The smell of dried shit and dried leaves permeated the room. But the strong smell of man was overwhelming, distracting the young man from his surroundings. Tempted to stay for the entire morning, he might have done so if it was not for the disapproving gaze of his mother, the Dowager Princess.
"So I did sense a ghost." The young man slipped out of the furry and tight hold that kept him warm all night.
"And I thought the Conqueror of the Adriennics was busy preparing himself in this glorious day."
He rolled his eyes. "There are dozens of jarls claiming that title."
"Do not stray us from the point, Ingwi Gniewomirsyn."
"So, what brings you here?" Ingwi glanced at the large man still sleeping. "This one might be a bit rough for company, especially someone at your age, if that is what you-"
The Dowager Princess nearly popped out her eyes.
"Mieszekar Antinsyn!" She shouted.
The large man grumbled as he tightened his hold on Ingwi. Ingwi slapped him in the head. He would have asserted his dominance over his lover if he did not notice the Dowager Princess.
"Your Highness!" He jumped up in attention and let the bed covers sleep from his person. It revealed himself, just like the day when he was born.
"You waste your vitality like this." She shook her head. "We need more men like you."
Mieszekar nodded. "I live to serve the House of Lech. I shall provide as much as many warriors with my wives."
"Hmph. At least one of you understands your duties." She looked out the window. "Now, my lazy spawn, do be true to me as I have been to you for all these years." She threw his clothes at him. "Cover yourself. Be presentable. I will not walk out of a brothel. I will walk out of a victor's shelter." She glanced at Mieszekar. "With his brave commander, staunch and resolute."
Ingwi hastily put on a surcoat as he stepped out of the hovel. An assembly of armored men stared at him in looks of surprise and, once an undressed Mieszekar joined him, disgust. Must be the delegates. He thought. Before the royal ink sealed the future, there are several remaining things to settle. The only thing certain is that the ancient principalities of Ingwigard, Ruszków, and Mniejsze Wieluń will become one.
"Mniejsze Wieluń" is Ingwigardski for "Lesser Välämo."
Skałaprawa Rock, Principality of Ruszków, 11 July 385
Dalibor walked up to the great mound, dressed only in braes and a headful of antlers from a suitably sized stag. He was reeted by the sight of a tall pile of wood in the center of the mound and the people gathered around it. His father the former Prince of Ingwigard, his father's two concubines, and all the members of the House of Volodimerović. Unlike him, all of them were in their colorful, thick coats and dresses. Except for his mother Princess Zenobia. She, as the High Priestess, is dressed in dark robes. It nearly shrouded her face in black.
Swordsmen made a secure perimeter around the mound. They kept the crowd well away from the great princes and merchant lords in the inner circle. The crowd, inclusive from all walks of life, from the lowly dungsweeper, to the noblest knight, to the richest merchant. All of Ruszków is here. They are joined by visitors from Ingwigard who wanted to see their young liege lord and his new consort.
Dalibor arrived at the large flat stone in front of the pile of wood. Opposite him stood a lady in white robes. He could tell she has nothing else beneath.
"Princess of Ingwigard." He greeted. She remained quiet. "Wanda Ingwidottar?" He tried again. Her face is made of stone.
Of course. Why should he expect more? He did just take the life of her beloved brother and husband, the Prince of Ruszków. By ancient right, Dalibor inherited the principality, its Princess, and the Prince of Ruszków's children.
One of the swordsmen lit up the pile of wood. Slowly, it grew into a fire big enough to make Dalibor nervous.
"Selde, Queen of the Stårse!" The High Priestess called to the heavens. "Accept the Union of Dalibor and Wanda and make their blossoms fruit!"
Two, then three, then four swordsmen had to restrain Wanda. She squirmed on the stone, the robes pulled off her person, and Dalibor looked at his father who bore no emotion. Doubt quickly dissipated as Dalibor realized his new role as Grand Prince of not just one, but two realms. This is the way of the Gods. It shall be the same in men.
To exercise his right is to honor and celebrate the Gods. For Valkyra, he took Ruszków. For Selde, Dalibor whispered to Wanda's ear, "With dignity. If not for me, do it for yourself."
"Rokzakon" (Ingwigardski: "Law Rock") is now "Skałaprawa." In modern Severogotia, "Skałaprawa Kesarski" (Jakowonian: Imperial Parliament) is the name of the national legislature.
Book Review: Janko Łućan Nowak's The Man Who Would Be Two Princes
By Jadranka Bączkowski
The subject of Dalibor Tuurasson's marriage to Wanda Ingwidottar, wife of tragic Grand Prince Świetopełk of Ruskovite fame, has always attracted controversy.
This time, however, Janko Łućan Nowak takes it to another level by romanticizing Dalibor and Wanda's relationship.
There is nothing new under Nowak's quasi-dystopian sun. He has been notorious for his idealization of abusive relationships. Unfortunately, there is an audience for this taboo literature. Lucrative enough to encourage Nowak to write more.
While the story pretty much writes for itself, Nowak's version of the history is mostly exaggerated and reinterpreted to be more exciting.
The story began with a detailed exposition of the grand army of Ruskovite. They were listening to Grand Prince Świetopełk giving a speech. He told them how their performance in battle will decide their and their family's future, not just Świetopełk's. It was full of platitudes about "loyalty," "love," and "family." The three main themes in the story.
Loyalty was that fickle friend that brought the rise and fall of many of the key players in the story's historical backdrop. It was something Świetopełk revered as a "wealth more valuable than the most fertile of lands."
Yet, not long after the first chapter, Świetopełk commits adultery with the prostitutes bought by the army. Something that many characters loudly and explicitly condemn. One of the male prostitutes listened to him rant "A warm body is more valuable than any fucking thing in the world."
The author might have intentionally used the more familiar themes of closed relationships seen in Messianist family life to make the story more relatable. He might have also forgotten that his setting was in Pre-Messianist Severoszlavia.
There was no shortage of "love" in the story. The real question was what love meant to Nowak.
Dubious consent continued to feature in many intimate scenes after marriage, even after Dalibor and Wanda started to fall in love with each other.
The supposed redemption of Dalibor by preventing a peasant rebel from forcing himself on Wanda was very forced and very ironic. In the same scene, Dalibor claimed "This is why women should stay at home and do as they are told" because he believed the peasant's affront was due to a rebellious wife.
After realizing he "loved" Wanda, after a couple of scenes where they supposedly found how fun they were together and how they actually liked one or two qualities about each other, asserting towards the end how much they actually needed each other, Dalibor went on a path to become a better husband and father to his six children.
Parts of the story involving family life provided no real development to the children as characters.
The children were only there to show that Świetopełk loved them, sometimes a little too much. The context of Świetopełk married to his sister strongly fueled the implications.
In contrast, Dalibor had many bastard children and expressed his hatred toward clan life. Dalibor's redemption would eventually help him become a better ruler of "two realms in blood brotherhood."
There are glaring similarities between The Man Who Would Be Two Princes and The Princess in the High Tower. There was this one disgusting scene in the former where Wanda was force-fed by Dalibor in a way that the author intended to be seductive, ending up reading like a sex offender's perverted method to keep their captives alive. If the words were not rearranged or interchangeably replaced, it is the exact same scene from The Princess in the High Tower.
If you think The Man Who Would Be Two Princes is a good romance, then prison might be the best place for you to find love.
The Pits of Kotberg, Jarldom of Valamo, Kingdom of Heorot, 20 July 385
"You come here, in the Imperial City of Kotberg, responsible for the death of our friend Świetopełk, forced yourself upon his wife-"
"We have been 'united' in accordance with our customs," Dalibor said. "Your so-called 'imperial law' neither applies to us nor to you. The Empire is gone."
The Jarl of Välämo shook his head, saying, "That is immaterial to the King of Heorot. We will not let this barbarity go unheeded."
The loud clash of metal, followed by the roar of the crowd, drew the attention of the Jarl and Dalibor back to the pits. The two men down in the arena walked in a circle as if they were each other's reflection in the mirror. Dirt, slices, and bruises covered their strong, heaving torsos. Despite the close brushes and copious sweat, remnants of colorful body paint were still visible. Their attire offered minimal protection, covering only their arms, lower limbs, head, and neck.
The Jarl wiggled his finger at a handsome boy standing next to him, asking, "Which one is ours?"
"The one in your colors, Jarl," the boy said.
The Jarl smiled and said, "Ah, yes. Vidar, that is his name—the Messianist thrall I purchased for the mines."
"Those Messianists," Dalibor said. "Although their women are fine, most of them look odd, and their habits annoy me. I raided one of their villages in the south. The priest said my men and I will go to hell."
"Their attitudes are quite concerning," the Jarl remarked. "Apparently, many of the things we do will land us in their 'hell'."
The boy nodded. "Their hell is apparently a place for 'pillagers, torturers, and so-called adulterers'."
Dalibor smiled. But the Jarl furrowed his brows.
"'Adulterers?' What is that?" the Jarl asked.
"Men who seek other women apart from their wives."
"Hmm. What about thralls and unmarried women?" Dalibor asked.
The boy sighed. "I am afraid them, too."
"Of course, all of us must be faithful to our wives," the Governor nodded. "But Messianist laws are just too much."
"Speaking of laws," Dalibor said, handing out a parchment from under his coat. "Here is the marriage contract."
"She agreed to them, already?" the Governor scanned the parchment's contents.
"No. Her most loyal azeting drafted the provisions. She has been very tired these days," Dalibor smirked. "Never leaving her room, not even to sup."
The Governor ignored Dalibor's dubious reply. He continued reading the parchment.
"As the Kingdom will be mediating this agreement, the King has asked me to reassure you that you are worthy of our trust. Even if your ways might go beyond our values, the same could be said about our late friend Świetopełk."
Dalibor nodded. "And I would like to extend the same reassurance to your lord, the King-"
"However, is she going to be able to attend the 'negotiations'?"
Dalibor frowned. "Is that necessary? I conquered the land and the princess. I am sitting on the throne, not her."
"Ah ah." The Jarl raised a finger. "She is still the ruler of Ruszków. You still need her agreement."
"Her agreement?" Dalibor snorted. "Please remind me what the King did when Ingwigardian horsemen rode into the lands of his sworn ally?"
"Let one thing be clear: The King promised protection. Not an alliance. Which is why he was able to give his consent to your aggression."
"We were going to invade whether the King liked it or not-"
"That is why we rather came to an understanding," the Jarl said, focusing on the battle down in the pits. "There are two wolves, and they are always fighting. Whether one is darkness or the other is light, there is only one thing clear: To feed the winner."
"So if Świetopełk won, you would have moved to show support to Ruszków?"
"Świetopełk was never going to win. He has spent the last of his coin on frivolities. Only debt remains. The smaller, exhausted Ruskovite army was in for a surprise if that stupid boy somehow won."
The crowd erupted into cheers. The Jarl checked to see which man is left standing. His mouth hung open. Dalibor grinned.
"And I won." Dalibor pointed at the parchment. "You have a better, smarter ally, who now rules all of the east."
Present day
Union of Ruszków From Gotyckipedia, the Severoszlavian free encyclopedia
The Union of Ruszków is a compilation of prenuptial agreements between St. Wanda of Ruszków and the Prince Dalibor II of Ingwigard. This was negotiated after the successful Ingwigard conquest of Ruszków.
Following Prince Swietopelk I of Ruszków's death at hands of Dalibor, St. Wanda was elected by the Azeting to succeed her husband. A copy of the treaty in the Ardalan Chronicles revealed it was signed in Ruszków on 20 December 385 AD. Dalibor became the new Prince of Ruszków and St. Wanda was relegated as Dalibor's consort. The lands of the Principality of Ruszków were attached to the Principality of Ingwigard.
Background The King of Heorot agreed to protect the Principality of Ruszków in 362 AD. As part of the agreement, Ingwi III of Ruszków married one of Heorot's daughters.
Ingwi was deposed by the Azeting in 375 due to disagreements over feudal duties. In 378, Ingwi sought an alliance with the Ingwigardian ruler Dalibor II to help him reclaim his throne. In return, Ingwi would cede nearly half of Ruszków to Ingwigard. 10,000 Ruskovite soldiers marched into Ingwigard and Ingwi became grand prince again in 380. But Ingwi died before he could honor his agreement with Ingwigard. Ingwi's successor, Swietopelk I, was incompetent and drained the treasury for his lavish lifestyle. He insisted the agreement with Ingwigard was voided by his father's death.
In 383, Dalibor and his 15,000-strong army invaded Ruszków. Swietopelk's calls for assistance from Heorot were ignored. A decisive victory in the Battle of Plock killed Swietopelk and defeated his forces of 12,000 men, and opened the way to Ruszków. The Azeting of Ruszków captured Swietopelk's consort, sister, and heir, Princess Wanda, and surrendered the principality to Dalibor. Discussions on prenuptial agreements were continued only after the wedding. The Ardalan Chronicles suggests that Wanda was still resisting and refused to concede on any ground. On 11 July 385, Dalibor and Wanda were married.
Treaty The treaty text, copied in the Ardalan Chronicles, was primarily signed by Dalibor and Wanda, but it has been disputed by historians that she was not present at the signing. Other signatories included the Ingwigardian jarldoms of Jarnomira, Gryfberg, Wiatrowice, Dąbrowa, and Złotogród and the Ruskovite jarldoms of Lubońska, Trzebińska, Milogostia, and Szczawnica. The treaty was mediated by Jarl of Valamo and his liege the King of Heorot.
The terms of the Treaty of 385 were:
Wanda must only reside in Ingwigrod Castle.
Male concubines of Wanda must be personally approved by Dalibor.
The King of Heorot extends protection to Ingwigard based on terms agreed upon with Ingwi III in 375.
The Principality of Ruszków will surrender the right to initiate parley to the Principality of Ingwigard.
Goods at the Ruskovite-Ingwigard borders will no longer require a state seal or official document.
The Seeress of Ruszków will surrender the right to organize rituals to the Seeress of Ingwigard.
The Principality of Ruszków will be attached to the Principality of Ingwigard.
In literature The original, more violent version of The Princess and the Stag, a famous Severoszlavian fairy tale, is claimed to be based on Dalibor and Wanda's marriage. Both the mature and family-friendly versions of the story portray their relationship as one-sided and non-consensual.
"Azeting" was the earliest form of a Severoszlavian legislature. In the Ingwigardian language, it is the common word for "assembly." The word has been typically associated with the gentry azeting, the self-governing assembly of the local nobility in a province.
OOC Notice: The contents of this post are likely to be offensive. Reader discretion is advised.
St. Henrix's Abbey, Jarldom of Milogostia, 10 January 827
Gaucelis could only watch as the barbarians from the north tore through the abbey. Everything, no matter how sacred or important in the service of God and his people in Milogostia, so as long as it could be sold, nothing did they spare from their bloodied, murdering hands. The surviving monks were tied together in the courtyard. Nearby, the raiders drank the wine from the barrels they took from the cellar.
"These lands are not meant to grow fine grapes." One of the raiders loudly remarked.
"We should spare some to sell." Another raider said. "They could fetch us nearly a year's amount of loot."
Gaucelis gritted his teeth. He could only watch as the consecrated wine dripped from the greedy and wrathful lips of these heathens.
"Instead of celebrating the Baptism of the Lord..." The abbot found the courage to speak. "I was supposed to bless the river to remind us when he touched the Elbląg River in the first baptism."
A burly red-headed man, the leader of the raiders, looked at Gaucelis with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
"The good people of Milogostia." Gaucelis continued. "...were going to take the water home to drink before their next meal."
"Alas, the ceremony was not to be." The leader sipped wine from a golden chalice. "The bodies from the raid in Milogostia flowed down the river. That gave your abbey some time to prepare.
"But not all of you were fighting men." A raider stood up and approached Gaucelis. "Many were cowards and many did not live."
He offered the abbot wine from the cruet the raider used to drink. Gaucelis's breathing quickened and now shook at the mockery before him. He had to look away.
Gaucelis chuckled. Part nervousness. "All of them martyrs." And part defiance. "No matter how many times you ransack our churches and our monasteries, the Word of the Lord shall continue to spread north. All will read, all will hear, and all will find refuge in Him."
The leader smiled. "Why, that would be great." He crossed his arms. "The closer these places to home, the more we could come back for more."
"More wine, gold, and silver for all!" A raider cheered. All of them did the same and raised their cupful of wine to that.
One of them eyed the monk next to Gaucelis. The youngest addition is a Vanniri who escaped persecution with his family from the north.
Without a word, the raider moved fast and pulled the man from his fellow monks. He kicked and screamed as he stared at the leering eyes of the Northman.
He walked over to the fountain in the middle and threw the man over the ledge. The raider lifted the man's robes from behind.
The other monks either closed their eyes, watched passively, or glared at the rest of the raiders. All of them prayed.
"I am taking this one." The raider sighed. The other Northmen cheered him on.
"Take us! Kill us! Do your worse!" Gaucelis bowed his head for prayer. "We believe in the life eternal! Heaven shall be our reward!"
The leader licked his lips at the raider and the young monk on the fountain ledge. "Oh really, Abott?" He said.
Gaucelis ignored the leader and continued praying with his brothers.
And then the yelps and shrieks begun. Gaucelis feared and accepted their martyrdom, ready to look straight at the blade, but when he looked up to see, he pulled and pushed against the hands that grabbed him up and on the leader's broad shoulder.
"So, I heard 'sodomy' in your religion means eternal damnation." The leader said as they entered the church.
"N-No." The abott shivered. He tried with all his might to slip out of the powerful raider's grasp to no avail.
Thrown on the altar, the abott shrunk at the sight of the large man undressing before him. He looked more like a monster than a man.
Gaucelis looked to the side, desperate for a religious symbol, for some consolation. Instead, he saw a blood-red banner.
Present day
Triskelion Banner
This was the war-flag used by Polnoczniacy Vikings. It was first recorded in the Callisean Merchant's Chronicle as a Satanic symbol imbued with dark pagan powers which gave near-inhuman strength to raiders. The Severoszlavian Triskelion, also known as the Three Legs of Prince Tuura, featured on the banner was based on the Thaunic Triskel, an ancient symbol of strength in the Thaunic religion.
MATERIAL: Nylon, Sewn SIZE: 3' x 3' PRICE: kr5,250.00
Drakkarowo, Northern Ember Sea Coast, Eastern Gothis, 10,000 BC
A powerful storm had easily swept nearly an entire village in their coastal dugouts into the monstrous, angry blackness of the sea. The Elders, former warriors and respected members of the village, have made a decision. They elected Sor as the new kniędz.
Ren was not sure why Sor was elected, but he generally ignored the goings-on in the Meeting Hut in the past.
Thankfully, this time of the year is warmer and that meant the catch is bountiful. Fishermen fully restocked lost food supplies in no time. Ren was surprised that his catch was bigger, expecting the storm waves to carry them along. The new dugouts are placed on higher ground, close enough for a more difficult but walkable distance. The spot for the new Meeting Hut took time due to their picky nature. If it was up to Ren, he would have left them in their original place and hoped another storm came to wash them away.
But the storm had taken most of the women and girls. The men who lost their mates and brood expressed deep sadness. Ren was newly mated with a nice woman from the north and her belly was growing with his seed. He lost her during the storm.
This worsened as men grew jealous of those whose mates and brood remained intact. Ren became restless as his needs distracted him. His hand started to ache from nightly overuse. It was not enough.
The men, led by Ren, had come to the Meeting Hut to demand that the women must be shared. The Elders suggested going to nearby villages, but Ren insisted that the storm may have caused other villages to be in a similar, maybe worse situation. None of the men believed that women survived that storm.
Sor attempted to mediate. To convince the men, he offered to personally lead a party to visit other villages. Nobody said anything about it. Since nobody also opposed it, the Elders happily endorsed it.
That night, Ren walked past Sor's dugout and heard the sweet sounds of Sor's mate as they consummated their bond.
Without thinking, he walked into them still connected together. Sor bared his teeth and barked at Ren to leave. Ren did not. Instead, he lunged at Sor and put his hands on his neck. Sor's mate screamed as she retreated to her brood, who woke up as Ren and Sor grunted and growled and roared, trying to be louder and drown the other's noises out.
In the end, Ren was the only man screaming. He looked at Sor's horrified mate and his confused brood. Ren smiled at them. He walked out of Sor's dugout and found that the other men, mostly his followers from earlier, had been woken by the fight and surrounded the dugout to wait and see.
A triumphant Ren proclaimed that all the women and the brood belong to all the men.
With that, Ren became the new kniędz. There were more men without mates than those who have. It did not take much persuasion for them to give them up to the village after the Meeting Hut was burnt down.
The prehistoric Severogotian title for chieftains is the same as the RL Proto-Slavic word "kniędz."
Tales of the North Slavs by Waldemar Palubicki, 1887. 2015 children's adaptation published by Wydawnictwo Pieśń Dzieciństwa, Pyrzława.
Description: The Tales of the North Slavs is a collection of Severoszlavian fairy tales originally published by Waldemar Palubicki in 1887. These reimagined fables and bedtime stories remain true to the spirit that gave life to the timeless stories and characters and to the history they represent.
1: The Giant of Drakkarowo
Long, long ago, there was a little girl named Gylfi. Her Tata was a fisherman. Because Tata had no son, he chose Gylfi to come along with him on his boat. Helping Tata, she learned how to fish.
Instead of helping Mama do house chores, Gylfi believed she could do anything Tata does. When Mama tried to teach Gylfi the ways of the woman, Gylfi refused and told Mama she wanted to fish like Tata. Because of this, there could not be enough time to do house chores anymore.
Mama told Tata he should stop bringing Gylfi to the sea. Tata said, "I have no son."
One day, Tata and Gylfi were out at sea when an explorer hailed them. They returned to the beach and Tata roasted his best catch. Gylfi asked the stranger what an explorer did and the Explorer explained that he traveled and discovered new places. However, as he traveled, he discovered the oldest and most ancient of found lands have sunk into the sea. He believed Ozaviin, the Sea God of Storms, may have punished the First Principalities and Jarldoms that once ruled these lands.
Gylfi asked if he was in search of something important. The Explorer told her he was not searching for anything. He only wanted to see the world.
When Tata told Gylfi to give Mama the fish he promised for dinner, Gylfi stayed and listened to Tata and the Explorer who thought they were truly alone.
The Explorer told Tata he was in search of the Giant of Drakkarowo. Tata laughed and told the Explorer there have been no giants in Drakkarowo since Zaviir punished these lands. The Explorer agreed they have all died a long time ago. But their petrified remains are said to have magical properties that could cure the most dire of wounds and diseases.
Tata offered Gylfi to assist the Explorer. The Explorer said, "I need a boy. No girl can learn the ways of the man."
Angered, Gylfi decided she wanted to be an explorer and find the Giant of Drakkarowo herself. She overheard that the Giant of Drakkarowo could be found somewhere near the cliffs not too far from her home and went there without telling Tata or Mama or the Explorer.
Gylfi went to the top of the cliffs to get a bird's eye view of the coast. Down on the beach, the ruins of an abandoned city lay partly overland and partly underwater.
Gylfi went down to the beach to take a closer look at the city. The dugouts and the pithouses were empty and falling apart. On the waters, what buildings were there have turned into rotting wood.
There was a tall longhouse of what used to be a farm, but its once fertile green land had been buried under the coarse crystal sand. But there was no sign of the giant.
Gylfi went up the cliffs to take one last look at the coast before she went home.
And then, in the corner of her eye, almost missing it, a huge rock stood in the distance, rising from the water. She realized no sea rock she has seen stood higher than what she was seeing now.
Excited, Gylfi stood on the edge of the cliff to see if it was the giant. Tata would be so proud and Mama would never ask her to do house chores ever again. She would become an explorer.
Suddenly, Gylfi felt the surface disappear from her feet. The sky went higher and when she looked down, she was engulfed by the waves down below.
That night, Tata, Mama, and the Explorer went to the cliffs to look for Gylfi. But Gylfi was nowhere to be seen. Mama screamed, "She is gone!"
The Explorer found no giant nearby and moved on to continue his search. Mama died of a broken heart. Tata never went to sea again and went inland and started a new family, vowing to treasure his new children and never make the same mistakes again.
