The Hippodrome

**woad&fangs** · 02-19-2009, 01:37

Andronikos stands atop a raised platform in the middle of the Hippodrome. A large crowd has gathered in the stands, having heard by word of mouth that Andronikos Komnenos is about to deliver a speech. Their curiosity is even further stirred by the veteran soldiers ringing the speaker's stand and patrolling the nearby streets. All of whom wear a dark green cloak over their armor. Andronikos raises his hands for silence and proceeds with his announcement

Citizens of Constantinople! Heirs to the Roman legacy! Beware the false Basileus with the serpent’s tongue. He is no ruler. He is no noble. He is no Methodious.

One is either born a king or born to become one through conquest. Methodious achieved the latter, if but only for a day. His son achieved neither. While I marched ‘cross towering mountains, fought ‘side blood-stained rivers, slept on cold and lonesome ground; the boy sat and polished his fathers armor.

During my campaigns I met a wise monk atop a mountain. He spoke to me of power, and of the divine rights of kings. He spoke words which all wise men shall agree with. He said, “It is not the task of the king to follow the crown, but the task of the crown to follow the king”. The Empire goes where its ruler goes and I return now to the east. In the east I shall abide and there too shall the Empire stand.

Let all those who look upon me from this day forward, bow their heads and say, “There stands Andronikos! Ruler of Pontus and Armenia! True Basileus of the Byzantines!”

OOC: Andronikos Komnenos Secedes from the Byzantine Empire. Tbilisi will be his capitol. I believe that the contiguous holdings of me and my vassals are Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Amina(formerly Dyarbakir), Trebizond, and Sinop.

**ULC** · 02-19-2009, 19:45

Sergios quickly walks up the same platform as Andronikos, a look of grave determination upon his face and deep enmity. However, instead of acknowledging Andronikos, he turns to the crowd and spreads his arms before breaking into speech.

"FRIENDS! ROMANS! FELLOW COUNTRYMEN! Brothers in arms, honourable men who are loyal to their people, their glorious leader, and to the ideals of justice, honour, and freedom!"

"Here we stand at a crossroad of life. There are selfish, greedy, and powerful dark forces on the rise against the legitimate leader of the Empire! This selfish, traitorous man seeks that which he does not rightly deserve, and did not rightly earn!"

"Kousinos Sophianos, who deserted the holy lands and let the Levant go to ruin, now seeks to ruin the entire Roman way of life! He is a traitor and an outlaw, one who seeks power through illegal and non-traditional ways. We Romans are a proud people, the only TRULY civilized nation on earth, and this barbarian scum wants to rule over all of us and send us to our deaths, tearing from our families our lands, titles, wealth, property, and livelihoods, and remake the empire in his own image."

"He claims that he will bring back the Era of greatness of Aleksios Komenos, who held the Empire together and brought strength from unity! But the coward has done nothing but bring us strife and cause more and more territories to rebel, and not even to his cause!" Sergios takes an moment to glibly gesture to Andronikos with a steely gaze, before turning back to the crowd. "His opportunism and greed spread like a plague to all corners of the Empire, and it is up to us, good citizens of the Roman Empire, to halt this cancer before it consumes us all!"

"This is a most grave time for the Roman people. We have stood as a beacon of civilization for over a millennium. This foul creature will not be the next leader of the empire so long as I draw breath. There is no time to stand on the sidelines, now is our moment when we must strike at the very heart of the enemies of the empire. The Venetians and Turks can wait, and unless our empire is whole, we are vulnerable."

"WE MUST STAND UNITED AGAINST TYRANNY AND DIVISION! Can you honestly say our Emperor is a tyrant, who wishes to gain power through despicable means? Has he tried to divide us, make us weak, in a lust for power while we have enemies beating down upon our gates? No! He wishes to lead us to greatness, as has his entire family before him. Now this... stunted slimeball... seeks to destroy all that we have made together. It is you, good citizens and soldiers of the Empire, you who have laid the stones that created this Empire, it was you who bring out the greatness! Yet this man Kousinos seeks to claim the throne, and take away what you worked for! Will you stand for that?!"

"The time for speeches and debates is over. Now we must defend the Roman empire, together, as brothers in arms, seeking justice. IF WE DO NOT CRUSH THIS REBELLION NOW, IT WILL BE THE END OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE!!!"

"A wise man known as Efstratios Monomachos said that Romans fighting against Romans would lead to our downfall. He is most prophetic, for now we are seeing his prediction come to pass. But it does not have to be so, and I will not let that stand!"

"JOIN ME in supporting the LEGITIMATE RULER OF THE EMPIRE, and I am certain the rewards will be greater than you can imagine, and you will have your honor intact. You will have the gratitude of your fellow countrymen, of the Empire itself, and that of the Basileus!"

"I trust my honorable brothers more than I trust rebels and outlaws who want to steal an empire instead of build one themselves. Let us now sally forth and AND FIGHT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPIRE!!!"

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Redemption** · 02-20-2009, 01:45

Avgoustinos Cavasilis had come to the Hyppodrome to get away from all the politicking going on in the streets of Constantinople. With the Empire falling apart, every senator and faction trying to grab a piece of it to call their own, the races had been generally abandoned by the upper classes and it seemed as good a place as any to free one's mind from the pointless backstabbing and bickering that had become all too common. Little did he imagine when he absent-mindedly sat down at his usual seat that he was giving himself a front-row view to more of the same nonsense.

An Empire in Armenia! That was a good one. Backwater place if ever there was one.

And the capital, Great Constantinopolis itself was now part of it's own little despotate. Ironic.

Pfeh! Time to travel a bit. See if opportunities arise. But before, let's take care of some business.

Calling a scribe, Avgoustinos orders a brief message be sent and read before the new senate in Jerusalem.

**woad&fangs** · 02-20-2009, 03:39

Sergios, as much as I loath that pauper you bow before, I believe we are in agreement about Kousinos Sophianos. If he desired only the throne, I would be content to laugh him off as a drunken fool. However, he has besmirched the good reputation of my sister and for that he shall pay penance. I challenge him and his lackey to battle outside of Adana. I am more than willing to test my generalship against theirs. I believe they will find commanding an army to be very different from murdering noble senators in the night.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Cecil XIX** · 02-20-2009, 04:17

Two spectators pass by. One remarks to the other.

Perhaps the Prince is unaware that the Marshall of St. John has forbid fighting in the Order's lands...

**Zim** · 02-20-2009, 07:28

A man sitting to watch the races can't help but overhear the spectators.

I suppose they could meet just past the borders of Adana's province. But then, with the way Erotikos and Kousinos ran off from a confrontation at Constantinople I guess they'd just flee again.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: