January 20, 1454, the Don Frontier.
The Don River rose within the Principality of Ryazan, flowing south for over a thousand miles before emptying southwest into the Sea of Azov. Gray Antelope Town stood north of its mouth, and the frontier's capital lay to the south.
At first, the chiefs had wanted to name the capital after Vitus, but he had refused.
The ancient Greek name for the Don was tana. Vitus gave the capital a name in keeping with ancient tradition, Tanaion, meaning a military settlement beside the Don.
The northern shores of the Black Sea had no shortage of coal or clay, making them well suited to firing red bricks. Tanaion's walls had an outer layer of red brick and an inner core of rammed earth. Inside, churches, hospitals, public baths, and other facilities provided a complete urban infrastructure, making the city a window onto Roman civilization for the steppe.
The benefit was that it attracted immigrants. Each year, anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand steppe dwellers came seeking refuge. In exceptionally cold years, even more arrived.
The current Governor was Kazhuo. Like Tucha, he had been among the first tribal chiefs to seek refuge with Rome.
After nearly twenty years of life there, Kazhuo considered himself a Roman. He found the newly arrived Tatar refugees irritating and felt none of the supposed affection between kinsmen.
Inside the Governor's residence, Kazhuo watched snowflakes drifting past the window and asked his subordinate, "Have the two hundred new refugees been settled?"
"In the western district, as usual. There are too many refugees this year, and we haven't enough barracks. Some are staying in warehouses for now."
Hearing this, Kazhuo put down his Manga book, took a ledger from the drawer beside him, and turned to the grain records.