The Magnaura

[Andres]

Savvas stands up and bows for the Emperor.

"Mighty Basileus, I hereby repeat my oath of fealthy."

Savvas stares at the Grandmaster of the Order, seemingly amazed that the Comes still hadn't pledged his loyalty to the Basileus. He shrugged and spoke further.

"Our Patriarch is right about the Catholics. It's not good to have this apostate, this Pope, sitting in Rome. We call ourselves Romans, but Rome is not in our hands. It is in the hands of this abomination of christians, those Catholics!"

Savvas paused and took a deep breath.

"Yes, we should conquer the Holy Lands! Yes, the Holy Lands belong to us, true Romans. But if we want to revive our Empire, if we want to bring back the glory of the Roman Empire, then we need to take ROME! Our priorities are in the West, my fellow Senators. The Patriarch needs to be reinstalled as head of the Church, the only True Church which is the Orthodox Church and Rome is where he should be installed! Once we have conquered Rome, taking the Holy Lands will be but a formality."

I hereby withdraw the text of Edict 1.1 and replace it by this:

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.

[_Tristan_]

Having gone from the chambers, tired of the political bickering about taking this or that province, Methodios Tagaris returns and gladly sees that the Basileos has made his appearance. Walking purposefully in front of the raised dais where the Emperor sits, he drops to one knee, fist to heart his face upturned to his Lord, locking eyes with him.

"My Lord, I swear my loyalty to you. My life and my sword are yours to command. Do with me as you see fit. I am yours."

Keeping his eyes locked with those of the Basileos, Tagaris only bows when a nod from the Emperor aknowledges his oath.

Rising, he goes to resume his seat on the benches nearest the throne.

[Zim]

The Emperor has my private oath but if it pleases my fellow members of the Senate I shall make my pledge here in public as well.

Kosmas bows deeply to the Emperor, only getting up once his oath has been acknowledge.

I, Kosmas Mavrozomis, pledge my life, my arms, and my loyalty to Aleksios Komnenos, divinely appointed by God to be Emperor.

As for Edict 1.1, I cannot support it at this time. Rome is a shell, destroyed by barbarians most recently during the Gothic Wars and now inhabited by barbarians. It was lost to the Empire hundreds of years ago. It pales before the glory of the New Rome founded by Constantine.

It would be a pit to throw our money in, would require at least as large a garrison as, say Antioch, and as it is home to the religious leader of the barbarians we would soon find ourselves the subject of these "crusades" they are talking about. We also have no forces anywhere near it.

Contrast this with Antioch, which could be captured with little cost by the Order, is still quite wealthy, and was lost a mere couple years ago to Armenian rebels. We have an immediate duty to make an example of these rebels before rebellion spreads even further throughout the Empire.

Someday Rome and all the seats of the Patriarchs will fall under the rule of the Empire again. For now, however, we must choose our conqests more carefully. Antioch is near, easy to capture, and a more important city of the Empire than Rome, despite the latter's illustrious past. It also just recently, within the memory of all of us, was taken by rebels. If we do not take it back now the Turks will surely capture it and use its wealth against us.

For these reasons and more, I cannot support Edict 1.1 as it has been rewritten.