Tyranny of Steel

As the war in Iberia continued, an important meeting was taking place in the Scandinavian city of Oslo. The various Dukes and Margraves of Germany had temporarily called a ceasefire and gathered in the neighboring realm, which was neutral ground with the purpose to discuss the greatest threat to their continued existence.

There was one German Duke who had declared himself King and had risen to his position through sheer overwhelming force. Every day Austria advanced with new, Faustian technology that caused many to believe that its King had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for limitless knowledge.

Though the Catholic Church refused to recognize the legitimacy of Berengar's claim to be a King, many of his neighbors used such a title out of respect for his power, for if he were to be called a Duke, then what exactly did that make them? Duke Dietger of Bavaria spoke of their southern neighbor, whose power and rapid expansion had become a significant threat.

"The Pope has declared a Crusade against Austria and its so-called German Reformation, which has now spread to every corner of our lands. It is not just Austria who will suffer in this conflict; our lands will burn in the flames of fanatics who want nothing more than to appease the Papacy!

Meanwhile, Berengar further invokes the ire of the Church as he has dispatched tens of thousands of men into Iberia to prop up the Emirate of Granada as a puppet State. My spies can not even infiltrate Austria without being discovered!

I have little doubt in my mind that this proxy war of his will become a disaster for the Catholic World. Nearly half a million men have marched from all corners of Christendom in an attempt to eradicate the Austro-Granadan forces, and I fear they will be obliterated!"

Out of all the men present, Dietger was the most familiar with Berengar's forces, as he had been thoroughly swept aside in Austria by a small number of what were then Tyrolean troops. He had no idea that the equipment of the Austrian army was rapidly being modernized and that the weapons used to defeat his forces so thoroughly were already being replaced.

Dietger concluded his rant with words of caution as he addressed his peers from the German-speaking regions.

"If we do not unite together, and march on Austria now, then we will have no chance of victory when the Pope finally manages to march his crusaders against our enemy!"

Though Dietger was correct in saying this, the other Dukes looked at him as if he had gone mad. Thus one man, in particular, the Margrave of Baden, spoke out against his paranoid delusions.

"Though Berengar has managed to defeat the forces of Italy and Switzerland, I do not believe he has the power to repel the near half a million men who have marched on his allies in Granada. He has sent half of his army into their lands and will undoubtedly face a disastrous defeat.

If the so-called King of Austria does manage to escape from his inevitable loss in Iberia, then he will be left with half his army to contend against the same force who beat him! Not only that, but the additional crusaders prepared for this conflict will be marching alongside them!

Despite this, I understand your fears as his neighbor and will concede that this Self-Titled Kingdom of Austria is a grave threat to our continued existence. Thus rather than unite to march upon Austria immediately, I propose we conduct a ceasefire.

Which will allow us time to build up our forces to contribute to the upcoming Crusade against the Berengar Heresy. Only after we have wiped this heretical menace from our lands should we continue our petty disputes over the title of King of Germany. "

What the Margrave of Baden said made sense to the remaining German Dukes and Margraves. However, it was ultimately up to the two potential successors of the Throne to agree. Thus all eyes gazed upon the man known as Duke Hartman von Luxembourg, or as his rivals referred to him as "the Bastard of Luxembourg," to see if he would be willing to declare a ceasefire for the time being. After careful consideration, the young man, who was currently engaged in a brutal stalemate with the Bavarian pretender, sighed heavily before nodding his head in affirmation.

"Under these circumstances, I can allow for a ceasefire to exist between our camps. Until the Berengar Heresy and its leaders are routed out and destroyed, I swear that my forces and that of my allies shall not aggress further upon Dietger or his faction so long as they agree to the same conditions."

Dietger was upset that his warning was not taken seriously and knew that such efforts would ultimately be vain. He believed that Berengar would further rise in power over the next few years, and with it, he would quickly sweep aside the Crusader army, no matter how large it grew; from there, he would use it as an excuse to invade the German realm and unite it under his banner.

Dietger may be a proud and ill-tempered man, but he was wise enough to see the writing on the wall. As such, he hung his head in defeat before nodding his head in agreement. After doing so, he spoke his piece.

"Very well, I shall agree to your ceasefire, but mark my words, by the time we invade Austria alongside the crusaders, it will be too late!"

After saying this, he stood up from his seat in the conference and stormed out of the room where he was flanked by his ministers. It was not until they were in a secure location that he began to speak in secrecy.

"Send a letter to the Chancellor of Austria, tell him that Bavaria is willing to cooperate with their realm in the upcoming Crusade and is even willing to pay back our debts immediately. If they are willing to forgive our previous intrusion, then I, as Duke of Bavaria, am willing to aid them in their efforts."

The ministers gazed at Dietger in shock as he said this and immediately began to question his words.

"I thought we were here to convince the other realms to unite against Austria; how did we get to the point where we must grovel before them?"

Dietger immediately slammed his fist upon the stone wall in rage as he enlightened his ministers about what doom he perceived would follow in the near future.

"Those fools think Berengar and his Army will be trounced in Iberia and the upcoming Crusade. However, they do not know what I know. If they wait that long then defeat, and annexation is inevitable, we might as well submit ourselves now and gain some advantages as loyal followers while we still can!

It goes against every fiber of my being to submit to another man, but I see what lies on the horizon and am willing to put aside my personal pride for the sake of my family and my realm! Do as I say and make sure the other Dukes do not find out about this!"

Dietger's ministers immediately bowed their heads in respect; even they feared the ever-increasing threat of their southern neighbor; if the Duke was willing to submit to the Austrian Crown, then they believed it was indeed a wise decision.

With this in mind, they quickly got to task as they silently dispatched a messenger to Kufstein to inform the Chancellor of Germany of their decision. Their choice to kneel before their southern neighbors would turn out to be a wise one, and Dietger would one day consider it the wisest decision he had ever made as a ruler.

As for the remainder of the German High-Nobility, they had no way of knowing that their entire meeting was observed by Austrian Royal Intelligence, for one of the ministers present in the conference was a devout believer of the German Reformation and had long since been recruited by the Austrians as a spy.

Thus, before the Bavarian delegation reached Austria, Linde would already know what had transpired and began making preparations to sabotage the German rearmament. With this, a new war of intrigue was about to begin.

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