Tyranny of Steel

Count Otto was clad in a set of Churburg style plate armor, covered from head to toe in a combination of plate, mail, and gambeson, with a tabard displaying his house's mighty coat of arms. In his hands was a halberd which he used to great effect as he hacked down at the Bavarian defender, a man at arms clad in a brigandine chest plate over a mail hauberk; he wore a visorless bascinet as he desperately defended the attacks of the middle-aged lord.

Otto and his army were currently engaged in a field battle not far from the city of Landshut. Though his troops were outnumbered, he had used superior tactics to surround the Bavarian army in a classic double envelopment much like the one used by the Carthaginian army at Cannae. As such, the field had turned into a slaughter as the Bavarians were pushed together and butchered by the Austrian army. Berengar's family were renowned as warriors for a reason; this notion extended to his cousins and their families as well.

Despite Sieghard failing to recognize his son's disputes; he was well regarded as a great warrior and battlefield commander, though he had been looking forward to the day he could ride beside his allies in warfare once more, the guilt he felt for his son's actions, and subsequent exilement made him no longer fit for combat, as such Berengar's father was not present in this battle beside his brother-in-law. Count Otto greatly felt great despair for this occurrence; if Sieghard were here, the battle probably would have had fewer losses. Of course, Sieghard was a vassal of Count Lothar and probably would have been stuck defending the Austrian Alps from the Bavarian forces located across the border.

Nevertheless, Count Otto could not help but lament the absence of his brother-in-law as he struck down the man at arms in front of him with his mighty halberd. After finishing the man, he moved onto another nearby with his soldiers flanking him; the group of heavily armored knights descended upon the Bavarians like the reaper, deflecting their shots with their polearms and heavy steel plate armor. Luckily for Otto, he had equipped all of his soldiers, bannermen, and knights with excellent armor from Berengar's industrial district; because of that, their casualties were substantially lower than the enemy, even before they caught them in a trap.

The banner of the golden swan flew in the air as the Austrian forces soon overwhelmed what little resistance the enemy could amount. Pressed from all sides, the numbers of the Bavarians quickly dwindled from thousands to hundreds. The enemy commander soon found himself surrounded by an army of steel-clad warriors cutting down his troops like ribbons. He could not fathom how the Austrians had managed to make such a large supply of brigandine and plate armor; the expense was surely outrageous! Nevertheless, Otto and his man quickly cut down the men before them, pressing onward to the Enemy commander, who was lamenting his decision to sally forth from the walls and protect the nearby agricultural town from the Austrian raids.

By now, the Bavarians had lost most of their army, and what few remained kept being smashed against the mighty steel wall of heavily armored men at arms who continued to press them further and further. Spears, Halberds, Polehammers, swords, maces, war hammers all descended upon the relatively poorly equipped Bavarian forces, severing limbs and crushing skulls as the deadly blows landed upon their foes. Resulting in a sea of blood staining the snow beneath their feet.

After a long-drawn-out battle, the last Bavarian standing eventually fell to the onslaught, ending in an overwhelming victory for the Austrians, who had suffered minimal losses due to their well-equipped forces. As his men were cheering in the thousands for the great victory they achieved, Otto raised the visor of his great bascinet and gazed at the scene of iron-clad corpses bleeding onto the snow that covered the ground. The middle-aged count sighed heavily as he mumbled the words.

"So this is the tyranny of steel? How can the enemy possibly compete with the sheer defense my army possesses?"

Count Otto was stunned by the performance of his army in this battle; if he was angry at Berengar before for cheating on his daughter and having a bastard son in which he dared to recognize, he could feel the fury no longer. The alliance he had made with House von Kufstein had truly paid off in this battle as he suffered far fewer casualties than he normally would have if he had not invested so heavily in Berengar's steel and arms trade. The amount of steel in which Berengar was able to produce must be a miracle from God, for the middle-aged Count could not explain it otherwise.

While his troops cleaned up the battlefield, Otto returned to his camp, where he planned to celebrate his massive victory; however, before he could do so, he was approached by a small party of cuirassiers who flew the banner of House von Kufstein. When Otto gazed upon the intricate pattern of the armor designs Berengar's forces wore, he could not help but feel that his own magnificent set of plate armor was inadequate. Nevertheless, the horses still rode forward and appeared to have greeted the sentries of his war camp. Who quickly pointed in Count Otto's direction. Evidently, these strangely armored men were here for him; what news could Berengar possibly bring him that was of such importance that he would send men into the frontlines of war?

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When the lead cuirassier rode up next to Count Otto, the man Saluted the Count before speaking.

"Are you Count Otto von Graz?"

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Count Otto noticed the intricate brass pattern on the officer's armor and gazed at it with envy. The pattern contrasted perfectly with the blackened steel plate and the garish black, gold, and white clothing that was slightly visible beneath the three-quarter's plate armor. After gazing in awe of the magnificent armor design Count, Otto eventually reclaimed his senses and nodded. When he did so, the cuirassier handed him a letter with the seal of House von Kufstein upon it; while doing so, the leading officer informed the Count of a brief summary of what had transpired in his absence.

"Viscount Berengar von Kufstein sends word of the dispute he is having with your son Gerhart and seeks your assistance."

Upon hearing those words, Otto immediately read the letter; as he did so, his expression became increasingly sour before commenting aloud for all the troops nearby to hear.

"That fucking idiot..."

Though this was supposed to be a great victory and a cause for celebration, it was immediately tarnished in the eyes of Count Otto by the foolish actions of his errant son. For some reason, the boy thought that he could do whatever he desired just because he was named Regent. If this is how the boy would reign as his successor, then Count Otto was greatly concerned about the future of his realm. Count Otto was left with no choice but to send word back to Berengar, assuring him that the arrangement still stood and that he would be strictly admonishing Gerhart for his actions. The last thing he needed was for Berengar to invade his lands under the guise of securing liberating Steiermark from a usurper.