The Magnaura

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis Komnenos, having recently made the short journey across from Nicaea, rises to speak.

"I must say that I am suprised with the words of Efstratios Monomachos. Surely he must know that the Venetians have been longtime allies of the empire in the past, and though I grant that the scheming merchants may not always be sincere in their dealings, there is no need to start a blatant war of aggression against them. Such an act would bring the whole western Christendom down upon our heads.

However, Strator Kalameteros speaks more soundly. The Turks have taken from the empire half its land, not to mention the fact that these heathen persecute the Christians in their realms most cruelly. A well organised offensive, under sound leadership, could well win back some of the land lost at Manzikert.

Ioannis sits down.

[pevergreen]

Michail has been following the discussion intently, knowing that this will affect his future.

"My Lords! Let us not insult each other, such attacks against each other get us nothing, while only slowing us down. It is common knowledge that war with Venice will come, it is only a matter of time. For now, I am content to let the Basileus give his opinion on what is the pressing concern. That is what I shall bow to. We are all friends here remember. Can we not keep it that way?"

Michail sits, absently cleaning a nail with a dagger

[_Tristan_]

My Lords and fellow Senators,

Both our Caesar and Senator Kalameteros on one side and Senator Monomachos argue strong points.

While the Turks commit everyday atrocities against our fellow Christians let us remember the defeat we suffered at Manzikert. We stand disorganized, our forces are at their lowest, while the Turkish enemy has grown while we faltered.

On the other side, the Venetians and Normans of Sicily hold sway over lands that are historically ours. Our Greek ancestors must turn around in their graves from seeing the proud and fair isle of Kretos in the hands of these money-grubbing merchants. They have even dared claim lands in the Balkans that were ours for centuries. Do not be fooled by pretense. It were no mere rebels that controlled Dyrrakhion but men in the pay of the Italians.

Now I do not see why a two-front war cannot be waged. Yes, our tagmata is only a shadow of what it once was. But we have generals of valour as has been proven by the swift conquests of Scopia, Sofia, Bucharest, Dardanellia, Arta, Smyrna and Rhodes. All this crowned by the capture of the mighty city of Antioch, seat of the one of the Patriarch.

Now that Bucharest has fallen and with Iasi sure to fall soon, with strong alliances with our northern neighbours securing that flank, we can redistribute our forces east and west wage that two-front war.

I want Anatolikon back into Byzantine hands. This land is our land. But let us not forget who we are : Romans !!

Our birthplace lies on the other side of the Adriatic, the lands that saw the birth of Romulus and Remus...

Rome, city of wonders, now home to the man who would seek to impose his faith upon the world...

Do not misunderstand me... I seek no war with Rome and the Catholics, though we should be more wary of them. there are rumours of a Crusade being called by the Catholic Patriarch, their Pope, that will unleash hordes of fanatics on the Holy Lands but their route will take them through our lands and I fear the depredations they may cause.

I cannot envision the Italians sitting still while we deprive them of worthy provinces in the Balkans, therefore I, as Monomachos, think we should prepare and redeploy our forces in that direction.

At this time, we have two royal armies. One is en route to reclaim one more of our Anatolikon provinces (and I wish them well...) while the other has just finished its campaign under our Basileos' orders, securing our northern border.
I know even of a large contingent of men sitting idly in Scopia.

While I do not seek to order our Basileos as to how to use his forces, nor could I demand of Comes Ampelas to relinquish command of the men of Scopia, these men could be sent marching west, either to deter any attacks of the Italians or even launch an assault should they gather forces.

Our treasury while not overflowing has largely benefited from the gold plundered from Antioch (though I regret this even happened). Taxes are flowing in from our reclaimed provinces... Let us put these funds to good use and train some more men both east and west.

Let us show our enemies our strength so they do not dare attack us... Then when the time is ripe and our strength has grown to the point where we can cut a bloody gash to our enemies' throats, let us strike swiftly...

Italy and Anatolikon were ours... They shall be once again if we stand united rather than fight for power almong the Houses. This is what almost brought our downfall... Do you want to replay the errors of the past ?

[Andres]

Savvas enters the Magnaura and walks directly to the barrels of wine. He fills a goblet and raises it.

"To the Basileus, to the Caesar and to the Empire!"

Savvas drinks. He puts down the emtpy goblet and faces the assembled senators.

"Dear Senators, I would like to congratulate all of you on your achievements during the last campaign. At this pace, I think that one day the Roman Empire will re-gain its' former strength. Today, I am proud to be a Roman!"

Savvas pauzes and looks around him.

"But, as our esteemed colleague Efstratios has said, we shouldn't rest. Our Empire still faces threats and as we grow larger, we will also gain more enemies. Reinforcing our borders might be a good strategy indeed. And allthough the Westerners call themselves Christians, we shouldn't fool ourselves. To those barbarians and their Pope we are heathens. And what's worse, they posses what is rightfully ours: Rome. Attacking the West however might result in a united front of the Western nations against our Empire, so we should be well prepared before taking that step. The Caesar also raises a valid point: we should avoid gaining a reputation of backstabbers by attacking longtime allies. On the other hand, I heard rumours about an Italian merchant harassing our Basileus' daughter. A satisfying explanation for this unacceptable behaviour should be acquired...

I suggest that a significant part of the funds of the Empire is used to train a Western army and to strengthen our settlements at the Western frontier.

Maybe the Caesar and the Basileius can continue their conquests to fund the strengthening of our Western frontier?

Thinking on the long term is what we should do here. We won't conquer the world in one day, not even in a decade. The Empire has grown fast over the last few years. I think the time has come to consolidate our borders, rebuild what has been destroyed during our recent victories and prepare for future conquests.

Therefor, I am all for a temporary period of peace."

Savvas turns towards Anastasios Neokaisareitis.

"My dear colleague Anastasios. It is with regret that I heard the rumours about the attrocities comitted at Belgrade. Maybe there was a need for this sort of cruelty, but as a civilised nation we should be above that. Mutilating the corpses of rebel scum is one thing, killing innocent people is a step to far, in my opinion. After all," Savvas smiled, "who is going to pay taxes if we start exterminating our subordinates."

[Ituralde]

Pavlos clears his throat noisily and looks toward Senator Tagaris, his goblet still in hand he raises it.

I thank you for your well wishes for conquering Sinop, which I did before I came here.

For the other matters, I agree with you that defense in the West and attack in East seems to be the best strategem!

[Smowz]

Nevoulas ek Philadelphius has been sitting quietly behind Ioannis Kalemetros. He as ever has been diligently studying parchments and knows the situation in his own house being somewhat in a state of flux he has to be more involved in the next senetorial debating session.

Lifting himself of his bench cautiously he looks at the Basileus somewhat in awe and resolves himself and clears his throat loudly:

I congratulate all on your recent conquests. It is clear our great empire is living and breathing once more.

We must be wary however of overextending ourselves, surely our first priority is to now fortify what we have. I look at our lands and note a couple of issues that i think must be of importance in the coming years.

Firstly on religious matters, I was pleased to see the a much greater piety and education on my return to the mainland, the Orthodox word is clearly easily spreading throughout the homelands. From what i have been told from members of my house and contacts in Anatolia, there have been extraordinary signs of conversion in the western part of this land mass. I hope the good priests that have been employed here can make haste to our northern regions in the area of Sofia, Scopia, Bucherest, Zagreb and Belgrade. These areas from what i have heard are barbaric and need some cleansing. I see the potential for many more priests to be trained and sent in that region to convert to acceptable levels.

Secondly, I note the Order of St. John's successful capture of the city of Antioch. It was an ambitious goal and what went on out there is disturbing to say the least. It remains an isolated outpost that surely must be connected with our holdings in Anatolia. The catch is these settling Turks, who have no real right to be there, and simply must be pushed out. I hope that this will become a priority of the empire in the coming years to go on the offensive in this area and unite our borders properly.

Taking a deep breath Nevoulas who is now beginning to feel more confident about himself continues...

My final concern is the economy of the empire, I believe some of the major settlements we have right now could be reformed into more profitable marketplaces. The Castle at Rhodes for example seems somewhat redundant. Indeed on this parchment here I have noted that currently half of the major settlements that are held by the Byzantine empire. That NINE out of the EIGHTEEN are fortified Castles, which i believe to be somewhat draining. I have been musing with Ioannis about Rhodes and I also wonder about Arta and Sofia and whether the would be better having their military castle like settlements reformed into a more merchantile Town like settlement.

I thank you for listening my fellow noblemen and I ask for your thoughts on what I have raised here for debate as is the nature of this forum.

Nevoulas sits and looks to the ground looking for strength, and then looks up to see if there is any reaction...

[OverKnight]

Basileus Aleksios reenters the Magnaura in full Imperial finery. He moves to the center of the chamber to address the Senate.

Senators, my term as Megas Logothetes is over. Together we have set the Empire on the path towards restoration. We have seen a rebirth of civitas, military prowess and victory. We have reclaimed rebel territories and begun to rebuild our cities and trade. Future generations will look back and say that this is when the tide began to turn, that this is when the Empire began the long march back towards glory and dominion.

Aleksios pauses, his demeanor becoming more sober.

But we are not there yet. Already I have heard mutterings of new war and of settling old scores. We have made much progress, but the time for attack is not quite here. Let us not get so drunk on victory that we lose sight of reality.

We must integrate our gains into the Empire before we continue. Many of our new conquests are not connected to the Empire by roads, our military buildings are still lacking and our economy might not be able to support a prolonged conflct. Schismatics and heathens still plague the frontiers of the Empire, and we must bring them to the light of the true faith before we war again, or we might find rebellion in our rear as we fight.

I have spoken similar words in this chamber before, yet I feel I must reiterate them. I hope that the Senate and the candidates for Megas Logothetes will heed them during this Session.

Aleksios turns and makes his way to the Throne and sits.

I declare the Second Session of the Senate open.

A crack of a gavel echoes through the chamber.

There will be three days of proposals and debate followed by voting. Candidates for Megas Logothetes must announce themselves and present a manifesto if they wish.

I will start with my own proposal. Though the decision to declare war rests with the Basileus and this body, currently nothing stops a Senator from provoking a war by trespassing on the lands of a neutral or allied power. This is a loophole which must be addressed. Therefore:

Charter Amendment 2.1: (To be added to section 1.4 of the Charter) Players may not move avatars or armies into the territory of a neutral or allied faction without the permission of the Basileus. Nor may they attack the settlements or armies of neutral or allied factions without a declaration of war from the Basileus, a Megas Dux/Exarch or an Edict.

Edit: Senator Nevoulas makes a good point. We should have castles at strategic places, but not so many that we ignore economic development. I urge the Houses to consider if any of their castles, particualrly coastal or undeveloped ones, might better serve as cities. Now would be a good time to make this decision before too many improvements render it moot.

[The Lemongate]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Savvas turns towards Anastasios Neokaisareitis.

"My dear colleague Anastasios. It is with regret that I heard the rumours about the attrocities comitted at Belgrade. Maybe there was a need for this sort of cruelty, but as a civilised nation we should be above that. Mutilating the corpses of rebel scum is one thing, killing innocent people is a step to far, in my opinion. After all," Savvas smiled, "who is going to pay taxes if we start exterminating our subordinates."

Anastasios who was sitting silently in a shadowy corner of the Senate looks indignantly upon Savvas.

You insult my honor and my faith Senator. There was no torture or cruelty whatsoever imposed upon the Serbian people. Once the rabble their catholic masters amassed was vanquished the settlement was treated as the Lord commands his faithful to treat any enemy. The just were embraced as citizen, the repentant were forgiven and the evildoers were punished. Rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because many among the Serbs had rejected the word of the Lord the wicked among them were chastised. I would have you note that the population of Belgrade is quite content with my fair treatment of them under the imperial banner. I have not heard of any rebellion even though the garrison there is minimal. If it were not for fear of outside intervention, the settlement could even be left without troops and the good people of Belgrade wouldn't even think of revolting. I didn't seek to profit from the spoils of the sword like some... but it is not my place here to judge them. God knows how to be forgiving to those who repent.

As for the current debate on a two-front war, I have always been of the opinion that we should scourge the schismatic catholics from Italia, the Normans first among them. But before any war is undertaken, the Western frontier of the Empire should be reinforced. The Balkans are sorely undermanned. Though we can probably hold our recent conquests with only our faithful retainers, more men should be sent or marshaled in the west to prevent any Frankish or papist aggression before we plan any conquest.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1 Samuel 15:23

[TinCow]

For some time, the Senators ignore the Protoasecretes, who is snoring quietly in a corner. Suddenly the old man wakes up with a shout. He looks around in a startled fashion, before wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Ah, ahem. It seems it is about time for another Senate session. I hereby declare the Senate floor open for legislation until 8pm EST on Sunday, June 29th.

With that, the Protoasecretes sinks back down into his slumber, mumbling something about figs.

[Cecil XIX]

Charter Amendment 2.1: (To be added to section 1.4 of the Charter) Players may not move avatars or armies into the territory of a neutral or allied faction without the permission of the Basileus. Nor may they attack the settlements or armies of neutral or allied factions without a declaration of war from the Basileus, a Megas Dux/Exarch or an Edict.

OOC: Is that an OOC Charter Amendment restricted the abilties of the players to move their avatars, or an IC Amendmet rendering such an act possible, but illegal?

[flyd]

Oh, what wise strategicians we have. Surely the peers of Alexander, Caesar, and Belisarius. For how else might they be so wise to suggest that we should take our militia away from their own cities, and to lengthy campaigns in enemy territory. Surely these butchers, farmers, and blacksmiths, given simple spears and shields, will be more than a match for the horse archers of the Turks and the heavy armor in the West. Though this will only be the case if they are five hundred miles away from their homes, and ten years separated from their wives and children, for they will then be even more motivated to march even further and fight even harder! And at home the cattle will slaughter themselves, the farms sow their own seeds, and the steel swords will will themselves into existence out of cast iron.

The Roman Empire needs a professional army.

Militia cannot be relied upon for a campaign. They do well enough to defend their homes, and they have been used most skilfully to round up and kill brigands. But they are poorly trained and ill-equipped, and in no way prepared to take on a professional western army or the skillful cavalry of the Turks. The priority of the next term must be the development of a proper army, with both light and heavy cavalry, and professional foot troops. The frontier need be reinforced where it must, but an offensive must wait for an offensive army to be assembled. It will take some improvement in infrastructure followed by recruitment, and it will not be an overnight transition. But once done will we be prepared to take the war to the our enemies.

Good and wise Senators, do not be swayed by the emotional cries for glorious battle. Glorious battle against the heathen enemy, heathen enemy who sits in our very own homes. And if we should charge straight at them, we will at once drive them away, for we are so much mightier than they! It all makes for a very lovely argument, if one turns his head away from logic, and those who disagree can be dismissed as cowards. But it is said that history often repeats itself, and if Hannibal was at your doorstep, would you listen to Fabius Maximus, or would you be the one who casts his vote for Varro?

That is not to say that the time for attack will not come. There will be a time, and it will be soon, when we will hit the enemy upon his nose. But you must be careful, wise Senators, that you are not swayed by those yelling the loudest, and though there will be a time when the glorious charge will be the strategically optimal option, we must ensure that we do not act rashly before that time has come. You must be both heroic and smart, though I'm sure there are those among us who will choose only one. Every Scipio has his Varro, and every Zama its Cannae. Think hard about who you want to be, and where you want to fight!

And now that I have run out of Punic War analogies, I best yield the floor. If it is not obvious already, I intend to run for the office Megas Logothetes. I will, if elected garrison the frontier towns and strategically placed forts with the militia we currently have, given the permission of their owners. I will prioritize military construction (but also roads, as we need them), so that by the end of the term we either have, or are prepared to recruit, a large, fully professional army, that will be capable of destroying a mighty empire in the span of a few years, in a campaign that will be reminiscent of Alexander's or Caesar's best. That may not happen until the next term, but if we are prepared sooner, than all the better. But if we should be invaded, then woe to those who invaded us!

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis Komnenos leaps to his feet as soon as Comes Ampelas yields the floor.

Hear, hear! I am well impressed by the words of Comes Ampelas. I confess that I too, was caught up in the tide of enthusiasm for even more rapid expansion, but I now see the reason of Comes Ampelas reason. Currently, we are subduing rebels, who armed with little more than crude spears and pitchforks. How shall we fare if we come up against a well-equipped Turkish or Hungarian army?

There is, however, one more point that we should raise. Currently we have no effective means of keeping an eye on our borders. If we do not organise watches along our now much increased borders, I fear that we will be open to sudden enemy raids.

Therefor I propose Edict 2.1: Watchtowers shall be constructed along the banks of the river Danube in order to give effective warning of the approach of enemy armies.

[Ituralde]

With the Senate officially in Session I propose the following Edict.

Edict 2.2: Two Priest are to be sent in the region surrounding Caesarea to help our Orthodox brethern against their Muslim overlords.

Maybe that way at least one will have bloody arrived there by the time we shove those Turkish arses out of there. I also second Edict 2.1.

Still grumbling to himself Pavlos resumes his seat.

[AussieGiant]

I second edict 2.1

[Northnovas]

Aleksios ek Ikoniou arrives from Arta and takes his place in the chamber.

I will second Edict2.2

I would also like to add to the current conversation, I have given some consideration to our strategy. I feel that we have taken the important step of bring rebel settlements back into the fold without a war against a neighbouring faction.

I think it would be best to consolidate our holdings and build the infrastructure required to support each other. We need to build our wealth with commerce and trade. It has been mentioned that we need to train our soldiers to a professional level for when the real fighting begins. It would be wised to protect our frontiers with watch towers and build up our border defense.

This should be a time of "peace" and building within and I will support a candidate that will bring this agenda to the table and work on developing our Empire in this upcoming turn.

Aleksios returns to his seat.

[_Tristan_]

Speech to the Magnaura
Constantinople, 1095

Methodios enters the Magnaura. He is in full armour and accompanied by two of his men (one a burly blond warrior, the other a knight also in full armour though not Byzantine buy his looks). Bowing to the Basileos, he steps to the centre of the hall and begins to address the assembled Senators.

Basileos,
Caesar,
Fellow Senators,

I congratulate all of you for the substantial work you’ve done in opening the way for a new Golden Age for our Empire.

Since that fateful day at Manzikert, our Empire was only a shadow of its former self, gnawed upon from without, wracked with corruption from within.
The accession of our Basileos to the throne and his revival of this ancient forum have given us the means to rise again as the legendary phoenix, by putting an end to internal strife and allowing us to reclaim some of the lands that formerly and rightfully belonged to us.

As previously stated in this hall, upon us is a time of consolidation. Our newly reclaimed lands are rife with religious dissent, heretics abound and some foreign powers may use our weakly defended frontier as a sign of weakness and use it as an excuse to launch an invasion on our soil.

But more than the enemy from without, an enemy I have fought for many years like many of you, I know of a more vicious enemy : the enemy from within. Houses vying for power, generals looking for acclaim, all those are more dangerous threats to our Empire than any army our neighbours could launch against us.

Let us remember Manzikert… Shouldn’t we have won that battle ? Yet, it is only through treachery that we lost it…

I don’t want to see that happen again.

After long consideration, I have decided I will run for the Megas Logothetes’ position in the upcoming election.

I see Comes Ampelas has already made known his candidacy before this august body and I wish him and any other contenders the best of luck.

If elected, I intend to work for the people of our Empire. For we must remember that once, in the past, the sun never set upon the lands under Roman rule. From the shores of the Levant to the barren wastes of northern Brittania, all these lands prospered under the Pax Romana. All these people are our brothers, though they might have forgotten it.

This is why I will proceed to prevent any such thing as the Belgrade Massacre from happening ever again. While I was not there, the reports I received from the city were most disturbing. I consider it a crime against our own people.

People will always try to justify such evil acts on grounds of religious zeal or revenge for past wrongs but as much as I can understand giving a warrior’s death to prisoners of war, I cannot condone the butchery and rape of civilians.

We are Romans… We are the greatest people that live upon the face of the Earth… We must set an example for all to follow and not belittle ourselves by giving way to our baser instincts. We must not let the beast in our hearts and souls prevail upon our actions.

The more mercy we will show our opponent, the less opposition we will find. Be too harsh a master and your dog will bite you, the old saying goes.

Therefore, I will propose Edict 2.3 : No settlement can be exterminated. No Orthodox settlement can be sacked though sacking of Catholic or Muslim-held settlement is authorized.

If elected, I will personally see that this edict is enforced.

Now, I talked earlier of treachery bringing our downfall…

I owe no allegiance to any House. My only allegiance is to the Empire and our Basileos.

I want to work with the Houses to create a climate of trust and understanding. I will not play one House against another, and I hope that any problem between the Houses will be brought to my attention so that I can solve ay difficulties before they escalate into open conflict.

Our Empire has grown under the benevolent guidance of our Basileos. Nevertheless, some Houses have grown more than others but I would not have this be a point of contention between our Houses.

Already, I hear people advocating a push against the Turks. Is it through some will to save our Orthodox brethren from Muslim tyranny or is there another, more secret, aspiration to those cries for vengeance ?

To the same degree, I hear calls (and I know that mine could be considered among them) to reclaim our lands in Italy : the cradle of our civilization… I wish to see our Basileos rule on our Empire from Rome, city of Romulus and Remus, the first Romans ever. If not today, the tomorrow…

I hope those calls are not simply for the furthering of personal goals or the improvement of one House because this may prove to the detriment of the greater good of the Empire.

Thus I hear here and there people calling to consolidate what gains we may have made over the last decade and improve our settlements, improving the lot of our people, increasing their numbers and thus increasing the number of tax payers. I stand with them on that count… I would like nothing better than to see all of our cities and castles grow. But our treasury is still in a dire state though the riches taken from Antioch helped a bit with that.

So how will we fund the training of more men and the construction of barracks, ports and merchant houses without the cash flow that war generates ?

We must keep gaining land and plunder its riches if we are to be able to implement our training and building policies.

Therefore I would propose that we continue our advance on all fronts. In Outremer, the Order should seek to claim some of the other settlements around Antioch. I am sure they are valiant enough to succeed. Antioch is only a beachhead.

I am sure our Caesar and his men and perhaps with the help of house Asteri will be ready to snatch some settlements from the Turks. The further east they are pushed, the more time we will have to prepare to face any attack on our capital and main cities.

Lastly, Houses Tagmata and Tepaki could launch assaults against Venetian holdings, be they Bari, Ragusa or Heraklion. They are the Houses that least benefited from our Empire’ s reclaiming of our former provinces and should be given a chance to level the scale.

I would advocate sending a diplomat to Rome as soon as possible to placate the Catholic Patriarch, their Pope, and have him restrain the Catholic rulers from going against us. I even think the Catholic rulers will thank us for ridding them of the loan-sharks that Venetians are. Need I remind you of the horrendous wooing of the Princess by that Venetian merchant… I have heard many of you profess their love for the princess but has any one of you shown the errors of his way to that man ? His insults to the Princess could be cause enough to ask for reparations from the Venetians and should they refuse, wage war upon them.

This is only the broad lines of my plan of action…I am sure there are Senators among you who will come forward with provinces in an Edict they deem worthy of capture during the next term. I would propose them myself, had I not already proposed an Edict.

My lords, I hope you will make the right choice in the coming election.

Bowing one more time to the Basileos, Methodios regains his seat.

[Ituralde]

I am only a simple Strategos, but if I understand you correctly you say that we have to build up, if we want to afford a war, and thus you want us to wage war, which we can't afford, in order to afford to build up which we can't afford either? This has to be either the bloody best plan I ever heard or the worst!

Pavlos laughs heartily.

I congratulate you on your initiative though, I feel the itch myself to go against the Muslim heathens as soon as possible. But declaring war is no light thing. We are, as you mentioned, very ill-prepared should our enemies launch counter-attacks. Either way declaring war falls under the privileges of our Basileos and I will follow his will on these matters.

Bowing respectfully towards Aleksios Komnenos he returns to his seat.

[Smowz]

Nevoulas ek Philadelphious watches Comes Tagaris with a respectful eye, he is a man he has come to admire and respect with his long story not dissimilar in some ways to his own. With much murmuring following his surprise announcement that he too wishes to run for Megas like the independent Comes Ampeles. Noticing a lull in proceedings Nevoulas steels himself and stands to address the senate:

My fellow Senators, Comes Ampeles and Domestikos Aleksios make good points we must start to work the lands and reform the rebels territories we have gained. Roads need to be built, old castles changed to Towns and standards of professional training must be started and implemented in our army.

However we have many hungry, young senators such as myself who are still eager to fight the enemy on the battlefield. I go back to the original points I made previously, I believe with all my heart the current enemy of the Byzantine empire is the Seljuk sultanate. Their movements and observations of our sieges and subsequent captures of the settlements in Smyna and Sinop have been mysterious to say the least. I have intelligence to suggest that the Turkish sultan has been extending his reach eastwards and even now plots to move southwards towards the Levant.

After the magnificent capture of Antioch, I feel that it is now vital that we push forward and connect this great city with the greatest city of them all that we sit in here today. That task requires that we some time soon declare war on the Seljuk Turks. I therefore lobby and name the following edict for all to see here in the Magnaura:

Edict 2.4: After the period of 6 years has passed (1101), any senator may declare war and attack any Seljuk Turkish army or settlement.

Of course, it is usually up to the Basileus or the Megas to authorize such a call. I feel however that the current so called peace with the Turks is a political technicality, the war is in reality still ongoing and never actually ended. The Seljuks might believe us fools into thinking they have conned us into believing their words of ceasefire and trade rights, we know otherwise don't we?

I also know the loud voices of the senators who reside far away in the west may not appreciate this call, I ask you however to consider the numbers of unlanded senators in the east. By my count there is currently only one unlanded senator in the 'west' whereas there are several (Nine by my count) enthusiastic capable senators who reside in the 'east' and can easily contribute towards such a struggle.

Indeed given a small amount of time the three great houses of Kommandaukai, Asteri and the Order could build considerable armies to attack these hardy but i believe beatable Turks.

I for no minute suggest that a note of caution is not needed in the west, the Venetians are untrustworthy , this is a plain fact known within all diplomatic circles. But given our open alliances and diplomatic relations with the Catholic nations of Poland and Hungary, I cannot see the logic in openly attacking Catholic nations at this time.

Nevoulas' voice is beginning to come strained an attendant looking doubtfully, Nevoulas knows what the attendant is worried about and shrugs him off. He looks to the rather sparce looking area of where senators from the Asteri usually sit, and grunts to himself. He now realizes he is standing rather awkwardly with nothing else to say.

Nevoulas turns toward the Basileus bows and says.

I thank you for listening and am interested to hear what you make of my comments.

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis Komnenos quickly rises to his feat.

"Nevoulas ek Philadelphious, I am afraid that you cannot propose such an edict, as it falls under the category of a charter ammendment. You currently do have enough influence to propose such an edict."

Ioannis resumes his seat.

[BananaBob]

I second Edict 2.3.

[flyd]

To start, I will Second Edicts 2.2 and Tagaris' own 2.3, as well as Charter Amendment 2.1. I also support Edict 2.1, but it has the required number of seconders. I don't know that I wish to support 2.4, but I believe the Casear has made a mistake, and that it is a perfectly valid Edict. It is within the power of the Senate to declare war through an Ordinary Edict, and 2.4 is a declaration of war with two conditions attached, which are that it must be the year 1101, and that at least one Senator at that time wishes a war. I do not see why the Senate cannot attached conditions to its own edicts.

Now I must say that I am seriously concerned with the strategy that Tagaris' has outlined. It is flawed beyond any measure. We are no longer dealing with rebels here. You cannot say "I see Ragusa and Iconium are sparsely garrisoned, we can take them with a regiment of militia and a bodyguard of the general." You can take the city, but you are not prepared for the war. This seems something Tagaris has a difficulty wrapping his head around. He now sits in Zagreb, isolated from all other Imperial troops, with just his own horsemen, while a large Hungarian army sits nearby, so large that he could never defend his city if they should attack. Now he can only thank the Basileus (against whose will he took Zagreb) that he conclued the alliance with the Hungarians, and can only pray to the Lord that the Hungarians intend to respect the alliance. And while his prayer may be answered, this is not strategically sound. Now he openly proclaims that he wishes to conduct similar blunders on all the frontiers of the Empire! If I am elected Logothetes, when I take an enemy city, he will not be wondering how he might recapture it, but how he may stop our army before it reaches his next city.

That is my assessment of my opponent's strategy. Does anyone have any particular question about the policy I would pursue?

[OverKnight]

Aleksios speaks:

First, I will second Edict 2.3. On this particular topic, Comes Tagaris is correct.

However, his philosophy of endless pillaging to enable endless pillaging is not an approach I support. I have already spoken on the matter, and I find Comes Ampelas's manifesto much more to my liking.

Second, I will elaborate on my son's comment concerning Senator Nevoulas ek Philadelphious's proposal. As currently written, it is a Charter Amendment, because it grants anyone the power to declare war on the Turks at anytime past 1011. This power currently rests with myself and a majority vote of this body in the form of an Edict. The Senator has not achieved the needed rank, Domestikos, to propose amendments, he can only propose one Edict a Session.

The Senator is free to propose an Edict authorizing a declaration of war against the Turks. Though I feel such an Edict is not needed at this time. If during the next term, we reach a point where we are ready for a prolonged war against the Turks, I can call an Emergency Session to vote on a declaration of war.

Edit: Please also note that as Basileus any legislation I propose does not need to be seconded, as it will proceed straight to a vote. Feel free however to debate the merits of the proposal.

[Askthepizzaguy]

My lords, fellow Senators,

I believe Comes Methodios Tagaris would make an excellent Megas; I admire what he has already accomplished for the empire, and his prowess in battle. However, and this may surprise many of you, I agree that we should not charge headlong into a two front war against the Turks and the Catholics. I propose that the West work very hard to improve our settlements and prepare defenses, early warning watchtowers, spies, ships, and a strong defensive army, and let the Catholic scum come to us.

Seeing as how a direct assault is not in everyone's interest at this time...

In the meantime, friends and colleagues, The Turks must be destroyed. War with them is inevitable, as with the Catholics, but they have no allies, and they can be crushed swiftly if the might of the empire is concentrated against them.

I propose that the strategem of the entire Empire be focused on the erradication of the Turks and bringing Roman culture back to our former holdings in the east, in one swift stroke.

Then, when the East has become secure and rich with land and power, I ask that we switch our focus towards the West, and the inevitable war with Venice and Sicily. I am not certain who will strike us first, but we need ships. I am willing to see the lessening of our standing armies and the strengthening of our war vessels, because if we can sink those bastards before they even land on our soil, we will win the war before it begins!

Should they manage to land their forces, we can dismantle the excess ships and build a grand army, as long as we have prepared barracks and we have generals and watchtowers and forts in place to delay invasion forces. If the specifics of my plan are not agreed upon, then let us design a different strategy together. We must prepare for the Italians, we cannot afford to sit in our settlements with thumbs lodged firmly up our crevasses, betwixt the gluteal muscles.

We must also keep an eye on Hungary... I don't trust them. I am certain they have designs on Constantinople. In fact, if they begin sending their Holy Men down here, I suggest that someone make them... disappear. In a proper and legal fashion, of course.

In the meantime, while I would like to support Comes Tagaris, I would very much like to hear more from Comes Ampelas, regarding the specifics of his plans to bring glory to the empire. I have not decided whom to support yet. I do like the idea of having professional soldiers under my command...

Lately I've seen nothing but peasants with pitchforks and ragtag militias. (In fact, I've yet to see ANY soldiers under my direct command, barring my personal guards) So professional armies, one for each house at the very least, should be a priority. I am hoping that down the line, the western houses will all be large enough to field their own professional soldiers... for the glory of the Emperor they would conquer...

[AussieGiant]

Apionnas speaks

Gentlemen,

While war seems inevitable as the Empire expands, I simply recommend that we pursue aggression on one front and make a efforts to avoid getting involved in any other.

Having seen the economic reports coming into the capital over the past years, we simply can not be dragged into more than one conflict at this time. To do so would create a burden that neither our economy nor our under developed military could sustain for any length of time.

[OverKnight]

Seeing Apionnas speak, the Basileus seems to remember something. He rises to speak.

Senators, I have wonderful news. Senator Apionnas has embraced the Orthodox Church and has been christened. I am proud to have stood beside him as his Godfather as he was brought back to the True Faith.

My Godson has been granted Bucharest as his personal domain. Please join me in congratulating Comes Apionnas Vringas.

[AussieGiant]

Apionnas stands and bows to the assembled lords and then makes a deeper one to the Basileus.

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis quickly follows his father.

"I congratulate Senator Apionnas! I trust his decision was not motivated by political interest, and that he will be a fervant member of the true Christian faith."

Ioannis nods approvingly towards Senator Apionnas and resumes his seat.

[AussieGiant]

Apionnas addresses the Ceasar

My lord, your parents were present and the Patriach himself conducted the ceremony. I could not have had a more supportive and legitimate service. While it does feel strange I do now remember clearly the early days of my life. My parents where both Christians. One Orthodox, one Catholic.

As for political interest, well that is for your father and perhaps you yourself to determine.

Holding his gaze a little long on the Ceasar.

I am at your service my lord. If you wish anything you simply have to ask.

[Smowz]

Nevoulas ek Philadelphius stands.

I cherish all matters of the faith and celebrate Apionnas' conversion.

Nevoulas takes a deep breath and turns to the Basileus.

I must apologize to you my lord for my hasty and unwieldy wording of my proposed Edict 2.4. I was overeager to speak my mind on the issue and as such was somewhat cluttered on how to express myself properly.

I respect and agree with the protocol of declarations of war by this empire, war is a serious thing and must be restricted to being declared by the Megas, whomever that may be or indeed yourself My lord Basileus Aleksios.

I am still passionate about the said edict and wish to reword it if I may to this:

Edict 2.4 (a): In 1101, war will be declared on the Seljuk Sultanate.

I am pleased to see several senators have sent me support and I thank them for their counsal. The words and thoughts of Strator Monomachos closely follow my own imaginations and dream for the direction of the empire. Rid ourselves of the evils of the Turks and then move on to the unholy elements of Christendom.

Nevoulas turns to catch the eye of the Caeser

My lord I thank you finally for pointing out my error before it spiraled into even more confusion then it has already caused.

Nevoulas then sits.

[AussieGiant]

Standing again to address the assembly.

I thank Senator Nevoulas for his support regarding my conversion.

As a note is passed to him by a court official Apionnas also nods in the direction of Senator Michail.

The calm exterior so commonly part of the young officer's demeanour in public changes. Gone is the unreadable face, a scowl and a glint in his eyes replaces his youthful expression. More over his tone of voice is deeper and carries without effort across the massive hall.

"Declaring war on the Turk is inevitable. However, now that this edict is in place, IF it is passed we will have a clear mandate. However, I would warn everyone to the dangers inherent in this voting system because we may find ourselves at war with more than one nation if further edicts are tabled, and passed.

Therefore, to ensure we do not open up more than one front, tabling of any further edicts should be held back until the next session."

Placing his hands on the desk in front of him his Arab robes fall open to reveal a heavy suit of scale armour.

"My Regiment was wiped out by Turkish units. I would recommend our own commanders in the region consult on force composition and tactics before any head long engagements are made. To underestimate the Turk will be our downfall.

More over, war will drain our ability to consolidate which I believe is the stated aim of our Basileus."