House von Tasseninck was an Imperial noble house that held the Elector Countship of Ostland until the Turmoil of 2512 IC.[5a]
The von Tassenincks came to power following the downfall of Ostland's ruling House von Königswald. Oswald von Königswald had been involved in a quest to defeat the necromancer Constant Drachenfels and was later discovered to have been possessed by the spirit of the Great Enchanter.[2a][3a]
The actions of Oswald brought ruin on the von Königswalds, and during a night of flashing steel and fire their home was raided by Templar Witch Hunters and the Knights of Morr. Rumours suggest that Oswald had been possessed by a dark power and that his death at the hands of a Sudenland baron was a mercy.[2a][4a]
Proud Ostlanders rankled at the fact that their champion had been revealed to be corrupt and treasonous. Refusing to be humbled, they turned to the hotheaded Hans-Hals von Tasseninck to rule in Oswald's stead.[1a][4a]
In 2512 IC, Hans-Hals' son, Crown Prince Hergard von Tasseninck, embarked on an expedition into the Grey Mountains, where he was slain by a Skaven agent working on a tip from the Chaos Cult known as the Purple Hand.[4c]
Purple Hand agents then spread rumours that Crown Prince Hergard's murderers were mercenaries under the command of Grand Duke Gustav Krieglitz of Talabecland. Diplomatic attempts to persuade the two noble houses to set aside their differences failed, resulting in part of the Empire-wide civil strife later referred to as the Turmoil of 2512 IC.[4a]
In the aftermath of the Turmoil, House von Tasseninck was stripped of the electoral office, which was transferred to Valmir von Raukov. Under the von Raukovs, order and stability returned to Ostland.[1a][4b]
Notable Members[]
- Borys von Tasseninck - Borys was the Elector Count of Ostland ca. 2000 IC. He famously refused to supply the province's State Troops with gunpowder weapons out of stinginess, not wanting to waste perfectly good swords and spears.[7a]
- Gerson von Tasseninck - Gerson was the head of House von Tasseninck during the reign of Emperor Dieter IV.
- Hans-Hals von Tasseninck III - Hans-Hals III was the Elector Count of Ostland from ca. 2505 until 2512 IC.[4c][6]
- Hergard von Tasseninck - Crown Prince Hergard was the son of Hans-Hals, killed in the machinations of the Purple Hand Chaos Cult to help bring on the civil strife of the Turmoil of 2512 IC.
- Ulli von Tasseninck - Ulli von Tasseninck was a professor at the University of Altdorf. Alongside his colleague Brustellin, he was an important figure in Altdorf's revolutionary movement. He championed religious freedom and taught his students about the crimes of the Empire's aristocracy. But von Tasseninck was executed without trial during the Waterfront War in 2506 IC. Following his death, the Ulli von Tasseninck School of Religious Studies was established at the University of Altdorf as the university's college of theology with funding from his family and from the Knights of Everlasting Light. Ugly rumours continue to swirl about von Tasseninck's personal conduct. It is said that he was a depraved criminal and that he abused his servants. Perhaps because of these rumours, the statue of von Tasseninck that stands outside his namesake college had its head removed and stolen by an unknown vandal. The statue remains headless, though pranksters sometimes put a pumpkin in its place.[2b]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
- 1a: pg. 76
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Altdorf - Crown of the Empire (RPG)
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Enemy in Shadow Companion (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 13
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Flames (RPG)
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of the Empire Vol. 1 (RPG)
- 5a: pg. 13
- 6: Drachenfels (Novel) by Jack Yeovil
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Sea of Claws (RPG)
- 7a: pg. 29