IRON BIRDS AND HEGEMONS
Gollevainen felt himself so old that it actually made him feel almost young again. How many times he had now seen time passing into yet another era in the history of mankind?
Here in the land of Forrest, plains and rivers?
The old principal castle still reigned the landscape in the City of Uusilinna, former Novgorod of the Russian traders. It had passed on its purpose as a palace of government, the once hectic center of the Princely and later imperial majesty.
Later it had become the royal residence, then mere winter palace, and found most of the last decades as museum and tourist attraction to those interested of past glory.
Nowadays, it laid partially abandoned, though still politely maintained in tidy fit. People said that let the old lady rest in her memories and tend the ghosts and past echoing in her halls and passages. Apart from the maintenance grew, few visited there anymore.
Gollevainen himself had long stopped going there. For a while it served its purpose. Romantic trips along its empty interiors, mixing the memories of the place with his own, often finding good silent friend from the vast palace that Gollevainen knew so well. It had been his domain for centuries. The throne room, still decorated in the 18th century imperial fashion…The throne was so huge that tales and legend told Gollevainen’s to dwell there and whisper whit his pointed tongue ill advices and poisonous innuendoes to the ears of the who ever sat there at one time.
All that had been nice while the modern Finland roved on with speed Gollevainen couldn’t anymore keep track on. It was good leisure while yet not self-pitying, but more self-indulgent. But as years rolled on, their beat had lure that couldn’t pass away from Gollevainen’s ears.
It still called him to seek his fortunes. Nothing had changed. People in these lands still didn’t oppose him when he tried the feeling of scepter in his hands. So why drew away the opportunity when it remained there and nothing really advocated him to lose touch with reality that really wasn’t that harsh to sustain.
Gollevainen lifted his gaze above the castle. The croaking sound of the metal birds, the Finnish Air Force’s first fighter regiment doing overfligth rehearsals for the official state visit of the Chinese and Indonesian presidents for the scheduled Pan Eurasian summit.
Gollevainen gave the planes and the rewired EAC a grin. Man wanted to fly. It had been so since Gollevainen had arrived there back in the 11th century. Easterners wanted to stick together to destroy the HRE and the Ynglings….it had been so since Gollevainen set his first steps on the Principality back in 11th century. Nothing really changed. So didn’t Gollevainen’s dreams. He still wanted to hold the weapon of the gods, the one that could burn all his foes with fire that cannot be damped.
The planes fly by and disappeared behind the hills. For moment Gollevainen had a strong feelings reaching from the underworld. The flight of iron-bird made his nostrils widen and his backhair rising up. The weapon of all weapons was near…the flight path of the ironbirds would lead him there…follow their migration.
For moment Gollevainen pondered about to mention of it to the new Hegemon.
But then he had another flashback from the past. Hegemon…
When the Hegemon institute of the Roman commonwealth was announced, all of the then civilized world feared how the Giorgi III of the Bagratudi line, the feared Ceacar of Georgia under the prophetei rule would be a man commanding all the orthodox men-at-arms in his service.
They knew nothing….
Gollevainen still remembered Stepan Rurik’s Son. A gallant Novgorodian prince whom Gollevainen had made the emperor of Russian land and the man Gollevainen himself have ensured to be the first Hegemon that the history had known.
Gollevainen sacrificed few thoughts for the Chinese and Indonesians of today, and looked past the old castle. They can hold their tittles for now…but if the time will allow, There is and will be only one true Hegemon of them all….
For reward: Prestige
Also, this is my last Vicky AAR so thank you for all the fans of the cambaing and stay tune when nations starts rising against nations....