Thirteen years ago, Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) died in Spartacus: Vengeance. But, like, what if he didn’t?

That’s pretty much the premise for new series Spartacus: House of Ashur, which we now know will premiere on Starz with its first two episodes on Dec. 5.

Steven S. DeKnight is back behind his Spartacus shield for Starz with Spartacus: House of Ashur, the fifth series in the franchise. He’ll also showrun this one, which again hails from Lionsgate Television.

The Spartacus shows started at Starz in 2010 with Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The saga, set in ancient Rome, continued in 2011 with Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Spartacus: Vengeance in 2012 and Spartacus: War of the Damned in 2013.

Tarabay played Ashur in Spartacus: Vengeance. For House of Ashur, he’ll be joined by Graham McTavish (as Korris), Tenika Davis (Achillia), Jordi Webber (Tarchon), Jamaica Vaughan (Hilara), Ivana Baquero (Messia), Claudia Black (Cossutia), India Shaw-Smith (Viridia), Jackson Gallagher (Caesar), Jaime Slater (Cornelia) and Leigh Gill (Satyrus).

Watch the Spartacus: House of Ashur trailer here.

Spartacus: House of Ashur is described by Starz as “a thrilling, erotic, history-bending, roller-coaster experience” that wonders what would have happened if Ashur had survived the events of Vengeance.

“Welcome to the House of Ashur. No longer a slave, Ashur has clawed his way to power, owning the same ludus that once owned him,” the synopsis reads. “But ruling a band of merciless gladiators is child’s play compared to surviving the savage world of Roman politics — a cutthroat game in which betrayal isn’t a sin, it’s currency. He flips tradition on its head by unleashing Achillia, a fierce and powerful gladiatrix eager to prove herself worthy in a man’s world. Together, they ignite a new kind of spectacle that shocks, disrupts and offends the elite with every drop of blood.”

In addition to DeKnight, Rick Jacobson and Aaron Helbing also serve as executive producers.