| Andrea Hermoniakos | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Agent of Byzantium POD: c. AD 597 | |
| Appearance(s): | "The Eyes of Argos" |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Armenian citizen of the Roman Empire |
| Religion: | Eastern Orthodox |
| Date of Birth: | 13th century |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
Andreas Hermoniakos was an officer in the army of the Roman Empire. He was a short, hawk-faced man with a bad temper.
In Etos Kosmou 6814 (1305 AD), was the hypostrategos under John Tekmanios' on punitive mission against the Jurchens for their raids into the territory of the Empire. Basil Argyros, the commander of scouts, located the main body of the Jurchen army and informed Hermoniakos, who in turn alerted Tekmanios.[1]
The army's initial attack on the Jurchens proved a disaster. The Roman scouts under Basil Argyros skirmished with the Jurchens, exchanging hails of arrows, and briefly engaging in hand to hand combat before the approaching Jurchen army forced the Romans to retreat.[2] Tekmanios led the army to outflank the Jurchens from what should have been a hidden position. However, the Jurchens shifted their own position to meet the Roman advance. Argyros saw what the Jurchens were doing, but despite his efforts to warn Tekmanios, the Jurchens attacked Tekmanios' men, and were able to meet every one of Tekmanios' counter-measures. Finally, Tekmanios retreated. Argyros and the scouts also had to retreat now that the Jurchen were between them and Tekmanios. Taking a wide path, they reached the camp before Tekmanios' men, but the Jurchen soon followed, beginning a siege.[3]
The Jurchens besieged the camp for three days. Hermoniakos made a point of cheering up the men, assuring them that the Jurchens would leave when their resources ran out. Once it was clear that the Jurchens had indeed withdraw, Tekmanios then an officers' council to determine what happened during the attack, and suggested a retreat back south of the Danube. Constantine Doukas, the merarch who commanded the right division, added that the devil was probably telling the khan what the Roman troops were doing, because the Jurchen were carrying out movements that apparently showed foreknowledge of the Roman army's movements. When Hermoniakos retorted that some people blame the devil to cover their own shortcomings, Argyros spoke up in support of Doukas, reporting the presence of a white-haired Jurchen shaman who pointed a tube at the Roman army as it maneuvered. Argyros suggested that the tube might use some sort of magic involving the evil eye. Tekmanios and Hermoniakos agreed that the secret behind this strange magic had to be discovered. The task fell to Argyros.[4]
They began their scheme the very next day. Hermoniakos publicly denounced Argyros as a coward for refusing orders and demoted him to private soldier, but still on the scout unit because Argyros had been a good soldier once. Word of Argyros' demotion spread throughout the camp. His former aide, Justin of Tarsos, was now his commander. Awkwardly, Justin placed Argyros on the eastern three-man patrol with Bardanes Philippikos and Alexander the Arab.[5] On their mission, Argyros did his best to downplay his demotion. When the opportunity arose, he defected to the Jurchen.[6]
When Argyros finally returned weeks later after capturing the eyes of Argoes, he was nearly killed by Justin, Bardanes, and Alexander. While Bardanes and Alexander couldn't see the point, Justin agreed, and forcefully ordered his men to find Hermoniakos. When they did, Hermoiakos revealed the truth of Argyros' mission, and was pleased and bewildered to see the eyes of Argos.[7]
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