Tyranny of Steel

The Pope sat in his Chair with a hopeless expression. Not only did the peasant's Crusade to Iberia fail miserably, but due to the massive supply of forces sent to the region, the Catholic world was undergoing an economic crisis and a massive famine. Roughly half a million peasants from across Europe lie dead in Iberia, their corpses rotting under the hot sun.

Because of this, there were substantially fewer people to work the fields. The Catholic Kingdoms were severely lacking in agricultural technology compared to the Kingdom of Austria. Since practically all work had to be done by hand; the overwhelming majority of the population in the Catholic World were forced to work on farms.

Now that half a million men lie dead in a foreign country, the populations of France, Hungary, Poland-Lithuania, England, and the German States were depleted. This had led to a massive food shortage that could not easily be overcome.

Meanwhile, Austria was overflowing with a food surplus; despite this fact, they outright refused to sell their excess agricultural products to the Catholic Kingdoms; what they did with this extra food, Julius did not know.

If he knew that the Austrians were preserving the excess food and selling it for a minimal price to their citizens in an attempt to ensure that they were all properly fed, he would probably gouge his eyes out from sure envy.

Thus he was in a state of crisis as more of his followers believed that the Papacy's obsession with hunting down and destroying the German Reformation had become a lost cause. If it were not for the rulers of these nations offering their support, then few men would volunteer for the Crusade against the Berengar Heresy.

Julius stared at the reports in his hands with complete and utter frustration. Portugal had fallen, King Luiz was now a prisoner of the Emirate of Granada, and Aragon was attempting to annex Castile in a brutal campaign that depleted both Kingdoms' strength. On top of all of this, there were rumors from the conflict that Austria had deployed weapons of severe destruction capable of countering the numerical advantage that the Catholics had employed.

At this very moment, the Vicar of Christ felt lost and faithless; no matter how many times he wracked his mind around it, he could not comprehend why the Lord God almighty was testing him so frequently. Was it indeed the end of days? Or did the Heavenly Father favor the German Reformation?

If the Catholic world knew that their Pope was having a spiritual crisis, they would probably lose faith in the Church entirely. However, they were blissfully unaware of this fact, and thus Julius kept his doubtful thoughts to himself as he was surrounded by his Cardinals who gazed upon him and his downcast expression. Ultimately one of the Cardinals voiced his concerns over the matter as he began to address the issues at hand.

"I think the question on everyone's minds is what are we going to do? We are already raising funds via indulgences for the Crusade against the Berengar Heresy, but after the disaster that was the Peasant's Crusade against Granada, fewer and fewer people now support our cause.

On top of all this, the Kingdoms suffering from famine partially blame us for this result. If the Church had not called for a massive crusade to overwhelm the enemy with a sheer volume of numbers, then they likely would not be suffering to the extent they are now.

Thousands of men, women, and children in the Catholic Kingdoms are dying from starvation with each passing day! We do not have the funds to aid them, for all of our wealth is going towards investing in yet another attempt to end Berengar's reign. What do we tell the people who starve to death and can't afford the inflated prices of grain? That they should give what little wealth they have to us in hopes that we can avenge their deaths?"

With these words spoken, few men gathered in the chamber knew how to or desired to answer this question. Utter silence prevailed aside from the sound of the Pope tapping his papal throne repeatedly with his index finger. For quite some time, not a word was spoken before the Pope raised his voice; as he did so, he projected his authority as the leader of the Catholic World.

"We must secure the funds and workforce necessary to march on Austria within 4 years' time. I don't care how we have to do it, Berengar von Kufstein must die! If he is allowed to persist as a ruler, then the Catholic Church as a whole will be ruined!"

Despite the Pope's words, his council of Cardinals was no longer sure that such a thing was possible. Since the Berengar Heresy began, there had already been two Cardinals to defect to the enemy's side. Such a thing was a slap in the face to the Papacy, and yet as time went by, more and more of the men present considered jumping ship. Thus it was no surprise when one of the Cardinals voiced his concerns over the Pope's command in a fairly flustered state.

"You have gone mad, Julius, just like Simion before you! This King of Austria has driven you past the point of sanity. It is no longer about the power of the Church over sovereign kingdoms, but the very survival of our Religion!

In your attempts to drive Berengar von Kufstein out of power, you have shed the blood of countless lives and caused economic crisis upon the Kingdoms who look up to us. Famine and Poverty rule over Europe, while Austria rises to new levels!

Is it any wonder that millions of Germans flock to Berengar's so-called Reformation every year? By now, the Catholic Dukes and Margraves of Germany no longer have the ability to compel their people to follow our faith, for the peasants and Lords alike have united against them!

If you insist on going down this path of another reckless Crusade, I swear to you, it will be the end of the Roman Catholic Church as we know it! I implore you to rethink your actions and settle your grudge with the King of Austria once and for all!

Let me remind you that if it weren't for the corruption of the Bishop of Innsbruck and the local clergy. Berengar von Kufstein may not have ever challenged our authority! See reason Julius before it is too late!"

Though the other Cardinals remained silent, the reality was that many of them held similar views of the ongoing conflict with Austria. If the Austrian Army could annihilate half a million men in battle within the Iberian Peninsula with a force of 50,000 men, then what could possibly be achieved by invading their home turf?

However, Julius was consumed beyond the point of reason; at this point, he, like his predecessor, had been driven to the brink of madness after being bested by an upstart from a once insignificant region. The Pride of the Papacy was at stake, and the constant humiliation they had suffered in their attempts to remove Berengar from power had driven both Popes mad.

Even if the Cardinals initially selected Julius to replace Simion so that he would take a moderate stance against Berengar von Kufstein and his realm, it did not take long for him to be pushed past the point of no return. Thus instead of accepting his losses and making amends with the young Monarch, he instead doubled down once more.

"I refuse to allow this upstart from Austria to further humiliate the Papacy and the Catholic Church as a whole. If I were to bow my head and concede defeat to this Devil, he would be acquiring exactly what he desires. Under no circumstances will I allow such a fantasy to become a reality!

Instead, I will bring forth the greatest army this world has ever seen and ravage his lands! I swear even if it is the death of me that I will see Berengar von Kufstein's head encased in bronze, and mounted outside my walls!

This will serve as a permanent reminder as to what happens when you dare to challenge the authority of the Church! If any of you refuse to play your part, then you can consider yourselves excommunicated!"

The Pope had expected this mad rant to convince his Cardinals to follow his plan until the end. Instead, the Cardinal who had raised his objection responded by pulling off his hat and placing it on the table. After doing so, he stared deep into the Pope's eyes before declaring his intent.

"I will not follow you into damnation. If this is the direction of the Catholic Church, then I want no part of it. You can consider me excommunicated!"

After saying this, he began to walk away from the Papal Chamber with his head held high. Julius called out to him in an utterly enraged state as he did so.

"Fine! Go! You are excommunicated and, at this moment, branded a Heretic! If you ever step foot in another Catholic Kingdom I will have your head on a pike!"

When the other Cardinals heard the Pope's response to the Cardinal's resignation, many of them followed suit. They too stood up from their seats and placed their hats upon the table before walking off.

In the end, all of the Cardinals from German-speaking regions had ended up resigning from their position and walking off. In their eyes, the Pope had gone entirely insane with a thirst for vengeance, and they refused to allow their people to bleed over the unrealistic possibility of avenging their losses to the Kingdom of Austria and its Monarch.