After years of a pointless existence, the Herwanese takeover of Novara proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back as the Hanseatic League formally came to an end on September 3, 2004.
Originally the development that led to the League's demise emerged from the bustling empire of Herwan to the far east in Terra Exortus. In July, the Lady of Novara abdicated to the President of Herwan due to her failing mental health.
However this immediately generated controversy as Novara possessed intrincate internal political, economic, and military links with its Hanseatic counterpart, Denisia.
A fierce contest between Denisia and Herwan began, with Rattanjeetland vocally advocating for the Denisian claim over Novara. The President brought the dispute before Congressional Parliament, whose outgoing Secretary-General ordained that confusion over the matter could only be resolved by careful interpretation of the Hanseatic constitution.
Since this was a matter of international importance, Denisia would have to produce a copy of this lost document by September 1 or jurisdiction would automatically be transferred to Herwan.
Unable to produce the document and faced with internal discontent over mismanagement that could lead to such a predicament, the Amrylin of Denisia allowed the Congressional deadline to lapse. As a result, Herwanese officials currently control Novara.
The 'loss' of Novara proved too hard for the Denisians to bear, whose anger and frustration began to boil over. Consequently the Amrylin contacted the Prime Chancellor of Marcusburg, a long-time friend of Denisia dating from the days of the Platinum Nexus, to announce her abdication of Denisia to his country.
The Prime Chancellor reluctantly accepted and secretly began assuming control over the country. On September 10, 2004, Marcusburg formally announced to the rest of the world that it had jurisdiction over Denisia.
However, faced with a glut of abdications and a subsequently large and unruly empire, the Prime Chancellor is asking the international community for input on how to handle the future of Denisia.
As a result, it is widely expected that Marcusburg will convene a conference of sorts for a partitioning of Denisia, and many expect that a reorganization of the international dynamic will result concomitantly.
In terms of the Hanseatic League itself, many are reportedly sad to see it go. The once mighty union - between Middle Powers dedicated to the betterment of the Mapp at the expense of the Great Powers - has gone out not with a bang, but a long prolonged wimper.
