Averland (Warhammer)
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Averland is a province of the land called The Empire in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. It's capital Averheim and the state colours are yellow and black.
Averland is one of the richest provinces in The Empire, though it is neither the largest nor the most influential, and its army is famous for its ostentatious uniforms. Its wide, open plains are perfect for growing crops, but the most important feature of the province is the Blackfire Pass. The pass, a deep, volcanic cleft in the rock, is the only reliable route across the mountains. An Old Dwarf Road runs through the pass, connecting the Dwarf holds of the World’s Edge Mountains and the lands of the Border Princes to The Empire; trade goods, especially the valuable metal ores from the Dwarfs, flow constantly into Averheim, from where they are transported by river into Nuln. It is this trade that grants Averland its wealth, but it comes with a heavy price. The pass is perpetually attacked, mostly by orc and goblin tribes, and keeping the way safe for trade is a difficult task. Guardianship of the pass falls to the Mountainguard, the elite of Averland’s forces.
The dangers of the pass were made all too clear by a massive Orc invasion that occurred quite recently. The Elector Count Marius Leitdorf was slain by the Orc general, Vorgaz Ironjaw (later dispatched by the Emperor himself), his holding action buying time for Karl Franz to rally the troops and defeat the horde. Thus far, no successor has been named. The pass has been the gateway to the Empire for many other greenskin invasions, most notably those of Grom the Paunch of Misty Mountain (2410) and Gorbad Ironclaw (1707). The pass was also the site of Sigmar’s legendary defeat of the Orc and Goblin tribes, and remains a place of pilgrimage for the faithful and the fanatical.
Averland has very strong links to Tilea, and the influence of that country can be seen both in the province’s heavy use of crossbows and half-pikes, and in the worship of Myrmidia, the goddess of war. Averland makes greater use of mercenaries than any other province, and the state army almost invariably includes a high proportion of Tileans. The Knights of the Blazing Sun are possibly the most important Knightly Order in Averland. Templars of Myrmidia, they were formed in 1457 during the crusades against Araby.
The Bergjaeger are a special detachment of the Mountainguard, comprised of trappers, hunters and other rangers. They are excellent archers and master trap-setters who know the pass like no other. Halflings serve both in the state army and in the Mountainguard – they have been part of the later ever since Gorbad Ironclaw’s devastation of The Moot, the Halfling homeland.
