The Empire of Man and its Elector system made me think of the Holy Roman Empire back home, which was later conquered by Prussia and integrated into the German Empire.

But the Prussians didn't have smokeless gunpowder either. What they did have, was a strong martial tradition and a breech-loading rifle.

I could at least match Prussia, right?

And just like Prussia, I decided to start my enterprise in the Eastern Province of the Empire of Man, called Ostermark, or Ostmark. This poor province had been attacked, sacked, and otherwise decimated by countless attacks by Orcs, vampires and Chaos, that it was now the poorest and least powerful province of them all.

One of the latest such devastations was the destruction of Ostmark's capital of Mordheim by a fallen comet, four centuries ago, although in my mind an object reaching the surface should be called a meteor.

Oh well. It wasn't like Newtonian physics and a normal universe existed much around here. Planes of existence and distant stars were connected all over, with Magic being a far more fundamental force than gravity.

Landing the raft with my meager possessions in the middle of the Gryphon Wood forest, yet close enough to the capital of Bechafen for further deals, I set up building a new cabin in the woods, while my apprentices scouted the new forest for food and curiosity.

Then I began to explore the haunted grounds of the Dead Wood, where Mordheim used to be, collecting bits of warpstone for orbital launch, and exterminating mutants and Beastmen by the thousands. Much like radiation, warpstone was a mutagenic element, that twisted life into tragic parodies. Even with my speed, it would take decades to clean up this land of Warp corruption, but at least I could cull the incursions of dangerous beasts and mutants into the lands of man.

To my surprise, there were other people exploring the Dead Wood area, sometimes adventures in search of gold and adventure, other times bandits and outcasts hiding where nobody would dare enter. And sometimes, there were Witch Hunters searching for targets, mostly undead and vampires, as well as mutants and other monsters.

I mostly ignored the Witch Hunters though, since they didn't like Wizards much and wouldn't appreciate my help. Instead I focused on clearing the road to Essen, sometimes excavating debris and hills for an easier and smoother road, other times expelling corrupting warpstones and the inevitable mutants.

Unlike one might imagine, the current Emperor was rather content with a powerful Wizard building roads and testing his magic on outlaws, and more importantly showing up when a beacon was lit to help out a military blunder or some unfortunate invasion. I did also built a large pool of goodwill with the return of Marienburg to the Empire, and the newest rifles.

So when a letter from the Emperor nominating me as Warden of the East arrived at my cabin, I wasn't very surprised. If I were the Emperor, I would have wanted a flying invulnerable Wizard on my side too. On the other hand, that placed Stirland too in my legal authority now, as was the entire Vampire problem. Someone had a cunning advisor, in some wealthy spire of Altdorf.

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More roads to build, more territory to police and cleanse. I just sighed inward and took the damned title anyways.

*You have been named Warden of the East.

-Provinces under your authority receive +3 Control and -3 Corruption, per month.

-You can legally raise armies, as well as judge and prosecute criminals or heretics.

-Funding not included.

All right. I would have to raid and loot even further, but I planned to do that anyways. Smashing Orcs and Goblins, Ogres and Beastmen for training and profit wasn't all that bad.

The three permanent inhabitants of my cabin, including Grom, were tasked with keeping an eye on the Gryphon Wood, mostly by buffing up the bear until he could batter down any beast or Goblin tribe or whatnot.

And I flew up and way, to collect more riches from other people who looted from even more distant people. Weekly raids began to pile up, and a year later I gathered 30000 gold and a thousand tons of metal, mostly old weapons or armor. Sometimes nails.

My first project was to clean up Wurtbad, the Stirland's capital. And build them a sewer system. Really, the place stunk!

While this was going on, I began another road to Averland, and then a secondary road to Essen. Just like that, 15000 gold vanished from my pile, when a request for aid from Ostland arrived at my cabin.

Although Ostland was actually to the North, Ost meant East, so the Elector considered himself under my protection.

They had a real problem with Chaos and Norscan marauders, although they were pretty much the same in effect, just in varied degrees of Warp corruption.

It wasn't all bad. I did need to test myself against proper Chaos forces, even if they didn't have demons and sorcerers, or even if they did.

Plus, Ostland provided a route for a great road up to Erengrad, the main Kislev port at the Sea of Claws.

While the Norscan bands were simple to catch and destroy, the actual Chaos warbands and spies were an ever-elusive and difficult enemy to pin down, sometimes hiding in Great Spider lairs, deserted Dwarf ruins and tunnels, while other times were covered by smoke and shadows.

By the time the Ostland pacification ended, the road to Erengard was also finished, for 15000 gold and two years later. A dozen Witch Hunters and their bands of cutthroats also appeared to scour the land for heretics and spies, with minimal or even negative results. If Chaos worshipers were so easy to find, it wouldn't take me two years.

It could always get worse though. When I returned to my cabin, I found a bunch of newcomers have settled in, including 3 more bears, two dozen kids of likely Kislevite origins and Anika, the Ice Maiden with her own child. My child.

"Annie, you look a bit angry?" I asked shyly as a Frostbolt slammed in my face.

"Why would you think me angry?" my not-so-pure-anymore maiden asked with a coy voice.

No reason at all, eh?

I picked up my kid, and measured the young boy for signs of Magic. "Papa?" the boy asked me with an angel voice.

Okay. I fucked up. But it wasn't so bad.