Disclaimer: My story isn’t meant to fully reflect real history. It is a piece of alternative history, otherwise being fiction.
Zinovy Vladimirovich Lozovsky, leader of the Imperial Church of Christ Pantocrator (Императорская Вера Христа Пантократора), a heretical religious movement which worships the Emperors of Russia. Followers are known as Pantocrats and believe that the rulers of Russia are incarnations of Jesus Christ himself. Zinovy himself has claimed to be Alexei’s “holy regent,” despite said regent actually being Olga Nikolaevna.
The Russian Civil War was a disastrous period for many Russians, so hearing of a safe community somewhere deeply nestled in the forests of Komi caused hundreds to journey in hopes of finding security. Those who enter the group’s compound usually don’t come back, becoming uncannily devoted to the group’s cause. Many more people in the surrounding region have inconspicuously gone missing.
At first, the group was not a priority for the Red Army, as they had more pressing concerns. But the Pantocrats acting as a supposed sanctuary for counterrevolutionaries and citizens alike, along with locals becoming incensed by the odd disappearances and the group’s ultra-monarchist beliefs, made them more and more of a problem. Sending an armed detachment to go fix things did not do anything, as said detachment had mysteriously vanished.
Alexei and his sisters are similarly uncomfortable about this group, but considering the Pantocrats have swore their allegiance to the Romanovs, they have little choice but to consider them as allies for their campaign. Still, despite his claim as Emperor of Russia, Alexei finds the idea of himself being a Jesus incarnate to be irreverent.
─── ⋆⋅ ཐི ✯ ཋྀ ⋅⋆ ───
Now that I introduced Zinovy, I must share my favourite scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian which perfectly encapsulates how Alexei feels about Zinovy and his followers 😤