Stories thread - King of the Romans PBM

[TinCow]

The Italian nobles had been referring to the Florentine Pleasure Palace as ‘The Cathedral of Sin,’ even before its construction had finished. It was a nickname popular with both critics and patrons, though for different reasons. One thing all men agreed on was that it was a magnificent structure, with four floors above ground, two below, and an eight story tower crowning the edifice. All of it laced with fine woodwork and carved stone moldings. It was no simple drinking house; it was vice made art.

The first thing that struck Lothar Steffen as he entered was the relative lack of noise. There were easily two hundred men drinking and carousing inside its walls on an average day, but none were visible, or even audible, unless they wanted to be. The only sounds that pervaded the entryway were those that came from the large public drinking hall off to the left. Even there, the usual mayhem of an inn or tavern was absent. Only men of wealth and breeding were permitted access to the Cathedral of Sin, and they behaved like saints out of respect, and possibly fear, of its proprietor. Lothar considered it a high compliment. I have achieved greater civility amongst men in a brothel than most priests see in their own Churches.

Katharina, the Palace greeter, approached the Duke of Bavaria. She was charming and intelligent, but her firm and voluptuous figure had been specifically chosen as one of Lothar’s finishing touches to his grand work. “Shall I show you to your private suite, m’Lord?” Lothar nodded to her slightly and proceeded to follow her through the twisting, candlelit hallways.

“What ‘specials’ do we have today, Katharina?”

“There are two new arrivals worthy of your notice, m’Lord. There is a Russian girl of some decent upbringing. Apparently the daughter of a minor noble family that did not fare well during the Teutonic Crusade, and fared even more poorly under the Tsar’s wrath afterwards. She is smart, well-spoken, very beautiful, and has impeccable manners. The second girl is a Moor that was sold to us via a Sicilian merchant. Apparently the girl is mute, but she is highly talented in all areas and quite eager to please. A rumor has been circulating amongst the patrons that she was trained in a Moorish harem. Whether true or not, I have encouraged it. It increases her… allure, and her price.”

Lothar snorted. “I have no wish to taste the spoils of Duke Ansehelm’s campaigns or some Mohammedan castoff. No, send me Engeltrud. I desire a proper Bavarian woman this evening.”

“As you wish, m’Lord.” A minute later, Katharina stopped in front of a dark doorway. “If there is aught else, I will take my leave now, m’Lord. Engeltrud will be along shortly.”

Lothar nodded and stepped into his private chambers. From the outside, the door appeared like any other in the Palace; polished oak planks with pleasing, but simple, carvings and inlay work. On the inside, though, the chambers were unique. A long, narrow hallway opened up into a vast sitting room with an immense fireplace. It was so large it could easily accommodate a man and would not have looked out of place in the banquet hall of the Duke’s own manor. A writing desk, chairs, and a few small bookcases served as furnishings. Thick tapestries depicting Bavarian battle scenes adorned the walls and the floors were covered with lush furs of an immense variety. Off to the left lay a private bedroom and dressing room, outfitted in a manner that would suit nearly any man except the Kaiser himself. It was, in truth, more of a small manor house than a brothel suite.

Lothar walked over to the fireplace and looked up at the tapestry that adorned its face. It was an elaborate piece showing Kaiser Heinrich’s assault on Genoa. Lothar’s own father, Duke Gerhard Steffen, had been present that day. He was displayed prominently on the walls of the city, a sword in hand and Bavarian spearmen all around him. Buildings at the center of the tapestry framed a scene showing Kaiser Heinrich cutting off Pope Gregory’s head. Perhaps historically inaccurate, but inspiring and true in essence, if not it detail. Dark times call for dark measures.

A knock at the door broke Lothar’s reverie. “Enter.”

The diminutive figure of Engeltrud appeared in the doorway. Her head was bowed, but her manner was slight and respectful. She closed and locked the door behind her, then turned and curtsied to the Duke of Bavaria. “I am pleased m’Lord wishes to see me.”

Lothar let his eyes drift over the girl’s body. She was beautiful, to be sure, and attired in a manner befitting the daughter of a wealthy merchant, if not a minor noble. Well-dressed whores were always so much more pleasing, and profitable, than the common street rabble. “I expect I will take quite a while this evening, so you had best save your stamina. You may begin now.”

The girl nodded and shuffled quickly over to the bedroom. When she was out of sight of the Duke, she began to giggle and moan. Lothar waited and listened for a few moments, then turned and walked over the fireplace. He picked up an iron poker and began to shove the burning logs to one side. When they were moved well to the left, he ducked his head slightly and stepped into the right side. He pulled a thick cloth from his pocket, wrapped it around his hand, and grasped a metal bar that protruded from the stone hearth wall. Lothar lifted and pulled; the warmth from the heated iron growing steadily fiercer in his hand. With a shudder, part of the wall split and pushed back, sliding along hinges hidden from view to those on this side of the door. As he passed through the yawning gap into the blackness beyond, he heard Engeltrud gasp and call his name. He knew she would continue in that manner for as long as he was gone. Though eavesdroppers were unlikely, Lothar Steffen never took chances. I hope she saves some of that for later.

The Duke of Bavaria shut the door behind him, then turned and blinked into the darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to adapt to the change from the bright fireplace to the dim staircase beyond. To his left was a hook from which was suspended a long, black robe. Lothar gathered it about him, tied the thick silken cord around his waist, and pulled the hood over his head. He took a moment to adjust his clothing under the garment, and then removed the single lit sconce from the wall to his right. Brandishing it before him like a cross, he moved into the darkness below.

The stairs and hallways twisted and turned for some time, but he never made a sound. The floor was entirely coated with thick bearskins to prevent the echoing of footsteps that would otherwise have made it a noisy passage. Lothar couldn’t help but grin as he walked. The secret passages and chambers pervaded the Pleasure Palace; a design of his own making. Men could move unseen from several of the most private rooms through this network of stone and timber. Outside the Brotherhood, only a few loyal and obedient Bavarian servants even knew they existed. The slaves and prisoners of war who had laid the foundations of the Pleasure Palace had taken its secrets to their untimely graves.

After a few minutes, he turned a corner and a brighter light poured towards him. A large, circular chamber with a low ceiling opened out from the mouth of the hallway. In the middle was a triangular table, surrounded by ebony chairs set with gold leaf. The table itself was inlaid to look like a pyramid with a huge, open eye at the pinnacle. There was no spot in the entire chamber that was out of its line of sight. Lothar sat in the seat closest to the hallway from which he had entered. The other chairs were all full; their corresponding passageways leading back into the inky blackness to the private chambers from which their occupants had arrived, unseen.

The dark figure on the opposite side of the circle spoke first. “Welcome, Voice. You are late.”

Lothar bowed his head. “Apologies, Grand Master. I was meeting with our agent in the Byzantine Court. I wanted to hear the news from him directly; one can never trust second hand information and idle rumors.”

“So, is it true then? Does Siegfried really intend to give all of Outremer to the Byzantine Emperor?”

Lothar paused, feeling the weight of the statement he was about to make. “It is true.”

Shouts and cries came from every figure in the circle. “Outrageous!” “Treason!” “He’s in league with the Devil!” The commotion continued on, breaking down into several small conversations as the Brothers digested the information. A single voice on Lothar’s right finally broke through the commotion. “First Naples and Palermo, then a unification of the Churches, which caused mass rioting across the Reich, and now the loss of all of Outremer. This is an abomination!” A response came from the left. “Even worse, all of this is done without consultation with us and without our permission! Our alliance with the Kaiser was meant to produce the exact opposite result! There is no controlling this man, no reasoning with him.”

“Quiet… quiet… my Brothers,” said the Grand Master. Slowly, orderly silence was restored to the chamber, though several of the black cloaks continued to twitch in obvious irritation. “So what are we to do about this treason?”

“We cannot permit it to pass,” the man to Lothar’s immediate left said.

“But we cannot stop it while Siegfried sits the Imperial Throne,” a figure across the circle responded.

A heavy silence fell over the stone chamber. Eventually, Lothar spoke. “We all know what must be done. We have suspected it would come to this for some time, ever since he gave Palermo and Naples to the Byzantines. I can no longer see any alternative.”

“I agree,” said the man to Lothar’s right.

“And I,” said another. Every voice spoke in turn, giving their consent without disagreement.

“It is unanimous then,” the Grand Master said. He stood and walked a few paces to the head of the pyramid. “I hereby proclaim Kaiser Siegfried to be a traitor to the Reich and an enemy of the Divine Order of the Illuminati. His sentence is death, to be carried out immediately.” He looked back at Lothar. “I trust you will see to this matter, Voice?”

Lothar stood and bowed deeply. “The road from Constantinople to Rome is long and treacherous. Even the Kaiser’s own bodyguards could find themselves overwhelmed by an unexpected foe. It will be easy to find Poles, Hungarians, or even brigands to do the deed, if enough coin is devoted to the matter. In this case, I will spare no expense.”

As one, the remaining Brothers stood and approached the table; forming a pyramid around the pyramid, with the Grand Master as the eye. All voices spoke in unison. “Re acre accipemus, cuncti pro bono terrae, finorumqu'et regni.”

When it was done, Lothar turned and walked back into the darkness from which he came. Eventually, he knew, he would emerge once again into the warmth and light of the world above. Soon, though, Kaiser Siegfried would not.