Treaty of Tübingen
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg is negotiating with representatives of the Swabian League in a candlelit council chamber, with maps and documents spread across a heavy oak table. The atmosphere is tense, w
Setting
The council chamber of Tübingen Castle, a grand room with high vaulted ceilings and thick stone walls, adorned with tapestries depicting historical battles and the Württemberg coat of arms. The room is dominated by a heavy oak table at its center, surrounded by high-backed chairs.
Characters
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg
primary
A middle-aged man of imposing stature, with a broad chest and strong features. His face bears the marks of past battles and the stress of recent exile, with deep-set eyes and a prominent jawline. His dark hair is streaked with grey, tied back in a simple nobleman's style.
Swabian League Representative
primary
A middle-aged man with a lean, wiry build, sharp features, and piercing blue eyes that miss nothing. His neatly trimmed beard and short, graying hair suggest a man of disciplined habits. His hands are clean but show the calluses of a man who has wielded both quill and sword.
Duke's Advisor
secondary
A middle-aged man with sharp, calculating eyes and a neatly trimmed beard. His gaunt face suggests years of service and stress, with deep lines etched around his mouth and forehead. He stands slightly hunched, as if accustomed to bowing, but his gaze remains keen and observant.
League Scribe
secondary
A middle-aged man of slight build, with ink-stained fingers and a neatly trimmed beard. His sharp eyes dart between the negotiators and his parchment, capturing every detail with precision.
Castle Guard
background
A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late 30s with a weathered face, short-cropped brown hair, and a thick beard. His piercing blue eyes scan the room constantly, and his muscular frame suggests years of military training.
Dialog
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg
By my ancestral rights and the blood of my forefathers, these lands are mine. The League's occupation is an affront to God and law alike.
Swabian League Representative
Your Grace forgets the Imperial ban placed upon you. The League acts with full authority of the Emperor.
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg
A ban obtained through treachery and false testimony! Do you think me some peasant to be stripped of birthright?
Swabian League Representative
We think you a prince who gambled and lost. The terms remain: renounce all claims to Württemberg, and you may retire to your Swiss estates with dignity.
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg
Dignity? You offer me exile while thieves divide my patrimony!
Swabian League Representative
The alternative is continued war. Consider carefully - the peasants already rise in revolt across Swabia. Can you fight both them and us?
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg
Then let the land burn! Better ashes than surrender.