The year is 2270, and Sigmar’s Empire lies in ruins.
It has been 910 years since Grand Duchess Ottilia of Talabecland declared herself Empress in opposition to Emperor Wilhelm of Stirland, 723 years since Middenheim declared independence, and 289 years since the Grand Theogonist of Sigmar refused to crown Magritta of Marienburg, effectively ending the line of the Elected Emperors.
Today, the patchwork of allegiances stands as such: To the North and East lies the Grand County of Osterlund, ruled over by the Wolf Emperor Sigismund. The County nominally rules the provinces of Middenland, Nordland, Hochland, Ostland and Ostermark, though each retains some autonomy within. To the East we find the Barony of Westerlund and its capital the merchant city of Marienburg. Empress Magritta VI rules here, over territory including large contested swathes of Middenland on its Eastern borders. To the South, the Sigmarite provinces of Reikland, Wissenland, and their allies in Stirland currently share a patchy alliance under the banner of Wilhelm III, the Prince of Altdorf or the Reikland Pretender depending on your taste. And at the heart of the Empire lies the Grand Duchy of Talabecland, ruled by the Ottilian Emperor Ludwig XII, and surrounded on all sides by foes. In recent years they have formed a bond with the province of Averland which has caused much resentment amongst the Southern realms.
In 2270, Baron von Hinterbauch of Krugenheim passed in his sleep at the grand old age of 74. After a lifetime of studied negligence, he left no heirs to his Barony in the Southeastern corner of theTalabecland.
The Barony is marked in the South by the river Stir, to the East by the river Bissen, and to the North and West by shifting borders with fellow Talabecland nobility. At the heart of the province is the city of Krugenheim, an important way-station and trading hub on the banks of the river Stir, and on the path of the East Road.
With the Baron’s passing, various contenders vie for control over his lands. Rumours persist that the expansionist Ottilian Emperor Ludwig XII has decreed that the lands will go to Duchess Helena von Müller, cousin of the Count of Averland, in order to strengthen the Talabecland-Averland alliance. This claim is heavily disputed by the neighbouring provinces.
Time is running out to avert a crisis, and as the funeral of Baron von Hinterbauch draws closer, all out war between the neighbouring factions seems inevitable…
