#amorium.

[magioffire]

Untouched cavern that developed its crystalline-like walls over tens of thousands of years, discovered in the Lechuguilla cave within Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.6 (before 1940)

12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. 961 – Byzantine conquest of Chandax by Nikephoros Phokas, end of the Emirate of Crete. 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus. 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed. 1454 – Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledge allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agrees to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation's struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights. 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam. 1665 – The first joint Secretary of the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, publishes the first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world's longest-running scientific journal. 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free. 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto. 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured. 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules 7–2 in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that the Constitution does not confer citizenship on black people. 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society. 1882 – The Serbian kingdom is re-founded. 1899 – Bayer registers "Aspirin" as a trademark. 1901 – Anarchist assassin tries to kill German Emperor Wilhelm II. 1904 – Scottish National Antarctic Expedition: Led by William Speirs Bruce, the Antarctic region of Coats Land was discovered from the Scotia. 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces become the first to use airships in war, as two dirigibles drop bombs on Turkish troops encamped at Janzur, from an altitude of 1,800 m. 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Comintern. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a "bank holiday", closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions.

[lampladi]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Amorium 18K Rose Gold Plated Cz X Ring.

[chocolatemilkshakefire]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: AMORIUM Diana Rose Gold Sterling Silver Ring 7.

[iincantatorum]

🎁

magioffire  sent a gift [Maverick/Valeriu]

Valeriu spent a lot of time considering exactly what he could give the young prince Maverick. He often found it difficult to think up gifts that would surprise and shock his more noble counterparts, as how did one astound someone who had basically everything material? It must come from the heart, then, have some meaning and gesture, so that his gift would stand out among the likely multitudes that the prince would receive during Yuletide. So instead of gifting Maverick some thoughtless piece of jewelry or another gilded blade to add to his collection, Vali decided to gift something of a bit more practical use. A package arrived from the Sidhe, entering the prince's castle seemingly out of nowhere. No servants or Gentrymen delivered it, the package simply appeared. Valeriu wrapped the package in shiny, royal purple paper, with a golden bow tied around its perimeter. The top of the box was labeled with a small note, simply reading: "~Sincerely, Valeriu Khorshid, Archmage of The Amorium Court".

Inside, was a notebook. Around it, nestled a multiude of Dokkalfar sweets and preserved goods, like canned fruit preserves, cured exotic meats, flat breads, creamed honey, wisteria sparkling wine, and phantasma bark extract. But it was the empty book that was the centerpiece. It looked like it was bound in some strange leather, fleshy in quality, and if one allowed their mind to wonder to unseemingly places, they might come to the conclusion it was not the pelt of a beast, but skin. If that enough was not disturbing, when Maverick opened the book, he would find it completely empty. Perhaps it was intended to be a journal? As Maverick flipped through the pages, he would find another note, that read: "Write in me your deepest burning questions."

When Maverick took a pen to the paper, his words would sink into the page like normal ink, and then slowly shimmer and disappear. In it's place, an answer would appear before him. While the answers provided were quite cryptic in nature, particularly the more abstract the questions became, it certainly seemed to be taking Maverick's words into careful consideration. The book could answer nearly anything - even things that were objectively vague, though it would provide vaguer responses in turn. Some replies were very literal and matter-of-fact. If Maverick were to ask the book a math problem, it would tell him. If Maverick needed to know about a piece of historical information, the book would give him whole pages of information. If he needed to know things, secret things, about his enemies, the book would whisper them to him with distinct suggestions. How Valeriu managed to get his hands on such an arcane object, and why he deemed Maverick a fit subject for the object, who could know? The Archmage was quite the antiquarian and wizard, after all.

One of Maverick’s favorite ways to spend his time is experiencing parties. He would attend as many as he could, and he would host as much as he can in his castle. Despite carrying a menacing aura, he started to make himself more social recently and realized he enjoyed being in that atmosphere. In a gathered event of perhaps hundreds of folks, he felt lost in them and would feel inebriated by the combination of music and conversations, and even the drinks themselves. It was a way he made up for lost youthful years when his mother would be teaching him sorcery and not let him talk to anyone else. He reminisced all this as he looked at the decorations for the Yuletide ball, gliding down long hallways and ensured all was perfect and not a single mistletoe was out of place.

That is when a guard alerted him that a package arrived. Maverick inquired who managed to deliver it in his chambers, but he was surprised to know that it simply appeared. A hand grazed over the golden bow, having an idea of whom it could be from but he was not sure until he found the small note and brought it close to his face. A warm smile enveloped his features, as he did not expect such a kind gesture. He was better than Maverick for sure, as he had yet to give out any gifts to anyone this year. After all he did get lost and managed to return to his kingdom recently. 

Maverick truly owed Valeriu one. He should invite him over, and with the invitation he decided to pack some gifts so it was not an empty invitation. The arrangement of food was thoughtful and despite Maverick not eating much, he would try it for sure. The only time he felt voracious was in his dragon form, and then he would come back quite full and satiated after a long forest hunt. 

His attention then traveled to that interesting notebook. He couldn’t put it down once he held it in his hands, as the leather felt nice on his skin and he kept grazing his thumb over it. What could he write in it? Maverick had deep burning questions throughout the day but at the moment his mind fell at blank. He didn’t have to write a question, did he? Instead he write down the name of the person who has gifted him so thoughtfully: Valeriu Khorshid, Archmage of The Amorium Court. He wrote the name and each word that followed with his exquisite calligraphy skills, the same handwriting he would use when taking notes of spells in various scrolls. 

Well, now that he was writing, he should write another note- but not in the book he was gifted. Pulling out another sheet of paper to write his letter, he used the same pen and ink and began writing, 

“Dear Archmage Valeriu,

I have received your gift, thank you. I will cherish the notebook and shall indulge my senses in the treats. Despite getting lost, I was not expecting to embark on such a grand adventure on my way back to the Moorlands. Your realm is beautiful and exciting and I hope I can return the favor. Attached are some gifts- such as a hand woven scarf that I’ve made, and a collection of feathery quills, and mix of dried nuts and seeds grown locally. I hope the gifts reach you well and I have something to ask of you.

I humbly extend an invitation to you to come to my realm, the Moorlands. I know last time you’ve directed me here but I wish to celebrate with you. We have festivities here and I wish to be a gracious host to you in your stay at my castle. Please consider.

Best regards, Prince Maverick of the Moorlands”

@magioffire

[draggeddowntothedark]

Just because Valeriu wasn't home, didn't mean he couldn't celebrate Samhain like he did back in Amorium. Sadly, finding phoenix feathers and glow worm paint on Earth proved a very difficult task, and so, Valeriu was forced to improvise. The fae spent that entire month collecting red and gold shinies, things that resembled feathers and scales, and what he couldn't find, he weaved for himself with his own silk. Eventually, Vali had created his own very own make-shift phoenix costume. It maybe wasn't as elegant or complex as he usual costume, but it did its job of being colorfully flamboyant, eye catching and revealing. He couldn't find anything that quite resembled the intense glow of glow worm paint, and Erastus warned him against using glow sticks as a replacement. So, he settled for regular UV paint. He wanted to show himself off, just as he would at the multitude of wild parties that would surely consume his days and nights were he back home. What better way to achieve something similar than to crash the Halloween event the club hosted? Though, he wouldn't really be crashing. Erastus invited him. In fact, he was expecting him. Vali waited until Erastus exited the elevator before he ambushed his vampire lover in a flurry of scarlet and gold, soft feathers and smooth scales. Vali pressed his body up against Erastus, smiling brightly. His chest was uncovered, in fact he likely would need nipple pasties to keep himself 'proper' in the public eye if his long hair didn't already do a good enough job of covering up his indecency. From head to toe, Vali was covered in an array of different colored feathers and frills, in the hues of a sunset, and he dragged a peacock-like train behind him. "Do you like my costume? I told you I would make a costume from scratch," Valeriu purred, kissing Erastus on the lips. "Do you think everyone else will like my costume, too?" He grinned coyly. He looked the vampire up and down, and then tilted his head. "What is your costume?" He asked, obviously loss on any pop culture visual short-hand that would give Valeriu a clue of what Erastus was dressed like. He would experience this sort of confusion *a lot* tonight.

Erastus was more than a little taken off guard by the sudden tackle, but the surprise was quite pleasant when he realized who was suddenly all over him. "Valeriu, you lil bastard, I thought you'd meet me at the club!" He laughed before looking the fairy up and down. Damn. Just. Damn.

"You are... looking fine as could be tonight," he said, and meant it too. Erastus never went the extra mile for his costumes. Mostly because they'd be pretty much unwearable by the time the night was over. "You're going to be the center of attention, no one is going to be able to resist you."

His arm wrapped around Valeriu's shoulders, he guided him out of the building and to the car waiting out front. Tina was in the driver's seat, dressed as a Roman Empress and also looking fine as hell, but her jaw dropped at Valeriu. "Okay, wow, I feel underdressed," she laughed before she started up the car.

As to the question, Erastus felt a bit flustered. "I'm a Roman Emperor, I usually try to match with Tina," he nodded up to the driver's seat, where Tina blew a kiss back. "It's also easy to get the toga up and out of the way for all the fun tonight. Club's got a room all ready for my private party. Eat, drink, be merry... and get fucked in every way you like."

Speaking of that... Erastus pulled the fairy into his lap. "Might as well get started, right?" he said with a grin, grasping onto Valeriu's chest. "With these out I just can't help myself..."

"No fair! I'm stuck driving!" Tina laughed before picking up some speed. She wasn't going to be left out of the fun for long, not if she had anything to say about it.

[cantuscorvi]

@magioffire vali voice: im the richest man in amorium i think i can afford it *reaches out*

Slaps his hand away. "Ha. You're sweet, but wrong."

[afyonhaberleri]

Emirdağ Amorium Kazısı’nda Selçuklu ve Beylik dönemine ulaşıldı

Emirdağ Amorium Kazısı’nda Selçuklu ve Beylik dönemine ulaşıldı

İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürü Mehmet Tanır, Amorium Kazısı’nda incelemelerde bulundu. 1987 yılından beri gerçekleşen ve Emirdağ İlçesi Hisar köyünde bulunan Amorium Antik Kenti’ndeki kazıyı yerinde inceleyen İl Müdürü Mehmet TANIR, kazı başkanından son çalışmalar hakkında bilgi aldı. İl Müdürü Tanır, “Emirdağ ilçemizdeki Amorium Kazısı, Cumhurbaşkanlığı kararlı kazı olup, üç noktada kazılar devam…

[mustafaasir]

Afyonkarahisar'ın Emirdağ ilçesindeki Amorium Antik Kenti'nde yapılan kazılarda, 9. yüzyıl Bizans dönemine tarihlenen, içi buğday dolu 11 küpün (pitos) yer aldığı tahıl ambarı bulundu. #pitos #tahıl #emirdağ #afyonkarahisar #küp #bizans #amorium https://www.instagram.com/p/CDV7L8NlGc3_rBmL2XPhZ6eDsFd49K4bNRcUTM0/?igshid=whizy5nyumam

[magioffire]

Dokkalfar eat a lot of sugar in their diet, despite not having any grain in their diets (due to grasses never evolving on beatha), they more than make up for it with an abundance of sweets, candied nuts, spiced sweet drinks and wines, and fruits, lots and lots of fruit. Because of this, though, they sometimes have tooth problems. Therefore, denistry is a skilled practice among the Dokkalfar, not something that simply happens in behind the barber's with a pair of pliars and alcohol to soothe the pain. In fact, they wpuld consider that utterly abhorrent. Even the lowest of slaves recieve some kind of dental care. They understand that the health of the teeth is important to the overall function of the body, and should not be neglected.

So, that means Dokkalfar, quite literally, have Tooth Fairies in their society. But they are just dentists.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.6

12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. 961 – Byzantine conquest of Chandax by Nikephoros Phokas, end of the Emirate of Crete. 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus. 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed. 1454 – Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledge allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agrees to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation's struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights. 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam. 1665 – The first joint Secretary of the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, publishes the first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world's longest-running scientific journal. 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free. 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto. 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured. 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules 7–2 in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that the Constitution does not confer citizenship on black people. 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society. 1882 – The Serbian kingdom is re-founded. 1899 – Bayer registers "Aspirin" as a trademark. 1901 – Anarchist assassin tries to kill German Emperor Wilhelm II. 1904 – Scottish National Antarctic Expedition: Led by William Speirs Bruce, the Antarctic region of Coats Land was discovered from the Scotia. 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces become the first to use airships in war, as two dirigibles drop bombs on Turkish troops encamped at Janzur, from an altitude of 1,800 m. 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Comintern. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a "bank holiday", closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions. 1943 – Norman Rockwell published Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series. 1943 – World War II: Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel launches the Battle of Medenine in an attempt to slow down the British Eight Army. It fails, and he leaves Africa three days later. 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, ends with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion, the bulk of the garrison of the town of Grevena, leading to its liberation a fortnight later. 1944 – World War II: Soviet Air Forces bomb an evacuated town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying the entire historical Swedish-era town. 1945 – World War II: Cologne is captured by American troops. On the same day, Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive of the war, begins. 1946 – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union. 1951 – Cold War: The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins. 1953 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1957 – Ghana becomes the first Sub-Saharan country to gain independence from the British. 1964 – Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali. 1964 – Constantine II becomes the last King of Greece. 1965 – Premier Tom Playford of South Australia loses power after 27 years in office. 1967 – Cold War: Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States. 1968 – Three rebels are executed by Rhodesia, the first executions since UDI, prompting international condemnation. 1970 – An explosion at the Weather Underground safe house in Greenwich Village kills three. 1975 – For the first time the Zapruder film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is shown in motion to a national TV audience by Robert J. Groden and Dick Gregory. 1975 – Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute. 1984 – In the United Kingdom, a walkout at Cortonwood Colliery in Brampton Bierlow signals the start of a strike that lasted almost a year and involved the majority of the country's miners. 1987 – The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds, killing 193. 1988 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in Operation Flavius. 1992 – The Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers. 2003 – Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashes at the Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 102 out of the 103 people on board. 2008 – A suicide bomber kills 68 people (including first responders) in Baghdad on the same day that a gunman kills eight students in Jerusalem. 2018 – Forbes names Jeff Bezos as the world's richest person, for the first time, at $112 billion net worth. 2020 – Thirty-two people are killed and 81 are injured when gunmen open fire on a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.

[gossamerashes]

[[The following is written in a cipher. The symbols are inspired by an old mariners’ codex known only to the Wayfinders of Misthaven.]]

Rumors abound regarding how Valeriu Khorshid secured the throne of Archmage. Many of those rumors are of the salacious variety. This is of no surprise, given the nature of the Fae. The nature the Fae. Their nature. His nature. Duplicitous. Manipulative. Powerful. Beautiful. Their kind employs these natural ‘gifts’ to exert control over the unsuspecting. Indeed, even those privy to such machinations may find themselves fallen prey to a particularly gifted Fae – and there are few as gifted as the Archmage of Amorium. The amount of danger he poses cannot be exaggerated. Beyond his skill in manipulation and trickery, of which must be noted, Valeriu Khorshid’s mastery over the element of fire is said to be immaculate, whole, and unrivaled. The element is tied into the man’s very scent; that of embers and ash, that of heat and flame. Magic is a vile and wicked force. Those who wield it cannot be trusted, but I would be remiss in failing to mention the political heft the Archmage has behind him. I am given to believe that the moths I’ve witnessed flitting about during political gatherings are, in fact, under Fae control – if not Fae themselves. I’ve summarily directed my agents to remain mindful of the creatures and, if necessary, to discreetly destroy them if and when they are certain no ramifications will be born from the act. As it is, we are at a stalemate with the damned Unseelie. I’ve been forced to parlay with the Fae, with the Archmage in particular. He is… vexing – unlike any creature I’ve encountered. I am aware of his charms; I pray that awareness is enough that I may maintain some manner of immunity. I’ve considered reaching out to the Order of the Talon Knights in a bid to secure a stipend of Ash-stone. I have my doubts they would be amenable to such a request. I have my doubts they would read any correspondence written by my hand. More likely to toss the letter into the kiln, I imagine. Such an act would not be worth it. I no longer hunger for the stone as I once did; no matter the immunity and mastery over magic it might grant me – I cannot succumb. I am strong enough to weather the wiles of a single Fae. Archmage though he may be.

[blueiscoool]

Rare Byzantine Swords Found in Turkey

Experts are calling them hybrid Byzantine ring pommeled swords.

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered two "rare and unique" swords in a heavily fortified city from the Byzantine Empire, a new study finds. One of the swords, unearthed in a church, may have been placed there as an offering.

Both iron weapons are ring pommeled swords, meaning that the pommel — a rounded knob at the end of the handle — is shaped like a ring. Ring pommeled swords were a rarity in the Byzantine, but these blades are also unique for another reason: Intriguing features on the swords distinguish "them from the ring pommeled swords of the nearby civilizations," the researchers wrote in the study.

The swords are so unique, it's difficult to determine what ethnicity or mercenary group wielded them about 1,000 years ago, the researchers said.

Archaeologists discovered the swords in Amorium, a Byzantine city that was an important crossroad between Constantinople, the empire's capital, and other major cities, such as Nicaea and Ancyra (modern-day Ankara). Amorium was also, temporarily, a military hotspot and became a stronghold that served as the region's first defense line against the Arab invasions, including the Arab conquest of Amorium in A.D. 838, the researchers said.

Researchers have done systematic excavations in Amorium since 1988, leading them to find the two ring pommeled swords: They unearthed the first, a fragmentary and corroded sword, in the atrium of a church in 1993, while they found the second sword in 2001 in the lower part of the city. Both swords date to the 10th and 11th centuries, during the middle Byzantine period (A.D. 843 to 1204).

The second sword, found in the lower city, has a 5.5-inch-long (14 centimeters) handle and a double-edged blade that was at least 24 inches (61 centimeters) long, Maniotis and study co-researcher Zeliha Demirel-Gökalp wrote in the study. Demirel-Gökalp is the director of the excavations at Amorium and a professor in the Department of Art History, with an expertise in Byzantine art, at Anadolu University in Turkey.

[a-sanguine]

How is life serving the arch-mage of amorium?

[[@magioffire this nonny is talking about you! 8D]]

Shien: Oh, it's quite... nice actually. I've served worse masters in the past and my boss is very tast-...nice to me. Sure, he has a notorious tendency to get himself into dangerous trouble and brings home all sorts of terrifying things and people - half of which want to fuck him and the other half wants to eat me... but overall it's... a pretty nice life.

[dirthara-an]

"I’m off with my troll boyfriend, off in the mountains, learning to turn into a chicken."

~Valeriu Rostam Khorshid, Amorium, unknown year ( @magioffire)

[ancientoriginses]

Dos raras espadas bizantinas encontradas en la antigua ciudad de Anatolia de Amorium en los últimos 20 años han sido analizadas en un estudio publicado recientemente. Son raros debido a sus mangos de pomo de anillo, pero el estudio encontró que otras características los hacen totalmente únicos.