Emperor Alexios the Golden Tusk - JoeW

Player: JoeW
Faction: Orthodox, Byzantium
Email: loxos_the_golden_tusk@crusade.chaosdeathfish.com

Travelling at the head of his grand procession, Loxos the Golden Tusk is a popular figure amongst the common people of Byzantium. His arrival is heralded by a blast of horns, the beat of the drum and the trumpeting of his elephants. Tales precede him speaking of his prowess in battle, his generous heart and the regal cast of his features.

Outside of the Empire he is an unknown, but with his arrival in the Holy Land that will surely change…

From “The Roman Empire in the 12th Century” by A. S. Stamper.

[…] though not without controversy during his reign – marches against the expense of the construction of the Cathedral of the Elephants even managed to provoke the tame Senate into a statement of disapproval – the Emperor Alexios left the Roman Empire stronger and prouder upon his death than for many decades previously. The Emperor knew how to promote expertise and listen to good advice, the chief examples being the military guidance he received from his father Karantenos, the diplomatic and bureaucratic advice from the Patriarch Giannopoulos and the counsel of Nobellisimo Ithakenseys on good governance.

The absorption of the former Seljuk territories continued smoothly, with particular attention being given to their reconversion to the Orthodox faith […] fearsome elephant cavalry equipped with the alchemical war-devices of Sergios, but it was in naval affairs that the Roman Empire proved stronger. By the end of his reign the Roman fleet was decisively stronger than Venice and the Ayyubid in the Eastern Mediterranean, though still not so strong as to challenge both simultaneously […] despite this military strength it was a period of peace upon the Empire's borders. To the south the Ayyubid and Crusaders proved to be firm allies, to the north-west an enduring alliance with the Holy Roman Empire was cemented by the marriage of the Basilopraetor and then the courtesy shown to his widow. Although the borders did not grow the prosperity of the people did […]

Excerpts from “Elephant!” a popular history by Nicholas Woodstock (1934).

[…] Alexios, the loyalist supporter the elephant ever had […]

[…] as a gesture of the friendship between their kingdoms Emperor Alexios sent from his herd the elephant named Tapir, who had been for a time a friend of King Baldwin V in his altered form. An albino runt in his youth the application of Roman alchemy had transformed the beast into one of the largest elephants in the historical record. The Emperor pronounced him “purer in his elephantine majesty” than any other, and even in the Crusader Kingdoms it was understood that strange as it might be this was an exceptional gift.

All through his reign the Emperor Alexios gathered to his side elephants from distant Africa and India, establishing long-lived trade routes into those lands which brought much new learning and art besides to the Empire. Within five years of the commencement of his reign he had established the new office of Megas-Elephantas charged with the maintenance of the imperial herd and the conduct of elephant cavalry warfare. The post remained one of the most prestigious in the Empire until the discovery of blackpowder, and deployment of cannon on the battlefield, ended the dominance of the elephant in Roman ranks. Even then it was an important advisory post for a century more and continues to be a title held by the Director of the Imperial Zoological Gardens.

Excerpts from “A Compendium of Wonders for the Inquisitive Child”, an educational book by Samuel Crabnell (1847).

[…] the Cathedral of the Elephants, set in parkland outside the walls of the great city of Constantinople, remains one of the marvels of the world. The enormous dome of the cathedral, which will remain the largest not supported by central pillars until the eventual completion of the Crystal Palace, is visible throughout the city and used by the citizens as a handy navigational aid. Beneath this dome is set an enormous nave, open to the outside through great arches which could easily fit a London townhouse. The dome is much larger than could naturally be self-supported by the strength of stone and is thus also one of the largest alchemically enhanced structures in the world.

[…] leaving aside the impressive scale of the building, its original purpose is a wonder too. The Emperor Alexios was famed for his dedication to the elephants which had escorted him from exile in the East, his love of parades to display them and his martial skill in their employment in war. Convinced that the noble elephant ought to attend mass he was dismayed to learn that not even the great Hagia Sophia could safely hold a single elephant. On this matter the Patriarch of Constantinople, his old friend and ally Panagiotis Giannopoulos, was adamant. In fact it was said that the greatest source of argument between these two friends was on the matter of the Church's duty to the elephant; Emperor Alexios adamant that any creature as perfect in spirit as the elephant must certainly possess a soul, whereas the Patriarch insisted that whilst the elephant did in truth contain a soul within its body it was mortal like that of all other animals and the elephant would not rise on Judgement Day to enter into the Kingdom of God.

It is for this theological reason that within the Cathedral of the Elephant, beneath its enormous dome, is set a small chapel missing one wall. In truth this is the cathedral for it is the only consecrated ground. The Emperor Alexios would parade his elephants into the Cathedral beneath the dome and there they would kneel upon great cushioned benches (sadly lost now). Alexios, upon his favourite elephant Cyril the leader of the herd, would advance into the little church. There he and his wife, and later his son Basil, would witness from their howdah a mass served by the Patriarch himself.

”…and there was much laughter from the crowd as they saw that the Emperor had fallen asleep in his howdah. Still they cheered and poured their admiration out upon the Royal family and the Imperial Herd as they completed their annual parade through the city, and indeed there was much appreciation shown for a pair of painted bears newly added to the host, black and white in the manner of one of the African striped horse…”

”…It was only when they had returned to the palace that they found that Emperor Alexios had passed away and the trumpeting of the herd was deafening throughout the entire city. And Prince Basil, guided by the Regent Lida, declared that the entire rest of the month was to be given over in celebration of his father's life, which has left the merchants in quite a state I can tell you…”