Altdorf (Warhammer) - History

History

Altdorf is built more or less on the site of Reikdorf, a walled village built by the "Unberogen" tribe. From this tribe Sigmar rose to be a powerful leader who united the tribes and founded the Empire as "Sigmar Heldenhammer the First".

Altdorf has survived three sieges:

  • In 1707 the city is besieged by Orc warlord Gorbad Ironclaw. Sigismund, Prince of Altdorf and one of the three claimants to the Imperial Throne, is killed by a Wyvern. The Orcs are unable to break through the city walls however, and soon the Orc army becomes demoralized and scatters.
  • In 2051 Altdorf came under siege by the Vampire Count Vlad von Carstein. His undead forces nearly succeeded in capturing the city. Vlad's plans were thwarted by the Grand Theogonist (the high priest of the Church of Sigmar), who sacrificed himself by charging Vlad head on and pushing him off the battlements to be impaled on the spikes of the city's moat. The Grand Theogonist landed on top of the vampire, driving him even deeper down on the spikes, and killing them both.
  • In 2133 Mannfred von Carstein besieged Altdorf with a large force of undead. However, after Vlad's failed siege almost a century before, many necromantic books had been captured, and the Grand Theogonist of that time made good use of those. Standing on the battlements, he recited the Great Spell of Unbinding from one of the grimoires, causing large amounts of the undead army to collapse and forcing Mannfred to retreat.

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