Maximilian von Sternberg

Overview

Graf Maximilian von Sternberg is a 30-year-old Austrian cavalry officer of the elite 4th Hussars. He is handsome, arrogant, and utterly convinced of his superiority. He will serve as a romantic rival subplot for Thomas Wyndham, pursuing Emma Wentworth with obsessive persistence and ultimately forcing a duel over honour.

Physical Description

Impossibly handsome in the chiseled Austrian cavalry officer fashion. Tall, blonde, with an athletic build maintained through rigorous military training. He wears his Hussar uniform as if it was designed specifically for him — which, from his perspective, it probably was. His bearing screams aristocratic confidence; his smile suggests he’s never been told “no” in his life.

Statistics

Skills

• Fighting (Sword) 70%
• Fighting (Brawl) 50%
• Firearms (Handgun) 55%
• Ride 75%
• Charm 60%
• Intimidate 55%
• Credit Rating 70%
• German (Native) 90%
• French 65%
• English 40%

Personality

Arrogant, entitled, used to getting what he wants. He is charming when it suits him, cutting when crossed. He views English officers as inferior (Wellington’s victories rankle, but he maintains the Austrian position that they won through Allied numbers, not superior skill). He is competitive about everything — horses, swords, women, social standing.

Sternberg is not evil, just insufferable. He operates from genuine conviction that he is superior and that his desires should be satisfied.

The Courtship Arc

Stage 1: Introduction (Aug 4–5) Sternberg notices Emma at a social event. He becomes instantly fascinated — she’s beautiful, English (exotic), and clearly attached to another man (which makes her a challenge). He introduces himself with perfect courtesy and begins his campaign.

Stage 2: Escalation (Aug 5–7) He invites Emma to coffee, to concerts, to social events. He is charming and flattering, subtly dismissive of Thomas. He tries to isolate Emma socially and create situations where she relies on his guidance.

Stage 3: The Insult (Aug 8, Masquerade) Growing frustrated by Emma’s resistance, Sternberg makes a comment implying Emma is beneath him socially (or makes some other comment that damages Thomas’s honour). This occurs in public, in front of witnesses. Thomas must respond or lose significant social standing.

Stage 4: The Challenge (Aug 8, evening) Thomas either directly challenges Sternberg or Sternberg issues the challenge after being struck. Seconds are appointed, and terms are negotiated.

Stage 5: The Duel (Aug 9 or 10, dawn) The duel occurs at dawn outside the Linienwall gates. Weapons are sabers (if Sternberg chooses) or pistols (if Thomas chooses). The outcome is uncertain — Sternberg is skilled but can be beaten; first blood ends the engagement.

Combat

Sternberg is genuinely skilled with a saber — this is his primary weapon as a cavalry officer. He is also competent with a pistol. He prefers sabers because they suit his style: aggressive, flashy, confident.

Saber Duel Tactics: Sternberg leads with aggressive attacks, testing his opponent’s defence. He is confident and makes his movements theatrical. If he discovers his opponent is genuinely skilled, he becomes more focused and dangerous.

Pistol Duel: Sternberg is competent but not exceptional with firearms. In a pistol duel, the outcome is more random — either combatant could prevail.

Possible Outcomes

Sternberg Wins:

• Thomas is wounded but alive
• Sternberg is satisfied that his honour (and by extension his superiority) is confirmed
• He may lose interest in Emma (victory satisfies him) or press harder (wounded Thomas confirms his dominance)
• Sternberg becomes a recurring antagonist

Thomas Wins:

• Sternberg is shocked and humbled
• His social standing takes a hit; an English officer bested an Austrian Hussar
• He may become Thomas’s bitter enemy or (less likely) a grudging respecter
• His pursuit of Emma ends abruptly

Stalemate (Both Wounded):

• Honour is satisfied; the duel ends at first blood to both
• Neither party has “won” clearly
• Sternberg may lose interest (no clear victory) or become obsessed (true rival)

Session Appearances

Sternberg should be introduced at a social event (Von Thun’s salon, Imperial Reception, or Masquerade). His courtship of Emma should be gradual and public, creating mounting tension. The duel should occur around August 9–10, during the investigation’s most intense phase.

Final Notes

The Sternberg subplot is completely separate from the main Brotherhood investigation. It is a romantic/social conflict that parallels the larger supernatural horror. The duel can be a dramatic interlude that humanizes Thomas and demonstrates that not all conflicts in Vienna are about the Engine.

[!info] Keeper Only The Sternberg subplot is optional drama that can be adjusted or removed based on table preference and pacing needs. It works best if it creates genuine tension at the table — if the party doesn’t care about Thomas’s romantic reputation or Emma’s honour, the subplot loses its impact. Use it if the table is invested in these character relationships; otherwise, consider simplifying Sternberg to a background antagonist who appears at events but doesn’t force confrontation.

If running the duel, consult the dueling rules section of the Vienna Chapter Summary for mechanics and narration guidance.

Session 8 Update — The Masquerade Strike (Night of August 8, 1814)

Drunk and aggressive, Sternberg arrived late at the Grand Masquerade, stumbled into the party’s circle, and demanded a dance from Emma in front of Wyndham and Varrio. He insulted Wyndham’s station within Emma’s hearing.

Varrio punched him in the face. Sternberg went to the floor, lip split open, blood on his teeth. He touched the blood, looked up, and formally challenged Varrio in front of witnesses. Wyndham took up the challenge on Varrio’s behalf with delight, and Sternberg’s seconds will call at Palais_Kinsky in the morning.

Duel Status

• Engagement: Wyndham vs Sternberg, sabres
• Time: Dawn, August 9 (tomorrow morning) — because Sternberg was struck rather than merely insulted, the duel timeline is accelerated per Sternberg_Duel_Subplot
• Location: Outside the Linienwall gates, per the duel subplot
• Seconds: Wyndham asked Varrio to second him

What He Saw After the Punch

Sternberg was still in the ballroom when the Wächter dropped through the stained-glass window. He witnessed the attack directly. His view of the English party may now include genuine fear, genuine respect, or paranoid certainty that the English brought the creature to Vienna with them — depending on how he resolves the cognitive dissonance between “those people humiliated me” and “those people are fighting an actual monster in front of European aristocracy.”

Open Questions for Session 9

• Does Sternberg show up for the duel at dawn? A man who has just witnessed a Wächter attack may decide a sabre fight with an English officer is the most normal thing left in his life — or he may not show. Both are valid.
• If he shows: does anyone die? Wyndham is volatile, Sternberg is humiliated, and the sabres are real.
• If the duel happens, where does Sternberg sit afterward? Reluctant ally if Wyndham wins cleanly and shows mercy. Permanent enemy if Wyndham wins ugly. Dead man if either of them rolls badly. Open Keeper question.

Session 11 Update — The Duel Resolved (Dawn, 10 August 1814)

Sternberg showed up. Sternberg lost.

The duel was fought at dawn on 10 August at Linienwallgasse, a misty meadow beyond the Linienwall gates. Terms: pistols at twenty paces. Varrio as Thomas’s second; Captain_von_Straussen as Sternberg’s second.

• Pistol exchange: Thomas missed. Sternberg’s pistol misfired — wet pan, the powder failing to catch in the damp morning air. Neither man hit.
• Weapon switch: Varrio persuaded both seconds to switch to sabers due to the damp conditions (Hard Charm success). Sternberg agreed. The weapon he had originally demanded at the masquerade became the weapon that beat him.
• Sabre exchange: Both men at Fighting (Sword) 70%. Thomas anticipated Sternberg’s riposte, twisted under the blade, and drove his saber into Sternberg’s armpit and chest. Collapsed lung. Sternberg went to his knees. Surgeon rushed in. Sternberg loaded into carriage and driven to hospital.

Current Status

• Status: alive (hospitalized)
• Location: Vienna hospital
• Injuries: Saber wound to armpit and chest, collapsed lung
• Social standing: Destroyed. An Austrian Hussar beaten by an English officer on his own ground.
• Pursuit of Emma: Over. Thomas kissed Emma on the duelling ground. She kissed him back.
• Narrative status: Out of play. The Sternberg_Duel_Subplot is resolved.

Corrections to Earlier Update

• Duel location: Linienwallgasse (misty meadow beyond the Linienwall gates)
• Pistol misfire: Wet pan due to damp morning conditions, not a critical failure roll
• Wound location: Armpit and chest (collapsed lung), not “shoulder to ribs”
• Weapon switch: Varrio persuaded both seconds to switch to sabers due to damp conditions making pistols unreliable. Captain_von_Straussen, Sternberg’s second, negotiated terms and oversaw the transition

Relationships

• Courts Emma Wentworth — Obsessed with Emma; views her as romantic prize
• Rival of Thomas Wyndham — Sees Thomas as competitor; will duel if insulted