Crusader Kings
Prologue: Greece, Anno Domini 1066
The Year is 1066, and Western Europe is divided between the two major powers of Capetian France & The Holy Roman Empire. The Dark Ages are a fading memory of the past as Hungary, Saxony & much of Scandinavia have converted to Catholicism, while new conflicts emerge in Iberia, brought about by the disintegration of al-Andulas and the split of the Castilian Kingdoms, resulting in fierce holy wars & infighting between the new competing nations. Meanwhile in the East, the Seljuk horde has swept through Persia & Mesopotamia, reducing the once powerful Abbasid Caliphate into a vassal state. Now, lead by the great warrior Sutlan, Alp Arslan, the mighty dynasty is poised to invade the decaying Byzantine Empire.
Only six years prior to these events, the founder of Palaiologos dynasty, Nikephoros, became the Doux of Epirus, granted it after loyally supporting his Basileus, Konstantinos X Doukas - a wholly incompetent ruler, who will be remembered disparagingly for fatally weakening the Byzantine army and bloating the military bureaucracy & senate with his supporters.
Nikephoros is a Doukas partisan & so a supporter of Konstantinos, despite the Emperor's inadequacy. He is a keen & talented negotiator and a decent military commander. His friends would refer to the new lordling as courageous and passionate, while his rivals & competitors for the Basileus' favor would slander him as rash & fiery-tempered . Nikephoros is an unenthusiastic administrator, but maintains some competence & the same can be said for politics and intrigue. He is not a very religious man and cares little for the learn'd arts & theological matters.
Nikephoros has three sons of whom he is very fond of. The eldest, Georgios is old enough to start proper education under his father's guidance, and has the making of a fine ruler - if not a little zealous in his beliefs, a trait which greatly conflicts with his father's apathetic opinion on religion. Nikolaos is a year younger than his brother and is a playful & curious lad with a keen eye & insistence on detail & particulars. The youngest of the three sons is Romanos who is a year younger again, and he is a rowdy, loud & physical child, but with brooding streak to him as well.
Nikephoros is competent enough in intrigue to know that in order to survive the political machinations of the Byzantine Empire, he needs to ally with fellow Douxes & the best way to do this is by marriage pact. And so in December 1066, Nikephoros begins to to look for potential brides for his three sons & eventually sends off betrothal offers to Doux Andronikos Doukas, Doux Ioannes Komnenos & Doux Michael Taronites, all of whom accept, putting Nikephoros in a strong diplomatic position.
Nikephoros' main focus is to become the Magistros of the Byzantine Empire & join Konstantinos' court & serve at his side. To achieve this, Epirus becomes the location of many carousals, in order to improve his verbal finesse...much to the chagrin of the newly appointed court Ecclesiarch.
Another motivator for becoming Magistros is that Nikephoros also wishes to improve the military and economic situation of Epirus, as his theme only brings in a pitiful amount of wealth & can barely raise 2000 men. And so, Nikephoros reasons that the best way to achieve this, is to gain the Emperor's ear. To achieve this he first must increase his own standing among the Empire. To this extent Nikephoros has joined the "Glory I Faction" a group of noble that wish for the Empire to become both mighty & prestigious.
However all this will have to wait, for the drums of war have been sounded & the Seljuks come...
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