>>6450272
The actual meeting and session was to be held in the great hall of the Albrechtsburg. Most of the tables had been put aside, and chairs and seats from elsewhere had been fetched to accommodate the large number of attendees. Yet it certainly wouldn't be the sole host for the pomp and circumstance of the event.

There would be a procession of the gathered attendants through the main avenue first and then to the hall, where they would pledge their renewed allegiance to the king. The loud blaring of the trumpets would fill the halls and courtyard. Yet it was still a few hours off, so you still had time to prepare for their eventual arrival.

Breakfast was joined by your family. In particular, your only son, the crown prince, had been spearheading the project that required the convention of the Landtag in the first place. The renovation and expansion of Rittersbach.

Money, you can never have enough of it, nor can you ever spend enough of it. Since the founding of the kingdom, you and your father had been able to keep the pursestrings a royal prerogative through maintaining various war taxes upon the estates of the realm. Even if it was peace.

"So what will happen here?" Crownprince Dietrich asked, and truth be told, you didn't know, you had tried your best to reign without needing to rely on a diet or parliament, but the situation was becoming increasingly grim. When the burghers and nobles unite, you can do little but negotiate.

>We will wait and see.
>I don't know, but I intend to come out of it with my powers uncurtailed.
>It will be a conference unlike any other, though I don't intend to let those two estates be united for much longer.
>A meeting unlike any other; for parliamentarism will come, and I intend to integrate myself into it.

>>6450273
>I don't know, but I intend to come out of it with my powers uncurtailed.
Or as much as reasonably possible kek.

Also Adle. how did the exams go?

>>6450273
>A meeting unlike any other; for parliamentarism will come, and I intend to integrate myself into it.
Straightforward resistance will only be met with redoubled efforts. We need to outsmart them instead. Let them think they have power, but leave the actual levers in our hands

>>6450282
>how did the exams go?
One good, one poorly

>>6450302
On the bright side only one re-exam. Manageable all things considered if you start the prepwork early enough.

>>6450273
>It will be a conference unlike any other, though I don't intend to let those two estates be united for much longer.
Welcome back Adle!

The main reason we are having this landtag in the first place is because of their alliance. Unfortunately we need their cooperation so there are going to be concessions, but I dont want a full blown parliament yet because our bureaucracy is still too new and I don't want to waste all our efforts in centralizing only to give it away.

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A plan was formulating in the depths of your mind; obviously, you would make certain your prerogatives and privilege would remain as unchecked as possible, while at the same time you would throw them a bone or two if you believed it would appease them. Indeed, not all fronts are as united as they appear from the outside.

Burghers and nobles are not friends in normal circumstances. Snobbery aside, the mercantile classes often pursue a more open trade policy which, while internally opposed by the guilds, still finds its main opponents in the nobility, who fear that an influx of cheap foods and other raw goods would lessen the income of their estates. A fear you could play on, perhaps.

Aside from that, there is, of course, the generational issue within both estates, the older ones were used to the times of your father, who maintained a looser hand in many matters, even if he laid the foundation for what you were now building. The younger men of the realm saw in your high-handed approach an opportunity for change and progress, careers as your councillors and administrators. Younger sons, those who stood to inherit only a pittance of their familial estates or nothing at all, were often dependent either on the patronage of a greater lord or on you, with them often becoming judges, castellans, or diplomats in your service. Because receiving your salary from a king made working a slight bit less embarrassing in front of your fellows.

Then again, you could always offer them increased control over their peasants if that is what it required, reversing a slow erosion of serfdom, though the institution remained remarkably strong in rural places. But it was only an option; you wouldn't need to take it, not yet at least.

As for the burghers, it was as mundane and petty as could be expected, with infernal screeches about their tax money being used in 'frivolities' like renovating the capital, too-high tariffs, and not enough support with the dues collected by the King of Toldmark, who on occasion extracted dues from all ships entering and exiting the Armentic Sea. The typical bourgeois groaning you could just as easily hear on the market or in the trade hall. In ordinary circumstances you would make no note of it; you kept the roads safe, the ports open and provided them with a place to conduct business. As long as you didn't shift too much of a tax burden on them, they would keep their grumbling to themselves, but these weren't ordinary circumstances.

And then there was the wildcard of the bunch, the first estate, the clergy; all the bishops and archbishops would most certainly be in attendance, even if their numbers would be spectacularly low. Greifswald only boasted two archbishops, one in Tanzig and the other in Libau, north and south; both of them combined had about eleven dioceses between them. But the more influential monasteries and abbeys would send their heads as well, though you doubted there would be an abbess or anything of the like.
(1/3)

>>6450641
Tauten customary law always holds that the husband shall represent his spouse in all legal matters, and even if they bore the title in their own right, there wouldn't be any ladies here. Save for the queen and whoever wished to watch from the sidelines. And the church wouldn't upset that custom.

So you did have a plan and an objective. Though before properly committing you would like to get some measure of what these two estates could muster to stand before you. Ordinarily, nobody would dare accuse their king of bad policy, for that would imply that one chosen by the gods was in the wrong, and that would imply that the gods were wrong. So they would most likely demand the resignation of your advisors. As surely it was the advisors who were leading the king astray, and not the king consciously making those decisions.

It was the type of mind game you didn't have the patience for; no, you remember all too well how you let those Varangians slaughter those eunuchs. Toffs, the lot of them; if only you could settle such matters on the battlefield, where your true talents lie, but that would hurt the realm more than it would fix it. But it would be a battle of words, one over which you would need to both preside, moderate, and debate.

You went back to the drawing room to get properly enrobed in the fine details of your kingship: the robes, the cloak, the rings, the crown, and Silberkralle in a ceremonial scabbard that weighed more than the sword itself. That alone took an hour to put on properly; you would also be slowed by all of this stuff, so you made your way downstairs as quickly but steadily as several pounds of gold, cloth, ermine, and gems could allow. The weight of your regal attire felt like a burden; heavy is the head that bears the crown. You almost kicked yourself for that cliché thought.

You then sat upon your throne, recently gilded, though the base was still wood, but the gold would keep out the rot and the worms. Or at least that was the intention; a cushion and draped furs made it all the more comfortable. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for the day ahead as you gazed out at the courtiers waiting for them to enter the chamber. You looked to your side; at least your queen would be alongside you for this.

And with the first blast of the trumpets, the first estate came, mitres and staffs borne by men in white robes. Archbishops in front, followed by bishops and priests, all bowing before you as a sign of fealty. They did something with their heads so the mitre didn't fall off before they turned and took their allocated seats. Indeed, they were few in number and only took up two benches.
(2/3)

>>6450643
Then the trumpets sounded again, and forth came the lords of the realm, all endowed with ermine cloaks and hats, surcoats underneath, and ceremonial swords at their sides; only your councillors weren't in this procession, as they had their own seats. They came and bowed as well, white-bearded magnate and pimple-ridden lordling alike. The first among them was your son, who, as crown prince, ranked as the highest and greatest of them all. They took up a good chunk of benches, more than either the burghers or the clergy was allowed, but they weren't an absolute majority. Especially with the elven princes among them.

Tall as they were, their splendour had been there from the moment their ship came up the river, and even here they certainly cut a figure in contrast to the human nobles. Though they didn't comment much upon it and simply took their seats as well.

Lastly, came the mayors of the cities, representing the burghers as the urban elite. The Lord Mayor of Rittersbach came first, with the others forming a double file behind him. There was authority about them, though not the martial kind that the nobles possessed. Their authority came from their business acumen, and they were eager to show it.

They were crass in their taste, excessive and loud, as many insecure of their station often were. Their boisterous laughter and ostentatious displays of wealth stood out starkly against the sophisticated demeanour of the nobles. They took their places and fell silent as the heavy, craven spruce wooden doors shut.

The chamberlain slammed his staff against the stone floor, signalling the beginning of the meeting. It was time for you to make your opening statement. Which always began with the same words.

"We, Albrecht, by the grace of the gods, King of Greifswald, Prauthen and the Vollinger Mark, et cetera, et cetera, do hereby open this Landtag."
(3/3)
>It is my hope that you, my most loyal and esteemed subjects, will bring forth your wisdom and counsel.
>I summoned you here today to address both grievances and problems, in such a way as only a gathering of this proportion can bring.
>In the name of the common weal, you have been brought here in the common interest of the realm and its people.
>Write-in.

>>6450646
>It is my hope that you, my most loyal and esteemed subjects, will bring forth your wisdom and counsel.

>>6450646
>In the name of the common weal, you have been brought here in the common interest of the realm and its people.
This sets a tone that forces them to frame their upcoming "grievances" around the realm's benefit rather than their personal pockets.

>>6450646
>>In the name of the common weal, you have been brought here in the common interest of the realm and its people.

"In the name of the common weal, you have been brought here in the common interest of the realm and its people." The opening line of your speech brought the eyes of the room upon you. The common weal, that to which all should strive, is a realm united and strong, with virtuous clergy, brave nobles, shrewd burghers, and diligent peasants.

"We are pleased, then, to see so many of you before us, our lords and commons united in brotherly accord, as the senate and populace of the old empire were in the golden age. We, as your king, are not blind to your struggles and grievances, both true and unfounded, and we are committed to addressing them with fairness and justice." You read from a parchment the chancellor had prepared for you the night before, with you dictating and a scribe meticulously transcribing your words.

The crowd before you murmured in both agreement and quiet discussion. You continued on with your speech, speaking about both ancient rights and customs to be upheld, and new laws and reforms to be implemented for the betterment of the kingdom. Before finally opening the floor for petitions.

The first to be able to submit anything would be the clergy. Though they stayed quiet before the summons, there was not much for them to bring forth, as their status had remained effectively the same as it always was. The reduction in unspoken power since the collapse of the Order aside. Most of it was minute things, state donations for a new chapel roof, and the gifting of land for a new monastery. Things that wouldn't cost too much effort or money, and so you declared that you would look into it, for religion came above all other matters. At least in the eyes of the clergy.

Though you knew that with them out of the way, now would come the piece de resistance. From their benches they rose, burgher and noble alike. Hidden defiance behind polite submission. The same as it ever was. Though formally they were two separate groups, in truth they spoke with one word.

"We lords and burghers, united in a good and common cause, do hereby make it known before his majesty that we must protest in the strongest of terms these plans concerning the usage of so much tax money in the renovation of Rittersbach. While Your Majesties must, of course, have a capital worthy of hosting your royal court, we believe that the burden on the realm is too great. It is our belief that these plans were obviously made without proper consideration for the financial strain they will place on the people, as well as being so expansive that certain individuals might be able to skim off the top for personal gain. We humbly request that Your Majesty reconsider these plans and seek alternative solutions.''

>>6451002
The other, seated, lords started to murmur and discuss matters. From your throne, you spotted Crown Prince Dietrich shooting an uncharacteristically icy glare at the speaker. You don't blame him; much of the planning behind the renovation was his, and he had put a lot of effort into ensuring it was well thought out.

But it wasn't him that spoke up first, but one of your councillors. The treasurer, as a matter of fact. "My lords, Your Majesty, I would like to reassure all of you that these plans have been approved and vetted by the royal council. We have received His Majesty's blessing in enacting these plans. We have the records and the documentation to prove that none of what you alleged has actually happened. No, quite the contrary as a matter of fact."

"That may be so, but it is the principle that counts. If indeed we are contributing to the common weal, as His Majesty has been so good to remind us, then we must ensure transparency and accountability in all our actions. Therefore, we would like to propose the creation of a new oversight committee comprised of both royal council members and representatives from both the lords and the mayors to help ensure continued ethical conduct and adherence to the highest standards of governance."

So that's their game, is it? To try and downsize or sabotage your renovation plans, or is it just an old-fashioned power grab? Hidden behind the most innocent and well-intentioned of proposals. What a bunch of weasels. But enough; it was time for you to speak on the matter.

> "And you would love a seat on such a committee, I take it?" An innocent phrase, but with disguised sarcasm.
> "Forgive me if I misheard, but are you implying that my own councillors, men whom I entrust with great responsibilities?"
>"And what would such a committee bring that wouldn't be achieved with the council?"
>Write-in

>>6451003
>"Forgive me if I misheard, but are you implying that my own councillors, men whom I entrust with great responsibilities?"

>>6451003
>"Forgive me if I misheard, but are you implying that my own councillors, men whom I entrust with great responsibilities?"

>>6451003
> "Forgive me if I misheard, but are you implying that my own councillors, men whom I entrust with great responsibilities?"
We could create a Royal Audit Office. It would give them the transparency they've been asking while also strengthening the bureaucracy.

You shifted about a bit on your throne, leaning forward to indicate your interest in the conversation. A subtle move, but one which the more observant at court knew was the prelude to your intervention. Indeed, a glance at you and the treasurer fell silent, awaiting your judgement in the matter.

And you weren't about to allow some lord to walk all over your pick of advisors. A king selects his own councillors, and you chose on merit and loyalty, not on the whims of entitled nobles seeking to jockey for greater power. But you know the game being played here; a king can't be bad; it's his councillors, if anything, who are at fault. Cope for the commoners, an easy excuse for those who wish to see their rivals removed from office.

"Forgive me if I misheard, but are you implying that my own councillors, men whom I entrust with great responsibilities, are misusing my trust?" You spoke in a neutral, diplomatic tone, careful not to directly take a side but making certain that this delagation knew where the line was drawn.

The delegation shifted uncomfortably, realising they had overstepped their bounds. "Of course not, Your Majesty," they replied hastily, trying to backtrack and trying to regain their footing. The speaker up to this point was a count of middle age, uninteresting by most measures. His lands were neither rich nor prosperous; he had enough sons, though none excelled in a specific field. But his part was finished, the delegation shuffled, and a new figure stepped forward to address you.

Longhaired and tall, with a youthful spirit burning intently in his seafoam green eyes, he exuded an air of confidence that seemed to come easy to him, but you could see from the looks of the other members that he was going off the beaten path.

"Your majesty, if I may be so bold as to speak." He spoke those words clearly and quickly enough that the others didn't have the time to tell him to hold his tongue. It was what you were looking for, like a wavering section in the enemy line, just begging to be sent into a rout with a well timed charge.

"You may speak, young man; the floor is yours." You announced with a whiff of your hand, signalling for him to continue. In a lot of ways this wasn't according to plan; you had expected discussions like this to stall, with you then having to settle matters behind the scenes. But it wasn't according to their plan as well. And that was something you were eager to exploit.

"I cannot speak for all of us, but among those for whom I speak, I would stress our express loyalty to the throne; we didn't come here to jostle for power or to try and upend the current order. We simply want to ensure that our voices are heard."

He paused a bit, while various members of this faction began to shoot icy glares at each other.

>>6451252
"There hasn't been a Landtag since the times before your late father; we younger generations are eager to have a say in the decisions that affect our future. We do not act in dissent, nor do we seek to disrupt the peace that has been maintained for so long. Our intentions are simple and pure; it is, of course, your right and prerogative to enact policy as you see fit, but we ask only for the opportunity to be heard and considered in the process."

He then reached the cresendo of his speech.

"It is of course also your right to levy taxes and then spend them as you see fit, but please remember that we are the ones who pay these taxes, and we only ask for transparency and accountability, even if you do not agree with our opinions. You at the very least take our opinions into account."

>So you wish for this body to meet more frequently?
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.
>Write-in.

>>6451253
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.

>>6451253
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.

>>6451253
>"Of course, it is only right that the Landtag be held more often so all may gather to discuss the state of the Kingdom! The capital has been expanded to accommodate such things!"

The nobles want a Landtag? Give them one but keep an absolutely brutal political schedule constantly summoning them to the capital for sessions, accepting no substitutions for representatives. Basically we want to concentrate power here forcing the noble class to constantly gather under our nose.

>>6451328
>>6451329
Adding this to my vote, now;
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.
>"Of course, it is only right that the Landtag be held more often so all may gather to discuss the state of the Kingdom! The capital has been expanded to accommodate such things!"

Another thing I recommend is if they are unwilling to participate, then they can only be absent, which is equivalent to abstaining, meaning it effectively benefits others. They could be housed in the royal palace kinda like Versailles.

>>6451253
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.

>>6451253
>Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.

>>6451259
>>6451328
>>6451391
>>6451467

Why would we create an office to audit ourselves? It's like putting a fox in the henhouse. We want to keep the power not hand it over to someone, centralization is our goal. Summoning the Landtag more literally just uses laws and traditions that already exist, let's them blow off steam and allows us to bring them all in.

Plus they will want a "neutral" party in charge of this new office. If we just put our patsy in it nothing will have changed and they will see it.

>>6451512
Because if we create it, we decide who goes in it. And they can't demand a neutral party because we are the neutral party, because their approach was that our advisors are unreliable, not us.

>>6451512
Because majority of the nobility in this office will be junkers who firmly support the crown judging from the young lord's speech.

Though I did add your vote cause were gonna have to concede something to the older nobility if we want them to follow our orders obediently, but like now we might have to screw over the burghers or lower class if we ever do so. Pls remember we currently still have to rely on them for our armies.

This might potentially the last landtag and if so we might have to go full sun king lol.

"Such fears can be allayed, I hope, by creating an office of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending." You had heard of such a thing before; in far-off Aurilie, the king had created a chamber of audit to oversee his income and expenditures. While in parliamentarian Angenland, the king had the exchequer calculate his. A Rechnungskammer could thus not only be a way to increase transparency of the government but also give yourself an easy way to monitor and control public spending.

Another idea briefly flashes through your mind, though in autocracy in all forms, Mithras too retained its senate, though it was effectively powerless. Filled with the elite of the empire, who all where attracted to the capital like flies to a soup. Though the intrinsically rural nature of the feudal nobility might mean your attempts to replicate it one-to-one might fall short. Holed up in their castles, enfeoffed to them in what was effectivly perpetuality. But there might be ways to break that paradigm.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by the reaction of the delagation. The younger, lower, and poorer lords, those who stood to gain from your policy of state building, were nodding in agreement while the older, wealthier nobles remained sceptical. A rift had obviously grown in this faction, one which you had further exacerbated with your words. The previous speaker looked at the young lord with contempt and surprise and even a twinge of betrayal.

Behind the lords, however, the mayors were all huddled in whispered conversation, clearly plotting their own course of action. All the while on the benches, the other lords and mayors were watching the unfolding drama with keen interest. Trying to see what the outfall of this would be. But you decided that enough was enough; the Landtag could last a very long time, so you decided to put an end to the matter for the time being.

"Young lord, your integrity and candour are to be commended; your words have struck a chord with many of us here today," you declared, standing up to address the room. "Your idea seems to have promise, and were I to realise such an office, I might call upon you sometime. In the meantime, I would like to honour you by inviting you to my table at the banquet tonight."

The rift had now been completed. Whether you wished to actually make use of him or not, by publicly honouring him you alienated one wing of the faction from the other. He bowed his head in respect, while those who supported him looked on with approval, and those who opposed him simmered with resentment.

For now, however, the discussion was as closed as could be; other lords were now allowed to come forth with petitions. One asked for the legitimisation of a bastard, as his trueborn heir had died of the pox; another petitioned for relief, as the summer drought had devastated his crops. Both of which you granted, mostly because they cost you nothing and because they made you look good.

Then came the mayors with their petitions, an endless stream about tariffs, high taxes, asking for privileges concerning entrepôt status, and requesting leniency in trade regulations. You listened patiently; you denied some, agreed to others, and promised to look into some matters before making a final judgement.
After all that, you decided to adjourn this session, since it was still a summer day. And by now the warmth of the day was beginning to properly settle in, even behind thick castle walls.

As you made your way back to your chambers, you couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at how smoothly the day had gone. You still had to deal with those other members of the delegation, but you had a runner give their presumed leader a note to meet you before the banquet.

You rested for a bit after all the discussions, debates and other political games that had taken place throughout the day. As you had withdrawn to your chambers, you did wonder, should you offer some concessions as a compromise, or should you press the advantage while you still had it?

The crusader within you leaned to the second option. What good is not striking the iron while it's hot? You have them on the ropes, not the other way around. The monarch within you leaned to the former; the nobles under his influence were still a powerful block to deal with, and you would prefer to keep rebellion and bloodshed between Greifswalders to a minimum.

>I shall see what he has to say, but I have no intention to concede on anything.
>Compromise is what governs all nations of the planet; I am prepared to make certain concessions.

>>6451572
>>I shall see what he has to say, but I have no intention to concede on anything.

>>6451572
>Compromise is what governs all nations of the planet; I am prepared to make certain concessions.
Hear them out first.

>>6451572
>Compromise is what governs all nations of the planet; I am prepared to make certain concessions.

Compromise was what kept realms, families, and marriages united. If you want to take something, you better be ready to give something. Reluctant though you were, you knew you needed to give something in return.

Which is why you had to discreetly send a runner with a note to Count Ekbert von Helsenwangen, the leader of the delegation. He was the speaker for the duration of the ordeal, and while his plan for the Landtag might have been foiled, you knew better than to try to deal too harsh a blow; his conservative faction might have been beaten here, but it wasn't broken, and you didn't want to stain your reign with rebellion and civil war. No, far better to at least try and let them go with something for their trouble.

You awaited him in your library, an impressive collection even by royal standards, though Sophia had brought in a large section on arcane tomes and other such sorcerous texts that you had never taken much interest in. As he entered, you gestured for him to take a seat while a page poured two glasses of wine.

"Leave us." Two words, and the page bowed and left.

"You have quite the collection." He began.

"Indeed, many of these are treatises on one subject or another, though chivalric romance and epics are always welcome on my shelves."

He chuckled, "It was clever of you to play us off against each other, but surely you must know that it won't be the end of it."

As he sipped his wine, you could see a glint of respect in his eyes. "We have to thank our gods for being blessed with such shrewd kings," he remarked. "But remember, your line isn't the only one which has great ties to this land."

"That may be so, or maybe it isn't." You smiled, leaning back a bit. "But I am not blind to your needs nor to what you think is a threat."

"Oh, is that so?"

>You don't think I haven't taken notice of the internal migrations? Serfs are leaving their turfs to be freemen; if you won't oppose me any further, I shall formally reinstitionalise serfdom.
>You don't want to be a margrave or a duke; I have the power to make and create such titles.
>I am willing to turn all of your enfeoffed fields and properties into a proper estate, owned directly by you, and not enfeoffed to the crown, but not the castles, though.

>>6452322
>I am willing to turn all of your enfeoffed fields and properties into a proper estate, owned directly by you, and not enfeoffed to the crown, but not the castles, though.
As feudalism fades, so does the old nobles' traditional economic base. Transitioning them into landed elite preserves their status and security while royal officials can take over taxation, justice, infrastructure, central administration, et cetera. I also think it would be a good final gift for helping Dietrich I's rebellion.

>>6452322
>I am willing to turn all of your enfeoffed fields and properties into a proper estate, owned directly by you, and not enfeoffed to the crown, but not the castles, though.

>>6452322
>>I am willing to turn all of your enfeoffed fields and properties into a proper estate, owned directly by you, and not enfeoffed to the crown, but not the castles, though.

There was one thing you could give, something that would most certainly make them content. When the crusades swept aside the old tribal kingdoms of the pagan natives, they enfeoffed the land to their own knights and nobles, creating a new feudal system that survived the transition in the duchy and then kingdom of Greifswald. Forty years and a king later much had changed; you and your father before you had done your best to lay the foundations for a state. Your father had focused more on the traditional western methods of centralisation, slowly bringing more land under the direct authority of the crown.

But you had been to Mithras; you had seen the benefits and the fall pits of a centrally led administrative state, reliant on bureaucrats rather than feudal nobles. And you had read about the Isidorian Empire doing something like that as well. But you couldn't truly unmake the shackles of the past without giving those who stand to loose a boon.

"I am willing to turn all of your enfeoffed fields and properties into a proper estate, owned directly by you and not enfeoffed to the crown, but not the castles, though." It wasn't unprecedented; in Svengalia, Norddalr, and Toldmark, the nobles all owned their lands, though even there most of their castles were on loan from the king. It would funnily make the Tauten Kingdom more Nordic than it actually was.

As for his reaction, it was one of surprise and internal conflict. He knew what it meant; he knew the implication of owning his land in his own name. It would separate title from fief and make their fiefs more akin to estates, which they could sell and pass down to their heirs as they pleased.

"I, I see; that would be very interesting… Myes, that it must certainly be; no more reconfirmations, no more pledges, no risk of it being confiscated… Oh yes, that would secure a great many things." He murmured more to himself than you.

It might have been a poor idea; confiscating fiefs upon the extinction of a line was how the crown had grown in years past. But on the other hand, it would mean that you could simply buy it from them if their financial situation was poor. And in the coming generations, it certainly would. Because unlike the royal house, the higher and lower nobility of Greifswald held to the ancient custom of the right to inherit. Meaning that fiefs were split up if the late lord had left behind many sons.

It was part of the reason why you could recruit so many to work in your infant state, for they could use the small salary as a subsidy for their smaller fiefs. And would most certainly continue. Unlike many, many kingdoms, Greifswald had yet to suffer a complete breakdown in royal authority, and so the lords couldn't take the same advantages as they had taken during moments of anarchy in Aurilie, Angenland, and Tautenland, where the nobles had on occasion reduced their monarchs to figureheads outside their domains. And could only be brought back inline via large concessions.

The conflict resolved, the two of you turned to more casual matters, like why the cathedral wasn't finished yet, the international situation, and recent developments in armoursmithing. You sipped your wine with temperance; it was expensive this far north, and you would get even more intoxicated later this night.

About seven hours and one long nap later.

You had the pages pour you another glass, the golden cup encrusted with rubies and sapphires gleaming in the candlelight. "No no no no, Mithradian wine is much stronger than the stuff they make on the mainland; you're supposed to water it down, literally." You told the young lord whom had spoken earlier this day.

"Water it down? I don't follow." The young lord, Wolfram von Lochsten, looked at you questioningly.

"They ferment it longer; it makes it more potent. So when they drink it, they pour in water to keep themselves from getting too drunk too quickly," you explained, taking a sip of your own diluted wine. A purplish red, a vintage shipped from Mithras, brought via portage through Pelechia, and finally brought to Greifswald via caravan. At great cost, though the emperor waived the tarrifs for you as a token of gratitude.

>Now then, I do believe I must offer you a toast for our combined success.
>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.
>Since a large part of it was your idea, I would like for you to be a part of the Rechnungskammer. Are you good with numbers?

>>6452636
>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.

>>6452636
>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.

>>6452636
>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.

>>6452636
>>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.

>>6452636
>You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often.

"You seem like a bright young man; I would deem it prudent for you to attend my court more often"

"Your majesty, you flatter me, but I am truly honoured by your invitation. I will make it a priority to attend yours if circumstances permit me." He bowed his head in respect.

Your conversation was interrupted with the serving of the roast duck, but every so often you did talk. The banquet was shorter than a feast; there was no drink to be had afterward, nor dancing or music. In a lot of ways it made it both more formal and less formal, as there was less time to get properly drunk; it still stood lower in the order of the pecking order than a true feast. Besides, you would need your wits about you, for the Landtag wouldn't be finished for a few weeks, when you would dissolve it, hopefully permanently.

For it would be a hectic few weeks at the dying throes of summer before you would send your lords home to oversee the harvest. Indeed, much would have to be done. Legislation would need to be drafted, introduced, and adopted.

The first one of these was to create the Rechnungkammer or chamber of audit. Assigning it a place from which it could operate and defining its legal powers and relations to other offices like the treasury. It would be an important tool to ward off political corruption, both from above and beneath. In Aurilie the tax collectors had to present their records twice a year for audit, here it was decided to do it once per quarter, or four times a year. Failure to comply would mean removal from office and a hefty fine to boot. Forging the records and embezzlement would incur even heavier penalties.
The second important piece of legislation to be passed was the statute on the abolishment of fiefdoms, and their replacement in the form of estates. This was a watershed moment in a lot of ways, as Greifswald would truly move away from a feudal system into a semi-administrative one.

The nobility would still be there, of course. Their power diminished, but they would still be at the top of Greifswalder society. For the bottom, nothing much would change. Serfdom, while weakening, was still in place for large swathes of the population. But for the free commoners, especially those with an eduction, there was a career to be made. At the end of which might be a noble title, dangled in front of them like a carrot, enticing them to climb the social ladder.

A bunch of other laws and bills were drafted as well, adjusting taxes, tarrifs, adjusting the fines for inflation. Changing the level of silver in one greif using new smelting techniques, as well as a law declaring the inviolability of Greifswalder territory, making it so that if a foreigner inherited an estate or title, it would still be subject to Greifswalder laws and taxes.

Furthermore, it was decided that the navy would be allowed to conscript merchant vessels during times of war and would always receive funding to maintain its current amount of vessels. And that certain castles would serve as depots for storing arms for the levy in case of invasion.

With the issue surrounding the taxes and renovation and expansion of Rittersbach finally concluded, the nobles appeased, and your attentions freed up, as your son poured himself into overseeing his project, you suddenly had a time to focus on a new project as well.

>What this kingdom really needs is a unified code of law, based on the Isidorian and Mithradian jurisprudence, that can be implemented across all regions to ensure consistency and fairness in legal matters.
>Such a chamber of audit and other offices will require educated men, commoner and highborn alike. An institution of higher learning, also known as a university, to train and certify individuals in a variety of subjects would greatly help this kingdom.
>If the portents of my daughter are true, then I must prepare the realm, subtly at first, by reforming, expanding, and improving the hospitals.

>>6452953
>Such a chamber of audit and other offices will require educated men, commoner and highborn alike. An institution of higher learning, also known as a university, to train and certify individuals in a variety of subjects would greatly help this kingdom.
It'll be useful for hospitals too

>>6452953
>Such a chamber of audit and other offices will require educated men, commoner and highborn alike. An institution of higher learning, also known as a university, to train and certify individuals in a variety of subjects would greatly help this kingdom.

>>6452953
>Such a chamber of audit and other offices will require educated men, commoner and highborn alike. An institution of higher learning, also known as a university, to train and certify individuals in a variety of subjects would greatly help this kingdom.

>>6452953
>>If the portents of my daughter are true, then I must prepare the realm, subtly at first, by reforming, expanding, and improving the hospitals.

The university, a fine gathering of young men, are studying hard to become learned men in mathematics, medicine, philosophy, and the liberal arts. Or at least that was what it was supposed to be on paper. From what you had heard of the universities in Castana, Aurilie, Tautenland, and even further afield, students could be a rowdy bunch, more interested in drinking and socialising than in their studies. But once they finally clean up and put their minds to their studies, they will be among the finest and most learned men in the realm.

As a king, your state would certainly grow now, a machine that was beginning to require crew. And like a captain on a ship, you would need more than mere sailors to steer the course. It would take a few years to set up, and you would need to set aside faculty and campus for them, though it would start small. The cathedral school of Rittersbach or Libau could serve as a model for such an institution.

The first actual step would be to draught a royal charter, with which you could formally establish such a university; it would be a step down from a charter issued by the pontiff. But you weren't going to wait several years to wait for his approval; no, it might make their diplomas worth less than those from a university with pontifical approval, but as it would be the only university in Greifswald, you frankly didn't care about pontifical approval.

Funding itself would be obtained by entrance fees and tuition from students, as well as donations from patrons in the area. It would be open to all men who passed the entrance exam and could afford to pay for their education. The curriculum would focus on matters like medicine, mathematics, law, theology, and philosophy, educating students in the field they wished to practise.

Furthermore, via your daughter you had been informed that the fellowship which regulated magic was also interested in establishing a college of magic within the university, it would be very small, as both the faculty and student body would be limited. Outside of that, they would also teach alchemy and astrology, which didn't require magical ability per se.

All in all, the chancellery was drafting the charter. Grounds were being surveyed, and learned men from all over the Kingdom were being asked to teach at this new university.

Where should it be placed?

>Rittersbach of course!
>Libau, I am king of all Greifswald, not just Rittersbach.
>What if we chose a small village in between the two?

Should you ban Greifwalder masters and students from attending foreign universities?

>Yes, we should ensure Greifswalder talent serves Greifswald.
>No, the exchange of knowledge is an important part of academic growth and development.

>>6453545
>Libau, I am king of all Greifswald, not just Rittersbach.

>No, the exchange of knowledge is an important part of academic growth and development.

>>6453545
>Libau, I am king of all Greifswald, not just Rittersbach.
>No, the exchange of knowledge is an important part of academic growth and development.
When the Mithradian migrants arrive, we can employ the professional bureaucrats and engineers at the university or have them take on local apprentices.

>>6453545
>>Libau, I am king of all Greifswald, not just Rittersbach.
>No, the exchange of knowledge is an important part of academic growth and development.

Libau it would be, rather than the capital, Rittersbach, or the largest city, Tanzig. For you reminded yourself that you were lord of all Greifswald, and you have a duty to ensure that all cities within your realm would remain prosperous and growing. And besides, Libau was the seat of the archbishop, the primate of Greifswald, and therefore the highest priest in all the kingdom. Its location on the sea also meant that students could travel by ship instead of having to come inland. If there was any place to build a university, it would be there.

After the Landtag, you made certain to make a royal visit to the port city, which, being on the same river as Rittersbach, was effectively its main commercial link to the maritime trade routes. You broach the plans with both the Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor) and the archbishop; both were open to the idea. The current archbishop was a scholarly man and an able fellow who saw in this the opportunity to increase the prestige of his own diocese. The mayor mainly saw the opportunity in the new inhabitants which would need to be fed, clothed and housed. Mainly young men, who would have allowances to spend and a thirst which could not be easily slaked. Their rowdiness aside, they would be welcome.

Surprisingly, the church seemed to welcome the changes in the property laws, if only because it made it easier for landowners to bequeath parts of their estates to the church. Nothing too much, a field here, a pasture there, which would be rented out to fill the coffers.
Satisfied, you returned home soon after. For now, you wished for quiet and comfort. Having all the realm's most prominent personages coming for a visit was fun and all, but they ate too much, drank too much and talked too much. You would prefer your court to be a place of chivalry and good governance, not intrigue and excess.

At any rate, with your children out of the house, either married off or living on their own, you had more time to bring through with both your wife and your grandchildren. Three years from now you would turn fifty; if the gods were good, you would live as long as your father, or perhaps even longer. It would be nice to see the new century at least.

But you pushed such gloomy sentiments aside; you peered into the crib of the infant Prince Gustav. Your son's firstborn son, if the future were good, would be the fourth king of Greifswald. You gently wiggled the crib. "I do wonder, sweet boy, what deeds will you accomplish?"

You sat around as the babe fell into a peaceful slumber; the wet nurse would take it over from here. Indeed, you liked your grandchildren; the Sophia ones were likewise a welcome sight in your halls. And, though you only saw them every four years or so, your other daughters' children were always welcome.

>I should visit Dietrich and see how he's dealing with the city.
>I do wonder if Sophia has made any more progress with her magics.
>My beloved Anastasia, let us walk together.

>>6453933
>My beloved Anastasia, let us walk together.

>>6453933
>My beloved Anastasia, let us walk together.

>>6453933
>My beloved Anastasia, let us walk together.
Albrecht & Anastasia could easily be the origin of so many archetypes, their life has everything a poet needs to create an epic that Greifswalders will endlessly romanticize.

>>6453933
>>My beloved Anastasia, let us walk together.

File: A walk.png (942 KB, 1155x972)

942 KB PNG

Ahh, beloved Anastasia, how long has it been since you came southward and claimed her hand? You were a youth when you answered the call of the crusade, barely in your majority, and yet… you went southward; you left the borders of your home for the first time, leaving Rittersbach to see a myriad of sights. You hadn't forgotten the slight the Margrave of Fluddenmark had inflicted by snubbing you, but you weren't petty enough to harbour a grudge. You met the Kaiser further south, a man only a few years older than you, and Emperor he still is, though you don't deal with him very often; you like to believe you left on cordial terms. Then over the mountains to Castana, where you found the city-states and their endless politicking to be annoying and strange. And finally, you reached Mithras.

Most people upon the continent, when asked about Mithras, would always characterise them as haughty, aloof, and patronising, like elves, but without the wisdom to make up for it. You, on the other hand, found them welcoming, kind, and willing to learn from both outsiders and their own mistakes. And one in particular, you found very welcome indeed.

The daughter of the Mithradian Emperor, a beauty dressed in the greatest finery and adorned with the most exquisite jewels, caught your eye from the moment you first saw her. In a twist of fate, she had been smuggled out from under the noses of the corrupt eunuchs.

You wed her in the closing days of the crusade, and many happy years you have spent together ever since. You took her back with you, and today she is your queen, as you are her king. The gods had seen fit to bless you with five children, four daughters, and one son. All of whom were now in their majority and having children of their own.

Age had been kind to her, as it had been to you. Shorter your hair was now, not like the locks of your youth. Thankfully it remained the same golden-straw blonde it had always been. She likewise had done away with the flowing locks of black hair in favour of an updo.

You found her tending a rosebush, cutting back the dead blooms one by one in tandem with some ladies-in-waiting. You walked over; the work fell still as you embraced her.


"Beloved, would you care to walk with me?" You said, carressing her chin gently.

"I would, dearest, lead the way." Came the reply.

You were away from the Albrechtsburg and from Rittersbach in general; your palace on the north bank of the river was practically isolated from the riff-raff that congregated on the streets there, which gave you the berth to walk far and wide.

"It has been thirty years now." You said, more to yourself than to her.

"Thirty years of love and companionship." She smiled; her dark brown eyes couldn't sparkle or shine like yours, but they held a warmth that never failed to comfort you. Then she laughed.

>>6455283
"Oh, I remember it so well; you, a northern barbarian with gold thread on his head, came staggering down the stairs that morning, all groggy but somehow keen of eye." You chuckled but also rolled your eyes at the barbarian comment.

"That is not how I remember it going down, nor do I think that it'll be recorded like that." You replied, taking a turn by some hedges close to a fountain.

"Oh Albrecht, you'll always be my barbarian, my blonde, muscular crusader." She smiled again as the two of you sat down by the fountain.

>Do you ever wish to go back?
>They'll write songs and stories about us, won't they?
>Has the correspondence with the Emperor indicated when those specialists are going to arrive?
>Write-in

>>6455284
>Do you ever wish to go back?

>>6455284
>Do you ever wish to go back?
>They'll write songs and stories about us, won't they?
It is with great sorrow that I announce our beloved QM, AdleQM, has died heroically after wrestling a rogue grizzly bear to save a bus full of schoolchildren. His sacrifice will not b–HOLY SHIT HE'S ALIVE! AND HE MADE COOL ART!!!

>>6455284
>>They'll write songs and stories about us, won't they?

>>6455284
>Do you ever wish to go back?

A happy ending for these two, it seems. :)

"Do you ever wish to go back?" You certainly did have some nostalgia for that land of mosaics, small islands scattered in between the larger islands. Purple silks, ancient ruins, and the smell of the ocean breeze all came back and called out. The sea was lighter and brighter than in Greifswald: cypress and olive trees dotted the landscape of rolling hills slowly sloping into the mountains. Between the vineyards and olive groves, the shepherds tended their sheep and goats in the pastures while marble pillars and statues quietly watched as they went about their way.

And their cities were even greater: sewers, aqueducts, libraries and great palaces, all in various sizes and forms, and all of it was organised via a strict grid plan the likes of which had not been seen since the time of the old empire. Most 'modern' cities grew organically and chaotically, with winding streets and irregular layouts, though your son was putting in the effort to break that mould.

You might not be a Mithradian yourself, but of all the lands you had visited and all the peoples you met, the Mithradians impressed you the most; only the elves came close, and even then the Mithradians excelled them in some aspects.

She let out a laugh. "Go back? My dear, I haven't been to Mithras in over thirty years; it was my home, yes, and I keep many a happy memory from that archipelago. But Greifswald is my home now; I spend the better part of my life here, and though I would love to walk in the halls of the palace one more time. My heart belongs here, with you." That was an answer that both soothed your curiosity and warmed your heart. Thirty happy years of marriage, there are few who could boast of such a thing. Men of your rank marry for political gain or advantageous alliances, but you married for love. The prestige that it lent to your children, that their maternal grandfather was the Emperor of Mithras, was but a welcome boon which helped shake off any lingering contempt for your house.

And you walked and walked, for was there nothing more serene than a stroll in the summer? With your beloved at your side? Arm in arm, you couldn't care for your crown or titles. You always considered yourself a knight first and foremost. And like a true knight, you won the heart of a damsel fair through both gallantry on the field and courteous behaviour off of it. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

The weeks turned, summer's green leaves turned to gold and rust, and the breeze from the coast slowly turned to autumn's rainy sorrow. The peasants turned to the harvest, the church prepared for the upcoming holidays, and the days grew colder and wetter.

But you had no reason to complain, for the men of Mithras had finally arrived. Funnily enough, they had come from upstream, having travelled via Pelechia's and Mozolavia's large rivers rather than taking the comically long route via the sea, which would have been lunacy to consider, of course.

>>6455912
They came in their hundreds, mostly young and unwed men, though some older ones had elected to take their families with them as well. You billeted them into the first set of new stone houses that had been erected under your son's direction. Temporarily, at least, until they could settle in some role or the other. Most of them were accountants who could work in your chamber of audit. And besides, the engineers sent would teach both at the university and assist in the construction of new infrastructure projects throughout the country.

As a matter of fact, with the money stream secure once more, you could add something extra to Rittersbach's renovation. They would help with the fortifications, of course, but you could also use them to create something of a more…civic.

>A grand bathhouse, to improve hygiene and find an income, a proper bathhouse, that is, not one of those glorified bordellos you can find at the docks.
>A sewer system, like the ones I read about, public privies where one can relieve oneself, as well as the collected waste of the household.
>A reservoir, based upon designs for an aqueduct: by converting one of the old towers into a giant water wheel, we can build up a reliable water supply.

>>6455913
>A reservoir, based upon designs for an aqueduct: by converting one of the old towers into a giant water wheel, we can build up a reliable water supply.

>>6455913
>A sewer system, like the ones I read about, public privies where one can relieve oneself, as well as the collected waste of the household.
This will add way more hygiene than people expect due to removing all the disease spawning areas that filth creates.

>>6455913
>A sewer system, like the ones I read about, public privies where one can relieve oneself, as well as the collected waste of the household.
Without a proper sewage system to wash away waste, the water supplied by the other options could eventually get contaminated. Plus, assigning the Mithradians would also justify their arrival to the locals, who have no idea how to undertake such large scale civil project.

>>6455913

>A sewer system, like the ones I read about, public privies where one can relieve oneself, as well as the collected waste of the household.

I just think they're neat.

>>6455913
>>A sewer system, like the ones I read about, public privies where one can relieve oneself, as well as the collected waste of the household.

Rolled 91 (1d100)

It isn't that the average man likes to live in squalor; quite the contrary, most streets in Rittersbach and elsewhere are clean. Nobody throws the contents of their chamberpot out the window or anything disgusting like that.

No, instead, they usually throw it in the creek or directly into the river. It's better than nothing, but it's still a system that leaves desire for improvement. In Mithras you had read about the sewer system of the old empire and how it worked to greatly improve standards of both hygiene and public health.

All Rittersbach already was a construction pit; breaking open the cobblestone roads would make it easy enough to implement such a sewer system. Indeed, it would be communal toilets, both because the ceramic pipes required would need to be strong and because all the privies commoners used were communal; you had seen it in the castles and in the monasteries. Only at home or if you were important would you have your own privy or chamber pot.

And besides, another added benefit would be that drainage pipes for the rain could be installed, meaning that puddles and other leftover water would be less likely to accumulate on the streets. This water would be used to push the excrement out and into the river. The city council also stepped in and made ready to ban the collection of water downstream of a sanitary pipe to prevent contamination.

You used your authority as king to bring the Mithradians into the project smoothly, hiring a few interpreters and making certain they could butt heads with the Greifswalder builders and masons. Yet these fellows, the heirs to an empire renowned for its engineering prowess, would not only build sewers but improve the roads of Rittersbach as well.

Progress was slowed down, however, by the heavy rainfall of mid autumn, which caused delays in construction and led to some flooding in low-lying areas of the city. Despite these setbacks, the water was eventually diverted, and the basics of the sewers in the old city centre were laid down just before the winter months set in, ensuring that this phase of the project would be complete before spring.

It did become harder, as the cold made the ground harder to break through, but some ingenuity and one lucky shovel bought from a dwarf made the work progress steadily. But winter was not the time for you to spend outside; instead, you spent your time at the hearth with your wife, son, and daughter-in-law, whose belly had been steadily growing with the promise of a new grandchild. It came late in the winter, in the new year, but a few days before the thaw would come, and grim winter would be chased off by the warmth of spring.

1-94: singular

95-100: twins

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6456630
And it was a

1:Boy

2: Girl

>>6456631
And so young Gustav would receive his first sibling, a sister, as with two generations of Adlershorst before them. A quaint thing you thought, you were the youngest of three, with two elder sisters, and your son was the youngest of five, with four sisters. A reversal perhaps, or did fate deem it inopportune for that there be more than one brother.

The bells would ring, celebrations would be held, and you would announce the name of the child, in counsel with her parents of course.

Tauten names
>Kriemhield
>Gertrude
>Elisabeth
>Wulfhild
Mithradian names
>Anastasia
>Theodora
>Irene
>Eudokia
Svengalian names
>Asfrid
>Sigrid
>Gunhild
>Ingeborg

>>6456635
>Sigrid

>>6456635
>Anastasia

>>6456635
>>Wulfhild

>>6456635
>Sigrid

File: rittersbach.png (2.23 MB, 3250x3000)

2.23 MB PNG

It was decided that the little girl would be named Sigrid; your daughter-in-law suggested it out of one of the old sagas of her homeland. You found it a strong, if somewhat Norse, name. Which left you wondering. You yourself could be described as a Minthrandophile, someone with a predilection towards all things Mithradian, was your son turning into something similar to a Norseophile? You weren't expecting him to go on a raid or anything like that; such practices ended with the conversion nearly three to two centuries ago, but you had a feeling that when he took the throne Greifswald might make a turn northward. Perhaps for the better, perhaps not.

At the same time, there have been shifts in the recent political landscape; the Nordic kingdoms feel threatened by the encroaching Tauten-dominated mercantile league, which is beginning to extract more and more concessions and privileges from their lands. The King of Toldmark has already fought three wars against them, all of which ended in a draw.

There is, of course, some legitimacy for this; the king of Toldmark controls nearly all of the straights which lead into the Armentic, and grumbling about the tolls he extracts from passing ships has been growing louder. But at the same time it is still his land and his straights, and the merchants of the mercantile league have become increasingly brazen in their demands for greater access and reduced tariffs.

In Svengalia and Norddalr there have been similar concerns about the shortchanging on matters like the prices of wood and fish, which, according to them, are bought for too little by the forgein traders who then sell for much higher prices elsewhere. For now, a calm peace persists; the water is starting to boil, but not much else. Ordinarily, war would be on the horizon.

But in Toldmark a succession crisis has broken out, Svengalia is in no position to act for the foreable future and in Norddalr King Olaf VI has been forced to put down a rebellion by his own sons. Sparland, conversely, is still healing from the wounds of its civil war.

The mercantile league, likewise, needs its attentions elsewhere; the kaiser in Tautenland is in the ascendancy. Being able to rule with a much heavier hand than in prior years, the cities along the coast thus have been forced into the position of trying to maintain their positions by way of mercenary armies, bribes, and political alliances in order to keep their cities open as places where the mercantile league can do its business without the oversight of their emperor.

You, meanwhile, have been content with sitting on the sidelines; the other sides are distracted, not weakened, and your money is being spent on other ventures. No, more war right now would be inopportune indeed. And besides, happy is that kingdom that, in times of peace, prepares for war.

As with all peaceful times, the years seemed to blur into each other; the world seemed to both slow down and become quicker at the same time. The world turned, and ten years of peace would most likely become twenty, or even thirty; it all was fine by you. You had conquered, you had crusaded, and you had prospered; now it was time to make certain that you would have a legacy in peace as well.

Well, you already had a legacy, having laid the groundwork for a myriad of things to lead this country to greatness, but the crowning achievement is one which is being built right now.

It had taken about seven years in total to complete the eastern section of the new boroughs of Rittersbach, which was finally completed and being populated; the new addition of the Albrechtsburg was likewise finally done. A new western gate to add additional defences, as well as one covering the bridge leading directly into the centre of Rittersbach, but most important of all was the new arsenal. Which consisted of both the manufactory itself and its underground storage facilities, housing a vast array of armour and arms for use in times of war. It was an idea of your son, but you had implemented some of your own ideas as well.

All weapons produced here would be marked with the royal crest and, by law, could not be sold or melted down. The idea was that you could quickly tap into this reserve pool to arm your armies in times of need, ensuring that the kingdom, or at the very least the royal host, would be well armoured.

You took a walk through this armoury in tandem with your son. In particular, you were impressed with the large furnace; this one in particular was known as a blast furnace, some newfangled technology that allowed for the production of higher-quality weapons at a faster rate.

"You know, the weapon- and armour-smith's guild almost threatened to leave Rittersbach in protest against this manufactory of yours." You humorously reminded your son.

"But they didn't." Crown Prince Dietrich chuckled; the threats of guilds had proven empty, if only because you assured them that the weapons produced here wouldn't be for sale. Not unless you really were strapped for cash.

"Indeed they did not, but they were still very angry, as were the fletchers and bowyers," you added, recalling the petitions and the platitudes you had given them. Nothing made here would compete with their craftsmanship, you assured them; besides, these weapons weren't supposed to be masterpieces, only functional tools for the footmen in times of war. Such reassurances about how these weapons were obviously inferior to a weapon made with the loving care of a master smith were all the ego-padding needed to placate the artisans for the time being.

You took the stairs down, where a corridor led to four rooms, all of which contained one category of arms or armour. From here, it would be distributed to select armouries across the kingdom. In times of peace, only members of the royal guard and the garrisons maintaining the castles had access to these armouries, the inventories of which would be up to a yearly audit; no corrupt practises were tolerated.

"I suppose this stock of weapons will serve us well, although I do believe you might want to have them remade if there are advances in armour design." From browsing some of the inventories of armourers, both domestic and foreign, there seemed to be a shift; helmets seemed to be getting rounder by the year. Things like the couter and poleyn were becoming more and more common as well.

"Well, yes, I also heard some things about this black powder." You had heard of it as well, and, to be frank, you thought it was something which wouldn't be viable now, maybe in the future.

You went back upstairs, where a trip hammer beat against a glowing piece of metal, shaping it while apprentices scurried and capered around the forge. You lightly waved your hand; it was getting a little too hot for your liking. And the slamming of the hammer didn't help either, so you quickly went for the door.

Outside, the courtyard was being tiled over, with drains and gutters leading directly into the new sewer system. You never liked it when all those rain puddles formed in your courtyards, so you had the parts that weren't gardens paved over. All for the future, speaking of which.

"How's young Gustav doing? Is he taking to his lessons well?" You asked your son; for the most part, you didn't interfere in your grandson's education. You did show him a few techniques in the training yard and taught him how to swim. But Dietrich was his father, and you left most of it in his, his wife's and their educators' hands.

>He's a rowdy little whippersnapper, never sitting still.
>Sociable and charming, a people person.
>Withdrawn, quiet and brooding, he's also really fond of chess.
>He's wilful, bossy and determined, always wanting to take charge.

>>6458600
>>He's wilful, bossy and determined, always wanting to take charge.
Future emperor material

>rittersbach.png
Rittersbach really has come a long way since Dietrich' reign.

>At the same time, there have been shifts in the recent political landscape; the Nordic kingdoms feel threatened by the encroaching Tauten-dominated mercantile league, which is beginning to extract more and more concessions and privileges from their lands.
Greifswald is definitely gonna be part of this since we have the most militarized navy in the armentic.

>was your son turning into something similar to a Norseophile?
Noooooo~ Do not deny the Mithradian blood coursing through your veins!

>>6458600
>He's a rowdy little whippersnapper, never sitting still.
I wonder where we got the talent to staff the armory if not in the guilds.

>>6458600
>>He's wilful, bossy and determined, always wanting to take charge.

While you were always willing to tell your beloved grandson some stories about the wars and battles you fought and how brave and gallant you had been in the battle, as well as your far-off adventures in the crusade, he always listened; he didn't seem to get bored, nor did he ask you to stop. It was something more than admiration and love for one's grandfather; in his eyes there gleamed something, that thing you saw in your own eyes whenever you had a moment of brilliance.

But it seemed to be always there, not a hunger for knowledge or a desire for glory, but ambition, raw and deep, burning brightly within him. If he took the throne, there would most certainly be war and conquest in his future; even though he was only a scrawny eight-year-old, he had the makings of a great king, knight, and conqueror.

It became even more obvious when you saw the way he effortlessly commanded his peers, playing sodlier in the gardens with the obvious general being obvious, he wasn't picked first, he picked first. He rode his pony with a confidence that belied his age, and his determination and drive made him a willing student in both body and mind.

After your inspection of the new arsenal, you two left behind that blistering hall of molten steel and ringing hammers for the cool corridors of the Albrechtsburg. Its red brick structure still dominated the skyline of the city, together with the construction site of the cathedral, a myriad of churches, and the towers of both the old palace in the city centre and city hall.

Less than a century old, and already the ancestral castle, if there was one castle to be connected with your family, it would be this one. There was the original one in Fluddenmark, but it has been abandoned and has since sunk into the swamp it was built upon. Other branches in Tautenland might have been able to claim to build castles of their own, but none of them wore a crown.

Because it was so new, it wasn't restricted in its design and construction, allowing for modern amenities as well as the latest in fortifications. Come to think of it, you should order a moat to be dug around it as well before the renovation is truly finished.

The stairs were built at an angle that made them easy and quick to ascend and descend, while also allowing defenders to keep the high ground. You took the stairs, up and into the inner sanctum of the castle, where civilian grandeur took over from military functionality. You came to the third floor, where the large windows offered a view of the inner courtyard, where the great oak tree grew. It was still a young tree but already casting a welcome shade over the stone walls.

But you didn't come here for that; no, you came here to see one person in particular. As you opened the door to his room.

>>6459379
He sat there, marching his toy soldiers across the table, lost in his own world of imagination. On his head rested a crown made of paper; he most likely made it himself. Behind him on the ground was the wooden model of a castle he most likely laid siege to or defended. "Grandfather!" He threw the paper crown off his head and ran into your arms, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "You must see my army!," he exclaimed, pulling you towards the table to join in his imaginary battle.

Looking it over, you saw that, while he had at least formed his footmen in lines, his archers were in front of them, his skirmishers in the back, and his cavalry was lumped into a great big charge, with no distinction between shock and missile cavalry. It was more about the idea of how a battle should go according to the tales, rather than how it goes according to the strategies of war. Perhaps it should be honed?

>Well, if you are so eager for command, how about a game of chess? Or checkers if you think it's too hard.
> Hmm, well, you should take care to properly position your troops and besides.
>Ahhhh, but you must train your body as well. Have you been training?

>>6459380
>Hmm, well, you should take care to properly position your troops and besides.

>>6459380
>Well, if you are so eager for command, how about a game of chess? Or checkers if you think it's too hard.
Gustav right now, needs to learn how to think like a commander.

Also, I feel bad for Dietrich lmao.

>>6459380
>>Ahhhh, but you must train your body as well. Have you been training?

Rolled 2 (1d3)

1:Well, if you are so eager for command

2:Hmm, well, you should take care to properly position your troops

3:Ahhhh, but you must train your body as well

File: Argalis 1292.png (2.85 MB, 4878x3972)

2.85 MB PNG

"Hmm, well, you should take care to properly position your troops." You peered down on the arrayed wooden and tin soldiers that were arrayed on the table, your grandson did have some strategic sense, but it wasn't ordered or structured. Archers and spearmen stood side by side; knights and ordinary cavalrymen rode together in a large clump, all mixed up without any clear formation.

This criticism hit like lightning; his eyes went wide. He had always looked up to his beloved grandfather, the king. You weren't without accolades; of course, in your time as both crusader and king, you had fought many a battle and won a very comfortable majority of them. Of course, there was more to it than just charging in lances blazing and shattering enemy ranks. He was, of course, more than eager to learn.

"But Grandfather, what do you mean?" Young Gustav, his curiosity piqued by your comments, asked.

"Well, you see, if you just put your…" and for some hours you spent your time at that table. Reordering his forces to form into some semblance of unity and organisation. Archers were put into separate formatans, the heavy and light cavalry were split; his infantry was also reorganised into different units based on their strengths, pikes and spears in the centre and swordsmen on the flanks.

He listened intently, eager to absorb all that you could translate into lessons digestible for such a young mind, but he did absorb the basics, the importance of terrain, the positioning of one's troops upon that terrain, and the importance of communicating between different units during battle. More abstract concepts such as morale, logistics, and how to not only win battles but also wars were left for another day. He was young and eager for more, but you mustn't rush such things, and besides, it is important that his father could teach him things too.

Matters of state yet awaited their king, for in this, the closing decennia of the 13th century, the pieces on the board were arranged much differently than how they started out. Some things had stayed the same; in the west, the kings of Aurilie and Angenland continued their ancestral squabbling, as did it go in warm and far Ebronia. Elsewhere, in Mithras, things were looking up; the old bulwark of the east had regained that which it had lost.

In the centre, Tautenland once again stood ascendant, with central Castana firmly under their thumb for the time being. A strong Kaiser always meant a strong Tautenland, even if their grip on power was often tenuous at best. To the east, Istvary had expanded a great deal, a string of able kings chipping away at all the borders of their neighbours. To your east, Pelechia yet languished under the yoke of its Udirgol overlords, even if their grasp was beginning to loosen.

But most important to your immediate interest was the growing tension between the Nordic kingdoms and the Tauten mercantile league and its associated cities. The merchants brought wealth and developed their cities, but they were a capricious sort, and grumblings about some Tauten merchants having more rights than an aravage Nordic freeman were growing louder. The three great kingdoms of the north were slowly converging on this matter.
Marriages were being proposed, crowned heads were being turned, and alliances were being forged, likewise, the league was bribing and manipulating various important figures in various cities.

There were rumours that pirates were targeting merchant ships unaffiliated with the league, adding to suspicion between both the three kingdoms and the league.

On the sidelines there remained you, a fourth king, but a Tauten as well. You were neutral for now, but piracy upon trade routes would be unwelcome. You would need to pick a side, or perhaps stay out of it.

>We Tauten must stand gother, and the merchants have their rights for a reason.
>These infringements by the merchants must be curbed, this is an infringements upon our royal sovereignty.
>I will keep a watchful and armed neutrality.

>>6460588
>I will keep a watchful and armed neutrality.
If a side wants our help they will need to bribe us

>>6460588
>I will keep a watchful and armed neutrality.

>>6460588
>>These infringements by the merchants must be curbed, this is an infringements upon our royal sovereignty.

>>6460588
>These infringements by the merchants must be curbed, this is an infringements upon our royal sovereignty.

There will only be one lord of these seas

>>6460610
+1

this specifically

On the one hand, you held little love for the northern kings; nearly twenty years ago, you were embroiled in a war with at least one of them. And one of them extracted a hefty toll from your merchants with his control over the straights.

On the other, you knew all too well what merchants like these could be like: greedy, avaracious, with a never-ending desire for growth of their profit at the cost of others. Their ilk has torn apart many a kingdom, tearing of cities and ports for their own, and dictating the prices and tariffs of goods to their own benefit.

And where do you stand in all of this? A king on the other side of the sea, who, culturally, has more in common with the mercantile league, but on a political level you had more in common with the other monarchies in the region.

You had no obligation to either party, and neither did you feel the need to obligate either of them with a favour that may or may not be repaid in the future. Neutrality, and with it, opportunity, would be your policy. Pro quid pro was not something you were interested in initiating, but if one party or the other was interested in bargaining with trade deals, bribes, or other lucrative offers, you were willing to listen and consider. Not accepting, but open to negotiation if they could make it worth your while.

You would wait in your lair for now, patiently waiting and observing. It is unlikely that either side will come out stronger in this affair, but if they did, you would be ready to kick them down a notch and assert your dominance.

You had your own bargaining chip, your navy, unlike the converted cargo-haulers the league used or the mixture of cogs and longships the Nordic Kings employed; yours was a fleet of Mithradian-derived dromonds. They might not be able to match either one in terms of raw numbers, but they were large, purpose-built for combat at sea, and boasted powerful rams which could easily destroy any vessel foolish enough to challenge them.

The navy had always been a pet project of yours; you had founded a town to keep it servicable, which in turn had become the main base for your fleet. This former village of fishers became a town of ropers, carpenters, shipwrights, and sailors. Albrechtshaben was also known these days as König Albrechtshaben, though whether the name would stick over the years was something you were unsure of.

You were never quite comfortable with things, not people, sharing your name. If there was some peasant named Albrecht, you would have no problems, but something always felt off when it came to buildings and cities bearing your name. As if you were expecting your face to be carved into the stone walls, staring back at you.

Concurrently, you were on something that didn't bear your name. The König Dietrich Still the flagship of the Royal Navy, more than twenty years of service, and just refitted for the modern era, the figurehead, obviously, was the head of an eagle, and motifs relating to both eagles and griffons were featured prominently throughout the ship's design.

The red and white sails billowed in the wind as the ship glided into the sea; still, you kept to the bay, watching as the waves crashed against the rocks. This bay was a good and safe place to keep your fleet, for three small islands provided natural protection from storms and enemy attacks.

It was a calm enough day, not withstanding the occasional gust of wind that made the sails flutter. Things around here were calm and quiet and rather isolated, which made it the perfect place to discuss matters of secrecy with your daughter who stood beside you, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

There were no other vessels close, and the ones within sight weren't in shouting distance. The seagulls circled overhead, their cries echoing in the stillness of the bay. Of course, there was the crew, but they kept a berth of courtesy around their king and princess, giving you both the privacy needed for your conversation.
"Did you find it annoying I tore you from your studies? I sometimes think I don't see you at court." You asked. She gniffled.

"Father, I appreciate the concern, and I know I should at the very least do other things studying, but did you really need to bring me to sea to discuss this?" Now you laughed softly.

"Oh, I thought it would be nostalgic. You remember sailing north in this ship, don't you?"

"Yes, it does, though it smelt less of fresh tar and more of salted fish back then."

You smiled, that it indeed did; the tar on this ship was new, and because it wasn't going on a long voyage for the time being, its supplies weren't up to capacity. As a matter of fact, the upgrades had rendered this ship into a yacht in peacetime as well; the cabins were luxurious, and removable cushioned benches had been installed here and there.

>So how is that project of yours coming along? Have you trained those cats?
>Tell, me how things are in the world of the mages; we don't really hear about it. Even as king, your colleagues are rather secretive.
>Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you require more funding, land, an apprentice?
>Write-in

>>6461819
I hope our fleet doesn't cost us a fortune in maintenance, or we might be forced to go to war just to make it pay for itself.

>Tell, me how things are in the world of the mages; we don't really hear about it. Even as king, your colleagues are rather secretive.

>>6461819
>Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you require more funding, land, an apprentice?
Be grateful that we have the medieval equivalent of a walking nuke as our daughter.

>>6461827
>I hope our fleet doesn't cost us a fortune in maintenance, or we might be forced to go to war just to make it pay for itself.
There'll be plenty of wars that needs our navy... Viskara being one example.

>>6461819
>Tell, me how things are in the world of the mages; we don't really hear about it. Even as king, your colleagues are rather secretive.

>>6461819
>Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you require more funding, land, an apprentice?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

1: Tell me, how things are in the world of the mages; we don't really hear about it. Even as king, your colleagues are rather secretive.

2: Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you require more funding, land, an apprentice?

"Tell me, how things are in the world of the mages; we don't really hear about it. Even as king, your colleagues are rather secretive." You had seen and heard enough about wizards in your time. Your father once had one in his employ, though he passed away of old age long before you could question him about the nature of his work.

Then, as you returned from Mithras, your firstborn daughter turned out to be a mage, and a powerful one at that. You don't remember the exact explanation for it, but you remembered it had something to do with the fact that you stayed in an area with a high residue of magical energy around the same time you probably conceived her.

Even then, it was a closed matter, the church sent over an agent of their own to make certain she would be kept on the right path, as was tradition with magical newborns. Though with noble children they would stay with the household, rather than being shipped off to a special academy for training. From there she was apprenticed under another local master mage, who oversaw both her theoretical and practical education in the magical arts.

With her coming of age, she was given her staff as both a symbol of her mastery and a tool to channel her magical abilities. After that, the various wizards and mages of Greifswald were content to withdraw to the background; keeping track of them would be impossible, so for the most part the realm ignored them outside of the occasional incident or magical display.

"It is not that we are the most numerous of fraternities, Father; we are with few, and most of us tend to be rather reclusive." Princess Sophia explained as a sudden gust of wind made her hair whip around her face.

"All wizards are members of the international supreme fellowship, which itself is divided into the various nations. In Greifswald, we are with but nine sorcerers and sorceresses, myself included." Nine of them? That is small indeed, smaller than the amount of clergy, which even here at least numbered in the hundreds if not thousands. But perhaps nine was a normal number for a kingdom of such size and population.

"So this supreme fellowship, does it meet to discuss anything?" You asked, much like the church; you suspected that such meetings would be rare and only called in extraordinary circumstances.

"No, there is no formal meeting structure; we each keep to the basic charter which forbids certain fields like necromancy or blood magic. Larger symposiums have happened, but those are more like scholarly conferences than anything else," Sophia explained further. "Father, you can trust; the magical world doesn't do politicing the same way as you do at court; it's more like academics. You do research, publish your findings, debate and review, and on occasion you confer, sometimes locally, sometimes internationally."

>>6462850
You weren't much of an academic; you did, of course, get an excellent education which you further expanded upon with treasure troves of ancient knowledge from Mithras, but you didn't publish papers, nor did you have either the time nor the patience for dry, sterile, academic debate; much rather, you were stuck at court hearing two vipers debate rather than sit in a room hearing about the nature and trajectory of the stars and whether the calculations were correct or not.

You would rather have the battlefield than either of them, but if you had to choose, it would be court intrigues over academic debates any day.

>Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them.
>You're not divulging any secrets, are you?
>Well, that sounds dreadfully boring; I suppose one must never look behind the curtain.
>Write-in

>>6462851
>Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them.

>>6462851
>Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them.

>>6462851
>Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them.

>>6462851
>>Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them.

File: The wizards of Greifswald(...).png (638 KB, 1507x521)

638 KB PNG

"Can I meet these persons? I am interested in them." 'Interest' might be a too-strong word; it was more of a curiosity, really. Mages didn't exactly play by the rules from what you had seen, and summoning them before you might not work. Even if you were their king, as a matter of fact, wizards were typically a rarity upon the battlefield, as most wizards who aren't members of a noble family hardly are types who can be drafted or are interested in mercenary work.

Sophia snickered at your statement "Oh father, trust me, you wouldn't want them at court; they would embarrass you to no end," she teased, twirling a lock of dark hair around her finger. "Besides, they aren't exactly the type who like crowded cities or palaces; there is a reason so many of them live in towers."

You frowned, but then you quickly thought of a compromise. "How about somewhere remote, one of my estates in the country, a hunting lodge or one of the recreational castles I own?" You suggested if seclusion is what they wished, you could grant it to them.

"That can work, but it will take a while before I can cajole them all together and give me a date and a location, and I will make certain they're there. Oh, and bring your horse and sword. If you want to make certain they're interested in talking to you." Ah yes, Wittekind, the talking horse, who was as smart as man and apparently as long-lived as one, horses don't live thirty years, let alone fifty. But the fae magic blessed Wittekind with longevity and intelligence beyond his equine nature.

As for Silberkralle, your sword, its magical properties were known, it cleaned itself, the runes were enlaid upon the mithril blade, glew in the dark, and it never, ever, dulled, nor did it rust, nor did it break under any circumstances. In a lot of ways it had both material and symbolic value, as it was both the finest sword in all the realm and the regal weapon of the king, part of the crown jewels.

"Very well, tell them to meet at Schloss Hornschrei within a few months; autumn would make the best time, methinks." No one at court would bat an eye if the king went hunting there, and autumn always made for the best hunting season, not too hot, not too cold, as long as it stayed dry. You greatly enjoyed it with both bow, hound, and crossbow, as well as the falcon.

And so, as the harvest was collected, and the woods began losing their hair once again, you quietly made your way to Schloss Hornschrei with your horse and sword in two.

As a military installation the castle was worthless, it was built with an open courtyard and was more of a luxurious hunting lodge than a fortress. But its halls were great and warm; its kitchen stocked with venison and wild boar, and its cellars filled with the finest wines. You had spent the occasional hunting trip here, though you preferred the southern lodges, though you had shunned the one your father died in.

>>6464099
>>6464099
After breakfast, you made your way outside, where the invited guests were gathering; some of them had come by coach, others by horse, and there were some whom you suspected came on foot.

For what was assembled in the courtyard was strange a club as you had ever seen. Their fashions were strange; they themselves ranged from looking like tramps to nobility, and there even was an elf among them, so, before meeting them, you asked Sophia who they were.

"The woman in the green dress is Ilsabe Kurtzin; she is the main authority on herbology, the man to her right in the blue cape is Ruprecht von Wiesenland, he is the astrologer, and the bearded man with the skullcap is Gregor Gläubiger, he specialises in alchemy, the woman is Margund Fuerbach, she does both pyromancy and transcribing the results of our symposiums, and the ruddy man with the moustache is Heinrich Knoller, he is a master of metallomancy." Sophia went over them one by one, though that only covered five of the eight. So you enquired into the other three.

"The woman in the purple cloak is Hildegrade Geisler; she is an expert in umbramancy. The old man with the long beard is Ulrich; he either doesn't have a last name or he never told us. He's mostly a wandering wizard; he is the one who goes amongst people the most. As to the elf, he is Lord Olthedir; he moved here some time ago, he bought up some land, and, well, he has been laying the groundwork for his tower for a while now, but he insists on transmuting all the stones used into marble, so there has been delay after delay in its construction."
"I see." You plainly said you stopped leaning on the railing and went down the stairs to formally greet. None of them bowed; none of them made much of a move. So these were the wizards of the realm, a strange bunch, as promised, disregard of manners and hierarchy aside. They seemed completely unimpressed by your presence. Thankfully, it was Sophia who made the introductions.

"My esteemed fellows in arcane research and practice," she began, her voice carrying a note of authority. "Allow me to introduce my father, the king, of whom you are well aware. He has invited you here in formal acknowledgement of your erudition and wishes to know more about all your respective fields of study." With that, the wizards finally acknowledged your presence, albeit with a hint of scepticism, boredom, and the slightest hint of eccentric amusement.

>Keep it formal: It's a great honour to meet you all. I have not had the pleasure of meeting any of you, I believe.
>Crack a joke: So this is how you greet your king, but I suppose sovereignty has a different meaning to persons like you.
>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?
>Write-in

>>6464100
>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?

>>6464100
>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?

>>6464100
>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?
Hoping Wittekind verbally assaults one of them.

>>6464100
>>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?

>>6464100
>>Pique their interest: I am certain you have all heard of my talking horse before; would none of you care to see a piece of fae magic with your own eyes?

While you hadn't expected them to be awed or befuddled by your presence. It now became apparent that these gathered mages weren't all that interested in discussing matters with you, at least not until you had dingled something to capture their attention. And you had just the thing. You didn't say anything; you just whistled.

Out of the stables he came, white coat as pristine as ever, locks of hair flowing from his mane. His tail likewise swished gracefully as he trotted towards you, his eyes filled as ever with that clever glint that marked him out as more than a common horse. Wittekind, your trusty old warhorse, who, in recent years, had been in semiretirement on the royal stud farm, where he had been living a life of leisure and luxury. (For a horse)

He trotted on by, walking by the various wizards and sniffing on occasion, the horse way of saying hello. But soon enough he revealed he still possessed as dry a wit as ever. Soon he stopped and sniffed deeper at the ruddy man, Gläubiger, the alchemist, if you remembered correctly.

"Oh, no amount of soap will hide the chemicals from me; better nose and all that, is that sulphur? Trying to make your beard less scruffy?" The alchemist, not particularly pleased with the horse's comments, simply sighed.

"No, that was an accident in my experiment, Horse." The alchemist grumpily said, but the others were now interested.

"Now this is fascinating: in ordinary circumstances, talking animals don't usually live outside of the feywilde, and as far as I can tell, you were born an ordinary horse, weren't you?" Observed the astrologer, who had a quiet but surprisingly deep voice.

"Indeed I was, carrying his royal majesty on my back since he was a little boy, never giving it much thought until that stag gave me a mind of my own." Wittekind said, before looking at the man a bit closer.

"So tell me, how often do you use your astrological skills to cheat at the dice?"

To your surprise, the astrologer gave a sly smile and said. "Not since I was a student. They made for such sour losers I eventually quit."

The word 'stag', however, seems to have been the main icebreaker. They all knew what that meant: the White Stag, the ruler of the woodland realm, king of the fae. Probably the most powerful of all the magic users you knew.

"So you met with the White Stag? Why that is amazing! The fae don't show them often, much less their king, and I take it you have met him too?" Ilsabe Kurtzin said with considerably more enthusiasm than before.

What followed was a stream of questions, eagerly trying to extract as much knowledge about the fae from both you and Sophia. Though you neglected to tell them about Sophia's visit to the heart of the woodland realm. If she didn't want to tell, she wouldn't, and neither would you tell them about his attempt to heal your late father. That was a bit too private.

>>6464964
Still, the only persons who didn't seem to ask any questions were the purple-cloaked woman, Geisler, who seemed to be in a melancholic disposition, and the oldest of them all; at least, you thought he was the oldest, and the elf made it difficult to properly determine.
Still, the longbearded man silently approached you; his face was difficult to read, but his eyes held a sense of both wisdom and distrust among them.

"So you have met the king of the fae and made both common cause and pact with him," he said in a low voice. "My estimation of you had greatly risen when I found out, king. I hope your successors will have the same foresight."

>Indeed, so I hope he even gave me the seed for a magical oak.
>The amber pact is supposed to transcend generations; it will stand.
>And what is it to you? Oh wanderer wizard?

>>6464966
>And what is it to you? Oh wanderer wizard?

>>6464966
>And what is it to you? Oh wanderer wizard?

"And what is it to you? Oh wanderer wizard?" You eyed him warily; he might be the oldest human amongst this group, but he looked the poorest. Aside from his staff, his robes were roughspun but strangely pristine. His beard was long and grey and flowed down to his knees.

"What is it to me? Not much, and all the world." He grumbled as he shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, where he held his staff. He nodded with his head, and the two of you began walking. When the two of you were out of earshot from the others, he leaned in.

"Once upon a time, woodlands like the ones the White Stag rules over covered much of this continent; civilisation has rendered much of it impotent. The fae there have faded and withered, no longer able to sustain themselves as they once did. This land is unique in that regard; the treeman still awakens from time to time, as do the other creatures, only in the most remote or isolated places do they still. But Greifswald is unique in that regard; the domain of Aran-Arasso is the largest faerie realm left. And you could have easily continued chopping and lumbering at his realm where he keeps hidden." He explained.

"Such a place must be preserved, for it is the last glimpse of an era now forgotten, even by the elves. No, I am glad you made common cause with the faerie king; the Grandmasters would have burnt the forest down if it meant killing him, though the White Stag could fight back, of course. That's how at least one of them ended up strung up among the trees." Wait, what? Killing a grandmaster of the Argent Star? That was something you didn't know, or would have a chance of knowing.

"And when did this happen?" You asked.

"Before your time, I believe your father was still young then." Came the answer; you didn't know why, but you believed it. You would have to consult the archives down south for that.

"You could have easily continued that policy, one of aggressive foresting and hunting, but you chose a different path; your pact buys you security from within and gives the White Stag a guaranteed barrier around the deepwoods." You were feeling your patience being tried, he still hadn't gotten to what it was to him. So you decided to press the matter.

"Then what is it to you?" You repeated the question.

"It is good of you that you are to preserve the deepwoods; much grief has been had between either side, but now there is alliance and peace; it takes a wise king to make such a deal. My main interest in the land is the conservation of the old, and a friendly regime helps with that. Far too often you kings see the land around you as something you extract and exploit for your own gain, but you at very least have given untouched wilderness a preserve in which to thrive."

>>6466269
"You're repeating yourself." You said with a tinge of annoyance, if the preservation of nature was all
this wizard wished to talk about, you would be gone soon.

"Hpmh, quite, but youngsters like you would still do well to listen. I approached you to tell you that though whatever your plans are with these wizards, for the being you have my approval. Do not expect me to come and teach at any college; the others like that more than I do. Bunch of academics, hah! Holed up in their towers, conducting research in rituals instead of getting down to earth and seeing the real magic in the world." With a dismissive wave of his hand, he stroked his beard.

"It isn't what it used to be; no, that's for certain." He spoke more to himself than to you.

>Wait, how old are you? Because I am beginning to hold suspicions
>I take it your not a fan of modern practices within your craft?
>Write-in

>>6466270
>Wait, how old are you? Because I am beginning to hold suspicions

>>6466270
>I take it your not a fan of modern practices within your craft?
I have deduced that this Fossil is a Tsundere.

>>6466270
>I take it your not a fan of modern practices within your craft?

>>6466270
>>I take it your not a fan of modern practices within your craft?

"I take it your not a fan of modern practices within your craft?" It is always the same: the smith grumbles about new melting techniques, the carpenter thinks those carvings are too flashy, and the wizard thinks modern methods are errors and dangerous.

"Indeed I am not. Look at them. Like I said, they're academics, too good to bother with commoners whom they consider barly literate. No, they hoard knowledge in ivory towers, some of them literally. That elf is a nutjob. Let me tell you, he can spend hours carving a stone before channing his mind and making it plain marble again." The doddering opinions of an old man, unable to catch up, some might say, or wisdom long ignored, but you wouldn't draw conclusions before weighing them both. As well as some further prodding.

"Then what ought they do?" You asked.

"Wander, help people, conduct field research, eliminate evil, isolation isn't good for anyone, much less a wizard, and yet, they continue to hole themselves in towers. To get away from the very people they're supposed to both help and protect, it warps the mind to be alone for so long with such power in your hands. This local organisation helps with that at least, which is at least one reason I'm a member, but most of them are still loath to go and interact with anyone else."

"It seems to me that your simply concerned about their spiritual well-being." You said.

"Ha! You don't know half of it. Sometimes I am their only visitor in a year, and it is getting annoying to remind them that they are not alone in this world. Most of them don't even have a housekeeper; they just enchant their brooms." Oh really? You haven't seen him around Rittersbach to visit Sophia, or did he? Might as well ask.

"So do you visit the capital as well then, and my beloved eldest daughter."

"I am not partial to cities, and when I do, I prefer the tavern. Your daughter doesn't need my visits to keep her grounded; she has you, her husband, and all of her family. No, I need to keep the others company. The consequences of them being left alone can be dire."

"Speaking from experience?" You asked.

"Do you think your nobles would behave nicely if you didn't keep your eyes on them? No, these meetings have a dual purpose: to keep us in touch and nip any attempts at them trying to dig into forbidden arts. I have seen enough promising young talent stray from the path and fall, which usually ends rather tragically." He turned grimmer near the end, a tinge of bitterness you couldn't help but notice.

You said little thereafter, completing your stroll through the castle grounds while discussing the autumn leaves and harvest festivals that were soon to come. You returned to the central yard, where Wittekind was still talking with the other wizards.

Ulrich soon joined the conversation with someone else, and Sophia came over.

>>6467540
"How did it go?" She lightly asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"He's a bit grumpy, but I suppose his heart is in the right place." You said in response.

You looked over the assembled mages. Were these people really that isolationistic? didn't they study at universities and drink, socialise and have fun like regular people? Or did it come with age?

Nevertheless, you decided to address the group as a whole, you had piqued their interest already, and your friendship with the White Stag warmed them greatly. They were all here now, so you might as well make a pitch.

>You learned erudites represent some of the finest minds available in Greifswald, and I would like to offer you all seats to teach at the upcoming university, if you like.
>As all of you are perhaps aware, there are dark times coming. While I don't mean to pry on your autonomy, I would ask for your aid in times of great need.
>Write-in

>>6467541
>You learned erudites represent some of the finest minds available in Greifswald, and I would like to offer you all seats to teach at the upcoming university, if you like.
Of course it's an offer and for the rest their autonomy is respected.

>>6467541
>As all of you are perhaps aware, there are dark times coming. While I don't mean to pry on your autonomy, I would ask for your aid in times of great need.
Misanthropic as they are, they can simply refuse t oteach

>>6467541
>You learned erudites represent some of the finest minds available in Greifswald, and I would like to offer you all seats to teach at the upcoming university, if you like.
They are scholars and researchers, not warriors. Were also giving Ulrich exactly what he wantsed, a reason for mages to leave their towers and interact with society. Giving them jobs, responsibilities... and taxes would definitely help keep them grounded.

>>6467541
>>As all of you are perhaps aware, there are dark times coming. While I don't mean to pry on your autonomy, I would ask for your aid in times of great need.