"The Grungebringers will hold until paid their bloody gold"
- —The Grungebringers' motto.[3a]
Morgan Bernhardt and his Grudgebringers
The Grudgebringers are a famed mercenary army led by Commander Morgan Bernhardt. They have fought many battles in the south of the world: Tilea, Araby, and Sudenburg.[4a] They were the main characters of the PC games Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (1995) and Warhammer: Dark Omen (1998).
Named after their leader's powerful Grudgebringer Sword, Bernhardt's army of mercenaries enjoyed a prosperous first year of operation, commanding an unsullied respect on their home turf in the Imperial province of the Reikland. [1][2]
They had then marched to the troubled Border Princes, where they hoped to join a major campaign and prove themselves worthy of greater fortunes. [1][2]
Indeed, the Grudgebringers would go on to prove themselves without question, battling against the insidious Skaven of Grey Seer Thanquol and, in the years that followed, the Undead hordes of the Dread King.[1][2]
History[]
Shadow of the Horned Rat[]
Bernhardt and his army defeated Grey Seer Thanquol in a plot to use ancient Elven stones to destroy the lands of men.[1]
During this time, the Grudgebringers were joined by:
- Boris von Raukov and his unit of Nuln halberdiers
- Allor the Amber Wizard
- Ramon Black's unit of refugees sworn to hunt and slay Skaven
- Ceridan the lone Wood Elf ranger
- Gromdal Orcbane's dwarf crossbowmen
- Grunti Bigfoot's Ironbreakers
- The Dwarf envoy Engrol Goldtongue and his bodyguards
- More Dwarf Warriors led by Harkon Skullsplitter and another regiment led by Azguz Bloodfist
- The famous Carroburg Greatswords led by Captain Schaeffer
- Dwarf Hammerers led by Furgal Fragman
- Johann Keeler's longbowmen from Averland
- Sven Carlsson and his militia cavalry
- Vannheim's 75th heavy cavalry
- Luther Flamestrike the Bright Wizard
- Marius Ubersbrom the Celestial Wizard
- Reiksguard knights led by Captain Todbringer
- Wood Elves led by Galed and Gnarl Fist the Treeman
Dark Omen[]
Under orders from Emperor Karl Franz, Bernhardt quelled an invasion of Orcs and Undead into the Old World by destroying the Dread King. Whilst a mercenary, Bernhardt was loyal to the Empire. In this campaign, Bernhardt was joined by many others:[2]
- Sven Carlsson returned with his militia cavalry
- Luther Flamestrike returned
- Franz Erikson led the Helmgart Bowmen
- Heinz Klemper led the Countess' Guard, a unit of halberdiers acting as bodyguard to Emmanuelle von Liebwitz (who for some reason was stranded in the Reikland town of Bogenhafen)
- Azguz Bloodfist's Dwarf Warriors returned to join the army in Black Fire Pass
- Eusebio The Bleak led a unit of pessimistic Flagellants
- Dieter Schaeffer led a unit of Greatswords in red and yellow ( Talabecland ) uniform
- Darius Flugenheim, a man with a long straight beard and no moustache, commanded the Imperial cannon
- Uter Blomkwist, a man with a full thick curly red beard, commanded the Imperial Mortar
- Engineer Ludwig von Uberdorf commanded the blue and red Imperial Steam Tank
- One-eyed Jurgen Muntz led the Outlaw Infantry
- Urblab Rotgut led an Ogre unit in Ostland colours
- Vladimir Stormbringer was a wizard (assumedly from Kislev, as he used the same ice spells as Katarin the Ice Queen)
- Eric Ragnar led berserk heavy horsemen. They wore horned Norse helms, and white wolf pelts whilst wielding huge axes. Some were from Norsca, others from Kislev
- Elrod led a regiment of Wood Elf Glade Guard armed with traditional spears and garbed in long green cloaks
- Galed returned with his Wood Elf Archers
- Knarlroot the Treeman
- Stephan Weiss led a small unit of Outlaw Pistoliers
- Sir Bertrand le Grande led a unit of Knights of the Realm
- Sir Tristan de la Tour commanded the toughest unit of cavalry ever on Bernhardt's roster: Grail Knights
The Grudgebringers[]
- Commander Morgan Bernhardt personally leads the Grudgebringer Cavalry: heavily armoured warriors riding unarmoured warhorses, and bearing the colours of Altdorf (a sign of Bernhardt's loyalty).
- Lieutenant Gunther Shepke is Bernhardt's second-in-command and leads the Grudgebringer Infantry: Heavily armoured Swordsmen, they are highly experienced and proficient fighters. They fight in the colours of the Stir River Patrol.
- Corporal Willem Fletcher leads the Grudgebringer Crossbows: Crossbowmen garbed in deep red, they are well-armed and have a long range, but require a line of sight to their target. Although they wield their crossbows with considerable skill, they are not particularly effective in hand-to-hand combat. Their banner displays a crossbow on a halved field of red and orange.
- Wolfgang 'Sureshot' Schwartzkopf is the tough-as-nails soldier responsible for the Grudgebringer Cannon: Schwartzkopf sports a full beard, and a big hat. His machine fires heavy cannonballs which can tear through enemy regiments and light buildings with ease, but is progressively more inaccurate the further it fires.
- Paymaster Dietrich is the Grudgebringers' Paymaster, as well as being Bernhardt's oldest friend and ally.
Other Members[]
Bernhardt's army has contained many more units that have come and gone over time for pay, or for joint purpose, including Carlsson's Cavalry from the Border Princes, Urblab Rotgut's Mercenary Ogres from Ostland, Wood Elves, noble Bretonnians, Outlaw Bandits and many, many Imperial troops.[1]
The enigmatic handler of the Ubersreik Five, Franz Lohner, possesses a Grudgebringer shield, and supposedly spent his younger years as a Mercenary...[1][2]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer: Dark Omen (PC Game)
- 2: Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (PC Game)
- 3: Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat - Manual (PC Game)
- 3a: pg. 41
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Adventure Book (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 34-35
Gallery[]
.jpg "MB (2).jpg (59 KB)")
.jpg "MfhtChl (3).jpg (92 KB)")