A Narrative History of Byzantium, Book 1: Gloria Sine Fine

[HistoryDude]

“When has overstretched territory ever stopped our mighty empire before,” Xenophon replied. “We have always been large. Why should we let such considerations hold us back? We were promised the world!”

Well, it was true that the Roman Empire had frequently been very overstretched. That was part of the reason why the West had fallen and why there even was an East and West. What Xenophon was forgetting was that being overstretched was part of why Rome was weaker now. And what did he mean that they were promised the world. How did he say that while not being offensive, though? No quick realization of an answer hit him, so he decided to just wing it.

“Yes, our empire has managed to survive being overstretched before,” Albinus finally said. “But it has always been a very close call. Diocletian decided to divide the empire to deal with the many enemies that they only had because they were overstretched. Why do you think our western cousins fell? Because they couldn’t defeat the many Germanic tribes on the Danube and the Rhine.”

“That will be dealt with in time,” Xenophon said. “If it is not, there is no reason to believe that we need to keep Persia. We merely need to destroy it. We can simply give the land to others and leave the Persians humiliated and aware of their true place in this world. And who will oppose us then? Who will dare, once we have humiliated those who were once our mightiest opponents?”

“A lot of the Germanic tribes?” Albinus answered. “Once we have humiliated our mightiest opponents, some of them might think that we were weakened from that. They will probably even be right. Do you really want such a pyrrhic victory? We barely beat off Atilla.”

“The Germanic tribes will be busy,” Xenophon dismissed. “They will either be trying to keep their subjects in line or trying to build a true state. We can help with some of their problems. Did we not aid in the end of the power of the Germanic tribes in Italia? The shadows can be used to destroy our enemies in the west. The Persians are not so easily duped.”

“Which is not to say that the Persians cannot be duped at all,” Albinus mused. “I know that best of all. Also, was the Italian Collapse truly our doing? Or was it merely aided by us? I doubt it was a coincidence. There is no way that we can keep Persia from the Zagreus Mountains eastward. We could have been promised the world, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s keeping that promise.”

(“Oh, ye of little faith,” the Dark Lady murmured. “That promise has been kept countless times. Thousands of my kind have kept it. This is a fascinating empire… I’d hate to see it destroyed.”)

“Is no one keeping that promise, though?” Xenophon replied. “Rome has survived much that, strictly speaking, should have destroyed it. Of course, that is a matter of opinion. Any victory against the Persians is worth any price. We are Roman and Greek alike, really, and the Persians have always been the enemies of both those peoples.”

 

[Midnite Duke]

Clever use of name with Xenophon being a trifle xenophobic. Thank you for updating.

 

[HistoryDude]

Clever use of name with Xenophon being a trifle xenophobic. Thank you for updating.

More than a trifle, although it seems to be limited to the Persians for now.

Here's a hint, though - who else do we know that is xenophobic towards the Persians?

 

[HistoryDude]

Albinus disputed that. Persia had not always been the enemy of Rome, but that didn’t matter. So few cared about history except as a justification for hatred - it seemed Xenophon was one of these men. That meant that he was definitely someone to watch for overreaction… and manipulation. If others knew that Xenophon held this view (and he wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it), then the results could be obvious. His loyalty could be courted by anyone promising Persia’s final doom. In time, that might make him an enemy.

And, as for the promise, that was debatable. Albinus wasn’t a man to look for “evidence” of divine intervention. Attempting to discern the will of any deities - assuming that they even existed - was a fool’s errand. Who could hope to understand the machinations of such powerful beings?

(“On this count, the scheming general is correct,” the Dark Lady murmured, seeming thoroughly amused.)

In the end, Albinus responded to Xenophon’s queries and thoughts with a simple “perhaps”.

“Is this interview over, then?” Xenophon asked. “Or do you still have more questions for me? I can tell you many things… about things both above and below. Some things aren’t easy to see with the naked eye, but, then, you knew that, didn’t you?”

And, with that declaration - without even waiting for a reply to his question - Xenophon left the command tent. For he must have known how Albinus would react to his declaration. He must have known about the panic and the faint fear those words made Albinus feel.

For he had seen things that he could not explain in previous campaigns, but he had dismissed them. He never claimed to know everything, but what he had seen he had dismissed as hallucinations. For if they were real… if they were real, there was a lot of knowledge that he didn’t have, and many players and pieces in the great game that he didn’t know. For a schemer of his caliber… that was the worst thing. Deliberately putting yourself into a vulnerable position because you wanted to deny the truth was the move of a fool.

And Albinus prided himself on his wisdom.

Who was next on his list to interview? The first people who had wanted to go on the mission were going on it… if only because he didn’t fully trust either. He didn’t trust Luwia not to attempt a usurpation of the Legio I Armeniaca forces that weren’t trapped behind enemy lines, and he didn’t want a civil war within his legion once he returned. That would surely destroy the Three Legions completely. A civil war within a legion might draw in the other two legions, and, even if it didn’t, it would surely draw the attention of the Sassanid Persians, who would be quick to take advantage. And it was always best to keep your enemies close, anyway.

He trusted Xenophon not to betray him but only because of his hate. Xenophon wouldn’t betray him because any betrayal would ultimately aid the Sassanids, and that would never be allowed. Having somebody that he could trust not to betray him was always a good move, but Albinus didn’t trust Xenophon. Not truly. Any alliance built on hate was… not stable. It had a high chance of ending in utter disaster.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Is anything stable? Everything changes with a new day as everything is but a snapshot in time. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Is anything stable? Everything changes with a new day as everything is but a snapshot in time. Thank you for the update.

Well, nothing's stable eternally... or almost nothing, at least.

 

[HistoryDude]

Hopefully everybody else in this legion, or at least those who volunteered for this mission, were less… interesting characters. Or at least less publicly and vocally interesting characters. If they weren’t, Albinus would be really annoyed because, honestly, what were the chances that all the quiet ones were trapped in the other Legio I Armeniaca right now?

(“Hahahaha,” the Dark Lady laughed. “Very much, my dear. Very much… not that there are that many quiet ones in that legion at all. Where else would the coming drama come from?)

Okay, so the next name on his list was Adrastos. For Albinus, this didn’t draw any automatic mental images, so he assumed that they’d never really met. That didn’t matter - there would be a comprehensive profile of this man in his mind by the end of the night regardless.

Adrastos was in the tent very quickly. It seemed as if no one wanted to delay Albinus, which should have reassured but didn’t. After all, there was nothing saying that their plans didn’t depend on this mission too.

“Let’s just get right into the questions,” Albinus began. “I’d very much prefer to finish up all of these interviews as fast as possible, so this mission will finally start. Firstly, why do you want to go on this potentially dangerous and possibly fatal mission? Glory? Because there won’t be any of that. This is a secret mission.”

“I figured,” Adrastos deadpanned. “Anyway, this will give me something to do… and the opportunity to make some new acquaintances. And knowing your comrades is always a good idea… especially here. Here, more so than in… some other places I’ve been.”

“You do realize that these acquaintances owe you no information at all?” Albinus asked. “They will keep secrets. That is how things are.”

“Oh, centurion,” Adrastos began. “Of course I know that. I have seen many things… and very few things surprise me anymore. I have seen more lands than you ever have… and known more gods. All men keep secrets, but it is much worse here. Here, knowing a secret is always a weapon. Yes, centurion, they will keep secrets. They will keep secrets from you and I alike. They are keeping secrets from you and I alike. Knowledge is power, here most of all. And we are all being watched.”

(“Yes, you are,” the Dark Lady mused. “This empire is such a generator of truly amazing entertainment. How could I not watch? And make it even better?”)

“What do you know that I don’t?” Albinus asked this man. That question would get additional information - at least about his comrade over here, if not the secrets he knew.

“I know many things,” Adrastos said. “And I don’t know what you know. Furthermore, I don’t know what you can handle. I would much prefer not to drive my current commander insane, if I can help it. And, yes, that has happened before. A word of advice, though - the gods love betrayal. Beware of betrayers… and of betrayers of your enemies. And, most especially… beware of those who seem like betrayers but are not. On both sides.”

 

[Midnite Duke]

BEWARE! Beware of those who profess to be your friend! Thank you for the update!

 

[HistoryDude]

BEWARE! Beware of those who profess to be your friend! Thank you for the update!

Especially in the ERE.

 

[HistoryDude]

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Albinus snapped, uncaring of how he must have seemed then. He needed to know. “Who will betray me? Why do these gods of yours care about entertainment? And were you warning me to be cautious? I already knew caution was the best course of action.”

“Anybody could betray you,” Adrastos replied. “But anybody could betray your enemies, too - no matter who they are. You knew that much already. That’s why we’re speaking at this moment. And yet… for all your paranoia, you still trust wind - for what are words but wind? And the gods care about entertainment because they are unlike your god - or at least the god you profess to worship. They are merely humans, but perfected. Perfected in their imperfection and perfect in their knowledge. They are not unlike your demons.”

(“I take offense to that!” the Dark Lady grumbled. “Completely unfair assessment. It’s not objective in the slightest.”)

“I see,” Albinus replied, before proving how much he didn’t see. “So they are merely powerful humans - and can be killed like them.”

“Don’t assume that someone - or something - can be killed - ever,” Adrastos replied, undaunted in the face of his centurion’s ignorance. “Everything ends, but that and killing something are far from the same thing. And they are nothing like humans. Humans have their morality - their virtues and their sins. Humans have a notion of wrongness. The beings that govern our sphere have nothing - or at least nothing comprehensible to us mere mortals.”

To Albinus, that sounded like religious - and, worse, cultic - garbage. There was one god, and he loved humanity. Adrastos was simply trying to convert him through fear.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Adrastos asked, and Albinus actually almost jumped, so taken was he with surprise. “Don’t worry. You will. Almost all men are wise enough to believe their sight, and, in time, you will see them. If you can’t… then you are an ignorant fool… but, then again, most men are.”

“If such terrifying beings like those of which you speak exist,” Albinus began. “Then why haven’t I heard of them before now? Or seen them?”

“Perhaps you have,” Adrastos replied simply. “I wouldn’t know. Nobody’s ever direct in their handling of the higher mysteries or of the divine. Not all who see believe, and some blind themselves. To the rest… well, it serves their interests. The War in the Shadows rages in the heavens just as much as it does on Earth. And you know of the war, even if you don’t know of it. Everybody does.”

You know of the war, even if you don’t know of it? What on Earth was that supposed to mean? Albinus had never heard of this so-called war in the shadows. He knew that intrigue in the Eastern Roman Empire was complicated, but this sounded organized. It sounded extremely organized.

“I will take my leave now,” Adrastos said. “But think of what I revealed to you. Things are never as they seem… especially not here. And you don’t have to know about the War in the Shadows to fight in it - whether you want to or not. Lastly, and most importantly, trust not the silver tongues.”

 

[Midnite Duke]

Silence is golden. It is good to be rich in gold. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Silence is golden. It is good to be rich in gold. Thank you for the update.

Sure, but that's not all of what Adrastos meant. And there are more ways to communicate then with words...

 

[HistoryDude]

Trust not the silver tongues? What was that supposed to mean? How could tongues be silver? It was presumably a metaphor of some kind, but he had no knowledge of what silver might refer to. Perhaps it was a reference to something Adrastos had heard in seemingly extensive travels? It was likely to make perfect sense to him, but, as advice, it was quite worthless. Albinus would keep “silver tongues” in mind, but he wouldn’t dwell on it much.

It then struck him that Adrastos was leaving, but he hadn’t left yet. “No,” Albinus told him. “Don’t leave yet. Our conversation isn’t yet over. There is still more that you must tell me.”

“No offense, my centurion, but I don’t have to tell you anything,” Adrastos responded. “But I’ll be nice and take that as a compliment. What, exactly, do you want to know?”

“What war are you even talking about?” Albinus asked. “You mentioned that it was happening in the shadows, but what does that mean? And why do you think I’m participating in it? I know of no shadows that I have fought in.”

Adrastos facepalmed. “They aren’t literally shadows,” he said. “These shadows exist in the minds of men. They conceal the truth, as the shadows conceal what is made obvious by the light. The War in the Shadows is called that because it is a war that is happening in secret, and it needs to stay that way. Anyone who speaks of it must inevitably refer to it in metaphors, and every word knowingly spoken as part of it cannot give it away. This isn’t that hard. Everything has a double meaning, if you know how to word it.”

“If that’s true,” Albinus began. “Then how can I be sure that you’re telling the truth? You did just say that everything has a double meaning. How do I know that this doesn’t? And why does this ‘war’ need to be kept secret?”

“You’re learning,” Adrastos murmured. “You can trust that I’m telling the truth because I have no reason to lie. You cannot trust that I’m telling the full truth or that my words have no intentional double meanings. You’d have to trust me to do that, but you don’t trust me - or anyone, for that matter, do you?”

Albinus froze. This man shouldn’t know that fact about him, no matter what else he did know. That was meant to be a secret. People knowing that you think them untrustworthy made their actions dishonest. Of course, the fact that he did know lent credibility to his other claims.

“And as for why the war must be secret... “ Adrastos began. “Well… that’s very complicated. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t have to be kept secret. It is kept secret because it is in the best interests of most of the participants in it to do so. Some have ulterior motives, but some truly are working in the best interests of the general population of the Eastern Roman Empire. We wouldn’t panic, now, would we? Was there anything else?”

Albinus supposed that now was as good as any to ask about the silver tongues. “What did you mean by silver tongues? All I can tell is that it’s a metaphor of some kind.”

“What? Oh, of course,” Adrastos began. “It’s a reference to the Germanic tribes in the north. They worship a god that they call Silvertongue. To have a silver tongue is to be a mighty wordsmith, capable of twisting words to say one thing and mean another while having never told an untruth. I was warning you about the double meanings. Now, if you please, I’m going to take my leave.”

 

[Midnite Duke]

OK , Silver Tongue is Biblical. The riddles keep getting bound together. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

OK , Silver Tongue is Biblical. The riddles keep getting bound together. Thank you for the update.

I was referring to Norse Mythology here, actually. If it was obviously biblical, Albinus would have gotten it.

 

[HistoryDude]

First of all, Adrastos shouldn’t know as much about him as he did. He tried to keep his paranoia - his justified paranoia, mind you - under wraps. The fact that Adrastos knew meant that someone had talked to him about it. It could have been Luwia, who had motivation, except that did nothing to advance his cause at all whatsoever - telling others about Albinus’s paranoia wouldn’t make Luwia look better by any means, so he wouldn’t bother. Perhaps it was done by someone participating in this War in the Shadows Adrastos had mentioned?

Speaking of which, how had he been unaware of such an apparently expansive conflict happening right under his nose? Was it even a real thing, or was Adrastos just lying for some reason? Why would he lie? It seemed as if he had no intention of taking command of the legion, and why else would he lie? To spare Albinus’s feelings? Please. Albinus wasn’t comforted at all by the knowledge that Adrastos had bestowed.

Alternatively, Adrastos might be lying to spare the knowledge of something worse. Internally, Albinus laughed at this “explanation”. What could be worse than having missed an entire conflict that had been happening right under his nose for years? Especially given that Albinus valued information more than he valued anything else. The only things that Albinus could think of all involved Adrastos having partially told the truth… but not the entire truth.

Either way, Albinus needed to adapt to this new information. How was this War in the Shadows run? Who was fighting in it? How did they fight? And… perhaps most importantly… what should he do about it? That last question was answerable only by himself, but Adrastos could probably answer the other questions. Albinus would have to ask him. Thankfully, they would have a lot of time to talk as they traveled to the enemy stronghold. In the meantime, he needed to finish his recruitment.

Speaking of his recruitment, Albinus had figured out a key fact from these first interviews. Many individuals held secrets, and these interviews would give him a lot of information… but that could easily be a great weakness. If he accidentally talked about things that were between him and one of his men… that could destroy a knowledge-based advantage of his. In addition, he couldn’t keep the secrets of many different people straight. He might talk about classified information that shouldn’t get out in front of his entire rescue mission. That could be an unmitigated disaster… which meant that he needed a better idea than his current one.

Really, leading a group of thousands on his rescue mission was a terrible idea. There was another reason why this was the case, and that reason was, quite simply, stealth. Optimistically, they could get in and out of the Sassanid camp with their men without the Sassanids being any the wiser. He would need to eliminate a few people from the mission as unsuitable. He would need to eliminate many people, actually. It would be preferable if he could eliminate many people at once. How could he do that? Some kind of test, of course, but what would work?

 

[Midnite Duke]

For a paranoid man, Albinus should be looking in the shadows at the nuances rather than the literal words. Thank you for the update.