The Uchronic Varangian Guard is the elite guard of the Eastern Roman Empire in the loop of Uchronic Constantinople, keeper of the Great Palace. Some of its members are four-armed alchemical constructs.
| Type | Faction |
| Era | Active in the 1050–1055 loop |
| Spanish entry | La Guardia Varega Ucrónica |
Description
Constantine I founded the Guard with Norse recruits (Scandinavians, Swedes, Baltic Vikings) brought south under contract. It became a closed elite corps with custody of the Great Palace, within sight of Hagia Sophia. Its guards wear long mail, conical nasal helmets and reliquaries with Orthodox crosses bolted to the breastplate, and carry double-bitted axes and round shields.
In 1055 of the loop it serves the co-empresses Theodora and Zoe; in 1050 it served their predecessor. Its discipline runs unbroken across both years.
Some members, not all, are constructs, alchemically reinforced with extra limbs. Visitors consistently report four arms, two axes wielded at once, and unusual speed for their bulk. They are few, but the rumor keeps intruders away. Only the court’s Patriarch knows their exact proportion; not even Theodora does.
Its doctrine mixes Orthodox Christianity with remnants of the cult of Odin, never abjured. The Decadian tolerates them.
History
In 1051, three years before Olaus Wormius copied the Blue Book, Corvino founded the “New Varangian Guard”, training twenty-six Scandinavian families who became the 13th Legion. The Time Bandits, visitors to the loop, were later integrated with the Guard.
Conflicting accounts
- Official military manuals treat the historical Guard and the 13th Legion as separate corps.
- Surviving Varangians hold they are one corps in two temporal folds.