The Magnaura

[Andres]

"Maybe you don't realize the extremely delicate position I am in? If I go with the Basileus, my rank, title, trust bestowed in me, and my House evaporate faster then water in the desert. if I side with Methodios, I keep my rank, title, trust, and my House, but I gain the enmity of you, the Basileus and everyone else as well. So far, I have heard nothing that can assure me I simply won't be absorbed into another House, like House Asteri or the Order, by being loyal, nor anything about how my House will continue on afterward."

That's what you get when you're not too picky when it comes to vassals. Maybe you should hold higher standards before accepting an oath in the future?

Don't escape your own responsability, dear Lord. Or you help cleaning up this mess and worry about your future later, or you face some very nasty consequences.

Nikolaos turns to Savvas.

"Dear Savvas, I did serve in the Varangian Guard. I am sure you know the nature of such men?"

Be that as it may, the past is the past. Today, you are a Senator in this body. Act like one.

[Dafuge]

Efthymios ek Herakliou, if you feel that the Basileus is right and your Lord wrong in this matter, then I suggest you break your oath to the Caesar. Nobody will hold it against us. We don't expect you to remain loyal to a traitor.

I am not siding with the Basileus, actually quite the opposite, I was just stating my loyalty to my house and my lord.

[ULC]

That's what you get when you're not too picky when it comes to vassals. Maybe you should hold higher standards before accepting an oath in the future?

Don't escape your own responsibility, dear Lord. Or you help cleaning up this mess and worry about your future later, or you face some very nasty consequences.

"Savvas, I have never held any enmity towards you, why so bitter? I was not picky in my choosing of vassals Savvas, Methodios is a fine man. But to put any man into such a position is clearly going to raise someones hackles. Sadly, I see no reason why Hypatia had to be married to a man with limited prospects for children. In my eyes, it was done to antagonize Methodios into a rash action needlessly."

Nikolaos sighs as he leans back to something Demetrios whispers to him. Nikolaos nods, hands him a note, and Demetrios disappears.

"I know my responsibility, you do not need to remind me Savvas. But I am also sure you understand not to be blindly loyal as well, right? Like right now." Nikolaos glowers. "I tire of this, maybe when you have felt what I have experienced, you will realize that petty politics mean nothing when you have a responsibility to more then yourself. Tell me Savvas, are a godfather to any children? Where do you spend most of your time, at your desk doing your work, at the bar whoring and losing your self in your wine, or spending time with those who look up to you and depend on you? What future do my godson Demetrios and goddaughter Chara have, what chance does young Aleksandra, Theodora, and Ioannis Tagaris have? I awiat your well reasoned, sober answer."

[flyd]

Well, let's recap what happened.

There was once a man called Alexios Komnenos. He was an Emperor, and he had three sons. Now, the first son was married in a political move to a Kievan princess. He doesn't talk about her much, she doesn't figure much in the things he does, and most of the court could probably not even recall her name off the top their heads. This is important to mention because a man untouched by love is bound to be a little cranky, which might explain some of the things. Now, there was no diplomatically useful bride for the second son, which, you would think, would be a boon for this young man, but he proved to be wholly incapable of attracting women. Closing in on 30 years of age now, he is certainly not married, and there are serious doubts as to whether he has ever had any, at least without having to pay for it afterwards (or in advance? How does that work, anyway?). Then there is also the third son, who is of no consequence in these events but is only mentioned for completeness, and who has found himself a beautiful lady named "gold", and has fathered many children in a remarkably short period of time.

There is also a man named Methodios Tagaris, Hero of Belgrade, for which act he was adopted into the royal family by another hero now dead. He's a complicated man, and no one understands him but his woman. Still, his service to our Empire has been simple: he has fought its enemies in the east and west. There are few who would levy much complaint against him. He is old, and he is venerable. He too is a man beloved by his family, numerous it is with three daughters and a son. There isn't much to his position in this mess: he seems to act out of love.

What of the others, then? The first son of Alexios (though not so fit to inherit the capital city) is a controversial figure, to say the least. One thing that should be clear to any unbiased observer is that he is paranoid and power-hungry. As Megas Logothetes, he attempted to use all the power at his disposal to his personal advantage, an act which caused his own father to strip him of the right to hold that office upon acceding without the consent of the Senate. When the accession occurred, the first thing he did was make everyone state their loyalty to him, and tried to seize for himself the power of recruiting Varangians, an effort that he has yet to succeed in. This incident is more of the same, an attempt to show how mighty he is. What of the second son, then? His most distinguishing characteristic is that he's still a bachelor. At best, this is an ill-conceived attempt to get some action, although there really isn't much evidence to suggest that he likes women in the first place, and this could well have been instigated by him just to remove the embarrassment of being unmarried. The first son was happy to jump onboard in an action that is tantamount to yelling, "Look at me! I can decree things!"

Don't be fooled, Senators. This is not a political issue. It is an issue of love. It is the love of one man for his daughter vs. the love of another man for his reputation. This other man has already declared a war once over petty words. There is a third, mostly irrelevant, man, who is lonely at best, and very confused and conflicted at worst. Not only is this issue apolitical, and hardly worth spilling Greek blood and weakening the Empire over. This war would accomplish nothing: the marriage is done, there is no divorce. If Tagaris committed some great crime, he could be punished, he might even accept willingly, but the first son has called for an escalation of the conflict. It should be obvious that, to him, this has little to do with marriage, and even less to do with love (a concept he probably doesn't grasp). Instead, it is just another chance to throw his weight around, and draw attention to the size of his enormous... political power. It's pretty big, they say.

It would be a shame if any blood was spilled over this.

Respectfully to those who deserve it,

Isaakios Komnenos, third son of Alexios.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Theo wants to say something but words don't want to come out of his mouth..

[deguerra]

Despite having kept a stone cold face during all of the proceedings, Ioannis cannot but give Isaakios a wide smile

[AussieGiant]

My Lord Isaakios,

Can you complete a few oversights in your monologue?

If you have the time please let me know so I can ask the questions in a timely manner.

[flyd]

Certainly, Senator Vringas, I do plan on sticking around long enough to defend my statements.