Celestial Dynasty: New Rome

New Rome, Queen of Cities. The grains of Europe and the olives of Asia nourished this unparalleled crown of the Mediterranean world. Amber and furs from the depths of the Rus' forests, along with spices and silks from Persia, flowed through the Bosphorus into the Golden Horn. The camel bells of merchants rang incessantly, and pilgrims were awestruck by the city's prosperity. Patriarchs and believers offered heartfelt blessings to the Emperor in the Brahna Palace. "Great Basilius! You are the embodiment of the Lord on earth, the restorer of the beginning of the land, the sharp hunter who tears apart vultures and hyenas… You are also the chilling massacre of the Normans, the blood and tears of the Armenians, and the cold nightmare that haunts the Latin heretics night after night." Thus Honiatis wrote in the *Chronicle of Nikiforus*: The pulse of Rome beats because of you…