and at your urging the manhood of an ​ ​ entire village pack up and travel to Mordheim to seek their fortune. Warbands from your homeland are likely to have an Ogre coming with them, for these large brutish creatures congregate in the local mountains and are highly valued for their great strength and ability to sustain an awful lot of punishment.

Sisters of Sigmar For centuries the nobility of the Empire has sent its wayward or troublesome daughters to the Holy Convent ​ of the Order of Merciful Sisters of Sigmar in Mordheim to be initiated into the only order of priestesses dedicated to the Empire’s patron god. The Sisters of Sigmar, as they are commonly called, have traditionally travelled the Empire administering to the sick and poor, tending to the needs of orphans, curing the diseased and mending broken bodies. Though much once loved by the common people, their popularity has declined in recent years due to rabble rousing and slander on the part of other sects in the Cult of Sigmar. Forewarned of the disaster by Sigmar Himself, you’ve been given a holy mission, a sacred duty to gather up the shards of wyrdstone and hide it deep beneath Sigmar’s Rock in the vaults of the convent where, shielded by a great depth of solid granite and guarded by the eternal prayers of the sisterhood, it will cause no harm to Sigmar’s people. As one of twelve Sigmarite Matriarchs, you’re determined to prove your order a legitimate branch of ​ ​ the cult and to spare what the few innocents that remain from the spoliation of Chaos.

Skaven Unbeknownst to man, for thousands of years he has shared his world with another and altogether different race. There have always been signs for those who cared to see them: a scurrying black shadow, an inhuman scream from the sewer, scuttling shapes at the back of the cellar. These creatures call themselves Skaven and they are ratmen, the mutant spawn of an older age of chaos and mutation. For the Skaven of Clan Eshin, this calamity couldn’t have come at a better time, for, just as the Empire is divided, so the Skaven race is divided amongst itself. The Nightmaster of Clan Eshin is keen to suppress knowledge of this event, and for this reason has not sent his multitudinous armies into Mordheim. Instead, he has sent small warbands of Skaven led by Assassin Adepts skittering through secret tunnels into the city to gather up the shining stones and bring them ​ back to the clan nests swiftly and silently. Considering the increasing rarity of the substance they know as Warpstone, were rival Skaven clans to discover the secret of Mordheim there would come not hundreds, not thousands, but millions upon millions to contend for the vast amounts of wyrdstone in the City of the Damned.

Undead In the dimly-lit chamber of the Drakenhof castle, on a throne of black obsidian, sits Vlad von Carstein, the ruler of Sylvania. He waits in the shadows, having set himself apart from the politics and bickering of the Empire. For he holds a terrible secret: he, and all the ruling aristocracy of his province are Vampires, undying monsters from beyond the grave. For many long years Vlad has gathered his strength and mustered his Undead legions in secrecy, but the so-called “Hammer of Sigmar” may become the very tool needed to conquer Sigmar’s legacy. The pieces of Wyrdstone now scattered through Mordheim hold enough captured magical energy to unleash a great spell of doom to rival the ritual that returned to Tomb King civilisation to Unlife. If the Count were to acquire a vast amount of this stone, he’d raise all the dead between the Worlds Edge Mountains and the borders of Stirland, and go to war against the divided rulers of the Empire. To achieve this aim, Vlad sends newly sired Von Carstein thralls to the city by coach so that the greater Lords ​ ​ needn’t put their own immortality at risk in such a volatile environment.

Witch Hunters Warlocks, witches, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, necromancers, worshippers of the dark gods, deviants, mutants, blasphemers, sinners, utterers of profanities, servants of Daemons, or composers of corrupting music; Mordheim is a city whose inhabitants almost entirely belongs on a pyre now and it’s the job of Witch Hunters to see that these various enemies of Mankind end up on one. The destruction of Mordheim is a tragic blessing of sorts, for it has both validated and invigorated the beliefs on the Templars of Sigmar and it has brought all those disparate enemies to once place where they may be held accountable for their soon to be discontinued existences. You are a Witch Hunter Captain, a fanatical man granted an edict by the Grand ​ ​ Theogenist himself to judge and execute any and all the warlocks, witches and Chaos worshippers that now infest this city. With good faithful men at your back and some Warrior-Priests to your side, this city and the wider Empire will be cleansed of evil.