Risuna é Nossa!: Dom João o Unificador
"I came to your lands not as a usurper, nor a tyrant. I came on invitation, to turn your backwater tribes into a modern and unique society worthy of many songs, poems and hymns! A land where every man, woman and child work together in unison for the glory of Risu, and the other Divines! I merely ask for your gracious assistance in the task put before me, and your cooperation as we work together in a worthy struggle!" - Dom João, speaking to the many gathered tribes at Hermes, 1136.
"Out of the many founding fathers of the Confederation, one in my opinion stands above them all: Dom João. Kaela and Risu sent him to our people to lead us out of the darkeness, I do believe, and we have been left blessed by him." - Theodore, elder in Hermes ca. 1160.
Chapter 1
December 30th, 1135, Braganza.
"Cousin, are you sure this is what you desire to do? This could be quite the... dangerous venture and all." Afonso puts his arm on João's shoulder: "There is a choice of refusal here after all..."
João smiles and replies: "No, your Majesty. I will be quite alright I do think with this task... Maria did tell me that she saw Ela's will in this venture after all and all the signs point to this being her will."
King Afonso looks at him like he is insane. "João, we Lusitanians are craftsmen unmatched, but our abilities to fix such a race... bah, this is beyond us! I wish you well as I know you will continue, but know that I will not be able to save you whenever they have you sentenced to the Geese Pit, ok?"
"Haha, you know me too well, Alas you also do know my heart is restless here too. If I die, let it be so!" He extends his hand and gives his cousin a hug. "I love you Afonso."
"Ayaya, same to you João. Promise me you won't get killed however... It would be something that would be an outrage to our people!"
"I do promise!" João said while starting to walk to his ship. "Keep my family safe!" he shouted.
"I can assure that!" shouted back Afonso.
João made his way to the Empresa, where his family, possessions and retinue were awaiting his trip to Ceres. He had been moved by the demands of the Squirrels for him to come to their homeland and save, lead and rule them. He didn't quite know what this meant, but he didn't care. The only thing that worried him some was how little information was given. However, the opportunity fascinated him, and he was eager to take it.
February 7th 1136, Ceres
The trip itself lasted about a month and a half, being rather uneventful. It was a chilly February day when he arrived at Ceres. The 21-year-old city was bustling with activity and full of life. Many ships were being loaded and unloaded in her harbor, but the air smelled of rotting fish... Smoke clouds billowed above the city, showing its growing importance as an industrial hub. But to João, what the Kronies loved was ugly and wretched. No matter though, he wasn't one to get hung up on such things. What some called trash, others called treasure.
As his ship docked, the streets of Ceres suddenly became quiet as his arrival was something the city had long been awaiting. For better or for worse, the Tupai believed that João would be their savior and change everything, so the anticipation was great as he proceed down the gangway stairs and onto the pier. And from his royal appearance and princely demeanor, he immediately made those insane expectations seemingly come true. When he raised his hand to wave at the citizens of Ceres, they erupted into great cheers and words of welcome for their would-be savior. João waited for his family to come down, and with his guard by his side; holding the hands of his wife and eldest daughter, Leonor, he walked up the streets with a regal poise. He was soon met by the Elder of Ceres, Procopius and its mayor, a Kronie named Lepidius.
"Welcome welcome, dear Prince João, we welcome you and your family to our city with great honor!" said Lepidius as he bowed before the Prince.
"Yes indeed, we have heard many tales from those who met you about how great you were, and you are impressive already!" said Procopius flattering him excessively.
"Thank you, Gentlemen, but refrain from the flattery for now as I have done nothing to warrant it besides simply appear!"
"Oh, sorry sorry!" said Procopius and Lepidius.
"No, it is quite alright!" João looks over at the crowd. "I ought to give the people of this fair city a speech; before I find out the details of why I am here."
The mayor and elder look at each other as if they messed up really bad. Indeed, they had totally forgot about the details! "S-Sure, Prince. The people want to hear from you certainly! We will make sure your family makes it to their new residence safely and we will wait for you in the town hall!"
"Thank you gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you!"
João continues up towards the town center, from where he will give the people what they came to here. As he ascends to the podium, a large crowd, mostly of Tupai, forms in front of it. João's guards keep them back.
João collects himself and looks out on the crowd, he has never given a speech to such an audience before and he is still bugged that he hardly knows his purpose, but he tries his best to deliver a speech.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Ceres! My name is Dom João de Ferreira-Cavaleiro-Folgosa, from the great and noble lands of Lusitania across the sea. I have come to your noble lands on the invitation to rule you." the crowd suddenly starts talking: Rule us? as he continues. "I know little of your land, or your people; but in my country, we are expected to treat every man woman and child, regardless of class as family, and I can assure you that I will do the same to all of you. I am very humbly honored to have recieved the invitation I did, and while It is unclear what it means, I graciously accept it! I am also humbled to see how many of your have came out to give me and my family a warm welcome! You are all my brothers and sisters by the divines, and I will lead you to great heights with all of my power. Glory to Kaela and Risu!"
The crowd erupts into a mixed amount of enthusiasm, mild disgust, and confusion. It is extremely awkward and João wonders if it was something he said...
He then makes his way to the City Hall and meets with Lepidius, and Procopius who are nervously sweating as the Prince enters the room.
"Ah t-there you are Prince João, how was your speech?"
"Honestly gentlemen, I have no idea. I merely stated how grateful I was to be invited to rule over the people of this land, how grateful I was to be welcomed warmly and how truly humbled I am by this, and the crowd had totally perplexed me with their mixed reaction."
Once again, Procopius and Lepidius look at each other with nervous looks on their faces.
"What is the matter, Gentlemen?" asked João.
"Uhhhh..." said Procopius scratching his neck.
"Ummmm..." went Lepidius as he shuffled his feet.
"Don't tell me that there was no plan..."
"Well... That is somewhat true but also...." went Procopius as he was sweating up a storm
"Yes yes, well... you see we totally forgot the details and we might have misworded the letter to you a bit... PLEASE FORGIVE US YOUR HIGHNESS!" Cried out Lepidius.
João stands up and puts his hands in his pocket with a scowl on his face before he says sarcastically "How grand... Deusa, dá-me força!...Afonso was correct naturally... but never mind that! It was mentioned there was a council somewhere called Hermes where I was requested to rule from correct?"
"I-I think that was slightly misworded your highness..." said Procopius.
"Well, who cares if it was misworded my friend. What is going on there?"
"A disaster..." said Lepidius.
"Disaster? What do you mean?"
Lepidius sighs "Yes, it is quite the disaster.... To keep this brief, the reason you are here is because the Tupai have no clue how to rule over this confederation they have made here, I can't say I do either, but they invited several men to help fix this issue that were in these lands... sigh One is a Kronie like myself, upstanding fellow with... his own quirks, one is a Pomeranian aristocrat that is a bit crazy, another is some wild mystic who is a friend of the Pomeranian, and the last..... ughhh... Truthfully, I have no idea who the last man is. He can barely speak any of our tongues and we do not understand his tongue... He is just there..."
"Quite the collection of misfits, I see."
"Yes, Indeed your Highness. But the issue isn't the quality of the men, but that the Kronie and Pomeranian absolutely cannot get along with each other...."
"Typical..." mutters João.
"Yes, yes... So welcome to Risu! We have no idea what the fuck we are doing, we have no details to give you other than that, the people have almost no hope in the government anymore and you are being called the savior before you have done anything because that's what we need you to be! This is how it works here after all! Any more questions?"
João just starts laugh and utters "Well well, best get to work and get my arse to Hermes immediately, shouldn't I?"
"Well... maybe you should get used to the land first. It was a long trip after all!" said Procopius.
"Nonsense! I was called here to do a mission and I will get on with it immediately."
"Sure, if you say so your majesty, we can arrange your trip to Hermes tomorrow!" said Lepidius.
"Please do, and Gentleman..."
"Yes." both said at the same time.
"You are lucky that we Lusitanians are peaceful and understanding folk, for if it were not for my blood, race and title, I would have both of you flogged and sent to the Gallows for such displays of incompetence!" João says as he exits the room.
The whole way to meet his family, all that he could think of was "What did I get myself into?"
Chapter 2
February 8th 1136, Hermes
It was 2 pm when João arrived at Hermes with 6 of his guardsmen. He had left Ceres at 8 am, leaving his belongings, family and retinue behind so they could find their land legs. The Maniacal Prince, however, was not one to rest when his mind was telling him to go on.
João expected that he wouldn’t arrive till night given the fanfare he expected but he was amazed at how quickly things changed once outside of Ceres, to his relief. Not one person stopped him on the side of the road and all of the various traders making their way down Hectare’s Path didn’t pay him any attention, nor did the Tupai servants of these merchants or even the Tupai working and living around the path in small villages. “Thank Ela” thought the Prince, who only stopped to relieve himself halfway there.
When he arrived, he was also quite surprised that there seemed to be only one soul waiting for him near the entrance. It was a well dressed Tupai, who appeared more refined than the others he had seen and interacted with. He wore a pair of spectacles, a powderwig, and carried a cane. As the Prince approached, the enthusiasm on this man's face was evident.
“Welcome to Hermes, your Highness! We have greatly wanted your arrival!”
Mounted on top of his stallion, João tipped his cap, and replied “Thank you, gentleman. Where am I needed?”
“At the great tent, Sire. You can’t miss it.” replied the envoy with a smile.
João’s warm smile left his face, which turned to stone as he had enough of these half baked answers he was getting. The city itself was filled with “Great Tents” that towered over the other buildings.
“Please be more specific in your directions gentleman, as there are many “Great Tents'' as I can clearly see.”
“O-oh right bows Sorry your highness, may I lead you then.”
João’s smile returns and he replies “I would greatly appreciate it, and thank you kind Gentleman. Your name?”
“Apollodorus! The Chief of the Ek Pemberani Tribe. Salutes At your service.”
Returning the salute, João replies “A pleasure to meet you, I am Dom João of Lusitania.. Show me the way!”
“Yes, your Highness! Follow me.”
The Prince and Apollodorus conversed the whole way. The Prince was filled in more about the situation, and the four men themselves. Inspector Timesworth and the Graf Arz von und zu Vasegg were apparently at each other’s throats over nearly everything. It was a clash of two lions and egos from the way Apollodorus put it. Any time one of them made a proposal, the other seemingly would immediately undermine it for whatever reason. It was clear that this had become personal and Dom João knew this needed to be sorted out first and foremost.
Then there were the other two… Vadim Sheremetev was by all accounts some extremely charismatic kook that captured the minds of the locals with his diatribes about mysticism, esoteric knowledge and the visions he had received. Apollodorus remarked that he thought he was insane, to which the Prince laughed and quipped “Well, I hope that some mystic is the least of our worries!”
The final one was the most mysterious of them all. He was supposed to be a friend of Timesworth but the Inspector never knew him. However, when it became apparent that this friend was never showing up, Graf quickly made him part of this council solely because he looked and acted the part of an intellectual and that he liked his paintings. It didn’t matter if no one could understand what he said, and only got the most basic words out of him. His name was “Drasko-Uglyesa Marnjagvic '' according to Apollodorus. João quickly deduced that this was a Marsovci, quite the rarity, and immediately appreciated that this man who the others just had labeled as being there was likely of great utility for whatever they were doing.
Which… He still had little grasp on.... Apollodorus tried to convey that they were trying to organize the “Central Confederation”, something that the Prince never heard of, and that the reason behind him being invited was that the Tupai greatly admired the system of government and society of the Lusitanians, and wished to make a similar system, which the Prince was more than happy to do but questioned how effective it was given the nature of situation. No matter, if this is what they wanted, he would help.
As they reached the Great Tent, the Prince’s presence went unrecognized surprisingly. The Prince dismounts and faces Apollodorus.
“I must thank you Apollodorus, and as a means of showing my gratitude for your aid, I welcome you to dine with my family in two days, when they will arrive here.” He extends his hand to Apollodorus, who shakes it. “In my nation, it is a sacred rite to treat guests as they are part of their own family, and whilst I would never expect it from others, you certainly have a Lusitanian spirit to you! I will see you at a later point then.”
“Your Highness… I am part of this Council myself, though not as the same stature as yourself so you won’t be seeing me at a later point yet hahaha” joked Apollodorus.
“Ahaha, I see, well… Nonetheless, I do hope you accept my invitation and bring your own family with you.”
Apollodorus bows and raises his head with a smile “Most certainly noble lord! I am honored to have the opportunity and even more honored to know that I have this “Lusitanian Spirit”.”
The Prince smiles, “Very well, Let us make our way inside then."
The flap for the tent was opened as the two made their way in. The bodyguards of the Prince were not permitted inside, however, but João wasn’t bothered by this. Immediately upon entering, an intense argument was heard in the distance. “Must be those two.” thought João, who was still somewhat shocked that no one even noticed who he was yet. He whispered to Apollodorus about this, who shrugged his shoulders and then bid him farewell as he went to his own seat.
The Tent itself had several rooms, the “Main Chamber” which one entered immediately after opening the tent itself, the “Room of the Leaders” room off to the north, the Dining area and Kitchen to the west, and the grand lounge to the east. The “Main Chamber” had two side galleries on the east and west sides of it, while a raised platform was placed at the northern end from which the leaders would preside, and where a grand podium was placed. It was empty now, which meant the rest of the “Leaders” were in the back. The gallery however was filled with Tupai, conversing and wearing all kinds of clothing from loincloths, and other barebones tribal attire to Togas.
João calmly made his way into the line of sight of all of the Tupai, who all suddenly looked unto him with a great degree of curiosity and intrigue. Whispers and commission came from the crowd as he strode up the platform and on the podium. They truly had no idea who he was… or at least didn’t even know that he had arrived yet. But Dom João felt like he needed to introduce himself to the Tupai here, and if nothing else, maybe this could get those fools to stop arguing for now in the back!
João stood there for a minute analyzing the room, before opening his mouth.
“My sincere apologies for this interruption gentlemen... I am Dom João, a Lusitanian Prince of the Blood, and I stand before you in humility and grace… I came to your lands not as a usurper, nor a tyrant. I came on invitation, to turn your backwater tribes into a modern and unique society worthy of many songs, poems and hymns! A land where every man, woman and child work together in unison for the glory of Risu, and the other Divines! I merely ask for your gracious assistance in the task put before me, and your cooperation as we work together in a worthy struggle!” The Tupai all looked at each other in marvel, as the Prince’s aura seemed to grip them all. “My stay here has only been short, but I have been treated honorably by your people and I will devote all of my energy into ensuring that the task you have set before me is not only accomplished, but succeeds in ways that some of you may never have thought possible. I render to you myself, as an humble servant and willing to accept whatever role you may bequeath upon me, whether it be as your future King, a first among equals, or as a mere advisor. Any role you offer, I shall accept with grace and gratitude. For by Kaela, I toil restlessly, for her Glory and the Glory of the other Divines. For Honor and Peace! For Prosperity and Harmony! For Glory and Triumph! For Kaela and Risu! Let us get to work!”
The Tupai all rose to their feet and their cheers were so loud that it could be heard across the city. João bowed before them, as he noticed the other four that had emerged behind him. From right to left stood a tall, gaunt and immaculately dressed Kronie totally expressionless; a mustached monocle wearing and well dressed Pomeranian with a look of both mad genius in his eyes; a giant of a man with a long beard, beady eyes and an unkempt appearance wearing a robe; and finally short and frail looking man who looked every bit of a timid artist, wearing traditional Marsovci clothing, including a finely embroidered jelek.
They were all staring at this man who had come out of nowhere with curiosity, but the Pomeranian immediately realized who it was and his eyes grow large with excitement.
“Ahhh, Gut gut, Dom Jozho ast arrived!” He immediately extends his hand and shakes it with great vigor and speed. “It is nice to meet you, mein fair Prinz. Mein Name ist Joachim-Friedrich Pomu Oswald Hellmuth Sigismund Felix, Graf Arz von und zu Vasegg! Pleasure to meet you!”
João, shaking his hand in pain, replies “Quite... it is a pleasure to meet you as well… uhh”
“You may calls me Joachim, Fritz, Oswald, or Graf Arz if tis your wish!”
“Indeed, thank you Graf Arz.”
The Kronie then makes his introduction. Tipping his cap and extending his hand he says with coolness “Timesworth. Aurelius Timesworth. Inspector, Admiral, and Gentleman. A pleasure, Prince de Ferreira-Cavaleiro-Folgosa… May I inquire as to what you prefer being called your Highness?”
“Pleasure to meet you as well, I have no preferences, you may call me João or Prince if you wish.” said João with a smile.
“I am not going to butcher your name like our Graf here” he says while looking down on the Pomeranian, who returns the glare: “So Prince will do just fine for me!”
“Very well!”
João turns to the mystic who greets him “The gods have told us of your coming, O great prince, and many visions have been shown to me… From the olive groves of what is the Organic Kingdom, shall come a man above all others in wisdom and skill, his name does-”
“My apologies but I must interrupt you, but I’d rather avoid all of the unnecessary divinations and flowery language for now.”
The mystics eyes grow, and he quickly apologizes “So sorry… got carried away there haha!” João extends his hand and the two shake as the mystic continues: “I am Vadim Sheremetev, Prophet of Lirika… Your arrival is most great news!”
João thinks he is utterly insane already, but returns the respect. “Nice to meet you, I am Dom João.”
After João turns to the final member, the mystic is mumbling nonsense to himself and the Kronie and Pomeranian are already back at it again. He sighs as the other man is staring into the distance. He just walks up to him and politely says “It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Dom João of Lusitania…” João rubs his neck, trying to think of something to say to this soul that is miserable “I, uhh, understand your situation…” Draško looks up at him expressionless. João knows only a little of Zvijezde so he tries to put together something that makes sense «you no understand them? opens his arms to convey that he means this place »
Draško nods and says in broken Lunarisian. “Yes yes!”
Not knowing how much Lunarisian he knows, he speaks once more in Zvijezde. «Lunarisian, know?»
“Small…”
The Prince realizes that this is a major problem long term, but he wants to comfort the clearly distressed Marsovci. He puts his arm around his shoulder and tells him in his native tongue «Help come soon». Draško’s face lights up with happiness and he replies with unintelligible enthusiasm «Oh thank you thank you thank you, your Highness! I am so happy someone is willing to help me here, as I have been forced into this against my will!»
«Yes soon!» replies João, who had no idea what he even said. Under his breath in Lusitanian he says «What have I got myself into…» as he sees the chaos behind him. This simply won’t do if anything is to be done, and it is obvious to him the greatest problem right now is the two fools that are at each other’s throat. He immediately walks up to them and with uncharacteristic fury yells at them “NO MORE, I SAY NO MORE!”
They immediately stop to see João standing with a face full of restrained anger, the look of a man who would rip both of them apart. “Both of you” turning to look at the other two “And you two as well, come with me. We have work to do and the first thing is to stop you two from wanting to kill each other!”
Everyone is quite shocked at this display of authority, including the Tupai and without saying a word the others go to the back room with the Prince following. As they enter, the Graf immediately tries to apologize “Your Highness, I-” before the Prince waves him off, still with this face of restrained anger with a glare of death, stands and watches the others sit down.
“Now… Let me make this very clear… I want to make this clear that we are not here together to serve our egos but the people of this nation. But it is clear that this dispute between Graf Arz and Inspector Timesworth is causing major issues… I do not care what your personal feelings are between each other, how this dispute arose, nor how much you want to kill the other man… It will not be tolerated when we meet and you will put aside this exercise of cock measuring, and battle of the egos of two proud men…Have I made myself clear?”
No one replies, Timesworth looks at the Prince with a degree of appreciation for his decisive attitude in this situation. The Graf looked upon keenly, also in appreciation, very Pomeranian he thought.
“If I may muse for a moment, I know both of your background a bit. Both of you are decorated military men, and it is reasonable for me to believe that much of this dispute comes over who should lead, no?”
Both men reluctantly nod.
“Well, you do not need to worry about that anymore, as I shall be taking that role, as the first among equals here. Are there any objections to this?”
All 4 shake their heads no.
“Very well, I look forward to working with you gentlemen… I am rather tired and propose we end today’s session. Any objections?”
“Nein, your Highness” says the Graf.
“Quite, I will see you gentlemen tomorrow at 9 am and await to see what has been done so far.” João smiles, and nods at them before immediately exiting followed by the Marsovci who quickly catches up to him. Dom João stops to look at the Marsovci, who immediately says «THANK YOU», bowing and then leaving awkwardly. João smiles, knowing that the man probably felt alone this whole time.
As he is standing there, Apollodorus approaches him and bows. “Your Highness!”
“Apollodorus.. How are you?” asks the Prince with a grin.
“Oh, great actually! That speech you gave was electrifying and I think I can speak for many of us when I say we are grateful that you came to our lands, as you seem like the right man to sort this mess of ours out.”
They start to walk together out of the tent.
“Time will tell, dear Apollodorus. Thank you, however… That speech was from the heart, the only place a good speech can come from in my opinion…”
With curiosity, Apollodorus askes. “Not to be intrusive, your Highness, but how was it with the other great men?”
João’s face turns cold and tells him bluntly “It is an uphill battle, I do believe my friend. Two of them have strong personalities that are the reason why they have clashed, one of them is a mad man and the other is a poor soul who is isolated…” his optimistic warmth suddenly returns “However, I do believe that us, a collection of misfits, are the right men for this task and that I am the last piece of the puzzle. It is just a matter of finding out what pieces fit where, you see.”
Apollodorus replies happily. “We cannot thank you enough for answering the invitation.. Your presence has reenergized us all and to me, Risu sent you here in our time of need to guide and lead us!”
“Perhaps so, but there is much to be done yet, my dear friend!”
As the two chat on the way to the Prince’s lodging, Dom João cannot help but think that Apollodorus has a bright future himself in some way, and that he is proof that the people of this land aren’t simpletons, and capable of greatness themselves if given the opportunity and having the motivation.