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Erntezeit-8-2493
"Have you finally returned…?" said the Emperor, looking at me with relief. "On several occasions we received reports that you had died. At times I didn't even know if the information was reliable or if someone was mocking me."
"I'm not going to die that easily. Well… they almost killed me in Kislev. But aside from that, I was never close to dying in battle. You should review your network of informants. They don't seem very reliable if they told you several times that I had fallen in combat," I replied coldly.
"What happened in Kislev?" asked the Imperial Prince from behind me, his voice carrying obvious interest.
"I fought a champion of Chaos. The ones in red armor who cry out for blood every moment. We fought hand-to-hand. Punches, kicks, tackles. He rammed me with his head. Even when it seemed I was about to kill him, the man went berserk and we went at each other again. Ha, ha, ha. It was a good fight. If I hadn't won, and if I hadn't had my army backing me up, it would have gone very differently. The man was tough, very tough," I said, finding the bright side of a near-death encounter.
"Albrecht, please… have an heir already. Find a mistress or consummate your marriage. I cannot go on watching you march from battle to battle. Each absence gives me stomach pains and endless worries. Think about what would happen if you were to die. The complaints of the nobles. The attempts to forge documents. The accusations that you had a romance and tried to pass off another man's children as your own," said the Emperor, covering his face with his hands.
"Relax. I'll stay calm for a few months," I answered with a controlled smile.
"Until you do what?" asked Franz, glancing at me sideways as he moved next to his father.
"Head south. Help the dawi reclaim Karak Eight Peaks. I think it will be the bloodiest battle I've ever been in. They say the goblins number in the hundreds of thousands. There's also some kind of beastman concentration in the region that could reach into the millions. I think it will be my next great military victory," I said, enjoying the way the Emperor clenched his jaw and Franz bit his lip at my plans.
"You should be preparing for the coming Storm of Chaos, not going out looking for fights everywhere," said the Emperor.
"Well… father. One Chaos champion dead in Kislev, from what one can say. That managed to reduce the future problem a little," said Karl, eyeing the Emperor's hammer.
"What Franzi said," I replied with a smirk.
"Tsh…," Karl muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"On that note: how does the hammer behave now that it has finally returned to the Empire?" I asked, looking at the Emperor, who still seemed very nervous.
"Oh… yes. The hammer. A phenomenal weapon. The most powerful weapon in the Empire. Without a doubt you can see the runes that make it light and stronger," said the Emperor, puffing out his chest.
"The hammer doesn't have runes that make it light. Only runes that increase its power. When I held it, it weighed the same as any normal warhammer. Its power was immeasurable. It crushes armor and bone. It makes bodies explode," I said, raising an eyebrow and glancing sideways.
"Well… I think you're mistaken," said the Emperor.
"father cant lift it. When someone tries, the hammer weighs a ton. So it sits there, on its pedestal. For now we only know of three people who can take the hammer: you, the Grand Theogonist, and me," Franz said, lifting the hammer from the pedestal. "Everyone else who has tried has failed."
"Curious, from what I see. Well, first things first: how goes the construction of that central bank I requested earlier?" I asked the father-and-son duo.
"In Altdorf it's almost finished. The Dawi of your allied clan are working quickly to replicate the one you built in Reinsfeld, so it shouldn't take more than a month before they begin minting coins for the Empire. The only thing missing is a high-quality source of gold to serve as the standard for the imperial gold coin. Reikland relies heavily on mining from certain mountain villages and on ore purchased from the Dawi. Although one can always try to obtain it from Ostland, which has a steady gold mine. The Monfort mines are another option; they are operational, but lack the capacity to extract large quantities," Karl said after his father glanced at him.
"Good… glad to hear that. With that I'll recover part of what I invested in all this Kislev business that cost me your father. Speaking of things that benefit me: I need permission to create a new college of magic in my territories," I said, looking at the Emperor.
"And why is that? I don't think it's necessary to open a new school of magic in the Empire at the moment. According to the Patriarch's latest information, last year was poor for finding wizards. Moreover: there should be spots available for you. Now that you must train your magic, there will be masters willing to teach you," the Emperor said.
"Yes. The point is that I need the magic license to move about the Empire with peace of mind. I know perfectly well that the Cult of Sigmar will not trouble me, because my magical gift comes from Sigmar himself. The problem is the wizards. I went to speak with the Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic and he was completely opposed to granting me the license unless I submit to years of training. Moreover, they demand that I cede my lands to someone else, so I can set aside my state duties and devote myself entirely to the study of magic," I replied calmly.
"Well… usually that is the system for all who aspire to be wizards. Those who own lands cede their post to the next in the line of succession; that way it is ensured that wizards remain outside the imperial government system and are prevented from amassing too much influence. That was ordered by the Cult of Sigmar when Magnus the Pious created the colleges, as a way to limit their power. Although in this case it is problematic, isn't it, father?" Karl said, placing a hand on his chin.
"Completely. There is no one to whom you can cede your territories, so the responsibility falls directly on me. Many will try to meddle and our plan would be ruined. It's not something we can allow. But I believe the High Patriarch does not act out of malice or stupidity; he is merely upholding the stipulated rules. That said, clearly they should bend them a little for the good of the Empire. That margin of flexibility is understandable. In any case, we will allow you to keep your lands while you study. I don't think the Grand Theogonist will complain. On the contrary: he would hardly want to lose such support from you," said the Emperor, tapping the table with his finger.
"Because of the Kesselheim case, above all, isn't it?" asked Karl, setting the hammer back on its pedestal.
"Yes. That above all. When it was proven that the wizards had no way of locating other mages hiding in Altdorf, the Colleges were exposed before the Cult of Sigmar. That is why they've become stricter with training. They don't want another case like that to happen again. No one knows when another hidden mage could appear within the city and cause chaos because he wasn't detected in time," said the Emperor.
"I see. If the Patriarch was determined not to accept, it must have been because of that? Honestly, I don't know. But I need those licenses for Katarin's sorceresses and for Katarin herself. We'll be in the Westerlands for several months, and I don't want to have to explain to the Colleges' witch hunters what's going on. The Cult of Sigmar will probably leave me alone, but something could happen while I'm away, and that would cause problems that could be avoided with a single paper. That's why it would be far easier for me to create my own Colleges of Magic in Reinsfeld or Marienburg," I said, folding my arms.
"Yes. I understand that… but knowing you… are you sure you didn't threaten him with death?" said Karl, staring at me intently.
"Something like that," I replied with a smile.
"Something like that?" said the Emperor, slowly turning his head to look me in the eyes.
"I had planned to speak with the Grand Theogonist after this, about how the Patriarch thinks the Cult lies about my divine gift and that they're simply hiding the truth. Since he'll know that, armies of Templars could end up paying the Patriarch a visit," I said with a faint smile.
"Thyrus opened his mouth far too much, don't you think, father?" said Franz, visibly concerned.
"Far too much. The Grand Theogonist isn't going to ask us to exile him if this is spreading publicly," said the Emperor.
"He's one of the best battle mages. We can't afford to lose him now, not when enemies will soon be at our gates…" said Karl, looking seriously at his father.
"I know. We must send members of the Reikguard to see how widespread this information is. If too many people already know, there's nothing we can do," said the Emperor, growing nervous again.
"Albrecht, we'll take care of speaking with the Supreme Patriarch. I think he'll be very glad to know you saved his life for speaking too freely when he shouldn't have. It's likely we'll get you that license soon. For the moment, don't speak with the Grand Theogonist, since he mustn't know this or we'll lose a very powerful wizard just to keep the Cult of Sigmar appeased," said Karl, taking the initiative.
"If you do that, we'll get you the licenses. There's no need for a new College. Though, if you still want to make one, you're free to do so," said the Emperor, thoughtful.
"Good. I'll give it a few days and see what happens. If I hear nothing new about the Patriarch, I'll see to it that the new College becomes reality. I was thinking of trying to poach professors from the Colleges, but for now it's best to wait and see the best format to follow," I said, standing from my chair and watching the father and son begin to work.
So I left them to it. They would handle this matter. It might even mean that the Supreme Patriarch would have to beg forgiveness on his knees before the Grand Theogonist to avoid the proscription of wizards in Altdorf once more, all because of that slip of the tongue. The problem was that we were on the verge of losing the most powerful battle mage of the Empire. For some reason he held the title of Supreme Patriarch; he wouldn't be there if he weren't the best the Empire had.
I didn't take long to return to my mansion and set about cleaning. It was thick with dust since the last time we'd left it. With the help of many of my men we began sweeping and clearing away all the filth we found.
We made the mansion habitable again after months of abandonment. We even found spiders the size of a head—though compared to goblin spiders, these were small creatures. They posed no danger to those who had faced the monstrous spiders bred by goblins.
Katarin had no trouble freezing the chamber as she always did. Ice witches do not feel the cold: they could literally be naked and not sense the slightest discomfort. Even so, they prefer to wear heavy animal furs to shield themselves from the elements and appear more normal in the eyes of the Kislevite people.
When the princess was already eating her second pig of the day, a messenger of the Reikguard arrived and handed me an envelope stuffed with papers. Opening it, I found several mage licenses signed by the Supreme Patriarch and by the patriarchs of the Empire's orders of magic. They were authorizations for the use of magic, ready to have the names written in—the spaces were blank.
"That was quick," I said, walking into the mansion with the licenses in hand.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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