Chapter Text
“The early years of the twenty-third century were a tumultuous time for the lands of the Empire of Sigmar. Men of the time did not consider themselves part of the Empire, and in a meaningful sense, there was no empire, because the Time of Three Emperors had lasted for centuries. The individual states were nations in their own right. Though the counts and grand dukes and other great men and women who bore the Runefangs paid lip service to the idea that there would be an emperor one day, this was in truth a way to legitimise their own ambitions.
“In the history books, this period is known as the Crisis of the Early Twenty-Third Century, and it was an appropriate name. A certain apocalyptic fervour held true as the century came, and minds turned to thoughts of 1999 IC and the destruction of cursed Mordheim. The ill-fated crusades of the knightly orders and Stirland into Sylvania in the aftermath of the Vampire Wars opened up Stirland to invasion from Averland, and the fragile unity was broken. War soon came; between Reikland and Middenland, Wissenland crusaded against the orcs of once-Solland, and cataclysm came to the Moot.
“In this confused and war-torn era, the existence of Valeria von Bildhofen is well-established, though only in her latter years. While certain Tilean and Estallian records mention her in passing – or mention mysterious deaths and cases of espionage her own papers claim credit for – it is not until her marriage to Justin von Bildhofen that she truly enters the historical record. Although she was poorly known in her own lifetime outside of Nuln, the stories of Maria Schaffer built up the legend of the Senora of Nuln.
“Historical candour, however, forces us to admit that while Schaffer’s tales are beloved, they are also poorly documented, anachronistic, and in many cases entirely fictional. I was disappointed by my discovery when researching her papers that the case of the Ostland Bear-Hound cannot have occurred as described, because Schaffer dates the case to four years before Astrid von Wolfenburg ascended to the throne of that northern state. Additionally, Valeria’s own notes and the records of the Cult of Mannan indicate that Robert Janssen was in his late forties and a former boatman – hardly the romantic figure from her stories.
“Hence, this novelisation is an attempt to capture some of the magic of Schaffer’s work, while hewing more closely to historical documentation. To aid in this, I have included excerpts from various texts to flesh out scenes or provide needed context, where appropriate. While I have used creative liberties where appropriate, hopefully this will help capture historical events in an informative yet entertaining way.
“Chronologically, the case of the Missing Letters comes after the more trivial case of the Tilean Barber’s Ear, but before the case of the Wounded Countess.”
Christine von Heidland
University of Altdorf Press