Background foundation of the undead army of Miragliano

Shadowqueen of Miragliano (Vampire lord)

The shadowqueen of Miragliano is a vampiress that has lived for many centuries in the city of Miragliano where she was born. Before she became the shadowqueen, she was known as Constanza da Miragliano, princess of the city state. However in the endless layers of deceit, adultery, pleasure seeking and other abominations in court she met with the vampire count Reinhart Guhlfach from the empire. As the two met more and more often under the shadows of the night, enthralled by the counts embrace, Constanza finally accepted the counts embrace of the dark kiss, turning her into one of the undead.

In life Constanza was a princess with many suitors as her looks were as good as her lust for power. In undeath her suitors fell to her guile as well as her charm and fight ever onwards in her service, first as loyal guard, then in death as the walking corpses that fill her armies as she goes to war.

In her undeath, Constanza lived a double life as a noble by the name of Esmeralda di Tulli while also living as the shadowqueen who ruled the city with a velvet gauntlet; a soft appearance with an iron hard core. A line of poets, artists, courtesans and charlatans provided her the information she needed to rule as unofficial leader of the city, while knights, warriors and the bodies of the fallen fought in her service when the going got rough.

When the great battle with the skaven that led to the fall of Miragliano was upon the city in 2522IC Constanza was forced to flee with her personal servants to the north where her presence drew out the attention of a powerful necromancer named Heinrich Kemmler who took her in and taught her the dark arts of raising the dead to fight at her side.

In the year 2530, when she thought she had learned enough, she left the presence of Kemmler who at the time was too weak to stop her because he was recovering from earlier wounds. She marched back to the now abandoned ruins of Miragliano, raising an army in her path. When she was upon the city she once lived she attacked the remaining skaven with fierce tenacity, raising their dead as they fall reclaiming the now fallen city.

Now ruling as the official queen of Miragliano she intends to rebuild the city in a fashion that suits her, with mortal lives to tread upon, debauchery and with extravagant artistic and cultural expression. She fights tenaciously against all intruders, especially the Tillian states who seek to take the rebuilt city from her.

Although the new city seems beautiful for a an onlooker, it’s very fabric is now infused with dark magic, and as such also attracts those that worship this. It is a beacon for necromancers, vampires, and other foul beings that which to practice their perverse desires in the broad daylight without fear of persecution. As long as the hustle and bustle of the city continues, art is being made and the false masquerade of carnavale continues Constanza is happy to let things happen.

Tutti gli Amante (grave guard)

When the shadowqueen goes to war, she likes to surround herself with her most favorite and brave suitors known as tutti gli amanti, or all the lovers. These mortal warriors fight with the same possession as the undead known as the grave guard, for the love for their mistress is greater than that for their own lives. Champion of this group is her current toyboy Leonardo di Piazzo, first knight in the order vowed to protect the city white the morale is kept aloft by the deathly jester Alfonzo Cuore. The standard of the unit is the ever dancing Leititia di Amore, who walks upon stilts to act as a living standard herself, promoting the essence of Constanza’s message.

Le legioni infinite (Skeleton warriors)

Le legioni infinite is the name of the combined regiments of undead skeletons that follow Constanza’s every command acting as the first line of defense, offense and in rebuilding the city. The legion is built from different types of warriors raised throughout her course from the Transilvanian wasteland to the fallen city of Miragliano itself. Therefore the regiments have their own characteristic definition from being typically Tillian to a more empiric style. Strong magic holds their bones together under their masters grasp. The warriors retain their warrior spirit as well as their loyalty to a master, although any sense of being, any memory of their previous life has been replaced by a dark and hollow void that eats at their souls.

I doccioni di carnevale (Fell bats)

Such is Constanza’s lust for art and culture that the carnival festival of the previous Miragliano has been extended to a year round happening. People are accepted to walk masked whenever they please and this phenomenon is also used to hide the skeletal minions whenever necessary.

Dark rituals infuse the current carnevale and it is during these rituals that the city lite rally comes to life. Dark energy spreads along the cities marble and granite and not only sustains the undead life, but also the unalife. Stone gargoyles and other grotesque statues come to life in a sick parody of the living, hunting as if in need of sustenance they require a constant flow of blood where water used to run.