It is the year 2520 of the Imperial Calendar, and Karl Franz is the ruling Emperor. More than two hundred years have passed since Magnus the Pious reunited a divided Empire during lhe Great War against Chaos. In these two centuries, the Empire has thrived in stability, wealth and military might, becoming the largest and most powerful kingdom of Men in the Old World. Still, it is such a vast land that law cannot reach all the hidden recesses of its dark forests and impenetrable mountain ranges. Orcs raid its borders and the menace of Chaos is growing stronger in the far north, where Warlord Archaon is massing his armies in preparation for the Last War. These and other enemies, internal as well as external, have to be fought and defeated by the armies of the Emperor.