Kaspar von Velten
Hailing from Nuln, Kaspar von Velten is the present-day Imperial ambassador to Kislev, replacing Andreas Teugenheim in the court of the Tzarina Katarin. Having spent years in the rank and file of Karl-Franz's armies, Kaspar was seen as ideal for the posting, given Kislev's proximity to the front lines against Chaos.[1a]
History[]
Kaspar was sixteen when he enlisted in the army, joining a pike regiment during the reign of Luitpold. He spent the next six years fighting in Averland against one Orc Warlord after another, though would eventually march all across the Empire, his regiment earning a name for itself defeating the beasts of the dark forests, and the northmen who raided Kislev and Ostermark. Kaspar would later rise to command the regiment, and fight alongside Karl-Franz himself at the Battle of Norduin. Over the following years, he would earn further command till he was leading entire armies for the Emperor. After he returned from campaigning in the Border Princes, he purchased an honorable discharge from the army to retire in Nuln with his wife, Madeline.[1c]
The subtleties of etiquette and courtly life are lost on Kaspar. Years before his posting in Kislev, Madeline made him a regular in the royal court at Nuln. Indeed, she understood better than he the value of Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz's patronage. Thus, despite Kaspar's protestations, she dragged him to every one of her legendary masked balls and parties. Kaspar's tales of battle and life on the campaign trail always thrilled the effete courtiers and made him a popular, if reluctant, guest at the palace.[1a]
Unfortunately, after Madeline's death, Kaspar withdrew from court society, spending more and more time alone in a house that suddenly seemed much bigger and emptier than before. Though invites continued to arrive at his door, he only attended functions that were mandatory.[1a]
But his reputation had spread further than he knew, for when the summons to the Countess' palace had come, and courtiers from Altdorf offered him the ambassadorial posting, Kaspar knew he could not refuse. He left for Kislev within the week,[1a] at the age of 54.[1b]
Life in Kislev[]
Kaspar arrived in the capital city under the Imperial banner and an escort of sixteen Knights Panther, including Captain Kurt Bremen. Both Kurt and Kaspar were furious at the state of the Imperial Embassy, finding it in a state of disrepair.[1a]
Appearance[]
Kaspar has deep-set blue eyes that, despite his age, have lost none of the brightness of youth. His skin is tanned and leather-tough from years of campaigning across the Old World. He wears his thinning silver hair close cropped, his beard similarly neat and trimmed. He has a faded tattoo from his days in the ranks that snakes its way from behind his left ear and down his neck.[1a]
Trivia[]
- Kaspar hates sea travel.[1d]
- Kaspar has been as far away as Araby during his years in the army.[1e]
- The ambassador owns a silver-maned, bay gelding from Averland, whom he named Magnus and personally grooms each morning, finding it cathartic and cleansing. Though not a young beast, the fact it had spirit and a stubborn streak earned it the nickname "Ambassador" by the embassy's guards. Kaspar sees this as flattering, due to having been an infantryman by nature, and not having an affinity for mounts like cavalrymen were supposed to have - often the subject of many a bawdy joke told in the ranks, as he remembers. It was only after he left Nuln with the warhorse, settled within Kislev and endured many an ordeal that he finally realized on Magnus' name, having put a great deal of thought into it. Indeed, believing that names can carry great power, he thought 'Magnus' had a weight of history to it, and was thus fitting for the magnificent beast.[1f]
- Despite telling himself he's a pragmatist, Kaspar knows he has a wild, quixotic core that lives for experiences such as the feeling of riding into the wilderness, the thrill of exploring unknown vistas and witnessing nature at its most savage and beautiful.[1g]
- Holberecht of Nuln crafted for Kaspar a beautiful sword whose blue-steel blade was smooth and double-edged, narrowing to a fine tip that could penetrate the hardest mail shirts. The hilt was of black iron, wound with soft leather and finished with a rounded pommel of bronze. Simple but elegantly designed, it was a functional weapon forged specifically for the ambassador, which was why, despite being well-balanced and with a good weight, it was centered a little too far from the tip to the liking of someone like Kurt Bremen. Kaspar and Holberecht spent many weeks sparring with different weapons so the smith could accurately gauge his strength and reach before Holberecht ever laid hammer on iron.[1h]
Canon-conflict[]
With the events of the End Times, it is unclear if Kaspar died at the battle of Urszebya or elsewhere, perhaps fighting alongside the Tzarina against the hordes prior to Kislev's collapse.