Border Prince (Title)

"Aye, we've a prince. Why, we've had a dozen in just the last year! They're pop'lar in these here lands."

—Sap Reinhorf, Dirt Farmer^[1a]

A brutal Border Prince ruling over his petty domain in the Border Princes.^[1e]

A Border Prince is the general title given to the petty, often self-made nobles who rule the various small realms that comprise the chaotic frontier region of the Old World known as the Border Princes, and thus is also the obvious origin of that region's name. More than in most other realms of the mortal world, the Border Princes is shaped by the actions of individuals who possess the will and the means to seize land in the region and try to carve out a principality of their own. These petty rulers, no matter their race, origin, or self-proclaimed title, will be generally known as a "Border Prince" once they have staked a claim upon these frontier lands. Defending that claim against all the other Border Princes, however, is another matter.^[1d]

A map of the Border Princes in the early 26th century IC.

The rulers of the Borderlands are usually referred to as "princes" and their realms as "principalities." This is mainly for convenience as this term can change from one ruler to another as their whims dictate. The rulers of the Border Princes call themselves by whatever title they think is appropriate. This does include "prince," but it also includes "khan," "baron," "duke," "viscount," "earl," "tzar," "warlord," "margrave," "king," and even, in one case, "Immortal God-Emperor of the Living World."^[1b]

A "prince" in the region is in reality most likely a vicious thug who gains power by violence and murder, maintains it by fear, has no grasp of politics beyond grabbing what they want and beating up the weak, and has to scrabble for food from month to month. Princes in the rest of the Old World generally do not have to scrabble for food.^[1b]

Types of Border Princes

Bandits

A bandit prince prepares an ambush to his enemies.^[1a]

The bandit prince is probably the type everyone thinks of when the Border Princes are mentioned. They start by robbing anyone who looks like they have money and finishes by stealing the right to rule a principality. These princes are, indeed, extremely common in the region, but they also tend to have the fastest turnover. The skills needed to run a band of outlaws are quite different from those needed to maintain a stronghold and its supporting lands, so many of these princes are unseated quite quickly.^[1a]

It is almost unheard of for a bandit to take control of a realm by means other than violence. They have to be a bit subtler than simply killing everyone, but force and intimidation are a central part of their strategies. They also maintain their rule by fear and bribery, so that most people are too scared to rebel, while a few are doing too well for it to be worth their while.^[1a]

Bandit princes tend to take one of two approaches to running their realm. The first group remains bandits and sees no need to pretend to be anything else. These princes do not take formal titles, instead using their bandit moniker, which was chosen to strike fear into all who heard it: "Ludmilla Gut-spiller," "Massimo the Knife," "Eyeballs Ricardo." A few are called something simple, like "The Boss" or "The Chief." They do not have courts, as such, instead maintaining their old structure of lieutenants in the band. These men and women also have no formal titles and generally do not have fixed areas of responsibility. Such realms have no law beyond the current whim of the prince, and survival for most residents of these principalities involves simply avoiding the prince's notice. Bandit princes would not refer to their lands as a "realm," rather more as an area they can plunder at will, thus a "turf" or sometimes just as "mine."^[1a]

The other group decides that they are far superior to ordinary bandits now. They take on noble titles, often greatly overblown for their actual status: "prince," at least, and more often "king" or "emperor." They organise elaborate courts, grant their old lieutenants titles, and institute court ceremonies. These often include some form of trial, though the verdict remains at the prince's discretion. Most of these princes seem ridiculous, playing at something they are not. Oddly enough, they tend to last longer than the other sort of bandit prince; creating the court forces the new ruler to think about some of the things involved in actually running a realm.^[1a]

Knights

A border prince who is a knight rides to battle on his noble steed.^[1a]

Although many in more civilised lands would laugh at the notion, there are a number of knights in the Border Princes, and some of them hold principalities. Knights tend to think themselves better than anyone else. They are better than the other petty princes around them because they hold to standards of honour and chivalry, and they are better than the knights of lands like Bretonnia because they actually have to fight to keep their rule. It is not unknown for a knight to style himself "king" and demand fealty from neighbouring princes, an attitude that often leads to war.^[1a]

Knights almost always assume some title, but they are the most likely to assume a modest-sounding rank. Barons, castellans, earls, lords, baronets, dons, and a few princes make up most of their numbers. Every knight has a court, even if most of the roles are filled by one or two people. They require marshals to look after troops, groomsmen to look after horses, chancellors to keep records, and justiciars to administer the law. Almost all knights have a body of law for their realm, and this law is generally quite clear on the superiority of the knight and his family. The realm is named appropriately for the title: a barony, lordship, or fief is most common. There are some knights in the Border Princes who are almost indistinguishable from knights in Bretonnia who hold similar titles.^[1a]

Knights do, in fact, tend to prosper in the region. The knightly ethos was, after all, developed to enable warriors to hold land in the face of threats, and it does that job quite well. There are a few principalities held by the grandson of the founder and more held by the son. There might even be one that has managed four generations of hereditary succession. Thus, some knights gain power by fairly peaceful succession. Others gain power after defending a region from another threat or by taking over from a prince they had previously served. Most still gain power by violent conquest, however, like any other lord in the area.^[1a]

Of course, prosperity does not mean that they are right and good. Indeed, most of the knights in the region are quite brutal about keeping the peace and order in their realms and in dealing with invaders. This is part of the reason they are successful; they know that they have to keep order within the realm and believe they have the authority to do so however they see fit.^[1a]

Mercenaries

A mercenary prince coldly kills the men who dare to face him in battle.^[1a]

There are a lot of mercenaries in the Border Princes because there is a lot of work for them. Some of their leaders realise the best troops in a principality answer to them, rather than to the prince, and decide to take over. Others go freelance to topple a weak lord, paying their troops from the spoils of war. A rare few are actually designated as heirs by the previous prince and take power on his demise. A handful of these are not even responsible for the old prince's death.^[1a]

Mercenaries are actually the most common type of lord in the Border Princes. There are a lot of them, and they have the military force needed to seize a principality and hold it against aggression. Most of them, however, lack the ability to manage a principality, and they are eventually unseated by a combination of encroaching poverty, peasant revolt, and invasion.^[1a]

Some do manage to learn the necessary skills, but those lords change into something more like knights. If their sons inherit from them, the sons usually are knights, often knights who claim a noble pedigree going back centuries.^[1a]

Unsurprisingly, mercenaries like military titles. A few simply retain their old ranks, often because that name is associated with a terrifying reputation. Most promote themselves substantially: "Warlord," "Generalissimo," "High Marshal," and "Supreme Commander" are all perennially popular. This also allows the prince to "promote" his underlings as well, even as far as general.^[1a]

At least initially, mercenaries run their principalities on military lines. They establish a chain of command that runs down to the peasants, and they issue orders. Military discipline takes the place of law, which means that non-combatants are poorly protected. In the mercenary-run realms that survive, this situation tends to evolve into something more flexible, but the dual emphasis on rank and chain of command persists.^[1a]

Merchants

A merchant might seem an odd background for a prince in the Borderlands; the image associated with the phrase "merchant prince" is quite different. Indeed, they are quite rare, but they do exist. Some merchants deal in goods that no government can countenance and feel they would be able to trade more freely if they were the government. The Borderlands are the perfect place to put such a plan into operation.^[1b]

As a result, princes with a merchant background tend to be among the worst of a bad bunch. They have come to the area specifically to do things that they cannot do in civilised lands, such as trade in slaves, forbidden tomes, or Chaos artefacts.^[1b]

Since few merchants are master warriors, they buy their muscle, and they employ some of the finest mercenary companies. Those who remain princes for any length of time employ at least two mutually hostile mercenary companies, so that the mercenary captain finds it hard to simply dispose of the merchant and take over. Most attain their positions by force, hiring small armies and conquering part of the area. A few take over by bribery, buying another prince's supporters out from under them. Most of the rest serve as treasurer to a prince for a time and then betray them, bribing people to transfer their loyalty.^[1b]

Merchants organise their principalities around their businesses. They often call their realm a "free city," "free port," or "free market." In this usage, "free" actually usually means "oppressive and expensive." The court is organised like a business; subordinates have responsibility for particular areas or types of jobs. Promotion, demotion, and transfers between jobs are quite common. The merchant themselves generally adopts an urban-sounding title, such as "Guild Master," "Mayor," or "Alderman."^[1b]

Politicians

Politicians are rare leaders in the Border Princes because they do not generally have access to the sheer amount of military force needed to claim power in the region in the first place. Those who are princes were generally the assistants of previous lords and stepped into the lord's shoes when they made one mistake too many. For military lords, in the dangerous environment of the Border Princes, this is generally fatal.^[1b]

In many cases, another military strongman moves in to take over. If the prince's steward is competent and respected, and the prince's disaster did not gut their army too badly, the steward might be able to rally a defence and take over. The few politicians who can get over this crisis tend to hang on to power for some time, generally acquiring military experience whether they like it or not. They tend to preserve a preference for solving problems with guile rather than a sword, however.^[1b]

As most politicians in the region inherit a power structure, their courts and titles can reflect any of the other types described above, which can lead to "Supreme Warlords" who pick up a sword by the right end two times out of three. Very few politicians change things once they attain power, as they have become skilled at manipulating the old system. Their preferences do often lead to a military decline, and this is the normal reason for the fall of these realms.^[1b]

Priests

Priests have many advantages when it comes to spreading their cults or establishing their own principalities in the Border Princes. First, they may have divine backing in the form of miracles, which gives them a vital edge in conflicts. Second, they find it easy to draw fanatically loyal followers, men and women who follow the priest as the voice of the god. Third, they can get institutional support from their faiths, giving them the required capital.^[1b]

However, there are very few such princes. The main reason is that the majority of priests have better things to do with their time than carve a petty realm out of some of the most undesirable real estate in the Old World. Martial priests can fight in wars that matter, scholarly priests stay somewhere with books, and ambitious priests scheme for positions with real power in a real country. Accordingly, most of those who head for the Border Princes are lacking in real talent and, thus, lacking in the ability necessary to create and maintain a principality.^[1b]

The few exceptions generally feel a special calling from their god, which further strengthens their advantages. The competent priests who head to the Border Princes often succeed. They organise their principalities in a similar way to the temples and military orders of their cult, and they generally do not claim any titles other than the ones granted by their cult hierarchy. A few megalomaniacal exceptions claim to be the god incarnate, of course, but most such lunatics try their luck in realms such as the Empire.^[1b]

The most common deity of the Border Princes is Myrmidia, the goddess of war and strategy, as the challenge of establishing a firm bulwark against the Greenskins appeals to Myrmidians. Sigmarites are also surprisingly common. For them, it is the feeling that they are taking the fight to their god's ancient enemies that motivates them. Ulricans are not uncommon in the region, but they rarely set up principalities; they prefer wandering and taking the fight wherever it needs to go.^[1b]

The less martial deities are far less represented. Priests of Taal and Rhya have a presence, trying to preserve wildernesses in one of the less settled regions of the Old World. A few priests of Manann set up along the coast, but the land-based portions of their domains tend to be very small. At sea, it is a different matter. Individual priests of the other deities may establish a theocracy to fulfil some perceived command of their god, but there would be no more than one across the whole region.^[1b]

Maybe due to their disdain for violence there are no principalities headed by priestesses of Shallya, the goddess of compassion and healing.^[1b]

Wizards

A Grey Wizard become a Border Prince.^[1c]

Very few wizards serve as princes in the Borderlands. This is because most wizards are carefully controlled by some superior authority and get significant privileges in return. Very few wizards would want to go off by themselves and found a principality. Of those who do want to, most are fleeing some great crime or betrayal and are hunted by Imperial Magisters; the additional threat makes it all but impossible to create a principality.^[1c]

In addition, people do not trust wizards the way that they trust priests. Wizards cannot gather followers as easily as most, which makes it very difficult for them to get started.^[1c]

Despite these problems, a few Magisters and rogue wizards do form principalities. Some are secretly dispatched by their orders, while others have lost out in political manoeuvring but have not committed any serious crimes. In the latter case, they persuade their superiors that they can serve an important function in the Border Princes, and the Magister Lords are willing to take the risk of losing them.^[1c]

Magic is a major advantage to a wizard. It is very scarce in the Border Princes, and so a wizard prince has a significant advantage in battle. The fear of their magic also helps to keep his neighbours in check. Thus, while wizards find it difficult to seize a principality, they find it fairly easy to hold one once they have it. Most wizards have small principalities, as they do not have the skills needed to rule a large area, but there are one or two exceptions.^[1c]

Almost all wizards in the Border Princes take a title emphasising their magical power, such as "Wizard King," "Wizard Prince," "Sorcerer Lord," and so on. Imperial Magisters never call themselves "Magister Lords" unless they are; there is too much risk of losing the tenuous approval of the authorities. Their courts tend to be similar to those of knights, as a matter of conscious emulation. The realm normally takes its description from the prince's title, so that a Wizard King rules a kingdom, and a Sorcerer Prince a principality.^[1c]

Most Wizard Princes are Magisters of the Imperial Colleges of Magic. The Grail Maidens of Bretonnia are too controlled, and other lands are distant, small, or both. Warlock princes are known to rule some of the darkest realms in the region.^[1c]

Border Prince Origins

"We’re not all disreputable, illiterate rogues and not every lord of the princedoms is a Bretonnian in exile. Some are mass murderers who fled the Empire, or Tilean mercenary captains who built castles on the graves of their enemy’s children. And then there are the ones who’re really nasty."

—Karolina Lothar to Corentin Varo^[4a]

A map of the Border Princes in 2276 IC with the heraldry and names of the various Border Princes of that time.^[3a]

The race and culture of origin of a Border Prince tends to influence their style of government and the nature of their realm. These influences modify the basic style of government set by the prince; a Bretonnian bandit might require feudal homage from his lieutenants but still act like a criminal, while a Tilean mercenary encourages the development of "merchant guilds."^[1d]

Dwarf Princes

Dwarf princes almost never establish new realms in the Border Princes. Instead, they reclaim the ancient holdings of their people and work to bring them back to their former glory. This means that they take on the titles held by the ancient rulers of the place and normally try to mimic their prior forms of government. They think of themselves as the rightful rulers of a place, and unlike every other ruler in the Border Princes, they may even be able to convince the other Dwarf holds that they are legitimate Dwarf lords.^[1d]

Elf and Halfing Princes

Elf and Halfling princes are too rare for any generalization to be made about how they govern a realm. Most people believe that all Elf princes are wizards, a rumour that most encourage, but it is not true. Most people believe that all Halfling princes want to turn their realms into a giant pie shop. This has only happened once (or so most historians claim), and this prince, Max the Glutton, used his enemies, and then his subjects, as his favoured ingredients.^[1d]

Native Princes

Those princes native to the lands of the Border Princes tend to be ruthlessly pragmatic, doing whatever it looks like might work to maintain their realm at a particular moment. They have almost no respect for tradition, and their respect for military force is only tempered by their knowledge of its limitations. Unsurprisingly, they are often the most successful lords of the Border Princes, as they have the best knowledge of local conditions.^[1d]

Bretonnian Princes

Bretonnian princes almost invariably assume the trappings of knighthood, whether they were nobly born or the rudest peasant, and establish a government based on their home kingdom's rigid feudal system, awarding "fiefs" to their followers. These fiefs might be no bigger than a single house in the lone settlement ruled by the prince, but it is the honour, not the size, that matters.^[2a]

Many make some pretense of worshipping the Lady of the Lake and may even build a Grail Chapel. Others feel that they need a Grail Maiden at their side and so elevate some camp follower to the role. "Maiden" is normally a spectacularly inappropriate designation; these people are popularly known as "Drinking Harlots," an insulting title with the added bonus of accuracy in most cases.^[2a]

Bretonnian princes often name their fiefs after themselves and name the capital settlement after the fief. If they rule multiple villages, those places are often named after the subordinates who have been made into the lords of those areas. Bretonnian princes are the most likely to title themselves "Duke;" a few charmingly naive ones even petition the King of Bretonnia to recognize their status.^[2a]

The vast majority of ruling Border Princes are of Bretonnian blood, being descended from the Knights Errant who conquered the land after the Great Crusade Against Araby.^[2a]

Imperial Princes

Princes native to the Empire of Man often emulate the stronger emperors of that realm, with a heavy emphasis on military power. Sigmar is often worshipped in these regions of the Border Princes, and the princes may try to reproduce the institutions of the Empire in miniature. This may extend to the Elector Counts, though such figures rarely have the power to actually vote to choose their next ruler. In some cases, a prince has stipulated that his successor be chosen in this way; all such realms have collapsed into anarchy after the assassination of the prince by one of the "electors." This does not guarantee that it will always happen that way in the future, but that's the way to bet.^[1d]

Some such princes try to reproduce other features of Imperial society, such as the Cult of Sigmar, the Knightly Orders, or the witch hunters. A few try to reproduce the Colleges of Magic, but that invariably leads to the destruction of the realm by Chaos Cultists of the Ruinous Powers nurtured in the rogue Colleges' very bosom.^[1d]

It is common for these princes to call their capitals "Altdorf," "New Altdorf," or something similar. Those from other regions of the Empire might prefer "Middenheim" or "Nuln" as the base, and the names of other Imperial cities are attached to tiny hamlets. This practice has led to the inhabitants giving all the places called Altdorf different epithets to distinguish them: "Drunken Altdorf" is the location of a particularly fine winery, "Soggy Altdorf" is in a swamp, and "Stinky Altdorf" is the home of tanners. All are examples that have been around for so long that the names have stuck.^[1d]

Tilean Princes

A mercenary of Ricco's Republican Guard carrying the head of a Border Prince's adversary.^[1o]

Most Border Princes who hail from Tilea are normally mercenaries, so specifically Tilean characteristics and simply mercenary ones are hard to differentiate. Tilean princes are very likely to honour Myrmidia and almost invariably centre their realm on the largest settlement in the area. Most encourage traders in that settlement to form a guild of merchants and proclaim the wealth and culture of their lands. Hardly any get beyond proclaiming wealth and culture, however.^[1d]

Other Princes

Lords of the Border Princes can be from anywhere at all, and some of them left home specifically to leave behind elements of their culture that they found distasteful or injured them in some fashion. Thus, these princes can rule their domains in many different ways, using any number of different cultural or political templates.^[1d]

Unusual Princes

Aside from the typical princes that can be found across the Border Princes there are also unique princes who rule a domain. They are almost certainly the only prince of this type in the whole region where they reside.^[1d]

Some princes has come from somewhere beyond the Old World, such as Araby, Ind, or even far off Grand Cathay. They have sometimes proclaimed their origins openly or kept them as a deep secret; either way, few people really know what it means to be Arabyan, or whatever. Such people often look quite different from inhabitants of the Old World, having strange-coloured skin and odd hair, which means that many people think them mutants. Some of them might indeed be mutants who have just managed to convince others that two mouths are normal where they come from.^[1d]

A Chaos Warrior or Chaos Sorcerer can rule an area. Normal princes may be secret servants of the Ruinous Powers but these princes serves the Chaos Gods quite openly.^[1d]

Even a Daemon has sometime found a way to stay in the mortal world and ruled a principality. The region under a Daemon's influence is a festering pit of corruption, literally if the Daemon serves Nurgle, but the creature is not strong enough to take on all of its neighbours at once. Thus, it plays them off against one another in ways depending on its nature.^[1d]

Some non-humanoid monsters, such as an Ogre, Werecreature or Dragon have been known to forge temporary domains in the Border Princes.^[1d]

A number of intelligent Undead are scattered around the Border Princes, but most are not interested in ruling a fief with Human subjects. Occasionally, however, one takes inspiration from the von Carsteins.^[1d]

Notable Border Princes

• Karolina Aquilena - Karolina Aquilena, known as the "Slayer of Queens," is the daughter of Baron Carrard, an infamous Bretonnian exile of Kasos Rock whose crusade into the Land of the Dead earned the ire of Settra himself. She ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Desa Donalba - Desa Donalba, known as the "Bloody Baron," is an infamous Estalian prince, cast out of his homeland for reasons unknown. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a] Even in far Bretonnia the troubadours regal the tavern folk with lurid songs of honourless miscreants such as him, Cecil Gastonne, and the murderous Maid of Mousillon, Adalene Monteaux.^[38b]

• Gunter Dunkelmund - Lord Gunter Dunkelmund, the "Broken King," is the man who once believed himself the rightful King of Middenland and has endured long decades of suffering in the Border Princes since he escaped his cell beneath the Fauschlag Rock. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Jurgen Esselhafen - Prince Jurgen Esselhafen, the "Lord of Paupers," is a mercenary prince rumoured to be in the employ of Marienburg. Jurgen is involved in much illicit trade through the many ports in the Border Princes. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Cecil Gastonne - Sir Cecil Gastonne, known as the "Wyrm Slayer," is infamous Bretonnian exile who won great renown whilst defending the Border Princes from the Undead armies of Settra the Imperishable. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Harkon - The origins of Lord Harkon and the tales of how he came to reside in the ruins of Ulfreya are shrouded in mystery. Very few denizens of the Border Princes venture near his darkened keep. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Jaardorf the Treacherous - The people of Brovska whisper that the recently arrived lord of Castle Drakweir, Baron Jaardorf the Treacherous, rode into the Border Princes barely a few horse lengths ahead of the duke whose trust he betrayed. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Adalene Monteaux - Adalene Monteaux, known as the "Cursed Maid of Mousillon", is one of many Bretonnians residing within the Border Princes. The Cursed Maid chose exile rather than accept responsibility for the terrible fate that befell her tenant farmers. She ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Fulma Ortegeta - What crimes Lord Fulma Ortegeta, known as the Don of the Red River, committed in Estalia, none can remember, for he has resided in the Border Princes for three score years and more. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Julien Pontenne - Sir Julien Pontenne, "The Craven", unlike the other knights of Bretonnia who are renowned for their bravery, is renowned only for how far his cowardly flight carried him from his home in Lyonesse. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Karl Raachwald - Karl Raachwald, known as the "Hermit Prince," was once a prince of the Reikland. Herr Raachwald was driven from his home after being accused of being a spy for Talabheim. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Fredo Tordorno - Prince Fredo Tordorno, once a popular merchant prince in Tilea, now lives in exile, hiding from his numerous enemies. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

• Ricardo Barolo - Barolo was a Border Prince as well as the Prince of Miragliano, patron of the experimental Steam Tank project that still bears his name.

• Valdos Uvetovsk - The Kislevite boyar Valdos Uvetovsk, known as the "Oath-Breaker", came to the Border Princes to flee the myriad enemies he had made in his frigid homeland. For one as treacherous as Valdos Uvetovsk, the distance between Kislev and the Border Princes may not be enough to escape his enemies. He ruled around ca. 2276 IC.^[5a][3a]

Sources

• 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Renegade Crowns (RPG)
  • 1a: pp. 19-21
  • 1b: pp. 22-23
  • 1c: pg. 24
  • 1d: pp. 25-26
  • 1e: pg. 27
• 2: Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (5th Edition)
  • 2a: pg. 5a
• 3: Warhammer: The Old World website
  • 3a: Explore the Old World (Interactive Map)
• 4: Lords of the Lance (Novel) by Graham McNeill
  • 4a: Ch. 6
• 5: Warhammer Community - Discover Warhammer: The Old World's Ultimate Getaway for Exiled Lords and Rotten Princes