[b]Leader Name:[/b] Flavius Crispinus, or "Crispinus the Moor"

[b]Faction Name:[/b] Household of Crispinus

[b]Map Province:[/b] Diocese Oriens

[b]History/Bio:[/b]

Flavius Crispinus was born to a tribe of Berbers loyal to the Emperor. His family has latinized with his Grandfather, who served with distinction during the early part of Emperor Remus's Visigothic Wars. Moorish cavalry was highly respected by the Roman forces fighting the Visigoths, as the Moorish style of slinging javelins from horseback helped to counter the armored Visigothic knights. 

Crispinus entered the Roman military and fought at the close of Emperor Marcellus's war with the Visigoths, and he worked his way up to be promoted the Duke of Mauritania. With this command, he built five Dromons to patrol the coast of Hispania. Though Hispania gave him the training that he would need later in life, it was the Battle of Aquae Dacicae in his own home province of Mauritania that got him noticed.

Hoping to weaken Roman control of the west in order to regain what they had lost during the wars, the Visigoths bribed several Moorish tribes in the interior of Africa to overrun the province to the sea. 15,000 Moors met Crispinus's 2000 in the desert south of the bath city of Aquae Dacicae. Though they were out numbered, the Roman forces had better discipline. Crispinus deployed light cavalry and held his armored Cataphracts in reserve, catching the enemy cavalry off guard and forcing them to fall back. This left the Moorish infantry - a disorganized mob more than a military - with both flanks completely exposed. The Cataphracts were able to break them and force them fleeing back into the desert, where the tribes dissipated and gave up their campaign. 

Crispinus's victory got him noticed and he married Eudokia, the daughter of a wealthy Roman family from Carthage. 

After the disastrous defeat that saw much of the government of the Diocese Oriens lost alongside the Imperial prince 'Arabicus', the Emperor appointed Crispinus to the position. His lack of political rivals in the Imperial court, combined with his knowledge of the desert, made him the choice pick. He has been appointed the emergency double title of Magister Miletum and Vicar and been charged with bringing the east to order in preparation for the Saracen assault.