Altdorf

Altdorf is the capital of the Empire of Man, the seat of Karl Franz; home to the Great Temple of Sigmar, the Colleges of Magic and the School of Engineers. The city is a centre for trade and learning; its docks teem with merchants, its taverns with students. From the strange creatures housed in the Imperial Zoo, to the majestically solid, Dwarf-built walls, Altdorf is a city of great beauty and variety. The city’s official ruler is Karl Franz; Emperor, Elector Count of Reikland and Prince of Altdorf. Naturally, the Emperor has other duties to occupy him; as a result, Altdorf is really governed by an oligarchy of rich merchants and minor nobles. Corruption is rife; if the Emperor is aware of it, he does nothing. This is also where great Knightly Orders, such as the Reiksguard and Knights Griffon reside.

Overview
The first city of the Empire, Altdorf sits at the turgid confluence of the river Reik and the river Talabec, where the slow, wide waters of the two rivers flow in channels between broad mud flats. The docks lining the downstream fringe of the city known as the Reiksport are the last navigable point on the Reik for seafaring vessels, and the city attracts sailors and merchants from the furthest reaches of the world. Foreign traders, adventurers and fortune seekers and the presence of the Imperial court ensure that the streets of Altdorf bustle with diverse activity; Merchants peddle their wares including various sundries, weaponry, “rat on a stick” snacks, apothecary leeches, and anything else that will fetch a price, all supporting a flourishing economy.

Since its foundation over a millenia ago (when it was originally known as Reikdorf), the city has grown mainly due to chance and circumstance. The streets of Altdorf are lined with rows of tall, aging layered houses that have been built up and onto repeatedly with each passing generation. Decay and decrepitude are common, beggars and thieves are a constant annoyance, and under the streets unspeakable horrors lurk in the rotting sewers. Even with this decay, the city is still a grand sight to see. You can find yourself walking along one of the dark narrow corridors that pass as streets in Altdorf only to round the corner and enter an ornate plaza framing a magnificent statue dedicated to some ancient hero of the Empire.

In the middle of the Reik, the great spike of the Reiksfang looms over the city. In times of old, this doughty fortress was the castle of the Prince of Altdorf, and withstood many sieges. Today, it serves as a prison for the most dangerous criminals in the Empire, arranging them in order of rank and wealth from the tastefully appointed chambers high in the fortress' towers to the dark, dank cells cut from the rock, deep below water level. Altdorf is home to many of the most famous institutions of the land. The Great Temple of Sigmar, the Imperial School of Engineers, the Imperial Zoo and the Altdorf Press all benefit from the patronage of the Emperor. The majestic towers of the eight Colleges of Magic loom over the city, from the spires of which the wizards observe currents in the winds of magic. It is here that magic users from across the Old World come to learn their art, and where the Empire’s deadly Battle Wizards are trained. Due to the magical nature of the Colleges, the presence of the buildings may cause the layout of the districts around the Colleges to shift.

Locations

 * Imperial Palace of Altdorf - The great palace of Altdorf is a massive, very elaborate building standing near the middle of the great city. The palace is home to both the infamous Reiksguard household guards, and the great Emperor Karl Franz himself. The Imperial palace is a vast building, easily the largest in the city. The Emperor’s court is always filled with nobility from across the Empire, and is a hotbed of political intrigue, social manoeuvring, and hedonistic frivolity. Foremost on the political side is the Council of State, a group formed from the noble families of the most ancient lineage. Though the Council has no constitutional authority, it advises the Emperor on all matters of state. The Grand Theogonist is always a member of this council, and is behind many of the more urgent suggestions – not for nothing is the head of Sigmar’s priesthood regarded as the most powerful man in the Empire. The Elector Counts, though physically distant from the politics of Altdorf, employ their own council of representatives. The Prime Estates, as this council is known, act as a check on the Emperor’s powers – they study the Imperial edicts, tax levies and so on, reporting their findings back to the Electors. Should an Imperial proclamation be regarded as undesirable, impractical, or just plain foolish, the Electors can simply refuse to enforce it. Even the strongest Emperor is helpless in the face of unified defiance from the Elector Counts.


 * Imperial Zoo - The Imperial Zoo was the creation of the famous, but hated late Emperor Dieter IV who used his enormous wealth, taken from the imperial vault, to fund large public projects. The zoo was one of his only achievements, where the largest variety of animals live in captivity.


 * Colleges of Magic - Altdorf has been the home of magical study since the time of Magnus the Pious. There are eight Colleges of Magic, one for each of the colours of the Winds of Magic: Amber Order (beasts), Amethyst Order (death), Bright Order (fire), Celestial Order (heavens), Gold Order (metal), Grey Order (shadow), Jade Order (life), and Light Order (light). The three most spectacular college buildings – the flame-topped towers of the Bright College, the lofty spires of the Celestial College, and the mystic pyramid of the Light College – are magically concealed so that few residents of Altdorf are even aware of their presence. The Jade College, a thing formed from living trees, is hidden behind high stone walls. The Grey College is a run-down building located in the city’s poorest slums, and allegedly connects to many secret tunnels. The college of the Amethyst Order overlooks the infamous haunted cemetery of Old Altdorf, the resting place of the plague victims, and few dare go near it. The Alchemists of the Gold College maintain a vast, smoke-billowing forge complex, and pollute the river Reik with their arcane chemicals. Only the Amber Order has no college within the city, preferring instead the caves of the Amber Hills, away from the civilisation that is the antipathy of their magic.


 * School of Engineers - The School of Engineers has been responsible for some of The Empire’s most amazing technical breakthroughs, especially in the field of warfare. The School’s founder was the legendary genius Leonardo of Miragliano, whose Steam Tanks are still repaired, maintained and refitted here (though it has so far proven impossible to create new tanks from scratch). The weapons produced by the engineers range from the deadly but infamous Helblaster Volley Gun to the useless von Tropp’s Spring-assisted Chain Lasso, though most lie somewhere in between. Many of the engineers are Dwarfs, banished from their holds for showing too much innovation – a trait not popular among the traditionalist Dwarfs. Altdorf has a large Dwarf population, not only engineers but merchants, workers, and indeed members of all branches of society. Dwarfs fight in their own units rather than being recruited into state regiments – they will often wear uniforms of their own design, and favour Imperial fashions over the sombre clothing of other Dwarfs.

Brief History
Altdorf is one of the Empire's oldest cities, built upon the site of the ancient Unberogen settlement, but has not always been the capital. For example, Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer made his capital at Middenheim after becoming Emperor in 1124, and Magnus the Pious had his capital at Nuln. During the Wars of the Vampire Counts, Altdorf was besieged by both the armies of Vlad von Carstein in 2010, and Mannfred von Carstein, many years later. In the former case, the siege was ended when the Grand Theogonist Wilhelm III threw himself, with Vlad von Carstein, off of the walls onto stakes at the base of the wall, ending the seige as the Undead army began to disintegrate, while in the latter case, the Sylvanian army was defeated as Kurt III, the Grand Theogonist at the time, recited the Great Spell of Unbinding, causing Mannfred's army to disintegrate before Mannfred's very eyes. Altdorf has been the capital ever since Wilhelm III became Emperor in 2429. The Colleges of Magic were founded in the city after the Great War against Chaos with the help of Teclis and the High Elves in 2304.


 * In 1707 the city was besieged by Orc warlord Gorbad Ironclaw. Sigismund, Prince of Altdorf and one of the three claimants to the Imperial Throne, was killed by a Wyvern. The Orcs were unable to break through the city walls however, and soon the Orc army became demoralized and scattered.


 * In 2051 Altdorf came under siege by the Vampire Count Vlad von Carstein. His Undead forces nearly succeeded in capturing the city. Vlad's plans were thwarted by the Grand Theogonist (the high priest of the Church of Sigmar), who sacrificed himself by charging Vlad head on and pushing him off the battlements to be impaled on the spikes of the city's moat. The Grand Theogonist landed on top of the vampire, driving him even deeper down on the spikes, and killing them both.


 * In 2133 Mannfred von Carstein besieged Altdorf with a large force of Undead. However, after Vlad's failed siege almost a century before, many necromantic books had been captured, and the Grand Theogonist of that time made good use of those. Standing on the battlements, he recited the Great Spell of Unbinding from one of the grimoires, causing large amounts of the Undead army to collapse and forcing Mannfred to retreat.


 * During the End Times, it was besieged by an army of Chaos led by the Glottkin, and it was eventually razed down in spite of the efforts of Karl Franz, Louen Leoncoeur of Bretonnia and many other heroes. After its fall, the last redoubt of the Empire's forces was Averheim.