The year is 476 AD. The great beast that is the Western Roman Empire lies dying. Outside the dismal fog-bound walls of Ravenna the barbarian king Odoacer waits patiently with his horde. He is ready to claim the corpse of a civilization that ruled the world for a thousand years.

Inside the cold palace sits Romulus Augustus. He is merely fifteen years old. The world sees him as nothing more than a puppet emperor wearing a crown too heavy for his head. He is a placeholder draped in purple silk waiting for history to finally turn the page on Rome. His own people whisper insults behind his back and call him the Little Disgrace.

But fate is cruel. When his father, the empire's last true protector, dies in the mud, the illusion of safety shatters completely. The siege begins and Romulus finds himself abandoned. His generals are traitors looking for a new master and his own guards prepare to trade his young life for their safety. He is trapped in a city ready to surrender him to the butchers outside.

Yet in the deepest valley of despair a strange new strength is born. Broken by grief and terror Romulus sheds the skin of the frightened boy. He refuses to be a sacrificial lamb. Armed only with a stolen dagger and a burning need for vengeance he crawls out of his besieged city through the filth of the sewers. He goes not to escape but to hunt.

Tonight the boy king dies and something else takes his place. History has written Rome’s obituary but the Wolf of Ravenna is about to rewrite it in blood.

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The naval blockade has been shattered, but the war for the throne has only just begun. The battlefield has shifted from the sea to the soul of Rome itself.


To help you visualize the fractured state of the world in this chaotic month of October 476 AD, I have released an official map titled "The Tribunal of Ashes".


Who controls what? Where is Nepos hiding his remaining fleet? And exactly how dangerous is the road Bishop Johannes must travel to the Lion's Den?


This map details the territories of the Imperium Occidentale under Romulus versus the stronghold of Julius Nepos in Dalmatia. It also marks the site of the Ignis Dei victory and the long path to the Synod.


I have unlocked this post for the public. It is completely FREE to view. No subscription is required. I want every citizen to see the world as Romulus sees it.


Since I cannot post active links here, please find the link to my Patreon in my Profile Bio, in the Story Synopsis, or simply check the previous announcement chapter.


Chapter 21 - ANNOUNCEMENT #3: The War Room - View the Map of the Divided Empire