War Comes to Grimmenhagen

War Comes to Grimmenhagen is the first chapter of the Empire Storyline. It is completed by doing missions in Grimmenhagen and its surroundings.

Lore text

"Forward, men! Drive back the barbarians and put out those fires!"

Viktor Riese had nearly yelled himself hoarse for all the shouting of orders he'd done lately. With most of his soldiers out in the field, he was relying on the peasants of Grimmenhagen to defend the village that now served as an outpost fot the Order of the Griffon.

Viktor watched as the villagers engaged a band of Marauders that was lighting fire to the huts on the outskirts of the village. The commoners fought with courage and determination, and soon the Northmen were driven back to their camps in the nearby woods. The fires were spreading fast and there were still peasants trapped inside the burning cottages.

It seemed as though every day since he'd arrived in Grimmenhagen had been like this. The Emperor had commanded the Order of the Griffon to take charge of the Nordland milita and organize the defenses of the province against the invading warhost. The plague had decimated the ranks of the Nordland provincial army, but when Viktor arrived at Grimmenhagen, the situation was even worse than he'd been expecting.

Sweeping out ahead of the warhost, raiding parties of Northmen were sacking and pillaging every town, farm and village they could find. The roads were unsafe for travel, and the army, having already suffered tremendous casualties, was in a state of near mutiny.

The Order managed to push back the marauding Northmen long enough to establish a base at Grimmenhagen, but now the invaders were pushing back, attacking the outpost from all sides.

"Eldred, is there any sign of those new recruits from Altdorf?" Eldred, Viktor's Squire, turned to search the horizon, then cried out in answer.

"Yes, m'lord! THey´re coming up the village road right now!"

"Thank Sigmar." muttered the Knight of the Blazing Sun under his breath. Raising his voice, he spoke again to Eldred. "I'll meet them in the village circle when I'm done here. I hope they came ready to work."