Fictional stories, fictional countries

[Emakera]

Read.

How about if the writers, artists, and et cetera start making works about Europa and their own NS countries? Short stories, chronicles, novels, drawings, and beyond? I do wanna discuss this with you, to see what you think of it.

[Adaptus]

Making novels involving ones nations, it sounds a great idea to me.

[Deltannia]

I was just mentioning this to Tagmatium actually. My nation IS based off of a fictional set of stories. Incomplete, of course, I don't have that much time to sit down and write them, but I've got so much history to go on, making a nation for NationStates was easy.

 

But, I think it would be interesting to go the other way as well. This Deltannia of mine is growing farther away from the Delta I envisioned.

[Orioni]

I have a partly written history of my nation dating back to about the year 0. You can see parts of it on my wikipage, but it's still under construction though. It's all fictional, of course.

[Bainbridge Islands]

Sounds like a great idea! I'll start working on it asap!

[Miiros]

I am currently working on writing about Miiros's history myself. It's an old land, so it may take some time. I also might qrite some short stories about citizens throughout the sub-cities and how they live.

[Tagmatium Rules]

OOC: Umm, I think this needs a bit of an explanation. Essentially, this is a story explaining the death during a hunting trip of Holy Emperor Basil II?s heir in 1902, which is mentioned in passing in somewhere in the First Tamurin Civil War. Plus I was bored at some point I think last year and typed this up. It?s been living on my PC ever since, and I thought I might as well put it up in this thread. I doubt it?s any good, as originally it was just me amusing myself during idleness.

 

---

The wolf was hurled down by the shot, bloody spraying across the snow.

 

?Got the bugger!? Andronicus called triumphantly. He worked the action of his lever-shotgun, ejecting a spent round and chambering another. The Caesar was out on a hunting trip with the Strategos of Callevashire, as well as numerous others of the Imperial Court, as they wished to curry favour with him and thereby gain more prestige in the court. Of course, there were menials about, as well as red-clothed, black-armoured Imperial Household Guards, almost sinister in their mask-helms. It wouldn?t do to allow the heir to the Imperial Throne to be killed whilst on a hunting trip.

 

?Did you see that shot, Strategos??

 

There was no answer.

 

Andronicus turned around in his saddle.

 

?Strategos? Strategos Commenus?? his voice was now slightly edged with fear. ?Major-Colonel Merobaudes??

 

He turned his horse about, scanning the snow-covered woods. There was no-one near. The Caesar was isolated. However, he was not a man who panicked easily. He thought for a moment, trying to work out when he last saw them. Not ten minutes ago. Anyway, they would come looking. They couldn?t loose the Holy Emperor?s heir, not with the constant bickering at court and the Holy Emperor?s instability. His sister, Theodora, was too ready to meddle in politics and Andronicus? brother, Leonitus, was only two years old.

 

There was a howl and it sent shivers down Andronicus? spine. He gripped his shotgun tighter and urged his horse onwards, crunching softly in the deep snow of the forest. It was beginning to get dark, and the Caesar definitely didn?t want to be out over night, although he was dressed for the temperatures and had an ample supply of food.

 

There was a soft noise to his right. Andronicus span around in his saddle and looked into the yellow eyes of a Cotswalan wolf. The Caesar grinned and put a round of wolf-shot into its head. Again, the lever went forwards and backwards and another cartridge spiralled into the freezing air, melting into the snow when it landed. Once again, he touched his spur-less heels to his horse?s flanks, and the purebred Cataphract mount trotted onwards.

 

It was definitively getting darker, and the temperature was dropping like a stone. The Caesar?s breath was misting in the air, as was his mount?s. Andronicus took a pull of brandy from a small flask to warm him up on the cold January night and wondered about the rest of his party. Where the hell were they? Why hadn?t the come when he called, and when he had shot? The noise of the heavy-calibre lever-action-shotgun was tremendous and could be heard over a large area.

 

Another wolf-howl cut through the bitterly cold air, chilling the heir to the bone. A second and then a third followed in quick succession. They were getting closer. He knocked his heels into the horse?s flanks, getting it into a trot. Andronicus didn?t want to be left alone in the forest this night. He burst into a clearing, and was suddenly surrounded by wolves.

 

?Jesus Christ!?

 

All of the creatures were looking at him quietly.

 

?What the bloody hell is this? Wolves of the world unite? Nothing to lose but your chains??

 

He smirked to himself slightly. He didn?t like Marxists, but not the rabid extent of his sister. He realised that the ordinary people of Tagmatium were the nation?s best asset. Andronicus levelled the shotgun and fired, striking down the nearest canine. The animals didn?t make a move.

 

?sh*t??

 

The damned things didn?t flinch! What the hell was going on?

 

?Let?s see if all of you like wolf-shot, eh??

 

The hammer fell on an empty chamber. Panic seized the Caesar as he struggled to reload his shotgun. He counted the rounds as he did. Nine. A full magazine, but no more. He?d turned down the chance to take extra ammunition before they set out, thinking it unnecessary. Andronicus definitely regretted it now.

 

Again, he kicked back his heels again, trotting his horse in the opposite direction to the wolves, going the way he came. He turned around in his saddle.

 

?Bloody following me, eh??

 

His mount stopped and the Caesar pointed his firearm at the nearest. He fired a shot, the heavy lead pellets shredding the wolf?s side and turning the snow pink. His horse, a trained warhorse, lined up another target for him. The animal was brilliantly trained, although not by Andronicus. Some servant did such a thing, under the watchful eye of the Imperial Horse Master, one of the most important positions at court.

 

As he was appreichating the Tagmatine horse training, the first of the pack leapt. It sank its teeth deep into his mount?s neck, blood spraying down the grey sides of the horse. The animal?s battle training kicked in and it mashed the wolf with its hooves. However, it was a fatal wound. It collapsed and dumped Andronicus into the snow.

 

He knew there was no way he was getting out of this night alive. The Caesar sighed and emptied his shotgun into the pack. Then he snatched out his emergency revolver and fired the whole cylinder at the wolves, the heavy .455 shots bring down two more. The pistol only had six shots of ammunition as it was only for emergencies. The Imperial Household Guards were supposed to do all the fighting.

 

Andronicus gripped the hilt of his spathion. He was expertly trained in swordsmanship, but that was no use against tooth and claw. The wolves themselves were circling him now. He drew his blade and gave them a duellist?s salute.

 

?I hope I give you lot the indigestion!?