The Eagles of Avalon

[SirCliveWolfe]

Yes.... one day the Empire shall be re-united and Constantinople in all its glory shall be overshaddowed by the true first city ROME!

As ever Mr Met.... great update.

 

[Petrarca]

*taps foot*

Update? Hello?

 

[Basileios I]

*taps foot*

Update? Hello?

Let him celebrate the New Year.

 

[Alhazen]

Its only been 4 days...lol..and its new years!

 

[Stuyvesant]

Ack! It's been four weeks since I last posted! How did that happen?!? I just read the last post, with the detailed and great description of Constantinople, and I realize that some momentous changes have occured. I mean, the last time I read this, Remus was haggling with a representative of the city of Tarentum and pondering a march on Rome. And now... Selenus in Constantinople, hoping for an audience with Zeno. I'll go and try to catch up now.

 

[Mettermrck]

Draco Rexus: Thank you, thank you. So am I.

Darks63: Yes, it was tough trying to figure out the city in its pre-Justinian phase.

Lord E: Byzantine court ceremonial is tricky. Most sources are from the 9th century, so it's hard to see if these would apply to the 5th.

Charles II: I don't know, I found some descriptions of Constantinople that put mine to shame. I had to go back and add stuff in to make the image more "meaty".

cthulhu: Audience coming up!

yourworstnightm: True enough. It'll be interesting to see how Zeno caters to them.

Alhazen: Good point. I did some searching in Wikipedia to start, found a couple good fiction stories set in the period in Constantinople, and also searched in the Later History of the Roman Empire that I mentioned earlier. That had a couple good mentions of the palaces.

TC Pilot: Certainly..Zeno had a pretty wild ride himself as Emperor, he had a lot to contend with internally.

Avernite: Even when Romulus ruled in 476, Zeno saw him as usurper of his legitimate relative, Julius Nepos. And now his own man in Italia, Odoacer, is usurped by the same guy.

SirCliveWolfe: Rome will need a lot of work to reclaim 'first city' status.

Petrarca: Welcome back, impatient one. All in due time, hehe.

Stuyvestant: Hey, good to see you again. I would say you missed quite a lot since that earlier post. Big things afoot!

 

[Mettermrck]

At last the great golden doors were pulled aside, and the procession moved solemnly and purposefully into the next room, whose grandiosity easily surpassed the elegant rotunda from which they emerged. Though most of the embassy carefully masked their awe, Selenus was far too inexperienced for that and his expression of wonder and open-mouthed reverence gave great satisfaction to the glittering array of eugenes, the ‘well-born’, and court officials who carefully watched their entrance. Their stares fell on them like an austere blanket, their haughty eyes cast frankly at this provincial group of four who dared to walk boldly into the Augusteus. He was struck by the ceiling, with its large cross made out of gold and precious jewels. Added to the shining silks of the court robes, the room seemed lit of its own accord, without need of the sun. There were two ranks of palatinii who flanked the approach to the center of the room, where surely Zeno must await them. Behind the guards – with hands on hilts for effect – were over one hundred of what must be Constantinople’s most influential nobles and officers, all of them very aware of their own status. With a hint of self-consciousness, Selenus was struck by how provincial the Curia Julia and the brief confirmation of Romulus seemed by comparison. How did they dare?

Even as their forward progress at last brought them into the imperial chamber, the crack of a wooden staff on marble flooring brought them to a sudden halt. Once again, Selenus thought with a curious sigh, ritual reared its head once more. And now began the slow laborious approach into the room. Step, kneel, rise, approach, and in succession once more. How many times did they have to show their humility before the Emperor? Two, three? Selenus’ ears began to burn as he pictured how he and the embassy must look before Constantinople’s combined stares. They were wearing their richest finery, Selenus awkward in tan cloth, yet it seemed rural next to the even the simplest silks in the room.

Then came the sharp words in rich, flowing Greek as it was meant to be spoken, and not as his teachers had pretended to. ”Domestikos! Before you, humble and supine, the embassy from Italia!” Selenus ventured a glance from their current kneeling position, and tried to study the pair standing on the raised dais, surprised to see them standing, and none sitting. There was a hint of precious metal behind, no doubt the imperial throne. Was anyone seated there? He saw no purple, and his mind began to cloud with confusion.

”Approach,” said a gruff voice, harsh with military command, not the flowing smooth voice of near divinity. Fortunately, Selenus thought as they once more crept closer to their goal, he was not to do the talking. That fell to the Senators Lucius and Markus. If either of them was caught off-guard by their reception, however, they betrayed no hint, matching their hosts in courtly maneuver if not in ostentatious dress. It fell to Markus to speak first.

He quickly discarded the normal forms of imperial address, which clearly were not needed here. ”Honored Liberius, Praetorian Prefect and Domestikos. An unexpected pleasure of which we are little worthy, I am sure.” His smile was smooth and practiced, without a hint of surprise or awkwardness.

The man whom he addressed, who Selenus could see dressed in a green tunica and red cape, nodded in subtle appreciation. His eyes studied them for a moment, taking in this collection of envoys from Rome, and the corner of Liberius’ mouth curled.

Yet it was the man next to him who answered. ”Surely you did not deem yourselves worthy of the Emperor’s audience?”

Lucius, equally quick, replied swiftly. ”It appears not, Leontius. Magister Officiorum? I take it Illus no longer holds that high office and…does not reside in the Great City?” he said with raised eyebrow. Now it was their hosts’ turn to be tested. Illus had been Zeno’s most trusted advisor, a key ally in the civil struggle against the usurper Basilicus. If he was not here...had he fallen from favor?

Leontius, whose unmistakable military bearing matched that of Liberius, merely nodded. His rugged features clearly marked him as Isaurian, the same makeup of the Emperor and most of his favorites. This must be the new favorite, then.

For Selenus’ part, he completely missed the complexities of the byplay, struggling with a brief disappointment in not being received by the basileus. No doubt Zeno deemed them too minor to treat with personally? Yet he couldn’t help feel that there was something going on here besides a thinly veiled insult. Even though their hosts were certainly court officials, it was evident that all was not perfect at the imperial court. Perhaps an unexpected opportunity? He shared a brief glance with Markus, who merely inclined his head before turning back to the dais.

Liberius gestured towards a doorway leading to, Selenus had learned in his studies, the Hall of the Nineteen Akkubita. ”It is evident we have much to speak of, Senators, Honored Father,” he said, addressing Addiaea, ”and Praetor,” he added for Selenus, making him feel even smaller. ”You will be the guests of the court at a small banquet.” Small, Selenus, snorted, with only a hundred guests? Constantinople clearly moved in different circles than Rome. And he was by far an amateur.

 

[unmerged(28944)]

Okay, I'm not even there and I feel more insignifcant than a piss-ant, I can only imagine how poor Selenus feels!

Mayhap, the lack of Illus' presence will prove that all is not as "peachy" in Constantinople was the powers that be in Rome were led to believe, eh?

 

[SirCliveWolfe]

Interesting that the "Younger Brother" empire has to hide behind all that splendor, if all was well in the east then they would not be so high or insulting...

What is happening, a chance for the true Empire in the west to gain influence by helping their brothers?

Anyway, great update as ever...

Sir Clive

 

[Alhazen]

Nice. Im not as versed in eastern history as I should be...I have Norwich's Byzantine series but I havent read them yet.. However, even I can see theres more than meets the eye to what goes on in the imperial court. Great work, Mett, althought I can complain that it is too agonizingly short !

 

[Darks63]

To walk though the great hall and prostate themselves, only to be met with Zeno's errand boys what a grand insult.

 

[Stuyvesant]

Hmm... A recurring theme in your story seems to be that things are never easy, but always possible. It wasn't easy for Remus to survive his flight from the army, but he did it. It was not easy for him to build his army and start his rebellion, but he did it. It was not easy to confront Odoacer and beat him (at least to a stalemate), but he did it. Sooo... it won't be easy to treat successfully with the (Eastern) Roman Empire, but Remus' track record so far suggests it can be done. Of course, Remus himself is not there. And there is the slight obstacle that Romulus Augustulus is not going to be very popular with Zeno.

But on the other hand... If a new Roman regime takes over in Italy, it would be more similar to Zeno's own Empire than any barbarian kingdom ever could be. Most likely, it would share a lot of interests with its eastern brethren. And for the foreseeable future, that Roman Italian state is going to be much weaker than the Eastern Empire. It won't have any choice but being the junior partner in any alliance. So If I were Zeno, I would know my preference.
Of course, Zeno is in the luxurious position of not really having to make a choice. If Odoacer triumphs, he's still nominally a vasal of Zeno's. His rule will be much weakened and he might actually need Zeno's help to stay in power. If, on the other hand, Odoacer falls and Romulus and Remus win, they will be in very much the same situation.

Knowing that, there's no reason for Zeno to be nice to his Italian delegation. If anything, he might as well start to show these upstarts how lowly they really are, all to make it perfectly clear how unequal any future relation is going to be.

Happy New Year and keep writing, Mettermrck. I'm very much enjoying both the story itself and your continuing high quality in delivering it. That court scene in your last post really came to life before my eyes.

 

[Avernite]

Aww, poor Italians. Seems like the Greeks feel really much better than them, and they sure are.

Would be an interesting twist if Remus becomes a sort of Belisarius after Romulus betrays him, thus restoring the Eastern, and not Western Roman Empire in Italy and beyond

 

[Lord E]

The Eastern Empire sure is much different from Rome, I would have been horrified to enter those halls and see all that, I guess our Roman friends are feeling very, very small and insignificant, and damn Zeno to lazy to show up and meet them is he? Well maybe that is a bad sign, but one could also hope that the Eastern Empire is plagued by internal troubles so that the Italians can strike first and strike hard as to convince the Eastern Empire that the Western is back alive and that they can do nothing to stop it…

 

[unmerged(6925)]

Once again, great job, Mett. I am definitely hooked on this AAR!

 

[unmerged(26697)]

Great update, and great description of court ceremonial in Constantinople. Historically, one of the reasons Zeno did not establish his rule in Italy and instead ruled through semi-loyal intermediaries (Odoacer and later Theodoric - both independent in all but name) was due to endemic civil war, and I wonder if this is going to result in him having to pretty much leave the West to its own devices other than maybe a word of encouragement... his real ability to project power in the West has to be fairly low.

A minor detail point though - the Eastern Emperors did not begin to use the title basileus until Heraklios in VIIth century; up until then they were using the same Latin titles as the Western Emperors (Augustus, Imperator, etc) - the Empire was still nominally called a "republic" even in Justinian's time, at least based on some of the contemporary writers' referencing it as such by name.

 

[Amric]

The majestic splendor of the Eastern court coats and covers a corruption and weakness that will prove endemic in later centuries. The Eastern Empire, finding itself the 'only' true Roman Empire left would of course rub it in the noses of the westerners. However, saying such there is much to be said for the realities of the situation. They really DON'T have a lot of manpower to just be throwing around. The aforementioned references to rebellions, revolts and so forth are realistic, even though Mett hasn't depicted them yet.

However the splendor and wealth shown by Roman Emperors even in the last days was spectacular. Hiding a rotten core that snapped like a spindly twig when the strong winds of barbarian invasion grew. Just as the west, the Eastern Empire did eventually fall from decay from within as much as from pressure from without.

Both empires were harmed by ineffective or plain STUPID rulers far more than they were truly helped by inspired and innovative rulers who were able to strengthen and improve the empire. Only to have some inept jackass screw it up within a couple of generations after his death. If it even TOOK that long! Which isn't really the point.

Remus may feel small, but I feel he will realize that in the fading days of the old western empire there was glitter and gilt only to know it could be stripped away ever so easily. Remus doesn't want to do all this screwing around. He would, I think, rather just have a plain answer of are you gonna help or not? Yes? No? Okay, let's do it or let's get out of here. Nice, simple, easy. Ain't going to happen. The Byzantines even at this point can't manage to get things done without arguing about it in as many ways as humanly possible. It's actually amazing the Eastern Empire lasted as long as it did....

 

[Mettermrck]

Draco Rexus: Just the impression I was trying to make, glad you felt that way!

SirCliveWolfe: You wonder if it's hiding behind splendor, or simply having it and flaunting it?

Alhaven: Oh, believe me, I've a study-as-I-go with Byzantium, and fascinating all that I research as I write this. I wish I had more time to read source material and do it justice.

Darks63: Well, Zeno doesn't feel that the west is worth his time. Plus he has concerns of his own.

Stuyvestant: That's the whole key, I think, not making it easy for Remus. Otherwise, who would accept the storyline if Remus remade the Western Empire in a walk? So I try to have setbacks, struggles, intrigue, enemies to give the world a sense of realism and that, even though he might achieve what would be historically near-impossible, it doesn't feel too fantastic.

Avernite: Ooo, that's a good insight. Remus as a reverse Belisarius, and then Belisarius himself in 50 years.

Lord E: I sure meant to make you feel unworthy, Lord E, in those halls.

Charles II: Thanks again!

Midgardmetal: Ah, thanks a lot. I'm always out for accuracy, and appreciate it when readers help me get it great. Too bad about basileus though, I like its Greek sound. I did a quick study and it looks like the title may have emerged with Justinian II, so we're still too early. I wanted to distinguish Zeno from Romulus, basileus to Autokrator. The sounds just embody the difference. Well, I can't go with Kaisar, too German, maybe imperator, though the West uses that. Well, it can't be helped. So even though they're respublica in name, they'd still refer to "an Empire", right?

Amric: Great comments, Amric. Man I love big meaty comments on my writing. Yes, I think Remus is more practical than the man he serves. The difference between soldier and politican, I suppose, though Italia in this era seems more the soldier's realm than the politician.

 

[Mettermrck]

January - February 484

From the Celtic word mid-lan, meaning “in the middle of the plains, comes Mailand as it was called by neighboring tribes and Mediolanum for the Romans. And the city was precisely that, in the center of the Cisalpine Plains. As such, it had strategic access to all points from the Alps to the Padus to the Apennines to the sea. Steadily growing from a small settlement conquered from the Gauls, by the 5th century Mediolanum was one of the leading cities of the Western Empire, even briefly the capital under Theodosius. It boasted the home of Ambrose, one of the great Church theologians of the time, and served as a vital strongpoint and base of operations for Roman armies in the last century. In 452, Attila had sacked the city, breaching its impressive fortifications and weakening its stature in the Roman world. Yet its military value could not be denied with its geography, defenses, fabricae and an imperial mint. It was still quite a prize in the late 5th century.

Both sides in the Italian struggle knew this, naturally. Having put Augustulus back on the throne, tentative though that position was, Remus Macrinus set his sights on Mediolanum. If he could not take Ravenna in haste, then he would accomplish the next best thing and isolate it. To do that meant taking the remaining imperial city in the peninsula. With Cisalpine Gaul secured and access to the northern provinces denied to Odoacer, then the isolation of Ravenna would furthered – though not completed. And Mediolanum’s capture would bolster the claims of Romulus Augustulus to be once more truly the head of a western imperial state.

Remus’ lightning campaign around Ravenna was impressive in its speed and decisiveness. Leaving Claudius and a few thousand men to block the Via Flaminia on both sides of Ravenna, he pushed north and west with the remainder of his small yet potent force, driving the remnants of the Italian field army up the Via Cassia to the Padus. Outmaneuvering the small units of enemy cavalry that served as the best opposition Odoacer could muster, he swept into Placentia and captured the bridge across the Padus intact, opening the road to Mediolanum. Getting to the city, however, was not the same as capturing it. Though it far less fortified than Ravenna and its walls were still partially breached by Attila’s wrath, Remus commanded a small force, ill-fit for a siege and ill-equipped to storm the city. Yet that’s precisely what he gambled upon, knowing that Italian reinforcements were even then rushing towards the city, struggling to deny him his best chance to isolate Ravenna. It would be a fitting test for the commander whose reputation was still burgeoning.

​

There were times when the screams would edge in and out of his consciousness, as if his mindset flirted with that line between the soldier and the human being. He had fought in armies for years and had heard men scream, helping sometimes to bring those cries about. Remus had been in several sacks of a town or village and had become hardened to the wailing of children and the beseeching cries of doomed women. Mediolanum, however, tested that and in brief moments, as he raced into the streets of the city, his men behind him, he could hear sharp moments of terror, quickly suppressed by his military aloofness, and then back again. It actually made him pause, one of his protectorii slamming into him.

The young officer sensed his thoughts, and looked confusedly into the narrow alleyways from where the screams came. ”Shall I dispatch some men, Dux?”

Still that name, Remus thought with wry bemusement. More embarrassed at having been caught out than his own confused thoughts, he grimaced and shook his head furiously. ”No, God’s eyes. I came here to take a city, not to save lives. It’s their fault for remaining for this little show. Let’s go!” He put the scene out of his head and waved his arm in annoyance, jogging up the short street, trying to probe the enemy’s defenses.

He hadn’t wasted time with Mediolanum, which was perhaps his most effective means of getting into the city. The enemy had no doubt expected him to draw up his army, concentrate, deploy, and then attack. Remus, however, had merely waited for nightfall, attacking a weakened section of wall, not far from the gate, with barely a thousand men. The garrison, he reckoned was twice that. Hopefully they would be spread thin.

Few scenes were more intense and horrifying than a night attack. The terror of not knowing from where your enemy struck was enough to pale even the hardiest veteran. Many times, you heard the growls and the battle cries before you saw anything, and that could be the worst of all.

All around him, fires raged, some set by his own men to sow confusion, others by the Italians to deny passage. It was a scene out of Hades, he thought. He was panting, his legs sore, his eyes irritated by dust and smoke. Few of his men were not caked in blood, having to fight beyond themselves to win the fight at the walls. Hundreds had gone down beneath the tall walls of Mediolanum. That surely was the darkness of man, when he became the beast to win a battle. As with the screams, the sight of the piles of dead tried their best to break him, but he was too long the warrior to falter.

Ahead, he spotted a barricade, a couple wagons and stacked timber. Again, he couldn’t wait, couldn’t let the enemy get set. Surely they’d just arrived, just began to fortify. He couldn’t hold back, he had to have Mediolanum tonight! Pausing only for a second, he yelled defiantly, his own scream lashing back at the inhumanity around him. ”Dux Calor!” Remus had never invoked his own glory, and his men grinned fiercely now that the general’s blood was rushing. War was changing the man, and they loved him for it, here in the heat of battle.

The comitatenses raced forward, and crashed into the enemy barricade, climbing over it, pushing through it, slipping around it. These were foederati many of them tall burly tribesmen, Germanic and equally fierce, their blonde hair dirtied with the debris of fighting. There was no room to swing the sword or axe, only to push your foe back and try quick cuts and thrusts. Some men bit one another, tripped each other, and kneed the enemy. There was no honor here.

Now the cries of men rather than women and children echoed in his head, and Remus reveled in it, leaping down on the far side of the barricade, bringing his spatha down upon one of the enemy – an Alemanni by the looks of him. He raged back and forth, delighting in his own screams, feeling the excitement of bringing his own terror, defying the night, denying the hidden enemy. He was the growls and battle cries that paralyzed his foe and they were the paled and the doomed. Another big warrior came at him and in his battle lust, Remus drove his spatha through the hilt of the man’s axe, cutting it off. His hand instinctively thrusted back and cleaved the man’s shoulder before he saw who it was. The rushing came to his head and the screams began to fade. Blood began to spill from the man’s mouth and he looked upon Remus with loathing and a mixture of respect.

”You stopped running then, Remus,” Modestus said, faltering and kneeling on the stone roadway. Remus stood there, oblivious to the chaos around him, the adrenalin fading as fast as it had come. He could only look dumb-founded at his friend, seriously wounded by his own blade.

”Why?” The word came out softly, yet it accused.

Modestus’ eyes hardened but a crooked smile belief whatever hate might be there. ”You were the dreamer. Still are----“ he grimaced and gripped his wounded shoulder. For a few moments he simply stared at the ground, as if unaware of the fact that his old friend had just killed him. ”Re----“

And in horror, Remus saw a spatha slice through Modestus, cutting short whatever parting they would have had. Seconds later, something sharp drove into Remus’ thigh and he heard a guttural cry in his ear. More screams, he thought. How fitting. And the world around him became black.

 

[SirCliveWolfe]

Great update... shame about Remus's thigh...

SirCliveWolfe: You wonder if it's hiding behind splendor, or simply having it and flaunting it?

No, if they are all powerful they can treat the Italian "Roman's" with kindness, as a rich merchant would a begar. The fact that they are flaunting their glory, power and splendor probably (In my book anyway) means that they are insecure about all three.