City-State of Lingen
At the north-western edge of Teutonia, bordered by the states of Essenburg, Vessen and Marl, the state of Lingen flexes her jaws, a new light shining in the eyes of the long slumbering power whose battle hardened ruler stands to take back what is hers.
Though small the state of Lingen has stood as one of Teutonia’s Ruling Houses since ancient times, the city of Lingen itself nestled at the mouth of the River Ems, gateway to the Rhine, lifeblood of the western states. Through control of this waterway and the bounteous western coast, Lingen represents a concentrated seed of power amongst its more overt neighbours of Hannover and Wolfsburg.
Though small the state of Lingen has stood as one of Teutonia’s Ruling Houses since ancient times, the city of Lingen itself nestled at the mouth of the River Ems, gateway to the Rhine, lifeblood of the western states. Through control of this waterway and the bounteous western coast, Lingen represents a concentrated seed of power amongst its more overt neighbours of Hannover and Wolfsburg.
Structure
The State of Lingen is rules by Lady Amalie Morgenstern Lingen, who takes a firm hand in all manner of her state’s governance. She hired ranks of advisers who she disposes of and rewards with a stark frequency depending on the results they bring to her.
The towns within Lingen are each ran by a minor noble house who have sworn fealty to the Lady von Lingen. The fort of Burgfelsen is garrisoned and supplied under the direction of Sven Kharlson, a Gibraltan immigrant with a long history of warfare who the Lady von Lingen trusts as her military second. The assorted troll tribes of the Lingenmarl are governed by the Langeiche, a troll shaman picked in some unknown manner who has incredibly influence that is rarely utilised.
The towns within Lingen are each ran by a minor noble house who have sworn fealty to the Lady von Lingen. The fort of Burgfelsen is garrisoned and supplied under the direction of Sven Kharlson, a Gibraltan immigrant with a long history of warfare who the Lady von Lingen trusts as her military second. The assorted troll tribes of the Lingenmarl are governed by the Langeiche, a troll shaman picked in some unknown manner who has incredibly influence that is rarely utilised.
History
During the founding of the Reichstag at the close of the First Holy War, the Noble House of Lingen was named and given a seat upon the council due to its cities superb strategic positioning and its rulers calm and stoic baring. Over the centuries since, the Lingen bloodline stayed strong, with circumstances leading to House Morgenstern now standing as rulers of the city. The blood of their ancestors was boldly apparent in Lord Deitmar Morgenstern von Lingen, who ruled the state with an
unflappable demeanour, a great city planner who saw the then Lingen controlled city of Marl flourish. As the Viper nobility flocked to the banner of the returned Prince Gustav, Deitmar’s daughter, Lady Amalie Morgenstern led her father’s militia to Berlyn and seeing King Gustav II crowned. Upon her return, after spending the better part of a decade fighting The Cobra, Amalie found Lingen in uproar. Lord Deitmar and his heir Lord Gutwin Morgenstern had been killed upon an excursion to assess their holdings in the Lingenmarl hills. Enraged by the news the citizenry of Lingen and the surrounding villages descended upon the hills, weapons ready to bring slaughter to the hills resident trolls, who it was assumed perpetrated the act. It was only the timely arrival of the now Lady Amalie Morgenstern Lingen which led her citizenry to abstain from the massacre, an act the trolls of the Lingenmarl hills have never forgotten.
Her rapid ascension after years spent away from court and the grief of her families passing led the Lady von Lingen to flounder in political circles. This created an opportunity for the scheming House Gorst, who used this, alongside the turbulence of the royal families disappearance in 1095AS, to claim the lands east of the Lingenmarl hills as their own, giving rise to the city state of Marl that exists today.
In the years since the Lady von Lingen has become more acquainted with the art of politick, becoming somewhat renowned in the Reichstag chamber for a calm demeanour reminiscent of her father which hides within a venomous fury, and a skill at swordsmanship making few want to challenge her. However, she has always flourished on the field of battle, taking up her sword and leading her militia once again during Sables invasion of the southern states. Notably, during this campaign her usually small contingent was bolstered by roughly one thousand trolls. These residents of the Lingenmarl had not forgotten their debt to her, putting down stave and crook, and taking up axe and sword, these normally placid people fought for their Lady with a ferocity which instilled fear into the hearts of demon and joyful lost alike.
Now the half decade old Lady von Lingen returns to her lands, but much has changed. Firstly, she is pregnant, the father being one Lord Hansel Stuka, the head of House Marls fiercest rivals within who she has taken as her husband. This union is the beginning of the Lady’s political offensive to retake the state of Marl, learning from her adversaries and taking advantage of House Marls weakened state after their heir joined the ranks of the joyful lost.
Her rapid ascension after years spent away from court and the grief of her families passing led the Lady von Lingen to flounder in political circles. This created an opportunity for the scheming House Gorst, who used this, alongside the turbulence of the royal families disappearance in 1095AS, to claim the lands east of the Lingenmarl hills as their own, giving rise to the city state of Marl that exists today.
In the years since the Lady von Lingen has become more acquainted with the art of politick, becoming somewhat renowned in the Reichstag chamber for a calm demeanour reminiscent of her father which hides within a venomous fury, and a skill at swordsmanship making few want to challenge her. However, she has always flourished on the field of battle, taking up her sword and leading her militia once again during Sables invasion of the southern states. Notably, during this campaign her usually small contingent was bolstered by roughly one thousand trolls. These residents of the Lingenmarl had not forgotten their debt to her, putting down stave and crook, and taking up axe and sword, these normally placid people fought for their Lady with a ferocity which instilled fear into the hearts of demon and joyful lost alike.
Now the half decade old Lady von Lingen returns to her lands, but much has changed. Firstly, she is pregnant, the father being one Lord Hansel Stuka, the head of House Marls fiercest rivals within who she has taken as her husband. This union is the beginning of the Lady’s political offensive to retake the state of Marl, learning from her adversaries and taking advantage of House Marls weakened state after their heir joined the ranks of the joyful lost.
Demography and Population
The majority populace of Lingen city and the surrounding towns are human, with the second largest demographic being the trolls who inhabit the Lingenmarl hills which form the eastern border of the state. In addition are the small dwarven mining community of Goldzhan, who are mostly selfdependant but still enjoy the patronage of the Lady von Lingen.
Their skin is mostly human like in tone, with textures varying from stony to something akin to moss or gnarled wood. Forming mostly nomadic tribes numbering up to a hundred these trolls wander the hills and valleys of the Lingenmarl, some inhabiting ravines while others enjoy basking in the seas of brown grasses which decorate the landscape. In modern days these tribes have good relations with the nearby human settlements of Goldzhan and Aschemark with their slow, thoughtful and ultimately kind demeanours easily facilitating trade, though some distrust still remains.
Their skin is mostly human like in tone, with textures varying from stony to something akin to moss or gnarled wood. Forming mostly nomadic tribes numbering up to a hundred these trolls wander the hills and valleys of the Lingenmarl, some inhabiting ravines while others enjoy basking in the seas of brown grasses which decorate the landscape. In modern days these tribes have good relations with the nearby human settlements of Goldzhan and Aschemark with their slow, thoughtful and ultimately kind demeanours easily facilitating trade, though some distrust still remains.
Territories
The coasts of Lingen consist of soft sand and shale beaches , strewn with piers and moorings for the fisherman who frequent them. The waters themselves are prone to temperamental changes, from calm to roiling in mere moments. Further inland the ground becomes hard and difficult to farm, though some success has been found, with the flat-lands containing moss covered thickets of trees and quiet streams. Reaching the Lingenmarl hills the land rises and falls like the rolling waves of the coast, the ground covered in brown tough grasses which glow brilliantly in the noon day sun.
The state of Lingen is home to few animals which cannot be found elsewhere in Teutonia. Known to most are the Lingen Crabs, their large size and bright colouration making them sought after throughout the Nation by the nobility. The only other animals of note are those reared by the trolls of the Lingenmarl hills, gigantic hairy cattle and goats referred to by humans as “troll-stock”. These animals are incredibly hardy and seem to have an intrinsic understanding of their handlers. The weather in Lingen is temperamental at best. The sea bringing frequent storms and rains but also blistering sun and cooling breezes.
The state of Lingen is home to few animals which cannot be found elsewhere in Teutonia. Known to most are the Lingen Crabs, their large size and bright colouration making them sought after throughout the Nation by the nobility. The only other animals of note are those reared by the trolls of the Lingenmarl hills, gigantic hairy cattle and goats referred to by humans as “troll-stock”. These animals are incredibly hardy and seem to have an intrinsic understanding of their handlers. The weather in Lingen is temperamental at best. The sea bringing frequent storms and rains but also blistering sun and cooling breezes.
Religion
Lingen is home to what is considered one of oldest sects of the Church of Mortis. Comprising men and women who have underwent a tragic loss, these worshippers seek the embrace of their faith as a means of acceptance. This route involves training as stone masons and sculptures, creating gravestones and effigies so that the dead may be remembered. Their first act is to produce such a work for whoever it was whose loss caused them to seek out the Church in the first place. The origin and epitome of this work can be found in The Chanters, hundreds of statues which line an inner crevasse in the stone of the Cliffs of Lingen. It is said that the first priest who came to Lingen witnessed the mouth of the River Ems, its brackish water and sometimes calm, other times treacherous waters reminding them of the River Styx form Mortician teachings. In reverence to this godly sight they placed a statue into the cliff which, when the wind picked up, by some miracle gave rise to a hollow rumbling note which echoed throughout the surroundings. This deathrattle, borne presumably as a gift from Mortis, gave rise to this sect, who through continuous labour, trial and error have created hundreds more of these statues in attempts to emulate the first. It is the life work of many Morticians to produce even one of these marvels, and many do not manage the feat.
As such, those who reside in Lingen are predisposed to worship of the God of Death, with multiple institutions in his name erected in the city. Additionally, a chapel to Khoreg can be found in Lingen’s swords quatre, as well as those to the Mistress of the Sea in the coastal towns. The trolls of the Lingenmarl are devotees of Lorelli, with some considering it lucky for them to be given a gift of crops.
As such, those who reside in Lingen are predisposed to worship of the God of Death, with multiple institutions in his name erected in the city. Additionally, a chapel to Khoreg can be found in Lingen’s swords quatre, as well as those to the Mistress of the Sea in the coastal towns. The trolls of the Lingenmarl are devotees of Lorelli, with some considering it lucky for them to be given a gift of crops.
Trade & Transport
Lingen’s long coastline has led to its primary income and export being through the bounties of the ocean. Lingen crab is a delicacy throughout the nation, while the fishing boats of Meppen and Klettergraft have been working non-stop in recent months to offset the damages done to the nations faming states. Otherwise the lands of Lingen are mostly reserved for the farming of a meagre crop of stiff grains and the growing of orchards, from which the town of Aschemark produces delicious ciders. The hills of the Lingenmarl produce several exports. Meats and milk from the livestock which the careful troll herders lead throughout the hilltops and gold, mined in small secret locations by the dwarves of the inventively named town of Goldzhan.
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Major Exports
Cod, Crab, Cider, Gold
Major Imports
Stone, Wood, Iron
Controlled Territories
Oh wow this was so in depth I really like it! Awesome article ;-)