The Magnaura

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis returns to the Magnaura.

I am at your service, senators.

[AussieGiant]

I believe I will let the Megas respond in due course.

[TinCow]

A clerk shuffles quietly up to the Protoasecretes and whispers in his ear. The old man scowls and shakes his head, before waving the man off.

It seems that there has been a mathematical error in the treasury. This was discovered when it was noticed that there were indeed many large chests of florins lying around, which obviously conflicted with the notion of a completely empty treasury. According to the current count, there are 16,263 florins available for use.

[Dafuge]

Which seems to make the whole issue a bit brighter.

[AussieGiant]

It seems a clerical error has taken the sting out of this entire situation.

I'm sure that out of this very unclear situation a solution can be found to ensure stability and order can be maintained throughout the Empire.

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis rises to speak.

Indeed this is good news! It is indeed embarrassing that so many florins were mislaid. However, that is not as important as the discovery of these new funds.

Ioannis resumes his seat.

[OverKnight]

Hearing that 17,000 florins had been mislaid in a clerical error, Aleksios lowers his head into his hands and emits a seething hiss of frustration. He composes himself and speaks.

Good, it seems there has been a bank error in our favor.

The Basileus speaks again very quietly.

Have our money counters flogged.

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis briefly stands.

I also wish to publicly announce that I hereby adopt Strator Ioannis Kantakouzinos. He has served the empire and my person well.

Ioannis sits down again.

[Kagemusha]

Hector who has been listening dutifully for the senators, suddenly wakes up from his semi sleep after hearing the words of Caesar. With amazed expression on his face he stands up and replies to the Caesar:

"My Caesar, i will deliver these wonderful news to my master immediately!"

He bows deep and races out from the senate as quickly as possible.

[Andres]

Savvas stands up and looks around him.

It seems to me that some Senators owe the Caesar a sincere apology.

Instead of judging our beloved Caesar so fast and in the process showing him disrespect, they should have waited for him to come back and explain himself.

Now, if there are no more non-issues left , I'd like to get back to Arta for more pressing issues.

Savvas stares at the Grandmaster, Iakovas, at Kosmas' scribe and at Methodios' and Vissarionas' messengers.

[Ramses II CP]

OOC: What exactly has been explained? Igno still ignored the rule, he just didn't spend quite as much doing it as we thought.

[Privateerkev]

It seems the treasury was miscounted. I am glad that has been fixed.

But the Caesar still broke the Rules and deserves immediate impeachment.

Limitation 2 of the Mega's powers is clear.

(2) No money can be spent on any construction until all Prioritized Buildings have been funded, unless the Senators who Prioritized them agree otherwise. If there are multiple Prioritized Buildings, and not enough funding for all of them, the Megas Logothetes may choose which to construct first. Rule 4.3 takes precedence over all prioritized buildings.

Let's take it in parts shall we? The part, "No money can be spent on any construction until all Prioritized Buildings have been funded, unless the Senators who Prioritized them agree otherwise" means you must build prioritized buildings before non-prioritized buildings. The part, "Rule 4.3 takes precedence over all prioritized buildings" means you must fill armies before you build prioritized buildings.

Royal armies > Private armies > Prioritized construction > Non-prioritized construction

I know for a fact the Caesar has been authorizing prioritized construction. And we now know that he did this before building a Private army.

Let me draw your attention to power 2 of the Megas:

2) Unless otherwise restricted by the rules, the Megas Logothetes can do anything he wants inside the game except use console cheats, which may be used only as specifically allowed by the Rules.

By law, the Megas can not build a prioritized structure before filling the armies. Therefore, the Caesar very clearly broke the law. And while that might not be important to some Senators in here, Glances at Apionnas it is important to me.

We must impeach him now or our Constitution isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

Pauses for a moment.

Furthermore, I have checked the records. Savvas was the one who dumped an army in Belgrade. Because of Anastatios's absence, that army is now locked in the town until he comes back or retires.

So, since it is locked as a garrison, it can not be used to fulfill any army requirements. And I guess this is what happens when you let drunks lead armies...

*edit*

OOC: I'll try to keep the OOC stuff in the OOC thread. ^_^

[Andres]

*3.8 – Impeachment: The Megas Logothetes can be impeached and removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate. Impeachment takes effect immediately after the vote is passed. After impeachment, a fresh election is held to elect a new Megas Logothetes, although the Basileus may also exercise his power to become Megas Logothetes at that point. The Senator replacing the impeached Megas Logothetes serves out the remainder of the impeached Megas Logothetes’S term. All Edicts passed in the Senate session that elected the impeached Megas Logothetes remain valid, unless overturned by new Edicts at the Emergency Session that impeached him.

Well, esteemed colleagues. Get a two-thirds majority then...


EDIT: I'll follow PK's example

[AussieGiant]

Raising an eyebrow at Makedonios in response, Apionnas stands.

My question remains unanswered. Are there enough regiments currently in service that can simply be reassigned to bring all private armies up to strength.

If there is, then what is the issue? It seems our own bureaucracy is working against us. The fact that regimental captains are holding an imperial order that is out of date should not be the main grounds for calling impeachment. At best it is simply another clerical error.

I certainly can see from these reports that many units are available. If they are available then recruiting is not necessary.

Glancing at Ioannis, his eyes narrow briefly.

If Caesar Ioannis can resolve the issue within the next few years then it is certainly plausible that we can move on to more significant real issues.

[Privateerkev]

Pauses for a moment.

Furthermore, I have checked the records. Savvas was the one who dumped an army in Belgrade. Because of Anastatios's absence, that army is now locked in the town until he comes back or retires.

So, since it is locked as a garrison, it can not be used to fulfill any army requirements. And I guess this is what happens when you let drunks lead armies...

And Apionnas, that means the answer to your question is "no."

[Andres]

Pauses for a moment.

Furthermore, I have checked the records. Savvas was the one who dumped an army in Belgrade. Because of Anastatios's absence, that army is now locked in the town until he comes back or retires.

So, since it is locked as a garrison, it can not be used to fulfill any army requirements. And I guess this is what happens when you let drunks lead armies...

And Apionnas, that means the answer to your question is "no."

I 'dumped' that 'army' (3 units of infantry) at the time, several years ago, if I may add, because it were infantry units and I needed a fast moving army. At that time we were at war with the German crusaders and we had reports of other crusades coming our way. The German crusade was near the army of our beloved Basileus and I was in a hurry to get to the Basileus and to occupy strategic positions to force the crusaders not to come near the emperor.

And I didn't just dump those units. I sent those troops to Belgrade to protect our Northern and Western settlements which were underpowered at the time.

Maybe Makedonios has spent too much time in the East (selfishly paying attention to his own settlements instead of caring for the empire and its' emperor, like I did) to remember that we also have a Western border with aggressive, crusading catholics, who are obeying a religious nutjob called "The Pope".

Please mylord, do your homework before going on an unreasonable accusation spree.

Don't hold me responsable for the fact that Anastatios hasn't done anything useful with those troops for several years.

Savvas sits down, muttering words like "fool" and [inappropriate language].

[AussieGiant]

Shaking his head.

So a possible solution is to disband those units and recruit regiments in the appropriate places. While following the rule of law is critical and I will not contest that, in this instance, the situation and the absence of the General in question is untenable.

It seems common sense and practical considerations are lost in this Empire.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios smiles a little when he hears Savvas's comment.

Blaming the absent man eh?

The fact is, Anastatios was long absent when you did that. It would have required only a cursory glance at the SOT to see that he left orders for all units that are left in his town, to be detained there indefinitely.

But I guess you were too busy drinking to keep up with basic field reports. Unless Anastatios comes back, or retires, those units are stuck there as Belgrade's garrison.

Turns to Apionnas.

Sorry, but it is actually illegal to disband Belgrade's garrison. Anastatios left very clear orders before he went missing.

Once you take garrisons and units in other private/royal armies into account, there are not enough units currently around to build Armatos's army. Therefore, by constructing prioritized buildings before seeing to all legal armies, the Caesar broke the rules.

We must impeach him before he does any more damage...

[Andres]

Makedonios smiles a little when he hears Savvas's comment.

Blaming the absent man eh?

The fact is, Anastatios was long absent when you did that. It would have required only a cursory glance at the SOT to see that he left orders for all units that are left in his town, to be detained there indefinitely.

But I guess you were too busy drinking to keep up with basic field reports. Unless Anastatios comes back, or retires, those units are stuck there as Belgrade's garrison.

Well sorry for not doing paperwork while being in the field working of my butt for the royal family while you were having fun exterminating innocent people and abusing little boys, Lord "Oh, I'm not responsable for the extermination of thousands of people because I felt a little dizzy while commanding an army."

OOC:

[Privateerkev]

Don't you have someone's trust to betray Savvas?

Go get drunk and scheme about people. It is where your true talents lie.

OOC:

[Andres]

Don't you have someone's trust to betray Savvas?

As you know very well, I'm not like you, Grandmaster... Besides, I never made promises to you.

Anyway, we could of course use the massive amount of florins we have to recruit whatever is to be recruited and move on with more important issues.

But please, be my guest and continue this senseless nitpicking.

What are we? A bunch of bickering, greedy lawyers earning money with long and meaningless procedures?

[AussieGiant]

I'm not disputing what has been written down on paper Senator Makedonios. It is clear that the orders are up to date and correct. BUT, the commander has not been seen for years. Are we seriously saying that we sit here while an entire army is available and do nothing because of what has been written on a piece of paper?

I hope this level of bureaucracy does not lead to anything more serious if all common sense and initiative can not be used at all times.

If we have truly reached this level then we have not real hope of advancing as an Empire.

[Privateerkev]

Looks at Savvas

Really? Name one person I've betrayed. You however are known for offering your services to the highest bidder. Like when you offered to be a spy within the Houses.

And this isn't some legal nitpick. By denying Armatos his army, the Caesar has put thousands of Imperial citizens at risk. The Order is about to be involved in a war on two fronts. And while we support both wars, we naively assumed we would at least get the minimum required amount of resources mandated by law!

We're not asking for bells and whistles gentlemen. The Caesar providing this army now would be good but it will not stave off calls for impeachment. Because the damage is already done. If Iakovos is correct, and an army is bearing down on Adana, then the Caesar's politicking might very well cost Iakovos, and the citizens of Adana, their lives. Armatos should be up north with his army. But he doesn't have one BECAUSE THE CAESAR KNOWINGLY AND WILLINGLY BROKE THE CONSTITUTION!!!!

Those of you who cried out for Hypatios to be punished for breaking edicts, yet defend a man who craps on our Constitution, needs to have their heads examined...

Some of you care more about politics than the Empire. Savvas and Apionnas make me sick...

OOC: AG, until Anastatios's avatar is removed from the game, those units are locked in Belgrade unless a CA passes to unlock them.

[Andres]

I suggest we send out Makedonios with a pencil and some blanco parchments to conquer Egypt and to defeat the Seljuks.

Savvas takes a goblet of wine.

A toast to our Bureaucratic Hero with the Swift Pencil.

Savvas drinks.

[Privateerkev]

Well we don't have much more than that. One of our armies is a joke. And the other doesn't even exist. Again I will state, thousands of Imperial Citizens are at risk due to the Caesar's violations.

I weap for the day when he actually leads this Empire...

[AussieGiant]

Rather alarmed Apionnas recoils slightly at Makedonios final remark.

My apologies for having a physical effect on you Lord Makedonios. That is certainly not my intention.

Taking a napkin Apionnas places it on Makedonios bench.

It seems we are predicting the future in this chamber my Lord. While the situation is concerning, it is entirely salvagable. Until provinces and battles are lost your comments are "hypothetical" at best.

I'm not sure given the current constitutional situation that pursuing impeachment at this time will bring satisfaction to those that wish it.

Turn back to Makedonios.

You strike me as an idealist and that is commendable. I, on the other hand have been taught pragmatism and calculation are the best tools for success.

Given the Basileus is the only one who can call for an Emergency session, then perhaps your request can be parlayed into something less dramatic behind the scenes. This might be a better way to negotiate something of satisfaction for the "Impeachment" group.

May I be of assitance in enabling this option Lord Makedonios?

[Andres]

Well we don't have much more than that. One of our armies is a joke. And the other doesn't even exist. Again I will state, thousands of Imperial Citizens are at risk due to the Caesar's violations.

Grandmaster, it's not because you speak the most in this body that you are right. But enough slander and insults.

I apologise to my colleagues and to the Basileus for this bad display. I got carried away by my emotions.

Grandmaster, there's the law and there's reality. The unfortunate mistake made by the Caesar (a mistake he wouldn't have made if not for some incompetent money counters) can be easily corrected.

I am sure that within no time the retrieved florins will be spent to strenghten your armies.

Don't make a mountain out of a hill. These are difficult times that require us to focus on the forces that are threatening our Empire: the catholics, the seljuks and the fatamids.

Let us not waste valuable time and energy on internal, and in fact meaningless, struggles.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios visibly relaxs a bit.

If I get visibly upset, it is because so many lives are at stake for what I perceive to be petty reasons.

What I still do not understand is how can the same people that lambasted Hypatios for breaking the law, act so seemingly unconcerned when the Caesar breaks an even more sacred law.

Many of you ignored the moral and religious implications of Hypatios's actions and assaulted him on the sole basis that he willingly broke an Edict.

And now some of those same people defend the Caesar willing and knowingly breaking a Rule.

Can you see where I perceive hypocrisy?

If either of you can explain your contradictions, it would be most helpful.

[Kagemusha]

Ioannis Kantakouzinos enters the Senate.He marches before the Caesar, kneels and addresses him.

"My Lord. I humbly thank you and accept to be your adopted son. As son, my loyalty to you will be even if possible stronger then as your vassal. Thank you, if i may call you...father."

Then Kantakouzinos turns to address the rest of the senate.

First i would like to thank those who congratulated my humble person for the victory against the rebels in Carpaths. Also i would like to give personal thanks to Senator Savvas ek Militou, for his generous gift of delicious wine which was consumed with pleasure. And last..."

Ioannis takes a brake and stares in the direction of Grandmaster.

"Last time i was here you called me an idiot, because of my principles. Now you questioned my word and word of my closest man in front of this esteemed Senate. practically calling us liars, while proven wrong afterwards. Also you are trying to impeach the Caesar, for technicalities. I have no doubt in my mind that if there has been some minor problems with the government functions, Caesar will handle those efficiently and quickly and your schemes to get him out of the office of Megas Logothes will lay in ruins ultimately. In top of it all. It seems that you are calling everyone who does not agree with you, liars,idiots, traitors, drunkards and many other despicable things...."

Kantakouzinos turns his eyes from Makedonias to Basileus.

"I just wonder if that kind of behaviour is suitable for senator of the Roman empire?"

Ioannis bows to the direction of Basileus and takes his seat among the Komnenodoukai.

[Andres]

Makedonios visibly relaxs a bit.

If I get visibly upset, it is because so many lives are at stake for what I perceive to be petty reasons.

What I still do not understand is how can the same people that lambasted Hypatios for breaking the law, act so seemingly unconcerned when the Caesar breaks an even more sacred law.

Many of you ignored the moral and religious implications of Hypatios's actions and assaulted him on the sole basis that he willingly broke an Edict.

And now some of those same people defend the Caesar willing and knowingly breaking a Rule.

Can you see where I perceive hypocrisy?

If either of you can explain your contradictions, it would be most helpful.

Grandmaster, I'm sure that you will agree with me that there's a difference between a) not having spent florins that the Caesar sincerely didn't know to be available because of incompetent money counters and b) killing thousands and thousands of innocent people against the will of the Senate.

It will take no longer then a year or two to correct the former, unintentional, mistake. The attrocities committed by Hypatios however...