Second Constantinople Earthquake of 558

A middle-aged man of average height with a lean, ascetic build. His deeply lined face bears the marks of long hours spent in prayer and fasting, with dark, piercing eyes that convey both compassion and authority. His graying beard is neatly trimmed in the Byzantine clerical fashion.

A stout, middle-aged man with flour-dusted arms and a ruddy complexion from years working near the oven. His thick forearms bear small burn scars, and his calloused hands grip his daughter tightly. His dark brown hair is streaked with gray and tousled from the chaos.

A thin, wiry girl of about twelve years, with sun-darkened skin and tangled black hair. Her large, dark eyes are wide with fear, and she has a small scar above her left eyebrow. Her hands are calloused from labor.

A rugged Byzantine guardsman in his late 30s with a muscular build from years of patrolling city streets. His olive skin is streaked with dust and sweat, and his dark beard is closely cropped in military fashion. A deep scar runs along his right cheekbone from past conflicts.

A middle-aged, portly man with a neatly trimmed beard, now streaked with dust and sweat. His face is red from exertion and panic, his fine silk garments torn and covered in debris. His hands claw desperately at the rubble pinning his legs.