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Busy...hopefully your house building experience is going better than my brother's(its nice to have contractors that actually talk to each other and not physically assault each other)
As always an excellent move in filling in your storyline
Busy is the definition of me, to be honest. Never fades. :eek:o


 
Bastions
Chapter Fifty One: Toil and Woe
Part 3


Prelude:
In 1393 there was a minor victory over the tide of Islam: the small Christian nations of Croatia and Hum were able to defeat the nation of Bosnia, regaining control over the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. What would have been a simple military triumph actually came to underscore a changing mentality in the Muslims. Bosnia was a Shiite country, and though the majority of near-by Muslim states were Frandist, the Sicilian Kingdoms were definitely Shiite as well. However, the Sicilian Kingdoms did not assist Bosnia in its war against the Christians. Essentially abandoned by its brethren, Bosnia was greatly reduced and essentially forced into servitude to the neighboring Christian states. For Sunni scholars in Africa and Asia it brought up two major points. First, that the Crusading spirit was dwindling, especially amongst the Sunnis and Shiites. And second, that Frandism was a breed apart from traditional Islam. This second point, whether Frandism was an Islam-tinted Christianity or a Christian-tinted Islam would be a highly divisive force in Renaissance theology. The modern thought is that Frandism is definitively in a grey area. In rejects many aspects that would be considered "Islamic" such as the necessity of the Hajj, the prohibition of non-Halal foods, and the rejection that Muhammad was the final Prophet. But they also lack certain characteristics of Christianity; chief among those is the rejection of Christ as divine. Thanks mostly to globalization, Muslims are often willing to see Frandists as Islamic but not Muslim (servants of Allah), though this is a strictly modern situation. In a sort of way this means that Frandists sit somewhere between people of the book and fellow Muslims. Modern theologists say that the rejection of a few rules is completely over-shadowed by the rejection of a divine figure, which leaves Frandism stranded in a cloudy sea.

August 9th, 1389

The two men chatted idly with one another outside of a dock-side bar in Mariengrad. So far they hadn't done anything suspicious, just order drinks and flirt with the bar wenches who tended their table. Kenric was wondering what had Ramondas so worried. He had skimped out on details, instead he just spoke vaguely of some past wrong doing and that they were wanted. Kenric was still too afraid of talking too much to Werna or the witch, though it was a fear that was subtle and buried deep inside him. He hadn't asked them anything about these two; he just decided that morning to follow them around. Alone. Without telling anyone. Suddenly the plan didn't seem like such a good idea, especially if these two weren't interested in a tail. Eventually nerve got the best of Kenric and he headed back to the camp outside the walls of the Old City.

Camp was nearly set up when he got back and nobody seemed to have even noticed he had been missing. Even Godi was busy working on repairing the dresses for the other dancers. Ramondas was sitting to the side watching some of the activity. When he saw Kenric red-faced and out of breath he slowly walked over.

"What is up?" he asked casually.

"Decided to follow your two friends," Kenric panted in between gasping for air.

"And?" Ramondas asked excitedly.

"Nothing, they didn't do anything and I suddenly didn't want to end up in a ditch somewhere."

"Fair enough," the Lith boy said.

"Why are you worried about them?" Kenric asked. "I believe you that they don't seem to be here because they have chosen to be here... but what do you think they did?"

"They are thieves and murderers. And I don't think, I know. I saw the-"

"What are you two talking about?" Werna asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Nothi-" Ramondas began, but suddenly Kenric blurted it out.

"Those two men, the ones who speak in that foreign tongue and always seem to wander away... w-why did we... you... take them along?" Kenric's face paled slightly as he saw the unease in Werna's face grow.

"The elders seem to think that they have some use. That is what the fates have told them and it is not my place to question them," Werna said. But Kenric didn't buy into it; he could tell that Werna did not believe that at all.

"What do you know about them?" the Harrower asked.

"Little to nothing. We picked them up in Æstlinn a year back or so. They seemed like they needed to get away from something. I told the elders that they were too willing to run away from town, too willing to blend in... I fear that they are running from something, or someone. Æstlinn is on our tour this year again, it will be interesting to see if they follow us back into town." Werna gave Kenric and Ramondas a reassuring smile.

"Can you talk to this with Astiya about them for us?" Kenric asked.

"Why would I do that?" Werna asked.

"Everyone seems to respect her... the elders will listen to her I know it!"

"You know, eh?" Werna thought about it for a second, "I will talk to her about it, but the elders are as stubborn as anyone you will find the side of the Oder. Don't waste any breath praying for a miracle."

"I will pray anyway," Kenric said unequivocally.

"Then send God my regards," Werna said.

"We'll be visiting the standing stones soon enough," Ramondas said when Werna had walked away. "It has been a long time, plus it means a week off from the tour to relax and enjoy the end of summer and the coming of autumn."

"What are the standing stones?" Kenric asked. "I've heard you guys talk about them several times, but I cannot really put together their purpose."

"They are a religious site for us Liths. Our people once lived in permanent settlements and built the stones to commune with the Gods. Now we can only visit them once or twice a year... if we are lucky."

"Are there many standing stones?"

"There used to be, long ago, before the Christians showed up. Apparently there are fewer and fewer each year. From time to time we run into other caravans and they will tell us that their stones had been knocked down and desecrated. So far ours have escaped, but we do not know for how much longer," Ramondas explained, his voice wavering slightly.

"What will you do if they are gone?" Kenric asked quietly.

Ramondas didn't say anything; he just sort of closed his eyes and thought about it for a little bit. Eventually he looked up, "I don't know. All might be lost. What good are we if we cannot commune with the Gods?"

"You can always commune with God," Kenric said.

"Maybe you can, maybe our Gods cannot hear us over all the prayers to your God. Maybe our Gods truly have forsaken us here on Earth. Maybe we were wrong..."

Ramondas also began to walk away when Kenric suddenly remember what they were talking about when they had been interrupted by Werna. He called out after Ramondas, but the Lith either didn't hear him or didn't care and kept walking away. The Harrower just stood there, alone, and thought. Many times he had felt isolated, but never did he feel forsaken. God had always been there with him, in good and bad, and was always willing to listen. Many times he feared he would be abandoned, left to wallow in the world, but he never felt the strength of his faith fade away from him or worry that his only connection to God would be severed forever. When he looked around even the happy faces seemed to just be masks pulled over dreary mannequins.

Among the other women, Godiwa worked diligently to finish alterations on another dress. She briefly looked up and saw Kenric looking at her and she blushed with a quick smile and quickly turned back to her work before any of the older women noticed. Kenric too felt the blood rush to his face but had to remind himself again of the task: the two outsiders. The Harrower turned around and found his face buried between the pecs of a man a full foot taller than him.

"Mishka, is this the one?" the man asked after shoving Kenric back.

"Yeah, that's the runt that was following us this morning." The second figure walked up to Kenric who tried to turn around but grabbed him by the tunic and pulled him back in. "Listen Harrower," he said crouching down to be face-to-face with Kenric, "Don't ever do that again, okay? We have important adult stuff to do, okay? Your nose needs to be in other ass-cracks... not ours."

"Okay," Kenric said.

"See?" Mishka said standing up, "The little brat has a brain. Now run along and do your shouting."
 
I haven't had a chance to read all of this yet, Mr. C. I started with the first few pages and jumped to the most recent updates. I'll tackle the middle on a day-by-day basis. What I've read so far is very, very good, though.
 
I haven't had a chance to read all of this yet, Mr. C. I started with the first few pages and jumped to the most recent updates. I'll tackle the middle on a day-by-day basis. What I've read so far is very, very good, though.
Thanks, it means a lot coming from you.
 
First time commenting here, but I just have to say that this story of yours is one of the main reasons I'm on this site, great job man. :) I've been slowly reading since last summer and FINALLY caught up. The thing that probably got me interested was the fact that the story focuses on a Baltic country (something rather rare around here), which is cool because I'm Latvian myself. BTW, I forgot, did you make your Anglo-Prussian from English and Latvian or English and Lithuanian, because I sometimes have a minimal/ vague understanding of the Prussian text even without reading the language lessons. It's almost like trying to understand Lithuanian - it's a challenge.

How do you say ''Good luck'' in Prussian? In Latvian it's ''Lai veicas.''
Lai veicas :)
 
First time commenting here, but I just have to say that this story of yours is one of the main reasons I'm on this site, great job man. :) I've been slowly reading since last summer and FINALLY caught up. The thing that probably got me interested was the fact that the story focuses on a Baltic country (something rather rare around here), which is cool because I'm Latvian myself. BTW, I forgot, did you make your Anglo-Prussian from English and Latvian or English and Lithuanian, because I sometimes have a minimal/ vague understanding of the Prussian text even without reading the language lessons. It's almost like trying to understand Lithuanian - it's a challenge.

How do you say ''Good luck'' in Prussian? In Latvian it's ''Lai veicas.''
Lai veicas :)
Awesome, glad to have you on board. :)

My conlang is a essentially a creole of Old English and Modern Latvian, with some dashes of German, Polish and other local languages.

As for "good luck" there are a few ways:
Literally you can say "láblieme" (LAB-leye-mee) or you can be metaphorical with "kaksus grás" (KAYKS-us GRAS) and "kaksus ӡæláŝtibá" (KAYKS-us ZHEH-lasht-ih-buh). The first is sort of a general one for all situations. The second is sort of like in English "break a leg", without trying to reverse-psychology fate; so it is mostly used in conjunction with a performance. The last is based off the second, but generally has a more negative connotation. You are basically saying, "I hope you get a second chance."

"Kaks", pronounced very closely to the English "cakes" means "cat".
 
. . ."Kaks", pronounced very closely to the English "cakes" means "cat".

Ahh, cats and their weird connection to the superstitious pop up once more.
 
It doesn't help that I am a cat owner. ;)

I've really only lived with dogs but the cats that I've had the privilege to meet were really nice or at least didn't make themselves out to be demons. My Grandparents' cat is the best. :)
 
I've really only lived with dogs but the cats that I've had the privilege to meet were really nice or at least didn't make themselves out to be demons. My Grandparents' cat is the best. :)
My cat is pretty friendly. She's a bit of a hunter and very different from any cat I lived with previously. She doesn't grow bored with toys, which is a miracle to be honest. Though she is very, very vocal.


Update in a few minutes.
 
Bastions
Chapter Fifty One: Toil and Woe
Part 4


Prelude:
In 1392 Prussia put pressure on Constantinople through a series of embargoes and tariff increases meant to force policy changes from the Emperor. A year later riots throughout the Empire were a sign that the monarchy was losing what little prestige it had left with the common Roman. The Prussian embargoes did little to affect the upper crust of Roman society until the serfs and merchants, starved into action, began to gather at every public appearance of the Emperor to protest. Prussia was merciless in forcing Rome's cooperation. Before long the Emperor recanted, easing restrictions on Prussian trade and movement. But not before some twenty-thousand in Constantinople alone were thought to have starved. It is around this time that the Emperor recognized, officially, that Prussia was the more powerful nation. At the turn of the XV Century, the Emperors signed several humiliating treaties that, despite guaranteeing Prussian intervention "if the survival of the Empire depended on it," essentially downgraded the Empire to a quasi-vassal. One treaty went as far as forcing the Emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople to accept union with the Church of Prussia. Eastern Christianity, or Orthodoxy, was split into three main branches in 1400 (not including Unionism, which always fell under one of the main branches). First was the Holy Orthodox Church of Mæmálgrád, headed by the Patriarch of the same. It was already in a union with the Holy Orthodox Church of London, which started as an autocephalous church within Prussian Orthodoxy, but eventually was upgraded for the stated purpose of better governing. Prussian Orthodoxy and Anglican Orthodoxy shared many characteristics first associated with the old Catholic Church. On the other hand was the Holy Orthodox Church of Constantinople, which was the purest of the Orthodox branches. However, in 1397 it was made subservient to the Church in Mæmálgrád. This would last until 1401, the longest the two churches would ever be united. Unionism referred to independent formerly Catholic churches that either accepted guidance from either Constantinople or Mæmálgrád. This is not to be confused with Anglican Unionism, another name for Anglican Orthodoxy which was called "Unionism" in English because it was still in Union under the Patriarch in Mæmálgrád.

August 12th, 1389

Mæmálgrád was a bustling city, the likes of which Kenric had never seen before. "I think this is the place," Werna said to him, calmly. They stood outside a decently-sized tavern near the docks. On the door was the image of a shield with a cannon on it. For Muslims in the capital it was a secret mark that they could safely pray here. The cannon was the sign of the House of Hadad, the mighty cannon makers who acted as a family of ambassadors from the Caliph in Barcelona to the King in Prussia.

"What is this place?" Kenric asked, running his fingers over the engraved cannon.

"A mosque. They must hide themselves from the Christians lest they have everything stolen. I will see you later, then?" he asked.

"You aren't coming in?" Kenric asked.

"No, I am sorry, but I am busy. It is not every day we come to the capital. If we are lucky we'll get some high-paying jobs." Werna waved as he headed farther into town, leaving Kenric alone.

Behind him the door opened up and an old lady moved through the threshold. She stopped behind Kenric and saw the boy nervously look around. "Are you looking for a place to belong?" she asked calmly. He snapped around and with eyes darting around slowly nodded. The old lady warmed up, her face folding neatly as her lips perked up. Kenric could tell that many years ago her hair had been jet black, but now was a soft grey with strands of white. She grabbed his hand and holding it softly led him into the mosque.

"It is not often we get someone so young coming here. Sometimes I fear that soon this building will be empty." She poured him a glass of water from a pitcher and handed the small cup to him. "Do you not know where you are?" she asked.

"I know that this is a mosque, but that is all. I am not from the capital," Kenric said, doing nothing to hide who he was from someone who looked as if she could easily be his mother's grandmother. The old lady sat down, her arms shaking as she did so. Her delicate hands tightly gripped a cane that was made from a strange dark wood and marked with a handle made of silver and ivory.

"Ah, then where are you from?"

"Krakow," Kenric answered.

"And what is your name?"

"Kenric, Ma'am."

"Kenric of Krakow... hmmm... that makes you a... ah... Sorry. I have forgotten what the young ones call you."

"A Harrower?"

"Yes!" she said with a slight smile and a flick of her finger, "A Harrower. So where you saved or was it a parent?"

"My mother was saved by a travelling Harrower. I am his son, or so I am told."

"You have the look of a man who hails from both Europe and Arabia, I'd believe it. What has sent you so far from home?"

"I killed my brother out of self preservation and so I ran; I rejected my mother and my family and joined a troop of travelling Liths. I guess I needed a little solace."

"Sounds like it, you've been through a lot Kenric. Why don't you relax a bit? Others should be here soon enough."

"Thank you," Kenric said. He found a place at the base of a cross topped with the crescent moon. Sitting on his knees he bent forward until his head was on the floor and said a short prayer. The building was peaceful and the wonderful scents of incense wafted around the room. The shuffling of the old woman was the only distraction but Kenric found it comforting. In time he heard others coming through the door and taking up spots beside him. Some muttered prayers quietly; others took their time, talking to friends and neighbors. Everything was so mundane. It was like they weren't hiding. They talked about the price of fish and the weather, about the best bars and the best companies to invest in. They didn't seem to actively ignore Kenric, rather just accepted him as part of the background. As he got up, people nodded or shook his hand and said friendly greetings. But just as he felt like he was at home, he remembered Krakow and he remembered the Liths. No one questioned him when he left; people came as went as they needed.

Outside, with the sun hanging low in the sky, Kenric found Godiwa sitting on a few crates that had been left out in front of the mosque. She looked out over the harbor at all the ships. The masts and sails made it look like a strange forest growing out of the water. As the sun crept closer to the horizon the sky turned a strange orange. "It is beautiful," Kenric said.

Godiwa jumped slightly and then laughed, "Yeah. The capital is always so pretty. I was born here, you know."

"Was it when the troop was traveling through?" Kenric asked innocently.

"No, I left my family to join the troop. Just like you!" She scooted to the side and patted the spot where she had been. Kenric jumped up and sat beside her. "But I still like coming back every now and then. I love the road, but sometimes I just want to look back out over the harbor like I did when I was very little. Sometimes, when I was very good, my dad would take me down onto the docks and even onto some of the ships." Kenric watched as she faded off into a dream. Kenric closed his own eyes and let the last rays of the sun bathe him in soothing warmth. The salty air surrounded him and the gentle wind whipped Godiwa's hair into his face. She blushed as she took control over it, "Ramondas told me you tried to stand up to Mishka and Torsti, it means a lot to us. Sometimes I see them steal coins when they think no one is looking."

"Ramondas seems to think that is the least of the problems those two are causing. Werna is betting they won't make it back to Æstlinn before abandoning the troop."

"Yeah, they seemed really glad to get out of Æstlinn, when they first showed up they were groveling at the feet of the elders. But it didn't take long for them to start taking everything for granted and then even stealing from us. I hate them. They always talk in Finnish when they don't want anyone to listen."

"Wait... you know what language they speak?"

"Yeah... it is Finnish."

"How do you know that?!" Kenric asked.

"I just assumed they were merchants, my father worked with lots of Finns in the past. Usually they speak Prussian during official business and stuff, but the sailors often just speak Finnish. There are lots of Finns in Æstlinn."

"Can you speak Finnish?"

"Not really, I know some business stuff and things like 'beer' and 'pint', but that is it. It is just easy to recognize if you've been around it before." Godiwa played with her long curly strands of black hair.

Suddenly something clicked in Kenric's head. "What was your father's profession?" he asked.

"My father was a merchant, why?"

Kenric shook his head, "Sorry... I thought I remembered why you looked familiar this whole time."

Godiwa chuckled, "What?"

Kenric waved his hand in embarrassment. "No, sorry, I was mistaken. You just looked like a portrait I had seen in Krakow."

"Yeah? Was it a pretty portrait?"

The blood drained from Kenric's face. He was a terrible liar and he knew it. It was just that the subject of the portrait happened to be a man. "It was the hair, mostly..." the Harrower said in a half-truth, "but I swear you look just like..."


August 12th, 1389

"David!" Sophie called. The King's eyebrow perked up as he turned away from his balcony overlooking the harbor.

"What is it, love?" he asked calmly. He looked over his wife whose belly expanded with the future of the monarchy.

She walked up toward him, taking a hold of his hand, "Sarah says that the Lith troop who played for our wedding is in town. She was wondering if you wanted to book them again."

Doyvát smiled knowingly, "I assume you already said 'yes' then?" Sophie nodded quickly.

"O, it was so lovely... I couldn't turn down a chance to see them again. Do you remember that red-headed dancer? O her dress was so lovely, the way it flowed around her like flower pedals on a summer breeze... I wish I could dance like that." Sophie twirled around, but then Doyvát had to catch her before she tumbled into his globe, a gift from the ruler of Egypt.

"Save it for the dance floor," he cooed.

"I will and you shall join me?"

"Always," the King replied.
 
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So the term Unionism just comes from the fact that the churches are united with a main one? Prussian Unionism just means the Church united under Prussia?
 
So the term Unionism just comes from the fact that the churches are united with a main one? Prussian Unionism just means the Church united under Prussia?
Essentially. Unionism has differences. There is a strong sense of "We are all Christian and we should get along" and mass will often be in Latin, it would look "Catholic" to our eyes, but in the end the bishops and archbishops that were left from when the Catholic Church dissolved wanted leadership. They founded their own organizations, but found that without external support they were lacking funds, communication, and a general direction. So they basically had to either turn to Prussia or Rome and did so mostly based on location. Prussia got the lion's share for a few reasons. First and foremost was its strength. Prussia could make churches join, Rome could not. But also former Catholics found Prussian Orthodoxy more comfortable. Prussian Orthodoxy follows along more Catholic beliefs accept for the use of Greek or Prussian at mass and the system of autocephalous churches under an appointed Patriarch rather than a peer-elected figure. There are other differences but until I have time to serious sit down and figure out how Catholicism and Orthodoxy are truly different other than superficial surface elements I cannot elaborate more.
 
I thought people would. Now only if I can implement it. :unsure:

Don't worry, we have faith in you.

And even if you don't, we would still have faith in you. :cool: