The Day of Synne - Update: Constantinople
I am almost 60,000 words into book 3 of the story of Synne.
With her two sisters, Synne has made her way down the Dneiper ( in Sarmatian, Dānu Apara - the Far River) through the town of Kiev to Constantinople in search of her father.
On the way Magnus disappears. He has not treated Synne well. In Constantinople Synne meets a captain of the Varangian guard, Roussel.
In August and September of 1071, Constantinople was reeling from the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Manzikert. On August 26, Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes suffered a crushing defeat against the Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Alp Arslan.
This battle marked a turning point for the Byzantine Empire, leading to a rapid decline in its power and territorial control, especially in Anatolia, the empire's heartland.
The immediate aftermath in Constantinople was one of shock and turmoil. Romanos IV was captured by Alp Arslan and held prisoner, which left the Byzantine Empire without effective leadership. The Empress sought to hold onto power, but her courtiers deserted her.
Constantinople's population was aware that the empire's eastern defenses had been critically weakened, leaving them vulnerable to further Seljuk advances.
And then they discover that a seer from the far north has arrived in the city.