The Chronicles of the Illuminati

[TinCow]

Chapter IV: The Games Begin

Brothers,

I apologize for not consulting with you before making my recent statements in the Diet. I saw an opportunity and I took it. With luck, it will be rewarding. If not, I shall bear the consequences on my own. Still, I wish to explain my line of thought and the reason why I said what I did.

First, of course, is the fact that I believe it to be true. However, there is a larger issue at stake. As you must be aware, there has been growing discontent in the Reich at the focus on Eastern affairs over those of our homelands. I believe that this discontent is only beginning and will be a decisive issue in upcoming Diet sessions. By being the first to speak openly on this issue, I hope to be the standard behind which all like-minded Electors will rally. I believe that there is more power on this side than the Kaiser knows, and I believe that a platform supporting the homelands over Outremer has an excellent chance of winning the next election for Chancellor.

In any case, there is little risk in opposing Kaiser Henry. He is an old man and will be dead very soon. His party will lose a great deal of power when he is gone. Prinz Jobst is an entirely different man and is not likely to follow in Henry's footsteps. I cannot predict what course his rule will take, but I do not believe he will hold a grudge against those who opposed his predecessor.

In sum, it seemed the perfect time to grasp the reigns of a growing sentiment which will be instrumental in shaping the future of the Reich. If I have calculated correctly, I may have a good chance at election to Chancellor in the coming term. In the event that I am wrong, I can take the blame fully on my own shoulders and none need be spread to either of you. Even if I fail, the Kaiser's death with obscure any blemishes on my reputation and I will soon recover.

Hopefully this is sufficient to explain why I spoke as I did. I assure you that every word was specifically calculated to provoke the exact response I have received. If either of you are upset, I humbly apologize.

I believe that we three should meet formally very soon to discuss this and other matters.

Brother Lothar

Well, so much for our 'secret' society:

Lothar go and play somewhere else. I still remember your tricks, and they may be there because you're still in your teen years, but the Diet is no place to play. So take your little Blood Order out of here and go and annoy some Milanese in future.

You might be laying it on a bit thick Lothar. I thought the purpose of the Order was a patient accumulation of power to effect change in the Reich. If we move to quickly, it will all come tumbling down around us.

Personally, I'm a bit insulted both of you decided to invite Ansehelm in before me. What is power if it is not used wisely? He may be a Duke someday, but he'll never stop being a fool.

I also do not like the tone you are adopting toward Outremer Lothar. Speaking out against it is fine if you plan to later use that animus against the lands opponents, but I support Outremer, I plan to go there. Do not turn it into a straw man to beat.

Do not get me wrong, Gentlemen, I support the aims of our Enlightened order, but our execution appears to be a bit off. I hope, however, that I am proven wrong.

Matthias

Yes, we clearly made a mistake with Ansehelm. In our defense, this was long before he made his ignorance known in the Diet. He was largely a blank slate to us. Regardless, he knows nothing of importance. His words in the Diet are meaningless to nearly everyone and he has no knowledge of the two of you.

Yes, I laid it on thick, but it was certainly memorable. If disgruntlement continues to grow, it will be remembered. I admit it is a gamble, but I will not be inflaming it at further. The point was to get myself noticed as a supporter of a particular aspect of politics. With that done, I will sit back and see how that political sentiment develops, or fails to.

Matthias, I think you going to Outremer is a brilliant plan and I have no personal disdain for the Kingdom. I am a religious man and I recognize the importance of keeping the Holy Lands free of heathen influence. Indeed, it would be useful to us to have a high-placed member in the East.

Why can we not play both sides of the game? Remember, our short-term objective is to gain power for ourselves so that we can wield it in the future for the good of the Reich. Matthias, if it appears none will rally to my position, I urge you to personally speak out against me in the Diet. If it turns out I am wrong, any bid I would make for Chancellor would be doomed to failure. Yet I would still be able to run and my inflammatory language would make those who oppose me immensely popular. You could run for Chancellor and benefit from this. We could engineer our statements to specifically repel from my side and rally to yours. One man pulling a cart will only move it so far. One pulling and one pushing can travel the roads at will.

Lothar

Brothers!!

And indeed actual brothers you are...

Matthias, Ansehelm was an error, one that was contained by the very checks and balances we formulated to defend our Order. Neither you nor I will ever be identified and certainly Lothar can maintain a very plausible facade of denial should that idiot ever cross us.

Lothar’s words in the Diet were somewhat over done, however that is certainly one of his strengths in my opinion.

Personally I do believe we are unbalanced in our approach to the two distinct halves of our empire, the fact that you do wish to go echo's my own, however we certainly need to develop our base here in the homeland as a priority.

At this stage I would prefer laying it on thick. Much of our power in the decades to come will be the implied, and assumed rather than real. Don't get me wrong, we will wield more than enough temporal and spiritual power over the Reich but that can be accentuated greatly by mystery and fear. Personally I would prefer fear be associated with us rather than respect.

I recommend you read the works of a man by the name of Machiavelli. His thoughts and reasoning’s can be of great help.

Now, as usual Lothar's double dealings and concepts are excellent. We can certainly use sentiment either way to secure positions. Matthias, if you disagree then we can certainly place you on the other side of the fence in the argument and be the leading light in the counter argument.

As Grand Master I believe the following two goals are to be our next targets.

Have Lother recruit one more member and to have one of our Brotherhood be the leading candidate for the next Chancellor position.

Remember gentlemen, the "ends justify the means" in this Order of the Illuminati, we are here to ensure the real objectives are met and the bureaucracy and stupidity of technicalities are NOT preventing the great objectives being met.

I welcome you Matthias, your brother has spoken highly of you.

From my records I have not been able to determine if you are yet knighted. If not then that should also be a high priority.

Once we have a fourth member then I will convene our first official conclave. A time and place will be selected by me in due course.

Your Brother
Arnold

It good to hear from you Grand Master. For now I will limit my comments only to the issue you raised about a fourth member of our Order.

There is one person I can think of who might be willing to join: Péter von Kastilien. There are positives and negative to the man, so I shall outline them.

Positives:
1 - He has fervently supported my position in the Diet, even against his own brother.
2 - He appears to hold a great deal of respect for me. I give you proof of this by a series of letters I have recently exchanged with the man. I attach them at the end of this letter, so as not to take up room here.
3 - He truly seems to believe that serving all the peoples of the Reich is of the utmost importance. This is our core value.
4 - He is a Franconian. It would be good to add a member of a third House to our numbers.
5 - I personally believe he would likely accept the offer, based on (1), (2), and (3).

Negatives:
1 - He seems impulsive. I know this must sound strange coming from me, but I again state that none of my statements were spontaneous. Every word was carefully calculated to a certain end. If I have erred, it is due to my strategy, not my technique. I would be concerned that Péter might speak secrets without meaning to. I have no factual basis for thinking this, it is just a minor feeling.
2 - He is Ansehelm's brother. The two have openly disagreed in public, but blood is very thick. It could cause problems.
3 - He is obvious. I doubt anyone in the Diet paid much attention to Ansehelm's comment about the Order. I firmly believe that he is the only person outside the Brotherhood who has even given the idea that we exist a second thought. However, that will not always be true. At some point, the fact that we exist and are actively influencing events will become known. Speculation will then begin as to who is a member. Since I will obviously be instantly identified, those who are my allies will be implicated as well. Péter would likely be suspected from the first, unless he began changing his stance on various issues.

Those are my comments and I will leave you both to think them over. I am not entirely sure of my own opinion on the matter yet and will have to think it over. I look forward to hearing of any other candidates you have in mind.

Lothar

As promised, here are my private communications with Péter.

Péter,

I thank you for your support in the Diet. You have stated that should I be expelled, you would leave yourself. As I am voluntarily withdrawing for the moment, I would like to request that you not do this.

Let whatever wrath and scorn there is to follow fall on my head. Remain in the Diet and speak the wisdom that we both know to be true. Truth rings clear when it is heard, and if you continue to be a voice of justice in the Diet, the Electors will hear it an agree. Do whatever you must to remain in the Diet, for there must always be a voice to speak out for those who cannot.

Your friend,
Lothar

Lothar,

I thank you for your friendship. It is easy to support one with such persuasive and emphatical oratory - truly you are a subject of God and the Holy Roman Empire, and none of the mindless ravings of the "Holy Pope" possess you. I will remain in the Diet, as you bid, and I shall call upon God to hold my own - to show those who have remained silent thus far that our wisdom should be the consensus of the Reich.

Your friend and ally,
Péter von Kastilien

My friend! You have been barred from the Diet until you apologize to the Emperor. If you require to speak through me as a proxy, that it most acceptable as I fear I will not be able to hold my own for too long. It's odd, but I wish that I had been barred as well, rather than that write-off that I received from the Kaiser. I almost feel dishonored that my arguments have not been received with such weight as yours. I still have much to learn from my father, Gunther, and the controversial lords of the past.

I do not wish you to simply be a proxy for my words. It will serve all of us best if you speak your own mind on the matter. Besides, I think the Diet needs some time to contemplate what has been said. The Electors will be forced to take sides on this issue. Others have already begun speaking up on our side and more will hopefully do so. It is by encouraging this mass of other voices that we shall prevail.

However, I will be happy to aid you in debating techniques, if you wish it. For example, Ansehelm recently said the following:

Still, an attack will seriously damage our reputation.

And that means that the next warning the Pope gives will be about excommunication.
And Peter, I think you do want to attack the Poles without the Pope being in our way, don't you?

Bavaria should not attack, we've been trying to get in the Pope's favour with crusades and by giving them Durazzo, why shall we throw all that away, it's not worth. As the emperor has said: Milan is not worth it.

A counter to this is to ask why retaining a free hand against Poland is more important than Milan? Both Franconia and Bavaria are in similar situations with their long-time opponents, surely if it is worthwhile for one of the to pursue their attack, then it is also worthwhile for the other. If Milan is not "worth it", why is Poland "worth it"? Ansehelm's words indicate that he cares only for the interests of his own House, not those of the rest of the Reich.

Of course, he is your brother and you are a Franconian, so such an argument may cause problems for you. I merely cite it as an example.

Thank you for your lessons - I believe I have done well. The law provides, truly, that your father can attack Milan if he wants, and no man can prevent him. Swabia has shown that you need no edict to take a settlement, Bavaria can follow suit! Hopefully, my native Franconia will punish the Poles soon, but if Milan is not punished we may not have the funds necessary.

Brothers,

I would let you both know that it is time to begin taking action in accordance with achieving our goals.

Lothar,

What news do you have regarding our potential 4th candidate?

Matthias,

Are you to be knighted soon? If not, then I would bed more than happy to make a request to your father for you to join me in the east where there are various Hungarian armies that must be destroyed?

I'm finding the current state of affairs to be less than challenging so we must take this time to build on our own strengths.

Regards to you both
Arnold.

Apologies, Grand Master. I thought I had sent you my report on my initial thoughts for a 4th Candidate. I am including another copy of my report with this letter.

Brothers

Arnold, my intention is to be knighted in action against the Milanese, if that cannot be achieved in the next few years, I plan to take ship to Outremer. With the Turks to the north and the Egyptians to the east and south, I feel the Kingdom is a good place to be blooded. King Salier is a fellow Bavarian, so I am certain he will ensure my promotion.

I am grateful for your offer of assistance Arnold, but I feel it would be best if I am seen as independent from both you and Lothar, for reasons we have discussed earlier. The Diet already associates you and Lothar as friends, and myself and Lothar because we are family, it would be best not to link myself and you in public. In fact, I might have to make a public effort to disagree with both of you on some point or another, to maintain our secrecy.

Matthias

Brothers,

Peter could be a viable candidate. The only thing I would add to Lothar's surprisingly thorough examination is one observation.

I am curious as to why and when Peter became so pro-Bavarian. Was it before or after you contacted Ansehelm, Lothar? The possibility exists that he could be a stalking horse. Perhaps Peter is currying your favor so that he can be initiated and report to his brother on the identities of the other members of our group.

I suggest this as a theory, not that I am convinced myself, but it must be considered. We have formed a conspiracy, it stands to reason others have as well.

Also, considering the news about the Mongol resurgence, I feel I must depart for Outremer immediately. This might also serve as a good time to showcase our public disagreement Lothar.

Matthias

Brothers,

I am growing reluctant with Peter, at least for the moment, because Ansehelm has publicly accused him of being part of our group. As before, I don't think anyone paid any attention to it, and Peter was surely baffled by the comment, but it is obvious that Ansehelm believes his brother to be one of us. Since misdirection can aid us greatly, I suggest that we do not recruit Peter for this very reason.

The less people know about our members, the better we will be able to influence events. For this reason, I entirely agree with Matthias' suggestion that we begin a public disagreement on matters. Matthias, do you have a topic in mind to get this started? I believe that if you were to make some kind of statement that people would expect me to find outrageous, I could respond appropriately and believably. Of course, it would have to be in our Bavarian discussions, since I am not permitted in Diet at the moment. Though perhaps you could say it in the Diet and I could reply, outraged, at home.

I believe our plans for the moment are thus clear: Matthias will head east and gain power in Outremer. Arnold will continue to solidify his influence in the Diet and his ability to command the votes of his vassals. I will try to gain military prestige and influence within Bavaria in the coming actions against Milan.

I am truly very interested in a fourth member, preferably from Swabia or Franconia. Any suggestions that either of you have would be greatly welcomed. Incidentally, after my game in the Diet, I privately contacted Prinz Jobst. I include a record of our exchange below. Though this was several days ago, but as is obvious, I believe I have succeeded in making think positively of me. It would be wonderful if the Order had power to influence the actions of the Kaiser as well.

Lothar

My Prinz,

I humbly apologize to you if my words have personally offended you. That was not my intention. I have utmost respect for you and I eagerly anticipate you assuming the throne. You have shown yourself to be a great man and a great protector of the people. Swabia has thrived and prospered largely do to your steadfast support and I know that all the people of the Reich will benefit when you are crowned.

I assure you that I am your loyal vassal and you will not have any difficulties with me. My words to the Kaiser were harsh, but they were spoken out of a sense of duty to my people. I hope you can understand that.

Furthermore, I emphasize that I have the utmost respect for the Pope. I have been told that after I left the Diet you spoke about people who thought the Pope is not worthy of living on earth. I assure you I am not one of those, nor did I ever say such a thing in my speeches. I am a religious man and I am proud to see Jerusalem in the hands of the supreme pontiff.

Again, if my words caused you offense, I sincerely apologize.

Your servant,
Lothar Steffen

To Lothar,

Do not worry my friend, I was speaking on a more broad basis.

I thank you greatly for the apology, it takes much courage and heart to do that, I wish you luck in your future, and I shall remember your name.

If you, or Bavaria, ever needs help, then just call on me, I'd be more then happy to lend a helping hand with the EIA.

Though I do advise you on one thing, do try to stay clear of offending the Kaiser, as he is the most powerful man in the Empire, and in moments you'd have the fury of Romans upon you.

Prinz Jobst,
Count of Dijon,
Commander of the EIA,

Brothers,

Well, I did my best in the Diet to start a split between us, Lothar, but I fear I lack your talent at provocation. If I pressed anymore, they might view it as out of character.

To be honest Prinz Jobst worries me. He is unpredictable, we may enjoy his favor now, but I wouldn't count on it continuing. Still, it's better than nothing. His reign will most likely be chaotic, dangerous but it will provide a vacuum of power we can fill.

As for candidates, have we considered Elberhard? Once he is out from his Father's thumb, he could have potential. I think we should focus our search for candidates on the younger nobility, those who hunger for influence but have little yet. Older men are already entrenched in their own power structures and would view us as a threat, not an opportunity.

Matthias

Matthias, your words in the Diet were fine. The break must seem gradual and natural. An immediate firestorm over nothing would seem improbable. I believe we will have to cultivate this deterioration over a lengthy period to make it truly believable and effective.

Prinz Jobst is indeed an unknown entity. I do not know how he will fit into our plans yet. I believe the best thing to do is keep our options open when it comes to him.

I have been considering Elberhard as well, indeed I can think of no one who would be a better drinking partner for Arnold and I! However, he does not have a voice of his own in the Diet at the moment. My hope is that he will come into his own when Henry dies which, if God wills it, will be mercifully soon. We will see what kind of a man he is then.

On another matter, I am slightly disturbed by the prospect of Hans running for re-election. He already has too much power in his hands and I do not see him as a friend of the Order. Another term will only serve to make him more of a dominant force. I suggest we oppose his re-election by supporting whoever opposed him in the election. If no one else stands for the candidacy, I believe Arnold should attempt it. Recent events would make my candidacy futile and Matthias is not yet well known in the Diet. While Arnold is young, he is still Duke of Austria and thus commands serious respect. Indeed, it might be worthwhile for him to run even as a third candidate, simply to increase his profile. A loss in an election can be a victory if it gains the loser higher stature and more followers than before.

Lothar

Brothers,

It seems you both have talent for misdirection and cunning.

I entirely agree with all points raised.

The von Kastilien's should be left for now. The failed attempt would only create unnecessary exposure at this delicate phase of our Order.

I do believe we should concentrate on the younger members of the Reich. It is these men that will influence the future of our nation.

Elberhard would be an option. I will have the ex Count of Venice investigate him. No contact will be made as Lothar is our voice, but I will simply create a dossier on him for assessment as Lothar had done before.

Matthias, good luck to the east. I don't think this next wave of Mongols will be so easily dispatched.

Lothar,

Shall we meet in our usual tavern with our colleague this evening?

Arnold.

Of course, Arnold!

On a minor note, please do not refrain from contact with potential recruits because I am the Voice. It is entirely natural for us to engage in friendship and conversation with other Electors. That is actually an excellent way to determine whether a particular man would make a good recruit or not. The Voice need only be used when the Order is making an official contact with someone. Intelligence, skullduggery, and general network-building are all perfectly acceptable on an individual basis.

Lothar