156: Streissen

Then we were admitted into a large campaign tent, and we saw the general talking to his warhorse. He introduced himself, although he is of course very famous for being a brilliant but unpredictable warlord, and then his horse as Daisy Kurt von Hellboring the Second.

He then questioned us about where we were going, and we told him Averheim, and beyond. And he began singing a rude sailor’s song, which I only harmonised with because it made it sound better, not because I condone the lyrics.

And while we were singing, Daisy plucked the hat from Greta’s head and began eating it. Greta loves her hat, but she was too polite and respectful of the general, to prevent its consumption, and she just asked whether Daisy wished to become a witch hunter.

And then he wanted to know about our opinions of Grevenfeld and Grubentreich cheese. And then switched to more serious military matters. It was hard to keep up.

We tried to ask him how long we could be expected to stay here, as we had urgent business, but he didn’t seem to know, or want to answer us.

We ended up having quite a long chat with him about nothing in particular and we had to watch him eat his dinner. Willow noticed that he wasn’t just eating the food, but it represented the disposition of the armies on the battlefield and he was planning his manoeuvres.

Then he spoke of the political situation with the Streissen Independence Party now holding the city, and the Alptraums, his main rival for power in Averheim and the current ruling family of the province determined to take it back. And Leitdorf wanting to uphold the city’s independence.

Eventually we got the idea that he was considering a diplomatic solution to the problem and, as we were such important imperial emissaries, he asked whether we would be prepared to mediate on behalf of the emperor. We agreed provided Marlene Alptraum would be willing to accept the arbitration. So, pleased with that he left us to make arrangements, and made sure to get Greta a brand new, fine hat before he went.

Willow had another chat to the guard and he said he thought the Alptraums were corrupt and not good for the province, but he would say that, wouldn’t he? And Willow asked if Leitdorf was alright in the head, and he simply said he had been touched by Sigmar.

We discusses some of the history of the city, which Blume knew about. She said that Streissen had been independent for some time, but about ten years ago there had been pestilence and famine, and the people asked for aid from the Alptraums. But when the provincial army arrived things had got messy and it had turned into a massacre. They still argue to this day whether the massacre was deliberate, or the result of a misunderstanding. And the famine was controversial as it had been extremely localised.

Blume said that if you want independence then you should be prepared to look after yourself. But Greta said that the state had a duty to look after its citizens. I said I didn’t realise that Greta was such a champion of the people, and Greta replied that she was a champion of the law. Willow said that she thought democracy was a good idea, and Greta said she must be madder than Leitdorf.

Fred reminded us that although Leitdorf seemed to be nuts, he was renowned for getting results and his men trusted him. Blume said she hated him, as he kept making fun of her injured foot.

The meditation took place in a tent in a field between the two armies. Leitdorf turned up without any bodyguard. Marlene Alptraum arrived with her bodyguard. And then Markus Karlssen, the leader of the Streissen Independence Party, arrived. And the High Priest of Sigmar in Streissen was also present to give the proceedings some religious legitimacy.

Then all the interested parties swore before the high priest to uphold the arbitration in the name of Sigmar. Then Leitdorf, Alptraum, and Karlssen put forward their cases for control of the city. Leitdorf expressed himself rather poetically and was rather a skilled orator. He was more about abstract concepts and principles than anything practical, though.

Alptraum was a plain speaker and much more pragmatic, and she appealed to a more conservative point of view. And Karlssen was rather disciplined and curt. In fact he was the opposite of what I was expecting from a revolutionary, and Fred said that he came across like a career soldier, and his occasional reference to revolution and populism felt contrived.

And so we had to make our decision and retired to discuss it. Blume said that she believed Leitdorf and Karlssen were in cahoots, and this whole thing might be a trap to make sure Leitdorf got what he wanted with imperial approval.

But we were on urgent business, and the easiest thing for us to do was to side with Leitdorf. So, although we resented being manipulated in this way, we ruled in favour of the historical charter for Streissen with the provision that they pay some tax to provincial coffers.

And when we delivered our arbitration, Leitdorf and Karlssen looked pleased with themselves, of course. Alptraum looked annoyed, but she promised to abide by it. In any case, we may have saved her army, because it had been outmanoeuvred and was in a precarious situation.

So both armies prepared to withdraw, and we continued on our way to Averheim. Greta suggested that this ruling got us out of trouble, but it looked like this might not stand the test of time, and she wondered what the political and military situation might be on our return.