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Andrei Andreiovich hails from the western reaches of Kislev. His Boyar father and mother were trusted servants of Kislev royalty and castellans of Seversk, a coastal fortress town, lying close to Erengrad. For generations the Andreiovich family staunchly defended their community from Norse raiders, marauding trolls and other, far worse denizens of the north.
Andrei’s story is a tragic one, a far cry from that of his ancestors who were all raised under the close tutelage of a paternal father. From an early age it became clear that he was different from the other children. Not deformed, nor sickly, but tall. Extremely tall. By the age of 12 he was considered a giant in Seversk, and likely the entire oblast. As Andrei’s 13th birthday neared, events almost reached a head as rumours of chaos taint began to circulate among the superstitious inhabitants of the town. How else could a boy reach such heights?
For his safety, it was decided quietly by the family that Andrei would spend the remainder of his youth among the forest, in a small hunting lodge. Despite visits from family and their retainers, this life of solitude and hardship transformed Andrei into a woodsman and hunter of repute. After several years, he was no longer an awkward, lanky youth, but a hulking and rugged son of a Boyar. Helped by the hardships of the wilderness, Andrei’s bulk now matched his stature. Although the townsfolk’s memory of Andrei slowly faded, rumours of an ogre presiding in the woods began to spread!
At the age of score-and-eight, Andrei’s life would change forever. Whilst hunting in the forest, he noticed thick plumes of black smoke above the tree line, rising from his former home. With all haste he rushed to the town, the sound of screams, clashing swords and bellowed warcries grew louder as he sprinted through the underbrush. Upon reaching Seversk he found it overwhelmed with flames, thatched roofs were alight and the dead were strewn throughout the streets. The heavy wooden gate to the town sat ajar, undamaged. The Norse had infiltrated before dawn and ushered in their comrades.
He was too late, the bulk of the raiding force had departed, leaving behind a massacre. Andrei easily dispatched several stragglers who had stayed to loot, making short work of them with his hatchet.. The remainder quickly fled in terror after the appearance of the colossal huntsman. After finding his elderly parents and most of his household dead, Andrei swore vengeance and immediately set off in pursuit. He took with him the ancestral dueling pistols that hung proudly above his father’s mantle piece. They had also been his grandfathers, and it was with these that he would dispense his family’s judgement.
Questioning of survivors revealed they were headed south into the Empire, possibly to the cursed city of Mordheim. Andrei gathered these survivors to him, assembling a motley crew of hard bitten townsfolk, members of the city guard and estranged family. Some agreed through fear, others through loyalty to the Rota, of which Andrei was now the rightful Boyar. Regardless of their motivation, Andrei the Giant as he became known, was their leader now and they would follow him on the path to retribution.
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Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the glamour shots. Wish Andrei and I luck for the coming Empire in Flames Campaign, no doubt he'll die horribly or get sold to the pits after all of the effort I put in.. but that's Mordheim, right? I can't wait to build some narrative around these guys and see how many laughs this campaign brings. Everyone is really getting into it and that's what it's all about.
Get out there and go build your own narratives in whatever game you like to play. Watch this space for more updates about the campaign!
Cheers.
