January, late XIVth century, a village in Macedonia...
Snow storms were roaring with all their might. It was a cold day, cold enough to freeze the lakes. Mayhaps God had truly forsaken the Christendom? Crops did not yield well, most children under the age five died, finding people frozen to death in roads was not a rare occasion.
In one of the houses of a such village, a baby cry was heard.
"A healthy boy" shouted the poor farmer's daughter. She was all too excited to get a new brother!
Father was overjoyed too, but he was deeply worried, as he was looking into the Mother's weary eyes, this child too would not survive the harsh times, they thought quietly.
But... wait.. what was that? He was shocked and rushed to the outside to see it from close! The apple tree near the house was green as spring and it had even bore fruits! Clearly, this was a sign from Christ! This child was blessed!
The boy quickly rose up to be a model man of God, excellent in theology, administration, arts and virtue. He was eventually went to Constantinople, but he routinely denied higher positions of authority. Instead, he weaved the much-needed link between common man and clergy and the became a moral beacon in these hard times of Christendom.
But, a clergyman was not what he meant to be either... He was doing, weird things... Lighting candles by thinking, finding things he wants near him, not feeling cold, being able to understand animals on a deeper level? What was going on? Was he really a saint as some proclaimed? He certainly didn't know of any sorcery. Abnormalities did not cease there however.. He was seeing... a dark future. A world on fire. The servants of Satan killing the heart of the world... Lords, dukes, kings, popes, patriarchs, all of them... They were all leeches on the true believer. And, somehow... he was meant to be a leading figure, guiding people to heaven? How? It made little sense... But he very well knew of the history of the faith, such beliefs would easily brand him as heretic, all nobles and clergy who praise him as a saint would come after his head in an instant... He kept anything that would raise suspicion under the rug. No, the time for acting was not now, the time was for... discovery.
He gave up clergy robes, tagged along merchants and went to the east, west, north and south. He learned so much about people's and place's of the world. People were so different, but they were also quite similar. The heathen beliefs was not so foul after all. Everyone wanted to connect to the divine, everyone prayed, even the least believer of them. And his queer talents and dreams... went only stronger and stronger.
The priest did ever not return to Greece. It was said he reached the lands of Prester John, and reached to heavens there. But someone the most queer reached to the shores of Macedonia instead. A young woman, beautiful as the dawn , with a hair white as snow... Her words were truly magical, even pierced through the hearts of the most misogynist of men. She claimed to be a servant of God, promised servants of darkness would be defeated and by will of Christ, a Kingdom of Heaven on Earth will prevail. She rallied the people of Macedonia, and in the middle of the war between Crusaders and Ottomans, the Muslim rulers was driven out of Macedonia, with some of their folk converting to the Lord's cause.
Who were meant to be their lords now though? Governors from Constantinople? Genoese merchants? Venetians? A Serbian duke? Mayhaps they were to be a vassal of Hungarian kings? Or maybe they would seek protection from Frankish lords?
No! The Roman Empire was of a bygone era. Italian doges only cared about their pocket. Any ordinary lords were too quick to turns deviants in the pursuit of petty rivalries. East and West, their churches were crumbling apart, they were too slaves of vain ambitions. No crusader could save them, as Varna had proved once again, their age was coming to an end. No, no old order, no decadent duke, no backwards bishop could help. The past could not be returned, no kings of past was necessary, when they submitted to the Lord himself! With the guidance of the Saint-Lady, and the prayers from their hearts, no servant of Satan could prevail! But they were destined for even more, for being the Shepherds of the world, bringing the Garden of Eden on Earth!
The Saint-Lady was also destined for more. Although she styled a noble house name for herself, she was not meant to be just another tyrant or a great conqueror. Nor she was to be a Joan d'Arc figure for the East. She was to become something more queer, and more divine. Yet for now, she was Robin from house Aidios, first of Her name, ruler of Macedonia.
The Ottomans were furious. They were exhausted due to last war and something about this lady made them a little hesitant but they would not tolerate such insolence for long... And Italian lords were already taking an interest in the prosperous lands. The garden was small... yet it was surrounded by wolves...
And such 2as the year of the Lord 1444, the first year of the reign of Robin, the Saint-Lady of House Aidios...
(To be continued...)
Commentary and Footnotes:
I played the game on patch 1.27. Every DLC up to and including Rights of Man besides Mare Nostrum, American Dream and various Unit Packs. I also used Nation Designer Extender Unlimited and More Colors for Custom Nations mods.
While searching how to make more interesting Custom Nations, I have found Nation Designer Unlimited. The mod basically allows you to make really wild nations. So I have set out to make the most overpowered thing one can have imagine. The mod also allows you to play as religions from converted Crusader King 2 saves, so I have made some research on old heresies and come up with a fantasy lore for my overpowered nation idea. I have decided to turn it into a story, planning it that way made the game so much fun and it gave me an excuse to write fiction. I have used some elements from Fire Emblem and Trails in the Sky as well. If you didn't catch them, don't worry, references will become clearer in the next chapters... and I intend to do commentary and additional into what I have actually done in the game
Hope you enjoyed it! I have already completed the playthrough so the story will surely, if slowly continue, so please tune in for the next chapter!
This article is written thanks to my dearest Patrons and special thanks to: Acelin, Alexandra Morgan, Laura Watson, MasterofCubes, Makkovar, Otakundead and Spencer Gill.
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