The Battle of Kriegfeld Castle was a battle
unleashed by the Forces of Chaos against an Imperial fortress in the province
of Ostland in the year 2512 IC. A massive horde of savage Chaos Warriors from
the northern Chaos Wastes surged down through Kislev, putting entire villages
to the sword and looting anything that was not nailed down. Striking without
warning, the tattooed marauders rampaged southwards, accompanied by an array of
Beastmen that were bent only on bloodshed and feasting on the bodies of the
fallen. The raiders rode into Ostland, cutting a bloody swathe across the land.
History
The Imperial province of Ostland is a wild
land. Its inhabitants are tough and hardy people who are capable of defending
their homes from raiders. However this horde was larger than any usual raid and
the people of Ostland were cut down murderously before it.
However the noble Kriegfeld family were renowned
for their determination and fierceness and would frequently ride forth from
their castle to aid their countrymen and hunt down any marauding raiders. The
eldest son of Lord Kriegfeld rode from the towering castle of the family with
the mainstay of the house guard to fight the marauders, for the Elector Count
of Ostland’s armies were several days' march distant. A group of marauders
detached themselves from the main war party, leading the defending army towards
the north, never committing themselves to a pitched battle. They frustrated the
young Lord, striking fast before withdrawing and leading his forces away from
the castle. While these forces were occupied, the main Chaotic force struck
towards the imposing form of Kriegfeld Castle which was located to the
northeast of Bechefen. The Forces of Chaos laid siege to the castle, attacking
it in the depths of night. The moon and the stars were obscured by dark sorcery
and black winged creatures descended from the skies, pulling the fortress'
sentries from the battlements to fall to their deaths on the sharp rocks below.
The battle for Kriegfeld had begun, and it would be remembered for years to
come for both the tragedy and heroism that unfolded on that night.
The castle guard were sorely depleted and
the Lord Kriegfeld and his family, including his wife and eldest daughter,
fought alongside the soldiers on the battlements to stem the evil tide that
threatened to engulf them. The night was filled with the incoherent screaming
of the savage Northmen as they clambered up hundreds of hurled grappling hooks
while the huge, hairy forms of feral Beastmen battered at the castle's gates.
The besieged defenders fought frantically for hours on end, the frenzied mass
of raiders throwing themselves at the walls without fear for their own lives,
their souls already promised to dire powers. Dawn provided no respite, for the
marauders did not appear to be tiring. Barely able to remain on their feed, the
exhausted defenders struggled on, their numbers falling one by one.
The defenders' only hope remained in the
famed steam tank, Old Reliable, which had been seriously damaged several weeks
earlier. The steel landship had been moved to Kriegfeld Castle and Meinkop, the
Old Reliable’s engineer and commander, was awaiting an envoy from the Imperial
School of Engineering to come to the castle to tow the great landship back to
the Imperial capital city of Altdorf. As the castle was besieged and cries of
the dying filled the darkness, the engineer worked frantically on the steam tank,
attempting to get the machine in some form of working order. Using the tools
and forge of the castle blacksmith who fought valiantly on the walls, the
engineer attempted to patch up the steam tank's damaged boiler. Using all
manner of improvised implements, Meinkop displayed his considerable skill and
innovation by managing to get the steam tank running, even if it was in a
ramshackle fashion. Great rotating belts were repaired using sturdy canvas
strips and damaged cogs were replaced with roughly-forged metal gears.
After hours of relentless pounding, the
Beastmen finally splintered the gates of the castle and the screaming horde of
Chaos Warriors swept through the breach alongside the Beastmen. Awaiting them
was only a minimal defensive force and the Old Reliable. Lacking suitable
ammunition for the tank's steam-powered Volley Gun, the engineer had loaded all
manner of debris into its barrels, which fired a spray of deadly nails and
stones into the surging horde of Beastmen and Chaotic fanatics, cutting them
down in droves. The fallen were trampled to death by their fellows, who were
utterly consumed in their frenzy to slaughter all before them. The Steam Cannon
on the Old Reliable ruptured soon after battle was joined. Meinkop quickly
patched the rupture using a hastily applied bandage of canvas and tar.
With a tremendous blast of steam, the Old
Reliable thundered into the marauders, crushing their bodies beneath its bulk
and slamming them into the stone walls. The savage warriors clambered over the
steam tank, smashing at its damaged armour with their brutal weapons. Belching
steam, the Old Reliable quickly reversed its position and sent those clambering
over it flying to the ground before powering once more into the breach. The
stone gateway was awash with blood and countless bodies had been crushed in the
steam tank's wake. Meinkop worked frantically to keep the steam tank
operational whilst a cascade of failures threatened to bring the Old Reliable
to a standstill.
For the entire day, the Old Reliable managed
to hold the castle gates. In brief respites while the enemy was regrouping, the
engineer reloaded the steam cannon with debris, ready for the next wave of
attack. As night drew near, the marauders stepped up their assault, flinging
themselves with ever increasing frenzy against the steam tank and the walls,
but to no avail. As the chaos followers retreated after one particularly
vicious assault, the Old Reliable, barely intact, powered out of the gates.
Meinkop determined to sell his life dearly, for he knew that could not keep the
machine operational for long.
The steam tank smashed through the
bloodthirsty savages, scattering them before its bulk. A group of hideously
malformed beasts attacked the Old Reliable, almost tipping it onto its side and
began to tear it apart with their clawed limbs. Still defiant the engineer
swung the immense machine around, it’s armoured prow brutally crushing
everything it impacted with. Kriegfeld castle was saved from certain
destruction by the heroic action of Engineer Commander Meinkop, who was
subsequently awarded with a minor title and the deeds to a small estate on the
outskirts of Altdorf. As the forces of Chaos surrounded the crippled steam
tank, Lord Kreigfeld’s son returned from the north, his attack into the rear of
the marauding army causing a wave of panic to run through the undisciplined
ranks. The raiders scattered, fleeing back towards their homeland and were
subsequently pursued and hunted down. The castle defenders were exhausted, only
a handful remaining and many of them suffering debilitating wounds.
Tragically Lady Kriegfeld who had battled
at the fore of the castles defence, was ripped from the battlements by a
leathery winged creature as the Chaos forces fled, a last spiteful act of
destruction that eventually tore the family apart. The noble Lord fell into
deep despair from which he never recovered, dying a bitter, lonely man. The
castle was eventually abandoned and is said to be cursed. It stands dark and
menacing over the landscape, an empty broken, shell that is shunned by all.
Date: 2512 IC
Location: Ostland
Type: Siege
Faction: Chaos
Faction: Empire
Commander: Lady Kreigfeld
Status: Costly Imperial Victory
Casualties: Imperial, Lady Kreigfeld, Most
of the house-hold Guards, Chaos Hordes
Outcome: Imperial, Commander Meinkop was
rewarded a minor title and deeds to a small estate, Lord Kreigfeld died later
on, and the family was eventually torn apart.
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