The Lands of Warlderia

Hanser

Hanser was founded during the reign of Kaegor IV on the ruins of an old elven settlement as a trade town for goods to and from Radiant Melthurien. The area was already settled by herdsmen who prospered on the lush rolling hills which surround the town, and welcomed the arrival of the small garrison which would guard the roads. It was not until the reign of Kaegor XI that the town developed into anything but a small trade settlement, the Emperor decided that the elves of Radiant Melthurien were sending spies and saboteurs to undermine his rule. He decided that the best way to deal with this was to set up a blockade of the city and so the garrison of the town grew to almost 1000 men and the patrols in the area became legendary in their ability to stop smugglers. The town itself was fortified and grew in size until it became the centre of trade in the area, so that even when the blockade was stopped by Kaegor XII it continued to grow.

When Kaegor the Mad came to the throne he decided that his grandfather was right to stop the Elves of Melthurien but had not gone far enough. He sent one of his best Generals to Hanser to organise the siege of the city to the east and reinforced the garrison. The siege never really started as the Emperor converted to Nerull and support for his rule started to fracture. The General Taldass decided that if the Empire was to fall he would use his army to set himself up as a Duke, after about 2 months of fighting against the other Imperial officers he had defeated them all and proclaimed himself Duke Taldass.

The town grew into a city with the loyal officers becoming the nobility, gaining land in return for military service, the army of Hanser is still one of the best in the Successor States and Taldass's heirs still rule the land. The Taldass family are devout followers of St Cuthbert and have given generously to the Temple situated in the main square of the town.

Fifty years ago the city of Ulm was taken over by the Council of the Devout, after the death of the last Duke, and the cities of Kaldar and Dornstadt invaded the state. The Council being lead by the priests of Heironeous, St Cuthbert and Pelor requested aid from the Duke of Hanser who led his army in a lightning campaign defeating both states armies and forcing them to recognise the Council. Since this time Ulm has been a staunch ally of Hanser, if junior partner.