Emperor Petrus Mathias

Emperor and Autocrat of the Rasenna Petrus Maxenius Mathias (a.k.a. Spatharios (The Sword Bearer)

The successor of Emperor Scabalus Kantakuzene and an accomplished military leader who, along with his son Arno, attempted to stabilize and reconquer lost corners of the ailing empire. Mathias' reconquest of Hakkadia and a portion of eastern Hasdulia would open the door for the campaigns of his son in Agrihenia, Mykra, and southern Areul.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Strong, capable, and a powerful man with a quick mind and prudent behavior. Mathias also displayed his strength through the presence he had in speaking with palace officials who often were intimidated by him.

Facial Features

Mathias was known in his time as a handsome man, he displayed the martial ruggedness of his background but displayed a more refined image than what is typically depicted. His dark hair and prominent curls and beard made him the envy of those at the court in Rasca.

Apparel & Accessories

Adopted a very Mykran style of ceremonial dress which was becoming more prominent in Rasennan court life at the tail end of the empire. At court, he preferred a woven or metallic diadem which was often worn by commanders and emperors with a Mykran heritage.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Born Petrus Maxenius Mathias in the Mykran provincial town of Essenia during the reign of Emperor Procopius during the year of his famed defeat and death during the invasion of Hasdulia. It is thought that Petrus was born into a family of Agriheni-Mykran descent as his poorly attested father, a man named Justin Maxenius Sabbatius was allegedly a swineherd. Mathias himself would forgo this occupation and instead enlist in the army and over time came to be a cavalry commander in the Mykran theme. During his early career, he is said to have participated in the eastern border skirmishes with the Rasanids and in particular, the Battle of Thenar where the Rasennans suffered a humiliating defeat and Emperor Laskares was forced to sign a one-sided treaty with them.

Mathias is supposed said to have been present in the army that put down Mundores' riot against the emperor Laskares in 59 B.E where Mundores' supporters, upon receiving word of new incoming taxes, rioted in the streets of Komneia, the empire's 2nd largest city and had to be suppressed by Captain of the Scholai Scabalus Kantakuzene and of the newly made Spatharii led by Leontius Felix Cyrilus, uncle of the later Junius Felix Cyrilus. Mathias' conduct during this riot supposedly saved the life of Kantakuzene himself and so he was quickly promoted to the imperial bodyguard unit and given an imperial salary to support his lowly family back home in Mykra. It seems that Mathias would be given the nickname of Spatharios or Spatha Bearer, a title also given to a bodyguard unit of the imperial retinue at this time so it may be apocryphal. Mathias' stint as a high-ranking individual in the Cubrati ended with the ascension of Scabalus to the imperial seat after his brother-in-law, Emperor Laskares, died of a particularly nasty illness. With an ally in Scabalus now sitting on the imperial throne, Mathias received new military titles like Magister Militum Praesentalis as well as court titles like Nobilissimus which denoted him as "Most noble" and Sebastus which made him an official member of the new imperial family.

Nevertheless, Mathias' time between his promotion and his ascension as the Emperor has various different tellings based on who's account is being made. In one, Mathias and Scabalus' sister Rhea Kantakuzene begin an affair which the Emperor soon finds out about and banishes his sister while demoting Mathias. This is the impetus for Mathias' usurpation of his longtime ally and for his marriage to Rhea. In other tellings, Mathias is betrothed to Rhea by Scabalus but during the ceremony, Scabalus is bitter and mocks the groom before the eyes of the imperial court. This slight and general preference toward more aristocratic noblemen is what entices Mathias to usurp the throne with the aid of allies like Leontius Cyrilus and his son Junius who maintain the loyalty of most of the aristocracy of Lakia and the court. Whatever the cause, in 47 B.E, Scabalus is usurped by Mathias, blinded, and exiled to the small island of Vurita, never to trouble the empire again.

Now the ascendant emperor, Mathias was crowned and immediately put into motion plans to reconquer the recently lost territories in Hakkadia. Hakkadia had more or less been lost and abandoned by the empire following the failed expedition of 56 B.E by Basilicus, the brother-in-law of Emperor Laskares. By 45 B.E, Mathias mustered a force of around 17,000 troops with the necessary transport ships to ferry them to the coast and a fleet of warships to fend off any opposition to the naval convoy. Mathias personally commanded the force and accompanying him was a large array of seasoned and loyal subcommanders namely Leontius, his son Junius, the Magister Militum of Agrihenia Dendarios, Thesalios Kanatkuzene the Captain of the Spatharii and son of the deposed Emperor Scabalus, the Domestic of Mykra Heralius as well as his young son also named Petrus Maxenius Mathias but who would be known to us as Arno. Also accompanying the invasion force was the Exousiastes Varas, of Imazir descent he acted as a liaison for the tribesmen of the desert and played an instrumental role in stabilizing the province after it was reconquered.

Mathia's invasion force landed at the allied port of Vanda where they were greeted by the head of the towns council Mazdal who had recently come over to the Rasennan side via a bribe from Varas. With a secured landing made, Mathias himself supposedly found a large freshwater spring via his Imazir scouts and paraded the vital freshwater before the army saying

"Come yourself and grip the running gold of these lands for we now have hold of the province!!"

This was seen as a good omen for the success of the invasion and the army continued east towards the provincial capital of Mvelo where the Imazir leader Yensal had made his residence. In the coming Battle of Camara, Mathias and his army had scouted ahead the position of the Imazir army that had rallied to oppose them. A short skirmish was fought and both sides were drawn into a battle as reports indicated that the scouts had each fought the vanguard of the opposing army. As the army advanced, they were beset on three sides by ambushing Imazir spearmen who came down from the hills, though the men were beaten and bruised they suffered few casualties as they refused to counterattack the withdrawing spearmen who hopped to draw the Rasenna toward their cavalrymen who would ambush them again. Thesalios, who was at the head of the army, ordered a breakthrough charge that opened the road and allowed the army to regroup near the village of Camara where the 2nd stage of the battle was fought. Behind the earthworks of Camara, Mathias ordered his men to split up and occupy the neighboring towns and hold them. This action made the Imazir also split up and force battle against the nearby towns that had the only freshwater and food in the area. Three light battles were fought in the towns of Camara, Gidra, and Peras and the Rasenna were victorious in all three.

In the fighting, Yensal's brother Asaf had died fighting at Gidra, and the Imazir leader was distraught with sorrow as he gathered his dear brother's body and retreated towards Mvelo. As Mathias' army regrouped, resupplied, and marched on Mvelo, the populace, who were largely Ecclesial Rasennan citizens revolted and threw out Yensal and his men as they opened the gates to Mathias and his army. Emperor Mathias entered the city in triumph and was greeted warmly by the citizens of Mvelo as he made his way to the palace where he and his retinue ate the meal Yensal had prepared for himself that day. The campaign was not yet over as Yensal was still in the countryside with a significant group of supporters but after a few defeats and a letter written to him by Varus urging him to surrender, the Imazir leader did so and Hakkadia was finally reconquered formally. With minor celebrations occurring in Mvelo, Mathias and most of his force departed, leaving behind Varus as the new Exarch of Hakkadia. Upon reaching Rasca, Mathias threw another triumph for himself and had Yensal paraded in chains before the cheering populace, causing the Imazir leader to cry out,

"Oh what a world of vanity, what a world of decadence!"

The victory in the Hakkadian campaign was a great boon to the empire which had been reeling for so long following defeats since the disastrous invasion at Calar by Emperor Procopius. The army received a great reassurance in their capabilities by this victory and following it, another victory was felt in the successful invasion of eastern Hasdulia which was conducted by the Domestic Heralius. As Mathias gazed around the empire, success and security followed as the empire seemed to be recovering and reemerging as a powerful and stable realm once more. This promise would have to be acted upon by his son as in 32 B.E, Mathias would be assassinated by a deranged would-be usurper named Macorius. Mathias was in public celebrating the marriage of his ward Junius Cyrilus to Petra, his niece via his sister Justina. During the ceremony, Macorius is said to have dropped down to the feet of Mathias and showered him in adulations to which Mathias told his guardsmen to stand down. After this, Macorius is supposedly said to have uttered words from a popular play during the time, "The lion sheathes his claws!!" and stabbed Mathias in the neck with a dagger. As Mathias lay bleeding out, he is supposedly said to have been comforted by his son Arno who he told,

"Reach for the crest of the heavens, lest the mud and men of the world swallow you."

These were the alleged last words of the Emperor who died after. In world history, Mathias' assassination would have profound implications as with his succession, the throne passed to his only child Arno who would etch his name into the annals of Rasennan history with his dramatic and era-defining military campaigns which nearly restored the empire to a resemblance of its past might. Had Mathias lived, the world would have likely been dramatically different but this is simple speculation and has plagued the minds of lovers of the empire in the centuries following the empire's fall.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Secure the Empire and reintroduce the former provinces to Rasennan rule

Virtues & Personality perks

Tactful
Patient
Familial
Shrewd
Diligent

Vices & Personality flaws

Cautious
Wrathful
Vain
Stubborn
Envious

Social

Family Ties

Father of Emperor Arno
Husband of Rhea Kantakuzene
Son of Justin Sabbatius

Religious Views

A firm believer in the Pankomisa, Mathias sponsored the education of his son Arno during his time as a bodyguard of Scabalus. While never interested in the minutia of theology and religious dogma, he was personally a pious man and believed very strongly in the favor of God.

Social Aptitude

Bombastic and outgoing, Mathias was a man fitted for all the social encounters of his life. Coming from provincials in Mykra, Mathias was not looked down on too much as he came from a land that had a significant presence in the empire culturally. He threw frequent banquets and parties of limited attendance where he threw out the social decorum of the imperial seat and personally interacted with his attendees. He engaged often with his soldiers on campaign and routinely made his affection for his family known to those around him. He adored his son Arno and actively involved himself in the raising of him as well as his education. In bringing Arno on campaign, he hoped to mold the boy to become a better ruler than he was, as well as instill in him the reserved yet disciplining presence of an emperor and commander.

Speech

Dignified yet very much a rowdy and haughty man of the provinces, Mathias received a mostly military education and as such had a tenuous grasp on written language. Nevertheless, as he rose he educated himself and advocated for the education of his son and soon Mathias learned fluent Lakic, Agrihenian, and a tenuous grasp of Hasdinian which meant he could issue direct orders in four languages.

Relationships

Emperor Petrus Mathias

Husband (Important)

Towards Rhea Kantakuzene

-2

5

Subversive

---

Rhea Kantakuzene

Wife (Trivial)

Towards Emperor Petrus Mathias

-5

5

Frank

---

Ethnicity

Mykran

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Agrihenian
• Rasennan

Date of Birth

4th of Larza

Date of Death

15th of Marce

Life

92 B.E 32 B.E 60 years old

Circumstances of Birth

Born to a very humble provincial family in Mykra

Circumstances of Death

Assassinated by Macorius, succeeded by his son Arno

Birthplace

Essenia, Mykra

Place of Death

Rasca, Lakia

Parents

Justin Sabbatius

Spouses

Rhea Kantakuzene (Wife)

Siblings

Children

• Emperor Arno

Gender

Male

Eyes

Dark Brown

Hair

Dark Brown, Curly, Thick Beard

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tan

Height

6'3

Weight

220 lbs

Quotes & Catchphrases

"How they smile when we rise and laugh when we fall, for the sweetest sound at court when it is silent and they hang on your every word."

Belief/Deity

The Pankomisa Ecclesia

Aligned Organization

Rasennan Dominate

Other Affiliations

• The Pankomisa Ecclesia

Character Prototype

Phillip II of Makedon and Belisarius

(Men of the Spatharii imperial bodyguard)

(Mathias enters Mvelo in triumph)

(Mathias' captain of the Scholai Leontius Cyrilus, father of his successor Junius Cyrilus)