Pyrrhos

Pyrrhos was an abbot and head of the monastery dedicated to the patron saint Skirios. He discovered the peasant Krispos at a treaty ceremony in Kubrat, and again years later in his commons room after experiencing a series of strange dreams. Pyrrhos introduced Krispos to the diplomat Iakovitzes, who had also been present at the meeting in Kubrat.

Pyrrhos was a fanatic in his religious beliefs. He was a bitter critic of Gnatios, the Patriarch of Videssos, who was a moderate whereas Pyrrhos was a fundamentalist, and demanded his removal from power. When Krispos became Avtokrator, Gnatios was removed and Pyrrhos was selected to take his place in spite of protests from several priests. Soon after, the new patriarch proved to be an embarrassment for Krispos, since the patriarch was removing priests for trivial reasons even while there was a civil war going on and a rival avtokrator and patriarch (Gnatios) vying for people's allegiances. Nevertheless, Krispos won the civil war, and Pyrrhos was secure in his position for the time being.