CHAPTER 23
1390-1395
BEHOLD NOW BEHEMOTH
Kingdom of Poland was defeated.
Once again savages from the Far West were victorious and although king Niezamysl Spis was in control of only few counties which once were part of Germany, the borders of Christendom were yet again pushed back by the innumerable armies of the invaders. The western provinces were lost and now the Aztecs were even closer to the capital of Kingdom of Poland was – in fact as close as the Lithuanian pagans and horse-lords were. The fate of Germany was sealed on 22th April 1390 with every German, save for the refugees seeking shelter in Pisa, under the rule of ruthless savages.
But it was far from over.
On 6th July 1390 the Cult of Huitzilopochtli declared invasion on English refugees inhabiting isles of Zeeland. Led by Alexander of Godwin this pathetic remnant of once mighty kingdom of England was nothing more but a disorganized band counting no more than 50,000 men and women. Even after the fall of England they were following the usurpatory Bishop of Rome. Calling themselves “Catholic” they could not hope for any help – what was left of Cathar realms was now part of growing Aztec dominion and petty kingdoms of Scotland and Leon were on the verge of collapse due to heresies, raids of savages and spreading diseases. Malnourished and hopeless, huddled on small isles of Zeeland and virtually defenseless the Catholic heretics were doomed the moment the terrifying cultists decided to wipe them out. Still, knowing the fate of those who were captured by the jaguar-warriors of Cult of Huitzilopochtli, the Englishmen were determined to die with a sword in their hands and to not be taken alive. They had nothing to lose and at least they could spare their women and children great horrors by putting them out of their misery. This of course would lead their souls straight to Hell, for suicide is a sin against God – but being unrepentant heretics the eternal fire was their only future.
Despite its best efforts, the Imperium failed to protect the Kingdom of Poland, which caused many of the
aristoi to think that the authority of the Throne may not be absolute. If the Imperial Army can't protect allies of the Imperium, they said, could it really protect the Romans? House Doukas was thriving on a growing disappointment cause by failure of the Polish campaign and soon Augustus was forced to react. A display of power was much needed to show every citizen of the Imperium the glory of the Throne and with large armies still assembled nearby Polish borders the best way to do so was judged to be a victorious war. But Augustus decided to achieve not one but three goals at the same time – finish the reconquest of Moesia and reclaim ancient imperial provinces from treacherous Pisans and thus ensure
aristoi that the power of the Throne could not be challenged. Both of these conflicts were swift and brutal. Khagan of the Horde, facing a total collapse of his realm, did not care to protect the lands of his subject and before the accursed khan of Bulgaria died of syphilis on 27th June 1391 the news of successful reconquest of Moesia must have reached him. Pisan merchants, on the other hand, showed some resistance but with most of their troops fighting in Aquitaine they were unable to defend themselves for long and soon the Imperial Army was triumphant. The peace treaty was signed on 8th January 1392 and although the Imperium won, an open hostility between Republic of Pisa and Kingdom of Aquitaine was a growing concern not only for imperial merchants. One of the last surviving Christian kingdoms, the realm of Aquitaine was able to survive so long despite sharing borders with the Aztecs only because the king was paying tribute to the invaders. For the Kingdom of Aquitaine was controlling the only trade route connecting heretics from British Isles with merchants from
Mare Nostrum and all the goods transported to the North had to pass through it. The savages from the Far West could of course crush both the heretic kingdoms and Aquitaine within weeks but for some reason they were satisfied with a heavy tribute imposed on the Latins. But it took more than gold to satisfy the hunger of the savage beasts – the Latins were forced to provide the Aztec dominion with 10,000 slaves every year, 5000 men and 5000 women, so that the savages could flay them alive as a sacrifice to the Dark God Xipe Totec. This unholy pact with the invaders from the Far West was without a doubt a terrible sin, even despite the fact that all of the slaves were barbarians, be it Mongols, Berbers or Beduins. But it did guarantee the safety of good Christians of Aquitaine. Obviously, greedy merchants of Pisa themselves wanted a bigger share of the lucrative trade with the heretics from British Isles. Slowly being forced out of the Imperium and facing competition from imperial merchants they were desperately looking for new sources of income. And so, using their superior military, they were in a state of constant warfare with Kingdom of Aquitaine, willing even to spill Christian blood only to be given more contracts and privileges from their Aztec employees for
pecunia non olet, as the Pisan proverb said.
Before the Augustus could dedicate more thoughts to this matter however, a great triumph was to be held in Konstantinoupolis to celebrate glorious victories of the Imperial Army and reclamation of
thema Moesia. A splendid parade at the Hippodrome together with a long procession of captive barbarians send a clear message to all those who dared to doubt the power of the Throne. It was during this grand ceremony when the news from the East arrived – khagan Ukhuna Csikid was defeated. A powerful faction of the horse-lords led by high chief from distant Bjarmia proved to be too much for small forces of loyalists to handle and Great Khan had no other choice but to surrender on 22nd February 1392. A dozen or more small chiefdoms became independent, with former lieutenants in the Horde now as sole rulers of their petty realms. Fragmentation and collapse of the mighty Ilkhanate was a fact – the worshippers of Tengri were unable not only to stop the Sword of Islam but also to unite against the common threat. The success of imperial doctrine expressed the ancient maxim
divide et impera was astonishing – the greatest enemy of the Imperium during the past 50 years was falling apart and not a single Roman soldier had to pay with his blood for this spectacular victory. The whole City was celebrating, for it seemed like a dawn of a new era for the whole Christendom, saved forever from the raids of a bloodthirsty horse-lords.
And then came the news.
On 5th March envoys of Scourge of the East appeared in the Queen of Cities and asked for audience with the Augusts during which they handed over a letter from Timur himself – Iron Khan declared invasion on the province of Syria.
In an act of sickening treason, malicious Sword of Islam betrayed the Imperium which was helping him in his fight against the worshippers of the Dark Gods with gold and advice and decided to carry the banner of Prophet onto the holy city of Antiocheia. Abominable tyrant and his Shia zealots were not satisfied with the rivers of Mongol blood spilled in Khiva and Persia and in their arrogance decided to raise a hand on a Throne in a blasphemous attempt to repeat disastrous Muslim conquest of Syria. But this time, unlike during the dark years of 634-638, the Imperium was more than prepared to face the enemy. The envoys of Timur were flayed alive and on the same day Augustus ordered to assemble all forces – once again the Romans were about to face
ghazis fighting for their false Prophet.
But before the main bulk of the Imperial Army could arrive in eastern provinces of the Imperium more bad news reached Konstantinoupolis. On 2nd May 1392 the invasion of Zeeland was over – terrifying Cult of Huitzilopochtli won. All the remaining Englishmen were said to be dead, either by the hand of the Aztec cannibals or their own, and according to rumors only the Cathar king of England was said to survive the massacre, abandoning his subjects and escaping by boat to Brittany. Another heretic kingdom was destroyed by the invaders from the Far West and although there was never any hope for England, the Fall of Zeeland was one of the most brutal examples of Aztec conquest, for the savages spared no one. Many were horrified by these atrocities and took them as a sign of things to come – alas, among them was
porphyrogenneta Martha Angelos, queen of Poland and daughter of the Augustus, who died on the same day the news about a slaughter of the Englishmen reached Innowrocław.
But the worst was still about to come.
Having subjugated every single petty realm of the Mongols on the Arabian Peninsula, sultan Khaireddin Aghlabid declared on 21st September 1392 that the Shia Caliphate, broken by the Romans decades ago, has been reborn. It was on this day, when hundreds of ships from Imperial Navy were breaking through waves of
Mare Nostrum with thousands of Roman soldiers on board hoping to reach eastern ports before the hordes of Timur's
ghazis arrive, that the Augustus realized his mistake. With the restitution of the Caliphate all of the Shia, not so long being nothing more than another dying false religion, become united. Believing that prophesied
mahdi, be it caliph Khaireddin or Timur the Lame, has arrived to this world to save the followers of the Prophet and defeat all evil, the Shia were no longer the prey for Mongol slavers or Roman
themata guarding the
limes. They became predators, with all their energy dedicated to destroying the Imperium and the Horde – a cruel twist of fate which could've been easily circumvented if only the Augustus decided to eradicate the Shia scum earlier.
Alas, it was too late – tens of thousands of fanatic Mongol
ghazis were marching on Antiocheia to fulfill the order of their master and conquer the holy city. But this time they were about to face the whole might of the Imperial Army.
Brave soldiers of
themata were doing whatever they can to slow the advance of the
ghazis and to give more time to
tagmata and mercenaries – and with God's blessing they were victorious. Great battles were fought on the deserts of Syria and in every single one of them the Imperial Army was victorious. As an impenetrable shield the Romaioi formed a barrier for the waves of barbarian locust. Army after army of Shia fanatics was shattered by the citizens of the Imperium serving in
themata. Thousands of barbarians were wiped out and although Imperial Army was paying for this glorious victories with blood for every fallen Roman there were five or ten barbarians killed by the defenders of the Imperium. Shia zealots, despite all their fury and desperate attacks, were unable to continue their advances and were limited to burning the cities and villages east of Damascus.
And then a news reached the City which frozen the hearts of the Romaioi - on 7th March 1393 Caliph declared
jihad for Arabia.
Hoping to use the political turmoil and terrible civil wars within the Horde to achieve his own goals, Khaireddin Aghalibd was not satisfied with the restoration of the Caliphate – he wanted to reclaim all of Arabia for the Crescent and glory of false god Allah. This war couldn't have been started in a worse moment for the Horde – with khagan unable to defend even himself it seemed that there was nothing which could stop the Shia from reconquest of the whole Arabian Peninsula within months.
In the meantime vast armies of
ghazis, the same ferocious warriors who conquered Khiva and Persia, were all but annihilated by the brave soldiers of
themata. Fueled by righteous anger and love of their Augustus, heroic Romaioi managed to not only stop the Shia but also to inflict so many casualties on them that by the time
tagmata and auxiliaries arrived in Syria the invading forces were decimated. This miraculous victories wouldn't be possible if not for
porphyrogennetos Michael Angelos, grandmaster of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, who fighting side by side with monk-knights of his Order personally led many devastating charges and as a
monostrategos of the East was in command of all the eastern
themata. It was because of his exceptional virtues and great skills that the Imperium managed to overcome the constant furious assaults of the
ghazis.
Soon the situation was looking so bad for the invaders that Sword of Islam had no other option than to personally led his troops, hoping to face the Romaioi in one decisive battle.
In this desperate attempt to regain the initiative, Timur the Lame amassed almost all of his
ghazis into one colossal army and marched on Antiocheia. But both
tagmata and mercenaries have already arrived in Syria and Iron Khan was about to face the full might of the Imperial Army. It was decided that the Imperium was going to meet the barbarians in the field and that if Timur so badly wants to die with his soldiers, so be it. And so, after marching for days through the desolate desert, the gigantic imperial army combined of eastern
themata and monk-knights of the Brotherhood led by Michael Angelos together with fresh forces of
tagmata and mercenaries led by doux Konstants IV Gavras and doux Tiberios III Angelos arrived on the plain of Halbah on 13th May 1393. It was there where just a few days later the momentous battle between Romaioi and Timur's army took place – battle which was to determine the fate of the war.
When almost 75,000 Roman soldiers and over 60,000 of Shia zealots finally collided in a titanic battle, they say that one can felt the earth trembling and a terrifying noise as if one was amid a violent storm when the initial charge of the
ghazis shattered on the Roman shields. The battle was incredibly bloody – with both armies suffering from shortage of fresh water no prisoners were to be taken. Wave after wave, charge after charge the fanatic Shia couldn't brake through the lines formed by imperial soldiers. Like a wildfire consumes the forest, the brave Romaioi were laying a great devastation on barbarian locust, with thousands of barbaric warriors from the East dying left and right.
Victory was near. But the power of Iron Khan could not be undone.
Porphyrogennetos Michael Angelos, who was in thick of battle since the very beginning and who personally sealed hundreds of barbarians, suddenly saw the dark banner of Scourge of the East approaching. Nearby it he saw a tall rider on a black horse surrounded by elite guards giving orders to what seemed to be generals among the infidels. It was Timur himself who arrived on battlefield. Knowing that he was presented with an occasion to end the war right in this very moment, grandmaster Michael Angelos ordered his monk-knights to change formation and prepare for a charge. Tall rider must've noticed this but unexpectedly his guards moved away from him, leaving a way for the Romaioi to attack him. Michael Angelos understood what this meant – a duel. And so he ordered his men to stay in place and he alone charged on a sole rider, determined to slay him and thus win the battle and stop the threat from the East once and for all.
And then abruptly, in a middle of the charge, a tall rider raised his hand – and all of a sudden
porhpyrogennetos Michael Angelos fell off his horse. Son of the Augustus and grandmaster of the Brotherhood was dead before he hit the ground, killed by a blasphemous black magic of Timur. Suddenly the screams of the dying ones and noise of the battle all stopped and for a moment only a dead silence was surrounding the tall rider. Then he raised both of his hands into the sky which immediately darkened – the moon began to consume the sun. Night has felt on the battlefield of Halbah and it was obvious for everyone that Timur carries much more power than any mortal man could hope to posses – Iron Khan was a servant of the Dark Powers.
In the following chaos the formation of the Imperial Army was finally broken – with their beloved leader murdered by a tenebrous curse the Romaioi lost all their courage and soon thousands of imperial soldiers, terrified by abnormal
ekleipsis of the sun. According to some, eastern daemons appeared on the battlefield to fight for their master and many of the fleeing Romans became their prey. Disorganized retreat quickly turned into slaughter when panicked imperial troops were dying by the thousands from the hands of the
ghazis who, as they say, were not influenced at all by the darkness.
It was a disaster.
Titanic battle ended on 4th June 1393 – from almost 75,000 Romaioi more than 55,000 were massacred on the fields of Halbah and the surviving 15,000 were quickly hunted down by armies of Timur. Not a single Roman soldier survived the onslaught – the ships of the Imperial Navy sailed back to the City empty. Just like the disastrous battle of Yarmouk fought between the Romaioi and the Sunni Caliphate which began on 15th and ended on 20th August 636, the tragic battle of Halbah changed the fate of the war and was widely regarded as one of the most decisive battles of the 14th century. Imperial Army was broken – having suffered gigantic casualties it couldn't do anything to save Syria from the invaders.
And so on 28th July 1393 the Augustus was forced to surrender – Iron Khan was victorious.
Sack of the holy city of Antiocheia began on 30th July and ended two weeks later. All churches and cathedrals have been desecrated. Monks, nuns and clergy were burned on stakes put on top of the piles formed of liturgical books and holy icons. Chalices, altar candlesticks, bells and crucifixes alike were melted and used to mint gold coins with depiction of Scourge of the East on them. It is said one could see the dark smoke from the burning city as far as from Hierusalem. When it was finally over less than 15,000 of 300,000 of inhabitants of the city were still alive, enslaved by the ruthless
ghazis. Iron Khan ordered his subjects from the depths of Asia to move in to the city and repopulate it. The great cathedral suffered greatly – the building was looted, all of its occupants violated or slaughtered and while elderly and infirm who were hiding in the temple were killed, women and girls were raped and the surviving Christians were chained and sold into slavery. One of the
ghazis climbed the pulpit and recited the
shahada: la ilaha il allah, muhammadun rasulu-ilah wa aliyuun waliyyu-illah; “there is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God and Ali is a friend of God.”
As tens of thousands of Romaioi were fleeing from Syria to neighboring
themata more disastrous news reached the City.
On 27th August 1393 an incredibly blood civil war within the Horde ended – Great Khan defeated all those who opposed him. Once again Ilkhanate was united under khagan and although it was achieved only through brute force it was enough for the barbarians, for above all they hated weakness. Still there was some time for the Imperium – khagan Ukhuna Csikid was going to be unable to rule personally for at least few more years. But whatever was achieved by Timur for the Imperium was now lost – the Horde was about to once again become the Beast it used to be. And the Imperial Army was crippled for a long time – even elite
tagmata lost more than half of its troops.
The casualties were even greater among the monk-knights of the Brotherhood. With majority of the commanders and the grandmaster himself slayed by the infidels during battle of Halbah the Order had to reorganize – and, unexpectedly, it was Leon Doukas who was chosen as the next grandmaster. And so the power and influence of the House Doukas was growing while House Angelos had to deal with the aftermath of Halbah. Many among the
aristoi were accusing the Augustus that the campaign against Timur could've been easily won. If only, they were saying, someone competent was in charge of the eastern
themata instead of Emperor's son there surely wouldn't be such devastation. Agents of the Doukoi were spreading lies that allegedly Imperial Army gathered in Syria to face
ghazis suffered terrible losses even before facing the enemy due to insufficient supplies. The lack of fresh water and exhausting marches through the desert in full sunlight killed hundreds and greatly weakened the imperial forces and all of this happened because of inexperienced and overconfident
porphyrogennetos Michael Angelos. These were all terrible lies obviously, for it is known that the Imperium lost only because of the powerful and blasphemous magic used by Iron Khan – House Doukas by attacking the heroic
porphyrogennetos was just trying to discredit the Augustus himself. In the following months powerful factions of
aristoi formed, hoping that they can use the weakness of the Throne for their own gains.
Syria was lost, holy city of Antiocheia was desecrated and barbarians were growing in power – something had to be done. Timur the Lame, Scourge of the East and Sword of Islam, had to die.
But it was not an easy task – even the agents of Skrinion Ton Barbaron were unable to get close to Iron Khan to end his life. Not only that but the source of Timur's power was in distant lands, laying further away from imperial
limes than even Persia was – it was of utmost importance to know more about this new terrible enemy of the Christendom. After months of searching while the unrest among
aristoi was still growing finally a barbarian merchant from Persia was found by the imperial spies and brought to the City where he demanded an audience with the Augustus. His tales of a mythical realm of Hindustan and his knowledge about the structure and customs of Timur's dominion was proved later to be invaluable. He was paid generously and in return he offered a gift to the Throne – an eunuch who, according to him, was born and raised in distant Hindustan. Now the plans to remove Timur could be finally put into motion.
But threat to Christendom was not limited to the East.
On 28th March 1395 second invasion of Norway began – Nochehuatl Acatl was determined to finish the work of his ancestors and finally wipe out what was left of Christian realms in the North. Norsemen led by king Hans Stilbolt known as the Half-Hand due to his injuries received during one of the Romuva raids on Swedish strongholds on Baltic coast couldn't won – and they knew it. All that they could hope for was to die in battle against the invaders and not in chains as their slave.
Despite this terrifying news, the Augustus was determined to have his revenge on Iron Khan and finally on 9th April 1395 the orders were given to the imperial agents – Timur's violent life was about to end.
And on the same day the accursed Hindustani eunuch carried the secret orders of his masters.