SPQR Round Two (Actually Round 9): Chapter 1: Ignis in Morte

Note from lucky7: Our framing device for my achievement run is a book  written by a scholar in the Roman Empire of 2017 CE about the Isaurian dynasty's rise to prominence. Author's Notes will be in italics and are asides written by Dr. Mazatl Argyros. My own asides will be in bold italics. The timeline stops being actual history in 769, which I felt I should mention because our first Emperor (Konstantinos V) has been ruling for a few decades by this point.

The fall of Western Rome destroyed a people. The decadence of the West, coupled with religious disunity and series of usurper generals had weakened the Empire. As the Goths, Angles, Saxons, and Vandals swarmed over the old provinces, carving their own kingdoms out of the bloated carcass of once-might Rome. Thus began what was known as the Rotting.

The Fall of Rome in 476 CE.

Elpidios the Just: A Crusader Kings 2 One-Off

Howdy, folks. This here is a one-shot based off a failed run of mine. SPQR: Round 2 will begin next Saturday if I'm lucky.

When talking about the end of the Isaurian dynasty's rule of the Byzantine Empire and the era of the Petty Emperors, there is one figure who is often overlooked: Strategos Elpidios "the Just."

A picture of a man assumed to be Elpidios.

Little is known about the enigmatic governor, and for good reason; much of his history was erased during Emperor Iordanes' purge of Iconoclasm from the Empire. What is known is that he was born a commoner who worked his way up through the Byzantine bureaucracy. Throwing his lot in with Konstantinos V during the civil war against Strategos Artabasdos of Armenia, he found his loyalty rewarded with the Theme of Sicily in 769 CE.

lucky7 Plays Skyrim, Chapter 1: Character Creation

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released by Bethesda Softworks on November 11th, 2011. Featuring dragons, a plot featuring the prophesied end of the world, and a protagonist capable of shouting people off of cliffs, it won near-universal acclaim. Even after the release of Fallout 4, it's cultural influence can be felt even today.

I hate it.

Okay, it's a bit more complicated than that. When the game came out, I had basically wanted to play Skyrim since forever. Since I was quite young when it came out, I didn't get to (which was probably for the best). Five years later, I finally did; and for the PC no less! With excitement and trepidation and three weeks of waiting, I booted up Skyrim for the first time.

One hundred and fifteen hours. One hundred and fifteen hours of a game I have modded to Oblivion and back, until it can't even be considered Skyrim any more. But I can't tear myself away from it. So that's what this series is: my one last hurrah before leaving Skyrim for the foreseeable future. For future reference, comments from me the writer will be in italics. Our hero's perspective will use the default font.

But enough about me. Let's get on with the main attraction: