Mannfred Von Carstein is the leader of the powerful Von Carstein vampire family and a villain from the Warhammer tabletop wargame.
History[]
Rise to Power[]
Mannfred received the Blood Kiss from Vlad von Carstein, one of the most infamous vampires in history. This was apparently before Vlad became infamous after arriving in Sylvania and marrying Isabella. After Vlad’s demise, Mannfred held the strongest claim to his throne, but stayed in the background while the others who sought to take over battled each other. He eventually met John Skellan, who’d been turned into a vampire by one of Vlad’s minions and had been hunting the ones who’d killed his wife. Mannfred and Skellan journeyed around, feeding on maidens and spreading fear and chaos. Mannfred eventually wiped out the ruling family of Nuln in a single night of feeding and decided to move on to bigger and better things. He sent Skellan back to Sylvania as his agent, who sowed the intense paranoia that would consume Konrad Von Carstein, Mannfred’s brother. When Skellan asked Mannfred why he didn’t just turn on Konrad and seize power, he was nonchalant about it, just coldly telling Skellan that if he tried to seize power, he’d have to deal with Mannfred. The Von Carstein journeyed south to Khemri, where he spent his time studying one of the Books of Nagash, gleaning much dark lore from it. After Konrad died, Mannfred returned to Castle Drakenhof, the main stronghold of the Von Carsteins, aboard the infamous “Black Ship”. He quickly began rebuilding the power of Sylvania and the Von Carsteins. Later on, Skellan told Mannfred about a coven of Lahmian Vampires, whose leader, “The Eternal”, he approached and proposed an alliance between their bloodlines.
Invasion of the Empire[]
Mannfred proceeded to remain dormant for 10 years, letting the Empire believe that the threat from Sylvania had ended. He allowed the contenders for the throne fight amongst themselves until they fully started fighting each other. As the Empire was consumed by civil war, Mannfred decided to attack and marched his forces through the tunnels under the Empire, battling the Skaven he encountered. Mannfred’s campaign was highly successful since he’d chosen to attack in the middle of winter and thus the Imperial forces were in no position to challenge him. He destroyed three-hastily assembled armies and as opposed to Vlad, Mannfred showed no mercy to his enemies, so he could raise them all as undead to bolster his ranks. As time passed, just a rumor of his coming was enough to send villagers fleeing to die in the winter cold, preferring that to facing Mannfred’s undead. He eventually arrived at Altdorf, but found it empty of defenders and prepared to take the Imperial capital, which Vlad and Konrad had failed to do. However Kurt III, the Grand Theogonist, appeared and read the Great Spell of Unbinding, causing Mannfred’s undead horde to crumble to dust. Forced into a humiliating retreat, the vampire retreated to Marienberg so as to capture the port. However he was defeated by Marienburg’s army aided by a group of High Elf mages, whose magic was crucial in defeating Mannfred. Before he could launch a full siege, Mannfred’s spies told him an army from Altdorf was approaching fast, forcing him to give up and flee across the Empire. The once fractured Empire united against the common enemy they had in Mannfred and he spent a number of years in a cat-and-mouse game with the Imperial forces. Some battles would cost the vampire much of his forces, but his victories allowed him to replenish his army. But eventually Mannfred was forced back into Sylvania and to the marshes of Hel Fenn, where he was cornered by an alliance of Imperial and Dwarf forces. As he made his last stand, Mannfred was forced to face Prince Martin of Stirland, who’d been aided by a renegade vampire named Jerek, Vlad Von Carstein's killer. Mannfred was eventually slain by Martin and his body was never recovered, making it seem as if his reign of terror was over forever.
Return and Storm of Chaos[]
But after centuries, Mannfred was brought back thanks to Schtilmann, a minor necromancer. The necromancer didn’t even know what he’d wrought since it was his blood, which came from his death at the hands of Gotrek Gurnisson, a Dwarven slayer, falling on Mannfred’s body that resurrected him. Mannfred reclaimed his position as ruler of Sylvania, becoming a threat to the Empire once again. It was at the Battle of Sokh that Mannfred and his army showed themselves, after the Imperial army and the forces of Archaon had exhausted themselves battling. The vampire reanimated all the Imperial soldiers and Chaos Warriors that had fallen and his army easily drove the Imperials and Chaos forces into retreat. Mannfred pursed the Empire’s forces to Middenheim and surrounded the city, preparing to besiege it. With all his preparations complete, he called out to the emperor, Karl Franz, saying that as Vlad called out to Franz’s ancestor, he would do the same. If he surrendered the city, all would be spared and if they resisted, all would be slaughtered. After a silence, Volkmar the Grim emerged alone from the gates to Middenheim, advancing towards Mannfred, and was clearly not there to discuss surrender. Volkmar looked the vampire in the eye and with no trace of fear, said that almost five centuries before, a man like him killed a monster like Mannfred and it could be done again. This statement shattered the vampire’s confidence and made him pause for a moment, as he remembered all too well that it was Grand Theogonist Wilhelm who dragged Vlad Von Carstein off the walls of Altdorf to both their demises. With this memory and the fact that Vardek Crom’s forces were posing a serious threat to his holdings in Sylvania on his mind, Mannfred snarled at Volkmar and made his army retreat. It was this withdrawal that signaled the end of the battle over Middenheim and the war, though the fighting would go on for a few months afterwards. Mannfred wiped out Vardek Crom and his forces, but now his presence was known, meaning it was only a matter of time until the Empire united to stand against him yet again.
The End Times[]
In payment for helping Arkhan the Black in his resurrection Nagash made Mannfred one of his new dark generals, called the Mortarchs. As the Mortarch of Night Mannfred was an instrumental (though not especially trusted) tool of the Great Necromancer. To his great dismay however Nagash brought back Mannfred's father, the great Vlad von Carstein, from the dead who immediately reclaimed Sylvania as his own and he hasn't forgiven Mannfred for the betrayal that led to his death.
Mannfred then lead one of three armies into the ancient dead land of Nehekhara when Nagash sought to reclaim the Black Pyramid in Khemri. Joining forces with Luthor Harkon, the pirate king of the Vampire Coast, Mannfred forced his way through to Khemri after the battle there had already begun. After Nagash's victory he accompanied his master back to Sylvania. For some time following this Mannfred remained in Sylvania with Nagash as the forces of Chaos led by Archaon ravaged the world.
Mannfred was present when the Nurglite army's invasion of Sylvania took place. Once again along with Harkon, Mannfred lead an army to repel the daemonic forces led by the traitorous Mortarch, The Nameless (the ghost of Constant Drachenfels), and the possessed, cursed and insane Isabella von Carstein. Despite a few minor, early victories, Mannfred was overwhelmingly defeated by the forces of the plague lord when the mighty willpower of the Nameless ripped control of his zombies hordes from him. Forced to retreat to an abandoned coaching inn nearby called The Dead and Buried Mannfred and a small number of powerful vampire lords (including the Mortarchs Harkon and Vlad) made a desperate stand. Once again they were defeated, with all the vampires destroyed apart from Mannfred, who viciously betrayed Harkon and Vlad to ensure his own escape.
The Nurgle forces continued on to the relocated Black Pyramid, a repository for Nagash's death magic. There they entered a huge battle with the great necromancer and were defeated. However the whole invasion had simply been a distraction. A skaven team led by Ikit Claw had tunneled into the pyramid and just as the battle outside reached it's conclusion they detonated a huge explosive device that destroyed it and scattered a large amount of Nagash's careful horded power. This loss forced Nagash to finally work with the heroes of Order.
The incarnates had gathered their remaining forces in the forest realm of Athel Loren. When Nagash's army arrived Mannfred was sent to parley with the assembled Council of Inarnates who against their better judgement reluctantly welcomed Nagash. Their price however was a high one. The sacrificed Everchild, long assumed to have been the daughter of the Phoenix King and Alarielle the Everqueen had in fact the product of an affair between the Everqueen and the Elven hero Tyrion. In payment for their acceptance of him, Nagash offered them the architect of the Everchild's murder. Believing his long-time rival Arkhan was about to be humbled at last, Mannfred was dismayed when Nagash instead offered Mannfred himself up as scapegoat, sacrificing a servant whose loyalty was questionable to say the least in order to protect his most faithful one.
Imprisoned in a cage of power sapping roots Mannfred was furious not only at this betrayal, but also to learn that Vlad had somehow survived the massacre at the Dead and Buried and, along with Arkhan, sat at their master's right hand. Therefore when he was visited by the first daemon prince Be'lakor, Mannfred had no problem with turning his back on the council and Nagash, revealing to Be'lakor information about the elven goddess Lileath in return for his freedom. Using Be'lakor failed attack on Lileath as a distraction, Mannfred fled Athel Loren to Middenheim; stronghold of Archaon. Despite pledging his fealty to the Lord of the End Times, Mannfred in truth had no loyalty to the servants of the Chaos gods, who treated him little better than Nagash had. Instead he was happy to simply let the heroes and Archaon kill each other for the world, determined to pick up and rule the pieces afterwards. Of course he had no idea as to the true scope of Archaon's plan.
As Alarielle, Teclis, Nagash and Balthazar Gelt pooled their magic powers to prevent the world obliterating force Archaon had unleashed in the heart of the Faustschlag, Mannfred committed his final and greatest act of betrayal. Sneaking into the battlefield, Mannfred killed Balthasar Gelt by impaling him in the back with his sword. Teclis, already burdened with the energy of the winds of fire and beasts, tried to harness the escaping wind but could not handle the titanic forces within his frame and was destroyed. With this last act of spite and pettiness, the final hope for the world was ended, though in its closing minutes a raging Tyrion slew Mannfred, finally ending the life of the vile vampire count. The rest of the World That Was followed soon after.
Age of Sigmar[]
Mannfred is ressurected in the setting of Age of Sigmar, where he's once again a general of Nagash, as the Mortarch of Night, and he's the ruler of his own realm called Carstinia, an imitation of Sylvania.
Powers[]
Mannfred is an extremely powerful vampire, possessing immortality and great knowledge in dark magic. He is knowledgeable in all spells in the Lore of Vampires and the Lore of Death, such as his skill at necromancy. Mannfred possesses the Sword of Unholy Power, which increases his dark magic powers and often rides a skeletal steed into battle.
Trivia[]
- In older editions of the Vampire Counts rulebook, Mannfred cost 690 points to field and had a set of magical equipment, which could not be changed or added to. In newer editions, he costs 475 instead and can take arcane items of the player’s choice.
External links[]
- Mannfred Von Carstein on the Pure Evil Wiki.
Trivia[]
- Mannfred is one of the most hated characters in Warhammer Fantasy for his treacherous nature and for helping Archaon destroy the world.