Imperial Diet VII

[gibsonsg91921]

If this is well and no hindrance to Duke Lothar, we shall keep the capital at Nuremburg until we are fully reunited to Rome.

[TinCow]

That is acceptable to me. It would be foolish to hold court in a place which would require the Electors to traverse hostile territory just to visit it. Until a reliably safe passage to Rome can be secured, I am willing to let Nuremburg remain under Imperial control. In any case, the capital has little importance until the time of the next Diet anyway.

[gibsonsg91921]

For his heroism in The Battle for Milan, I hereby knight Sir Hugo de Cervole.

[_Tristan_]

My most sincere thanks, Empereur...

Taking on those French scum was almost enough of a reward in itself...

[OverKnight]

A letter arrives from Outremer.

Kaiser Peter and my fellow Electors,

I wish to congratulate Kaiser Peter, Sir Hugo, Count Fredericus and my nephew Herrmann Steffen over their crushing triumph against the French. This bodes well for our efforts against them, and with the seizure of Rome by Dieter von Kassel, our attempt to secure Italy in general.

While I understand that Knighthood is usually granted for ferocity in battle, surely Herrmann's coordination of the attack deserves consideration for that honor. Even if he did not land a blow, he greatly contributed to the victory.

Matthias

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

I would like to formally second the Viceroy's request for knighting Hermann Steffen.

Commanding a battle is a significant part of a general's duty and arguably more important than swinging a sword or wielding a lance and killing the enemy personally.

Given the adjutants and aid-de-camps he commanded in relation to the Kaiser and a senior Bavarian noble he deserves this as much as anyone, just for entirely different reasons.

[TinCow]

There is no need to petition the Kaiser. Herrmann is my son and fought with a Bavarian army in defense of a Bavarian city. I have all the right in the world to knight him for his actions. Men have received this honor for far, far less in years past. Herrmann's actions, though they did not draw enemy blood, were absolutely crucial in defeating a large and immensely powerful French army which posed a great threat both to Bavaria and the entire Reich. No one has been more deserving of a knighthood than he and I hereby bestow it upon him.

[gibsonsg91921]

Of course, gentlemen, I was to knight him for his valiant efforts, but I deemed it out of my place as he served under Fredericus Erlach and not my forces. I did not see how he fought himself personally, so I preferred to allow Erlach to do Herrmann the honor that so many believe he deserves.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

Excellent gentlemen. The issues is settled then.

I'll have the chancellor's office update the official records immediately.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor walks slowly into the Diet Chamber. His administrators proceed to hand the Imperial report to those nobles in attendance or their representatives when necessary.

Taking his seat very slowly a clearly haggard, unhealthy and drawn man sits before the Diet.

There is still no sign of his retinue and in their stead are a number of black cloaked individuals studying reports and receive messengers from the Imperial Service. They periodically speak to the Chancellor in hushed tones or whisper directly into his ear.

Leaning forward the Chancellor finally speaks in a very soft and deliberate fashion

So gentlemen...


...the Reich is running...


how do you all fair at this time?

[OverKnight]

A letter from Outremer.

Electors,

The news from Italy is bittersweet. My nephew is again victorious, but Count Friedrich is dead. He was a good man, a loyal Bavarian, and I hope his sacrifice will not be in vain. We must keep fighting them untill the Purple scum are cleansed from Italy.

This French push on northern Italy is intriguing. On one hand it is the last thing Bavaria needs, but on the other it serves to divide their massive forces. If God smiles upon us, we can isolate their armies and defeat them, relieving pressure on Swabia.

I salute the bravery of the Bavarian and Imperial armies. The task we face is daunting, but if we pick our battles and engage in an aggressive but cagey campaign against the invaders, we will be victorious.

Matthias

[TinCow]

Count Karolinger was the most noble and honorable man I have ever known. From his first day as a Bavarian Elector, he has put all of his strength towards protecting his people. Countless times he put himself in harm's way so that others did not have to do so. It seems that fate has finally caught up with him. We are far the poorer for his loss. Bavaria will not be the same without him. Indeed, I can say now that until for the many years before my son Herrmann came of age, Count Karolinger himself was the heir to Bavaria. I hope this knowledge will make it clear how that I held him in the highest regard.

His death has confirmed for me a decision that I have been pondering for some time. These endless foreign armies are concentrated on Milan and Milan alone. They are determined to take it and will not cease their assaults until it falls.

There is one way to gain a significant advantage over the enemy: to fight them from the walls of the city. With the aid of towers, walls, and gates, we can inflict horrific damage on the enemy. It is a major advantage that we cannot have in a field battle. The only problem is that anyone holding the walls faces certain death if the defense fails. We have now lost one good Elector for the sake of Milan. I will not permit us to lose another.

I will do what Count Karolinger did for the people of Austria: I will remain behind to protect them. I request that all available forces be concentrated inside Milan itself. I will join them and hold the walls against the Milanese. All other Electors must evacuate the area to ensure that they are not caught by the French. I know Swabia is need of generals, so this should free the Kaiser to march northwards. Of course, any forces that the Kaiser can leave behind to aid Milan will be appreciated. I will hold Milan until the enemy is dead or I am. No one else will have to risk their lives in such an endeavor.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

My Lords,

Count Karolinger gave his duty and his service to House Austria in one of the most selfless and honourable choices I have seen in my life.

While his own House was in dire need of assistance he stayed and saw through the commitment he gave to me personally as Duke of Austria and to his fellow nobles.

His statue will be erected in the main square of Vienna to celebrate his efforts for that city and the Duchy of Austria for all time.

May you rest in peace my friend.

In light of the recent deaths in Austria the following titles are now bestowed upon these men:

Sir Johann Zirn is now Count of Vienna.

Jan Zirn is now Count of Zagreb.

Maximilian von Hapsburg is Count of Venice.

[Cecil XIX]

I am sorry to have just learned of the death of Frederich Karolinger. He was a true man of the Reich, and the fact that he was content to serve a house other than his own speaks volumes about the strength of his character. He will be missed.

Likewise, the death of Lucas Godwinson is a tragedy of the first magnitude. It is a sobering thought that this plague could take us when we lay in our homes, away from the field of battle. I pray that House Franconia survive the troubled times ahead.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Herrmann Steffen:

Never again...

Electors, I don't know where all of these elite enemy armies are coming from or how they're becoming so elite. But I do know one thing. The wrecking of three entire armies proves to us; the death of-

*He takes a deep breath.*

The death of Friedrich Karolinger proves to us that we cannot afford to let up. The lives of all whom we serve depend on it.

I understand the need to defend our territory, obviously. But once that goal has been accomplished - once we have driven the invaders out and turned the tide - we must keep pressing, no matter the cost. We must never let up.

Never again must three of our finest armies be called into the field to fight one battle, Electors. We need to make sure this never happens again.

[gibsonsg91921]

Is there no end to the toll wrought upon us? Friedrich the Carolingian was every bit a soldier as his ancestor Charlemagne. And Lukas - this is a grave loss. He was a promising commander - I had hoped he would be the future of Franconia.

[OverKnight]

A message from Outremer:

Mein Kaiser and my fellow Electors,

I am pleased to see that Chancellor Arnold has restored our official Alliance with the Papal States. The threat of excommunication hangs even more heavily over those Catholic Nations that would war against us. We must monitor this situation closely, and if the Pope is a relatively young man, and one of our enemies is excommunicated again, particularly the French, a Crusade against them could become a powerful option. Surely God wishes to see them laid low for they are in league with Satan, for how else could we explain their limitless armies?

Of course, we must now monitor our own relations with the Papacy more closely if we are to preserve these gains. We have great influence over the Church, but we will never have complete control. I hope the next Chancellor will keep this in mind.

Matthias

[AussieGiant]

A travel stained and weary Duke Arnold enters the Diet Chamber. For the first time in years he is attended by his retinue who move quietly and quickly to the Austrian chamber attached to the main hall.

The Dread Duke, now back in his familiar obsidian plate mail, moves to the Chancellors chair and from around his neck removed the large Chancellor's broach placing it gently in the back rest where it sits until another takes the coveted position.

Glancing briefly around the Diet Chamber the Duke mouths a few words to himself, kisses his gauntleted hand and places it on the broach for a few moments.

In the minutes that pass he seems lost in thought while he stares vacantly at the chair remembering times past.

As fast as the moment comes it is gone and in a flash the Dread Duke's visage returns to his face, the steel and fire begin to smolder once more behind his dark eyes.

With a billow of his night black cloak, the Duke turns and strides purposefully back towards his Duchy's chambers...another Diet session was upon them all and there was much to be done.

[econ21]

Diet Speaker: My Lords! We thank Duke Arnold for his great efforts as our Chancellor. Now that he has posted the last of his most informative reports, we must formally open a full session of the Diet.

There will be a three day period for debate. During that time, all candidates for the post of Chancellor must declare themselves, presenting their manifestoes for scrutiny and questionning.

Edicts and Charter Amendments may be proposed. They will require two seconders to be put to the vote.

The deadline for candidates to declare and proposed legilsation to be seconded is 10pm UK time Thursday. There will then be a 24 hour period of voting.

I now yield the floor.

[Ramses II CP]

OOC: Just checking: No new thread? Don't want to unspool a long winded speech and then have to repost it.

[Ramses II CP]

'Nobles of the Reich! I trust you are all well rested and in good health?'

Here Fritz must pause to cough roughly into a soldier's kerchief poked into the back of his glove. Dozens of minor functionaries can be heard gasping, or seen crossing themselves. Over the back of his hand his eyes can be seen to gleam redly before his face emerges from behind the kerchief with an uncharacteristic grin.

'Okay, well, somebody told me to open with a joke and that was the best I had.'

A grim look falls over Fritz's face.

'As if the all fired Cataclysm wasn't test enough, we have now just gone through the worst plague in known history, which appeared to strike our nation much harder than our,' Fritz sneers, 'neighbors. Credit Chancellor Arnold for leading us through that desperate time of defense and defeat,' Here Fritz bows slightly to Duke Arnold before resuming his speech.

'...but that time is now over, and it is once again the time to attack! Good thing that, because Fritz the Attacker is here to announce his run for the Chancellorship. Give me your trust, and your vote, and I vow to drive back our enemies by any means necessary.'

'We have been passive. We have huddled in our castles and our cities, waiting out the plague and hoping that our enemies would turn aside their wrath. Praying that God would deliver us with a miracle. All of that ends now. Now is the time to take our fate into our own hands and strike out to improve it by the force of our collective will.'

'Any questions?'

Fritz returns to his seat.

[OverKnight]

OOC: This should be read as going before the previous post.

Matthias enters the Diet looking travel-worn and tired.

My fellow Electors,

I wish to congratulate Duke Arnold on his term. Never before, with the possible exception of Saint Maximillian, has a Chancellor faced so much adversity: Plague, financial ruin, the aftermath of a civil war and countless enemies. He confronted each with an iron will and we are stronger for it. The Reich has survived, and soon the apostates, infidels and scum of the world will tremble once again at our approach. I thank Duke Arnold for his role in our rebirth.

Matthias pauses, taking note of the quiet chamber.

Yet. . .I would not have this turn into complacency. Rumors have reached me in Outremer of inertia on some parts of the Home Front. For the Reich to embrace it's destiny, each Elector must put forth their maximum effort. In the past what fueled our advance against the despotic and arthritic kingdoms around us was the strength of our nobles: Dukes, Counts and Electors. If we are to advance again, we must reclaim the initiative and drive of our fore-fathers.

The world is ours, all we have to do is reach out and take it.

[econ21]

Welf von Luxemburg:

I congratulate Duke Arnold on his successful period of office. He has shepherded the Reich through the terrible Black Death and seen off the many invaders who had sought to take advantage of our earlier divisions. I am personally indebted to him for giving me the opportunity to make my own contribution on our western front.

However, the inertia that Viceroy Steffen speaks of is only too evident. There is much to be done. All Houses and Outremer are still but shadows of what they once more. We must not rest until the borders of the Reich are restored and our hegemony over Europe clearly re-established.

We need another man of Duke Arnold's stature and drive to continue to energise us. I believe Fritz von Kastilien is such a man. His invasion of Denmark was a tour de force and he has achieved miracles with scant resources. He clearly has the strategic and tactical abilities to guide the Reich and to spearhead its Imperial armies.

Moreover, his manifesto shows the drive and ambition that this Reich needs. We have fought our enemies to a standstill, but even as we meet, they will be regrouping and gathering their strength for another push. We must meet them head on, at the charge.

I believe Fritz is the man best placed for this task. He is our man of the hour, the man for our time.

[AussieGiant]

As the speeches of Fritz, Matthias and Welf occur, Arnold and his retinue file out of the Austrian Chamber and take their seats. As Welf concludes his speech the Duke stands at the edge of the chambers inner circle where the floor is open to those who which to speak to the chamber as a whole.

As Welf falls silent and takes his seat the Duke take one pace into the circle and looks around at the assembled nobility.

I wish to thank Matthias, Welf and Fritz for their kind words towards me.

It has truly been a difficult period, but there is one thing that concerns me a great deal and it has nothing to do with anything outside this room.

I'll SAY THIS LOUDLY!!

THE VICEROY and WELF ARE RIGHT!!

THE DEMENOUR, THE ATTITUDE, THE MOTIVATION AND THE GENERAL LEVEL OF GOVERNANCE BY THIS ESTEEMED BODY WOULD MAKE OUR FOREFATHERS CRINGE!!!

It sounds harsh but I simply don’t care what others think of me at this stage of my life.

We can’t have the level of governance shown in my term as Chancellor and hope to reclaim and bring about a new age of expansion and success for this Reich.

Pausing to stare at the assembled nobility the Duke eyes are challenging and defiant.

Assess yourselves gentlemen…and if you find the answers to your OWN questions anything less than 110% committed, then step aside and make way for those that can lead the line!!!

A final crushing blow to the Austrian bench results is a completely disintegrated section of wood panelling. Into the silence the Duke bellows:

And that goes from the Kaiser down!!

With that he turns and takes a seat. He folds his arm across his chest to maintain his composure, turning the physical power emanating from him, back upon himself and not against some other inanimate object.

[TinCow]

*Lothar smiles at Arnold's speech.*

If any man is too bored or lazy to administer his own lands, I will be more than happy to take them under the protection of the great Duchy of Bavaria.

I also offer the Diet a new version of the legislation I proposed last year which gives us the authority to regain what we have lost:


Edict 15.1: The Chancellor is authorized to conquer Caen, Paris, Rheims, Marseilles, Ajaccio, Florence, Stettin, Thorn, Breslau, Krakow, Vilnius, Budapest, Bran, Bucharest, Zagreb and Edessa. Any currently held provinces which are lost to the enemy during this Chancellorship term may also be reconquered.

If my scribes have forgotten any provinces which should be listed in that Edict, please let me know and I will amend it properly.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Herrmann Steffen:

Considering our progress of reclaiming these territories since the Cataclysm has ended (nothing against our Chancellor, clearly there were extenuating circumstances this term), I propose the following Charter Amendment so that people may be spared of the same proposals being offered again and again, hampered only by our lack of progress:

CA 15.1: All edicts proposed regarding conquest or reclamation of territory do not expire until such territories are conquered. If the Diet no longer wishes that a certain settlement be conquered, an edict is required to declare the prior edict null and void.

-edit- Naturally, I second Edict 15.1.

[AussieGiant]

Standing and grinning at Lothar

For the record, the Bavarian Duke can keep his grubby little paws to himself when it comes to Austria. Even if I was alone out there it would be too crowded.

I hereby second Edict 15.1 and CA 15.1, although only one of them is necessary of course.

Can some £$^£ing lawyer please tell me which should be seconded?

Pausing, the Duke then casts he gaze across the chamber.

I see Lord Fritz is prepared to serve. Is no one out there prepared to run against him? Should I take the role of incumbent and stand again? I get the impression that my entire Chancellorship has been rather anticlimactic.

I expect nothing less of full return to our original boundaries at end of the next Chancellors term.

I want to see the Reich returned to his glory before I die!!

If reading the history of this Chamber is anything to go by you've all turned into a sack of meek pig shiet!!

Maybe a Franconian needs to take over...then we can all retire to our villa's and return in 20 years to see the paper stacks another foot higher.

[gibsonsg91921]

Fritz is a fine candidate. He has my full blessing as Chancellor.

We have survived the plague. We must now turn to other plagues - the French, the Greeks, the Poles, the Venetians, and all of our mortal enemies. Fritz can, no doubt, handle the task at hand.

EDIT: I also second Edict 15.1 and CA 15.1.

[Ramses II CP]

Fritz von Kastilien looks up from his scattered papers and calls out,

'I propose:

Edict 15.2 Any Franconian noble shall have the right to raid Oslo and Stockholm with the intent of permanantly ending the Danish threat. After capture the provinces would be available for diplomatic negotiations with neutral or allied nations.

...the obvious goal being to close our northern border for good, at last, so that Franconia may turn her attention to reclaiming her lost territories. Taking Arhus bought us some time, but the despite being little more than rebels the Danes continue to produce incredible quantities of soldiers and the Russians cannot be pleased with how foolish Duke Arnold's brilliant diplomacy has made them look. The situation in Franconia is becoming dire, as the Poles are now in position to threaten Frankfurt and Hamburg while simply holding Madgeburg under siege continuously. I do not believe they could take Frankfurt, but there are no guarantees in war.'

'While I'm standing, let me take a moment to expand on my prior comments. There has been entirely too much lay-about-the-fort thinking during the plague years. Yes, we've all been ill, we've lost many valuable men and even a noble, God grant that Count Godwinson rests easy, but our enemies have grown strong while we rested. If we do not meet them in the field they will grind away our strength while we are trapped behind the very high walls that supposedly protect us.'

'I am in the process of reviewing all our strategic reports and will have a specific set of military proposals to present for discussion and input as soon as possible. If anyone has information not available to the imperial scribes and map makers then feel free to pass it along to me at your earliest convenience.'

Fritz returns to his seat.

[OverKnight]

Matthias looks about, glad to see the Diet active.

I wish to propose two pieces of legislation concerning Outremer.

Edict 15.3: Nicosia is to be taken from the Greeks.

Edict 15.4: Edessa is to be taken from the Greeks. The city will then be transferred to English rule. Gaining military access from the English is recommended as part of the transfer, but the Chancellor is instructed to accept any deal, even a donation, to accomplish the Edict.

I would also like to use my personal Edict to propose the following, unlike the first two, this one will require seconds:

Edict 15.5: The Diet authorizes attacks on Iconium and Caesarea if the oppurtunity arises. This Edict may only be enforced if Nicosia and Edessa have already been taken.

The overarching goal of these edicts is to limit the Greeks to one avenue of attack into Outremer. By taking Cyprus, we will remove the threat from the south. By taking Edessa, we will be removing the one from the east. Unfortunately, due to geography, it will be difficult to hold Edessa once taken while still keeping a strong force in a central location to respond to other attacks. The English, with Aleppo nearby, would be in a stronger position to hold the city. Their presence in Outremer has served us well, and I would like to reward them while sticking a thumb in the eye of the Basileus. Having military access through English territory would also give us strategic flexibility in the future.

Once Cyprus and Edessa have fallen, this will limit the Greeks to attacks through the passes of the mountains northwest of Adana. We can contain them there, and if the oppurtunity presents itself, advance on them. Hence Edict 15.5. I am not sure if we will have this chance, but I would like to have the option available. Though 15.3 and 15.4 take priority.

In a related matter, my scribes have a list of all legislation proposed so far.