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The years 1007 and 1008 were marked by conflicts between the imperial supporters of the [True Faith](/wiki/bicolline/religions/true-faith/) and those who bore allegiance to chaos. During the winter, a sign that the [Empire](/wiki/bicolline/regions/empire/) was falling into chaos, the calamities of the Return of the Damned swept through [Haldorf](/wiki/bicolline/regions/federation-argannaise/haldorf/)'s armies, preventing him from taking part in the civil war in the rest of the Empire. After the fall of Vassouras in Dalabheim, the entire court of Haldorf was invited to [Brahma](/wiki/bicolline/regions/federation-argannaise/haldorf/brahma/) for the coronation of [Hubert of Haldorf](/wiki/bicolline/people/king-hubert/) by the Manus Dei Théobald of Lavignac during a ceremony with great pomp. The new King and his province became officially independent. [The Circle](/wiki/bicolline/religions/the-circle/) of the Rose, the Royal Lily, the Order of the Lion and the Holy Order of the [Templars](/wiki/bicolline/organizations/holy-order-of-the-temple/), who were installed in Haldorf pledged allegiance to the good King. A delegation from [Arganne](/wiki/bicolline/regions/federation-argannaise/arganne/) also welcomed this coronation and spoke of good neighborliness and even building a bridge. No one in Haldorf suspected that a year later, Arganne would prove to be deceitful and a traitor to their word.

Long planned in secret, the Empire's full-scale blitzkrieg on the province of Haldorf brought the coronation festivities to an abrupt end. It was without much resistance that the Imperial war machine marched towards the very heart of Haldorf to carry out an unprecedented punitive strike.