Re: Imperial Diet VI
A Bavarian man-at-arms enters at the rear of the Diet. When there is a pause in conversation, he approaches Duke Steffen, hands him a sealed letter, and bends down to whisper into his ear. At first the Duke nods, then smiles and claps his hands.
Excellent! Excellent! Thank you, Wilhelm, you are dismissed. Convey my appreciation to the captain of my guard.
The man straightens up and strides out of the Diet. Lothar opens the letter, reads it, then stands to address the Diet.
I bring great news, Electors! The Kaiser’s killer has been caught! My men followed some leads which were gained through soldiers disguised as rogues in some of the baser Florentine taverns. It seems that a wealthy Milanese nobleman living in Florence, some cousin of the last Duke, I believe, wished to gain some amount of revenge for the destruction of his rebellious nation’s short-lived independence. He sought out like-minded Milanese who were still living within their former homes, now part of Bavaria. We all know that those mercantile dogs were far better at finances than they were at war, so it is not surprising that they were able to raise such a considerable sum without it being noticed.
However, simple wealth is not enough to accomplish the murder of a Kaiser. No, the Milanese formed an alliance with another group that is far more adept at these kinds of things: the Assassins’ Guild! Apparently they too have been disgruntled with the Reich as of late. I had heard rumors that they had threatened the lives of some Electors if their demands were not met and it is public knowledge that, then Prinz, Elberhard refused to allow them to build a ‘Master’ Guildhouse in Stettin only a short while ago. It seems that their grievances, combined with the immense monies supplied by the treacherous Milanese, were enough to gain their cooperation. With Milanese gold and Assassins’ Guild agents, the mercenaries were located and hired and the dark deed was done.
Lothar holds up the letter.
I hold here in my hand the signed confession of one Giovanni Legnano, the ringleader of this entire circus of treachery, and a resident of the good city of Florence. He admits to his crimes and freely names the Assassins’ Guild and several other Milanese noblemen within Bavaria as accomplices. My household guard is currently hunting down the rest of these animals and I can assure you that they will not be long for this world. As for Giovanni Legnano himself, he has already paid for the sins he has committed. He expired shortly after signing this confession, as a result of the rigorous questioning that my men put him through. I admit that I would have liked to have seen him stretched on the rack in front of the Diet itself, but we all know the side-effects that often result from a proper judicial torturing. These other accomplices will undoubtedly require similar questioning methods to get them to admit their guilt, but I will order my personal surgeon to be present so that they may be kept alive for as long as possible.
The one avenue I cannot pursue is the Assassins’ Guild, for they are not based within Bavaria. I urge all Electors whose lands harbor these vile creatures to have their guildhouses burned to the ground and their members executed on the spot.
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