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{{So a distinction between the Church and God can't be made? I knew the Emperor and God were basically being blended, both with this heresy and making Markos a saint, but we're also discussing talking land and wealth away from the Church. Wouldn't just that discussion be heretical and worthy of execution then? I'm aware my character is walking a thin line, but I may have underestimated how thin...

Randon question then: what is Saint Markos the saint of? People pray to specific saints for specific things, right? Is Saint Markos the saint of Romans?}}
{{ I'll answer to this later because it's complicated; right now I want Bearded Man to post something finally.
{{ By the way, eighteen hundred hours (6:00 PM) in Stronk Relevant Polan Time is high noon (12:00 PM) EST, in case you don't want to Google it like me.}}
Stronkest and relevantest. }}
 
{{
Actually, the Orthodox Church doesn't affix as much reverence to saints as the Catholic Church. I am sure that some denominations in Orthodoxy pray to saints, and even Protestants revere them to some extent as "great Christians" we all should be like, but they don't have the same obsession with them like the Catholics do with Mary. (The only thing I can recall Orthodox Christians doing in way of Mary-obsession is that bishops wear a picture of her to remind them of how a Christian should act and, of course, there are cahtedrals named after her.
}}

"
{{In my non professional opinion I'd probably say the Orthodox and Catholic views of Saints and Mary are more similar than different. Both venerate saints without worshiping them and pray for their intercession for help and some are named patrons of certain things that are relevant to them. So Markos is probably a patron of the Empire.
here's an interesting list of Orthodox saints by patrons in case anyone wants ideas, though a lot of them probably don't feature in this world.
What I find especially interesting for this is that the current heresy of Emperor worship isn't all that surprising given how Markos and the Imperial family in this world have come to wield much more power and authority than even the Byzantine Emperors wielded over society and the church. I figure we're not too far from Markos taking on the role of Big Brother, we could have every Emperor called Markos and have this seemingly immortal Emperor that no one ever sees.

But that's beside the point, back to waiting to see who mysterious bearded man is and whether Colombo will try to eat any of his faction, and most importantly

What did the letter mean!!!???. }}
 
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{{ IMPORTANT

There won't be a separate Diarium for a single senator but it still has to be said: senator Banoub ibn Mahdi Rashid (played by BanishTheSpleen) was chosen as delegate of the House Rashid to the Senate and joined the Red Demes.

Updated Album Senatorium available online. }}
 
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{{The Reds have the majority now! :eek: }}
 
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Absalon Hvide
Absalon takes a significant bite out of a piece of salted meat, his face showing obvious pain as he does so.
"As i said Azizid i will not stand in the way for the nomination of Colombo, and if we make sure only to mothball the warships, leaving the transports and possibly the trade ships ready for duty." The old Dane takes an involuntary pause as he rubs his jaw, whether it is in contemplation or in pain is hard to tell. "Then i will vote to mothball those elements of the fleet. And Azizid you are correct that there can be no Imperium without stability, therefore i support the idea of administrative reform. There seems to be wide agreement on these subjects, so unless there are objection i say we close those and move on to the jews and the fat priests."
 
Bearded man:
The door to the great cabin open and the bearded man enters the room. He closes the door behind him, putting his arms akimbo.

- Good news I bring to you: we will soon leave the bay.

You look out of the window and realize that indeed the imperial dromon has left port in Thessaloniki. Now when your attention has been brought to this you notice distant sound of whips - the slave row fast and powered by the strength of their muscles Velos is quickly traversing waters of the bay. The man scratches his beard.

- By midday we should pass the holy mountain of Athos, so if you want to pray to the Holy Ghost for gift of wisdom before the session that would be a good moment. Now...

The man takes off his hat and lowers it to the ground in a mocking bow.

- As mandator of Scrinium Barbarorum I salute you, noble ones. I was tasked with transporting you safely to the City and I'm glad to see that all of you alive and unharmed. You should be glad too, thankful even - it took a lot of effort to ensure that. No, no, no, don't say anything.

He puts his hat back on his head.

- Questions I see on your faces. This is good, curiosity is a virtue and it would be unfair to left it unsatisfied. My name means nothing, so don't bother asking for it for tomorrow we shall part our ways and if we ever meet I will be a different man. I've been here and there, bleeding and killing, collecting information with gold and dagger. That's all you must know - but let's talk about you, shall we?

He points his finger at you.

- You are not the hunter but the hunted. Don't act as if you were surprised, you know this is true. Or have you forgotten what happened to megas droungarios Javier Espinosa? Well, it's been two decades so I figure some of you were playing with toys when he was murdered - but still it happened. Do you know who was found guilty of assasination of one of the members of the Imperial Council?

Mandator shows his teeth.

- Nobody. Yes, some eunuchs and minor officials were executed but the perpetrator remains unknown. Or so it seemed until Scrinium found... let's say clues, most interesting clues which indicated that not xenoi or Pisans are to be blamed but Romaioi. A very influential Romaioi.

Mandator puts both of his hands on the fire-weapons he carries at his belt.

- Let me make it perfectly clear - there is a conspiracy in the heart of the Imperium. Who is behind it, what goals does he hope to achieve and against whom does he schemes this we don't know. Yet. We know very little in fact but what we know is this: someone is trying to plant a seed of discord in the Sacred Palace. Seed of mistrust. Division. And in order for the seed to grow and bear its poisonous fruit the ground will be made more fertile using your bodies. And who is the gardener who will take care of the plant?

He points in general direction of all the assembled senators.

- A traitor.

The man scratches his beard.

- Since we are temporarily companions on this journey let us make some use of the time that has been given to us. Let's start with the basics. Lesson number one - don't trust anyone. Not your servants, not your men-at-arms, not your advisors and teachers. Do you really know every single person who accompanies you, who serves you food, who prepares your bath, who carries your sword? No. There are ways of changing one's heart and mind, many ways. Don't trust your fellow senators, for among them may be the gardener. Or maybe not - we don't know. But you must ask yourself: can you afford to take the risk? Whatever your judgement is, we can't allow you to take the risk - that's why I'm here. Furthermore, you shouldn't trust members of your own House, for like all men they are weak and may be corrupted. You shouldn't even trust me. Especially me.

Mandator pulls out one of his fire-weapons with his right hand and aims it at senator Alexius Colombo.

- Who am I? Where am I taking you? I told you but I may be lying. Are you sailing to Konstantinoupolis? Or am I taking you to the west, to trade you for wealth and position in Pisa? You don't know. This is bad. Fifty man are on this ship under my command and only handful of members of the Senate Guard. Bad. Your men-at-arms were left behind us in Thessaloniki. Bad again. I could kill three of you before you have a chance to scream for help.

Mandator smiles widely.

- Very bad.
He puts the fire-weapon back to the holster.

- Conclusion? Hmm? Anyone?
 
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{{The Reds have the majority now! :eek: }}
{{ Majority is (1/2 of votes) +1 vote, that is 13 votes. The Reds have 9. }}
 
{{Well, the discussion is now opened: Is Czoklet trolling us in an incredible awesome way, playing us against each other (wasn't “divide and conquer” a roman maxime?) and laughing his as of the whole time while we get more and more paranoid (I would!)? Or is there so much more going on in the background that we senators simply don't see, are we maybe just someones pawns in a game we can't overlook fully?

Tinfoil hats anyone?}}
 
Senator Duilius Arrius:
*A wide grin spreads on Duilius' face. He leans back in his chair, getting comfortable.*
"If you were going to kill us, I doubt you would have bothered trying to scare us. If you are taking us West to sell us as slaves, I refuse to spend my last hours free consumed with fear. I have already faced Death in the form of the plague, losing my wife and countless friends.

You say you won't give us a name. Fine, I will just call you my friend. Friend, perhaps you will answer some questions. Your weapon... where did you get it? From the West? Or has the Imperium entrusted you with one?

You say the man responsible for what happened years ago may have been Romaioi... Tell me, why do I care? My father died that day, the man who came home unrecognizable. I already know to be wary of my 'friends' here, as I hope they do too. Where there is power, there is corruption. I would not be shocked if what happened was ordered by the Whites, the Reds, a fellow Blue, an unknown figure in the shadows... but it has already happened."

{{So the Faceless Men have come to Europe, I see. :p}}
 
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{{So Blues...have a fun boat ride :) }}
 
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Mandator:

Senator Duilius Arrius:
*A wide grin spreads on Duilius' face. He leans back in his chair, getting comfortable.*
"If you were going to kill us, I doubt you would have bothered trying to scare us. If you are taking us West to sell us as slaves, I refuse to spend my last hours free consumed with fear. I have already faced Death in the form of the plague, losing my wife and countless friends.
The man nods.

- Why toy with the victim before killing. Good. Kill like hawk, swiftly and without warning. But don't cats play with their prey? Brave of craven, mice is only a mice. And although some are hawks there are cats among us too.
You say you won't give us a name. Fine, I will just call you my friend. Friend, perhaps you will answer some questions. Your weapon... where did you get it? From the West? Or has the Imperium entrusted you with one?
Mandator shows his teeth again.

- Dead men don't need their weapon.
You say the man responsible for what happened years ago may have been Romaioi... Tell me, why do I care? My father died that day, the man who came home unrecognizable. I already know to be wary of my 'friends' here, as I hope they do too. Where there is power, there is corruption. I would not be shocked if what happened was ordered by the Whites, the Reds, a fellow Blue, an unknown figure in the shadows... but it has already happened."
"Friend" frowns.

- Care, care not. Little difference for a corpse, eh? Scrinium cares and so you will learn to care. Or not. Are you so eager to be brought before Him and hear His judgment?
 
Mandator shows his teeth again.

- Dead men don't need their weapon.

Senator Duilius Arrius:
"Ah, a pragmatic man. Good to know..."
*Though you fail to say what side that man fought for.*

"I am not eager to meet the Lord, but I do not dread it. I am proud of how I have lived. You stand before us. You decide where we go, and if we live. Friend, I trust you. Even if I did not, what would I do? I have no weapon or means of escape. My life, the lives of every Senator here, is in your hand. Make me care what happened. Tell me who betrayed my father."
 
Senator Nikephoros Salamis:
*Nikephoros now washes his hands frevently. He turns his gaze to Senator Colombo when the Mandator speaks of a traitor, and then to Senator Von Hohenzollern. His thoughts turn to Zacharia Pollitis, his tutor and coulncillor, the man who was, de facto, a father to him. He decides that if he mistrusts Pollitis now, he is truly lost. No. He will not mistrust him. Zacharia is true, Zacharia is loyal... Nikephoros' gaze turned to the Mandator*
You say this traitor is an influentional man. Yet you don't have any clue as to who he is? No information if he's a traitor from the Imperial Council, or from within the Senate, or from one of the Dynastoi?
And why are you specifically here? Why would a man want to... cause unrest in the palace by killing the Blues and not, for example, the ruling faction- the Whites?
 
Mandator:

Senator Nikephoros Salamis:
You say this traitor is an influentional man. Yet you don't have any clue as to who he is? No information if he's a traitor from the Imperial Council, or from within the Senate, or from one of the Dynastoi?
And why are you specifically here? Why would a man want to... cause unrest in the palace by killing the Blues and not, for example, the ruling faction- the Whites?
Mandator points at Nikephoros Salamis.

- You say: "he's a traitor". But is he? Is it she? One or many? All I have are clues which I won't share with you - we agentes in rebus have to weave our own web if we are to carry out our duties. The Whites, the Reds, the Blues...


He points at everyone in the cabin, one by one.

- Names, names, names. You are all senators, that's all the enemy cares about - if he is who we think he is. There are ways and ways though. One cannot catch a fish like he catches a fox or a boar. Words can be as hurtful as a dagger, remember that. Sometimes you burn the house down to destroy it, sometimes as a distraction from to steal a horse from stables.
 
Senator Duilius Arrius:
"So their deaths were just distractions? From what? That mysterious letter my father refused to discuss?"
 
Senator Duilius Arrius:
"So their deaths were just distractions? From what? That mysterious letter my father refused to discuss?"

{{ What if there was a mysterious letter that did??? }}
 
{{Oh my, this is going to end with me executed isn't it? And then the REAL traitor, di Capponi, on behalf of his secret dynatoi and Pisan masters will strike to end the Imperium. If there is a Senate left to judge, expect for the Mandromenos to be the most vicious of them all}}
 
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{{ Majority is (1/2 of votes) +1 vote, that is 13 votes. The Reds have 9. }}
{{Yep, we have a plurality, not a majority. Hence, the coalition govermment, aka every parliament ever (except USA because 'Murica. We're the exception!

In regards to who poisoned the blues... if we don't find out this session then there really isn't any point. The conspirators will be dead, along with everyone who knew the people in question. At the latest we'd need to find out next session, a few people might be involved... well, unless this is a Templars v.s. Assassins thing with intergenerational warfare but we poor senators aren't either}}
 
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