In the city of Milan, King Bruno Haselrieder sat in his throne room while contemplating unimportant matters, such as what he wanted to eat on this fine afternoon. As a native of South Tyrol, the man had witnessed Berengar's conquest of his homeland during the early years of the Kaiser's quest for power. In a sense, Bruno had seen the world transform around him in rapid fashion.
Born as a child of a minor German house, in the Italian-occupied territory of southern Austria, Bruno had learned both the German and Italian tongues in his formative years. When Berengar annexed the region under his control during his war against the rebel Count Lothar, Bruno was among the first of the locals to join the von Kufstein Army as a fledgling officer.
