Provincial Defenders
Of
Wissenland
By Chief Scrivener Hannan
Wissenland, 2523 I.C.
During the last months of 2522 I.C., a horrible disaster occurred on the border of Wissenland. In the Grey Mountains, a dwarf enclave called Khazid Grimaz fell to the machinations of orcs, goblins and fouler creatures of chaos. The resulting war that began with the destruction of the Khazid and continues with the ingress of beastmen and undead to the Brightflow Gap has erupted into full scale war right on the edge of the province. Abandoned by the mercenary ogre clans that had already been paid for their service, the people of Wissenland looked to the Countess Emmanuelle of Nuln for an answer.
The doors of Nuln slammed shut, and the Countess’s guard surrounded the city. She has made it clear that the army of Nuln would defend Nuln, even though that city is the capital of Wissenland. And even though she is technically bound by oaths to the Emperor to defend the province, she doesn't regard the rather rural and unrefined areas outside the capital to be worth defending. In her mind, if Nuln survives the next war, then so does Wissenland. For all the folk of the province that are not fortunate enough to live within the walls of the city-state of Nuln, the future is grim indeed.
Independent Organization
Yet the people of Wissenland have survived this long with her indifference. They are long used to the way the nobles and common folk of Nuln treat the people of the wider province. Long ago they realized that if they did not defend themselves, then no one would. There are those who keep watch on the Emperor’s lands, even if the Countess herself will not. She doesn’t bother with the affairs of Wissenlanders, and Wissenlanders don’t concern themselves much with what happens in Nuln.
In the small town of Eppiswald, a chapter of the Knights of Morr rose to prominence during the battles around Khazid Grimaz. The heroic Grandmaster of the chapter perished in those bloody combats, but the new leadership is determined to defend Wissenland from this looming threat before it comes to fruition and begins to overwhelm the land. To this effect, the Knight-Commander began to reach out to the local militias, and units of fighting men pledged their service to the defense of the land. Eventually, this militia began to form a real army from the disparate regiments of troops that answered the call to battle.
The Grey Mountains and the River Reik
The new army, led by Knight-Commander Barnabas Pech of the Black Guard of Morr, quickly swelled in size. Aided by a company of Imperial pistoliers called the Wissenland Bounders, the small force had great intelligence on its enemies and was able to counter several small scale. The Knights were also able to reach out all across Wissenland, and communities concerned with what would happen to them if there was a successful invasion, gladly sent men to aid in the defense of the province.
From Eppiswald itself, a regiment of spearmen were raised, and forms the centerpoint of the infantry line. Halberdiers from Pfielsdorf and swordsmen from Heisenburg make up the rest of the fighting infantry, but not everyone in Nuln is as apathetic to the plight of their countrymen. A regiment of Gunnery School cadets have brought a great cannon to Pech’s army, and together with a regiment of handgunners from Wittenhausen form a formidable gun line.
The new army needed a base of operations, and the abandoned and haunted Schloss Bestrafe in the Brightflow Gap was a fantastic location for a campaign in the Grey Mountains. After vanquishing the undead horrors lurking in that place, the army took up residence there. The haunting would continue, but in a much less dangerous way. Yet after this victory and occupation of the area, the army gained even more allies. Dwarf refugees from the Khazid Grimaz made camp not far from the Schloss Bestrafe, and the camp of the mercenary ogres was never far away from Pech’s army until they turned against Imperial forces suddenly and without warning.
A powerful Imperial Battle Wizard named Sagan arrived at Schloss Bestrafe one day, and explained that his sanctum was not far away. The wizard and the Knight-Commander spoke long into the night, and a mutual defense agreement was made. In the days and weeks that followed, magisters from every school of Imperial Wizardry made themselves known to the Knight-Commander. From that point on, the Provincial Defenders had everything they needed. Soldiers, will to fight, and now – magic.
It was not long after that even stranger events began to occur. The wizards brokered a meeting with a strange creature from the mountains that resembled a Halfling sized, bipedal lizard. The creature spoke to the wizards in a strange language, which Pech was told was Elven. It conveyed a prophecy of dire warning, and provided intelligence on the greatest threats to the land. After demonstrating it’s good intentions, it provided information relating to a large supply cache that Pech desperately needed. The wizards assured the Knight-Commander that the creature could be trusted, and the supplies were obtained by the army and deemed safe.
Since then, the Provincial Defenders have fought alongside the lizardmen from beneath the mountains many times. The alliance has resisted beastmen and undead advances for months. The lizardmen always disappear into the passes soon after battle, but parley occurs occasionally, reaffirming the mutual pact of aid between the two races. Yet, ever greater the threat grows…and the alliance is outnumbered.