Island of Fate- ATTN Danmark

[Holy Frankish Empire]

For hundreds of years, the Knights of St. Basil had waged holy war in the name of Christ. They had been the last of the great crusading orders, finally renouncing their claims to crusade in the early 19th century. The Knights had adapted quickly and had become fine and agile merchants. Syracuse's Grand Harbor continued to be busy. Though the Order technically served the Papacy, the Knights since the late 18th century had mostly served themselves. Times continued to change. The Knights continued to change. Now, the Knights of St. Basil had 2 protestants and even a few Jews in its ranks. One was the ambassador to Franken.

Despite the changes, one thing remained: The Grand Master. Elected by the Priors of the Order, the Grand Master served for life as the undisputed head of the Knights, Nicosia, and as a Prince of the Church. It had been two months since the death of the last Grand Master, Bertrand de Thercy of Montelimar at age 77. For the past 7 day, Theodore Balbi had been serving as Grand Master. It was a move that surprised many as the last Nicosian Grand Master served 100 years ago. There had been a fair amount of celebrating in the streets.

Balbi, aged 61, was relatively young. Tall and somewhat thin, Balbi's short gray beard offset his blue eyes. His was soft but firm and he spoke only when necessary. Balbi was a mercantile knight and took no vow of chastity. Moderately successful, he sold his small wine trading firm and sought permission from the Grand Master to join the ranks of warrior knights serving in the Nicosian military. Denied, he protested. Finally, he was given a small staff position. At age 47, Balbi was offered a role of ambassador to Potenza. He accepted.

Now, the halls of the Grand Master's Palace in Syracuse echoed with his footsteps. The palace had been converted nearly 20 years earlier into one of the world's finest small museums. It still held important events such as his induction to the Mastership 3 days prior. A small apartment had been granted to him until such time as he moved into the summer palace outside the city walls which was now the full time residence. He wore a simple suit, hands clasped behind his back. Many things flowed through his mind. The Knights of St. Basil administered at least 15 hospitals outside of Nicosia and operated 8 ambulance services. In addition there were rumblings from some factions of local government murmuring of Nicosia becoming a republic. Wars threatened Nicosia's world trade. Finally, Balbi had to appoint a Supreme Council- ministers to handle Nicosia's non-Order matters.

He opened the door to his appointed bedroom. A room measuring around 50 feet by 40 feet was dark, lit by a single bedside lamp. In the daylight, one could see the massive bronze Nicosian cross on the ceiling or the checkered marble floor. One would have also seen a very simple bed, simple furniture. Balbi sat on the bed, waving off his new assistants. He produced a pipe and let the aroma of the sweet tobacco smoke fill his nostrils. The next few days would be brutal.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

There was the smell of rain in the air. The spring rains were few, the island relying on the winter for most of its precipitation. Already warm, Nicosia was flowing with tourists and religious pilgrims. Balbi enjoyed the cool breeze filling the old office. In just a week or so, the Grand Master's palace would revert back to a museum. The only sounds were of the breeze, the grandfather clock's ticking, and the dull murmur of Syracuse city life. Balbi sat back, clad in his pajamas and seated in a chair that was at least 150 years old.

Balbi rubbed his temples. The possible candidates were numerous. Each choice had its positives and negatives. Politically, some offered little. The most obvious choice was an impossible one. Hans Grossman was one of the most esteemed knights and had devoted nearly 60 years to the Order. He was well known in international diplomatic circles and had once even run numerous charities. He was popular with the common people and with most knights of the order. Unfortunately, Grossman had been quietly whisked away to a monastery on one of Nicosia's lesser islands. He had gone stark raving mad in old age, demanding the start of a modern crusade and that people of other races were sinful. The public and Order had been told that he had become a reclusive monk in order to preserve his reputation. Francois LaPointe was a popular choice. He was politically neutral, relatively young at 53, and had no real baggage. His only issue was that he was an instigator among the tongues, frequently denouncing the Germanic tongue as impure. Balbi looked through the multitudes of possibilities. He rubbed his eyes and his temples again. He stood and walked through the office door. Alone save for a single guard, clasped in a breast plate with a short pike who stood stone in the corner, Balbi's footsteps reverberated against the marble of the floor and brick walls. He headed silent to the traditional Grand Master's chapel to pray.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

After an unheard of wait and pressure from all corners of the country, Balbi had finally made the decision. For weeks now, he had returned to the palace outside of Syracuse. He had met with numerous advisers and interviewed 5 Knights for the position. Balbi poured over the choices. A Frankish one may annoy one group. A Potenzan may annoy another tongue. There was but one option- Kresten Bjarke. A man of heavy nobility. Few Knights these days were men of major nobility. With the Order's laws and the commitment to the vows, few dared give up their life of mass privilege for minor privilege. At 57, Bjarke had a clean record save for a few minor indiscretions as a young knight. He was well educated and was one of the few Knights who attended university outside the 'list'; a short list of approved universities. Balbi had spent an entire night vetting the man. He had joined the Order of St Basil in the usual years, given a military exemption for university. He had served his 2 years in the Nicosian navy and his performance reports were largely good. One mentioned that his duties seemed to be distracted by a young lady but this seemed to have stopped within a year. Balbi had shrugged when he read it. It was not common but not uncommon for Knights, even those who did take the vow of chastity, to quietly have a mistress. If that was the largest blemish on the man's record, Balbi was unconcerned. Everyone, despite vows, had taken an interest or at least a curiosity with a woman. Balbi could not find some papers but the Order's archives had been a mess for years. He had been a Knight Grand Cross for only a few years Balbi noted. As long as a Knight had been awarded the Grand Cross, he could be Grand Commander.

Balbi lit his pipe and looked at the clock on the mantle. Beautifully carved from maple with cherubs, it read 10 o'clock at night. He pursed his lips. It was a bit late, especially for men beginning to grow old. He sighed. It could not wait. Sitting down, he took a plain Order letterhead which was emblazoned with a simple Nicosian cross. He wrote quickly:

Sir,

You are requested at your earliest convenience to give attendance here at my residence.

-Balbi


Balbi called for his page and handed the young man a sealed envelope. Grand Commanders rarely left Nicosia as some of the younger Knights did. It was most likely that Bjarke was at his tongue's palace in Syracuse. Some tongues still maintained modest palaces in Syracuse for their knights as did the Order of old. Some had opted for a modern apartment building with slightly nicer furnishings. Few knights maintained their own residences in Syracuse. Even if they did, they would have to be near their tongues and would most likely be sharing with at least one other knight. Outside of Syracuse, in smaller cities in Nicosia, many knights did maintain their own residences. However, Balbi was quite unsure where to find the Dane. If anyone knew, the tongue would know.