Ostland (Warhammer)
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Ostland is a fictional province of The Empire in the Warhammer Fantasy setting by Games Workshop
Ostland's state colors are black and white and its symbol is the bull, and a bull’s head is a very common motif on banners and shields. Its capital is the city of Wolfenburg. The province of Ostland is one of the least hospitable in The Empire. Dense forest covers much of it; the desolate Middle Mountains making up the remainder. Its neighbours are Talabecland, Hochland, Middenland, Nordland and, in the north, the nation of Kislev. Not so far beyond Kislev is the Troll Country and beyond that, the Northern Wastes. As with all Empire provinces of the east, their remoteness, densely wooded (and therefore perilous) terrain isolates Ostland from the general flow of wealth and trade from the major centres in the west. As a result Ostland is poor and sparsely populated, its army smaller and less well-equipped than other states; yet its people are regarded as some of the toughest and most determined in the Empire.
The Forest of Shadows covers a huge area of the province; it is an eerie place filled with grotesquely-distorted trees and weird fungi. Orcs & Goblins, Beastmen, giant spiders, and worse monstrosities of Chaos proliferate here. The Middle Mountains, the highest point in The Empire, are a refuge for bandits and Chaos warbands, though it is also home to many Ogres. These Ogres often serve as mercenaries in Ostland’s armies, and are much respected and feared for their tremendous strength and ferocity. The fortress of Brass Keep is located in these mountains.
The villages of Ostland exist at subsistence level, and are notoriously inbred. It is a common joke in more sophisticated provinces that an Ostlander is more than likely his own uncle, though it would be unwise to say such a thing to his face. Ostland villages are more like large, extended families, and this closeness extends even to the larger towns. One of those villages is Sokh, close to the border with Middenland. What money does flow into the province comes from the fur trade, since Ostland is well supplied with game. Ostlanders have a tendency to squander any disposable income on expensive status symbols – ornate armour or impressive firearms being favourites (double-barrelled pistols and hunting rifles being very popular). As a result, they are very loathe to 'waste money' on hiring unreliable mercenaries – Ostlanders are self-sufficient above all.
[edit] Recent affairs
The canonicity of the cited novel is disputed.
Ostland was in a period of dishonour around 2500, upon the discovery that the Elector Count Oswald Von Konigswald had conspired with the dark sorcerer Drachenfels[1] against the Emperor Karl-Franz. Both Oswald and Drachenfels perished, however, and the title of Elector Count went to the Von Tassenicks.
Valmir von Raukov is the current Elector Count as the title passed on from the Von Tassenicks upon the death of the childless Count Hals, ten years ago. Valmir has spent all his life fighting the incursions that beset his land from within and without, and he is more a warlord rather than a politician.
Ostland has good ties with the Kislevites in the north, possibly better than any of the other Empire Provinces. Many a time have the Ostlander armies marched north to assist the pulks (armies) of Kislev against the forces of Chaos.
[edit] External links
- http://us.games-workshop.com/games/warhammer/empire/painting/500_ostlanders/default.htm An Ostland army by Dave Taylor.
[edit] References
- ^ Yeovil, Jack (1989). Drachenfels. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 0-7434-1170-6.
- (1996) Warhammer Armies The Empire. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-872372-35-X.
- (2000) Warhammer The Empire. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-059-5.
- McNeill, Graham (2006). Warhammer The Empire. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-799-9.
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