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The Second Rome: A Quest of Ancient Byzantium

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The fun in playing under Basil II will not just be in serving under him, but in navigating the inevitable clusterfuck that will ensue when he dies childless and leaves the throne to his decidedly less capable brother.

[X] The Thousand-Year Empire
[X] The Dragon
 
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Droman said:
Screw Anatolia. Sicily and Southern Italy is where we should be looking. How can one be Roman without Rome?
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And yet the East was always the more profitable and valuable half of the Empire as a whole.

Rome should be retaken, yes, but I see no reason why we should restrict ourselves.
 
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0: Ho Drakon
  • Threadmarks
    • Your name is Michael Drakonopoulos. You were born in Constantinople, on the eve of winter, in the 6648th Year of the World by the Roman Reckoning (called 1139 by the barbaros in the West), during the reign of the Emperor John II Komnenos. It was a Golden Age of culture and learning, as the star of Constantinople flourished. Gold and silver ran like water in the streets of the City, and the nations of the world covered their eyes before the splendor that was Rome. Then, as it had been in centuries gone by, Rome was the envy of all the world.

    Your father was David of Antioch, who was born a wandering pauper's son in the Christian city of Antioch, and who rose through the ranks of the Byzantine military with naught but his own skill and strength. He won fame fighting in Syria and Tarsus alongside the Emperor John, and became one of his most trusted generals in the later days of his reign. He was famed for his harshness and lack of mercy, and so the Emperor assigned him to persecute the Paucilian heretics who had become entrenched in the southern parts of the Empire -- a task he took to with savage aplomb. So ruthless and vicious was his persecution of these peoples that in time they came to call him 'Ho Drakon' --- literally, 'the Dragon', after the Beast of Biblical infamy.

    As the son of a prominent general at the height of his influence and power, you had many opportunities able to few in the Empire. The education you received under your father's watchful eye would shape you for the rest of your life:

    Mikrodrakon [] You followed your father in his campaigns against the Paucilian heretics. While your tutors taught you words and letters, it was at your father's side that you learned what truly mattered: how to hold a sword and wield it true, how to command a man that he might die for you, and how to use your intelligence and wit to break your enemies before you. You learned the art of death from a master, a man who painted hills and valleys with the blood of his foes, and it stayed with you. You grew up with the armies, ate with them, ran with them, and trained with them. In time, you became something of a mascot to your father's army, more beloved to them than the man himself. Should you ever come to lead them, the men of Byzantium will certainly cheer the return of their Mikrodrakon -- the 'Little Dragon'. (Start with Army Support, Increased Military Stats, Decreased Diplomacy Stats, and Increased Infantry Command skills)

    The Dragon's Tongue []     You were raised in Constantinople by the finest tutors in the Empire. You learned your letters from the poets of the Court, learned of history from the Imperial Scribes, and studied the arts under the most skilled artists of their generation. You were raised and taught in the City of the World's Desire at the height of the Komnenian Restoration, and you learned to carry yourself with dignity, to speak with refinement, tact, and subtlety. Your classmates were the sons of lords and generals, and you made many friends and compatriots among the youth of the City, including one Andronikos Kontostephanos -- the son of one of the Empire's leading generals, who now stands high in the Emperor's favor. (Start with Noble Support. Increased Diplomatic Stats, Decreased Military Stats, and Increased Charisma and Speech skills)

    The Purple Eminence []     You learned at the feet of your mother, Eudokia Charonites, a minor lady from a minor noble house in the East of the Empire. Your mother was a woman of influence and connections, a person who knew how to manipulate the chaos and intrigue of the Imperial Courts in her favor. She taught the power of words whispered in the dark, of the subtle touches that bring down empires and raise up kings. Though she herself was no great player of the Game, she knew how it moved, how the pieces worked and who the players -- the true players -- were. She raised you to be a master of coin and influence, a player of power in the shadows of the City. You have seen the dark pit of deception and subterfuge that lies beneath the glimmering facade of Nova Roma, and the veil can never be replaced. Your mother and her family are well-connected among the merchant classes of the City, and with her death, those connections have fallen to you. (Start with Merchant Support, Increased Intrigue stats, Increased Stewardship stats, Decreased Military Stats, and Increased Charisma skill)

    After the death of his patron, the Emperor John, during a tragic hunting accident, your father's fortunes declined swiftly. He and the new Emperor Manuel had been political enemies, and Manuel's ascension spelled the end of his time in the Court. Afflicted with some strange pox out of the East, your father's health declined with his influence, and he died bedridden and half-senile -- the Dragon, slain at last. Your mother followed him in short order, her heart snapped from grief, and you emerged into adulthood parentless and alone, the head of a house of one, the first -- and maybe the last -- of the Drakonopouloi.

    But you are not without talent or skill. Indeed, aside from your education, there has been one skill you have been particularly blessed with since childhood, a talent so great some have called it a Blessing, a gift from Iesus Kristos himself:

    Blessing of Saint Michael [] The Archangel Michael, your namesake, is the commander of the Armies of the Lord Pankreator. He led the armies of Heaven against the Dragon in ancient times, and became revered as an icon of war. So great was your talent for command and warfare that some began to say you had been blessed by Christ, that Michael himself stood on your shoulder, that the very angels guided your hand at war. (Greatly increased Military stat and Command skill, as well as a bonus to all combat rolls)

    Blessing of Saint Constantine []     The Thirteenth Apostle, the Great Emperor, the Finest of the Caesars -- Saint Constantine is many things, but he is remembered ever and always at the Emperor who brought the Faith to Rome. So great was your zeal and vigor that some whispered you were blessed by the City's Father himself, that the valor and the drive which filled you was the valor and the drive that brought Christ to Rome. (Increased Military and Diplomatic stats, slight bonus to all Diplo rolls and all combat rolls against non-Christians)

    Blessing of Saint Gabriel []     The Archangel Gabriel has ever been the saint of diplomats, of healers, of great speakers and the fine of tongue. His blessing has followed you from childhood, or so they say in the streets of the City. No matter the situation, you have always found the right words to say, the right turn of phrase to make enemies into friends or settle ancient feuds. Your tongue is silver and steel all at once, disarming foes and winning supporters in the space of minutes. (Greatly Increased Diplomatic stat and Speech skill, as well as a bonus to all diplomatic/charisma rolls)

    With your education and your 'blessing' alone to guide you, you now enter the court of the purple-born Emperors, the seat of power in the Western world. But your father had many foes and few friends in the City of the World's Desire, and any destiny you seek to claim must be wrested from the hands of your enemies.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Mikrodrakon
    [X] Blessing of Saint Michael
     
    [x] Mikrodrakon You followed your father in his campaigns against the Paucilian heretics. While your tutors taught you words and letters, it was at your father's side that you learned what truly mattered: how to hold a sword and wield it true, how to command a man that he might die for you, and how to use your intelligence and wit to break your enemies before you. You learned the art of death from a master, a man who painted hills and valleys with the blood of his foes, and it stayed with you. You grew up with the armies, ate with them, ran with them, and trained with them. In time, you became something of a mascot to your father's army, more beloved to them than the man himself. Should you ever come to lead them, the men of Byzantium will certainly cheer the return of their Mikrodrakon -- the 'Little Dragon'. (Start with Army Support, Increased Military Stats, Decreased Diplomacy Stats, and Increased Infantry Command skills)
    [x] Blessing of Saint Gabriel The Archangel Gabriel has ever been the saint of diplomats, of healers, of great speakers and the fine of tongue. His blessing has followed you from childhood, or so they say in the streets of the City. No matter the situation, you have always found the right words to say, the right turn of phrase to make enemies into friends or settle ancient feuds. Your tongue is silver and steel all at once, disarming foes and winning supporters in the space of minutes. (Greatly Increased Diplomatic stat and Speech skill, as well as a bonus to all diplomatic/charisma rolls)
     
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