Sylvania (Warhammer Fantasy)
Sylvania is a place that features in Warhammer Fantasy.
Contents |
History
Sylvania
When Sylvania was incorporated as part of Stirland, there was a mingling of the two peoples, though Stirlanders often say the Fennone blood won out in their dour Sylvanian cousins. Dark rumours circulated about the people dabbling in magic. The Winds blow strong in Sylvania, and not just the cold winds that whip down from the World’s Edge Mountains. Sylvania’s nobles built their homes on the points marked by ancient Waystones, nexuses of magical power. Although still not prominent and in many ways struggling, Sylvania suffered a terrible blow in the twelfth century. The Black Plague boiled up from seemingly nowhere, sweeping across the Empire, wiping out entire communities and leaving anguish and despair in its wake. Nowhere was as hard hit as Sylvania, though, for what records remain of this time, nine out of ten people perished from this insidious plague.
When Warpstone shards fell upon the lands in 1111 IC, Sylvania's fell reputation was sealed, as the dead erupted from their graves and laid siege to the villages and towns. Frederick van Hal who took command of the walking dead, conquering the province and building a great fortress at vanhaldenschlosse and quickly clashing with the Skaven who had taken control over much of the Empire. The foul lords of this land were ready, though, and they called up the plague victims from their graves to defend their country. Under the command of Frederick van Hal, who would later be known as Vanhel, the Undead horde crushed the Skaven menace and drove them back to the warrens and tunnels of the Under-Empire. Ever since then, the dead have refused to rest long in the cursed, thin soil of Sylvania.
During the Night of the Restless Dead in 1681, the Sylvanians were uniquely placed to battle the Undead, being more accustomed to them than most. Some even fought necromancy with necromancy, and corpses battled through the streets. Whilst Stirland was ravaged by the Undead, much of Sylvania escaped unharmed and used this to its advantage, buying its independence with the aid it offered during the recovery. The Von Draks were amongst the dark wizards who rose to power in Sylvania, a family of brutal rulers despised by all. When Vlad von Carstein took control, the people were glad of it, and many did not change their minds when he revealed himself to be a Vampire. As the Vampire count went to war, the Sylvanians willingly went with him, damning themselves in the eyes of the Empire. Only when Konrad replaced Vlad, demanding exorbitant rents and feeding with such gluttony and abandon that it was hard to find a living soul in the lands around Drakenhof Castle, did Sylvanians begin to regret the Faustian pact they had made. However, Konrad did not last and was replaced by Mannfred, a ruler more in the vein of Vlad. Once again, the people willingly joined his army. After Mannfred's defeat, the cursed Sylvanians were hated by the common people of the Empire for their part in the wars, an attitude that survives to this day. Those who dare leave the province often claim to be from elsewhere to avoid persecution.
Overview
To the east, Sylvania is bordered by the Worlds Edge Mountains, but in the other directions, its borders are less well-defined. The line between Sylvania and Stirland to the west has been redrawn every time independence has been declared; it has ranged from the edge of the Haunted Hills to the abandoned village of Murieste, and it currently stretches from the ruins of Mordheim down to the edge of Bylorhof Marsh.
Sylvanians often have a blasé attitude towards death and the dead that is at odds with their neighbours. They take a perverse pride in the harshness of their life, seeing others as “soft” for living in warmer climes, using blackpowder weapons, or associating with the other races. Sylvanians believe in the worst stereotypes, and it is common to find they believe Dwarfs drown cats, and Halflings routinely eat each other. This attitude goes all the way back to the Fennones of old, who refused to deal with the Dwarfs they encountered in the foothills of the Worlds Edge Mountains because they ignorantly believed that they came from the same place as the marauding Greenskins who raided their land.
Locations in Sylvania included:
- Bylorhof :
- Corpse Run :
- Castle Drakenhof :
- Fort Oberstyre :
- Hel Fenn :
- Hunger Wood :
- Nachthafen :
- Vanhaldenschlosse :
- Waldenhof :
Inhabitants
- Frederick van Hal :
- Vlad von Carstein :
- Mannfred von Carstein :
Notes
- Sylvania was created by Games Workshop where it featured in the setting of the Warhammer Fantasy universe.
In other media
Video games
- In Total War: Warhammer, Sylvania appeared in the setting of the turn-based strategy video game. It was divided between Western and Eastern Sylvania with it being a province situated in the Old World.
Appearances
- Warhammer Fantasy:
External Links
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