Chapter X: The Empire
T he I mperIal C alendar There are many different calendars used in the Old World. Dwarfs and Elves each have their own system, but the Imperial Calendar is the standard in the Empire. It counts the years from the coronation of the Sigmar, who was able to unite the Human tribes after victory in the Battle of Blackfire Pass. WFRP assumes a current year of I.C. 2522, though individual GMs may choose to set their campaigns in different time periods. You may decide, for instance, that a campaign set during the Age of Three Emperors is so rife with possibilities that you have to try it. Since the basics of Imperial society have changed little over time, it’s possible to set a campaign in nearly any period of the Empire’s history and still be able to use most of the information in this book.
by Ar-Ulric, who will traditionally cast his vote for the Count of Middenland, should he be a contender at the election. The Elder of the Moot is usually quite happy to vote for the heir of the previous Emperor, should there be one. However, it was the controversial vote of Elder Gumble Sparrowthew that hurled the Empire into nine years of anarchy following the death of Boris Goldgather in 1115. The crisis only ended with the election of Emperor Mandred in 1124. If there is a strong contender, then Imperial Elections can be swift, simple affairs. However, more often than not, there is no one claimant that stands out as the best choice, and it is then that the internal wrangling and skulduggery begins. Bribery, threats and even open warfare can result from such situations. It was just this type of collapse that began the decline of the Empire in 1152, when Emperor Mandred was slain. Following the failure of the Electors to agree on a new Emperor, war erupted between Stirland and Talabecland and after a century of bloodletting the Ottilia declared herself Empress. For the next few hundred years the elections continued to take place without the participation of Talabecland, and so there were two Emperors. The situation worsened when, in 1547, the Count of Middenheim claimed the throne for himself, claiming a true line of descent from Emperor Mandred. Imperial elections were all but abandoned during this period, known as the time of Three Emperors. Imperial elections were stopped completely when the Grand Theogonist of Sigmar refused to recognise the accession of Magritta of Marienburg on account of the fact that she was only a child. For the next eight hundred years the Empire was beset by strife as the states warred with each other both with politics and armies, the weaker states often caught between the power plays of the stronger contenders. It was during this time of dissent that the Empire suffered greatly at the hands of its enemies, most notably the invasion of Gorbad Ironclaw, and the Vampire Wars against the von Carsteins of Sylvania. When a massive Chaos incursion destroyed the Kislevite city of Praag and besieged the city of Kislev, it seemed as if the Empire was doomed by its own division. However, Magnus of Nuln rose to prominence and managed to quell the open warfare and bring the Counts together. Despite being a devout Sigmarite, to the extent that he is known to history as Magnus the Pious, he also managed to garner the support of Ar-Ulric and Middenheim, and with an army from across the Empire relieved the siege of Kislev and drove the Northmen and their bestial and Daemonic allies back to the Chaos Wastes. Magnus was elected as Emperor, and the Empire began to rebuild anew. The legacy of Magnus can be seen in Altdorf, where the Colleges of Magic were founded, and in Nuln, where Magnus held court. Those who have chosen Ulric as their patron oft claim that they were betrayed by Magnus following his appointment of the Grand Theogonist and two Arch-Lectors as Electors, and this has
T he m ooT Straddling the River Aver between Stirland and Averland is Mootland, or more commonly just the Moot, which is the land of the Halflings. Though its inhabitants are quite content with their lives of gluttony and constant procreation, and have little to do with the outside world if they can, Mootland is nominally part of the Empire and the elected Elder has a vote in Imperial Elections and a voice at the court of the Emperor. Halflings breed quickly. Their over-extended families live in sprawling tunnel complexes and tottering multi-storey houses if they’re too poor to afford a nice hole. Given that Halflings are natural hoarders, whole wings of Halfling-holes are used to store old piles of pointless knick-knacks and mementoes in sprawling unclean chambers. There is no concept in the Halfling mind for rubbish tip—even food scraps, such as they are, are fed to the dogs. The Moot is blessed with beautiful scenery and fertile ground. This means that on first glance it is a land of rolling hills and fields, and pastoral peace prevails. The Moot is not immune to the outside world, however, and over the years its inhabitants have had to deal with the Undead threat of Sylvania and rampaging tribes of Orcs and Goblins from the World’s Edge Mountains. T he e leCToral s ysTem Binding together all of these disparate places is the Imperial electoral system. In the two and a half thousand years since Sigmar departed and the chieftains began chosing one from amongst their number to lead, the system has changed dramatically and yet has remained essentially the same. It has become common practice that the Emperor’s heir will inherit the throne upon his death, unless another Count contests the accession. If this is the case, then the Electors will gather and cast their votes. An election will also be called if there is no clear heir to the title, and on two occasions has been convened to indict the current Emperor and oust him from power, as occurred when Dieter IV was bought off by the rulers of Marienburg. Of course, life is never so simple. As well as the Elector Counts, of which there are now only ten, various other powerful positions have been granted the privilege of Elector over the centuries. These Electors cannot be Emperor, for votes can only be cast in favour of one of the Counts, but their votes can be crucial in a tightly contested election. Currently there are five additional Electors allowed to vote, though in the past there have been as many as eight and as few as one. At the moment three of these positions are held by the Grand Theogonist and two Arch-Lectors of the Church of Sigmar, while Ar-Ulric the head of the Cult of Ulric fills another, and the fifth is claimed by the Elder of Mootland. It is the block vote of the Sigmar contingent that has held the throne in Reikland in recent times, leading to many claims that the cult of Sigmar has a disproportionate amount of power; claims usually made
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