[h3]Arch Lector Strauch[/h3]
[hr]

"No." 

"What do you mean, no?!" Baron Fritz Gerlich, Lord of Helmgart, sputtered in indignation , his hands flapping uselessly in front of him. "You cannot refuse!"

"One does not tell an Arch Lector what he can, or cannot do, except the Emperor himself. Are you the Emperor, my lord?" Strauch stood tall in the Barons personal chambers, his shaved head gleaming in the sunlight that streamed in through a massive arched window that rose from floor to ceiling. One hand was gently stroking a long blonde beard as he stared at the tall, reed-thin Nobleman in front of him. 

The Baron looked at a loss for words as he stared at Strauch. A fine silken shirt was half hidden by a breastplate that showed signs of battle, and a noticeable limp attested to the Barons own service in the armies of the Empire. A Greatsword, nearly as tall as Gerlich, told the story of his own history. The Arch Lector, for his own part, wore a humble blue robe with a fine chainmail woven into the fabric, Book of Sigmar hung, as it always had, over his left hip, by a simple chain of forged steel. A one handed mace hung from his belt and he felt it bump comfortingly against his thigh; he was never a man without a weapon. 

"I have not been sent to Helmgart to sort out the childish mistakes of your kinsmen." Strauchs voice was a deep, almost pleasant, rumble. It brokered no argument, even from a distant cousin of the Emperors Chamberlin. 

"Well, that is quite unexpected..." Gerlich said with a sigh as he sat in a small chair, the red cushion giving a poof of dust that cascaded through the sunbeam. His long fingers drummed for a moment on a grey table that held a bottle of port and two glasses. He had not offered the Arch Lector one, nor would it have been accepted if he did. 

"I am glad we understand each other, my lord." Strauch bowed his head slightly and then turned to go.

"You don't think it'll lead to war?" Gerlichs voice was so quiet that Strauch almost missed the question. He paused for a moment in the doorway before turning to look over his shoulder. Helmgarts commander was sitting slumped on his chair, staring out the tall window - an old soldier remembering old battles - and fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

"I would like to say no, but I both think we know that men are foolish. I, for one, will not take part. There are far greater enemies afoot."

"Yes, so you said..." Gerlich glanced up and his green eyes met piercing blue as the two men regarded each other. "Sigmar protect you, Arch Lector."

"And you, my lord." Strauch bowed and swept from the room.