AHC - Gepid-Wank!!!

The Gepids were the most poorly documented of the Germanic peoples, with very few, if any exceptions (The Scirii perhaps?). We know the names of only a handful of their Kings, and have little or no knowledge of when they ruled.

We do know, however, that at their height the Kings of the Gepids were absurdly rich and powerful, and the rulers of almost the entire Pannonian Basin. So my question is, how exactly how rich and powerful could the Gepids have gotten in an ATL?

My challenge: With a PoD of no earlier than 454 (The battle of Nedao) have the Gepids secure enough land to rival the Ostrogoths (or overrun them) and give them the strength to survive the Avaric onslaught. What would a medieval Gepid Empire look like? Arian or Chalcedonian? Terrestrial or Naval? Stirrups or no Stirrups?

The possibilities are staggering...
 
An idea could be that the Gepids strike up an alliance with Justinian I as he (and Belisarius) eyes reconquest of the West under Constantinople's control. The Gepids attempted to conquer Ostrogothic land after Theodoric's death but were swiftly defeated by King Vitiges. Together, as the Eastern Romans focus on Sicily and later the Italian peninsula, the Gepids could beat the Lombards in taking Pannonia. Perhaps they're even able to conquer the Lombards and focus the next few decades consolidating their hold over the Pannonian Basin (perhaps establishing cities in key strategic locations). Ideally they should be better prepped for the invasion by the Avars.

I'd suspect the Gepids would be Arian; their Romanized subjects would be Chalcedonian. Like with the rest, it seems likely they would convert in due time.
 
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