Information AboutThe Empire |
For the Empire from The Inheritance Trilogy , see The Empire (Inheritance) . Empire soldiers in the Landsknecht style]] The Empire is one of the political Faction s and Armies of the '' Warhammer Fantasy '' world, heavily based upon the real-world Holy Roman Empire , especially during the Renaissance ; there is even a wealthy city-state which bears some similarity to Hamburg , and most of the place and character names are German ; for example, the capital of the Empire is the city of Altdorf , which is the Name Of Several Real-world Places . The Empire is the largest and most powerful of all the nations of the Old World. The Empire is bordered by the nation of Kislev to the north and the Sea Of Claws , the World's Edge Mountains to the east, and the Great Ocean, Black Mountains, and Grey Mountains to the south and west. The Empire consist of ten large provinces: (lands now under the jurisdiction of the Elector Counts of Middenland) and Solland (under the Elector Counts of Wissenland). Another, Westerland , originally incorporated the areas now divided between Nordland and the Marienburg /Wasteland area. The Empire is nominally ruled by the Emperor . The Emperor is chosen by election of the various electors. The electors are the ten Elector Counts, the Grand Theogonist of the Sigmarite Church, the two Arch Lectors, the High Priest of Ulric and the Elder of The Moot . Karl-Franz, of the Holswig-Schliestein family, is the current Emperor. The Emperor is usually one of the Elector Counts; Karl-Franz is the Elector Count of Reikland. The religion of the Empire is Polytheistic , with the God Sigmar being the most important. Sigmar is exalted, having been a powerful Warlord who unified various tribes to form the Empire. The Grand Theogonist is the Leader of the Imperial Orthodox Church, which devotes itself entirely to Sigmar, and is analogous to the Pope . Sigmar's worship is strongest in Altdorf but runs throughout the Empire. However, some regions also worship other gods, such as the Middenheimers , who revere Ulric before all others. The armies of the Empire are amongst the most diverse in the Old World. Older forms of troops like Spear men, Sword smen, Archer s and Crossbow men fight alongside more 'modern' troops like cannon, Handgun ners and Pistol iers (pistol armed warriors on horseback), and even a steam-powered Tank . The Empire is also noted for having excellent cavalry in the form of its Knight s. Lastly, the Empire also often fields state-trained Battle Wizards and/or religious fanatics such as Warrior Priests and Flagellants. The armies can be led by Elector Counts, Grand Masters of the various Knightly Orders, captains chosen by the Counts, or even the Emperor, Karl Franz, himself. An interesting side note is that a realm in the province of Stirland, named Sylvania (an obvious homage to Transylvania , the home of the Dracula of legend) has been ruled by a family of Vampire s for many centuries. These vampires have on more than one occasion attempted to conquer the rest of the Empire, generally at the head of an Undead army. The equivalent of the Empire in the '' Warhammer 40,000 '' Science Fiction setting is the Imperium . However, it should be noted that the Imperium is far more oppressive, bigoted, and violent than its Warhammer Fantasy counterpart. BATTLE OF BLACK FIRE PASS The First Battle of Black Fire Pass is the culmination of Sigmar 's campaigns to cleanse the lands of the Empire of orcs and goblins, this battle saw the power of the greenskin races broken in the lands of Men, and drove them into the Bad Lands, their current domain. Taking place in the year IC -1, a year before Sigmar's coronation as the first Emperor, this battle is looked upon as Sigmar's greatest victory and the site is now a site of pilgrimage for members of the Sigmarite faith. Black Fire Pass lies in the south of Averland, where the Black Mountains part and the Old Dwarf Road moves out into the Border Princes' Realm and toward Karaz-a-Karak, the greatest of the Dwarf holds and the seat of their High Kings. Along with Axe Bite Pass in the west, which leads into Brettonia, Black Fire Pass is the only other land route through the mountains that fence the Empire, and as such is of vital strategic importance. NAMED CHARACTERS Karl-Franz , the Emperor - Solomon Klomp - EXTERNAL LINKS
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