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 Papist. You are heretic. A heretic! Siting here among the Senators of Rome, as if the eyes of God couldn't see you! You want to drag an empire to hell for alliances that will certainly never come? Sail to Rome, to sullied seat of St. Peter, beg him to wash your sins away. Here, in Constantinople, we know our God. He knows us. And he certainly knows who has fallen astray.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:48
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Well said! No Catholic shall ever rule in Constantinople!
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Feb 21, 2014 03:57
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I tell you this: there is one House of Christ, the Orthodox Church! All others are pretenders and heretics, none more so than Archdemon that befouls Peter's seat! The holy task of our empire is to bring the light of the true faith to all the world! Ours is an empire that will submit to nothing, least of all the unholiest of men. The Church will be united only when the Pentarchy is restored. Only when all men can recite the Greek Rite.
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Feb 21, 2014 04:42
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The most 'unseemly ambition' of all is to attempt to raise oneself above all others in the eyes of God. This is the crime of the Papacy, and it is one of the greatest ever visited upon mankind! Would you submit our empire, our children, to such men?
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Feb 21, 2014 04:56
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The death of the Empress is tragic, and the nobility must be curbed. But, how will this be possible while this dynasty continues to put new territories under the control of local nobles? I use this term loosely with the Pechenegs, mere invaders of a land once Orthodox and pure. This policy will only encourage rebellion, as we have already seen with the merchants and "queen." Will we do the same with the Turks? Allow them to keep what they stole in Anatolia with a false conversion? No, new lands must be given to the Church or successful Greek generals and administrators, men of low rank whose loyalty is without question. Our empire must be unified, spiritually and linguistically. To borrow a page from the Old Romans, look to Gaul. When Caesar conquered it, no man spoke Latin, or worshipped Roman gods. Our predecessors transformed it, paving the way for the Christian faith. We must do the same. What do Pechenegs and Cumans have to be proud of? Why should we preserve them in our borders? It would be a gift to remake them, to see their sons speak Greek alone, to allow them to participate in millennia of glory. Their faith, so suspect while local practices remain, would also be assuredly Orthodox. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 21, 2014 14:44
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I must agree! To allow these treacherous douxes crowns and thrones after such a rebellion! It is unthinkable! I also object to the slanders directed against the Orthodox faith for Zenon's crime. He, like all local lords, was compelled by the douxes. This does not mitigate his crime, but we must remember that the Faith is not to blame. I also object to allowing bands of merchants to rule our Empire! Would the Senate sell the government to those whose treachery has already been proven? No, merchants cannot be allowed to rule! The greatest market of all is Constantinople, how long would it be before they sought to overthrow it, seeking to make it a greater Venice? The only way to manage an empire is to put it in God's hands. Already he has chosen the Emperor as His regent on Earth! As God chose the Emperor, the Emperor must choose God, by allowing Orthodox priests to rule over conquered lands. Priestly realms are permanently defined, and ever loyal. They will convert the populace, not only to Orthodoxy, but into Greek-speakers. The douxes are bad enough without letting local "converted" aristocrats join their ranks.
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Feb 22, 2014 06:20
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Despots of imperial blood? Outrageous! Every member of a ruling dynasty is so close. To power, respect, authority, to The Throne of Caesars! To crown any but the Emperor would give them the license and power to wage war for the throne! The Komnenoi and the Empire would be shattered in a decade. Every despot is a threat. In fact, every monarch on Earth who is not Emperor is a threat, and a usurpation! The Roman Empire is God's kingdom on Earth. The Emperor is his regent, he and no other. To allow anyone to think they are within reach of such a position is blasphemy! Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Feb 22, 2014 |
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Feb 22, 2014 06:34
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Perhaps, for the first. But what of their sons? And theirs in turn? What if there is coup? If a Komnenos despot can be overthrown, why not the Emperor?
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Feb 22, 2014 06:40
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No, I accuse them of having that potential! Only the Emperor himself is a reflection of heaven. Was this last civil war not fought at the behest of Komnenos claimant?
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Feb 22, 2014 06:44
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Perhaps. But did Kaisarios turn himself over to the Empress? Would he have rejected the throne won for him? I doubt it. I wouldn't know about such things firsthand, but I have heard that assassins and conspiracies are expensive. In a protracted war with some heathen empire, what could stop a cabal of despots? Or even a particularly powerful one? Especially when funded by even one gang of merchant-lords?
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Feb 22, 2014 06:51
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And what if a despot leads a faction? Arrest one and offend them all, baring excommunication. Fail to arrest one, start a powerful rebellion, an opportunity for other dissidents and our other enemies. Imagine if despots ruled the provinces now. The Empress is dead, and her heir is an infant. Constantinople would drown in ocean of their blood, be it for the throne or independence, if we allow this horrid policy of local rule to continue. And when the wars were over, what would we have? The Turks would surely take a break from their civil wars to pounce. The despotates would remain, ready to fall into the hands of resentful sons. And our new Emperor, siting on his bloody throne, would be utterly powerless, his armies already spent, dreading the continuation of the cycle.
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Feb 22, 2014 07:44
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Bah! For all this traitorous yearning to kneel to the Arch-Heretic, only the Milvians have shown what it takes to rule! Kaisarios was the greatest of the Komnenoi, and his death was surely God taking him to heaven, as earth was no longer worthy of such a man! What do we want? Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Rome. Only a restored, Orthodox, Pentarchy could finally show the heretics of the West the error of their ways! I also note from that map that the Hashimids occupying Georgia seem vulnerable! I demand that Empress liberate our Orthodox brothers! Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Feb 22, 2014 |
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Feb 22, 2014 16:55
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Luhood posted:No matter whether you're a Greek Noble or a Jewish Moneylender, a Bulgarian Patriarch or a Pecheneg Tengriist, a Turkish Mercenary or even a Catholic Queen-Mother, as long as you stay loyal to the Basileus or Basilissa of Constantinople you're a true Byzantine. Our enemy is not based on who or what we are, but to whom we swear allegiance. My father was of Turkish descent, his father being a Turkish mercenary who was granted minor estates in southern Anatolia after he saved his employer's life from the Seljuks. Since then me and those of my grand-father's lineage has stood loyal with Byzantium, with the Basilissa, and with Constantinople. And we will do so forever and again. This is a statement I must fundamentally disagree with. A true "Byzantine" is not any man who swears mercenary allegiance to the crown. No, a Roman MUST be Orthodox. A Roman should speak Greek. A Roman MUST participate in the centuries of tradition and glory we have accumulated! I say that true unity comes from uniformity! Look at the Bulgarians. Barbarians who stubbornly kept to their ways, they began to think they had the right to a crown of their own! They are vanquished now, but how long will it be before they rise again? Look at the Pecheneg and Cuman merchants, and that abomination of a "despotate"! Already they have proven their disloyalty. And yet, the crown continues to tolerate them, to encourage them! The true path to unity, to final victory, is the remolding of every people we conquer into fellow heirs of the true Orthodox faith, and of Greco-Roman culture! Mercenaries will become brothers. Our lands will be united in a way not seen since the Western Empire! Or, perhaps, since the Arab transformation of North Africa, Syria, Palestine, and Iberia! God uses our enemies to teach us. We were chosen by Him to rule the world, to prepare it for His coming. We cannot to that with these fake converts and other subversives!
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Feb 23, 2014 09:17
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On his blood, I agree. But it is the character of the population that must change. Great empires change the conquered for the better. Our predecessors did it in Gaul, Hispania, Britannia, even Etrusca. Our enemies, the Arabs, managed to remake our former provinces in Egypt, North Africa, the Levant, Syria, and even in Spain. Cultural unity makes great empires, it maintains them and even allows them to be reborn from fragments. What we are doing now is beyond foolish, it is suicidal. The cultural barriers happily enforced by the crown will only lead to division, and have already lead to open rebellion. A Roman in the Crimea will be more loyal than a "converted" Crimean there. And a Crimea that has become Roman will always be more loyal. I do not trust these former pagans, or the infidel mercenaries. Becoming a Roman should require submission to the true Orthodox Church, but it should also require another level of commitment. Proof.
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Feb 23, 2014 17:57
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I don't think this man is a Turk. All of our recent failures would be enough to convince a desperate mind. I have one question for him. Sunni or Shi'ite?
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Feb 23, 2014 19:57
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Doesn't the mod you're using change them?
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Feb 23, 2014 20:03
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I find the Guiding Light's arguments very interesting. They are certainly less overtly traitorous than the Papists, but wouldn't we still have to submit to a Caliph? Rebellions would wrack the Empire, for a time. But, we would surely find ourselves a host of new allies, most notably Egypt, to aid us in reconquest. It is all so suddenly uncertain.
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Feb 23, 2014 20:50
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The Deceiver has many tongues, Senator Forkis! The Pope is one of the most sinister, as he has swayed half of Christendom to walk down the path to hellfire! The Muslims are more earnest, but their damnation is still guaranteed.
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Feb 23, 2014 23:16
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If we are so Greek, why do we continue to allow Pecheneg invaders and Crimeans to dominate trade? Why do we allow local, defeated, ex-infidel aristocrats to rule over vast provinces? Greeks were famous for another thing, Senator: colonization. Our ancestors spread across the Mediterranean, founding new, Greek, cities, and would change the very character of the surrounding lesser peoples. As I have said, our own imperial predecessors did the same in Gaul and Hispania. I therefore call for the appointment of Greeks alone to themes, for the destruction of the traitorous Pecheneg "despotate," and for the reorganization of the merchant republics under Greek patricians! We must remake conquered peoples in the image of Constantinople to ever be truly united!
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Feb 24, 2014 17:23
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Blackunknown posted:[SaRiconhere] You are right on trade revenue. The Komnenoi have given you steppe invaders a monopoly over the Empire, over Greeks! They have allowed you a vassal king, as if you were more worthy than the formerly Roman and Orthodox Vlachs you continue to oppress! Already these mistakes have cost Roman lives, Roman money, and Roman honor! Rebellions will continue to bankrolled by you foreigners until you are free of the Empire, which is why the entire area must be Romanized. You can have your steppes, but learn Greek. Participate in millennia of glory! Become our true brothers. Forget your pagan ways, forever.
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Feb 24, 2014 19:33
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Our problems can only be fixed at the roots. Crimea and Belgorod must both be dissolved and then reformed under Greek patricians, commanded by the Empress to begin Romanizing their subjects. The same goes for every theme under foreign control, along with that abominable "despotate."
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Feb 24, 2014 19:51
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The Old Romans and the Milvians should be earnest friends. I suggest to them a directive stating that any new vassal MUST be Greek and Orthodox. I would also like to join the New Marian and Expansionist coalitions. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Feb 24, 2014 |
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Feb 24, 2014 22:01
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I agree. That heretic doukessa should be replaced by a Greek Orthodox archbishop.
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Feb 24, 2014 22:38
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Georgia is Orthodox, but its rulers are Muslims. Liberation will be simple and glorious, and I applaud it!
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Feb 25, 2014 00:05
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Ally with the Normans? Nothing could be more outrageous! Sicily is ours, and so is Magna Graecia! Even now, Orthodox Greeks suffer under the Norman yoke, under Catholic heresy! They, like Anatolia, like Georgia, MUST be liberated! If we are to make allies, I would recommend Kiev. But, I would also recommend installing an Orthodox dynasty in Hungary. Norman dogs cannot be trusted.
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Feb 26, 2014 00:57
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No! The Levant? I want Jerusalem for Orthodoxy, but we must look to our own first. Georgia, Armenia, and Sicily are full of our brothers, men who yearn for liberation. They will fight for us. Only when Orthodoxy united once more will we be able to properly campaign for the real Levantine staging ground: Syria. The holy places are important, but they cannot take priority over men's souls. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Feb 26, 2014 |
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Feb 26, 2014 01:23
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What is the difference between your faction and the Komnenians?
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Feb 26, 2014 04:47
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Yes. A losing proposal is often far more holy and righteous than a winner. You and your ilk would have stood with the Pharisees, screaming for the blood of Christ! Have you not read Scripture? "Because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:16. Even the infidels and heretics among us have devotion! You follow the true God only because it is expedient! Your party is worthless white noise, and I beg the Empress to spit you out of her mouth. Why even attend these august meetings? They are not for the likes of you. Your wealth could build a fine church. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Feb 26, 2014 |
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Feb 26, 2014 06:03
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The impudence! God is God, to be followed only because it is right. Any defeat is a punishment or a test, but you speak as if Zeus reigned! Our faith is not about favors from the Almighty! Suffering is key to it. The Seljuks are a test, one many here in the Senate have failed, turning to heresy and paganism. You too have failed. But now, God is giving us another chance, and I won't see all of efforts and victories wasted away be mercenary "Senators"! Scripture and centuries of tradition have led to the establishment of the Orthodox faith. It always has been, and always will be, the true faith. The actions of its supposed followers, men like you, are the only reason He would condemn us! Men like you led the Empire down the path to ruin, and now that rises again, you return from the woodwork! And now, you invoke duty? The gall! One who has no beliefs, and only cares that he is on the winning side has no sense of "duty." You understand only how to curry favor, and that is not how an empire is ruled. It is the pastime of eunuchs, and I recommend you become one.
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Feb 26, 2014 06:33
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Ofaloaf posted:
And who does the Patriarch answer to? He always has, and always will, answer to the Throne of Caesars. To empower the Patriarch and the priests of the Orthodox Church would only provide loyal administrators. Besides Satan, the Pope is his own master, and you would subject us to him! Orthodoxy serves God's regent on earth, the Emperor, while the Pope seeks to usurp that power! Our power!
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Feb 27, 2014 00:05
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TheMcD posted:
What madness is this? You, and all of the other advocates of "tolerance" are cowards, fools, blasphemers, and traitors to the Empire and God. You would see the population of this holy state dragged into hell for your own political gain? You would build mosques and synagogues here in the heart of the True Faith? No! It is an outrage! To not only allow, but to encourage, these disgusting and false beliefs not only condemns you, but this empire! Division is death, Senators! Not only of the soul, but of all worldly things! The more divided our empire becomes in the name of "tolerance," the weaker we, the pure, are! These acts will only encourage their views. They will rebel against us. Every citizen of the empire MUST be converted! Not only for their souls, but for all the souls to come! That is this empire's holy duty: to spread the true faith across the world, and to rule it in God's name until His return!
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Mar 1, 2014 19:55
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That was before the advent of the True Faith, senator. We should not be focusing our efforts on this unholy and all too temporary placation, but on the assimilation of all peoples into the loving arms of Christ. How can we be so cruel as to deny them this?
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Mar 1, 2014 20:07
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What kind of tutors populate the empire? The religion of Christ was and is Christianity. All people are the chosen people, if they will only accept Him, and His Orthodox Church. The Jews do not do this. They are too proud of the favor God once showed them to realize that they squandered it. No, a better gift to them would be conversion. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 20:17
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What? Christ is God. Of course He had already established the doctrine of our faith when He was born! And after He was born, His teachings became the worldly foundation of our faith. Will you deny the Christianity of the Disciples, despite their Jewish blood? Judaism was the first stage of our faith, a stage ended by the sacrifice of Christ. After His resurrection, He was certainly a "Jew" no longer, if He ever was one. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 20:29
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I can no longer stand to hear of tolerance. Tolerance is a path paved with good intentions, true, but it is a path to hell and destruction nonetheless. To tolerate different religions and peoples is only to sow the seeds of our own destruction. Our goal must be to uplift all peoples, not only into the light of the Orthodox faith, but into the glory of Roman civilization. Tolerance is not the way to achieve this. No, the only true unity comes from actually being unified, religiously and culturally. To that end, I am founding a new coalition in the Senate: Unitas. The goal of Unitas is self-evident: unity. To achieve it, we suggest the following course of action: 1. Allowing only Greek Orthodox nobles, priests, and patricians to rule over the provinces. 2. Commanding the vassals to encourage local assimilation into the Roman whole by forcing all local officials and merchants to learn Greek, and conduct their business only in Greek. 3. Sending the children of our non-Greek vassals to Greek tutors, allowing them to stay in power, but uplifting them at the same time. 4. The eventual outlawing of every "religion" other than the Orthodoxy. The immediate outlawing of any faith besides Orthodoxy among our vassals. In these four simple steps are the salvation of the Empire. Would the Bulgarians have revolted if "Bulgaria" was just a region, and not a people? Would the republics continue to revolt if they were tied to Constantinople by something other than coin and threats? What Unitas offers is an Empire of true brotherhood. A man will be able to walk from Trebizond to Cherson, speaking Greek the whole way. All of our people will share a past, a faith, and a glorious future: an eternal, world-ruling empire.  This is our symbol: the Roman eagle, holding the sword that will destroy our enemies, and the globus cruciger, representing the world that will be ruled and transformed by our faith and people. It is crowned, showing the holy authority of the Imperial office and the need for an Emperor to guide us. I am really sorry for this image. It seemed appropriate, though.
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Mar 1, 2014 22:03
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No, it is a coalition. Anyone who sees the light can join, and I still consider myself a Milvian. I just believe that we must go beyond religion for a united Empire. And I use the Latin 'Unitas' because of who I emulate: our imperial predecessors. Gaul, Hispania, Britannia, and Italia itself were culturally unified by the Latin-speaking Empire. I want to repeat this miracle, and so I invoke it. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 22:36
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Luhood posted:
I never claimed you were a barbarian. One has to be pagan and foreign for that title. I also believe you forget that Belgorod just revolted, as it has before, and as it will again. It did so under a Russian doukessa. Our lack of Turkish problems is testament to the ultimate success of the policies I endorse. Are there any Turk douxes in Anatolia? No, those under our wing are being uplifted. I believe you also forget the Catholic Komnenos scheming against the crown. And the Iconoclasts? You would defend them? Their opinions are not valid, and will never be valid. They are heretics, and must be uplifted to stop further rebellions. The encouragement they receive in the Senate will only embolden them. That the Greek douxes continue to revolt points out only one thing: the greatness of our civilization. That a man, or group, would risk everything to control it speaks volumes. I do not endorse it, but we have a history of it: Caesar, Trajan, the Macedonian dynasty, and even Isaac Komnenos rose this way. Perhaps the douxes recognize a problem that this august body does not. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Mar 2, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 23:39
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Ghetto Prince posted:This senator humbly requests that we consider changing our name from the vulgar latin Unitas to the more populist and eye catching Turks Enough Already party. A brother, so quickly! I'm afraid that with these eastern heathens at our doorstep, calling ourselves the TEA Party might be a bit inappropriate. While Greek is our lingua franca, as it were, having it enshrined in law would only further our cause. You truly misunderstand me on foreigners, however. Destroy them? No, I seek to uplift them! The Orthodox faith and Greek culture are gifts I want to give to every citizen of the empire, and one day the world. Your comment on daggers has already been covered.
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Mar 2, 2014 04:31
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 How could we say no? By popular demand, we are now the TEA Party (really a coalition). Just remember that our policies apply to all foreigners and pagans.
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Mar 2, 2014 20:01
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It is hardly forgotten, Senator. Spreading the True Faith to every citizen of the Empire is half of our platform, and one that every faction save the Milvians seems to conveniently forget when it comes to the provinces. I simply do not trust these ex-pagans and infidels to not stray. Once they become one with the Roman whole, it will be far easier to keep an eye on them. But, the beauty is, we won't have to. They will be us! We only want to establish a true equality across the Empire. What Pecheneg or Cuman could ever claim to be the equal of a Roman? They have no past worth consideration, and no intellectual tradition of note. Nothing needs to be said about Turks. As for the Slavs, we only want to undo the mistake of Cyril and Methodius. None of these people are worthy of their own language, their own customs. No, assimilation is gift, it is ascendance! This is the way to equality!
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Mar 3, 2014 16:45
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