Nuln, capitol of the Wissenland province (Nùln)

Nuln, called the "Bastion of the South" and the "Jewel of Rhemia," is the capital city of the Electoral Province of Wissenland, the second largest city of Rhemia and the largest manufacturer and exporter of Imperial blackpowder munitions and warmachines, earning itself the title of the "Armory of Rhemia." Sitting at the heart of the Rhemian southern trade routes, it stands as an imposing bastion, its fortified walls bristling with enough heavy blackpowder artillery emplacements to arm a fleet of war galleons. In previous times, Nuln was home to the court, and today it remains Altdorf's largest ally and rival, both politically and economically. North of Nuln, the River Reik is too wide to bridge, and the great bridge at Nuln, whose central section can be raised and lowered through an ingenious mechanism, is one of the great marvels of Rhemia. Though there are bridges at Altdorf, where the Reik divides into a number of lesser channels, it is a point of some pride in Nuln that none of the capital's bridges can be said to span the entire width of the mighty River Reik.   Nuln's reputation as a city of learning precedes that of Altdorf, although it has been overshadowed by the new capital over the last few centuries. Nuln is most famed for being the home of the Nuln Gunnery School , a sprawling network of forges and smelteries where veteran gunsmiths manufacture and maintain the Rhemian artillery trains. Steam-powered air pumps work night and day to vent the acrid fumes of the blazing foundries, and portions of Nuln are forever wreathed in palls of choking soot and black smoke. Indeed, the dark smog clouds hanging over Nuln are such a permanent feature that many travellers use them to navigate. Many counts send their artillerymen to the Nuln Gunnery School to learn the art of ballistics, and crews trained in Nuln are highly valued.  

Geography

  Nuln features three fortified external gates to allow overland traffic to enter the city, and docks and piers along the northern and southern banks of the River Reik for watercraft. Roadwardens and the local militia from the outlying towns heavily patrol the routes into the city from all three directions. Everyone in Nuln wants to keep its roads safe from brigands and worse.

Nuln Palace

  Travelling to the palace is always an experience. The Emmanuelleplatz is a wide road that climbs the steep hill, offering a beautiful view of Nuln’s splendour. On either side of the road array the townhouses of the nobility, and each tier offers a better view of the temple spires, the great buildings of the Imperial Gunnery School, the University of Nuln, and the impressive College of Engineering. The palace itself is incredibly large, with tall walls, turrets, and crenulated balconies. More fortress than playground, the only entrance to this great palace is through the gateway, which is a great arch fitted with heavy oaken doors reinforced with bronze. The lucky few who are permitted to enter can easily become lost in the labyrinthine passages and halls. As Nuln has grown, so too has this fortress. Essentially, it expanded by building a larger structure overtop and around the older, so the innermost rooms are the oldest and most clearly of Elven design. Notable locations in the palace include the various art galleries, the Countess’ ballroom where she hosts her all-too-frequent parties and masquerades, and the various offices and quarters of her guests, advisors, and servants.  

Cathedral of Appallùm

  Believed to be the site where Johan Helstrum preached to the masses of Appallùm’s ascension, this cathedral is a massive castle, glorifying the might of the first emperor. A tower dominates the front of this grand structure, and celestial heroes and saints decorate the façade. Double doors, bound in gromril donated by the Dwarfs, allow access into the inner sanctums of the temple. Two wings branch out from the central worship area. The east wing houses the cells of the acolytes and priests, and the west holds the offices and quarters of the ranking priests.  

Handelbezirk

  Lifeblood of the city, Handelbezirk is the centre of Nuln’s trade. Here merchants keep their offices, and dine in upscale restaurants and cafés, making deals over a fine meal and a handshake. Commerce Street, the artery of the city, is packed with wagons, carts, and foot traffic, a veritable wall of man and beast on the way to the next buyer for their goods. Smaller financiers also operate from this quarter, making arrangements with smaller powers to invest in Nuln’s specialty, guns. And behind the rows of offices and shops lie the homes of Nuln’s burgher class, occupying smaller and less prestigious townhouses and row houses interconnected by a labyrinth of streets and allies.  

Hall of Archives

  As the record office for Nuln, the Hall of Archives houses the city planners, the laws, tax-codes, censuses, sewer plans, road plans, and more. Fronting the Emmanuelleplatz, this imposing greybrick building is grim and unadorned. Two storeys tall, with offices on the first floor, courts on the ground floor, and storage rooms in the basement, few Nulners have reason to come here except to lodge a complaint about a new road project running through their home, to complain about Halfling meat pie vendors hawking their goods near where the children play, or to bark about taxes and what not. Guards protect the place from unruly and frustrated citizens, but for the most part this duty is more of a punishment than a reward—it’s excessively dull.  

Universität District

  The Universität is a cluster of impressive buildings situated near the city’s centre. Home to such world famous and prestigious institutions as the famed Imperial Gunnery School and the Grand University of Nuln, this part of the city attracts would-be students from all over Rhemia and beyond, including such wondrous places as Kislev and Estalia. This neighbourhood also features lesser-known institutions including the Academy of Wizardry. Also found here is the lesser known Halfling University, specializing in the culinary arts, and the smells of experimental cuisine sometimes waft over Shantytown, blending the pungent odours of the docks with the bizarre stench of culinary abominations. Though devoted to learning, this district transforms at night as drinking and howling students create a general nuisance of themselves.   The Universität is home to a number of smaller schools, all established in the hopes of becoming as great as the other schools. None have. Most of these institutions have a narrow focus, covering the arts or trades. The most notable school of these lesser institutions is the College of Barristers. This unassuming building trains lawyers and is fast developing a name for itself in recent years. The reason for its unusual attention is that it was this school that produced one Rosalia Schultz. As Nuln’s first female barrister, she is a living scandal, dabbling in the affairs of men. Still, despite the attitudes of the Nulners, Schultz managed to help many folks. After winning a few important civil cases, she felt she owed her success to the city and returned to the College to teach. Her return has been met with mixed reactions. On the one hand she’s a skilled professor, but on the other, many families worry that she’s corrupting the youth with her “licentious” behaviour. A few believe she must be in the service to the Ruinous Powers, there being no other explanation for her unexpected success.  

Imperial Gunnery School

    Far more successful than the ill-conceived College of Engineering, the Imperial Gunnery School is not only Nuln’s most famous attraction, but it’s also the most breathtaking example of Nuln’s innovative architectural skills. A huge sprawling building with towers kissing the clouds, leering gargoyles, and gigantic flying buttresses, the Imperial Gunnery School draws visitors who just wish to see it, to say nothing of the nobles who send their sons to study here. Created for the purpose of training artillery crews and pistoliers, the finest soldiers receive their training in these celebrated halls. The School itself dominates the centre of the Universität, dwarfing the College of Engineering and the lesser institutions crowded in its shadows. A large part of the school’s grounds are given over to shooting ranges, and throughout the days the crack of gunfire echoes throughout the city. Cannon are test-fired from Aver Island or beyond the city walls. In addition to the ranges, the school also has several large lecture halls, dormitories, and smaller classrooms.  

Shantytown

  Where the Universität is the pride of the Neuestadt, the Shantytown is its shame. A collection of shabby houses, filthy streets, and profane odours, the Shantytown is the haven of thief and murderer, men and women of low morals (if they had them, they’d own property), and the diseased and malformed. Most decent Nulners avoid this part of town, seeing the people there as nothing more than rabble. And though it was the Shantytowners who came to the city’s defence when the Skaven boiled up from beneath the city, Nulners have a short memory when it suits them. Most homes here are tenement buildings and bars, with little in between. There’s no industry to speak of; those who work do so across the river in the Faulestadt. Sewers do run under this part of town, but the sewer lines are farther apart, being manmade additions constructed well after the Dwarfs picked up and moved on, and so rubbish takes longer to find its way to the Reik. The entrances to sewers are not well protected either, and many a vagabond hunkers down in the foul smelling entrances for shelter against the harsh winter winds. Worse, the things living under the city come out in this neighbourhood to work their evil.  

Blind Pig

  Easily one of the roughest taverns in Nuln, the Blind Pig sits squarely in the centre of the Shantytown, on the corner of Blind Alley. Behind this dive, the alley wends into the heart of the Maze. It’s sinister reputation is only enhanced by its appearance. A sagging building, inside is just as gloomy as it is outside. Lanterns hanging from hooks on the ceiling shed a meagre light, illuminating the booths lining the walls and the scattering of tables. The Blind Pig is a place to lose yourself. The watch doesn’t come here, and each person’s business is his own. Therefore suspicious looking people come here to be among their own kind. Thieves, bravos, and thugs all frequent the bar, but so do students from the University, and no few foreigners come here, too. On any given night, one can find Estalian dancing girls, Kislevian mercenaries, decadent nobles, and even a few Arabyans, all rubbing shoulders as they toss back the bitter ale. Big Heinz, an old soldier, owns the place. He doesn’t mind the roughness of his clientele—he just hires bigger bouncers. Even still, when push comes to shove, Big Heinz can hold his own—he did his time in the military and he still has the grit to win just about any fight. There are a few rooms for rent upstairs, and though nothing spectacular, they’re clean and well-kept. Half of these rooms are for the staff, but Heinz keeps a few extras for paying customers.  

Drunken Guardsman

  A popular tavern for the watch, the Drunken Guardsman stands on Commercial Way near West Gate. Watchmen at the end of their shifts usually come here to take the edge off a night’s patrol. The low-ceilinged common room is not unfriendly, though it’s not welcoming either. Filled with benches, tables, and a few booths, the place is warmed by two large fireplaces on either wall. Geoff Lang, an ex-Watchman himself, runs the place and he employs a couple of off-duty guards to make sure no one gets too rowdy. An old guard dog, Kraemer, sleeps near the fire and serves as the tavern’s mascot.  

The Green Bottle Inn

  This tavern is typical of most in Nuln, being rather small and nondescript. Inside, the common room is smoky with a low ceiling and filled with long tables with bench seating. A few booths offer some privacy, but these are usually full. The tavern also offers a few rooms for rent, by the hour if need be. After recent events , the inn features a large sign on the front door that states in bold red letters, “No Dogs Allowed.”  

Harbor District

  Along the north there is but a short run of wharfs as the land rises further along the city. Few goods are unloaded here, and most traffic on this side of the river comes from passenger ships such as the Emperor Wilhelm. Here, the docks are nice and maintained, welcoming travellers to the great city. Carriages are always on hand to transport newcomers to the Altestadt or other parts of the city, moving them swiftly past the run-down Shantytown. On the southern shore, the docks are far less endearing. Stinking of rotting food, fish, and waste, all cargo ships dock here, where workers swiftly unload the goods to load into warehouses lining the waterfront. At night tough guards patrol the warehouse to drive off burglars. A few seedy taverns illuminate the alleys leading into the Faulestadt. The River itself is nearly a league wide at the western edge of the city, though it swiftly narrows as it moves through Nuln. The Reik is also deep, allowing even seafaring vessels to travel it, so cargo ships from Altdorf, Bögenhafen, and even as far away as Marienburg occasionally come to port here. The waters are anything but clean, polluted by the soot from the forges of the Industrielplatz. After hours, dockworkers either withdraw to their homes in the Faulestadt or across the Great Bridge to the Shantytown. Most, though, stop in for a nip at one of the many bars catering to the workers, boatmen, and travellers.  

Military

  Even though Nuln boasts one of the best militaries in Rhemia, its streets are little safer than elsewhere. The soldiers in the service of Nuln muster for war, not for walking the city streets to maintain law and order. Instead, the city depends on the volunteers who serve in the Watch and the desperate who serve as Sewer Jacks. The best soldiers are reserved for protecting the palace and the Imperial Gunnery Schools. Most nobles also hire bodyguards for personal protection, never relying on the unpredictable skills and talents of the city watch.   While Nuln fields a large and effective army of its own — the Nuln-trained bands of arquebusiers and halberdiers — and its artillery is the best in Rhemia, Nuln of all the Grand Provinces relies the most on hired mercenaries.   The armies of Nuln have traditionally been the main defensive force of Stirland and Averland. These Counties are famous for their pikemen, like the 17th Regiment of Foot, based in Pfeildorf. Mercenaries of Stirlander and Averlander origin form the mainstay of several armies among the warring Tilean city-states, as well as serving from time to time In the armies of Rhemia.   The trade in mercenaries is two-way, and the armies of Nuln make extensive use of mercenaries from the southern nations of the Old World, like the Tilean Crossbowmen. Despite the insignia of Nuln sewn onto their tunic, their dress and equipment are distinctly Tilean as they wear the short cape and broad-guarded shortsword typical of the armies of Miragliano and Remas.   It was the armies of Nuln who first made use of bombards, and the Imperial School of Gunnery was established at Nuln soon after the reunification. Apart from a small unit of bombards based in Altdorf and used only for ceremonial purposes, the Imperial Corps of Artillery is based entirely in Nuln. Instructor-Captain of the Imperial Gunnery School' ranks are denoted by their sword, since lower ranks are generally armed only with a dagger, they also carrie a book of artillerist's charts and tables, for calculating ranges and trajectories.   The Tilean ‘Blue Heron’ condottieri have been on retainer for over a century and serve as the Royal Horse Guard since the time of the Grand Countess’s great-grandfather.    

Notable Factions

 

• Nuln Secret Police - A few years ago, a particularly zealous man named Fritz von Halstadt ingratiated himself with the Countess. Having the support of the Knights of the White Wolf, Fritz began a crusade to rid the city of Mutants and cultists, to hunt down every one and make them confess their sins in the bowels of the Iron Tower. Von Halstadt established a secret police force, consisting mostly of informants and disreputable types, to watch for suspicious behaviour. He kept extensive files on all the prominent citizens, collecting evidence, real or fabricated, to use against them. Fritz’s reign of fear was brief. He was murdered and his house set on fire. It’s believed Skaven killed von Halstadt, though there is speculation that a certain pair of vagabonds might have had something to do with it. In any event, Hieronymus Ostwald, then the personal secretary to the Countess, stepped in and took over the Secret Police. His tenure has been somewhat more relaxed in regard to the “Mutant threat,” but he is obsessed with Skaven and pressures the Sewer Jacks to be vigilant in their patrols in Nuln’s sewers. Whether the Secret Police still exist or not, or if there are actual operatives, no one is certain. Ostwald still manages the department, but no one knows how many officers and informants he employs, if he does at all.

• The Watch - The keepers of the peace are the city’s watchmen. These men (and a few women) walk the streets enforcing the Countess’ laws with a varying level of vigilance, depending on the neighbourhood they walk. When patrolling the Aldig Quarter, they are keenly aware of any infraction, even minor ones. Should a person look suspicious, the Watch arrests them first and asks questions later. The farther one travels from the palace, the more infrequent the patrols, until one reaches Shantytown in the Neuestadt, where few patrols dare to even enter. They're led by the Commander-in-chief Berthold von Streibermacht aided by Captain Falko Rummenach.

• Sewer Jacks - A specialized group of watchmen, the Sewer Jacks patrol Nuln’s sewers. As Dwarfs first constructed Nuln’s sewage system, the tunnels and channels are larger and safer (structurally) than those of other cities, such as Middenheim. Because they are so serviceable, they attract all sorts of nasty things. Goblins, Mutants, and Skaven all claim parts of the sewers, spreading mischief and mayhem in the city above. Families saddled with a Mutant child will sometimes give the tainted baby to the “Night Market,” a renowned city of Mutants purported to be far below the city. Since the Skaven infestation of several years back, Nuln redoubled its efforts in keeping the Undercity safe and cleansed of undesirables. Still, they have a hard time recruiting quality men and so they are somewhat lax when it comes to their recruits.