Sigmar

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.

Early History
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.

Attack on Breeboze
At the age of 15 Sigmar's village was attacked by a massive horde of Trolloc. Legends say the small village of just 200 was attacked by over 800 Trolloc, and the chances of survival were beyond grim. Sigmar is said to have singlehandled held the center of the village, and in the morning when the villagers returned to the village they found the young boy laying down surrounded by hundreds of Trolloc. After resting for only a few hours Sigmar led the men of the village in a punitive raid against the nearbye Trolloc nest. King Gungi Ironbeard While travelling on the road to the Trolloc nest Sigmar's group came upon a Dwarf convoy headed by the High King of Karak Ankor. The two groups fought off the terrifying number of Trolloc and gathered together after the battle. In gratitude, Kurgan presented the young warrior with a magical rune-enchanted warhammer called Ghal Maraz ('Skull-splitter,' in the Dwarf Khazalid tongue).

Crusade
Uniting the Human Tribes Sigmar then went on a campaign to unite the disparate tribes of the future Empire, and one by one they submitted, either by conquest or diplomacy. The most famous incident was his subjugation of the belligerent Teutogens, the largest and most powerful tribe, who lived near the Middle Mountains in the north central Empire, near the current location of Middenheim. Their chieftain, Artur, was defeated by Sigmar in single combat. Clearing the Forests From that point onward, Sigmar embarked upon a campaign of purgation and liberation throughout all of the tribal lands, primarily against the Trolloc that infested the forests of Germany. Among the other enemies that Sigmar was forced to contend with were the human followers of Chaos such as the Norse (as evidenced by his defeat of Morkar's invasion) who had come to infest the Denmark region along with present day Kizlev.

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.

Chaos Attacks 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] 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. 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.

Going East
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.

Legacy
Following his disappearance, Sigmar passed over the World's Edge mountain range and no human ever saw him again. Since he was never known to have died, this may have played a large role in the early successes of the cult established in his honour. It's now the foremost religion in the Empire and is inextricably intertwined with the political, cultural, and national identity of the Empire and its people.

Interestingly, Sigmar never claimed to be a deity and his own religious beliefs while alive are subject to conjecture, although tradition dictates that he was crowned Emperor by the High Priest of the cult of Ulric, the northern god of winter, wolves, and war. However, the priests and worshippers of Sigmar often receive measurable and often positive answers to their entreaties and petitions, suggesting that something with some measure of power is answering them. Many take this as a sign that Sigmar indeed is a god, and watches over the Empire.

The cults of Sigmar and Ulric do not get along well. The Ar-Ulric and the two Arch-Lectors of the Sigmarite faith, as well as the Grand Theogonist (the current one being Volkmar the Grim), all maintain a vote in the election of the Emperors. While the cult and its leaders are often corrupt and hip-deep in the Byzantine politics of the Empire, it is a faith that preaches courage, justice, honour, and the protection of the weak and innocent from evil. It is also nationalistic and sees the preservation of Sigmar's original holdings as a sacred duty. The church's iconography primarily centres around images directly connected to Sigmar himself: the comet and the hammer are the foremost of these.

Cult of Sigmar
Main Article : Emperor Worship Following the abdication of Sigmar, a cult grew around him and began worshipping him as the founder of The Empire, today the cult is the official state religion of The Empire and is almost universally recognised.