Tale of Roberto Contagliocini, Free Halberdier of the Empire
From the Annals of Joachim von Treitschke, Royal Historian of Talabecland, in Service of Elector Count Helmut Feuerbach, first of his name:
Historical records of Roberto Contagliocini are spotty before the events of The Battle of Wernigerode Spire (Imperial Calendar reckoning 2506). We know that Contagliocini was born in Tilea, and had escaped some manner of criminal record there by moving north to the Empire. He took a position as a Wheelwright's aid in the city of Talabheim sometime before 2503, as I managed to uncover a documents arranging for his unusual (because of his advanced age) apprenticeship to certain mister Claus Stellmacher in the river quarter of the city. At some point, Contagliocini must have purchased the required weapon and uniforms to allow him to muster into a standing regiment of Talabheim Halberdiers, as the next record of him I was able to find was a commissioned painting done upon his joining of the regiment. In those days, the security of the Empire seemed more certain, and the wearing of the Red and White served more as a social club than a military force--no doubt Contagliocini joined to improve his connections to other businessmen in the city in hopes of improving his situation.
It must have seemed a lark, then, when the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic Balthasar Gelt himself raised an expedition that included Contagliocini's Talabheim Halberdiers regiment. Retrieving records from the Colleges of Magic is a lengthy process at the best of times, and little exists of why Gelt assembled the force. Rumors had it that he had recruited the Legendary Valten to help lead his forces. While records of the remaining Golden Order Knights do recount a man called Valten leading one of their columns, it may have been one of the many coincidences (as so-called Valten sightings come every spring as frequently as robins and rain showers). Those same records are what recount the tale of Roberto Contagliocini (or "Halberdier Bob" as the surviving Golden Knights came to calling him--an imprecise nickname at best, and one that my own historical account will certainly eschew). Contagliocini's regiment was joined by a large group of Middenland Halberdiers, two columns of Golden Knights, a group of Stirland Greatswords, a unit of Pistoliers, and an artillery train that contained two Steam Tanks and assorted Mortars, Cannon, and a Hellblaster. The forces were led by Patriarch Gelt himself, aided by the "Valten" amidst the Knights and another of the College of Metal: Detlef Rothbauer.
In my exchanges with the Colleges of Magic, I did manage to gain access to reading a tome detailing the life and supposed death of Detlef Rothbauer, which shed what little light it could on the battle that defined Contagliocini's career. Apparently the College of the Lore of Metal had been seeking some sort of powerful artifact that lay within a lone spire known as Wernigerode, near the mountainous southern border of the Empire. The record seemed to suggest that Patriarch Gelt and Rothbauer had summoned the army to provide protection for their exploration of the tower, though against who was unclear. The author of the tome about Rothbauer suggested "the viliest [sic] elves that dost drapest [sic] their nether regions in the moss of the forest" were the foes that Gelt feared in his exploration. The account goes on to record that once they reached the spire, the regiment of Greatswords was sent in to investigate while the rest of the army made camp.
The records of the Golden Order Knights report that it was when the Wernigerode Spire was being searched by the Greatswords that the army of Dwarfs trailed down from the nearby mountains. At first, it was little cause for alarm--the Dwarfs and Empire were frequent allies, and perhaps some strong Dwarf ale could be purchased from their visitors. Patriarch Gelt and Battle Mage Rothbauer left the tower in the hands of the Greatswords and went to parley with the Dwarf commanders. The records detail that there seemed to be somewhat of a commotion surrounding a massive anvil that had been lugged down from the mountains with the Dwarf force. Gelt and Rothbauer seemed to be discussing with three aged Dwarfs, each of whom was shaking their heads and shouting in increasingly loud voices. As the shouts echoed across the field, the Empire forces began to stir and become nervous. The Dwarfs had brought a massive army of their own: two large blocks of Warriors, a group of Crossbowmen, a horde of Thunderers, a unit of Ironbreakers, a unit of Irondrakes, and at the vanguard a barely-restrained group of Dwarf Trollslayers--with their shaved heads, orange-dyed beards, and massive axes. There was also an artillery train that had accompanied the throng, with a total of seven deadly War Machines including an Organ Gun, two Cannon, two Grudge Throwers (as the Dwarfs call their catapults), a Bolt Thrower, and a Flame Cannon with its barrel full of flammable, sticky liquid.
The records fail to recount what happened next, only that in an instant Patriarch Gelt had pulled Battle Mage Rothbauer onto his pegasus and flown back to the Empire lines. With shouts of "get ready for battle, they're attacking!" Gelt arrayed his forces as the Dwarf artillery began to range in. My own educated supposition is that something within the Tower had been up for dispute. The Dwarfs have their own variety of magic, something most closely similar to that of the Lore of Metal that was studied by both Gelt and Rothbauer. What it was that might have lain so close to the wishes of two generally friendly armies that would cause them to come to war must have been powerful indeed: as the Dwarfs showed no mercy in their attack. The Pistoliers were the first to ride to the defense of the Empire, only to be pulverized by a volley of black powder shot from the Dwarf Organ Gun.
Records of the battle reveal that Patriarch Gelt leveraged his magic to extreme effect in the course of the battle. While it may have been powered by fury alone at whatever slights and insults were expressed from the Dwarf side, his mask gave Gelt a serene visage--a stark difference from the violence inflicted by his magical power. Using his alchemical might, a wave of his hand managed to turn a Runesmith and eight Irondrakes into solid gold statues.
The details of the Golden Order of the Knights reveal that their first foes on the field were the resolute Trollslayers. While they managed to whittle down the crazed Dwarfs, the deathblows of the dying forces began to cut down their number in worrisome fashion. What was worse is that lesser armies would have fled from such a devastating charge, but the Trollslayers just stood and accepted their fates. The unit bogged down, and many of their number fell to the strong swings of Dwarf axes.
At the same time, the Greatswords in the tower were fending off the central thrust of the Dwarf army: a Lord and his Ironbreakers. While they managed to hold and repel the attackers, their numbers were dwindling fast. That's when Patriarch Gelt demanded that Contagliocini's unit of Halberdiers replace the Greatswords in the tower. No doubt the men were worried, as the sturdiest of the Empire's foot soldiers had been almost completely demolished by the onslaught of Dwarfs. What chance would they stand?
Reports of the battle list casualty numbers more than anything else. However, the margins of the Golden Knights records contain a small hand-written note from a prior reader. I'm uncertain if this is true, but it details the fate of the artillery train the Empire brought with them. The entry reads as follows: "First Steam Tank: destroyed by catapult shot crashing down onto boiler, resultant explosion killing all crew and destroying tank. Second Steam Tank: persistent malfunctions in valves and gears left it mostly inoperable, eventually wrecked by fire from enemy Organ Gun. Cannon and Hellblaster: initial success until enemy catapult fire demolished both. Mortars: largely ineffective against the heavy armor and innate toughness of Dwarfs, also destroyed by counter-battery fire from catapults. Must research why such low technology proved so effective. -G.K.B." Who this "G.K.B." was, and how they knew these facts about the battle, remains an unsolved mystery. However, if true it tells much about why the Dwarfs seemed to take such an upper hand in the battle.
In the history of Rothbauer's death, the author detailed that Rothbauer himself took refuge in the Spire during the course of the battle. It states that he and a Captain of the Empire--whose name is not recorded--took cover there with a unit of Talabheim Halberdiers containing, and I quote: "a most peculiar fellowe [sic] named Roberto Contagliocini. While the other soldiers were prone to panic, Contagliocini's relaxed Tilean accent and cavalier attitude in the face of the Dwarfe [sic] menace heartened his fellows to repel no less than three assaults by the metal-suited Ironbreakers upon their position."
The accounts from the Golden Order of Knights focused more on the events of the battlefield, and their fallen brethren. The Dwarf Trollslayers cut down every single one of the first column of knights, except the man the author referred to as "Valten". The history details that this mysterious rider cut down all the Trollslayers until he was face-to-face with only the toughest one remaining. While the Dwarf raged and struck with his enchanted axes, the rider managed to avoid the assault and slay the ancient berserker without a single scratch.
It is at this point that the story picks up again with the Battle Mage Rothbauer, as his history details a moment when the Dwarfs had slain "all the riders below, leaving only a distant line of the horsemen, Contagliocini's dwindling force in the tower, and the two mages from the moste [sic] potent and eternal College of Metal to finish the battle." Whether the so-called Valten perished then or held up the Dwarf lines for some time further is a matter of dispute between the two texts. However, the history of Rothbauer takes a far more self-centric turn at this point in its narrative. According to the text, it was this moment--when only the mages of Metal and a few scattered forces remain--that Patriarch Gelt and Rothbauer truly began to unleash the power of alchemy upon their foes. They worked their magics to enhance the Halberdiers in the tower, summoning cloaks of pure shimmering metal to surround the troops and aid them in defense. While the assaults continued from the Ironbreakers, fewer Halberdiers were dying--however few might be too many. The mages then focused on the Ironbreakers that were besieging the tower. They turned so many of their number into golden statues that only two remained standing alive next to the Dwarf Lord. Gelt then struck down the remaining Ironbreakers with a Searing Doom, and tore the Dwarf Lord's armor asunder with the deadly metal jaws of Ghenna's Golden Hounds--leaving the bearded foe severely wounded, barely alive, and alone at the base of the tower. However, all that energy proved to be too much for Detlef Rothbauer, whose magics unleashed a (again quoting): "dimensional cascade to a plane of pureste [sic] molten flame, in the center of which I caught a glimpse of Rothbauer's body burned to a crispe [sic] like a morning rasher of bacon." As to who penned the account of Rothbauer, I can only guess that it was Patriarch Gelt himself, as the remainder is a reflection on the nature of the Colleges of Magic and the exploration that death through flames might yield to one with sufficient protections.
For the remainder of the narrative of The Battle of Wernigerode Spire, I rely upon the accounts of the Golden Order of Knights, penned by those seven who survived the battle--and what second-hand personal accounts of Contagliocini I could record myself. All of these histories detail the fact that the second column of Knights had swung around the side, and were eliminating the machines of war that the Dwarfs had arrayed.
The tales from Contagliocini himself--passed on to his son, Emiglio, who related them to me--tell of one Knight who remained below. I'll use Emiglio's words: "Dad told me that the last assault had wiped out every one of his fellow Halberdiers. He looked down over the edge of the tower and saw two figures valiantly fighting on below. One was Balthasar Gelt, the magician on the flying horse, who blasted away at the Dwarfs with searing spells of molten gold. The other was a man who had ridden with the central column of Knights. Dad said it was him, it was Valten himself. The man survived for round after round against the Dwarfs that were surrounding him, managing to slay a few each time and hold on long beyond what a single man should. And Dad said 'that's why I fought so hard, Son.' Dad knew that the Empire depended on men like him to be like Valten, to stand up and fight even in the face of overwhelming enemies."
The records of the Golden Order of Knights detail that when the second column arrived back at the center of the fight they became entangled with a massive horde of Dwarf Thunderers. In the distance, they spied the last of their number fall to the Dwarfs surrounding him (again, this mysterious "Valten": who if he fell to the Dwarfs and was slain where he stood could not actually be the mythical farmhand-turned-warrior the peasants whisper about). They also watched as Patriarch Gelt withdrew from the field under fire from the remaining Dwarf artillery. However, the Knights fought on slowly grinding away at the Thunderers. While Dwarf morale held, it became clear that soon enough the Knights would break through and destroy the remaining Dwarf war machines.
The Golden Knights watched as the Dwarfs mounted a last-ditch attempt at taking the Spire. Four miners that had tunneled up from the far side of the field remained from a unit turned to gold by Patriarch Gelt's parting enchantment. The quartet rushed the doors and presumably made their way up the tower. The account then says that a desperate fight broke out on the battlement, with a lone Halberdier fighting against the four. He slashed quickly, slaying one of the Miners--the Dwarf's body fell the long distance down to the earth with a sickening thud. The Dwarfs then swung their heavy picks, yet failed to injure the Halberdier. His own parries deflected the attacks, despite the assault being driven with the grudge-fueled hatred of the Miners. And despite the odds, the Halberdier's morale held firm in the face of the attack. The Miners, realizing they were unable to even hit him, retreated out of the building. The fleeing Miners seemed to cause the other Dwarfs to give up hopes of succeeding--and with the threat of the Knights breaking through the last Thunderers they retreated from the field.
The Golden Order of Knights recount dismounting and running up the stairs, and finding the top of the tower slick with blood. In the center, breathing heavily but un-injured, was that single Halberdier: Roberto Contagliocini. Not knowing what Patriarch Gelt had even wanted with the tower, their tiny force had held it for the Empire. The Knights entered Contagliocini's name into their record books, and tell the tale of riding with him back to his home in Talabheim to a hero's welcome. As is always the case with documents from Knightly Orders, their accounts are frustratingly lacking. The last information I could find from them was that Contagliocini carried as spoils a golden pick wrenched from the hands of a transmuted Dwarf miner, along with a large cask of Dwarf ale. According to them, he planned to sell the pick and buy as many whores as Talabheim could offer. Contagliocini's son Emiglio reported a different tale, one of a loving father who settled into a modest business and raised three children until the Empire called upon his regiment again this past Spring. Whether he will return successful and valiant from this campaign is unknown, but the mining pick of pure gold still hangs upon the mantle of his home, waiting for his safe return.
Gaming Notes
This was a pretty epic battle, with 4,500 points per side, between Tom's Empire versus my Dwarfs. We correctly predicted that it would be a bloody confrontation, but didn't realize just how bloody. He had only one Halberdier and seven Knights left at the end of the game, and most of my units were destroyed or severely decimated. However, it was the "Watchtower" scenario, so all that mattered was who controlled it. And Tom's side controlled it. With a single Halberdier--who managed to make his leadership and push my last unit away on the last turn of the game. In a game that went eight turns long due to random game length. It was truly epic, as my assaults continued to dwindle the forces holding the tower, but they remained firm turn after turn, only to see my assaulting units be utterly demolished by the Empire's magic and shooting. Great game, even though I ended up losing the match.
I also managed to secure a fairly difficult Dwarf Achievement, as my Organ Gun generated 112 shots during the course of the battle. Of course, it hit with less than half of them as for some reason my shooting was really poor. But that's a fearsome number of blasts for an enemy to face, and it cut the right flank of the Empire to ribbons.
On the painting progress side, I managed to add nine more models: one Lord, one War Machine, and seven troops models to complete the front rank of a unit.
Daemonslayer
This model is an Avatars of War Dwarf Berserker. Given that I'm using the Avatars of War plastics for my other Trollslayers, I figured he would be a good one to add. At some point Games Workshop will do their own plastic Trollslayers (I hope), and I'll make a second unit of those--so I'm keeping these bald, while those will no doubt have the characteristic mowhawks that GW seems to love so much. This was a fun model to paint, as he's got a lot of small gems and runes all over him that I could highlight with the blue, as well as scar tissue on his arms and head--which I always think adds a lot of character to a model.
Flame Cannon
With this completed, I have at least one of each of the static War Machines that the Dwarfs can field (and two in the case of Cannons, Grudge Throwers, and Organ Guns). The Flame Cannon can be deadly in the right situations, and in this game I had one shot that devastated a unit of Halberdiers--but for the most part it was off-target or ineffective on its first outing. It also managed to destroy itself in a violent misfire.
Seven Thunderers
For any battle, I always want to have at least the front rank of my force painted. Thus, these Thunderers were needed to finish up that new unit. It was harder to add diversity with them than other units, and I need to get my hands on a fair number of old-style Thunderers to really make the unit look diverse. But I was pleased with the progress here at least.
Battles
Total 2015: 18 (Win/Loss/Tie: 11/5/2)
Total 2014: 15 (Win/Loss/Tie: 8/6/1)
Skaven:
7 Wins (Undead 2, Empire 1, T&T Daemons and Dwarfs, Siege Dwarfs and Bretonnians, T&T Daemons and Empire, T&T Dual Undead)
8 Losses (Lizadmen 1, Skaven 1, Empire 1, Dwarfs 1, Daemons 1, T&T Daemons 1, T&T Dwarfs 1, Special Game Nurgle)
1 Tie (Empire 1)
Dwarfs:
10 Wins (High Elves 1, Lizardmen 1, Dwarfs 3, Wood Elves 2, T&T Undead and Dwarfs, T&T Lizardmen and Wood Elves, T&T Chaos Legions and Lizardmen)
2 Losses (Dark Elves 1, Empire 1)
1 Tie (T&T Dual Undead)
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