Helmut Feuerbach

Helmut Feuerbach, Grand Duke of Talabecland, Margrave of the East March and Beloved of Taal, is the current Elector Count of the Electoral Province of Talabecland in the Empire, known for his fiery temper and his need to exert his rule with an iron fist.^[2a]

History[]

Helmut Feuerbach has been the Grand Duke and Elector Count of Talabecland since 2512 IC.^[7]

Feuerbach was notorious for his foul temper, and he garnered great ire from his Electoral Province's parliament of nobles, the Merchant's Guild, and the various temples which contribute to the running of the Talabheim governmental council. His commands were often sourced from his capricious turns and whimsy, and he was noted for his particularly heavy-handed style of ruling. His poor judgment combined with his irritating personality resulted in a long list of people who would much rather see the Elector Count disappear, lending credence to the rumours of a coup. It is known that Helmut has no apparent heir to the throne of Talabecland.^[1a]

When hostilities erupted between Graf Alberich Haupt-Anderssen of Stirland and Helmut Feuerbach, ancestral enemies since the Time of the Three Emperors, the other Elector Counts waited expectantly to see which side Emperor Karl Franz would back. The emperor travelled to Talabheim in an attempt to negotiate peace between the two hostile provinces. The emperor's skill in debate was put to the ultimate test in resolving the dispute, as was his patience, but in the end both Elector Counts acceded to Karl Franz's wisdom and a potentially bitter civil war was ended before it began.^[5a]

Total War: Warhammer[]

In the alternate timeline of Total War: Warhammer Helmut Feuerbach originally voted for Graf Boris Todbringer of Middenland in the Imperial election of 2502 IC, who had received the most votes but was two votes shy of the majority needed to become the next emperor. Before the second round of voting, Helmut met with Karl Franz, Todbringer's main rival and the deceased Emperor Luitpold I's son. Karl Franz assured Feuerbach that the soldiers of Talabecland would be given part of the glory of defending the Empire's northern border with Kislev and that the province would benefit from any trade deals with Kislev that their rival province Ostermark refused.

In order to gain Ostermark's vote, Karl Franz promised that same day not only that Talabecland would be forced to help defend the northern border, but that a tax would be placed on the River Stir that would benefit Ostermark over Talabecland. However, he was confident he would retain Feuerbach's support after his ally Maximillian von Königswald, the Elector Count of Ostland, promised he would give Helmut a tax-free trade route to Nordland. Karl Franz was elected the new emperor not a fortnight later, with all but one Elector voting in his favour.^[3]

Wargear[]

Stone Breaker - As the Elector Count of Talabecland, Feuerbach has the right to wield the Runefang known as Stone Breaker.^[4a]

Canon Conflict[]

White Dwarf 354, released on 2009, states Helmut Feuerbach's wife is the Elector Countess Freya Feuerbach.^[6a] However, more recent sources state that Helmut married Elise Krieglitz, the former Elector Countess of the principality of Talabheim, when he came to rule over the reunified province of Talabecland and Talabheim after the Turmoil of 2512 IC.^[9a]

In the Warhammer RPG Second Edition supplement Terror in Talabheim, Helmut is reffered to as "Halmut Feuerbach".

Trivia[]

Count Feuerbach, a likely ancestor of Helmut Feuerbach, appears as a character in the PC game Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

Helmut's fiery temper is referenced in his surname, as the German word feuer means "fire" and bach means "stream" or "river."

Sources[]

1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Terror in Talabheim (RPG)
- 1a: pg. 49
2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
- 2a: pg. 89
3: The Prince of Altdorf (Short Story) by Andy Hall
4: White Dwarf 325 (UK)
- 4a: pg. 73
5: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (7th Edition)
- 5a: pg. 23
6: White Dwarf 354 (UK)
- 6a: pg. 52
7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Flames Companion (RPG)
8: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Ruins (RPG)
- 8a: pg. 11
9: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Empire in Ruins Companion (RPG)
- 9a: pg. 55