The Royal Council

**Ibn-Khaldun** · 06-11-2011, 16:24

The Royal Council

In the depths of the Royal Palace at Alexandria, through a maze of torchlit corridors decorated with the hieroglyphs of the Ptolemaioi's feted Pharonic predecessors, down a flight of stairs constructed from giant blocks of stone hauled into place by unfortunate Nubian slaves, lies the Royal Council Chamber.

Here, on a raised dais amidst a forest of soaring doric columns, in the flickering lamplight and overlooked by statues of the gods of the Nile and Mount Olympus, the nobles of the Ptolemaic dynasty plot, scheme, jockey for position and debate the policy of the Nile Kingdom.

This is the Council thread. Please post only IC in here. If you think an OOC comment is neccessary then please use spoilers!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Ibn-Khaldun** · 06-11-2011, 18:26

Door opens and an old man enters the room. Slowly he moves to the center of the room and looks around. It seems he is one of the first ones here. He shakes his head in disbelief and mutters something about young people being always late.

He then turns towards the few people present and speaks..

You all know who I am..

He looks the people present and shakes his head once again..

Aparently, a lot have changed since last time I was here and that was just three months ago!

Anyway, I am Eunostos Kypriakos and I am the one who called this Emergency session. The reason is simple.. My health is getting worse by day and thus I am not able to fulfill my duties as Chancellor.

Eunostos sighs..

With great sorrow I have to say that I am stepping down as Chancellor. But before I do it I will officially declare the First Emergency Council Session open!

It will stay open for debate and legislation until 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, June 14th, at which point there will be 48 hours for voting!

Eunostos breath deeply and took his seat..

**The Celtic Viking** · 06-12-2011, 02:04

Sitting on his throne, Basileus Philadelphos Ptolemaios raises his right hand in greetings.

"I'm saddened to hear of your retirement from the position of Chancellor, Eunostos Kypriakos. You have done an excellent job so far, one which has earned you your king's praise. If whoever succeeds you is only half as good as you, we shall have a bright future indeed.

Speaking of which, I will expect plenty of applicants for this job. Whether you wish to prove yourself or if you already have, feel free to nominate yourself, but it is not a position to take lightly. In the off chance that none shall wish to take it, I will, but I will not do so in any other case. I'd rather set up an incompetent fool and then impeach him than take it immediately. I am a busy man, after all.

Now, onwards and forwards. My son Euergetes Ptolemais has recently come of age and can now join us here in the Council. Treat him with the respect he deserves, for, as my eldest son, I now name him my heir and successor. Son, whether you choose to stay in Sidon and look after its defences when I've left, or if you instead make your way down to Alexandreia to make use of its knowledge and wisdom - all of it which is accessable to you - I leave up to you to decide. You may even invent the third option and go and do something completely different. I ask of you only three things; loyalty: to me, to the Council and to the gods. Fairness: to be fair and just in every action you take and every word you utter. Unwavering determination: to always do what needs to be done to uphold and expand upon the glory and greatness of the the kingdom and the gods. Uphold all three and you will have made me happy. Excell at them and you will have made me proud."

Philadelphos calls for an aide who runs up and hands over a paper before bowing low to Philadelphos. Without thanking the man, Philadelphos coughs.

"I have here in my hands the first edict of this emergency council."

Edict E1.1: Admiral Naukrates must immediately sail north and lift the blockade of Sidon's port.

As long as the port of Sidon is blockaded, I cannot get the supplies necessary to move my army into enemy territory. This would force me to stay on the defensive, which in turn would mean that Tarsos is sure to fall. That is not acceptable.

Edict E1.2: The Royal Army of the Heir, now outside of Memphis should make its way to relieve or reclaim Tarsos.

As I said, losing Tarsos is not acceptable, yet if I go that leaves Sidon defenceless, and Hierosolyma open to attack from Damaskos. If I go after them first, I will no doubt be too late to save Tarsos, and there's no telling if I even have enough men left. The only option then, as I see it right now, is to send the heir's army. Technically, this should mean that my son would have first right to command it, but I recommend you, my son, to let Leontiskos Thraikikos command if that is his will. You are, after all, still young and green, and this is not a time for screw ups. You could learn well from the former Kleronomos Basileus, who should know his former army very well.

Those are my initial proposals, and there is no need to second them. Please give your opinions of them anyway; I am open to all suggestions. I may change them or come up with new ones at a later time."

**Ashurnasirpal II** · 06-12-2011, 04:53

Somewhat to the left of the throne, in a lebanese-cedar chair with gold engravings, sits Meleagros Ptolemaios, the King's half-brother.

"I rejoice at your fortunes my brother, and wish great success to my nephew, young Euergetes, in all his endeavors! Zeus-Ammon watch over you both!

Shame for the name though..." Meleagros winks at his brother. "Ha! Ha! I jest! You know better than to take my jibes seriously brother! The boy will make a fine leader. You will teach him of war and I could even show him the basics of arithmetic and geometry."

Meleagros clears his throat.

"On to more serious matters. First I wholeheartedly approve and second of both edict E1.1 and E1.2.

Secondly, I would like to present myself for the office of Chancellor. My managerial skills make me best suited for a job far from the frontlines of battle. I would endeavor to support my brother as he stabilizes the kingdom and battles the Seleukid threat, as well as improve our current lackluster trading and income facilities. As a son of Ptolemy Soter, I believe it is my sacred duty to ensure the good governance of this great kingdom under the watchful eye and steady hand of our Basileos and Pharaoh."

**Ibn-Khaldun** · 06-12-2011, 09:38

My Basileus, first, thank you for your kind words. Second, admiral Naukrates already lost a battle against the enemy fleet. And then we had twice as much ships than currently. Our fleet was large but of poor quality. I doubt that the remaining 26 ships in Naukrates' fleet could take on pentekontaroi of our enemies.

If we only could have mnai to build a proper fleet...

Eunostos shrugged..

But we don't.

One of the slaves whispers something to Eunostos..

Oh.. Right. My good friend Zoarchos Helios sent me a note that he runs for the position of Royal Treasurer. He should be somewhere near Memphis and unfortunatelly he can't get here in time to participate in the Council.

I would also like to propose the following Law..

Law E1.1: The Nomarchy of Upper Egypt must be created with the following provinces: Thebais, Oasis Megale and Triakontaschoinos. City of Diospolis-Megale will become the capital of Nomarchy.

The reason why I propose this is simple.. We don't have any higher officials in that region. We also don't have large garrisons to keep both the cities and the surrounding territories in check. While Syria is important we shouldn't forget other parts of the kingdom.

**strategos roma** · 06-12-2011, 10:28

Seated on the far side of the room, a young man starts speaking confidently.

My Basileus, may I also wish you and the Kleronomos good fortune in all that you undertake. I agree that Meleagros would make a fine choice as Chancellor and I whole-heartedly agree with Law E1.1 and Edict E1.2. However, I have reservations regarding Edict E1.1 as our navy might not be strong enough.

**Myth** · 06-12-2011, 11:26

A messenger arrives, a man clad in the robe of a free citizen but with otherwise a lack of any distinct features, jewelry or even a memorable face. He kneels and waits for the nobility to allow him to raise his head and present his message.

On a sun dried reed parchment, not of particularly high quality, the elegant script of Alexandros Thraikikos can be read:

"The greetings be upon you my Basileus Philadelphos Ptolemaios, and to the elderly yet revered Eunostos Kypriakos, and to any other of my kin that may be present in the jewel of a city that is blessed Alexandria. I am, as some of you may know, currently tasked with governing our city of Hierosolyma. I have received reports of the Seleukids stirring trouble by both land and sea.

I wish to propose two courses of action, both of which I wish to be considered for the good of our land and realm:

Edict E1.3: Our spy by the name of Ploutos Salaminios, who is currently to be found in the wooded areas North of Damaskos, be sent North-East into Seleukid territory.

The reason behind this is so that we may know how far off are the enemy reinforcements, how well are their own cities garrisoned and what other armies are marching trough their lands. Having two large armies near or at our borders leads me to believe that they may have left some cities with little in the way of guards. Should that be the case, I think that I, or another willing Strategos, can lead a band of selected troops and capture an enemy city with little risk for the realm, but with promise of great rewards upon success.

Edict E1.4:I be allowed to take the whole garrison of Hierosolyma, spare of a unit of toxotai, who will be left to keep the civil order and peace of our good citizens. I will march this army and head for Sidon, where I will obtain any local garrison troops and try to amass between 6 to 8 phalanxes. I will then head North and assist whomever wishes to lead the Royal army that is just outside of Sidon. I could fight beside him though I think it would be best to flank the enemy and take a settlement from him while the Royal army deals with the main forces.

Should both the Basileus and his heir decide it is unnecessary for them to be exposed to the risks of open battle, I would be happy to take responsibility and the honor of leading the Royal army stationed at Sidon to lift the siege on Tarsos, or reclaim it and conquer new lands for the Basileus!

I eagerly await your answer!

Signed: Alexandros Thraikikos"