A DECLINE IN IMPERIAL POWER

Across the vast and sprawling domains of once mighty empires, a pervasive sense of unease has taken hold. The pillars that for centuries supported their authority are showing undeniable signs of fracture. Rebellions flare in distant provinces, resentment festers among the populace, and once-loyal vassals begin to question the emperor's right to rul

The year the year of our Lord eight hundred and forty-five AD. A chill wind whistled across the Seine River, carrying with it the scent carrying salt and fear. The Norsemen were amongst us, a stormy swarm of warriors seeking riches. Their longships, like wolves, sliced through the waters, their standards billowing in the wind. A city once confident