Many years ago, the people of the nanied the knights of the Order of the Blood amongst the noblest of warziors defending their lands, ‘Their great fortress, Blood Keep, guarded the passes to ‘Bretonnia and was famed for the strength ofits walls and the valour of its defenders. As the Tome of Lamentations records, one night a man of great stature and noble bearing appeared before the gates and ‘demanded entrance, He named himself as Walach of the Flarkon family, and when the knights opened the sates, they sealed their doom. ‘Walach challenged the knights to combat. He slew them with ease, for he was a Vampire who had learned his war craft from the great Abhorash. Though no knight could hope to defeat the Undead monster, Walach spared those who fought bravely and with honour. To these knights he passed on his vampirism, the others he slew without pause and fed on theie blood. Blood Keep became a Vampire lai, from which the deadly knights preyed upon those they once protected. Many decades later, the witch hunter Gunther van Hel discovered the truth and attacked Blood Keep with an army scat from Wissenland and Reikland, and supported by four Knightly Orders, The siege lasted for three years, during which the bloodshed was like nothing the men of the Empire had seen. Van Hel and his soldiers destroyed many Vamp Couns teary OP ARUR NRG BLOOD KNIGHTS Vampires when they finally stormed the castle, and hunted the survivors through the wilds for years 10 come. Blood Keep fell into ruin and its evil mast passed into myth, "The Blood Dragons may have been defeated, but some escaped, seatering across the Empire, Bretonnia, Tilea and further afield. Accomplished with lance and sword, these warriors became dark mercenaries, solitary uellists and fearsome raiders, The Blood Knights are a macabre parody of the virtuous templars that Walach turned, Though they retain the dragon as their symbol, their armour is encrusted with images of death and slaughter. Theit blades are fell weapons inseribed with dark runes, chased with precious metals and fashioned! in the likeness of evil beasts. The blazons and crests of Blood Keep take the shape of dragons and deagon wings, The knights do not ride flesh-and-blood horses, but charge ‘upon evil Nightmarce with fiery ¢7ca send fect breath, ‘lad in thick barding painted with disturbing icons of nnecromantic power. Now, centuries after the demise of their ord, there are ‘whispers that Blood Keep is once again inhabited, Thase who live near the mountains say nocturmal hunters perturb the folk of the Dwarf Holds. Gossipmongers aim that immortal knights once more feast on human blood in the ancient hall, and skeletal sentries patrol the ramparts. Some even say that dread Welach has returned, and that he is gathering his forces to wage ‘war upon the lands of men that tried to destroy him. They are the most fearsome knights in all ofthe Old World. Their taining and discipline in life is married swith the unnatural speed and strength of Undeath ‘The Blood Knights are nigh indestructible, and thete bloodiest makes them ferocious and implacable Such is their honour that they will refuse no challenge, and will fight atthe forefront of an army. It is said chat even the fabled Grail Knights of Bretonnia cannot match the Blood Knights on the field of battle MWS BSS TWH ALd Blood Knight = 4 55 3 5 4 14.27 Kastellan 453541437 Nightmare 830441213 Special Rules i Undead, Vampire (see page 35), Frenzy. Martial Honour: Unless the unie has been joined by. a character with an equal or higher Ld, a Kastellan must always issue a challenge when possible, and must answer any challenge issued by the enems. Ifa unit hhas no Kastellan, then a Blood Knight may be | ‘nominated to answer a challenge, just ike a normal unit champion (note that Blood Knights cannot themselves issue challenges, only answer them)