The Dark Lord

GALEN
, Augustus (Emperor) and God of the now reunited Roman Empire. A thin, driven man; the eldest of the three Atreus brothers, sons of the Latin Roman governor of Narbonensis (southern France). Formerly a Legion commander, and Emperor of the West for eight years.

AURELIAN
, Caesar (prince) of the Empire. The middle brother, a cheerful, burly, redheaded man with a talent for engineering, mechanical toys and horse breeding. Commander of the Roman defense of Egypt and Galen's heir while little Theodosius is underage.

MAXIAN
, Caesar (prince) of the Empire. A priest of the temple of Asklepius the Healer, youngest of the three Atreus brothers. Gifted with the rare ability to heal, and an unexpected and dangerous talent for necromancy. Not yet grown into his full power, Maxian is the strongest thaumaturge to ever serve the Roman Empire. A normally cheerful lad now grown somewhat morose and distant under the weight of ever-mounting responsibilities.

HELENA
, wife of Galen, Empress of Rome. An inveterate writer and socialite, the sharp-tongued Empress is the last of an ancient house and a throwback to the Empire's days of glory. Confidante, coconspirator and friend of the Duchess De'Orelio. Mother of Theodosius, Galen's infant son.

ANASTASIA DE'ORELIO
, Duchess of Parma, former Minister of the Western Office of Barbarians. Widow of the elderly Duke of Parma, a semiretired spymaster for Emperor Galen, and secret priestess and agent of the forbidden cult of Artemis the Hunter. Orphaned as a child by Visigothic pirates and sold as a slave, Anastasia was taken in by the Thiran priestesses of Artemis and has risen high in their councils as the "Queen of Day."

BETIA
, the Duchess' Maid. Young German novitiate of the cult of Artemis. The Duchess' eyes and ears in the City of Rome.

THYATIS JULIA CLODIA
, Agent of the Office of Barbarians. Adoptive daughter of Duchess Anastasia, her heir, novitiate of the cult of Artemis and centurion in the Roman Legion. She has also served, for six years, as the Duchess' primary
sicarius
, or assassin. The eldest daughter of the ancient and (sometimes) respected Clodian gens in Rome. A distant descendant of Mark Antony, via his marriage to the daughter of Clodius Pulcher, an enemy of Julius Caesar during the last days of the Republic.

NICHOLAS OF ROSKILDE
, Agent of the Office of Barbarians. A Latin child purchased as a slave by the Stormlords of the Dannmark, Nicholas returned to the Empire as a mercenary and freelance agent for the Eastern Empire's secret service. With the Eastern Empire in disarray, he and his boon companion Vladimir are at loose ends.

VLADIMIR
, a wandering K'shapâcara (or "nightwalker"), Agent of the Office of Barbarians. A cheerful barbarian exile from the Walach tribes in highland Carpathia, forced into the Empire by the vicious expansion of the Draculis tribes.

GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR
, formerly Dictator of Rome. Revivified by Maxian's power, the cunning, lecherous, brilliant ancient now serves as the prince's spymaster and advisor. Imbued with new life, he intends to take advantage of every grain of time passing through his fingers.

ALEXANDROS
, descendant of Zeus Thundershield, former Emperor and last of the Agead kings of Macedon. Like Gaius Julius, the youthful King owns new life from Maxian's hand. Though still brilliant, rash and headstrong by turns, the weight of centuries has taught the Conqueror a tiny fragment of caution. And now, there is a new Persia to defeat...

THE CAT-EYED QUEEN
, an ancient sorceress of uncertain antecedents. The ruler of the K'shapâcara tribes dwelling in the human cities of the Eastern Empire and long-standing enemy of the demon Azi Tohak and his inhuman masters.

SHAHR-BARAZ
, Shahanshah (King of Kings) of Persia. A former farmer, rebel and lately General of the armies of Persia. Known as the "Royal Boar" for his vigor, enormous mustaches and relentless headlong success on the battlefield. The Boar previously served Chrosoes Anushirwan, but with the great king's death, Shahr-Baraz has reluctantly occupied the Persian throne, declaring himself protector of the Twin Radiances, the princesses Azarmidukht and Purandokht. In their name, he rules a weakened, divided yet victorious Persia.

KHADAMES
, a Persian General. An old friend and subordinate of Shahr-Baraz, Khadames serves both the King of Kings, and his brother, Prince Rustam—otherwise known as the sorcerer Dahak—as aide and chief of staff. Weary, and worn down by the enormous effort of the sorcerer's vast plans, Khadames continues to labor in the service of a beloved Persia.

DAHAK (RUSTAM APARVIZ)
, a Sorcerer. The younger brother of the dead shahanshah Chrosoes, Rustam has trafficked with dark, inhuman powers. In this way he has gathered many servants both fair and foul to his service. Through his powers, Rustam intends to see Persia restored and Rome destroyed.

C'HU'LO
, yabghu of the T'u-chüeh (Western Huns). First among Dahak's lieutenants, the T'u-chüeh khan has fallen far since the days when he ruled an empire stretching from the Rha (the Volga) to the Chinese frontier. Now he commands a small, but growing army of expatriate kinsmen and is the voice of Dahak in the wilderness.

PIRUZ
, Prince of Balkh. Greatest of the Aryan feudal lords along the northern frontier of Persia, Piruz—a young, aggressive noble—seeks no lesser prize than the hand of princess Purandokht, and by that means, his sons on the throne of Persia.

ZENOBIA VI SEPTIMA
, Last Queen of Palmyra, lineal descendant of Emperor Aurelian and Zenobia the First. Though her great desert city has been destroyed and the Queen herself struck down by the might of Persia, Zenobia lives on in the memories and thoughts of her kinsmen and allies. The heart and soul of the Decapolis—the Greek and Nabatean cities of the Middle East.

ODENATHUS
, Prince of Palmyra, the Queen's nephew. A Legion-trained thaumaturge, the young prince now commands the armies of Palmyra-in-Exile as Queen Zoë's second-in-command. Close friend of Khalid al'Walid and many of the Arab captains.

ZOË
, Queen of Palmyra, Zenobia's niece. Heir to the Palmyrene throne and a powerful thaumaturge in her own right. Like Odenathus, she was trained by Rome, and fought in the great war against Persia. The leader of the revolt of the Decapolis and the Arabs against the tyranny of the Eastern Empire. In her, most of all, the memory of Zenobia burns bright.

KHALID AL'WALID
(the "Eagle"), General of the Arab armies. Dashing and handsome, the young Eagle has risen—with the presumed death of Mohammed—to command the Sahaba and the armies of the Decapolis. Accompanied always by his silent companion, Patik, al'Walid intends nothing less than the establishment of a Levantine Greek-Arab empire in the ruins of the Roman East.

JALAL
, a Tanukh bowman. Former mercenary, now risen to command the Arab
qalb
, or heavy horse. One of the few surviving companions of Mohammed who fought at the siege of Palmyra.

SHADIN
, a Tanukh Swordsman. Like his old friend Jalal, a former mercenary. Commander of the Arab
muqadamma
, or "center." He too served under Mohammed at Palmyra.

URI BEN-SARID
, captain of the Mekkan Jews. Boyhood friend of Mohammed, and the leader of the various Jewish contingents in the army of the Sahaba.

PATIK
(the "silent"), Persian mercenary, formerly the Great Prince Shahin. Once a grandee of the Persian Empire, close relative of shahanshah Chrosoes, and commander of the Persian armies in Syria—the tall, powerfully built Patik has been reduced to a wandering sell-sword, finding service in the ragged band of men following Khalid al'Walid. By this circuitous route, he finds himself once more in the service of Persia, under the rule of his old rival, Shahr-Baraz.

MOHAMMED AL'QURAYSH
, a merchant of Mekkah. After a long life of wandering on the fringes of the Empire, unable to find his destiny, Mohammed fell into the company of an Egyptian priest and into the crucible of war. Embattled and trapped in the destruction of Palmyra, Mohammed encountered true evil made flesh. Soon after, distraught at the death of his beloved wife Khadijah, he attempted to end his own life. Instead, a voice entered him and gave him new purpose and direction. Guided by the voice from the clear air, Mohammed set forth to punish the treachery of the Eastern Emperor Heraclius, precipitating a new war.

SHIRIN
, Empress of Persia. Wife of the now-dead shahanshah Chrosoes Anushirwan, Shirin is a young Khazar woman, forced into exile in Rome. Secreted for a time on the Artemisian holy isle of Thira, Shirin has escaped both the order and the clutches of the Eastern Empire. Lost in the ruin of the Vesuvian eruption, she searches for her lost children and her friend, Thyatis.