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The first records of the lands of the Empire were made by Dwarfs. After many years of war between the Elves and the Dwarfs, their Empires fell apart. With the decline of the Elves and the Dwarfs new creatures began to grow in power. Orcs and Goblins poured through the now unguarded World's Edge Mountains and Skaven took over Dwarf strongholds in the Mountains. In the northern forests human tribes began to move southwards. They were crude and uncouth, yet fierce and determined. The Dwarfs saw them as a potential ally against the Orcs. The Dwarfs taught them the secret arts of metal working and sword making. Although the human tribes were divided, the Dwarfs struck up alliances, bringing thousands of well-armed, fierce warriors eastwards. The greatest of these was Sigmar, the first son of the chief of the Unberogen tribe. He was the mightiest warrior of his age and led the terrifying Unberogens against the Orcs countless times.
On one famous occasion Sigmar rescued the Dwarf King 
Kurgan Ironbeard. The king rewarded him by giving him
an ancient heirloom, the warhammer Ghal Maraz. This was used with
great effect giving Sigmar the name of Heldenhammer. When his
father died, Sigmar took over as chief and began to unite the
human tribes. When the Dwarfs were 
once again threatened by
Orcs, Kurgan sent the runesmith Alaric the Mad to ask Sigmar for
help. They marched east to Zhufbar and the Dwarf Hold was saved.
Alaric rekindled the ancient forges and refilled the Black Water,
the lake whose waters powered the workshops of the Runesmiths.
Later that year an army of Dwarfs and men defeated a huge horde
of Orcs and Goblins, ending the threat to the Dwarf Empire for
many years. In the following spring, Sigmar was crowned Emperor
of the lands between the Grey and the Middle Mountains. King
Kurgan presented Sigmar with a crown made by Alaric the Mad, and
Sigmar was crowned by the Priest of Ulric. Sigmar and Kurgan
swore eternal friendship and Alaric began work on twelve magic
swords, the Runefangs, as payment for their aid at Zhufbar. The
Imperial calender is reckoned from the year of Sigmar's crowning
(year 1). The current Emperor Karl Franz was elected in the year
2502.
Sigmar ruled the Empire for fifty years. The land and people flourished. After fifty years Sigmar put aside his crown and journeyed eastwards, most likely to Karaz a Karak to meet Kurgan Ironbeard. It is unknown whether he ever reached there and there is no record of what became of him. Sigmar became a legend. Temples and shrines were built in his memory, and a cult grew to venerate him as the founder of the Empire. Within a generation he was openly worshipped as a god, with his own priesthood lead by the Grand Theogonist. The first Grand Theogonist was Johann Helsturm who became one of the most powerful people in the land. Sigmar took his place alongside the chief old gods of the Empire: Taal, Ulric and Morr.
