It is the early fifteenth century.
The Ottoman Empire has emerged stronger from the strife of the Interregnum, a brutal, nine-year civil war. It is now bound by the iron will of Sultan Mehmed I under a singular vision: to rebuild the empire, reclaim the lost territories in Anatolia , and spread Ottoman dominance over the Balkans and Wallachia.
Though over, the echoes of the Interregnum still shape the region as Mohammedans and Christians vie for control of crucial trade routes that could shape the future of both empires.
The Byzantine Empire, once a beacon of Christian power, clings to survival within the fortress city of Constantinople. With its independence hanging from a thread, the city is a hotbed of political maneuvering, as each whispered promise of alliance or betrayal could spell the end of Christian power in the region.
Outwardly, the city remains majestic, a testament to all Christianity claims to offer, but behind the walls, a group known as The City of the Angel operates in the shadows to ensure Christian dominance in the region at any cost. Kidnapping, bribery, political assassinations—these are well-known by even commoners. Fewer dare to whisper of the darker rumors—people being sucked into the earth, the sounds of distant screams seeming to come from beneath the streets, bodies found with strange punctures, drained entirely of blood.
Life goes on in Constantinople, the people too focused on the evils outside the city to see the evils stirring within. Such threats cannot be defeated by mere men; they require heroes, but in Constantinople, heroes are as missing as hope.
The young lord Nikephoros, pampered and unprepared for the horrors that await him, is about to get his first taste of true darkness.
