Imperial Empire of Germania

The Empire is the largest and most powerful Human Nation in Europe. It is located in Europe, and extends far west into parts of France, while south it goes as far as the mountains of Lucerne, and East it goes as far as Kizlev.

Originally founded by Sigmar following the Chaotic days of the Trolloc Wars, the Empire would eventually become one of the strongest Kingdoms in Europe, and would begin to push its beliefs on all that surrounded them. Sigmar became extremely powerful after being uplifted by the Titans as one of their Man Gods, and he was the only one of the Man Gods that was not killed by the intervention of one of the Gods of Chaos, and his actual whereabouts are unknown after he left his crown behind and travelled east for tasks unknown. Following his departure the Teutons would follow a system of goverment that he left behind for them, and this would lead them with little internal problems until the rise of House Franz led to a civil war which eventually changed the balance of power towards the powerful House Franz. House Franz would complete the conquests that were started in eastern Europe and would expand so far that they connected themselves with their ally in Kizlev greatly increasing the power of Kizlev.

The Empire is the home, and central location of the vast population of the germanic tribe of the Teutons. One of the oldest German tribes the Teutons have maintained there hold over The Empire through wars, and migrations and are one of the most powerful ethnic groups in Europe as a result. The Teutons have become known for their nearly fanatical nationalistic approach to foreign policy and they have little to no acceptance to outsiders outside of the outlying regions of The Empire. In the western province of the Lowlands the only non Teutonic Majority exists in the form of the Franks of whome are the only non-Teutonic Elector Count that exists in The Empire.

The current Empire is Karl Franz, of whome is a member of the very powerful European House Franz of which started in Hannover but swiftly took control of The Empire when they felt the time was right. Karl Franz gained a swift and powerful reputation as a brilliant diplomat and administrator but his overall reputation was tarnished after the small Kingdom of Hogwarts defeated a large force of Emperian troops and then destroyed a large town as retribution. He has attempted to raise the tension in Europe in order to makehimself more popular amongs the Teutons that have lost faith.

Overview
There are ten provincial states in the Empire, each ultimately ruled by an Elector Count who owes his or her power to the unifying figurehead and ultimate authority of the Emperor. Alongside this their is the province of Toppenheim of which basically rules itself and has an elector count.

It should be noted that the Empire is not truly a single, centralized nation, but instead a confederation of individual, feudal states united only by a shared language, religion (Empire Worship ) and culture. The Imperial states correspond roughly to the ancient tribal territories brought together by Sigmar when he united the tribes of Man beneath one crown.

The life of a citizen of the Empire of Man is a perilous one, for there are foes within every shadow and enemies around every corner. Secret Chaos cults abound, or at the very least, there are rumors of them running rampant. No one is certain who is trustworthy, and fear and paranoia are omnipresent in the isolated settlements that dot the Empire's provinces

Early History
The Empire was originally founded in the German region of Europe. Once Germany had been a paradise for Humans of the Numerian Empire, and this changed little following the Fall of Numeron. The change in the region came about when the Humans of Germany allowed their greed and selfishness to take over from unity. The precursor Kingdom was called Amania, and its fall allowed many creatures and monsters to take over control of regions of Germany. This would continue for almost a hundred years until the Trolloc Wars which ended when the first Atlantians arrived in Europe.

Empire of Numeron
Main Article : Empire of Numeron

Sigmar
Main Article : Sigmar


 * "His birth was heralded by the twin tailed commet. From this day forth the entirety of Europe would know him as Man God. A human being given immense power and sent to do the works of the gods. Some took him as their savior. Others idiolize him as the pinacle of man. Whatever a human believes of Sigmar, they know one universal truth. He saved our race."


 * -Unknown Human

Sigmar was a german peasent that grew up in a time of great destruction in Central Germany, and would come to liberate the entire region and in the end found The Empire.

Sigmar was born in the Reikland area in the southwest of the Empire, to the Unberogen tribe, generally considered to have been one of the most powerful pre-Empire tribes. The night of his birth was marked with the appearance of a twin-tailed comet, which the human tribes took as a sign of great portent from the gods.

Dwarves Come
After the fall of the southern Karaz Ankor Dwarfholds, High King Kazgar Eniksson of Karaz-a-Karak and the Dwarfholds of the western mountains – including Karak Hirn – reconciled their differences and established an alliance against the seemingly countless numbers of greenskins. Karaz Ankor has been hard pressed in the fighting and needed help in stabilising the situation in the Worlds Edge Mountains.

Many warriors joined Sigmar’s banner and King Dorant “Orcbane” Kraegsson gathered an expeditionary force of Dwarfs and Humans from the Black Mountain Dwarf kingdoms. In the Battle of Dracherückgrat Kamm, King Dorant’s forces cleared Sigmar’s right flank of Orcs, allowing the main allied Dwarf and Human armies led by Sigmar to smash the main greenskin in the Battle of Black Fire Pass. The crushing of the greenskins ushered a millennium of peace and prosperity for Karak Hirn and the Empire founded by Sigmar.

Emperor
With his victory complete following the Battle of Fire Pass, Sigmar is said to have been carried back to Nuln by his army. When he arrived the nobles amongst his rallied tribes crowned him Emperor of the The Empire, and gave him a crown fashioned by the Dwarves. Elector Counts Sigmar set up the leaders of the twelve main tribes that followed him as the Elector Counts of the Empire, a position that remains to this day. Although no longer led by the leaders of each of the important tribes, and instead led by the Leaders of the provinces.



The First Dark Crusade
Main Article : The First Dark Crusade

The first main threat to the Empire during Sigmar's reign was in the 9th year of the Imperial Calendar, when a massive Norsii invasion ravaged the Imperial lands north of Middenhiem. A climactic battle occured outside Middenheim at the height of the fighting, with Dwarf and Human troops battling the invading Norse. A Daemon Prince named Azur Kul led the Norse armies, protected by magical wards that stopped it from being harmed, but said wards were undone by the first Runefang Blodambana, or Bloodbane, wielded by Count Myrsa of Middenhiem, allowing Sigmar to kill the Daemon Prince outright.

The Skaven
See Also : The Skaven

After the defeat of the Norsii, however, Sigmar's army were set upon by Skaven ratmen emerging from the tunnels under the Faushlag Rock, but through sheer perseverance, the Skaven were defeated. It was during this time that Sigmar's brother, Pendrag, and his love, Ravenna were killed by the swordsman Gerron, who escaped to the Norsii lands. Afterwards, Sigmar led a year-long crusade against the Norsii tribes, wiping out village after village, yet also searching for Gerron, in revenge for his betrayal.

Golden Age
Following the Empire's victory of Azur Kul, and the later victory over the Skaven horde Sigmar instigated a period that can only be described as the Golden Age of The Empire. During this time he put in place the Elector Counts, set up the provinces, and created many of the cities and fortresses that still stand to this day.

Sigmar Leaves
In the fiftieth year of his reign, Sigmar put by his crown and set off into the east. Sources conflict on the details of what precisely motivated Sigmar to do this; some accounts claim he set off to return Ghal Maraz to the Dwarfs. The sudden method of his departure was only ofset by the fact that Sigmar had placed such rules in place that his death had already been accounted for and thus the Empire held its first elections and named their first Emperor in Krelle Van Transe.



The Second Dark Crusade
Main Article : The Second Dark Crusade

Following the departure of Sigmar from the Empire of Man the Empire became threatened by a new enemy who was the second chosen one of Chaos. Chaos this time had come together

much better then they had the first time, and although Malekane was not as godlike as Kul he was believed to be powerful enough to take the Empire, but his real strength lay in his intelligence. Malekane was imbued with all the skill and stength of the gods, and with this he gathered his forces and begin moving on Kislev, as all Chaos attacks must do.

Instead of becoming bogged down in a conflict against Kislev he knew his real target was The Empire and because of this he continued to move westward eventually reaching the most eastern

section of The Empire in the province of East Prussia. East Prussia was constructed by Sigmar as a fortress province and in the way of Malekane was the Fortress of Wolfenstein which had been constructed and designed by Sigmar himself and even Kul had been forced to bypass the massive fortress. Malekane was not Kul and he would not accept that Wolfenstein could not be taken by his forces, so he put the fortress under siege. He knew that to attack it like this would be suicide but in the siege he could wear the fort down while he ran around west of Prussia.

War in Arnor
Main Article : Arnor War

War with Hogwarts
Main Article : The Hogwarts Empire War

Following the Civil War that rocked Hogwarts, and then the War with the Malfoy's and their allies Hogwarts was believed by the Malfoy's to be very vulnerable. Because they had lost so many of their vasals when they attacked Hogwarts the Malfoy's were not strong enough to attack again, so they went to an outside source in The Empire.

The Empire was offered free trade through their connection if they would destroy Hogwarts. The Empire was a very supersticious land as it was so the chance to destory a Magi city, as well as gaining free trade was too much for them to pass on. Unfortunatly for The Empire Hogwarts had not been as badly damaged as the Malfoy's had believed, and in fact had become stronger since the attack due to much of the gained experiance during the war. Specifically Harry Potter, Hermione Granger , and Ron Weezly were quickly becoming some of the greatest wizards in the entire continent.

The Empire sent an army under the command of the Emperor at the time's son. This army was made up of well over 45,000 men and the small 4,000 Hogwarts should have been no match for them the commanders believed.

Conflict with Lucerne
Andrew Lovie and Karl Franz had started their relationship in a generally positive way. When Andrew was crowned the two sent letters back and forth, and so this led to a lot of positive thoughts for what their first meeting would be like. When the two did meet it was a month before the Invasion of Westbridge, and it was in the southern part of Westbridge.

When the two met they nearly immediatly didn't get along, and past the customary kindness to a fellow leader the two were trading insults, and threats throughout the entire conversation. This eventually led to Andrew Lovie storming out, and threatening that any attack on Arnor would be counted as a direct attack on Lucerne.

Proxy War

Following their massive disagreement the forces of Lucerne attacked and took over the vitally important city of Westbridge as what Andrew wrote in a letter was a threat that they had best not attack Arnor.

Provinces in The Empire


The Empire is not a centralised nation, but rather a feudal confederacy of 11 large and semi-independent provinces, bound together by common interests, history, language, religion, and culture. Somewhat outside of the rule of the nobility are the semi-independent city-states. There the burgers choose their own Burgomeisters. It's very likely that the richest and most influential merchants have the greatest influence over the whole process but precise details are currently unknown.

Altdorf
See Also : Aldorf

Altdorf is the Imperial capital, the seat of Karl-Franz; home to the Great Cathedral of Sigmar, the Colleges of Magic and the School of Engineers. The city is a centre for trade and learning; its docks teem with merchants, its taverns with students. From the strange creatures housed in the Imperial zoo, to the majestically solid, dwarf-built walls, Altdorf is a city of great beauty and variety. Along with this Aldorf now lies as one of the largest cities in all of Europe.

It is located in the province of Bavaria, and thus has been one of the most isolated of the major Emperian cities, and only has been attacked on two occasions of which both times it repulsed the attack.

The city of Aldorf is led by its Elector Count, and the overall Empire of the The Empire in the form of Karl Franz, but nominally on a day to day basis it is ruled by an oligarchy of rich nobles, and other important men in the city.

The City of Aldorf is one of the largest cities in the entire world, and in terms of just the continent of Europe it is in the top five largest cities, with its nearly three hundred thousand souls living and dying within the walls, or outside in the outskirts of the giant city.

Aldorf was founded before the Fall of the Empire of Numeron, and was founded by the Teutons with the help of an elite group of High Elves led by Tyrion, and Teclic Aestarion of whom also shared with them secrets of Magi. Years after the Downfall of Numeron the city of Aldorf was one of the largest of Germany, and it was at this point that Teclis, and Tyrion returned and would found the Colleges of Magi where the Magi of The Empire would forever train their skills at Magi. Following this under subsequent rulers of The Empire the city of Aldorf continued to be the capital of the entire empire, and this led to it becoming the center of goverment, and trade of which increased its wealth and power exponentially.

Nuln
See Also : Nuln

Nuln is the Capital of the province of Austria, in The Empire. The city is built at the center of the meeting point of the Reik and Aver rivers. Due to its location, Nuln is a centre of trade. Trade goods enter the city from the north and the south, from Wissenland, the Dwarf Holds in the mountains and especially from Tilea.

With a population well in excess of 300,000 its a power that dominates the border with Arnor. This population is much in the same way of the rest of Austria in that it is nearly completely Teutonic, and non Teutons are treated brutally until they are either evicted from the city all together or they leave on there own accord. The only non Teutonic elements within Nuln is a colony of Dwarves, and a small embassy of the Atmer Empire containing some forty five High Elves.

Middenheim
See Also : Middenheim

Middenheim is a major city in The Empire. It is most known for two things of which the first is  that it is the center of the Ulric Religion which is a type of Empire Worship but very different, and the second is that it is built on top of a mountain and can only be assailed through four gates, of which 3 can be raised at will.

Middenheim is a the capital city of the province of Middenlandinthe Empire. Commonly known as The City of the White Wolf, it is second in influence only to the Empire capital Aldorf. Middenheim is extremely powerful in this way as it hosts a single vote when it comes to the electing of a new Emperor, and this number rises to two if you count the Head of the Cult of Ulric of whom also stands within Middenheim.

Middenheim is the center of the Utogens of whom are an offshoot of the overall Tuetonic Germans that dominate the lands of The Empire. The Utogens are quite close to the overall Teutonics but they are taller and more stocky due to the harsh landscape that they have been accustomed to living within. The Utogens have massive numbers within Middenheim, and it is by far the largest concentration of their people throughout Europe and the entire planet.

A half century before the Empire was established by Sigmar, Artur, chief of the Teutogen tribe, discovered the rock. As the Teutogens were not renowned as great builders, Artur enlisted the aid of the Dwarfs forced from their ancient home in the Middle Mountains to tunnel up through the rock and build a fortress. A century passed before the work was complete. In that time Artur had fought and lost to Sigmar in single combat, but by the 60th year of the Empire the fortress was complete and became the home of the Teutogens.

Marrianburgh
See Also : Marrianburgh



Marrianburgh is a massive port in the north-west of The Empire located in the province of The Lowlands. Marienburg has long been the largest and most prosperous trading city in Europe. Many call it the City of Gold which alone conveys a good idea of the wealth of this sprawling cosmopolitan city. Nowhere else can be found the vast array of shops selling goods from as far away as the Elven kingdoms of Ulthuan in the west and distant Cathay in the east. The city’s craftsmen represent every skill known to man, and a few others beside, so that it is said in Marienburg there is no activity that cannot be quickly turned to profit. Many mercantile guilds have their headquarters in Marienburg, most important of all the secretive High Order of Honorable Freetraders which represents the elite amongst mercantile society. This large, rich and ambitious body of men feel themselves shackled by the old order and are eager to seize power for themselves.

Marriangburgh was founded later then basically every other city in the Lowlands, and thus its rise was extremely shocking. It was first founded when the army of Sigmar made its way into the Lowlands during the campaign to control the lands of what today is The Empire. During this one of Sigmar's most able commanders remained behind in the Lowlands and during this stay he would become hateful towards the nobility in the Lowlands so he basically picked a new city from where he would rebuild the aristocracy of the region.

Berlin
See Also : Berlin



Berlin is a very large city in the Empire, and the capital of the province of Hannover. Berlin was the largest Numenoran city in Germany and because of this it is often cited as the largest remaining city of the old Empire of Numenor. With a population well in excess of 500,000 the city is truly massive, and it is a center of peace in the usually restive and unsafe central parts of The Empire.

The population of the city is a member of the Teutonic branch of the Germanic people, but the vast majority are known as Swabians and from Berlin they control the province of Hannover. The Swabians are basically Tuetonic but they share many physical, and cultural traits with the Atlantians that they assimilated into when the Teutons took control of the town from them. The Swabians count themselves as the overall Teutonic category but they remain a distinctly non-Tuetonic grouping of which makes them rather unique within The Empire.

Berlin was founded during the earliest expansion of the Tuetons into the region of central Germany, and served as the center for one of the multitude of Tuetonic Kingdoms during that time. When the Empire of Numeron came to the area it was anexxed by them in a brief but brutal conflict which wiped out much of the Teutons of the area. The Atlantians would dominate the city for some time until eventually the Downfall of Numeron would lead to the influx of massive numbers of Tuetons into the city. The city would not suffer the genocide of many of the other Atlantian dominated cities and instead it would be centuries of intermingling between the two groups that would form the new group called the Swabians.

Mordheim
See Also : Mordheim



Mordheim is the capital of the state of Ostmark within The Empire and sits on the banks of the River Stir. Mordheim was once a massive city with a huge population, but it was struck by a comet, and since this day it has been at war with itself for survival. Their are parts of the city that are completely controlled by Ostmark while the rest are shared with the cultists of Chaos, and the exeedingly numerous Skaven.

Mordheim was founded during the reign of the Empire of Numeron, and during this time the city became the bedrock of the northern expansion making it increasingly populated with Atlantians. During the Downfall of Numeron the Atlantians in the city were betrayed by the growing population of Teutons, and during this betrayal a last stand was fought by the Atlantians, and as the last died he cursed the Teutons who remained in Mordheim. The city would grow for hundreds of years after, but suddenly it was changed forever when a warpstone comet hit the eastern part of the city.

Pfeildorf
See Also : Pfieldorf

Pfieldorf is a major city in The Empire province of Austria. While technically part of Austria, its a city state of the Dukedom of Toppenheim.

Pfieldorf has been defined for the majority of its history by the comings and goings of the powerful House Toppenheim. House Toppenheim lost their ancestoral control during the rise of Sigmar, and from that point on every subsequent leader of the House has attempted to regain their ancient power in the region of Toppenheim, and specifically their ancestoral capital of Pfeildorf.

With a population in excess of 220,000 it is a massive town with huge influence. Alongside this massive population the city also contains a large standing army of 40,000 that are some of the most elite troops in the entire province of Austria.

The City of Pfieldorf was initially founded by Teutons who were travelling south from their ancestoral homelands in northern Germany. Although twelve tribes are said to have unified behind Sigmar to wage war with Dwarf allies against the greenskin horde, there were many smaller tribes that existed in alliance with the larger tribes in the land that became the Empire. The city of Phieldorf begin its actual city qualification under its time in the Empire of Numeron. This part of Austria was heavily controlled and lived in by Atlantians, and the Numernorians so the city itself was growing quite substancially.

Goverment
Main Article : Goverment of The Empire



The Empire is led centrally by an elected Emperor, and controlled provincially by Elector Counts. Although the Emperor is both head-of-state of the Empire and commander-in-chief of its armies, the real power within the Empire is held by the 10 Elector Counts, of which the Emperor is one. Upon the death of an Emperor the throne does not automatically pass to his heir. An election is held with 15 Electors, 10 of which are Elector Counts. Each of them casts a vote, and the candidate with most votes becomes Emperor. The Emperor is largely the leader of the Elector Counts, who are extremely powerful and independent. His power is severely limited by the inability of enforcing his edicts within the semi-independent provinces, as the Elector Counts can effectively choose to largely ignore most of his edicts. A wise emperor will realise that trying to subdue the Elector Counts through force and/or threats is a very dangerous errand, which all too easily ends up in open rebellion and civil war. Gaining their respect and loyalty through example and fair leadership tends to be the best solution. Even this has sometimes not been enough to maintain control, and because of this the Empire has been prone to civil wars, and the rule of the central goverment is strong in some areas while nearly completely non-excistent in other areas.

The Emperor

 * "The Emperor is one of the most feared human beings in the entire world. At his word kingdoms die. At his word entire bloodlines are lost or reborn. It is the voice of the Emperor that is feared above all others."


 * -Unknown Scribe

The Emperor is the leader and ruler of The Empire. He is chosen from the Elector Counts by the 15 Electors and crowned by the Grand Theogonist. The first Emperor was Sigmar and his crowning started the reckoning of the Imperial Calendar. Following Sigmar there have been a substancial number of Emperors of which at certain points there have been more then to over the course of a year based off civil war, or death of the Emperor in battles. Whoever the Empire may be it is known by nearly everyone throughout the continent of Europe as the most important and powerful figure in the entire continent and for many the most powerful leader on Earth outside of perhaps the Sultan of Nehekhara or the Empeor of Cathay.

Karl Franz
See Also : Karl Franz

Karl Franz is the son of Luitpold, and Yulia Franz and through his father becane the current Emperor of The Empire, and the Lord of House Franz. Karl Franz has two siblings in the form of Gregory, and Lisza Franz of which Gregory is the current commander of the Army of Bavaria, which is as much as the central army as their gets in The Empire, his sister Lisza was married off to the young prince of Bretonia in the hopes of ending their conflict but she was killed along with her husband during the Fall of Viche. Karl Franz is married to Petra Franz formally of the Dole, and she came to be married to him during his early life, and against the wishes of much of the royal council. With Petra he has two children in the form of Adalia, and Ormand Franz of which Adalia is training alongside Petra in the art of the court, and their son Ormand is a member of the Kingsgaurd which is the personal champions of the Emperor.

Karl Franz is the son of the late emperor Luitpold. As a young prince he spent his time in the fields training on horseback to become a member of the royal horseman, which was a position that while military is more ceremonial in its role then actualy military. It was when they arrived in Galheim that Karl would come to meet his future wife Petra Nintress. After a long period of close time together the two would fall in love, and would marry in an intimate wedding in Aldorf. Being the son of the late Emperor he was therefore a logical candidate to become Emperor after his father's death, but seen as lesser then the Middenheim canidate, but the Middenheim canidate lost due to the menipulations of the Teuton Nationals that turned the vote in Karl's favor. Karl as Emperor would be at first very popular, but the involvment of his wife Petra at court came to be seen by the Austrian Elector Count as a weakeness and led to Priam Troy coming to hate Karl which created a block of states in the south that turned against Karl and resisted much of his movements. Unable to corall the south he would turn his attention westward where he would spark a coup against the Kingdom of Lorraine which led to the leadership of that kingdom being held by a Tueton that was little more then a puppet of the Empire. Following this he was forced to deal with the disasterous conflict against Hogwarts where a massive army of Austria was destroyed by the relatively small Hogwarts nation of which forced him to agree to a ceasefire which was a truly embaressing moment for the emperor and only rose the stock of Priam Troy in Austria.

The Elector Counts
This position is hereditary, and usually passed from father to eldest child. This is obviously unlike the elected position of the emperor and for this reason many of the Elector Counts have been in the same family since they were founded by Sigmar. As a badge of office each Elector Count wields a Runefang: one of the 12 magic swords forged by Alaric the Mad, a Dwarf Runesmith. At the beginning of The Empire there were 12 Counts, but over the centuries two of the provinces ceased to exist as the respective noble family-lines were extinguished. Today there are but 10 Elector Counts.

Technically the Emperor rules over the whole Empire, and the Elector Counts owe him their loyalty. In reality however the true power belongs to the Elector Counts as each province is usually very independent and far more loyal to its local ruler. On many issues the Emperor is but the 'first among equals. As rulers of their provinces the Elector Counts must defend them from internal rebellions and outside threats. Most of them are experienced and able generals, while those who aren't will pass such responsibilities to a hopefully loyal and adequate substitute. Many Elector Counts are quite warlike and, on occasion, even wage war against each other. Their title is stripped only in cases of high treason or extreme incompetence. This is always a last resort measure because of the threat of a civil war.

Religion
Yet most citizens of the Empire recognise that they all worship the same gods, however they may be worshipped. It is often this united faith in a shared pantheon that binds the Empire together as one people. They may know of foreign gods and faiths beyond the limits of the Empire, but these are simply signs of the ignorance or heathen nature of such unenlightened folk. Some also know of the dark gods and those who worship them, and look to the priests and witch hunters to guard them against such foes. All the gods are great, but there is one that is loved above all by the people of the Empire – Sigmar. He walked as a man among them, and founded their great Empire. The citizens of the Empire, his chosen people and He watches over them with a greater care than the other, more distant deities.

The faithful of the Empire generally fall into two groups: common citizens, for whom worship is an almost casual activity, and mem- bers of the various Cults, for whom faith defines their entire lives.

For the common folk, worship is mostly informal, but religion is ingrained in their lives in countless ways. Every child is told of the gods from birth, and reverence and study of the gods is a sign of good upbringing or scholarship. Following their strictures and ritu- als is a sign of good manners and civic duty. Neglect or disregard for the gods might be seen as carelessness or disrespectful. What’s more, it can be dangerous: a sailor who forgets to say a prayer to Manann as his ship moves out from the harbour is inviting catastrophe, as is a soldier marching to battle who does not ask Sigmar for strength or Ulric for courage. In both cases, his companions may remind him of his laxity, not wanting to be standing near someone who is so eager to tempt the gods to punish him.

Sigmar Worship
Main Article : Emperor Worship

Emperor Worship or "The Cult of Sigmar" is the dominent religion of The Empire, and many nations of northern Europe and eastern Europe. Emperor Worship is founded around the belief in the Man God Sigmar, and its adherents believe him the son of God in much a similar way as Jesus is held in the view of Christians. Many faithful Sigmarites are deeply concerned with the role of the Sigmarite cult in politics. They feel that the political dimension of the Sigmar religion impairs their personal beliefs. Thus, they seek other ways to express their piety, abdicating personal goods and riches to live as eremites or beggar monks or sign up in the armies to spread their god's word. However, generals usually don't like to have religious zealots amongst their ranks, so these people often form their own war parties or even become Flagellants.

There is some political conflict between the leaders of the cults of Sigmar and Ulric - the northern god of winter, wolves, and war - but within the armies of the Empire followers of both cults are often found fighting side by side. Temples of Sigmar can be found throughout the Empire, with the largest located in Altdorf: the Great Temple of Sigmar. Another temple of Sigmar is located in Black Fire Pass, on the site where Sigmar made his historic pact with the Dwarfs. The head of the Cult of Sigmar is the Grand Theogonist, who is assisted by two Arch Lectors of Sigmar, who act as the Grand Theogonist's surrogates, and each of these positions holds a vote in the Electoral Council to determine a new Emperor.

Military of the Empire
The armies of the Empire are massive and diverse fighting forces, having a wide range of available units while the Imperial Navy patrols the mighty rivers of The Empire besides protecting the northern coast of Denmark. Each of the Elector Counts, including the Emperor, maintains their own standing armies, called State Troops, which are largely composed of infantry. These forces are supplemented during war by various forms of militia, such as peasant levies and mercenary bands. In addition to these forces are the various secular and religious Knightly Orders which will form most of the cavalry.

Knightly Orders
Main Article : Knightly Order of The Empire

The Empire is home to the many Knightly Orders that protect its boundaries and peoples. These are cults and brotherhoods of elite, armoured warriors that recruit from the sons of Imperial nobles. An Empire army is as reliant on its heavy cavalry provided by the Knightly Orders as it is the solid blocks of infantry and devastating war machines. The noble-born warriors of the Empire do not form part born of any state's standing army, for to do so would mean to rub shoulders with the common soldiery. Instead, they typically fight for one of the Knightly Orders of the Empire; heroic brotherhoods of warriors who ride into battle atop mighty barded warhorses.

A part of the Empire that is purely Teuton is the creation and maintenence of the Knightly Orders. The Knightly Orders of The Empire are religious, and aristocratic in a way that is unlike the rest of Europe, and was a hot bed of contention between the Knights of Bretonia and The Empire during their times together. There are basically three kinds of Knightly Orders in The Empire in the form of the Religous Orders, Military Orders, and Aristocratic Orders. The Religious Orders are based around the specific different religous that exist within the Empire and for this reason they are vastly Sigmar related throughout, but with a concentration of Ulric in the province of Middenheim. The Military Orders are usually created by High Rankings commanders in order to defend specific areas, or people and in this way they are perhaps the most powerful of the three kingds of knightly orders. The third and final are the aristocratic and these are the orders that the richest members of Emperian society send their children into in order to gain a reputation for their children.

Imperial Navy
Main Article : Navy of The Empire

The Imperial Navy is the smallest segment of the Empire's military and is basically responsible for defending the trade routes that exist in the northern sea. The only place where the navy exists in huge numbers is in the province of the Lowlands where the region has become a centerpiece of the western European trade routes, while in Denmark and the eastern provinces the navy seemingly clings to life and attempts each day to defend the massive coastlines against an endless horde of Andals and other invaders. The Imperial Navy protects the shores and sea trade routes of the Empire. Most of its ships constantly patrol the Sea of Claws protecting the coastline of Nordland and Ostland from the incursions of Norse pirates. Some ships patrol the rivers.

Cult of Sigmar
Main Article : Cult of Sigmar

The Cult of Sigmar is a very powerful religious and political organization within The Empire that leads the Sigmar Worshippers within the land, and also pushes for its growth amongst foreign nations. The Cult of Sigmar is led by the Grand Theogronist of whom is widely regarded Sigmar's representative on earth, and as a consequence holds great religious and political influence within The Empire. Together with his two Arch Lectors, the Grand Theogonist commands three votes on the Council of Electors making him an extremely powerful member of the goverment of The Empire.

The Cult of Sigmar was established within The Empire in the years following Sigmar's abdication and disappearance as a means to first find him. The cult quickly grew into a fully-fledged religion, venerating Sigmar as the founder of The Empire and their role diminished in the attempts to find Sigmar and they moved towards venerating him as a god. Becoming known as the Sigmarite Church, the cult was officially organised in IC 73 by the first Grand Theogonist Johann Helsturm and under the Emperor at that time they were given a vote on the Elector Council, and two other votes in subsequent years as well.

Foreign Relations
The Empire's Expansionist policy has meant that Kingdoms, and principalities that surround it are often very hostile towards them. This hostility towards it also has to do with the fact that The Empire has engaged in war with three of the major powers that surround it.

Kizlev
The only true ally that The Empire has. While every other relationship is a client to master relationship, the long history between Kizlev and The Empire has meant that the two are very close, and all Emperor's are meant to continue this relationship for as long as it is possible.