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For the Emperor of the same name, see Wilhelm the Wise.


Twin-Tailed Comet

The symbol of the Cult of Sigmar

"Cling to your half-life, fiend. Live in an eternal dark, for all the good it will do you. You have failed. Here, this is where it ends. Look around you. Altdorf stands defiant. Through the smoke and the dust the people are already beginning the process of healing. They go on living, it is what people do."

—Wilhelm III adressing Vlad von Carstein upon the battlements of Altdorf.[3c]

Wilhelm III, born Wilhelm von Ostwald,[3a] was the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar during the final days of the First Vampire War (2010-2051 IC). He was instrumental in the destruction of Vlad von Carstein, the first of the Vampire Counts to assault the Empire, in 2051 IC.[1a]

At present he is considered a Venerated Soul of the Cult of Sigmar, especially by those who combat the Undead.[2a]

History[]

Before he joined the priesthood, the man who would become Wilhelm III had been a drunk, shunned by family and friends, given to rage and violence.[3c] By the time he ascended to become the Grand Theogonist, he had become an old man, yet was still adept in the use of his axe.[3c] His political influence in Altdorf exceeded even the unpopular pretender to the Imperial throne that held court at the time, Ludwig von Holzkrug. When Vlad von Carstein offered the people of Altdorf the chance to surrender and serve him in life or fight and serve him in death, it was Wilhelm III who announced their refusal.[3a]

In search of divine aid, the Grand Theogonist retreated into the catacombs of the Great Cathedral of Altdorf to pray. It was in that holy place that he received a visit from Mannfred von Carstein, the eldest Vampire Thrall of Vlad von Carstein.[1a]

Mannfred wanted the power of the Vampire Count for himself, but he knew that he wasn't strong enough to challenge Vlad in combat. So he informed Wilhelm III about the secret of the count's immortality, which lay in the artefact known as the Carstein Ring that the count always wore. Realising the Vampire's vulnerability, the priest decided that what was needed to save the Empire was a great thief.[1a]

Wilhelm set an elaborate trap to catch the best thief of that age: Felix Mann. When the Imperial authorities finally caught Mann robbing the Imperial Counting House, they gave him a simple choice: to rob Vlad von Carstein of his signet ring, or to be hung for his crimes. In return for the theft, Mann would be paid enough to start a new life elsewhere. Mann accepted the commission and, with a little aid from Mannfred von Carstein, robbed the count of his most precious belonging.[1a][3b]

When Vlad von Carstein awakened to find his signet ring missing, his anger was uncontrollable. In one frenetic attack, the Vampire Lord threw everything he had against Altdorf. There on the battlements of the Imperial capital, he confronted Wilhelm III and eventually overcame him. However, with his last breath, the Great Theogonist threw himself against the Undead count, and both fell off the walls. While the fall wouldn't have killed a Vampire as powerful as Vlad, they both fell on a wooden stake, the Vampire trapped beneath the corpse of the holy man. With the death of Vlad von Carstein, his army dissolved and the Altdorfers rejoiced, for finally the horrors of the First Vampire War were over.[1a]

Wilhelm III was interred in the walls of the Great Cathedral of Sigmar. To this day, men and women pray to his spirit as a Venerated Soul of the Cult of Sigmar when threatened by the Undead.[2a]

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pp. 12-13
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Undead (4th Edition)
  • 3: Inheritance (Novel) by Steven Savile
    • 3a: Ch. 21
    • 3b: Ch. 23
    • 3c: Ch. 25
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