The Magnaura

[TinCow]

The Magnaura
(The Byzantine Senate)

The Protoasecretes shuffled across the floor of the Magnaura. He could be heard grumbling to himself about how long it had taken to clean the building after the last Senate session. As he reached the doors, he turned around and sighed wistfully at the immaculate condition of the interior. He knew it would not last long.

With a resigned shrug of his shoulders, he signaled the guards at the entrance, who promptly unbarred the great door. It took only moments for the stream of bodies to rush through, variously talking, laughing, shouting, and gesticulating wildly, depending on the Senator and his circumstances. All were followed by servants carrying candles, documents, quills, ink, and, to the Protoasecretes' dismay, copious quantities of alcohol.

After the initial rush quieted down, the Protoasecretes cleared his throat and stood up at the front of the room.

"Senators of Byzantium! Welcome to the great Magnaura, the traditional home of the Senate. I must first start off by paying proper homage to the great Basileus Aleksios Komenus, first of his line. May he live a long and prosperous life and may the Komnenid Dynasty last for all eternity! Let no Senator forget that we are assembled here to serve his will and aid him in the governance of Roman Empire!"

"Now, since some of you are newly risen to the rank of Senator, let me remind you of the basic rules of the Senate. First, Edicts and Amendments can only be proposed while the Senate is in session. You can conduct business in here whenever you wish, but legislation itself is restricted to formal sessions. I will notify you when sessions begin and end and my word on the matter is final!"

"Second, do not bother proposing legislation that you are not qualified to propose. To prevent us from being paralyzed by pointless paperwork, our wise ancestors have previously decreed that various amounts of seniority of rank are required to propose certain numbers of Edicts and Amendments. Any Senator who exceeds his alloted quota will have his excess submissions stricken from the record, regardless of their nature!"

"Third, with few exceptions, all legislation must be seconded by two Senators before it can be put to the vote. Do not come whining to me if your prized Edict does not end up on the ballot because you were too lazy to gather supporters before you proposed it!"

"Fourth, make sure your legislation is formated in the proper manner! It is hard enough to keep track of the mass of paperwork that goes on in this building. For our own sanity, please format your legislation in the following manner: Edict/Amendment X.Z: Text of Edict/Amendment. (X = Number of the Senate session, Z = Number of the Edict/Amendment within the Senate session.) For example, the third Edict proposed at the fourth Senate session would look like this: Edict 4.3: All Senators will wear togas. The numbers of all Edicts and Amendment proposed during an Emergency Session will be the same, but with an E preceding the numbering (i.e. Edict E4.3).

"Finally, violence will not be permitted in the Magnaura! Limit your attacks to verbal sparring only! Any Senator bringing a weapon into the building, or raising his fist to a fellow Senator, will be forcibly removed by the guards. This is Constantinople, not Rome! We do not stab each other to death in this Senate!"

The Protoasecretes looked around the room and noticed that few men were paying any attention to him. He muttered some obscenities under his breath and glared at the gathered body of Senators. When nothing changed about their demeanor, he sighed, stoop up as straight as he was able, and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I hereby declare the Byzantine Senate to be in Session! The floor will remain open for debate and legislation until 3:30pm EST on Thursday, June 5th, at which point there will be 48 hours alloted for voting."

With that, he sat down to watch the inevitable chaos.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios walked into the Senate with paperwork hooked under his arms and a couple aides in tow. Stopping in the middle of the grand room, he looked for the area set aside for the Order. He finally saw that a simple large table with a bank of seats behind it had the Order's coat of arms on the front. Pleased that the place had been set up to his liking, he walked over and took a seat at the left end of the table, to facilitate oration, which he was sure he would have to do some of.

Looking behind him, he saw the doors that led into the private chambers reserved for the Order. In there, there was a hall with a table large enough to seat all of the Order members. Plus a small barren room for prayer. As well as sleeping quarters for those sessions that go all through the night.

Tall, and with a head of blond hair, the soldier had simple clothes on. A plain cape adorned his shoulders and had a purple Orthodox cross on the back. A small scar adorned his cheek and his eyes were full of life. Unfolding the sheets of paper, it is clear that the noble is preparing to present business before the Senate. But out of respect for the Emperor, he has decided to sit and wait until the Basileus makes his appearance.

[_Tristan_]

Methodios Tagaris walks into the Senate, a determined look on his face. Dressed in a long-sleeved white tunic and baggy trousers gathered at the knees such as worn by the Varangians. Over his tunic, a thin coat of mail can be seen. On his shoulders is draped a heavy black silken cape. Noticing that the place is still almost empty, he goes and find a seat in an unclaimed section of the benches.

[Kagemusha]

Ioannis Kantakouzinos walks inside the senate and sits down near the seat of Caesar, looking around the Senate with curious expression in his eyes.

[Ramses II CP]

Vissarionas was standing meekly to the rear of the mass of senators when the doors were finally thrown open, having deposited his new errand boy in his rooms in the city. When the crowd moved forward Vissarionas moved with them, timidly, coming to a stop as the groups dispersed to their various stations. Casting about somewhat vacantly he at last spots the Order of St. John's table, where his Grandmaster, Comes Makedonios, is already taking a seat.

Confident now Strator Vissarionas strides across the chamber and issues another perfect salute to the Grandmaster, then takes a seat in whichever chair the Comes points out to him. Vissarionas is wide eyed and clearly very impressed by his surroundings, but determined not to make a fool of himself. He has exchanged his more foppish cap for a less dramatic and noticeable model that rests comfortably on his bald head, and his garmets are similarly muted with only the Order's tabard over them being noteworthy.

As with his master, he observes a respectful silence while waiting for the Basileus to arrive and address the body.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios spies Vissarionas and gives him a smile. As the sergeant takes a seat near him, Makedonios leans over and asks in a low voice,

"Did you by any chance go to the races? How did the Blue team do?"

[_Tristan_]

Methodios Tagaris rises up to speak.

My Lords, I have listened to your positions here before the Senate.

The whole world has its eyes set on Constantinople as the remnants of what was once the greatest of Empire, what remains of both of the greatest civilizations that mankind has created.

We stand at a crossroad both in history, geographically and religiously.

In history, the next years will decide if the Roman Empire has lived past its usefulness and die a merciful death or if as a phoenix, it will rise from the ashes of Manzikert.

Do not misunderstand me, I wish to see our Empire reborn to all its glory but to achieve such a goal we must put an end to all the bickering and the power play between the Houses and the factions.

Thus, Our Basileos (bowing to Aleksios Komemnos) is the embodiment of our new found unity.

But we also stand at a crossroads geographically and religiously, between a Catholic West and a Muslim East, religion that cannot be reconciled and ready to go at each other's throat.

I have heard here mentioned the risk of a Crusade being called on the Holy Land. Nobody has mentioned the risk of a Jihad unleashing hordes of Muslim fanatics in Anatolikon and beyond, threatening Constantinople itself.

All this I'm sure you all know... yet, it seems to me as if you cannot see the bigger picture and focus on details.

Here Antioch, there Bari, over there Rome...

Seeing the bigger picture means acting for the overall good of the Empire, something we cannot do if all pull and push in different directions.

Our first step is to reclaim any and all of the lands gone rebel in our vicinity. And define what will be our foreign policy.

We have to choose for the once whether the greatest threat lies in the Catholics or the Muslims. Then we will have to make allies of the chosen ones and wage war on the rest.

In doing so, we stand a chance of survival and more than that a chance of supremacy... Our faith will spread to our newly claimed lands and we will stand a chance to spread it even further.

So let us not divide our forces too much and let us stand united.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Forgive for such a long winded speech, but seeing some of you relentlessly going over some points forced me to intervene.

(Once more bowing to the Basileos) My Lord with your permission.

Methodios Tagaris sits back down, the look on his face going from hopefulness to dejection and back again.

[Zim]

Senator Tagaris,

Although there has been some argument over whether certain settlements, such as Bari and Antioch, are close enough to be in our "vicinity" I believe that we are all in agreement that reasserting control over nearby rebel territories is of the utmost importance if our Empire is to regain its strength. Whether we take Bari or Antioch....or Rome is important to the point that it would establish the Empire's outer boundaries for the very near future, but perhaps we have gotten too caught up in that single issue.

The problem you have noted is largely the result of our failing to get past the issue of whether certain settlements warrant taking, I think.

As for broader foreign policy, I think that the Muslims to the East are the biggest threat. They are larger and richer than our catholic neighbors and know more of our weakness since Manzikert. I also see the threat of a jihad as much greater in the near future than the threat of a crusade. Our main rival in the region for the forseeable future will likely be the Turks, and we should seek to contain them first. There is also the issue that regions very recently held by the Empire are under Muslim control. Catholics are still Christians of a sort, and Christian cities under Muslim control are a far greater affront to God. I would recommend a hostile stance towards the Turks, with an emphasis on containing them and eventually preparing to fight them.

In the West I believe more flexibility is required. Peace may not be possible with the greedy Venetians and barbaric Hungarians, but we can likely sign treaties of trade with the nations past them, and with the Russians, recently converted to Orthodoxy. In the meantime taking the rebel settlements in the Balkans would give us a secure border beyond the Greek heartlands of the Empire.

What say you on these issues, Senator Tagaris?

[_Tristan_]

Methodios stands up to answer the question adressed to him.


I gladly hear a voice that adresses the true questions that we mus ask ourselves.

I agree fully with you that the Turks are the main threat. And beyond that the Egyptians.

In the west, the Venetians are money-grubbing fiends and have taken profit of our difficulties to lay claim to the Isle of Crete, the nexus of sea traffic in the Mediterannean Sea.

As for the settlements that warrant taking, I would advocate claiming all that our within easy reach, be they situated in the Levant or closer to Constantinople. Our main concern should be to concentrate on employing our ressources in strengthening defensible positions and not waste them in keeping settlements that will cost us more than they will gain us.

If the Order wishes to claim Antioch for the Empire, let's not bar them from doing it. But let them understand that it will perhaps be a long time before any reinforcements come their way.

Does that answer your question, Comes Mavrozomis ?

Looking at Komes, Methodios sits back down.

[Zim]

Indeed it does, Senator Methodios,

It is pleasant to my thoughts shared by another. The Turks concern me the most right now, and the Venetians to a lesser extent.

It seems the Order can take Antioch for almost no cost, and are willing to garrison it and defend it with their own bodyguards if necessary. Meanwhile I sit in Athens with a garrison more than capable of handling that of Rhodes, and much closer as well. With the Prince in northern Anatolia, and the Comes' of Corinth and Thessalonika close to different parts of the Balkans, we can easily grab many rebel settlements quickly and set the Empire on the road to recovery and the strength needed to counteract the Turks and the Latins to the west if need be.

Methodios stands up to answer the question adressed to him.


I gladly hear a voice that adresses the true questions that we mus ask ourselves.

I agree fully with you that the Turks are the main threat. And beyond that the Egyptians.

In the west, the Venetians are money-grubbing fiends and have taken profit of our difficulties to lay claim to the Isle of Crete, the nexus of sea traffic in the Mediterannean Sea.

As for the settlements that warrant taking, I would advocate claiming all that our within easy reach, be they situated in the Levant or closer to Constantinople. Our main concern should be to concentrate on employing our ressources in strengthening defensible positions and not waste them in keeping settlements that will cost us more than they will gain us.

If the Order wishes to claim Antioch for the Empire, let's not bar them from doing it. But let them understand that it will perhaps be a long time before any reinforcements come their way.

Does that answer your question, Comes Mavrozomis ?

Looking at Komes, Methodios sits back down.

[_Tristan_]

And that we will do... If we stand united and act for the good of the Empire... In the name of our Basileos..

[PrinceofTroy]

Koulianos who has been quiet for much of the time finally stands.

Friends, I am against edict 1.1, Those who wish to swear allegiance may, those who don't wish to, should not be punished, for it is obvious that all of us here are loyal servants of the Empire.

I support edict 1.2, for only through expansion will the Empire return to its former glory.

I also support edict 1.3 for I believe that we must convert the Heathens in the East so that peace may be within our borders between all our people.

I support edict 1.4, Antioch is necessary for the Empire to control the East.

I support edict 5, expansion to Rhodes and a more powerful navy will do nothing but good for the Empire.

Edict 1.6 I am against, should we not try to make peace with the Christians in the West. I say we unite with the Catholics in the West and expand East with their help. Is it not reasonable
to join with people of our same faith?
Koulianos stays standing, waiting for someone to support or challenge his views.

[Andres]

My esteemed colleague Koulianos, allow me to point out that the original Edict 1.1. has been rewritten into:

Edict 1.1.: At any given moment, the Basileus can decide to use all resources of the Empire for a direct assault on Rome. Every nobleman who is ordered to join this assault on Rome, will have to follow the call of the Emperor and will use all his available resources for the conquest of Rome.

I support Edict 1.2. It's a necesseray first step towards the succesfull conquest of Rome.

And I am strongly opposed to make peace with the so called "Christians" to the West. These catholics are an abomination. The fact that they dare to call themselves "Christians" makes them even filthier then those filthy Islamic dogs. The catholics are heathens, no more, no less. They are to be converted and their Pope has to be removed and replaced by our beloved Patriarch.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Need I remind Senator Savvas ek Militou that the Patriarch has warned that the only thing that will unite Western Catholicism at this point in time is an external attack on it. An all-out push for Rome would certainly qualify.

[_Tristan_]

Methodios Tagaris is seen scribbling a note and passing it to one of the Senate officials.

[The Lemongate]

Looking directly at Tagaris, Anastasios hisses:

You show a troubling lack of willingness to cooperate Tagaris! This is the third time I ask for your cooperation on this matter! THIRD! And yet you ignore me. If your aims are indeed worthy, then you should not be afraid to discuss them in a civilized manner.

[TheFlax]

A note replaces the one from the University.

The following have been accepted for the position of Scholar in the University of Constantinople for the period of 1110 to 1125.

- Comes Iakovos ek Kallipoleos
- Domestikos Nathanail ek Korinthou
- Domestikos Aleksios ek Ikoniou
- Patrikos Ioannis Kalameteros
- Ceasar Ioannis Komnenos

(OOC: Please send me the trait you wish to add/remove before the next Senate session.)

[Dafuge]

With our current finances I don't think we could afford to pay off every single rebel army that appears. It is also to my belief that public happiness is usually enought to stop rebelions in that area. Also many of the rebels are payed by other countries such as Hungary which is why they don't accept pay off.

[Kagemusha]

Kantakouzinos enters the Senate and after reading through the notes his scribes have made,he turns towards the scribe of Efstathios Laskaris and says:

"You wile Wretch! How dare you lowly servant call your betters murderers and criticize the actions of noble Senators, while you are nothing but a servant with an ability to read and write. I support Senator ek Militous suggestion for Basileus to throw out you from diet and for you not to return before your master has teach you a lesson in manners with a whip.

Ioannis loos down upon the scribe with disgust in his eyes.

[Andres]

Savvas' scribe looks very embarassed now.

Dear Senator Kantakouzions, please forgive me this interruption, but I am not Savvas ek Militou. I am just his humble scribe. My esteemed master is currently on his way back to Arta.

The scribe bow deeply and sits down again.

Please forgive me for this interruption.

The scribe bows again. The poor man starts to sweat and looks very pale. It seems like he's about to pass out.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

OOC: Savvas left the building a couple of posts ago, it was his scribe who suggested to throw the other scribe out of the Senate RP'ing your "social drinker" trait are you? Give Savvas' poor scribe a glass of water.

[Kagemusha]

Kantakouzinos looks at the direction of ek Militous scribe with a comforting smile in his eyes and says.

"Do not worry. It seems that there are many scribes here who does not know their jobs. But you are not one of them."

Then he turns towards his own scribes and looks at them with murder in his eyes and says.

"Maybe many in here should concentrate on their jobs."

Ioannis nods to hector, who takes a firm grip of the shoulder of Kantakouzions main scribe and takes him outside, after a while echoes of screams can be heard in the senate.

[Northnovas]

The Duke of Corinth comes to the chamber and takes his seat it has been some time since he has been here. He now looks more scholarly then a military general with his years of self study. He reads some documents and talks with his scribe. He addresses the senate..

Fellow Romans I have received the news of the Jihad directed towards our great city. I have come to defend her. I will not tolerate such action against and will use all my resources to her defence.

To quote our Patriarch “war with religious implications is to be taken quite seriously, for its combatants are always more motivated. As such, this is why I fear the called jihad more than any political incursion into Byzantine territory.”

This is a concern but the situation is not grave with proper planning and execution we should be able to stop this incursion. We must remember our men are sailing for their lands and this could significantly hamper their resources for a Jihad. The only concern is other nations joining their cause. The Seljuk Sultanate has already tasted our blade and any other nation wishing to join must travel a great distance to get here. It is important to keep our neighbours to the west pacified and not try to interfere or take advantage of the situation. We must be aware of our resources in the treasury but now is the time to put our agendas aside and concentrate on total war aginst the Calipahte with our Crusaders and Defenders.

Let us work together and arrange for the defence of our city. It is time to mobilize an army the Defenders of Constantinople and put this Jihad to rest.

[deguerra]

It is with great sadness that I too confirm the great loss of Caesarea but the even greater loss of Markianos and his army. I did not have the pleasure of knowing him long, but our relationship these past years was a good one and he was a man of honour and courage, whose term as our Megas speaks for itself I think.

Gentlemen, this only proves what we knew already. Anatolia is far from secure and the Turkish threat is equal to that of the Jihading Fatamids.

Strator Savvas' suggestion is an excellent one. It would seem House Asteri has lost half its men under arms in one swoop, but I will not have it said we have no courage. Our second House Army, under my command will march East from Iconium. I will attempt to engage the Turkish army where I find it and regain that city. Once I am convinced it is secure, I will head to wear the threat of the Jihad is greatest.

I think it is time we nip these issues in the bud, rather than waiting for them to come to us. I will welcome any who wish to join me.

Also, the feedback of Strator Apionnas would be most appreciated, as he is still the man with the most knowledge of fighting the Muslims.

[_Tristan_]

A young man stands from his bench, a bit flustered.

My Lords,

I am Georgios Angelos, recently appointed to this most noble asssembly.

Pardon me for interrupting but I an still young enough to remember the teachings of my elders in the matters of religion.

Kousinos Sophianos claims a divine mandate for his accession to the throne but he claims at the same time to be the fruit of the alleged adulterous union between the Princess Anna Komnenos and Grandmaster Ksanthopoulos.

How could God give such a mandate when adultery is considered a sin by our Mother Church ?

Please enlighten me.

[Ituralde]

There's nothing to be enlightened about. He is a bastard and a usurper. The rest is just fancy talk. I wish the defenders of the Empire the best of luck in the upcoming battle against Ioannis Erotikos and Kousinos Sophianos. May they meet their deserved fate.

[TheFlax]

Two men enter the Magnaura and head for the the throne. The first man wears an elaborate apparel, consisting of a dark cloak worn over a white, long-sleeved camisia, a golden lorica, a short purple tunica with embroidered trim, and cloth stockings. His leather boots are ostentatiously studded with jewels and his hands bear almost as many golden gem encrusted rings as they have fingers. His boyish features give him a somewhat innocent and harmless appearance, but they cannot hide that he seems unnerved and that his confident pace is merely for show. Upon his brow lies the crown of the Romans which marks him as the Emperor. Next to him walks a taller man, with long graying hair and hard features, the man seems the Basileus' elder by many winters. Dressed simply in nondescript clothing, his clean shaven face gives little away save for his intense and sparky eyes which seem out of character with the rest of the man's attributes.

The young Basileus stops next to the throne and sits down wearily, the other man moving to stand next to him. In takes Ioannis a moment to gain some composure before addressing the Magnaura in a clear, but amicable voice.

My fellow Romans. There are a number of issues I wish to address, but foremost I hope I have not kept you waiting for too long, as you no doubt know Jerusalem is considerably far from our beloved capital.

Now, first and foremost there is the matter of Constantine Ksanthopoulos and his supporter, who are marching here at this very moment. I hope none of you will be dazzled by these pretentious claims and unite against the threat they pose to the precarious stability of the Empire. We can ill afford to be divided in this moment and...

The older man interrupts him, whispering something in his ear. The Basileus nods slightly before continuing.

And I thus urge every Senator of this body to break any oath they may share with these men and then declare war upon them. I realize many of you are too far away or too busy fighting against our outside enemies to defend the capital, but we must show them that we are ready to stand together when an little known opportunist has delusions of grandeur. Consider your declaration of war upon these men as not only a pledge of loyalty to my person, but to our great Empire itself!

As for you Senator Erotikos, you may deliver the following message to your master:

He has a tenuous claim to the throne at best and I can think easily of several candidates who are more worthy than him by blood. Neither can he claim the throne by deeds, for what good he has done for the Empire? Abandoning the Order in its darkest hour and leaving the population of the Levant to die in order fulfill his selfish ambition. That is not a man any here will follow. Tell him that even if he does manage to vanquish the valiant defenders of Constantinople, it will not make him Basileus. He will have to do more than conquer one city to claim this title, he will have to kill Ceasar Andronikos and my person, for we will not rest until you are eradicated. Of course, there is an alternative. Your master can surrender now and spare the needless death of your men.

Until I have received their surrender, Constantine Ksanthopoulos (Cecil XIX ) and Ioannis Erotikos (Ramses II CP) are both barred from this chamber, any communication they send here will be destroyed. We have heard enough of their nonsense.

The young Basileus turn to the older man and they exchange a short conversation of whispers. Ioannis nods again lightly before turning back to the assembled Senators.

The other issue I wish to discuss is the different reactions some of you have expressed upon my becoming Basileus. I understand some of you have concerns and this body is the perfect place to express them. Remember well though to act civilized and refrain from using slander as your sole point of argumentation. On that note, I will not tolerate anymore insults on my father's character. Whatever might be my personal feelings, he was a positive influence on the Empire, more so than many of you will ever be. You may question some of his later actions all you want, he earned the position of Ceasar and then Basileus by his great deeds for the Empire.

Invalidating my legitimacy by calling him a traitor is not only a very despicably easy slander, but it bears little truth. Only God can decide if I should rule or not and if I was the villain some of you have depicted, surely God would not have condoned my father's later action by allowing my coronation. Furthermore, I find it ironic that man who bandy around such slanders is himself an easy of target of similar words.

Yes, Arintheos Voutoumatis, I could respond to your words by calling you an incompetent buffoon for your recent years as Megas Logothetes. Perhaps some would find it an apt description. After all you did run for the position on the promise of some reforms to cut costs. Yet the Empire face the worst deficit ever incurred in recent history, something not even achieved by those considered the worst Megas Logothetes. Would that be fair? No. Would that take into account the extraordinary events of the recent years coupled with a lengthy war on two fronts? No. Thus I will refrain from characterizing you as such. Even though the situation is dire, I still have faith in your ability to perform your duties as best you are able. Perhaps if a man so unworthy as I in your eyes can elevate himself above petty insults, you also can do it.

I will state again, I have no wish to censure your words of concern. On the contrary they are welcomed, as long as they are expressed with respect and substance.

And now I leave to floor to you, my fellows Romans.

[Zim]

Andreas listens silently through the last speech, chuckling slightly towards the end.

I think you may have forgotten one other way in which such an accusation against me may be unfair, that being the fact that what precipitated the beginning of the deficit was the loss of two of our best cities under the watch of a man who had secede against the Empire... At any rate I am greatly shamed we have fallen into debt in my term, whatever the extenuating circumstances. My only feeble defense is that the threat of Erotikos required increased military spending. While I have recently cut costs enough that only the capture of Damascus is needed to balance the budget, it will still be long before Imperial funding is back in the black. I applaud Ammonathas Kalameteros for moving on Zagreb, the recapture of which will put us on the right track again financially.

I am not sure what to call a man who committed treason but a traitor. However, given the seriousness of the matter at hand, the rebellion by those crazed fools Erotikos and Kousinos, I will refrain from doing so for the time being. Instead I join Tagaris in calling for all loyal Romans to declare war against the traitors marching on our capital. The fate of the Empire is at stake, and we cannot let a madman and usurper steal the throne.

[Ramses II CP]

Io shrugs without saying a word and departs the chamber while making a rather flippant 'write me' gesture at the general assembly.