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INT. WEWELSBURG CASTLE - NIGHT
Each room is decorated with genuine period pieces, down to the last detail, personifying the lives of many of the men who took possession of the Holy Lance.
HIMMLER (V.O.): It could also make an excellent launching point for elite troops, right?
There are rooms for Charles the Great, Henry the Lion, Frederick Barbarossa, Otto the Great, Frederick of Hohenstaufen, and Conrad IV.
PROFESSOR HIMMLER (V.O.) (growing impatient): Yes, Heinrich, of course, thank you. That will be all, son.
INT. HIMMLER’S CASTLE SUITE - LATER
Sitting prominently on Himmler’s desk, resting in an ancient-looking leather case, is the Holy Lance. Himmler and SCHELLENBERG, among others, stand gazing at it.
HIMMLER: Before us, gentlemen, rests a talisman of power unlike anything the world can even imagine. Its historic import far surpasses the Ark of the Covenant, or even the Holy Grail. According to legend, this spearhead actually pierced the side of Christ as He hung on the cross. And whoever possesses this Holy Lance will control the destiny of the world, whether for good ... or for evil.
SCHELLENBERG: Excuse me, commander. It was my understanding that this is actually a replica of the Holy Lance. The real one is still sitting in an Austrian museum ... the Hofburg, I believe.
HIMMLER (trying to mask his annoyance): How astute of you, Schellenberg. Yes, well, while every effort is being made to recover the actual lance, we still should never underestimate the symbolic meaning in even this replica. The symbol still resonates to us in a very powerful way. Don’t you think?
SCHELLENBERG (trying to sound interested): Yes, yes, of course. I see what you’re saying.
EXT. GERMAN COUNTRYSIDE - DAY
Dressed as Henry the Bird Catcher, in full military regalia, Himmler rides the plains on horseback, followed by his TROOPS. MARAUDING HORDES from the East move toward them.
HIMMLER (V.O.): Consider just some of the great men who have claimed possession of it: Constantine, Charlemagne, Henry the Fowler, Otto the Great, Frederick Barbarossa. The list goes on and on
Himmler, the Bird Catcher, holds up an intact version of the Lance for his troops to see.
HIMMLER (V.O.) (CONT’D): All great men leading great armies in world-shaping battles. Just as Adolf Hitler is destined to do.
Abruptly, Himmler’s horse bolts out ahead of the rest as he valiantly leads a cavalry charge.
EXT. WEWELSBURG CASTLE - DAY
CONCENTRATION CAMP WORKERS painstakingly handcraft solid oak furniture throughout the castle.
HIMMLER (V.O.): On July 2, 1936 — the thousand-year anniversary of Henry the Fowler’s death in 936 — I begin with the first of my annual S.S. ceremonies, which will honor the Saxon king who actually succeeded in uniting the Germans.
INT. WEWELSBURG CASTLE - NIGHT
At the stroke of midnight, Himmler stands with his DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, before a tomb inscribed with the words: "Here lie the bones of the revered Henry the Fowler, called The Bird Catcher."
HIMMLER: I vow to always remain faithful to the lessons of the Bird Catcher. And if I am not, may God Himself strike me down.
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