by storyofyears | Jul 4, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Emperor’s Last WinterThe winter of 1125 bit hard in Mainz. Frost sheathed the cathedral’s spires, and the Rhine moved sluggishly under its crust of ice. Within the stone-clad corridors of the imperial palace, silence pressed as heavily as the snow...
by storyofyears | Jun 24, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: Beneath the Icy FacadeThe Neva River groaned beneath a crust of ice, its surface reflecting the gray, bruised underbelly of Saint Petersburg’s winter sky. The city was restless, aching with the chill of January and the hunger of a thousand unsatisfied...
by storyofyears | May 31, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Dimming CrownOn a biting January night in 1301, the city of Buda was restless. Icicles hung from church eaves and the Danube’s icy breath curled through the market lanes, but the city’s heart beat anxiously, set to the fevered rumors from the royal...
by storyofyears | May 12, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Envoy’s BurdenThe early summer sun shone hard on the dust-choked road winding south from Pamplona, gilding the tufts of wild grass as they bent in the wind. Martín Íñiguez, second son of a minor Navarrese noble, rode at the head of a small retinue. His...
by storyofyears | Apr 16, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Emperor’s DemiseThe sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the city of Rome. Within the confines of the Lateran Palace, a silence fell, as if nature itself paused to acknowledge the gravity of the moment. Emperor Otto II lay on...
by storyofyears | Mar 30, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Messenger ArrivesThe sun hung low over Athens, casting long shadows across the Parthenon. Cleon stood at the Agora, the bustling heart of the city, amidst the cries of merchants and the chatter of citizens. It had been a year since the death of...
