"This is why they call me 'Filthy Harald.' Every filthy job, Baron. That's when people come to me. That's what I get. Every filthy job."
"Filthy" Harald Kleindeinst
Harald Kleindeinst, nicknamed "Filthy Harald", is an ex-watch captain of the Luitpoldstrasse Watch District in the Imperial capital of Altdorf. At present, he leads a division of the Dock Watch called the Atrocities Komission.
History[]
Kleindeinst was born in 2460 IC. As a watchman in the late 25th century IC, he brought the bloodiest phase of the Waterfront War to an end by killing the war chiefs of the criminal gangs known as the Hooks and the Fish. His role in this event, however, is unknown to most.[1a][2b][3a]
His first tenure as watch captain ended in 2506 IC. In that year, he killed a nobleman in defence of a young girl. Unfortunately for him, that nobleman was Ulli von Tasseninck, the Elector Count of Ostland's nephew, and Harald was quietly removed from his post and fired from the Altdorf Watch. After this, he migrated around the Empire, often serving as a guard for merchant caravans.[1b][4a]
For three years he worked for the Reik & Talabec Trading Company in Altdorf. Then, during the Beast Murders, he rejoined the Altdorf Watch. He was put in charge of his own division, called the "Atrocities Komission," which was tasked with investigating pattern killings and other unusually grisly crimes in the Docklands district of the city.[1b][2b][4b]
Appearance[]
Harald is six feet tall, clean-shaven, and, although he's middle-aged, has an intimidating physique. He remains calm in troubling situations and has a strong sense of justice. Although he certainly knows the ways of the world, he surprisingly lacks the typical watchman's cynicism.[1b]
Other members of the Dock Watch treat him with deference.[4b]
Wargear[]
"This was made by Magnin the steelsmith. It is the heaviest throwing knife in the known world. To be effective, such a weapon has to be balanced to within a thousandth of an ounce. To be thrown properly, the knife-wielder has to have an accurate sense of time, an unusual strength of wrist and the eye of a hawk. You'd better hope, scum, that those five bottles of wine I drank last night have not affected my aim this morning…"
- —"Filthy Harald" Kleindeinst[2a]
- Magnin Throwing Knife - Harald wields an 18-inch throwing knife made by the steelsmith Magnin. Its balance has been custom-designed for Harald, so the weapon is deadly in his hands, and absolutely useless in anybody else's. It can also be used in melee combat. Magnin mixed some silver into the steel of the blade in order to make the weapon more potent against the Undead.[1b][2a][2c]
Canon Conflict[]
White Dwarf 140 states that Kelindeinst killed von Tasseninck in 2503 IC, whereas the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition sourcebook Altdorf: Crown of the Empire states that he did so in 2506 IC.[1b][4a]
Trivia[]
Harald's nickname is a reference to the character Dirty Harry, and Paul Bonner's drawing of Harald bears some resemblance to Dirty Harry actor Clint Eastwood.