The season of 1099 continued the give-and-take nature of times, as the Reich continued to give more than it took. The King of France assaulted and occupied the city of Bruge, and has surely set his sights on Antwerp as well. Poland continues to besiege Stettin, the Prince of France has Marseille in a vice-grip, and Milan continues to starve out the Swiss.

This last act of defiance has caught the eye of the Pope, none too pleased at the Duke of Milan's attempted legal wrangling. He has excommunicated Duke Bernardo, and the entire Duchy of Milan. For his part the Duke shows no signs of backing down, and has continued the Siege of Bern.

More news came from the return of Duke Premyslid to Prague. As his beleagured mercenaries dispersed themselves due to lack of funds, the Duke quickly came down with a stunning affliction that left him bed-ridden. Fortunately the day-to-day running of the Duchy is much simpler than that of the Reich, and the Duke does not requrie a de facto replacement. Still, that is not to say the situation is not without peril...

Stormclouds remain over the Reich. Are the first rays of light beginning to break through?