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"When one is tired of Altdorf, one is tired of life."

—Siegfried Johanson, noted rake-about-town[22a][Note 15]

Altdorf, known as the "City of Spires,"[92c] is the current capital city of the Empire, the capital of the Electoral Province of Reikland and an independent Imperial principality in its own right. As the seat of Emperor Karl Franz, Altdorf is the de facto capital of the Empire,[7p] and it has been the Imperial capital since the accession of Wilhelm III, Prince of Altdorf, almost a hundred years ago in the 25th century IC.[9e]

As the current seat of the Imperial Court, Altdorf supports a flourishing economy, which attracts all kinds of people. It is a bustling city with a substantial community of merchants, adventurers, mercenaries and fortune seekers from all across the Old World. The wealth passing through Altdorf's gates and the political intrigues that unfold within its courts also support a rotten underbelly, a den for thieves, corrupt city officials and assassins.[9e][9f] Chaos Cultists gather by night, ever-hunted by prowling witch hunters.[35e] There are certain streets that even the city watch avoids at night for fear of finding a dagger stuck between their shoulder blades.[9e][9f]

Aside from the Imperial Court, Altdorf houses many of the Empire's other preeminent institutions. The city is renowned as a centre of learning and the University of Altdorf is the most highly respected academic institution in the Empire, where lords and princes from many lands come to sit at the feet of Mankind's foremost thinkers.[3b][9e][9f][35e][40c][40d]

Altdorf is also home to some of the most important organisations in the Old World such as the Colleges of Magic -- the centres of magical lore and learning that are justly famous throughout the Empire and beyond. It is here that the Old World's finest wizards learn their art, and where the Empire's deadly Battle Wizards are trained, making it the magical capital of the Human realms of the Old World. Another great institution is the Imperial Engineers School, founded by the Tilean genius Leonardo da Miragliano, where some of the greatest inventions in the history of science have been made.[3b][9e][9f][35e][40c][40d]

Altdorf stands astride the confluence of the Rivers Reik and Talabec, and is renowned for the numerous bridges that traverse these waterways. Many of these bridges were designed by the scholars of the Imperial Engineers School, and are equipped with hissing, steam-driven pistons that raise and lower them in all manner of unusual ways, allowing the many trade ships to travel further up the Reik.[18e]

The Reiksport, home of the First Fleet of the Imperial Navy, is a deep-water harbour built on the shores of Altdorf, where ocean-going ships can unload their cargos.[9e][9f] However, if the merchants want to continue shipping their goods upriver they must transfer them to riverboats, and thus pay the relevant taxes and duties to the city.[18e]

The city also boasts the famous Imperial Zoo, which houses all manner of large and fearsome monsters, some of which are trained and harnessed as beasts of war. These creatures have been captured from every corner of the Empire, as well as a few more curious specimens from the Chaos Wastes.[3b][9e][9e]

Between merchants, pilgrims to the Holy Temple of Sigmar, and visitors to the city's numerous government buildings, libraries, and university, Altdorf sees a huge number of visitors. These visitors, in turn, are served by a large sector of inns, taverns, and breweries.[20a]

Altdorf is very well defended. It is enveloped by strong white walls with red slate roofs. It has a large garrison and is home to several knightly orders, including the famous Reiksguard.[41a]

History[]

"The stench betrays our city's true nature. It rots from within, and as it decays, so too does our mighty land!"

—Seiger Rohr, Street Preacher[32a]

Early Settlements[]

Map BL war of vengeance reik basin

High Elven and Dwarfen settlements in the Reik Basin prior to the War of the Beard. The Elven colony of Kor Vanaeth was located where Altdorf now stands.

The location of Altdorf has always been an important locus of magical energy, with one of the nexus points of the Geomantic Web having been constructed by the Old Ones where the city is now located.[74ao]

The confluence of the River Reik and River Talabec was first settled by the High Elves during the reign of the Phoenix King Bel Shanaar the Explorer (−4419 IC to −2750 IC). The Elven town established there was called Kor Vanaeth and was only a minor Elven settlement of the Old World, though Dwarf sources indicate that some suspicious magical activities occurred in the town.[74d]

Around -1850 IC,[74d] during the War of Vengeance, or the War of the Beard as the High Elves call it, the Dwarfs attacked Kor Vanaeth, under the leadership of Snorri Halfhand,[76a] and in a battle possibly fought where the Celestial College now stands,[36a] defeated the Elves. The Dwarfs toppled Kor Vanaeth's tall towers, and buried the Elven monuments there.[74d]

Following their victory, the Dwarfs occupied the site for some time, but abandoned it during the Goblin Wars. Later, some primitive, agrarian tribes of Men lived in the region. They are mostly remembered by the Ogham Stones which they raised across the area and that still stand there.[74d]

Reikdorf[]

"In Reikdorf Town did Sigmar stand
and great Empire of Man found he.
There Reik, the bless'ed river, swell'd.
Upon whose banks all great men dwell'd
and would for etern'ty.
"

—Sighardt Schneider-Koller, from Sigmar, Emperor!, 1797 IC[27a]
Warhammer Empire Barbarian

A map of the Reik basin during the life of Sigmar. Note the location of Reikdorf at the confluence of the Reik and Talabec rivers.

Around -1000 IC, bellicose tribes of Men who worshipped the Northern Gods migrated into the Reik Basin and subjugated the Ogham Stone-raisers, those who practiced the Old Faith. Among these tribes were the Unberogens, who settled what is now Reikland. By -600 IC, their chief settlement was located at the confluence of the Rivers Reik and Talabec. It was called "Reikdorf," which meant "town of the river" in the Unberogen tongue.[74d][Note 10]

They were soon bolstered by a small community of Dwarfs who assisted with the construction of the town's defences and shared their expertise in blacksmithing. In recognition of its many armouries, the Dwarf quarter soon became known as "Metallschlacke."[74d]

The islands at the confluence of the rivers were strategically important.[74d] The town had access to good fisheries, fertile farmlands,[61] productive red clay deposits used for pottery, and fine pastures in the alluvial plain. The Unberogens were known for their wealth in cattle, and the ferocity with which they defended their herds.[74d] Archaeological investigations suggest that at least two areas of modern Altdorf lie over prehistoric settlements. The Königplatz is said to be on the site of the Unberogen chieftain's palace while the hill on which the Imperial Palace is built then housed an early fortress and watchtower.[74d]

In −30 IC the child Sigmar was born to Reikdorf's chieftain and chieftess. The boy grew up to be strong and charismatic, even winning the gratitude of the Dwarf High King Kurgan Ironbeard after saving him from the clutches of Orcs.[74d] Altdorfers claim that Sigmar was born there, but so do burghers in towns all across the Reikland.[41f]

After Sigmar was made chief of the Unberogens, he led a campaign of vengeance against the marauding Norsii for the murder of his father, and defied Teutogen brigands who raided his tribe's cattle. He became convinced that the Human tribes could not flourish in the region unless they were unified and directed under his leadership, and he led the Unberogens in a campaign of conquest until twelve tribes recognised him as their overlord and king. Sigmar then marched an army to Black Fire Pass, where a horde of Orcs and Goblins had mustered, threatening to overwhelm his Dwarf allies. The Humans and Dwarfs bloodily repulsed the Greenskins, and Sigmar demonstrated that his newborn Empire of Man was a force to be reckoned with. The date of the proclamation of the Empire is commonly referred to as 1 IC, the first year of the Imperial Calendar.[74d]

Reikdorf was the location where the High Priest of Ulric crowned Sigmar as the first emperor, and it was from here that Sigmar ruled his newly formed empire. [21b][9a][7a]

An Imperial Capital[]

Warhammer Old Sigmar

Sigmar spent his later years ruling from Altdorf.

During the reign of Sigmar as the first emperor, two roads were built to Reikdorf: one connecting it to Middenheim, and the other to Nuln.[21b] By the end of Sigmar's reign, Reikdorf was said to be the largest city ruled by Men.[61] Surplus from bumper harvests was sent to Reikdorf, along with shipments of locally produced wool, leather, pottery, and timber, and from there it was distributed throughout the Empire. A nascent merchant class emerged and crafters travelled to the city, experts in forging swords, weaving cloth, and brewing fine ales.[74d]

However, due to the electoral nature of the Empire's monarchy, the Imperial capital did not always stay in Reikdorf [21c] after the disappearance of Sigmar in 50 IC, but instead sometimes moved to the favoured city of the current holder of the Imperial throne.[7k]

Seventy-three years after the founding of the Empire, a friar named Johan Helstrum came to Reikdorf, preaching the new Sigmarite faith. He claimed to have had a vision of Sigmar being anointed and deified by Ulric himself, the patron god of Sigmar during his lifetime. Here, Helstrum spread his growing faith, becoming its first high priest or "Grand Theogonist," and eventually building a temple to Sigmar in Reikdorf. [21c][21g]

During the early years of the Empire, Reikdorf experienced a golden age of trade. Wool, leather, timber, metalwork, and ales were exported out of Reikland, bringing money and trade to the Empire's capital city.[22a][74e] Meanwhile, scholars translated many Elven works, such as the influential medical text known as the Book of Gaelen, and compiled them in Altdorf at the first great library established in the Empire.[27c] Construction of the Holy Temple of Sigmar was completed in 246 IC.[74i]

Starting around 300 IC, however, Reikdorf suffered an economic downturn brought about by internal infighting, a poor harvest, and Goblin raids. In response, walls were built around the city. The walls, in turn, brought large groups of new citizens to the city seeking the protection to be found within.[22a]

It was in 522 IC[74i] that Emperor Sigismund the Conqueror renamed Reikdorf as Altdorf, meaning the "old city."[Note 8] Sigismund also refortified the city walls with white stone with the aid of Dwarf artisans and decreed a law ordering that all buildings in the city be made of stone so as to prevent fire. This law, however, was routinely ignored. [22a][74d]

In 557 IC, Sigismund's son Siegfried the Lawgiver left Altdorf due to its horrible smell, and moved his capital to Nuln instead. Altdorf gained the nickname "The Great Reek" following a comment from Siegfried: "The reeking streets of Altdorf can go to Morr!" [22a][74d][74i] Altdorf, however, remained a significant city of the Empire due to its status as the heart and holy city of the Cult of Sigmar, a status which became increasingly important as the cult continued to expand in popularity and political power throughout the latter half of the first millennium IC.[74d]

In 924 IC, a Chaos Cult of Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and decay, called the Order of the Septic Claw, precipitated an infamous disaster. First, the city was stricken by an epidemic of Crumbling Ague. When the Cult of Shallya was on the cusp of finding a cure, the Nurglites ritually summoned a never-ending horde of Nurglings, the Lesser Daemons of the Plague God. The tiny Daemons piled on top of the Temple of Shallya in Altdorf until it collapsed, crushing all those within. Then the Daemons simply popped out of existence, returning to the Realm of Chaos.[42a][74i]

Drakwald Era[]

LudwigFat

Venal and gluttonous, Ludwig the Fat was the first Hohenbach emperor to reign from Altdorf.

Around the turn of the first millennium, in 990 IC, Grand Theogonist Zigmund II financed an extensive renovation of the Imperial Palace, which included the addition of extensive kitchens, feast halls, and a reinforced privy, for Emperor Ludwig II. The emperor was successfully lured from his old capital in Carroburg by these enhancements. Around the same time, Ludwig II granted the Grand Theogonist an electoral vote in the next Imperial election.[21d][22a][74d] This change was made during an era of increased political power for the Cult of Sigmar, which also saw the completion of the High Temple of Sigmar and the eight-volume illuminated manuscript called The Life of Sigmar which would prove instrumental in the further spread of the Sigmarite faith. [21d][22a][Note 1]

Feelings of renewed honour and confidence in the Empire and its emperor did not last. As an emperor, Ludwig II was selfish, lazy, and greedy, but he kept the Elector Counts happy. His heirs learned this essential tactic for retaining power; the Hohenbach dynasty proved to be a nasty, brutish, and thankfully short line of Altdorf-based emperors.[74d]

Emperor Boris Goldgather, also known as "Boris the Incompetent," inherited the crown in 1053 IC. His name is today a byword for grasping avarice and dithering ineptitude. He was known to be corrupt, tyrannical,[22a] easily bribed, and greedy in the extreme.[21e] While the Emperor held court in Altdorf, the titular ruler remained Prince Sigdan Holswig, who found most of his duties and responsibilities assumed by the Imperial court and whose main concern became soothing the tempers of those insulted by the Emperor's decrees.[67b]

Emperor Boris's scheme to ennoble his favourite racehorse panicked the electors, and resulted in the creation of the Prime Estates as an attempt to check Imperial power. In return for a gift of rare wines he provided Kemperbad with a charter in 1066 IC, removing its obligations to Reikland.[74d]

His reign was marked by many urban riots in Altdorf. Not only was the Emperor plagued by scandal, but several high-ranking Sigmarite clergymen were discovered to be adulterers.[22a] His friend Grand Theogonist Uthorson was wisely denounced as a follower of the Ruinous Powers, inciting further outrage. Boris’s troops bloodily suppressed the resulting riot, but resentments continued to simmer.[74d] When the Emperor revoked the tax-exemption on the Dienstleute, the lower-class soldiers in employ by the Grand Provinces, most Electors were forced to disband them.[67a] The soldiers, unable to find work to sustain themselves, instead migrated to Altdorf, seeking a redress from the Imperial Court in whose name they had fought. Organized by Wilhelm Engel, these became known as the "Bread Marchers" among the population. Poor harvests and rumours of plague brought from the south caused widespread squalor, with many of the Bread Marchers turning to crime. The Emperor willingly allowed more and more refugees to enter the city, preventing Prince Sigdan from barring the gates.[67c] Using rumours of plagues, Boris hoped to crush the Bread Marchers in a massacre that would make the Imperial Council scream in outrage, which would give him the pre-text to grant Altdorf and the Imperial Army a dispensation from his new taxes.[67d] When the Reiksknecht refused to follow this command, he disbanded their order, seized its wealth and commanded his Kaiserjaeger, the secret police lead by the peasant-born Adolf Kreyssig, to destroy what had been deemed a "rebellion".[67e]

In order to make an example, Boris ordered the beheading of the head of the Reiksknecht order, Dettleb von Schomberg.[67f] For further insult, he had ordered him beheaded with an axe like a commoner, with the executioner being instructed to botch the first strikes. The result were further riots from the population.[67f] Demonstrations followed despite the draconic attempts of the Kaiserjaegar, with the residences of several high-ranking members of Boris' court being attacked by mobs. Among the nobility, conspiracies rose to depose Boris.[67g] After the popular Arch-Lector Wolfgang Hartwich was to rumoured to be executed for treason, a mob gathered before the Courts of Justice and attempted to storm them. Lead by the surviving Bread Marchers, these rebels proved to be experienced fighters, threatening to overwhelm what few troops remained in Altdorf.[67h] Prince Sigdan tried to stage a coup to force Boris to abdicate, but was discovered.[67i] Sigdan was put to death, with Altdorf and all of his titles and possessions passing into the hands of the Imperial Crown. The attempt was not in vain, however. One member of the conspiracy escaped with Ghal Maraz, robbing the Emperor of his symbol of legitimacy and authority, as well as a signed letter of abdication that the rebels had forced the Emperor by use of arms to issue.[67j]

Yet riots only ended in 1111 with the onset of the Black Plague [22a], the worst plague to hit the Empire.[7b]

Reign of the Protector[]

In response to the unrest, Boris moved his court back to the cleaner city of Carroburg,[74e] at the onset of 1114 IC.[68a] In his stead, he placed Adolf Kreyssig, head of the Kaiserjaeger, as the Protector of the Empire and his governor over Altdorf.[68b]

Kreyssig had been a peasant, which meant that he was utterly loyal to Emperor Boris for his continued political survival, yet also passionately hated by the nobility for his low birth and by the population for his draconic rule.[68c] At the same time, religious mania spread through the city, with people pledging themselves to fanatics and zealots that offered them explanations for their suffering. Midwives, astrologers, doctors and herbalists were burned as culprits behind the plague, fueled not only by the traditional deities of the Old World, but also harsher deities like Solkan. [68d] With one of his few confidants, the Baroness von den Linden, a secret witch, Kreyssig planned to harness that fanaticism for his own cause. By installing someone as Grand Theogonist he hoped to control, Kreyssig hoped to gain the backing of the Cult of Sigmar to cement his rule.[68d]

The choice fell on Stefan Schoppe, the Lector of Helmgart. A man of great faith and beyond moral reproach, he also held a strong love for his daughter. Kreyssig intended to use this by kidnapping the daughter to extort Schoppes' obedience.[68d] He then blackmailed the Holy Synod of Sigmar into voting for Schoppe as next Grand Theogonist under threat of revealing the depths of Uthorson's corruption and the role of Grand Theogonist Thorgrad in his demise at an ecumenical council, with the intent of presenting it in a way that the Cult of Sigmar brought the Black Plague upon the people through their sinful actions. Seeing no other choice, the higher ranking priests of Sigmar accepted Kreyssig's terms.[68e]

When Kreyssig and the Baroness were nearly assassinated by a group of Solkanite fanatics, Skaven rushed in to save them, hoping to place the Protector of the Empire in their debt and blackmailing him with the threat of them assassinating the Baroness.[68f] Preparing himself for the inevitable conflict with the ratmen, Kreyssig shared the discovery with the new Grand Theogonist, who had assumed the name Gazulgrund. With the blessing of the Cult of Sigmar, Kreyssig confiscated much noble property within the city, allegedly because these nobles had allied themselves with Talabheim which had rebelled against Emperor Boris. Kreyssig planned to use this excuse to rebuild the Imperial Army and requisition further property from the guilds and knightly orders, making the Altdorf military one of the strongest forces remaining in the Empire. In public the preparations would go against Talabheim, but in secret, the Protector meant to build this army against the Underfolk.[68g]

When the Skaven became aware of this, they rushed their assault. Lead by Warpmaster Sythar Doom, Grey Lord of Clan Skryre, as well as General Twych of Clan Mors and Deacon Blistr of Clan Pestilens, the ratmen intended raze the city to the ground.[68h] Thus began the now forgotten Siege of Altdorf, in which Kreyssig and Gazulgrund lead the defense of the city against the Skaven.[68i] Before the Great Cathedral, the verminous horde was broken, although large parts of Altdorf lay in ruin afterwards.[68j] Altdorf was one of the few cities to hold out against the hordes of ratmen.[25a]

Goldgather died in 1115, but only after years of casualties from the plague.[22a] Even conservative Altdorfers celebrated the passing.[74d] His statue at the Königsplatz had been pulled down and demolished, with rubble carted off into the Reik, with celebrations lasting for months despite the plague. Kreyssig, now without the backing of the Emperor, was forced to rely on his alliance with the Cult of Sigmar. Demolishing and selling large parts of Boris' treasure hoard, the coffers of the Sigmarite Cult swelled,as they continued to lend their legitimacy to Kreyssig's rule.[68k]

Gazulgrund, in the meantime, was seeking for a way to break free from Kreyssigs' extortion. Drawing on the witch hunters of the Order of the Silver Hammer, the Grand Theogonist gave the order to kill every kinfolk of a priest of Sigmar in the Empire in 1121 IC, to prevent the Protector of the Empire from taking control over the temple. The "Night of Holy Knives", as it was called, targeted not only the relatives of priests in Altdorf, but in the whole Empire. In his sermons, Gazulgrund justified the deaths of the innocents as a sacrifice to atone for the crimes of the clergy and renew the sacrament between Sigmar and his Empire. With the Cult of Sigmar outside of his control, Kreyssig sought to ally himself with Mandred von Zelt, the Elector Count of Middenheim, in order to avoid being deposed by the the nobility or the Sigmarites.[69a] Yet Mandred did not march on Altdorf to declare himself Emperor. Instead, he focused on combating the Skaven and his emissaries to Altdorf were those knights Kreyssig had hunted as Boris' agent.[69b] All attempts of Kreyssig to discredit Mandred fell on deaf ears among the people and his attempt to use a mutant to assassinate Gazulgrund in the Great Cathedral and blame it on Mandred failed.[69c]

When Mandred was crowned, Kreyssig was allowed a trial by combat to determine his fate. He perished against Erich von Kranzbeuhler, wielding the Runefang of Middenland, ending his rule over Altdorf.[69d]

Age of Wars[]

Altdorf's downturn was solidified in 1124, when Mandred Ratslayer of Middenheim was elected Emperor. The Imperial court moved away from Altdorf, and merchants and nobles left Altdorf in its wake.[22a] As fashion-conscious socialites abandoned Altdorf, the luxury trade collapsed and debts went unpaid. Riots and fires broke out.[74d]

Following this economic collapse, the common folk of Altdorf rioted once more, this time against the Cult of Sigmar, who were attempting to take control of the city. The Cult attempted to bribe the citizens with bread. Its cynical ‘Bread for Believers’ policy rewarded citizens with food if they swore oaths of loyalty to the cult. The scheme turned out to be a major waste of resources. Altdorfers defrauded the drive so extensively that the cult’s coffers were soon exhausted, and once the handouts dried up so did people’s new-found piety.[22b][74f]

Around the same time, when the merchant class took advantage of the power vacuum, the first guilds in Altdorf were formed, promising security for their members.[22b][74f]

During this era, an exodus of peasants from the countryside and a series of poor harvests impoverished the Count of Reikland. In a desperate move, he adopted the Prince of Altdorf as his heir and ceded his electoral vote to him. Thereafter, the rulers of both Reikland and Altdorf were known as the Grand Princes.[22b] The now-Grand Prince effectively ruled the province, and had to bear the expense. By the end of the 1200s, Altdorf’s rulers were known as ‘The Poor Princes’. Bribery and corruption became endemic, furthering the rise of the merchant class.[74d]

In 1248 IC, a dozen Tomb Kings travelled to retrieve the Golden Death Mask of Kharnut from the vaults of Altdorf.[95a]

In 1489 IC, Altdorf built several low bridges in order to curb the influence of fleets from other provinces.[45q]

Age of Three Emperors[]

Warhammer Waaagh! Gorbad 2

Waaagh! Gorbad sweeps across the heartlands of the Empire. His campaign eventually exhausted itself at the walls of Altdorf.

By the time the Age of Three Emperors began, in 1547, Altdorf's fortunes had improved. It profited off the war between the Elected Emperors and the Ottilian Emperors.[22b]

In 1645, Emperor Dieter III imposed a tax on the then-fashionable practice of ear trimming. This engendered a riot among Altdorf's modish upper class.[74j]

In 1707, orc warboss Gorbad Ironclaw invaded the Empire.[Note 2] While Gorbad's army was laying waste to Averland, Solland, and the Moot, Emperor Sigismund IV, the imperial claimant in Altdorf, was preparing for a siege.[2a][7c][7l] He fortified the city walls, brought in the harvest, then desolated the land in a fifty-mile radius around the city. Thus, when Gorbad's army marched north to Altdorf, they could not pillage the countryside, and headed straight to the waiting city.[2a] The orcs tried all the tactics they could, but weren't successful. A frontal assault dashed itself against the city walls and Gorbad's Rock Lobbers were quickly eliminated by the cannons of Altdorf. When four wyverns descended on the city, they managed to kill Sigismund, but didn't make any serious progress taking Altdorf.[2a] During the siege, the citizens made it a point of pride to ignore the death and starvation around them.[22b] As time went on, the Waaagh! lost its momentum and more and more greenskins deserted.[2a] When the cold of winter set in, Gorbad’s army scattered.[2a][7c][7l][39a][39b]

The First Siege of Altdorf, as it was later called, led to an increase in religiosity in the city. This, in turn, was ended by a series of scandals in the Cult of Sigmar relating to chaos cults and, in one case, a wolfhound ordained as a priest.[22b] Authorities established the execution site of Crackle Hill to the south of the city so that the consorts of daemons met their executioners beyond the city walls.[74d]

In 1786, the Red Plague decimated Altdorf leaving thousands of unmarked graves in what is now called "The Haunted Cemetery of Altdorf".[37b]

During the Long Night of Chaos, on Geheimnisnacht in 1851 IC, daemons flooded the Empire. Hellflayers and Flesh Hounds tore through the deserted streets of Altdorf, contesting for prey to settle a wager between their dark masters.[77a]

In 1937 IC the reigning Emperor Carolus made the fatal mistake of trusting the Great Enchanter. He and his court met their demise at the poisoned feast in the dining hall of Castle Drachenfels.[74d] His death was followed by the Year of Seven Emperors.[65a][65i]

Dark Ages[]

Leonardo da Miragliano

Leonardo da Miragliano, who in 2012 IC founded the Imperial Engineers School

After Grand Theogonist Vilgrim III refused to recognise the election of Magritta in 1979 IC, the Empire devolved into a series of uncooperative, and often belligerent, provinces.[74d] The fact that Altdorf and Nuln had so often been the site of Imperial courts in the past saw the western Empire enjoy a degree of stability that wasn’t the case elsewhere. Both cities maintained rulers called Emperors, even if they didn’t have much of an Empire to rule.[74d]

At this moment in its history, Altdorf was already a sprawling metropolis, although still a mere shadow of what it would become, a hive of varying nationalities from across the globe. Elves, Dwarfs, Tileans, Bretonnians, and men of a multitude of other subcultures took part in the lively city life.[101a] Probably the foreigner who most shaped the city's destiny in that period was the Tilean genius, Leonardo of Miragliano, 2012 IC, he founded the Imperial Engineers School in Altdorf, under the protection of Grand Prince Stephan Franz.[53d][74j].

During this period, starting from 2037 IC, the Grand Prince of Altdorf lost control over the western and southern parts of the Reikland, which divided into the independent kingdoms of Westen-vorbergland, Suden Vorbergland and Mittlevorbergland.[78c]

Vampire Wars[]

Vlad1

Vlad von Carstein, first Vampire Count of Sylvania

In 2051 [7l], Altdorf was besieged once more in the aptly named Second Siege of Altdorf.[45r] Coming from the eastern province of Sylvania, the Vampire Count Vlad von Carstein marched across the Empire at the head of a host of undead.[7c] By the time he reached Altdorf, the city was filled to bursting with refugees.[33c] Desperate, the people ahd redirected the flow of the River Reik, forming a moat of running water around the city in the hopes that the vampires would not be able to cross it, but leaving the riverbed inside the city dry.[91a] After a multiple month-long siege, Vlad was physically seized by Grand Theogonist Wilhelm III and driven into a stake, simultaneously impaling both.[7c][39b][4a] As Vlad died, much of his army crumbled, leaving only the vampiric contingent of the army. Ludwig, the Prince of Altdorf, attempted to pursue the fleeing vampires, but was stopped by his Imperial rivals, who feared a victory for him might make his claim to the Imperial throne more legitimate.[7c] The Cult of Sigmar took several artifacts in the possession of Vlad von Carstein into its vaults, including the copy of one of the Nine Books of Nagash Vlad had been carrying.[4a]

After the siege, many of the refugees from the Vampire War remained in Altdorf, settling in the docklands. They congregated in the East End and docklands areas, a starving diseased mass crammed into the tiny tenements there. The Guild of Stevedores, which until then had monopolized dock work in the city, refused to take on such a quantity of new workers. However, there was plenty of stevedoring to be done, and thus the unofficial dock gangs, the Hooks and the Fish, were born.[33c]Whilst the von Carstein Vampires waged war on the city, the two gangs waged war on each other.[74f] In 2055 IC, a massacre in the Cathedral of Sigmar took place when a vampire the Cult of Sigmar had captured in the aftermath of Vlad's attack in order to study their weaknesses escaped.[92b]

Less than 100 years after Vlad von Carstein's siege, an undead army again attacked Altdorf. Mannfred von Carstein, the last Vampire Count of Sylvania, led his horde to Altdorf in the late winter. The city was poorly defended, but Mannfred was defeated when Grand Theogonist Kurt III recited the Great Spell of Unbinding, causing many of the vampire’s undead soldiers to crumble.[55a][4b] The event became known as the Third Siege of Altdorf.[45r] Mannfred retreated from Altdorf, and was eventually defeated at the Battle of Hel Fenn by Martin, the Prince of Stirland.[7d]

The von Carstein sieges were crippling to Altdorf, which had been experiencing prosperity since the First Siege. The walls were breached, and the von Carstein tactic of catapulting diseased zombies over the city walls led to many plagues. During the sieges, Altdorf adopted the Shade of Death as the city standard, mocking their undead enemies. [22b]

Great Reconstruction[]

However, following the sieges, an era called the "Great Reconstruction" occurred. All able-bodied citizens were required to contribution to rebuildling efforts, on the penalty of loss of citizenship.[74g]

Power even returned to Altdorf for a while with the rule of Eberhardt the Just of the Holzkrug line, a glint of light in an age of darkness. Eberhardt had trained to be a priest of Shallya until leadership of the Holzkrug Dynasty, thrust upon him, gained him the title of Emperor. He founded the Great Hospice.[74d]

When Magnus von Bildhofen came to Altdorf to rally its people to leave their petty grievances against the other provinces and cults behind in order to fight the armies of Chaos, the Grand Theogonist denounced him as a heretic. But when the Templars of Sigmar tied him to a stake for burning, the flames would not catch, even when fuelled with oils.[30h] Seeing this miracle, the Altdorf military pledged themselves to Magnus' war.

Reign of Magnus the Pious[]

Magnus and Teclis

Magnus the Pious and Teclis, founders of the Colleges of Magic

Altdorf was among the first cities to throw its support behind Magnus the Pious in his efforts to liberate Kislev from the hordes of Asavar Kul during the Great War against Chaos. With victory achieved, both Magnus and Loremaster Teclis considered Altdorf a perfect site for the establishment of the Colleges of Magic.[74g]

During the Summer of 2304, the Colleges of Magic were established in Altdorf under the protection of the Prince of the city.[7e][23a] Magnus chose Altdorf rather than his capital Nuln because he didn't want his political fortunes to be too closely tied to those of the Colleges, but did want them to be close enough for him to keep tabs on.[23a] In an apparent coincidence, Altdorf turned out to be a prime magical location for several of the orders.[36a] The citizens of Altdorf, however, had no desire to be the site of the Colleges and rioted in an event later called the Altdorf Indignation. In response, martial law was put in place.[22b][33d] During this period of unrest, the waterfront gangs organized the inhabitants of the docklands into militias and attempted to spread their influence beyond their riverside ghetto. However, their momentum was halted by a mysterious event known as the "Night of the Black Waltz."[33d]

In order for the colleges to be built in Altdorf, the elves performed a ritual which warped the fabric of space. This had the side-effect of making the city essentially unmappable. Shortly before the High Elves performed the rituals to do this, many citizens left Altdorf. However, most returned later.[22b][22c][23a] Pandemonium ensued as folk found their homes had moved or vanished. Residents of the Hexxerbezirk, as the area about the colleges became known, learned to navigate by landmarks rather than trusting on streets to remain connected as once they had been. Guides became common, and the watchmen stepped up patrols to prevent rioters from assaulting wizards in the street.[74d]

Almost immediately after settling down in Altdorf, the Colleges of Magic attempted to gain political clout in Altdorf, at first by ingratiating themselves with guild leaders. The Grand Prince of Altdorf, hoping to curb their power, created laws defining magisters as a separate class, and creating restrictions on their rights to trade, own land, and vote.[22c][23b] But this did not put an end to the political ambitions of the colleges—magisters and nobles have been political rivals in Altdorf ever since.[23b]

Around that time, the School of Engineers in Altdorf was given a formal charter by Emperor Magnus I, though it had existed before that time. The word ‘Imperial’ was added at the beginning of its name. [7e]

In 2324, Altdorf's sewer system, long strained by a swelling population, finally gave way and spilled sewage into wells and streams under the city. Emperor Magnus commanded a group of guilds to repair the sewers.[74j]

Reign of Dieter IV[]

In the face of Waaagh! Grom, Emperor Dieter IV abandoned Nuln and retreated to Altdorf, where he established his court. The defense rested in the hands of his cousin, Prince Wilhelm of Altdorf, while the Emperor skulked behind the walls and dreamed of better days.[2b] When Dieters court established itself in Altdorf, Prince Wilhelm moved his court to Kemperbad and Emperor Dieter forbade him to return to the capital following arguments with his cousin how to meet the Greenskin invasion.[89a]

One of Dieter's legacies in Altdorf is the Imperial Zoo.[3b]

In 2415, rivalries within the Colleges of Magic erupted in the Night of a Thousand Arcane Duels. Under pressure from the Cult of Sigmar, Emperor Dieter IV disestablished the Colleges.[45s][74j]

In 2420 IC, a tumult at the Grand Cathedral erupted as a rogue knight of the Twin-Tailed Orb called Diederick Kastner attacked Grand Theogonist Hedrich, dragging him into the Great Sanctuary. Knights of all orders present in Altdorf rushed to defend the High Sigmarite, but the rogue threatened to kill the Grand Theogonist if he was to be interrupted. No living soul knows what words passed between the rogue knight and the high priest, but the armies of all knightly orders had mobilised, having been promised eternity at the God-King's side for the death of Kastner. Even the Great Cannons, among them Big Bathilda the largest cannon in the Empire at that point, designed to defend Altdorf had been turned towards the Grand Cathedral, with Hedrich being willing to level it in order to kill Kastner. A fire erupted as the defenders of Altdorf stormed the Cathedral and the cannons opened fire, yet of Kastner, there was no trace.[56a]

Rule of House Holswig-Schliestein[]

Warhammer Coat of Arms of Karl Franz

The arms of House Holswig-Schliestein have become a common sight in Altdorf since Wilhelm III's accession.

In 2429 IC, the Imperial crown passed to Altdorf once more. Emperor Dieter IV had sold the Westerland its independence for a large sum of money, needing the funds to prosecute his invasion of the Border Princedoms and to suppress revolts in the Empire against his taxes on sausages and beer.[15c] Grand Theogonist Hedrich Lutzenschlager excoriated the emperor for selling a part of the Empire,[74d] and the Elector Counts deposed him in favour of Wilhelm, Grand Prince of Reikland, who became Emperor Wilhelm III.[3a][7e][21f][41s] Loyalists of Dieter IV began the shortlived War of Succession, which saw the siege of the Imperial Palace and Dieter's expulsion from the capital.[64j]

The guilds publicly swore allegiance to Wilhelm III and scrambled for Imperial patronage. Wilhelm raised significant funds by auctioning off favours and appointments.[74d] One of Wilhelm's first actions was to attempt to reconquer Marienburg. His army failed miserably at the Battle of Grootscher Marsh.[45s] After this disastrous defeat, he recognised the Wasteland’s independence and invested Dieter as Grand Duke and Elector Count of Talabecland, ending hostilities. The guilds of Altdorf imposed economic sanctions on the newly-independent city-state. The Fish's war chiefs were more pragmatic, sending envoys to Marienburg to open links with its smugglers and their Altdorf associates. Legal trade between the cities dropped off, but illicit trade flourished.[74d]

Believing that the Empire's lack of mages contributed to its loss at Grootscher Marsh, Wilhelm reestablished the Colleges of Magic in 2430. But in 2431, the Bright College accidentally sparked the Great Fire of Altdorf, a four-day blaze which destroyed more than four fifths of the city. Public opinion turned against the colleges once again, but Wilhelm opted to keep them open, albeit with more oversight from the Sigmarites.[45s][74k]

Following this setback, Wilhelm rescued his reputation by engaging in a number of popular civic works. He sponsored the improvement of roads between the major cities of the Empire, and worked to improve sanitation and the effectiveness of the Watch in Altdorf. Following the Great Fire of Altdorf, he ordered that many of the devastated streets be rebuilt to more sensible plans, and with stone buildings. He also curbed the rights of wizards to test experimental magic outside of given areas.[74d]

Early in Wilhelm's reign, Halfling pies become a popular street food and Pie Week a major holiday.[74k]

Wilhelm had a complicated relationship with the Colleges of Magic. In the early years of his rule, he worked closely with the Celestial and Grey Colleges, who advised him on how to wrest back power and control from the merchant class. But when a trio of illusionists attached to a theatre company made off with treasure from Wilhelm’s vaults, he responded by ordering a mass trial for wizards on charges of witchcraft. No doubt many wizards were bitter about this, but Wilhelm’s resulting popularity with Altdorf’s superstitious citizens made it difficult for them to object too vociferously.[74d]

Reign of the Griffon Emperors[]

Despite his mixed success as emperor, Wilhelm III is fondly remembered and the dynasty he founded, the House of the Third Wilhelm, also known as House Holswig-Schliestein, holds the affection of the people whilst remaining unambitious and eccentric enough not to alarm the Electors.[74d]

Wilhelm's son, Matthias IV, was a prudent if melancholy prince. He disappeared in 2438 IC when he went out into one of the Altdorf fogs to discover what the common folk thought of their emperor, and was never seen again. Even seventy years later, vagrants sometimes appear at the palace gates, claiming to be the rightful emperor.[74d]

Emperor Mattheus II was beloved of the common folk and a strong believer in democratic principles, but nearly lost the confidence of the Electors when he tried to write a more representative constitution for the people of the Empire built around the Council of State serving as an elected national legislature. This initiative was quietly quashed by the Electors.[74d]

In 2453 IC, the Liche Arkhan the Black attacked the city in the Fourth Siege of Altdorf. His siege, however, was a mere distraction. His true purpose was to sneak into the vaults of the Holy Temple of Sigmar and steal the Liber Mortis. Once this was accomplished, his Undead army crumbled to dust, much to the relief of the army of Altdorf.[45s]

Reign of Luitpold I[]

Emperor Luitpold I was a paranoid ruler, prone to seeing spirits, and was always concerned about his family’s safety. Fortunately for the Empire, his paranoia manifested itself as an eagerness to satisfy the Electors rather than fight with them. During his rule, the House of the Third Wilhelm regained the confidence that Mattheus had risked.[74d]

In 2480 IC, Luitpold declined the chance to support Oswald von Königswald’s plan to infiltrate Castle Drachenfels and kill the Great Enchanter. Shamed by Oswald’s success, the Emperor planned to send an army to cleanse the castle and raze it to the ground, but Oswald persuaded him to let it stand.[45s]

In 2500 IC, tensions between the Hooks and Fish broke out into an outright gang war.[33d][74d] The Waterfront War lasted for five years,[33d] and died down only when watchman Harald Kleindeinst killed the war chiefs of both gangs[64d] (though to most Altdorfs their fate remains a mystery).[33d][64d] However, it did not end completely, and continues on a smaller scale to this day.[33d][74d]

Reign of Karl Franz[]

Karl Franz The Enemy Within

Emperor Karl Franz, who has ruled from Altdorf sice 2502 IC

Upon the death of Luitpold I in 2502 IC, his son Karl Franz was elected emperor. Karl Franz continued the style of statesmanship practised by his father. He is exceedingly careful, ensuring that no one gets special treatment unless doing so would meet the approval of other power brokers. He has a thorough understanding of political leverage, and many of his successes involve assuring petitioners that, even if they have not gotten what they might have wanted, no precedent has been set for their rivals to demand similar privileges.[74d]

On the advice of his chancellor, Mornan Tybalt, Karl Franz levied new taxes which caused the Window Tax Riots. The Reiksguard were deployed to subdue the rioters.[74k][74d][47a]

In the winter of 2502,[Note 14] Altdorf came under the attack from Wasteland pirates lead by Konrad.[86e] Mysterious fogs shrouded the city and a battle was fought in the Imperial Palace, whose central dome was destroyed by a freak lightning strike that caused the replica of Ghal Maraz to crash through the ceiling. Emperor Karl Franz later declared Konrad an Imperial Hero and all of his trespasses forgiven.[49a]

In 2503 IC, following a combined Imperial/Asrai victory at the Massacre Along the Weiss, an emissary from Athel Loren arrived in Altdorf. He brought a griffon egg collected from the Grey Mountains and a simple message: "We will be watching."[10a]

In 2506 IC, the guilds of Altdorf were convinced to sign the Stench Act. This piece of legislation subjected the guilds to large fines, presumably as punishment for producing bad smells. The guilds were convinced by Karl Franz to sign because they were under the impression that the fees levied would cripple rival guilds.[21f]

Fog Riot

The Great Fog Riots spill out over Altdorf's Docklands.

The Great Fog Riots, Altdorf's most recent major bout of civil unrest, occurred just a few years after the Window Tax Riots.[41b][64h][74h][Note 9] The dual causes of the riots were Chancellor Mornan Tybalt's two-crown tax on all able-bodied Imperial citizens, nicknamed the "Thumb Tax," and the vicious Beast Murders.[41b][64h][74h] The riots were destructive but short-lived, as the leading agitator Yevgeny Yefimovich was quickly revealed to be a disciple of Tzeentch.[74h]

The Fish, who threw in their lot with the rioters, subsequently suffered a significant loss of face whilst the Hooks, who mainly assisted in policing the riots, clawed back losses they had suffered during the Waterfront War.[74d]

Turmoil of 2512 IC[]

In 2512 IC, Altdorf was the centre to a plot by the Tzeentchian Chaos Cult known as the Purple Hand to replace Karl Franz. After poisoning the emperor through his personal physician, the city was wracked in the spring months by slowly rising corruption, with people randomly gaining new hair or eye colours.[78a]

As unrest grew in the Empire due to the again appearing conflict between Ulricans and Sigmarites, a delegation from Middenheim's ruler Graf Boris Todbringer travelled south in order to cement peace through a marriage between Katerina Todbringer, Boris' daughter, and the heir of Karl Franz, his nephew Wolfgang Holswig-Abenauer.[79a] The conflict between Ulricans and Sigmarites was stirred up by the agents of the Purple Hand and reached its zenith when the planned wedding was attacked by a Nordlander separatist who tried to kill Katerina.[79c]

An emergency conclave was held to address the manner, with Karl Franz being absent and having himself be secretly represented through a double. This double did not have the famed political astuteness of the emperor and thus, blows were exchanged between him and Boris Todbringer. In the course of the event, Sigmar's ancient warhammer Ghal Maraz was seemingly shattered, paving the way for a civil war known as the Turmoil of 2512.[79d] A group of heroes travelled to the Black Mountains and retrieved the real Ghal Maraz, returning it to the capital where it was intended to be ceremoniously returned on 9th Brauzeit in the Volkshalle.

In secret, agents of the Purple Hand among the Reiksguard had prepared a rite at the behest of a Herald of Tzeentch to free the Exalted Lord of Change that the warhammer had previously sealed away: Sheerargetru. The monstrosity was unleashed in the Volkshalle through the sacrifice of Grand Theogonist Yorri XV and could only be banished after great loss, leaving the Volkhalle a smoldering ruin.[79e] In the aftermath of the conflict, Emperor Karl Franz regained his strength and set out to reunify the Empire.

Altdorf rebuilding[]

In 2518, Emperor Karl Franz was dunked into the river when the raising and lowering mechanism of the bridge he was on malfunctioned. [7f][41b] Additionally, under the High Priest of Morr, Antiochus Bland,[65i] a campaign to dispose the bodies of plague victims was started by the Cult of Morr in Altdorf, preventing the outbreak before it fully blossomed. In the aftermath, a commission drafted a Sanitation Bill which should prevent future outbreaks. Bland, however, had smuggled in Clause 17, which stated that all dead bodies should be given to the Morrites for disposal. Using this to start a campaign against vampires, fanatics attacked the Crescent Moon and similar establishments where the undead were believed to congregate.[65j][Note 18] Following Blands' apparent death, a more conservative faction took power, lead by Father Knock, which ended the campaigning against the undead.[65m]

Following the disappearance of the Sigmarite Arch Lector Mannfred of Nuln, a conclave was held in Altdorf to appoint his successor. At this conclave, a young warrior priest, named Luthor Huss, decried the decadence of the clergy, who he regarded as more focused on amassing riches for themselves than fighting the threat of Chaos. When the Arch Lectors attempted to force him to recant his accusations, Huss instead resigned his position within the Cult and left to preach Sigmars message as well as continue his accusations against the higher-ups of the Cult of Sigmar.[5a]

At Hexensnacht at an unspecified time of date after the Turmoil,[Note 19] a terrorist attack by Ulrican extremists, called the gunpowder treason, damaged most of the statues of the Emperors at Königsplatz, including the one of Sigmar. A later attempt to assassinate the Emperor and the Electors by blowing up the Cathedral of Sigmar was foiled by Palisade agents.[96][60b]

At one point, the pirate Jaego Roth journeyed to Altdorf, seeking the help of the Empire to combat Count Noctilus and his Dreadfleet. At the Reikstemple, Roth made his demands for aid to the Grand Theogonist himself. Yet the Empire was at war, and the weapons of the holy were needed elsewhere. Enraged, Roth stole the flagship of the Sigmarite fleet, the Heldenhammer, and managed to flee Altdorf after a naval battle upon the Reik.[87a]

The End Times[]
Storm of Chaos[]
Warhammer-Template-Spoilers
Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.


In the alternate, Storm of Chaos timeline, dire omens foretold the coming of a great invasion of Chaos. Doomsayer and flagellants preached that the end of the world had come. Numerous people fled their farms to seek refuge in Altdorf, causing a sudden rise in crime.[88b] Many of the people turned away from the main cult, instead choosing to put their faith in the Prophet of Sigmar, Luthor Huss.[88d] As such, the appearance of the Twin-Tailed Comet in the night sky caused widespread religious hysteria – many feared that Sigmar had decided to smite Altdorf just as he had sent the comet to punish the city of Mordheim for its crimes long ago. Others claimed that the appearance of the comet meant that Sigmar was reborn, ready to defend the Empire and its people by leading them against the armies of Chaos. Altdorf was rife with struggle, as proponents of either side argued in the streets, with their arguments often ending in blows.[88e]

Inspired by the comet, Volkmar the Grim lead an army northward to challenge the armies of Chaos that marshalled themselves at the frontiers of Kislev. The faithful clashed with the warriors of Chaos, but where defeated. The Grand Theogonist was left dead at the hands of Archaon, Everchosen of the Ruinous Pantheon, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Dark Champion would turn south. [88f] Faced with this threat, Emperor Karl Franz chose to convene a Conclave of Light among the Electors as well as the allies of the Empire to face the threat. At Mitterfruhl 2522 IC, the call was sent, and a month later, most of the invited had arrived. [93a] Next to the Elector Counts, the Ar-Ulric and the newly elected Grand Theogonist Johann Esmer, the Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt and the heads of the Colleges of Magic attended, as did Kurt Helborg, Louis Rochelle, ambassador of Bretonnia, and a delegation from Marienburg, lead by Thurk van Hasteroy.[88i] Eleven days after the Conclave had come together, emissaries from Tzarina Katarin of Kislev arrived with the news that the armies of the Everchosen had begun to advance. On the fifteenth day, representatives of Karak Kadrin, lead by Thane Snarri Thungrimson, joined, bringing news that a great Chaos host attempted the penetrate the Peak Pass as well as of a great Waaagh! that threatened to breach the World’s Edge Mountains.[93b] On the thirtieth day, Teclis of Ulthuan returned to Altdorf, as an emissary of Phoenix King Finubar. It was then that Karl Franz finalized his plans to meet the threat.[88i][93c][6a]

With the armies of Altdorf marshalling, the so-called Army of Sigmar, lead by Valten and Luthor Huss, arrived at the city gates. Huss had proclaimed Valten Sigmar Reborn and demanded that he was to be installed on his rightful throne again. To Grand Theogonist Esmer, this was heresy and he demanded that Emperor Karl Franz would dissolve the peasant army and take its leaders captive. The Emperor refused to act, so when the army stood at the southern gates of Altdorf, Esmer sent his own emissaries, threatening Valten and Huss to disperse their heretical force and submit to the judgement of the Emperor. Valten told them that the army behind him were not his to command, and bided the emissaries to bring word to Karl Franz that he would see them in three days time. [94a][6b] Inside the capital, bitter debates raged. No armed force had ever marched on Altdorf and had not been met with resistance. Kurt Helborg claimed that the safety of the entire Empire was at risk when peasant rabble would be allowed to stay. On the third day, Reiksguard Captain Cornelius Apstel, fearful that if Valten was indeed Sigmar Reborn, he would be disobeying a living god, opened the gates, allowing Huss and his charge to enter the city.[94b] Helborg formed a cordon of Reiksguard Knights to escort the pair to the Imperial Palace, while putting Apstel in chains for his defiance. At the Imperial Audience Chamber, Huss argued of the divinity of Valten, against the protests of Grand Theogonist Esmer, and urged Karl Franz to follow his faith and relinquish his crown. In the end, the Emperor chose a compromise in order to avoid religious schisms and possible civil war.[94c] He gave Ghal Maraz to Valten, officially recognizing him as Sigmar Reborn, yet did not vacate his office as Emperor, given that the Elector Counts had sworn fealty to him, and not Valten. Both of them would lead the army against the armies under the command of Archaon, in order to save the Empire.[94d]

The main army of the Reikland fought far from Altdorf, with the Storm of Chaos mainly ravaging the northern provinces. In Karl Franz’ absence, Regent Marshall Mornan Braun was appointed to oversee the daily operations of the city. The guilds had attempted to bribe, depose, and scandalize this office, to little effect.[22d] Upon Karl Franz’ return, Valten was dead and the Altdorf troops had suffered grievous losses.[61b] As the Chaos army of Archaon had not been crushed to the last, the Everchosen escaped his fate by fleeing into the Middle Mountains and many of his lieutenants now lead their own warbands from the remains of the great army, the Emperor still remained focus on relieving the ruined provinces, leaving much of the daily affairs in the hand of the Council of State.[61c] At the same time, Volkmar had returned, resurrected by the daemonic magic of Be'lakor. Grand Theogonist Esmer decried Volkmar as tainted, a thing possessed to lead the faithful astray and bring ruin upon the Empire. When Volkmar was confirmed to arrive in the capital, Esmer fled to Marienburg, with the consequence that the Cult of Sigmar now had two Grand Theogonists, with Volkmar residing in Altdorf again.[30i]

As a result of this, even with the war against Chaos won, the city remained a hotbed of unrest. The shortages remained because food stocks are depleted, and refugees from the ravaged provinces have come south. The people blame the government for mismanagement and corrupt collusion with merchants.[33s][32c] Failure to pay the troops that fought against Archaon has lead to multiple unrests, while religious cults and movements, such as the Crusade of the Child, appeared that offered salvation to the masses.[32i] Within the city walls, the cultists of the Dark Gods also sought to achieve what the Everchosen had failed to do, seeing the time come to prove their superiority over the Northmen. One coven of Tzeentch cultists nearly succeeded in befouling the Great Cathedral of Sigmar, so that each prayer offered to Sigmar in Altdorf would have empowered Tzeentch instead. They were stopped by a group of Witch Hunters.[57f]

Culture[]

"We’ve barely a week left in Altdorf and there’s still so much we haven’t seen. Yesterday I had to postpone my jaunt to the Imperial Zoo because it was raining, and I do so want to be able to make my donation to the Hospice in person, but if I do I’ll either miss the opportunity to see the latest haul of the Sudenburg brute finders or I’ll have to rebook seats to dear Detlef ’s latest drama. Decisions!"

—Clothilde von Alptraum, Young Noblewoman of Averland[74a]
Warhammer Streets of Altdorfs

The bustling streets of Altdorf

Altdorf is known for its university, colleges of magic, libraries, diplomats, and eating houses. A varied programme of entertainments is available to help provide citizens with distractions from their woes, as well as a common communal and spiritual experience outside that offered by the religious cults.[74a]

Altdorf ’s many theatres run lavish productions of plays and operas. The great Tarradasch penned many of these, and his work remains the measure for all authors and playwrights. The Imperial elite like to regard themselves as patrons of the arts as well as defenders of the nation. The more philanthropically inclined sponsor whole theatres, whilst the less generous maintain private boxes so they can make a point of their attendance far from the muddy crowd in the stalls.[74a]

Social Life[]

"Shallya’s mercy, won’t you spare me? I’ve heard it all before. “We’d be the playthings of Gnoblyns and Goat Men were it not for the sacrifices of our noble lords,” you say. “Without his opulent finery no one would take the Groom of the Stool seriously,” you say. “Even under Sigmar’s rule we had the rich and the poor!” Well I wouldn’t begrudge an Unberogen chieftain the biggest hut in a village, but when a starveling family of five is squeezed into a tenement room no bigger than the Empress’s wardrobe, I say things have gone too far, and your easy willingness to play the lackey is to blame."

—Max Roth, Brustellite Agitator[74a]

Altdorf is known for its many lively ale houses and hostelries. These can be found throughout the city but are concentrated around the docks. Heated debate and alcohol combine to make a rowdy atmosphere. Innkeepers accept scuffles between patrons as a foregone conclusion. Many inns ask that patrons turn in deadly weapons before entry, though establishments at the rough end (where people are expected to look after themselves) or the high end (where manners are a matter of solemn social contract and ruffians are not admitted) may forgo the practice. Whilst most taverns are open to a broad audience there are also those that specially cater to those who may not be welcome elsewhere, such as organised criminals, wayfarers, or parties of adventurers.[74a]

Talk in taverns often turns to politics. Since the establishment of the House of the Third Wilhelm, most Reiklanders have held their rulers in high regard. Still, there are those of a different opinion. Dissident groups form under the banner of a philosophy inspired by Verenan radicals termed New Millennialism. Enlightened progressives rub shoulders with resentful malcontents to demand needful reforms, and to threaten rebellion if their wishes are ignored.[74a]

In the year 2506 IC, the controversial Professor Brustellin was killed in the violence of riots he had helped to instigate. Whilst the establishment has subsequently smeared him as an agent of Chaos, he is nevertheless a martyr to would-be revolutionaries. His creed of overthrowing all vestiges of aristocracy finds many a sympathetic ear.[74a]

Festivals[]

Altdorf is not famed for festivals the way that Middenheim or Averheim are. When foreign visitors complain that the city lacks public cheer, Altdorfers respond that they are secure enough in their identity and culture not to make a fuss about it; given the fine theatres and taverns in the city, who would need more distractions? This is not to say that celebrations are unknown in the capital. Instead of hosting grand revels, the city tends to explode into short but intense bursts of celebration throughout the year.[74i]

  • Year Blessing (1st Nachhexen): Verena’s holy day is marked in Altdorf by a great procession that starts from the Temple-Library in Schulergegend and tours around the districts of the city. At the head of this procession, the High Priest of Verena rides upon a fatted cow. This beast meets a ritual slaughter upon its return to the Temple-Library, and the priests distribute its flesh to the needy.[74i] In recent years, members of the Popular League Against Nobility and Taxation have used the procession to call attention to various social causes, resulting in mixed feelings from the Verenans.[74i]
  • Mitterfruhl (Spring Equinox): Concluding a three-day fair, which includes sending adventurers into the Grey Mountains to find a Griffon Egg, Mitterfruhl is celebrated in Altdorf with the Emperor's Tournament, in which newly initiated Reiksguard prove their mettle in a series of martial contests. The Temple of Rhya hosts perfunctory fertility rites, culminating in the ceremonial drowning of a fatted piglet. The animal is given to the Reik in the hope that the gods visit good fortune and bounty on Altdorf in the following year.[74i]
  • First Quaff (33rd Pflugzeit): A dwarf holiday that has found itself popular even among the human population. Older Dwarfs take the ceremony very seriously indeed, but other citizens of Altdorf regard it as an excuse to get stinking drunk.[74i]
  • Sigmar's Walk (15th Sigmarzeit): According to tradition, on this day Sigmar embarked upon his final journey. Whilst the Karnevalplatz hosts festivities, the day is a sombre one. Followers of Sigmar walk from the Great Cathedral to the North Gate. Most of the pilgrims pause there, uttering prayers to the Heldenhammer before returning to their homes, but dedicated zealots strike out for Black Fire Pass and beyond.[74i]
  • Sigmartag (18th Sigmarzeit): Generally accepted to be Sigmar's birthday. At noon the Grand Theogonist leads a procession of the faithful from the Grand Cathedral, across the Reik Bridge, out of the North Gate, and around the city walls. The congregation parade for hours until the sun begins to set, whereupon they return to the Cathedral. There the Grand Theogonist intones liturgies, to the light of stunning pyrotechnics courtesy of the Bright College.[74i]
  • Procession of Skull and Sceptre (33rd Sigmarzeit): Upon this day, Johan Helstrum became the Empire’s first Grand Theogonist. Sigmarite priests mark the occasion by parading through Altdorf bearing Helstrum’s gilded skull and holy mace. Irreverent citizens refer to the occasion as the ‘March of the Mace and the Face’.[74i]
  • Day of Folly (10th Sommerzeit): Known as Jape Day in Altdorf. It is customary on this day for people to play practical jokes and for the butts of such pranks to take them in good humour. In the Karnevalsplatz a celebration of satirical comedy is staged, featuring politically minded jesters and humorous agitators. Discretion is still to be advised, but skits that might earn a person a charge of treason at other times go unpunished (if not unremembered) on Jape Day. In the East End, a secret pageant is held to the Trickster God by masked priests to a congregation of beggars, bawds, bookies and burglars.[74i]
  • Cavalcade of Victory over the Perfidious Greenskin (9th Vorgeheim): Celebrating the victories won over Orcs and Goblins. A mounted honour guard of Knights of the Fiery Heart parades through Altdorf ’s streets the supposed skull of the wyvern that slew Emperor Sigismund IV, which normally lies in his ossuary. This parade ends at the steps of the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor ceremonially drives the Sword of Sigismund into the skull. In the evening, a great game of traditional Middenball is held in the Altdorf Market.[74i]
  • Saga (33rd Vorgeheim): Ancient right permits the Dwarf population of Altdorf to hold their Saga celebrations in the Great Cathedral of Sigmar. Throughout the day and night, they gather to share stories of their ancestors. Demand for time at the lectern is so high that speakers must book their places years in advance, and the heads of Altdorf ’s Dwarf families wait with strained patience to proclaim their forebears’ great deeds.[74i]
  • Pie Week (1st - 8th Erntezeit): A traditional Halfling holiday popular in the entire Empire. During Pie Week the Karnevalsplatz becomes the site of a great outdoor food market, and people from all over Altdorf arrive to enjoy the late summer evenings with a hot pie and a pint of ale. Leading up to the event, many Halfling households buzz with activity, fiercely devoted to producing stock for their own stall. The Rumster clan always sets up a massive tent lined with racks of trestle tables piled high with pies, from boutique creations filled with choice cuts of elusive game, to cheap crusts whose contents are tasty but mysterious. Contests involving either the production or consumption of pies are held throughout the week, with massive outsized trophies awarded to the jubilant winners.[74i]
  • Triumphal March in Defiance of the Dark (8th Erntezeit): Celebrating the victory of Magnus over Asavar Kul, a grand procession is held. A vast horde of pilgrims from throughout the Empire and Kislev comes to Altdorf to join the parade. They march from the North Gate around the city and end their procession at the steps of the Grand Cathedral, where the Grand Theogonist ceremonially unveils the Holy Shroud of Magnus.[74i]
  • Mittherbst (Autumn Equinox): During this holiday, Altdorf residents pay quiet respect to the gods. The Temple of Rhya and the Konigplatz host large bonfires, and priests of Ulric tie a smouldering brand to the tail of a terrified sacrificial sheep, which is sent scurrying from the North Gate. The annual running of the rats occurs in the afternoon. Fires lit at key points in the sewers drive a torrent of rats out into the open, where Altdorfers compete to see how many they can snare. At the Karnevalsplatz, city officials award a series of prizes for most rats caught, biggest rat caught, most altered rat caught, and so on.[74i]
  • Second Breech (33rd Brauzeit): The third major dwarf holiday of the year. Holidays that offer a good excuse to get drunk are popular with Altdorfers, and many outside the Dwarf community observe this night as the Imminence of Winter festival. Taverns throughout the city offer discounts, and the streets are awash with revellers and their vomit.[74i]
  • Mondstille (Autumn Equinox): In observance of Mondstille, burghers and city officials light bonfires in the many parks and squares of Altdorf. Those who honour Ulric tell themselves that the fires blaze in respect of the chill winter over which he is master. Those who do not honour Ulric tell themselves that the fires are a beacon, beseeching Taal and Rhya to return fertility and vigour to the world as quickly as they can. The city’s two temples of Ulric open their doors to preach sermons on practising resolve and resilience in order to face the cold dark months still to come. At the Cathedral of Sigmar, rites echo those of Ulric, and sermons tell of Sigmar’s regard for the Wolf God.[74i]
  • Keg End (33rd Vorhexen): The final major dwarf holiday of the year, where old beer is consumed before it spoils. In Altdorf, with its many taverns and breweries, this is not a problem. However, the city’s Dwarfs still like to mark the occasion by drinking copious quantities of ale. In the Karnevalsplatz, a panel of Dwarf elders judge a singing contest. Troubadours compose and perform a song about the events of the previous year. The best song is rewarded with a purse of gold crowns. Non-Dwarfs may compete, though the judges usually dismiss their efforts.[74i]
  • Witching March (33rd Vorhexen): The evening before Hexenstag, a torchlit parade passes through the charred streets around the Bright College. The tradition is relatively recent and secretly orchestrated by the Pyromancers. The parade attracts vast quantities of Aqshy, which the wizards tap into when performing a great ritual over Hexenstag.[74i]

Defence[]

Altdorf Company of Honour

The Altdorf Company of Honour is the best and bravest regiment in Altdorf's large standing army.

Altdorf's large standing army[41g] is the best equipped on any in the Empire.[7q] Their uniforms are red and blue.[41g][53a][28a] Many units' insignia includes the symbols on the Altdorf flag: the crown, Sigmar's hammer, or a griffon's head. The city's detractors imply that Altdorf's troops care more for smart uniforms and parades than fighting, but the city's long history of military success speaks for itself. Indeed, many Altdorf units commemorate their victories with seals or medals.[53a] The cream of the city's army join the formation known as the Altdorf Company of Honour.[53c] Altdorf's wealth also means it has an impressive array of war machines.[53b]

A Halfling mercenary band known, like nearly all Halfling mercenary bands, as the "Fighting Cocks" is attached to the city garrison.[74ax]

If necessary, many of the nobles who reside in Altdorf could call on their own troops to defend the city. Altdorf is also the home of the Reiksguard, the Emperor's personal knightly order.[41g]

Heraldry[]

Altdorf heraldry

The banner of the Principality of Altdorf

Archivists at the Old College of Heraldry trace the formal recognition of Altdorf’s heraldic device to 1010 IC, during the reign of Ludwig the Fat. For all his faults Ludwig was recognised as forging ties between the office of Emperor and the Cult of Sigmar and the device he helped popularise reflects this. The Crown and Griffon’s head, symbols of royal authority, above and below the Hammer, symbol of Sigmar’s divine might.[74g]

The death’s head figure that stands behind the shield in many images is not an officially recognised heraldic device. It was added to the banners of many Altdorf state regiments during the wars with the Vampiric masters of Sylvania as a sign of their defiance in the face of the horror of undeath. It is now so widely displayed that even citizens of the city are surprised to learn that it isn’t yet legitimised and shocked to see it excluded.[74g]

Currency minted in Altdorf often bears the death's head figure, celebrating the resilience of the city against dark forces.[20d]

Government[]

"A government? You call that a government? Looks like the invention of a deranged Snotling!"

—Count Claude Villecroix of Parravon, Bretonnian ambassador to the court of the Emperor Karl Franz[21h]
Warhammer Altdorf Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace, heart of the city of Altdorf

The supreme ruler of Altdorf is Karl Franz, the Prince of Altdorf and the Elector Count of Reikland, who is also the Emperor of the Empire. His rule over his city is almost undisputed, not only because of his statesmanship but also because he commands the adoration of his people.[21h] Nevertheless, Karl Franz must balance numerous interests to keep Altdorf stable. The Colleges of Magic, University of Altdorf, School of Engineers, and great merchant houses all wield significant power, and if too many concessions are made to one institution, its rivals will undoubtedly demand the same.[40a]

Patriotic Reiklanders have come to see the Empire under the reign of House Holswig-Schliestein as so wealthy, powerful, and stable that they view all foreign governments as temporary, if not funny. Their Emperor embodies the example of Sigmar, so his word must be law and his wish the command of his subjects. For the word of the Emperor to be anything less than law would be a betrayal of the principles that have held the Empire together.[74e]

In reality, few Emperors wield such power. Desperate circumstances and force of will have seen men like Magnus the Pious wield their influence against little opposition. Most who have sat the Imperial throne have had to balance their desires against those of powerful groups with divergent agendas. Weak Emperors of the past have allowed favourites to overly influence them, have appointed flatterers or incompetents to their councils, and have issued edicts the Prime Estates simply chose to ignore.[74e]

Wise Emperors know to surround themselves with qualified experts who are able to complement their ideas and provide honest feedback. These advisors and representatives build relationships with cults, guilds, and Komissions to win popular support, and make offers that watchdog bodies such as the Prime Estates find difficult to refuse.[74e]

Because of this, much of the detail of Altdorf governance is carried out by a de facto oligarchy of wealthy merchants and powerful aristocrats who mainly have their own interests at heart.[41g]

The Three Volkshalle Councils[]

Each day dozens of issues demand the Emperor’s attention, from policies on taxation, to the appeal of noble prisoners seeking clemency, to the official opening of the Grand Altdorf Fair. Whilst Karl-Franz is famed as a great statesman, his success is due in large part to the teams of (mostly) loyal and (largely) competent councillors to whom he delegates the running of his Empire, his province, and his capital.[74e]

There are three councils in particular that meet regularly at the Imperial Palace’s public meeting chambers, collectively called the Volkshalle. The councillors are powerful individuals entrusted by the Emperor to advise him on best policy regarding their area of expertise, and even to act in his stead should he be absent or indisposed. The councils’ role is to support the Emperor, seeking to provide him with good advice and constructive plans to implement his wishes. It may be the place of a councillor to graciously raise criticism, but only if they go on to suggest solutions and improvements.[74e]

The Council of State[]

The Council of State is the most influential of the three councils. Its job is to advise the Emperor on the state of the nation, to broker agreements between the Emperor and the Elector Counts, and to take the pulse of the national mood.[74e]

The Council has no formal power, although Emperor Mattheus II, grandfather of Karl-Franz, tried to write a constitution for the Empire built around the Council. This was quietly quashed by the Electors, who oppose anything that would limit their authority. The Council, however, does control access to the Emperor and thus what information he receives. Their power is, therefore, quite strong—when they can make a united stand. When this happens, it is usually due to the Grand Theogonist’s behind-the-scenes machinations on crucial issues.[21h]

Portfolios of the Council of State include:

The Reikland Council[]

Reikland Council

The Reikland Council

Reikland Council meetings are held each week in the Wilhelm Chamber of the Volkshalle to discuss matters of import. As most of the members of the council have very important roles to perform regarding their own estates and families, it is rare that more than six of the high lords meet at one time. It is Karl-Franz’s privilege as Grand Prince of the Reikland. Due to Altdorf being the capital of the Reikland, many of these positions also overlap with the Council of State.[74e]

Council of Altdorf[]

Warhammer Altdorf Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of the Principality of Altdorf

The third of the Great Councils is also the largest and most subject to change. The Altdorf council is composed of Komission convenors (who report on the findings of the few Comissions in Altdorf), guild masters (who advocate on behalf of the trades they seek to represent and control), Watch captains (who report on threats to public order and safety), priests (who speak for their respective cults) and burgomeisters (who are the chief politicians of each city district).[74e][32b]

The cast of characters who attend Altdorf council meetings is difficult for even the secretary to keep track of, and frequent guests of honour do not help the situation. Any particular meeting may see depositions from foreign ambassadors, sales pitches from traders, or Dwarf engineers looking for commissions to improve the city walls or sewers. Even Fish war chiefs have met councillors, according to rumour, in highly secretive meetings. Despite these vicissitudes, two men dominate the proceedings of most meetings.[74e][32b]

The Emperor's Court[]

Privy Council[]

The Privy Councilors are positions within the Imperial family itself which holds no real politcal power within the Imperial government. There are scores of privy councillors. Many of them have conspicuously menial tasks, such as ensuring the Emperor’s chamber pot is kept clean, or organising his wardrobe. Yet they are all trusted favourites of Karl Franz. He wishes to speak his mind and think aloud whilst in his own chambers, so even the most apparently modest of his domestic staff is an experienced and trusted diplomat.[74e]

Kazadar Durginsson of the Stonewall clan is one of only two Imperial Dwarfs holding a position of significance in the Imperial court. Bruni Gromsson, the Metallschlacke district elder, is the other. In his capacity as the minister of Altdorf’s defences, Kazadar regularly inspects the conditions of the city wall and its garrison. Monthly, he issues meticulous and highly regarded reports for review and dissemination by the High Lord Reiksmarshal. There are also ambassadors from the Dwarf realms present at the Imperial court. The most important are those representing the Dwarf Empire of Karaz Ankor as well as the Dwarf holds of Karak Norn and Karak Azgaraz.[74e]

  • Ludwig Schwarzhelm - The Emperor's Champion
  • Bruni Gromson - Voice of Altdorf's Dwarf community
  • Daedra Stillwater - Lothern's Chief Diplomat

Ambassadors[]

Warhammer Altdorf Ambassadors

Ambassadors to the Imperial Court

The Prime Estates[]

The Prime Estates is an Imperial organization which was created to help administrate the actions and well-beings of the Emperor in person. At the end of the 11th century, when Boris the Incompetent tried to confer the title of Duke to his favorite race horse, the Electors unanimously decided that they had to administrate the emperor's actions so as to keep face with the Empire's people. So they assigned one representative each to form a watchdog body that would take the name of Prime Estates.[21h]

This body’s formal purpose is to provide the Elector Counts with a voice in Imperial politics, an early warning if the Emperor should act against their interests, and the power to issue a de facto veto of objectionable Imperial edicts. The relationship between the Prime Estates and the Emperor is not entirely formal. The Emperor is within his rights to issue commands to the Electors and have them seriously considered, but if the Electors are unwilling to enact his orders there is little he can do. Tradition has it that the Electors must provide troops for the Emperor should he wish to wage war, but other demands may be ignored, or outright defied, if the Electors object to them.[74e]

Each Elector Count has ensured an established representation in the capital, embassies directed by a loyal family member or close acquaintance. These ambassadors would discuss new imperial decrees or legislation, as well as send these reports back to the Electors that had elevated them to such a position. As they have the power to reject decisions that do not suit them, it is important for the Emperor to obtain the approval of the Prime Estates if he hopes to accomplish anything. In theory, the Emperor also has a veto over the choice, but in practice, it would be very difficult for him to exercise it. Indeed, without a real majority support amongst the Electors, the Emperor has no chance to assert his right of veto. The latest attempt to do so was Emperor Mattheus II who wished to institute the first ever democracy, but the threat of civil war by the other Elector Counts was so pressing that he was forced to give it up.[21h]

Komissions[]

Komissions are occasionally set up in Altdorf, though they are seen as somewhat unbecoming and tend to deal with trivialities. The intended purpose of a komission is to gather information about how aspects of life in the city, such as the legal system or policing, affect the citizens and what might be done to improve them. A functional komission gathers opinions from the populace and then recommends sensible changes to policy in light of its findings. In Altdorf, komissions are set up to fail, often as not, and in doing so prove the efficacy of aristocratic privilege. There are a few komissions working in the city, but they are regarded as ‘more of a Middenheim thing’.[74e]

Guilds[]

Warhammer Altdorf Guild

The Guild of Butchers

Guilds frequently operate as a law unto themselves, policing their members, protecting their interests, and attempting to gain concessions from the various political groupings of the city. There are many and varied guilds offering apprenticeship and career progression to their members — for a hefty price of fees and favours. Admission to a guild allows the individual a chance to earn Altdorf citizenship — without which they may not own private property within the city walls — and, perhaps, a chance to join one of the many district councils. Some guilds are powerful enough to skirt aspects of city law, having won charter to try their own members by private means if they are accused of professional malfeasance. Guilds offer a variety of benefits to their members, from pensions and scholarships to matchmaking and widow funds. A man may easily spend his whole life within a guild, and it is a rare day when loyalties change without consequences.[74e]

Today, hundreds of various guilds exist in Altdorf. All guilds offer some sort of apprenticeship process and demand some kind of fee or service, but beyond that there are very few unifying characteristics. Many guilds are very old and have evolved complex bylaws. In a few cases, guilds have even reserved the right to try their members outside the Imperial justice system. In order to officially have guild status, an organization must be on the Civic List of Altdorf, but many informal guilds operate outside of this law. [22d]

  • Ale and Wine Guild: The Ale and Wine Guild has a wealthy owner.[33k]
  • Blackpowder Men: Members of this guild are commonly made fun of due to their perceived fear of Bright Wizards. [22d]
  • Butchers’ Guild: The Butchers’ Guild is currently attempting to survive an incident known as the Dead Body Scandal. [22d]
  • Guild of Fine Artistic Endeavour: The guild of artists, known to be rather skittish.[100a]
  • Guild of Leather Workers: Pieter Donaltun is this guild's master.[34i]
  • Guild of Stevedores: Colloquially known as the Wharf Rats, the Guild of Stevedores is known for its physically imposing members. [22d]
  • Honourable Guild of Physicks: Members of this guild include doktors from smaller towns in the Reikland.[42b][Note 6]
  • Imperial Guild of Arms and Armourers: Nicknamed the A&A, this guild generally has a good reputation. [22d]
  • Lawyers’ Guild: The Lawyers’ Guild is not well-liked, but considered unavoidable. [22d] In the past they influenced the city’s citizenship laws so as to make them impossible to navigate without their guidance. [22e]
  • Masons’ and Carpenters’ Guild: This guild of builders are considered to be slow, expensive, and pretentious. [22d]
  • Mercantile Society: This guild of grocers is currently sponsoring a weights and measures law. [22d]
  • Mercers’ Association: The guild of mercers has a reputation for merely being pretentious tailors. [22d]
  • Mourners' Guild: Initiates of the Mourners' Guild tend the graves in Toteninsel and offer guidance to the bereaved. They often go on to ordination as priests of Morr.[74ay]
  • Otto's Flats: This corrupt collective of nine greedy ferrymen is one of the larger passenger ferry guilds in the Altdorf area.[34c]
  • Physicians to the Crown: The official Altdorf guild for Physicians has an agreement with the Emperor by which it is protected against claims of malpractice from plebians, but can only use cures and practices allowed by the crown.[27d][Note 6]

Other Organisations[]

  • The Citizens' Vigilance Comittee: A group of volunteers with the official goal of aiding the Watch. Secretly dominated by the Hooks.[74g]
  • The Revolutionary Movement: A disparate group of people that seek to overthrow the established order.[74g]
  • Oath of Devotion Societies: Dedicated to the memory and good name of a hero of the Empire, as well as defending their good name against slander.[74g]
  • The Popular League Against Nobility and Taxation: Known by its acronym PLANT, members seek to introduce revolutionary ideals by adressing individual injustices.[74g]
  • Student Bodies: Student bodies are clubs of fellow travellers who offer guidance and see to it that a wild night out does not result in robbery or death. The most prominent are the League of Karl Franz and the Inkies, but several more exist.[74g]

Law[]

While Altdorf may have a reputation for relative fairness in its judicial system, the courts and their judges remain easy to influence for those with wealth and power. The court and prison system of Altdorf is a favourite recruitment ground for those seeking individuals both desperate and of a certain moral flexibility.[74o]

During interrogations, prisoners can expect less torture than anywhere else in the Empire. Even better, they are actually quite likely to receive a trial before their execution.[85a][74o] Wealthy or high-born miscreants receive the most merciful of deaths, having their heads hewn from their shoulders with practised blows of a double-handed sword. For common criminals, the punishments are increasingly gruesome and torturous. The typical fate of traitors or murderers is hanging near unto death, then disembowelment, and finally dismemberment by a team of horses. The most famed of outlaws and seditionists receive even more imaginative demises.[74o]

Within the city, blades are only allowed to be worn up to a certain length, except by the military.[85a]

Taxes[]

There are many ways in which a citizen of Altdorf may be taxed. The city levies excises on goods; tolls on gates, wharves, and bridges; and a business tax on shops. Dues may also be payed to guilds and Colleges of Magic. Between these and the many protection rackets, cons, and burglaries in Altdorf, ordinary citizens only keep between half and two-thirds of their income, and outsiders often lose all of their money before they realize it. Because of these high rates, taxation is something Altdorfers care a lot about, and new taxes are often announced on public holidays, so that a workday is not lost to the inevitable riots.[22e]

Altdorf has the dubious distinction of being the first city in the Empire to collect road tolls.[20c]

Criminal Gangs[]

Warhammer Gangs of Altdorf

The two most infamous Gangs, the Fish and Hooks

Altdorf's criminal underworld is dominated by two large gangs - the Fish and the Hooks. They are most powerful in the East End among the dock workers and slum dwellers.[74g] The lower echelons of these gangs are little more than disorganised mobs, and it is a simple matter for a prospective member to affiliate themselves with a gang. Merely wearing a patch in the shape of a hook or fish announces membership.[74g]

The gangs carve out areas of the waterfront where their members receive preferential treatment. They make up informal guilds for stevedores, teamsters, and unskilled labourers, ensuring that their members are gainfully employed in return for a tithe. They also run all manner of crime and vice, cornering the market in bawds, pimps, drug dealers, and muscle for hire.[74g]

The upper echelons of the gangs take on a more serious paramilitary structure, with ranks of foot soldiers directed and inspired by self-styled ‘War Chiefs’. They command extensive turfs in the East End, the boundaries of which were mostly decided in the Waterfront Wars of 2498–2503 IC. They are also active in the Docklands of the city north, though the merchants here force them to observe uneasy truces.[74g]

The Fish were originally smugglers, but have also become supporters of various seditionist movements like the revolutionaries. In contrast, the Hooks run extortion rackets, violent shakedowns, and exercises in petty theft just like the Fish, but eschew revolutionary connections and don’t indulge in smuggling quite as much.[74g]

Following the loss of power of the gangs following the Beast Murders, Vesper Klasst rose as the kingpin of the waterfront, controlling criminal gangs from Little Tilea to the Morrwies.[70a]

Dwarf Gangs[]

Most of the Dwarfs who live in Altdorf see themselves as honourable traditionalists, caring about their own and their clan’s reputations. Yet, there are some Dwarfs who have stepped into the criminal life, joining the Manling gangs. Other Dwarfs have formed armed bands to oppose the gangs. The Hooks and the Fish are but two of the criminal organisations plaguing Altdorf. Up until the Great Fog Riots, there were Dwarf members serving in varying capacities for both gangs, mostly as muscle or moving ‘hot’ merchandise. The Dwarf Fish members grew disenchanted when their gang embraced the seditionist Yevgeny Yefimovich, and abandoned the gang even before the demagogue was revealed as a follower of Tzeentch.[74g]

Many left Altdorf to join Fish chapters in other Imperial riverports, while some changed their allegiance to the ‘patriotic’ Hook gang. The appeal was in the Hooks’ claim to stand on the side of the Emperor against those who would upend the established order. Even Dwarf outlaws detest radical change to the long-standing social structure.[74g]

Law-abiding Dwarfs in the Metallschlake district take a dim view of criminal gangs, and the clans have paid their own to protect their livelihoods. Known as the Sapphire Hammerers (Zaffengrundi) for their sapphire-coloured armbands emblazoned with a hammer of the same colour, the armed Dwarf band strives to keep their quarter free of all gangs, including Hooks and Fish. The Sapphire Hammerers know the Hook-associated Citizens’ Vigilance Committee for what it is and do not cooperate with it.[74g]

The Watch[]

"Sorry, sir, I’ve got a Halfling killer, a Weirdroot smuggling ring, a gang war, and a noble threatening to have me arrested by my own Station. Your missing cat will have to wait until tomorrow."

—Sergeant Harri Makkenpieser, Altdorf City Watch[45h]
Dock Watch

Dock Watchmen patrol the Street of a Hundred Taverns.

Although they're better organized than most other civic watches,[41c] the priorities of the Altdorf Watch are mainly preventing riots and protecting the rich and powerful. They have little regard for petty thieves, routine gang activities, and, in poor districts, even serious crimes such as murder.[22u] The competence and corruption of the watch varies greatly from district to district, from the efficient Palast District watch[41g] to the infamously crooked Dock Watch.[41c]

The Watch is headquartered in the Empire House[22m][41c] and maintains fortified posts throughout the city.[41c] It is one of the few city watches in the Empire large enough to employ specialized detectives.[34j] In past centuries, the Watch was also called the Schuetzenverein,[67c] while nowadays, the colloquial term for a member is "griffon".[70b]

A typical patrol consists of four watchmen. Watchmen are typically equipped with a breastplate,[41g] a tabard bearing the arms of House Holswig-Schliestein,[41c] a bell with which to ring for help, and either a spear or halberd.[41g] While all uniforms look identical, rank within the watch is indicated by the colour of the helmet plume, the deeper the blue, the higher the rank.[85a]

The Runners are the equivalent to the watch in the Dwarven Neiderwind district. Their captain is Hergar Algrimson of the Stonehammer clan and their watch house stands on the corner of Bugonstrataz and Drakkstrataz.[74az]

Religion[]

Altdorf is the centre of numerous Imperial cults. The Cult of Sigmar has been holding court in Altdorf again since the time of Magnus the Pious, with the Grand Theogonist officially residing in the Holy Temple of Sigmar.[74w] It is also the home to the Great Temple of the Witch Hunters.[74w] While the headquarters of the Templar Witch Hunters are located in Altdorf, the Cult of Sigmar looks disapprovingly on them plying their trade in the city, preferring to deal with matters of heresy and witchcraft within Altdorf itself on its own.[72b] Every five years, the Grand Conclave is held in Altdorf to discuss matters relating to the ten cults that hold seats in this august body.[30a] As such, the higher ranking priests within the city are very influential in their cult at large.

Despite all deities accepted in the Empire being welcome, certain gods have less worshippers or accceptance than elsewhere. The Cult of Manann finds itself sidelined in favour of a local river god, called Grandfather Reik.[74f] Myrmidia remains poorly understood and mainly popular among foreigners from the south, while her attendees from Altdorf proper mainly recruit themselves from militaristic engineers, scholars and wizards.[74f] Ranald's worship is mainly restricted to the docks, as nobles and middle-class people find it distateful to acknowledge him in public. Even here, sincere followers of the god have their enemies and must be wary of professing their beliefs in unfamiliar company. The Hooks sanctimoniously proclaim themselves to be law abiders, whilst the Fish engage in more violent forms of crime than those Ranald’s strictures permit.[74f]

Most Altdorfers have a relaxed attitude to the existence of Ulrican temples in their city, and might even visit them to make offerings on the onset of winter or war. They may find Ulrican rites to be wild and primitive, but respect them nevertheless.[74f] However, a significant minority of Altdorf's Sigmarites resent the Cult of Ulric. Some see Ulric as an irrelevant vestige of theology that Sigmar superseded long ago. Others feel that Ulricans have been the cause of historical mischief and division, or that moderate Ulricans bear responsibility for the insults and injuries radical Ulricans visit on Sigmarites in the Empire’s north.[74f]

For their part, Altdorf's Ulricans are well aware that they live in Sigmar's city and keep any qualms they might have about his legitimacy to themselves. Most of them see themselves as ambassadors for their fellow Ulricans, and highlight the positive influence the example of Ulric has on their lives and those around them.[74f]

Inhabitants[]

"ALTDORF FOR ALTDORFERS! MIDDENLANDERS OUT!"

—Pamphlet, Street of a Hundred Taverns[45f]
Altdorf Dockers

The varied peoples of Altdorf

Altdorf has three main social classes, and it's hard to imagine them being less equal. In the slums, unfortunate souls regularly starve to death and die by murder. For the rich, absurd luxuries are commonplace. The middle class of burghers and merchants exist between the two, and their numbers are growing everyday. Although they live lives of toil, they're surprisingly cosmopolitan, and many even manage to send their children to the University of Altdorf for at least a couple of terms.[41g] A few groups, such as magisters, exist outside this caste system.[40b]

Altdorfers are a proud lot. Even the lowest citizen takes pleasure in their status as a part of the great city. They may not understand the arcane system of rights and vassalage, but that doesn’t prevent them from telling folk about it. Outsiders from the provinces are treated with a measure of disdain and pity. Whatever they say, nothing compares to the heritage of each and every citizen of Altdorf; at least, that’s what they believe. Dating from the feudal times of Sigmar, the citizenry laws originally dictated who worked where, what tax they owed, and who they served.[22d]

Complex even then, these dubious laws have grown into a bewildering variety of legal statuses that serve mostly to ensure the hegemony of the Lawyers’ Guild. Famously described as “a carbuncle upon the rump of justice,” these laws govern all sorts of activities, including who one may marry, which city gate one can use, and even what type of hat one can wear. Whilst citizenship is usually inherited from parents or granted by a guild, it can sometimes be granted as a reward. Generally speaking, advancement requires a sponsor and a great deal of money. The individual’s status must be vetted by the Lawyers’ Guild and then added to the great Civic List of Altdorf. Folk can be recognised as full, half, or even quarter citizens— temporary men of Altdorf, traders, vagabonds, and outlaws.[22d]

One might attain the status of freeman, friend, or even the infamous dastard. Wizards of course, attain the position of magister once they complete their apprenticeship. This strange status means wizards are technically vassals of their Order, each having a form of baronial status but only within the bounds of their College. In practice, the citizenry laws are seldom enforced, for they harken back to an earlier age. When it comes to tax, the collectors have a difficult enough time collecting a flat rate from people, let alone trying to apply different rates. Unless buying property or dealing in complex trade, ordinary folk ignore these laws and get by on common sense. Those involved in high finance and the like simply pay the lawyers until they receive the desired result.[22d]

Massive inequality combined with a well-educated middle class make Altdorf a hotbed of revolution and liberal rhetoric. Riots and attempted revolutions are commonplace here, far more so than any other city in the Empire.[41h] In particular, riots often follow episodes of deep fog. Fog is fairly common in Altdorf (possibly because of the Grey College), so riots are fairly common also.[45f]

When Altdorfers speak, they speak quickly and use many demonstrative gestures. To outsiders, they seem to have an undue and short-sighted focus on wealth and status in their daily lives.[41g]

Very few Altdorfers are literate—certainly fewer than 20 percent of the population. Despite this, the population are avid consumers of broadsheets. Illiterate Altdorfers crowd around as their literate friends read broadsheets aloud, listen to buskers reading them on street corners, or hear them any other way they can. One broadsheet, the Griffon's Tail, has become especially popular with the unlearned as of late, particularly through its novel use of etched cartoons.[33i] Other newssheets include the Altdorf Spieler, Bizzarre!, Hammerzungen, the Wolf's Call, the Reik Report, Schlag!, The Truth,[33r] The Veracitor,[34f] and the Altdorf Celestial Body.[34g]

Altdorf is known for its many taverns, which are found throughout the city, but especially concentrated near the docklands. The combination of alcohol and conversations which often turn towards divise political topics are a recipe for violence, so most taverns have their patrons check any weapons at the door. The only exceptions are those which serve the very poor, who are expected to fend for themselves, and the very rich, whose rules of decorum prevent them engaging in tavern brawls.[74b]

Because Altdorf is the location of the Colleges of Magic, the average Altdorfer has probably seen more sorcery than those from anywhere else in the Empire. Altdorfers try to keep a blasé and dismissive attitude towards magic, but in reality almost all are at least a little bit frightened by it.[23c] Despite their physical proximity, common Altdorfers see the Colleges of Magic as aloof and otherworldly.[38a] Wizards are not the only unusual site an Altdorfer might see: the city is one the few to be visited by Arabyan merchants or Ulthuani diplomats.[41g]

Non-humans[]

"On my first visit to Altdorf, I was surprised by the number of races rubbing shoulders with each other in the narrow streets: men of every nation, intractable dwarfs and portly halflings. I even met a few of my own kind, as well as a curious representative of those elves who remained in these parts after the exodus. What surprised me more was how they all seemed to get along…well, most of the time."

—Suriel Lianllach, High Elf envoy[35f]

According to the census of 2510, there were 1,100 taxpaying Dwarf households in Altdorf.[16a] Many are metalsmiths or stoneworkers—humans often assume any dwarf they meet is one of the two. There are also rumours of exiled dwarf engineers joining the School of Engineers.[41h] But no matter how long a dwarf has been residing in Altdorf, he or she is far too stubborn to ever call it home.[45t] Many Dwarfs believe that Altdorf has become less amenable to their kind in recent centuries, a situation they blame on the elgi-influences Colleges of Magic.[74au] Some of Altdorf's dwarfs are employed on the side as informants to the rulers and loremasters of Karak Norn and Karak Hirn.[74bb]

Halflings are common in the city,[41h] as it is home to one of the largest Halfling populations outside of The Moot.[33q] Anti-halfling discrimination is still commonplace, although less so than in other cities such as Middenheim and Averheim. But if one were to observe halflings, they might think the folk were trying to live up to their stereotypes. As always, skilled halfing chefs are in high demand.[41h]

Elven presence in Altdorf began in 2150, when a group from Saphery set up a consulate.[74j] Today, the city's small Elven population consists mainly of Envoys of the merchant houses.[18a][18c] Sometimes Asur visit Altdorf as diplomats from the Phoenix Court, or to oversee the Colleges of Magic.[35a] It's even rumoured that the High Elves maintain a permanent embassy in Altdorf, but nobody seems to know where it is or who the ambassadors are.[41h] There are also Asur spies in the city,[45m] agents of Saphery, Lothern, and Cothique.[74bb] A significant portion of the Empire's High Elves report to these agents.[45m] Once rare, elven merchant ships from Ulthuan have become a regular sight during the reign of Karl Franz.[35g]

Wood Elves occasionally visit the city, but they're usually mistaken for dirty High Elves, much to their annoyance.[41h]

There are a few Dark Elves in Altdorf as well, spies who are disguised as Wood Elves or High Elves.[74bb]

Some Ogres also live in the city. Typical ogre occupations include bodyguard, criminal enforcer, and dockworker. Most Altdorfers are wary of ogres.[41h]

As with wizards, Altdorfers make it a point of pride to act nonchalant about nonhumans—except for halflings, whom they treat like scum.[41h]

Due to the size of the city, Altdorf has something of a vampiric community that lives hidden among the mortals. Some, like Genevieve Dieudonné, have even been granted a place in society by decree of the Emperor, but most conspire from the shadows to influence Altdorf's politics.[29c] The majority consists of members of the Lahmians, although a Strigoi has taken up residence in the sewers.[72c]

Citizenship[]

Citizenship law in Altdorf dates back to the time of Sigmar. Today it is an extremely complex system that can only be navigated with help from a lawyer. There are now a variety of legal statuses within the city, including full, half, and quarter citizens, and laws governing what activities they may carry out. [22e]

The most common way of acquiring Altdorf citizenship is inheriting it from a parent. Membership in an official guild also bestows citizenship. In some cases, citizenship may be a reward. For anyone else, gaining citizenship requires a sponsor and a large sum of money. The applicant is then vetted by the Lawyers’ Guild. Successful applicants’ names are then placed on the venerable Civic List of Altdorf. [22e]

However, citizenship law today is largely irrelevant. Since there is no way to check one’s citizenship status on the spot, it is very difficult to enforce laws dealing with citizenship. Citizenship law only applies in a few cases, such as property or trade law. [22e]

Role of the Colleges[]

"Oh yes, you meet mages round here from time to time. Nice folk in the main. Try doing a good turn for those ones in the shiny robes and they don’t half tip generously. I ain’t too keen on those blue fellers mind, the stargazers. Got a way of looking at a man that I don’t quite care for.’"

—Gurt Hartmann, Bawd, shortly before his arrest and summary execution [74a]
Warhammer Colleges of Magic

The Imperial Colleges of Magic.

The Colleges of Magic jumped into Altdorf politics almost as soon as they were founded. Since then they have competed with the city's aristocracy for political power. Although the Grand Prince initially curbed their ambitions by instituting the special status of "Magister," they have managed to gradually acquire more and more influence since then.[23b] Most believe that the colleges keep tabs on important personages throughout the Empire. This is true, though their eyes and ears are keener in Altdorf and Reikland than the rest of the Empire. It remains to be seen what they will use this intelligence network for.[23b][36f] In the end, however, the colleges are loyal to the Emperor. They are bound not only by law, but also by the fact that the Emperor is the single most generous patron of the colleges.[23d]

For those not in the highest echelons of society, the colleges' economic impact is far more important than its political position. Magisters, after all, are still humans who need food and drink, and the activities of the colleges require plenty of other items. Many merchants and tradesmen who supply the colleges don't really know to whom they sell—magisters wear disguises when dealing with them, or the suppliers are instructed to drop their goods off at other locations.[36a] In other cases, though, the colleges wish to make their economic largesse known, and make sure their suppliers know exactly who is providing them with such good business.[36a][36b]

Magisters are a social class unto themselves, mostly operating outside the rest of the Empire's social structure. Internally, the colleges are a rare example of a meritocracy in the Empire.[40b] Still, they rank higher than the hoi polloi, and they act the part in public. They behave in a civilized manner, and the people around them respect them.[38b]

Physical Description[]

"There’s these two thick Stirlanders getting drunk in a field one night and worrying the sheep when one of them gets an idea in his head. I know, I know — it was a shock to him too! He’s that surprised, the straw drops from his mouth! He turns to his mate and says, “Oi Rolf, what’s further away do ye reckon, Altdorf or Mannslieb?” The other one rolls his eyes. Well, he tries to, save they’re so close set he finds it difficult! So instead he just sighs and says, “ Ye daft blighter, Altdorf of course! Ye can’t even see it from ’ere!"

— Gruenlieb the Greasy, once Court Jester to the late Emperor Luitpold[74a]
Warhammer Harbor of Altdorf

The harbours of Altdorf

Altdorf is the hub of the Empire, home of the Imperial Palace and the Grand Cathedral of Sigmar. Celebrated as the site of Sigmar’s birth, Altdorf has always been the centre of his cult. Throughout the history of the Empire, Emperors have held their courts elsewhere due to the vagaries of civil war and changing fashion, but Altdorf has always been an important city.[74a]

Since space is at a premium within Altdorf’s city walls, houses are typically four to seven storeys[57]—taller than houses in most Imperial cities.[27f] They are built up next to each other, so there are no side windows. Typical houses will contain a shop on the ground floor, a yard in the back, and a residential area in the storeys above. The quality of the houses varies.[22g] Some are old and crumbling, others newly constructed.[41f] There are dozens of Sigmarite shrines and chapels throughout the city.[41g] Due to the influence of the Colleges of Magic, streets don't always go where they should and sometimes lead to a different place altogther.[57a]

The streets of Altdorf are furnished with a rarity in the Old World: streetlamps.[22f]

Warhammer Spires of Altdorf

The spires of Altdorf

The River Reik runs through Altdorf. It is an important trade route in and out of the city[6a] and is often crammed with boats.[41h][57] However, it also smells very bad.[61] In Altdorf, multiple bridges cross the Reik, some of which are equipped with steam powered drawing mechanisms designed by the college of engineers.[7f]

Altdorf has some underground sewers, to remove the smell of human waste.[22h] The sewer system is convoluted, having been built over many generations.[44d] The sewers are generally tall enough for a dwarf or halfling to walk through without bending over. Some of these are effective, but others have been blocked. Of course, operational sewers are more likely to be located in wealthy neighbourhoods.[22h]

City Walls[]

Altdorf ’s walls are famous for their solid construction and the visual impact of their gleaming white stone face and thick plates of red terracotta tile. The walls, first raised in 534 IC, are up to 100 feet high and 15 feet thick in places, and of Dwarf design.[74k] There were defensive walls in Altdorf even before the time of Sigmar,[21a] albeit of poorer quality.

Sigismund the Conqueror, having learned how easily an illdefended city falls to siege, ordered their construction. Over the centuries, the city’s expansion has necessitated knocking down and rebuilding some sections of wall. Still, Altdorf ’s population declined dramatically during years of plague and civil war, so the current extent of the walls is little larger than the original footprint.[74k] They're fortified with cannons and mortars.[41h]

City Gates[]

The four main gates of Altdorf are titanic structures, tall enough to admit a Giant (were they willing to stoop a bit) and so wide that a regiment of state troops could march from them twenty abreast. Altdorfers take pride in the fact that their city is always so busy, and so well guarded, that the gates remain open throughout the hours of darkness. Other cities may bar their gates against the creatures that wait in the surrounding forest, but Altdorfers fear no bands of raiders. Only under threat of a besieging army would the Watch swing shut and bolt the great oaken doors.[74l]

The watchmen posted at the gates are careful to inspect wagons and carts that pass through. A toll is levied on passengers,[22e] although certain groups, such as members of the Reiksguard, have an exemption.[61] The gates close at night.[32c] Many of the merchant and trade guilds within the city provide their trusted suppliers with passes that can save them from lengthy inspections.[74l]

Strangers receive closer scrutiny. Those who arrive on board a coach are usually waved through without interference. Coaching Houses, like the Guilds, pay well to ensure their customers receive a warm welcome. Those arriving on foot meet with less respect. The guards refuse entry to anyone with less than five crowns, for Altdorf has enough beggars already.[74l]

The four main gates gates are:

  • The North Gate, also called the Gate of the Emperor or the Wolf Gate,[78b] flanked by two massive statues of Sigmar wielding Ghal Maraz and Ulric wielding Blitzbeil, opening up to the Middenheim Road.[74m]
  • The East Gate, adorned with a magnificent pediment sculpture depicting Taaal, Verena, Ulric, Rhya, Shallya and Sigmar, opening up to the artillery fields.[74m]
  • The South Gate, also called the Witches Gate, for condemned dark magicians are lead through this gate to their execution site.[74m]
  • The West Gate, also called the Market Gate or the Reikstor,[69b] flanked by brass statues of griffons holding hammers.[74m][61a]The Market Gate is smaller than the Empire Gate, but busier.[32c]

Smaller gates, called the Postern Gates, exist, mainly near the Grandmarket district to allow for a quicker transportation of goods.[74m]

Altdorf Fog[]

Altdorf enjoys the same temperate climate the rest of the Reikland is known for. In the winter, the frosts rarely bite too painfully — though chunks of ice make the rivers treacherous. During a hot summer, the sun is never too merciless, but the humidity and stench become oppressive.[74c]

However, Altdorf is known for its episodes of deep fog. Fog usually either rises from the Reik or descends from the Grey Mountains[41l] and settles in the bowl of the city.[64e] Fog's prevalence may also have to do with the presence of the Grey College.[45f] Most mornings at least a little foggy, but the fog is especially severe in the spring and autumn.[74c]

Fog greatly alters the character of the city. Riots are particularly common following fog.[45f] Crime and intrigue become even more prevalent. Typical measures taken during a fog include the placement of lanterns along the riverfront and augmenting the city watch with a platoon of Imperial Militia. Watchmen light a fog fire in the Königsplatz, and the Cult of Sigmar opens the refectory of the Holy Temple to those who have been stranded away from home.[64e]

Geography[]

To Altdorf's populace their home, scandals and depredations included, can be divided into three distinct sections, as different from one another as any of the Empire’s vast provinces.[74a]

South of the Reik is commonly referred to as the Southbank and houses many of Altdorf’s upper-class homes, its finest buildings, vying political and religious centres, and its few sparse green spaces. [74a]

This excessive grandeur is counterpointed by the East End, nestled between the confluence of the Reik and Talabec. It has an admittedly deserved reputation for poverty, crime, and revolutionary sentiment. To its residents, the East End is the real Altdorf, full of people who, if not always honest or decent, are certainly people.[74a]

The City North makes up the rest of Altdorf, and indeed it can feel like a jumble of assorted and competing interests. Here one can find the capital’s infamous Colleges of Magic, its more mundane university, and the most bewildering array of businesses and commercial interests east of Marienburg.[74a]

When the Colleges of Magic were built in Altdorf, the area became slightly warped. This had the effect of making the city essentially unmappable[22b][22c][74ad], although it is rumoured that the Emperor and the Celestial College possess accurate maps. Instead, Altdorfers usually navigate using landmarks.[22i][74ad]

South Bank[]

The South Bank is the heart of political and religious power in the city. It features many upper-class residences and even a few green spaces.[74a]

Friedhofkreuzung[]

Altdorf's oldest Garden of Morr lies on a hill at the center of Friedhofkreuzung, the city's westernmost district. It's a strange sort of person who would live in a district dominated by such a morbid landmark. Friedhofkreuzung's inhabitants tend to be rather sombre. The district also has a concentration of Ostermarkers, which exerts a subtle influence on the area's architecture.[74o]

  • Gallows Square: Located near the Palace of Retribution, this is Altdorf's most oft-used public execution ground.[74o] It is also called the Widow's Plaza.[22r][67f]
  • Garden of Morr: The garden of Morr in Friedhofkreuzung is the oldest and most prestigious cemetery in Altdorf. It contains the graves of generations of Altdorf aristocrats, including some Grand Princes and Emperors.[74o]
  • Palace of Retribution: The Grand Courts of Justice, more commonly called the Palace of Retribution, is a complex of judicial buildings which includes the Imperial Courthouse and Tower of Altdorf.[22k][22l][67f][74o]
  • Sepulchre of Prophecy: Shrine to Morr which conducts most of the city's doomings.[74o]

Karnevalsplatz[]

Karnevalsplatz is a small district north of the Imperial Palace and south of Friedhofkreuzung. At its center lies Carnival Square, a parade and festival ground. There's not much housing in Karnevalsplatz, but what's available is fairly affordable for its quality, since the district is so often host to loud and drunken festivities. There area few poorer tenements close to the bridges.[74p]

  • Carnival Square:[74p] Carnival Square is a parade ground just north of the Imperial Palace. It usually hosts state parades in honor of visiting dignitaries, marriages within the Imperial family, victorious armies, etc.[74p]
  • Mezzo's:[74p] Mezzo's is a banqueting hall run by Tilean chef Giovanni Mezzo. It is frequented by magisters and lawyers, as well as high-ranking wizards.[74p][36c]
  • Ophul's Mystorium:[74p] The scryer and private investigator Rosanna Ophuls owns this modest brick building. Her offices are on the ground floor, and she lives upstairs.[74p]

Mauerblumchen[]

Mauerblumchen is an affluent residential district full of the large houses of nobles and quiet streets. It also has something of a martial character.[74p]

  • The Altdorf Theatre:[74q] The Altdorf Theatre, more commonly called Anselmo's, dates back to the days of Boris Goldgather and is Altdorf's largest theatre. It is famous as the home of the great playwright Jacopo Tarradasch, and today runs mainly performances of his plays.[74q][41c][62c]
  • Breichtstrasse: The street where Anselmo's is located.[62c]
  • The Cordwainer's Last:[74q] This inn is several streets away from the Gorgon.[74q]This inn serves a generally middle-class clientele and has a reputation for being "not too bad."[57c]
  • Holzkrug Estate:[74q] When their lands were confiscated in 2426 IC, the Holzkrug family's seat became their manor house in Altdorf. Graf Liepmund and his immediate family currently live here.[74q]
  • South Temple of Ulric:[74q] The Temple of Ulric in Mauerblumchen is new and more religiously orthodox than its brother on the north side of the city.[74q]
  • Statue of Evane:[74q] Outside the Temple of Ulric, there's a statue of Evane, Sigmar's first love.[74q]
  • von Eckstein Estate:[74q] Graf Hildemund and Gravin Luciana von Eckstein own one of the largest estates in Altdorf, which includes five houses and a garden.[74q][57b]
  • Wechsler Mansion: Duke Berndt Wechsler keeps a spacious mansion in Mauerblumchen. His advisor, Klaus von Talber, is the Grand Illuminator of the Cult of Illumination and has converted his master to Slaaneshi worship.[74bb]

Domplatz[]

Domplatz is the spiritual heart of the Cult of Sigmar. Not just a religious centre, the platz is a natural city hub for people going about their secular lives. The cathedral is a place of pilgrimage and a focus for other visitors to the city, so street entertainers, beggars, hucksters, and pickpockets are all part of the daily crowd.[74w]

  • Cathedral of Sigmar:[74w][21j][21k][26a][37d][41e][15a][99] The Cathedral of Sigmar is linked by bridges, alleys, and tunnels to the ancillary buildings that surround it, meaning that the whole area seems to have massed into one large building.[74w] The Cathedral of Sigmar is located across from the Imperial Palace.[57][11a] The huge complex of buildings, centred around a T-shaped sanctuary said to be exactly proportional to Ghal Maraz, is the heart of the Cult of Sigmar.[22r][22s][57]
  • Chapel of Sigmar the Crusader: A small side chapel to the main cathedral where citizens pray for war or the safe return of their loved ones from war.[59d]
  • Palace of the Grand Theogonist:[74w] Seat of the Grand Theogonist and closely connected to the Cathedral, where his staff deals with personal business and his official duties.[74w]
  • Hall of Archives: Holding records of the Cult of Sigmar allegedly stretching back two thousand years.[72a]
  • Hauptstrasse: A major road leading from the Domplatz, passing the Great Temple.[60b]

Palast District[]

The Imperial Palace is located south of the Reik.[22i] Also called the Palast Districts[32g][33g][91b] or simply Palast District[41d], it is one of the wealthiest areas in Altdorf.[32g] The district features many old, grand, well-kept buildings[41d] and especially ornate streetlamps.[34d] Most of the city's guild halls,[33g] knightly order chapter houses, and major temples are located here. Any private establishments cater exclusively to the wealthy.[41d] It is so exclusive that anyone not obviously a noble or their servant will attract the suspicions of the local watch division,[32g] who are well organized and successfully suppress violent crime.[41d]

  • Imperial Palace:[74r] The Imperial Palace, also called the Palace of the Princes,[5c] is a walled compound the size of a city district. Within the fortifications are numerous residential, administrative, and military buildings, in addition to courtyards and gardens.[74r][61b][99]
  • Karl Franz Park:[74s] Karl Franz Park is the name of a ten-acre parkland which stretches from the Imperial Palace down to the River Reik. Its paths, monuments, and gardens are open to the public.[74s]

Flottenliegeplatz[]

The Flottenliegeplatz, Altdorf's south docks, services the Imperial Navy and Reik River Patrol. Unlike the Docklands to the north, it is mostly (though not entirely) free of crime.[74t]

  • Admiralty House:[74t] The Admiralty House is the strategic headquarters of the Imperial First Fleet. It also contains various lounges and parlours for officers.[74t]
  • Hindelin Line Docks:[74t] Upscale Hindelin Line riverboats dock in the Flottenliegeplatz, at a terminal which includes a restaurant and souvenier shop.[74t]
  • Reik River Patrol Terminal:[74t] The division of Riverwardens which patrols large stretches of the Reik and its tributaries is based out of the Flottenliegeplatz. There are many buildings that support the River patrol's operations: its office, barracks, mess hall, jail, a pair of warehouses.[74t]
  • Reiksfeuer:[74t] The Reiksfeuer is a lighthouse by which ships can navigate at night. It's operated by the Imperial Navy.[74t]
  • Reiksport Naval Docks:[74t] A station for ships from the First Fleet to resupply and to sail up the River Talabec or River Reik.[74t]
  • School of Navigators:[74t] The Empire's premier navigation school is a large brick building which holds a decommissioned galleon. Its students are mainly aristocratic scions intending to become naval officers.[74t]
  • Spee Boatyards:[74t] This firm of boatbuilders, sanctioned shipwrights for the Imperial Navy, operates at three jetties, a drydock, and a handful of buildings in Altdorf's south docks.[74t] Owned by the Hindelin Lines, who possess three luxury river liners that sail from Altdorf.[48a]
  • Temple of Manann:[74t] Manann's main temple in Altdorf is a large twin-steepled greystone church. It houses the Harbourmaster's Court, a judicial body for the sentencing of crimes committed at sea or on rivers, which often fall outside of local jurisdiction.[74t][41g]

Fundgrube[]

The Fundgrube contains the headquarters of the Altdorf Watch. Its taverns center to watchmen, and its houses contain high-ranking watch officers.[74v]

  • Physicians' Guildhall:[74v]
  • Empire House:[74v] The Empire House is the fortress-like administrative center of the Altdorf Watch.[74v] It is located north of the Imperial Palace, near the River Reik.[22m][22i]
  • The Grand Glockentor:[74v] Built in collaboration between the Department of Art and Altdorf University and the Imperial School of Engineers, the Grand Glockentor is a fantastically elaborate bell tower.[74v]
  • Ratchett Lines Head Office:[74v] The offices of the coaching firm Ratchett Lines is located in Fundgrube. It's also where Ratchett coaches arrive and depart in the city.[74v]
  • The Vault:[74v] The Vault is a fortress which includes the City Treasury, but also has many private vaults where wealthy citizens keep their treasure.[74v] It might be connected to the Emperor's Vault, where he keeps his treasures, is though to be somewhere underground in the vicinity of the Imperial Palace.[26a]
  • Von Culpter Estate:[74v] Baroness Helena von Culper, a notable socialite, hosts numerous high-ranking guests at her gothic stone manor.[74v]

Hammerpfad[]

Housing in the Hammerpfad district consists mainly of military barracks. The district is full of soldiers.[74u]

  • Barracks:[74u] The barracks that lodge the various companies in Altdorf's state army are located in Hammerpfad.[74u]
  • Chapter House of the Order of the Knights Panther:[74u] The chapter of Knights Panther in Altdorf is not a large one, but it is very influential at court, and tends to be more entangled in politics than other chapters of the order. The Commander of the chapterhouse is Hermann Röntgen.[74u]
  • Military Gaol:[74u] This intimidating building is hidden in an obscure alley in Hammerpfad. It's where soldiers who have been convicted by a court-martial are locked up.[74u]
  • Reikstemple:[74u] The Reikstemple is the sanctuary favoured by Sigmarite soldiers It features impressive architecture, a statue of Sigmar, and the Tomb of the Unknown Hero.[74u][87a]

Markt an der Wand[]

Markt an der Wand is a mercantile area, primarily serving the upper class who live in the surrounding South Bank neighborhoods.[74y]

  • Chapter House of the Knights of the Jade Griffon:[74y] The Knights of the Jade Griffon are a zealous order of Sigmarite Templars which must deal with the shame of having produced the traitor Aekold Helbrass. Their chapter house is in Markt an der Wand.[74y]
  • The Grand Opera House:[74y] The Grand Opera House is the only purpose-built opera house in Altdorf. Opera, however, is not especially popular in the city. Neither the upper class nor the middle or lower class is especially excited by the Opera House's classy and erudite brand of show.[74y][22ae]
  • House of Haessler:[74y] Colonel Reinhald Haessler runs a successful bodyguard firm. Merchants and visitors all across Altdorf are accompanied by guards wearing Haessler's distinctive black and grey colors.[74y]
  • Rausch's Tailor Shoppe:[74y] Rickard Rausch and his son Ramm are known for their eye-catching costumes—ostentatious and very modish, but also well crafted.[74y][32g]

Südküste[]

Südküste is a wealthy residential district on the banks of the Reik. Its most notable house is the mansion of the von Krieglitz family of Talabecland, which is the nucleus of a small community of Talabecland expatriots. Südküste is also home to an inexplicably large number of birds.[74z]

Südküste has its less salubrious pockets — dark courtyards and overgrown properties left untended by absent owners. There are several small parks, but some are wild and tangled with brambles. Wedged between mansions is the tiny Frobelspark, a garden all but abandoned to the vicious starlings that fill the trees and attack anyone who enters the gate.[74z]

  • The Bountiful Acre:[74z] The Bountiful Acre is a private fruit and vegetable garden owned by the Jade College. It's so productive because it's built on a mass grave from the Black Plague.[74z]
  • Celestial Body Press:[74z] The Altdorf Celestial Body is printed in a former turnip warehouse down by the Reik. The building also houses the newssheet's offices.[74z]
  • Chapter House of the Knights of Sigmar's Blood:[74z] The order's keep is located at the corner of Lanzstrecke and Dieterstrasse. Behind the high walls are a courtyard, hall, stables, and dormitory.[74z]
  • Stevedores' Guildhouse:[74z] When the old guildhall burned down in the Great Fire of Altdorf, the Guild of Stevedores moved into a riverside mansion in Südküste, far from the docks.[74z][33g]
  • Temple of Rhya:[74z] Altdorf's Temple of Rhya is a low wooden hall surrounded by an untended garden.[74z]
  • Von Krieglitz Mansion:[74z] Grand Duke Gustav von Krieglitz owns a five-story waterfront mansion. He entertains here whenever he is staying in Altdorf.[74z]

Großgrundbesitz[]

Großgrundbesitz is perhaps Altdorf's most exclusive residential district. Mansions sit on large walled lots. Private soldiers patrol the streets and keep out the riff-raff.[74z]

  • Altdorf Museum:[74aa] The Altdorf Museum, called sometimes the Imperial Museum, displays a wide variety of artifacts from the Empire's long history. It is frequented by students from the University and from the Colleges of Magic.[74aa] It might be related to the Magnus Museum, which includes exhibits on ancient history and archaeology.[8a]
  • Altdorf Palace of the von Königswalds:[74aa] Shortly after Oswald von Königswald turned treasonous, his home was raided by Witcher Hunters and the Black Guard of Morr. Since that day, the mansion of the former Ostland electoral family has been abandoned, and is considered haunted.[74a]
  • Cloisters of the Sisters of Sigmar:[74aa] Altdorf hosts a small community of the same order whose convent was destroyed in Mordheim in 2000 IC. Since that day, the sisters have devoted themselves to protecting the citizens of the Empire from the corrupting influence of wyrdstone. Still, they're viewed with suspicion by some.[74aa]
  • Lord's Bounty:[74aa] The Lord's Bounty is a very exclusive, very expensive restaurant. Patrons sit in plush chairs in the gilded dining room and eat food cooked by the best Bretonnian and Tilean chefs.[74aa] Only members are admitted onto its posh premises.[24a]
  • Meeting Chamber of the Prime Estates:[74aa] The Prime Estates meet at a richly decorated hall in Großgrundbesitz, which prominently features a statue of the racehorse-duke whose creation caused the genesis of the Prime Estates.[74aa]

Krankenfeld[]

In the class hierarchy of Altdorf's districts, Krankenfeld sits right in the middle—lower than the aristocratic districts and even the prosperous mercantile areas, but better than the working class neighborhoods.[74ac]

The district is dominated by the Shallyan Temple, which has stood there since before Sigmar's birth. The sick and injured swarm the district, convinced that, even if they can't secure treatment, mere proximity to the temple will heal them.[74ac]

  • The Herb Garret:[74ac] The Herb Garret is a shop which sells a wide variety of medicinal herbs. It's located in the attic space of an old warehouse. Shallyan sisters often patronize the shop.[74ac]
  • Smaragd Bathhouse:[74ac] The Smaragd Bathhouse is a Krankenfeld institution, and is especially popular among south bank watchmen. Its owner is the jovial Sylvanian Vasile Ceorbu.[74ac]
  • Temple of Alessa's Grace:[74ac] The center of the Cult of Shallya in Altdorf is the Temple of Alessa's Grace, named for the Shallyan priestess who was an ally of Sigmar. The temple is an impressive marble-domed affair, constructed through the support of many generous benefactors. The beautiful chambers and courtyards, however, are crammed with the diseased and deranged—far more of them than the clerics can reasonably care for.[74ac] The richly-decorated temple is responsible for the health of a multitude of Altdorfers, including the Emperor himself.[18d] Its High Priestess is seen as the head of the Cult in the Empire.[30a][30b][Note 4]
  • Thaddeus Wilden's Townhouse:[74ac] Herr Doktor Thaddeus Wilden, Chirurgeon, lives and works in a handsome townhouse in Krankenfeld. He is well-known for his entertaining public surgeries, which take place in a tiered medical auditorium in this building.[74ac]
  • Tussen-Hochen Foundling House:[74ac] This institution was founded as an orphanage, but became a workhouse when its original endowment ran out. Apparently run by a Shallyan brother, it recently fell under the sway of an eight-year-old with supernatural powers.[74ac]

Ogasse[]

Ogasse was once a prosperous neighborhood but, though still respectable, it has fallen into some disrepair lately. At night especially, thugs and criminals rule the streets.[74ad]Most inhabitants of Ogasse are either migrants from other provinces or poorer local workers– those who work for a living, but don’t have much money left over. Deeper into the district, the housing is more rundown.[44a]

Ogasse has some Tilean influence, although the district's Tilean population is in truth barely more than the average Altdorf neighborhood.[74ad]The watch prefer to leave the district alone.[44a]

  • Eagle of Luccini:[74ad] The Eagle of Luccini is a tavern. Formerly, it was a favourite haunt of Tilean mercenaries. Now its clientele consists of a few old ex-mercenaries and the kind of down-and-outs who now populate Ogasse.[74ad][44c]
  • Garden Hill:[74ad] Ogasse's garden of Morr sits on a hill which overlooks the district. Unusually verdant, it was once a holy site for the Old Faith.[74ad]
  • Klammeringstrasse Watch Station:[74ad] The squat stone watch station that serves Ogasse is a short distance away from the Schmutzplatz.[74ad]
  • Magpie's Pawn Shop:[74ad] Magpie Lostpockets is an urbane and refined halfling who keeps her premises tidy. But despite appearances, the shop is a fairly obvious fence.[74ad]
  • Morr's Stream:[74ad] The crystal-clear Morr's Stream is so called because its forks flow around then converge below Garden Hill. It is home to a naiad and even today is visited by members of the Old Faith.[74ad]
  • Schmutzplatz:[74ad] Although the Schmutzplatz has seen better days, the square serves as a focal point of the Ogasse district. It’s relatively safe, and features an informal market of street vendors and a watch post staffed by a single watchman for two hours every day.[44a][74ad]

Zoogarten[]

Zoogarten is located near the the Imperial Palace and Cathedral of Sigmar, and is named for its main landmark, the Imperial Zoo. The zoo gives the whole district a somewhat unnatural atmosphere, and although its streets are lined with aristocratic manors, the district is beginning to become unfashionable and decrepit.[74x]

  • The Imperial Zoo:[74x] Within the strong stone wall of the Imperial Zoo are many enclosures containing bizarre beasts from across the known world.[74x]
  • New College of Heraldry:[86d][74x] The New College of Heraldry is where one goes to have a heraldic achievement designed and produced. However, the design of the New College of Heraldry is legally meaningless without the approval of the Old College of Heraldry.[74x]
  • Siert Manor:[74x] This walled manor is the base of the Siert family, Wastelander nobles who lost most of their wealth when Marienburg seceded, and who still scheme its reincorporation into the Empire.[74x]

Zwillingsgrab[]

South of the Cathedral of Sigmar is Zwillingsgrab, a quiet middle-class district full of tradesmen and merchants. It contains two cemeteries and several clocktowers. Jewellers, embroiderers, and bookbinders are found in unusually large numbers.[74aa]

  • Echt Strasse:[74ab] Perhaps the only busy street in the whole district, Echt Strasse is full of suspicious priests selling fake relics.[74ab][30f]
  • Five Ways:[74ab] The Five Ways is a small square where five small lanes meet.[74ab]
    • The Lunar Dial:[74ab] The Lunar dial appears to be an ordinary gnomon. But it casts no shadow during the day, and at night casts a separate shadow for each moon.[74ab]
  • Northern Cemetery:[74ab] The Northern Cemetery is historically important, but currently falling into disrepair. In recent times, it has had a series of High Watchers who rank high in the Cult of Morr and see the position as a mere sinecure. It is the resting place of Gottlieb the Stern.[74ab]
  • Old College of Heralds:[86d][74ab] The Old College of Heralds is one of the oldest buildings in Altdorf. The building contains hundreds of plaques depicting heraldic achievements granted to Imperial noblemen. Deep within is the college's library.[74ab]
  • Southern Cemetery:[74ab] The Southern Cemetery mostly holds commoners who died in military service. There are also some civilian graves—most notably Jacopo Tarradasch's. In contrast to the Northern Cemetery, it is very well maintained.[74ab]
  • Shop of Ilaria Acutis: Workshop of Miraglianese expatriot Ilaria Acutis, who is specialized in glassworks with a passion for mirrors.[90a]
  • Straffin's Frivolties:[74ab] Amalie Straffin is an elderly maker of detailed wooden puppets.[74ab]

The East End[]

The East End is Altdorf's low class area, notorious for its criminals and revolutionaries. Its slums are constantly changing shape through a cycle of fire and construction, not to mention the barricades erected by gangs and insurrectionists. The eastern edge of the area is more reputable, though, as it contains the Imperial School of Engineers and the Dwarf Quarter.[74ae] The area is a mess of oddly-shaped buildings and narrow, twisting streets.[50a]

Isle of Eels[]

An impoverished island connected to the Reikerbahn by a singular bridge, the Isle of Eels is entirely ignored by the City Watch. PLANT and the Fish have the run of the place.[74af] Under the influence of the Popular League Against the Nobility and Taxation, the Fish have declared the island independent from the city of Altdorf after 2512 IC. The islanders are armed and prepared to defend the isle against a siege.[33g]

  • Bay of Borchbach:[74af] A cave in the island's bank hosts an underground temple to Borchbach where radical agitators meet to discuss the craft of rhetoric.[74af][45n]
  • Lachs and Stör Litigants:[74af] Lachs and Stör are pair of lawyers who have set up a practice on the Isle of Eels, and are the only lawyers in Altdorf conversant in the laws set up by the Komission on Public Safety.[74af]
  • Office of the Komission on Public Safety:[74af] The Komission on Public Safety upholds what law and order there is on the Isle of Eels. Its members are mostly Fish war chiefs.[74af]
  • Temple of Valiant Lothar:[74af] Even gangbangers and revolutionaries worship Sigmar. The Isle's temple is one its only stone buildings, as well as one of its only connections to the hierarchy of mainland Altdorf.[74af]
  • Ubiquitous Eel:[74af] The Ubiquitous Eel is a slophouse which mainly serves eel stew.[74af]

Old Docks, Reikerbahn, and Altmünze[]

The Reikerbahn is the archetypal East End district—poor, dangerous, and decaying. Its waterfront contains the Old Docks, which was once a bustling commercial hub, but has now been largely abandoned in favor of the Docklands on the city's north side. Behind the Reikerbahn is the towering warren of tenements known as the Altmünze.[74ag] It is now a slum filled with smugglers, prostitutes, and other criminals.[32h][33b] Like the Isle of Eels, the City Watch generally ignores the Reikerbahn.[74ah]The Fish are the only waterfront gang present in the Old Docks.[33b]

  • The Averlander's Rest: Informally known as the Murder Hole, this is an inn on Gablenz Strasse where Vesper Klasst can be contacted.[72c]
  • Bosco's Bones:[74ag] Bosco's Bones is a gambling house. It's relatively safe, but the games are not closely monitored.[74ag][45k]
  • Candle Square:[74ag] Candle Square is the location of many chandlers' workshops.[74ag]
  • Gablenz Strasse, informally known as Auftragskillers Strasse for the numerous assassins that can be hired there.[72c]
  • The Necropolis:[72b] The Necropolis is an old abandoned cemetery located on a rise behind the Reikerbahn. The Witch Hunter Gottlieb the Stern lies here.[72b]
  • The Ostlander Bridge: This bridge is located just off the Old Docks.[33f][73a] It crosses over to the Docklands, near Luitpoldstrasse.[72c]
  • Schuld's Pawnbrokers:[74ag] Ralf Schuld runs his Reikerbahn pawn shop strictly. Two Fish serve as bouncers. Potential sellers must swear by Sigmar and Shallya that their goods are not stolen. Items for sale sit in locked cases, and customers don't receive the key until after they pay.[74ag]
  • Theatre Grande: Theatre Grande is located on Bromelhoff Street.[32h]

Schlecht Laden[]

"Death to the north, anarchy to the west, blood to the south, and gunpowder to the east. Why wouldn't I live in Schlecht Laden?"

—Unfunny Altdorfer joke[74ah]

Schlecht Laden is a dirty and unpleasant neighborhood, but it's better than any of the districts around it. Like the nearby Altmünze, its housing consists mainly of tenements, but its inhabitants are not so rebellious as those living in the Reikerbahn.[74ah]

  • Black Pike:[74h] The Black Pike is a notoriously dangerous tavern and known haunt of the Hooks. It often hosts eel fights.[74h]
  • Butcher's Wharf:[74h] Although most livestock comes to Altdorf by land, a sizable minority arrives on barges which dock at the Butcher's Wharf, several jetties on the south bank of the Talabec.[74h]
  • Emmanuelle's Slophouse and Flophouse:[74h] Emmanuelle D'Artoigne runs a dilapidated slophouse known for a very cheap, very disgusting dish called "Lucky Slop."[74h]
  • Gudrun's Guards:[74h] Gudrun Cragsdottir and eleven other Norse Dwarfs are the most effective bodyguard firm in the East End.[74h]
  • Palace of Misery:[74h] The Palace of Misery is the nickname given to an infamous tenement which looks across the Talabec towards Toteninsel.[74h]
  • Pauper's Keep:[74h] Pauper's Keep is the fortified watch station and barracks in Schlecht Laden, and the nearest watch presence to the infamous Reikerbahn.[74h]

Dampfplatz[]

Dampfplatz is not nearly as rough and dangerous as the other East End districts. Nevertheless, it is not a desirable place to live. This is due to the presence of the Imperial School of Engineers, which sends great plumes of smoke and steam into the air, and constantly uses public streets and squares as testing ranges for its bizarre inventions.[74i]

The district was formerly called Nebelplatz.[74i]

  • Altdorf Imperial Society of Pigeon Fanciers:[74i] Dampfplatz is home to the cramped offices of an organization of homing pigeon hobbyists.[74i]
  • Dampfplatz Press:[74i] The Dampfplatz Press is a printing and bookbinding workshop run by Hermann Gotz.[74i]
  • Imperial School of Engineers:[74i][9e][39c] Since its inception in 2012, the Imperial School of Engineers has produced a bewildering array of strange weapons and devices for use in the Empire.[7o][34b] Its campus consists of dormitories, a large lecture hall, and various workshops. Adjoining it is the foundry where the Helblaster Volley Gun is manufactured.[74i]It has been rebuilt at least twelve times since its foundation.[45t]

Fleishmark[]

Fleishmark, also called the Slaughterhouse District,[82b] is the section of Altdorf devoted to the sale and slaughter of livestock, and its ancillary trades: butchery, knackering, sausage-making. Full of blood and manure, Fleishmark is a very unpleasant district to live in. Its rookeries are a breeding ground for plague and disease. Fleishmark is home to a small Ungol community and even some Ogres.[74ai]

  • Gluttongut's Delikatessen:[74ai] Gorrum Gluttongut, an ogre, is a profitable butcher in Fleishmark.[74ai]
  • Market Square:[74ai] Fleishmark's Market Square is where herders bring their livestock—mostly sheep and poultry. Here they are auctioned off to the slaughterhouses in the area.[74ai]
  • Office of the Butchers' Guild:[74ai] The Butchers' Guild is far and away the most important guild in the district. It sits in a three story half-timbered building—impressive by Fleishmark standards.[74ai]
  • Rumsters' Production Haus:[74ai] The Rumster Clan manufactures the filling for its infamous meat pies here.[74ai]
  • Sewer Atrium:[74ai] The Sewer Atrium is a great brick-lined pit whose bottom connects to Altdorf's sewers. This is where the butchers and knackermen of Fleishmark throw the refuse from their trade.[74ai]

Metallschlacke[]

Metallschlacke, known as Khazid Urbaz to its inhabitants, is the above-ground portion of Altdorf's Dwarf Quarter. Its buildings are sturdy stone structures only one story high, but have two or three underground floors.[74aj] Right beneath Metallschlacke is a subterranean subdistrict called Niederwind, which houses the majority of the Altdorf dwarf community.[74aj] Many of the inhabitants of the Metallschlacke districts work in the metallurgical and stoneworking industries.[17a][17b] Others are traders who buy goods from travelling dwarf merchants and resell them to humans in the rest of the city.[74au]

Khazid Urbaz was founded in -480 IC as an independent town. Later, it was subsumed into Altdorf, albeit with some concessions to self-government. Its inhabitants are Imperial subjects, though some feel more loyalty to the Everlasting Realm.[74aj]

  • Guildhall of the Dwarf Engineers' Guild:[74aj] The Dwarf Engineers' Guildhall consists of two large blockhouses facing the Imperial Engineers' School, and a series of workshops and drafting studios, both above and below ground. The only non-members allowed inside are other dwarfs and Imperial engineers, under whose auspices the dwarf guild is run.[74aj][16a]
  • Dragonbreath Tavern: A tavern popular by Dwarf Engineers. [74aj]
  • Grombar Gate:[74aj] This gatehouse is guarded heavily by Dwarfs -- its fortification includes a cannon battery and gyrocopter pad. Non-Dwarfs can use the gate, but will be subject to a little suspicion from the guards.[74aj] The bastion includes a prison capable of holding powerful necromancers and Chaos sorcerers. The Colleges of Magic occasionally use Grombar Gate as a holding cell for accused black magisters awaiting trial.[74aj]
  • Khazid Urbaz Town Hall:[74aj] The influential Khazid Urbaz council meets in an ancient beer-hall. Besides a meeting hall, the building includes offices, ale cellars, and a watch post. It is the nexus for a series of access tunnels which connect to other important buildings in Metallschlacke and Niederwind.[74aj]
  • Khufer's Brewhouse:[74aj] Alvin Khufer, who comes from a long line of Imperial Dwarfs runs a well-known brewery and tavern. He tries to approximate the brews once produced by Josef Bugman.[74aj]
  • Lord's Hall:[74aj] The Lord's Hall is the only remnant of a settlement even older than Khazid Urbaz: Migdhal Elgidok, a fortress from the War of Vengeance. Today, the building boards visitors from Karaz Ankor—the upper floor for thanes and dignitaries, the lower levels for refugees.[74aj]
  • Smithy of Dalbran Fellhammer:[74aj] The Dwarf Dalbran Fellhammer is among the greatest armoursmiths in the Empire today.[20b] He runs an industrial smithy which employs twenty journeymen and sixty-five apprentices.[74aj]

Sudwand[]

Sudwand is a cramped working-class district pushed against the south wall of the city. It is currently growing at a very high rate, as residents add extensions and floors to their houses.[74ak]

The eastern side of the district is a halfling ghetto, poorer than Haffenstadt. It is dominated by Lefra and Ambur Lowhaven.[74ak]

  • Blackfire Chapel:[74ak] The Blackfire Chapel is a tiny temple of Sigmar located in the bottom floor of a tower. Its priest is Father Germund, an ex-soldier.[74ak]
  • The Bronze Apple:[74ak] The Bronze Apple is a bustling tavern squeezed into a residential street in the halfling portion of Sudwand.[74ak]
  • Nulnerweg:[74ak] This street forms the northern border of Sudwand.[74ak]
  • Pendersen Brewery Printing House:[74ak] Run by Eleonore Pendersen, this brewery ships cheap, popular ale all across the East End.[74ak] The Pendersen Brewery on Heidelstrasse appears to be a normal brewhouse, but hidden away in its basement is the press of the Gods edition of the Griffon's Tail,[33j] which serves the area around the Grand Temple of Sigmar and the west of the city.[33i][74ak]
  • Sanatorium of Mercy:[74ak] Lying across one whitewashed former barrack and several half-timbered extensions, the Sanatoriums of Mercy sticks out among Sudwand buildings. The Shallyans are very selective about which patients it will receive, and nobody speaks of what treatments they undergo. Still, by its results, the Sanatorium of Mercy is manifestly the best sanatorium in Altdorf.[74ak][37c]

Werkstette[]

Just west of Fleishmark proper is the Werkstette district. Here are the workshops of the tradesmen who use the byproducts of the Fleishmark slaughterhouses—tanners and glue-makers, for example.[74ai][32g]

  • Frau Kenner's Shop:[74ai] Frau Kenner is a leatherworker who specializes in book covers.[74ai]
  • Johan Gotter's Shop:[74ai] Johan Gotter is a leatherworker who specializes in pouches and purses.[74ai]
  • Paeter Kohl's Shop:[74ai] Paeter Kohl is a leatherworker who specializes in saddles and leather armour. His shop has no windows, which means it's dark and gloomy, but also protected somewhat from the smell of the local tanneries. He sells mainly to tradesmen and merchants.[74ai][32g]

The City North[]

Großvaters' Zuhause[]

Großvaters' Zuhause is a fog-shrouded island with a fortress on it that is designed to serve as the final retreat of the Emperor should the city be besieged. Ulgu suffuses the area around it and the fortress is rumoured to house a dark secret.[74ap]

  • Madness Gate:[74ap] A drawbridge that is the only way to enter the keep.[74ap]
  • The Keep:[74ap] Believed to have been constructed on a foundation that predates Reikdorf, the Keep is always fully furnished in the case of an emergency. Its dungeons reach deeper than the sewers and no one has fully traversed them.[74ap]
  • The Emperor's Beacon:[74ap] The central tower, which holds the offices of the govenor as well as a warning beacon that can signal the level of threat the capital faces.[74ap]

Dockland[]

"You can have Königplatz next week — I need you loud and dirty on Luitpoldstrasse today. For why? Best not ask, all you need to know is the Cutters want the Watch distracted. I make it my business not to offend the Cutters, and if you want a prosperous career you’ll follow my example."

—‘The Kaiser’, Altdorf Beggar-King[45g]

The Docklands are located on the northern bank of the Reik River.[22i] Their downstream boundary is the Three Toll Bridge,[33b] and their upstream boundary is the confluence of the Reik and Talabec.[22i] The district is something of a ghetto, inhabited mainly by the city’s dockers. Rival gangs, most notably the Hooks and Fish are constantly fighting for control over the district,[33b][41a] and the local watch division is notoriously corrupt.[33e] The gangs do not tolerate unaligned criminals in the docks, so petty crime is actually fairly low.[41c]

  • Adolphus Junk's Smithy:[41k] Adolphus Junk is a bronzesmith whose shop is on Luitpoldstrasse near the watch station. He is an older man with grey hair and spectacles.[41k]
  • Bendrago's Wigs:[74as] Shop of the Miraglianese expatriot Bendrago, who creates lifelike and practical wigs.[74as]
  • Beloved of Manann Dock:[64e] This dock and quay was run by an ex-Hook named Schygulla.[64e] The Fish use this dock to dispose corpses there.[74as]
  • The Drunken Bastard:[70d][65d] A tavern frequented by the Dock Watch.
  • Fork Wharf:[74as] It's traditional for members of the Dock Watch caught stealing to be hung in chains from Fork Wharf for a day and a night. These days, however, the watch is so corrupt that the only watchmen chained here are the ones who stole from the Watch itself.[33g][74as]
  • Hohenzoll warehouses: The Hohenzoll family owns several dockside warehouses, which they let to other merchants.[74aw]
  • Laboratory of Dr. Lucas Phillip Loew:[70c] Shop of Dr. Loew, an Alchemist of ill repute with contacts all over Altdorf.
  • Luitpoldstrasse
  • Luitpoldstrasse Watch Station:[74as] Home to station 317 of the Altdorf City Watch, known mainly to be notoriously corrupt. Also houses the Atrocities Komission under Harald Kleindienst.[74as][65b]It is also the closest watch post to the Street of a Hundred Taverns.[41c] There are jail cells under the watch station.[41d] There's rumoured to be a storeroom in the back of the building full of pilfered goods which are split between watchmen every week.[41c]
  • Reik and Talabec Trading Company:[74as] Headquarter of the Reik and Talabec Trading Company[74as]
  • Reik and Talabec Trading Company Warehouse[64b]
  • Tempelstrasse Gymnasium:[74as] A gymnasium that serves both the lower classes and the obles, run by Arne Ostlander, the most muscular man in the Empire[74as][63b][65e]
  • The Mermaid:[33g] This tavern is cheaper than those on the Street of a Thousand Taverns, and is a favourite haunt with members of the Elm Street Mob.[33g] It is located where the Street of a Thousand Taverns intersects the docks.[41b]
  • Oldenhaller Warehouse: A warehouse from the Oldenhaller family from Nuln.[59b]
  • Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse:[64f][74as]This theatre is held in high regard mainly because it is the home of Detlef Sierck, who is reputed to be the best playwright living in the Empire.[41c] It is probably the same as "The Breughel," one of the most famous opera houses in the Old World.[31b] Before Sierck bought it, the establishment had been a small theatre called the Beloved of Shallya, focused on uplifting religious dramas.[63a]
  • Detlef Sierck's House: Detlef Sierck maintained quarters across the street from the Vargr Breughel Playhouse, and lived here with Genevieve Dieudonné for some time. The walls of the rooms were decorated with posters of Sierck in his various roles.[64f]
  • Temple Street : A street leading to the Vargr Breughel.[63b]
Little Tilea[]

A western quarter of the Docklands houses large numbers of Tilean immigrants. Tilean influence here often gets conflated with gang violence. Received wisdom across the Reikland has it that Tileans are behind all the organised crime in the city. This is, however, almost entirely down to the popularity of the penny dreadful stories of Francisco Fordino. After all, the Hooks and the Fish do not tolerate Tilean competitors.[74as] Little Tilea is also known for its traditional cuisine, and there are a number of Tilean establishments on the Street of a Hundred Taverns. People of Little Tilea are considered poseurs by those of the district of Ogasse.[74ad]

Fishemarkt[]

Fishemarkt is where Altdorf's citizens go to purchase foodstuffs. It is sometimes known as Altdorf’s larder because of the sheer volume of food that passes through the markets, shops, and warehouses.[74au]

  • The Altdorf Market: Altdorf's largest market square, where traders sell food from dawn to dusk.[74au]
  • The Altdorf City Asylum: In contrast to the Great Altdorf asylum, staff here have no aspiration to cure the inmates. The sanatorium is bedlam, and Altdorf citizens can pay three shilling to visit and goad the inmates.[74au]
  • The Red Boar: A large, bustling tavern which serves as a hideout for the Fish.[74au]
  • Vogelin's Fish Warehouse: A warehouse that sells fresh fish. Captain Johann Vogelin also sells the carcasses of exotic fish, including sharks, octopi and even more wondrous creatures.[74au]

Grandmarkt[]

Altdorf's busiest commercial quarter has everything to offer, from wares for nobles to services for peasants.[74aw]

  • Altdorf Commodities Exchange: Also called the Kaufmanshalle, it is where commodity trading occurs. The building is four storeys high, with three levels of balconies overlooking the trading floor.[74aw]
  • Grandmarket: The square plaza which is the district's namesake serves mainly as a market for foodstuffs.[74aw]
  • Handelshafen Canal: A canal that allows riverboats to deliver their cargo directly to the Grandmarket. Only narrowboats shorter than 18 yards in length are permitted. It has a tollhouse at its entrance. Three bridges cross it.[74aw]
  • Hohenzoll headquarters: The Hohenzoll merchant family operates out of a two-storey combined office-and-warehouse near the Grandmarket.[74aw]
  • Huhnmarkt: A market for poultry and poultry products.[66b]
  • Palmerio's Emporium: A shop that sells imported luxury goods from Tilea. Proprietor is Luigi Palmerio, a self-proclaimed expert on southern culture, but who mainly sells copies from local merchants.[74aw]
  • Riechenfeld-Kuypers Exotic Imports: A joint venture between the Von Riechenfelds of Altdorf and the Van de Kuypers of Marienburg. The company is housed in a large building in Grandmarkt which includes offices, storage, and a storefront.[74aw]
  • Talabec Bastion: A fortress where the city wall meets the River Talabec, designed to defend the city against waterborne invasions.[74aw]

Haffenstadt[]

Haffenstadt, also known as Kleinmoot,[33o][33p] is the cramped Halfling district of Altdorf, with most buildings being constructed with Halfling sizes in mind.[74ax] It is populated by hundreds of halfling families. Taverns, restaurants, and pipeweed shops are common features.[45b] Officially, the area is part of the Grandmarkt district, though the agitator Harpal Chard wishes to change that.[74ax]

  • Cheeses of the Empire, the best cheese shop in Altdorf.[74ax]
  • The Cock of the North, a no-nonsense tavern that hosts mercenaries, as well as the Halfling regiment of the Altdorf garrison.[74ax]
  • Postern Gate: [74ax][74aw] On Marktags, farmers pass through the Haffenstadt Postern Gate on their way to the Grandmarket.[74aw]

Hexxerbezrik[]

Once the location of several separate districts of the city, the Hexxerbezrik now houses the Colleges of Magic. It is the district most acutely affected by the geography-warping results of the colleges. Furthermore, the area immediately surrounding each college begins to take on characteristics associated with its wind. For example, lots around the Jade College are lush with plant life, and houses around the Light College are adorned with Nehekharan statuary.[74am]

Most ordinary residents of the Hexxerbezrik resent the colleges somewhat; most of the district's poorer residents moved to the East End when they were established.[74am] The district is also home to a community of Kislevite émigrés.[74bb]

All the Winds of Magic blow strong in the Hexxenbezrik except for Hysh (which is as strong here as it is anywhere else) and Ghur (which is repelled by the urban environment).[74am]

  • Celestial College[74am] - The Celestial College is a wonderous building: sixteen blue-and-white towers surround an enormous astrolabe. In fact the entire campus is one enormous fortune-telling apparatus.[74am]However, the average Altdorfer would not know this, because the college is concealed by cunning spells.[7h][9d][22l][22m][23k][23l][38e]
  • Cemetery of Old Altdorf[74am][Note 3] - For many generations, this cemetery was the most desirable in Altdorf. But since the foundation of the Colleges, it has gained a very grim reputation. Few people today enter the haunted cemetery and no new burials take place here.[74am][7i][37b]
  • Chekist Bathhouse: Altdorf's Chekist ring operates out of a traditional Kislevite banya bathhouse. It's most likely located in the Hexxerbezrik, as that district's Kislevite population provides cover for the secret police.[74bb]
  • Gold College[74am][7g][9c][23f] - The Gold College has the appearance of a large, multifarious foundry. But despite its industrial appearance, its reception rooms are luxurious and magnificent. It contains offices, laboratories, and a library.[74am]It would not be uncommon for an Altdorfer to see multicolored smoke coming from the chimneys of the college, or bright substances polluting the river. The river waters cool the forges in the college,[7g][9c][23f] and occaisonally are dyed in fantastical colours following experiments.[5b] It's not too far from the Konigplatz.[41d]
  • Grey College[74am] - The Grey College is an apparently decrepit building in a notoriously seedy and reputedly daemon-haunted subsection of the Hexxenbezrik.[74am]. It is connected to much of the rest of the city through a multitude of underground passages. [7i][9d][13i][38g] The interior of the building is just as dilapidated as the outside.[13i] Grey Wizards, though, don't spend too much time at the college, and nobody quite knows what goes on inside it.[13j]
  • Jade College[74am] - Behind an immense wall is the arboretum of the Jade College. At its center stands a great hall formed from the boughs of living trees.[74am] It is located near the North gate.[22i]
    • Amber College:[7j] The Amber Order has no buildings in Altdorf. Most of the most important Amber Wizards reside in the Amber Hills, a roughland near the city. [7j] However, the Amber Order owns one plot of land in the city of Altdorf, which is located on the premises of the Jade College.[80a] It is an open area with totems that is used for gatherings of Amber wizards only in unusual or important circumstances.[9c] It also contains directions to other gathering places in the Old World written in signs only intelligible to the Amber Brotherhood.[80a]
  • Laboratory of the Mundane Alchemists' Guild:[74am] The Mundane Alchemists, who inquire into the nature of matter without practicing magic, have their laboratories in the Hexxenbezrik.[74am]
  • Light College[74am][Note 12] - The precinct of the Light College consists of a jumble of geometric buildings. At the center are three pyramids—the third constructed from the stuff of light itself.[74am] The Light College is not technically in Altdorf, as it exists in a parallel, magical, dimension to the mundane one. The area around the college is particularly warped, even by Altdorf standards.[23e]
    • The Midday's Mirror, the secret entrance to the central pyramid.[82a]
  • Thaumodivinator[74am] - The Thaumodivinator is a device built in collaboration between the city's engineers and wizards. Customers input a drop of their blood, and the Thaumodivinator outputs their fortune.[74am]
  • Hall of Convocation - The Hall of Conclaves appears to be the location where conclaves of the Patriarchs of the Colleges of Magic are held.[23o]

Königplatz[]

Königplatz, the Place of Kings,[65a] is the heart of Altdorf, filled with people. Military parades, official proclamations, fairs and public executions are held here.[74ar][85a][96] Large crowds often gather at this major public square,[57] which features the largest market in Altdorf.[41a]

  • The Fogfire:[74am] A structure lit during fogs in order to help people orientate themselves. Also lit in winter during festivals for Ulric.[74am]
  • Four Seasons Coaching Inn and Depot:[74am] Headquarter of the Four Seasons Coaching company. Also includes an inn for passengers to wait for their coach.[74am]
  • The Statues of the Emperors:[74am] Each Emperor traditionally commemorates a statue at the square. Space restrictions cause the authorities to let several older statues crumble away to make room for new additions.[65a] Below are some of the more popular ones:
    • Statue of Sigmar: Depicted with wearing just a winged helmet and wielding Ghal maraz. Very popular with pigeons and pilgrims.[74am]
    • Statue of Magnus: At the very centre of the Königplatz stands the statue of Magnus, arms wide in welcome.[74am][72b]
    • Statue of Wilhelm III:[Note 7] Near the Konigplatz end of the street is a bronze statue of Emperor Wilhelm III. It depicts him as a armoured and bearded man, holding a book and a chisel.[41c][74am]
    • Statue of Magritta: Originally twice as high as the statue of Sigmar, until two-thirds of it sank into the ground during the Big Plunge.[74am]
    • Statue of Beatrice: A statue of one of the worst Empresses during the Age of Wars, holding a bag of gold up high while standing on the head of a wolf.[74am]
    • Statue of Karl Franz: Depicting the current Emperor with his Runefang in his right hand and a fledgling Griffon on his left.[74am]

Neuesgelt[]

A commercial district that was originally home to craftsmen, this district has largely been overtaken by offices and modern townhouses belonging to the city’s nouveau riche merchants. Aristocrats, however, still view it as a middle class district.[74av]

  • Briechs Brothers of Schwarzwasserstrasse: The most successful tailors of Altdorf, who are responsible for the uniforms of the City Watch and the Regimental troops. Their business offices is in Neuesgeldt[64i][74av]
  • Merchants' Guildhall: Headquarter of the Guild of Merchants, Traders & Brokers, consisting of several buildings that surround the Old Guildhall.[74av] The offices of the Altdorf Merchants' Guild are one of the largest such structures in the Empire. It features numerous panelled conference rooms.[27b]
  • Shrine of Handrich: A small circular chapel dedicated to Handrich, financed by the Merchants' Guild.[74av] It's small, but some hope to build a larger temple in the future.[30d]
  • The Tipping Scales: A tavern which caters exclusively to visiting merchants.[74av]
  • The Trading Post: A coaching inn which caters exclusively to visiting merchants.[74av]

Reikhoch[]

The Reikhoch is an exclusive residential district. Situated on a bluff overlooking the River Reik, its residents find themselves at an equal height to the spires of the Imperial Palace across the river. Its inhabitants are both Imperial nobles—several elector counts have Altdorf residences here—and nouveau riche Altdorf merchants.[72c][Note 20]

  • Prachtstrasse: An address on Prachtstrasse is considered one of the most prestigious in the Empire.[72c]
  • Reikhoch cemetery: Although it is the resting place for many famous aristocratic heroes of Imperial history, Reikhoch's cemetery is now abandoned.[72c]
  • von Tallen Townhouse: Located on Prachtstrasse, this townhouse was built in the ostentatious style popular during the reign of Dieter IV. Long the residence of the aristocratic von Tallen family of Ostermark, it was later rented out to Contessa Eleanora Daria di Argentisso.[72c]

Street of a Hundred Taverns[]

Street of a Hundred Taverns Map

The Street of a Hundred Taverns

The Street of a Hundred Taverns, also called the Street of a Thousand Taverns or Street of a Hundred Inns,[86a] is a thoroughfare that runs from the Konigplatz near the University district down to the Docklands.[74at] It is the social centre of Altdorf[41b] and the densest concentration of public houses in the Empire.[74at] All day and evening it's full of revellers, musicians, prostitutes, and pickpockets, but mostly drunks. Aside from the many taverns (of which there are actually fewer than 100), many homeowners on the street put a keg in their front room to have drinks with friends.[41b]

The upper end of the street, near the Konigplatz, has a far more refined atmosphere than the rough-and-tumble Dockland end of the street.[74at]

Fights, of course, are common along the street, and the Dock Watch don't have the resources to imprison every offender. Instead, they dispense the infamous "street sentence" -- a swift hit with a club and a warning not to be caught again. Repeat troublemakers will be tossed into the cells under the Luitpoldstrasse Station, but most criminals are resourceful enough to buy their way out again. Because of the local watch's corruption, local vigilante groups exist.[41d]

Wizards are not barred from the Street of a Hundred Taverns, but they are not welcome, either. Magical side effects can ruin beverages, so most landlords maintain a strict no spellcasting policy and all spoiled drinks caused by a misplaced spell must be paid for by the offending wizard.[74at]

A visitor can glance styles of Marienburg and Nuln, the rich fabrics of Estalian pantaloons and the frilly extravagance of Tilean shirts, threadbare wool tunics from Wissenland and wolfskin boots from Middenland. Long Kislevite beards mingled with swarthy Miragelan complexions and even Arabyan horse trader boisterously arguing with a Bretonnian sea captain. All roads lead to Altdorf is a common saying in the Empire, and nowhere could the truth of such an assertion be better displayed than in the city’s taverns.[70b]

  • Carulusstrasse, Sigmundstrasse, and Luitpoldstrasse - These streets intersect the Street of a Thousand Taverns.[41b]
  • The Beard of Ulric - This is a run-down, low-quality tavern frequented mostly by destitute drunkards and Ulricans[41c][65e][74at]
  • The Black Bat[41c][62b][70e][74at] - The Black Bat is close to the university and well away from the docks. The tavern is crowded, even at midday. It is the haunt of losers, deadbeats and whiners, with even the gangs finding the atmosphere depressing. Its barman, Bauman, is burned out and jaded, while the clientele consists of solitary men with a taste for drink and tall tales.[74at][62b]
  • The Black Goat - An inn.[96]It serves members of the Reikland State Troops on account.[59a]
  • The Blue Lantern - This tavern caters mainly to watchmen.[74at]
  • Breastplate of Myrmidia - This tavern is hotly contested between the dockside gangs known as the Hooks and the Fish. It's an excellent spot to pick up illicit drugs such as dreamweed, powdered lotus, and a variety of weirdroot called "snakesdung."[33g][65c]
  • The Cat and Fiddle - The Cat and Fiddle is a coaching house. The Four Seasons coach line has its main offices here.[41i]
  • The Crescent Moon - This small tavern is one of the few places in the city friendly to Strigany.[41b] It is also whispered that necromancers and the undead frequent the inn.[64c][74at] It's a good spot to pick up Dreamwine. The exact location seems to alter from week to week.[74at]
  • The Crooked Spear - This small tavern[41b][65f] is a known meeting place for homosexual men.[64c]
  • The Crown and Two Chairmen[74at][65e] - This is a very posh and exclusive tavern. One needs to pay an absurd fee just to enter the door, but once one does, the atmosphere, service, and fare are exemplary.[41c] It is the front for a brothel and gambling den.[70d][74at]
  • The Dancing Dwarf[74at] - This is a typical Old World tavern.[41c] It caters to Dwarfs.[74at]
  • The Drunken Bastard - Located where the Street of a Thousand Taverns spills out onto the docks,[41b] this is a run-down, low-quality tavern frequented mostly by lonely drunkards.[41c][64c] Pickpockets work here.[74at]
  • The Ensign Vormundreich - Caters mainly to Bretonnians.[74at]
  • Heads of Traitors - Where the Sigmundstrasse and Luitpoldstrasse intersect the Street of a Hundred Taverns, there's a monument consisting of five pikes stuck in a dirt mound. On these pikes a placed the heads of those considered enemies of the Empire.[41c]
  • Hammer and Bucket[74at] - The Hammer and Bucket is a music and entertainment venue.[45j]
  • The Mattheus II - This is a fine quality tavern which caters to aristocrats and courtiers.[74at] It is apparently named for Emperor Mattheus II.
  • The One-Eyed Wolf[74at] - This is a typical Old World tavern.[41c] It is located where the Street on a Thousand Taverns meets the Konigsplatz.[41b]
  • The Orc and Axe[70b] - An infamous violent den of vice and drunkenness. Property of Ulgrin Shatterhand.[70b]
  • The Recalcitrant Club[97a]
  • The Seven Stars[74at][96] - This is a very posh and exclusive tavern. One needs to pay an absurd fee just to enter the door, but once one does, the atmosphere, service, and fare are exemplary.[41c] Elector Count Valmir von Raukov is a regular when staying in Altdorf.[96]
  • The Short Measure - A tavern for Halflings. Unattended possessions are treated as public property.[74at]
  • The Staff of Verena - A tavern paying the highest protection rate to the gangs.[65e]
  • The Stout Cudgel - Mainly catering to gaolers and watchmen.[73a]
  • The Sullen Knight[74at] - This is a run-down, low-quality tavern frequented mostly by destitute drunkards.[41c] It is known for its frequent brawls.[64a][65c]
  • The Temple of Drama Theatre - This theatre is not for those of sophisticated taste: it shows mainly farces and melodramas.[41c][62c]
  • Uli's[80b] - Also called "The Debate", it is an inn that shares half of it with the workshop of Keys Smithy. It is a debating arena warmed by blacksmith's fire and secretly used by the Bright Order to attract Aqshy to empower work done at the smithy.[80b]
  • Villa Bianca - This is a tavern located where the Street of a Hundred Taverns crosses the nieghborhood of Little Tilea. The ceiling is low, the tables crowded with many Tilean folk, their curious and hostile eyes looking at those Altdorfers who dare to enter. The tavern is frequented by Signor Argentari, the father of Little Tilea. He knows the names of every Tilean in the city, where they'll spend the night and how much money is in their purses, down to the last copper.[73b][74as][75a]
  • Wayfarer's Rest[74at][86b][65e] - This is a typical Old World tavern.[41c] It caters to students and is a good spot to buy cheap weirdroot.[74at]

Toteninsel[]

Toteninsel, also called Morr's Town,[62e] is a district dedicated to Morr, built on a small island in the Reik. It is dominated by dark granite buildings and dotted with Morrite shrines and other structures sacred to the god of death.[74ay] Its few inhabitants generally have a profession related to death and burial, such as that of the undertaker, coffin-maker, stonemason, or lawyer, and are considered somewhat eccentric.[22i][23m] The Black Guard of Morr patrol the district.[74ay]

  • Silver House[36e] The employees of the Silver House exchange dead bodies for silver coins. It is a front of the Amethyst Order, who use the bodies for research, teaching, and spells, with the tacit approval of the Morrites.[36e][74ay]
  • Raven and Portal: An inn catering to members of the Cult of Morr.[74ay][62e]

Turmgarten[]

Also called the "Elven Quarter",[74ao] Turmgarten is actually mainly inhabited by Men. Most elves that live here stay on short-term engagements.[74ao] Altdorf's Elven Quarter is one of the largest in the Old World, surpassed only by Marienburg's and possibly Erengrad's.[31a]

  • Great Altdorf Asylum:[74ao] A Shallyan institution dedicated to care for the traumatized. Contains a sanatorium and aa quarantine facility.[19a][74ao]
  • New World Dinery and Delicatessen:[74ao] A shop that sells traditional Ulthuani cuisine.[74ao]
  • Wall of Remembrance: An ancient crumbling wall within an elm garden, the last remnant of ancient Kor Vanaeth. Elves often come here to here to remember the horrors of the war, while occaisonally, Dwarfs will come to honour their ancestors.[74ao]
  • Waverider Trading House: A Cothiquian merchant office that wishes to supplant the monopoly of Eataine on trade with the Old World.[74ao]

University District[]

The University District, also called the Schulergegend[74an] or Academic Quarter,[72b] is the home of the University of Altdorf, which occupies about a third of the district. The Schlafstadt district lies west of the University, while to the east is an area of decent townhouses, though the far eastern edge is too close to the Street of a Hundred Taverns to be too desirable.[74an] The district is a maze of bookshops, libraries, and dusty old sage-dens.[72b]

  • Bleaker Street:[51a] A sloping, serpentine street. Zavant Konniger's residence is on Bleaker Street.[51a]
  • Dove & Rose Building: The Dove & Rose, a society of free-thinking doktors, is based in a large townhouse near the University.[43a]
  • Great Library: This library serves the University of Altdorf, and is staffed by Verenan initiates.[74an][88a] It is often mistaken for a component of the University, but it's really a public institution.[36c][37f]
  • Komission of the Imperial Archives:[74an] The Komission for the Imperial Archives houses official reports and court records.[74an]
  • Temple of Borchbach: The more official temple of Borchbach in Altdorf, mainly dedicated to the theory of rhetoric.[45n]
  • University of Altdorf:[74an] The University of Altdorf is disorienting warren of dormitories, offices, lecture halls, and quadrangles. It is more open to the middle class than its rival in Nuln, and the relative diversity of its student body gives it a genuine intellectual vibrancy. The faculty hierarchy, meanwhile, descends from the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor through the Meister of each college to the professors. Law, medicine, military history, alchemy, and bestiara are its most prestigious faculties.[74an][7f][9e][36c]
  • Ulli von Tasseninck School of Religious Studies:[74an] Funded by the von Tasseninck family and the Knights of the Everlasting Light, this building serves as the theological college of the university. Named in honour of Ulli von Tasseninck, a former professor who was executed during the Waterfront War.[74an]
  • Zavant's residence:[72b] The great scholar-detective Zavant Konniger lives in a multi-storey home in the Academic Quarter.[72a][72b] Visitors are greeted by a ribald Tilean painting in the hall,[51a][72a] while Konniger's study is on the second floor.[72a] The house is on Bleaker Street.[51a]
Schlafstadt[]

Schlafstadt, located to the west of the University, houses poor students and laborers. It is also known for its many booksellers.[74an]Located behind the Colleges of Law, it is full of decrepit grey brick buildings that house impoverished students and poor workers. Many stores in Schlafstadt sell antiques, books, and secondhand goods.[32e]

  • Estlemann's Bookshop:[74an] Janus Estelmann is a bookseller noted for his ability to find rare books.[74an] He is able to procure volumes that none of his competitors can, but is a bit of a shady character. Witch Hunters and priests are convinced that he deals in heretical tomes, but have yet to find evidence. Nobles, wizards, and scholars think of him as a useful but suspicious resource. His shop is in on Hoffbann Street.[32d][32e]
  • Hoffbahn Street:[74an] Hoffbahn street has a particular concentration of book dealers.[74an]Most sell required law and literature texts to University students, but one could also purchase all sorts of books, from rare antique tomes to lowbrow romance novels.[32e]

Wolftor[]

The Wolftor district, named for its proximity to the northern city gate, is mainly populated by Middenlanders and north-easteners.[74aq]

  • Chapterhouse of the Knights of the Blazing Sun:[74aq] A rather modest building, resembling an inn, with the star insignia of the order where one would find the inn sign.[74aq]
  • Guild of Imperial Cartographers:[74aq] Headquarter of the Cartographers guild. Also houses an underghround archive with every map ever created by the guild.[74aq]
  • Imperial Counting House:[74aq] A well fortified building in which the taxation revenues of the city are counted.[74aq]
  • Temple of Ranald:[74aq] A hidden sanctuary of various Ranaldans reachable through a number of facades spread across the district.[74aq]
  • The Wolftor Temple:[74aq] The northern temple of Ulric in the city.[74aq]

Beneath the City[]

Warhammer Under-Altdorf

The sewers of Altdorf's undercity

Altdorf's undercity is no single environment. Altdorf's sewers were first constructed by Dwarfen engineers during the reign of Sigismund the Conqueror. Rather than go around the many naturally occuring fissures, the dwarfs incorporated them into the construction. Occasional cross-tunnels open into the main culverts. Over time, cellars from the city above became ever more extensive, and the old tunnels began to be breached. Sometimes these would be resealed, but other occasions saw the builder's keep this as a useful escape tunnel.[67e]

Besides the civic sewers there are tunnels dug by the Dwarfs and Skaven. Beneath these stretch caverns deep in the bedrock,[74aq] some carved by subterranean streams that empty into the Reik.[85b]

Floods and cave-ins are common in all but the most carefully maintained passages, and water is not the only substance that leaches through the soft earth. Under the Hexxerbezrik, magical energies seep from the arcane structures of the colleges. They stagnate and coalesce into tiny crystals. Skaven and unethical wizards alike sieve the waters of the Undercity for this Warpstone dust. As a result, those who spend considerable time in the Undercity tend to mutate.[74az] Rumours state that giant water lizards originally imported from the Southlands during the time of Boris Goldgather make the sewers their home.[70a] Other stories tell of ghouls, undead monsters that hide in the sewers since Vlad von Carstein first laid siege to the city and covens of cultists that serve profane gods.[58a]

  • Catacombs: For centuries, Altdorfers have been buried in underground catacombs.[36d][37b] These catacombs connect to several above-ground gardens on Morr.[37b] Naturally, Shyish flows heavily through these tunnels, and the Amethyst Order are said to have passages connecting their college to every corner of Altdorf's catacombs. They also make convenient hiding places for less savory characters, such as robbers and Chaos cultists.[36d] Rumour states that at the heart of the catacombs there is a subterranean temple called the Black Sepulchre tended by a secret order of Morrites.[37b][74az]
  • The Dragon's Hole: The secret underground-prison of the Kaiserjaegar beneath the Courts of Justice during the reign of Boris I.[68d] It is unknown if it is still in use in the era of Karl Franz.
  • Kaiserschwalbe:[70g] The source of Altdorfs' fresh water. It lies deep below the oldest part of Altdorf and is fed by several underground streams. Thanks to the dwarf engineers that connected the lake to cisterns and a system of pipes and channels, the city always has fresh water.[70f]
  • The Palace of Time: A secret underground installation housing the office of the minister of calendars, who judges which festivals and holidays are genuine and which are heretical.[74az]
  • Smuggler's Lagoon:[74az][63c] Located beneath the Vargr Breughel Theatrehouse, this briny lagoon that once served as a storage for smugglers, but is now inhabited by the Trapdoor Daemon.[63c]
  • Under-Altdorf:[25b][74az] Under-Altdorf is the Skaven city below the human city of Altdorf. It is one of the largest and most prosperous Skaven settlements, mainly due to its proximity to the human city—an abundant source of slaves. Under-Altdorf's success, though, is hampered by its lack of warpstone reserves.[24b] Humans know Under-Altdorf in rumour.[41b]
Neiderwind[]

This district is also home to many dwarfs employed in metallurgy and stoneworking.[16a] It lies beneath Metallschlacke and is considered part of that district by the authorities. Dwarfs go here for things they feel manlings have no business knowing or attending, like worshipping their gods, a cache of archaeological findings dating back to the War of Vengeance, and a clinic for a discreet treatment of Kruts.[74az]

Neiderwind’s narrow streets (strataz) and alleys (gatwaz) have retained their original Khazalid names. Numerous quartz crystals inscribed with the Rune of Light provide lantern-like street illumination.[74az]

  • Bugonstrataz (Bow Street)[74az]
  • Bugonstrataz Runners' Building: Headquarter of the Runners, Neiderwinds's equivalent to the City watch.[74az]
  • Dragonbreath Tavern: A favourite of the weaponsmith clans, with non-dwarfs being unwelcome.[74az]
  • Drakkstrataz (Dragon Street)[74az]
  • Gramen Davokssons' Archive: A shop containing a vast repository of lore on nearly anything in the Known World, maintained by loremaster Gramen Davoksson.[74az]
  • Pumping House: A great and ancient pump draws groundwater out of Niederwind, keeping the district from being flooded.[74az]

Beyond the Walls[]

Immediately outside of Altdorf is a large space cleared of trees and used for agriculture.[45o][57] There are many villages in this area.[57] Beyond this is the region of extensive mudflats where the Reik and Talabec rivers meet known as the Altdorf Flats. The many channels do not reunite until a twenty miles downstream from the city walls.[11b][27a][41a][45o] The mudflats are fetid and River Troll-infested. Six main causeways cross the Altdorf Flats, each one containing ancient stone bridges of dwarfen manufacture. Both the causeways and river channels are heavily patrolled by roadwardens and riverwardens respectively.[45o] In the summer, the Altdorf Flats smell so bad that many nobles flee the city to rural estates.[45t]

Directly outside the city walls there are slums, despite by-laws to the otherwise.[41f]

  • Amber Hills: The Amber Hills are just south of the city,[45d] and they're where most of the important amber wizards live.[7j] The Eonir have also established a semi-permanent camp here in order to observe and occasionally take part in Imperial politics.[45d]
  • Artillery Fields: To the eastern gate lies a large area of waste ground where the Imperial School of Engineers carries out field tests.[74ba]
  • Brustellin's Tomb: A small shrine dedicated to Professor Brustellin, an infamous seditionist that died during the Great Fog Riots.[74ba]
  • Black Isle: A castle of black rock that has been built on a rock formation within the Reik. The fortress acts as a treacherous obstacle that has sunk many ships in the fog, but also serves as the headquarter of the Black Chamber. The heads of trazors and heretics are hoisted uzp on tall iron spikes along the ramparts.[74ba]
  • The Clay Works: Since the day of the Unberogens, the clay of Altdorf has been valuable and Altdorf pottery is renowned throughout the Old World. The clay pits lie above and below the confluence with the Talabec.[74ba]
  • Crackle Hill: Just outside Altdorf, this hill was established as the site where heretics and traitors were executed during the series of religious scandals following the First Siege.[22b] Altdorfers travel here to witness the destruction of particular notorious warlocks.[74ba]
  • Corum's Field: An area in the south between the Altbrug and the westernmost of the docks. A largely abandoned area used to hold fairs.[60d]
  • Morr's Oak: Just outside Altdorf, this aptly named tree was where criminals were hanged during the Time of Three Emperors. [22b] It is unknown if it still used in this regard, or, in fact, whether it even still exists.
  • Mundsen Keep:[74ba] An infamous gaol in which debtors, revolutionaries, thieves, murderers and other people the courts want to forget are imprisoned.[62a][74ba]
  • Kreatur Hürde: A large enclosure for the Demigryphs of the various Knightly Orders. [74ba]
  • Susi Olfsdar's Tannery: Susi Olfsdar, a halfling's widow, is an extra-guild tanner who has gained a reputation as one of the finest leatherworkers in Altdorf. Her small tannery is located downwind of the city.[34i]
Reiksport[]

The main port of the Imperial Navy lies in a deep-water harbour north of the city proper.[74ba][91b][92a] The waters of the River Reik are deep enough that oceangoing ships can sail as far inland as the Reiksport.[9f][33a][33l] Located where three major channels converge,[3b]The river is slow-flowing here, and a mile wide.[27a] This fortified port is used both to unload cargo of merchant vessels, and as the headquarters for Reikland Fleet of the Imperial Navy.[9f][33a][33l][41a][41f] A bustling shantytown has grown up around the Reiksport to service the merchants and sailors.[33b][74ba]

City taxes are not levied on ships docked at the Reiksport.[33a] The law is not enforced by the watch here, but rather by the River Patrol, which is somewhat laxer when it comes to searching for smuggled goods. For repairs, ships need to sail into the city proper to the Flottenliegeplatz.[74ba]

Other locations[]

As Altdorf is basically unmappable, it is not always clear where some residences lie in relation to others. Additionally, some districts are known under multiple names, like Oberreik,[32g][67c][91c] Brass District,[46], Buchbinder District,[82a] Morrwies,[70a], the Maze,[47a] Talabec Platz merchants' quarter,[72c] or Upper Districts,[35b] and Rich Quarter[89a] which might be colloquial terms for other Districts. Others, like the Altgarten district,[67c] Amtsbezirk district,[91b], Oberhausen,[91b], Reikhoch,[91b] Drecksack,[91d] or Albrecht's Close,[68c] might be historical districts that no longer exist.

Below are some other locations that cannot be allocated to a district based on current information:

  • Artoine of Leonesse's Shop: Artoine of Leonesse is a wig and mask maker catering exclusively to nobles. His shop is on the ground floor of his townhouse.[32g] Stated to lie in the Palace District.
  • Axe and Hammer Tavern: It was here that Gotrek and Felix met after the Slayer saved Felix from the Reiksguard during the Window Tax Riot.[74k]
  • The Black Raven: A tavern.[4c]
  • Blow Hole Tavern[99]
  • Breichstrasse: This street is near Vermin Alley and Ragansweg.[29a]
  • The Broken Barrel: The Broken Barrel is a tavern popular with teamsters. It is located in a large room on the bottom floor of a six-storey building. Most of the furniture consists of broken barrels improvised as chairs and tables.[22af]
  • The Burning Table: The Burning Table is a good inn for newcomers to Altdorf. It's run by Matthias Tafel, a relatively permissive innkeeper.[22v]
  • The Crooked Crone: A brothel.[92c]
  • Consorplatz: a small square in the Brass District.[46]
  • The Cock Pit: The Cock Pit is a famous cockfighting ring. Although its located in a slum, the Cock Pit is prosperous and its well-maintained building stands out. The building features gambling, a bar, and a cordoned-off section for the wealthy.[22ag]
  • The Cursed Pelt: The Cursed Pelt is a scholar's tavern with a dark reputation and a penchant for ominous lore.[98a]
  • The Cuckolded Rooster: The Cuckolded Rooster is a tavern in the East End.[50a]
  • The Dancing Fox: The Dancing Fox is a three-storey structure that serves as an inn.[58a]
  • Dieter Klemperer's Townhouse: Naturally for a celestial wizard, Dieter Klemperer's townhouse is stuffed with astronomical instruments.[22aa]
  • Elizabeth Baern's Estate: Condescending noblewoman Elizabeth Baern lives in a walled estate. She is very concerned with showing off, so the front garden is well maintained and the public rooms lavishly decorated. Meanwhile, the back garden is overgrown, and the private rooms are largely undecorated.[22w]
  • Fist and Glove: An inn which caters mainly to agents of the Templars of Sigmar[71a]It lies behind the Cathedral of Sigmar not far from the Street of a Hundred Taverns.[59c]
  • Gottri Hammerfist's Townhouse: Insane witch hunter Gottri Hammerfist lives in a fortified townhouse, with barred windows and reinforced walls. His servants are armed.[22z]
  • The Griffon: A small tavern.[66a]
  • Guillaume Deschamps' Estate: Jade Wizard Guillaume Deschamps gained his walled estate from one of his past adventures. Since then, he has encouraged plants to overrun the crumbling house. He now lives in a shelter of living trees. The walls around the estate remain sturdy.[22x]
  • Goellner Hill: This district is located near the Imperial Zoo. Duke Ottokar von Siert resided primarily here as recently as 2511.[45a]
  • Gustaf Ziegler's Shop:[32g] Gustaf Ziegler is a bespoke tailor and costume maker with a shop on the edge of Obereik. He serves the wealthy and the aristocracy.[32g]
  • The Laurel's Rest: The Laurel's Rest is an expensive hostel and inn frequented by the great and good.[41d][41e] Stated to lie in the Palace District.
  • The Imperial: Located south-east of the Temple of Sigmar,[14a] this hotel is presumably very high-quality, as elector counts and even the Ar-Ulric have been known to stay here.[14b]
  • The Hanging Crow: An inn.[88e]
  • Heldenplatz: A public place with a bronze monument of Sigmar.[91b]
  • The Hog's Head: An inn at Marienstrasse, far from the Street of a Hundred Taverns.[60b]
  • Hohenzoll residence: The seat of the Hohenzoll merchant family is a mansion somewhere in Altdorf's South Bank.[74aw]
  • House of Luitpold: Likely named after Emperor Luitpold. A gothic building with a central auditorium of sufficient size to hold the entourages of all ten Elector Counts.[88j]
  • The House of Sighs: A very exclusive and expensive bordello.[73a]
  • Jaegerstrasse: Jaegerstrasse is a street with shops where "the quality" can buy "fancy stuff."[32g]
  • Kaiser's Platz: A public space with less prominent gallows.[72a]
  • Liedenbrock Town House: The Altdorf residence of Lord Liedenbrock.[62d]
  • Lindenhaus: The residence of the von den Linden family in the 12th century IC.[68a]
  • Lokstedterweg: A prosperous street in one of the mercantile districts.[60a]
  • Lord Frederick's Estate: Lord Frederick lives in a walled estate in Altdorf. The buildings and gardens are well-kept, and decorated with many memorabilia of the fight against Chaos. The servants dress in green and gold livery.[22y]
  • Marketstrasse: Marketstrasse, as its name implies, is full of merchants and pedlars selling their wares.[35c]
  • Mastiff's End Tavern[99]
  • Maximilian Saer's Townhouse: Merchant and aesthete Maximilian Saer lives in a six-storey townhouse with a roof garden. As befits the man, everything in the house is aesthetically pleasing, from the paintings to the servants (all of whom are female).[22ad]
  • Minstrel School: Altdorf is the location of a minstrel school, actually the sister institution of a larger school in Nuln. It focuses on a variety of musical instruments.[34e]
  • Muckraker's Guildhall[91d]
  • Old Horse Tower: This grey stone tower once housed the Bretonnian embassy, but now contains the offices of aristocrats.[41d]
  • Old Temple of Manann: A derelict temple located at the Kantsweg. Its remains are mainly used by vagrants, drunks and lovers.[60d]
  • Old Temple of Shallya: A temple of Shallya in the northern part of the city vandalized by the fanatics of Grand Theogonist Thoss and not rebuilt ever since.[82b]
  • Oswald the Hero Bridge[86c]
  • Palaces of Ferdinand von Wallenstein: Ferdinand von Wallenstein, the Graf of Auerswald, owns luxurious palaces in Altdorf, and prefers to spend his time here rather than in his own lands.[45t]
  • Palaces of Reichen von Tellen: Captain Reichen von Tellen became tremendously wealthy in the early 2500's following a three-year voyage in which he captured and sold 53 ships in Bretonnian waters. He retired at the age of 26 and now owns three palaces in Altdorf (as well as some in other cities!)[33m]
  • The Picture and Wabberthwait: An inn.[88k]
  • Pinchpenny Street: This is a street with market stalls.[50a] It may be near Luitpoldstrasse.
  • Ragansweg: This street is near Vermin Alley and Breichstrasse.[29a]
  • The Red Lion Tavern[8a]
  • The Reikland Arms[99]
  • Reikschloss:[67c] The headquarter of the Reiksknecht order in the 12th century IC.
  • Reiksfang Prison: A prison for heretics, warlocks and worse.[70b][71b]
  • Robida Estate:[65h] Located near the Palace Quarters. Seat of the Robida family.
  • Ruhstatt: A garden of Morr deconsecrated during the First Siege of Altdorf out of fear that the Vampire Counts would reanimate the dead inside.[91b]
  • The Scalded Cat: The Scalded Cat is a tavern in a wooden building pushed up against the city wall in the East End.[50a]
  • Screaming Cat Tavern[99]
  • The Sheaf and Shears[32f]
  • Sigmarite Safe House: A safe house of Sigmarite Templars is located near the Light College with the purpose of making sure the area's high levels of magic do not have any ill effects on the locals.[23e]
  • Slut Alley, a street where Altdorf's cheapest harlots ply their trade[65l]
  • Street of the Fortune Tellers:[73a]
  • Suderich: The Suderich is a fish market.[32d]
  • Templar's Court: A safehouse of the witch hunters. Located near the Great Temple of Sigmar.[57e]
  • Temple of St. Botolphus[60e]
  • Valicinian Circle: Located in a neoclassical hall in Altdorf's wealthiest district, this exclusive club for courtiers is the site of much backroom political intrigue.[34a]
  • Vermin Alley: Vermin Alley is the name of a particularly filthy street, where one can find very cheap lodging. Nearby streets include Breichstrasse and Ragansweg.[29a]
  • von Karien Estate: Located in a more derelict part of Altdorf ever since the von Karien family fell under suspicion of heresy. The Bright College is nearby.[57d]
  • Von Neuwald Arms: Located in the City North near the docks and the Street of a Hundred Taverns. Used to host illegal dice tourneys.[65e]
  • von Werra stables: A stablery that existed in the 12th century IC.[67c]
  • The Lock and Key: This tavern on Vermin Alley is run by a fellow named Holz.[29a][29b]
  • Weidendamm:[96] A part of the warehouse district in the Docklands.
  • Weissbuten's Warehouse: Mr. Weissbuten runs a warehouse on an island in a very seedy district. He asks no questions about who his customers are or what they're storing, and the warehouse is presumably used regularly by criminals.[22ah][22ai]
  • Werner Zuntermein's Townhouse: [86c] The Zuntermein residence lies in the mercantile quarter in the north of the city, around two hundred yards from the city walls and itself fortificated.
  • Zeigmuller's Theatre[22y]

Notes[]

  • Note 1: The dates and order of these events are somewhat unclear. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs places the palace gift in the "early 11th Century," and the electoral vote after that. It puts the completion of the temple before the finishing of the (unnamed) book, which took place in 1012 IC. Spires of Altdorf places the electoral vote in 990 IC and the palace gift shortly after that. The completion of the temple according to this source is in 1000 IC, and the completion of The Life of Sigmar at an unspecified date.
  • Note 2: Spires of Altdorf says the siege started in 1701 IC.
  • Note 3: This district's name is speculative. The locations listed are those said to be near either the Amethyst College or Temple of Morr, which in turn are located close to each other. Altdorf: Crown of the Empire places it in the Hexxerbezrik in the City North (which is in the eastern part of that quarter and far away from the main temple of Morr), while Spires of Altdorf placed it in the western part of North Altdorf. This discrepancy might be explained through the warping influence of the Colleges of Magic on the city's geography.
  • Note 4: Different sources have information on temple(s) of Shallya. The Thousand Thrones describes the "Shallyan Temple and Hospital" in the University District. The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition Rulebook mentions that Altdorf's "Temple of Shallya" is the largest in the Empire and ministers to a large number of patients. Signs of Faith describes a "Temple Hospice of Shallya" overrun by the sick and poor. It is not clear if any or all of these are the same location. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: The Enemy Within states that the Temple Hospice is near the Konigplatz, evidence it may be the same as the temple and hospital in the university district. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Altdorf - Crown of the Empire separates the sanatorium and the temple, placing the main temple in the Krankenfeld district and the sanatorium in the Sudwand district.
  • Note 5: Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire states that the order's primary chapterhouse is located in Essen after a series of unnatural disasters destroyed previous chapterhouses. Perhaps a similar fate befell the Essen chapterhouse during the alternate timeline of the Storm of Chaos, and their chapterhouse in Altdorf became their primary base.
  • Note 6: Different sources give different names for physicians' guilds in Altdorf. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: The WFRP Companion mentions the Physicians to the Crown. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Liber Infectus mentions both the Honourable Guild of Physicks and the Guild of Physicians. It is unknown whether these are all separate guilds, or different names for the same guild.
  • Note 7: Enemy Within incorrectly gives his name as Wilhelm II, as well as stating that the statue depicts him with his Runefang and a warhammer instead.
  • Note 8: The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition Rulebook states that this occurred in 1000 IC by decree of Ludwig the Fat.
  • Note 9: White Dwarf 140 states that the Fog Riots occurred in 2506 IC, but Beasts in Velvet states they happened three years after the events of Drachenfels, placing them in 2508 IC.
  • Note 10: The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition Rulebook states that Altdorf's original name meant "rich village."
  • Note 11: In older editions, the location of the Bright College was the East End of Altdorf. In Crown of the Empire, it is instead also located in the Hexxerbezrik, in the north. This discrepancy might be explained through the warping influence of the Colleges of Magic on the city's geography.
  • Note 12: In Spires of Altdorf, the original location of the Light College was a formerly upscale district on the left bank of the River Reik. In Crown of the Empire, it is instead also located in the Hexxerbezrik, on the right bank. This discrepancy might be explained through the warping influence of the Colleges of Magic on geography.
  • Note 13: In Beasts in Velvet the club was called the Flamingo.
  • Note 14: White Dwarf 140 states that the events of Warblade take place in 2502 IC, though the timeline provided has several inconsistencies with later entries.
  • Note 15: In Zavant by Gordon Rennie, the quote is instead attributed to Zammal von Anselm.
  • Note 16: Otto von Bitternach is most commonly cited as Mencken's predecessor, being named as such in the Zavant novels and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Night's Dark Masters. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Altdorf: Crown of the Empire mentions Ullana Velten as the chamberlain in 2512 IC on pg. 20, yet contradicts itself by naming Otto von Bitternach as the chamberlain on pp. 71 and 93.
  • Note 17: This second set of population numbers for Altdorf are from the gazetteer of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs, which is set after the Storm of Chaos, the alternate timeline describing a failed attempt by the thirteenth Everchosen Archaon to bring about the End Times that is no longer considered canon, but in which a large portion of the city's population fought against his Chaos armies in the great battle at Middenheim. The first set of population numbers in the infobox should be considered current canon.
  • Note 18: The story takes place thirteen years after the events of Drachenfels, which is commonly dated around 2505 IC.
  • Note 19: The short story is not dated, but Valmir von Raukov is Elector Count of Ostland, meaning it takes place after 2512 IC.
  • Note 20: Reikhoch is neither shown nor mentioned in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition's Altdorf: Crown of the Empire. As such, the district may no longer be considered canon.

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (4th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 94
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Orcs & Goblins (4th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 8
    • 2b: pg. 10
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (4th Edition)
    • 3a: pg. 10
    • 3b: pg. 15
  • 4: Warhammer Armies: Undead (4th Edition)
    • 4a: pg. 28
    • 4b: pg. 29
    • 4c: pg. 47
  • 5: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (6th Edition)
    • 5a: pg. 51
    • 5b: pg. 61
    • 5c: pg. 63
  • 6: Warhammer Armies: Storm of Chaos (6th Edition)
    • 6a: pg. 8
    • 6b: pg. 35
  • 7: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (7th Edition)
    • 7a: pg. 7
    • 7b: pg. 10
    • 7c: pg. 12
    • 7d: pg. 13
    • 7e: pg. 15
    • 7f: pg. 16
    • 7g: pg. 26
    • 7h: pg. 27
    • 7i: pg. 28
    • 7j: pg. 29
    • 7k: pg. 30
    • 7l: pg. 31
    • 7m: pg. 35
    • 7n: pg. 41
    • 7o: pg. 46
    • 7p: pg. 56
    • 7q: pg. 92
  • 8: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (7th Edition)
    • 8a: pg. 72
  • 9: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)
    • 9a: pg. 8
    • 9b: pg. 13
    • 9c: pg. 18
    • 9d: pg. 19
    • 9e: pg. 20
    • 9f: pg. 21
  • 10: Warhammer Armies: Wood Elves (8th Edition)
  • 11: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- Core Rulebook
  • 12: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- The Enemy Within
  • 13: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- Shadows Over Bögenhafen
  • 14: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- The Empire in Flames
  • 15: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- Marienburg: Sold Down the River
  • 16: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- Realms of Sorcery
  • 17: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st Edition -- Dwarfs: Stone and Steel
  • 18: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Core Rulebook
  • 19: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Old World Bestiary
  • 20: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Old World Armoury
  • 21: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Sigmar’s Heirs
  • 22: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Spires of Altdorf
  • 23: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Realms of Sorcery
  • 24: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Forges of Nuln
  • 25: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Children of the Horned Rat
  • 26: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Tome of Corruption
  • 27: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- The WFRP Companion
  • 28: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Game Master’s Toolkit
  • 29: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Night’s Dark Masters
  • 30: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Tome of Salvation
  • 31: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Realm of the Ice Queen
  • 32: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- The Thousand Thrones
  • 33: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Shades of Empire
  • 34: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition -- Career Compendium
  • 35: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Core Rulebook
  • 36: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- The Winds of Magic
  • 37: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Signs of Faith
  • 38: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- The Game Master’s Guide
  • 39: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Omens of War
  • 40: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Lure of Power
  • 41: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- The Enemy Within
  • 42: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Liber Infectus
  • 43: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Liber Ecstatica
  • 44: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition -- Liber Mutatis
  • 45: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
  • 46: Warhammer Quest (PC Game)
  • 47: White Dwarf 120
  • 48: White Dwarf 122
  • 49: White Dwarf 140
  • 50: Hammer and Bolter 25
    • 50a: "The Problem of Three Toll Bridge" (Short Story) by Josh Reynolds
  • 51: Inferno! Volume 1 (2018)
    • 51a: "How Vido Learned the Trick" (Short Story) by Josh Reynolds
  • 52: Liber Chaotica (Background Book)
  • 53: Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire (Background Book)
  • 54: The Witch Hunter's Handbook (Background Book)
  • 55: The Empire at War(Background Book)
  • 56: Archaon: Everchosen (Novel) by Rob Sanders
  • 57: Death’s Legacy (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell
  • 58: Blood Money (Novel) by C.L. Werner
    • 58a: Honour among Vermin
  • 59: Mark of Damnation (Novel) by James Wallis
  • 60: Mark of Heresy (Novel) by James Wallis
  • 61: Reiksguard (Novel) by Richard Williams
  • 62: Drachenfels (Novel) by Jack Yeovil
    • 62a: Act One, Ch. 1
    • 62b: Act Two, Ch. 3
    • 62c: Act Two, Ch. 10
    • 62d: Act Two, Ch. 11
    • 62e: Act Three, Ch. 3
  • 63: Genevieve Undead (Novel) by Jack Yeovil
    • 63a: Part One, Ch. 1
    • 63b: Part One, Ch. 5
    • 63c: Part One, Ch. 9
    • 63d: Part One, Ch. 17
  • 64: Beasts in Velvet (Novel) by Jack Yeovil
    • 64a: Part One, Chapter Four
    • 64b: Part Two, Chapter One
    • 64c: Part Two, Chapter Two
    • 64d: Part Two, Chapter Three
    • 64e: Part Three, Chapter One
    • 64f: Part Three, Chapter Two
    • 64g: Part Three, Chapter Five
    • 64h: Part Four, Chapter One
    • 64i: Part Four, Chapter Seven
    • 64j: Part one, Chapter One
  • 65: Silver Nails (Anthology) by Jack Yeovil
    • 65a: The Warhawk, Ch. 1
    • 65b: The Warhawk, Ch. 7
    • 65c: The Warhawk, Ch. 11
    • 65d: The Warhawk, Ch. 12
    • 65e: The Warhawk, Ch. 13
    • 65f: The Warhawk, Ch. 14
    • 65g: The Warhawk, Ch. 15
    • 65h: The Warhawk, Ch. 1
    • 65i: The Ibby the Fish Factor, Ch. 1
    • 65j: The Ibby the Fish Factor, Ch. 2
    • 65k: The Ibby the Fish Factor, Ch. 9
    • 65l: The Ibby the Fish Factor, Ch. 11
    • 65m: The Ibby the Fish Factor, Ch. 16
  • 66: Elfslayer (Novel) by Nathan Long
  • 67: Dead Winter (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 68: Blighted Empire (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 69: Wolf of Sigmar (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 70: Grey Seer (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 71: Witch Killer (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 72: Zavant (Novel) by Gordon Rennie
    • 72a: Buried Secrets
    • 72b: Red Moon over Altdorf
    • 72c: The Politics of Shadow
    • 72d: The Horror at Alt Krantzstein
  • 73: Swords of the Empire (Anthology)
    • 73a: The Case of the Scarlet Cell
    • 73b: Rest for the Wicked
  • 74: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Altdorf - Crown of the Empire (RPG)
  • 75: Inferno 32
  • 76: The War of Vengeance: The Great Betrayal (Novel) by Nick Kymes
  • 77: Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
  • 78: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Enemy Within Campaign Volume 1 - Enemy in Shadows (RPG)
  • 79: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Enemy Within Campaign Volume 5 - Empire in Ruins (RPG)
  • 80: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Winds of Magic (RPG)
  • 81: Gotrek and Felix: Charnel Congress (Novella) by Josh Reynolds
  • 82: van Horstmann (Novel) by Ben Counter
  • 83: Shamanslayer (Novel) by Nathan Long
  • 84: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Death on the Reik Companion (RPG)
  • 85: Shadowbreed (Novel) by David Ferring
  • 86: Warblade (Novel) by David Ferring
  • 87: Dreadfleet (Speciality Game)
  • 88: Darkness Rising: The Complete Story of the Storm of Chaos (Background Book)
  • 89: Grimblades (Novel) by Nick Kyme
  • 90: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of the Empire Vol. III (RPG)
  • 91: Von Carstein Trilogy: Book One - Inheritance (Novel) by Steven Savile
  • 92: Von Carstein Trilogy: Book Two - Dominion (Novel) by Steven Savile
  • 93: White Dwarf #280 (UK Edition)
  • 94: White Dwarf #288 (UK Edition)
  • 95: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Ruins Companion (RPG)
  • 96: Night Too Long (Short Story) by James Wallis
  • 97: Warrior Priest (Novel) by Darius Hinks
  • 98: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: The Imperial Zoo (RPG)
  • 99:Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC Game)
  • 100:Warhammer: Vermintide II (PC Game)
  • 101: Fanatic Magazine 4
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