Imperial Diet

[Ignoramus]

Count Sigismund again rises to his feet.

I am pleased that our Bavarian friends are eager for battle, but surely if we intended to strike at Milan we would send them to conquer that city itself, rather than sit at the walls of Bern. For, if we leave the Milanese to themselves they will wax stronger, and that we cannot allow. Therefore, I humbly urge this Diet to attack Milan with all haste.

As of my opinion on the edicts that have been proposed so far:

Edict 2.1: I have decided to withdraw this edict, bowing to the superior wisdom of others. I realise that though a threat, Dijon is not as important as some other towns and castles.

Edict 2.2: I will only second this edict if the Diet thinks that I am the right noble to conquer Bern.

Edict 2.3: This is a sensible edict, and as such I second it.

Edict 2.4: For shame, noble electors! Would we treat our own word so lightly? Where is our honour? I cannot support such a shameful deed, and I am apalled that anyone honourable should support it.

Edict 2.5: Again, I must refrain from seconding my edict until later in this session.

Edict 2.6: Another sensible edict; Stettin is a valuable Baltic port and yet again thrawts the attempts of the Danes.

Edict 2.7: Perhaps we ought to wait a while, lest the Poles try to prevent us taking Breslau and Stettin.

[OverKnight]

My lords,

The intent behind edict 2.6 was indeed to take Stettin quickly. By besieging as soon as possible we could lay a claim on those rebellious pagans that the Danes or the Poles could not contest without attacking us. Once besieged the intent was to give the army commander the flexibility, to a degree, to determine when to assault the settlement. I did not wish to dictate tactics from the Diet chamber, only strategy.

Still, the Duke of Franconia will most likely be that army commander, and if he wishes to have more of a challenge and to free his army earlier so he can move onto Breslau, than I shall rephrase the edict. The Duke and I are also of a similar mind when it comes to seeing the potential of turning this small castle into a trading port.

Otto clears his throat and speaks again:

Edict 2.6: Stettin shall be taken in 10 years (5 turns), the Diet recommends that Dietrich von Saxony lead this attack and be assigned the required troops.

I am not comfortable dictating what troops we should recruit. If Governors have sole authority over what they build, shouldn't the Chancellor have sole authority over which soldiers he recruits?

As for an alliance with the Poles, I will second edict 2.7. On our other borders we have some natural barriers, the Rhine, the Alps and the sea, but not in the east. A friendly, or at least a nonbelligerent, power would be welcome there. I have my doubts about whether they will accept, particularly if we beat them to Stettin and Breslau. Still, it is worth the effort.

[Lucjan]

Dietrich is slow to respond to Otto's final comment, turning his words over in his mind before determining the prudent responce.

I have a fair degree of confidence in how the Polish mind works. Extend the alliance to them, I see no reason why they would decline. They sit at a tenuous position between us, the Magyars, and the Russians further north. Their conquest of Magdeburg was probably a nervous reaction as an attempt by some of their nobility to secure an early defensive position because of our swift expansion and slowness in extending an early hand of friendship. Just as our nobility have offered rewards for the conquest of lands, so do theirs.

Were we in their position, I'm sure we'd do the same. Let us, instead, offer these people our good graces.

As far as edict 2.6, I can second it in its current form. I'm sure father and I can work out a fair agreement on the composition of the soldiery.

[Braden]

Leopold had entered the chambers during the last two speeches, muddy and clearly tired from the road. He now sits nodding to himself before rising to address the Diet.

Electors,

I see no reason why we should not at least reach out with an olive branch of Alliance and trade to the Poles. I am a cautious man and slow to trust, as yet the Polish have done nought to suggest they will not be valued allies and if we envisage a conflict in the near future with Hungary it would be very prudent to attempt to secure the North East if we are to fight a war in the South East of Europe.

A few choice alliances now, are vital as I foresee trouble from the Norsemen as well as Hungary and Milan ahead of us. Both the Danes and Milaniese are great traders and have access to funds the like of which we will not see for a few years yet, hence we are at a disadvantage on the battlefield.

I do not doubt the skill of our generals, only the ability of our peasant armies to repel a professional enemy force. Even now my army besieging Prague face a militia of greater training than our own, better paid, better armed and better trained. I have no doubt that I will prevail and take the city soon but it is a wake-up call to me to see a REBELLIOUS state have sufficient income to field troops so far more professional than our own.

[Kagemusha]

The fifth Elector of Swabia enters the Diet,asks for permission to speaks and starts:

"First we would like to say that the last few years have been good for the Reich.Many lands that were rightfully ours have been returned to the Empire.About the new edicts":

Edict 2.2: Send Sigismund to capture Bern castle. His attack on Metz has proven his valour and strategic skill, surely Bern will pose no obstacle for him.

"I second this edict and think that the Rebellious Swiss should be returned as part of the Reich.I dont see no reason to drag Generals from all the way from Bavaria to lead the effort when we have good Swabians nearby ready to handle the effort"


Edict 2.3: Besiege and Take Breslau within the time frame set by our Council of Nobles.]

"I agree that Breslau should also be taken and our Eastern Border secured.Altough if Polish will get there first.I dont think we should go to war with them for Breslau so hereby i would like to make:".

1st amendment to Edict 2.3: If captured by Polish before we should leave Breslau be.

Edict 2.4: The Alliance with Venice is not to be broken, unless a dire reason is supplied by the Venetians.

"I second this amendment.We are the Kings of Romans and should be men of honour. We should not go to war with excuses.No the Empire is no lesser kingdom that attacks others based on opportunism.When we go to war,we go to war becouse of the right reasons".

Edict 2.5

"I wont second this like i stated my opinion before.No need to bring Generals far when there are able men already close"

edict 2.6: Besiege Stettin as soon as possible, and assault it within 20 years (10 turns).

"We will second this edit also,but with same reservations as 2.3.Taking of Stettin should not cause war between the Reich and Poland"

edict 2.7, an alliance should be offered to Poland as soon as possible.

"We will second this edict.In my mind we should have good relations with our neighbours unless they themselves cause war with us."


The Fifth Elector of Swabia bows to all parties and sits down on his place.Others can see that his health is not what it was still few years a go.

[IvarrWolfsong]

Cardinal Peter Scherer stands from his tall wooden seat. He gently raps on the floor 3 times with staff of office and waits to be recognized...

First off my brothers, I wish to say that it brings me great joy and fulfillment to sit among you again. Once more I feel compelled to apologize for my absense during the last meeting of this distinguished body.

Now beforeI speak to the wise proposals at hand, I wish to address the issue of our Holy Father, Pope Gregory. We all know that his Holiness and our Reich have had diffrences of opinion in the past. Gregory, regardless of what may think of him as a man, is the rightful Pope and the instrument through which Our Lord speaks to us during our short time here on Earth. One would be well advised to put wrath and pride aside for the moments we spend in this world so that one would hasten his soul's reception into the Kingdom of Our Lord in the next.

As to the proposed edicts, I have this to say:

2.2 I support this proposal in it's desire to capture the fortifications at Bern. The Swiss have strayed and must be brought back into the fold. If blood must be shed, so be it. Their children will thank us for it in a generation. However, I withhold my support for this proposal in lieue of proposal 2.5.

2.3 Again I support the use of our forces to bring these people under the protective and benevolent rule of our Kaiser, may God bless him with long life. Currently, these folk have no lord above them. They have no stability. If these people are left to fester in such a state, they will surely engage in all sorts of unspeakable depravities too foul to mention in these hallowed halls. It is the duty and privlege of the Empire to bring order and security to these wayward souls before they succumb to the heresies that seem to flourish in the east.

The cardinal glances toward the Austrian electors

2.4 I am no friend to the Venetians. They love money more than brother, babe or Church. However, I agree with what so many here have said far more eloquently than I. We should not be the one's to play Brutus here. Instead we should let the Venician's greed for silver cast them in the role of Iscariot. Doing so will make our action appear just when we, in retaliation, drive the Doge into the sea.

2.5 Steward Mandorf's proposal seems fair. I know the valor of the Bavarian people and fires that smolder in their hearts. As a son of Bavaria, I share it, though I have chosen a different field of battle. It seems almost cruel to deny these men the chance to serve the Reich and to put their lives on the line for a chance to bring glory to the empire and the Kaiser! I support this proposal.

Additionally, the position of the Holy Father remains nuetral in the cause of Swiss independance. An attack on this settlement now will bring no reprecussions from Rome. Should we wait until Milan has seized it, we would risk Gregory's scorn. As I explained in my letter to this body at it's last meeting, our reputation is already poor in the Vatican and we should do what is possible to avoid throwing more tinder on the flames.

2.6 Of all the settlement in need of our protection and tutelage, none cry out so loudly as Stettin. How a nation of unbaptised pagans has survived in the Heart of Europe for so long long is beyond my comprehension.

The cardinal's voice grows louder and his face begins to redden with suppressed anger

Even the Norsemen are Christians, yet these Stettinvolk still revel in carnal orgies and make blood sacrafices under the moon! It is an affront to the Church! ((Loudly taps his staff on the floor)) It is an affront to the Reich! ((Taps his staff even more loudly)) It is our duty to put an end to the evil of that place and bring the people to the Glory of accepting Christ, Our Savior.

The blush of firey red that had flushed the Cardinal's face begins to fade and his voice returns to it's normal volume. He seems completely calm and ingarciating again.

Securing this Baltic Sodom will give us access to the sea and the rich trade that flows there. As we enrich the local's souls, they will enrich our treasury.

2.7 The Poles are good sons of the Church. They are like a pavis provided by the Lord to guard the heart of Europe from the hordes of the East. It is wise and noble of us to provide them our hand in friendship.

Now I would like to make a proposition of my own...

2.8 "Eusebius von der Pfalz and I, Peter Scherer, Cardinal, should travel to the region of Stettin to begin readying the populace for acceptance into the Church of Rome."

Such a missionary undertaking will no doubt bring glory to the Reich, especially in the eyes of the Holy Father. For this reason I ask that the move be made as an official Edict of this Diet.

Lastly, I would like to address the fact that while many new churches have been built by the order of this most pious and reverant Diet, we must consider that we do not have a great church building anywhere in the Empire. While the French build massive abbeys and the Italians bring greek architects in from the east to plan magnificent Basillica, the Reich has no true seat of Christianity as it exists in our Empire.

I understand that times such as these may call for a build up of financial and military structures, but please do not forget that the soul also needs a fortress of faith which inspires it and strengthens its resolve.

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: I would like to inform your noble lords that all the edicts currently proposed have been listed at the front of the Diet building (post #1). Where edicts already have two seconders, additional seconders have not been listed.

I would like to support Cardinal Scherer and second motion 2.8. In fact, I would like to go further. I believe more priests should be recruited to accompany the Cardinal and Eusebius von der Pfalz. Unlike Count Dietrich, I do not wish to cast aspersions on the ability of these two men of the cloth. The Cardinal is an inspirational figure and having met Eusebius, I can testify that the young man has a quite remarkable air of purity and goodness. But to convert a whole province of pagans is a mammoth task and I believe it requires more than a couple of men of the cloth to achieve in a reasonable time frame. When Stettin has seen the light, I am sure we could find employment elsewhere for our missionaries. My own attention has been drawn to the Holy Land and believe the day may soon come when men of the cloth can no longer abide the occupation of our most sacred sites to infidels.

I would suggest to Cardinal Scherer that he ammend his edict to include an instruction that at least two more priests should be trained and sent to accompany him and Eusebius.

[OOC: Priests get good traits if they convert non-Catholics quickly; more priests in a province means a faster rate of conversion and more chance of picking up good traits.]

More generally, I wish to support my father's proposed course of action for the second half of his term as Chancellor. I do not wish to see us embroiled in major wars without just cause. Given our central and dominant role in Europe, I fear war will find us soon enough anyway. When it does, if we are not entangled in an existing conflict with a major faction, we will be much more able to respond vigorously. While a move east does not favour my own House, Swabia, I see the logic in it - the road west is currently blocked by Milan at Dijon and the Danes at Antwerp.

I must study the other proposed edicts more carefully, but on first glance none causes me great displeasure.