The Magnaura

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Ah, good. Hypatios, you're here. Tell me more about Iconium.

[Ignoramus]

A satisfied look is on the face of Ioannis Komnenos as he walks into the Magnaura to deliver his final report.

Salutations, senators!

I am pleased the report on the prosperity of the empire during my tenure as Megas Logothetes.

During my term, the empire has regained much of her former terrritory. Kilikia, Georgia, and Armenia have all been restored to the fold. The disaster of Caesarea, while a grievous military defeat, has not resulted in any major consequences, as was the case with Manzikert.

Even as I speak, Athens, Bucharest, and Yerevan are prospering, so much that they are ready to grow into bigger towns.

I have successfully navigated through the tricky waters of the Frankish Crusades. The Germans have taken Jerusalem and will provide a sure distraction for the Fatimids, whose power is on the wane, thanks to the fine generalship of such men as Makedonius Ksanthopoulos.

The empire has improved relations with the Kingdom of Leon-Castile, and has concluded an alliance with the Republic of Milan. Such treaties can only help to secure our position from Frankish and Norman aggression.

Some of you may have complained that I have not treated all the houses equally. This is true. Those who have proved themselves loyal and worthy I have rewarded, leaving the others to consider the value of loyalty.

I thank the Magnaura for the honour of leading our empire for the past fifteen years. I am satisfied that I have not done discredit to the honour of Rome.

Ioannis resumes his seat, waiting for the new session to begin.

[Ferret]

Hypatios gives the Patriarchal Rep a strange look

You need to hear more? I believe my reports and the reports of others have already covered that incident, if you are really struggling try to use a little...imagination.

He gives a twisted smile as he says that last word.

[TinCow]

The Protoasecretes nods his head in respect to Caesar Ioannis Komnenos. He then slowly starts getting to his feet, wobbling heavily on two canes. For a moment his legs begin to shake with extreme violence and it appears as if he is going to fall over on his back. Two scribes rush over and grab him by his arms, to help him. The Protoasecretes does not take kindly to this, however, and backhands one in the face before uttering some incredibly foul words. The scribes quickly back off, muttering to themselves.

The Protoasecretes starts rambling openly about the disrespect of the young and the ignorance of youth, before somehow getting sidetracked on a diatribe about a particular day many years ago when he was attacked by a wild pigeon in the Hippodrome. After about 10 minutes of this, with the Senators all remaining respectfully quiet, he stops suddenly in the middle of a sentence. He blinks heavily and looks around the room. After a short pause, he waves his hand dismissively at the Senate.

"I hereby declare the Senate Session of 1125 AD open! It will remain open until Saturday, August 16th at 14:00 GMT."

As he wobbles back to his chair, the Protoasecretes can be heard to grumble something about idiotic politicians and their disrespect for the elderly.

[Smowz]

After a long journey across greece via a fishing vessel in the Aegean Sea Nevoulas ek Philadelphius arrives in Constinantinople and heads immediately to the Magnuara

Completely ignoring the Caeser, Nevoulas walks over to Comes Machonias in a surprising light hearted manner

Hypatios good to see you are well I have not seen you in some time, the people of Rhodes are happy and your settlement is running well I am sure you will be glad to here.

He then turns with a frown and looks toward the Caeser

Your highness let me introduce myself I am Nevoulas ek Philadelphius. My bodyguard are currently 'exiled' on the island of Rhodes and I would like an explanation as to why you would not send a vessel to transport them. I take it from you previous speech that I have done something to dishonor the empire. I take a great offense to this. I watched and waited for nearly 10 years whilst repeatedly sending requests not so much as a response from your administration...

[Dafuge]

Yes, I wonder why the people of Rhodes are happy.

Stavros smiles to himself, pleasently amused at his own comment.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios walks in. Straight, but still with the aid of his cane, he confidently walks to his desk. Sipping a cup of water, he reads through the latest Senate transcripts. His features scowl and he shakes his head when he gets to the transcript of the Caesar's latest report to the Senate. Finally, he turns and heads to the podium.

Your Highness, Caesar, and Senators.

We have all been through quite a term. We launched a Crusade to save the good people of Cairo. We suffered a Jihad in return. And we have lost two good men. He pauses for a moment out of respect.

But we have suffered something else as well. Blatant partisan political abuse by the hands of a man who is supposed to be above such things. I have long cried out against the criminal neglect most of us have suffered at the hands of the Caesar so I will not go back into the details.

But most of our settlements have not been developed in fifteen years. Conversion has been almost completely abandonded in large parts of the Empire. Legally mandated armies are left as hollow shells of what they are supposed to be. Watch towers have not been built. And forts are almost non-existent. We have exactly one merchant in the whole Empire. And our navy is woefully inadequate for the many tasks at hand.

I aim to rectify all of that. I am here to humbly and officially announce that I am running for the position of Megas.

Someone needs to restore balance to the Empire. I will do my best to get the economy growing. I will make sure every settlement has things built in it. I will always do my duty with regards to maintaining legally mandated armies. I will spread the good Word across our lands.

I will support the Crusade and make sure it completes it's Holy Mission. And then I will fully support the settlements in Egypt. I will bolster the Order in the Levant so it can protect itself and it's people. I will support House Asteri and the Caesar's House in their war with the Turks. I will protect this great city of Constantinople from the continuing Jihad. And I will help our western region defend itself in case the Catholics should ever attack.

Unlike the Caesar, I believe all parts of the Empire need to be strong. Therefore, I will make the following pledge. No one House or section of the Empire will be favored over another. All subjects in our provinces are citizens of the Empire and thus deserving of development. Therefore, regardless of politics, I will personally see that every single province grows and benefits from my term.

But I will need your help. At the beginning of the next term, if I am elected, I will submit my economic plan for the Empire. I will lay out our expenses and where they could be trimmed. And I will lay out where I believe we can make money. I will need your help in raising taxes, disbanding obsolete units, and in submitting modest buildings in your build queues. This last is most important. It is better to keep up steady building in all provinces with small buildings than to have one or two buildings use up all of the treasury.

I will operate with full tranparency and will make myself completely accessible to you.

I eagerly await any questions any of you might have.

[ULC]

Iakovos ek Kallipoleos limped his way into the Magnaura covered in blood, some fresh, some old, some of it his own. He chest heaved as he strained to breathe through his last lung, and fumbled his way around trying to look through his one good eye. Iakovos looked at the other senators, and then promptly fell to his knees, and then to the floor. In his hand he held tightly a bloodstained scroll.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

A strong kick opens the doors and a tall tired looking man enters the room..

Welcome everybody,

It's so good to be back in Constantinople. The long voyage made me love the solid non wobbling surface.

Efstathios smiled..

Makedonios, I'm sorry for being so familiar, I support you as the 'hopefully' next Megas.
You are someone who can follow the laws not like the last one...
Even though our opinions are different sometimes I am sure that you are far better Megas than the last one..

Looking towards the Caesar with despise...
Walking to his seat his bodyguard Ioannis, who represented him here, stand and bows to him...
Efstathios nods and takes his seat and starts looking through recent reports..
The entering of Iakovos made him raise his head from the papers and he looked around with confusion why no one went to help him..

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios bends over Iakovos to see what is wrong.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

OOC: sorry for the delay. The mafia game in the gameroom is picking up.

[ULC]

Iakovos is still, and one couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. The scroll in his hands has had it's seal broken, and written upon it it a detailed report, one of three, about the Organization, meant only for the eyes of the Emperor.

[Privateerkev]

Makedonios calls for the doctor. He hands the scroll, without opening it, to his shieldbearer Nick. Nick walks over to the Emperor's dias, kneels, and hands it directly to the Emperor. In the meantime, Makedonios splashes water from his cup on Iakovos's face to keep him awake and from going into shock.

OOC: YLC can just give the scroll's contents directly to OK by form of PM.

[Ramses II CP]

Vissarionas ek Lesvou arrives at the senate chamber in a travel stained cloak with mud still clinging to his boots. Ignoring all this he strides to the center of the Magnaura and begins to speak,

I return here for the sole purpose of declaiming the Caesar as a fool, an incompetent, a danger to the Empire, and a (unprintable four letter word, use your imagination)!

Glancing around with a faint sneer, Vissa goes on,

Furthermore, as the Caesar has proven, I consider this body little more than a rubber stamp aparatus for the Megas, and I will no longer bother to attend these sessions but will vote and conduct my business entirely by letter. If the Megas is permitted to act as he will, repeatedly in violation of rules, laws, and edicts, entirely without consequences then I see no reason to communicate with any senator but the next Megas, and of course my lord, may God grant that those two become one and the same!

I will warn this body that if the Megas is to become a law unto himself that the senators should do a better job selecting the Megas. If another man is allowed who directly costs us the lives of two noble senators by his inaction, if another man is allowed who leaves hostile borders defended by peasants, and if another man is allowed who hoards the resources of the Empire for his pathetic cronies while enemy armies march on our capital, then the Empire is doomed and the legacy of Rome will come to an end.

With those things being said, I propose an edict:

Edict 1.0 Ioannis Komnenos, being a clear and continuing danger to the Empire, is barred from ever again serving as Megas. Additionally he is officially declared to be an idiot.

So saying, Vissarionas laughs in a loud, contemptuous manner, and leaves the Magnaura and the city of Constantinople.

[Privateerkev]

Pausing from attending to Iakovos to hear Vissa's words, Makedonios raises an eyebrow.

I'm pretty sure that would require a CA.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Get off it, Hypatios. Did you or did you not lie to His Eminence regarding your supposed dream?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Hearing what Makedonios said Efstathios resposes..

Perhaps we need both of the.. just to make sure?

Saying that he burst in to laugh..

[TinCow]

*The Protoasecretes eyes the seemingly lifeless body of Iakovos ek Kallipoleos. Then he snorts and mutters something about youngsters not eating enough boiled beets. He then waves to a scribe with a rude gesture. The man steps forward, unrolls a scroll and begins to read.*

"The Protoasecretes proposes the following Charter Amendment, which is intended to deal with some... ah... discrepancies which arose during the term of the most noble and honorable Caesar Ioannis Komnenos."

Charter Amendment 4.1: The Megas Logothetes Limitations on Powers #2 will be altered as follows: (changes in bold)

(2) No money can be spent on any construction until all Prioritized Buildings have been funded, unless the Senators who Prioritized them agree otherwise. If there are multiple Prioritized Buildings, and not enough funding for all of them, the Megas Logothetes may choose which to construct first. Prioritized Buildings cannot be funded until the requirements of Rule 4.3 have been met.

Rule 4.3 will be altered as follows: (changes in bold)

4.3 – Army Replenishment: If a Private or Royal Army falls below the minimum strength level, all monetary expenditures must be allocated to restoring the Army to minimum strength before money can be spent on anything else, unless the owner agrees otherwise. In the event of a conflict, a Royal Army takes priority over a Private Army. If a Private or Royal Army is below minimum strength, this Rule will be considered to have been properly fulfilled if the Megas Logothetes queues up sufficient units to bring the Private or Royal Army to minimum strength and specifically states in a public thread which queued units are designated as reinforcements for the understrength Army. If the Megas Logothetes subsequently becomes unwilling or unable, for any reason, to transport these designated units to the understrength Private or Royal Army, all monetary expenditures must again be allocated to restoring the Army to minimum strength before money can be spent on anything else, unless the owner agrees otherwise. This rule does not apply to armies involved in a Civil War.

[Privateerkev]

I second CA 4.1

Private armies are essential to the defense of our Empire. They must be replenished and it can not be subject to partisan whims.

[Ramses II CP]

I second CA 4.1 by letter.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I second CA 4.1 too.

[Dafuge]

I to, second CA 4.1

[Warmaster Horus]

May I remind you that legislation requires only 2 senators to back it?

As for me, I would second Vissaronias' edict, if the second sentence were removed. We can all have a different opinion of the Caesar.

[Rowan]

The last of the Order Crusaders enters the senate. He has apparently had time to have a bath and a change of clothes after the trying voyage at sea. His beard is cleanly shaven and the bright white tabard of the Order bears the purple Orthodox cross. The white of his clothes stand in clear contrast to the black under his eyes while his eyes and skin have the shine of sickness.

Vartholomaios Ksiros walks briskly to the Order seats and sits with his fellows. It has been a long time since he has seen his friends and his relief at meeting them once again is clear to see. Yet there is a more urgent business at hand. The scribe that has been taking notes hands them over and Vartholomios starts poring over them, occasionally glancing around.

After a short while's reading he stands up:

Even though it is redundant, I will second CA 4.1. At this moment I will give Caesar the chance to explain his actions and refrain from seconding edict 1.0 at this point.

[Ferret]

Patriarchal Representative:

Get off it, Hypatios. Did you or did you not lie to His Eminence regarding your supposed dream?

I did not lie, besides I believe the session has started and you have been banned from these chambers during such times, and with good cause. If the Patriarch wishes to doubt my dreams he can do it in person, you count for nothing.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Hypatios, He was banned from the last Senate Session but not from the current one..

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Hypatios, in case you have forgotten the very first missive issued from the Office of the Patriarch, detailing all future Proclamations to come...

*The Representative reaches into his robe, and, grabbing a scroll, tosses it into the air. As it floats gently down to the ground, he once again reaches into his robe, and, whirling, fires a dagger into the paper. Deadly-straight, it catches the paper and embeds itself in the Basileus's podium, with the paper in perfect position to be read.*

...perhaps your memory needs to be refreshed.

"Any potential Senator who wishes to mistreat or disagree with this representative should keep in mind whom they are indirectly challenging by this."

Lest you all forget, I am the official voice of Nicholas III in this here building. Trifle not with me, gentlemen. I ask you again, with all the power of the Patriarch of Constantinople and his Office behind me, did you or did you not lie to His Eminence?

[Ferret]

Hypatios sighs.

I did not, now can we get on with more important matters? If the Patriarch wishes to bring his "huge" power to bear on me then so be it, I am sure I can handle that.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Patriarchal Representative:

Then please explain what the men, who were well-documented, were doing in Iconium with you while the task was being completed. Or, in case you have already done so, say it again.

[woad&fangs]

As Solomon enters the Magnaura it is immediatly clear that he is very ill. His once muscled frame is now frail and sinewy. His brown eyes, once mischievious and filled with life are now sunken glazed. When he opens his mouth to drink he reveals a mouth almost completely absent of teeth and gums which are tender and bleeding.

First may I say I whole heartedly support Makedonios' candidacy. He's a good man and a great leader.

Now I have a question of policy. Is it our desire to completely eradicate the Seljuks and Fatamids or are we willing to negotiate a ceasefire with them?

[Ferret]

Hypatios looks confused

Can you at least make it clear what you are talking about when you rapidly change subject, what "men" are you talking about?