[i]"It was at that time, when the battle was surely lost, that he stepped to the front and defiantly raised the Standard of Ostland. From that moment, the day was ours."[/i]

-From The Chronicles of Captain Schweisteigger by Christophe von Peache 

Marius Schwarz had always liked that quote. He had always been an avid reader of adventure books and military expeditions in far off lands. As a child he had dreamed of sailing the coasts of Lustria or rescuing Brettonian damsels, perhaps performing wonders in front of an Arabyan sultan and being gifted with his most beautiful daughter and a palace of his own. When he had gotten his first sword, he had practiced every day on how he would kill a beastman or behead one of the foul greenskins that plagued the empire. Every trip with his father on a river barge, he wondered if he would see mermaids or have to defend himself from rampaging river trolls. 

Growing up, after so many day-dreams and books, he almost felt like a veteran of adventure. It was now time to settle down, enjoy a taste of the business world. Money was the grease that kept the empire flowing afterall, more than even faith in sigmar or good manufacturing. The men of the old world were all in it together, and Nuln seemed like the pinnacle of human development. The booms of the famous gunnery school and the fierce debates over literature in the university were the talk of all Wissenland, and even in the times he had visited Altdorf, he did not feel inferior to the Rieklanders, but a peer in knowledge and sophistication. 

The world was his oyster, as they say. And if that was the case... 

How the fuck did he end up here, pinned to the ground by footpads that smelled about as good as an autopsy where the subject had shat themselves? Marius had struggled, and for his troubles he had the wind knocked out of him. He could have given them his gold and went on his merry way, but he had to try and talk his way out of the situation, and then had the model idea to cut his way out. His [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/49/30/74/4930745d9dee4792e8974232fdd6662e.jpg]sidesword[/url] had been knocked out of his hand from his blindspot and one of the bandits had been a bit over zealous in tackling him to the ground. 

"Herr bandit, you don't have to do this. That's the last of my money. The roadwardens will not stand for this. I saw one just this morning!" Marius said in a tone he tried to keep neutral, but it sounded very pathetic on the ground. Marius was never one to be deterred, however. "Sir, plea-" 

"Shut up, southern git!" A boot was planted atop his head and grounded his face further into the sludge of both snow and frozen dirt. He felt his dried lip crack and there was a spot of red on the slush. Marius gasped for breath. Around him were four highwaymen, wearing makeshift coats and extravagantly striped pants like they were middenlanders or fops in a play. The air was frigidly cold, and Marius realized he had made a mistake. He should have gone to Tilea or Estalia, not to Ostland of all places.   

"I'm just trying to get to Wolfenburg!" Marius cried through the snow shoved into his mouth. It was muffled, but they heard him. He expected them to mock him, but the laugh that came was harder than he would have expected. One of them looked confused, and it only made the others laugh more uproariously. Marius lifted his head up, spitting out dirt and snow. "What is so funny!?" 

One of the men with a goatee and an easy smile knelt down in front of the poor waylaid merchant. He gave a smile that showed his teeth, and in his hands was a dagger that looked freshly sharpened. He snickered before he spoke. "This is the north road, you idiot. Wolfenburg is half a day the other way. You passed it." He remarked, and barked a laugh when he saw Marius's confusion. "You're not from around here, are you?" 

"No, I'm not." Marius admitted, downtrodden by the information. He could have been in a warm tavern right now, making business inquiries. 

"So what do you do, other than cartography?" The bandit asked the pinned fellow. 

"I'm from Nuln. I'm just looking to make my fortune up north. Starting a business, perhaps. You gentlemen wouldn't be interested?" He asked hopefully. 

The bandit made a show of thinking about it. He scratched his chin and raised his eyebrow, looking up at the sky as he let out his best 'hmmm'. Once he was bored of the act, he showed the sack of coins they had procured from Marius's belt and jingled it before him. "No, I think we'll just take the money."