The Governor of Vitoria

chairmanmeow · December 29, 2002, 23:15

This is my first attempt at a story on Apolyton. I hope you like it. I tried to attatch a map of the places mentioned in the story but it didn't work, so I'll just tell you that it's a map of Britain, with most of Spain in northern Wales with the exception of Vitoria, which is to the east, in central England. I was playing as England, but I thought it might be interesting to write a story in another civ's point-of-view. I'm posting the first three chapters now, and I'll probably post more later.

Chapter 1 - Vitoria, Spain - 30 AD

A cold wind pierced the town of Vitoria, as Juan walked slowly to the governor's mansion. The angry citzens of Vitoria had unanimously selected Juan to talk to the governor. They wanted him to try to reason with the governor, even though they knew that reasoning with a member of Isabella's despotic regime was impossible.

Why?, Juan thought. Why did they select me? They know I can't do anything.

The governor of Vitoria was known throughout Spain as the harshest governor in the entire country. Constant hard labor was the norm for the citizens of Vitoria, and luxuries were nonexistent. In some ways, this was understandable. Vitoria was situated far from the rest of Spain, and, in fact, was surrounded by English territory. However, the governor took extra effort to make life in Vitoria difficult. The governor maintained control over the city by assigning citizens to be entertainers, disregarding the fact that this caused the constant food shortages in Vitoria.

English culture was omnipresent in Vitoria. English was spoken by many commoners (even though it was illegal), and many Vitorians even thought of Queen Elizabeth, and not Queen Isabella, as their ruler.

When Juan arrived at the gate of the governor's mansion, the guard, a swordman who had been taken from the garrisons for guard duty, ordered Juan to halt. "Why do you, a commoner, approach the palace of the governor?," demanded the swordman.

Juan replied, "I am here on a matter of grave importance. I must speak with the governor immediately."

"You may not enter," the swordman said, "The governor will not see a laborer, no matter how important your matter is. Go complain to someone who cares."

"You do not understand! It is in the best interest of the governor to hear me, as what I have to say may save him from peasant revolt!" Juan pleaded.

"YOU do not understand!" the swordman angrily replied, pointing his sword toward Juan. "The governor does not wish to speak to you, and he does not fear the peasantry!"

"All right, I'll leave. But do not be surprised when Vitoria erupts into civil disorder and rebellion! That will be when the governor realizes his mistake!"

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Chapter 2 - Vitoria

"DOWN WITH ISABELLA," chanted the angry mob swarming in the street across from the Vitoria governor's mansion. Juan was far from the action, standing on Ferdinand Hill, the highest point in the area of Vitoria. From Ferdinand Hill, one could see the entire town of Vitoria, and could see on all sides, the English territories that surrounded Vitoria. Just visible in the distance was the city of New London. Juan watched the chaos from his perch on the hill, as the maddened swarm attacked all the institutions of Vitoria, setting fire to the library, attempting to break down the gate of the governor's mansion, and brutally beating the priest of the Vitoria temple.

Juan now wondered how he could have put such a curse on his home town. Previously normal people had become animals. Perhaps it was nature's way of balancing things out: the peasants had killed the animals when the riots first broke out, so it is just natural that they would become animals.

Juan heard someone approaching behind him, and turned around to see who it was. Just then, a Spanish warrior struck Juan with the handle of his ax, knocking Juan out.

When Juan woke up, he was once again alone on the hill, but the situation in Vitoria had suddenly changed. A unit of Spanish warriors had arrived to subdue the rioters, and were doing so severely. Anyone who had the misfortune of being in the way of the warriors was brutally attacked, and Juan could spot many people laying dead in the streets, struck down by the warriors.

Juan slowly walked down the road to Vitoria, but before he got very far, he was stopped by a swordsman. He immediately recognized the swordsman as the guard of the governor's mansion.

"The warriors told me that you could be found here. Come with me."

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Chapter 3 - Vitoria

Juan obeyed the guard's order, and followed the guard to the governor's palace. The riot outside the palace had ended; its members had either fled home, or died in the streets, and Juan could see that many had been dispersed in the latter manner.

The guard led Juan into the governor's mansion, and took Juan directly to the governor himself. The governor stared angrily at Juan.

"What are your demands?" the governor hissed.

Juan replied, "We want to be treated with respect, we want adequate food supplies, we want to receive adequate return on our work, and ---,"

"Hogwash!" the governor interrupted, "The peasants of Vitoria are swine and will be treated as such! There is nothing you can do to change that!"

"Oh, but there is something we can do," Juan replied, intentionally vague, "There is something that we could do that would remove the despots from Vitoria forever!"

"What exactly is that?"

"Rebellion! If we are not given what we demand, Vitoria will soon be an English city, in the realm of the great ruler of the Republic, Elizabeth!"

Hearing Juan's words, the governor lost his paitience. "I will not stand for such sedition in my own home! Guard, arrest this man!"

Easthaven I · December 29, 2002, 23:44

Good good. Will be waiting to see how it develops.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 30, 2002, 06:13

This is looking good Ill go and dig out my castanets for the next part Amigo.

chairmanmeow · December 30, 2002, 21:45

Chapter 4 - Madrid - Isabella's Palace

The Domestic Minister walked into Isabella's throne room with a serious look on his face. Isabella, seeing the minister, instantly realized something was wrong.

"The riots in Vitoria have restarted, and are worse than ever," the minister told the queen. "The rioters have destroyed the temple and the library, and they are threatening to depose the governor. They demand that their leader be released from prison."

"Who cares! Vitoria is worthless regardless of whether its laborers are at work or not," the queen bitterly replied.

"Yes, but the problem is spreading. The laborers in other cities are also demanding change, and if we do not allow change, the situation could become far worse. I think we should consider allowing a revolution to change the form of our government. We have learned the secret of the Republic, and I believe that we can use this to help our situation."

"All right, I'll allow it," the queen said, "but if this fails, you'll lose your head!"

"It won't fail. Just don't let what you heard about the Englist Republican Revolution discourage you. Our people are very religious, and they have faith in you. The government will return to your control in a short period of time."

Meanwhile, in Vitoria, Juan was in prison, awaiting execution for his statement against Spain. The punishment for sedition was death, and Juan knew his days were numbered. He sat in the corner of his cell, which was too small even for a dog, staring at carvings in the wall. He counted 61 marks: he had been in the same cell for two months. Every day that he suffered in prison, he longed for the day when he would see sunshine again, the day he could breathe fresh air, and, most importantly, the day he would be free. He dreamed for the day that an English soldier would walk into the jail of the liberated Vitoria, and release Juan from his suffering. But that was not the case. Juan concentrated on the markings in the wall, as he had done since he was put into this cell.

Suddenly, Juan's concentration was broken by the sound of someone entering. Juan looked around, expecting to see the guard, and saw what he feared the most: the dark figure of the executioner.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 31, 2002, 06:12

keep it coming.

TheGuitarist · December 31, 2002, 14:15

Excellent! Keep it up, this is great.

chairmanmeow · January 2, 2003, 22:27

I'm going to try again to attach the map of the places that are mentioned in the story.

Chapter 5 - Vitoria

The executioner took Juan from his cell and walked Juan silently along the dark corridors of the prison. Most of the executions that took place in Vitoria took place in the main town square, for all to see. However, this was not possible, as the riots would make it impossible for any public events to occur.

They arrived at the prison gates, where the governor was waiting. "Nice to see you again. Too bad you can't stay," the governor said as he laughed at the misfortune of his enemy. "The execution will take place at the prison gates, since we are unable to have it in the public square, as a result of the riots. Executioner, you may proceed."

Outside the prison, the people of Vitoria watched as the executioner prepared to end Juan's life. Then, someone shouted, "We must save him," and began to climb the prison wall. Instantly, the prison guards started firing arrows at the crowd outside the gates, igniting the fury of the townspeople. The mob pressed against the gate, and climbed the walls. Those who made it over the walls ran toward the executioner and Juan.

The executioner, unfazed by the chaos, aimed his ax at Juan's neck and slowly lifted the ax. Just as he began to drop the ax, three townspeople tackled the executioner, and two more took on the governor. Juan ran from the prison, going through the gate, which had been broken open by the mob.

As Juan ran through the gates, the governor, still pinned by two rioters, yelled, "You may run, but you cannot escape!"

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Chapter 6 - Vitoria

"Let him go free," said the messenger of the Prime Minister of the new republic.

"No," replied the governor, "We can not let him escape. He must pay for his crime."

"But I have an order from the prime minister. He is not to be touched. Besides, sedition is no longer punishable by death in the republic. It's in the new constitution. Anyway, it is in the best interest of Spain to keep order in Vitoria, and if letting one criminal go free can do that, than that is what we will do."

"But he's still going to cause problems."

"Let him do that," the messenger said, "let him cause problems. But as long as he is alive and out of prison, you and your corrupt officials are safe in Vitoria. Put him in prison again, and the populice may revolt."

"Has anything else happened in Madrid?" the governor inquired.

"Yes, much has happened. You already know about the new government. Would you believe they elected Isabella for Prime Minister? Also, England is angry for some odd reason. Apparently, they demanded that Isabella immediately hand over Vitoria to them? Obviously, Isabella told them they can go to h*ll! But they're saying England wants to declare war. Considering the time it took me to travel here, England and Spain may already be at war."

Just then, a second messenger rushed in, breathless. "Thank God, I've finally found you," he said to the first messenger. "The situation has become far worse. England declared war right after you left, and Madrid has been captured!"

ChrisiusMaximus · January 3, 2003, 14:41

Nice map thanks for posting it and keep writing the story, I like what youre doing.

TheGuitarist · January 3, 2003, 16:14

What he said.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 7, 2003, 05:58

Well Mr Chairmanmeow (I hope I spelled that correctly) when do we get a fresh delivery of the goods ?

Most looking forward to reading some more.

chairmanmeow · January 7, 2003, 16:23

Sorry I'm taking so long. I have a term paper due soon, and I've been very busy with that. I should have more posted soon, though.

chairmanmeow · January 7, 2003, 23:09

Chapter 7 - Vitoria

The rioters were still on the streets, this time yelling such things as, "Hell no, we won't go!" and "Give peace a chance!". The governor, still furious over the escape of Juan, was even more angered by the continued riots.

"Those people are never satisfied. I give them an inch, and they want a mile," the governor fumed.

"Yes, they can be troublesome," replied the messenger. "But they are the least of our problems. The English army is overrunning most of Spain, and will soon be here. The queen left Madrid before the English could capture it, and has established Valencia as the new capital. But the English army is approaching Valencia. But what we need to worry about right now is defending Vitoria. The English horsemen will arrive very soon, and we need as much defense as possible."

"What can I do? The people won't obey me, and if I can't keep them under control, Vitoria can't build any more units if we remain in civil disorder. I'm afraid the spearmen are all we have."

Just then, an alarm bell sounded, calling the spearmen to alert. Vitoria was under attack. The governor climbed to the roof of his mansion to see what was happening. A unit of English horsemen were crossing the Vitoria river, and were attacking the spearman unit in Vitoria. As the horsemen crossed the river, the spearmen ran to the river, attacking horsemen as they exited the river. The attack was poorly coordinated, but was effective at first, as the horsemen unit lost nearly half of its men. Then, the tide began to turn against the Spanish, as reinforcements were brought in. By the end of the day, the English had triumphed, and Vitoria was in their hands. Seeing the end of his reign, the governor fled his mansion, and ran to the woods outside Vitoria.

Back in Vitoria, Juan and the other peasants of Vitoria celebrated their liberation by the glorious English. Juan approached the English horsemen, and said to them, "Welcome, glorious liberators of Vitoria. I hope you will realize the great appreciation we have for you."

The commander of the unit stared at Juan for a moment, and then turned to his horsemen. "Get out the torches, men! We have orders to raze the city!"

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Chapter 8 - English countryside, near German border

As the chaos of burning Vitoria took effect, Juan ran from Vitoria, since he knew staying would mean certain death. He did not know where to run. He could go northeast, into Germany. But he could not be certain that the Germans would accept him. He could stay in England, and try to assimilate into the population, but his Spanish accent would give him away. He could try the perilous journey across England to Spain, but he could not be certain that there would be a Spain to go home to. He decided that he should leave England as quickly as possible, so he ran to the northeast, toward the German border.

To avoid being detected, Juan only travelled during the night, and he kept far from the main roads. However, he could not avoid the English completely. One night, he came along two English horsemen, who were sitting by a campfire. They were laughing loudly, as if one had told a very funny joke. Juan crept closer, trying to hear what they were saying without being caught.

The horseman continued telling his story. "And then the village idiot walked up to me, and said something like, 'We love you, our conquerors, and we appreciate everything you did for us.' So we burned the city, and killed the entire town!" Both soldiers erupted in laughter.

Juan, however, was angered. He lifted a heavy rock, and sneaked up behind the soldiers. He took cover behind a tree near the soldiers. Juan held the rock close to himself, and prepared to attack.

But then, a thought hit him. If he killed these soldiers, he would be just as horrible a person as they were. He dropped the rock, and leaned back against the tree. However, the soldiers heard the sound of the rock dropping.

"What's that? Is there someone there?" wondered the suspicious soldiers.

Realizing that he had been detected, Juan ran from the scene.

"There he is!" one of the soldiers said. "Probably just some kid from New London."

SKILORD · January 8, 2003, 03:10

Not Bad at all.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 8, 2003, 05:49

Not bad at all keep it coming

chairmanmeow · January 8, 2003, 22:48

Chapter 9 - German border at Stuttgart

Juan, tired from walking from Vitoria, leaned against a tree on a hilltop. From his viewpoint, he could see a city up ahead. It was a good sign; the city was Stuttgart, and Juan was approaching the German border. After resting for a while, Juan walked down the road to the German border. Upon arriving at the border, he was approached by a German border guard.

"Where are you from?" inquired the border guard.

"New London, England," Juan answered, lying to the guard.

"Don't try to fool me! I can recognise a Spanish accent anywhere. Now, we'll try this again. Where are you from?"

"Vitoria, Spain," Juan admitted.

"Another one of the escapees. You can't enter Germany."

Juan walked dejectedly away, until he spotted some of his fellow townspeople, who had also been denied entry into Germany. Then, on the far edge of the group, he noticed a very familiar face.

"Why aren't you living happily in England, Juan?" the governor said sarcastically. "Your blessed revolution has occurred! You should be kissing the feet of the English queen!"

"I was wrong. The English are evil," Juan admitted.

"What was that? Well, it's too late to change anything now!" the governor fumed.

"Perhaps we can," Juan said back to the governor. "We need to establish a resistance."

"They tried that in Madrid and it failed. It's over, Juan."

Back at the border checkpoint, a messenger was speaking in German with the border guard. The messenger pointed to the group from Vitoria, and the guard nodded. Then, the guard informed the refugees of Vitoria that a right of passage deal had been signed between Spain and Germany, and they (disguised as a worker unit) would be welcome to pass through Germany.

vovan · January 8, 2003, 22:51

That's some good stuff right there. Yet another proof that new writers keep coming to 'Poly. Keep going, meow, you are doing great.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 8, 2003, 23:05

Yes its Purrrfect,

chairmanmeow · January 10, 2003, 23:02

Chapter 10 - Germany (between Stuttgart and Berlin)

To the refugees, pretending to be a worker unit was even more difficult than even being a worker unit. Workers were basically slaves, the lowest rung of society, and were treated terribly. The refugees had to endure not only the mistreatment by the German people, but also the difficulties of carrying worker's tools, and, when being watched, actually doing the work of a worker unit. During all of this, they still had to pass through Germany, and get to their destination.

Soon, an important question was raised: what is their destination? They couldn't stay in Germany. Going east would take them to the coast, and would be a dead end. Going west was the most likely choice: it would take them to Spain. But what could they expect? Spain was overrun, and there may be nothing to go to. Showing up in Valencia just to find the people there speaking English, put down by English horsemen... It made the refugees shiver in fear.

They could go north, but to where? North of Germany was Russia, and north of Russia were the wild lands of Scotland. Overrun with barbarians, not even the brave Russians dared go there. Could Scotland be the salvation of Spain?

During the journey, the governor and Juan began to overcome their differences, and their unity helped to hold the group together. Juan learned that the governor was not as evil as he had once thought, and that the brutality that the governor used was sometimes necessary to keep the group from falling apart. If the group split up, it would most certainly mean death. They were welcome as a worker unit, not as individuals. A Spanish citizen found living in Germany would probably be executed.

On a hot summer day, the group of refugees arrived at the edge of Berlin. Being a foreign 'unit', they were not welcome to enter the city. But the governor decided to enter alone, to find out what was happening in the war. He went to the Spanish embassy in Berlin, and found the Spanish foreign advisor. The foreign adivsor had a little good news, but far more bad news. Valencia had fallen, as had Seville. Isabella literally begged Elizabeth for peace (further reducing Spain's prestige in the process), and was forced to give up all but one city, which was then taken when the evil English once again backstabbed Spain. The only good news was that Isabella had escaped with a settler unit. which built a new capital in Logrono, in northern Scotland, where the English could not reach.

After the governor told the refugees what had happened, a unanimous decision was made. They will take the northern road, and they will go to Logrono, to the new Spain of the north.

edit: fixed spelling of unanimous

TheGuitarist · January 11, 2003, 00:11

Nice developments, chairman. Anxious to see where this goes.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 11, 2003, 09:05

Great stuff keep it coming

chairmanmeow · January 16, 2003, 23:15

I was originally going to make the next two parts as one part, but I haven't had much time to work on it, so I'll post the next chapter now, and add the second half of this part this weekend. By the way, I just noticed my status changed from "Settler" to "Cheiftain"

Chapter 11 - Russia

The refugees of Vitoria continued their tiresome journey toward Logrono, straining under the mass of not only their shovels and picks, but also of the knowledge that their homeland had been destroyed. Vitoria was no more, Madrid and Valencia were captured, and Seville had been burned to the ground. What kept them going was the faint hope that freedom was just over the next hill, that they would soon be starting a new life in New Spain. Juan and the governor led the group together, making mutual decisions that the group followed without question. Everyone knew that the cooperation could not last, but for now that was the least of their worries.
One day, as the group climbed a hill, they spotted on the next hill, a huge group of people wearing orange uniforms. Fear struck the refugees - they knew what orange meant.
"They're English!" Juan told the governor.
"Are you sure? They look Russian to me."
"No, they are wearing the uniforms of an English settler unit. By the looks of it, there is more than one unit here."
"How many could there be?", the shocked governor asked.
"Some of the people I sent over there estimated as many as fifteen thousand Englishmen."
"Fifteen whole units?"
"It's just an estimate. But there are lots of them. And they seem to be unescorted."
"As long as there are no military units with them, we are fine. Don't send anyone near them. We don't want to make a bad situation worse."
The 'worker unit' moved northward, trying to get away from the settlers. However, whether by design or by accident, the settlers followed them, and soon caught up with them. Juan was walking in the back of the group when he spotted someone approaching behind him.
"Hello there. That looks like a Spanish uniform. Don't tell me there are Spanish here..."
Hearing this, Juan turned around to see the English settlers quickly coming up behind him.

vovan · January 16, 2003, 23:19

A bit on the short side, but pretty good nonetheless.

Keep 'em coming.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 17, 2003, 03:15

Good stuff

chairmanmeow · January 18, 2003, 23:55

Chapter 12 - Russia

"Halt there! From what country do you hail?" the Englishman demanded.

"Russia. I'm Russian," Juan replied, attempting to mislead the English.

"That's odd. You don't look Russian. You look Spanish to me," the Englishman replied, studying Juan closely.

"No, you must be mistaken. I'm Russian. I live in Moscow," Juan stammered, desperate not to reveal his identity.

"Don't try to fool me. What do you have there, a worker unit?"

Juan saw the opportunity to make the English leave and not bother them again. "No, I have a warrior unit. If you want trouble, my warriors can give you trouble."

"I don't believe you, but we can't waste our time here. We are going to settle the far north and claim it for England!"

With that, the English settlers left, heading northwest, toward Irkutsk. The Vitorians moved northward, toward their destination.

A few days later, the Spaniards arrived at Irkutsk. The English settlers had not yet arrived. Back in Berlin, the governor had been told that Logrono was in the far north, near Irkutsk. However, they needed more specific directions. The governor entered Irkutsk, and went to the Irkutsk governor's mansion. He passed by the guard under the guise of an ambassador. The guard, surprised that a foreign ambassador would show up at a remote outpost such as Irkutsk, quickly waved the former governor of Vitoria through.

Once inside the Irkutsk governor's office, he looked at the governor's copy of the map of the known world. Fifty miles north of Irkutsk, a small town was identified on the map, but not labeled. He could find no other cities in the far north, so he decided that that town was Logrono.

The governor of Vitoria left the Irkutsk governor's mansion, and returned to his group, informing them that Logrono was 50 miles north of their current position.

Centauri18 · January 19, 2003, 00:23

Pretty good so far.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 19, 2003, 05:30

chairmanmeow · January 23, 2003, 08:13

Chapter 13 - The Far North

Winter was bearing down on the Vitorians, as a blizzard froze the far north. This was somewhat disappointing to the refugees, as they knew that with Logrono even further north than they already were, it would be even colder there. Juan and the governor did their best to keep the group intact, but they still lost several people to the freezing cold. One particularly cold day, the eldest citizen of Vitoria was claimed by the cold. The Vitorians wanted to stop, and give him a decent burial, but Juan and the governor knew this was not possible.

"The ground is frozen solid! We couldn't bury him even if we had time to stop!," insisted Juan. "We must keep going. We can't stop for anything."

The refugees slowly pulled themselves through the blinding blizzard, and on the day that the blizzard finally left up, a city became visible. It was situated on grasslands, which were somewhat rare this far north. The hope of the refugees suddenly rose, as they saw the city rise in the distance. However, Juan saw that something wasn't right about the city. The architecture wasn't familiar, and the people did not appear to be Spanish.

Upon arriving at the border checkpoint outside the city, Juan's suspicions were confirmed. They had arrived not at Logrono, but at Smolensk, Russia!

Juan became very angry at the governor for leading them so far out of the way. "How could you have done this? You led us to the wrong city! Did you look at Russia's territory map instead of the world map? Then you should have known that the territory map only shows their cities!"

"I was just basing what I told you on the information I had. I can't help it if the Russians don't keep their maps up to date!," the governor snapped back at Juan.

"Well, where are we going to go now? Smolensk is near the coast, and there aren't any other cities to the north. We could explore to the southeast...," Juan said.

"No, we are going back to Irkutsk," the governor said, "and my decision is final."

"I've had enough of you always trying to be in charge. I am going southeast, and anyone who wants to come with me can. If you want to go with the governor, then go with him."

Thus, half the group went with Juan, and the other half went south with the governor. As the governor's group moved southward, they soon came across a unit wearing orange uniforms. The governor continued past, assuming the English settlers must have been following them. However, as they passed by, it became clear that the governor's group was in trouble, as the English warriors surrounded them.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 23, 2003, 13:47

is there no hope for the Spaniards oh well serves them right

chairmanmeow · January 24, 2003, 19:37

I'm posting another map, which shows the location of Logrono, and the path that the people from Vitoria followed. This is going to be the last chapter of the story.

Chapter 14 - Scottish Highlands

The group of people from Vitoria was now split in half, and Juan's group headed southeast. They were moving through a hilly area known as the Scottish Highlands. Juan did not know how it got that name, since there were no settlements in the area, and there was not "Scottish" civ, so Juan just tried not to think about it, and led his people on. He did not know where the governor's group had gone, and he did not care, either. He had hated the governor back in Vitoria, and he hated the governor now. Any goodwill toward the governor had long since passed. As they continued to the southeast, spring began to overtake the frozen scene, and the snow that had tortured them earlier was now melting.

On a warm day, after most of the snow had melted, Juan's wish came true. He saw a group of people wearing the distinctive light blue uniforms of a Spanish worker unit. The worker unit's uniforms appeared to be brand new - a stark contrast to the shabby shape of the Vitorians' worker uniforms. The long journey had been extremely difficult for them, and many of the people who had fled Vitoria did not survive the journey. Juan was overjoyed to finally see a sign that they were nearing their destination. He immediately approached the workers, and asked them questions about the state of Spain.

"How is the republic doing?" Juan asked one worker.

"Do you expect me to know?" the bewildered worker replied, "I am a simple worker. I am never told of such things. Besides, why do you need to know how the republic is doing? Are you a spy?"

"No, I am a citizen of Vitoria!"

"Oh, sure, and I'm the King of the Celts!" the worker replied sarcastically.

"You do not believe me?"

"Of course not! Am I to believe that anyone could magically escape from the holocaust that occurred there, and then make such a long journey on foot in a ragged worker outfit, carrying worker tools?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not, what I tell you is true," Juan said. "I have three thousand people who all escaped from Vitoria, and we are going to Logrono. All I want you to do is to tell me how to get there."

"All right, if you'll let me get back to my work. Just go about twenty miles east of here. It's on a high hill in eastern Scotland. It's not hard too miss. It's the only town for miles."

Juan followed the worker's instructions, and found Logrono, just as the worker described. It was on a high hill, and was surrounded by other hills. It was somewhat disappointing. This was Spain. Outside of Logrono Spain did not exist. And, because of its position, the town would never be able to grow large enough to build a settler unit to settle elsewhere. Thus, Spain was limited to one city.

Juan, however, knew that he was home.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 24, 2003, 23:18

Ah home sweet home! A nice story this, well written and very different from most others.

I would of liked to see how things turned out later but no matter still well worth the read. Perhaps a sequel might be in the pipeline hint hint.