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Just north of the Striland city of Wurtbad lays the Prosperous Talabecland city of merchants. Or Adela as its formally known, meaning Noble. Adela is not an independent city state, but it is owned and, fairly, governed by an incredibly rich and powerful Duke named Alexander De Franco.
Duke Alexander was born in the Reikland city of Gruunburg to the Noble De Franco banking family, his Father Nicolai De Franco paid very well for his education and worked hard teaching him the arts to becoming a successful banker and how to build and manage wealth. At the age of 18 his father sent him to the Pistolkorps in Altdorf, as his father had done to him and his father before and so on. It was a De Franco tradition that Alexander would be more than happy to uphold. Little did he know that he would become the most successful member of his family yet, by his 23rd year he had reached the rank of captain and was actively taking part in the scouring of Reikwald forest in the wars against the goblins. In the Empires state Army he learnt many genius tactics and strategies, but he also learnt how to be a more honourable man. On his 33rd birthday grave news had reached him from his mother, his father had befallen fatally ill, Alexander left his illustrious military career behind and re-joined his family back home in Gruunburg. His father eventually passed away and left his only son, Alexander with all his wealth and the entirety of his Banking business. After pondering for a full year what to do with the rest of his life, he made the decision that would make him so rich and famous today. He left with his mother to a city he had heard about while at a local tavern, the famed city of merchants, where if you had enough gold anything was possible. He left his cousin Milo in charge of the Gruunburg branch and set off to expand his father’s empire.
Upon Alexander and his mother’s arrival in Adela he was greeted by a chauffeur, which led them to the manor he had ordered be built many months ago upon a hilltop on the outskirts of the large city. With his mother at home Alexander immediately began work on building his banking empire and within a few months of his arrival he had to franchises up and running. They were built on the same values as his fore fathers were, a fair and just system open to all, not just the upper class. The people began to appreciate his efforts as he was also known to make large donations to the poor; he also caught the eye of the current mayor Albert Raban. After a lengthy argument about the cities current poverty issue, Alexander persuaded the old man to see his point of view and the two became the best of friends and Alexander became Rabans most trusted advisor in the years to come. When Alexander was 37 in the year of 2521 the war of The Black Death was raging in Stirlands east against a large contingent of skaven that had risen from the ruins of the moot. A large rat man force had broken away from the fierce battles that raged and began to march north into Talabecland. Being the closest available military force it befell on the troops of Adela to answer the call to arms, and at this so did Alexander. Raban granted Alexander the title supreme general of Adela’s armies and so it was that Alexander left with a large contigent of the cities army to meet the Skaven horde. The army marched south along the Old dwarf road and then set up in their battle formations on the northern bank of the river Stir. He had placed the large regiments of state troops in the center of his army, with the war machines and cannon on the west flank, and the missile troops and hand gunner regiments on the east. Alexander personally led a force of knights that had been gifted to him as his personal guard, they were known simply as the Templars, he and his knights held back in reserve on the east flank.
The skaven marched forth several hours later and began the crossing on the Stir almost undaunted by the massed volleys of the hand gunners and the thunderous roar of numerous great cannons and mortars. Thousands were believed to be killed in the initial crossing but yet thousands remained. Alexander then ordered his state troops to march down the bank to meet the crossing rats and a bloody melee ensued. It seemed that the rats would win the day as there were just to many of them, and the dark seer of the Skaven army thought that they had won as he could see the empire army withdrawing the artillery from the western flank, then a general retreat was ordered for the remaining empire army and they began to fall back also. All that remained were the regiments of hand gunners, but before the skaven could even think about charging, a thunderous cavalry charge came from the nearby outskirts of the great forest and smashed into the ranks of the giant rat horde. The knights led by Alexander reaped a bloody toll upon the skaven horde, but the battle was far from over, with a final crackling volley from the hand gunners the remaining empire army retreated back to Adela. The skaven horde continued its march even though it had taken horrendous casualties, Alexander had done his job. The rat army eventually reached the city of merchants and formed up into a siege formation with their war machines in the center and the infantry on the outside of the army. As they advanced on the city they were outflanked by another Cavalry charge, this time led by Albert Raban himself. Alexander and his knights then charged from the other side and wedged the now thinning tide of skaven, between the horrendously effective knight charges and the continuous pounding of the citys great cannons and massed regiments of Hand gunners and the continued resilience of the cities state troops, the horde was eventually wiped out by sunrise the next morning. Albert was slain in the heat of battle and after a lengthy search Alexander returned his body to the city hall.
Alexander was elected to be the next mayor, and for his heroism was given the title arch duke of Adela by the emperor himself. Under his rule the city of merchants has flourished both economically and in military also. The Templars were now Alexander’s personal house guard and were re-named the knights of Adela and the Forces of the merchant city now not only patrol the city streets but under the wise leadership of their duke take part in open warfare wherever the fighting is found to be thickest within the empire.

Not meant to be a story or anything, just some fluff i made up to make my games more interesting