‘Riona’ Recap: Season 1 Episode 1

Today in Riona. It is 12 century Benin River, the guards meet a little girl playing by their hut and demand to know what is going on. The little girl informs them her mother just gave her a brother and the men go into the hut. While the woman is trying to beg them to have mercy, the guard strikes her with his knife.

A few days before  King Ofotonku is sitting on his throne when he noticed blood all over his hands. He suddenly finds himself in the forest hearing the cries of babies that he tried to strike but cannot use his arm. In the present day, King Ofotonku was having a dream on his throne that makes him react the same as he did in the forest. 

While King Ofotonku is trying to get his balance Queen Idolor enters to talk the King about he and Mofe going to see Arenyeka the village priestess to check the sex of the baby on a day like this when they are having a festival, today of joy, why spoil the day with such disappointing news when they know he would have a girl again. Why would he want to spoil his day with such disappointing news? Mofe enters the palace to stand her ground, what is it to her, she already had a child and her child was a girl, her child would be a boy. The King does not listen to Idolor, he and Mofe would proceed to check the sex of the child.

When the King sends Idolor and the rest of the queens and concubines away, Mofe begs to be separated from the rest of the women, they are jealous of her because she is having a boy. The King assures her that all he has belongs to her, she can go see the priestess he would be with her shortly. 

Before the King goes to see Arenyeka he stops by to see the prisoner and Irale {Lowborn} who has been accused of stealing from the Omachatta {High Born} to feed his greed, he was caught at the border trying to escape. Ukuedojor the prisoner boldly tells the king he does not let them leave freely, he is no king of his, he can kill his body but would not break his spirit. King Ofotonku decides he would use him as an example to the Irale people, they would all work past him on their way to the festival as a warning to those who try to cross the King of Oyomere and his people. While Atsegboritse is flogging the prisoner, there is a man who claims his name is Uwa and from the neighboring village by the trees, the guards ordered him to leave but he stayed back by the tree. Uwa was only a disguise Atigbi put on, she later revealed herself when the King and his men leave. 

Mofe meets with Arenyeka, she tells her she burdened about the safety of her child because of the other wives. While she is talking, King Ofotonku comes in demanding to know what the gods have said. The priestess tells him the gods only talk to those that are willing to listen before she begins the incantations. Arenyeka informs the King Ofotonku and Queen Mofe that the expected child is a boy, the prince would come but while King Ofotonku is celebrating with Mofe that he would have a son, the priestess gets a disturbing warning from the gods that make her perplexed.

Amaju and his wife Misan were sleeping together before the festival. When she gets up to leave she tells her husband their son would be a warrior but the Amaju wants a girl as pretty as her mother. 

Asorkpinmi one of the Ireale lowborn go to fetch his pregnant wife from the farm where she has been laboring, it is cruel to have pregnant women working on the farm on the day of the festival. The owner Edenma an Omachatta does not share the same sentiment, his wife has caused him 10 tubers of yam that she allowed fall from her back today and she must be flogged for them unless he bends the rules and allows the husband take it. Asorkpinmi agrees to be flogged on behalf of his wife Ebisan in the presence of his wife and the rest of the Ireale people. Now they can enjoy the festival as the Edenma leaves.

After the flogging, Dewa another Irale men tell his the rest of them that they are tired of this treatment, Ukuedojor has been tied up on the part of the village to be used as a display, they are part of Oyomere and today at the festival they would kill all the Omachatte. Some of the Ireale on the farm chant with him while the rest fear for their lives. 

Chief Ofoeyeno and his son Edonmi were in a state of trans when Edonmi's cousin Abugewa accidentally interrupts them and broke the connection. While Ofoeyeno tells Edonmi that he has officially completed his training and would be presented at the festival, Abugewa that broke the connection is not ready yet and at the rate he is going he might never be ready. While they are talking, Chief Ogbemi enters with Arubi his daughter to call Chief Ofoeyeno and his boys to the festival. Ofoeyeno had told the King to appreciate the Irale people with a speech at the festival, it is their hard work that made the harvest happen. Chief Ogbemi tells him that the King would do no such thing, with the way the King is going, he should prepare his mind to be disappointed at the festival.

The King had invited only a few families to be at the festival as well as a few Ireale people. While Chief Ofoeyeno tells his boys to prepare for the festival, Edonmikeeps waving at Arubi, Chief Ogbemi's daughter as she leaves with her father.

Arenyeka is leaving with her bag for the festival when she gets a signal to go outside. She meets Atigbi who came with a warning for her. Since she refused to tell the King in an audience of two she would speak before the entire Oyomere.

During the festival, Queen Idolor plots with the fourth wife Ariomaranate to kill Mofe's child if it would be a boy. Meanwhile, the Ireale people come to the festival with hidden weapons to fight the Omachatta people, they are tired of the operation from these people. 

The King gives his speech through his Chief Omereyon his trusted adviser, thanking the Omachatta people for the bountiful harvest. The high born being the Omachata accept the words of the king while the Irale, low borns kneel in silence waiting to strike. 

Arenyeka blesses the land and the harvest but while she is talking, the gods possess her to tell the people a taboo is coming. She and the King go into the palace to talk, a dark moon is coming to Oyomere. King Ofotonku does not understand what she is saying, a dark moon has not been sighted in the kingdom for a long time now not even in the time of his grandfathers. The Priestess tells him a child would be born when the dark moon rises and he would be killed by the hands of the child born in the dark.

Next on Riona: There is a new man in the village that calls the rest of the men weak men.

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