Karl Franz

"If we die, we will die wielding our swords and there is no better death for a warrior, We will all sit at Sigmar's banquet like the heroes of Old and our names will be remembered in the songs of our people till the end of time!."

- Karl Franz speech to his men, before the final climatic battle against the Greenskins

Karl Franz, now known as The Ascendant, and formerly titled Karl-Franz or Karl Franz I, Protector of the Empire, Defier of the Dark, Emperor Himself and the Son of Emperors, Elector Count of Reikland and Prince of Altdorf is the current Emperor of the Empire of Man, the Elector Count of Reikland, the Prince of Altdorf and the greatest statesman and general the Empire or perhaps the entire Old World has seen in many centuries. Karl Franz, who was elected to the Imperial title in 2502 IC and inherited it from his father, is acclaimed as a patron of the arts and science, as a military innovator and as a valiant general. Thanks to his tireless efforts on the behalf of its people, the Empire has flourished during his reign as never before: the Imperial Engineers School in Altdorf has grown, the Colleges of Magic have thrived and his armies have marched from victory to victory, most recently during the terrible events that is still to come. The Emperor frequently takes personal command of his troops, wielding Ghal Maraz, the fabled magical warhammer given to Sigmar himself by the Dwarf king Kurgan Ironbeard over two thousand years ago, or his Runefang sword, and riding atop Deathclaw, his Griffon mount of many years, alongside his second-in-command and personal friend Reiksmarshal Kurt Helborg.

Following the beginning of the End Times, Karl Franz has once more showed his true devotion to his homeland and people by giving his life to hold back the Hordes of Decay during the horrific Siege of Atldorf. Following the near end of the climatic battle that saw the near conversion of the capital city of the Empire into a sprawling garden of puss and decay, the Emperor fought the Glottkin brothers onto death, and upon his last dying breath, the Emperor called for his god one last time. In that moment, the searing Twin-Tailed Comet that was souring the sky overhead, smashed onto the lifeless body of the Emperor, and from the impact, an aura of blinding light was unleashed that saw the eradication of all taint that has plagued the lands of the Empire, clearing fouled waters and decayed trees from their hideous mutations. And from the light stood a tall, mighty man with golden hair and a powerful warhammer of pure golden light, and with a mighty swing of his weapon, the Emperor Reborn struck the Glottkin brothers and sent them back to the Warp, never to return. Thus the Emperor Karl Franz, has ascendant unto Godhood by the blessings of Sigmar and the sacrifice he has made for his land and his people, watching proudly over his war-torn land and standing ready to face down the darkness that seeks to consume them all.

History
After acquiring the Imperial Throne as the new Emperor, Karl Franz wished to assert his military power over his new kingdom during his reign and show his beloved subjects that he was not a man of decadence, sloth or greed, but a man that would lead his people in their darkest time. The Emperor decided that a show of military force could only strengthen his position as the new Emperor of the Empire. Ever since the Great War Against Chaos in 2031 IC, the number of Beastmen and Chaos cults has steadily increased over the past several decades. His advisors have even told him that in the north, the Winds of Magic blows strong once more, and dark omens were abound of a terrible storm that would engulf the world in war. It would take several years or even decades, but the Hordes of Chaos will inevitably come back, driven by the expansion of the Chaos Wastes and the call of their dark gods.

This resulted in a steady increase in Norse raids along the coastlines, growing bolder and more numerous by the day, creating fear and havoc amongst the many towns and fishing villages situated in the coastline of Nordland. In response, the first act of Karl Franz as the new Emperor of the Empire, was to march his way north at the head of a massive Imperial Army and reinforce the armies of Theodoric Gausser and the remnants of his forces. None of his generals or advisors had any way to predict when or where the Norse would strike next, and so had no other alternative then to rely on his regime of  powerful wizard of the Celestial College to aid him in his planning, whose members has the mystical ability to fortell the future by looking at the very stars itself.

When the next massive raid came upon the northern shores of Nordland, Chaos marauders were welcomed by a volley of bullets and crossbow bolts fired by a battle-line of Imperial soldiers and the carefully concealed longships of the Norsemen raiders were sunk by the frightening barrage of lmperial gunfire and cannon batteries. Hundreds of the marauders died without a fight, their bodies driven to the bottom of the sea by their heavy bulk, and those who managed to reach the shore were met by a disciplined line of swordsmen, spearmen and halberdiers. The raiders were massacred to the last and the Emperor himself led the charge against the inevitable shield wall of the Norse last most battle-hardened warriors.

Since his election, Karl Franz has collected victory after victory and conquest after conquest, taking command of his troops personally whenever possible, bringing with him the legendary Ghal Maraz warhammer and his fellow Griffon companion Deathclaw. It was Karl Franz who led the decisive charge of the Reiksguard Knights against the Knights of Bretonnia at the Battle of Norduin around 2502 IC. On the legendary Field of Blood, it was the courage of the Emperors own heroics that has steadied the Imperial line against the thunderous charge of '''Waaagh! Spleenrippa '''and his massive horde of Greenskin warriors. In his war against the Chaotic Hordes of Morkhal-hai the Savage, he personally led his personal Greatsword company into the very heart of the enemy army and personally broke the skull of the Chaos Champion with a single swing of his massive warhammer. There is little doubt that Karl Franz is one of the greatest generals of this age and time. He stands at the forefront of the battles against those that would see his beloved homeland torn asunder, and it is this responsibility that weighs heavily upon his shoulder.

The Emperor often rides into battle mounted on his loyal companion Deathclaw, the Griffon he himself has raised when it was a mere egg, reputed to be the mightiest Imperial Griffon to have ever lived. A powerful bond exist between the beast and his master, one forged in countless battles and many adventures. As the years passed, the Empire continued to gain power and influence, and Karl Franz engaged in major projects to improve the well being of his subjects and the common people. Reikmarshal Kurt Helborg fulfilled the will of the Emperor without question, leading the Imperial armies in combat against the Ogre bandits of Tyrant Breaskus, Greenskin raiders of the Broken Tooth tribe and the horrible ratman that has infested the Howling Hills, site of the famous victory of Mandred Skavenslayer during the Great Skaven Wars.

The Emperor himself took up arms in 2519 IC at the request of Marius Leitdorf, Elector Count of Averland. Dwarven rangers from Black Fire Pass has warned the Count of a Greenskin army making its way around World's Edge Mountains from the west, and with the Armies of Averland being too poorly trained and poorly equiped to fight against this massive horde alone, forced the flamboyant and prideful Elector Count to ask for the Emperor's aid. Leading his army west, Karl Franz aided the Elector Count in destroying the Greenskins before they managed to run amok in Averlander territory.



Despite the aid he has given to him, the Mad Count of Averland still caused many problems for the Emperor and the stability of the land. Such outburst includes challenging other Elector Counts and their right to rule, conducting insane campaign against imaginary enemies and, more generally, disturbing the general peace that the Emperor has worked so hard to maintain. Remembering the brutal repression of the famous Halfing Rebellion of 2502 IC and fearing that the situation might escalate out of control, Karl Frantz sent his personal champion, Ludwig Schwarzhelm to watch over the Mad Count and ensure he won't do anything drastic. Orders for Schwrazhelm were simple: he would ensure that the unpredictable attitude of Leitdorf would not in any way put the Empire at harms way. Thus, under the strong diplomatic leadership of Karl Franz and the aid of Ludwig Swhartzhelm, Marius Leitdorf appointed new counsel to aid him in matters of state, ensuring an uneasy stability in the region.

It was also at that same year that Leitdorf warned the Emperor immediately when a new Greenskin Waaagh! poured out of Black Fire Pass and threaten to overrun the province of Averland. He responded personally to his call and went to face the horde before it was too late. It was in this battle that Karl Franz personally duelled the massive Greenskin Warlord Vorbad Ironjaw in single combat. During the fight, Sigmar himself has divinely intervined and gave the new Emperor the strength and will of his godly might to overcome the monstrous foe. With a single swing of his hammer, the event of Black Fire Pass was reenacted and the Greenskin horde panic and fled the battle scene. In the aftermath, barely half of the Imperial force survived, with the Mad Count as one of the casualties created by the ever present Greenskin menace.

Characterization
It is said that Karl Franz is the greatest Statesmen the Old World has ever known, the undisputed master of arts and sciences, an innovator in military matters and a valiant warrior man of unparalleled arms. Through his efforts, the Empire prospered under his reign. The Imperial School of Engineering has developed newer and deadlier War machines for the benefit of the Imperial army, whilst the Colleges of Magic have grown in strength and size, aiding the Imperial army in victory after victory. Karl Franz has shown more skill and character than even his own predecessors and he has kept his promise to establish a strong government under a just and moral standing. Under his guidance, he skillfully managed to maneuver around the Cults of Sigmar and Ulric in their attempts to win his favors. When a crisis arose between the Elector Counts of Stirland and the Elector Counts of Talabecland over a dispute that dates back during the Time of the Three Emperors, other Elector Counts waited anxiously to see which side Karl Franz would support, an event that would decide the outcome of both parties. But the Emperor would have none of it, and decided to go to Talabhiem to negotiate a peace term between the two factions.

His talents as a spokesmen with tremendous amounts of patience were put to the test to solve this issue, but the two rivals finally gave in to his agreements and the civil war was avoided by his political genius. Other similiar conflicts such as these has since been resolved by the intervention of Karl Franz, helped by the little reassuring presence of Ludwig Schwarzhelm himself. Just the sight of the personal champion of the Emperor's "Sword of Justice" was enough to make the other Elector Counts far more accommodating and cooperative than they would have been. From what historians and scholars could understand, Karl Franz uses a political tactic that would ensure that the agreement would be "mutually acceptable by both parties". With his superior understanding of current politics, the Emperor won many victories by giving the people not what they wanted but what they did not want the others to have. It was using this ingenius tactic that he managed to convince the Merchant Guilds of Altdorf to sign the famous Convention of the Stink Act in 2506 IC, from which they are required to pay huge fines and exorbitant fees not because they believed in the concept of a cleaner Altdorf, but because they hoped that this agreement would ruin their rivals own finances.

Another notable event of his great political skill was the time when the territorial ambitions of the aggressive Theodoric Gausser upon the neighboring province of Hochland were countered by the intervention of the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, Balthasar Gelt by Karl Franz request. Balthasar travelled to the capital city of Salzenmund, the home of Count Theodric as an ambassador of the Emperor, hoping to advert the Elector Counts mad hope of expanding his territories. Thanks to the Supreme Patriatchs magical powers of the Winds of Chamon, Balthasar secretly transmuted the gold used for the mercenaries under the Counts employ into lead. Without the gold to finance his expedition, his army would not march with him, forcing Theodric to relinquish his mad claims to the lands of Hochland. Once he discovered what had happened, Theodoric unseathed his powerful Runefang Crow Feeder, determined to behead the sorcerer for what he has done to his precious gold. But the sorceror was never found, for he had quickly fled the Nordland capital ontop of his mighty pegasus after finishing up his work in the Nordland treasury.

Thusly, with Karl Franz genius of warfare and politics, and the aid of powerful advisors and warriors, the Emperor has managed to stear the Empire clear from dangers that would have seemed to overwhelm his mighty kingdom. The Empire knew they needed a strong leader like the Emperor's of Old, and now more than ever, the people of the Empire needed a champion and a leader in one of the darkest times in Imperial History, when the Hordes of Chaos has once more returned, and Archaon the Everchosen batters at the gates of Middenhiem, it will be the Emperor and his loyal Champions that will aid in its defence, and advert the great End Times that has come to consume them all. This event shall forever be embedded in the annals of history as the Great Storm of Chaos.

Wargear
Being the Emperor of a highly powerful nation, Karl Franz is bestowed by his title as Emperor with one of the most powerful magical weapons and armor in the entire Old World. The Emperor's personal armour was made for him by Dwarf Smiths and incorporates some of the actual armour worn by Magnus the Pious at the Battle of Kislev. It is made of black Gromril and is richly gilded and adorned with runes and symbols of power. The Emperor is armed with the Hammer of Sigmar, the weapon given to Sigmar by Kurgan Ironbeard, the Dwarf King. This is one of the most potent magic weapons ever crafted by the Dwarfs of Old, in the days when their power was at it's height. The Emperor, also wears an enchanted gem, the Silver Seal, gifted by the Elves, upon a chain around his neck. This seal wards against the most powerful attacks and blows and even counter magic spells cast against the Emperor. It was made for Magnus the Pious by the Warrior Mage Fredrik von Tarnus, after the Great War against Chaos.
 * Gromril Armor -

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)  pg 70 -75
 * The End Times: Glottkin pg 120 - 127
 * Drachenfels (Novel)
 * Beasts in Velvet (Novel)
 * Genevieve Undead (Novel)

[[Category:K]]