Cutting the Throat

Summer 1452 - The Ottoman Prime Minister Halil-Pasha has failed to contain his young Sultan’s lust for war against the Byzantine Empire. Reconciled that the conflict is inevitable, he tries to undermine Sultan Mehmet’s chances of success, hoping that in the aftermath of failure, the army will rid him of the young upstart. Mehmet has, however, strong allies in his trusted advisor Zaganos-Pasha and the Janissary Commander Mesut. Together they manage to cut the Bosphorous Straight (throat in Turkish), isolating Constantinople from allies and supplies. In the city, Mario Orsini’s medical expertise wins him new friends and fame, but not enough to convince Vincent diCastillo, the Venetian Commander, that he would be a worthy husband for his sister Ella. Against the backdrop of Mario’s growing love for Ella, political feuding and religious in-fighting break out among the city's defenders.