Towards the end of the 5th Century, the emperor of the Holy Sigmarite Empire was becoming increasingly ill and frail, and his daughter Matilda took up many of his duties. Many at court however were becoming nervous. She had not found a husband and the prospect of a woman at the helm of the HSE didn't appeal to many, despite her proving her ability at handling the day to day running of the kingdom. Although Matilda expressed her annoyance at the endless speculation over who she should marry, she did realise that to secure her position a marriage, and the right marriage, were paramount.
Several noble houses courted the royal hand, but the political situation had become increasingly complex by 489PC. In the north the powerful and mistrusted house of Drazkharov had pushed the Empire's borders outward, establishing the new states of Mallenstein and Osterland, which had been given to a related family, the Volbecks, after all resistance to the idea at court was mercilessly, and sometimes murderously silenced. The Drazkharovs now effectively controlled much of the north and east of the nation, the continuing reports of walking corpses and vampire activity officially denied by an anxious church and state.
Meanwhile the kingdom of Pellenar was striving to increase its influence in the HSE. The horse lords had seen the relative wealth of the Empire which now surrounded them, and had resolved to join it, but on their terms. The "treaty of eternal friendship" was a start, but the Pellenarians, lead by house Aureus, wanted full recognition as a state of the Holy Sigmarite Empire, and all the riches it would bring to the kingdom.
To further these aims, house Aureus began to send small armies to help Emperor Wilhelm in the defence of his borders. The first arrived with much pomp and ceremony at Sudhafen, before heading into the Galamor peninsular, where reports of Dark Elf raiders had increased. The Pellenar force quickly found itself in trouble however, upon discovering a new Dark Elf settlement on the coast, known as Khaldeith. The Dark elves defeated the Pellenar force and the horse lords were at pains to reassure the Emperor that such defeats would not be commonplace if Pellenar were to join the HSE.
In the same year, tensions over the exact border of Osterland with Mallendorf came to a head. The Volbecks wanted to send a message to the Krahefort, that they were no mere puppets of the Drazkharovs, and skirmishes between the states continued during 489 and 490, while the Emperor vascillated over deciding the border. He never made a decision. In 491PC Wilhelm died and Matilda became the first Empress of the Empire at 25 years old. During the brief period of uncertainty following the changeover, Osterland took the opportunity to bully Pellenar along their shared border. Villages were raided and horses stolen, and once again the tales of the walking dead reached Sigmarheim, and were once again ignored. Eventually Pellenar was forces to defend its borders, but lost a number of knights in the process. To protect its prestige however, no help was asked for from the Empress.
491PC also saw the Drazkharovs attempt to impress the new Empress in an effort to win her hand. They sent troops to the south, defeating the dark elves in a number of skirmishes, but failed to dislodge the growing colony from the coast. This had direct consequences late on in the year when the privateer fleet of the Empire was sunk in Galamor bay by raiders from Khaldeith.
Despite this setback the Drazkharovs did impress Matilda, securing victory over Cuitlaxaochitzin in a major battle to the north of the Mallvass Pass. Why the Lizardmen had made war on the Empire was unknown, but the ambassador from Cacauaxochitl was keen to point out the army was not sanctioned by the Slaan rulers, and the dispute was with Holwingen, not the Empire itself. In response, Holwingen and Mallenstein constructed two large fortifications on either side of the pass. They hailed this as a great achievement for the protection of all of Sigmar's followers, although both the Empress and the Grand Theogenist felt they were more interested in protecting themselves.
The victories by the northern states could not be denied, but Matilda refused to marry any of the potential suitors put forward by the Drazkharovs and Volbecks. She knew the south of the Empire was growing ever more wary of the north and its power, and secretly signed a bill drastically increasing the size of her own armies, paid for by taxation of the southern states. Realising the importance of this move, the southerners agreed. Meanwhile house Aureus gave up plans on immediately joining the HSE by way of marriage to Matilda, realising that security at home from the threats of the northern HSE states was the first priority.
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