Stories thread - King of the Romans PBM

[GeneralHankerchief]

Rome, 1208

For the past several months, a general malaise had seemed to be settling over the Reich's capital city. This could not be attributed to anything physical; Rome had never seen better days. But despite this, the mood of its denizens had been down. As Governor of the city, Conrad Salier attributed it to an unhappy God. In his studies he had read one play by the Greeks, Oedipus Rex, where a similar, albeit deadlier, malaise fell upon the city of Thebes. Eventually it was determined that the heathen gods were dismayed at the city's ruler, Oedipus, and his previous actions. Conrad was determined that the malaise in Rome not evolve into a plague.

His advisors, those who were still Catholic yet did not believe as fervently as Conrad did, tried to convince the Governor that it was nothing, just a case of boredom. It was, after all, the first time in a while that the city was fairly safe from attack.

However, Conrad would have none of it. As if to illustrate his point, last week a murder of crows had made a nest on top of the steeple of the city's tallest church, atop a cross. When Conrad ordered the nest dismantled upon first seeing it, the crows had returned with a new nest a day later. Clearly, the Lord was displeased.

The question was, why?

Clearly, it was not his fault. While delegating perhaps a bit more responsibility than he should to his subordinates, Conrad did take part in many of the city's affairs, and continued to attend Mass regularly. He did not sin, at least, not to his knowledge. No, the source of this uneasiness had to have come from elsewhere.

"If I am not at fault, who is to blame for this?" Conrad mused aloud. "Surely not anyone else in the Four Houses, for they are all doing their duties and we are now at peace with the Pope. Perhaps it is Swabia and their preparing to destroy France, waiting for the Papal edict to run out. But no, for we have done much worse things than that and face few consequences. I do not believe that Swabia is the problem."

A messenger, clad in dusty armor, entered Conrad's study without knocking. He carried a sealed envelope with him, which Conrad did not immediately notice.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "I was busy attaining to deep spiritual matters!"

"Cry your pardon, sir, but I believe that there be bigger spiritual matters going on than you're aware of," the messenger said. "I bring this message from Outremer, from Duke Otto himself."

Conrad immediately brightened. Otto was his main source of correspondence from Outremer ever since his father, Maximillian Mandorf, had passed on. The only real bad news that he had brought back so far was the Maximillian had died.

"Thank you for the letter, Sergeant. I apologize that I was short with you earlier. Please make your way to the barracks, I'm sure that you'll be able to get a good rest after a long journey." Then man bowed and departed, leaving Conrad alone with the letter. He broke the seal and read what Duke Otto had to say with increasing horror:

1208

Count Salier,

I do not know if the news has reached you in the west, but all is not well here in Outremer. The Kaiser is a changed man, and I sense the treachery of Dusan Kolar in this matter. I wish I had more information, but I have been pushed aside and left to rot in Acre.

I fear Kolar may be pushing the Kaiser to abandon our agreement with the Church and take Jerusalem permanently. This would be folly. The Magician must be stopped, I will try, but I may fail.

We have had our disagreements, but Maximillian had always spoken of you very highly. He is gone, more the pity, but I need your help. Come what may, Bavaria will need a represenative in the Holy Land after I am gone. Someone to succeed me if I'm successful, or avenge me if I fail. I ask that you take ship to Outremer as soon as possible. You are needed in the Holy Land.

I will not command you to do this, but I hope you will.
It is God's work.

Farewell,

Otto von Kassel

So. This was the source of it all. The physical Crusade had succeeded but the spiritual one was in grave danger. With two great religious figures gone in Dietrich and Mandorf, Kaiser Henry and Duke Otto were the only two figures left in Outremer with significant influence. And apparently, the Kaiser's was fast losing his to a man in black.

Conrad, clutching only the letter, immediately departed his study and made his way towards the outskirts of the city. His time in Rome was done, one way or another. Charles Otterbach's words, once again relevant, echoed in his mind as he left the Eternal City: "There are other ways that you can be a good Servant of God aside from staying in this place and watching your life waste away for nothing." Besides, business needed to be done anyway. There was the matter of returning his father's body to Nuremburg and claiming the Holy Vorpal Sword as his own.

On the way out, he was waylaid and questioned by the Deputy Governor of Rome, who was surpervising the construction of a new church.

"My Lord, where are you going? I had no notice that you were taking leave; when will you return?"

Conrad simply smiled and waved. "You're in charge, Wilhelm. I'm going to get rid of those crows once and for all."