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In any case, even if the save prove to be irreversibily corrupted, I would like to continue the story. After all, the past few months was just a beginning...
Corrupted save was only a setback!
 
I suppose then that the White Demes will request a meeting at 18:00 CET of January 31, unless some of the Whites have a problem with this date.

I'm fine with it
 
[size=+2]FACTION MEETING - ANNOUNCEMENT[/size]

bXfsLO5.jpg


Illustrious protospatharios Michael Komnenos, President of the Imperial Senate and vestarches of the Sacred Palace, hereby annouces that in response to the following request:​

I suppose then that the White Demes will request a meeting at 18:00 CET of January 31, unless some of the Whites have a problem with this date.
the noble Senator Theophilus of the House Rhadenosof was given permission to

[size=+2]CALL THE WHITE DEMES MEETING[/size]
which will take place on the Atrium of Church of the Virgin of the Pharos (Sacred Palace) in Queen of Cities on 2nd January 1480.

[size=+1]***[/size]
[size=+1]SCHEDULE (WARSAW TIME)[/size]
Opening of the Faction Meeting9:00 PM 31 January (Saturday)
Closing of the Faction Meeting9:00 PM 2 February (Monday)
[size=+1]***[/size]
[size=+1]EXCERPT FROM THE RULES[/size]
Article 11-4 – Faction Meeting
1. Faction Meeting is a meeting of members of a Senate Faction hold in the Sacred Palace during which noble Senators gather to discuss (in-character) state of affairs of the Imperium Romanum.
2. Faction Meeting is called, opened and closed by the President of the Senate at the request of a Faction Leader. The request has to be approved by the President of the Senate.
3. Faction Leader notifies members of the Faction he leads about the Faction Meeting after his request is approved.
4. Faction Leader ensures order and decorum during Faction Meeting and is responsible for every violation of the Rules of Procedure which occurs during the Faction Meeting.
5. Faction Meeting lasts for 48 hours and may only be called after at least 24 hours has passed since the previous Faction Meeting. Each Faction can request one Faction Meeting to be hold between every two chapters.
6. Faction Meeting takes place in:
- Atrium of Church of the Virgin of the Pharos (White Demes)
- Hall of Augusteus in Palace of Daphne (Red Demes)
- Neptune's Balcony in Boukelon Palace (Blue Demes)
7. During Faction Meeting members of the Imperial Senate Guard ensure safety of the noble Senators.
8. During Faction Meeting noble Senators may read or write letters to NPCs (non-playable characters) from their House.

May the blessing of Saint Markos be upon all of us.

Signed,
Michael Komnenos
President of the Imperial Senate
[size=+1]***[/size]​

Proposed 6:00 PM is too early for me to open/close the Faction Meeting - sorry guys!
 
[size=+2]FACTION MEETING - OPENING[/size]

bXfsLO5.jpg


Illustrious protospatharios Michael Komnenos, President of the Imperial Senate and vestarches of the Sacred Palace hereby announces that

[size=+2]THE FIRST MEETING OF THE WHITE DEMES HAS BEGUN[/size]

[size=+1]Remember to begin every post written in-character using the following template:
- [ b ][ size=+1 ]Senator <name>:[ /b ][ /size ][/size]

While writing in-character, use italics.
While writing out-of-character during the Senate Session or Faction Meeting, use brackets.

[size=+1]EXCERPT FROM THE RULES[/size]
Article 11-4 – Faction Meeting
1. Faction Meeting is a meeting of members of a Senate Faction hold in the Sacred Palace during which noble Senators gather to discuss (in-character) state of affairs of the Imperium Romanum.
2. Faction Meeting is called, opened and closed by the President of the Senate at the request of a Faction Leader. The request has to be approved by the President of the Senate.
3. Faction Leader notifies members of the Faction he leads about the Faction Meeting after his request is approved.
4. Faction Leader ensures order and decorum during Faction Meeting and is responsible for every violation of the Rules of Procedure which occurs during the Faction Meeting.
5. Faction Meeting lasts for 48 hours and may only be called after at least 24 hours has passed since the previous Faction Meeting. Each Faction can request one Faction Meeting to be hold between every two chapters.
6. Faction Meeting takes place in:
- Atrium of Church of the Virgin of the Pharos (White Demes)
- Hall of Augusteus in Palace of Daphne (Red Demes)
- Neptune's Balcony in Boukoleon Palace (Blue Demes)
7. During Faction Meeting members of the Imperial Senate Guard ensure safety of the noble Senators.
8. During Faction Meeting noble Senators may read or write letters to NPCs (non-playable characters) from their House.

(...)

Article 19 – Debate
1. During the debate, Senators may:
- present their statements in regard to the subjects of the Senate Session;
- debate with other Senators;
- ask questions to the guests invited for the hearing, if they are any.
2. Senators have to begin every post written in-character using the following template:
- [ b ][ size=+1 ]Senator <name>:[ /b ][ /size ]
with spaces between the brackets and code removed.
3. During the debate, Senators may not:
- carry any weapon with themselves;
- be accompanied by any servants or slaves;
- bring any items without the permission of the President of the Senate.
4. Non-Senators (regular readers) may post normally during the debate.

May the blessing of Saint Markos be upon all of us.

Signed,
Michael Komnenos
President of the Imperial Senate
[size=+1]***[/size]
1_constantinople_vue_aerienne_2_copie_3.jpg
[size=+1]2nd January 1480
Atrium of Church of the Virgin of the Pharos, Sacred Palace, Konstantinoupolis
[/size]

The Church of the Virgin of the Pharos was an ancient chapel of the Sacred Palace, for centuries serving as a personal sanctuary of the Emperor for centuries. Built before the period of First Eikonomachia it endured these dark times and was later restored to its glory and expanded by blessed basilissa Irene of Athens, who was married to basileus Leon IV the Isaurian within its walls. Having since become one of the greteast repositories of holy relics in the Imperium, the Church of Theotokos tou Pharou is without a doubt one of the jewels of the Sacred Palace.

The splendidly fashioned atrium of the Church is surrounded by marble colonnade, where under frescos of saints of the Holy Church stand modestly dressed slaves, ready to serve their masters food and water. The whole atrium is tented and decorated with white draperis made of silk, providing shade and respite from the sun. At the center of the atrium stands bronze statue, thrice as tall as normal man and made with unmatched skill of anonymous sculptor. The statue represents Saint Markos himself during his glorious triumph on 24th March 1249, when he entered Roma liberated from Catholic yoke, riding a white horse and wearing purple and laurel crown like the emperors of old, once again restituting Roman rule to the Eternal City. A few paces from the monument stands a small table surrounded by ebony chairs. A scent of incense is perceptible and a Chapel's chorus practicing holy hymns can be clearly heard.

As the leader of the White Demes enters the atrium, he's greeted by three eunuchs of the Sacred Palace accompanied by four members of the Imperial Senate Guard, all of them armed.


EUNUCH ZENON: Your Beatitude, The Most Revered Metropolitan and Patriarch of Antiocheia and All the East senator Theophilus of the House Rhadenos. *all eunuchs bow deeply before the Faction Leader* The atrium has been prepared for your arrival. The guardsmen shall stay in the colonnade for the safety of all noble Senators who are gathering here. I hope you will find the arrangements made by me satisfying. *bows deeply* I'm obliged to remind your honor that after this meeting it's expected of your Demes to provide His Excellency Illustrious President of the Imperial Senate protospatharios Michael Komnenos with statement concerning matters Your Beatitude and other senators deem most important for the Imperium in the following years. *bows deeply* Your Beatitude. *eunuch turns around and leaves*

[size=+1]***[/size]​

During this meeting the White Demes has to decide which permanent modifiers this Faction will be providing the Imperium with.

Right now the White Demes gives the following modifiers when its dominant in the Imperial Senate:
Code:
[color=green]-0.05 local autonomy
+1% missionary strength[/color]
[color=red]-0.5 yearly army tradition
+5% idea cost[/color]
[color=yellow]+10% advisor cost[/color]

The White Demes has to choose 1 (one) new modifier among the following ones:
Code:
[color=green]+20% available mercenaries[/color]
OR
Code:
[color=green]-1 interest per annum[/color]
OR
Code:
[color=green]+1 advisor pool[/color]

You have to reach consensus as a Demes to chose a new modifier. If you fail to do so, I'll choose for you.

When all Factions choose their new bonuses, I'll assign new maluses to each Faction to keep the balance between them.

[size=+1]***[/size]​
In other news, here's the summary of the Blue Demes modifiers after their Faction Meeting:

Code:
[color=green][b]+1 merchant[/b]
-5% idea cost
+1 diplomatic relation[/color]
[color=red]-5% land morale
-2% missionary strength[/color]
[color=yellow]+10% global ship cost[/color]
 
Senator Marcus VI Serapis

(Marcus Serapis enters the Church of the Virgin with a solemn look of concern. The Senate session had in many ways been a great success politically, but spiritually it was a troubling experience. Open blasphemy from one of the highest and most respected senators was disgusting enough. But far worse was the continued and almost universal refusal to strengthen the Faith. Was the Imperium that had risen so high with God's blessing finally turning its back on God?

He bows to the revered Partiarch as he enters the atrium and accepts a glass of water from one of the slaves with a sigh. Observing the formalities, and respectful of Patriarch Rhadenos' greater rank, he remains silent.)
 
[size=+1]Senator Eumenes Ouranos:[/size]

Eumenes Ouranos follows behind Senator Serapis at a slow pace. His face is a tired one, clearly the Senate session has exhausted him mentally and physically in more ways than one. He didn't know what to expect from the meeting but hopefully it would make him a bit more healthy.

He greets the two men before him before sitting down with a low sigh of relief to be finally able to rest his back.
 
[size=+1]Senator Ferruccio di Capponi:[/size]

(Ferruccio di Capponi walks into the room, looking at the statues and other features of the room, an occasional look of disgust at the occasional piece. He had hoped to leave the Queen of Cities as soon as possible and return to his family in Italy, but the calling of the meeting caught his attention. He now hopes that this meeting would contain more reasonable discussion than the cacophony of the Senate. Senator Ferruccio makes no attempt to engage with any of the other Senators, and sits, deep in thought.)
 
Well-mannered, pious - I think we can all see the diferences between true servants of the Imperium and merchant riffraff ;)

On a serious note, it's time for an update!

[size=+2]UPDATE[/size]

Eldorado_780x353.jpg

First of all
the most important information - saves work again! Thanks to sceluk and Idrehendur a temporary fix has been found which allows me to continue playing the game and although there are still issues to be identified and taken care of, I'm glad to say that the AAR may continue :)

Second of all, my plans for February:
  • Fix the save issues
  • Release the next chapter before "El Dorado" DLC premiere
  • Make the AAR compatible with "El Dorado" and patch 1.10
  • Release development diary dedicated to changes introduced by "El Dorado" which - as a DLC focused on Mesoamerica - are going to be many
  • Call Fourth Senate Session
Please remember that these are just plans and that they may change at any time, especially if "El Dorado" introduces more issues than expected.

And last but not least, here's a screenshot from the upcoming chapter:

WfQGrlz.jpg

Praise Saint Markos! Glory to the Imperium! Death to xenoi!
 
{{Sorry i haven't been posting or involved lately but school and personal life got hectic for the last few weeks}}

{{That map though, i first glanced at it and I thought it meant the Horde had been conquered by the Aztecs, instead we're just at war with most of the world (and doing well all things considered) :) }}

{{also is that a united Caledonia?}}
 
{{Yay! That was the worst save problem until now, and I'm glad that it was (almost) fixed and this wonderful AAR can continue! :)
And a faction meeting with Enlil.. That's gonna be interesting.
Oh, and this seems appropriate:
anzva1.jpg
}}
 
Praise Saint Markos! Glory to the Imperiumball! Death to Xenoi!

Great to hear the save is working again.:)

Nice, Gorz, PISA, Tunisia/Carthage, and as much of Libya as possible should be prioritized for conquest forthwith for pretty borders and the salvation of souls. Those exclaves make my eyes bleed... it is salting the wounds.
 
Finally some good news! Even though the screenshot made my blood cold. Is the Imperium ready to take on his arch-nemesis?

edit: this is what 15 mins of MSPaint provides:
EbPbD0Y.jpg
 
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*Theophilus Rhadenos walked into the palace, preparing to open the meeting of the White Demes*

[SIZE=+1]Senator Theophilus Rhadenos[/SIZE]

Fellow members of the White Demes!

Today we are reunited in this place to discuss about the future of the Imperium and how the esteemed White Demes should move to ensure its everlasting prosperity. Under my leadership the Whites have conquered numbers in the Senate, growing into the true conscience of the Aristocracy and faithful servants of the Holy Emperor, now with my new roles as Patriarch of the entire East and my growing age I think that it is time for the Whites to start thinking about a new leader, someone ready to take my place when my duties will force me away from Constantinople and my strength will abandon me. Thus, I invite all of you to discuss freely about a possible successor, so that we will not be found lacking at the next meeting of the Senate!

Furthermore, it is my belief that the Whites should work on new ways to help the Imperium with our resources, it is for this that I propose that the Whites will collectively finance the hardest workers, the most pious scholars and the best Generals so that they may help the Imperium with their expertise (+1 Advisor Pool).


That said, it is time for the rest of the Whites to make their proposals and speak their mind.
May the blessing of Saint Markos be upon us all!


- Theophilus Rhadenos
Most Revered Metropolitan and Patriarch of Antiocheia and All the East
 
[SIZE=+1]Senator Ferruccio di Capponi[/SIZE]

I must say I am shocked to say this, but I find myself agreeing with the honorable Theophilus Rhadenos more and more each day, which is why I also give my support to expanding Imperium's openings for advisors and aides, perhaps to those in Italy, who no doubt would vastly improve sorry bunch that I found in the Senate. In lieu of the most honorable Patriarch's age, I would like to suggest, who else, but myself as leader of the White Demes. For what the Imperium needs is a Novus Homo in the government to implement the ideas that are overlooked by those who have never left the city.

If I am granted the greatest honor of representing our Deme, I promise to uphold the legacy and core policies of Patriarch Theophilus Rhadenos, which is why I wholeheartedly support financing better members of government. (+1 Advisor Pool) Overall, I am confident that I will find much more intelligent debate, and perhaps intelligent life now that the Reds and Blues are not present among us.

Ave Imperator!
 
Senator Alvar Cortez

The old senator takes his time to honor the bronze statue of Saint Markos Isapostolos before entering the chamber

"Though the imperium may be wrought by debt from the conquest of aegyptus still, I find it is better to bring about more advisers from all walks of life than just better money managers. Our empire is filled with great men who have much to offer for our betterment, and we must see to it that they are able to provide their services to the imperium. As such, I favor an expansion of advisors as a priority. For those who do not believe the logic of my arguments, simply look to the fact that it is an issue that both patriarch and pisan agree on."
 
Senator Marcus VI Serapis

I can only agree, though it surprises me that we are this unanimous. Clearly we should not rely on mercenaries and usurers in the long run, though we may be forced to do so now. Improving the recruitment of competent advisors will always be useful to the state. I support the Patriarch in this.