Chapter 148: Assumptions Of Power

### Story Date

Thursday, 29 September, AD 1043/6551 ε.Κ/21 Safar 435 AH/22 Ju-Yue Era Year 1/22 Haustmánuður ÅrO -1/22 Tishri AM 4804

## Appearances

### Locations

Paris
Berk
Al Jazīra Al-Khadrā
Bianjing
Selymbria
Achinet, Canary Islands

*It should be noted that the process of forming a national identity is a significant one in itself. Citizenship is only part of the answer, as most people will still identify with their immediate regional, ethnic, or religious group, allowing for social fault lines to form. Generally speaking, a central “pole” is needed to act as a unifying force of identification in any large-scale nation-state. This can be a national epic, a written constitution, a venerated royal dynasty, an ideology, a larger ethnicity, or a religious institution, but to help weld together more multitudinous groups, some unifying symbol of identification is needed to be able to create the social institutions that allow for members of the nation to identify as members of the* nation*, as opposed to seeing themselves as part of the nation only through their identity as members of a social group which is a constituent part of that nation.*

*This might seem like splitting semantics, but it is an important distinction. If a feudal count declares war on his neighboring count in the hope of taking some of the man’s territory, despite them being part of the same kingdom, which perspective is more useful for halting hostilities? That their levies owe them fealty and thus must follow their orders? Or that their levies are being ordered to attack and kill their fellow subjects of the kingdom? The latter is clearly the more effective means by which to bond the two disparate groups together under a single unifying identity, even though there is no structural legal difference between the two.*

*Of course, there is always the option of coercive power by a central government to forcibly keep the peace between disparate groups, but this is rarely a long-term solution…*

*—Nationbuilding: How People Move, Talk, Think, Organize, & Structure Themselves, 1888, Amsterdam University Press*

## Synopsis

* King Henry and his court discuss their plan to ambush King Stoick.
* Johann arrives on Berk. He learns Lopsides and Beorn joined Serena's new clan and they're going to the Byzantine Empire.
* Fishwings arrives at Al Jazīra and she tells Viggo about what happened in France. Viggo also learns that a large portion of the Hooligans are descended from a Jew. Viggo takes measures to prevent Christians from interpreting that news in the most anti-Semitic way.
* The Song Dynasty's first attempt to tame a dragon ends in failure.
* Serena invites Hiccup to come with her to the Byzantine Empire to talk with Sigurd.
* Johann encounters Ebba the Bog Burglar priestess whom Fishlegs learns he has a history with.
* Stoick and Serena finalise the Clan Charter for Serena's new clan.
* Rikard talks to Taskill and tells him a story about his manipulative brother. He ends it with the reveal that his brother is Mildew. This allows Taskill to begin realizing Mildew played him and Mac Bethad for fools.
* Ziri reports to Ryker that he has managed to break the language barrier of the locals of the Islas Canarias.

## Characters

### Humans

* King Henry of the Capets
* Henry's Marshal
* Joan of Brittany
* Henry's Master of the Horse
* Johann
* Stoick the Vast
* Viggo Grimborn
* Fishwings clan Ingerman
* Heather
* Atali
* Beorn Gardulfsson
* Kurya
* Kuang Wu (last appearance)
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Serena Hamishsdóttir
* Macarius
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Gothi Hiccupsdóttir
* Mairwen Roswynnsdóttir
* Ebba Bóthildrsdóttir
* Taskill Thaddeusson
* Rikard Ruadhsson
* Ryker Grimborn
* Ziri (first appearance)

### Dragons

* Inkpot
* Unnamed Song dragon
* Kudret
* Florian