Helmgart is an Imperial fortress and market town nestled in the Grey Mountains. It guards the Bretonnian border at Axe Bite Pass.[1a]
The fortress of Helmgart consists of three great sets of curtain walls, carved directly out of the granite mountainside. Another wall runs from the fortress to the other side of the valley. Anyone travelling Axe Bite Pass must pass through this wall, which has only a single gate. The fortress has a commanding view of the surrounding area, and an uninhibited line of fire at a long stretch of the Axe Bite Pass road.[2a]
Helmgart is garrisoned by numerous regiments, the most famous of which are the handgunners known as Mackensen's Marauders. The responsibilities of Helmgart's garrison include manning the fortress's walls, patrolling the pass, and protecting trade caravans from bandits and greenskins.[2a]
However, Helmgart is not only an important fortress, it is also a major trade town. In Helmgart's Marketplatz can be found Bretonnian merchants selling brandy, wine, fabrics, and arms; Dwarfs selling ingots of silver, lead, and iron mined in the Grey Mountains; as well as Reiklander merchants selling the goods of that province.[2a]
History[]
Around the 21st century IC, in 25th Kaldezeit of an imprecise year, Helmgart was besieged by Orcs and Goblins moving through Axe Bite Pass. This siege was of such an intensity that the General Claus Steinbad of Reikland had to request a contingent of fifty Reikland pike to Helmgart from Blood Keep to bolster the army, along with a regiment of Tilean crossbows.[3a]