Trent 1380: (Three weeks after the battle)
Dawn was broken by the first rays of light. Arnold and the four remaining members of the Order stood as a group overlooking the battle ground.
Behind them were the collective members of their retinues, many of them had fought together, spent countless years with each other serving their respective masters. Each of them seemed subdued but where glad to see that some of their fellow advisers, bodyguards, priests and servants had survived the years and more importantly the final epic battle that was strewn below them.
The burial parties could be seen yet again commencing their grim work. That work had been going on from dawn until dusk, and still now, three weeks later, burial pyres where being lit in the early morning light.
On a hill some miles distance from the battlefield a group of men had gathered in the early morning light.
Arnold was dressed in his familiar obsidian plate with his deep red surcoat emblazoned with the blood red dragon, he shielded his eyes as he gazed at the horizon taking shape in the distance. He realised finally he was lost deep in thought and that only a few men where now conversing behind him. Turning to the assembled group the Duke of Austria and Grand Master of the Illuminati looked at the gathering of men assembled before him with pride and determination.
His voice finally broke the silence on the small hill top.
“Gentlemen, I'm glad you could all make it at such an early hour. God knows we have all been working hard reorganising the Reich into a Republic. I can say with certainty that what we will present to the Diet next week will create the future we have seen together in our discussion over the past twenty one days.”
Turning back to the battle field, Arnold swept his plate covered arm over the scene before him.
“What I can honestly say to everyone here is that all those decades ago when Lothar and I first began this, I never envisaged that battle ground and who would be fighting on it.”
Pausing Arnold began his familiar pacing.
“We made this Order for the good of the Reich and to ensure that for eternity, there would be a force in place, in the background, holding steady the Reich's course as we navigated through history, against all events and all people that would endanger what we stood for.
Recent history has shown that while I was expecting external threats, it was in fact ourselves that we were going to face as the principle threat to our existence.
The whims of Kaisers became our most pressing danger, Unification, the Cataclysm, these where the events that took centre stage in our lives and these are the events that we have overcome. That battle field below sadly shows just how gruesome the reality of ruling is. More importantly it shows what a steep price must be paid to ensure that Tyranny and Mayhem are not visited upon us by the opinions of a few people, placed by fate to be born at a certain time to a certain set of people.
I stand before you today to recommit myself to making sure that it is not these same issues that will threaten us in the future, that the Republic, AND the Order will ensure that history doesn't repeat itself.”
Arnold turned back to the assembled men. His jaw clenched and his gauntlets groaned as his hands balled into black metal fists.
“At this time I would like to honour our fallen brothers. Karl Zirn, his son Johann, Jens Hümmel, Dietrich von Dassel and finally our most recently departed Brother Fritz von Kastillen. They were to a man the most dedicated, loyal and brilliant men I've had the privilege of knowing and I pray that they are able to see what we will make of this opportunity their sacrifice has allowed us to accomplish.”
Turn to each of the Illuminati members Arnold used the warriors handshake to look each of them in the eye as he spoke to them in turn.
“Max, your father would be proud of you and so would your brother. Know this...you did what was right and you and Fritz ensured that even though the bloodshed was horrific, it was at least much less than what it could have been.
Herrmann, your uncle and father have been part of the Order from the very beginning. You've been a credit to them both and the service the Steffen family has given to the Reich and the Order will be overshadowed by what you alone will accomplish in the New Republic.
Matthias, my friend, you've been a stalwart of consistency and brilliance. Your handling of Outremer and house politics as a whole has been incredible. You and your brother form one of the most impressive set of minds I've even encountered.
Lothar, my friend, we grew up together, your brother has been my brother, your father was my father and you have been everything and more to me as a companion, as the Voice, as the Duke of Bavaria and as the one man that has kept everything together no matter what situations we faced together.
Standing back, Arnold now addressed everyone on the hill top. His voice swept across the hill top, full of energy and passion.
“My Brothers, your loyal retinues, we stand on the steps of an old Reich, a Reich that we will turn into a New Republic, a Republic that will stand for the principles of our Charter, a Charter that has proved its worth, a Charter that has drawn together the greatest collection of men the world has seen to date.
A salute to you all in the name of the new Republic and in the name of the Illuminati Order!!!”
There was no cheering among the men, of course. The battle was too horrible and the effort expended too great to make that sort of thing appropriate. Instead, each of the Brothers simply nodded, lost in their own thoughts and what Arnold had said, supremely satisfied in their own unique ways.
Herrmann Steffen looked down from the hill at the gravediggers, sitting quietly. He was the only one in the group whose armor was shiny, the only one who had not participated in the battle. Maybe it was for the best. His two predecessors, Jens Hümmel and Dietrich von Dassel, had notoriously short life spans. Jens had died the year after he was formally inducted, barely getting his feet wet before fate had taken him, and Dietrich had already made his sacrifice, destroying two of the enemy’s greatest supporters and depriving them of much influence.
Herrmann silently saluted his fallen comrades and predecessors, as well as the Zirns and Fritz. Without their devotion, this day, this moment, would never have happened.
The salute only lasted for a few moments, as the past was gone. He was the future. Even though the Reich was to become a Republic, there would still be leaders. With the death of so many nobles at Trent, there would be a massive power vacuum to fill. This vacuum would be intensified in a few short years, when the senior Brothers would inevitably die off. Then, Herrmann realized, he would have a very good chance of becoming the second Grand Master, not to mention the leading voice in the Diet along with Maximilian Zirn. It had been a long road for the Steffen family ever since a young noble named Gerhard set foot on the Genoese battlefield so many years ago and vowed his assistance in the destruction of another enemy of the Reich.
Would the road end with the deaths of Lothar and Matthias? Herrmann doubted it. He had two more brothers to take up in their stead. For Herrmann Steffen, the possibilities of what he could accomplish were limited only by his dreams.
Lothar turned his gaze from the field of battle and surveyed the surviving Brothers of the Illuminati. It was a victory indeed, for all of them, but at such a cost that Lothar’s heart had been heavy for every moment that had past since that momentous day. With sadness in his eyes, he turned to Matthias.
“You are my brother twice over, Matthias. In blood and in shadow. Yet for so much of our lives, we have been forced to put on a façade of rivalry. I am glad that those days are finally over. Our family has suffered too much in recent years, and it is sometimes more than I think I can bear. I do not know how deep Dannae’s curse runs in our family, but it seems I have never shaken free of its grasp. For a time, I thought our family was safe and our destinies true, but Bernhard’s death was no coincidence. Two Steffens have now died under my command. It was bad enough losing our brother, Markus, but no man should outlive his own son. I am old now, and I must do what I can to remove this curse before it takes more Steffen blood. Father and I were the two most afflicted by this curse. It can be no coincidence that neither of us ever set foot in Outremer. I intend to end that discrepancy and break the curse once and for all. When you return to Outremer, Matthias, I shall go with you. I shall make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Maximilian, and then to Jerusalem itself. Perhaps with the blessing of God, the Pope, and, of course, the Viceroy, I can rid our family of this vile plague once and for all. Even if I fail, I will end my days in the company of family, and there is little I desire more these days.”
Lothar smiled slightly, and turned to Herrmann.
“My son, I have trained you for great things since the day you were born. You have proven your abilities many times over the past years. I am proud to be your father and even more proud to be your Brother. The future of the Steffen family now falls on your shoulders. Matthias and I are old and we will soon depart this world. You will need to look after your brothers and ensure that they thrive and prosper. Yet, there is one more burden that I must now place on your shoulders.”
“A man cannot govern his lands effectively when he is at a great distance from them. I will leave for Outremer soon, and I may never return. It is therefore my intention to abdicate. As my eldest son and heir, I hereby name you the new Duke of Bavaria.”
With this, Lothar knelt in deep homage to his son, before rising and ruffling his hair in an affectionate manner.
“Remember the example your grandfather set, Herrmann, and you will do well. Always protect your people first, no matter what price you must pay personally. Those of us who are superior in mind have a duty to watch over those who are more mundane. The future of Bavaria is in your hands, my son.”
Lothar turned next to Maximillian Zirn.
“I regret that I have not had much time to get to know you, Brother Zirn, but your father and I were always good friends. Your family has given more than any other to the Order, and thus to the Reich. The Zirns are a paragon of virtue and gifted with the wisdom of the ages. You are a worthy heir to your father’s reputation. I know he would be proud to see you here with us today.”
The former Duke of Bavaria looked over at his old friend, Arnold. The two had birthed the Illuminati in the bloom of life and dedicated their lives to growing and nurturing it. Never had the Reich seen two stronger allies, or two closer friends. Throughout the decades, age and battle had changed their visages. The decades had not been kind to either man. The gray hair and scars had wiped away the frivolity of youth; marks on the soul as well as the body. Yet, despite the many years that had past, not one falsehood had ever passed between these two men. Such absolute trust was rare indeed. Arnold saw the growing seriousness in his friend’s eye and unleashed a grin that wiped away Lothar’s misery in a moment. The Voice of the Illuminati raised an eyebrow and looked at the field of Trent.
“I still think we should have called ourselves The Drunken Whoremongers.”
The men laughed heartily together, and for a moment, they were boys once again.
Max sat on a knoll looking over the field and thinking it was finally over.
Thinking back since the death of Johann his mind had not stopped turning. He was exhausted and just wanted to lie down on the sodden field.
This was not his to do and he was overcome with emotion sobbing quietly, he was the youngest, the carefree life of a wealthy family. This was Johann’s duty passed down from their father, or was it? Max could not think of all the work he had to do to be part of this battle and what scheme his father had orchestrated to have him fulfill the family responsibility to the Order. He missed the old man and his Brother Johann and to date he had not the time to grieve his death. However there was Jan, and thankful he survived the battle.
It was a father figure that had been missing though, and strangely Fritz had been a source of confidence in the days leading up to the battle. He listened intently for his words of wisdom as he always saw a different man in Fritz then the rest of the nobles and this was especially true now he was gone. “Rest my brother” Max whispered has he gazed out over the dead, still littering the field. He saw the other members grouped together and wiping the tears he got up and walked over to them.
He barely heard Lothar’s words of praise for the family but he shook his hand heartily and said thank you to him for all his support.
Looking over at Hermann, Max smiled; “I guess we have a lot of work to do in the near future, we have to pick up after these Old Men.” Motioning towards the Elder Illuminate members, Hermann smirked and nodded in agreement.
Max then spoke to his Uncle, thanking him for his support and being there for the family for as long as he could remember. He hoped that he had proven himself in battle to the fearless leader. “Uncle, I just have one request to make and I ask for your blessing” Arnold nodded in agreement and Max turned to the last living member of the Order who had been in the East.
“Matthias, my father has spoken very highly of you and of the work in the Outremer. Your service has been above reproach and it something every knight should be looking at to measure there own worth.” Max thought of his father and was momentarily silent before speaking again. “I wish to be one of those men and I ask that I accompany you back to the Outremer. There is much more work to be done there. I want to go to Damascus.”
Hearing the younger man’s words, Matthias smiled, the first time he done so since the grim day had began.
“You’ve got a good name for Outremer, Maximillian Zirn, son of a great Crusader and namesake of a Saint. I’d be honored if you took the Cross. The Kingdom will need defenders, now and in the future. If you live up to the promise you showed on this terrible field, the Crown of Thorns will be yours one day.”
He turned to Lothar and his smile disappeared.
“The loss of Bernhard is a terrible one. I wish I had known the boy better. If you feel you need to come to Outremer, then you are most certainly welcome. You are my brother; I would not refuse you anything. My only regret is that our father died without knowing that our feud was just a ruse. The old man would have been proud.”
The smile returned, a bit more sardonic.
“Lothar Steffen in the Holy Land? A sign of the end of days if there ever was one.”
“As for you,” said Matthias turning to Hermann, “Not a bad days work, my Duke.”
Matthias sketched a bow and then clapped his nephew on the shoulder.
“The path ahead of you is difficult, what we did today established the foundation of the Republic, but it will be up to your generation to build it. Royalists, rebels and the armies of half of Europe will be arrayed against you, but I have no doubt you will succeed. You are a Steffen after all. Take care of Wenzel, you never know what third sons are capable of.”
Matthias turned to Arnold.
“Good show today, you magnificent #@$@%$ Bastard! Though I wish you had waited another day before attacking so I could have done something more than chase routers. You lead us to victory and held your nerve when things looked grim. A lesser man, knowing about Max and Fritz, would have stayed on the defensive, but you charged in, pinning their line for the killing blow. I expected nothing less from the Dread Duke.”
His one eye took in all his Brothers, and he spoke again.
“I once said ‘We are effective as long as we are unknown. As soon as we step into the light of day, our power will dissipate.’ This has come to pass, though with Fritz’s sacrifice our final deception won the battle. The power of the Order will now fall away, but we must emerge from the shadows to build the Republic side by side with the others who fought for it. I pray that it will be enough.”
As the sun set on the field of battle, the gravediggers and peasants began to disperse to their homes. Soon, only the surviving Brothers of the Illuminati remained to watch over the dead. Silence descended on the group for a long time, before the Grand Master gave a great sigh.
“I suppose our work is done. The Kaiser has been overthrown and the Republic now rules the Reich. The next time we enter the Diet, all Electors will be equal.”
The Voice let the solemnity of the moment wash over them, before replying. “In the Republic, all Electors are equal, but some Electors are more equal than others.”
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