*Four figures stride into the Magnaura. Three of them are clothed identically, in hooded robes. They are leading and flanking the fourth figure, who enters last. His attire is different than the rest, wearing majestic, if somewhat dirtied, robes and no hood. He sports a long beard, the common symbol of one who is a part of the clergy. It is clear that this man is a high-ranking Orthodox figure, but none of the Senators have ever seen him before. He and his three hooded guards make their way to the center of the Magnaura, where the bearded clergyman clears his throat and begins to speak. The guards respectfully stand off to the side.*

Patriarch Nicholas III:

It has become clear to me that my Representative is no longer welcome in this chamber, having been thrown out twice, the second time rather literally. Hence, I am finally making my much-requested appearance in person. Know that, however, the expulsion of my Representative was not a factor in this. I am here because I need to be, not because I was demanded to be. I exist at the call of no one aside from the Lord and His Son. There are several things that need addressing. Hopefully by my presence here they will finally be addressed.

For too long, Orthodoxy has taken too many punches. Senators, faith is one of the few things in life to be taken with the utmost seriousness. I have seen faith disregarded when it is no longer convenient or efficient in the means of governance. I have seen the most Holy Crusade treated as nothing more than a race, a land grab by some of its participants. Most disturbingly, I have seen faith mistaken as a threat for power, a tool to be used to gain further dominance. There have been subtle efforts to undermine faith in attempts to gain supreme, secular power by those who have desired such.

I will not speak of such efforts in here, most notably the Caesar's plot to destroy the pious Order of St. John, for they have already been discussed at length. The time for discussion is over. The time for action... is here.

Now, the Basileus's proposed Charter Amendment denying his son the right to automatically assume the position of Megas is commendable... but is it enough? I ask you, Senators, is one step in the right direction enough to overcome a lifetime of wrongness?

We all draw periously closer to civil war. It would be disastrous, for all that it would achieve are Orthodox souls destroying other Orthodox souls, prompting the unSaved to move in and destroy us. The Mohammedans... the Catholics... they would stop at nothing to attack us and seize our lands, and then, my Sons, the shining light of the world, the One True Faith, would be obliterated, and the last hope for Mankind would be destroyed. Satan and his pestilence lie close.

There is one man who has led us down this path, Senators. One man who has contributed more than anybody to the division and hatred present not only in these chambers, but on our lands, our farms, our churches, our battlefields. One man who has put us all at risk, one man who I have written at length about, one man who seeks to increase his own power at any cost: thousands upon thousands of innocent lives.

Senators, that one man is present in these very chambers! No, not the Caesar; the Caesar is but a tool, a continuation of the policies of division and power-grabbing this man has set forth. This man has been running amok and unchecked for far too long, and it stops today. I hereby give you... the enemy of all Orthodoxy!

*The Patriarch reaches into his robes and pulls out a brilliant dagger with a flawless ruby, holding it high in the air. Everybody gasps. The Basileus is close by, and there might not be enough time to intercept an assassination attempt. Everyone can only watch as the Patriarch brings the dagger down, and, not moving, points it...

...

...at his hooded Patriarchal guards.*