Stahlheimian Civil War

The Stahlheimian Civil War is an ongoing conflict between the forces of the Stahlheimian Empire and the secessionist Kingdom of Highreach. It began three months after the end of the Six Years' War and has since pitted former countrymen against one another. The former Archduke and current King of Highreach, Manfred Reinhardt, seceded from the Empire with the full support of his people after the disastrous outcome of the Six Years' War. Highreach was promised great sums of gold and further autonomy from the Empire in return for committing a far larger force than was required by law to the conflict. The Emperor's failure to keep this promise and subsequent vow that any attempt at secession would end in death for the traitors only angered the people of Highreach further. Archduke Reinhardt was crowned King of all Highreach, and in the months since has led a vicious defensive campaign in a fight for sovereignty that threatens to crush the unity the Empire relies upon to remain strong.

Background
There is a long history of conflict between the people of Highreach and the rest of the Empire, over a hundred years of unity doing little to erase the cultural and religious differences between the two. Highreach was the most recent acquisition of the (relatively) young Empire, finally brought into Stahlheim's borders after more than sixty years of resistance and a treaty with heavy concessions. Attempts to conform Highreach to the Stahlheimian sense of unity had never truly been successful, and due to the treaty that annexed their nation they operated with far less restrictions than any other province. In Highreach men worship gryphon deities instead of Ignis, berate their nobles, and knights fly atop the backs of their companions instead of ride. These differences have always been grating, and frequent calls for even more autonomy and an established voting bloc in the Imperial Body has not made Highreach well liked by other provinces.

These differences could have been resolved, perhaps, given time and enough diplomacy, but the disastrous outcome of the Six Years' War ensured that no such unity could be attained. The people of Highreach were furious, much of their coin lost in the war effort and scores of soldiers and gryphons dead with no satisfaction. The Empire responded to cries for secession harshly, the Emperor displeased with the war's failure and unwilling to tolerate the possibility of Highreach falling from the Empire's hands once more. Thus once secession did come, the Empire immediately declared it unlawful and gathered as many men as possible to stand against it.