The First History (Vol. II)

The Fall of the Roman Empire here was tumultuous. The Empire's connection to the Mansus meant that when the Deluge struck, they were eviscerated. in the West, cities were left ruined and empty, millions gibbering and mad, easy prey for the barbarians held formerly at bay by a hundred desperate magicks. In the more prosperous east, decline fell like a hammer as well, but Constantinople clung to life. As a new era rose, Hours and man began to claw their way up again, civilizations looking back to the glories of old...

The Covenant at Chalcedon

One of the first Hours to take a renewed interest in the History was the Monument. As Belisarus's campaigns in Italy ground to a halt and the Sassanids intensified their wars in the east, Emperor Justinian began seeking the strange dreams he had and the ruined books from the old empire and a great power took notice of him. In Chalcedon, where the old priests had argued, Justinian summoned another council to resolve longstanding theological disputes. But there, his words spoke with an unnatural elder charisma, invoking the glories of old Rome and persuading the priests to dedicate themselves to a different cause. There, he made a covenant with the power at the edge of his dreams, the power glorious in his mind as he thought about old Rome. And Byzantium rose, its forces empowered as The Monument pushed its influence into the world. But as they rose, other powers began taking interest...