Rise of the Reichstag: A German IAAR

[Grifguz]

Konrad the First

 

[Manuss]

Konrad

 

[VGL]

Konard

 

[baseballpie]

Election of 912 A.D: Return of the King?​

Several weeks in, the voting seems to show a clear majority towards Konrad Karling, garnering about 5 out of every eight votes. The Hohenzollern family has drawn record low support, however, since no man has a two-thirds majority, Freidrich is currently in line for the throne. For the second time in a row, a Hohenzollern seems likely to win, in spite of the nobles angst for the dynasty. There are still several more swing voters still to make up their minds. Will they show loyalty to the current rulers? Or will the Karlings, having been ousted over a century ago, make a full resurgence? Or will Johann receive some late support to overcome his brother? Only time will tell.


Current votes:

Freidrich: 1

Johann: 0

Adalbert: 2

Konrad: 5


_____________________

Voting ends in about 1 day.

 

[DKVM]

So all of you wish for the ruler to die early hmm.

 

[baseballpie]

Well, not exactly early, the guy is 70 years old, he's going to die soon.

 

[DKVM]

I was saying early in his reign.

 

[constantinople]

Johann. I just came back from the Ann Arbor Art Fair, long live culture!

 

[constantinople]

I was saying early in his reign.

He'll probably die of a heart attack at his coronation.

 

[DKVM]

Exactly, so don't vote for Konrad!

 

[TheNoob]

Johann. I just came back from the Ann Arbor Art Fair, long live culture!

Yay for Michigan!

 

[baseballpie]

Johann and Freidrich Hohenzollern tie for lead dynastic vote-getter with 11% of the vote each​

Votes:

Freidrich: 1

Johann: 1

Adalbert: 2

Konrad: 5

Recap:
Konrad Karling leads the pack, but garners only 55% of the vote, not enough to overcome the two-thirds rule. Reichstag speaker Georg Capet is now going into intense deliberation in his quest to determine the leader of Germany.


Another thing guys: What do you think of the story so far? What do you like? What do you dislike? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[VGL]

I dislike that there isn't a lot of updates and i do not understand the differences of Ruling Dynasty and Reichstag

 

[baseballpie]

I dislike that there isn't a lot of updates

Yes, I completely understand that, and I will try to churn out updates a lot faster.

and i do not understand the differences of Ruling Dynasty and Reichstag

Ruling Dynasty means that they are closely related to the previous King and thus are almost guaranteed to win due to Karl Hohenzollern's two-thirds rule. Reichstag means that they are local nobles from the area within and around Germany.

For example: Johann was Ruling dynasty because he was the last king's nephew. Adalbert was Reichstag because he was a bishop from Mainz. Does that explanation make it easier to understand?

 

[VGL]

Yes.but does that mean that ethier Johann and Freidrich Hohenzollern have won because of the Karl Hohenzollern's two-thirds rule?

 

[baseballpie]

They tied, so I choose the victor (as the Reichstag speaker). Like I said, I would say it now, but I am currently typing up a mini-story to resolve the issue.

 

[TheNoob]

I like a different voting style, but it is so frustrating when the one you voted for didn't get enough votes

 

[baseballpie]

Just wait and see, it'll get repealed sometime in the future.

 

[baseballpie]

A Surprising Turn of Events​

Johann and Friedrich walked out of the Palace, flanked by several Royal Guards, overcome with joy. Both had tied for the lead vote-getter, thanks to their grandfather’s interpretation of a democracy. That is: if you can’t win, make a law that says you can. Freidrich was filled with beer, having indulged himself in the victory feast held after elections, while Johann sampled some fine Spanish wines. The feast was simply immaculate. Lavish foodstuffs, live entertainment, and the aforementioned wine all made appearances. Johann could not have asked for a better end to the day. Both brothers had agreed to give the other a gift if either won the election. Having tied, it was more or less an exchange.

“Johann, when should I give you your present?” Freidrich asked in slurred speech. “I could give it to you tonight.” Johann, knowing the gift was either alcohol or women, declined.

“But,” Johann replied back, “have I got the gift for you.” He knew Freidrich would love it. The gift was a military treatise, given to himself as a gift by one of his beneficiaries, a man from the Far East. “I’ll give it to you tomorrow afternoon, at the speaker’s ballot.” But, the truth was, there would be no tomorrow for either of them. For neither brother would ever see the daylight in Germany again.

***​

Friedrich swaggered down the path, drunken, back to his home within the royal complex. Though rather Spartan, it was still home to him and about 8 women, whom he called his “entourage”. Freidrich saw that only one was home tonight, and embraced her in a long, deep kiss. They made like animals for the bedchamber, tearing clothing and scratching skin. Freidrich could tell that it was Catherine home tonight, his favorite. He laid down on the bed, gasping for breath, while she lit a candle. Blissful pleasure turned to fearful terror, however, when the woman turned around. It was not Catherine home tonight. In fact, Freidrich had no idea who this woman was. He attempted to leave the chamber, but a well-timed kick to the groin by the mystery woman had him flat on the floor. Suddenly, from what seemed like shadows on the wall, three masked men appeared. The woman sat on a table, filing her nails, while the men pinned Freidrich down to the bed. She then crept over Freidrich, took out a knife from her pocket, and plunged it into his heart.

***​

Johann thought he heard a scream emanating from the royal complex. It sounded oddly like his brother’s, but he merely dismissed it as a bird. Freidrich never screamed. So Johann continued down the path. He was staying in Berlin inn, one of the finest inns in the country. The palace, containing most of the guest quarter, was under renovation, being built to house nearly double the guests it once could. Many living in the castle offered to give up their residence in order to house Johann, but he decided he would rather stay in an inn than displace someone else. Johann felt safe, for he had the royal guards to watch him. Plus, the army had come and cleared the area of any highwaymen ahead of time, for many nobles of the Reichstag had been staying in Berlin. The road was not as crowded as it usually was during the daytime; several merchant carts were all that Johann had seen. For a moment, Johann thought he saw one of his friends, the Baron of Stade, in the forest. Knowing that Adolph had a thing for the wilderness, Johann thought he could sneak up on him and thank him for his support in the Reichstag. Tiptoeing through the undergrowth, Johann tapped Adolph on the shoulder. Adolph gave him a silent message to quiet down. “This is the largest stag I’ve ever seen in all my years hunting,” he pointed at the animal. Adolph cocked his bow, ready to strike. “I just wanted to thank you for…” Johann was interrupted by an arrow through Adolph’s head. Struck right between the eyes, he crumpled to the ground, his own arrow flying up into the air.

“Guards!” Johann yelled, too terrified and frozen to do anything other than scream.

“Your guards are dead,” a hooded man said, coming into view. Johann, peeking through the trees, saw this was true; three men in armor lay in pools of blood on the side of the road. “Now, the man continued, “We will allow you to live, but only if you follow all of these rules. First, you will show no resistance to your relocation. Second, you make no attempt to ever come back to Germany. Third, you never reveal your heritage or my role in this plot. Do I make myself clear?”

Johann nodded.

“Good,” the man continued. “Now, I believe your ride has arrived,” he said, jerking his head toward a horse-drawn carriage. “And remember, if you violate any of these rules, your wife and children will not be very safe.” Johann, gritting his teeth, climbed into the carriage, never to be seen again.

***​

The Reichstag, led by speaker Georg Capet, a nobleman chosen as a neutral party, was thrown into a frenzy. Neither brother appeared at the scheduled decision. When news came that Freidrich had been found dead in his bedchamber, the room absolutely burst into panic.

“Quiet down! Order!” Georg boomed. Eventually, the nobles did sit down. “Now, I am aware that Johann has not appeared at the meeting. Currently, the king’s retinue is out searching for him. Every city in Germany is being notified and is out looking for him. If they do not locate him in two weeks, then I will have to crown Konrad Karling as King of Germany.”

After the meeting, two elderly men stood outside the Reichstag building. One had a long beard. The other wore a long, tattered, hooded cloak.

“I want to thank you for what you’ve done for me,” the hooded man said. “I really cannot believe you’ve gone this far for me.”

“It’s really no problem. Only a simple favor I owed a friend. Just needed to tie up some loose ends,” the bearded man responded.

“No matter what,” the hooded man continued, “I want you to know that you gave me the best gift I could have ever received.”

“And what would that be?”

“The title of King.”

Both men said farewell in a brotherly fashion before the bearded man hopped onto a passing carriage and left. Konrad Karling took off his hood and thought, “Thank you, Ludwig. Not all Hohenzollerns are bad, after all.”

 

[DKVM]

And then Adalbert showed up with a " HALT IN THE NAME OF GOD!" then he dragged the other candidates away where they were excommunicated by the bishop with the funny hat. The Pope then made Adalbert af Mainz King of all of Germany as a reward.