Neofytos Barbeas

**Neofytos Barbeas** is the Pontian Minister of Intelligence & Arcane Affairs, and is widely accepted to be the second most powerful person in Pontus, only behind Yehven Sklirios. Known for his leadership of the Pontian Ministry of Intelligence and Arcane Affairs and his role as the Commander in Chief of The Sparrowhawks, the secret police in Pontus, he is currently wanted for crimes against humanity and terrorism in all NATO nations, as well as in Kurdistan, Greece and Dagestan.

Compared to figures such as [Heinrich Himmler], [Lavrentiy Beria] and [Nikolai Yezhov], Barbeas is a widely reviled figure. Although no official records exist of it, it is widely assumed that he was the architect of the Turkish Genocide in Pontus.

## Early Life

Barbeas was born to an upper-middle class family in Sinope on August 1st, 1988. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a retired spy for the Worker's Party of Pontus. Educated in a Political Education School, he soon joined the Pontian State Enforcement Agency, the Communist Pontian secret police. A skilled interrogator and gifted mage, he soon rose through the ranks. However, he was dissatisfied with the Pontian government. Around this time, it is reported that he manifested his signature glowing, blue eyes.

## 2nd Pontian Civil War

By 2012, he had secretly joined with the insurgent Pontus Pano, which lied in waiting for the inevitable instability they would need to take over Pontus. During this time, he became a close friend of Yehven Sklirios, who would in 2020 usurp the leadership of the Pontus Pano from the ageing Tassos Banatos. When the Pontian economy collapsed later the same year, the Pontus Pano sprung into action, and when he officially defected, Barbeas personally killed his superior, the Pontian Commissar of Intelligence Alexis Scafoulis.

Barbeas became one of the leading generals on the side of the Pontus Pano during the 2nd Pontian Civil War, and was recognised as a leading general equivalent to Demetria Xanthapoulous and Yehven Sklirios. These three formed a triumvirate in charge of the Pontus Pano, with the understanding that Skilrios would lead the nation after their victory. Barbeas himself led the Siege of Thia, in which the NATO-backed Pontian Liberation Front's 2nd Republic of Pontus officially capitulated.

## Minister of Intelligence & Arcane Affairs

Being a proficient battlemage, Barbeas was given the role of Minister of Intelligence & Arcane Affairs within the newly-forged fascist Pontian State, as well as *de facto* control of law enforcement in the nation. He soon began a purge of those perceived as "dangerous to the new order", which included most non-ethnically Greeks in the nation. He has repeatedly clashed with the International Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries Union due to his attempts at strong-arming them into working as a proxy for his Sparrowhawks. Under his jurisdiction, it is estimated that around 7,500 ethnic Turks, Kurds, Laz and Georgians have been killed, and an additional 2,500 political dissidents have been executed.

On March 6, 2025, he was indicted by the United States government as a sponsor of terrorism. Soon after, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization designated him as a wanted criminal, alongside the governments of Kurdistan, Greece and Dagestan. His bounty currently sits at $25,000,000.