The port city of Kaupmannhof is most unique among its peers due to the fact that it is largely influenced by a non-exclusively Nord party: the Hanse Guild. A merchant collective from the city of Hanse in Norvden, on the northern shores of the Hundred Kingdoms, the Guild owns a vast fleet, which de facto reigns over the trade routes that run across the Northern seas and the White Wastes.
Once named Hasheim, then Kaupmannheim, until southern influence renamed it into Kaupmannhof, the city has traditionally housed two aettir, the Galtung and the Eiking, with the former having held control of the city since the days of Njell and Gunnar—or so it was until recently—if the sagas are to be believed. The city itself is a modest thing, guarded by wooden palisades often replaced due to the harshness of the weather—wearing them down with time—and populated by thatch-roofed buildings that often suffer the same fate.
The state of the city stands in stark contrast to the Hanse Guild’s sea-bound base of operations, adjacent to Kaupmannhof’s port and built upon a rocky promontory that cuts through the water. Built on Eiking land, it houses the nexus of all Hanse operations near and across Mannheim; it is a fortress in all but name, with thick stone walls and vast, well-armored reserves of supplies that would see it last for years if ever under siege. The base itself houses two piers, often frequented by towering Hanse trading vessels and hired Nord longboats. It is guarded by mercenaries both from the Hundred Kingdoms and locals from Mannheim, all swearing their allegiance to the Hanse Guild by way of a steady supply of coin. The reason for such influence over Kaupmannhof and wealth is, perhaps surprisingly so, salt. Mannheim lacks the necessary sun to harvest it, not to mention the treacherous waters of the White Wastes are not particularly rich in salt, while the Hanse Guild is willing to ferry large quantities of it from the south, being the only steady supply of it in the North. This, in turn, showcased the power of trade to many in Mannheim, allowing the guild to establish itself in the first place.
The face and very heart of the city changed but a few years ago, when Jarl Vorrik, the then leader of the Galtung, tried to breach the fortress of the Hanse but found it an impossible task; thus, he chose an extreme route toward victory. The Jarl waited until summer and put his own city to the torch, hoping to force the Hanse Guild out of the base through the raging inferno. His plan failed, however, and the fires never spread beyond a small portion of the city, an unexpected storm dampening them. In retaliation, and with the pretext of assaulting Eiking land justifying their action, the Hanse Guild launched a lightning-fast attack and took control over Kaupmannhof’s nearby quarry as compensation, forcing the Galtung Jarl to surrender and establishing an allied Eiking Jarl in his place.
Today, the burnt parts of the old town have been cleared, making way for the largest market in Mannheim. Jarl Akke Eiking is the city’s leader, but some would say that this matters little—it is mostly Hanse patrols that keep the peace in the market and Hanse interests that rule the city.