Patricia Taylor
Stories
11
Chapters
3,604
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 16 h
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"Butcher of Marmara? That sounds nice, I like that name." Antonius laughed so hard that tear appeared in his eye sockets. "Hope that the 'butcher' wont have to turn his butcher cleaver on his fellow sailors anymore." "Oh yes, I need to warn you my friend. Don't pressurise your soldiers too much, or else they might revolt against you. You wont wanna see a shining knife in the mid of sleeping aye?" Giovanni raised his beaker of ale and called for the bartender and asked him to refill his beaker to the…-
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The Greek Fire, one of the deadliest weapons Europe has ever seen. The most powerful and battle-proven weapon until the Mongols arrived with their gun powder. The Greek Fire has never even once, failed the Romans throughout its history of usage. It forms the backbone of Roman maritime defence, it successfully saved Constantinople twice from the Saracens, once against the Slavs and once against the Bulgarians. And now, Antonius is expecting to use it against the Ottoman fleet, hoping that this ancient…
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Later that day, in the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, Blachernae. The Great Palace of Constantinople, although fine on the outside, but is completely damaged beyond repairs as the leading usher has told them, by the crusaders and Venetians of course, just another prove that Giovanni have acquired to be sarcastic on Stephano. The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus is another signature piece of architecture of the Romans, the reigning emperor two centuries ago developed the concept of this palace himself to…
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Antonius parades through the vast open streets from Gate of Eugenios to the Palace of Bataneiates, riding on the back of an elegant short-haired destrier horse, donned in full glistening armor, exceedingly luxurious scarlet cloak on his back, and a headband made of flower buds given to him by a young lass. It is not hard to see what the true state of the great city now, deeply sunk in the pathetic state of poverty despite having a thousand years of rich history. The infrastructures in the port is poorly…
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"But my Sultan, with my utmost respect I must advice you, that constructing a fort on the bottleneck of the Bosporus is no diplomatic action, it is an act of war!" The Grand Vizier stood up and warned the Sultan with a grim face. "Yes! My Sultan! I urge you to reconsider, the Sultanate cannot fight enemies on multiple fronts, building the fort will inevitably provoke the Romans!" "No no no, Constantine agreed with me, everything inside the Theodosian walls belong to the Romans, anything outside those…
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"I am the Sultan! The Sultan on the throne is me!" … Mehmed returned to his Panoramic Pavilion, his harem while massaging his forehead. He is having a mild headache as stress piles up from the usual court and political matters. He also regretted losing control of himself and yelling at the Grand Vizier today, that is not the deeds by a matured politician that Mehmed sees himself. He first saw his eldest son Beyezid, was playing with servants, free of any troubles and light-hearted, totally unlike him…
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1452 AD 25th October, port of Chios. Chios is a typical bustling vibrant port city in a chain of isles in the Aegean sea, a pearl of the Genoese settlements, and a main trade route harbour between vital cities of the Asia minor trade network like Izmir, Adana, Amasya and Athens. Antonius landed his sea-faring boots on the harbour together with Abdullah, Abraham and the legate of Candia, Stefano D'Correr. The port, being a usual port having the familiar thick smell of sea-salt, filled with the cries of…
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… Night falls. There is always a saying that all evils, alive or not, roams the streets after the last trace of sunlight vanishes in the horizon. The inky canopy darkness and the dim city streetlights produced an eerie effect, together with the random hoots and shrieks of nocturnal creatures. All unseen activities are being carried out only after the sun sets as the curtain of pitch-dark draped over the sky. In an information rich city like Candia where the east and west communicates, the native…
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"And I am from Genoa." The man from behind looked at Antonius with an evil pair of eyes like that of a cobra that is ready to strike, he has a rugged face and a brawny body shape from years of service and hard labour. "Why? Can I help you, my friend?" The seaman made a bizarre sound and spitted on the boots of Antonius. "We don't fancy a Genoese in a Venetian tavern." He replied with a tone of despise. "I guess that I shall raid and sink another of your kind's ship to teach your lads a lesson." "Well I…
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Krete, sitting in the mid of the eastern Mediterranean, perfectly located on one of the busiest trade routes in Europe. It has served as a barricade for Byzantium against Saracen pirates into the Aegean, and also serves as a platform for enhanced communication by trade through the east and west. To the north one can reach the busy ports of Greek coasts, such as Thessaloniki, Constantinople, and Izmir within a thousand miglio (Roman Mile) distance. To the east you have the centre of trade in Asia such as…
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