Patriarchial Proclamations

**GeneralHankerchief** · 08-16-2008, 04:30

Proclamation of 1125

Greetings and regards to the Basileus, the Senators, and all people of Byzantium.

We have all endured trying times these past years. Many a good man has been lost since the last Magnaura session, most notably Markianos Ampelas in his heroic defense of Caesaria and Kosmas Mavrozomis in his spiritually motivated rush to free the good people of Cairo and Alexandria. I feel a double pang of grief towards both of these heroes, for they both fell defending their Faith. We are all for the worse without them.

Nevertheless, Orthodoxy marches on, stronger than ever! The Crusade, for all of its... unorthodox... acts committed on the high seas, is progressing nicely toward its goal. I am sure, that in the heart of every single good Byzantine currently on the shores of Egypt, they are motivated not out of desire for glory or treasure, but that for personal redemption or spiritual forwardness. Each and every one of you is to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you as you complete your difficult task. The dark fiend, the Caliph's, wicked response of Jihad has been decisively met by Savvas ek Miltou and the Order of St. John, among others.

Yes, my friends, Orthodoxy has triumphed, and it will continue to triumph. All that is required is a little faith, and the noble heroes of the Empire have certainly provided that in the past years. Despite this, however, evil still lurks in the world. The Mohammedan threat still remains, and it is ever-dangerous. The Catholics are still making noise to the west, but for the most part my predictions regarding them have come to pass.

No, I am more concerned about a threat that lies much closer to home, for it is always that type of threat that poses the greatest danger. The original Romans know this quite well: their Republic was almost brought to its knees in 250 BC by a monster known as Servius Aemilius. It was the works of the original Caesar that caused the most strife and civil wars two centuries after, and by the third century AD, Rome was rotting from within; the barbarian hordes only speeding up the process of its downfall. Even in religion does this threat make itself known - I'm sure you all know the story of Judas?

This threat's name has been, for the most part, only whispered by Senators and commoners alike for the past years; known only as the Organization. My Representative in the Magnaura informs me that its motives are little known but its activities are not: taking part in the massacre at Iconium, blackmail, threatening and taking the lives of many good men, etc.

I do not need to know the motives of this Organization to know that they are dishonorable, for no group promoting a noble goal would resort to such measures to achieve its aims. They are a threat to all that is filled with light and love in the world, for they deal in darkness and iron. Potentially anyone from the lowest peasant to a regular man of the cloth to even the highest ranking members of the Byzantine hierarchy are at risk from this group, and that is unacceptable.

In the name of continued defense of the Orthodox faith as well as Byzantine society as we know it, I hereby condemn the Organization and all of its members and activities. I also strongly suggest that efforts be made to track down and interrogate its members and ultimately, shut it down, for doing so would only harm the followers of Satan.

We must be eternally vigilant, Senators, to make sure that threats do not do anything more than threaten.