King Unuist the Second
The Dream Part Three: The Eventual Crusade
Despite going further north, the climate was still warm. Unuist, now decked out in a thick yak fur suit, was sweating. "I thought you said I needed to bundle up Milord," he said. Jesus unfazed by the temperature, looked at Unuist. "Sorry dude. Bit too quick on the draw," he said.
The realm of Khazaria stretches across the steppes to the Sea of Azov. The people of this realm follow an organized version of the Tengri faith, codified in a text. They worship the Sky-Father through organized ritual and a high priest heads it. But there exists people who don't follow this organized version. They worship through their own rituals and reject the high priest as their head of religion, preferring local shamans. There are also some who don't worship either, and following a Gnostic religion. The leader of this kingdom is Khan Bulan. A devout and virtuous man. He follows the new organized Tengri and converts zealously. He is nicknamed the Winter King, not only because of his light complexion but also because his temper is more furious than the fiercest blizzards. Despite all this, he is not the best ruler, only being moderately skilled in diplomacy. But who knows what this man can accomplish, especially with a unified faith and devout followers on his side.
They flew over the steppes, meeting their end at the start of great forests. The temperature started dropping at this point. The Yak fur suit would have been helpful if it wasn't drenched in sweat.
The realm of the Slavs. Three notable kingdoms appear before us. Rus, Ruthenia, and Poland. Each one powerful, each one headed by a unique ruler.
King Dalimir rules over Poland. Nicknamed the Witch King by the surrounding realms. It is said that spirits reside in his body and he talks to them, performs odd rituals in the dark, and appeases them. Despite this, he is a humble and kind man. He prefers the pen to the sword, yet has a short temper. Will this communicator with spirits use his powers to expand his realm? Or will his oddness be the downfall of him.
King Viacheslav rules Ruthenia with a just hand. He is a humble man who praises others, even the lowliest courtier. But the man has an intense envy, always vying the titles of his father. Even when he died, it did not leave him, as his brother ruled the other half of his father's realm. His burning desire is to unite the two realms under him. He is a master of intrigue. He has eyes and ears everywhere he wants them. His plotting skills are unmatched. He holds puppet strings in one hand, and a knife in the other. He is nicknamed "The Shadow" for his mastery of espionage.
King Vyshata rules Ruthenia fairly. Unlike his brother, he is a kind soul. He is a hardworking and patient man, and sees little value in overindulging in food. And he is an acknowledge master of melee... well... was. It was by great misfortune or a curse that his eyesight left him. He always had seeing problems, completely unable to see far distances. But it only worsened, until it left him completely. Despite this impediment, he still retains most of his combat skill. It is said that he can see his foes with his ears. This gave him the nickname "The Bat". He only has one vice and that is money. Despite his lack of eyesight, he has a taste for fashion. It is said he wears a cloth smooth to the touch from the East. His brother rules south of him, and he knows he will come for his title one day. So he stands watch, waiting to hear his brothers footsteps march from the horizon.
Unuist, now held in the embrace of a bear, looked surprised to see the carpet make a sharp turn south. "Why are we going south milord? I thought north was our direction?" he said. "Pit stop dude," Jesus replied, "We'll be going back north after this, just chill."
The Eastern Roman Empire. How hard has it fallen... it is such a pity... Once a great state now shattered and disconnected. The Abbasids have done a number on them, and it looks like it won't stop. It'll take a great ruler to stop the empire from being chew up piece by piece.
And it's definitely not this one. Emperor Konstantinos, nicknamed Konstantfail by his vassals, is incompetent in all regards. He excels in nothing, only managing to be competent with his tongue, but only enough to swoon wenches. While a brave man, his bravery won't be enough to stop the muslims from taking imperial lands.
Lombardia rules over most of the Italian peninsula. The heartlands of the Roman Empire, now ruled over by barbaric germans from the north. But centuries have passed and the Lombards are more assimilated into the latin culture, becoming native to the lands alongside the Italians. The kingdom is powerful, and whoever rules will have great say in the future.
Queen Kriemhild rules over Lombardia benevolently. She is a gentle and learned woman. She is a woman of philosophy and science, and does experiments on her own time. Though her obsession causes her to shut herself in, shooing away human interaction. For her age, her wits have not left her. Lombardia will experience peace for years to come.
After buying Greens paraphernalia and dropping it off at the Vatican, the carpet turned back northwards. Unuist in preparation put on his yak fur suit and huddled into the bear.
Scandinavia, once a disunited land of tribes, is now a disunited realm of kingdoms. Two stand out the most. Svipjod, and Finland.
King Bertil is a smart man who thinks quick on his feet. He is skilled in war and is kind to his vassal. Though he shies away from most women, saving his love for his wife and concubine. He rules Svipjod proper, holding great power. Will he continue terrorizing Europe with bands of raiders, or will he covet more and take the holdings for himself?
King Sigurd rules Finland from the port-castle of Narva. The man is no warrior, trained in tongues and scared of blades. He keeps to his castle, constantly reading books bought or acquired from raiding monasteries. But his skill in tongues and intrigue keeps his vassals calm. Excepts when he lashes out at them or insults their intelligence. He apologizes though. His hold on Finland is firm, though it'll take someone else to truly take advantage of its power.
Unuist looked down at the world below with fascination, but was taken aback when the carpet started lifting up. Unuist turned to Jesus. "Milord, why are we going up?" he said, passing through clouds. When they were through the clouds, he was shocked to see that he was naked again, just like in the beginning. Jesus scooted over and placed his hands on Unuist's shoulders.
"My friend, why do you think I brought you here. To see the world?" he said, the strange accent gone, replaced with a soothing tone. "Milord, I don't know... It's so surreal..." he said. "My friend, your father and grandfather have diligently spread my words throughout your home islands. But my word shall not be contained to just them. I ask you as a friend and a devout follower to spread my good words to all the people of this world," Jesus said. Unuist nodded. "I will. I will spread your word everywhere. Even my last breathes will be used to speak of you," Unuist said, bowing. Jesus smiled.
And with that, he was falling. He felt no fear as he plummeted to to the earth. His arms were spread wide, as if to catch the earth when he landed. Through the clouds, he could finally see the world below.
Unuist smiled. "Soon," he said, seconds before hitting the ground.
Unuist woke up from his sleep. He could hear fighting outside his tent. He looked to see the French and his men fighting. The remainder left from yesterday's battle had ambushed their camp, trying to cause as many casualties as possible. Unuist could feel his blood pumping. He grabbed his shield and sword and charged out armorless to meet his foes. The fight was short. Unuist had taken down five French soldiers before they started running. As they ran, Unuist screamed from the top of his lungs. "For the Glory of God and His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!" The camp returned with various cheers of victory. Today was the beginning of the end for the French.