Leader Name: Manius "Scipio Africanus" Silvanus

Faction Name: Duce of Phoenicia 

Map Province: Diocese Oriens

History/Bio:

Manius Titinius Silvanus is a man born to wage war but for the last three years he has been attempting to enjoy running his retirement gift from a grateful Empire, a 21,000 acre Estate known for excellent wines and grains. Some might consider it a gift from the gods but for a man more used to the hilt of a blade than a whip lash, it chaffs something fierce. Silvanus was born to the same region he now owns, a minor nobleman's son loyal to the Emperor. During the Visigothic Wars he served as a cavalry officer, earning several honours and promotions on the field of battle and he benefitted directly from the Moorish use of sling javelins and how quickly they could smash a Visigothic Knights charge. 

It was during this war that he crossed paths with another rising star in the Roman Army who would become a close friend and respected fellow soldier, Flavius Crispinus. The two would meet several times as the war progressed and while Crispinus was patrolling the shores of Hispania, Silvanus was waging war in the deserts of Africa and Arabia where he would earn the title "Scipio Africanus", a throwback to decades gone by. His tactical skill in combat, generous nature and genuine concern for his men made him something of a legend. When he finally retried to his homeland of Hispania several hundred of his soldiers followed. 

The defeat of Imperial Prince Arabicus was widely ignored in the Western half of the Empire and he heard only rumblings of it from fellow veterans who came to visit his estate where any old army salt could expect some fine wine and a generous feast. It would become suddenly quite real upon the arrival of a letter from an old comrade in arms asking him to return to Arabia and join the fight against the rising tide of Islam.