The Chronicles of the Illuminati

[TinCow]

Chapter VII: A Puppet Chancellor

Brothers,

I hate to disturb you both again, but here is a copy of a message Fredericus von Hamburg sent me after he learned of my talks with Duke Scherer and my reply. I fear that we will have to be even more leery of the Franconians in the future, and that I might have to watch my back in the Holy Land.

We might also consider passing this on to Chancellor Hummel. I'm sure he would find it interesting reading.

Matthias Steffen,

Certain information has reached me through a certain channel that indicates that you and/or other Bavarians are "concerned" that I may win the upcoming election. You may certainly support whomever you wish, but this has made me wonder.

My first theory is that your house is at odds with Franconia, or particularly friendly with Swabia. This is merely a theory on my part since I have not participated in nor followed inter-house politics in many years, perhaps even since before you were born (although certainly at least since you entered the Diet). I would, therefore, find it strange to have house association take precedence before other things. Ordinarily, I would not care, but you are coming to the Outremer. We have men from all the houses here, but they all have a single purpose. Inter-house rivalry must be non-existent. It is my opinion that anyone who does not place his purpose of defending Christendom well above everything else, does not belong here.

Of course, I could be wrong. It could be that you prefer Hummel's policy, or it could be that he has made secret promises to Bavaria. Again, I would ordinarily not care, but you are coming to the Outremer. Now, I am not going to pass judgment on Hummel, it is not my place to do so. However, if I were elected Chancellor, it would be my duty to keep him away from combat, particularly due to the concerns over how he has treated prisoners and perfectly innocent civilians in the past. Being a crusader does not exempt you from sin; quite on the contrary, you must be an example of righteousness for all. Though the Lord may forgive him, he has certainly not served as that example. But what about you, Steffen? If you support this man, then I have my doubts, and if there are secret deals I am not aware of, then I have yet further doubts.

Ultimately, I don't care who you vote for. But before you step on that boat, I want you to ask yourself, are you worthy of serving in the Outremer?

Fredericus von Hamburg.

Count von Hamburg,

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."

Don't believe everything your spies tell you, my lord, information can be garbled or misquoted.

I am as worthy as serving in Outremer as you were when you left Franconia, Count von Hamburg.

Your servant,

Matthias

This note is very interesting and merits discussion. First, it has personal implications for Matthias. We must ensure that his influence in Outremer grows steadily, unhampered by any who see him in a negative light. Matthias' response was entirely proper, but I suspect we will have to make more overt moves to aid him.

Matthias, I have noticed that you have voted in favor of the 'religious' style Edicts, notably 10.2 and 10.7. This is very useful for us, as it shows you as the perfect type of man for Outremer. I will attempt to emphasize these votes of yours by first voting against them, and then by heavily criticizing your votes in the Bavarian forum. This will give you an opportunity to make public statements defending religion, chivalry, and the other values so prized in Outremer. Furthermore, it will increase the public perception of a rift between us. With luck, this will aid you when you arrive in the East.

Regarding the note, I believe that Matthias is correct in passing it along to Chancellor Hummel. It would be a perfect opportunity to cause further discord to our advantage. However, it must be heavily edited so that he cannot determine to whom it was sent. I suggest that we forward only the following segment to him:

Now, I am not going to pass judgment on Hummel, it is not my place to do so. However, if I were elected Chancellor, it would be my duty to keep him away from combat, particularly due to the concerns over how he has treated prisoners and perfectly innocent civilians in the past. Being a crusader does not exempt you from sin; quite on the contrary, you must be an example of righteousness for all. Though the Lord may forgive him, he has certainly not served as that example

Fredericus von Hamburg.

Lothar

Brothers,

Yes I agree entirely. As you have seen in the Diet I have learnt much from my father with regards to intimidation and threats. I'll shall send you the note from Sigismund...it was groveling in the extreme.

Arnold.

Matthias,

I have made my 'attack' on you in the Bavarian forum. I intentionally kept most rational argument out of it, so that your rebuttal can be decisively crushing. I believe it would be effective to make statements about how it is best to rule through benevolence and piety, as demonstrated by some of the great Crusader Lords. A few personal attacks on my own history and reputation, along with a contrast of your own, would serve as well. Please do not feel the need to pull any punches. It is essential to us that those in Outremer greet you with pride and open arms. By making me look a fool and you a proud and noble man, we will further goals.

Lothar

*As you enter your bedchamber to sleep for the night, you notice a familiar scroll on your pillow. It is a small, tightly rolled parchment tied with black ribbon and sealed with red wax: a letter from the Illuminati.*

Congratulations on your victory, Chancellor.

We will be watching closely to see that our requirements are fulfilled. In regards to Ansehelm von Kastilien, we will consider the request fulfilled if he is not sent on the expedition to Russia. The Diet and Ansehelm himself seem convinced that he is the man who will lead the army. We cannot permit this, and unfortunately for him the authorizing legislation does not specify his participation in any manner. Give Peter von Kastilien the initial command of the attack. We do not care about who else participates or who fights the battles after the initial departure.

Finally, as a gesture of our good will, we would like to provide you with a message our agents have intercepted.

*As before, the only signature is an all-seeing eye.*

*As you come to the end, a small fragment of paper falls out of the scroll. You pick it up and notice that it appears to have been carefully cut from a longer letter.*

Now, I am not going to pass judgment on Hummel, it is not my place to do so. However, if I were elected Chancellor, it would be my duty to keep him away from combat, particularly due to the concerns over how he has treated prisoners and perfectly innocent civilians in the past. Being a crusader does not exempt you from sin; quite on the contrary, you must be an example of righteousness for all. Though the Lord may forgive him, he has certainly not served as that example

Fredericus von Hamburg.

Ulrich smiles and hangs the black ribbon in his window.

Brothers,

Chancellor Hümmel has made the proper signal indicating he wishes to speak with us. I shall approach him tonight and see what he wishes. Since it seems likely that he will request something of us, it would be prudent begin thinking of what further 'price' we will require for our services. Remember, we are now dealing with a Chancellor of the Reich, who has the power to grant us many, many things.

I will inform you of what occurs as soon as it happens.

Lothar

*Two days pass and nothing happens. Then, as if in a mirror of your first meeting, you retire to your bedroom to find a cloaked figure sitting in a dark corner.*

"Good evening, Chancellor. Is there something you wish to discuss?"

Ulrich locks the door and sits down.

"Two of your conditions have so far been fulfilled. Hans has been ordered to Nuremburg, which will keep him nicely unoccupied during my reign.

Ansehelm von Kastillien has been stripped of his command of his army and will not embark on the Russian expedition.

Meanwhile, I am making preparations to knight new electors. Lothar and Markus Steffen are currently in Corsica, ready to storm Ajaccio.

If you have any advice, I am more than ready to hear it."

Ulrich waits for the response.

"In general we are satisfied. Your actions towards Ansehelm and Hans will eventually become obvious to the Diet. At that point, there may be some criticism leveled at you. You will be able to more effectively deflect this criticism if you make sure that the orders for the various Household Armies are followed relatively accurately.

We also understand that there has been some confusion about the knighthood status of some of the younger Electors. If this could be corrected, we would be pleased."

Brothers,

Well the first thing he needs to do is squash Ansehelm's belief he is leading the crusade!

I would like the AHA reinforced by top line units from Sofia and split in two. One under the command of myself and one under Sigismund, once he is knighted.

The two Austrian House Armies should be very dangerous.

Keep in mind gentlemen that when Sofia is given back to Byzantine in 1250 I will order Sigismund to Outremer.

I will be issuing AHA orders now.

Arnold

Brothers,

Judging by the latest reports, Chancellor Hummel is keeping to his end of the bargain. Hans is currently making his way to Vienna without an Army. Ansehelm is commanding an Army in eastern Thorn, but his brother Peter has a larger one in the area. I'm not sure if these are the "Crusade" forces or not.

I find some of the Chancellor's other orders mystifying. Lothar and Markus are now on Corsica, contrary to Father's desire. Prinz Jobst is about to face off against the French ex-Crusaders with a much smaller force. Sigismund von Mahren, who is not knighted, has been dispatched alone to Sofia. Fritz von Kastilien is headed toward Krakow, but is not knighted (and no one is playing him). Conrad Salier has crossed from the eastern border of Damascus into the Jedda region. Emperor Henry is on the border of Edessa and Mosul. Finally, Fredericus von Hamburg is southwest of Jerusalem, I'm not sure if the Chancellor plans to lure the Egyptians into battle, or move on Gaza. This dispersion of forces in Outremer, in the face of the Mongol threat, worries me. I'd like to arrive in an Outremer that is intact, not a smoking ruin.

As for what we should ask for if Hummel requests our help, we can't be too specific, lest we hint too strongly at our identities. Perhaps we should encourage him to remember who voted for him, and show preference to those Duchies that did so in build queues and army reinforcements.

I know we helped elect this man, but we should consider some contingencies if he reneges on his deal or becomes dangerously incompetent. Let us assume we have to topple Ulrich and that Kaiser Henry has passed on. Kaiser Jobst would not call an emergency session as he favors the Chancellor. The next Prinz is unknown, and will most likely be a cipher to us, he will probably not call a session as well. That leaves us with convincing two out of the three remaining Dukes to call for an emergency session. I doubt Scherer will do so, so if it comes to deposing Hummel, we'll need the support of Father and Duke Gunther von Kastilien.

No doubt the Franconians would leap at any opportunity to impeach Hummel, particularly after their precious crusade has a change of leadership, but Father would need convincing.

Perhaps I'm being too pessimistic, but I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about Chancellor Hummel. Besides, we should be prepared for anything that crops up.

Matthias

Brothers,

From my discussion with the Chancellor, it appears that he is most concerned with maintaining his standing with us. Clearly the situation with Sigismund and Fritz was a simple error. I have tried to communicate the necessity of following the orders for the Austrian Household Army by referring to all Household Armies in the general sense. Hopefully this will give the desired result without giving any clues as to our identities.

In addition, I have noticed that the status of Milanese islands has nothing to do with the Chancellor. It appears that my father failed to give any orders for the Bavarian Household Army. Clearly the Chancellor is unaware of our plans for the invasion of the islands. There is no one to blame for this but Duke Steffen.

Lothar

Brothers,

Matthias, I believe you are correct with your comments about asking blatant preferences for us. It would become clear to Hummel if all of a sudden we asked for the AHA to be turned into the most powerful force in the Reich.

Therefore please do not request what I have written below Lothar. In fact we should simply keep our requests as they are and not add to anything specific to them.

Hummel was always going to do things his way and he seems to have gone and done that. I also am not pleased with his handling of Sigismund or his disregard to House requests. Sigismund is not knighted and yet he is being ordered against my wishes to Sofia to meet Hans apparently.

If Hummel gets out of control we should definitely have a plan in place. As Duke I am one confirmed vote for an emergency session, your father could be a tricky proposition but potentially another vote. Jobst could call an emergency session of course (forgive me if my constitutional understanding is not correct. Please correct me if I am wrong), but this should only be in a dire situation.

What I am reading into the situation is that Hummel will not overtly state what he is doing. For example with the Ansehelm situation, he might simply put him in a smaller army and let Ansehelm work it out for himself once he sees the forces he has been given. That's when the realisation will hit.

What real power do we have over Hummel now...that is my question?

Brothers,

Our power over Chancellor Hummel is simple: that he paid us in order to gain the Chancellorship. If we were to make this known to the Diet, there would surely be an immense outcry. We could probably push such outrage into and Emergency Diet Session if we needed to.

However, I am not quite as concerned as either of you. Some of Hummel's moves are curious, but we are still in the opening days of his Chancellorship. It is impossible to tell what his reasons are.

At the same time, the Chancellor cannot be expected to know that the orders of the BHA and the AHA should be obeyed to the letter. He does not know of our interests in those houses. I do not wish to reveal that Arnold and Matthias are Brothers, but it may be worthwhile to simply tell the Chancellor to follow the orders for the BHA and AHA precisely, even if they change during his term. We could simply say that we have debts of our own to pay, or something similar.

What I am truly curious about is whether the Chancellor will publicly announce what is happening with Hans and Ansehelm. As before, I will notify you immediately of what transpires in the meeting.

Lothar

Brothers,

I have made a choice regarding our next member.

To keep things very close to our chest I recommend Lord Zirn. Matthias will need some support in the east and this will balance us at two and two.

Plus as a member of House Austria he is very close to me and my control.

What do you both think?

Arnold.

Brothers,

I have had no contact with the man whatsoever, so I do not have any basis on which to make a decision. Matthias' opinion is important because he will be in Outremer with Karl Zirn, and Arnold's is important because he is Zirn's Lord and likely knows the man best. I will agree with whatever the two of you decide.

Lothar

Brothers,

As Lothar is undecided, Matthias, you must agree before I have Lothar begin contact as "The Voice".

Get back to me as soon as possible.

The recent events with Sigismund mean I want Zirn very close to me now.

I'm not sure which way this will go but if Sigismund has someone whisper in his ear about assuming the position of Austrian Duke, then I'll kill him myself.

Arnold.

Brothers,

To be honest, I am in the same situation as Lothar. I have had little contact with Karl Zirn. Nothing leaps to mind when I think of the name. What do you think he could offer the Illuminati? If he is a loyal vassal, that can still be used without adding him to the order.

As for Sigismund, you decide who is heir, let the fool dream as long as he stays in line.

We should be careful about who we invite in, first because we might end up with another Ansehelm situation. Second, the larger our order gets, the more unwieldy it will become, we'll have greater influence, but lose initiative and agility.

Matthias

Brothers,

I understand your points Matthias, but three people is not really enough in my opinion and we are more than able to organise things with four I believe.

At the next election I would like to have one of us elected chancellor and we will need a voting block that is large enough to accomplish that.

Zirn is not overly impressive but people like him tend to overachieve when given the chance to be apart of something larger than they.

If you two are not in favour then say so outright. We have Charter and we will all respect that.

Arnold

Brothers,

I do not oppose Karl Zirn by any means, I merely wish to be reassured that you believe him to be a good candidate. While the Order does not require constant attention, we will sometimes find ourselves in difficult situations requiring quick action from all members. I want to make sure that Count Zirn will embrace our Order with enthusiasm if we offer him an invitation.

As both Matthias and I have said, you know the man best, Grand Master. If you believe he will be a good addition to the Brotherhood, I will support your decision and give my approval.

Lothar

Brothers,

I understand your concerns Lothar.

Please go ahead and make contact with Zirn.

He is enthusiastic I can confirm that. If he is not, then I will have him die at the hands of the on rushing Mongols!!

Arnold.

Grand Master,

I will contact Zirn as soon as Matthias gives his approval. I have re-read my brother's previous letter on this matter and I cannot find anything that appears to satisfy that requirement. I would not wish to go ahead without ensuring that we are all in agreement on this matter.

Lothar

Lothar,

Am I mistaken or do you disagree with this move?

How have things been progressing with the Chancellor? I see Hans is being repositioned much to his annoyance. Does the Chancellor realise how upset Hans is becoming?

Grand Master

No, I most certainly do not disagree with it. It is not possible for all Electors to know each other on a personal basis. Since I do not know Zirn, I cannot really speak out in favor of him or against him. I must therefore rely on the opinions of those of the Order who do know him. In this case, that is only you. I trust all Brothers with my life and I know for certain that each of us would never do anything to harm the Order. Therefore, if you believe that Zirn would be a good addition, then I believe so as well.

As for the Chancellor, I have not heard from him since the last communication I related to you. I am certain he knows of Hans' annoyance and I suspect he even relishes it. He has commented before about his negative feelings towards the man. I believe that an open Diet argument between the Chancellor and Hans, and potentially Ansehelm as well, will be to our advantage. The more discord we can sow in the Diet, the fewer voting blocs there will be and the greater our ability to manipulate. The only thing that can stop us is if another alliance of Electors arises to pursue their own ends. The more fractured and volatile we can keep the Diet, the better our chances of success.

I have heard rumors that the Kaiser is dead. These have not been confirmed yet, but if God is merciful they are true and I will soon be able to take my proper seat in the Diet.

Lothar

Brothers,

Ok that is all good to know.

And yes, word has reached me through merchants that the Kaiser has passed away. If he has then you can be back in the Diet immediately.

I am also concerned with rival blocs becoming more organised and having agenda's counter to our own. That is why I am interested in a new member or members in the future.

Do we have any indication of rival groups forming in the Reich?

Grand Master

Brothers,

Arnold, I meant no offense, but I don't know Karl Zirn. You have served with him, would he be an effective member of the Illuminati? Can he keep a secret? Act with tact and subtlety? Would he believe in our goals and not betray us? Since I do not know him, I can't answer these questions, and that makes me cautious about adding him. If you can assure me that he can meet our standards, than I will sanction his invitation into the Brotherhood.

Lothar, I have heard a rumor (from story quoted above) that you might be engaged to Jobst's daughter. Is this true, or merely idle gossip? It would benefit our Order if one of us does marry her, as mentioned by Arnold. It should be one of you, since I will be taking the role of Crusader and defender of the Old Guard.

I think we should consider offering Elberhard the Lewd admission into our order. Now that he's out from his Father's thumb, he will want to make his name in the world. We can offer him that chance, while benefiting from his position and lineage. He remains somewhat of an unknown though, so I am interested in your opinions.

Keeping the Diet fractured is to our advantage, but if the Reich tips too far into Chaos, it will be to no one's advantage. Enjoying unchallenged influence and dominion over a smoking ruin is Chimerical. We need to maintain a semblance of balance.

Lothar, I'm going to attack you in the Diet over your "festive" reception of Kaiser Henry's death. This will continue to foster the appearance of a split between us. You play the callow gallant well.

We now enter an era of great opportunity but also great danger for our Order, we must tread carefully.

Matthias.

Brothers,

It seems this is the third rumor about my impending marriage. First that Hungarian strumpet I bedded a few years back, then some imaginary Bavarian bride, now the daughter of the Kaiser! Hells, I'm not saying I haven't 'engaged' them, as it were, but if I am betrothed I appear to be the last to know of it! I do find it curious that my marital bed seems to be worthy of such wide gossip. Perhaps my mistresses have been talking of my prowess with the sword.

Well done in the Diet, Matthias. I believe we have exuded the proper atmosphere of brotherly love. Now we just need to hope we don't get expelled for it. Making a scene during Kaiser Henry's funeral orations! HAH! The old bastard will be turning in his grave!

Lothar

Brothers,

What are your thoughts on me pursuing a marriage to Lyse von Salza?

It would certainly gain me some degree of power and potentially allow for succession to be passed onto me.

Arnold.

Ulrich hangs up the black ribbon.

*No sooner have you placed the ribbon then there is a knock at your door. The speed of the response is startling and somewhat disturbing. How closely are these men watching you? You open the door, but it is only a servant delivering your evening bedpan. You laugh at coincidence and dismiss the man.*

"What do you want, Chancellor?"

*Somehow, as if by magic, a cloaked man has appeared in the corner of your room. Perhaps these people are in league with dark powers...*

I will need your support in the coming days in the Diet. Some "contentious matters" have arisen and I will be severely attacked in the Diet. In order to fulfill the rest of mein plans for the Reich, I shall need strong support from you. Can I count on it?

Concerning Herr Ansehelm, I am pleased to inform you that he is back in Thorn, while Herr Peter is marching toward Russia.

Ulrich Hummel.

It is difficult for us to say without knowing what these "contentious matters" are. We cannot promise support unless we know how must risk we will be taking on and how much work will be required. For instance, asking our members to speak out in your favor in a completely hostile Diet risks exposing their identities. A few words of support are a minor matter in comparison to foiling an impeachment vote.

Our answer depends entirely on receiving more information about the matter. Of course, the greater the services required, the higher our price will be. We fulfilled our part of the Election contract. All future services will require further compensation.

Brothers,

The Chancellor seeks our aid once again. We have another opportunity to demand payment for our services.

Lothar

Brothers,

I will of course defend the Chancellor within the confines of my public persona, but if he wishes our full and effective support, he should be more specific. "Contentious matters" covers a lot of ground.

Still, if this means we can extract more favors later, so be it. I can't think of any more now that wouldn't hint at our identities. I need to reach the Holy Land as quickly as possible to establish my career and be knighted. I also wouldn't mind taking part in the seizure of Iconium, but both are too specific.

If either of you have any ideas, let's hear them.

Matthias

Matthias, your words were wise and I have conveyed the message to the Chancellor. It appears to me that he is intentionally withholding his first report from the Diet until he can secure our support. I wonder what the nature of this... difficulty truly is.

In particular, I would prefer if Matthias and I did not have to speak on the same side of whatever matter it is. We have spent great efforts, and surely lost some standing and esteem with several Electors, in order to ensure that we are not viewed as allies. Suddenly agreeing and supporting each other on a matter would risk revealing our animosity as a ruse.

I will think on possibilities for our 'price'.

Lothar

Brothers,

Regarding the Chancellors support request. He must state what he wants from us rather than making open ended requests. We are of course are restricted in how we take action because we must maintain our anonymity.

Lothar, ask the Chancellor what he wants and we shall see what we can do.

As for Zirn then I do trust him to keep his silence and follow the orders charter. If he doesn’t then the Charter is very clear.

Please go ahead and make contact Lothar.

As for both your efforts in the Diet, then all I can say is well done. I will of course more than likely try to antagonise the situation without taking sides as I find it amusing at the very least.

Lothar, as soon as you have word on either matter please let us know.

As for the Kaiser's daughter, then shall it be Lothar or I making the advances? We must decide quickly or lose the initiative.

Arnold.

Very well, I will contact Karl Zirn soon in the usual manner.

As for the Kaiser's daughter, I believe my outbursts in the Diet are too volatile to make me a serious contender for the lady's hand. Perhaps by the time her younger sister comes of age, I will be in a better position. Arnold, you are the perfect suitor. An unmarried Duke and a potential ally for the Kaiser. By securing a marriage with you, he will believe that he has gained support for himself. In reality, it will be the Order who have gained an Emperor.

Lothar

Brothers,

Excellent I will then proceed to contact the Kaiser to see what happens.

Arnold.