The Magnaura

Kantakouzinos turns towards Efstathios Laskaris and now with almost frindly expression on his face says:

"Laskaris, go and talk with a priest and he can confirm that Church agrees with me on this. Or are you saying that the teachings of the Church are words of old fools?"

The teachings of the Church are always debatable ..

"So we have heretics here also in the Senate. Not just idiots, power mongers and Zealots, but Heretics as well?"

A note arrives from a messenger dressed in ek Lesvou garmets to be read into the record, it says simply:

'I, Vissarionas ek Lesvou, was first in this Senate to call the supporters of extermination out, and I claim the be the first in line to deal with any who would challenge those of us who condemn them. I and my crusaders are just outside the walls of Constantinople waiting for our journey. That mission takes precedence, but any man who has words for me knows exactly where to find me. Any man who has more than words knows exactly where to find me. Don't keep me waiting. Declare yourselves. Lest anyone forget, I will repeat my claim:

The defenders of extermination are as worms feasting on filth beneath our feet. Rapists of dogs, as stories have actually happening at Iconium. You are not Greek.'

:egypt:

Iakovos walks into the Magnaura with a measured pace, his every movement controlled with a forced calm. He sits down next to Makedonios and quietly gets out a quill and parchment. He writes for a moment, until Ioannis Kantakouzinos opens his mouth again. His grip on the quill tightens for a second, his hand shaking. He stands up and looks eye to eye with Kantakouzinos, a smolder in his eyes from a suppressed rage.

"Strator Kantakouzinos, allow me to ask you a rather plain question: If you are so interested in serving the Empire and it's Emperor, then why do you support a man who broke Imperial Law? If you are so interested in serving the Empire and Emperor, then why do you support a man who's very actions put your entire House at risk?"

Iakvos voice raises, becomes less measured.

"But that is from such a...clinical view. No need to talk of the thousands slaughtered needlessly on a whim because a man is so corrupted by the power given to him! One man has no right to play God and decide when another should be sent to Heaven! Only God himself decides when any man, woman, or child's time, not some monster in human skin!"

Iakovos stands proudly up. "I hereby declare that I am willing at anytime to head to Iconium, with any number of men, to capture Hypatios and drag him here as he so deserves and to begin a fitting and equal punishment for his crimes against this august body!

I don't remember that I would have said that I question the teachings of the Church..

You old man better be silent for awhile ..

Perhaps your mind will come back and you start speaking something more reasonable..

Ionnis, by people who oppose the Empire would that mean people who break the law?

Kantakouzinos shakes his head after listening the letter.

"Maybe we are not Greeks, but for sure we are Romans. And as it has been said in the past of our Glorious Empire: Once the Ram has touched the wall, no mercy for the enemy."

"About Law, men brake law, it happens, sometimes also that bad laws are written which needs to be changed. It is completely different thing to wage War against the Empire then brake the law."

I did not say anyone was waging war with Empire, but arn't you considered to oppose someone if break one of their laws.

" What i meant by opposing was waging war against the Empire. Only if you commit treason you oppose the Empire, by betraying it. By braking the law. you are making a mistake, which you will remedy according to law, by suffering the sentence named by the law. Law is for correcting people in their ways. War is for destroying those who are enemies of the empire."

Iakovos turns on Ioannis Kantakouzinos. His body shakes visibly.

"IT, just, happens!? It just happens that a law is passed by this august body is broken by a madman who defied the will of the Empire and killed thousands! Open your treasonous, filth ridden, fool of a mouth again! Try to justify a mans actions when the Emperor himself condemns them! So help me I will walk over there and shove every word you utter back down your throat!"

Ioannis smiles to Iakovos ek Kallipoleos and says:

"Treason..Hypatios Conquered an enemy city and you call that treason. What he did was no treason. He broke the law, that i can agree with you, but calling his actions treason is ridiculous."

And you justifying them is ..... I will not utter words of such manner in this room to try and preserve what dignity is left.

"As i already said and what Church says in these matters. His actions were mercy..mercy not cruelty for sending them all to God together instead of forcing on them a life in misery."

Iakovos's fists ball up.

"I like your selective hearing Strator, and your willingness to ommit both fact and common sense. Hypatios broke Imperial Law by slaughtering thousands, and your talks of defending such traitorous actions drips of sedition. I said I would shove those words down your throat if you opened your mouth in his defense again and I am a man of my word."

Iakovos walks over to Ioannis and knocks him square in the jaw, sending him to the floor, and then turns to leave.

MERCY , MERCY How dare you? How dare you say that the people of the town were happy to go to their deaths, thankfull to be slaughtered. And you said they would rather go to God than live under our rule. What is so wrong of our rule for them not to live under it?

Stamps on the forehead and turns following Iakovos

Ioannis stands up catches Iakovos ek Kallipoleos and after moving few meters so the senators cant hear, says to him.

"Well it seems that you have more heart then your master. So will it be me and my bodyguards against you and yours on open field in full armor, to the death? Or are you too busy going to Egypt?"

And so it happens again.

I stayed silent after the Antioch Massacre, until no the one with the highest head count since the Magnaura was reinstated. I did this for political reasons, not wanting to offend a friend an ally. When evidence came out of the atrocities of Symrna and Belgrade, the latter which I saw with my own two eyes, I said nothing, as they were committed by fellow House members.

I told myself these events were abberations, unlikely to be repeated. And then this occurs, a major city completely decimated, just recently having been lost to the Turks. Most of its people were Imperial citizens, waiting for us to "liberate" them. Some liberation we offer, not from oppression but from life.

If this is to be prevented from happening again it must be stopped here. Hypatios must be brought to justice. It is a fine thing to have an edict against extermination, but now it is time to see if we will enforce it.

Iakovos shrugs off Ioannis's grip and then speaks in a very audible voice that can be heard by anyone on the Senate floor.

"Do not touch me filth! Do you fear the other Senators so much you must whisper your words of challenge?! I have little patience for false courage and fools right now, and you are both! And if you ever dare call the Grandmaster a coward, I will gut you were you stand, no matter the consequences, is that clear?!"

Makedonios stands up clearly angry.

Enough!

There will be no fighting in the Senate!

Glaring at Iakovos.

I expect ALL members of the Order to behave with respect!

You WILL apologize for loosing your temper.

Now!

Ioannis raises his voice so others can hear:

"No. I did not want to yell out my challenge, in order to save your face, if you would back out. But since you negelcted that gesture, let it be known to all that i challenge Iakovos ek Kallipoleos, before the Senate and all its members, to a combatt until other one of us is dead."

"I will take my leave now that i have said what i came here to say. Kallipoleos im available here in the city if you decide to accept my challenge."

Hypatios' clerk sniggers, evidently enjoying the trouble his master has provoked.

Turning to Efstathios.

You are forgetting your place... Strator...

Then turns to Kantakouzinos.

You claim to know what the Church thinks. But His Eminence is the Head of our Church and I have NEVER heard him condone exterminations.

And the law Hypatios broke was voted on by the Emperor himself. And the Emperor has publically condemned Hypatios. How do you reconcile that fact with your attitude?

As for courage, a real man proves it through actions not hollow words. If you can think of nothing better to do than kill your fellow nobles, you'll find me out in Antioch. But if you want to really impress me you'll do something with your life and serve the Empire.

Unlike you, Iakovos has been serving loyally in both the army and now as governor. Your a waste of his valuable time.

Ioannis stops on the door, when hearing the words of the Grandmaster, turns around and replies.

"It is up to Senate to decide the faith of Hypatios. As i said before about killing your enemy. There are worse things then death. you know, Grandmaster. I dont claim to know what Church thinks, but what it preaches. And you know fully well, what it preaches about non believers, pagans and heretics. It is up to God to forgive them, not to us. All we can do is to deliver them to God. So with your actions you are willing to condemn those poor souls to life in lie, here on earth. Why should you be able to stand on the way of will of God?"

"Also is only working for you valuable work for Empire? I followed Basileos on his initial campaigns to West, governed his castle for years while gaining nothing from it and you say i havent done anything to the Empire. Well you are entitled to your opinion Grandmaster."

Without waiting for an answer Kantakouzinos leaves the Senate

Iakovos turns to Makedonios, his face softening, slightly.

"Forgive me Grandmaster, I jumped ahead of myself. I apologize for those in the Senate, and to the Emperor for letting that...man, get to me."

Makedonios nods to Iakovos approvingly.

You know you are better than that. And you are much better than him. Let him leave and yell at the trees. We have real work to do.

He then speaks to the Senate while looking at the door Kantakouzinos just left through.

What Kantakouzinos is not keeping in mind is that dead people can not be shown the Truth. Every non-believer we kill is a lost chance to convert them to the True Word of the Lord.

A short note arrives from Antypatos Markianos Ampelas

If any of you are wondering what the position of the leadership of the House Asteri will be on this matter, it will be decided once Kalameteros recovers. It hardly strikes me as an urgent issue.

Makedonios looks apalled at what was read out loud.

Not an urgent matter?

Then what is?

Someone massacres thousands of civilians in open defiance of the Senate and the second ranking person of the House says, "It hardly strikes [him] as an urgent issue?"

If House Asteri refuses to condemn and punish this man, then I will rethink ever dealing with them on anything ever again.

Some clerk/scribe guy from the Asteri section stands

I believe that sir Ampelas has not stated that it's not an important issue, but only that it's not an urgent one. As in, it won't make a difference if a decision is made now or in a few days.

Makedonios looks at the clerk annoyed.

Since Ampelas is Hypatios's legal lord, he can come down here and answer for his vassal. He doesn't need to wait for Kalameteros.

Speaking of Hypatios, why isn't he here? He has the 'courage' to use his sword to violate young women after he cuts their heads off, so he must have the courage to come and face us!