Senator Marius Serapis of the White Demes:
The journey from Cyprus had been longer then expected but finally, in the late hours of the evening, he arrived. When his small ship docked outside the Palace of Justice he looked out over the smouldering ruins of Constantinople one last time before heading inside the building. There was much to be done if the Imperium was to be saved, and failure today would make it all so much harder.
Marius enters the Courtroom, leaving his handful of guards behind and bringing with him only a scribe carrying a satchel of scrolls and wearing the robes of the Monastery of the Divine Light. Marius himself is young, merely 26 years of age, but already weathered. Though his face and body is that of a soldier his clothes are those of a monk. Simple white robes of the finest white Hindustani cotton, adorned only by a small holy icon around his neck.
He looks out over the assembled Senators, most of whom had already arrived and were already establiching precedence amongst themselves. He walks forth among them, greeting the militaristic Mandomeros, forced to defend his bold display, with a courteous nod. The ancient Senator Ouranos, expressing his displeasure with the young generation, gets a deeper bow in respect for his age and continued survival. Ludovico Capponi, cowering and jumping at shadows, gets a puzzeled glance and a smile. If he was truly the best of what that resourceful family had to offer there had to be more beneath the surface than this sniveling wretch.
The mysterious Melissenos, hiding his body much like the Emperor himself, he greets with a handshake. His line had once been great, Marius had been told. His predecessors had been able allies of Serapis in the past, but this new creature could be anything. Did he hide out of vanity? Or was it the marks of plague... Marius' grasp stiffens and he withdraws his hand perhaps a bit faster than what is polite. Fool! he thinks to himself. Did you come here, of all places, just to catch the plague? "It is a relief to see the House of Melissenos still among us. I have heard of your losses, My Father held great esteem for your House, and you have my condolences. Let us hope that what we accomplish here today will help others in the Imperium to avoid such grim fates in the future."