Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar, and a company of his finest marines had entered a hidden paradise which was protected by the god Odin. The majority of his sailors and marines who had accompanied the SMS Linde on this fateful journey were establishing ties to the local populace.

The Kaiser gave strict orders prior to his departure to maintain operational security and for his troops to learn what they could from the local population about Iceland's economy, political structure, and religious background.

Thus, Sergeant Wolf Engel, and his squad of veteran marines were currently walking through the streets of Reykjavik, speaking to the locals about the Cathedral which stood proudly in the city's center, and the Priest who ran it.

The veteran soldier had scars on his face from his days spent in the frontiers of Lindeheim, where he constantly fought against the local savages over the past five years. He had only recently been redeployed to the SMS Linde as part of its complement. Something he took great pride in.

As he was speaking with the locals, who seemed afraid to talk about the Church, the Sergeant was forced to pull out a pouch of German Thalers, which he presented to a young woman, and her daughter who was no older than eight as a bribe. It was only then that they revealed what they knew about the local Bishop.

"It's not something we like to talk about, but over the past four years, the Bishop has been making some wild claims... I may not be a theologian, but some of the things he has said and done don't seem to fit with what I know about the Church..."

Wolf could tell there was a hint of worry in the woman's eyes as she struggled to avoid revealing too much information. However, her words alone were enough to convince the Sergeant that something was seriously wrong in the city of Reykjavik, and thus he was quick to inquire more about it.

"Just what are these wild claims that the Bishop has been making?"

The Icelandic woman bit her lower lip in frustration, not knowing whether she should say more. However, her young daughter pulled on her sleeve and whispered something in her ear, something which the German marines did not hear. However, whatever the little girl had said, it was enough to convince the mother to cooperate. With a heavy sigh, she revealed everything she knew.

"It's not just me, but everyone in town is afraid to speak out against the Bishop. After all, he has the backing of the local lord, who is not afraid to throw people into the dungeons for criticising the Church. However, with your arrival, maybe something can finally be done about these crimes.

The Bishop claims that it is the will of God, as spoken by the Pope for all families to send their first-born sons to the church. We were forced to give up our eldest boy, who is roughly ten to the Bishop. Even when we attend service, we are not allowed to speak to our son. There are rumors that the Bishop is taking the boys as his lovers. Though nobody has ever been able to prove this.

If that wasn't bad enough, the church demands a hefty tribute from the people of Iceland, leaving us with little left to fend for ourselves. What little remains in our pockets is then taxed by Lord Erik. We can barely afford to feed our families, let alone fuel the fires in our homes."

When Wolf heard this, he felt a sense of rage surging within his heart. It was common knowledge that the Catholic Church had abused its authority to molest boys and steal money from the people. However, these misdeeds were only proven as a result of the German Reformation.

Iceland was isolated, and though some traders came and went, it was not impossible for the Bishop and the local lord to keep the Papacy's destruction under wraps. This would explain why such blatant corruption was on full display, without fear of repercussions. Because the uneducated peasants would believe anything that the Bishop said, so long as he claimed the Pope had declared it.

Obviously, there would be dissenters who were concerned about their families, but with the power of Lord Erik's henchmen, they could be easily disposed of. Here in Iceland lie the last bastion of Catholicism, where the local Bishop abused that fact to create a harem of underaged boys, and extort the local population to make himself rich.

The very thought made Wolf and his squad's blood boil. Upon receiving this information, the sergeant was quick to thank the woman for her bravery. However, before he could return with this news to the Captain, the marines needed more evidence, and thus they interviewed several other families, who were more than willing, after a small bribe, to confess to what they knew about the Church of Reykjavik, and its misdeeds.

Before long, Wolf and his squad returned to the SMS Linde where they reported their findings to the Captain. The officer in command of the SMS Linde was a man by the name of Viktor Weiss. After hearing the accusations laid against the local Bishop, there was a stoic expression on the man's face as he questioned the validity about what he heard.

"Are you sure about this? It's not that I don't believe you, but we are in a precarious situation. We are not the rulers of Iceland, and therefore we do not have the authority to apprehend and prosecute the local Bishop, even if we were to discover undeniable evidence of his crimes. To do so could not only anger the local population, but outrage our allies in the Kalmar Union as well..."

Perhaps it was because of the Captain's indecisiveness while Berengar was away, but Wolf was outraged at the very idea that they needed permission to put down an evildoer. Thus, he was quick to protest his superior officer's diplomatic approach.

"With all due respect, Captain, I believe it is our duty, wherever we might find ourselves, to stamp out evil where we see it. If the Kaiser were here, I have no doubt that he would be more than willing to step on a few tails in order to rid the world of such atrocities. If you still think we require permission, then send a message to the German Embassy in Copenhagen and request an investigation into this matter from King Alvar."

Having heard this suggestion, Captain Weiss felt much more confident in his ability to interfere in Iceland's affairs, and was quick to do as suggested. After waiting nearly thirty minutes, he heard Alvar's voice on the other end of the radio. The man sounded rather displeased that a lowly captain had summoned him, but when he heard the allegations against the Bishop of Reykjavik, he was quick to change his tune.

"Fucking Catholics. I knew it was a bad idea to leave Iceland to its own devices. While the Nordic Reformation has taken over most of the Kalmar Union, there are still pockets of Catholic churches here and there, Iceland being the most notable exception.

If you are convinced that these rumors are true, then you have my permission to investigate them. Should you find evidence of these allegations, then by all means deal with the Bishop of Reykjavik however you see fit."

With that said, Captain Weiss could sigh in relief. After which he narrowed his eyes and shifted his sight towards Sergeant Engel, where he was quick to give the man his orders.

"I want you to rally two squads of Marines. Your objective is to raid the Cathedral of Reykjavik, as well as the Bishop's personal lodgings. Find me some evidence of the Church's misdeeds, and I will have the bastard hung with the dawn!"

In response to this, Sergeant Engel saluted the Captain, before responding in affirmation to his orders.

"Yes, Sir!"

With this said, a detachment of Marines were sent through the streets of Reykjavik, looking for evidence of the local Bishop's wrongdoings. This would, in turn, alert the local Lord and force him to respond.

Though the Germans had received King Alvar's permission to investigate this matter, Erik would not so easily lie down and accept this breach of his sovereignty. After all, he had close ties to the Bishop of Reykjavik, and if the Church went down in flames, so too would his house.