OG: Interlude: Meanwhile, With the Other Champions IX

Eric Dahl was, currently, master of much of the southern and western Border Princes from the Barony of Kasos north to the Grand Duchy of Zvorak, west to the Apouchini Mountains, and south to the Principality of Argalis. He was also Lord of Pugno and First Citizen of Verazzo in Eastern Tilea. All told, some one-point-five million people lived under his command, though by far the majority of those came from Pugno and Verazzo, with the pair collectively having just under one-point-four million people. Seizing those, however, had taken some doing in that Eric had needed to fight three battles against the forces of Verazzo to effectively conquer the small Republic. The first had been outside of Reverno, after marching his forces through the Reverno Road from Pugno. That had been the first victory in the War, but it hadn't been the last.

Next had come the Battle of the Field of Flames. Eric had attacked North toward Olesi instead of east toward Verazzo in order to cut Verazzo off from Sea Trade and weaken their ability to fight. In response, Verazzo sent a Mercenary Army, including the famed Cornetto's Pikes, to stop him from doing so. They had met in a wheat field between the Port of Olesi and Reverno. That had been a tough battle and had required Eric to bust out his Fire Magic en masse to keep the larger, better-equipped, more veteran mercenary force from outflanking his forces and crushing his army. Between his flames, the zeal of his men, and the magical weaponry that he had gained, allowing him to put over a dozen arrows in flight every minute, accurately, and his Conveyance Magic allowing him to move quickly around the battlefield via teleportation, he had pulled out a victory.

The Mercenary Force was bloodied and forced to withdraw back toward Verazzo, allowing Eric to seize Olesi, and then marched south along the coast to the larger port city of Portomaggiore, which fell without a fight so as to spare the port a potential sack. The loss of both ports managed to cause unrest in Verazzo between the Red and Yellow Factions, allowing the Red Faction the power to muster a Militia to reinforce the Mercenary Forces. Of course, the leader of the Red Faction, Bastino Batta, had led the force himself, not trusting the Yellow Faction to not put someone in the position of Captain who would undermine the effort. This, it turned out, was a mistake. Not because of any lack of command ability on Bastino's part, but because when, at the Battle of Ciabbatta, Eric put an arrow through Bastino's visor from across the field, the Reds lost their best and brightest.

The Battle of Ciabbatta had been the third and final major battle of the Conquest of Verazzo, and another victory for Eric. After he had sniped Bastino Batta, Eric had bedeviled the enemy force with Illusions and Flames on its left flank, while his own, small cavalry force crashed into its right flank. The result was an utter rout with no commander to regain order. They had taken numerous prisoners, including several scions of noble families of both the Red and Yellow Factions, along with Guido Cornetto, descendant of Juan Cornetto and current commander of Cornetto's Pikes. With so many of their children captured and their last remaining offensive force shattered, the rank and file of the Red and Yellow Factions of Verazzo rose up against the current first citizen, or Princeps, of Verazzo, the leader of the Yellow Faction, Groccolo.

As Eric had neared the City of Verazzo itself, Groccolo had found himself ousted from power rather suddenly, when, at a dinner he had thrown for the restive Factions of Verazzo to shore up support, he found a bout of untraceable poison in his wine glass that caused his heart to give out during the cheese course. The assembled Factions then proclaimed Eric to be their new First Citizen and threw open the gates of Verazzo to his army. Eric had entered the City in Triumph with a parade and been installed as First Citizen in the Palazzo Verazzo right then and there. He had appointed a trusted man as Viceroy in Verazzo before moving his overall capital to Pugno as a way to bridge the Eastern and Western halves of his growing kingdom. He was aided in this by a massive Castle that he had erected, seemingly overnight, but which actually was an outgrowth of his powers.

Castello Saltatore, or Castle Jumper, had been erected in the Imperial Style of Tamriel, which was to say that it fit right in with Tilean Architecture. It was a formidable structure, with mystical wards against intruders and teleportation, sat on a large mountain of rock that was honeycombed with tunnels and mines from which forces could launch sorties against or escape from a besieging force. Those tunnels also came with a wealth of mineral assets, as well as various alchemical reagents in the form of lichens, insects, molds, and fungi. Honestly, between the Alchemy, the Metalwork, and the honey from the beehives, Pugno, and thus Eric's Kingdom, was fast becoming a regional trading powerhouse. That kept the Yellow Faction in Verazzo happy, while the new equipment for the militia kept the Red Faction happy.

Said new equipment used a special alchemical alloy that Eric had developed that was both stronger and lighter than steel, holding an edge better and needing less maintenance. Weapons and armor made of this new alloy were considered quite valuable, and they were highly sought after by Mercenaries from across Tilea. Honestly, between the clear signs of use of multiple winds of magic, as well as the erection of Castello Saltatore, rumors had begun floating around that Eric had Elf Blood in him, allowing him to draw on a certain level of High Magic without it souring into Dhar. After all, only the Elves and the Mysterious inhabitants of Lustria had ever shown such capabilities beforehand. Of course, the Elves had never deigned to interbreed with Humans before, so there were some questions as to the circumstances of Eric's birth.

That had been what had drawn a Witch-Hunter down to Pugno from Nuln in Sigmar's Empire. Apparently, the new Elector Countess of Wissenland, Grand Baroness Emmanuelle von Liebwitz, had heard about the oddly mystical Border Prince who seemed to be forming an Empire to her South and had sent someone to attempt to ascertain if Eric was a servant of the Ruinous Powers. The man she had sent, Karl Von Zähringen, was a distant cousin of the Grand Baroness who had taken up the call of the Order of the Silver Hammer, and thus, could be trusted to give the Grand Baroness an accurate assessment. Fortunately for Eric, it seemed Von Zähringen's methods, both mundane and priestly, had failed to turn up much of anything regarding his possible corruption. Not that Eric had any Chaos Corruption, mind you, but it was still good to know a false positive hadn't happened.

Now, Eric was seated across a dinner table from Von Zähringen, as they discussed various matters over dinner. Thankfully, Castello Saltatore's pantry was perpetually full. A precaution against siege, certainly, but also handy when having to suddenly feed a Noble Templar of the Order of the Silver Hammer and his retinue unexpectedly, and what a retinue Von Zähringen had with him! As befitting his noble station, Karl Von Zähringen had brought three dozen guards, attendants, and companions along with him, ranging from his personal confessor, Father Niels Schmidt, to a Barber Surgeon, Master Physician Lars Zoller, to a dozen Guards led by Captain Gottlieb Scheinhausen. All of them had to be fed, which wouldn't have been too difficult to accommodate now that his growing Kingdom was a hotbed of trade and also contained Verazzo, to boot, but the pantry made it even easier.

As he sat across from Von Zähringen, sipping his soup, Eric studied the man. His bald head bore a scar across the forehead, going down to just above his left eye and splitting the eyebrow in twain. The baldness was contrasted by the mutton chops of brown hair that served him as facial hair. His nose was bent, knocked crooked in some fight somewhere, but his flint gray eyes shone with intelligence. Of course, he was dressed finely, in a ruffled doublet of deep black dye and silken hose, though Eric had also seen the man garbed in a Mail Hauberk that shone to his third eye with a priestly blessing under a more practical leather greatcoat. Eric suspected the Templar dressed for the situation he would be in, rather than maintaining a certain standard of dress the whole day. He certainly had the luggage for it, if the cart currently stabled in the Courtyard was any indication.

"I see you are wondering about my scars." Spoke up Von Zähringen, suddenly, breaking Eric out of his thoughts.

"I have a few of my own." Offered Eric.

"And you wish to compare stories?" Questioned Von Zähringen.

"Can you blame me?" Queried Eric.

"No. I have known many fighting men to do similar, though I must say it is not something I often hear from Magisters." Answered Von Zähringen.

"I'm not an ordinary Magister." Remarked Eric.

"Indeed. How is that possible, I wonder?" Asked Von Zähringen.

"You have heard the rumors, have you not? Somewhere, someone in my family managed to sleep with an Elf, and the blood runs strong in my veins." Shrugged Eric.

"Indeed. That is curious. Half-Elves have not been seen since Sigmar's Day, and while such a thing is certainly possible, I am told that there was a mystical prohibition put on such couplings by Bel-Korhadris the Scholar in four-ninety-eight of the Imperial Calendar. You must be exceptionally blessed that you managed to be born." Opined Von Zähringen.

"Such blessings have been known to happen, especially when Elves and High Magic are involved." Pointed out Eric.

"True. Though I also am curious about your family. Dahl is a Nordlander Surname, is it not? Burghers, yes?" Questioned Von Zähringen.

"Yes. From Norden, at least in my case." Nodded Eric, going based on the identity Loki had set up for him.

"And yet you have set yourself up here. Why is that?" Queried Von Zähringen.

"It is not a crime to want to be more than a mere Shipbuilder's or Blacksmith's Apprentice. Especially with my own gifts. I knew I would be capable of more, and so as soon as I was able, I headed south." Shrugged Eric.

"Is that the true reason?" Asked Von Zähringen.

"Speak plainly, Sir. If you are going to accuse me of something specific, at least have the decency to do so to my face while a guest in my castle." Demanded Eric.

"Very well. I will honor your request. Frankly, My Lord, you are a puzzle, one whose simplest answer has been ruled out by every technique and miracle at my disposal. The abilities granted to his holy orders by Sigmar himself have proven you not to be tainted by the Ruinous Powers, nor are you an undead abomination, yet the unlikely explanation of you being the sole Half-Elf currently alive does not fit well, either. I find myself in an awkward position. My cousin, the Grand Baroness Emmanuelle von Liebwitz of Wissenland, requires an explanation, but I only have explanations of what you are not." Intoned Von Zähringen.

"If the Elector Countess of Wissenland wishes assurances that I will not seek to invade her lands, tell her she has them." Informed Eric.

"While I am sure that will be a weight off of her mind, there is also the Matter of my Order. The Order of the Silver Hammer must know what you are. If you do not wish to be labeled as a potential problem by the next Witch Hunter to pass this way, I must insist that you be honest with me about your origins." Demanded Von Zähringen.

"Is the fact that I am not a thrall to Dark Powers nor a being cheating death not enough?" Questioned Eric.

"For some, it is. I am among their number. However, many of the Order are not as willing to let strange phenomena live as I am, including many among the leadership. Where I see a being who is not actively causing an issue when our attention needs be elsewhere, others would lash out at any unexpected and ill-defined beings regardless of strategy." Explained Von Zähringen.

"Solkanites, you mean?" Queried Eric.

"Among others. Would you at least do me the courtesy of clarifying? I have been forthright with you, after all." Nodded Von Zähringen.

Eric pondered for a moment. Loki had set his current identity up with multiple, contradictory options for just such an occasion. Some were more plausible than others. Now it was a matter of choosing which of the more plausible explanations to offer. Which one fits the most and would be what Von Liebwitz believed? In the end, Eric decided to go with the Major Spirit explanation. More powerful Spirits had often granted various boons to Hedge Mages, after all, and this would tie into the prior explanation nicely. Some had even been known to be worshipped as Minor Gods, and would have the power, collectively, to empower someone like him.

"Very well, Sir. Tell me, what do you know of Spirits?" Asked Eric.

"That they can be capricious and fickle. That the more powerful ones are often worshipped as Gods. That some of those more powerful Spirits have cults that are even tolerated in Sigmar's Holy Empire, such as Milavog or Grandfather Reik. It is really not my area of expertise." Answered Von Zähringen.

"In Nordland, we have a few such Small and largely forgotten Gods. Most of them do not have the power to do more than allow their followers a few minor miracles. Nothing like Sigmar, Ulrich, Taal, Rhya, Morr, and so on. Collectively, however? That is a different story." Began Eric.

Eric began to weave a tale of being empowered by various Minor Gods. How he had been gifted his abilities by Gods such as Gneistre, the Incarnate Elemental of Metal, how he had been blessed by Tahrveg, the God of Archery, and had the few drops of Elven Blood that ran through his veins from a far distant Half-Elven ancestors awoken by Stovarok, the God of Storytelling. It was a story that was aided by the fact that when Von Zähringen used his Sigmar-gifted Abilities to detect the divine specifically, Eric detected as touched by Loki, not that anyone in this world knew who Loki even was. That, it seemed, was enough to satisfy Von Zähringen. He simply nodded and made a note in a leatherbound notebook to call Eric a Champion of forgotten, minor, but not outlawed, Gods.

Von Zähringen and his retinue would leave for Wissenland the day after. Unbeknownst to Eric, when Von Zähringen reported back, the Order of the Silver Hammer and the Elector Countess of Wissenland would have two very different takeaways from the meeting. For the Order of the Silver Hammer, Eric's rise was attributed to the last major gasp of a few non-proscribed gods, hoping to gain worshippers in the South to avoid being completely forgotten. They would simply note that down and move on to far more pressing issues. Not so for Grand Baroness Emmanuelle von Liebwitz. No, the Elector Countess of Wissenland saw not a blessed, but ultimately harmless ruler. Instead, she saw a potential rival, both politically and commercially. Someone who needed to be dealt with. It would, ironically, be the arrival of a Certain new Champion who would prove to be the tipping point for the Elector Countess of Wissenland, the answer to her prayers of a potential solution to her problem, as the new Emperor, Karl Franz, would not allow her to invade the Border Princes with the State Troops of Wissenland.

This would be the situation as the Champion of Vulcan arrived in the Principality of Khypris, in the small village of Alynda on the Western Bank of the Tana Dante River. He would not be around long before getting caught up in momentous events which would end in either he or Eric Dahl being slain at the other's hands.

Either way, Emmanuelle von Liebwitz, Grand Baroness and Elector Countess of Wissenland, would seek to use him as her proxy to get rid of the Champion of Forgotten Gods in Pugno, and thus, eliminate her rival for her. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. This shows the situation prior to the MC's arrival in Warhammer Fantasy. Eric is set up in Eastern Tilea and the Western and Southern Border Princes. Meanwhile, people have taken note of how he can apparently use Multiple Winds of Magic and a bit of High Magic and investigated. He successfully allayed the Witch Hunters' suspicions thanks to getting one of the more reasonable Witch Hunters as his investigator. However, that just proves he's not an abomination according to the Church of Sigmar. It says nothing about whether or not he's a commercial or political rival to Nuln, and thus Wissenland.

A note on half-elves and the Minor Gods that Eric claimed to be the Champion of. Those come from Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. However, they also come from earlier editions and have not since made a reappearance. While they haven't been outright retconned, they haven't shown up again, either. For that reason, I used the Mystical Prohibition Against Interbreeding with Humans and the fact that these Minor Gods are almost forgotten as explanations in-universe for that.

At any rate, the next chapter will finally be a return to the MC's POV in a new Body and ID as he wakes up in Warhammer Fantasy. I'm keeping the nationality and identity of the MC a secret for now, but I'll tell you he's not Imperial. I'll also have updated character sheets for everyone that's still alive out before then.

Stay tuned. . .