70th of Summer 5859Inside the walls of Casamonu Castle, Casamonu

  There was a congregation, quite the rge one, inside the walls of Casamonu. This one wasn’t made of refugees, no, this congregation made in a semi-donut shape that was the signature mark of the Provisional Council of Curry. With the fall of a rge settlement had risen many a problem, chiefly:

  “So, how will we all gather together for a council now that we have Libertycave, Azdavay, and now here to deal with?” asked Ayomide right at the start of the gathering. “We can’t really have everyone here.”

  “That much is true,” added Tubman “some of our members have retired to stay back in Azdavay, and there are more who pn on retiring here in Casamonu. Gathering them in one pce constantly would be a bother.”

  Brown raised his hand “Now, now. I have been working on a solution for this. Behold!” he unfurled a scroll that contained a bunch of text, which was as good as gibberish to the people in the room.

  “...captain, we can’t read.”

  “Excuse me… ahem! Let me summarize!” Brown cleared his throat a few more times. “The issue we’ve grown a bit too rge to be a league of fugitives. Nothing that we can’t sort out. Therefore, I have a proposal to you fine gents: we’ll be founding a republic.”

  “Found a republic?” Ayomide, and many others in the room, looked around for one of these so-called “republic” things “Do we need to go on a journey to find it?”

  “No, no. I meant making one!”

  “It sounds like a complicated thing to make. Will it take long?”

  “Where do we find the ingredients for it?”

  “I can cook something good if it’s food…”

  “Stop, people, republics are not food!” shouted Tubman. She had gotten sick of the misled discussion. “A republic is a type of… well, we’ve sort of had a makeshift republic already.”

  “Then what is the difference between a republic and democracy?” asked a member of the audience.

  “...that doesn’t matter right now.” said John Brown. He wasn’t in the mood to get into political science. “The thing that matters is that we should separate the League, the military side, from the civilian side of our operations. That’s what I meant by founding a republic, and I have something very simir to our League’s constitution right here. We need to make something that the liberated people of Gemeinptz can participate in, while keeping the abolitionist activities of the League alive.”

  Shinasi nodded. “It’s a good idea. As long as those twerps in town stop looking at us suspiciously every time we pass by them.”

  “Here is the pn:” Brown pointed at the relevant articles in the paper despite such an act being futile for most of the people in the room “Firstly, we shall found a republic. ‘Federal Republic of Gemeinptz’ rings nicely in my ears, but I’m sure you might have suggestions for a better name. Now, in a federal republic, administration work is given to local elected leaders.”

  “Kind of like the lords and mayors of Gemeinptz?” asked Ayomide “I don’t want them back.”

  “The thing about lords is that they aren’t elected, young dy, and the elected mayors definitely won’t have as much power as the lords. Secondly, we have to conduct elections for those leaders, is what I’d say, but I think it’s pretty clear that we are in an emergency situation.”

  “Wouldn’t people elect someone who’d kick us out anyways?” said a League member from the congregation.

  “Exactly, that is the problem. Now, that’s why we ban anyone pro-svery or anti-League from running.” Brown definitely didn’t like the implications of such an anti-democratic act, but he had to be honest to himself in accepting that Gemeinptz wasn’t all that ready for proper elections. “Vaiz has screened some well-connected and supportive candidates in Casamonu and Azdavay who’ll be happy colborating with the League. I don’t think people will be as willing to rise up against someone that they have ‘elected’.” It was an odd feeling, to be essentially setting up a puppet government in another world. “This republic will have a council of elected representatives, while the League should be freed up from doing the work of administrating civil manners and gathering so much.”

  Brown paused for a minute to let the congregation discuss his proposal. After things had quieted down, he returned to speaking “Now, after that comes the part that the League will come to py. I propose that we keep the League as part of the army that this republic will have. The League shall function as a separate organization dedicated to special operations reted to abolitionism, such as raids on pntations and other sver establishments. I think having our organization dedicated to unconventional warfare, rather than the conventional, would be the best case.”

  “What about the people that have left the League and… well, do they get to be part of this republic?” asked another current member of the League. “My friend retired to harvest something called ‘maize’, and I’m worried about him.”

  “Anyone who is in Gemeinptz will be part of the republic, while the League will be a separate organization for freemen that requires membership.” crified Brown “Speaking of harvesting maize, that is reted to the final part of the pn: getting support. I’ll be honest in saying that the people outside the walls look at us as nothing but a band of savages. Me, and everyone else in this room, knows that they are mistaken, but it’ll take a while to rid the people of their misconceptions. Therefore, I propose that we get support for the republic through a simple method: the stomach. The people value their ability to eat, and we shall provide them free nd so that they can eat. Plus, with all the farming infrastructure that we have burnt down, we need to get agriculture back running before we face a famine. I have a Homesteading Act ready, one which I hope to pass at this council along with the constitution of the republic. Now, on to voting!”

  Today, on the 70th of Summer 5859, the Federal Republic of Gemeinptz was born, with Brown as its Commander-in-Chief with provisional emergency powers and other positions yet to be elected. The League was to be the first military unit of the Republic, and the Republic was to be the first republic in Gemeinptz.