Since the days of the great collapse, the Valeguard have stood ever vigilant over Eklysium and its people. A police force in times of peace, guardians in times of war, and enforcers of the God-King's order in times of unrest, they have been the bastion of the Vale for hundreds of years. At the core of this alliance stand the household guard of the House of Pallaeon. Named for the first Prefect of Eklysium, Pallaeon was appointed by Sigmar's own representative before the coming of Chaos, and his descendants have ruled the Vale in an unbroken line ever since. At their side, through every generation, have been the Valeguard. Bound together by oaths of service and brotherhood, they are the first and last line of defence for Sigmar's own order within the Vale.
That line was shattered by the cataclysm of Mogrek's arrival. Unprepared for his sudden appearance and under-equipped to deal with a threat of such magnitude, they did what they could to safeguard the people that mattered most. Despite their best efforts, however, the Prefect was killed in the early hours of the attack, and his three immediate heirs followed shortly thereafter. In the wake of the rampage, battered and depleted, the Valeguard face the greatest challenge in their history. The fires of Mogrek’s wake still burn, and the orruk himself has breached the walls of the citadel that stood as the inviolate heart of their city since its first days. As if that threat were not enough, others have seized on the moment to launch their own nefarious plots. Rabble rousers and malcontents within the city have pounced on the chance to burn away the social order and rebuild it in their own anarchistic image. Monsters from the hills, horror stories from ancient days, have returned to tear down everything that has been built. Opportunistic vultures have swooped in from the beyond seeking to seize whatever they can and squeeze the very lifeblood from the city. Those that would stand up against these forces, stand for order and stability, must fight back now or lose everything. Though battered and bruised, the Valeguard must restore Sigmar’s order.
Though the household guard remains at their core, the Valeguard have expanded their coalition greatly to deal with these threats. Their first order of business was finding the last surviving heir of the previous Prefect and restoring a rightful ruler to the city. The newly named Pelham the Unready, Prefect of the Vale, has offered grand rewards for those that will rally to his cause. The Temple of Sigmar has sent forth its Temple Guard and warrior monks, their blades and hammers ready for the foes of the God-King. The high houses and merchant lords have opened their doors and their coffers, promising their own personal guards and hefty purses for those that will fight on their behalf. Even the Order of Azyr have made their presence felt, though far from the halls of power, for they see everywhere the dangers of failing to uphold the order Sigmar created. This grand coalition, unified behind their goal and renewed in their purpose, stand on guard once more against the usurpers, thieves and monsters that would defy Sigmar’s will and threaten his peace.
Pelham the Unready
Born the fifth child of the Prefect of the Vale, Pelham was never expected to hold the reins of power. By custom, his eldest sibling was trained to rule, to understand diplomacy and statecraft, and to command the respect of the high houses and meanest labourer. The next child entered the Temple of Sigmar, to live a life of service there, and the third learned at her elder brother’s side, a backup to rule if misfortune demanded. The fourth child was taught to be a warrior, to leave and make their name in distant lands. That left Pelham, the fifth, last and unneeded. As a young man, he flittered between studies and apprenticeships, learning some but never finding a place. A season at the Arcane College, a few weeks with a mercenary company, a month training as a musician, each new enterprise abandoned just as quickly and interspersed with copious time in the drinking halls of the city. Pelham learned as much from cheap watering holes as from expensive tutors, and proved far more adept at spending his father’s coin than understanding the city’s trade. He was quickly developing a reputation as a rake and a wastrel, and despite a quick wit and steady blade, he might have soon found himself beyond his father’s patience. Then Mogrek arrived, and the world changed.
Now, Pelham is expected to lead, to uphold a responsibility and legacy he was never prepared for and never sought. Though he never dedicated himself to any one discipline, he is sharp and perceptive, and his years of dallying between professions have afforded him a surprising breadth of knowledge, if not depth. He has a roguish charm, and knows the city in a way his predecessors never have. His enemies see him as weak. Even his own allies, he knows, doubt his mettle. There is no doubt that he faces the greatest threat any of his lineage have known since the coming of Chaos. From such unready clay, will a hardened leader emerge, or will he merely crumble under the pressure? None can say for certain, least of all Pelham.
Player Hooks
- Your character might be an existing member of the Valeguard, the personal soldiers of the Prefects and the guards of the city
- Your character might be a member of the Church of Sigmar or the Order of Azyr, tasked with ensuring that the power structures of the city are not overthrown
- Your character might be a mercenary, having joined with the Prefect’s forces or those of their merchant or noble allies for the promise of reward
- Your character might join with the Valeguard for the promise of using their existing power structure within the city to further your own research or exploration into the Eklysium citadel
- Your character might seek the secrets of the Citadel or a foothold within the city, and sees the Prefect’s inexperience and need as an opportunity to take advantage of