Megadis

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**Megadis**, born **Loukas Vasilis Ioannidis**, was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from its revival in 2902 to its fall in 2922. He was a hotheaded but intelligent man, who cared about the wellbeing of his nation. However, occasionally he acted irrationally and took political issues personally. Such, coupled with the Italo-Byzantine Adriatic Conflict, is generally considered ultimately responsible for his withdrawal from the Anti-German Coalition.

## Early Life

Megadis was born as Loukas Vasilis Ionnadis on February 27, 2859, in Athens. At the time, Greece was directly under the EGR's control, and as such, they faced harsh, repressive policies. His early life was filled with dread. The 2870 Plague of Athens wrecked the city, and the EGR's central government refused to send aid. Loukas' parents died in the plague, and Loukas himself only survived thanks to the graciousness of an ex-EGR doctor, a refugee hiding from the EGR's central government. The man smuggled Lukas out of Athens, and took him to Thessalonki. Lukas grew up amongst the Greek Resistance, and the doctor, Dr. Chrysanthos Sotiris Michelakis, became his adoptive father. Loukas became a devout Greek Orthodox Christian in Thessalonki, as well as a strong fighter. He fought in several riots against the EGR, but due to his clever wits and connections in the Greek Resistance, he evaded arrest. He became a figure for the Resistance. He was also charismatic, making him a very likable person. He was social and outgoing, which strengthened his internal connections. Anastasios Stylianos Pachis, the leader of the Greek Resistance at the time, was an admirer of Loukas, and one of his best friends.
On July 19th, 2883, an anti-EGR riot was scheduled for the Greek Resistance. It was going to be in Athens, and the hope was to assassinate Mihail Marathos, the governor of Greece under the EGR. Loukas was, for the first time in years, going to return to his hometown. In the days prior to the riot, his hatred for the EGR flamed up as memories of their cruelty to the people of Athens during the plague bombarded his mind. On the day of the riot, he marched  on the front lines to Athens. The Greek Resistance cut all military communications towers in the region, so there was no way for the local troops to call for backup. They stormed the city, going after Marathos himself. Anastasios was in position to shoot down Marathos' helicopter with a rocket launcher, and fired. It was a direct hit, and Marathos died in the blast. Furious, Ukrainian-EGR soldier Andiry Sobol ran up to Anastasios and stabbed him in the carotid artery. In turn, Loukas emptied an entire clip of ammunition into Sobol's body, killing him. Loukas mourned the death of his comrade as the chaos of the battle raged around him. After the battle, a memorial service for Anastasios was held. In his will, it was revealed that he wanted Loukas to become his successor. He was sworn in as leader of the Greek Resistance the next day.

## Middle Life

Now the commander of the Greek Resistance, Loukas commanded even harsher attacks on the EGR. He led the raids on Sparta and Piraeus, which led to the fourteen-day Occupation of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Finally, Loukas' day came in 2892, when the Freedom Pact declared war on the EGR. He seized the opportunity to rise up against the EGR, and ordered for the captures of Athens, Sparta, and Thessalonki. These were massive successes, and shortly thereafter led to the expulsion of the EGR by Greece. Wishing to go further, Loukas launched an assault towards Konstantinops (the Econ name for Constantinople). he successfully captured the city, and expanded further into Anatolia, only to be met by Turkish rebels after capturing most of the peninsula. After the stagnation of the Anatolian front, Loukas met with Zhan Zhi, self-proclaimed President of China, and Hirosaki, Emperor of Japan. Loukas' skill in the island-hopping campaign in the Aegean Sea was needed to combat the EGR in Indonesia and the Pacific, and Loukas was just the man for the job. He led to capture of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Oceania, and even aided in the capture of Tasmania. Loukas, like most other leaders at the time, was present for the Battle of Cape Town, in which the EGR was expelled from Earth forever. He was also present at the signing of the Treaty of Vancouver, and was instrumental to the benefit Greece got. When he returned to Greece, he proclaimed a new Byzantine Empire, and named himself Megadis of Byzantium.

## As Emperor

Now the leader of a massive Eurafrican power, Megadis led the economic reform and development of the Byzantine Empire. Early on did he recognize the threat Tryton von Blitzmark posed to his Empire, and was eager to accept the invitation to the Coalition against German Aggression. However, things broke down between him and Pietro Ascoli of Italy as a result of the Italo-Byzantine Adriatic Conflict. He took personal offence to this matter, and withdrew from the faction as a result. He paraded the Empire's military after this, and lined his borders with Germany and Italy. After the West fell to Germany, Megadis became increasingly paranoid, leading to odd behaviour. When the Germans finally did invade, Megadis couldn't keep up. He couldn't fight such a massive threat alone, and as the Germans were on the gates of Constantinople by 2922, he committed suicide in the Hagia Sophia. His body was given a proper funeral by the Greek Orthrodox Church before Constantinople was overrun by German forces the following day.

## Legacy

### Weltreich

The Weltreich sees Megadis as a foolish, yet honourable leader who couldn't handle the pressures of war.

### Nuuk Empire

Megadis' demise and suicide are considered a great tragedy, and the fall of the Byzantine Empire is mourned.

### Australasian Aboriginal Republic

The AAR hold no official stance on Megadis.