"We were travelling from Miragliano to Trantio. Somehow, we had found ourselves in the midst of one of the Tileans' interminable civil wars and had to be at our diplomatic best to avoid upsetting every side at once. Professor von Gronighof's research had little to do with the political climate, so we were managing to gain access to the historical sources he was after. He claimed that cairns in the foothills of the Appucinis might hold a clue to the fabled skeletal court of Lumbrusco, though this hypothesis has yet to be rigorously tested."
- —Notes about Marius von Gronighof's journey[3a]
Lumbrusco, sometimes spelled Lambrusco, was once a Tilean city-state located near the Apuccini Mountains. It was ruled by Duke Fabriano of Lumbrusco.[1]
The city increased its fortunes thanks to the military prowess of the mercenary captain Ennio Mordini and his mercenary company.[1]
But the neighboring state of Organza feared that too much power would turn the mercenary troop against their master, so when Duke Fabriano was asked that the mercenaries be eliminated as part of an alliance between Lambrusco and Organza, the Duke of Lumbrusco, who was also worried about his mercenaries loyalty, did not think about it twice and accepted.[1]
Five years after the assassination of Ennio Mordini and his mercenaries, his company returned in the form of unstoppable Undead Skeletons later known as the "Nightmare Legion." They took revenge attacking the city of Lumbrusco, and tore it to the ground.[1]
Every living being in the city was slaughtered in one night, with the exception of the traitorous duke, whose death is said to have lasted seven days and nights. It is said that the Skeletons re-fortified the ruins of Lumbrusco and that Mordini is now courting his Undead there, but there is no living person who has seen it and can tell about it.[1]
Even so, the town is considered part of the territory of the Principality of Pavona, though Princess Lucrezzia Belladonna does not seem to have power over the town at all.[2a]
History[]
Some unfortunate event eventually undermined the alliance between Fabriano of Lumbrusco and the Duke of Organza. At the centre of the scandal were three initiated priestesses and the son of the Duke of Organza who, with the help of a string and an apple, must have done something obscene. What made it all the more serious was the fact that one of the initiates was in fact the youngest of Fabriano's daughters.[1]
Whether this event actually happened or if it was just a rumour intended to trap Captain Ennio Mordini and serve as an excuse for the deaths of Mordini and his company is not known.[1]
Timeline[]
- 2283 IC - Smarra Udolpho invites the household of Isabelle di Lambrusco to visit the Udolpho estate to celebrate their impending nuptials. Isabelle's jealous brother murders her on the eve of the wedding. She returns from the grave to haunt the estate as the Spectre Bride.[2b]
- 2406 IC - The mercenary general Ennio Mordini is employed by Duke Fabriano of Lumbrusco to make war on his neighbour, the Duke of Organza. Ennio performs competently. In fact, he is so competent that he begins to make his employer increasingly nervous for his own position.[2b]
- 2411 IC - The Duke of Organza offers to make peace with Duke Fabriano and in secret meetings the two dukes agree that Ennio Mordini must be killed as the cornerstone of their new alliance. Duke Fabriano orders Mordini to attack Organza via a mountain pass, and Mordini walks into an ambush and is slain along with his mercenaries.[2b]
- 2416 IC - An army of Skeletons flying the tattered banner of Ennio Mordini march from the previous resting place in the Appucini Mountains. They lay siege to the city of Lambrusco, overrun it, wipe out its entire Human population (reducing it to a town) and fortify it.[2b]
Nightmare Legion Uniform[]
Heraldry of the Nightmare Legion
Mordini's Nightmare Legion colours used to be green and gold. Although they no longer wear anything that could be recognised as a uniform, the colours are sometimes visible on the tattered rags of clothing that occasionally survive. Their shields are dark green with gold rims, and portray a skull with a red surround.[1]
Notable Inhabitants[]
- Ennio Mordini - Mordini was one of the most renowned mercenary captains of Tilea's Era of Enlightenment. He claimed he was blessed by both Myrmidia, the god of war and strategy, and Morr, the god of the dead. Since his assassination he has returned from the dead as the revenant captain of the Nightmare Legion and will not find peace in death again until he is satisfied that his vengeance is complete.
Trivia[]
The name of the city is both spelled Lambrusco and Lumbrusco in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms; this is likely a typo as "Lumbrusco" is the original name in the miniature box.[1]
Lambrusco is also a famous Italian wine.
Sources[]
- 1: The Nightmare Legion box (3rd Edition).
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms (RPG)
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Tribes and Tribulations (RPG)
- 3a: pp. 66-67