Prinz Henry: I would like to congratulate the House of Bavaria on leading our men to twin victories at Bern and Stettin. Both sieges were hard fought and I am pleased that the House of Swabia was able to contribute in some small way, with the gallant Count Sigismund riding at the side of Commander Otto. I hope the Emperor will bear Sigismund in mind to command the next battle of our forces, as I believe he is the only knight of renown who has not yet had a chance to lead us in battle.

I would also like to comment on the severe losses we suffered in the two sieges. I wonder if, in future, we should consider starving out garrisons rather than throwing our men against their walls? After all, a besieged garrison cannot go anywhere, and I would rather face the defenders in a sally (or even fight off a relief force) than storm city walls to get at them. This is particularly true while our assault forces consist of only horse and spearmen. Things may change when the day comes when we can provide a siege train or even persuade our proud knights to dismount to scale the walls. But until that time, I wonder if we should be more patient and not expect such rapid gains as we have become accustomed to.