Leon Argenteros
The maternal uncle of basileus Basil III Nikolaides has served as the regent and Lord High Marshal of the Empire of Achenae since his appointment following Basil's election to the throne by the Achenaean senate in 647 AFE. A capable military commander, but indifferent administrator, Argenteros has followed a policy of allowing local polities the autonomy to govern themselves whenever possible. This policy, heightened by his prolonged absence managing the war effort in the province of Pandocheia, is likely to have exacerbated the current troubles plaguing the Imperial District. Having recently returned to the capital of Metilene after the disastrous campaign, Argenteros' gaze has turned towards domestic affairs and security.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born into the aristocratic Argenteros family that has held the electorship of Vitala from their seat in the northern city of Thersis for nearly two centuries, Leon, the third son and youngest child of Doux Markos Argenteros, lived his early years without any cares. At the age of ten, he was sent to accompany his twin sister, Eirene, on her journey to Metilene where she would be betrothed to the reigning Basileus Joseph Nikolaides and secure a military alliance between the two families and reaffirm the empire's commitment to Vitala in light of a series of invasions launched by the newly crowned Joannes V Angelos of Hanax. Joining the Companions upon his arrival to the capital, the young nobleman received an unparalleled education in military and courtly virtues, but struggled to adjust to live in the imperial palace.
It was over another decade before Leon began to make a name for himself, most notably for his contributions to lifting the siege of Thersis during the Second Succession War between The Imperial House Angelos and The Imperial House Nikolaides. Dispatched to the northern province with a small band of cavalry to harry the besieging army and prevent the city from surrendering while a relief army mobilized and advanced. Possessing an intimate knowledge of the surrounding area, Argenteros was able to intercept a caravan loaded with supplies intended for the Khanakian troops and, seizing the opportunity presented by a particularly successful nighttime raid, personally led two ox-carts laden with sorghum into the city.
During this campaign, Leon met Eusebius Aristenos, the sole surviving scion of the Aristenos family, with whom he developed an exceptionally close friendship. In 631AFE, Leon Argenteros is credited with having bested and slain Joannes V Angelos, although common speculation is that it was Eusebius Aristenos who landed the fatal blow but gave his friend the credit, knowing that the impoverished son of a minor nobleman would quickly be forgotten but the Hero of Thersis, brother-in-law to the basileus himself, would become a living legend. The two remained virtually inseparable until Aristenos returned to his family's holdings in Flintrock after his father's death in 637.
In the following years, Leon, a bachelor for life, grew close to his nephew, the infant Basil Nikolaides. When the basileus Joseph died in 647 and his seven-year-old son proclaimed his successor, the decision to appoint Argenteros as regent. Despite his position, spent little of the next five years in Achenae, as the Empire of Ravenia, contesting the claims of the child emperor over the southern provinces of Pandocheia and Korosia, launched an assault on the provinces, necessitating the regent's presence in those far-flung corners of the empire.
Social
Social Aptitude
Mannerisms
Friends... or more?
Few discussions about Leon Argenteros are complete without speculation as to the specifics of his relationship with Eusebius Aristenos. Fill in more here
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