"We Brigundians are a proud people, Sigmar, but that is not always a good thing. When first you came before me, I saw an opportunity to be rid of you, for I had no wish to be drawn into what I believed to be your quest to enslave all the tribes with pretty words and high ideals. But when you accepted the task of slaying Skaranorak, I realised that you spoke true and that I had acted selfishly.’"
- —King Siggurd, asking King Sigmar forgiveness for his selfish ways[2b]
Map of the tribal territories of Men in what would become the Empire during the reign of Sigmar Heldenhammer.
The Brigundians are an ancient war-like tribe of Human barbarians who populated the lands of what is today Averland in the Empire, and as such the Brigundians are the direct ancestors of the modern day Averlander. Like many other Human tribes, the Brigundians came into the lands of what would become the Empire in -1000 IC and settled within the lands between the Upper Reik River and the Aver River.[1a]
In such a land as wide, fertile and open as this, the early Brigundians were known for the value they placed on trade goods and being masters of horse and chariot warfare. From their great camps and fort at the future site of Averheim, the kings of the Brigundians made war against the Humans of the Unberogen, Asoborns, and Merogen tribes and the invading bands of Orcs and Goblins from the World's Edge Mountains. They developed good relations with the Dwarfs and often provided cavalry for their armies in exchange for their aid and craftsmanship. The Brigundians developed a reputation as fierce warriors who liked to strike fast and hard, and they had the respect of even their bitterest rivals.[1b]
The Brigundians were famous for their horsemenship and use of chariots in war.
When Sigmar sought to unify the tribes of the region, the Brigundians were one of the last major tribes he had to bring into the fold, for their lands lay near the mountains and the soon to be famed Black Fire Pass. Having been told by a Hag Witch that the Brigundians could never be brought into the fold by warfare, King Sigmar went alone towards the Brigundian lands and sought an audience with King Siggurd, the ruler of the Brigundians. King Siggurd was a man of cunning and intrigue and felt at first that Sigmar was using false promises and high ideals to enslave his tribe into his service. Sigmar was sincere about his purpose and goals and so he accepted the king's request for him to slay the fearsome Dragon Ogre, Skaranoak, as a sign of his sincerity.[2a]
When Sigmar, through sweat and blood, singlehandedly killed the fearsome beast and brought not just the fang of the beast as proof of his deed, but also a golden ring which once was claimed by King Siggurd's dead son, the king of the Brigundians saw the folly and selfishness in his early assumptions about Sigmar's motives. Siggurd felt truly guilty for having sent Sigmar on what he believed was a quest that ended in death. Sigmar, ever the humble warrior-king, forgave Siggurd and assured him that all that he had promised to the Brigundians was sincere. On that day, the Brigundians joined Sigmar's cause and became a proud founding member of the newly-formed Empire of Man.[2b]
Trivia[]
The Brigundians are likely based on the Burgundians, a real life Germanic tribe that inhabited the Rhine region of present-day Germany, Poland, Switzerland, France and Italy.
Besides the similar-sounding name, the Brigundians were also known to be a war-like tribe that later established their own kingdom and would eventually make up a key component of the Empire of Man, the Warhammer equivalent of the real world Holy Roman Empire.