Marienburg, the sprawling mercantile city-state at the mouth of the River Reik, is the Old World’s greatest port and trading hub. Straddling the Reik as it pours into the Manaansport Sea and Sea of Claws, the city controls nearly all maritime trade from the Empire and Bretonnia, drawing wealth from every coast of the world. Its riches and independence are envied by kings and emperors alike, yet it stands alone, governed not by nobles or monarchs but by merchants and guilds.
The city sits within the Wasteland, a marshy land wedged between the Drakwald Forest and the Pale Sisters mountains. Born from the old Jutone tribe, who drove out the Fimir and Endals, Marienburg rose from swamp and mist to dominate Old World trade. It seceded from the Empire in the Great War Against Chaos, and despite Altdorf’s resentment, its wealth ensures its survival.
Vast canals, bridges, and countless islands make the city a labyrinth. Skiffs, barges, and galleons crowd its waterways, while its districts sprawl in every direction: gilded manors in Goudberg, brothels and taverns in Suiddock, the scholarly halls of Baron Henryk’s College, and even the Elf Quarter, home to Sea Elf traders. To live in Marienburg is to live with endless opportunity — or to drown in its filth.
Marienburg’s true rulers are the Directorate, a council of the ten wealthiest merchant houses alongside the High Priests of Manaan, Verena, Shallya, and Haendryk, plus the Rector of Henryk’s College. On paper, seats are open to any, but in practice the Great Families monopolise them. Their unity comes from secret bargains struck in the boardrooms of the Export-Import Exchange, where Marienburg’s real power lies.
Parliament meets in the Stadsraad, with two houses: the somnolent Rijkskamer, composed of priests, nobles, and scholars, and the rowdy Burgerhof, where aldermen and guilds brawl in debate. Laws may be passed, but only those approved by the Directorate. Speaker Nieut Gyngrijk is the Burgerhof’s most notorious firebrand, beloved by the poor but ultimately a puppet of the Ten.
The Directorate annually elects a ceremonial head, the Staadtholder, always one of the Ten. He chairs meetings, breaks ties, and represents Marienburg at ceremonies, but rarely wields real power. His office, however, controls the Fog Walkers, the city’s feared intelligence service, who gather secrets and maintain Marienburg’s supremacy through espionage and blackmail.
A maze of boards, commissions, and ward committees govern everyday life. Regulations pile upon centuries of bylaws, often contradictory and enforced selectively — usually for bribes. Bureaucrats thrive, lawyers grow rich, and citizens learn to grease the wheels with coin.
Wealth, not birth, defines power in Marienburg. The ten merchant dynasties — known as the Great Families or simply the Ten — dominate every aspect of life. Seats on the Directorate, control of shipping routes, private militias, and even influence abroad lie in their hands. Rivalries simmer constantly, but vendettas rarely escalate to outright war, for stability means profit.
Known Families include:
House van de Kuypers – richest of the Ten, holders of Kislevan debts.
House Fooger – dwarfen mercantile dynasty famed for banking.
House van Scheldt – masters of New World trade.
House de Roelef, van Onderzoeker, van Haagen, van den Nijmenk, den Euwe, van Raemerswijk, and Rothemuur – each ruling its slice of commerce, fleets, and influence.
Though they conspire, bribe, and sabotage each other’s interests, their instinct for business keeps them united when threatened. Marienburg’s independence rests on their wealth and their willingness to defend it.
Once the richest Imperial province, the Wasteland seceded in defiance of Altdorf. The Empire still claims it, but its reliance on Marienburg’s trade makes reconquest impossible. Relations swing between cold resentment and pragmatic necessity.
Bretonnian dukes covet Marienburg, especially the Marquis of Couronne, but risk war with the Empire if they press too far. Marienburg plays its neighbours against each other, hiring mercenaries to defend its freedom.
Marienburg maintains cordial ties with the Tilean city-states. Tilean ships often carry Marienburg’s goods, and both sides exchange letters of credit. Neutrality is carefully kept, though rivalries sometimes flare.
Bilbali curses Marienburg for its dominance of New World trade, and piracy often sparks conflict. Magritta is friendlier, bound by mercantile ties, though wary of Marienburg’s influence in Tilea.
Arabyan ports distrust Marienburg’s “rule by usury” but tolerate its presence. A thriving Arabyan quarter exists in the city, trading spices, silks, and oils.
Kislevite rulers have borrowed heavily from Marienburg’s banks, particularly the van de Kuypers. In return, Marienburg exerts quiet influence in Erengrad and beyond.
Once raiders, the Norscans are now partners. Every jarl’s hall hosts Marienburger traders, and Norscan warriors often serve in Marienburg’s militias.
Marienburg’s wealth breeds crime. Smuggling is near universal, from sailors hiding trinkets to great cartels moving stolen goods, drugs, forbidden magic, or flesh. Swindlers prey on newcomers, while gangs and pirates thrive under the city’s shadow.
Law enforcement is fragmented:
The Black Caps – the city Watch, infamous for corruption, drunkenness, and bribe-taking, but feared nonetheless.
The River Watch & Excise Service – based in the Admiralty, they police smuggling, tariffs, and canal law, often clashing with the Black Caps.
Private Militias – the Ten each maintain fleets and armed men, protecting their property and crushing riots.
The Fog Walkers – the Staadtholder’s spies, more feared than the Watch.
Witch Hunters – licensed but distrusted, often pawns of the Great Families.
In Marienburg, the only true crime is poverty — and the only real justice is what one can afford.
Marienburg is a city of contradictions: gilded mansions rising over squalid canals, priests preaching virtue while gorging on imported delicacies, and merchants declaring democracy while ruling like kings. It is the beating heart of Old World trade, a place where fortunes rise and fall overnight, where an ambitious sailor can become a prince of commerce — or end up floating in a canal.
Despised by the Empire, courted by Bretonnia, envied by Tilea, and haunted by its own corruption, Marienburg endures. For as long as gold flows through its docks and sails crowd its seas, the Jewel of the Wasteland will shine — dazzling, corrupt, and utterly indispensable.