hen the Empire was racked by a vicious civil war, Mannfred deemed it time to strike. His Undead legions crossed the Sylvanian border in the depths of winter and marched through the snows to Altdorf. They put any villagers they met to the sword and adding them to the ranks of their army. In the infamous Winter War of 2032, Mannfred defeated several hastily assembled Imperial armies that attempted to block his path. Victory followed victory and mere rumours of Mannfred's approach were enough to send villagers fleeing from their homes to freeze to death in the snow. His force reached Altdorf in late winter, and he arrived to find the city battlements empty of defenders.

Triumph filled Mannfred. He looked set to take the Empire's greatest city when the Grand Theogonist Kurt III appeared on the battlements and began to recite the Great Spell of Unbinding from the Liber Mortis. Seeing his followers begin to crumble to dust, Mannfred ordered a hasty retreat. Although he was probably the most powerful of the Vampire Counts, his foes now seemed prepared to meet the Undead threat head on.

Mannfred marched his battered army down the Reik to Marienburg. He intended to lay siege to the port, but found his plan thwarted by the army of Marienburg and a company of High Elves who had recently established a trading colony there. Among the Elves was the High Mage Finreir whose awesome power turned the battle against Mannfred's force at the crucial moment. Mannfred settled down for a lengthy siege until his scouts revealed that an army from Altdorf was fast coming up behind him. He was forced to lift the siege and flee back the length of the Empire. So began a long game of cat and mouse, where neither side was entirely sure who was the cat. Mannfred's army would be whittled away by armies of the various Imperial states and then would replenish itself after a great victory.

Eventually, Mannfred was driven back into the Sylvanian forests. Determined not to make the same mistake as they had before, the desperate nobles of the Empire swore a truce among themselves and slowly but surely began to scour the Sylvanian woods. In this task, they were aided by the Dwarfs. Now united, the citizens of the Empire were relentless. Eventually Mannfred was brought to battle at Hel Fenn and cut down by the Count of Stirland as he attempted to flee. His body was lost at the very edge of the great swamp and was never found. For his feat, Martin, Count of Stirland, claimed all of Sylvania and added it to his domains. Since no one else actually wanted to claim the accursed land, no one gainsaid him. Thus was ended the threat of the Vampire Counts, or so it seemed.

Mannfred von Carstein

But Mannfred did not perish at Hel Fenn as most believe. He has been sleeping and gathering strength in Sylvania these many years. During the Storm of Chaos, though the majority of Crom's host was met in Peak Pass by the Dwarfs of Karak Kadrin, there were still many thousands of Chaotic warriors in smaller forces and warbands that made their way into the Empire by more treacherous, less obvious routes. It is no surprise then, that many of these Chaos worshippers crossed the unmarked boundaries into the lands of the Vampire Counts. The forces of Chaos weathered many attacks from the Undead, who thinned the invaders' numbers dramatically. Though dreadfully afraid of the foes they faced, the warriors were scared even more by the thought of failing the Conqueror and their own Dark Gods. They pressed on despite their losses, and the attacks of the Vampires and their shambling legions grew ever more frequent.

The fighting stirred Mannfred von Carstein from his deathly slumber. Ruler of all Sylvania and most deadly of the Vampire Counts, Mannfred resolved to crush this invasion of his ancestral lands. Then perhaps, his eyes will turn westward, to the Empire.

RULES

Rules for Mannfred von Carstein can be found in Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts.

THE STORM OF CHAOS

While defending his lands against Crom's the Conqueror's forces, Mannfred von Carstein became an incidental ally to the coalition of Men, Elves, and Dwarfs. However, had he been given the opportunity, it is certain that in defeating the Chaotic hordes that occupied his lands, Mannfred would have undoubtedly exploited the turmoil caused by the Storm of Chaos to further his own goals which, perhaps one day, will see him lead an assault on the Empire once again.

Mannfred can command a Vampire Counts army or a Sylvanian Militia army, in which he uses up a Lord choice and two Hero choices.

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The Army of Sylvania | Vampire Counts Miniatures Range

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