Nuln & Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebewit

[Voltaire]

Hi everyone,

In anticipation of December & the new Empire book I am looking into doing an army based around Nuln and Emmanuelle von Liebewit. I do not know anything about this strange anomaly in the Empire chauvanist society. Can anyone help me out with some info about this seemingly powerful woman please.

Thanks!

[Gen.Steiner]

Actually, she's not alone. Wissenland is also currently run by an Elector Countess, and during the period of the Three Emperors (IIRC) one of the candidates was Magritta of Marienburg. At a lower level, while state armies tend to be made up of men, there are quite a few female adventurer types - lots of assassins and bounty hunters appear to be women according to thing like Tales From the Ten-Tailed Cat.

Don't forget, too, that there's the Sisters of Sigmar...

As for the Countess of Nuln, I have little info. Imperial society isn't as chauvinistic as it might be, although in comparison with 21st Century Earth it is rather MCP-ish. Which is to be expected - it's Renaissance Europe, after all!

[Voltaire]

The Countess of Wissenland is the Countess of Nuln

[Gen.Steiner]

Really? Since when!? I thought Nuln was a city-state, not part of any of the big states within the Empire...

[Voltaire]

Just been reading up on it.

Wissenland is contrasted between the dour and hardy people of the countryside and the expressive city-dwellers of the great city of Nuln, former Imperial capital and persistent centre of learning in the arts and sciences. The wealth and power of Nuln paid for the much of the reconstruction of the war-torn Empire. Grand Countess Emmanuelle von Liebewitz of Nuln exercised her own form of justice and took over the rule of Wissenland from her errant vassal, Count Bruno Pfeifraucher in 2514. Later, she annexed the province of Sudenland and its rich wool trade. Even with all this manoeuvring, von Liebewitz retained her rule over the Freistadt of Nuln.

[Hapimeses]

Imperial society isn't as chauvinistic as it might be

What must be remembered is that the Old World is polytheistic, and many of the Gods worshipped are distinctly feminine. Because of this, the Empire, and many of its surrounding nations, are not as chauvinistic as most believe. In this matter, it is a poor analogue of Renaissance Europe, which was instead influenced by a male-dominated, monotheistic religion. Women in the Empire can, and often do, hold positions of power. There are many, many examples of this. However, if anyone wants details, or wants to discuss this, a seperate thread would be better rather than derailing this one.



As for Emmanuelle and Nuln, I'll leave it to others to answer about her. However, for any army themed on Nuln, I would recommend securing a copy of Forges of Nuln for WFRP, for obvious reasons. I would also suggest looking up the WFRP Companion when it is released, as it details the Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln.

[Voltaire]

Anyone able to help?

[Forces Unknown]

I was going to collect an Empire army from Nuln at one point and the only models I got done were two Great Cannons and Countess Emmanuelle von Liebewitz on horseback. I found this information after a short Google search...

Nuln: The second largest city in the Empire, Nuln forms the trading hub of the southlands, where merchants and artisans from Wissenland, Stirland, Averland and further east to Ostermark and the Moot gather to trade wares and make their coin. North of the city, the Reik is too wide to bridge, and Nuln provides a natural meeting point, as well the only bridge across the Reik. Altdorf may have many bridges, but none of them truly crosses the Reik, only channels, so Nuln has the distinction of the only single-span across the Imperial river.

This is not Nuln's only draw, the city has a well-known University, founded by the Empress Agnetha, whose reputation still draws scholars from away from Altdorf. Appropriately, one of the city's most impressive buildings is the Temple to Verena, Goddess of Learning, which dominates Westway with its imposing collonade.

Nuln is also the location of the Imperial School of Gunnery, where many outlandish designs of seige weapon are tested and forged, and the Empire's finest artillerists are trained. Nuln's standing army benefits from the largest and best-trained corp of cannoneers in the Empire, who are justly feared by Nuln's enemies.

Currently, Nuln is ruled by the Countess Emmanuelle von Liebewitz, noted for her great beauty, lavish parties, extravagant tastes, many suitors and fearsome brother, Leopold.

[CommanderCax]

Nuln has been an independent city-state and has also served as the provincial capital. It even served as the capital of the Empire. There are claims the city was part of Reikland, Stirland and Averland as well as being part of Wissenland.

Originally the county of Wissenland (plus the remains of Solland since Gorbad Ironclaw) was attached to the city-state Nuln and thereby ruled by the Count of Nuln. Some even described it as little more than an administrative sub-division of the city-state Nuln.
Nowadays it is more or less vice versa and the city-state Nuln, technically free of Wissenland, owes allegiance to its Elector Count, since it drifted back into its control after the scandal surrounding the succession of Marienburg led to the deposition of Emperor Dieter IV. Pfeildorf has been the capital of Wissenland whenever Nuln was not.

The current Elector Count is indeed Emanuelle von Liebewitz and has been through as long as I can remember (till 3rd edition). Some say she seduced Karl-Franz to gain the seat of Elector Count to which she had not such a good claim to originally. She is currenlty negotiating with the Emperor to completely seperate Nuln from Wissenland. She would retain Nuln and her electoral vote, whilst the province would be given to the Toppenheimer family, which would also receive an electoral vote.

Furthermore she is secretly in league with the Todbringer family and seem to have good contacts to Talabheim.

[Krusk]

On the whole Chauvinistic angle, while there are female deities that are powerful, like Myrmedia( possibly mispelled on my part ), the two really popular gods in the Empire are Sigmar, and Ulric. Women might get more respect, but it can only go so far with the major religions being so well, manly.

[Minister]

SHallya is also rather popular, particularly with the comon folk, wiereas Ulric is mostly restricted to the northern regions. You only need to wory about Manann when you want to make sure that the grain shipment went south safley, but you give thanks to Shallya every time you think back to your firstborn's rather dificult birth...

The number of female assassins, rogues and the like would, I think, be due to the lack of any spaces in the Imperial army for those women with a talent for breaking bones and spilling blood. Lack of any decent oportunities would give increased numbers of what RPGs know as adventurers.

[Krusk]

Aye, but only with the common folk, who have no power. And while domestic things are certainly important, that's not going to make the clergy of Shayla politically powerful either. Traditionally at least, the Empire was feudal, with nobles being distinctly millitary and all. In this kind of a system, men are going to be the leaders in most cases. With the Empire as it is now though, Noblewomen have a real chance to be powerful, and shake things up, like the Countess of Nuln. My view on Women in the Empire is although they might have more rights, and a better image than in Caitholic Europe, only recently have they been able to really get into politics.

[Griefbringer]

As for building an army based around Nuln, as far as I know elector countess herself is not very likely to be found leading it - she is not exactly a military sorts of a person.

For some related reading, may I recommend Skavenslayer and Beasts in the Velvet (the former is set in Nuln, the later in Altdorf but features prominent Nuln personalities).

[RobC]

Please do not use the countess in your army, if you want it to remain true to the background. She is NOT a soldier or a general. In fact, she spends most of her time throwing lavish parties and generally frittering away the province's money.

[Voltaire]

So realistically there is no point to here having the Wissenland Runefang?

[Hapimeses]

So realistically there is no point to here having the Wissenland Runefang?

The Runefangs are more than just weapons of war, they are symbols of Imperial Authority. So, yes, there is a good reason for her to have the Runefang, just not one based upon her wielding it as a weapon, which would not be in her character in the slightest.

As for the chauvinism: as I said, I'll happily argue this out in another thread if anyone is that concerned about the issue.

[Voltaire]

Thanks for your help there Hapimeses. You don't happen to know if she has someone who will go to war in her name do you? That person may become my commander for the army of Nuln.

[ryng_sting]

Emannuelle Von Liebewitz, technically, could wield the Runefang of Wissenland should she care to do so, as long as she is the province's leader. She is far from a battlefield operative; her conquests happen indoors. In fact, so many and so infamous are her liasons that the Cult of Sigmar has operatives in Nuln who monitor the Countess for signs of Slaaneshi worship.

Incidentally: Karl Franz's surname is Holswig-Schliestein: This is actually a real surname! Today, I passed a building in an English city that was opened by Prince Christian Holswig-Schliestein I in 1902.

[Gen.Steiner]

Just on the topic of the Runefang, couldn't her "fearsome brother, Leopold" wield it on the field in her name?

[Bubble Ghost]

I belive her fearsome brother the duellist is called Leos, not Leopold, unless Leos is a nickname. And the answer is probably that he wouldn't, not least because if you've read Beasts in Velvet, you'll know that

"he" is dead.