kalenderee - I'm going to plead the fifth on Christina as Drogo's operative.
As for Lope, alot of his background will be explored in the next update, but yes - he has some relation to the BlackAdder line.
When Richard of England died, the royal line of de Normandie came to an end, but there are NUMEROUS de Normandies running around Europe still...
AlexanderPrimus - Hmmm... I won't shoot down the half-brother possibility, but I'll tell you that considering they come from two different dynasties it'd require some fancy story-telling footwork on my part... then again, Rodrigo having siblings might be an interesting turn of events, especially if they have some of his traits!
Ksim3000 - Sadly, no, we won't have Manuel et al triggering huge explosions and flipping jeeps and then walking away from the wreckage with nary a scratch. Besides, following the A-Team would mean that Manuel captures his enemies unharmed after all sorts of violence, and leaving his enemies alive isn't Manuel's usual style...
Avalanchemike - True, though that begs the question of what the Hyperexarch was doing in a dockyard tavern? Oh, wait... I can actually imagine all sorts of reasons, most involving a female... :rofl:
And yes, Manuel does have heirs at this point three sons, Anteminos, Thomas and Gabriel (I believe), and at least one daughter. As for what will happen between Konstantinopolis and Spain, a military expedition by either party to take out the other would be ruinously expensive, but a war of assassins would
definitely not be the way that Thomas would run a war - it's far too subtle.
If its just an assassin's war, though, it seems some appropriate name...
Servius Magnus - I won't reveal too much on this possibility either, save to say that if Rodrigo indeed had a fling with another man, it'd go contrary to about thirty five years of established womanizing.
It'd be a huge surprise and make Rodrigo especially vulnerable if it was that public... it'd be exactly the kind of information (ironically) that Mehtar et al might have used to cut the Hyperexarch down long ago... then again, it is Rodrigo, maybe he kept it a secret from such enemies...
... as for Manuel, the Manuel of old would have certainly gone on a killing spree. It remains to be seen if the present old, broken down Manuel can do the same (even if he talks the same).
VladAntlerkov - Now
that'd be an impressive feat! Manuel pulling everyone's strings over thirty years out of power from exile. Now that I think about it, that'd be something Manuel
would try to do...
VILenin - I take my reader's suspicions as a sign my characters are working. And I definitely mine some of the proposed plots, etc. for future reference!
My personal assessment with Mehtar is like yours - a supremely gifted individual who is amazingly loyal. He's just stacked his loyalty with the biggest bully and monster that's sat on the Komnenid throne. Manuel's bloodlusts had a purpose, Thomas'... *shrug*
Qorten - Thank you for those kind words and your support!
The_Archduke - Alot of people have been assuming Christina is Drogo's agent, but you've introduced another potential wrinkle in this equation - what if Christina is her own woman, playing EVERYONE off everyone else? Then, Drogo's machinations, as well as Mehtar's, Rodrigo's and Thomas' (if he has any, really) are all thrown awry... Someone is definitely hiding something in Spain, though. The assassin was rather obvious...
asd21593 - I think that calls for a doomsday clock graphic. Its early in the morning though, so I haven't the time to set one up. Maybe later tonight.
TC Pilot - I was hoping someone would make a comment on that little easter egg! Hmm... maybe Manuel has a warehouse like that full of poisons...
Fulcrumvale - Rodrigo does seem to put a lot of trust in Agnes, but I never quite laid out her qualifications. Is he trusting her because she really is that smart, or because he likes looking at the contents of her blouse? If its the latter, it could easily be she's in someone's pay, or simply incompetent...
Enewald - The big reason for not going after Thomas is that the Emperor is likely going to be the best protected person alive in Europe! You could try, but you'd likely waste your assassins, and then definitely bring the full might of the Empire down on your head - not a good situation. That's not to say knocking off one of his friends might be any wiser, though...
Next update is scheduled right now for sometime this weekend, depending on when I get time to work on it. There
might be an interim in the mix too, I'm not sure yet. A lot will depend on how much time I have available between now and then. For sure, however, there will be a cameo by the favorite character of many in AlexanderPrimus'
Chronicles of the Golden Cross next week, however.