Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR

[Michaelangelo]

"Great work men!" Nicolás exclaimed. "Let us take him in for questioning."

Nicolás paced around in the room where the secretary was being held.
"First of all, we only want to talk." Nicolás stopped pacing and faced the man.
"We know that you worked with Bartomeu as his secretary, and we know that before that you worked in the mint."
"But, it was only after you started working as Bartomeus secretary that you was involved more with the mint." Nicolás sat down.
"We have discovered discrepancies with the treasury reports, discrepancies that may have had something to do with the assassination."
Nicolás paused to let it sink in.
"Bartomeu is under investigation for corruption, attempted murder, attempted regicide, conspiracy against the government of Hispania and treason."
Nicolás let it sink in again.
"Attempted regicide alone is punishable by death, not to mention the other accusations."
"As I said, we only need answers. If you are as innocent as you claim, you have nothing to fear. And helping the Emperor catching a possible assassin, is sure to go a long way."
"But after the attempt on the Emperors life, you vanished, and quickly too."
Nicolás looked him in the eye. "If you are not as innocent as you claim, you will meet the same faith as Bartomeu, possibly sooner too, Bartomeu is a noble after all, and you are not."
Nicolás stood up again and looked him in the eye.
"Will you help me, and the Emperor, catch the assassin?"
Nicolás waited for an answer.

((All the questions in the IC, aswell as looking at his body language.))

((Also, nominating myself for the Cortz.))

((Private - Robban204))

It didn't take long for the secretary to sing like a canary, especially once the accusations of murder and regicide came up.

"I confess! I helped Bartomeu steal money from the treasury! I used my connections at the mint and my position as his secretary to have money sent directly to random businesses under his thumb, where he could then collect the money for himself. I even recorded these funds in the budget as administrative costs to avoid raising suspicions that the money was simply vanishing. But I wasn't involved in the assassination attempt, I swear!"

The secretary was an emotional wreck, clearly broken down by nerves and guilt. He seemed about to burst into tears, but didn't quite go that far. As the idea that attempted regicide could be pinned on him, he started to panic again.

"If Bartomeu went after the emperor, I wasn't involved, I swear. I admit, the man was spying on the emperor, and I regularly sent orders to his men about that, but nothing involving murder." The secretary seemed to sober up a moment as a sudden thought came to mind. "Although, there was this one time right after the emperor left where the prime minister asked me to tell his men that the emperor needed convincing, something to do with the council appointments, but I didn't think much of it at the time." The panic returned in an instant. "Oh god, do you think I delivered the order to assassinate the emperor? If the assassin had succeeded, I would have... would have...."

The secretary, overwhelmed by the implications, promptly fainted to the floor.

A good man. Obeying orders from the marshal, though Montségur insisted that he would only communicate his orders through his own men. He should keep that in mind for any comparable situation, before he was ordered to leave. The courier should be trackable, even after all these years. While the man did wear an uniform, it left enough of an impression on the sergeant major general that he could recall it, and he was likely not the only one. Far from any battle situation, a badly maintained uniform would not be worn with the discipline of the army, even less from someone allegedly sent by the marshal. If there were, he would have to stop that practice, but he was confident that the troops have noticed the courier. Anyone with any knowledge about him shall report it. Afterwards, men would ask questions in the nearby inns, using everything learned about the courier's appearance. With any luck, he was a regular, or his tracks could be followed further.

((Private - alscon))

Asking around produced quite a few stories about these couriers, all wearing their uniforms improperly or not well-kept. Most of them came from a few years back, for they seemed to have mostly disappeared over the years. What came apparent soon enough was that they weren't just tied to the Exercit Valencia. One man serving in the Exercit Madrid reported seeing a few of these couriers, and another who had served in the Exercit Provence mentioned encountering a courier of a similar description as well. Just how many of these couriers were there and what armies were they linked to? One soldier mentioned a brief encounter with a courier trying to pass a checkpoint, where he had inspected the man before allowing him to pass. He remembered commenting on the courier's firearm, a musket that wasn't the standard issued army one. The courier had insisted he had been granted permission to use his own and was allowed to pass. The soldier thought the musket was better suited for a mercenary regiment than the army. Other than that, not much else could be learned about these couriers, for they had not been seen recently.

((Check the mine/source next))

((Private - DragonOfAtlantis))

Getting close to the La Mancha mines is not something that can be easily managed. The mine is well-guarded and no one besides the miners and guards are even allowed close to where the gold is. Everyone is frisked upon entering and leaving the facility to ensure they didn't sneak away a nugget or two. From what can be seen, the gold is moved up to the surface, packed away in containers in full sight of a heavy contingent of guards, and then loaded on the gold carts for delivery to the mint. The carts later return, where the convoy guards unload the containers into a warehouse. The process then repeats all over again.

Enrique searched for the "nervous one", the employee who failed to appear to work
------
Fernandez spent some months together with his wife, but now it was time to join his regiment, the "1st Royal Light-Infantryregiment" ((Could you name one regiment in a "Homeland Army" (Armys stationed in Iberia) like this @Michaelangelo))
The regiment was previously transported from Italy to Iberia, and made a stop in Marseille. He would bserve as an platoonleader and so he could show his skill in leading and training men.

((I guess I can do that. Surprised you didn't go for the Exercit Provence though. ))

((Private - Belisarius the Great))

The nervous man is found at his home, packing his belongings as though he's about to move in a hurry. Obvious that he has just been caught in the act of trying to flee, he confesses that the bonuses he and some of the other employees had received was actually for helping Bartomeu steal money from the treasury by fudging records and other methods of hiding the evidence. The former prime minister had simply been paying them to cover up his corruption.

((Private))

There were no leads on the footprint track. It appeared that the assassin was likely a guest staying at the palace five years ago, though who exactly was still hard to determine. He would have to review the guest list for five years ago.

Andreu's testimony served to reinforce Alejandro's suspicions, though they did not provide any other leads. He thanked the chancellor for his time and resolved to close this part of the investigation.

The gun came from somewhere in the former Castilian domains, though that was all he got. Maybe he could cross-reference this information with the guest list?

The blacksmith said something about the assassin visiting a local pub and coming out of a small apartment building. He would have send some Reconquista members to investigate both locations and ask the locals for more information.

Enric seemed to be a good guy, watching out for the emperor's safety. Other than that he did not have any meaningful leads, so Alejandro decided to focus on other things.

Alejandro had to find the secretary and ask him some questions. He surely would have known what his notes meant.

News of Bartomeu's arrest arrived soon after Alejandro finished sending out the required letters to finish his investigation. He then wrote up another letter asking to interrogate Bartomeu in private.

((Private - zenphoenix))

The guest list was fairly inconclusive, since it involved pretty much every member of court, as well as many different Trastámaras and relatives of the council members.

Most of the guests from Castile were Trastámaras, for they had been granted much of Castile's former land. The gun could not be directly linked to any of them, for none of them had served in a mercenary regiment.

A few of the pub's regulars who had been going there for years do recall a strange individual who had been hanging around, but he mostly kept to himself. He did get involved in a bar brawl with an off-duty soldier at one point. The two seemed to have personal history based on the heated dispute they had. As for the apartment, the place had long since been rented out to someone else, so little evidence was left. The landlady did come forth with a sabre that had been left behind, most likely by the assassin. It was inscribed with the name of a well-known mercenary company operating out of Castile.

The secretary has long since fled, although rumours of circulated that he has been taken into custody and is being interrogated by another member of the court.

A private interrogation of Bartomeu cannot be arranged, for the man has been formally placed on trial. Any questions for him must be asked there.

* * * * *

With mounting evidence against Duke Bartomeu de Trastámara, he shall therefore be placed on trial. He shall be allowed to present any proof of his innocence and plead before the Council. Members of court may provide any evidence they have regarding his case. After hearing the evidence and the defendant, the Council shall be tasked with deciding a verdict. If found guilty, the Crown shall decide a fitting punishment

- His Imperial Highness, Jaume IV de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks


((Ending the little Cortz vote before moving on to the bigger one.

Remove Enrique de Burgundy-Ivrea-Orange from Cortz (Nobles only): No
Remove Guillen II Barros Ximon Etxeto from Cortz (Nobles only): Yes

The vote for BelisariustheGreat was actually a tie, so I went with the status quo which meant he kept his position. So that means Dadarian loses his position on the Cortz, and seeing as Robban204 was the only one to nominate themselves, he gets the empty spot. That worked out conveniently.

Now for the trial and regular vote. How this trial will work is simple. Any evidence gathered can be presented at the trial to prove either Bartomeu's innocence or guilt. You may also ask Bartomeu questions if you like. All members of the Council may at any time during the trial announce their verdict of innocent or guilty, which will be part of the vote. The trial will end alongside the vote. As for the vote, we will be voting on a new mission and the Free Trade Act. All Council members also get to vote on whether or not to give the TATC a monopoly in Arabia.

Free Trade Act: Yes/No/Abstain
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): Yes/No/Abstain
Mission: Cape Coast/Tierra del Fuego/Malindi/Abstain

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Innocent/Guilty/Abstain
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Innocent/Guilty/Abstain

Players will have until Thursday at 12PM PST to vote. Please bold your votes and include your character's name and class. Council members should feel free to hold off on voting for the fate of Bartomeu if they want to hear more evidence or finish investigations first.

))

 

[zenphoenix]

The guest list was fairly inconclusive, since it involved pretty much every member of court, as well as many different Trastámaras and relatives of the council members.

Most of the guests from Castile were Trastámaras, for they had been granted much of Castile's former land. The gun could not be directly linked to any of them, for none of them had served in a mercenary regiment.

A few of the pub's regulars who had been going there for years do recall a strange individual who had been hanging around, but he mostly kept to himself. He did get involved in a bar brawl with an off-duty soldier at one point. The two seemed to have personal history based on the heated dispute they had. As for the apartment, the place had long since been rented out to someone else, so little evidence was left. The landlady did come forth with a sabre that had been left behind, most likely by the assassin. It was inscribed with the name of a well-known mercenary company operating out of Castile.

The secretary has long since fled, although rumours of circulated that he has been taken into custody and is being interrogated by another member of the court.

A private interrogation of Bartomeu cannot be arranged, for the man has been formally placed on trial. Any questions for him must be asked there.

((Private))

Alejandro looked at his copy of the guest list and realized he could not determine the identity of the assassin from it. He promptly threw it across the room.

The investigation of the pub was promising. A few regulars mentioned a brawl at some point with an off-duty soldier. Alejandro would have to find the soldier and ask him some questions.

The landlady came forth with a saber which most likely belonged to the assassin. It came from the same mercenary company the gun came from. Alejandro resolved to ask the company if this sword was standard issue or not. Hopefully they had a list of who had these swords, which he could then cross-reference with other information.

He cursed when he got the news that the secretary could not be found. The rumors that he had already been captured and interrogated by another court member were encouraging, though. At least somebody would have closed that lead.

Alejandro finished writing his notes and put them together in a small traveling case. He would be off to Valencia for Bartomeu's trial after he finished finding out who the assassin was.

 

[DragonOfAtlantis]

((Looks like I was running around like a headless chicken... Lol))

Free Trade Act: No
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): Yes
Mission: Tierra del Fuego

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Guilty

Sancho Villanova
((Courtier, Colonist, NPC Merchant, Funded Colony, Grand Admiral))

 

[hirahammad]

Free Trade Act: Yes
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): N/A
Mission: Malindi

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): N/A
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): N/A

((Timur Shah, courtier, g̶e̶n̶e̶r̶a̶l̶ ))

 

[Robban204]

Finally! A breakthrough! If nothing else Bartomeu can be convicted for corruption and conspiracy against the government of Hispania, a crime punishable by death.
But that would be decided at the trial, but judging by the rest of the court, death would probably be the verdict anyway.
Nicolás finished packing and went down to the docks for the travel to Valencia.

 

[Michaelangelo]

((Private))

Alejandro looked at his copy of the guest list and realized he could not determine the identity of the assassin from it. He promptly threw it across the room.

The investigation of the pub was promising. A few regulars mentioned a brawl at some point with an off-duty soldier. Alejandro would have to find the soldier and ask him some questions.

The landlady came forth with a saber which most likely belonged to the assassin. It came from the same mercenary company the gun came from. Alejandro resolved to ask the company if this sword was standard issue or not. Hopefully they had a list of who had these swords, which he could then cross-reference with other information.

He cursed when he got the news that the secretary could not be found. The rumors that he had already been captured and interrogated by another court member were encouraging, though. At least somebody would have closed that lead.

Alejandro finished writing his notes and put them together in a small traveling case. He would be off to Valencia for Bartomeu's trial after he finished finding out who the assassin was.

((Private - zenphoenix))

Tracking down the soldier proved a difficult task, one that ultimately could not be fully carried out. All that could be gathered from the pub-goers was that he was a member of the Exercit Valencia, but with 30k men serving in it that didn't narrow things down. To find out more, one would have to look into the army records, perhaps looking at recruits from that time or any disturbances related to a bar fight, but that could only be done by something high up in the army.

Looking into the sabre revealed that the sword was not a standard issue, but was only handed out to mercenaries who completed their first mission. Of course that still covered thousands of men, but that did narrow down the list. By cross-referencing that with men who had served prior to the assassination attempt, one candidate was found who had left the company just before the attempt was made. The commander reported that the man had left after receiving a new job that paid far better, although he never stated what it was. When presented a sketch of the assassin, he confirmed it was the same man. The assassin's identify had been discovered. ((Seeing as I suck at names, feel free to give him whatever Spanish name you want, provided it isn't connected to any other player or character.))

* * * * *

Bartomeu de Trastámara comes before the court to plead his case.

I wished to tell you all of my innocence, that I would never dare lay a hand on His Imperial Highness, but I see already that some of you are willing to decide my guilt before I am even permitted to speak. If the Council is going to be so biased and unwilling to either hear my side of the story or to make such decisions without a single shred of evidence being presented, then it is clear to me that nothing I saw will matter. Apparently you all want me dead regardless.

 

[Duke Dan `the Man`]

Bartomeu de Trastámara comes before the court to plead his case.

I wished to tell you all of my innocence, that I would never dare lay a hand on His Imperial Highness, but I see already that some of you are willing to decide my guilt before I am even permitted to speak. If the Council is going to be so biased and unwilling to either hear my side of the story or to make such decisions without a single shred of evidence being presented, then it is clear to me that nothing I saw will matter. Apparently you all want me dead regardless.

I would suggest ignoring them for now, that is their business, but our business here is find out the truth of the matter at hand. Not all of us want you dead, me included, unless you the acts testified against you are true, and from what I see, it is. Go on and speak of your innocence, if you are truly innocent, unless you would like to confess your sins to us, if you wish to save time that we could be using doing other things, if you are guilty. Let us not thing of the Court as one, but rather a collections of peoples, those of the nobility, like yourself, those of the lower classes, such as I, and those of the faith. We as peoples are all different beings, tied together in our common thread of humanity. Not one of us here is the same, all different, in some way of another

William Augustus begins to jot down notes in a small book in his hands, keeping his stoic expressions, while waiting for the answer from the defendant.

 

[05060403]

Free Trade Act: No
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only):Yes
Mission: Tierra del Fuego

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only):Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only):Abstain for now

(( Going to share all my evidence with the council and the Emperor.
Also, I'm sorry but I can't do it in a better way since I'm on vacation and typing from a phone.
I'll change the vote on attempted regicide after I catch up with the ICs to get an idea. ))

[ Courtier, Merchant, Grandmaster, Colony, PM ]

 

[Michaelangelo]

I would suggest ignoring them for now, that is their business, but our business here is find out the truth of the matter at hand. Not all of us want you dead, me included, unless you the acts testified against you are true, and from what I see, it is. Go on and speak of your innocence, if you are truly innocent, unless you would like to confess your sins to us, if you wish to save time that we could be using doing other things, if you are guilty. Let us not thing of the Court as one, but rather a collections of peoples, those of the nobility, like yourself, those of the lower classes, such as I, and those of the faith. We as peoples are all different beings, tied together in our common thread of humanity. Not one of us here is the same, all different, in some way of another

William Augustus begins to jot down notes in a small book in his hands, keeping his stoic expressions, while waiting for the answer from the defendant.

Very well, I will speak then, and make myself clear. I was not involved in the attempt on His Imperial Highness's life, nor did I ever intend to harm him. I have always advocated for a strong Hispania, one led by its rightful emperor, Jaume IV. I will be honest, I was sometimes quite cold with the emperor, and that we butted heads more than a few times, but it was all for his own good. As his prime minister, I wanted to ensure his position remained strong, and that required making tough decisions that a newly crowned monarch might not be willing to make. I do not fault him for it, for he had a great burden placed on his shoulders unexpectedly and at such a young age. My actions may have viewed negatively by the court, but I did them all for the emperor. I appointed family because I knew they could be trusted. I did not want to see someone manipulate His Imperial Highness and weaken the Crown's power. I have always served the emperor with the utmost loyalty. I had no reason to harm him either. He had already appointed me prime minister, and as we are seeing now, attempting to kill him would only have shifted the blame to me. I may have seemed strong-willed and aggressive to some of you, but I am not stupid. That was why I resigned immediately after. To stay in that position would have only implicated me in a crime I did not commit. Clearly whoever targeted His Imperial Highness knew this and tried to frame me for it, but we are fortunate that someone was there to save him. I will state this again, for I can never make myself any more clear: I did not try to kill the emperor.

- Bartomeu de Trastámara

((Just a heads up, but from now on if anyone wants to present evidence at the trial, I'd prefer it is done in IC as your character sharing it in dialogue. If we just do OOC sharing of information, then everyone has to keep scrolling back through several pages of posts to find everything that person already knew. Obviously I don't expect 05 to do this thought since he's on vacation and posting on his phone. It'll just make things easier for the trial this way. Also, keep in mind that all investigations are technically private for the person involved until they choose to share it, so remained unbiased if you can.))

 

[Robban204]

Nicolás rose from his seat to spoke.
"Perhaps you are not involved in the assassination, but you are involved in corruption, a serious crime in itself. Your secretary sang like a canary, sharing details of misappropriation of funds into your own businesses and your own pocket. For corruption and misappropriation of imperial funds, you are guilty."
Nicolás paused for a moment.
"There is also the matter of the spying on the emperor aswell as sending men to 'convince' the emperor in regards to the council appointments. This alone is suspicious, especially since the assassination attempt happened shortly after."

Nicolás sat down again.

Free Trade Act: Yes
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): Yes
Mission: Malindi

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Abstain for now (will change when or if evidence is put forward)

 

[alscon]

The result of the search was not that helpful, but it was a start. These shady couriers were used multiple times, and that wasn't a good sign. There might have been a big plan as Montségur had feared before. They were likely mercenaries, but there wasn't much more he could do. Bartomeu put on trial, he could just present the bit of information he had gotten and proceed to clearly stop any such men in the future.

The case of the corruption seems clear with the evidence Chamberlain Alvaro has presented. But concerning the attempted regicide, I have no more than suspicions so far. Bartomeu de Trastámara may be on trial now, but there are multiple candidates. I can only say that not only one murder has been planned. Multiple orders have been sent, seemingly forged, to many armies, with mercenary couriers, though we are unable to track them after these years. A conspiracy was put in place to seize power, and while this may implicate the former prime minister, any other man able to take the command of the army, be it Sanç, another councillor or a high-ranked army officer could just as well be guilty. The only way to find out the truth and get to the bottom of the conspiracy is likely to find these mercenaries, but it has been years. So far, I will therefore not make any judgment in the attempted murder.

Outside of the trial, Montségur formulated clear orders to be delivered to all soldiers by his men.
It has been too easy to forge orders, and to deliver these, while they were followed. Discipline needs to be respected. Any soldier in the army is another soldier, not an individual with exceptions. The equipment is standardized as by law, and there are no such exceptions. Any man who doesn't have this equipment is not an Hispanian soldier and has to be executed if he claims to be one.

He also contemplated how to make sure that no forged orders are delivered, before taking another action.
Louis de Soneta has admirably served the empire for countless years now. Age doesn't spare even the most faithful of its servitors though. With the highest honours, I hereby release the Duke of the Northern Mountains ((I think that's his title, right @ML8991 ?)) from his duty as field marshal. May he enjoy a well-earned rest, and may others follow his example.

(( EDIT: forgot the vote-
Free Trade Act: No
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): Yes
Mission: Malindi

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Abstain, for now
[Duke, General, Marshal, Cortz, funded colony (?)]))

 

[BelisariustheGreat]

Free Trade Act: No
Arabia TATC Monopoly (Council Only): Yes
Mission: Tierra del Fuego

Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Guilty
[Noble,Count,Treasurer]
((I ask for the foundation of a colony in Malaysia))

 

[wzhang29]

Free Trade Act: No

Mission: Tierra del Fuego

((Funding colony in Nakipa (south of San Diego). ))

 

[Michaelangelo]

Nicolás rose from his seat to spoke.
"Perhaps you are not involved in the assassination, but you are involved in corruption, a serious crime in itself. Your secretary sang like a canary, sharing details of misappropriation of funds into your own businesses and your own pocket. For corruption and misappropriation of imperial funds, you are guilty."
Nicolás paused for a moment.
"There is also the matter of the spying on the emperor aswell as sending men to 'convince' the emperor in regards to the council appointments. This alone is suspicious, especially since the assassination attempt happened shortly after."

Nicolás sat down again.

The case of the corruption seems clear with the evidence Chamberlain Alvaro has presented. But concerning the attempted regicide, I have no more than suspicions so far. Bartomeu de Trastámara may be on trial now, but there are multiple candidates. I can only say that not only one murder has been planned. Multiple orders have been sent, seemingly forged, to many armies, with mercenary couriers, though we are unable to track them after these years. A conspiracy was put in place to seize power, and while this may implicate the former prime minister, any other man able to take the command of the army, be it Sanç, another councillor or a high-ranked army officer could just as well be guilty. The only way to find out the truth and get to the bottom of the conspiracy is likely to find these mercenaries, but it has been years. So far, I will therefore not make any judgment in the attempted murder.

Bartomeu shuffled nervously in his seat, clearly caught on at least one charge. His expression became sullen, perhaps as the reality of his situation set in.

If you have indeed spoken to my secretary and he has revealed what I suspect he has, then there is no point in denying what I've done. I will admit that during my time as prime minister and treasurer, I may have taken funds from the treasury. My family was in dire financial straits and I abused my position to alleviate the situation. I will accept whatever punishment is necessary for such a crime.

As for the claims of attempted regicide, I will continue to profess my innocence. It is true that I did indeed spy on the emperor. I had men in place to watch his movements, to see who he talked to and what he said, but this was not for some nefarious purpose. As I stated earlier, I feared someone trying to manipulate His Imperial Highness, who at the time was a young impressionable man. And these claims that I sent men to "convince" the emperor are completely misconstrued. I am not foolish enough to send someone to murder him simply because he did not like who I appointed. No, what I was trying to convince the emperor of was that not everyone can be trusted. I was sending out some trusted men to find proof that I could use to show him that there were indeed people at court looking to use him for their own needs instead of Hispania's. This "convincing" did not involve harming the emperor. Of course nothing came out of this plan, for someone attacked the emperor before I could find anything to convince him that I was right.

I've heard nothing before of false orders sent to the army, and I surely had no reason to do so. I was already prime minister, and attempting to take the one position higher than mine would have been suicide, even with the army on my side. I can safely say I had no knowledge of any military coup. It is unfortunate my brother Sanç passed away, since he could have helped clear up this matter, although if you say the notes were forged it seems likely the former marshal was not involved.

- Bartomeu de Trastámara

 

[Mach Twelve]

Free Trade Act: No I will not throw away centuries of prosperity on a half-baked idea from a general
Mission: Malindi - May the Spice Islands be ours, that pesky nation has impacted my colony enough

Philaretos huffed. He was very displeased. As a member of the Court, he was to give his opinion, and maybe aid the investigation. But there was largely nothing to do in Valencia, something his Uncle and Great-Grandfather couldn't say. The Captain General couldn't even look forward to a promotion. The Field Marshal was retired, but a new one wasn't promoted by the Marshal, a boy with barely half his life experience and not even a fourth of his military experience. Philaretos knew a baton was not in the works for him. Perhaps it was time to retire, and reside in Athens permanently, as the Etxetos did. Nodding, he quickly boarded his personal dromon well before it was proper for a member of the court, and left the capital without notifying anyone of his departure. Let them wonder where the Mandromenoi had gone.

 

[BelisariustheGreat]

((@BelisariustheGreat I think that it would be better to name a company "1st Royal Light Infantry" a regiment is a number of different battalions grouped together, and a battalion is a number of companies grouped together. Having an entire regiment of light infantry is not feasible For example, a regiment can be a light infatry battalion, a heavy infantry battalion, a support battalion and a command battalion, and the light infantry battalion can have a light infantry company, a light or regular cavalry company, a cannon company and a support company. But it's your idea and I'm in no way hindering that, just informing of how it is IRL as I work in the military
I can give naming suggestions though, but as I said, do not take it as I'm hindering your idea in any way
For example. "Imperial Castillian Regiment, 2nd Madrid Battalion, 1st Royal Light Infantry Company, 4th Light Infantry Platoon 'Enter name of platoon here'" and so forth. ))

You're right, but there is now way to install battaillions or Companys in EU IV so i would decide to name this las a regiment.

 

[Michaelangelo]

It seems clear to me that there can be no doubt regarding the charges of corruption, for the accused has confessed. As for attempted regicide, the matter is much more murky. While the former prime minister surely had the means to commit such a crime, I have no seen or heard anything too damning that links him directly to the assassination attempt. Anyone could have hired the assassin. I am also not so certain about the motive either. Our laws do dictate that the prime minister becomes regent if an underage heir ascends to the throne, so perhaps that is incentive enough to target the emperor, but the very act would arouse far too much suspicion. Personally, I cannot condemn a man with such shaky evidence. Unless something much more damning is put forth, I shall have to hold off on my verdict.

- Cardinal Joan de Trastámara, Court Chaplain of Hispania

((Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Abstain))

* * * * *

I, however, do not have doubts about the guilt of the accused. I have been keeping a close eye on him ever since arriving here at court. I have watched him boss around the emperor, strengthening his own position, and generally pushing his own agenda. I find it more than a coincidence that shortly after a fight between Bartomeu and the emperor that an attempt was made on the latter's life. The court chaplain has already given a valid enough reason for the former prime minister to off the emperor. Ruling as regent is far more efficient than as prime minister for an increasingly disagreeable emperor. We hear claims that at the same time the army was receiving false orders. Most likely the accused knew such a power grab would not succeed without opposition and had the army at ready. The fact he didn't just use his brother, the marshal, to control the army just shows he either wanted to ensure he remained in control instead of his brother or that he didn't want to be implicated if things went wrong, which they did. The fact that we can't find any truly damning evidence is due to the accused preparing well beforehand for this eventuality. It seems his only mistake was hiring a sub-par assassin. Perhaps each piece of evidence on its own is not enough, but it sure paints an incriminating picture to me.

- Duke Andreu de Trastámara, Chancellor of Hispania

((Bartomeu Corruption (Council Only): Guilty
Bartomeu Attempted Regicide (Council Only): Guilty))

* * * * *

((Just want to clarify that to pass a guilty verdict, it needs a clear majority. The abstains don't count as non-votes as they usually do. If there are too many abstain votes when the voting period ends, I'll probably give several more hours to change votes for the trial.))

 

[alscon]

I've heard nothing before of false orders sent to the army, and I surely had no reason to do so. I was already prime minister, and attempting to take the one position higher than mine would have been suicide, even with the army on my side. I can safely say I had no knowledge of any military coup. It is unfortunate my brother Sanç passed away, since he could have helped clear up this matter, although if you say the notes were forged it seems likely the former marshal was not involved.

Suicide only if it fails, necessary if it suceeds - it is only a risk. And should you be guilty of the assassination attempt, then these orders would have been the logical next step. Truly unfortunate the former Marshal is dead - a little money, and he would have told us all we wanted to know.

Montségur was not like Sanç, and his next act as marshal clearly showed that.

Due to a long and faithful service, paired with an undeniable ability that has seen him rise through the ranks, I hereby appoint Fausto Villanova to serve as my assistant field marshal.

((I encourage anyone who wants to become a general to address me.))

 

[ML8991]

((@alscon yep, you got the correct translation of his title ))

 

[Michaelangelo]

Suicide only if it fails, necessary if it suceeds - it is only a risk. And should you be guilty of the assassination attempt, then these orders would have been the logical next step. Truly unfortunate the former Marshal is dead - a little money, and he would have told us all we wanted to know.

I've wished that since the start of this trial. He could at least make it clear to you all I was not involved with the army. I left all matters pertaining to the military to my brothers. Why would I have bothered to send out false orders if my brother could already command the army, especially when the forged orders would have made it look like my brother gave the orders anyway? Someone has just been setting me up since the start to take the fall for the attempt on the emperor's life.

- Bartomeu de Trastámara