Crusader Kings
Seljuk Invasion
As 1066 draws to a close, the Seljuk Turks launch a massive invasion on the stagnant Byzantine Empire, which had been severely weakened by the meddling of its' incompetent ruler, Konstantinos X Doukas
With the Seljuk invasion imminent, Basileus Konstantinos quickly orders for his levies to be mustered at Nikaea, in order to head off the Turks in Anatolia. However, he quickly learns how much his corrupt mismanagement has hindered the army, only being able to raise some 15,000 men. Meanwhile, reports from the eastern most themes of Mesopotamia & Cilicia speak of a huge Turkish force gathering on the boarders. In desperation, Konstantinos turns to the best commanders throughout the Empire for aide, and not just his partisans & allies. Among these commander is Nikephoros, who despite not having fought in battle, has a small reputation for being quick to grasp tactics and a proficient tongue for rally & inspiring troops.
Nikephoros jumps at the opportunity to serve his Emperor & accepts graciously. However many in Nikephoros' court think that he is being too easily satisfied by petty titles, after all, Konstantinos' failings have not made him popular in the eyes of most throughout the Empire. Nikephoros' Protostrator, Count Stephanos of Caphalonia, urges Nikephoros to demand for the position of Magistros as well as commander, probably in hope that his Doux's rise in power & influence would help his own.
Nikephoros contemplates such at an act, but decides that he is content with Konstantions' offer, for now at least and would rather his liege select him for his ability then demanding the position himself. However many in Nikephoros' court frown upon his loyalty to such an ineffectual ruler.
Before Nikephoros leaves Epirus to go on campaign, his new ally, Doux Andronikos Doukas of Moesia arrives at his palace to celebrate his victories to come. Andronikos stays for about a week & before both Douxes depart, Nikephoros for war & Andronikos to tour the rest of Greece, he challenges Nikephoros to a game of tzykanion at the grand tzykanion stadium in Epirus. Despite such a game delaying his departure for war, Nikephoros decides that he can make the time for a round or two and accepts with glee.
Unfortunately the afternoon ends in disaster for Nikephoros, as Andronikos' team is far more skilled at the game. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Nikephoros is not a good loser & defeat after defeat quickly flares Nikephoros hidden wroth and results in a huge melee in the stadium. Nikephoros is finally hauled away from a very dazed Andronikos & marches off to war in a storm of a mood.
As Nikephoros and his men quickly march to reach Nikaea, it is clear that Nikephoros previous lifestyle of constant carousals does not adapt well to soldier's rations & sleepless nights and soon Nikephoros is burning up will some illness.
Despite this ill-luck, Nikephoros marches onward and arrives in Nikaea in early 1067. By now there has been an increase in the number of reports of Turkish forces building up on the Mesopotamian boarder, with the Seljuk army being estimated from roughly 8000 strong to 20,000.
The Byzantines are lead by Doux Theodoros Gabras of Trebizond, a brilliant general & strategist who decides to draw the Turks into battle in Coloneia after letting attrition whittle away at their numbers. Some of the commanders see the wisdom in this strategy, but most denounce it as cowardice, claiming that Theodoros means to hand Armenia over to the Turk in order to preserve his victory record as General...despite that fact that Theodoros assures them that the Turks would never be able to hold Armenia with 15,000 strong army at their throats. A letter from Konstantinos eventually decides the matter, as the Emperor demands a swift victory over the Seljuks & his partisans among the military support his decision. With a great sigh, Theodoros orders the army to march to Mesopotamia.
The Byzantines are lead by Doux Theodoros Gabras of Trebizond, a brilliant general & strategist who decides to draw the Turks into battle in Coloneia after letting attrition whittle away at their numbers. Some of the commanders see the wisdom in this strategy, but most denounce it as cowardice, claiming that Theodoros means to hand Armenia over to the Turk in order to preserve his victory record as General...despite that fact that Theodoros assures them that the Turks would never be able to hold Armenia with 15,000 strong army at their throats. A letter from Konstantinos eventually decides the matter, as the Emperor demands a swift victory over the Seljuks & his partisans among the military support his decision. With a great sigh, Theodoros orders the army to march to Mesopotamia.
As the Byzantine army marches through Coloneia in September 1067, they receive news that the Seljuks have finally decided to strike across the boarder, and an army of 8,000 Turks have invaded the Mesopotamian province of Taron.
Relying on their numerical superiority, the Doukas partisans charge ahead of the main army, completely ignoring the effect of such a march on their already under-supplied soldiers (courtesy of Konstantinos, yet again). Left with little choice, Theodoros orders the rest of the Byzantine army to catch up with the over-confident commanders, almost forcing a battle at Taron. On the 16th October 1067, the Greeks & Turks finally meet on the field...
As the battle rages on between the two armies, Nikephoros is forced to take a back-line role because of his illness. However on the 6th day of the battle, he is recovered & joins the fray along with his 500 best Epirotian soldiers.
On the 15th November after weeks of on & off skirmishing as well as full on conflict, the battle for Taron results in a Greek victory and the Turks swept from Mesopotamia. Already some of the commanders are declaring Konstantinos wise & noble for deciding on such a swift & noble way to end the war, while others leer at Theodoros for attempting to sacrifice glory for cowardly tactics.
However celebrations are soon be cut dramatically short. In their arrogance, the Byzantine commanders use their favour with the Emperor to overrule Theodors' decision to send scouts over the Mesopotamian boarder to watch for more Turks, declaring it meaningless for the war is already won & that the cowardly Theodoros just wants to worry the Basileus even more. This proves to be one of the Byzantine's fatal mistakes, for as a 20,000 Seljuk soldiers march into Taron in late November, they are completely caught unaware.
The Byzantines put up a valiant defence, almost entirely down to Theodors' brilliance. However they are vastly outnumbered & by the new year, the Greek army breaks & the battle is lost.
News of the defeat quickly spreads throughout the Empire & soon arrives at the capital of Constantinople. It is said that upon hearing the news & realising his final failure as Basileus, Konstantinos X Doukas died of a heart attack right in front of the messenger. With the Empire thrust into a crisis, Konstantinos' eldest son, Micheal, took control of the Imperial throne with little time for coronation.
Michael is an even more inept ruler than his father, with little ability in regards to ruling a country - let alone an empire - and even less interest in trying to learn how. Reportedly, Michael was uninterested by the impending invasion & had to be persuaded by his court to put up any resistance against the Turks.Even then, the new Emperor refused to lead his men into battle, opting to stay behind the walls of Constantinople.
Michael's cowardice & general disinterest, along with the usual discontent caused by a recent succession, plunges the Byzantine Empire into an even more untenable position.
The Byzantine army is in disarray after the battle, but Theodoros is finally able to rally the remains at Coloneia, just 4,000 men. Nikephoros is one of the few commanders who do not desert, being both too brave & too foolish to recognise the futility of the war, but is instead dismissed by Theodoros to return to Epirus and attempt to recruit more men.
Nikephoros returns to his court & is instantly met with a situation that instantly demands his attention. Georgios is almost at an age where he can be introduced to the Epirotian court. While Nikephoros is undoubtedly fond of his eldest son & thinks of him as a worthy heir, he can't help but wonder if he should curb his son's religious zeal. Ever since youth Georgios has had strong opinions in such an area & it often caused a rift between him & his father.
Eventually Nikephoros decides that it would be false of him not to intervene in his son's behavior, for he is a diligent man & believes that this trait involves how he cares of others. And so he spends the long hours preparing for Georgios' introduction of the realm by telling him stories of his own bravery in the recent campaign against the Turks. By the end of it, Nikephoros think he's done a good job of teaching Georgios to essence of bravery, but in truth, his son couldn't been disinterested & Nikephoros' stories of battle against the Turks only succeed in cultivating more zealous behaviour in his heir.
With the majority of his court captivated by either his sons planned introduction or the latest news of the continued struggle against the Turks, Nikephoros takes the opportunity to try & for-fill his role of recruiting more men for the war effort. However as he tours his countryside attempting to do so, he receives reports of an earthquake - of all things- at a nearby city. Diligent as ever, Nikephoros wastes no time in marching to the city, ready to tally up the total cost of the damage & the hard labour that would be required to repair it, when the most peculiar thing happens...
Already intrigued about such a crack & becoming somewhat impassioned about what a thing could mean, Nikephoros allows the peasant to take him to the crack. Finally he arrives at the hole and is struck by incredulity upon seeing it.
Unable to turn back now & driven by his own foolish bravery, Nikephoros decides to peer down into the hole & take a closer look...
Thoroughly disturbed by what he has seen, and the farmer close to fainting, Nikephoros hurriedly writes a letter to his steward, the mayor of Ioannina & tell him to find the funds to close the gap at once! However, as with all seemingly-abyssal holes of fire & brimstone, closing it would be easier said than done.
A practical man, and not one for superstition or religion, Nikephoros first order a mound of rocks & stones to be piled into the gap - for surely the hole can't be abyssal & this would soon prove it. However...
Now Nikephoros was not a stubborn man nor a cynical one, so as cartload after cartload failed to fill the hole, he began to wonder if such a thing as a gateway to hell truly did exist. Finally he declared the shovelling an impossible task & decided to change strategy. Maybe some unholy force has emerged in his realm - an unholy force that needed appeasing...
As Nikephoros ponders over the hole, he receives new that a group of Douxes, lead by Bardas of Charsianon, furious over the disastrous war with the Turks, have risen up against Michael VII in order to replace him with his younger brother Andronikos, who as a child, would be an easily manipulated Basileus which they could rule through. While many in Nikephoros' court try to convince him to join the rebellion, he insists in neutrality, citing his loyalty to the Empire as reason. Besides, he still has a gaping, fiery pit to contend with.
Soon full scale revolt brakes out in the Empire. The ambitious Doux Manuel Komnenos of Armeniacon, declares himself the true Basileus, stating that both Konstantinos & Michael are false Emperors & the descendants of Basileus Isaakios should rule in their stead. While the Empire tears itself apart, the Seljuk's begin to consolidate their power in Armenia.
Michael, believing his rule to be divinely mandated & that the Usurpers would fail. Orders his general Romanos Diogenes (as Theodoros had defected over to the Komnenoi) to quickly defeat the rebels so that he can resume the war against the Turks. Romanos enjoys a number of successes against the forces of Bardas & Manuel in the first few months of the war, but after a crushing defeat at the hands of Theodoros at the battle of Herakleia, he defects from the Empire, enlisting the aide of the ambitious douxes of the Aegean Sea & Cibyrrhaeot & declaring the young sister of Michael as Basilissa - another puppet ruler.
The battle of Herakleia was a crushing defeat for the loyalists & the defection of their best general, Romanos, has left them without any effective leadership. Michael's advisers beg him to make peace with Alp Arslan & form an alliance with his hated father-in-law, King Bagrat "Ironside" of Georgia. Still as arrogant as ever, Michael refuses all advice & fires the tongues that attempt to give it - even when news arrives of a final revolt, lead by the Doux of Athens, in a attempt to seat his wife, Eudokia Komnenos, on the Imperial Throne.
The Byzantine Empire is now consumed in a "War of Five Emperors", as if it's situation wasn't bad enough.
With the Empire's greatest generals now at the head of rebel armies, Michael turns to Nikephoros to lead what remains of the loyalist armies to victory. Nikephoros dutifully accepts, feeling more loyalty to Michael than any other contender for the throne, and thus Epirus joins the war on the Emperor's side.
Quickly the wisdom of Nikephoros' decisions are called into question, as the Epirotian Protostrator, the count of Cephalonia, promptly informs his Doux of a large army, loyal to the Athenian pretender, marching towards Epirus from multiple directions. Panicked, Nikephoros orders his army to evacuate the theme by sea.
Leaving Epirus behind, Nikephoros sails around the Greek coast & makes land fall in Philiopopolis where he is informed of a rebel army, lead by Doux Bardas of Charsianon, besieging Constantinople & within striking distance of the capital. Nikephoros marches to relieve the siege.
Lead by Protostrator Stephanos of Cephalonia, the Epirotian army engages the surprised & outnumbered rebels outside the city of Galata. The battle is a victory for the loyalist, and both Nikephoros & Stephanos march to Constantinople, where they are greeted with celebration.
However they are also met with grievous news. The Loyalists have been pushed out of most of Anatolia, with only Nikaea remaining as a foothold in the near east, while the Doux of Athens in subjugating northern Greece, Epirus included. The situation is most grim for the loyalists, lesser men would say untenable, but Nikephoros vows to his Emperor, that he will defend his throne with might & honor against not only the treacherous usurpers, but also the vile Turks.
Nikephoros is joined in Constantinople by his wife & children who fled the forces of Doux Nikephoros of Athens as he invaded Epirus. Ioanna, Nikephoros' wife, informs him that she is pregnant, much to Nikephoros' joy. Eager to retake his homeland, Nikephoros asks Michael for men to retake his theme, but the Emperor informs him that the rebels in Anatolia must be defeated first.
However, defeating the Anatolian rebels will be a harder task that the deluded & arrogant Basileus could image. The remaining Loyalist forces in Anatolia had been ordered to take the city of Antioch, one of Manuel Kmonenos' strongholds. However, Manuel had charged down from Ancyra to relieve the city, routing the besiegers outside of its' walls & chasing them across the Turkish boarder, where the loyalists would be utterly defeated in a second battle - the battle of Marash - at the hands of Doux Theodoros.
No loyalist would escape this battle, with many being killed by the victorious rebels & even more being captured. With no loyalists left in Anatolia, the Rebels would begin to fight against themselves for dominance, and Nikephoros' Epirotian army would become the only force still loyal to Michael VII.
This put the Emperor in a desperate position as he was now completely reliant on Nikephoros' aide and thus he granted the Doux leave to raise a new army from Constantinople, to bolster his Epirotian forces, & retake Epirus. Michael also appointed Nikephoros as his adviser, for extra goodwill.
By the new year, Nikephoros had raised an army of around 5600 men that was mostly made of European mercenaries & marched to Epirus which was already being subjugated by the Athenian forces.
As his march is underway, Nikephoros receives a message from Doux Theodoros of Cherson. Cherson is calling for a meeting of the Glory faction & wants all members to attend, including Nikephoros, stating the necessity of a discussion on what should be done about the Doukas family's mismanagement of the army & the Empire. Fearing that this disloyalty could spread throughout the faction should such a meeting happen, Nikephoros makes plans to call for Doux Theodoros to be removed as leader.
As Nikephoros nears Epirus, he receives news from Constantinople, that his wife has given birth to a son named Philaretos
In March 1069, Nikephoros reaches Epirus & engages the Athenian rebels in battle. Nikephoros' mercenary army has numerical superiority over the Athenian one, by about a 1000 men, and victory is quickly achieve by the end of the month, breaking the siege of Ioannia & expelling the rebels from Epirus.
Nikephoros would then split his army in two, the first half to recapture Bouthroton from the Athenian garrison & the second to drive the rebels from Arta. Nikephoros is successful in both endeavours...
With the Athenian rebels defeated for now, Nikephoros is forced to disband his mercenary army, having run out of the funds to employ them. Thankfully, the newly recaptured theme provides the loyalist army with fresh Epirotian recruits. With Greece under loyalist control for now, Nikephoros plans to sail across the Aegean and attempt to clean up the disaster of Anatolia, however, first he travels to Cherson to attend the Glory faction meeting.
Upon arrival at Cherson, Doux Theodors begins list the factions grievances with the Basileus & why something must be done in order to get Michael to listen to them. However, Nikephoros shouts him down, accusing Theodoros of disloyalty to the Empire & is God-given authority. As a great negotiator, Nikephoros is able to rally a small group of nobles to his side. This causes things to escalate & soon a vote of no-confidence is called for, with Nikephoros voting to dispose of Doux Theodoros as leader & replaced with a more loyal candidate.
Unfortunately, Nikephoros completely misjudges the sentiment of the faction towards Michael, and despite not joining a rebellion, the Glory nobles certainly don't support the Emperor. Cherson is able to retain his position as leader by a considerable margin & Nikephoros is accused, by some of the more radical members, of being a traitor to the Empire for supporting such a weak & incompetent Basileus.
However the pro-Doukas members of the faction are still numerous & soon the meeting turns south as they threaten to leave. Doux Theodoros is able to maintain peace by reaching a compromise with both divisions in his faction, saying that while the Glory faction will not outright support Michael, they will offer him financial aide. Begrudgingly the anti-Doukas members accept the compromise & each pay a small sum towards to proposal.
Nikephoros leaves the meeting feeling more loyal to Michael than ever, having reclaimed Epirus for the Empire & successfully quelling rebellion in one of the most powerful court factions.
However these good feelings would be short lived. With loyalist presence in Anatolia completely shattered by Herakleia, Antioch & Marash, the Seljuks victoriously annex all of Armenia, forcing an uneasy peace with the Emperor. The Seljuk Invasion is over, but for how long will it last? And will the Empire recover from the turmoil that grasps it.
The Byzantine army is in disarray after the battle, but Theodoros is finally able to rally the remains at Coloneia, just 4,000 men. Nikephoros is one of the few commanders who do not desert, being both too brave & too foolish to recognise the futility of the war, but is instead dismissed by Theodoros to return to Epirus and attempt to recruit more men.
Nikephoros returns to his court & is instantly met with a situation that instantly demands his attention. Georgios is almost at an age where he can be introduced to the Epirotian court. While Nikephoros is undoubtedly fond of his eldest son & thinks of him as a worthy heir, he can't help but wonder if he should curb his son's religious zeal. Ever since youth Georgios has had strong opinions in such an area & it often caused a rift between him & his father.
Eventually Nikephoros decides that it would be false of him not to intervene in his son's behavior, for he is a diligent man & believes that this trait involves how he cares of others. And so he spends the long hours preparing for Georgios' introduction of the realm by telling him stories of his own bravery in the recent campaign against the Turks. By the end of it, Nikephoros think he's done a good job of teaching Georgios to essence of bravery, but in truth, his son couldn't been disinterested & Nikephoros' stories of battle against the Turks only succeed in cultivating more zealous behaviour in his heir.
With the majority of his court captivated by either his sons planned introduction or the latest news of the continued struggle against the Turks, Nikephoros takes the opportunity to try & for-fill his role of recruiting more men for the war effort. However as he tours his countryside attempting to do so, he receives reports of an earthquake - of all things- at a nearby city. Diligent as ever, Nikephoros wastes no time in marching to the city, ready to tally up the total cost of the damage & the hard labour that would be required to repair it, when the most peculiar thing happens...
Already intrigued about such a crack & becoming somewhat impassioned about what a thing could mean, Nikephoros allows the peasant to take him to the crack. Finally he arrives at the hole and is struck by incredulity upon seeing it.
Unable to turn back now & driven by his own foolish bravery, Nikephoros decides to peer down into the hole & take a closer look...
Thoroughly disturbed by what he has seen, and the farmer close to fainting, Nikephoros hurriedly writes a letter to his steward, the mayor of Ioannina & tell him to find the funds to close the gap at once! However, as with all seemingly-abyssal holes of fire & brimstone, closing it would be easier said than done.
A practical man, and not one for superstition or religion, Nikephoros first order a mound of rocks & stones to be piled into the gap - for surely the hole can't be abyssal & this would soon prove it. However...
Now Nikephoros was not a stubborn man nor a cynical one, so as cartload after cartload failed to fill the hole, he began to wonder if such a thing as a gateway to hell truly did exist. Finally he declared the shovelling an impossible task & decided to change strategy. Maybe some unholy force has emerged in his realm - an unholy force that needed appeasing...
As Nikephoros ponders over the hole, he receives new that a group of Douxes, lead by Bardas of Charsianon, furious over the disastrous war with the Turks, have risen up against Michael VII in order to replace him with his younger brother Andronikos, who as a child, would be an easily manipulated Basileus which they could rule through. While many in Nikephoros' court try to convince him to join the rebellion, he insists in neutrality, citing his loyalty to the Empire as reason. Besides, he still has a gaping, fiery pit to contend with.
Soon full scale revolt brakes out in the Empire. The ambitious Doux Manuel Komnenos of Armeniacon, declares himself the true Basileus, stating that both Konstantinos & Michael are false Emperors & the descendants of Basileus Isaakios should rule in their stead. While the Empire tears itself apart, the Seljuk's begin to consolidate their power in Armenia.
Michael, believing his rule to be divinely mandated & that the Usurpers would fail. Orders his general Romanos Diogenes (as Theodoros had defected over to the Komnenoi) to quickly defeat the rebels so that he can resume the war against the Turks. Romanos enjoys a number of successes against the forces of Bardas & Manuel in the first few months of the war, but after a crushing defeat at the hands of Theodoros at the battle of Herakleia, he defects from the Empire, enlisting the aide of the ambitious douxes of the Aegean Sea & Cibyrrhaeot & declaring the young sister of Michael as Basilissa - another puppet ruler.
The battle of Herakleia was a crushing defeat for the loyalists & the defection of their best general, Romanos, has left them without any effective leadership. Michael's advisers beg him to make peace with Alp Arslan & form an alliance with his hated father-in-law, King Bagrat "Ironside" of Georgia. Still as arrogant as ever, Michael refuses all advice & fires the tongues that attempt to give it - even when news arrives of a final revolt, lead by the Doux of Athens, in a attempt to seat his wife, Eudokia Komnenos, on the Imperial Throne.
The Byzantine Empire is now consumed in a "War of Five Emperors", as if it's situation wasn't bad enough.
Quickly the wisdom of Nikephoros' decisions are called into question, as the Epirotian Protostrator, the count of Cephalonia, promptly informs his Doux of a large army, loyal to the Athenian pretender, marching towards Epirus from multiple directions. Panicked, Nikephoros orders his army to evacuate the theme by sea.
Leaving Epirus behind, Nikephoros sails around the Greek coast & makes land fall in Philiopopolis where he is informed of a rebel army, lead by Doux Bardas of Charsianon, besieging Constantinople & within striking distance of the capital. Nikephoros marches to relieve the siege.
Lead by Protostrator Stephanos of Cephalonia, the Epirotian army engages the surprised & outnumbered rebels outside the city of Galata. The battle is a victory for the loyalist, and both Nikephoros & Stephanos march to Constantinople, where they are greeted with celebration.
However they are also met with grievous news. The Loyalists have been pushed out of most of Anatolia, with only Nikaea remaining as a foothold in the near east, while the Doux of Athens in subjugating northern Greece, Epirus included. The situation is most grim for the loyalists, lesser men would say untenable, but Nikephoros vows to his Emperor, that he will defend his throne with might & honor against not only the treacherous usurpers, but also the vile Turks.
Nikephoros is joined in Constantinople by his wife & children who fled the forces of Doux Nikephoros of Athens as he invaded Epirus. Ioanna, Nikephoros' wife, informs him that she is pregnant, much to Nikephoros' joy. Eager to retake his homeland, Nikephoros asks Michael for men to retake his theme, but the Emperor informs him that the rebels in Anatolia must be defeated first.
However, defeating the Anatolian rebels will be a harder task that the deluded & arrogant Basileus could image. The remaining Loyalist forces in Anatolia had been ordered to take the city of Antioch, one of Manuel Kmonenos' strongholds. However, Manuel had charged down from Ancyra to relieve the city, routing the besiegers outside of its' walls & chasing them across the Turkish boarder, where the loyalists would be utterly defeated in a second battle - the battle of Marash - at the hands of Doux Theodoros.
No loyalist would escape this battle, with many being killed by the victorious rebels & even more being captured. With no loyalists left in Anatolia, the Rebels would begin to fight against themselves for dominance, and Nikephoros' Epirotian army would become the only force still loyal to Michael VII.
This put the Emperor in a desperate position as he was now completely reliant on Nikephoros' aide and thus he granted the Doux leave to raise a new army from Constantinople, to bolster his Epirotian forces, & retake Epirus. Michael also appointed Nikephoros as his adviser, for extra goodwill.
By the new year, Nikephoros had raised an army of around 5600 men that was mostly made of European mercenaries & marched to Epirus which was already being subjugated by the Athenian forces.
As his march is underway, Nikephoros receives a message from Doux Theodoros of Cherson. Cherson is calling for a meeting of the Glory faction & wants all members to attend, including Nikephoros, stating the necessity of a discussion on what should be done about the Doukas family's mismanagement of the army & the Empire. Fearing that this disloyalty could spread throughout the faction should such a meeting happen, Nikephoros makes plans to call for Doux Theodoros to be removed as leader.
As Nikephoros nears Epirus, he receives news from Constantinople, that his wife has given birth to a son named Philaretos
In March 1069, Nikephoros reaches Epirus & engages the Athenian rebels in battle. Nikephoros' mercenary army has numerical superiority over the Athenian one, by about a 1000 men, and victory is quickly achieve by the end of the month, breaking the siege of Ioannia & expelling the rebels from Epirus.
Nikephoros would then split his army in two, the first half to recapture Bouthroton from the Athenian garrison & the second to drive the rebels from Arta. Nikephoros is successful in both endeavours...
With the Athenian rebels defeated for now, Nikephoros is forced to disband his mercenary army, having run out of the funds to employ them. Thankfully, the newly recaptured theme provides the loyalist army with fresh Epirotian recruits. With Greece under loyalist control for now, Nikephoros plans to sail across the Aegean and attempt to clean up the disaster of Anatolia, however, first he travels to Cherson to attend the Glory faction meeting.
Upon arrival at Cherson, Doux Theodors begins list the factions grievances with the Basileus & why something must be done in order to get Michael to listen to them. However, Nikephoros shouts him down, accusing Theodoros of disloyalty to the Empire & is God-given authority. As a great negotiator, Nikephoros is able to rally a small group of nobles to his side. This causes things to escalate & soon a vote of no-confidence is called for, with Nikephoros voting to dispose of Doux Theodoros as leader & replaced with a more loyal candidate.
Unfortunately, Nikephoros completely misjudges the sentiment of the faction towards Michael, and despite not joining a rebellion, the Glory nobles certainly don't support the Emperor. Cherson is able to retain his position as leader by a considerable margin & Nikephoros is accused, by some of the more radical members, of being a traitor to the Empire for supporting such a weak & incompetent Basileus.
However the pro-Doukas members of the faction are still numerous & soon the meeting turns south as they threaten to leave. Doux Theodoros is able to maintain peace by reaching a compromise with both divisions in his faction, saying that while the Glory faction will not outright support Michael, they will offer him financial aide. Begrudgingly the anti-Doukas members accept the compromise & each pay a small sum towards to proposal.
Nikephoros leaves the meeting feeling more loyal to Michael than ever, having reclaimed Epirus for the Empire & successfully quelling rebellion in one of the most powerful court factions.
However these good feelings would be short lived. With loyalist presence in Anatolia completely shattered by Herakleia, Antioch & Marash, the Seljuks victoriously annex all of Armenia, forcing an uneasy peace with the Emperor. The Seljuk Invasion is over, but for how long will it last? And will the Empire recover from the turmoil that grasps it.
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