Uprising of Bisera
| Uprising of Bisera | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 Lanzerwald
|  Safehaven
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Jan den Ouden
| Princess Bisera Eisen
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| Units involved | |||||
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The Uprising of Bisera was a revolt of Siseranists previously laying hiding in the Lanzerwald since the end of the Second Ludwiggian-Monovian War, in which the Siseranists fought with the Monovian pretender-king Elonzo XIII. The end of the war created a status-quo where the undocumented natives would mostly stay away from Lanzerwaldian settlements and trade links. Halfway between Vulcuria and Elonzo, the Siseranists had their own small settlement, of just over 2300 souls, which they called Safehaven for they felt it was their only place where they could still live in peace in a world that had turned more and more hostile towards them, that they had founded in VI.1696 when the Third Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen had banned their religion because of its role in the Ludwigshafener Civil War, especially their practice of human sacrifice, and the nuclear destruction of the capital city, Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen. The small settlement was not affected by the two Ludwiggian-Monovian wars, except for Siseranists from the village joining the Monovian war effort. However, on 24.XV.1711 surveyors working for the Ludwigshafener Eisenbahnbewirtschaftungsbetrieb encountered the village by random chance as they were working on plans for a narrow-gauge railway connection from Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen, over Grenstad and Vulcuria towards Elonzo. Now, Safehaven was governed by Bisera Eisen in those days, who was styled Princess of the small village and ruled together with two high priestesses, only known as Sandraste, and Valeria but not by their full names, not even to the inhabitants of the village, as they had been taken from another tribe when they were just infants, and raised to fulfil their role in the Siseranist religion without family affiliations. When they surveyors were walking through the meadows of Safehaven, and were taking their measurements therein, they were promptly spotted and stopped by the herdsman of the kine and taken before Bisera Eisen, and her two high priestesses Sandraste and Valeria. When asked to do so, the surveyors explained what their intentions were, to take measurements for the construction of a narrow-gauge railroad that would lead ineluctably through the meadows of the small village of Safehaven and also that they did not even need to take measurements to be certain that the small village would have to be abandoned, as the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald would not allow settlements of undocumented natives to be located this closely to its vital trade links.
After having listened to the surveyors,Princess Bisera argued with them that they should find another route for their railroad plans, but the surveyors remained stubborn and refused to consider anything but the most efficient route. Brought to despair, Princess Bisera ordered the village guards to strip down the surveyors and apply lashes to them with the whip, in order to change their minds. As she ordered it, so it was executed and the guards applied to each of the surveyors thirty lashes on their naked backs, and they cried out in utter agony. But even after all these lashings, the effect on the stubbornness of the surveyors was nought. "Nay", they said, "the republic is built on the principles of precision and efficiency. The Ludwigshafener Eisenbahnbewirtschaftungsbetrieb requires nothing less. Alas, we must concur with you that your small village is appealing to the eyes, and of the contrition we feel for causing its obliteration. Still this, and neither do the lashes, does anything to sway us on the meat and potatoes of this discussion. The most efficient narrow-gauge railroad route from Vulcuria to Elonzo leads through the meadows of your hamlet." Having thus been unable to come to any agreement, the surveyors and the princess ended their conversations, and the surveyors returned to Vulcuria to write a report about their ill-pleasant welcome in the village of Safehaven and also did they request that after their wounds on their backs would have healed, they would be provided with an armed escort to look after their safety in the treacherous Lanzerwald.
After the surveyors had lifted their heels, then did Princess Bisera convene with the captain of the guards of the village Safehaven to discuss the defence of Safehaven against the relative might of the Lanzerwaldian republic. Envoys were sent to other Siseranist villages lying low in the outstretched wilderness of the Lanzerwald, although many of these villages were even smaller than Safehaven, some harbouring no more than 500 souls. High Priestess Valeria, who was considered to be a keen and able rider, was sent by Princess Bisera to scout the area between Vulcuria and Grenstad, to determine whether the Lanzerwaldians made haste with the construction of their railway connection between the east and west of the republic. In addition, all men and women of Safehaven were admonished to stockpile food and water in their houses to prepare for the circumstance that the Army of the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald would lay siege to the village.
On 3.I.1712, at the break of dawn, the villagers of Safehaven were awoken from their slumber by the sound of the hooves of High Priestess Valeria's gray horse that galloped over the cobblestones toward the keep where Princess Bisera had established herself in. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the princess welcomed the high priestess and bade her in. A servant was ordered to prepare tea, while the two women sat silently in the small tea garden of the keep. Anxious as Bisera was to learn the news, and just as much anxious as Valeria was to share it, in their Siseranist belief it was considered to bring bad luck to discuss subjects as grave as the possibility to wage war, as this was what was considered to be at hand, before tea. Over a wood burning stove, the servant patiently waited for the water to reach the boiling point, then another minute he did let the water boil before finally taking it off the stove. Yet another minute did he wait before he poured the water over a sieve containing tea leaves, fully aware of the seriousness of the situation he had chosen to serve Imperial White Tea today, which he had bought from a Mondese trader that passed through the forest recently, on his way from Zijincheng, the former Jingdaoese capital, to Oudorp. The hot tea was then presented by the servitor to the distinguished ladies, and bowing towards them as he backed out of the room he took his leave. For the next ten minutes, both Bisera and Valeria took small sips from their tea, speaking not a single word before they had both finished their drinks.
