A Turbulent History and its Quiet Moments

Teplar System Urth
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(Historical RP for the Expansion of the Limboese Republic)

Fragment translated from the travel diary of Captain Grigore Pătlăgeanu during his journey on the Royal Ship “Maria I”

7 January 1777

"I still remember the moments spent in the port of Iasonvil, before setting off on this crazy journey. The wine stronger than that from the vineyards near Corova, the warm pies that sold from stalls faster than firewood in the mountains and the temple bells that rang out throughout the town.
I hoped that, through some absurdity, I would discover a new land, but I didn’t get it. Even Lapideu had more luck with his bold ideas than I had so far. But, just when I wanted to announce the ship’s return to Iasonvil, a young man from the crew shouted as loudly as he could “Shore ahead!”, although the rest of the crew could not see anything because of the fog.
I ran to the bow, trying to figure out with my own eyes whether it was really land or just a young man’s bad imagination. Although I didn’t see anything at first, as the ship continued to move, I could see the shore beyond the fog. Even now, more than five hours after what happened, I can’t realize how close I was to giving up and turning the ship around if it weren’t for that young man. It was probably a lesson to me from the world to keep fighting until I succeeded."

Corova and Iasonvil are the Limboese names of the cities of Corr and Jasonville respectively. During that period, Corova wine was known as the most refined in the entire Great Limboese Kingdom.

The young man who reported seeing the shore, before the captain made the decision to turn the ship, was named Ion Hălmăciuc, who was actually three years younger than Captain Pătlăgeanu. According to written accounts from the following years and legal documents now in the possession of the National Archives, the two became closer and were married in 1783.

The larger of the two islands was named in honor of Ion Hălmăciuc, who died of medical causes in 1790 (according to the wishes of Captain Grigore Pătlăgeanu), and the town of Grigorești was named in honor of the captain.

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List of the characters

Grigore Pătlăgeanu - Captain - He/Him - Human
Ion Hălmăciuc - Grigore’s lover - He/Him - Human

Wave Palace, Grigorești, Halmeu and Southern Grivița Islands
13 January 1785

The weather seemed to be on the side of the people, and the sun was beginning to appear in the sky, heralding the calm of the day to come. Grigore wakes up, tired from the last few trips made with his ship from the kingdom to the islands and back to the kingdom, and back to the islands again. He did not realize that he was holding Ion tightly in his arms, also tired after various expeditions around the large island.

[Ion:] (groaning) You’re holding me a little tight, you know…
[Grigore:] (whispering) I know.
[Ion:] And won’t you-
[Grigore:] (tightening his hold on Ion) No.

Grigore continues to hold Ion tightly in his arms, as if Ion would run away if he were let go.

[Ion:] I’m serious, can’t you-
[Grigore:] (interrupting Ion yet again) No.
[Ion:] (sigh) Then I guess I just have to accept my fate.
[Grigore:] At least a few more moment, please.
[Ion:] (giggling) And how long should these “few moments” be?
[Grigore:] As long as possible.

The bedroom fell into a deep and comforting silence. Only the waves of the sea and the occasional sound of seagulls could be heard.

[Ion:] You know I’m not going anywhere, right?
[Grigore:] Yes, I know. But I still don’t want to lose you.
[Ion:] (sighs) Is this about my illness? If it really is, then please stop thinking about it.
[Grigore:] I have my reasons for being this way. I don’t expect you to understand, but just the thought of you leaving me breaks my heart. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.
[Ion:] Don’t think about it so much.
[Grigore:] How can you ask me to do something like that? Asking me not to think about this is like asking me to stop thinking about you. I won’t stop.
[Ion:] But, still, it is not a good thing to suffocate yourself with such worries.
[Grigore:] My worries are none of your business. I will forever think of you like the flowers to the sun.

Grigore sits up in bed, looking lovingly at his partner. He holds Ion’s cheek in his hand, caressing it, and gives him a soft kiss.

Ion suffered from cancer, his condition deteriorating over the years, until his unfortunate death in 1790. He spent the last years of his life in the house on the bigger island, now known as the Wave Palace, currently serving as a museum.