Warhammer Fantasy: A Dynasty of Dynamic Alcoholism

[Massgamer]

Noble Families of Ostland: Part 2​

Many are the stories of feuding noble families both fiction and reality, and if one were to think of the most obvious example in Ostland you would have the Whitsomheimers and Skellans. Of course compared to most fictional and historical feuds the one between the two families is rather subdued for the most part.

Boven was originally ruled by the Schnabels but centuries past the family was in decline which paved the way for the Sellans to take power. Since then they have ruled the town and region well as is expected of any noble family. Of course in their efforts to improve the state of their realm there have been times they have had land disputes with the nearby Whitsomheimers who rule over Brizban.

This has developed into a cultural rivalry between the two families over the parts of the large Selonian Hills they wish to turn productive that both families have some rights in, and to a lessen extent Steinhof who are less interested in the area.

The Selonian Hills are one of the few regions Ostland that is within the former Forest of Shadows that is not dominated by the forest like the Northern March, North Spur, and Korver Hills. This lack of forest has for before Ostland's creation made it an attractive place to live and work while having means to see incoming threats on the open hills. In present day it is still used for farmland and even holding a couple mines with common but plentiful ores that both families have made great use of.

Of course this has led to at least a few times a generation for some spirited land disputes as both families wish to develop a certain part of land for themselves which usually requires the current count to settle.

Because of this state affairs the families and their people have developed a rivalry of always seeking to one up each other and perhaps one day lay claim over the entire region, despite the obvious fact that no count would grant the entire Selonian Hills to one family. They compete in nearly everything from sending their knights to tourneys specifically to seek each other out, who throws the better party among the nobility and peasants, and sometimes ridiculous things like drinking contests if one side insults another's drinking ability.

Nobles are not peasants and should act with more decorum, despite it's cultural importance drinking to decide major agreements should be discouraged.

Thankfully rarely does this rivalry ever turn overly bloodly or else earn the wrath of the current count who would be enraged to hear his vassals fighting each other so close to Ostland's border and embarrassing the province.

The family crest of the Sellans is of a bull charging over a hilly field..., the same with the Whitsomheimers with only minor differences separating the two and leaving most but those knowledgeable in said crests unable to tell the difference. This is simply another point of the rivalry between the two families and legend said the ancestors of the houses made a deal that if one truly won dominion over the Selonian Hills the loser would have to change their family crest to that of an ass. This had lead to some confusion and more than a few fist fights over people mistakenly calling members of families by their rivals.

The Otterbeins of Birkewiese are a departure from most Ostlanders due to the fact they rule a town within the Northern March and thus the culture of it's inhabitants is quite different. For as long as they family records go back the Otterbeins rarely had to tangle with the common issues regarding the Forest of Shadows due to not living within it and instead contested with the Norsii/Norscans who would raid deep into the Northern March during their raids.

It is rather a point of pride for the Otterbeins that they fought against the raiders in tactical retreats to the forests when they couldn't win outright with their chariots and always stubbornly returned later to rebuild. Today while they no longer ride chariots into battle they are one of few noble families in Ostland who take part in prime horse raising for war and are some of the best riders in the province.

Alongside their horse raising the lands of the Otterbeins are rather rich simply due to fact their main town sits squarely on the Middenheim Erengrad Road and thus has grown rich through trade and travelers for centuries. Today that prosperity has only increased due to the close relations between Ostland and Kislev which has had many more traders of Kislevite blood passing through to sell their wares everyone in the Empire up to Middenheim itself. The Otterbrains have also benefited from buying many prime Ungol horses to mix their blood with their own horses to make even better specimens they use and sell in equal amounts.

The Otterbeins are quite well known among nobility and peasants alike to host various horse races and encourage many to compete, that the Otterbeins usually win due to lack of horse riding traditions with most Ostlander houses has nothing to due to the joy they take out of it.

The family crest of the Otterbeins is a great bull pulling a ancient war chariot like their ancestors before them and legend says in ages past they specifically breed bulls to do just that, thought in truth they simply armored their horses in such a way that made them look like bulls with bardings that gave them horns.

The Pirkheimers are another family rich on trade tax due to traders moving through their territory, specifically the town Levudaldorf which is a stop along the road between Grenzburg and Wolfenburg itself. In older times the town acted a bulwark for the provincial capital even before it was built but has become less militarized over time, though it still serves of military important by hosting both patrols of the Armies of Ostland and Forest. They also rule over the smaller but still productive farming village of Krust located nearby.

Many of the Pirkheimers can roughly be summed up to being of a rather conservative bent in general.

They originally were quite against many ogres moving into Ostland centuries ago and still in general have a dislike of nonhumans in general. They dislike the fact the count is married to a foreign priest and see magic as a deadly tool at the best of times. Not to mention their religious devotion they can come across as being quite unwilling to bend to anything, or less politely put "have a large stick up their collective asses."

Of course they are still highly loyal to Ostland and haven't felt the need to overly state their complaints to the current count due to the success he has made so far, and not an insignificant amount of fear for him as well. Still, under their leadership one of the major settlements near the provincial capital has remains quite productive for generations and can doubt their sense of duty.

The family crest of the Pirkheimers is two red bulls charging each other on a rising sun, many are not sure about the symbolism but some theorize it has some deeper meaning stretching back to ancient times

The Öbelsteins who rule the village of Öbelstein within the the North Spur truly live up to the Ostlander cultural identity to what even Ostlanders would call a ridiculous degree. For as long as anyone can remember the family and the people they ruled over never backed down from any challenge up to and including the various threats that constantly assaulted them in the western part of the Forest of Shadows to a near suicidal degree.

Even the Vampire War that nearly wiped the family out did not keep them down for long as they called in cousins, married various strong neighbors, and threw themselves to reconstructing themselves to an unbelievable degree. Today the family actively encourages the lumber industry to "finally counterattack!" the forest and are eager supporters of local Army of the Forest divisions. It is as if the family and their people have actively been at war with everything from the trees to the dirt itself thinking it was part of fighting them, and it is a war they intend to win.

The fact that they seen the current count as a man to admire and live up to has many other nobles families slowly step back from them in social events for fear of catching their no fear madness. However no one will say they are not glad to have them on their side on the field of battle regardless of the foe being faced.

The family crest of the Öbelsteins is described as a literal stampede of bulls eager to crush all in their path and leave nothing behind.

The Kessels who rules the town of Lubrecht are another family noted for their military history and tradition, and are indeed close friends with Grenzburg while also being close to their neighbors in Vandengart who are more interested in taxing trade coming into province from Grenzburg border. The Kessels have managed an impressive balance of seemingly able to get along with many groups of people in general and being surprisingly diplomatic despite their relative isolation in their lands.

Their social gatherings are noted to be rather impressive and must go events for all the important nobles in Ostland.

The Kessels are also noted to be rather ambitious and eager to expand their power, a prime example being funding an effort to make a path through the forest to the village of Smallhof in order to better connect them to roads and profit from trade taxing. Any reasonable Ostlander will say that such a task would require lots of time and resources no matter how better the forest has become but if successful would make Kessels local heroes for pushing said forest back.

The family crest of the Kessels is a bull head on top of a tower which is an unsubtle show of their desire to rise up in the world.

 

[Massgamer]

AN: Once again thank you @torroar for help with information and corrections.

Minor Gods of Ostland​

While all truly pious and productive members of Ostland are aware of and show proper respect to the gods such as Sigmar, Ulric, Morr, Manann, etc, there are however also a handful of minor gods unique to the province that while do not carry the same importance as other gods are still seen as important parts of people's lives. This, in and of itself is not particularly unique, for most small homes have their own household gods, myths, legends, and so on and so forth. Every village has a lucky day, or its own traditions and beliefs even if all profess a larger loyalty to a deity of one name or another. It is these, however, which are closely scrutinized by the eyes of those who must ensure the purity and protection of the souls of the citizenry, for how many of these local invoked names are darker things in disguise? More than one village has been hung or burnt at the stake when such revelations have come to the fore, and more than one will continue to suffer such a fate in the years to come. However, in Ostland, the founding location of the Witch Hunters which now stalk throughout the whole of the Empire and beyond, all of those which remain today have been stringently and thoroughly checked for any signs of corruption. Is it likely that some of these minor names invoked in the past were innocent of naught but the wrong phrasing or description? Yes. But it is far more important that the greater whole of humanity in the province are kept from those that were of truly deviant and dark nature. Of the minor gods of Ostland specifically, there are of course some which stand out.

While horses have never been as widespread and popular in the heavily forested region that is Ostland compared to other provinces, that is not true of all of it. In the windswept grasslands of the Northern March the forest gives way to relatively flat plains that are prime horse territory, while also serving as a safe trade path through Ostland to the north. Ungols from northern Kislev passing through either as bodyguards, mercenaries, or traders passing through the area on the way home would stop here to rest, at the same time bringing their culture with them as any people do. Perhaps in Kislev, the one who eventually became known as Kakoral, God of Horses, is known by a different name. Perhaps he is known by a thousand different names, as is likely considering the various Ungol tribes. But in Ostland, amongst those who make their living by the way of horses, it is Kakoral they speak of. While not popular or even particularly well known in most of Ostland, those who make their living or at least spend a significant amount of time around horse flesh speak of him. Most horse breeders will have small statues/shrines on their ranches to increase the heath and fertility of their steeds, and will invoke Kakorals name during the birth of a new foal to encourage them to grow strong and healthy, or lament him when a prized stallion or mare dies. Those who ride horses whisper a word or two to him on long rides. Due to the increased trade and positive relations with Kislev in recent years, with them and the Ungol population still being very fond of horses, Kakoral has received a minor boost in popularity due to increase in horse trade within and without Ostland.

Kakoral can be described as either man or horse, though never both at the same time, with a long wild mane, great and strong legs for running for days on end, and having a strong hatred for centigors for insulting the form of horse and man.

Another minor god that was formed in part due to influence by the sons and daughters of Kislev, though for much less peaceful reasons, is Ursash, the God of Bear Hunters. In the heavily forested lands of the northern Empire, bears stood as some of the most ferocious wildlife that could be faced. However, where Ursash worship truly began was during the rather more violent past between Ostland and Kislev, when the bull-headed rulers of the past struggled to hold onto their colonized areas to the north even as other Imperial rulers gave up. In truth, it was the fault of the Talabheim Emperors and their treachery which forced Ostland to surrender her holdings fully. However, in the time leading up to this point the fierce priests of Ursun - the Bear God of Kislev - were some of the most dangerous war leaders of Kislevite rebels, never surrendering or letting up even in the deepest depths of Winter. It was here that Ursash was formed, in violent response to the dangers posed by Ursun's followers. However, in the many, many years after Ostland's retreat from Kislev, Ursash slowly found himself reduced in importance and in name to the point of near non-existence. This can be seen with the growing warm relations between Ostland and Kislev's current rulers, in greater and greater amounts, up to and including the marriage of the Tzarina Kattarin's sister to Count Frederick von Hohenzollern.

There yet remains some of Ursash, however. Among most settlements in Ostland, though mostly in the smaller villages and hamlets, being a hunter of bears is still a worthwhile profession. Bear meat, fur, hide, and more remain valuable commodities. It is quite normal for hunters to regularly invoke Ursash to make their feet quiet, their arrows accurate, their traps well placed, and all things involving the hunting of these powerful creatures. Hunters are likely to keep small shrines of Ursash at home and carve stories of their hunts in their gear to appease the god of bear hunters. Hunters will also sometimes wear charms made of the teeth and claws of bears they have killed in the past to prove their hunting ability.

Ursash is described as a large, strong, and scarred hunter always carrying a large spear, bow, traps, and similar hunting tools on his person usually standing over the bloody corpse of a massive bear. It is important to note that while Ursash hates bears he respects their strength and doesn't believe in torturing the beasts only hunting.

A minor god of Ostland that is more widely known is Skalor, God of Bartering, and who is in fact somewhat more widespread than say the more well known Ranald. This is largely due to the fact that Skalor is more 'trusted' amongst the largely no-nonsense Ostlanders rather than a God who is quite openly acknowledged as the God of Thieves - even if his titles are also expanded to the God of Luck, Fortune, and Mischief. Ostlanders in general highly value equal trade of goods and services, so even in recent years with the province having much more coin circulating through it than most of it's history bartering is still seen as a perfectly good business practice. This is more so true in smaller settlements where less coin is around so people simply trade their services or items for the things they want rather than gold. However even in the largest and wealthiest settlements like Salkalten still partake in a good deal of bartering in general due to heavy flow of trade going through it and various visiting merchants exchanging their stock for goods they can trade for back at home.

Most market places in Ostland have a small statue or sign of Skalor somewhere about it, believing it helps makes those that do business more honest in dealings, while also increasing the chance that all parties can walk away from deal satisfied. Many merchants, farmers, and service providers invoke his name before taking part in negations to increase the odds of a successful barter and their investments become profitable. Bartering is a natural and even encouraged way of life in Ostland since it not only gets you the things you need, but form connections with others that you can trust on in the future which was highly important in the days that the province was much more deadly.

Skalor is usually depicted humble stout merchant with a constant scowl usually with a wagon or pack on his person. Skalor favors long bartering discussions, fair dealings for all sides, and continued business with same people in the future.

Another of Ostland's minor gods is Guvaur, God of Bulls. Some say that his image is the very same red bull present on Ostland's flag, a remnant of the far off olden days when Ostland was simply known as the land where the Udoses roamed. Even then, in those ancient times, as now, the bull has been a highly regarded creature symbolizing stubbornness in the struggles of life, strength in conflict, endurance in face of hardship, and many things that Ostlanders take pride in. To have a coat of arms/flag of Ostland anywhere is to also have an image of a bull, yet they also extend into less militant lives. One of the most common rude hand gestures that Ostland possesses is that of 'showing Guvuar's Horns' to someone, which involves folding the two middle fingers outward while pointing the index and pinky finger out with the back of the hand facing the subject. It is a sign of disrespect and insult, and more than one tavern brawl has been started when someone made the gesture at another for some perceived slight. Many sculptures of Guvuar's head, or sometimes entire being, can be found on display within the Citadel of Jegow - the home of the Bull Warriors. Some keeps and castles in the Old World possess such ferocious creatures as lions or manticores, but in Ostland it is Guvuar standing tall and angry, facing any and all who would darken the doorways he guards. In point of fact, Guvuar is commonly regarded as the Patron God of the Bull Warriors, even though the Order itself proclaims no allegiance to any single god. But such an God will easily find his way into more military means, evidenced by the various warcries of Ostland, such as "We Are The Bulls Of The Empire," and many more. While a minor God, he is certainly well represented compared to many peers.

Guvaur himself is nearly always seen as a large red bull with a golden ring in his nose usually on a field of black and white. Guvaur is simple in his beliefs basically being summed up as be strong, endure against all, stay to your convictions, and always charge ahead.

The last of the more well known minor gods in Ostland is Narlog the Inevitable, God of Negative Eventualities, and all that might entail. For much of Ostland's history, merely leaving ones home could result in immediate death, a natural result of the former Forest of Shadows being all around one's carved out village. In the mist-soaked darkness of the forest, Narlog found his name first being invoked as a man rather furiously screamed his way to his death, blaming everything around him. But as time went on, and men continued to chop away at the forest if only to slightly extend the area around them free of the darkness and evil which lurked within, Narlog become associated with all manner of bad things such as a rotten tree falling on your house, one of your children likely to pass before you, the coming of taxes, scorn of wronged women, and what happens when you leave an Averlander alone with a sheep, among other things. Even with the death of Zacharias the Everliving and the forest becoming somewhat safer than it has been since the beginning of Ostland's history Narlog is still widely spoken of in Ostland's more rural reaches while dying out almost entirely in the larger bastions of civilization such as Salkalten or Wulfenburg. Truly, it does fit the naturally grim nature of it's people and usually when misfortune strikes one of them it is refereed to as "Narlog's Gifts" or "Narlog visited you again." Despite all this Narlog is not hated by Ostlanders but rather just seen as a natural part of the world. With the the worship of Morr having become explosively popular in recent years Narlog is usually mentioned offhand, but in a much lighter tone than before, about the inevitability of death and entering the Garden of Morr.

Narlog is always described as a eternally grim looking man with the aura of a person who has had all the world's misfortunes dumped over them, but have accepted them rather than be crushed by their weight. Narlog only teaches the inevitable nature of all misfortune in the world and simply accepting it.

While the wider world or even Empire is mostly unaware of the place these minor gods have in the people of Ostland the locals don't seem to overly mind and simply live their lives as they always have.

 

[Massgamer]

AN: Sorry for double post, but have an omake.

Imperial Ogre Culture Corner: Religion
​

It seems fitting that while most Imperial Ogres have been adjusting towards a much more productive life within the Empire compared to their homeland in the east since the Era of the Three Emperors, it hasn't been until the reign of Magnus the Pious that the race has really begun to find them themselves spiritually after generations of moving away from the Great Maw. While ceasing to worship the now thoroughly outlawed god was a good first step, an absence of faith in the long run leaves a soul open to corruption, therefore in recent years it is heartening to see Imperial Ogres fully immerse themselves in the proper cults and in the process make the Empire stronger.

It is within Ostland that the vast majority of Imperial Ogres live and as a result has been the place where ogres began their journey on the path of proper godly belief, and since then have developed in many interesting ways.

The biggest influence on the religious beliefs of Imperial Ogres is no doubt due to the example given by the greatest example of their kind, Sir Captain Headmaster Urgdug Greatbellow etc. Being not just the first knighted Ogre in Empire and most likely world history due to extreme heroism during the Ostland Vampire War, but also the blood brother to the Elector Count of Ostland.

Sir Greatbellow's influence among his kind is so great it drew in a number of Maw Ogres from the east to the Empire and more likely than not when he does something other Ogres will strive to follow his example. Combined with the support of the ruling House of Ostland Imperial Ogres have received a great deal of support to move far beyond their savage cousins in the east.

Since her introduction it should come to no surprise that Imperial Ogres are strong followers of Esmeralda, some say even more so than the Halflings before the cult's growth.

Where the Great Maw encourages mindless and ceaseless gorging of oneself Esmeralda advocates eating in a much more healthy manner, until one is satisfied. Also unlike the Maw, Esmeralda focuses on the importance of hearth and home, of the personal relationships with friends and family in a friendly setting rather than seeing everything as either food or an obstacle to that food.

During the Cult of Esmeralda's initial growth in Ostland local Ogres were easily the most common visitors to the Grand, and later Great, Kitchens besides the Halflings themselves due to the easy access to well made food in amounts to satisfy even their tremendous stomachs. Since then it is quite odd when an Ogre doesn't visit a Kitchen at least a few times a day. Said Ogres are also some of the staunchest defenders of peace within said Kitchens and pity the fools who attempt to disrupt it, more than one attempted drunken brawl or other attempts of violence have been violently ended before they could even start with local Ogre patrons and members of cult bodily throwing them out of Kitchen if peace cannot be reached with words. Gathering in the Kitchens serve an important role in Imperial Ogre social interactions in the same way taverns do for most peasants.

The Cult of Esmeralda was the first cult that Imperial Ogres started to join in numbers and a part of Ogre culture that has survived to common day among Imperial Ogres is the fact that those that prepare and serve food are seen with a great deal of respect among the race. Where once Butchers and Slaughtermasters were seen as leaders alongside chieftains it is the Severs and Chefs of the Cult of Esmeralda that naturally are seen as important figures in their daily lives.

Considering the importance of both food and Esmeralda in their daily lives Ostlander Ogres and Halflings seem to naturally gravitate towards each other and usually become fast friends. This is seen all around with many Ogres and Halflings going into business with each other and groups of the the two races mingling freely inside and out of the various Kitchens.

Imperial Ogres commonly invoke Esmeralda whenever food is involved and people that noticed that ever since widespread worship of the goddess the Ogres seem more at peace and settled than they might have once felt.

The most recent addition to cults that Imperial Ogres have heavily invested in is the cults of Taal and Rhya.

This makes sense when one considers that tenants of both gods preach balance with surroundings where those who follow the Great Maw see everything as something to conquer and devour. After encouragement by Sir Greatbellow many Ogres who live in the more rural parts of Ostland took to learning from the cults in earnest and now are proud members of both.

Today Imperial Ogres in the cults serve along the same gender lines with males serving Taal and females serving Rhya.

Alongside serving the tasks of the cults and their sects Ogres who follow Taal and Rhya tend to live more rural lives than before with men hunting within the forest and women focusing more on agriculture. Both groups make pilgrimage to the various holy sites of the married gods across the province since their return to the cults' hands in recent years. While their inclusion into the cult has been recent many see their devotion to two of the oldest gods of humanity as a positive sign and the cults themselves welcome them the same as any new additions to the faith.

On the other side of the coin Imperial Ogre belief for other major gods of the Empire is... respectfully lacking.

Despite the extreme popularity of Morr within Ostland the local Ogres seem to give little more than respectful lip service to the god of death and dreams out of respect for those in charge such as Ser Greatbellow and the Count saying to do it rather than actual earnest faith. Even the Vampire War of Ostland that has deeply entrenched itself into the mind and culture of the people to point they welcomed the Cult of Morr into province with open arms hasn't seemed to nearly as effect Imperial Ogres mentally to the same degree. While many will joke that Ogres are too dumb to mentally scar the truth is that the race is simply psychologically hardy alongside their physical constitution, thus things that can break a man's mind would barely effect them.

In all fairness while they are lacking in faith they have learned the common sense of presenting their dead to the Cult of Morr to be properly treated if nothing else and the priests do not begrudge their lack of faith, being respectfully ignored is far better than outright fear and hatred the cult has suffered in the past.

In fact, just as the Imperial Ogres learned over time to move away from Great Maw worship, they have learned to follow the local culture with great degrees of success within a relatively short period of time. They will respect those who follower Sigmar but view him as the god of man so haven't reached out to his cult, more are likely to learn more of Ulric but most find themselves draw to his brother Taal in comparison, and while the hardy race has rare occasion to seek out the cult of Shallya they appreciate their kindness.

Most are not even aware what Verena and Myrmidia represent but know they are not illegal and therefore speak well of them.

A good example of this cultural integration is the fact that Imperial Ogres that live on Ostland's coasts will say and speak well of Manann since it is expected of them rather than any true faith.

While this might seem as a negative thing one must remember that all citizens of Empire have preferred gods they worship over the others, the fact that Imperial Ogres have theirs and are respectful towards the other gods is honestly more open minded than most citizens. As long as they are following the proper faiths and working towards benefit of wider Empire few will complain.

While it is still quite early in their spiritual development many Imperial holy men are optimistic that Imperial Ogres can overcome the savagery of the majority of their race and find the right path under the guidance of the gods, a feat of which more impressive than many heathen humans who worship the Ruinous Powers and other foul beings.

During this time under the Pious we thank all the gods for their support in leading not just men of the Empire but all of it citizens, small and large.

 

[Massgamer]

Imperial Ogre Culture Corner: Nordland and Ostermark
​

With the formation of the political block known as the Northern Trident between the three northernmost provinces, Nordland, Ostland, and Ostermark, along with the friendship between it's people and leadership, it makes sense that over the years the provinces have shared much between them. Trade, culture, marriages, people, etc. have risen in large amounts between the three provinces in general that is rather rare between the normally independent regions.

While it is normal for peasants of all kinds to travel between provinces to trade or work this isn't just humans. Imperial Ogres, for all that Ostland is their unofficial homeland, can still be found in other parts of Empire but outside of Ostland itself the most are found in Nordland and Ostermark for a variety of reasons.

Most Imperial Ogres when leaving Ostland either do so through the army on the march, such as the reclamation of Karak Ungor, or working as guards for the various trade caravans since the very presence of the large beings tends to dissuade most of the common threats to such groups like highwaymen, small bands of greenskins and beastmen, and similar things. While feeding said guards on the road is a rather large expense traders consider it a well worth one that can be more easily afforded when traveling in large groups. In fact, once they reach their destination the Ogres tend to attract attention and as result draw in potential customers!

After that Imperial Ogres that travel to other provinces tend to be seasonal workers, coming and going as when needed, following the work so as to earn coin to buy food.

As one can expect Ogres excel in jobs that require lots of heavy labor and not a lot of technical knowledge, finding much of their work in transporting heavy cargo, mining, farming, etc. In Ostermark it is normal for Ogres to be hired to assist in cutting down and transporting lumber in the Gryphon's Wood during the fall and winter months. Ogre strength is so great they can outright ripe smaller trees from the ground and remove stumps much more easily then men, though they still must be directed to make process orderly and when to send wood down river. Ogre workers are also used to fish said wood out of river when it reaches Bechafen and strength further used by local boatwrights in their construction efforts by holding large pieces of wood in place where most of the time it takes dozens of men for same feat.

When not bringing in lumber Ogres in Ostermark are usually working the many fields of the province or assisting in the herding in the Veldt where once more their great strength and endurance makes them highly sought after workers.

It has been noted that Imperial Ogres that spend a good deal in time in Ostermark tend to take in their culture in small ways like how they start wearing high-peaked fur hats, grow out their mustaches more than usual, and become much more passionate about life in general which both makes them the life of parties and sometimes accidental breakers of them. Many are the jokes from outsiders that some Ogres are basically tall Ostermarkers considering the stout nature of both peoples, though they say that in public at their own risk.

Ostermarkers view most Ogres with some wary stares but as a whole have come to respect their work ethic and admit their love of food is quite relatable.

In Nordland Ogres are equally useful in farming, ship construction, and more recently mining. Sufficiently trained Ogres can also be paid well by Nordlanders to help hunt down bands of greenskins, beastmen, and other monster that live near their coastal settlements. Said settlements can also be seen being built up using Ogre muscle power to better prepare for sea-based raids in the future, as Nordlanders are extremely familiar with.

Nordlanders and Ogres get along quite well in the fact both have a love of storytelling, even if in different ways. Normally Ogres love telling stories/brag about how they got their Big Names, but over time those who spend much time among Nordlanders begin to love stories in general even if most are not great at telling their own. In more recent times Ogres can be seen working alongside Nordlander woodsmen, those so skilled even Hochlanders and folk of the Talabec will grudgingly admit that they are "not too bad", in service to Taal. They also take part in the mainly Rhya worship in the southern parts of province much to some grumbling from outsiders about "woman worship."

Nordlanders still remember the stories of when the Armies of the Empire arrived to save the province, how the Ogres of the Army of Ostland unleashed a legendary Ogre Charge against the fallen Count Gruber's armies, smashing them aside with pure metal, muscle, and fat at surprising speeds. It is still a favorite among the various communities and Ogres are still eager to show off their eating abilities with quite near anything.

Nowhere in all the Empire besides Ostland are Ogres more welcome than in Nordland.

While the wider Empire still might have a poor understanding of Ogres and nonhuman citizens in general the Northern Trident is more than glad to have such hard working, if very hunger, citizens.

 

[Massgamer]

Imperial Ogre Culture Corner: Popular Pastimes
​

It would be quite short-sighted to think that all imperial ogres did was fight, work, eat, and sleep. Like men and halflings, and dwarfs and elves though few have seen it, ogres do activities for fun and bonding with others beyond simply eating, though that is an important part of social interactions among ogres. For all that most ogres think quite simply they can find fun in various activities not entirely dissimilar to those practiced by other imperial citizens, though for obvious reasons in more extreme manners.

Something that remains a strong part of imperial ogre culture that is the same among their more savage eastern cousins is the importance of gut size and physical strength among ogres in general. Both are a sign of great success and earn respect from other ogres in general so ogres love to show off both whenever possible. This has led to a creation of a great deal of activities to display their ability to others.

One such activity is a simple show of strength with ogres constantly competing with each other by lifting up the biggest and heaviest things they can find. Everything from large boulders to piles of scrap metal beaten into a roughly ball-like shape ogres will lift in front of others to show off their muscle power. They will constantly try to one up each other with competitors seeking heavier and heavier things until one side can no longer continue.

Stemming from these tests of strength are tests of endurance, with ogres competing for who can hold said heavy objects the longest. Considering the incredible endurance of most ogres in general and if they are focused enough such contests could potentially last for days, though usually it is only till one side is hungry enough to give up.

A similar pastime are ogres competing to uproot large trees straight from the ground that became popular after the timber industry boomed after the end of the Ostland Vampire War. As many know trees in the former Forest of Shadows can grow to great heights and widths, with their roots being equally as large. Said roots literally root these large and heavy trees to the ground so the act of an ogre ripping it out by the trunk with nothing but pure muscle is quite the feat, enough so that one can earn a Big Name from the act if impressive enough. Many lumberjacks describe the sight as awe inspiring and supports ogre stories of their ancestors wrestling giants to the ground.

Another strength testing activity is Chain Dragging. Quite similar to the simply yet popular tug of war game but the ogre version requires the use of large chains usually reserved for ship anchors in place of rope and with the border line replaced with over a dozen bear traps. Two ogres will pull with all their strength and seek to pull the other across the line leading to painful, but not crippling, injuries. In extreme cases the chain has been know to warp under the pressure if not outright break and lead to deep furrows into the ground as an ogres are dragged forward.

Imperial ogres also enjoy throwing and hunting games such as spear throwing, though for them it is more ballista throwing. Part game and part hunting training ogres throw these large spears with great strength and surprising accuracy once they get used to them. A properly aimed ogre spear can down even a large bear in one hit and said game has become very popular in recent years with imperial ogres starting to worship Taal in large numbers.

On a similar note imperial ogres will do the same with rocks either as hunting tools or just games of who can throw a heavy object the furthest, though such games must take place away from civilization or risk someone's home looking like it was attacked by a catapult.

Quite possibly the most popular physical pastime is ogre wrestling, something imperials ogres have always done but now has become a regular part of the new official fighting league. Using a combination of the less savage parts Maw ogre gut-out fighting, no taking bites out of opponent and actively trying to kill them, and old Udose grappling techniques ogre fighters work to toss their opponents out of the ring, make them submit, or knock them out. Most imperial ogres see it as the purest form of testing themselves and showing off to others with many partaking in matches to settle arguments, attract females, compete, or just for pure fun.

Many are the ogres in Ostland who have earned more than a few Big Names through these pastimes which is simply another appeal to them with many ogres, young and old, seeking to earn them so all might know their achievements.

These are but a few games and pastimes imperial ogres partake in, though the most wide-spread and popular, with some different areas having certain games that fit local culture like ogres who live along coasts and other bodies of water attempting to fish out sharks and other large fish with their bare hands.

Sadly games such as cattle wrangling had to be outlawed or risk overly excited ogres eating livestock in their games.

 

[Massgamer]

Imperial Culture Corner: Pie Week!​

Considering the great deal of cultural diversity that has come to the province of Ostland, and to lesser extent the rest of the Northern Trident, due to the influx of many ethic groups and even races over the years, it should be no surprise they have brought their holidays with them. Most imperials outside of the Trident would likely never see Kislevite religious ceremonies celebrating the Land, the countless Esaltian festivals as varied as their homeland communities, and even the very much low-key and mostly private gatherings hosted by the dwarfs all in the same city.

Wulfenburg stands out as the biggest example of this within the Northern Trident, and the most obvious and celebrated foreign holiday is the famous halfling Pie Week!

Originating in the village of Sauerapfel, and quickly spreading through the Mootland, Pie Week is a holiday that has been slowly but surely spreading even outside the halfling homeland over the years, but has exploded in popularity within the Trident. The entire first week of Erntezeit dedicated to nothing but fun, games, and of course stuffing your face with as much pie as possible. Brought to the northern parts of the Empire by halfling immigrants and quickly becoming taken up by local populations as an excuse to cut loose during harvest time.

Due to hosting the largest population of halflings outside of the Moot Wulfenburg naturally holds the largest Pie Week celebrations outside of the province, so large in fact it attracts a great deal of tourists, halflings and not, to partake in the festivities. It is a rare time of the year where even the average Ostland can enjoy let loose and party with such wild abandon. With the raise of the cult of Esmeralda and people who regularly invoke her, Pie Week has become a much more official religious holiday in general and relaxed ceremonies are made in her honor each day, with servers and chefs helping make sure all are properly fed and having fun.

During this time nearly all other business not related to making pieces or drink to wash it down nearly grinds to a halt, most due to most workers taking time off to enjoy themselves. In return Pie Week is the busiest time of the year for grocers and Ostland's many breweries, with Bugman's Brewery alone making record sales during Pie Week each year. It would not be entirely incorrect to say that life in Wulfenburg shuts down... only to be replaced with much more rowdy life in exchange.

The only thing that remains functioning normally during this time is military duties (to the regret of the poor sods who get assigned it during the time), city guard who help make sure the partying doesn't get too out of hand, and of course the other doings of the other cults.

So it is that humans, halflings, ogres, and even some dwarfs can wander Wulfenburg's many streets to take part in even more activities. Regular festival games such as bobbing for apples, horseshoes, ax throwing, various ball games, tug of war, wrestling/fighting (as run by the IFL), pig jiggering, and more can be found all over if one looks. The rather infamous "kiss-scrump", a tag-like game that has resulted in more than a few bastards, however is mostly restricted to local halflings and single humans lest it incur the wrath of a married parent or another cult.

Feasting, especially of pie, is of course highly encouraged and one can not take a step during this whole week without seeing, smelling or tasting some kind of pie, and of course it would not be Ostland if there weren't many pies made with some kind of alcohol made with them. In fact, there are several pie making contests throughout the week for prizes and bragging rights for who can make the most delicious, the worst tasting, the more unique, the most etc. pie you can make. The chefs of the Grand Kitchen usually serve as judges during these contests and make grand spectacles of whole thing all the while.

One year's winner of the funniest pie was an ogre who made a rock pie!

The other traditional part of the festival is the dressing up of things that people fear to laugh and poke fun of them. This comes about with many dressing up as greenskins, beastmen, daemons, Norscans, Druchii, giant spiders and other beasts, and of course undead. While many of the other cults might shake their heads at the display, and cause more than a few Witch Hunters to narrow their eyes in suspicion more than usual, the people regularly mock these real threats among themselves to help them overcome the real danger they pose the rest of the year. This can encourage bravery as ogres will happily dress up as minotaurs and let themselves be regularly "defeated" by small children with wooden swords, inspiring them to grow up to become warriors and do so in reality for the Empire!

The costumes can even extend to political figures such as past emperors and electors of less than stellar reputations, with Ostlander halflings dressing up as current politicians of the Moot. Moro Bramblefoot herself never fails to dress up as the current Elder of the Moor, Jax Starbrook, and make a total fool of herself at his expense and for the laughter of others.

Pie Week is a time where those of all walks of life can get together and simply enjoy life for one week of the year before getting back to work on serious business. A reminder of why those of the Empire work so hard everyday to be prosperous and protect that which they care for from those that would tear it down. For if they don't try hard enough... why there wouldn't be another Pie Week!

And what monster could possibly want that?!

 

[torroar]

During the Vampire War, a whole lot of those rural Ulricans fled behind nice safe walls in multiple settlements. Many settlements were wiped off the face of the map, but overall, a great many of 'em lived on just fine. And, well, the rural population was able to go back out and reclaim their lands afterwards for the most part, and had a tendency to birth a lot more population than the urban ones did. All that open space, the need for farm labor, etc. yeah? Plus priestesses of Rhya, though those in the cities had their own kind of health-care-y stuff with them too...plus Shallyans, with literal god-based abilities to help.

So the front page is, I think, at the moment current in terms of opinions and religious numbers, as the pre-exiting population itself has just about reached a little more than pre-Vampire War levels. Obviously with wildly different age strata, you have a whole lot of young boys and girls just reaching the cusp of adult-hood right about now. Then you can also factor in Imperial Dwarf immigration, though that has had a faint trickle back towards the Karaz Ankor, but you've also got non-Ostland Imperials regularly visiting or making their way to opening businesses in the growing center that are Wulfenburg and Bugman's Brewery. Then there's the halfling population which you've transplanted and/or otherwise enticed away from the Mootland who have spread out amongst Ostland now. Also the ogres, who perhaps unsurprisingly, were the most resilient of all during the fighting due to natural toughness and quantity of food (corpses). They reproduce as is their wont, as Urgdug could tell you from his bachelor days.

All of those, plus the massive birth rate that was a result of cultural pressure valve release being caused by the confirmed defeat of Zacharias and the general nature of much of the populace who - despite Zacharias - stayed inside a lot during the night and needed something to do, have come about with said result. You've got people in the general decade of Frederick who had more children, you had people in the same age section of Alexandra+Anna having children, you had people in the age section of Magnus having children...etc. and such. Not just the elders, but the youth and those in between partaking as well. A lot of 'holy shit, we're alive' flavors to all kinds of activities for more than a year in Ostland. For a long time afterward, in fact. You've regularly been getting big 'clumps' of now-adults for a few years now, starting 16 years after 2316, the year after the Vampire War of 2315, so starting in 2332 you got a huge clump of adults, and again in 2332, and so on. Only now, in 2337, are you reaching the drop off point of all that, but now your general pop growth is technically higher than it was in the Vampire War due to your abundance of young folks compared to back then who want stuff to uh, do.

Because, you see, every year that there were raucous celebrations, and resulting pregnancies, and general spitting in the direction of the shadows which have tormented Ostlanders for millennia, and Zacharias didn't come cackling out of the shadows again - local legend version of him anyway - they did it again. And again. And again. Obviously, this couldn't continue forever, but it did last longer than it might otherwise have in other places.

So, to conclude, the religious percentages on the front page is about what it is now. I've updated it to include a 1% of the populace who worship Morr above all others, to represent the priesthood n'such, and also because there was an errant floating 1% that wasn't being used.

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However, it should, again, be noted that Sigmar's Heirs is given post-invasion by Archaeon, with all that implies. A vast majority of Ostland settlements terminate in the greater list that SH provides as 'sacked in 2522, entire population missing' with all other information rendered moot and empty. With no information on income sources for these places.

So, again, have to adjust for multiple centuries of difference, whilst also considering current changes to Ostland's economic landscape over the course of the quest.

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I see you might be using Heirs of Sigmar measurements for city populations.

We don't use those here. They are...significantly too small. I've had discussions with others on this, over PM and over time, and...yeah.

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It's quite the conundrum, canon-wise. It's the same for the Empire, and the dwarfs. The dwarfs can hold the citadel of K8P with 500 dudes and Belegar, because that's all that could possibly be spared despite it's importance and being occupied by both greenskins and skaven. Meanwhile, 10,000 dwarfs die in a mountain collapse or avalanche or whatever near Karak Azul and that's nothing more than a little blurb on the side for Grudge-lore. Empire constantly, constantly loses villages and towns and such. Like, almost every novel I've read involves one of those going up in flames, or burning down in flames, or being plagued to death, etc. etc. and yet the Empire can still marshal armies for every province and fight back against humongous WAAAAGH!!s and Chaos hordes and so on and so forth.

It's something that one has to sift through, decide for themselves for their own pocket version, then iron out and hammer down what is and isn't canon for numbers. Or, for instance, their quest version.

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Mmm, but it also features portions like the Ostland section where it says things like 'population of 98 missing' and such for its locations. Which implies, to me, that those are the general numbers that are used Empire-wide. Things like Nordland's '1,200 residents fate unknown' for a place like Frote.

As in, if the numbers are different from their 'former' state', it would be noted in the margins for the significant places sections.

So...yeah. I just sorta increased the numbers for a lot of things. Hence the sheer number of goblins in Karak Ungor, the size of the Grand Army of Kislev, city populations, etc.

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Oh no, it's a good justification. It's just...I need more bodies.

What a disturbing thing to say, but there it is.

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In conclusion, it is certainly above 15,000. While I'm avoiding exact hard numbers, the population of Wulfenburg is, at the absolute barest and most least, capable of outnumbering the totality of the three armies of Ostland in young, male, humans alone.

Also, incorrect on the brewery. Bugman's Brewery is its own separate settlement up the river closer to the mountains, it is not within Wulfenburg itself. It is pretty much its own dwarf settlement with an extreme minority of halflings/humans/ogres that is within the realm of Ostland. It's practically got an unofficial city charter releasing it from most taxes or whatever, but the income it brings in through selling alcohol and tourism makes up for it.

 

[torroar]

Joseph von Hohenzollern, hmm. Well, he grew up as an independent Count, to the point that he referred to himself far more as the Prince of Ostland than as 'Elector Count' due to the whole growing up in the Era of Three Emperors thing. Occasionally he'd make motions toward supporting one of the Emperors over another, but Ostland was backwater enough that it never amounted to them demanding much or giving much back in return. He was, however, staunchly Sigmarite in a province full of Ulricans, largely as a result of associating with the Cult who actually spent time working him politically and financially. For the aid given, he held to the Cult pretty well, and could not brook insults to them. Especially from his family. A man of brutal piety, Frederick insulting Sigmar as he did as a child was enough for him to banish him, and he was such a spare that he did not spare much thought to him after sending him to Jegow. Hell of a strong statement, after all. Reasonable diplomatically, to be honest. Did not rock the boat much, and managed to keep Ostland from being swamped by any of the claimant Emperor's demands to the point of, like, harming Ostland financially, manpower-wise, etc.

Nor was he an idiot. Just about average, to be honest, in terms of intelligence. He saw the world as it was, and decided that not much needed to change about it. They'd fight the Norscans and greenskins and beastmen forever, and they'd hold out forever, and one day he would die in battle as a result. But the province as a whole would continue.

Unfortunately, he did not have a particularly high intrigue, and as noted in the Introduction the Witch Hunters did not serve him super well, but the cult was one of the hardier and better equipped ones. As expected of a cult who dared to make its home within the freaking founding place of the Order of the Silver Hammer. Then again, they were somewhat benign (as benign as a Cult of Chaos can be) and were content with slow moves, slowly isolating the province, the Hohenzollern family, etc. But then an Everchosen came knocking, and the Dark Gods said nut up or shut up, and they decided 'suicidal attempt at stripping an entire Elector Count family root and stem is a go!' And damn near succeeded. Only Frederick's absolute isolation in Jegow saved him from them.

If there was one thing that Joseph was very good at, it was fighting. He was primarily a cavalry fighter, in contrast to the footman sort of thing that Frederick started as. Joseph was fond of the lance and cavalry hammer, plus was no slouch with Brain Wounder either. So, he rode north to help Kislev, and then barely rode back with a belly that had nearly been split open and festering wounds. Then he recovered from them somewhat and drove into the Everchosen Remnants at Salkalten, and happened to die there.

He loved his wife, and she loved him, though they quarreled somewhat over Frederick's banishment, and the distant way in which he raised the rest of their children beyond his son and primary heir. But honestly, there have always been emotionally distant fathers in the world, and will be in the future. Joseph happened to be one of them. His last thoughts were of his family, but in a nebulous way, his wife and heir taking prominence and the rest being a smoky ephemeral thing. Frederick didn't really feature at all, because he had barely been raised a noble before his banishment, and his 'allowance' was quite low indeed because Joseph didn't want to spend too much coin. Then Frederick became a blacksmith, further separating him, marking him as more of a commoner, and, well, Joseph saw little need to call him back. The chances of Zacharias going after him specifically were spectacularly low, because as was noted by the tomato, just because everyone lived in mortal terror doesn't mean they thought the vampire overlord himself would come after them.

But yeah, that was Joseph. Hardliner in piety, reasonable in diplomacy and stewardship, good in martial, low in intrigue, and absolute average in learning.

 

[torroar]

I am new to this but i have a few things that i dont like:in medieval times archers were usseles against knights in platemail or soldiers who had steel breastplate and the crossbow was only slighty more efficient that that but only from short distance.they were best from walls or behind fortification.so why in your quest archer are good against heavly armored enemies or crossbowman are good in open without any fortification?
Platemail was one of the best armour in medieval times so why your soldiers and knights fall so easily?
In medieval times a victorious army suffered maxim 15% casualties from an open battle.The worst casualties were suffered when the army run from the field.even with the level of care avaible they lost very few soldiers if they won.You make the victourius army of human and dawrf suffer so many losses from a sense of fair play or what?

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Okay, so. Orc Arrer Bows can punch through plate armor because they are literally just muscular enough to do so, while thinking that they can, plus maybe painting the arrows red and black so they fly extra fast and kill extra hard. Which, also literally, can cause them to do just that. Goblin archers cannot manage the same penetrating power, but their arrows are more accurate, and often poisoned, covered in some kind of filth to cause visibility issues, or that can get in the armor. At the least, they can harry the enemy long enough for others to get into close range. Which is often what happens. Then you have to run into magical aid being granted by either pure arcane or divine sources, which can further buff such attacks. Same for Nehekharans, or Skeleton Archers, or what have you.

And I swear I've talked about this before in-thread, or maybe in pms, or both. Hopefully, in the future if/when this comes up again, there'll be this post to be referred to.

But you are applying Earth battle concepts to Mallus psychology, and that just doesn't work.

Orcs, when they start attacking and chopping through guys, do so well enough that they shatter bones and thunk crude chunks of metal vaguely beaten in the shape of a sword into a person, they cut them apart. Earth human vs. human battles have low casualties because of their armor and human incapability to do the same. But here, orcs can. Goblins can climb up you and shank you through the gaps in your armor easily. Undead are tireless, and are harder to wound, and do not bleed, do not reel from shock, and will just hack at you until they drag you down to the ground to suffocate even if your plate armor protects you perfectly well from their attacks. Or maybe, you run into Chaos Warriors, who are strong enough and wield blades made so that they can stab through and cut through plate armor just fine enough, regardless of whatever toughness you can imagine steel plate armor to possess. Beastmen are equally considered to be, in some cases, so heavily matted and filthy - whether this is mundane or supernatural is up for debate - that they can have furred bodies able to withstand arrows and gunshots. And definitely strong enough to wield hammers and mallets and axes strong enough to kill a man if he takes a bad hit, plate armor or not. Shields help, armor helps, any inch of survivability helps, but it doesn't make one invulnerable.

Frederick, the main POV character of the quest, has had his chainmail shredded, plates of armor repeatedly punctured, whole suits of armor rendered into little more than scraps of metal multiple times from the foes he faces. Sometimes that is due to magic, other times due to the sheer power of inhuman physiology being rendered against him. Frankly, the amount of healing he receives has done incredible work on the immense internal yet unseen damage he's sustained over his lifetime, because for every cut or stab or bruise he's possessed, I guarantee that the sheer impacts and worse that he's sustained over the course of his lifetime would have caused severe organ damage/failure and brittle bones due to so many repeated fractures/breaks. If not for the Jade Wizards and other measures, that is.

But lets return to psychology. I appreciate you bringing in the percentages there, and the mention that most casualties were won in the retreats. Here's the problem with that.

Orcs keep fighting well past the point that a medieval Earth human army would retreat. They are far more likely to keep going, literally laughing as their smaller fellows are cut down, because they live to fight. They love it more than anything else in the world. Way after a medieval Earth, let's say Englishman, would scream and run, will an orc and a goblin keep fighting gleefully. Beastmen will grow further enraged, and are bestial - literally so - with added mentality differences caused by worshipping the Dark Gods who quite literally reward bloody sacrifice of yourself or others with power. And have visible and tangible proof of it, stretching out for thousands of years. The same goes for the worshippers of Chaos. To retreat is to shame oneself before the Dark Gods, who can, have, and will continue to punish those of their followers who do such things. Like, if a man calls for a retreat, he might well be suddenly transformed, screaming, into a Chaos Spawn as his soul is sentenced to oblivion for eternity. Then you have the undead, who will not stop until their controller decides to do so. Can you imagine that? Fighting and fighting and fighting, and growing thirsty, and hungry, and bloodied and bruised, but the skeletons and zombies and undead knights keep coming? Keep firing their arrows? Eventually, your shield arm grows leaden, and an arrow finds its place. A few will scatter against plate armor, a few dozen more? A few hundred? As you stagger in the mud and dust and bodies of the fallen - some of whom are getting back up with a baleful light filling their ruined eyesockets? Probability will win out, and the knight will go down. And you've also mentioned the whole 'level of care' for the victors. Great, there is only so much that can be done for a man who was struck in the chest by an eight foot tall orc massing six hundred pounds of obscene muscle dressed in black armor blessed by an orc shaman to hit even harder, the impact of said maul literally exploding the man's insides out of his shattered back and spraying all of his internals over his fellows. Even if that orc was then subsequently stabbed or hacked or battered to death by the remaining soldiers, who are on the winning side? That one guy? He ain't getting back up. People lose arms, lose their lives, and this is not Earth, where plague and such could be a major issue to the point of poor sanitation and things like that being responsible for more casualties than the actual fighting occasionally. No, here, the plague is sentient, and planted by servants of a God who wants it to happen, and can literally turn you into a daemon if you get infected wit hit, just as those in battle can have to fight people who are so blessed by another God who desires only bloodshed that the arrows they fire - should they strike you - cause your blood to boil out of your eyesockets and are surrounded by a fell crimson light that lets them penetrate not just through your full plate, but the man behind you as well.

Then there's the Lizardmen, who are primitive in the extreme, whose javelins are thrown and poison darts are shot that can still take down not just daemons, marauders, pirates, conquistadors, but even Chaos Warriors as well in their unholy blessing-draped armors of black iron and poisoned steel? Far more hardy things than mere Imperial plate armor. Elves whose arrows are able to find your eye sockets, every vulnerable point, who might be tipped with special arrowheads that burn at your very soul even from striking your shield and armor, enchanted or blessed to slip through solid steel regardless?

What, do you imagine, should be the response of humanity faced with such threats?

Would they simply hope to retreat, time and again, and again, and again, because that's what medieval Earth humans would do if they suffered the level of casualties offered, no, forced by their enemies as a matter of course of living on Mallus? No. Because they can't. Because doing so, following what Earth's armies would do when faced with 10% or 15% or even 20% casualties, would ensure absolute and total destruction, every single time. Every. Single. Time. Trying to apply the old battle/acceptable casualty percentages of Earth cannot work on the planet of Mallus. It's been this way for humans for 2,339+ years. In Nehekhara, they were already fighting the dead and greenskins for even longer, against Lizardmen as well, and while they crafted enormous living statuary to help them fight, their legions of human soldiers fought plenty without them. On Mallus, a Priest of Sigmar can say that the Hammer God is with you, and when you fight, a nimbus of golden light will fall upon your weapons. A Priest of Ulric can, with nothing more than his breath and the blessings of the Wolf God, blow out a freezing blast that can freeze the enemy solid long enough for soldiers to cut these new sculptures apart before they can warm.

And they will fight on long past the point where Medieval humans would flee and break, because to do otherwise would be to surely die. And as such, they will win, because they remain, and they fight on, amongst the bodies of their brethren and their foes, because that is how you have to fight. Are there battles where less than 10% are lost when winning? Sure. Of course that still exists. But to expect that every time? It just doesn't work on this planet, against these enemies, for so long. Humanity is supremely adaptable, and after so many years, with magic and Gods and powers aplenty, to think that they would break when you posit just doesn't work like that. Not on Mallus, at least. So they have to fight back, and they have to stand their ground, and they have to keep fighting that long and that hard, accepting the casualties that come with that, because to have any chance at victory rather than simply an endless stream of losses fading into the Empire's outright disappearance and death? They have to fight that long.

And to address the falling so easily portion? Sometimes, yes, they fall to surprise, to poison, to foes that can simply overwhelm them, and 'fall easily'. But they don't fall easily just because they are weak in body or mind, or their armor is not as strong as it would be on Earth, or their training is not up to snuff - though it is possible for all three to be true depending on the soldiers in question. Perhaps they are cowards, and so run and get a choppa or daemon-blade to the back, or the smith was greedy and made lower quality armor so he would retain more money, or they were hastily thrust into the field. But the others? Professionals and such? The knights?

It is not that they fall easily to their enemies, it is that their enemies are that much of a threat. That their enemies are that strong, that willing to keep fighting to the last, refusing to retreat either because the concept is literally foreign to them or because they fear their Dark Gods consuming them should they do so, that their enemies are that blessed, that well-equipped, that magically aided.

But the Empire stands, because its people refuse to back down, and to whimper their way into the grave. And, stubbornly, they'll keep fighting. They'll keep building their walls, training their soldiers, forging their weapons and armor, and will fight long past where a man of England or France or Spain would give it up, because they must. They have to, they have been, and they will in the future. To do otherwise would be to sentence oneself to the gallows, and not just themselves, but their brothers in arms, their families, their homes, their country. Do they still retreat? Yes. Can they break? Of course! They are human, not fearless space marines, and morale can strangle an army as well as any Nurgle's Rot or machinations of Tzeentch or distractions of Slaanesh or fear of Khorne.

So...no. I don't make humans and dwarfs tally losses lightly, nor out of a sense of fair play. But because those just are the losses sustained in victory in this world. Sometimes, there will be victories were there are almost no losses at all, where victory is one with a perfect ambush or trap or something. But those are not going to be constant, common things.

That's...just Warhammer to me.

 

[torroar]

This is an omake I have been wanting to do for a while, but I kept getting writers block. This is the first time I've ever really done an omake, so if you guys are going to criticize me can you please limit it to constructive criticism?

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To the omake list!

Which, as we all know, is on the front page, in the threadmarked omakes post [CATEGORY THREADMARKS, NOT CATEGORY INFORMATIONAL], on the front page, which is where the omakes are, on the front page, in their list. Which is on the front page, and threadmarked as the omake list. In a spoiler. At the top of said post on the front page, which says omake list, which is threadmarked as the omake list, in the spoiler, on the front page. With said post being threadmarked with the words omake on said threadmark, which is, of course, in the threadmark list, right at the beginning, with the omakes. As has been declared repeatedly by me, the GM, and in the tags at the top of every page on every part of this entire thread, which declares where the omakes are by way of the threadmarks which has the word omakes in it. And other players who also check the front page and know and have said, as is the truth, that the omakes are on the front page, in the threadmark for their page. Which has the exact words "Omake List In Spoiler At Top" and can be found by searching literally just for the word omake on the front page in the fourth post for the entire thread on the and in the threadmarks. Because that is where the omakes are. On the front page. In link form. Which is, as we can see, the omake list. On the front page. In the threadmark that also includes bonus list and mercenaries, but most especially the entire omake list. The omake list which has all of the omakes. On the front page. In the fourth post which is threadmarked with the word omakes. After all, these are the omakes. On the front page. Which is where they've always been. Which is where I've said they've been. Multiple times. Because that's where they are, in the omake list, which is on the front page, that I've threadmarked on the front page as the fourth post in the THREADMARK descriptor category for threadmarks, and that's where they are, on the front page. Where I've put the omakes. Which is where they go. On the front page. In the omake list that I made and curate which is on the front page. The front page's fourth post and its omakes. Fourth post in the entire thread, really, for those omakes, those omakes which go on the front page with links to them throughout the thread after being on the front page. The front page being where the omakes go, of course, throughout the thread being linked back into the front page, which is where I link them from. The front page which is where the omakes are, and will be, and have always been. In the omake list. Which literally says omake list. Not only just on the front page, but in the threadmarks, no matter where you are in the thread, no matter the page, you can see the omakes by clicking on the threadmark with the word omake in it at the very top in the fourth of all threadmarks. Which is on the front page. The omakes, that is, being on the front page. In a spoiler, sure, but that's because there's just so many omakes! Some written by me, plenty others by other people in the thread, all linked to the front page! Which is the page with the omakes, that is, the front page, and the omakes on said front page. Multiple times in thread, in fact, I've said where those omakes go. That destination location being the front page, as I've said, before. Across this entire thread, multiple times. The topic of what I was saying was that the omakes were on the front page, of course. After all, that's where they are, always have been! The omakes, that is. Being on the front page. Sure, in a spoiler, but that's where they are, those omakes.