Background: Siege of the city was between 6 April – 29 May 1453 as Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire is attempting to complete his conquest of the Byzantium Empire and move further on into Europe. Constantinople had a population of 500,000 in 675AD. By the Siege of 1453 this was only 100,000 But was still one of the top 5 largest cities in 1453AD Europe.
The city in 1453 was made up of several village-like neighborhoods surrounded by fields of grass mixed with rumble, grain crops and vegetable plots within the outer city walls.

Mehmed brought 130,000-man army plus 200,00 slaves and retainers to do the job.

Up against this force manning the walls of Constantinople was:

13,000 Regular soldiers, the The Capital Legion (10,000 Imperial Byzantium Soldiers ) and

3,000 foreign mercenaries and

30,000+ Armed volunteers (Local citizenry along with adventurers seeking battle with the Muslim Heretics from across Christian Europe)

The City of Constantinople the on the evening of May 27th 1453

After spending the day scouting out the city using the "Official Pass" George Sphrantzes (The Byzantine Secretary of State) gave the party to aid them in finding the missing Empress, the party decides to search the cistern directly below Bishop Phacos (The head of the Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople) favorite church. Since Bishop Phacos is the chief suspect in the Empresses disappearance they believe this is a good place to look.

By the evening they regroup at Gina's with a few maps of the City's cisterns and a few rumors of strange goings on around the Church of St. Fiacre...

The party leaves Gina's at about 8pm, which is just after dark. The Fog of the last few days is now so thick that visibility is down to 2 feet distance. Luckily the ancient Church of St. Fiacre is not far away.

Within minutes thou the party's Cleric and Paladin can detect not one group BUT two groups of two evil doers following them close behind on either side of the street.

Using some of their "Stealth skills they are able to double back and lose one of the two groups of two in the fog, the other two individuals meet them head on...

The Aelios Cistern on the evening of  May 27th 1453

After going down a long stair well into the dark, the party use a

group "Night Vision" scroll they found in the ancient Imperial Byzantium library.

 They make it to the bottom and find themselves in a massive man made cavern.

Return to the Palace... Late the night of May 27th 1453

After reaching the surface, the party plus the Empress and Albertus are quickly surrounded by a search party of 50 Byzantium guards. The fog miraculously has lifted in the last 30 minutes and the streets are bright with moon light.

Thr Soldiers are members of the Byzanthium Legionares and were sent out by the Imperial Secretary of State George Sphrantzes, the Empress vouches for the party, even the giant crocodile, and they all return to the Palace.

The fate of the Empress.. Late the night of May 27th 1453

After reaching the Imperial Palace with the Empress, the Emperor Constantine has a late night meeting of the Imperial Court. Bishop Phocas is noticeably missing...

 Phocas was an ultra-conservative and so opposed to closer ties with Rome and the West, (who he refers to as barbarians) he was even willing to enter secret talks with Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire. He kidnapped the Empress during the Lunar Eclipse. He tricked the Empress into putting on some beautifully craft bracelets. They were Bracelets of Bindings: Made of Damascus Steel, this Artifact dates to 1800BC and was originally designed to Bind Efreeti. They are activated/deactivated with a single Aramaic word that must be spoken within 30’ of the bracelets while they are on the holder. Once activated the wearer must follow all verbal Aramaic commands given by the activator when spoken within 30’ until the bracelets are deactivated. He believed he could use her to leverage the Emperor or at least use her as a bargaining chip with the Sultan.

With the Empresses safely returned, George Sphrantzes is now delegating search parties to find Bishop Phocas.  The party is granted the next day off and will be Knighted as Protectors of the Roman and Byzantine Empires in a ceremony on and Sunday May 29th 1453.

Two Baroque Ghouls.

The party of six almost leaps into battle in the thick fog, BUT calmer heads

 prevail and talking to the ghouls reveals they are actually intelligent “Ghast”

 type ghouls named, NIKEPHOROS, “THE STARGAZER” a ghoul that is newly

 arrived to the city with the Sultan’s Entourage, and the other a VERY old

 resident of the city Byzantium (As Constantinople was originally known over

 1,200 years ago). Nikephoros is now working with WALI DEDE, or also known

 as “GRANDFATHER”, and ANCIENT GHOUL of the city of Byzantium.

They  relay the information to the party that they are aware of the party’s

 mission simply and are trying to find the Empress themselves. They however

 think that the Empress is not what she appears to be and that the party

 should be careful around her. “It might be best to leave her to her fate...”

with that they disappear into the Fog.

The party doesn't take their advice...

The Church of St. Fiacre

After their encounter with the Two Baroque Ghouls the party arrives in the neighborhood of the Church of St Fiarce, a very old church dating back to the 4th century AD. Outside the walls of the Church's court yard they observe two shadowy figures disappear into the fog near a sewer grate. The two Ghouls? the party is not too sure.

The party enters the Church grounds and then the church and finds it stranglely empty. remainders of the 5pm mass is still evident on the altar and the candles at the shrines are still all lite, but all the priests and acolytes are not there.

Tristen the Bard, does point out that it is 815pm at night, and the city is about to get sacked so maybe they are off making the most out what time they have left before the "end".

"Or they are off making preparations to escape the city when the time comes" Vales replies.

They search the church and find a secret passage down to the ancient (4th century) Aelios Cistern.

 Albertus Magnus the cursed

While trying to find a functional boat or even how deep the water is they meet the talking giant crocodile, Albertus Magnus. He was an unfortunate Byzantine Imperial soldier and minor noble of the city that went missing after mass one night last month at St Fiacre church. He noticed Bishop Phocas going through a secret door into the Cistern and presumed correctly that the Bishop was up to something. That something was his practicing arcane magic on the platforms of the cistern below.

Unfortunately for Magnus, Phocas caught sight  of him before he could leave and was hit with a permanent polymorph spell, transforming him into an enchanted 20 foot long crocodile. He has retained his human intelligence (or at least some of it) and can speak, throaty slurred Greek (he has only a basic larynx). During his last 6 weeks of captivity, he has been eating rats, cats and stray dogs and some of the dead bodies that have been washing up in the neighboring city sewer due to the seige. He has also befriended the swarm of crocodiles that live under the city as well. 

The Party attacked him at first (failed to hit him) and stopped when he started to talk to them.

When asked about seeing any lost women in the Cistern he replied, "Phocas has a woman stranded on a platform on the south end of the cistern"

 The party, with Albertus's help reach the Empress and just as the do , hear a conformation between

Bishop Phocas and someone he calls Vlad Tempes and another person named Fenalik back at the St Fiacre landing platform they just left. 

Rather than investigate the Party opts to escape the Cistern through a passage way Albertus knows through the sewers to the streets above. They leave as the cistern fills with Bishop Phocas's screams....

The day off... Saturday May 28th 1453

After saving the Empress the players receive 350 exp each and can now working on leveling their characters to Level 2. The Empress, the Emperor Constantine, and Secretary of State George spend the day getting the   Bracelets of Bindings: off Empress Mariya, which they succeed. They fail to lift the curse on Albertus and much to the Emperor's dismay Empress Mariya seems to find the creature "absolutely Adorable" !