The Magnaura

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Hearing the Protoasecretes saying that the time to propose new legislations is over made Efstathios shake his head and look around with confusion..

Already?? I can't believe it!

[Warmaster Horus]

Senators, I must say that though I seconded Edict 4.5, I was unaware of the Basileus' machinations; which explains why I voted no on that.
I hope the Patriarch and those loyal to him may forgive me, though I'm sure another would have seconded the edict.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

I'm sure His Eminence forgives you as you did not know the Basileus's true motive for proposing it at the time of your seconding. In any case, I don't think it matters; it's within the Basileus's power to propose an Edict that does not require seconders.

[OverKnight]

Aleksios seems surprised at the revelation of the letter, a sad smile crossing his features. Giving a small shrug he speaks:

Very well let's cut to the chase then. I had hoped that this could have been done in a more diplomatic fashion, but here we are.

Is anyone else not offended by the presumptious, bordering on treasonous, attitude of the Patriarch and his proxy? The way he has inserted himself into the affairs of the Senate? He has overstepped his station, upsetting the balance between Church and State. Even more insulting is that he hasn't at least had the "balls" to do this in person, he sends his lickspittle to act as our better. How can he tend to his flock, to pretend to care about the Church, if he never leaves the Patriarchal Palace?

He sits in there like a spider in his web, plotting.

He thinks himself a schismatic Pope, acting as a monarch, calling for Crusades and putting himself above the Basileus and the Senate. Just like the Pope he might begin to whore out the title of Emperor, selling it to the highest bidder.

I will not allow this to continue, I ask for the assistance of the Senate. There is only room for one Sovreign in the Empire, and it is not a Priest.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Allow precisely what to continue? The fact that there is one facet of Byzantine society that is not under your direct control? Of course; I apologize. The nerve of His Eminence, I know.

The fact that His Eminence sends me here to liaise with you rather than enter here in person serves to reinforce the point that he is separate from this political entity. He does not come here because he knows better than to dictate political policy. His Eminence trying to dictate political policy would be as inappropriate as, say, one of you trying to direct religious policy - oh wait, that's exactly what the Basileus wants to happen.

Name me one time where the Patriarch has overstepped his boundaries and interfered in political policy. Name me one time where *I* have done so in this body. The Crusade, as much as the Basileus would have you believe otherwise, was a strictly religious matter. His Eminence saw a genocide of Christians taking place, and he decided to take matters to remedy this problem. Such is his duty as leader of the Orthodox faith. And, I'll have you all know, the Crusade took zero funds out of the Byzantine coffers. Zero, which means the Patriarch has not interfered with military policy one iota.

His Eminence, Basileus, is not above the Senate, he is separate from it. The two operate in different spheres, spheres which the Patriarch has been careful to maintain. He is a noble man, toiling away day and night to better the Orthodox faith, the one true path to salvation. He deserves better than this.

In contrast, look at yourself, Basileus. Despite your position as overseer of the entire Empire, you endorsed the candidacy and later failed to condemn the actions of a man who openly broke both laws and rules and promoted his own House whilst the others were left to their own devices. Even now, in this very body, you lie to the noble Senators present here who are not deemed worthy enough to join your inner circle. You bring forth the initial edict, in the name of rewarding the work of His Eminence, and fool at least one Senator into believing it while its true motive is to get rid of an imagined threat; a motive that would have gone unrevealed had I not made your letter public.

Senators: The Basileus is a favoritist and an admitted liar. And now he wishes to take over all of Orthodoxy while he's at it, putting all of our salvation at risk, by blasting the benevolent and Holy Patriarch out of the way. This is a true despot rearing its ugly head, concerned for nothing but the advancement of his own agenda. This must not be allowed to happen.

[deguerra]

Ioannis stands to speak

I am about to cast my vote, and seeing as it is likely to cause some anger, I thought I might try to justify my actions here. Not that I feel I need to justify my voting, but I think it is good to bring debates out into the open so that they can be properly addressed.

As I see it, there are currently two factions building.

One of them advocates a strong central authority, as has historically been the case. They doubtlessly have the best intentions for our Empire. They wish to see it strong, our borders protected, the battles brought to our enemies. But, it must be said, with a strong central authority comes the risk that that authority is abused. Caesar Ioannis is my brother and I find it befitting of Senators to stoop to personal attacks. None the less, I too felt that power was used a tad arbitrarily during his terms as our Megas, and I would be unhappy to see it repeated.

The other side advocates more localized power-bases, and seeks to ensure that the central authority is put within reasonable boundaries, so that all may prosper and none will be left behind. They too, are stalwart guardians of the Empire, they too seek to see it in a position of strength. However, in doing so, they run the risk of severely alienating those who have been granted a God-given right to rule this Empire, but more importantly destabilizing a tried and tested system of power and authority that cannot easily be usurped without resulting chaos.

I have thought long and hard about this brewing conflict, which threatens to burst out into the open every so often and attacks the unity and strength that we need to keep this Empire alive. With that in mind, I have decided to choose neither side.

I will vote for Grandmaster Makedonios as Megas this term. I do so not to spite my brother, my father or my friend Savvas, I do so because I believe that what this Empire needs most at this time is balance. I believe that Makedonios is a good man, and will be an able and fair Megas, but more importantly, I believe that in order for our system of chancellery to work, we must strive to ensure that alternatives are given the chance to be displayed, so that we may judge them equally. The Caesar has had a turn of rule, he will have another when he becomes our God-given ruler. I think in order to keep the balance that this turn should belong to Makedonios.

I will vote for Edict 4.3. I have always believed in it, and supporting it has nothing to do with the current political situation but merely reflects my beliefs.

I will vote for Edict 4.4. There are some ideas that limit the central authority in absurd and detrimental ways, but this is not one. Indeed, I believe that it merely ensures that all areas of the Empire are strengthened somewhat equally. I cannot see how this will have a detrimental effect on us.

I will abstain from voting on Edict 4.5. This is likely to cause some anger, and for that I apologise, but I must honestly say that both sides of the argument have some validity. In the end, I am inclined to support the views of the Basileos, but I dislike the idea of transferring the Patriarch to Alexandria as punishment. If he oversteps his authority, he should simply be removed from office.

I wholeheartedly support CA 4.1. As I stated, I believe the last Megas term did not go perfectly, and I think this and Edict 4.4 will go a long way to restoring some support for our central authority.

By way of ending, let me appeal to you all. Disagreements and factionalism are an integral and indeed important part of our political system and ensure that things work as they should. However, at no time should we resort to petty personal insults and sheer demonstrations of power-grabbing.

Balance is integral. I intend to bring House Asteri on a path of balance. I do so knowing I may incur the wrath of both sides. But I do so in the strong belief that it is what must be done, and what will ensure the continued prosperity of all. I would ask that all consider this before passing judgment.