Chapter One- A King's Ransom



Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
1081 Anno Domini. Great Palace of Constantinople.

The Emperor's son John lacked a wife and had no children. Because they were about to do battle with the Turks, the Emperor commanded his son to choose one of his finest men to be the heir to the throne, should they both be slain in battle.

Tobromeros Beriotes was chosen. A brave soldier and veteran of wars past, handsome, loyal, and skilled in both matters of war and politics, he had precisely the right mindset to lead a nation. He also had it within him to commit unkind deeds, something every ruler must be able to do, or else the enemy will simply fight without honor and defeat the Greeks on the battlefield. Honor has a place within governance, but the greatest leaders take note of which promises to keep and which to break, for the good of the Empire.

The young man would stand ready to take the throne if necessary. Emperor Alexius hoped it would not be, but admired his son's choice. Next, he commanded his son to find himself a wife. The family line must go on, after all.





Anna Comnenus met with Prince Kalman of the Hungarian Empire. While Emperor Alexius was not sure if he could trust the Catholic Hungarians, who seemed bent on expanding into his territory, he came up with a plan that would either make peace for all time, or prove that they were untrustworthy traitors. Anna was commanded to offer free trade, and the castle of Trebizonid in Asia Minor, in exchange for a permanent peace treaty and alliance, and an exchange of maps.

Anna was delighted to see the Hungarians accept this offer. From the tone of the Prince's response, it was clear to Anna that the Catholics would have accepted nothing less than a gift of territory to establish this alliance, which was otherwise seen as too "demanding" of the Hungarians.

Anna laughed and thought to herself how ironic it is that the Hungarians demanded land that had never belonged to them in exchange for peace. Which ruler was more demanding?





The years passed, and Prince John found another worthy candidate to be an heir to the empire. Valsamon Limas, an honorable soldier and commander, was quickly adopted. He seemed to make a better peacetime governor than a general, however.







1084 Anno Domini. Iconium.


Emperor Alexius finally gathered his forces from across his mighty empire, and arranged them into standard spear infantry and archer units. New stables were being constructed in Corinth which would allow training of the new Skythikon units, which Alexius was eager to command in battle. But for now, his own royal bodyguard would serve as the cavalry he needed.






The daughter of the Kaiser approaches the governor of Naples and offers her hand in marriage to Alexius' son John, in exchange for an alliance. Prince John is eager to meet his bride-to-be... will she be as beautiful in person as the rumors make her out to be?






1086 Anno Domini. Iconium.



Emperor Alexius prepares to remove the Turkish rebels. His son joins him on the field of battle, and soon, Prince John will have an army of his own.





The walls of Iconium.

Alexius decides to draw the enemy fire towards his seige tower, while his Byzantine Spearmen take the walls under cover of darkness with ladders. While the enemy focuses on the towers, they might not fire as much toward the ram, either.





The ruse succeeds! The enemy gates have fallen, and the pathetic troops on the walls never saw it coming. Within seconds after the gates opening, spearmen flooded into the settlement and attacked the enemy, who fled in a panic!

"Run down those worthless peasants! We don't need spineless cowards like that in our Empire!" shouted Alexius to his men. They gladly complied.



The spear infantry advanced slowly, so as not to tire. The enemy was already weak, and turned and ran at the sight of the approaching ocean of spear points.

The enemy leader would do well to fight dismounted from here, but it seems he only has the brain of a chicken. He remains on his horse, and awaits the inevitable.




The spearmen pile into the center of town. The enemy are overwhelmed and surrounded.... soon they will join the ranks of the dead.

Good news reaches Alexius: The rebel commander has been slain! Surely now his men will lose heart.




Captain Suleyman and his men met their end today, and Iconium is back where it belongs, under the protection of the Empire!

Alexius gives wine to his men and holds a feast to celebrate the victory! The fallen soldiers will be given a proper memorial in the morning. The people of Iconium are roused from their sleep and ordered to collect the bodies of the fallen heroes. Alexius' men have done enough for one day, and are too busy getting drunk and eating a feast of lamb.





To Antioch? Alexius' spy reports that there would be minimal resistance if he chose to take the city. But Alexius has a better idea.




Word reaches Alexius that his son has fathered a daughter. While it is disappointing that his wife bore no sons, a new member of the Comnenus dynasty was surely welcome.

He questioned the unusual name given to his granddaughter, it doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue.




Prince John, perhaps frustrated at his lack of a son, decides to adopt yet another heir. Some of his other adopted heirs get jealous and start to feel unappreciated.




Emperor Alexius spots an opening with his spy. The Sultan Jalal has left himself vulnerable. Antioch can wait.... strike whilst the iron is hot!!!




The Turkish dog holds the great roman settlement of Caesarea in his filthy grasp. Alexius orders his men to get soap and mop buckets, because it will take years to clean the stink from the halls of the governor's residence.

"Do the Turks EVER bathe?" remarked Alexius.

It was time to take what was rightfully Roman lands.




The enemy lack the forces necessary to cover the walls properly. While they are distracted by the seige tower, twelve ladders will be placed on the western wall, and many good Greek spearmen will take the wall by force.




My lord, the walls are ours! Time to open the gate, and turn the enemy into kebab. The Sultan of filth cowers at the center of town, too frozen by fear to help his men.

Alexius decides to mow down some unwashed peasants himself. It's the only way they will learn just how awesome he is.

"Respect my authoritah!" jeered Alexius, as he impaled yet another bearded buffoon with his sword.





With nothing else standing in the way, Alexius orders his spearmen to hold their noses, and surround the enemy Sultan.

"Be careful men. Those horses have had Jalal's unwashed buttocks all over them. The stench alone might kill you!"

The spearmen do their job well, and Jalal runs away like a frightened little girl, but there is nowhere to run. Soon he is captured alive, and forced to watch as Alexius turns the rest of his soldiers into a big red stain on the steps of the keep.



Jalal's stench was so overpowering, that it killed over 500 good Greek soldiers. He would pay for that!

Alexius pointed his sword at Jalal and said "your money or your life". The translator quickly relayed the message to Jalal, who pointed toward the keep and said "take it all...."




There was enough gold in the Sultan's castle to feed Alexius' men for a decade, and train new soldiers. Ah, it is a good day to be a Greek.

"Now that you have my entire treasury, will you leave me in peace?" the Sultan Jalal asked.

"I'd much rather leave you in pieces" remarked Alexius, as he separated Jalal's head from his body.

"Somebody clean this place up. I might want to visit here again someday, and it smells like the inside of an ass in here. No, I take it back... the royal donkey does not smell half this bad."

The guards laughed at Alexius' comment, until they noticed he wasn't laughing. He pointed to the royal mop buckets and told them to get scrubbing.





Emperor Alexius: "Oh, they wanted the safe return of their troops? I guess they didn't read the fine print. I never said I'd return them alive, just 'safe'."





"The only safe Turk is a dead Turk." -Alexius Comnenus, 1090 AD





End of Chapter One.