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Blackunknown
Oct 18, 2013



The Black Chamber
Steppes and Republics

So ends the reign of the glorious Byzantine Empire, now begins the reign of glorious Kiev-Byzantium. ALL HAIL KIEV-BYZANTIUM!!!!!

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Patter Song
Mar 26, 2010

Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.
Fun Shoe


Just as the Empire eventually outgrew the Julio-Claudians and the Antonines and the Macedonians (who really should have come up with a proper dynastic name), it has outgrown the Komnenans. It is well and good to reflect on their glories, but only as a point of comparison to the glories of the future.

Rubix Squid
Apr 17, 2014


Clearly our Emperor should call his dynasty the Komnenos-Yaroslavovich.

Also could we clean our logo up a little? Perhaps... make it a tad more subtle, maybe throw in some purple?

StrifeHira
Nov 7, 2012

I'll remind you that I have a very large stick.


Well, the dynasty ends, but Rome lives on, stronger than ever. And the Empress got two Popes on her kill card, good on her.

...

How many Douxes you think will rise up this time for their routine event? I'm betting at least a dozen.

AdventFalls
Oct 17, 2012

When do we learn head explosions?
So was assigning Caesar a mistake, or....

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012



Ugh, a Slav Emperor. We are about to face the rebellion to end all rebellions! Emperor...Yaroslav is going to be overthrown in the Empire. I recommend that he surrenders to a proper Greek claimant, and rules Kiev in our Empire's name or that he adopts proper Roman ways. Either way, Constantinople cannot be ruled by some Russian barbarian.

Blackunknown
Oct 18, 2013



The Black Chamber
Steppes and Republics

I for one welcome our new glorious Russian Overlord. I hear he can defeat bears with naught but his hands.

DentedLamp
Aug 2, 2012

This is unacceptable. The Kievans will sully the glory of Rome; we Romans should be the leader of any Union between states, as has always been its tradition in dominating the world. Instead, we are now beholden to some barely civilised northerners. Imagine it; this... pretender, Yaroslav, will undo all the things accomplished from the first era of the Imperial Resurgence and the Komnenian Restoration, everything from Alexios the Great to the Valerian Empresses. He'll probably even move the capital away from Constantinople! Would any true Roman, any true Greek or Turk or Latin, accept this travesty? No -- and rightly so. Rally against this usurper, spawned from the womb of that kinslaying wench, and restore autonomy to we most fortunate in all the world.

...Though I'm curious as to how the Somalians are doing, since they're seriously contesting us for that title. I've not received any information from correspondents in the region in quite some time.

New Byzantine, Old Roman, it matters not. All members of this Senate must simply do whatever they may, any political compromise or personal sacrifice, to ensure that the crowns of Rome and Kiev are separated; or, failing that, that Roman superiority is established in all international relationships. Despite the hostility of my earlier words, I bear no ill will to the peoples of Kiev -- but they must nevertheless be at least subject to Rome, for there is no better path towards the enlightenment of the world and all her children.

Δόξα σε μας! Δόξα στη Ρώμη!

occipitallobe
Jul 16, 2012


The Black Chamber

The goals of the Milvians have been accomplished! The false Pope has been (mostly) cast down, and Orthodoxy reigns across Europe! Unlike my three brothers who desired to follow in our father's Milvian footsteps and denouncing the Black Chamber - and all had curious accidents last week - I am in favour of increasing the power of the Black Chamber. (Also in favour of living to have children, but really, whatever)

The Black Hand has arrived! Peace through power, my fellow Byzantines!

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012



Well said, Senator DentedLamp! Imagine the indignities this...Tsar will inflict on us! He might even fill our Senate with Russians! This Empire is the center of the greatest civilization on Earth! Constantinople is, as it ever was and as it will always be, the Queen of Cities, a place where no Russian is even worthy to step! What was his mother but the least of the Komnenoi? A murdering puppet of his father, a tyrant who spent Greek lives on Russian projects! It is an outrage that their foul spawn even considers placing his stinking northern hide upon the Throne of Caesars!

I call upon the doukes! You have shown yourselves willing to fight for any cause, so fight for this: there will be no Russian Basileus. Not now, not ever. Find a Komnenos cousin, a Diogenes, even a Doukas, but by God, find me a Roman Emperor! We have spent centuries resisting barbarians! It cannot be undone by inheritance!

I need to vomit. Ugh.

Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Apr 17, 2014

Patter Song
Mar 26, 2010

Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.
Fun Shoe
The Empire has been ruled by Spaniards (Trajan I, even!), Syriacs, and even Germans. It's not like the Greeks have a monopoly on the post.

Rubix Squid
Apr 17, 2014


I suggest the Black Chamber use this as the symbol for the party to give it a more presentable face; the bloody hand while accurate doesn't do the group much favors. It features the Hand of Mary, a symbol that has long symbolized protection from evil in the Levant and the Black Chamber itself has many Icons of the Virgin Mary within it's halls.

mcclay
Jul 8, 2013

Oh dear oh gosh oh darn
Soiled Meat

Rubix Squid posted:



I suggest the Black Chamber use this as the symbol for the party to give it a more presentable face; the bloody hand while accurate doesn't do the group much favors. It features the Hand of Mary, a symbol that has long symbolized protection from evil in the Levant and the Black Chamber itself has many Icons of the Virgin Mary within it's halls.

This man has the right idea. Its time to put on a better face, we may have to deal with the plebs after all.
The time has come, the Empire's borders will be expanded with the Empress's death and the men of Russ brought under our command. Soon Rome will rise again, under the guidance of a...Guiding Hand.

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012

Patter Song posted:

The Empire has been ruled by Spaniards (Trajan I, even!), Syriacs, and even Germans. It's not like the Greeks have a monopoly on the post.



Calling those men anything but Romans is intellectually dishonest. What was Trajan? A member of the Italian noble families living in Spain, raised as Roman. The same is true of the Syrians (though why you would invoke Elagabalus is beyond me), and the Germans were at least changed by their service (why you invoke the last pathetic emperors of the West is also beyond me). All were Romanized, something that Yaroslav cannot claim. He is no Roman, and he will never be one. This Empire cannot just allow itself to be occupied by barbarians. Never again.

OOC: Rubix Squid: that is an amazing banner. Kudos.

GenderSelectScreen
Mar 7, 2010

I DON'T KNOW EITHER DON'T ASK ME
College Slice


Yes, this is a nice symbol to represent our formal integration into the senate. Gone are the days of working behind the scenes, today marks a new era for The Black Chamber. Μπορεί να καθοδηγεί το χέρι μας οδηγήσει στη δόξα της Ρώμης.

(OOC: drat, I wish I knew actual Greek so I could stop butchering the poor language with Google Translate. Great job on the insignia BTW)

Readingaccount
Jan 6, 2013

Law of the jungle

I'm going to stick with the orthodox Black Chamber icon.

Anyway, we should go do something about Iberia. It's well and good that the Catholics have fallen, but we should not tolerate their replacements by the vile Mohammedans, or the oppression of the few Orthodox who live there.

Readingaccount fucked around with this message at 13:25 on Apr 17, 2014

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker

Lord Cyrahzax posted:



Calling those men anything but Romans is intellectually dishonest. What was Trajan? A member of the Italian noble families living in Spain, raised as Roman. The same is true of the Syrians (though why you would invoke Elagabalus is beyond me), and the Germans were at least changed by their service (why you invoke the last pathetic emperors of the West is also beyond me). All were Romanized, something that Yaroslav cannot claim. He is no Roman, and he will never be one. This Empire cannot just allow itself to be occupied by barbarians. Never again.




So what about Basileus Leo IV the Khazar?

In any case, I remain with my venerated kin of the ΑΙ υποσημειώ Ιμπυ lineage. Thanks to the efforts of my predecessors, Orthodox Christianity is stronger than ever before, and as such a faction centred upon it should remain as a member of this Senate. Perhaps we should no longer be tied to the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in this new era: If anyone would create an Icon incorporating the efforts of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, it may well be worth adopting.

Skyfinder
Dec 28, 2012
OOC: Well... this is interesting.

I can't recall a CKII let's play that ended up at this point, with dynasty that's dead. I wonder if we'll be continuing on or if Rincewind has something in mind. Either way, I look forward to it. This has been crazy fun thus far.

Empress Theonora
Feb 19, 2001

She was a sword glinting in the depths of night, a lance of light piercing the darkness. There would be no mistakes this time.

: So. The famous Senate of Rome.
: My Senate.
: For years you've lived amidst the decadent luxury of Constantinople, eating the finest foods, wearing the finest silks of Cathay, squandering gold on chariot races, growing fat on wealth of the empire.
: You condescend to give orders to emperors and empresses, and then claim credit for their toils, for the blood they spilled to slake your thirst for conquest.
: Why have we sainted Valeria? Was she not merely fulfilling the orders of the Senate? Was the liberation of Antioch and the conquest of Jerusalem and Alexandria really any great effort compared to your exertions setting pen to paper?
: "Pilgrim Protection". "Italian Reconquista". "Nova Mediterranean". "Next Stop, Africa". But oh, "Use Caution, Empress". We wouldn't want you doing anything rash.


: Ah, but perhaps I am but a simple barbarian, and I am merely unable to grasp the true genius of Senatorial classes?


: I am descended from the houses of Komnenos and Rurikovich. Perhaps you've heard of them?
: Oh, but the Komnenos name is what's important, isn't it. Well, here are your Komnenoi?


: This strapping young lad is the Grand Prince of Sicily! And, why, he's Catholic, too. Truly, the epitome of the Roman legacy!


: Or there's Gerasimos the Fat. His line's dominion over Crete dates back to, oh, the reign of my mother, when she took pity on her gluttonous nephew and assigned him the theme of Crete.


: Or Makarios of Samos? The model of a Byzantine doux if I've ever seen one.

: Rest assured, I remember my roots. I respect my mother's family.



: There is a place for these men within my empire.




: And they should be grateful for that, since such soft nobles would never survive the harsh winters in Kiev, the Third Rome. For decades, it was Kiev who came to aid of Byzantium when it faced civil war, jihad, foreign invasion. We threw ourselves onto the swords of the Golden Horde while Byzantium stood idle, its coffers empty.

: But do not think my love for my true home, for the true beating heart of Kiev-Byzantium, means I am parochial. I am a man of the world.



The Gauhar Ayin Empire, seeking greatness now that they have been freed from Turkish servitude.



The Ilkhanate, their dominion over Persia shattered by civil war, now easy prey for their cousins in the Golden Horde.



Ah, the Golden Horde. The sleeping giant awoken. I remember when my countrymen laid down their lives in a doomed attempt to save territories seized by greedy Byzantine merchants. Do you?


Perhaps I should not judge you, though. Your small state cannot even defeat the Papal State on the field of battle. What hope do you have against the Mongol juggernaut?


At least you've beaten Orthodoxy into Pisa! I'm sure it was a titanic battle, worthy of song.



The Jimenas have fallen, but France still prospers.


Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for León, battered into submission by Andalusia, Mauritania, and-- what's this? The Sunni Caliphate?




Arthur the Cruel of England sits idly by while the Catholic Scottish pillage Ireland and Wales. It's not his problem, as long as the de Contevilles still hold sway south of Hardian's Wall.




Perhaps Caraale the Just pities the wars and strife which envelop Christendom. Or perhaps he is content to enjoy the fruits of his nation's outrageous wealth.


Hungary cowers behind the Carpathian Mountains, while their far-flung possessions in Germany and France fall one by one...



Yet perhaps nowhere in Christendom is in such a sorry state as Scandinavia. Catholic Norway strugles with Monothelite Trøndelag, while Orthodox Denmark and Sweden struggle for dominance. Also, Croatia's there, somehow. Even so cultured and worldly a man as I cannot account for that.

TRADE

RELIGION

PATRIARCHS

CULTURE

(take culture and religion with a GIANT grain of salt since provinces flip way too easily)
WORLD MAP, 1357


: So, as you can see, I am well aware of the world we live in. Are you?
: Tell me, Senator. When was the last time you stepped outside the Theodosian Walls?
: Have you ever?
: And yet you call me an outsider, a usurper, a barbarian.
: And yet here I am, in the halls of the venerable an honorable Senate, the air buzzing with talk of treason.
: I am tempted to execute every last one of you and be done with it.
: But surely the emperors and empresses of the past, the great rulers whose blood flows in my veins, saw some worth in maintaining your existence.
: So, I will give you a chance. But things will have to change.


: Will the following senators please step forward?


Hitlers Gay Secret
Raserys
Amnistar
Readingaccount
Lord Windy
mcclay
Clayren
Blackunknown
Patter Song
Rubix Squid
occipitallobe


: You are accused of falsely assuming the dignity of the office of the Black Chamber, plotting against the rightful emperor of Kiev-Byzantium, and treason.
: I sentence you to death.

:siren: OOC: You can either become new senators and try to make it at least one session without openly plotting to overthrow the emperor and install fascism or whatever, or come back in the next session as your child or sibling or grandchild or etc. The parties are being shuffled, so I can't really just say "join new parties", but if you participate in this session, please try to have different politics than the ones you just got executed for. :siren:

: As for the rest of you... if the Senate is to survive (that is, if you are to survive), it must become something new. Something productive. The factions of old are obsolete.


: Kiev-Byzantiune rule over Rome, Constantinople, and Kiev is undisputed. All three Romes are under our stewardship. The Old Romans are obsolete.


: The New Byzantium has been built. The New Byzantines' work is done.


: The Pentarchy is restored, and all Christendom venerates Valeria and the Sainted Emperors. The Milvians' sacred task is complete.


: The houses of Komnenos and Rurikovich have been combined into the great House of Yaroslav. They no longer need the stewardship of the Komnenians guiding their fortunes.


: And the New Senate shall be orderly. There is no room for anarchists here any longer.

: The senate shall now be divided into the following Committees of State:


THE PHANARIOTE COMMITTEE
: Alone amongst the squabbling factions of the Old Senate, the Phanaroiotes stand out as a beacon of wisdom. They shall have a place in the new order. The Phanariote Committee is responsible for matters of scholarship, technology, art, and culture.

Phanariote senators shall wear red.


THE COMMITTEE OF ST. VALERIA
: The Committee of St. Valeria shall honor the memory of their namesake by tirelessly defending the church of Kiev-Byzantium. The Committee of St. Valeria is responsible for matters of religion, holy war, heresy, relations with exarchates and other religious vassals, and monastic and holy orders.

Valerian senators shall wear gold.


THE VENETIAN COMMITTEE
: Ah, Venice is one of the jewels in the crown of Kiev-Byzantium— its wealth the envy of the world. Except for Somalia. Let their genius inspire you as you tend to the fortunes of the empire. The Venetian Committee is responsible for matters involving trade, the economy, the navy, relations with republican vassals, and non-military foreign affairs.

Venetian senators shall wear blue.


THE VARANGIAN COMMITTEE
: You scoff at me, a civilized Tsar of Rome, and call me "barbarian"— and yet for centuries you have cowered behind the Varangian Guard. Let their courage and dedication to the defense of the empire be your exemplar.
The Varangian Committee is responsible for matters involving the army and non-holy wars.

Varangian senators shall wear white.


THE COMMITTEE FOR IMPERIAL INTEGRITY
: Oftentimes, the greatest threats to the empire are from within, not without. The treasons of the doukes are well-known. Factionalism runs rampant. Claimants to the throne of Kiev-Byzantium lurk in every shadow. Why, even the sacrosanct halls of the Senate have played host to traitors. The Committee for Imperial Integrity is responsible for matters involving internal security, factions, dynastic concerns, relations with feudal vassals, and the Black Chamber.

Imperial Integrity senators shall wear black.

: And now, let us open this first session of our New Senate.

: Votes? Don't be ludicrous. I'm not going to let you vote. Not until you earn my trust.

: The Senate is supposed to be a great engine of ideas. So, give me your ideas. I shall hold my own counsel for what to do with them.

: Fulfill this task, and perhaps in the future I will restore some of your old privileges.

OOC:
:siren: Okay, here's how this session is going to work:

First, I'm totally punishing all of you because I'm so bad at CK2 I lost the game. Sorry!

Anyway, this session has no voting, so you can simply declare yourself a member of any committee and make a proposal in the following format:

quote:


##Propose The Example Act
This act will require senators to format their legislation properly.

You can make as many proposals as you want, but they all have to fall within the purview of your chosen committee of state, and you can't change committees until next session. I'll be generous in interpreting this (i.e., a Venetian Committee proposal might include war as a condition of some foreign policy goal, an Integrity Committee proposal might involve religious or republican vassals in factions, etc.), but if your act is way out there, it has very little chance of being carried.

Because this session is the :siren: punishment zone session :siren:, the emperor will simply choose the two proposals from each committee he likes the most an enact them by fiat. This will likely change in future sessions.

While there is no formal seconding of proposals under :siren: punishment zone :siren: rules, debate and discussion is encouraged and will influence the emperor's decision. A popular proposal might carry in spite of Yaroslav's reluctance. If it's not totally stupid.

Proposals can be either laws of the empire or rules of the New Senate. Any committee can propose rules of the New Senate, so you don't need to try to shoehorn procedural things into your area of responsibility. Changes to New Senate rules go into effect next session, so no retroactively giving yourselves powers in this one or what have you.

Laws of the Empire posted:

Tri-Lingual Literacy Act (Make Greek, Latin, and Arabic co-equal as the languages of science and scholarship. Get a cool national idea based on this in EU4!)

The other laws have either been fulfilled by past rulers or stricken from the books by Tsar Yaroslav.

Rules of the Senate posted:

Creating new parties is forbidden.
Submitting proposals to more than one committee is forbidden.
Laws are passed by imperial fiat.
Two proposals from each committee will become law every session.
No voting. All committees of state are equal, regardless of the number of members they have.
Laws explicitly calling for new conquest are forbidden until the end of the present security crisis.

Empress Theonora fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Apr 17, 2014

monster on a stick
Apr 29, 2013


The douxes have time and time again shown that they will stop at nothing to secure the throne for themselves and their dynasties. I ask, did the douxes call off their foolish rebellion during the attacks on Egypt and the Crimea? They are destroying the Glorious Kiev-Byzantine empire from within, and will stop at nothing until the hordes are at our doorsteps.

A previous Senator proposed ensuring that all imprisoned douxes be castrated upon release, but I ask - why wait? Surely it is not inconceivable that there should be a rite of passage required of all douxes to ensure that their loyalty is 100% to the Empire, not to their clan, and what better way of doing this than requiring that all douxes, regardless of their self-proclaimed "loyalty", be stripped of their manhood at the earliest possible convenience.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.



Seems like this is the right place, considering I've always been banging on about internal security, administrative improvements and god knows what else. Anyway,

##Propose the What The gently caress Just Happened Act

We just went through a massive inheritance, so the first step should be a complete reorganization of the imperial demesne, as having duchies and counties spread all over the place (first we have stuff in both sides of our major Mediterranean holdings, now additional Russian holdings come in as well) seems very inefficient to me. As such, the imperial demesne should be concentrated around the capital. Whether that capital ends up being Rome 1, Rome 2 or Rome 3 is up to the discretion of the Tsar - considering what just happened, I'd say all bets are off as far as redesigning the imperial image goes. The inevitable rebellions that will be going on soon will surely help with the "redistribution" of imperial holdings.

In addition, the dukes, douxes, whatever the gently caress of the realm should be given a once-over. Redistribute counties if necessary to ensure proper de jure distribution.

If possible, duchies surrounding the capital, whatever it turns out to be, shall be destroyed, leaving the counts of the realm directly under imperial vassalage. This might slow technological development in the area, but should provide a strong, solid core for our new empire.

Also, it might be prudent to amend the Tri-Lingual Literacy Act into a Quad-Lingual Literacy Act in order to make incorporation of the Russian peoples into the fold of the Imperium easier.

TheMcD fucked around with this message at 09:20 on Apr 17, 2014

Lord Windy
Mar 26, 2010
OOC: Somebody needs to make a ghost party flag for those of us who just died, so we can go WOooOOoo and haunt the gently caress out of the new Emperor.

Also that guy is going to be a winner of an Emperor. Nothing like pissing off EVERYONE in his new Empire to solidify his reign. If I was alive I would be calling for Gerasimos the Fat to be the next emperor just to gently caress with Yaroslav.

Ubern00b
Nov 4, 2009

##Propose the Great Standoff on the Volga

Senators, we must face this new reality. All of Europe has seen the light and embraced the one true faith of orthodoxy, but if we look east to the rising sun there is the vast sleeping giant of the Golden Horde content in its heathenry. Threats from within and without must be dealt with - we will chase the Mongols back to Cathay!

Let us advance to the great river Volga, so that we have a defensible eastern border to make our stand. And should the sleeping giant of the Horde wake - then it will find reality worse than its nightmares and shatter its spears and break its teeth on our shields!

StrifeHira
Nov 7, 2012

I'll remind you that I have a very large stick.
...

Well drat. I like this guy already!

It's sad to see the old standard gone, but it seems we must march on for the Romes.

As for parties...



White is a nice color.

On that note I ##Propose the Military Expansion Act.

Let's face it, we're going to be fighting the usual uprisings soon. So it would be smart to make sure that our forces are properly equipped, supported, funded, call it what you will. We should not, however, simply throw money at the problem and make every city build new barracks, recruitment centers, stables, whatever. We need focused military buildup at key points throughout the Empire, places where both loyalty is high and forces can be effectively called upon. A strong, dependable military will be able to both protect the Empire from invasion and be ready to strike should time come to invade someone again.

Now I just need to return that cheirosiphon...

Rubix Squid
Apr 17, 2014


Anything that increases the power of the Tsar and weakens the position of the doukes is good in my book. I rather like TheMcD's What The gently caress Just Happened Act, though it could use some work on the name. Imperial Restructuring Act is my own suggestion.

OOC: If you want me to change the polite symbol for the Black Chamber Party back let me know, but it seems like the kind of thing that would be stricken from record from my perspective. If it ever comes up again, that would be a pretty cool symbol for the Black Chamber since the Virgin Mary Icon decision does give you +1 intrigue.

Rubix Squid fucked around with this message at 10:29 on Apr 17, 2014

LordGugs
Oct 16, 2012

The Venetian Committee
As a member of the trading class I have seen a major problem that has been overlooked by the previous emperors, god bless them in heaven. That problem is the fact that many different people from many cities are all moving trade across the empire this lack of a central trading republic for the empire has led to a lack of efficacy in our trade policy leading to lack in profits for you my lord emperor. Seeing this issue I ##Propose the Trade Centralization Act: from now on all trade will be handled by one Merchant Republic (perhaps Crimea, perhaps, no reason) in the empire. All other republics will be demolished.

Now I am so sorry I must leave this committee I have business to attend to... in Crimea.

occipitallobe
Jul 16, 2012


The Phanariote Committee

Hello my friends. I hail from Kiev, and come to take the seat of one of those ingrates who plotted against the majesty of our new Tsar. Indeed, I spent many long years compiling the works of Plato and Aristotle into Russian for our glorious Tsar, and perhaps it was in recognition of these works he invited me to the city of Constantine so that I might aid us all in becoming more learned.

##Propose the Imperial Language Education Act

Emperor, fellow Senators, the Empire is in a state of flux at the moment. While I do not doubt the strength of our Tsar, there cannot be two languages of governance, not in the capital. For a city to manage itself in Arabic or Latin or Greek is one thing, but if the Emperor wishes to more adroitly hold onto what he has gained, then either his children must speak Greek as though they were born to it, or the children of the Douxes must speak Russian. Otherwise in times of trouble much may be lost, and the fragile unity of Kiev and Byzantium may be shattered.

occipitallobe fucked around with this message at 10:57 on Apr 17, 2014

Raserys
Aug 22, 2011

IT'S YA BOY


Heh. Heh heh. Not one session in the Senate and I'm already headless for it. My father sent me in place of my... problematic brother. Seems he'll have to join up himself.

I'll see you in Hell, craven. You order death, but you're too scared to lift the axe yourself. A head is a head, I suppose. The Roman Empire we've served and killed and died for is through, I suppose I'd have nothing to do anyway. History will vindicate us.

...You speak Italian, Tsar...?

Here's to you, Nicola and Bart
Rest here forever in our hearts
The last and final moment is yours
That agony is your triumph

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
My lineage has espoused the position of the Phanariotes since their very creation. However, even before that, we long stood for matters of faith. I recognise and accept that the Milvian mission is complete, and thus do I strike my colours with a clear conscience. Henceforth, the ΑΙ υποσημειώ Ιμπυ familia shall raise the banner of The Committee of Saint Valeria. Nonetheless, those who claim the name of Phanariote shall forever have us as an ally and fellow traveller.



As the first to claim the Valerian cause, I ##Propose the Universal Ecumenism Act. Let us expand Orthodoxy through peaceful means, sending out our Chaplains to proselytize to the Heathen. Seek out the greatest Pagan power we can and persevere with attempts to convert them as best we can.

YF-23
Feb 17, 2011

My god, it's full of cat!




As the heir to the title of Founder of the Phanariotes, I feel it my personal duty to wear the red garb. This is a time of great change; and such times provide us with great opportunities. The Empress is dead! Long live the Tsar!

Given this unprecedented opportunity to enact legislation en-masse I also feel it my duty to bring up the historical Milvian/Phanariote legislative proposal of my line, amended to suit the spirit of the times.
##PROPOSE THE IMPERIAL WISDOM ACT
The children of the Tsar or Tsarina are to receive a scholarly, ecclesiastical education, to ensure that the future Tsars and Tsarinas are wise and knowledgeable about matters temporal and spiritual, and so govern through wisdom and knowledge.

TheMcD posted:

Also, it might be prudent to amend the Tri-Lingual Literacy Act into a Quad-Lingual Literacy Act in order to make incorporation of the Russian peoples into the fold of the Imperium easier.

##PROPOSE THE QUAD-LINGUAL LITERACY ACT
This act will amend the Tri-Lingual Literacy Act to include Russian as a fourth language.

AJ_Impy posted:

My lineage has espoused the position of the Phanariotes since their very creation. However, even before that, we long stood for matters of faith. I recognise and accept that the Milvian mission is complete, and thus do I strike my colours with a clear conscience. Henceforth, the ΑΙ υποσημειώ Ιμπυ familia shall raise the banner of The Committee of Saint Valeria. Nonetheless, those who claim the name of Phanariote shall forever have us as an ally and fellow traveller.

It is a split that pains me greatly. Let us be allies forever.

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012



Well, Unitas will always remain in my heart. Thank you for not executing me.

##propose the Manzikert Act edit: Consider this a future draft.

This Act mandates that we conquer Armenia. In wars against the great Muslim empires of Mesopotamia, fighting either occurs there, or in Anatolia, our heartland. We need an easily defensible and expendable buffer. Armenia was that buffer for centuries, and it should be again. Liberating the Christians there will be the icing on the cake.

I would also like to offer my solution the problem of doukes:

##propose the Mandate of Heaven Act

This Act defines holding more than two themes as subversion against the Emperor. As such, it is a crime against God's chosen monarch, and merits immediate excommunication. Once excommunicated, the doukes can be imprisoned and dealt with at will. Those without heirs should be castrated.

Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Apr 17, 2014

occipitallobe
Jul 16, 2012

Lord Cyrahzax posted:



This Act defines holding more than two themes as subversion against the Emperor. As such, it is a crime against God's chosen monarch, and merits immediate excommunication. Once excommunicated, the doukes can be imprisoned and dealt with at will. Those without heirs should be castrated.

I'm not sure if this is the case in the mod being used, but in vanilla only Greek-cultured rulers can blind/castrate.

Gnooble
Sep 29, 2010

Commander, make full speed to JP1 and activate your active sensor to keep watch for any unauthorized transits.
It would seem to be a proper Roman, one must now seek new examples to emulate...



I will excuse myself from this session of the Senate in order to complete a study of the ancient and noble house of the Junii, and their contributions to the old Roman republic.

Meinberg
Oct 9, 2011

inspired by but legally distinct from CATS (2019)


Our new Emperor is right on a great many things. We have grown insular and xenophobic, too rooted in the ancient traditions of the Greeks. We have accomplished much, but the world is still changing. Stability, order, these things are acceptable. But I think that we have grown too large, that the apparatus of our Imperial administration is being strained to the limit, as seen by the incorporation of the Italian Despotes.

There is certainly wisdom to be found in adding Russian to our list of academic languages. I think this shouldn't even require an act of the Senate, such as they are.

But I have come to propose the following:

##propose Research Expedition Program

I propose that we send scholars, accompanied by small groups of bodyguards, out into the world. East, west, south, every direction, in search of courts that may be engaged in some form of scholarship. There is much being done in the courts of the Muslims to understand the world, but perhaps the same could be said of the Germans or the Catholics. And then there is Hindustan and Cathay, of which we know so little. Perhaps there is technology and understandings that we could gather from those lands in order to add to our own. Some of the things spoken of in Marco Polo's account has me quite curious what we would gain if we sent individuals in search of knowledge, not profit.

In the process, we could share the great arts of our Empire and teach them of the wisdom of our lands, and perhaps even encourage some of these foreign scholars to come study in Constantinople.

Lustful Man Hugs
Jul 18, 2010

Hm, an otherwise competent ruler who nonetheless refuses to give Senate the courtesy it imagines it deserves. I wonder how stable his reign will be? I dunno, what do you think, severed head of Emperor Domitian?

Readingaccount
Jan 6, 2013

Law of the jungle
Wait, why were we executed for voting for the Black Chamber? Did I miss a memo of intent to assassinate the Emperor? I guess there was some rumbling about someone being unhappy about the current state of the Empire, but I thought voting for the Black Chamber was to encourage our leaders to assassinate others even more!
Many of us who voted for the Black Chamber did so in outright support of the new line, uniting two grand houses!

Ah well, it's a worthy cause to die for.

Abstaining from this vote with Raserys as the family is out of action until the next session. (Private whispers: The evil new Emperor deserves no legitimacy and we look towards to opposing him at every step of the road. Father was going to support this new fellow, with no doubt in his mind he was a civilized and glorious new Emperor, but he has so clearly proven in a fit of paranoia and peerless wroth, executing more than half the active body of the Senate session, that he is in fact a barbarian.)

Readingaccount fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Apr 17, 2014

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Readingaccount posted:

Wait, why were we executed for voting for the Black Chamber? Did I miss a memo of intent to assassinate the Emperor? I guess there was some rumbling about someone being unhappy about the current state of the Empire, but I thought voting for the Black Chamber was to encourage our leaders to assassinate others even more!

Ah well, it's a worthy cause to die for.

The Black Chamber party purported to actually be part of the Black Chamber, when they weren't. The actual Black Chamber took offense, it seems.

Aeromancia
Jul 23, 2013


While it is always sad to see a leader die, our new Emperor has given us a wake-up call we really needed. For too long we have been ignoring how our actions have been affecting the common people.

While I support more research expeditions, I would like to ##propose Higher Learning Initiative.

I propose that when funds allow, we begin to build Universities in all major cities if the Empire. The spread of knowledge will help us defend and maintain our great empire, and we can use these Universities to indoctrinate enlighten the general populace to love and follow their Emperor.

Luhood
Nov 13, 2012

The Phanariote Committee


Tachat II Qutuzid

Far be it for me to speak against the Basi... forgive me, the Tsar, or for that matter against his heritage, but as a Phanariote I can't help but be hesitant against the Quad-Lingual Literacy Addendum. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Greek the γλώσσα πανεπιστήμιο, or Lingua Academia for the Latin speakers, of the Russian people as well? The Universities of Kiev teaches in Orthodox Greek, no? And thus, with Greek already being the Lingua Universalis of the northern reaches of Kiev-Byzantium, wouldn't it be very un-Phanariote to add Russian to the mix simply as a mean of licking up to the Tsar? I believe the Tsar to be a man of wisdom, and thus non-receptive to such clear acts of brown-nosing.

Should Russian become the language of the nobility I would neither mind nor care. But let's not add it as a fourth language to our Universities simply to appease a man beyond the simple acts of appeasing.

I would rather speak up for the Military Expansion Act, as proposed by Senator Hira of the Varangian Committee. If we are to secure our borders from Papal and Mongol forces alike we need to establish a proper army, and more importantly move away from the current Levy system. Raising an unlimited number of peasants in times of war seems like a good idea, sure, but who will work our fields? Who will write our books? Who will teach the young ones what they need to know to survive if both teacher and youngster are drafted into the military by one of the Doukes?

Nay, I say. Let those who choose to fight fight, or at least give the peasants proper training before sending them out into battle. Professional soldiers, with professional training, will be the strength we need to repel the Mongols and finally oust the Papal usurpers and their near limitless mercenary forces. It will allow us to once again secure the seas, it will allow us to ensure trade flowing freely both on land and on sea. And once the land is stable arts and science can once again flourish, secure in the knowledge that the standard of the Imperial Army will always hold the enemy at bay.

Furthermore:

##Propose the Senatorial Kiev-Experience Act
The Senators have become complacent and decadent over the years, untouched by the horrors of war and the strife of the common man. I propose a journey northwards, to the cold lands of Kiev, to let all Senators see what the real experience of the North is. I have not been there myself, but I have heard many a story from Pechneg merchants about them being able to match up against both Varangians and bears and actually win. It would be a sight to see it with my own eyes, much more to try to learn of their culture - albeit not in such blood-thirsty a fashion, perhaps. We do not want good senators to die, do we now? OOC: In short, try to get the Senators to accept Russian as a non-Barbaric culture. Romani est Imperare orbi Universo, I get it, can we drop the Greek-superiority complex now that our non-Greek Tsar has actually EXECUTED people, at least drop it openly? Show SOME sense of RP at least, please. This is not Flamboyant Schemers 2.0 where the Senatorial Thread is non-disclosed to the Lawspeaker, the Tsar actually know what happens in the Senate.

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Readingaccount
Jan 6, 2013

Law of the jungle
OOC: Yes, we should give him credits for having the balls to do something so insane as killing ardent supporters and potential enemies alike over a couple of errant statements by one or two of the senators who voted Black Chamber, though suspicious statements have been heard before without such consequences under more civilized leaders. But in doing so he has forever marred his line as barbarians. This isn't a distinguished line of the Rurikovich, it's an offshoot branch with all of half a dozen members and two generations of preexisting history. To the senate's credit he was not persecuted for it, only a few senators (don't remember which party) even mentioned the fact that he was a foreigner. He's an insane mass murderer with an inferiority complex and a chip on his shoulder, why would his actions inspire anything but the most fawning, superficial loyalty?

Readingaccount fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Apr 17, 2014

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