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The Blessed Minds

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Corrupted Mind, Corrupted Future
Spring 1849


The cleric was a shrewd man, wise in his old age and far more powerful than he had ever dreamed he would become. Appointed by the Franken to be the Chief Advisor to the Prince on Native Affairs, he had gained a very dangerous position. From his perch atop the Prince's shoulder, he could twist his mind with many a different idea, some would take hold, grow roots in his mind, others would not stick. Over the year the Cleric had begun to understand better what motivated the Prince, understand what sort of man he was becoming. What sort of man the Cleric would make him into..

Against the advise of his more educated Franken advisors, the Prince declared March 16th to be a holiday for the Nuttian people, one that the Franken would have to respect when they were in the land as well. The Prince respected the courage and bravery shown by the Caliph, and the Cleric knew all too well how significant an impact the commemoration of such tenacity would have on the Nuttians as a whole. On the one hand it would foster and encourage a warrior spirit among them, to emulate the bravery shown by the Caliph, but on the other hand by having the Prince show the respect, and having done the deed in the first place.. symbolically made him the Caliph's successor in the eyes of the Tribes.


But the Prince now was becoming a man, and while rumors certainly circulated of his efforts among the populace, the Cleric had a plan in mind. It would require a great deal of maneuvering from the Prince and a great deal of coercion, but if the Cleric were successful..it would result in a significant coup. The daughter and heir apparent of the Tribal leader of the Jabal Junood was considered one of the most beautiful women in all of Nuttyland, she would soon become one of the Seven, and the Cleric was convinced that for his future and his family he must find a way to arrange for her betrothment to the Prince. The Cleric had been hatching this plan for some years, and had even provided the lady Zaniya with Franken tutors, and she had been the first woman in a generation to discard her burka as a result.

The Cleric's mechanations would be difficult to accomplish, but he was near the end of his life, what more did the old man have to do but scheme and maneuver?

Meanwhile..

The line had advanced with undo haste into the interior of Nuttyland. It stretched now from Pokefurt all the way to the Barid lake, and plans had been devised for it to move north, to move directly through Mount Nuttae, and swoop west across the Nuttae Plateau and establish settlements in the northwestern Interior of the land. Resistance was expected towards Mount Nuttae, but so far the tribes had buckled under the pressure of Franken mercantilism, sacrificing honor for wealth and power. The Nuttae and the Nutte were left with no reliable leadership, no level of resistance like that of March 16th was expected again. Tribal leaders from Nutte and Nuttae had already sworn fealty to the Prince, but their word had little weight on the common zealots of the two tribes.
 
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A father complex
Spring 1849
Nürnberg


“So I take it you don’t want to take him back, ever, Herr Papa? He has been down under for over two years and you want to have him stay in Großpokai. This means I won’t be able to welcome him at my very own wedding to Isabella of Arendaal,” Thomas von Franken inquired. The Crown Prince and his father King Nikolaus VI were strolling through the Königsburg Gardens, as they usually did every Sunday afternoon. In other words, Nikolaus VI was mentoring his son in the art of leadership of the state as well as the ancient House of Knýtling. Sometimes their discussions were loud and heated, but they never left the path of discussing items. Neither would the King exhort his son for an inappropriate thought, nor would Crown Prince Thomas’ behaviour lack the necessary respect. The Duke of Schlesnitz – this was his traditional title as heir apparent – knew very well that he could immensely profit from his father’s experience. But he wasn’t intending to become an exact copy of his father. Thomas’ gut feeling told him his father had some very personal and hardly objective beef with his second-oldest son.

“Very well, my dear son, I know you love your brother dearly, which I deem pretty important. Yet in our double role as the head of state and head of a large family we have to carefully weigh our decisions. In the end of the day our people, who have trusted our house, our forefathers for centuries, need to be assured that we wouldn’t allow the behaviour of one individual smear the reputation of the nation. I had to act before Prince Alfred had compromised our country and house at an international event by being caught with a married woman or a daughter of an influential ally of ours. Since I love all of my sons I took care his income was secured. If he plays his cards right, he’ll be able to make a great living in our colony. But he will stay there forever,” King Nikolaus answered calmly.

“What about your plans to have a proper marriage arranged for him? Didn’t you plan to marry him to a princess from an Aren royal house cadet branch?,” Crown Prince Thomas asked. King Nikolaus VI sighed loudly. “According to Daniel von Pleuter, who is running the colony on behalf of the Crown in his capacity as Lord Chancellor of Großpokai, it would practically make no sense to marry him to a princess from the mother continent. Firstly, we’d have to go to great lengths to convince an Aren princess to move a colony. Secondly, there’s no guarantee he’ll continue embarrassing us by having numerous affairs way too obviously.” Maybe his father was actually envying his younger son for being able to enjoy his youth, as King Nikolaus VI should have been able to do, too, the Duke of Schlesnitz mused. The untimely death of his grandfather Heinrich VIII after ruling less than a year Nikolaus became king at the young age of 19.

“Before I forget it, there’s some dull business to attend to regarding Großpokai,” King Nikolaus remarked nonchalantly, “As you may recall the Colony Ministry had kicked off plans to establish a Franconian-style education system last year. They want to name the university in Pokai after the first Knýtling-ruler of Franken, Duke Sebastian I Knýtling, while the first grammar school will receive the name of some scholar whose name I can honestly not recall. I’d like you to sign the necessary documents and writs on my behalf. Practice makes perfect.” The young Crown Prince grinned broadly. “What if I brought the documents there personally during my honeymoon with the delightful Aren princess?”​
 
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A Monumental Discovery..pt1
Fall 1849


While the Prince was off in Pokefurt making preparations for the arrival of his elder brother and his new bride, the High Cleric Hadiidh was deep in the interior of Nuttyland. Working with Franken engineers and investors, the High Cleric was laying out a grand vision for the subjugation of his own people. Nearing the end of his life, the cleric's son Ghabi was being groomed for succession to the Dominion of Pokai, but in order to secure Franken support for his dynasty the Cleric had to prove that in his absence the Nuttian people would remain subservient. It was not so much power or corruption that drove Hadiidh as the Franken learned , it was the survival and security of his family. He did not care for his tribesmen, the land itself, or the fate of his people, so long as his family and those of his kin were elevated in stature and secure in mind, the world could burn for all Hadiidh could care.

It was with this in mind that conflicting proposals were offered over the route of the Franken rail connection, now that it was nearing the Nuttae tribal lands. Many of the Franken engineers could not agree on whether to risk going through Mount Nuttae or to go around and upwards. Going around would make a less structurally stable line, and it would also make for slower transport from one end of the Tribal land to the other, but going straight through Mount Nuttae would require explosives, and perhaps even Franken investigation into what it was about Mount Nuttae that made plant life less frequent in the area. Not to mention Mount Nuttae's spiritual importance to the Nuttae Tribe, who could not rightly exist without the Mountain. This was the Cleric's role in the affair. He had proposed a campaign to stretch over the next few months as the line got closer to the Mountain and the Franken had time to deploy men of science to the area to analyze the minerals, wherein he would prophesies of the destruction of Mount Nuttae, heralding the end of Nuttian commitment to the old ways.

Such a religious campaign would take time, time Hadiidh did not have..but time was something the Franken had more of than they knew what to do with. The old man left the informal meeting in the outskirts of Nuttae and began his trek deep north, to the tribal seat of the Nuttae itself.. Unsure if he would even live to see his dynasty secure.
 
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Band of Brothers
Fall 1849


To say Princess Isabella was delighted about the prospect of honeymooning in a faraway colony of her new homeland was an understatement. Very much to her new husband’s surprise and pleasure she was excited to go abroad. “We will be able to enjoy the lavish luxury of Germania’s palaces for the rest of our lives. This kind of enterprise is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity of our station, my dear,” Isabella kissed her husband passionately on his cheek when they were leaving the port of Würzburg. Several weeks later they disembarked in the burgeoning colonial port of Pokefurt, where Prince Alfred was receiving them with all honours he could muster.

The brotherly reunion was cordial and emotional. Being the notoriously famous womanizer Prince Alfred easily enchanted his new sister-in-law. “Don’t you ever try,” she jokingly admonished him. Of course the Franconian knew better to cuckold his older brother. After all Crown Prince Thomas was the major ally against his father’s little to no respect and lack of appreciation. Although Pokefurt was the colonial capital it was still small relative to the cities of the mothercountry. Thus it was a matter of time until commoners gathered to gawk at the future liege lord of their colony and his astonishingly beautiful young wife.

During their first days in Pokefurt Thomas von Franken soon noticed his brother was accompanied by a native in his late twenties or early thirties. Other than the domestic servants he was wearing expensive and very elegant clothes. Alfred introduced him as Ghabi of Pokai, a senior member of his vice-regal household. Judging from his observations Crown Prince Thomas subsequently concluded it was Ghabi and his currently absent father, who were shaping Alfred’s view of Greater Pokai. Maybe they were even hatching very long term plans to turn the Kingdom of Großpokai into a state in its own right. Neither Ghabi nor especially his brother would lack the ambition. Indeed, they had plenty!

Two weeks later Prince Alfred, Crown Prince Thomas and Crown Princess Isabella were taking the train to Heinrichsfestung, which was the name of the isthmus town, which had originally started out as the two forts facing the late caliph’s wall. Nowadays it was a town run by a military governor appointed by the Reichskanzler.

There they heard curious reports about newly found metal near the mysterious Mount Nuttae. What was pretty weird, the natives had told the Franconian prospectors stories about people not living long after having spent some time in the immediate area of the mountain. Before the royals would decide upon whether to continue their journey to the end of the line, Crown Prince Thomas insisted on making an additional visit to the fort town, which was guarding the southern tip of continental Greater Pokai.
 
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The Prophesy
October 1849


After a month of riding with his bodyguard in tow, the High Cleric Hadiidh had reached the tribal seat of Nuttae, disheveled and worn down but nonetheless at his destination. After the death of the Caliph the Nuttae had embraced their recognized leader Shaheeb Ad-Din, who was now upon the ripe old age of three. He had been educated over the years and could now fluently speak most words in arabic, and could count all of his fingers and toes with no real difficulty. He could even read his anjab, an astounding accomplishment for one of such an age.

Hadiidh paid him no mind. He would very quickly fix some of the damage the Caliph had done, and secure at last his son's future. His son's position as 'advisor' to the Prince was no accidental appointment, it was a common European trick so Hadiidh had learned. Put a man in a position of influence, but only because of who he is, not for what he knows. A hostage. This ensured that Hadiidh could never, would never change his mind on the future of Nuttyland. But Hadiidh would have the last laugh, if Alfred married Zaniya, the Frankens would find their future efforts to influence the people difficult. She was a strong-willed woman, intent on keeping her position of authority, and so far this independence had won over the Prince, who was so accustomed to Northern women who were subservient to their men in every way.

Hadiidh perched himself up in the Bazaar of Nuttae, and began to recite in the natural rhythm of his peoples language:

My people come gather
For words from the father
Peace be upon you all
Now hear, warnings of our fall
A child would lead,
While the people are in need.
A great rift comes,
While no one takes heed.
A fire shall engulf the Mount
And shall rise a white Count.
He shall bring great peace.
Through peace, Nuttae will have power.
So say the father.
 
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Band of Brothers (II)
November 1849


By late October they had finally arrived at the current end of the line, which the engineers told them was about ten kilometres away from Mount Nuttae. Until High Cleric Hadiidh had paved the way for the railroad line’s final destination the half-camp half-wooden-town wouldn’t that much activity. In fact the number of people there was limited to the team of engineers, company mercenaries to protect the project’s VIPs and facilities and a couple of aides and random servants. The engineers spend their time trying out novel ideas how to extract metals from difficult and/or dangerous territory. The mysterious metal found near Mount Nuttae was the object of their curiosity, too.

During their long journey together Crown Prince Thomas had been able to get very good impression about his brother’s status quo. Between them it was as if Prince Alfred had never been exiled and he seemed to get along very well with his sister-in-law, too. What bugged the heir apparent of Franken was Alfred’s barely hidden contempt for his father, his trust in Ghabi of Pokai and the fact that Pleuter was paying tribute to his advancing age. Pleuter was very ambitious, too, but there was no doubt he wanted to maintain close ties to Franken, either as a vassal realm under a king Alfred or by maintaining the current situation. Lord Ghabi and his father subtly played Alfred’s few weak spots. This way they could secure their family’s future, but at the cost of an estranged relationship with the mothercountry.

Before they would return to Franken in early January the Duke of Schlesnitz had been promised a meeting with Alfred’s quasi fiancee from a native people. Between the lines his brother had hinted at her having a strong character and impressive beauty. To make her reveal a bit more of her intentions than she would normally, Crown Prince Thomas and his wife had agreed that Isabella would gently quiz her future sister-in-law. The Crown Princess had been thoroughly educated in the time-honoured tradition of the Courts of Arendaal. Thus she would be an appropriate counterpart for the Nuttian Lady.​
 
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A Monumental Discovery..Pt2
December 1849
Pokefurt


Extensive tests had been undertaken at the camp site at Mount Nuttae, and through the rather peculiar mixing of the strange metal with Nitric and Hydrochloric acids, the chemists in the camp had managed to extract an unusual yellow powder. The powder was stored as safely as it could be and shipped to Pokefurt for further testing from some of the more experienced chemists Franken had provided to the colony.

Meanwhile..
Tribal Seat of Nuttae
The shrouded in black bodyguard of the High Cleric Hadiidh strolled swiftly through the night streets of the slowly overcrowding town. Nuttians had began to abandon their nomad ways with the introduction of Franken culture, and even in far off Nuttae this was becoming the new way of life. There was even a smoke stack or two dotting the ever expanding town, industry had finally come to far away Nuttae.

It was in the center of town, near the bazaar that the men were lurking their way towards..ever mindful of the noise they were making with each step, sure to avoid any discarded tree limb or wayward animal, as the Mujahideen made their way inside the small compound that carried Shaheeb Ad-Din, the infant leader of the Nuttae.

They struck almost like lightning into the compound, the guard at the door? Neck twisted. The young woman adorned in fine Franken clothing? Hung by her own Franken scarf. And the infant child? Cut in two. Blood smeared the walls, and the men departed swiftly, as alarms rose throughout the town.


Back in Pokefurt..

The Franken chemists had set to testing this bizarre yellow powder, and found that if they burned it with charcoal the yellow compound actually changed in entirety to a black metal. Perhaps one of the most peculiar elements the Chemists had ever experimented with, they made furious notes over this unusual development and continued tests and other tinkering to determine just what this unusual mineral was, and what practical uses it could possibly have.
 
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A Southern Christmas
Mid-December 1849
Pokefurt


The train puffed and churned, slowly coming to a halt in the center of Pokefurt. Over the twenty years of Franken occupation and immigration the uninhabited island had grown to a bustling industrial town of roughly 30,000, with a healthy mix of various European immigrants and native Nuttians who had embraced the Franken 'civilization campaign', and many a young and lonely Franken had taken up a Nuttian bride, encouraged by the administrators as means of 'civilizing' the Nuttian territories. Never so swiftly or so efficiently was a culture wiped out of a speck of land than in Pokefurt. Where twenty years ago there was forest, natural beauty, and Nuttian shrines to the sanctity of the island.. now industry stretched across every inch of the island from the mines deep in the center that ripped gold from the heart of the Isle of Poke, to the newly built forges in the heart of Pokefurt that molded the precious ore into bars for easy transport to the Franken court, to the Harbors that ringed the southern coast of the Island bustling with merchant ships ferrying in more industrial goods and ferrying away the precious Nuttian gold that had spurned such rapid immigration.

But of course such gold could not so rapidly leave a port without someone having a hand in it. This was where Ghabi had gained such influence over Prince Alfred. He had explained to the Prince ever so delicately the fine Nuttian art of embezzlement. Through contacts with Nuttians employed in the lowly work of dock-hand and forge-worker, a fairly sophisticated ring of embezzlement had established itself in Pokefurt, allowing the Prince a fairly significant personal income separate from the allowance allocated to him by the Crown. Few asked questions, because after all what was a royal if not wealthy? But to some of the higher ups the Prince's seemingly unending supply of wealth did seem rather unusual, and his lack of documentation over many of his extravagances was beginning to raise quite a few eyebrows among the Franken accountants.

The lady Zaniya greeted the train at the platform, her appearance an unusual sight to many Franken, let alone the lowly Nuttians who had gathered to see what the fuss was over the train's arrival. Unlike many of the Nuttian women in Pokefurt who still wore Burkas, or the Franken noblewomen who were arm in arm with administrators and rarely if ever seen without a male's presence..Zaniya stood at the platform flanked by two young bodyguards of mixed descent, and much like her bodyguards she stood in colonial military uniform. With the blessing of the Prince, Zaniya had organized her own colonial militia, working in collaboration with Franken officers who had found themselves on 'early retirement' in the Nuttian territories, she would use her position among the Nuttian Tribes to finish the job the Franken had started.

Christianity had succeeded in calming the Nuttian's fanaticism, Industrialism and Military Discipline would be the true civilization of the Nuttian people. Peace through power. This was what Zaniya preached.
 
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Two princesses walk into a palace
Mid-December 1849


One thing was for sure, Daniel von Pleuter had fulfilled his life’s greatest ambition. At his behest and his initiative a marvelous city had grown. However, other than his counterpart he wasn’t blessed with an equally politically ambitious son. Instead he had three daughters, who had married into the upper class of the colony. Due to a deal with the King had been able to pass his peerage on to his oldest daughter Christiane, who in turn would pass it on to the children she had with her husband Gregor Samson von Pleuter. Her husband happened to be a senior officer with Zaniya’s private militia. While the Lord Chancellor’s aging mind couldn’t quite figure out Lady Zaniya’s leitmotif, Lady Fortune had thereby ensured his descendants would continue to play a part in this colony’s history. Standing on the balcony of his luxurious residence he was letting his eyes wander over the buzzing city. Was it time to give way to a younger and more energetic successor? Pleuter was determined to discuss this matter with Crown Prince Thomas before his departure.

To say they were surprised when they saw Lady Zaniya in her military was an understatement. Neither Franken’s nor Arendaal’s upper class treated women as they used to in the Middle Ages, but this was clearly a shock to both Crown Prince Thomas and Crown Princess Isabella. Only thanks to their courtly education they were able to hide their shock behind polite smirks. “My Lady, I’m delighted to meet you at last, “ the Duke of Schlesnitz bowed slightly and gently pecked her hand, “May I introduce you to my lovely wife, Crown Princess Isabella?” After a quick exchange of pleasantries the Crown Princess entered her equipage, while Lady Zaniya joined the two royal brothers on horseback. This way Crown Princess Isabella had an unexpected opportunity to rehearse the key questions she wanted to ask her future sister-in-law.

Unless you inspected their uniforms more carefully, a bystander could confuse the attire worn by civilian members of the colonial administration to commemorate the arrival of their lords and ladies with military clothes. Their hats’ colorful plumes were blown back and forth by the December wind. Furthermore, the road which led from the central station to the vice-regal residence and was therefore appropriately named Königstraße was adorned with flags of the Franconian Monarchy.
After they had ascended into their private apartments at the vice-regal palace, the Lord Chancellor used the occasion to pass on the news to the Crown Prince and the Viceroy that the toddler-caliph had been found killed. Although Daniel von Pleuter was aging, tired and craving for retirement, he was a duteous man careful to observe his obligations towards King and Country. Prince Alfred responded to this particular piece of news by raising his eyebrows. His brother showed an equal lack of compassion. Securing power was a dirty business.

In regards of less dirty business the Duke of Schlesnitz had an appointment to attend, while his wife would spend the evening with Lady Zaniya. The businessmen of Pokefurt had very politely and submissively asked him whether he would preside over the first meeting of the newly founded Handelskammer Pokefurt (Chamber of Commerce). They also offered him the presidency honoris causa, which he would eagerly accept. Vanity was a weakness that ran in the House of Knýtling. Strangely their women were more aware of it than the royal men.
 
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Oh Milad Al-Massih, Oh Milad Al-Massih
One Week Before Christmas, 1849
Pokefurt


In one of the taller buildings in Pokefurt, sat an innocent if unusually plain looking laboratory. Sophisticated for its time, it was still rudimentary compared to some of the facilities in the northern reaches of Europe. Still, for a colony the laboratory that Dr. Schadenfreude had been equipped with was state of the art. He had been tasked by the Franken colonial authority with tinkering and experimenting with the new black metal they had discovered, burning it with various different chemicals to study the reactions, and applying different acidic compounds to it to see what results could be illicited.

After several days of various different tests, the Doctor had chosen one morning to burn the metallic compound with potassium. Nuttian and European history from this morning on have changed in many ways both good and bad, the resulting chemical exposure allowed Dr. Schadenfreude to isolate the basic element within the metal. Owing to recent astronomical developments in Northern Europe regarding new celestial bodies, the young doctor chose to name this new and unusual though so far seemingly useless metal Uranium. It would be a long and controversial career for the young man.

Meanwhile..
Nuttae
High Cleric Hadiidh had to do a great deal of acting these last few weeks in the now suddenly bustling town of Nuttae. Owing to the new though still unfinished Franken rail line thousands if not potentially millions of Nuttians had poured into the area to pay their respects to the slain infant Caliph. It was his funeral that Hadiidh chose to make his move.

As Nuttians in Nuttae mourned the Caliph in an open ceremony in the Bazaar, the Cleric was called upon to make a speech before the masses:

My people, the lord bless you and keep you. These are dark times that we live in now, evil times. The Caliph, wise in his ways and powerful though he may have been, was but a mere child. Slain in his own crib, taken from us, and for what? Look amongst yourselves my brothers and sisters. His sacrifice is a message to us all. We must change, we must embrace a new life. Let it be that his memory is remembered not as a sad time for we of the Nutte, but a time of great progress.

Our ways of life have changed in my life time, though many of you are young and do not truly appreciate it. You can travel now from Pokefurt to Nuttae in one month, where it took me seasons as a child. It is a brave new world, and if we do not embrace this new life we shall surely be struck down by the Lord. It is with his passing that I beg you my friends, look to the Northerners with open arms and open minds. We must embrace that which we have scorned. Embrace a new world, and be her masters. We are the gifted sons and daughters of the All Mighty, and it is time that we rise up from the sands, mountains, and woods that we have lived off of for so long. It is time that we embrace a world that is ripe for us. We must rise up and be the swift judgement that the Lord would command us give. We shall forge a hammer of Franken steel, and crush those who would doubt us on the face of a Nuttian anvil.

It is this resistance, this refusal to accept what the Lord would pass on to us, that led to our beloved Caliph's passing. It was not a Franken blade that cut him, no, but a Nuttian one. He was sent on high before his time, all so that we might forget before we have even begun to truly embrace the teachings of our Northern brothers.

It is therefor with a heavy heart, and the will of the All Mighty, that I nominate the Lady Zaniya to assume the post of Leader of the Seven, High Caliph of the Nuttian Tribes, and shepherding of the Nuttian people. May the Caliph live on in eternity, for the glory.
 
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Two princesses try their luck at a punchline
One week before Christmas
December 1849


The scenario was bizarre. Both Lady Zaniya and Ihre Königliche Hoheit, Kronprinzessin Isabella, Herzogin von Schlesnitz were sitting at a neatly adorned wooden table in the private apartment of the crown princely couple. Whilst Lady Zaniya did not bother changing into more female clothing, Crown Princess Isabella was wearing a modern and elegant gown emphasizing the natural beauty of her female figure. Secretly Isabella wondered whether it was Zaniya’s tribe who inspired the old medieval legends about a wild people ruled by women instead of men. Although she wasn’t completely unfamiliar to the idea of female monarchs due her own family relations, she couldn’t quite imagine why on earth you should confuse the minds of peasant or lowly commoner women with dirty governance business. Being with the obviously ambitious noblewoman was mind-boggling for Isabella, but certainly exciting.

Her first question for the Nuttian leader was what she planned about helping her fiancée staying true to his marital vows lest he embarrasses his house and his Nuttian vassals. “With Großpokai growing in importance for the Kingdom of Franken there’s a need for its most senior noble lord to behave properly, “ the Crown Princess concluded. “Well, my dear sister, how do you say it in your language? I’ll ensure that he keeps his vows with a woman’s sharp weapons,” she chuckled unconsciously putting her right hand on her sabre’s sheath. “How do you want to contribute to the relationship between the Crown of Franken and its loyal colony of Großpokai?”, Isabella von Schlesnitz carried on. “There’s a saying in Tiburian Latin I liked from the very first time my tutor told me about it. Do ut des: I give to make you return the favour. My people are grateful for the technological advance, but you would have never managed to be as successful as you are today with some loyalists like me,” Zaniya chuckled once more. “As an energetic and bright woman you certainly have some own ideas about this colony’s future. How would you help your husband to act as a loyal steward of his father, His Majesty the King, and later on of his brother?” With a surprisingly bright smile on her lips, Lady Zaniya retorted: “The best solution would be to embrace the Kingdom of Franken’s model: Put the use of force and all governmental issues into the hands of the central authority. A modern state ought to be governed by a central authority. Of course the model will be adapted to Großpokai and its neighbour territories, maybe in a harsher fashion.”

Not too far away from the vice-regal palace the director of the local Guttenberg Bank branch was counting his fair share in the embezzlement scheme benefitting Prince Alfred. The Guttenberg Bank was a subsidiary of the Herzoglich-Guttenberg’sche Compagnie, which in turn was owned by the ducal House of Guttenberg. Alongside the other major houses of the realm they commanded vast fortunes and were often involved in the noble business of banking and took a great interest in the industrialization. Among the six major houses – the royal house was also a part of this group – they had developed the greatest interest in colonial involvement. Over all their business was profitable and there was no reason to suspect their local steward was involved in re-directing some money for the sake of the wayward royal scion. Or was the Guttenberg Bank ignoring the elephant in the room lest they lose their lucrative appointment as royal banker? Ghabi of Pokai had managed to virtually put the director into his pocket after sponsoring a marriage with an attractive local girl. What he didn’t tell the manager was the girl’s hunger for luxurious goods.
 
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Laying Foundation
One Week Before Christmas 1849
Pokefurt


The Duke of Schlesnitz sat at a round table of men, mostly older Franken businessmen who had immigrated to the Nuttian Territories for quick and easy wealth, though there were two older Nuttians among them. All at the table were dressed in traditional business attire, the Nuttians were only discernible from the Franken in skin complexion and facial hair, both had completely Northernized themselves.

The meeting had begun with all the traditional pomp and circumstances expected of a royal visit, the pleasantries were exchanged, the usual brown nosing. But after all was said and done the true meeting began. These men had accumulated enough wealth and power in the Nuttian Territories to speak plainly to the Duke without fear of repercussion, in the delicate balance of Nuttian politics and the fast transitioning culture of the South these men had managed to weave webs so tight that they found themselves quickly becoming the true lords of Nuttyland. It was they who had arranged for the High Cleric to kill the infant Caliph, to brainwash the Nuttians to believe the Franken were fulfilling a prophesy. There was nothing and no one that could not be bought in Nuttyland with the right amount of wealth and power.

It was this reality that they sought to make the Duke understand, in hopes that the Franken crown would embrace the further development of the Nuttian Territories. They needed continued Franken investment to maintain their power, but with that initial investment the Handelskammer Pokefurt could return profits ten fold to the Crown. Thus power could expand in Nuttyland in the most efficient way possible, while filling the coffers of the Crown to no end. It was of the assembled mens opinion that the Nuttian Gold being shipped off to Franken would only bring short term wealth to the Crown, investment they reasoned, would provide Franken with a long-term supply of income.

The Duke need only talk with his more irrational brother, and persuade him that investing in the local industry was the right thing to do. Such a move was risky on behalf of the Handelskammer Pokefurt, they knew investment would sacrifice some of their own control of their businesses, but they presumed the two Prince's would be easy to manipulate. They parted ways with the Duke after offering a sizable donation to the Franken Crown.

The king was too far away and too far removed from the colony to prevent the Handelskammer Pokefurt from one day taking complete control of the Nuttian Territories. Or so they reasoned amongst themselves in secret.. Now they would wait..

Meanwhile..
Lady Zaniya wasn't shocked by the Caliph's death. Alfred had hinted something might happen sooner or later to these effects. She was a bit shocked by the Cleric's nomination, however. She viewed it as nothing more than fulfilling the prophesy, and accepted the news with eagerness. She would finally have a chance to exercise more authority over the Nuttian people, to bring those in line who had refused civilization, to put a true test to her beliefs and her own mantras. Peace through power. Peace through power. She recited it after every prayer, every night. The Nuttian people can only have peace if they have power.

But such thoughts were for another day, preparations were underway now for the opening of the University in Pokefurt which was the 'official' reason for the Crown Prince and his Aren bride's visit. A grand feast would be held on Christmas, and anyone of relevance in Pokefurt would undoubtedly attend. It was nice to see the Franken committing to more than just religious and mercantile efforts, a University could make for significant changes in the Nuttian Territories. Zaniya didn't know what to make of the Aren girl, who had so very recently drilled her on her intentions with Alfred. Trying to explain the complicated mental relationships that Nuttians incorporate would've been far too difficult for Zaniya's patience, she gave her simple answers, laced with subtlety and cryptic meaning. She might find herself falling in what the Franken called 'love' with Alfred, but whatever emotions she felt were outweighed by her determination for control.

She was weaving her own web at the highest reaches of Franken and Nuttian authority, and soon enough Alfred would be under her spell.
 
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Non scholae sed vitae discimus
The morning of Christmas Eve 1849 (1)
Pokefurt


Despite this enlightened age even many members of the senior classes found some kind of comfort in religion. Atheism wasn’t punishable by death, but it was still shunned by society. A proper subject of the Crown, let alone a law-abiding lord of the realm would always attend the service on Sunday. To invoke the Lord’s blessing for Franken’s ambitious project to set up its first colonial university they decided to hold the inauguration ceremony in the morning of Christmas Eve. With all the pomp and circumstance the colony could muster for its crown princely visitors the new university was formally opened and baptized “Herzog Sebastian Knýtling Universität zu Pokefurt” (HSKU) by Crown Prince Thomas.

While his older brother was reading out their father’s royal writ granting the university charter Prince Alfred couldn’t help but smirk over the not too obvious historical parallel between Sebastian Knýtling, his honourable ancestor and first Knýtling Duke of Franken, and him. In an unusual fit of historical interest – maybe in order to not be embarrassed in the light of his erudite brother – he had read some material on Sebastian Knýtling. Most ruthlessly he had done away with any remaining scions of the House of Babenberg, whose last senior line duke had had just daughters. One of whom he was married to. On Christmas Eve 1338 the last surviving male claimants of the House of Babenberg accepted any invitation to a banquet by their cousin by virtue of marriage. On Christmas Day 1338 Sebastian’s House of Knýtling had taken over the Babenberg Dynasty from the founding house. The rest, as they say, is history.

After the ceremony had been concluded, Prince Alfred, Lady Zaniya, the crown princely couple, Lord Chancellor von Pleuter gathered for a small reception and mingled with the colonial elite. To Crown Prince Thomas it seemed even the Franconian-born business leaders and administrators were revering himself as a semi-deity whose wrath they feared and hoped he’d be gone soon. Of course most of the administrators were staunchly loyal towards the Crown. Yet with enough wit, daringness and total disregard of the Crown’s rights and privileges, the Duke of Schlesnitz concluded, a lot was possible. Almost unconsciously his eyes turned to his brother.

Tonight they would attend the service held by the Lutheran Bishop of Großpokai, whose diocese curiously happened to be part of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Würzburg. In his capacity as the Lutheran Church’s summus episcopus King Nikolaus VI had decreed any Lutheran overseas diocese would be overseen by the Protestant Archbishop of Würzburg.


(1) Keep in mind in Germanic countries Christmas Eve more important than Christmas Day.
 
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Before the Eyes of the Lord
Christmas Eve 1849
Pokefurt


It was a quaint service to Alfred. Noticeably bored, but at least mildly amused by the Nativity Play presented by the Archdiocese in which they had made a point to include Nuttian, Franken, and mixed children in as many different roles as possible. The three wise men, for example, were one each of the different ethnicities. The Lady Zaniya would prod him on occasion, herself finding it hard to note that the Archdiocese had made the curious decision to put a mixed child as the baby Jesus; an omen no doubt. The Duke of Schlesnitz was getting agitated with his younger brothers disrespect for the ceremony, his annoyance soothed only by the presence of the reassuring hand of his Aren princess.

The Candlelight service that followed did not ease the Crown Prince any, however, as he found Alfred now loudly snoring in the middle of the church. An embarrassment, a political debacle. Had he no respect for the church? Was he so spoiled, so inconsiderate that he would not, perhaps could not, recognize the importance the Church held as a symbol in society? He glanced at the Lady Zaniya, who had given up on Alfred and now seemed to have adopted a hawk-like gaze on one of the larger candles, watching every flick of the flame. Could she really put this...brat, in his place? Could she really level him out, or was she just taking advantage of him?

The service lasted late into the night, as was common among Lutheran churches. Alfred would remark later in his years that it was 'the last real sleep I ever had..' As the two couples departed the church the Duke made sure to take a minute or five to privately apologize to the Archbishop in as many languages and gestures as his princely training had granted him. The royals departed in a single carriage, leaving the newly built Cathedral for the Governor's Palace. The Duke could no longer contain himself.

"Do you have any idea how far you've set yourself back in relations with the Archdiocese? Do you? How will you keep these heathens docile when you openly disrespect the church?" The Duke was seething, he had contained himself for hours. It was torture, a test he felt, from the Lord himself.

Alfred looked at him blankly. Almost amused, was that a smirk?! How could he be so arrogant? The Duke opened his mouth to lash out again, but the delicate princess set her hand upon his once more. He sighed. This was his father's plan, perhaps? Send Alfred down here to rot and die? Let the heathens kill him and die perhaps a hero to Christianity? Rather than live as a constant disgrace to House Knýtling? It was beginning to make sense..

"I briefed Ghabi last night, he should have some ventures to talk to you about tomorrow. The local Handelskammer want you to invest some of your wealth into their enterprises. They've proposed what would effectively be a private stock enterprise for you, on behalf of House Knýtling of course, since any money you would invest in it would have to be approved by Father, since it would be your allowance after all. It is a great opportunity for you to cement our House's control over this sphere of Europe. With Hajr kneeling to us in the north and Großpokai in the south, we stand to become the dominant force of Himyar." The Duke pronounced with a sense of accomplishment and triumph in his voice, having regained his comfort and retracted his anxiety.

Alfred had perked his ears at this topic, but it was the Lady who responded. "Stock? I am afraid in my tutoring this subject was neglected. This is something to do with the nonsense you Northerners do with putting wealth to fabrications, isn't it?" She rolled her eyes, her tone dismissive. She had no interest or perhaps no understanding of the concepts of business and mercantilism, let alone the newly expanding doctrine of 'Fiat Currency' that was spreading in the Northern reaches..

The Duke was quick to reply, "In simplest terms my dear Lady, it would give Alfred here control over every mine, forge, refinery, whatever it may be in these territories. If any resource were extracted, any good crafted, Alfred would stand to gain gold from it. You at least understand that? It would be as if to say that he owned half of a mine, a simple concept yes?" The Lady seemed to understand a bit more, but she was no less optimistic about the concept. She only cared for war, discipline, and the beautiful technologies the Franken had exported to the Nuttian Territories to wage it. She could not help but notice a gleam in Alfred's eye though. The gears were turning.
 
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Two royal brothers, still one country
Christmas Period 1849/1850
Pokefurt


In spite of their verbal stand-off Crown Prince Thomas was determined to spend the Christmas Period in a relatively peaceful and resourceful matter. While it was good tradition to indulge oneself during this time of the year whose end was marked by Epiphany Day, pious princes, politicians and merchants would use the calm time to strike profitable deals. Invested with full power of attorney in all public and private affairs of their royal house, the Duke of Schlesnitz signed papers to grant Prince Alfred permission to invest Knýtling money. Those days the line between the family’s and the Crown’s money and wealth was much thinner than it would become by the 1950s when reforms would create the private funds for the royal house.

Generally Franken’s heir apparent used this period to ensure key figures of the colonial administration would not forget who their territory’s Sovereign was. Put in much more mundane terms, he had extra pension payments put in place for key officials. Whereas Lord Chancellor von Pleuter’s oldest son-in-law Gregor Samson von Pleuter, husband of his daughter Christina, was dangerously close to Lady Zaniya, von Pleuter’s second son-in-law turned out to be very open to the Duke of Schlensitz’s concerns about Lady Zaniya and her fiancé. Bernhard von Buchenbach, lawyer by training, happened to be senior secretary to his father-in-law. Von Buchenbach would help Crown Prince Thomas to maintain a network of informants and spies to keep tabs on Lady Zaniya and Prince Alfred.

When the Crown Prince, his wife, his brother and his fiancée were having dinner together on Epiphany Day, Thomas was pondering the events of the past days and murmured absent-mindedly “All’s fair in love and war.” It was as if the Duke’s conscience wanted to justify his deeds.
 
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