The Cult of Manhavok
The eccentric followers of Manhavok in Stirland are viewed with suspicion by the Cult of Manann. The sole place of worship for this aspect of Manann is the Shrine of Manhavok which leans out from the bank of the River Aver near Streissen. The locals treat Manhavok as a minor local god whose floods can drown settlements or bring fertility to the soil. They make offerings of fish or meat in early spring and late summer to gain his favour. A small number of cultists worship Manhavok above all other gods. They decorate his altar with clay approximations of sea creatures (none have ever seen the sea), venerate crayfish they find in the Aver, and dress in green rags. Each Mitterfruhl they perform mummers' plays in local villages, with the cultists of Manhavok throwing handfuls of soil over those the god favours and buckets of water over those he deems wrongdoers. The cultists are usually chased from the village before they finish their performance.
-1600 IC: The Elf Phoenix King Caledor II arrives in Tor Alessi. He vows to vanquish the Dwarfs and end the War of the Beard.
-1601 IC: Fourteenth Siege of Tor Alessi. Dwarf armies besiege Tor Alessi. Caledor II sallies forth at the head of his Elven Knights. He is slain by the Dwarf High King Gotrek Starbreaker and the Phoenix Crown is seized. Tor Alessi is razed, though its Lighthouse is left standing.
2302 IC: The Great War Against Chaos. A fleet from Kraka Ravnsvake defeats a force of Norscans at the Battle of Skapa Fjord. Paulus van der Maacht, last baron of Westerland, joins Magnus the Pious in his campaign, and dies a valiant death in battle. Valmir Aesling leads a host to the Dwarf hold of Kraka Drak, commencing the War in the Mountains. King Silverbeard orders that the mountain itself be toppled to prevent Valmir from invading other Krakas. Trapped together in the depths, the Dwarfs struggle valiantly, but steadily lose ground. Refugees from the conflict swell the populations of other Norse Dwarf Krakas.
I vote vehemently against the grey order... I think giving it back to the van Hals is the best option. If we have real problems with the current vanhals then belegar for safe keeping.
I'm against giving it to Roswita. Her family has had to suffer under its legacy for 1300 years. Just let her be.
What we should do is leave it in the deepest, darkest vault within KAU, which is where it currently resides. The spiders know it's there, and by the time Mathilde's not around any more I trust them to keep it safe and hidden.
THE CULT OF STROMFELS: The Proscribed and Bloody Worship of the God of Predators
Seat of Power: The followers of Stromfels barely recognise a hierarchy, but Casa Squallo, a converted temple of Myrmidia in Sartosa, is the largest temple
Head of the Cult: Occhio dei Cacciatori, High Priest of the Sartosan Temple, though his authority is limited
Primary Orders: None
Major Festivals: Mitterfruhl (spring equinox), celebrated as start of hunting season; Mittherbst (autumn equinox), a lesser holy day, hailed as start of the storm season
Popular Holy Books: None
Common Holy Symbols: A bolt of lightning, a huge shark, a trident dripping blood.
Stromfels is the Shark God, the predator who deals death from the depths, and he is the Wrecker, the wrath of the sea. An obscure and outlawed god, his small cults of worshippers remain hidden from civilised society on pain of execution. Even so, he is recognised by theologians, who speculate upon his origins.
Some suggest he used to be a savage Norscan deity, possibly an aspect of the Blood God Khorne. If he ever was worshipped by the Norse, they have all but abandoned him now, and his followers do not see the dark gods as friends, but scholars do point out that his cult is strongest in Marienburg and Sartosa, two places with histories of Norse settlement.
To his followers, Stromfels is neither the son nor brother of another deity, nor a mortal ascended to godhood. They claim he is Manann, seen for who he truly is. To most folk this belief is a heresy. Even the Elves, whose attitude to Human religions is usually one of disinterested disdain, find the notion abhorrent. Before the signing of the 2150 IC Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Ulthuan and the Empire, the worship of Stromfels was considered criminal and obscure, but the Elves made its outright persecution one of their terms. This makes Stromfels one of the few gods whose very worship is a capital offence.
Stromfels is normally depicted either as Manann with a look of bestial rage on his face, or as a vast shark, its jaws open to bite. Seafarers are quick to denounce Stromfels, but in confidence many sailors admit that if a storm whips up, and Manann refuses to answer their prayers, there are other names to call upon.
Cultists of Stromfels tend to be pirates, raiders, or wreckers. They respect the sea out of fear and believe in taking whatever they want, as they too should be feared. Such folk honour the swift kill and the daring raid. Whilst they are outlawed, they do not find common cause with the forces of Chaos or those who indulge in needless sadism. The consequences of their acts may be cruel, but such cruelty is a side-effect rather than a purpose.
Along the Pirate Coast and among the islands of the Tilean Sea, Stromfels's worship is more open, and even has official approval in settlements where the worship of Manann has been usurped. Here he is known as Stromfalo by the Tileans, and El Bicho del Mar by pirates of Estalia. In Marienburg, rumours have it that the cult is centred among the criminal classes of Broekwater, though no investigation has ever resulted in convictions. Cynical observers have put it about that this is because members of the Ten support piracy, especially if it is directed against the Sea Elves. Away from the coasts, Stromfels is almost unknown, except for an isolated cult in eastern Stirland, whose own legends suggest that they may be descended from a pirate band that fled inland.
holy sites:
The only temple to Stromfels that operates openly is in Sartosa. It was once a temple of Myrmidia and is built in the Myrmidian style but decorated with trophies and treasure taken in centuries of pirate raids.
RELATIONSHIPS
The followers of Stromfels bear no great hostility towards most cults, respecting them where they are strong, preying upon them where they are weak. Only in a few cases is the very existence of other cults taken personally.
Stromfels and Manann
The cultists of Stromfels loathe those of Manann, regarding them as hypocrites who deny their god's true nature. The Cult of Manann reciprocate the antagonism, and the worship of Stromfels is proscribed in Marienburg and persecuted around the shores of the Empire, so the cultists must hide their allegiance. They know priests of Manann would hunt them unto death, and so can never allow a Manannite to live.
Stromfels and Chaos
The followers of Stromfels may be considered antisocial, even murderous, but they at least consider themselves part of a natural order, and are not well disposed toward the followers of Chaos. Even Khorne, who shares many superficial characteristics with Stromfels, is regarded as too wanton and gluttonous in his bloodthirst. A predator must continue to have prey, not kill them all. Cultists of Stromfels can be quite tolerant of mutation, provided it does not weaken the mutant in question. This may be regarded by many folk as tolerance towards Chaos, particularly as some mutants find a home amongst pirate crews, but the cultists of Stromfels do not see it that way.
STRICTURES:
1:Take No Prisoners
The cult forbids showing mercy to the vanquished — if they deserved to live, they would have been strong enough to resist capture. Caring for hostages, even those who would earn their captors a fine ransom, draws the ire of the god. Leaving prisoners to the mercy of the elements by marooning them or throwing them into the sea is said to please Stromfels. In the case of a captive priest of Manann, Stromfels is more demanding, and expects the poor soul's tongue to be cut out before they are pitched into the sea.
2: Power is to be Sought and Exercised for its own Sake
Authority is granted to those with the strength and ferocity to take it. It is appropriate for a follower of Stromfels to respect a strong leader, but it is also appropriate for them to depose a leader whose strength has waned. Failing to respect strength is offensive to the god.
3: Power is to be Instituted by Physical Force
Followers of Stromfels believe that power of the body decides everything in the end. A follower of Stromfels who neglects their own strength may find themself forsaken
4: Send a Sacrifice when the Tides Turn
Every equinox, a follower of Stromfels is expected to deliver a sacrifice. This should be a Human or Elf, thrown into the sea or ritually drowned.
(there are a list of 'MIRACLES OF STROMFELS', but this is getting too long.)
Away from the coasts, Stromfels is almost unknown, except for an isolated cult in eastern Stirland, whose own legends suggest that they may be descended from a pirate band that fled inland.
To his followers, Stromfels is neither the son nor brother of another deity, nor a mortal ascended to godhood. They claim he is Manann, seen for who he truly is. To most folk this belief is a heresy. Even the Elves, whose attitude to Human religions is usually one of disinterested disdain, find the notion abhorrent. Before the signing of the 2150 IC Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Ulthuan and the Empire, the worship of Stromfels was considered criminal and obscure, but the Elves made its outright persecution one of their terms
Like, at this point it would be so, so easy for a WHFRP campaign plot to be the band of adventurers deceived or even just overthinking themselves into believing Mathilde is the last member of that Lahmian conspiracy, reaching her influence into the colleges, the imperial family, a near-monopolistic trade company in the west and southern empire and badlands, a resurgent Karaz Ankor, Laurelorn, and even Kislev.
@Jyn Ryvia I appreciate the posts, but I do want to note that if you want to post gigantic walls of texts, it's better to put them under spoilers. Too much text causes the page to freeze as it loads and makes the process of scrolling miserable, especially in mobile when you're not using the space button to scroll down. Take this from someone used to posting walls of text.
@Jyn Ryvia I appreciate the posts, but I do want to note that if you want to post gigantic walls of texts, it's better to put them under spoilers. Too much text causes the page to freeze as it loads and makes the process of scrolling miserable, especially in mobile when you're not using the space button to scroll down. Take this from someone used to posting walls of text.
Exactly my point. Imagine a quest/campaign where the players roll really well on Mathilde's early years investigation, and the QM drops a zinger like:
"Her position in Stirland was the work of a Lahmian conspiracy." (Which is absolutely true.)
Imagine how we as questers/players would react. Or how they'd view her many many feats since then with that as an establishing piece of information.
Does it look like her roaming around doing good...or a Lahmian rebuilding her powerbase? If they find out about her gathering rare books for a library, does it look like us establishing a safe repository of knowledge and college spinoff...or a cover for moving forbidden tomes and our own location for training wizards outside the Colleges?
Her trip to the Chaos Wastes where she vanished for days at a time?
Mathilde having several private visits with the new Empress and her child who replaces Karl Franz would probably make most suspicious questers panic.
Exactly my point. Imagine a quest/campaign where the players roll really well on Mathilde's early years investigation, and the QM drops a zinger like:
"Her position in Stirland was the work of a Lahmian conspiracy." (Which is absolutely true.)
Imagine how we as questers/players would react. Or how they'd view her many many feats since then with that as an establishing piece of information.
Does it look like her roaming around doing good...or a Lahmian rebuilding her powerbase? If they find out about her gathering rare books for a library, does it look like us establishing a safe repository of knowledge and college spinoff...or a cover for moving forbidden tomes and our own location for training wizards outside the Colleges?
Her trip to the Chaos Wastes where she vanished for days at a time?
Mathilde having several private visits with the new Empress and her child who replaces Karl Franz would probably make most suspicious questers panic.
Destroying Drakenhof? Clearly an elaborate ploy to get rid of an uppity Von Carstein. Risky, because it deprives future vampires of a stronghold in Sylvania, but ultimately more beneficial to the Lahmians than any other bloodline. Alternately, it was done to throw suspicion off of her after her master died.
What sort of regular human gets along well with giant self-aware spiders, and then also chooses to make them librarians? Maybe she has a... supernatural, affinity with them?
She's friends with the Egrimm van Horstmann? Even if MoneyB states this is an AU and some things are different to prevent meta-paranoia, that's still suspicious!
She mentioned offhandedly that she is planning for a vacation to Nagarythe in several years?? What does she mean, vacation? How did she get the contacts for it, what did she do to get that connection with Ulthuan? Or maybe she's being cheeky and really means that she's going as part of an alliance with the Dark Elves?
Questers are tearing their hair out trying to deduce why an undercover Lahmian would act as the least subtle Grey Wizard in existence.
So Sea of Claws pdf came out a few days ago (wish C7 was better at saying when the pdfs are out) some interesting things in it are:
Timeline: (I really like that C7 trys to put these in every book in some way.)
-4550 IC: Elves from Ulthuan establish the fortress of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir at the mouth of the Reik and the trading port of Tor Alessi ( L'Anguille today) at the mouth of the Sannez.
-4540 IC: Kraka Ravnsvake is founded.
-4500 IC: Collapse of Polar Warpgates.
-4421 IC: According to legend, the mighty Dwarf ancestors Grimnir and Morgrim visit Kraka Ravnsvake during their journeys.
-4119 IC: Elves and Dwarfs combine armies to defy the forces of Chaos, The north the holds of the Norse Dwarfs are embattled and isolated.
-4000 IC: A millennia-long project to inscribe 'Expel Chaos' Master Runes on megaliths around the Krakas of the Norse Dwarfs is commenced.
-2839 IC: Dwarfs and Elves swear oaths of friendship. The sea wall, Vloedmuur, is raised around Sith Rionnasc'namishathir by the Dwarfs.
-1997 IC: The War of Vengeance/the War of the Beard.
-1997 IC: First Siege of Tor Alessi. Dwarf armies besiege Tor Alessi for the first time.
-1600 IC: The Elf Phoenix King Caledor II arrives in Tor Alessi. He vows to vanquish the Dwarfs and end the War of the Beard.
-1601 IC: Fourteenth Siege of Tor Alessi. Dwarf armies besiege Tor Alessi. Caledor II sallies forth at the head of his Elven Knights. He is slain by the Dwarf High King Gotrek Starbreaker and the Phoenix Crown is seized. Tor Alessi is razed, though its Lighthouse is left standing.
-1502 IC: Sith Rionnasc'namishathir falls to the Dwarfs after a lengthy siege. The fortress is razed.
-1501 IC: But for a few isolated forest communities, the Elves withdraw from the Old World.
-1000 IC: Norse Dwarfs begin trade with less violent Norscan tribes and fight skirmishes against the Skaven of Hell Pit. Over the following centuries they learn the degree to which the Human Norse venerate Chaos, and restrict trade to a few trusted tribes.
-700 IC: One of the horsetribes of the Bretonni settles in the lands around the ruins of Tor Alessi.
–20 IC: After his defeat by the Teutogens, Marius the Fen Wolf, first king of Jutonsryk, leads the Jutone tribe west from Nordland. He commences a campaign to rid the Reik marshes of marauding bands of Fimir.
–10 IC: Marius comes upon the ruins of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir and founds the city of Marienburg. The fortress of Rijker's Isle is built upon an island at the mouth of the Reik.
501 IC: Emperor Sigismund II earns the epithet of 'Conqueror' when he brings Marienburg into the Empire. The king of the Jutones becomes an Imperial noble, the baron of Westerland.
632 IC: Marienburg is sacked by raiding Norscans. Emperor Hasso commands the construction of the Empire's first formal navy in response.
765 IC: Althing of Traktatsey. The baron of Westerland and Norscan chieftains from the Bjornling, Skaeling, and Sarl tribes pledge to cease their mutual raiding.
767 IC: Wilhelm 'Bullshanks' of Middenland is granted lordship of the Silver Hills and all land to the coast. The Barony of Nordland is now part of the Empire.
888 IC: Losteriksson of the Bjornlings crosses the Great Ocean and becomes the first Old Worlder to land on the shores of Lustria.
994 IC: Gilles the Uniter and his companions ride to relieve L'Anguille from besieging Norse. Lord Marcus of Bordeleaux challenges Svengar of the Skaelings to single combat. They fight atop the Lighthouse of L'Anguille. At length, Lord Marcus cuts Svengar down and the Norse abandon the siege — a pivotal battle in the founding of the Kingdom of Bretonnia.
1066 IC: Engineers in Kraka Ravnsvake learn important shipbuilding techniques through the study of several captured Norse longships. (only time I think I've read about Dwarfs learning about a craft from humans!, but it kind of makes sense, dwarfs don't boat well.)
1109 IC: Norscans resume raiding the Westerland. Marienburg is occupied by the warhird of the Skaeling chief Snorri Half-hand.
1111 IC: The Norscans abandon Marienburg as the Black Plague takes its toll on their armies.
1597 IC: Marienburg is seized by a Bretonnian army under the leadership of the duc de L'Anguille. For the next five years the occupation army is harassed by the locals. When the army of the Grand Duke of Middenland approaches Marienburg the Bretonnians abandon the cit
1604 IC: Baron van Buik grants seats on the Marienburg City Council to merchants and ship-owners, instigating a tradition of democratic institutions influencing Marienburg's government.
1607 IC: A Kraka Ravnsvake merchant ship visits Erengrad. In the following decades they are occasionally seen in a number of foreign ports.
1635 IC: The Battle of Castellet. A flotilla of seaborne marauders from the far north attack L'Anguille and are slaughtered by King Phillippe the Strong and an army of 10,000 knights.
1696 IC: Norse Dwarf engineers from Krakas Ravnsvake and Drak arrive at Karak Vlag where they learn about the blackpowder technology that is employed by the holds of Karaz Ankhor.
1850 IC: Norscan raids along the coast of the Sea of Claws increase. Marienburg is sacked.
1988 IC: Soldiers from the elector count of Nordland's army find the coastal town of Debneitz in ruins, its inhabitants' flayed corpses nailed to nearby rocks.
2007 IC: The Battle of Lamentations. From the far north the Chaos Lord Kharan the Blighted assembles a vast Plague Fleet, so foul it leaves the sea black in its wake. The fleet sails to the shores of Bretonnia, and the horde of Lord Kharan lays waste to Couronne. A relief force is organised by the Repanse de Lyonesse, who slays Lord Kharan and scatters his army.
2150 IC: Marienburg signs a treaty granting that city exclusive trading rights with Lothern. Elves soon inhabit a quarter of the city that becomes known as Elftown.
2292 IC: The Ungruvalk, Kraka Ravnsvake's secret network of underground canals, is completed.
2302 IC: The Great War Against Chaos. A fleet from Kraka Ravnsvake defeats a force of Norscans at the Battle of Skapa Fjord. Paulus van der Maacht, last baron of Westerland, joins Magnus the Pious in his campaign, and dies a valiant death in battle. Valmir Aesling leads a host to the Dwarf hold of Kraka Drak, commencing the War in the Mountains. King Silverbeard orders that the mountain itself be toppled to prevent Valmir from invading other Krakas. Trapped together in the depths, the Dwarfs struggle valiantly, but steadily lose ground. Refugees from the conflict swell the populations of other Norse Dwarf Krakas.
2305 IC: Magnus the Pious establishes the Province of Westerland. He appoints a governing council drawn from the burghers of Marienburg.
2350 IC: As the War in the Mountains rages on, Kraka Ravnsvake assumes command of the Norse Dwarf fleet at Sjoktraken.
2368 IC The Treaty of Schoninghagen. Baron Ludwig Nikse agrees to bring Nordland under the rule of the graf of Middenheim. (4ed stuff, not DL compatible)
2390 IC: Kraka Drak falls to the Aeslings, ending the War in the Mountains.
2391 IC: A riot occurs in Marienburg. Elves are accused of the summary arrest and imprisonment of a citizen of the city's Suiddock district. Before order is restored several Elves are killed.
2424 IC: Waaagh! Grom. Following attacks on Nuln and Middenheim, Grom leads his forces to the fens around Marienburg. The city prepares for a siege, but Grom's Goblins busy themselves with assembling a flotilla of ramshackle hulks, and sail west.
2429 IC: The City Council of Marienburg declares the Wasteland's secession from the Empire. Emperor Dieter IV ratifies their decision. He is deposed in favour of Wilhelm III, who musters an army to reclaim the province. Marienburg's forces defeat Wilhelm at the Battle of Grootscher Marsh.
2448 IC: Spring floods swamp Marienburg. The Vloedmuur defences are extended, and drainage improved. Dwarf runecraft and engineering combine to better control the water level.
2449 IC: Rioting breaks out in Marienburg in response to anti-Labour Guild laws passed at the behest of the city's merchants. There is widespread destruction and several murders before the Directorate agree to rescind the offending laws and limit strikes.
2478 IC: The Pirate Wars. Marienburg and Imperial ships form an alliance to break the pirate fleet of Red Maria. The conflict culminates in 2478 IC with the Battle of the Torpid Sea.
2490 IC: The necromancer Hela Half-dead (I see what you did there C7) leads a horde of shambling corpses into Troll Country, slaughtering every living thing she finds. Hela's horde is eventually intercepted and torn to pieces by Throgg and an army of Trolls.
2512 IC: Nordland regains its Electoral status and Theodoric Gausser becomes its elector. He vows to repay the Emperor's faith in him by championing the construction of a new fleet.
So they've just completely retconned away that the Norse Dwarves were cut off from the rest of the Old World until the Great War Against Chaos, which means the feat that earned Thorgrim Grudgebearer the crown no longer makes sense. Presumably because, and I'm just guessing here, that book also includes rules for playing a Norse Dwarf adventurer. Sure, why not. They already pulled gnomes out of nowhere for the same reason. Really looking forward to the launch of The Old World and this trickle of retcons becoming a firehose.
So they've just completely retconned away that the Norse Dwarves were cut off from the rest of the Old World until the Great War Against Chaos, which means the feat that earned Thorgrim Grudgebearer the crown no longer makes sense. Presumably because, and I'm just guessing here, that book also includes rules for playing a Norse Dwarf adventurer.
Well, that doesn't make sense either, since 2e already gave rules for playing a Norse Dwarf in Tome of Corruption, without needing to do any retcons for it.
The Sea God Manann is Lord of the Oceans. Like his element he is volatile and unpredictable. He is powerful, wilful, and ferocious, but capable of acts of great beneficence, tenderness, and even playfulness — providing sustenance for his worshippers and bringing them safe to port. When his mood shifts, his jealousy and rage can be ruinous. The priests of the Cult of Manann admire him for his strength and revere him to placate his moods, but none love Manann as they do Shallya, Sigmar, or the other gods in the Old World pantheon.
Manann's cult is prevalent in coastal regions, and in communities relying on the sea, but is less significant as one moves inland. It is most influential in Marienburg, where worship of Manaan is related to trade, defence, diplomacy, and survival. The cult has a prominent role in Nordland as well. In Bretonnia, the Cult of Manann is a peasant's religion, although in coastal cities such as L'Anguille and Bordeleaux, the nobility pay him respects. In Tilea he is known as Mathann. The cult plays a significant role in the public life of Miragliano and Remas.
There is no formal hierarchy of the cult, although the Matriarch of the Sea is nominally regarded as supreme priest by most followers. Unlike most cults in the Old World, there is no central authority or dogma — just a core of common belief amongst his priests and worshippers. Mutual respect and alliance is more important to the cult than formal relationships between temples. People ask priests to intercede with Manann on their behalf when they want smooth passage on a journey, safety for loved ones, trade and food from the sea, and protection from seaborne threats.
The practice of worship is diverse and, like the oceans, Manann has many aspects. Sub-cults proliferate, worshipping Manann in many guises.
Manalt is the Lord of the Bounty of the Sea, who brings prosperity to his devout and fish to their nets.
The aspect of Manas is God of Tides, respected by pilots and navigators who implore the god to guide their way.
Some even whisper that darker gods such as Stromfels and Mermedus are Manann in his more malevolent aspects.
Manann is usually depicted as a bearded man with a trident and five-pointed crown. He is sometimes represented with a fish tail or riding a chariot pulled by dolphins. He supposedly dwells in a great hall on the seafloor, from where he commands the creatures and spirits of the sea, while his every breath creates the tides.
THE LEGEND OF MANNSLIEB
Manann fell in love with a woman, Lileath, who was always out of his reach, floating high in the sky, so he had to admire her from afar. Each night, the woman appeared and Manann reached out to her, but she remained aloof and oblivious to the Sea God's love. Manann's rages are born from this entirely unrequited adoration.
History of the Cult
Manann's first worshippers lived in prehistoric times, before Humans could write or record anything of their religious lives. The first Humans surely worshipped sea spirits and gods wherever their lives depended on the ocean, so a primitive cult arose in fear and awe of the sea. As Humans spread throughout the Old World, they brought their sea gods with them. They built shrines and made sacrifices in exchange for fish, safety on the waves, and protection from seaborne raiders.
Primitive remains dot the coastline today — sacred grottos and seahenges bearing crude carvings and eroded markings. Before Sigmar was born, Manann emerged as the patron god of the Endals, a tribe dwelling on the northern coasts of what is now the Empire. Likewise, the god Olovald was sea god of the neighbouring Jutone tribe to the east. The Norsii's dark pantheon had its own brutal equivalent, the harsh, inhuman embodiment of the Sea of Claws. To the south, the first people of Tilea seem to have taken inspiration from the Asur ruins where they made their home, worshipping a god which resembles the Elven diety Mathlann.
As peoples came together and early sailors travelled the Old World's rivers, the cults of water deities met one another. Professor Malwurt of Nuln University asserted that Manann's cult swallowed up the others — relegating their idols to his offspring (river gods like Grandfather Reik), aspects of Manann (such as Manalt), legendary holy figures (such as Olovald), or rivals (such as Stromfels). Professor Malwurt never expanded on his theory, as he somehow drowned in his study on the fifth floor of the university.
The Empire stabilised after Sigmar, and the Cult of Manann became slightly more unified, but never to the extent of other cults — local traditions still prevailed. In Westerland, Manaan absorbed Olovald to become a state religion of sorts. In Tilea, Mathann took on a classical character alongside Myrmidia and Verena, his representation echoing the shrines of Mathlann found along the coast. In Miragliano, the maritime prince built a grand chapel, decorated with mosaics and frescoes.
During the Age of Wars and Time of Three Emperors, the Cult of Manann turned its eyes away from the troubled landlubbers and their endless politics, with most priests refusing to support even Marienburg's counts. Instead the cult heralded a time of exploration and seabound adventure. Temples sponsored explorers and merchants to go forth from the Old World, with priests joining crews voyaging to far off lands.
At first the priests of Manann mocked Magnus's attempt to unify the Empire during the Incursions of Chaos. This displeased the Sea God and he sent strange tides to Marienburg, and even dispatched his son Triton. Soon the Cult stood alongside the other Imperial cults to battle the armies of the Ruinous Powers.
During the Battle of Manann's Teeth, the Imperial and Bretonnian navies joined forces with the Cult of Manann to defeat a huge Plague Fleet sailing towards the Old World. To the east, a circle of Manann's priests undertook a ritual to rouse the Sea of Claws against the incursions of Norse raiders.
In the late 25th century IC, the Cult of Manaan in Marienburg declared a crusade against the piratical followers of Stromfels. Hundreds of devout followers sailed from ports around the Old World to engage with the enemy. An unsuccessful expedition even set sail to Sartosa to strike at the Pirate Lords themselves. The Pirate Wars did eliminate several notorious pirates, but there was no lasting effect — the adversary was not a unified navy that could be defeated.
In more recent years, the Manaanites' growing political power in Marienburg has caused something of a rift within the Cult. Priests in the Empire, Tilea, Bretonnia, and Kislev feel little affinity with the grandiose greed of the Marienburg cult.
Personalities of the Cult:
Odrall the Devout
A senior priest from Marienburg in the 10th century IC. He was renowned for his piety and a holy obsession with exploration. He pioneered navigation and maritime cartography. Odrall voyaged far and wide, founding chapels and shrines along the coast of the Sea of Claws. He is the spiritual founder of the Order of the Albatross.
The Sea Maid of Bordeleaux
The Sea Maid is a holy figure amongst Bretonnian worshippers, little known beyond the west coast of Bretonnia. The maid was a young woman who walked from the sea and entered the Temple of Manann in Bordeleaux. She seldom spoke, but her song calmed the ocean and her blessings guaranteed a safe return for sailors. She lived for many years in the Temple and did not age. In 1423 IC she returned to the ocean, never to be seen again. Many Bretonnians insist she was a Grail Damsel and had nothing to do with Manann.
Admiral Ludovico Dandola A Reman commander and brilliant sailor who sank a flotilla of the Tomb King Settra's warfleet in 1823 IC and defeated countless pirates around Sartosa. On his last voyage, he seized a vast haul of treasure from an Arabyan corsair and sailed to Miragliano rather than his home port of Remas. He donated the gold to the Cult of Manann which used it to build the magnificent Grand Chapel around the site of the old Miragliano temple.
Wave Lord Harald Redesson
Priests of Manann are men and women of action. Redesson was an itinerant high priest in Ostland and Kislev, striding along the coast telling angry tales of Manann and issuing dire warnings. When a ship hit the rocks, Redesson was first to tear off his robes and dive into the waves to rescue the crew. When raiders beached their longships, Redesson stripped to his waist and waded into the fight without hesitation. He had a deep loathing of Stromfels's followers — stories tell of the time he strangled a shark with his bare arms and threw the carcass at a coastal lord who was in league with wreckers.
Matriarch of the Sea, Camille Dauphina
The current Matriarch in Marienburg. According to the High Temple in Marienburg, she has dominion over the whole cult, but outside the Wasteland, many priests see her as just a favoured cleric of their god ('I have no master but the Holy Sea', says Wave Lord Otto Sider). She oversees the extreme wealth of the Marienburg cult and has full authority over the Order of the Albatross and Knights Mariner. Dauphina has considerable influence on Marienburg's Directorate.
Priestess Elsa Udermar
Pirate turned priestess. When Udermar's ship was captured by the Imperial Navy, by some miracle she survived walking the plank. She clung to wreckage for many weeks and was fed by an albatross — a sign Manann had chosen her for a higher purpose. When Udermar washed ashore she was a changed woman. She joined the priesthood and now captains the Vengeance of Manann, a mobile shrine from which she hunts down pirates.
Grand Master of the Knights Mariner, Dietrich Ogg
The Knights Mariner are quartered in Marienburg, where Ogg takes orders from Matriarch Dauphina. He is a faintly disreputable figure, but impressive in combat and feared by his Order — knights not known for subservience to authority. Ogg has a small trident in place of one hand.
Grand Admiral Hrofil Halfdan
The grandmaster of the Sons of Manann, Halfdan is a huge knight who leads the Order from their chapterhouse in Salkalten. He is a Bjornling who once fought as a mercenary before pledging himself to Manann as a templar. Halfdan worked his way up through the ranks to lead the Order, and most knights respect his leadership.
Wave Lord Otto Sider
The high priest in Nordland is an important figure in Salzenmund and arguably the most influential Manannite in the Empire today. He played an important but subtle role in supporting Grand Count Theodoric Gausser's coup to take Nordland and relishes the expansion of the Second Fleet at Dietershafen.
Beliefs and Holy Books
There are as many ways to follow the Sea God as there are ships at sea. This is further confused by the whims of Manann, making what pleases or angers him unpredictable. That said, there are core beliefs common to all followers.
Tales of the Albatross is composed of lengthy descriptions of rituals and prayers permitted by Manann for navigation at sea, written in story form with a recurring theme of a sacred albatross throughout the book.
Of Sea and Man ('The 1000 Chanties') is a collection of songs, hymns, and chanties collected by priests around the Old World, copied and shared amongst temples.
Liber Manann is an 11 volume myth cycle of Manann, recounting every legendary deed of the god. It has been written by many hands and there are contradictions, repetitions, and yarns taken from many different sea god traditions.
Acta Nautica Ex Odrallus recalls Odrall's two celebrated voyages of discovery. The first recounts a trip to Albion. After a number of misadventures, which may be more allegorical than factual, Odrall and his crew make landfall on the southern coast of the mist-shrouded isle and celebrate the festival of the spring equinox on the shore. The second voyage is far longer and composed from ancient ship's logs. The priest sails counter-clockwise around the Sea of Claws and into the Sea of Chaos, where he makes landfall on a lost island sacred to Manann
Major Cult Centres:
Cathedral of Manaan
Marienburg The High Temple in Marienburg is the sea god's most significant site. All temples send a tithe to the cult here — a stricture respected by even the most rebellious priests, for they fear the wrath of their god otherwise. High Matriarch/Patriarch holds court here. Maintaining a tight circle of five senior priests to govern the cult and advise on matters spiritual and practical. The Cult of Manaan in Marienburg is a power broker. It has gold, warships, and the Order of the Mariner's knights to project its influence.
Grand Chapel of Mathann, Miragliano.
The Chapel in Miragliano is second in prominence only to the Cathedral in Marienburg. It claims supreme authority in the southern Old World, although the cult in Tilea and Estalia is scarcely unified. Mathann has a more classical character in Tilea than Manann in the Empire. The temple is a tall colonnaded building covered in painted frescoes of Mathann and his many aquatic servants. There is an undeniably Elven influence to the slender towers and elegant arches — this is the Sea God as patron of the placid Middle Sea rather than the raging Sea of Claws.
The statue of Mathann is a work of great beauty, sculpted by Leonardo da Miragliano from white marble shot through with veins of turquoise. It portrays Mathann in his chariot, pulled by dolphins and accompanied by beautiful Naiads and sea creatures. The statue stands in a seawater pool which, by some ingenious contrivance, laps at the statue in waves.
The priesthood in Miragliano is preoccupied with trade and countering the Stromfels-worshipping pirates of Sartosa. They try to stay neutral on nautical matters in relation to the rival city of Remas, but local pride fosters some factionalism against the temple there.
Manannsheim (of interest to library)
Manannsheim is a monastery on an island of the same name off the Nordland coast. It belongs to the monastic Order of the Triton, who are mostly retired seamen drawn from educated followers of Manann — former navigators, naval cartographers, and scholars of naval strategy. The abbot, Luther Bruggeman, is concerned about the future of the monastery — the sea is gradually eroding away the island and some outbuildings have toppled into the waves. Father Bruggeman is unsure whether the monastery can survive another winter. He wonders whether Manann is punishing the monks for some unrecognised blasphemy. The monastery's library has an extensive collection of sea charts, histories of ocean travel, and copies of all Manann's holy books. The temple altar is a wave-smoothed white block which the Order of the Triton claim comes from Manann's hall on the seafloor.
2490 IC: The necromancer Hela Half-dead (I see what you did there C7) leads a horde of shambling corpses into Troll Country, slaughtering every living thing she finds. Hela's horde is eventually intercepted and torn to pieces by Throgg and an army of Trolls.
I don't have the time to go over everything, but I just wanted to mention that Hela Half-Dead is not a Cubicle 7 original. She comes from the timeline for Warriors of Chaos 8th Edition. I remembered her because I generally keep a mental note of female characters mentioned in WHF. Not that hard to remember them when there's so few.
So they've just completely retconned away that the Norse Dwarves were cut off from the rest of the Old World until the Great War Against Chaos, which means the feat that earned Thorgrim Grudgebearer the crown no longer makes sense. Presumably because, and I'm just guessing here, that book also includes rules for playing a Norse Dwarf adventurer. Sure, why not. They already pulled gnomes out of nowhere for the same reason. Really looking forward to the launch of The Old World and this trickle of retcons becoming a firehose.
Good (?) news about that is that there hasn't been any news on that for months now. Complete radio silence. Even Age of Sigmar has been in a lull recently, with the majority of the focus being on 40K. I'm going to bet Old World is coming 2025 or something like that. I don't even really care about it anymore, and I used to be excited.
It still boggles the mind that the astounding amount of free advertising that the incredible success of Total Warhammer could have been is still entirely uncapitalized upon. They could have made a fortune just doing a limited re-release run of the existing legendary lord models. Did they destroy all the WFB molds or something?
It still boggles the mind that the astounding amount of free advertising that the incredible success of Total Warhammer could have been is still entirely uncapitalized upon. They could have made a fortune just doing a limited re-release run of the existing legendary lord models. Did they destroy all the WFB molds or something?
It still boggles the mind that the astounding amount of free advertising that the incredible success of Total Warhammer could have been is still entirely uncapitalized upon. They could have made a fortune just doing a limited re-release run of the existing legendary lord models. Did they destroy all the WFB molds or something?
It still boggles the mind that the astounding amount of free advertising that the incredible success of Total Warhammer could have been is still entirely uncapitalized upon. They could have made a fortune just doing a limited re-release run of the existing legendary lord models. Did they destroy all the WFB molds or something?
So they gave Wulfik– CHAMPION OF THE SARL! a write up,
as someone that keeps on talking about Wulfik the wanderer, I thought I would go through this to see how good he is. (tho, it needs to be said that I think this is him just before he gets cursed to be the World Walker: which I think has timeline problems, but want in Warhammer doesn't?
Not bad, but not special for a high-level char: Champion means that he can do damage if he wins a fight when he is the defender, but otherwise its want is you can guess by the names.
Attributes:
for those that don't know, the average starting attribute in wfrp 4rd is around 30-40, with 40 being decent at it, 20 being bad (most orges intelligence being in the low 20s) you want to get your job stats to be in the 40s as fast as you can if you're not lucky enough to have rolled starting there.
The average John Doe human is 30 in everything, 12 wounds and 4 movement: as a baseline
you can spend exp to increase an attribute by 1, off 'class' attributes costing moreand the more you spend the more it costs, upping a in class one by 5 points is easy, but past 20 points every 1 because pricy as hell, especially when there are skills and talents to buy as well, and getting pricier. I've rarely seen someone get their character even to have one attribute above 80 outside of a very, very long campaign. The type of campaign that's gotten to the point that the GM is eyeing the bloodthirster stats and how 'outnumber' rules mix with 'size' rules.
Movement: 4 (around average for an armour character.)
Weapon skill: 83 (so ya, late game stat levels.)
Ballistic skill: 34 (average)
Strength: 62 (dude is almost as strong as a base Dragon... ignoring size traits and stuff, but still!)
Toughness 51 (due is tough as nails for a human, but well within what dwarf fighters tend to get too not to long into a campaign.)
Initiative: 48 (he's good, very good, but not ridiculous, a starting elve will on average have better then that)
Agility: 62 (dude is a tinny bit faster than a Daemonette.)
Dexterity: 64 (dude is playing with elite elves here.)
Intelligence: 39 (average human, too almost good)
Willpower: 78 (the kind of willpower Wizard lords have, not fighters: Balthazer as 84 as an example)
Fellowship: 53 (very good)
Wounds: 28 (very high for a human, but not actually out of range for a one-shot if you are playing a high level fighting character yourself. )
in short: kind of absurd for an elve let alone a human, but not truly the highest I've seen: Demon princes in the base book still make those stats look like a joke, let alone some of the stuff in the Imperial zoo. Just you know, don't fight him one on one.
But it's the skill and talents that really make human/dwarf/elve/halfing splats, so let's look at those.
Skill are tricky to judge what is high or low, its your attribute plus whatever points you put into the skill (it starts at 0) so it will always be higher: and its cheaper to rise than your attribute even if it follows the same price rules and is more limited: so players quickly tend to realize its were you could dump your point you have spare. So the most used skill can get pretty high.
but again, it tend to get to princy as you go up.
I generally use the rule that +50 is constered very competent at your craft and Channelling (Chamon) 114 is Gelt (to use the highest single skill i know off of my head.)
Definitely a deadly fighter, melee (basic 90 and 92 in two-handed is scary good at most weapons in the game). But as a whole he has actally not 'spent' all that much into his skills compared other hight level characters, even ones generally a bit lower in scale then him.
oh... that's a lot of talents, a lot of the best melee fighting and survival talents. like, I'm pretty sure this is an impossible combination of talents for a player character that hasn't gone through a lot of careers and have to buy other talents to rank up or just pay all the exp for out of career talents.
do not go into melee with this dude on your own, or even with a buddy, just shoot him and kite him even if he has (9) Armour against it.
oh, and he has special rules just for him:
Favoured Champion: To his fellow Norscans, Wulfrik's successes mark him as favoured by the gods. Any Charm, Intimidate, or Leadership Test made by this character when trying to influence a follower of Chaos is made with an additional +10. (not bad for him, he has pretty high stats in those action so this make him pretty good at that
Slayer of Champions: Wulfrik gains a point of Advantage when facing an enemy leader or champion in single combat. (also pretty good, Advantage is a key part of any fight in WFRP, ways to generate advantage is always strong. )
Head Taker: When Wulfrik scores a Critical Wound, he may choose to roll on the Head Critical Wounds table instead of the normal hit location.
Headtaker is absurd, like, unbelievably absurd, crits (rolling a double) are bad in WRFP and not that uncommon, the only way to really deal with them is to shed your armour points. Head crits are not only the most likely to kill you straight up, but helms have some of the lowest amounts of armour points to lose.
the saving grace being that rolling head crits are not likely (1-9 on a d100)
it might as well just say 'if he crits you once with no helmet, you die, if he crits you with a helmet, you die the next time he does.)
Summary: he is very strong for a high level char without head-taker just with all his talents, head-taker makes him terrifying.
(tho, it needs to be said that I think this is him just before he gets cursed to be the World Walker: which I think has timeline problems, but want in Warhammer doesn't?
Imagine a quest/campaign where the players roll really well on Mathilde's early years investigation, and the QM drops a zinger like:
