Modern Roman Empire

The Midnight Article "Revertere Imperator Est (The Emperor is Back)" was written by u/MatgamarraAlt3 and posted to r/MidnightPaper

The text of the Article was as follows:

REVERTERE IMPERATOR EST (THE EMPEROR IS BACK)

Yesterday, the 20th of October of Anno Domini 2020, the Roman World entered in turmoil when Emperor Aurelian XXI announced that Emperor Stilicho, who ruled after the assassination of Emperor Honorius in 408 AD until his mysterious disappearance in 419, had  been found alive and well in the corridors of the Imperial Palace in Mediolanum.

It’s still unclear what happened to Emperor Stilicho and how he disappeared for so long and reappeared unscathed. However, this phenomenon is strangely not uncommon for the Roman high nobility. Consul Julius Caesar, in one example, disappeared mysteriously in 44 BC, and was only found in the Senate building in 1740. Emperors like Urban, Nerva, Titus, Chavez and Washington II also vanished during their reigns, with some of them also being found alive and well several centuries later.

During his first press conference after his reappearance, Stilicho, speaking flawless Classical Latin, said his version of events: “I was walking around the palace’s gardens in Ravenna when suddenly the sun flashed. Next thing I knew I was right here. I guess it happens then.”

Emperor Sulla VIII, who vanished in late 1240 and reappeared in the January of 1987, also made statements: “It’s a shame these kind of things keep happening to us Emperors. It’s dreadfully inconvenient. You lose contact with all your contacts, with the status quo, you literally lose hundreds of years of events, and worse of all, reappear just to discover a new emperor is charge, and you can now be just a senator, at most. The whole language is changed, and it’s difficult to speak correctly.”

The news spread internationally quickly. Emperor Sharpur Al-Makkah posted on his Tuitterium account how he wished the best for Emperor Stilicho and that all missing emperors were found. The emperors of China, the Aztecs and the Guptas also posted messages on their own accounts wishing for the best and that all missing emperors were “returned”.

Description:

The "Modern Roman Empire" is an Oddity that appears to be part of an alternate universe where the Roman Empire is still active in modern times. Not only is this Empire still active, but their reach and influence is so great that Latin still appears to be a widely-used language, in addition to English.

The first Oddity that was reported to affect this Modern Roman Empire was "The Disappearing Emperors."

Timeline and Process:

The Event-Type Oddity in question appears to have started in 44BC, with the inexplicable disappearance of Julius Caesar, only to reappear in 1740. Other emperors who have disappeared and reappeared in a different century include Urban, Nerva, Titus, Chavez and Washington II. Emperor Sulla VIII vanished in 1240 and reappeared in 1987.

Emperor Stilicho made it appear as if the process of disappearing and reappearing is immediate. To him, it appeared as if the Sun flashed and he was suddenly in a different time period. This 'flashing' of the Sun appears to be a vital part of the process.

It is interesting to note that Emperor Washington II may be that reality's version of George Washington. Chavez, as well, may be a reference to Hugo Chavez. How these historical figures made their way to the modern Roman Empire, however, is a complete mystery. It is also possible that these are simply these emperor's names, without them being alternate versions of these historical leaders.

Theories:

Why only emperors of the Roman Empire are targeted, and why they are all transported to other time periods, is a mystery. It is also unknown who (or what) is behind the disappearances and reappearances.

The 'flashing' of the Sun that Stilicho witnessed may not have been the Sun at all, but rather an unknown Oddity that is behind the process. This 'flash' may have been an unknown energy discharge that makes the vanishing and reappearance possible.

If time travel technology were to be invented at any point during the timeline of human existence, then it could explain this strange phenomenon. A person in possession of this technology could, for example, go back in time to 44BC, use the technology on Julius Caesar, and send him forward in time to the wear 1740. Given the fact that this event is focused strictly on Emperors of the modern Roman Empire, it is almost a certainty that whatever is behind this phenomenon is intelligent and has a very specific goal in mind.

What this Oddity (or Oddities) accomplishes by transporting the rulers of the modern Roman Empire from one time period to the next, is a mystery. However, given the fact that they have targeted the Empire so specifically, it may be possible that the perpetrator (or perpetrators) has some kind of grudge against the Roman Empire.

The second Oddity to affect the Modern Roman Empire is known as the "Fall of Mecca"

MEDIAM NOCTEM CHARTIS (Translata Editio)

CADUNT MECCA ANNIVERSARIUM

We here at the Midnight Paper, despite not being entirely composed of Romans, have deep admiration to this great empire that controls nearly a quarter of the world and has been standing Invictus for nearly two thousand and fifty years. Not only that, but most of our readers in this particular universe are Romans. That’s the reason we chose to celebrate one of the most important victories in the history of the Empire.

Today, the twenty-fourth of October of Anno Dommini 2020, marks the one-thousand-year anniversary of the Fall of Mecca. Exactly one thousand years ago, Emperor Olaf the Nord marched with this armies inside the Ayyubid capital and negotiated the unconditional surrender of the Muslims.

The Muslim Expansions, as they were called, had taken a great toll on the Roman Empire for nearly four hundred years, and many thought that the administrative center of the eastern imperial provinces, Constantinople, would collapse after the conquests of Damascus and Antioch in the previous decades.

The Roman divisions in the East were almost entirely defeated by the Arabs, and the Muslim invasions caused trade with the Indias to cease, all while the West was busy pacifying the recently conquered provinces of Norway and Scotland and dealing with Viking rampages.

Nevertheless, Rome emerged victoriously. The sudden disappearance of Emperor Urban (who is still missing) and death of most important military leaders during both the Muslim Expansions and the Viking Wars allowed for the Imperial Senate to appoint a leader that they believed could really help the Empire in these trying times.

The chosen was Olaf the Nord, one of the most important Roman allies during the Viking Wars and the most important promoter of Latin religions in the Nordic lands. Olaf, after officially taking office, pushed for the approval of the Heritage Law, arguably the most important since the conversion to Christianity.

The Heritage Law prohibited the Roman Emperor from appointing his successor. He could only appoint a Magister Militum that would take care of the Empire until the Senate had chosen the new Emperor. This allowed for many non-Italian emperors to take charge, like Washington in the 18th century and Chavez in the turn of the 20th century.

Olaf the Nord then went on and secured peace with the neighboring hostile Nordic kingdoms, their shared culture and ethnicity being the main reason for this, and then gathered his troops and marched to the Ayyubid’s territories.

The European Roman army was no match to the much larger and desert-experienced Muslim warriors, and the Senate was already in talks for a possible successor in case of a crushing defeat. The election of Olaf intended to secure peace with the North, but they never thought he would go and take on the Arabs too.

However, things went differently than they thought. Using a mysterious and extremely powerful weapon known as Solis Maximus, Olaf the Nord was able to completely wipe out the main Arab army, which consisted of around 35 to 55 thousand men, without a single Roman casualty. The entire city of Baghdad, main base of operations for the Muslims, was vaporized. When asked, the Emperor told he used merely his confidence in God and his loyalty for the Empire. But some say Olaf obtained in the conquest of Norway an extremely ancient and powerful pagan device, containing the full power of Nordic Goddess Sigel.

The use of such terrifying power took a toll on Emperor Olaf too. He was completely blinded for a few days, and never recovered eyesight in his right eye. Four of his fingers were completely melted, and he sustained second-degree burns in most of his body. The weapon was supposedly destroyed.

Nevertheless, he succeeded. Many Arabs abandoned their faiths and joined the Romans or deserted. Most cities surrendered or didn’t put up a fight. The only one who hold out was Mecca, that lasted for 32 days before surrendering. Hence the name: “Fall of Mecca”, that names this edition.

Olaf the Nord died a few years later, allegedly due to the consequences of the Solis Maximus. However his legacy was eternal, as he is celebrated as one of Rome’s greatest emperors to this day, along with men like Augustus Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Justinian and Charlemagne.

Description:

"The Fall of Mecca" was a battle between the European Roman Army (of the Modern Roman Empire) and an unnamed militaristic faction of Arab Muslims. The event is notable for Emperor Olaf's use of a pagan "device" that harnessed the "full power of Nordic Goddess Sigel." This device was powerful enough to decimate the entirety of the Arab Muslim army, consisting of around 35 and 55 thousand men, and the "vaporization" of the city of Baghdad.

The device's power was so destructive that Emperor Olaf himself was severely wounded while using it. He suffered temporary blindness of his left eye and permanent blindness of his right eye, lost four fingers purely due to heat damage, and suffered second-degree burns to most of his body. Using the weapon once unleashed such power that the weapon (which is never described) was allegedly destroyed in the process.