"Dammit!" a man shouted outside a tavern "Thats how it's gonna be huh? Boy King?" The man slurred drunkenly, throwing a bottle at a written copy of the kings declaration that was posted to the door of the tavern. The man mounted his horse and began riding away. He wore a white cloak and tunic with chainmail and gambeson underneath it. On his chest he had a red templars cross. His hair was a dirty Blonde and his eyes were blue. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee and he spoke with an obvious french accent. He rode quickly through Middle Tahl as the sun set. He rode for hours and hours and eventually reached the mountain range to the east near the Cochise River. he rode up one of the mountains until he saw the silhouette of a man on a horse with a cloak, th3 moon shining down on the mans back. "Monterrey?" the man called out
"Yeah." he responded, riding up the steep mountain road to meet the other man. The two then began to ride together side by side. "So, do you have news on what the law was about?" The unknown man asked.
"Yes, and it's not good news either."
"How so?"
"They're outlawing the Christian militias and if they don't conform or stop they'll be hunted down and killed or imprisoned."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well then, we'll camp out here tonight and ride to the Cochise river in the morning," The two men finally arrived at an encampment of about 30 soldiers, all wearing the same white tunic with a red cross on the chest. These men were the Knights Templars, a military order from France that started during the first crusade hundreds of years ago. With them there were 34 horses, one for each man as well as two wagons.
The campsite was surrounded by snow covered pine trees and ferns and ancient stone ruins of forgotten structures. Perhaps the Norse built them when they ventured further into the new world hundreds of years ago, or maybe they were from an attempt at a settlement. Whatever the reason was didn't matter though, as they continued to fulfill their purpose of providing shelter to humans and occasionally non-humans.
The snow was not falling as it does in winter but rather a light sprinkle, enough to notice but not to snow the men in. Monterrey and the cloaked man dismounted their horses and walked to the center of the camp where the fire was. The cloaked man called for the men to come forth. "Templars! Monterrey brings news from Middle Tahl."
The men muttered to each other, wondering what it could be. "They've outlawed christian militias and if they don't conform they're to be hunted down and killed or imprisoned," Monterrey interjected. The men looked around and muttered to each other worriedly. "They know what'll happen if a Templar backed militia is attacked or destroyed, they should at least," Monterrey added.
The men continued to talk amongst themselves, one man yelled: "If they wipe out a Christian militia there'll be hell to pay! If attacking a Templar backed army is a declaration of war with us, it'll be a declaration of war against all the other orders!" The men shouted in agreement. "If they attack one of our militias we'll sack Middle Tahl and put that boy King's head on a platter!" Another man yelled.
"Let's calm down now, men," the cloaked man said, removing his hood and revealing a man with dreary eyes and short greyish black hair with a shortly trimmed beard. He was thirty-seven and looked as though he had seen a thousand years of combat.
This was Grandmaster Baldwin of the Knights Templar.
Tensions had been high between him and King Skinner for months now, but that's not where it begins. In 1865 he threatened King Pelle Larsen II with torture until death if he pardoned several pagan men and women who were framed for a crime they didn't commit.
The Templar Grandmaster at the time had Baldwin punished and apologized to the King. When the Grandmaster died in 1866 of unknown reasons, it was in his will that Baldwin be the new Grandmaster. That same year King Pelle also died under unknown circumstances and was replaced by Queen Larsen.
Baldwin and the Queen immediately had disagreements at her coronation regarding religious rights, women's suffrage and indian removal. She had him banned from the royal palace for the rest of her reign.
In 1867 he was accused of hiring an assassin to kill the queen after a man was arrested for carrying a Templar crossbow at a parade the Queen was in. Baldwin was tried with conspiring to kill the monarch and high treason but eventually the charges were dropped, however it is widely believed that the Templars made threats to the judges. Many other controversies Baldwin was involved in up to now, but these are for another time. Baldwin looked around at the men and began to speak.
"The Tahl would not dare to start a war with all the religious orders in the Kingdoms of America, let alone the Southern Kingdoms," he said confidently. "We'll need to pack up camp in the morning and head to Fort Bruford and tell Hochmeister Leopold. There, we'll gather troops and set up a line of defenses along the Cochise river while Hochmeister Leopold, Grandmaster Boscogne and I speak with the King. If the result is unfavorable we will send a carrier pigeon to Monterrey who will be in charge of the forces at the river, to begin crossing the river on boats and rafts."
The men nodded in agreement.
"It's getting late now men, get some rest for the ride tomorrow," Baldwin said. The men all went back to their tents and took off their armor and uniforms to sleep.
Six men were ordered by Baldwin to stand guard all night while the remaining soldiers slept.
The wind blew harshly against the men as they pulled their cloaks around themselves and gripped their spears, swords, axes and bows tighter.
These were men willing to do anything for their church. These men killed on God's command and would do much, much worse if they believed it was the path of righteousness.
The Templars had a reputation for ferocity in battle, ferocity fueled by the words of a priest or bishop before each battle. These men believed that they were doing God's work by burning the villages of Indians and white men alike. The norse feared and hated these knights, for they were the reason more and more scandinavians fled to Vinland.
In the morning, the men woke up quickly and packed up their encampment. They began the descent out of the mountains and soon enough they were back on normal ground. The men were glad to be back in the warm weather of Southeast Middle Tahl.
Monterrey rode up to Baldwin on his horse to speak with him. "Are we to tell the other chapters of the templars?" Monterrey asked. "Of course. We only have three hundred or so more soldiers at Ft. Mako and around Middle Tahl. We'll need all the men we can if we're to change the mind of that boy king. We'll need to utilize local indians, other militias and kingdoms that support our cause." Baldwin said as he looked ahead while keeping a steady pace. "How many kingdoms do you think will support us?" Monterrey asked, making sure his horse matched the speed of Baldwins.
"It depends. The further south we go the more likely an alliance will be made. Though we have supporters in the north, they are scarce. I doubt Schussel and the other German territories will support. But maybe dukes and barons from the mainlands will. Spain, England, Fance, Malta The Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantines are bound to send soldiers to help."
"I see… You've met Herr Leopold and Grandmaster Boscogne before correct?"
"Yes, when Grandmaster Roland was in charge. However, I did not speak to them personally and I don't know if Leopold speaks english. Roland always spoke German when meeting with him and I could never really understand the conversations, just small bits and pieces to go by."
The sun rose higher and higher as the men continued their trek through the wilderness
a young, black haired soldier rode up to his comrade "Have you ever met a teutonic knight Cid?" He asked
"No, but i've seen them. Have you met one?" His comrade responded, sweeping his long brown hair to the side to see his friend.
"Nope."
The two then looked to an older templar. He had messy greying hair that was covered by the hood of his white cloak and a long beard. His nose was slightly hooked in shape and he had tired looking green eyes.
"What about you Alfred?" Edwin, the black haired soldier asked
"Yes I have actually." Alfred responded, his voice deep and gravelly.
"What are they like? WHat do they look like?"
"They wear white tunics like ours, only with black crosses. Their helmets are often flamboyant and well decorated with horns or wings or huge plumes from birds. They're usually kind and willing to help travelers in need. They're very efficient at everything they do, they groom and feed their horses very well, they constantly clean their weapons, armor and clothes and are sure to always be ready to fight."
"Hey, what do you mean 'very efficient'? Are we the lesser of the two?" Edwin questioned, looking back at Alfred.
"We are capable knights but nowhere near their level of efficiency. They are believed to be the only European soldier capable of fighting a battle against the kiowa or comanche on horseback and hold their own." Alfred responded, keeping his eyes focused on the road.
The men crossed a bridge that ran over the Cochise river and rode into Frostgrads territory within the next two days. The men were back in a colder climate as they rode northward to Ft. Bruford. The sun started to set and the men looked for a place to settle down for the night. "Over there, by the trees." Baldwin said, pointing out a small clump of a few pine and oak trees that where a bit further away from a treeline they were riding next to. "Looks like theres some old ruins over there. We could use those for shelter or for defenses." Monterrey replied, raising his hand up to halt the wagons. "Alright… Dismount men, we'll rest here and continue the journey tomorrow. The knights started dismounting and hastily setting up their tents around the trees. As the men set up tents, Baldwin and Monterrey sat on their horses and watched. "How far away is the fort?" Monterrey asked.
"About half a days ride. It won't take long though, this trip would normally take three days but we've covered a lot of distance." Baldwin replied, dismounting his horse as his tent is completed.
Edwin and Cid sat down with their backs against an old oak tree, sipping on some apple cider as the fire in front of them crackled.
"What do you think of the law?" Cid asked, taking a gulp from his cup. "I think that king doesn't quite know the power we hold." Edwin responded, getting up and sitting on a log closer to the fire. "Do you think that war is the right way to deal with it though?" Cid inquired as he sipped from his cup once more.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"If our rights as christians are taken away then yes. I don't think that King Skinner has the balls to outlaw christianity though."
"Heheh, thats true. But do you think we should really wage war?"
"Sure, why not? Just because some boy king whos just learning to wipe his arse say's its a 'human rights violation' means we should stand down and let them screw us over?"
"You don't make us sound like the good guys when you say 'human rights violation' like that."
Soon, the sun had fully set and the moon rose to take it's place at the top of the sky. Baldwin looked up at the moon and sipped from a tin cup of water. Monterrey then walked over and looked up into the night sky as he stood by his friend.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Baldwin said, looking back down to Monterrey.
"I suppose. I've never been one to take in scenery very well."
"They call it the Freezing Moon in these parts y'know, Frostgrad and the other settlements up north."
"That so? Why do you think they call it that?"
"Not sure. An old folktale told of a living dead wizard that would blindly follow the moon as if it controlled him."
"Interesting."
"Yes…very." Baldwin said as he began to take off his armor to go to sleep. In the morning, the men woke up quickly and began to pack up their tents and supplies with haste. As soon as they loaded up their tents, gear, provisions and other necessities they set out on their journey. The men rode with great haste, wasting no time in traveling to the fort of the Teutons. The men arrived quicker than expected and finally reached the stronghold of their allies. At the front gate there stood two guards wearing a tunic similar to the Templars. Their uniforms were white with a black cross and on their shields were black eagles and black crosses with a yellow bar in the middle of the cross. The men also wore extravagant helmets with horns and wings on their helmets.
"Hey, Templer." the guard said to his comrade.
"Was wollt ihr Templer?" The other guard asked. Baldwin rode up closer to the guards, trying to remember his German. "Wir sind hier, um mit Ihrem Meister zu sprechen." Baldwin replied, the two guards looked at each other "Leopold?" one asked. "Ja." Baldwin replied. The guards let him and his knights pass into the courtyard of the fort. The stronghold was small, it had only two towers and four walls, two of which were damaged. On one of the walls, a church was built in and the singing and chants of monks inside persisted.
Baldwin dismounted his horse and walked towards a door that led to one of the towers. Once inside the tower he looked down at the floor to a locked trapdoor on the floor. He pulled out a key from his equipment pouch and unlocked the door, revealing a ladder that led to underneath the fort. Baldwin climbed down the ladder, the tunnel was illuminated by fluorescent mushrooms sprouting from the sides of the cavern. Eventually after climbing down for what seemed like an hour, he reached the bottom. He was inside a huge tavern inside a cave. "I've heard of the Teutons secret stronghold but… I never imagined it would be this big." He thought to himself. He walked over to the bar of the tavern and took a seat.
He heard and slightly understood the conversations around him despite the men speaking a foreign tongue. Some of the Teutons looked at him, noticing he wore a different tunic and had different design choices in his armor, weapons and clothes.
Eventually a knight walked over to him and sat next to him. The man had grayed hair and goatee, similar to Monterrey. The man also wore an eyepatch and a single gauntlet of unusual design on his right hand, he wore a shirt of simple chainmail and a white gambeson tunic underneath.
Baldwin looked at the man curiously "Ja?" he uttered
"What are you doing here Templar?" the man said, his words coming out in a thick german accent.
"Oh, you speak English." Baldwin said, surprised as most teutons didn't care to learn english. Most learned French or Polish, sometimes Russian and Swedish or Norwegian. The Knights asked for a drink and continued talking with Baldwin. "I'm here to ask your master for soldiers." Baldwin answered the knight's question as he asked the tavern keep for a drink. "What would you need men for? Have you not a force of thirty-one men already?" the old knight inquired, taking a sip from his cup. "I do, but the task we have is far out of the hands of thirty-one men."
"Huh, if the task cannot be accomplished with thirty-one men, you may need to reconsider your tactical ability." The old knight said with a grin as he drank more from his cup.
"And you think you can accomplish more with thirty-one men than I?" Baldwin said, anger in his voice.
"I don't have to prove that I can, because I already have."
"What?"
"Yes…I stormed a stronghold with twenty-four of my brothers. The garrison inside was a force of fifty-five. We were outnumbered but we still won… I really believe God was protecting us that night. None of us suffered casualties or injury and it almost seemed that more men were dying than we were killing."
Baldwin looked at the man angrily, how could this old man possibly assume he was a poor tactician? He was Baldwin II of his family, 79th grandmaster of the Knights Templar. No jaded, old man could possibly outwit him and if he were not on an important mission, this old man would be dead on the floor. Yet, Baldwin was intrigued by this man.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Heinrich the Oak, swordsman and veteran of the teutonic order." the knight said proudly, standing up as he said his name and occupation.
"The… Oak?" Baldwin asked.
"Yes, a name given to me by my brothers. They call me it because despite the injuries I suffer…" He said, removing his gauntlet and revealing a stub where his arm used to be. "...I keep fighting." Baldwin was amused at the gauntlet as he noticed the man move the fingers of it to hold his cup. "How does that work?" he asked.
"A blacksmith made it for me years ago. I suffered this injury during the Northern Crusade, fifty years ago. A big norse brute knocked me to the ground and as I reached over for my sword, he lopped off my arm with his ax. The gauntlet has magical properties I do not understand. But it allows me to use it as if it were my own hand as long as I am alive and the gauntlet is not destroyed and the magical connection is unsevered."
Baldwin noticed his drink had arrived and looked into the cup, frowning as he realized it's only water. "Ugh, water? I thought this was a tavern." he said in annoyance.
"We're only allowed small amounts of wine, the order forbids anything else." Heinrich said.
"I think I'll be going now. Tell me old man, where do I find your master?"
"He'll be in the northern cavern. You can ask one of the knights to take you down there or you can follow the signs. Don't worry there are torches along the way." Baldwin got up and left, following the old knight's directions. Eventually, he reached the northern cavern. Standing guard were two cloaked men with winged helmets. The guards stood still, Baldwin was unable to tell if they were looking at him or not. Behind them were two large statues carved into the caverns. "wer bist du? was willst du?" One of them asked, shifting his spear and shield a bit.
"Uhmm, uh, Mein Name ist Baldwin, ich bin gekommen, um mit Großmeister Leopold zu sprechen." he said, struggling to remember the language.
The guards let him pass. As Baldwin walked into the room he saw a long hallway with rooms carved into the sides. There were twelve rooms, each of them with unique decorations hanging from the doorways, or different furniture inside of the rooms. The hallway then split into two other hallways with signs hanging above that gave directions. The left hallway read: "Kriegsraum."
"Uhhh, war room." Baldwin thought to himself as he translated the words in his head. He went down the hallway that led to the war room and eventually got there. He entered the room and saw twelve men sitting at a big rectangular table. He approached the men confidently and stood at the end of the table.
Baldwin began to try and remember more German but was stopped by Leopold. "You don't have to speak german, for god's sake we've known each other for years." Leopold said, sitting up from his chair.
"What do you want, Templar?" Leopold asked.
"I've come here to inform you of the new law the King has implemented."
"Oh yes I heard about that. I don't know what the intention of the law is though."
"The intention is to stop us from performing our duties as soldiers of the Lord."
"What do you mean?"
"They intend to stop christian militias from doing their job, to stop them from ridding the world of satanic influence and unholiness."
"But they can't, the church in Europe and America forbids it, it's an infringement on our beliefs!"
"Exactly. I wanted to share with you my plan."
"Very well then…"