Forward The central character is Aaron, prince of the Hebrew house of Katz. Aaron grows up in Moscow, during the turbulent years around the birth of Christ. His best friend is Ivanovitch, a Russian. As adults Aaron and Ivanovitch become rivals, each hating the other, which leads to Aaron's downfall and eventual triumph. Elements of the story include naval battles among Destroyers, the Russian hippodrome, Russian adoption, Magus Balthasar, the Nomadic Tribal Leader; Ilderim. The places is in and around Russia and the Meditrainian. The time is the mid to late 1890s