The time of mortals is ending, and the reign of Chaos draws ever closer. The Dark Gods are at last united in a singular purpose, loosing their madness across the world as never before. In the Empire of Sigmar, Karl Franz's gaze is focused on the incursion of the savage northmen, but it is not the only threat. As the Chaos moon Morrslieb waxes full, shrill voices echo through tunnels gnawed far beneath the Empire's cities, and a Skaven host swarms towards the surface. It emerges first in the city of Ubersreik, a screeching mass that consumes all before it. Soon Ubersreik is a charnel-town, drowning beneath the malevolent shadow of the Horned Rat.

Yet even in the darkest times, there are always champions to light the way. As Ubersreik cowers, five heroes, united by capricious fate, carry the fight to the rat-men. It remains to be seen whether they have the strength to survive, let alone work together long enough to thwart the invaders. One truth, however, is beyond all doubt: should these five fall, then Ubersreik will fall with them.

In Vermintide, the city of Ubersreik is under siege as players select from a band of five heroes with different play-styles and abilities, all equipped with unique gear and personalities. Working together cooperatively, players must use their individual attributes to survive an apocalyptic invasion from hordes of relentless, power hungry Skaven, across a range of environments stretching from the top of the Magnus Tower to the bowels of the Under Empire.

Markus Kruber is a deadly but war weary Empire Soldier. After having recently lost his regiment to horrifying death-magic, Kruber decided he’d had enough of army life and the incompetent leadership of nobles. With a newfound desire to return home to his native Ubersreik, Kruber found employment in the service of Victor Saltzpyre, a Witch Hunter of the Order. His new job was to assist the Witch Hunter in the escort of a Bright Wizard prisoner, an assignment which fit perfectly into Kruber’s plans, since their destination was his hometown.

Having Vermintide set in Ubersreik but not including any Empire heroes felt wrong, so we knew from the beginning that we had to include a native in the group. The bigger challenge was deciding exactly what kind of fighter he should be, and picking a visual style that complemented this. We realized that while we wanted our heroes to be flexible in how they fight, we also wanted to ensure that each character featured a distinct personality and fighting style base. As the Waywatcher and Witch Hunter are focused on agility and precision, we needed a character who could take a punch and deal great amounts of damage in single strikes. From that concept, Markus Kruber, the Empire Soldier, was born.

Designing the armour for Markus was a lot of fun, especially since the Empire fashion often uses billowy fabrics, tall feathers and randomly placed wax seals. We gave him heavier armour compared to his comrades to emphasize his  heavy-hitting capabilities, while covering most of his arms and legs in fabric to show that he is still agile in his movements. We even added special feather physics into the game to do his hat justice.

One of the facial features we absolutely needed to include for Markus was the glorious moustache and beard combo that a lot of Empire citizens favour. A few deep scars on his jaw and eyebrow was added to enhance the grizzled war veteran vibe. We wanted him to feel not only experienced, but also scarred, like someone who had seen better days and lost something along the way.

Markus prefers using heavy weapons and putting considerable power behind his attacks. A smile of delight can often be seen on his face as he sends multiple rat-men flying with a mighty swing or delivers a skull crushing blow with his Great Hammer. Kruber is known to casually balance his Great Hammer on one shoulder, ready to strike down any foe who dares to approach. He is also a master of cutting Skaven in half with the  Great Sword , stunning and knocking back enemies with a One Handed Mace or using the Sword and Shield combo to his advantage.

For those situations where Markus feels ranged weapons are the answer, he’s partial to his trusty Blunderbuss, a devastating close range weapon.  When a high volume of fire is required, he prefers his experimental Repeater Handgun. It allows Kruber to either quickly fire off individual shots or the multiple barrels can be spun to fire off the all barrels in one burst. If the enemy is heavily armored, Kruber can bring a heavy Handgun, capable of piercing the thickest of armor.

Having fled farm life outside Ubersreik, a young Markus Kruber found himself in the Grunburg local militia and quickly rose through the ranks. A schism with an inept superior eventually spiraled out of control, and resulted in a relegation to Ostland.  Being sent from the richest province of the Empire to one of the poorest and most war-ravaged was clearly a punishment, but Kruber welcomed the change. He hoped that competent leadership and a steady stream of purposeful action would await him at his new post.

Leading the 8th Ostland Swordsmen, Markus drilled his troops until perfection, not content until their swords and shields felt like natural extensions of their own bodies. His leadership style was somewhat unconventional,  inspiring confidence and loyalty not only through his prowess, but also due to his innate charisma and wit, making him immensely popular with his men. His unit was distinguished in several battles, whether it was breaking through Greenskin lines, repulsing marauding Beastmen,  or hacking down ravaging berserker northlanders.

It was a Necromancer who was to be Kruber’s undoing. The Undead marched on a grand muster of Imperial might. Kruber’s regiment was on the east flank, forming an impenetrable barrier against the skeletal forces they opposed. For a while it looked as if the Ostlanders sensed victory and fought with extra ferocity to that end. But then the Sergeant caught sight of a wizened old man leading a horde of Zombies. In a freak moment their eyes locked, the Necromancer grinned, and went about casting his death-magic. Moments later, a colossal orb of purple-edged darkness swept through the Swordsmen, killing all it touched while sucking the souls from hapless bodies. One of the men pushed Kruber out of the way, his own soul selflessly sacrificed.

At the end of the battle, the Undead had dissipate and the Empire was victorious, but it was a pyrrhic victory for Markus. His regiment had been destroyed, and he emerged as a traumatized lone survivor.   In a state of shock, Markus applied for leave, wishing to quit military life and simply head for home, but was denied.

However, after some time, Victor Saltzpyre, a Witch Hunter on business in Ostland, crossed paths with Markus.  The Witch Hunter was recruiting for an upcoming mission, and after witnessing a display of Kruber’s talents in a roadside ruckus with bandits, he convinced Kruber’s superiors to let him go.

Assisting the Witch Hunter in escorting a Bright Wizard prisoner, the company head for Ubersreik, where the mage is up for trial.