The Borgio the Besieger thread

[Jubal]

I am bored, so here is a thread about Borgio "the Besieger" of Miragliano.



This guy:
- Was one of the most popular Tilean leaders ever
- Once had a cannonball hit him square in the chest. He kept it and had it made into a mace.
- One of the best siege generals ever in the Warhammer world
- Pioneered a lot of new siege techniques including use of pavises
- Has a 4+ save against dying. Ever.

He was Merchant Prince of Miragliano, and eventually got killed with a snail fork, probably by his wife, after an entire career spent making Miragliano the most powerful state in Tilea and dodging assassins.

All hail Borgio!

(Rules, for anyone interested)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Borgio	4	6	5	4	4	3	5	4	9
Warhorse	8	3	0	3	3	1	3	1	6

EQUIPMENT

Weapons: Mace of Might, Lance

Armour: Armour of Brazen Bronze, Shield

Mount: Barded warhorse.


SPECIAL RULES

Difficult to Slay : Borgio The Besieger has an almost unnatural ability to withstand pain and injury. If he is slain, then do not remove the model, but lay it on its side. At the end of the phase, roll a D6. On a 1-3, he is removed as a casualty as normal. On a roll of 4 or more, he stands back up again with a single wound remaining.

Beloved General: Borgio The Besieger was beloved by his men, and the people of Miragliano. To represent this, any troop with 18" may test off of Borgio's leadership. This rule replaces the normal General rule found in the Warhammer rulebook (Page 102)

Magic Banner: Borgio The Besieger is the Merchant Prince of Miragliano, and because of this one unit of Pikemen or Heavy Cavalry may carry a 50-point Magic Standard. This rule doses not apply to Regiments of Renown.

MAGIC ITEMS

Mace of Might
Borgio made this weapon out of a cannon ball that hit him square in the chest, and did not kill him. From that point forward it has become his luck charm. If Borgio rolls a 6 to hit with this weapon, that hit will be at Strength 10.

Armor of Brazen Bronze
This counts as a suit of Heavy Armour that conveys a ward save of 5+.

Monstrous Mask Helm
This Helm causes fear as described in the Warhammer rulebook.

[Silver Wolf]

Ah, my favorite Warhammer character.

- Once had a cannonball hit him square in the chest. He kept it and had it made into a mace.

Always loved that one.

IIRC his armor was made out of a melted magical statue and that's why it had magical properties.





Expanded back story:

Borgio, Prince of Miragliano, was nicknamed ―The Besieger because of his unsurpassed expertise in siegework. It was said that no city, not even the ingenious ramparts of Miragliano itself, could defy him. Borgio was certainly an expert tactician and won most of his battles. In three great victories he established Miragliano as the most powerful principality in Tilea. After these, his enemies usually avoided open battle and shut themselves up behind the walls of their cities, only to succumb to Borgio's siege techniques. He was equally astute as a politician, but rather tyrannical. Opponents and rivals did not last long!
During his career, Borgio fought against every other  principality and republic in Tilea for one reason or another, from wars over trading rights to pure vendettas against rival Princes who had tried to have him assassinated. Indeed, there were so many failed attempts to assassinate Borgio, some of which came very close to success, that he gained a reputation as a man who had to be killed more than once to be sure! It is said that Borgio once defeated an Orc horde by splitting them into three parts. Opinion is divided as to whether this refers to the horde or the individual Orcs. It is also said that Borgio could ride a horse, go to sleep and read a book at the same time! Another apocryphal tale says that he was once taken prisoner by the Pirate Princess of Sartosa and escaped by diving into the sea from the dungeon tower (which was conveniently leaning over a high cliff) and swam the Pirates' Current across to Tilea. Then he returned with a mercenary fleet, captured the princess and would not let her go until the pirates had paid him an enormous tribute gathered from their far-flung stashes of plunder! If this ever happened it must have been early in his career. It is also rumoured that Borgio wrote very good poetry, did all his own cooking (wiseman) and wrestled with lions!
Borgio is noted for devising unusual battle tactics and new troop types, which usually took his opponents by surprise. He certainly had access to Leonardo's manuscripts in the library of the princely palazzo in Miragliano. He was a very big and imposing man of robust stature. In a siege he always dismounted to lead the assault over the walls in person and would strip off his armour and jump down into a moat to dig with the common soldiers. This endeared him to the troops and he commanded a loyalty among his mercenaries which has been the envy of every Prince since!
However, Borgio could not always count on similar loyalty from courtiers, intriguers and spies in the pay of rivals, who knew they could not defeat him in battle and so resorted to underhand means. It is said that he finally met his end, after a long and distinguished reign, when he was stabbed with a poisoned toasting fork in his bath! The circumstances are mysterious, but this was probably the only occasion that a man such as Borgio could be taken by surprise. Many say that his marriage to Dolchellata, the rather bad-tempered older sister of Lucrezzia Belladonna, was his undoing!

MAGIC ITEMS:
 
Armour of Brazen Bronze (Magic Armour)
This is the very armour which Borgio was wearing when struck by the cannonball at the siege of Remas. The armour was forged in Miragliano from melted down statues dredged out of the blighted marshes. Who knows what deities were represented or what magic was wrought into the metal? The armour certainly proved formidable.
- Tilean Plate Armour. The Armour of Brazen Bronze gives Borgio a 5+ Ward save.

Mace of Might (Magic Weapon)
Borgio wields a hefty mace made from a cannonball which failed to slay him at the siege of Remas and ended up embedded in his breastplate. Borgio, regarding it as a lucky talisman, had the cannonball made into a mace.
- If Borgio rolls a 6 to hit with this weapon, this hit will be at Strength 10.

Monstrous Mask Helm (Magic Armour)
Borgio wears a grotesque helmet with a fearful visage sculpted on it.
- The wearer of the Monstrous Mask Helm counts his armour save as being one point higher than normal and makes him cause Fear.

[Jubal]

This is just going to end up as a better version of the Chuck Norris facts... 

I'm quite sad we couldn't get Miragliano into WHTW. Made more sense to use Luccini as they're in the south of the peninsula so had a slightly slower start game than Miragliano, sandwiched between Karak Izor, Skavenblight, and Pheildorf in the north.

[Silver Wolf]

Expanded the post.

So we're looking at a S4 (potentially 10), T4, WS6, A4 fear causing guy, protected by a 1+ armor save and a 5+ ward.
Not to mention that he refuses to die on a 4+ roll, has an improved leadership bubble and gives a banner option (similar to the old empire Ancestral heirloom rule).

Radical.

[Jubal]

Borgio the Besieger isn't as tough as nails. Nails are as tough as Borgio the Besieger. If they're lucky. 

[Silver Wolf]

Now I'm seriously thinking about buying this guy.

Or at least trying to sculpt an on foot version myself. But I don't have time for that.

[Jubal]

Purely to resurrect the awesome of this small thread:

Borgio the Besieger doesn't get hit by arrows. Arrows get hit by Borgio.

[Cuddly Khan]

Or, rather. Borgio the Besieger doesn't get hit by cannon balls. Cannon balls get hit by Borgio.

[Jubal]

I think to be even more specific:

"Borgio the Besieger killed three hundred people with a cannonball. He wasn't using a cannon."