Hai...Rosseweisse reminds me of Riggs from a certain Mel Gibson movie.

"Murtough carries a lethal weapon. Martin Riggs is one."

Something tells me Lilla is going to have to keep her eyes and ears more open than she ever expected.

Mary Bell.

p.s. I'm loving this story.

Thank you

A leash on Theodora is a leash on Ross o.o Lets see how long that works.

Yaay! ^_^

(oddly enough - I've just been writing some stuff set in Constantinople myself)

I've seen a lot of Constantinople stuff in fiction, history, and whatnot these past few years. I wonder why?

Heck, I want to see something focused on Sassanid Persia and Central Asia myself. Forward the Empire of the Aryans*!

And I know your stuff will be great, Paul!

* -- I'm not talking Nazi swill here, 'Eranshar' is the original name of Iran dating back to Cyrus the Great**, and it literally means 'Empire of the Aryans'.

** -- And when one considers how the Jews remember him, the modern meaning of 'Aryan' becomes even more historically bizarre.

I have a 28mm Sassanid army sitting here wanting me to paint them right now! They've always been faves of mine!

- Wish I could get to those areas and see the archaeological sites. But dodging lead might be bad for the health.

Yes, it's a pity historians and archaeologists can't see the Sassanid sites in person.

BTW, I just recently read a couple of books about pre-Islamic (and especially Sassanid) Persia, and they stated something that seems odd to me. Maybe you can help clarify it.

The author stated that women in Sassanid Persia routinely fought as savaran (armored noble cavalry) alongside the male troops. There was some art revolving around this (it was in an Osprey book). Nothing I've ever read about Sassanid Persia implied that they had 'Amazons' in their army. Would you know more about it?

Nyaha. Yes, there were female Saravan. Not swarms of them, but it definitely is documented.


The Parthian clans - who made up the bulk of the inner 10 noble Sassanid court clans - were a Skythian people. Skythians had a strong female warrior tradition (I have actually done a novel all about it). This culture formed the core of the new Persian cavalry tradition.

In Persia, women in the noble clans could inherit land. In a feudal society, this meant that they also inherited responsibilities. If a woman ran a feif, then she owed her own service alongside her vassals. Likewise, if the family owed more fighters than it had male warriors, it seems daughters of the family took on a military lifestyle. (It's LIKE other feudalism - only it smells better!) They seem to fight as armoured archers rather than 'lance specialists' (obviously). But women sometimes seem to have even been delegated to run 'wings' of armies (another byproduct of feudalism - the job goes to the rank, not the person)


There were female rulers from time to time. Good old Xenobia, in neighbouring Palmyra, seems to have been well regarded by Roman enemies and her peers.

Nyaha. Yes, there were female Saravan. Not swarms of them, but it definitely is documented.


The Parthian clans - who made up the bulk of the inner 10 noble Sassanid court clans - were a Skythian people. Skythians had a strong female warrior tradition (I have actually done a novel all about it). This culture formed the core of the new Persian cavalry tradition.

Okay, thanks. Though I thought that it was more the Iranian Sarmatians than the Scythians who had female warriors i.e. 'Amazons'.

In Persia, women in the noble clans could inherit land. In a feudal society, this meant that they also inherited responsibilities. If a woman ran a feif, then she owed her own service alongside her vassals. Likewise, if the family owed more fighters than it had male warriors, it seems daughters of the family took on a military lifestyle... They seem to fight as armoured archers rather than 'lance specialists' (obviously). But women sometimes seem to have even been delegated to run 'wings' of armies (another byproduct of feudalism - the job goes to the rank, not the person)

Okay, thanks! Hmm, so I guess my ideas of female asvaran/savaran in my 'furry alternate Sassanid Persia' weren't as afr off as I feared myself. I'd have already known this, but man oh man is it hard to find books on Sassanid Persian history here in the US.

There were female rulers from time to time. Good old Xenobia, in neighbouring Palmyra, seems to have been well regarded by Roman enemies and her peers.

I thought that Zenobia was more Arabic than Iranian (though her army was ordered along Persian lines, with armored horse archers and clibanarii). At least, I know that the Arabs make rather more of her than the Iranians do.

And the bit about noble ladies commanding fiefs reminds me of some things I've read about medieval European noblewomen and how they sometimes ran the castle through a siege when the husband wasn't around. And of course there was John and Richard's mother and her 'lady lancers', and the Countess Matilda of Canossa and her battle against the German Emperors when they invaded Italy.

Hmm, I begin to wonder just where the idea of 'women are frail and helpless' arose in either the Near East or Europe, let alone the popular historical image of brutish males swaggering over hapless females.

Okay, thanks. Though I thought that it was more the Iranian Sarmatians than the Scythians who had female warriors i.e. 'Amazons'.

Oh, the Skythians are Amazons through and through (the Sarmatians are a Black Sea offshoot). Skythian females are buried in kurgans as elaborate as the men. Always with sword, gorytos (bowcase), bows and horses. The simplest way to tell its is a woman's burial (without looking at the bones) is that a woman's weapon belt always has a hand mirror as part of the equipment!




I thought that Zenobia was more Arabic than Iranian (though her army was ordered along Persian lines, with armored horse archers and clibanarii). At least, I know that the Arabs make rather more of her than the Iranians do.


Yeah - Palmyrans were an arab people - but in the Persian cultural sphere.



Hmm, I begin to wonder just where the idea of 'women are frail and helpless' arose in either the Near East or Europe, let alone the popular historical image of brutish males swaggering over hapless females.


In general, putting on armour and slamming head to head with a male warrior does not work out well for women! They have to be very highly skilled to make up for the basic difference in muscle mass and endurance. But as fast moving horse archers, they have sometimes held their own. (and in environment where speed and precision count highly - swordsmanship, spear fencing etc)

The Byzantine imperial family and some of the other characters that will be appearing later are based on historical figures.

If I remember right, isn't the Princess here the young lady who eventually wrote a lengthy history about Byzantium and its neighbors?

You're thinking of Anna Komnene, who is related to the the imperial family here, but isn't born yet.

a very dangerous weapon indeed.

And this is why I like your writing: Rossweisse's attendants aren't just window dressing to make her look good or create drama to spice up the story, they actually think and have some concern for what is happening in front of them. Good stuff.

Thank you.
Rossweisse is the title character, but I consider Jori and Lilla to be just as important to the story.

That wolfess needs a safety.

phew! that was a close call... if that guy has family he should go home soon as possible and tell them how much he loves them ^^;

I'd be lickin some serious fem boot after that to stay on the goodside of Theodora and Rossweisse.

There all caught up ^^ looking forwards to the next pages :).