In the last year of the second Millennium, five hundred years
before the rule of the most benevolent Emperor Karl Franz, there
fell a time unlike any other. Just as they had before the birth of
divine Sigmar, the wings of fire in the sky again heralded the
coming of great things - the coming of Plague, the coming of War,
the coming of Pestilence and Hunger.
Though its unholy name is now stricken from the records of the
Great Library at Altdorf, and its ruins razed by Magnus the Saviour
of the Empire, I would tell you the tale of the cursed city, brought
low by the wrath of gods.
I would tell you the tale of...
� Mordheim, City of the Damned, a terrible place of nightmarish ruins where death awaits in every shadow. Here, hardbitten warriors stalk through the crumbling palaces and twisting streets, fighting and dying for the promise of riches and fame.
Mordheim is a tabletop skirmish game where you take control of a small band of warriors battling rival warbands across the desolated wasteland of the city of Mordheim. Whether you choose to lead one of the Human Mercenary Bands or the mutated and completely vile Skaven, how you assemble and equip your warband is entirely up to you. The Mordheim Rulebook provides rules for eight different warbands, including: The Skaven, Human Mercenaries (Reiklanders, Middenheimers, and Marienburgers), The Cult of the Possessed, Witch Hunters, Undead, and the Sisters of Sigmar.
"You want to know what kinds of warriors you'll find in the city? Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told ya, so grab your gear and we'll see if we can find a few of the locals for me to point out to ya."
"Ah, the Reiklanders, finest of men. I'm from there in fact. The mercenary warriors who come from Reikland fight in the name of Sigmar, Prince Siegfried and the Grand Theogonist of the Empire. Stalwart, brave and well-disciplined, Reiklanders will stay and fight when others might run away. Warriors of Reikland are also powerful archers and can kill man or beast at a hundred paces! Reiklanders are wise in the ways of war and disdain more 'fashionable ' attire for practical and sturdy clothing which holds up well during combat. You can see a Reiklander Captain to your right."
"On your left you can see a Reiklander Champion. Drawn from the biggest, bravest and most powerful mercenaries who join up under their Captain, these ugly mugs usually can be found at the thick of the fight. Since they tend to fight the hardest, Champions also get the first pick of the loot and often end up using more expensive weapons like two-handed swords, morning stars and the like."
"Now, see that young bravo over there on the right, he's a Reiklander Youngblood. They're the youngest and most inexperienced fighters in the warband, those boys may not know much about scrappin', but they more than make up for it in their enthusiasm to get stuck in. If they survive long enough they often go on to become some of the best fighters in the warband."
"Now, what we have here are those brute berserkers known as Middenheimers. These nutters come from a city on the top of a mountain surrounded by thick forests in the center of Middenland. Where they come from, Ulric, god of wolves and winter is venerated instead of Sigmar. Reiklanders don't get along with Middenheimers very well as their count, Mannfred Todbringer is vying for the Emperor's throne along with Siegfried and Lady Magritta of Marienburg. Big, strong and often unwashed, warriors like the Middenheimer Captain over there on the right can use their enormous strength to break lesser warriors in two! See that cloak he's wearing? He killed that wolf with his bare hands as a sign of manhood!"
"Middenheimer Champions are just as bad as you can see from that arf-berserked veteran over there on the left. Just as strong as their Captains and almost as ugly, they are amongst the most powerful fighters in the Middenheimer warbands. You'll notice that the veteran warriors like to wear beards or big mustachios. This has led to them being called 'hairy heads' by some of the other warbands. However, I don't recommend calling them that to their faces!"
"The woman you see over on the right is a Middenheimer Youngblood. Don't be fooled by the fact that she's a female. She'll take those hammers she's hefting and stave your skull in just as well as any mercenary. Middenheimers seem to have a preference for large two-handed hammers for crushing their enemies. They must like the feel of their opponent's bones being smashed when they strike!"
"Right lads, now hunker down and keep quiet, these monsters will kill us as soon as scratch a flea! Tales tell that the Skaven infest the entire Empire and maybe even the whole Old World. Normally backstabbing creatures who live in underground tunnels and warrens, they're more than willing to come to the surface for a good slaughter. I've heard that the Skaven in Mordheim all come from the same clan, Eshin it is. Supposedly from the lands around Cathay, they're master killers who are as ferocious as they are agile. That big fella over on the left is one of their Assassin Adepts. They move like lightning and can cut ye in two before ye know what happened. They lead the warbands."
"Over there on the right is a Black Skaven. Other than the leaders, they're the biggest and strongest fighters. These Skaven that have been hangin' around here are different from the others that I've fought. They use weird weapons like throwing stars and fighting claws. I even saw one hit a Middenheimer once with nothing but its bare paw, an e' just fell over, stone dead!"
"The rat with the staff on the left is one of their Eshin Sorcerers. Those warpstone... huh? Yeh, they call it warpstone, not wyrdstone, quit interrupting. Now as I was sayin', those warpstone-crazed lunatics are masters of the rat-men's vile magic. They can summon Giant Rats, cast balls of green flame or even turn into giant rat monsters when they're in combat!"
"Night Runners like that smaller one over on the right are basically like the Youngbloods of the Skaven. Although they aren't as strong or the best fighters, if they get the proper trainin' they'll become as deadly as any Assassin Adept!
"You see that frau over there on the left leading the other Sisters through a combat drill? She's one of the twelve Matriarchs of the Sisterhood. Each of them leads warbands into the city on a quest to purge the ruins of evil. Rumors tell that they are actually trying to save others from the folly of wyrdstone. Whatever their reasons, they are mighty warriors and one look at the steel in their eyes can turn the toughest Middenheimer's guts to water!"
"The priestess on the right who's fighting the three novices is a Sister Superior of the order. They're responsible for keeping the fervor of the church instilled in the less experienced sisters as well as providing an example for any untrained initiates. As you can see, those ladies are no slouch in combat as her flail-wielding demonstrates."
"The bulk of the order's warbands are made up of Sigmarite Sisters like the nun with the hammer on the left. It is said that the Sisterhood is shamed in the eyes of their lord and that they have sworn to conquer the evils within Mordheim to redeem themselves. I don't know what they do to them, but I seen those Sigmarite warhammers they wield blast evil critters like Zombies to pieces when they strike!"
"What's that lad? No, that lady over on the right isn't one of the penitents from the city looking for mercy. She's one of them Sigmarite Augurs. While they are physically blind, they've been blessed by Sigmar himself. They can see as well as you or I. I swear it's true! Sisters marked in this way are very rare and they're greatly revered by the order."
"Few know that by tradition, all of the recruits in the Sisters of Sigmar are drawn from only the most noble families of the Empire. Novices like that lass over on the left spend many years here in Sigmar's Rock learning the traditions and the combat skills they need to survive on their deadly missions into Mordheim. All of them strive to become handmaidens of Sigmar and they are often some of the most zealous warriors that the Sisterhood has to offer."
"That fresh-faced youth over on yer left is a Marienburger Youngblood. Those young bravos come from the rich families of Marienburg to prove their manhood in Mordheim. Those that survive more than five minutes actually become pretty good warriors as well."
"The tough-looking rogue eyeing up that Elvish Longsword over on the right is a Marienburger Champion. Literally festooned with blades 'e is. Like all of the mercenary groups here in Mordheim, Marienburgers choose their best fighters to be Champions. While most of the time, this means being the biggest and the strongest, the Marienburgers' mastery of swordplay, poisoning and their utter ruthlessness gives them a different but no less deadly set of qualifications.
"Those men in the heavy cloaks on the left are the Captain's best and most trusted men, they're his Witch Hunters. They brandish sword and pistol alike, whichever suits their task. Always spoutin' off about holy vindication, they're powerful opponents in combat who despise all magic and its practitioners.
"Hey man, put that mackerel sandwich away! Don't ye see them Warhounds on your right!?! Pay attention ye half wit!!! Those dogs are massive, as you can plainly see, and will not hesitate to tear yer miserable throat out. The Witch Hunters use these beasts to track down deviants and disgusting Chaos types. In battle they hit the enemy first, selecting targets that seem weak and easy to prey upon. I have personally seen a pack of those hounds shred a man to bloody pieces and then gnaw on his bones! Keep movin' along, dogs make me nervous."
"Over here on he left in the white robes is a Warrior Priest. They say he can control certain powers through prayers to Sigmar. Tales tell of these men healing near dead warriors by merely touching their hand to the wounds. Another thing I hear these men can do is blast the followers of the dark gods with magical flames! I wouldn't dare eventhink bad thoughts around these powerful men of the church, they are jsut as suspicious as them Witch Hunter fellas are. Hear that racket aroudn the corner? C'mon and follow me and don't lag behind lads."
"All that yellin' is a buncha nonsense. Hear it from the right side of the bazaar here? See that fella up on the crate, he's a Flagellant! Those jokers are insane! Always sayin' the world's gonna end and fire's goin' to rain down on us all. Yes, I know that a comet hit Mordheim, shaddup!"
"Those brutes are known as Zealots. They're made up of men who have lost everything and blame everyone for their troubles. Now they hate anything which deals with the dark gods and have devoted their lives to eradicating their servants. However, they ain't the best of fighters, but they make up for it with spirit. Anyhow, they're always fighting and never run, so I guess they're of some use."
"See those horrible-looking freaks? Those are the Bretheren of the Possessed. I'm sure they'll lead us to the rest of their foul companions. See how they're all wrapped up? That's 'cause there's some serious ugly under there. Seems hanging around this area will do that to ye. I've heard rumors of these warriors with tentacles or even claws. They make up the bulk of the Possessed warbands. You do not want to be captured by these abominations, as it's a fate worse than death!"
"Look sharp now! Coming up the way there is one of those mutated freaks known as Darksouls. Tales are told of the Darksouls' fearlessness and inhuman strength. It's said that a Daemon once possessed their bodies and then departed, leaving them quite insane. Now they are stuck in the belief that they're Daemons! They certainly fight like unholy monstrosities and their rage is incredible to witness! Hear that bestial braying? Let's see what's up ahead!"
"We must be close to their unholy meeting place now, for the sounds of Beastmen are in the air! Yes, look to the right of that ruin. A Beastman approaches. Do you see the muscles on that monster? I've had the misfortune of seeing these savage creatures tear the arms from a man and then beat him to death with them. They're also notoriously tough! One good hit just won't do it, it almost always takes a warrior hacking them down to gore and gristle to do away with them! What's that? They don't look so tough? All right, you ain't seen nothing yet."
See that ruined shanty on the left and the tall feller coming out of it? That's the Possessed Magister! He leads this group of degenerates and beasts through the streets in search of Wyrdstone and captives. These are supposedly taken to some ancient evil that lives at the center of the Pit. See how he reads from that crumbling book? That's his spellbook and the power of Chaos is taught to him through it! The forces of darkness he commands have the power to do things that would instantly drive men insane. You can hear him now, muttering foul incantations... no, not that! Avert yer eyes me lads, we've gone too far!!!"
From the shadows of that ruined building on the right, you can see it! The ultimate blasphemy! Shaped from the very stuff of Chaos itself, a Possessed! Those abominations are bursting with dark power and strength. Ferocious and nearly unstoppable in combat, I have seen entire warbands shredded and mangled by one of those hellish creatures."
