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The Band of the Azure Drake is a group of adventurers that have traveled the Empire and the Border Princes looking for adventure wherever they might find it, whether it be working for some Merchant Prince, guarding a valuable cargo, or selling their services as leaders for troops in the armies of the great noble houses.  As long as it pays well and it isn't permanent, and they are not called upon to do evil or to fight on the side of evil or Chaos, they will take the job.  You can use the Band as a whole, or individual characters in your Empire armies, especially if you are fighting Undead.

Ranald Fritz

Ranald Fritz is 34 years old.  For the past 12 years of his life, he has served in the armies of Prince Ramand, one of the petty Empires of the Border Princes.   He is a seasoned and accomplished warrior.  Though he is a little on the cynical side, and seems cold and distant to his fellows, he is actually a quite caring person who has learned through many years of campaigning not to become too close to the ones he serves with.  He is rather large of build, with wide shoulders, heavily muscled chest, arms, and legs.  He would be quite handsome if it were not for a terrible axe scar he has across his right jaw.  He has served, fighting raiders from the Badlands, and from the Black Mountains that descend periodically upon the Border Princes.  Ranald is expert with lance, axe, and sword.  He is a bold fighter, but a cunning one.  He does nothing rash or foolhearty.  He has learned that the fallicy that war is heroic to be the fool's way.  Ranald has fought many battles against Undead raiders who attack out of the Southern Deserts.  He was a member of the band of warriors that hunted down the Liche Rashfellen, and destroyed him and looted his crypt.  During this raid they freed the human living slaves the foul Liche was holding captive in his service.

Ranald Fritz...............103 points + magic items

Profile M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Ranald 4 6(7) 5 4(5) 4 2 6 3 9
Warhorse 8 3 0 3 3 1 3 1 5

Weapons/Armour: Ranald Fritz is armed with a sword, lance, and shield, and wears heavy armour.

Save: 2+

Rides: Ranald Fritz rides a barded warhorse.

Magic Items: Ranald Fritz is a Hero level character and may carry two magic items.  One of these must always be the Sword Surebrand.

Special Rules: Ranald is immune to the effects of fear caused by Undead.  Further, he is subject to hatred versus all Undead.

Surebrand

35 points

Ranald found Surbrand in the horde of the Liche Rashfellen, and he took it as part of his share of the Liche's horde.  He has carried this blade ever since that day.

Surebrand gives its bearer +1 Strength and +1 Weapon Skill.

Ranald Fritz Only

 

Avon

Avon is a battle wizard who has studied at the great colleges of Altdorf, where he was considered to be a good, if somewhat flamboyant, student.  He had a reputation for spending more time chasing the ladies than he spends with his studies.   He graduated from the college with passable marks, if not high marks.  He was always looked upon as a very talented student, but one that did not apply himself to his fullest ability.  Since leaving the college he has been the apprentice of the Bright Wizard Korond, from whom he has learned many spells dealing with fire and combustibles.   In recent years he has been a Wizard for Hire, doing odd jobs for local Lords and Lordlings.  He seems to have a knack of leaving town just before some jealous husband or irate father appears at his door, usually with the local constable in tow.  He has lately been working and living in the lands of the Border Princes, and he has become a close friend and companion of Ranald Fritz.  These two can usually be found either adventuring together or partying in the local taverns.  Avon was also a part of the band that raided the Liche Rashfellen's crypt.

Avon......................230 points + magic items

Profile M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Avon 4 4 3 4 4 3 5 2 9
Warhorse 8 3 0 3 3 1 3 1 5

Magic: Avon will automatically get a Fireball spell as his first spell card.  He must draw the other two spells randomly as normal.

Weapons/Armour: Avon is armed with a sword and large dagger.

Save: 5+

Rides: Avon rides a barded warhorse.

Magic Items: Avon is a Master Wizard and may carry up to 3 magic items.  One of these must be the Ruby Robes of Fire.

Special Rules:  Avon is a Master Wizard and has a magic level of 3.  Avon is immune to the effects of fear caused by Undead.   Avon may fight with a dagger in his left hand in addition to any weapon he is using in his right hand, including a magic weapon, giving him +1 Attack with the dagger at his normal WS and Strength value.

Ruby Robes of Fire

85 points

Avon recovered the Robes from the horde of the Liche Rashfellen, and took them as part of his share of the treasure.

The Robes give a special save of 4+ on a D6, and gives the wearer immunity to all fire-based attacks.

Avon Only

 

Johann

Johann has spent most of his life as a trapper and hunter in the Black Mountains, far from civilization.  He is a rustic and uneducated man who believes in plain dealing and has no patience with so-called sophisticated society.  He sees them as phoney and shallow.  Johann is a consumnate hunter and tracker and he is a deadly shot with his massive longbow.  He has faced Chaos Beastmen alone in the forests and lived to tell of it.  He has also fought Goblins and Orcs to survive in the mountains.  He met Avon and Ranald Fritz while partying one night in a local tavern after selling his hides and furs to the local merchants.  It was they who convinced him to join in the band that raided the Liche Rashfellen's crypt.  During this raid Johann was instrumental in slaying the Liche when he fired an arrow from his mighty bow, destroying the gem that held the Liche's soul.

Johann..................96 points + magic items

Profile M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Johann 4 5 6 4 4 2 6 3 9

Weapons/Armour: Johann is armed with a longbow, sword, shield, and light armour.

Save: 5+

May Ride: Johann may ride a warhorse at +3 points, or a monster at the appropriate points cost.

Magic Items: Johann is a Hero level character and may have up to two magic items.  These must always be Armour of Fortune (see card in Warhammer Magic for rules and points cost) and the Bow of the Black Mountains.

Special Rules: Johann may start the game hidden anywhere on the battlefield outside the opponent's deployment zone, and he is deployed after your opponent has deployed all of his forces including Scouts and other troops that have Special Deployment rules.  Johann can always be deployed last.  Johann is immune to the effects of fear caused by Undead.

Bow of the Black Mountains

35 points

Johann found this Bow in the cave of a Stone Troll he had killed while hunting in the upper reaches of the Black Mountains.  It was laying in a pile of weapons that were mostly rusted and decayed to the point of uselessness.  But here lay this great bow that looked as if it had just left the workship of a bowyer.

The Bow can be fired a number of times equal to the Attacks characteristic of the user and will always strike using the user's Strength characteristic.

Johann Only

 

Gunnar

Gunnar is a forester from the Black Mountains and has made his living with logging crews cutting great hardwoods for the shops of the Craftsmen of the Empire and the Border Princes.  He is a very large, almost giant of a man, standing nearly seven feet, with thick muscles from his many years of swinging an axe.  He is expert with his great double-bitted axe, whether he is using it to chop down Orcs, Goblins, Beastmen, or the great Wolves of the Mountains, or some viler Spawn of Chaos.  It is said that Gunnar can split an Oxen from head to tail with one mighty swing of his axe.  Like Johann, he first met the other members of the band while partying in a local pub between jobs, and he joined them in their adventures and in their raid on the Liche Rashfellen's crypt.  He has spent the years since like the others, wandering the Border Princes and the Empire in search of adventure.  Gunnar is very attached to his riding mule, Sarah, and he will allow no one to make fun of her or to say anything against her.   Of course, the present Sarah is just one of a long line of "Sarahs," as Gunnar always rides a riding mule named Sarah.

Gunnar......................108 points + magic items

Profile M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Gunnar 4 6 5 5 4 2 6 3(4) 9
Sarah the Mule 7 3 0 4 3 1 2 1 5

Weapons/Armour: Gunnar is armed with a double-bitted two-handed axe (Oxsplitter), hand axe, shield, and light armour.

Save: 5+

May Ride: Gunnar always rides Sarah the Mule.

Magic Items: Gunnar is a Hero level character and may have up to two magic items.  One of these must always be Oxsplitter.

Special Rules: Gunnar is immune to the effects of fear caused by Undead.  Gunnar is so expert with his axe that he always strikes at his Initiative, and if he charges he will strike first.

Oxsplitter

25 points

Oxsplitter was given to Gunnar by Thorgrim Ironhammer for helping to slay the Minotaur band that was raiding the Dwarven hold and carrying off what few cattle the Dwarfs had.

Oxsplitter gives the bearer +1 Attack.

Gunnar Only

 

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