Tyranny of Steel

A man with short dark hair in the form of a caesar cut and emerald green eyes sat within the confines of his luxurious carriage. He was in his late twenties and quite handsome, so much so that he could give Berengar a run for his money. He had the regal features of a Roman patrician, and he wore lavish silk robes in the style that was common among the upper echelon of the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire. Even though the German realm was currently in a state of total war, he had traveled across Europe for many months in an attempt to gain an audience with the man known as Berengar von Kufstein.

Berengar had long since made use of the trade networks throughout Europe and the Mediterranean to acquire silk from the Byzantine Empire to fulfill the demands for his textile industry. However, his name did not carry much weight in the eastern world. After all, even now as a Count, he was not a significant figure in the world ’s affairs.

His most well-known quality was being declared as a heretic by the Catholic Church. Though the Orthodox Church was a separate branch of Christianity from the Catholics, they were still quite amicable with their western brothers in this timeline. As such, being declared a heretic by the Catholic church practically carried over to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Yet, the man in the carriage did not care about such details. Instead, he had a business proposal for Berengar in which he believed the young Count could not refuse.

The man arriving in Kufstein shortly was a powerful nobleman who held the equivalent position of a Duke in the Byzantine aristocracy. Supposedly, Arethas Maniakes could trace his lineage to one of the greatest Roman Emperors of all time, Aurelian. A man who was so profound, he quite possibly could have prevented the collapse of the Roman Empire if the treacherous Praetorian Guard had not assassinated him before his work was finished.

Arethas was in his own right an exemplary statesman and General, having personally led the charge into Egypt in years prior. He secured a foothold in the war against the Mamluke Sultanate, which currently held control over the region. However, despite his impressive victories that had allowed the Byzantines to acquire their advantage in Egypt, he could not believe the rumors he had heard about Berengar.