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Bilbali

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"There’s room on that boat for you. They’ll be landing three or four miles north of Bilbali. You can walk the rest of the way. Watch your step when you get there - the Bilbalis don’t like private vengeance. Or private enterprise."

—Captain Fornan to Ariel de Courtivron[12]

Bilbali, officially the Kingdom of Bilbali, is the second largest settlement in Estalia, second only to Magritta, and the primary population centre in the north of the country.[1a][14a][20a]

Bilbali officially rules an area between the sea in the north and the River Tarmos. Together with Magritta, it is currently one of the two most powerful kingdoms of Estalia. Both city-states are strong because of trade and access to the sea, a fact that causes much jealously amongst the poor kingdoms of the Irrana Mountains.[1a][3a]

Bilbali, often described as "rugged", and Magritta, considered "gentle", share an epically romantic and tragic history of alliances, betrayals, marriages, and assassinations. As much as Estalians love a crisp wine, they love a weighty drama more.[20a]

History[]

The Sad Princess[]

A map of the kingdoms of during in ca. 2276 . Bilbali is located in northern Estalia

A map of the kingdoms of Estalia during the Anarchy in ca. 2276 IC. Bilbali is located in northern Estalia.[17a]

Long ago, a greedy Bilbali merchant decided to "cut out the middleman" when buying goods from Lustria. Hearing of a lost treasure along the Vampire Coast, he outfitted a galleon -- The Sad Princess -- and set sail for glory.[15a]

All went well at first. They survived the voyage and the perils of New Bechafen, found the treasure, and escaped through the Sargassum. Then the ship approached Cape Ruin and the lair of the Spectre known as the Brine Wife. Though left undisturbed in their journey south, a song came from the shore, calling them to her and promising them their hearts' desires -- if only the merchant would give back the treasure.[15a]

The merchant was ready for this and had his sailors put wax plugs in their ears. Blocking out her song, he turned the ship and headed south again, looking for another way. But there was no escape. A sailor had taken out the wax, thinking they were safe, but instead fell under the Brine Wife's spell. Drawing a knife, he slit the merchant's throat and grabbed the wheel, turning the ship to return to her. Just then a powerful wave caught The Sad Princess and smashed it against the rocks.[15a]

To this day, The Sad Princess rests upon the rocks a few hours south of Cape Ruin, the shreds of its tattered sails flapping in the wind. Of the fate of the merchant and his crew, or indeed of the unknown treasure for which he sacrificed their lives, no one knows, though many guess. However, on the nights when both moons are full in the sky of Mallus, sailors report seeing the wreck limned in witchlight and hearing the sounds of barked orders and sea shanties, as well as the song of the Brine Wife, forever demanding the treasure's return.[15a]

The Sun Crown of Bilbali[]

A flag of the Bilbalian Navy as depicted in .

A flag of the Bilbalian Navy as depicted in Man O' War: Corsair.

The Knights of the Blazing Sun, would dearly love to recover their lost Sun Crown of Bilbali, stolen by pirates to crown the Pirate Princess of Sartosa, Red Maria, it is probable that it went down on one of the ships destroyed in the Battle of the Tides during the Pirate Wars.[5a]

A scholar called Catalina Martinez declares to know where the "treasure of Bilbali" has been hidden, and proposes to give a map with an "X" to locate the said treasure. The map show a group of small islands in the north of Bilbali.[16a]

Bilbalian and Magrittan Embargo[]

A flag of the Bilbalian Navy as depicted in .

A flag of the Bilbalian Navy as depicted in Man O' War: Corsair.

During 2517 IC the lords of Bilbali and Magritta have come into conflict due to a vendetta. As a result, they have placed an embargo on all trade between the two kingdoms and consequently, on the minor Estalian realms that must deal with them for trade.[16d][16e]

Some unscrupulous traders, such as Juan Barrera, a merchant of Los Cabos, are trying to find a way to bypass the Bilbalian patrols, which are known for their harsh measures against smugglers who try to get past the embargo between Magritta and Bilbali. Barrera, however, has a reputation for avoiding detection, using secretive routes, and relying on a network of contacts to evade patrols.[16d][16e]

He plans to take advantage of the recent Dark Elf raid on Muros to trade his supplies with the starving population. He knows daring routes through rocky cliffs and fog-shrouded passes leading up north toward the city.[16d][16e]

The job could be profitable, for those willing to work with him, and a little outside the law.[16e]

Nobody Expected the Estalian Inquisition[]

A map of the northern regions of the as depicted in . Each location's name matches those used in the game. The symbols depicting which faction is patrolling each area represents their positions in 2517 but are subject to minor changes as the game's campaign progresses

A map of the northern regions of the Southern Sea as depicted in Man O' War: Corsair. Each location's name matches those used in the game. The symbols depicting which faction is patrolling each area represents their positions in 2517 IC but are subject to minor changes as the game's campaign progresses.[16c]

The very same year Salazar an inquisitor of a Myrmidian sect has reached Barboza for an investigation. He claimed that he had proof of the proliferation of a cult of heretics throughout the north coast of Estalia, a cult responsible for a spree of Human sacrifice. He followed the trail of blood to Bilbali.[16b]

On board the Squadrista, a Bilbalian Corsair captained by Captain Ferro, Salazar set sail to Bilbali but was intercepted in the bay surrounding the city by three Khornate ships, the Axefather a Khorne Bloodship captained by Captain Ghaste, escorted by two other vessels.[16b]

After a fierce naval battle the Squadrista prevailed and once reached the port the heaving crowds gave the witch hunter a wide berth. The ambush was seen as just another proof of Salazar's rightfulness, and he promised to give the leaders of the cult the blessing of a pyre.[16b]

Notable Geographical Locations[]

Notable Subsidiary Settlements[]

  • Bilbali - Bilbali is the capital city of the queendom with the same name.[16a][17a]

Government[]

Queen Juana la Roja is the current ruler of the Queendom of Bilbali.[2a][14a] In recent years the merchants and ship-captains of Bilbali have placed great pressure on her, to do something - anything - about the danger of Brionnese piracy. Rumour has it that the Queen is considering a strike against Brionne or licensing privateers to attack Marienburg's shipping.[2a] Nevertheless, Bilbali maintains an embassy in that city.[2b]

While Marienburg reportedly pays Sartosan pirate to harry the shipping of Bilbali and Magritta.[11a]

Bilbali ships have become more active in the New World, smuggling and raiding, with the consequent risk of conflict with the Elves.[2a]

Citizens[]

Bilbalis are said to dislike private vengeance and enterprise.[12]

Courtly gentlemen and ladies of Bilbali and Magritta are seen as the finest by outsiders and by the people of other Estalian principality.[13a]

Foreign Relations[]

Bretonnia and Bilbali[]

"Look down on their lack of technique if you must, but a lance of Bretonnian knights is still a formidable force on the field of battle. Their matters of honour do get out of hand, though."

—Diego Cortez y Maranda, Diestro[5a]

Bretonnia’s border with the Estalian kingdom of Bilbali is a mere river. The consequence is that there is almost as much traffic with Estalia as with the Empire, despite the Empire’s far greater size. Relations with Bilbali are good, and Bretonnian nobles recognise Bilbalian nobles as peers. As a result, relations with Magritta are generally bad, and most Bretonnians regard the southern kingdom as composed entirely of peasants.[5a]

The City[]

The surrounding coast is extremely inhospitable, with towering cliffs that afford no shelter for ships. At Bilbali, however, a steep-sided crag gives access to a shallow bay, where the city stands against a background of cave-studded cliffs.[1a]

Bilbali is famed for the wine of the same name, a dark red that is aged 10 years in massive wooden vats placed in caves along the Great Ocean.[4a]

"Come Ye Home to Bilbali" is a very popular song in the Old World.[8a]

The outskirts of the city are close and dark. In the flat light of dawn, the smell of the Estalian linden hang from baskets outside many of the shuttered houses cuts sharp and green through the dust while the streets are filled with the smell of dirt as people wade through the liquids and garbage.[12]

Bell Tower[]

The most striking feature of the city is a tall tower, built upon an island within the bay. From atop its lofty height, a great bronze bell calls out across the Great Western Ocean. In storms and times of trouble, pilots listen eagerly for the sound of the bell with its promise of a safe harbour and a mug of good Estalian wine.[1a][7b]

Fish Market[]

Bilbali like any city overlooking the sea prosper thanks to the generosity of the catch, these places are also an excellent place to learn the freshest rumors.[12]

Under-Bilbali[]

Grey Seer Thanquol quarters are deep below the city surface, yet there is no direct tunnel connection with the rest of the Skaven Under-Empire as the closest link is the lair of Gnaw Pit of Clan Kreepus, to the east.[9a][10a]

Countryside[]

The surrounding area is somewhat poor, so that Bilbali's fortunes are wholly dependent upon the sea and, to protect her fragile maritime trade, the people of the city maintain a close watch on the seaways. Their fleets are well armed and her sailors renowned fighters, bitter enemies of the many pirates who frequent the coasts of Estalia and southern Bretonnia.[1a]

Years after the destruction of Siernos, Sienna Fuegonasus, an Estalian bright wizard, found her twin preying on defenceless peasants in the villages near Bilbali. She reportedly reduced her sister in ash and flame, but her acts have haunted her since then and she has refused to speak to anyone about them.[6a]

Game History[]

Bilbali subsidiary settlements were originally fan-made material created by the freelance writer Alfred Nuñez Jr. While the port cities were mentioned in the computer game Man O' War: Corsair, the inland settlements and the name of the Estalian realms were officially added to Warhammer canon with the release of Warhammer: The Old World.[19]

Later Warhammer publications have depicted Estalian kingdom borders as split in two by the Irrana Mountains, dividing the realms under Magritta’s influence in the south from those under Bilbali’s influence in the north. This suggests—much like the representation in Man O' War: Corsair—that the minor realms of Estalia fall under the influence of the two most powerful kingdoms of Estalia.

Actually, due to the lack of information, it is unknown if these kingdoms had perdured until the present of the Warhammer setting.

Trivia[]

Bilbali is named after Bilbao, an important city in northern Spain.

The phrase "Nobody Expected the Estalian Inquisition" is a direct homage to a British sketch comedy TV series called Monty Python's Flying Circus, specifically series 2 episode 2 (first broadcast 22 September 1970), that satirises the Spanish Inquisition. The sketches are notable for the catchphrase, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!", which has been frequently quoted and eventually decades later became a well-known Internet meme.

On June 21, 2025, Graeme Davis, one of the original game designers behind Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, shared on his blog (graemedavis.wordpress.com) a trove of Easter eggs and in-jokes embedded throughout the game's First Edition. One of the hidden gems he highlighted was that Bilbali is named after Bilbao, an important city in northern Spain, but it is also a reference to an old music-hall song titled "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey".

Sources[]

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