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Adept Nightingale posted:Whom precisely are you representing at this point, anyway? The Steppes and republics appear to have seceded. The Pecheneg Kingdom is still a vassal, and there are several Pecheneg culture doukes running around in Anatolia, for some reason.
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Apr 19, 2014 19:01
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Perhaps "Steppes and... just Steppes" would work better then.
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Apr 19, 2014 19:02
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Steppe Up Revolution.
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Apr 19, 2014 19:07
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Adept Nightingale posted:How better to support the cause of Unitas than to support the puppet of would-be feudal vassals who gave away a third of our realm to armed rebels?   It has always been Greeks! Greeks are the greatest people on Earth, and they always have been, and I want to improve the world by making everyone Greek. It isn't race, it is culture. What is Dobrava? A Russian educated first by Turkish priest and then by a German. She will never be Greek, never be Roman, and never be fit to rule over us. How are we to have cultural unity if disunity starts at the very top? We can't! How does supporting some foreign claimant help make an Empire of one people? How does barbarian occupation? Her inheritance was a fluke, a mistake of dynastic feudalism. I don't support rebellion, but frankly, these were special circumstances. The world was turned upside down, and now it has righted itself. Even more frankly, I would prefer that there were no dynasties, and that the fittest Roman would be selected to rule over us. In fact, I would like Helias himself to be Emperor: he too is proof of Unitas's rightness, he organized Roman patriots to overthrow foreign occupation, and he did it successfully. Russia kneels. Why do you want a Kievan boot on our neck? Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Apr 19, 2014 |
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Apr 19, 2014 19:13
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Steppes and Republics will not be the party name come EU4, EU4 Steppes and Republics party name is gonna be way better.
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Apr 19, 2014 19:20
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Well, this Senator is going to ##support Yaroslavovich because just a generation ago we incorporated a lot of Russians into the Empire, and while they might support a ruler descended from one of their own, they will have little tolerance for some jumped-up Greek pretender. A Yaroslavovich in Constantinople is the only way to keep Kiev in line.
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Apr 19, 2014 20:31
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First order of business, I declare myself a senator of the Old Roman faction. I had intended to do so when first appointed, but by the time I made it to the first meeting, the old parties were dissolved in favor of the committees. With that out of the way, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my intent to ##support Branas. Though my heart aches for the Yaroslavovich girl forced to abdicate her birthright, and though my conscience is weighed down by thoughts of the followers of brave Pompey who fled with him when the great tyrant Caesar marched into Rome, I must also remember the cost of the war to install Branas. Rome lost, our merchant republics independent, the blood of Romans and Russians both spattered across a thousand miles of battlefields. Will a second civil war to reinstall the old dynasty help with that? No, Rome would not have been any better--and indeed would likely have been immeasurably worse--if the senators had forced out Augustus and restored the old order once the tyrant was dead, before Augustus's great reforms left Rome made of marble where he had found it made of clay, in his own words. So, despite my personal feelings on the two choices, I will remain loyal to Byzantium first and foremost, and the best way to do that is to work with the new regime.
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Apr 19, 2014 20:57
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 Whoa, what the hell happened? I know I've been on a bender for the past decade or so, but seriously, what the hell? They let a loving Doux be in charge. We had a good thing going, and then we go bankrupt several times over, and now there's no more wine. This is the kind of bullshit that happens when you let a Doux be in charge. ##Support Any Available Komnenos ##support Yaroslavovich ##support consul Scruffles for Emperor Anybody but a loving Doux.
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Apr 19, 2014 21:12
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 The senator takes the piece of paper, and, with the finesse of a drunken monkey, circles the Y. Guys? We might need a few more voting sheets. ##Support Branas
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Apr 19, 2014 21:24
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 #A return to the Yaroslavovich dynasty. As much as I may abstractly despise these Russian usurpers, the fact must ultimately be laid bare that Branas is egregiously incompetent, and that he gained this position via unlawful rebellion on the part of those vile doukes. The former princess, regardless of her father's dynasty and practices, is still far more legitimate as a direct descendant of the last true Komnene empresses. Besides; can you imagine just what an emperor puppeted to the doukes will eventually do to the Senate?
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Apr 19, 2014 21:34
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He raises a good point. #Yaroslavolich
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Apr 19, 2014 21:37
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DentedLamp posted:
True, but on the other hand, we've already seen what the Russians have done just by gracing the Senate with their presence. Several senators lay dead and the entire order was raised into upheaval. Now we have a German tutoring a Russian. Between our experiences with the Tsar and what we know of the Holy Roman Empire, can you even scarcely imagine the Hell that will be visited upon the Senate upon her return? Either way, whoever wins the Senate will be curtailed severely, if not out and out destroyed, either by the whims of foreigners who think they understand good government or by a pawn of the nobility. We cannot accept this illusion of a choice. The Senate must be prepared to pave it's own path.
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Apr 19, 2014 22:44
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TheFlyingLlama posted:
Neither seems liable to do that, since we're past the gloomy zealotry of the last few Komnenoi (and the target of their ire was Catholics rather than Muslims, anyway).
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Apr 19, 2014 23:02
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Rincewind posted:Neither seems liable to do that, since we're past the gloomy zealotry of the last few Komnenoi (and the target of their ire was Catholics rather than Muslims, anyway). Well, time to stay neutral then. Not like the guiding light is really even powerful enough for either party to care about it anyways.
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Apr 19, 2014 23:08
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My, but this is a dillemna. On the one hand, the new regime seems willing to allow the senate to go back to its old stylings, and as neither is really what we'd want in terms of a rule, we must be flexible. Yaroslavolich's position is incredibly poor, and her culture is weakly attached to the empire and its tradition. Betting our hopes on her is childish... ...But is it more childish than Branas? The man with his poorly-painted flags seems to only be playing at emperor, even more so than any of our rulers who were actually children! He does not lead or hope or scheme, but rolls over for belly scratches with less dignity than Consul Scruffles. Branas seems a fine fellow, and in any other path, I'd wish him well. He'd be fine to have a drink with... But to rule? I'd honestly prefer his minder, who at least is a man with a plan. The empire is badly beaten; broken, perhaps. It is in the best interest of the empire to be restored... But to what form and to what notion? I cannot answer for any of that, except that I do not respect the man's rule, and cannot abide the lawlessness of a crown taken by rebellion. ## Support Yaroslavovich
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Apr 19, 2014 23:08
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  For the Emperor and the House of Branas: 17 Raserys Muskatnuss theblastizard diskorians: 5 Patter Song Lord Windy Ghostwoods Tevery Best Pyroi  new byzantiny: 1 Clayren  committy for imperial integrety: 1 Readingaccount  old romance: 4 Lord Cyrahzax Gnooble AdventFalls WeaponGradeSadness  millvians: 2 occipitallobe Rejected Fate  Steppe Blackunknown No Party Affiliation   For the Duchess of Tuscany and the House of Yaroslavovna: 21  Committee for Imperial Integrity: 4 Adept Nightingale Rubix Squid TheMcD JT Jag  Phanariote Committee: 5 Frozen_flame YF-23 Aeromancia Luhood cokerpilot  Committee of St. Valeria: 1 Pester Varangian Committee: 1 DentedLamp  Komnenians in Exile: 2 Ghetto Prince GoatLord Old Rome in Exile: 1 Flesnolk  New Byzantium in Exile: 2 ChrisAsmadi OddObserver  Discordia in Exile: 1 Freudian No Party Affiliation: 4 Sindai Lost Season NewMars D3m3   Republican Malcontents: 2 Old Romans: 2 Samuel Skyfinder  BRANAS: 17 YAROSLAVOVICH: 21 EDIT: Votes are still open, that's just where we stand so far.
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Apr 19, 2014 23:14
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##support Branas
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Apr 19, 2014 23:17
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##support Yaroslvich
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Apr 19, 2014 23:18
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You fools! In two years you have learned to love Russian chains this much? You have decided that the Empire should be in perpetual rebellion too, yes? If rebels put Dobrava back on the throne, they will take her off again. Are the lot of you really ready for that? For the sake of that tyrant's brat? We need stability, and we need to firmly reestablish the old, superior order. The abomination that was the New Senate has been swept aside, and now we need to crush the traitor republics, not overthrow the Basileus! Why would we? Why would we make a child who doesn't even know what it is to be Roman our Empress? For the sake of her tyrant father? For the sake of her grandmother, who all but murdered the Komnenos dynasty herself? Blood is nothing, so let's bring back order!
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Apr 19, 2014 23:24
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:
How dare you. That is a child you are talking about! Russian, Greek, we are all Roman! My forefathers have been with the Old Romans for centuries, and they have seen heretics, Muslims, and 'Catholics' try to sway the Emperors. But never have I seen such a disgusting display. If this is what being an Old Roman has come to, then I ##renounce my support for Branas. #support Yaroslvich The red suits me better anyway. My idea for settling this matter still stands: have the false Emperor and the dethroned Empress marry matrilineally, and educate their children as Greeks. While I favored the education methods of Kiev-Byzantium, educating them as Greeks would quell some of the Douxes I feel.
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Apr 19, 2014 23:58
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I have never heard anything so idiotic. I speak harshly about a pretender, and you support civil war without end? All the fools should join you and the brat. Why support her? None of you would be clamoring for her to rule if she was just another noble, right? But you are all swept up the romance of it! Restore a poor dethroned princess for no reason, slaughtering even more Roman sons for nothing? Why not? Maybe she'll marry one of you! I would ask all the supporters of the Yaroslavoviches: is it worth it? What, besides her blood, apparently, makes her so fit to rule us that you would butcher thousands for it? We will be put at the mercy of our enemies, our cities will be sacked, our fortresses will be razed, our daughters will be raped, and our wives will be widowed. But the brat gets to be Empress. Hooray. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 00:09
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:
Then TEACH HER you sniveling brat. What is more Roman than to teach someone else to be Roman? Yet it seems you can't even muster up the courage to do anything that belch out hot air or demand that the soldiers do the educating for you at sword point while you sit comfortably in the Senate doing NOTHING but drink and blather. If you want everyone to be a proper Roman than how about you start acting like one and lead by example? Until then you are nothing more than a coward who shrinks at the sight of a Russian or a Turk.
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Apr 20, 2014 00:49
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AdventFalls posted:How dare you. That is a child you are talking about! Russian, Greek, we are all Roman! My forefathers have been with the Old Romans for centuries, and they have seen heretics, Muslims, and 'Catholics' try to sway the Emperors. But never have I seen such a disgusting display. The Emperor sits on the throne, why would he end his own dynasty? - I do support the idea that he should marry the dethroned princess to solidify his hold on the empire, in much the same way Roman noblemen would marry their foes to promote unity, however it should be under the Roman Branas dynasty.
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Apr 20, 2014 00:56
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Gnooble posted:The Emperor sits on the throne, why would he end his own dynasty? - I do support the idea that he should marry the dethroned princess to solidify his hold on the empire, in much the same way Roman noblemen would marry their foes to promote unity, however it should be under the Roman Branas dynasty. I support the matrilineal idea because the current Emperor held no land prior to his ascension to the purple. Not even a barony. He held no role of distinction within the Empire prior to his being selected by a Doux to become a puppet.
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Apr 20, 2014 01:10
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Oops, in my hurry, I forgot to state my party leanings. I was going to eat. Well, I stand with the Phanariotes. It's great to learn, because knowledge is power!
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Apr 20, 2014 01:59
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Since the Milivians are sort of no longer necessary, I am now a Phanariote Committee member. I ## Support Yaroslavovich
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Apr 20, 2014 02:13
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 My fellow esteemed Senators, may I have your ear? ## I believe in Yaroslavich. In the merchant republics, all is thought of in pragmatic terms. Emotion, if used at all, is to be carefully measured. Pragmatism is what binds the realms. Pragmatism is what keeps the coin flowing. I myself think in pragmatic terms when I came to my decision. But I know this senate. You try to ignore the realities of the politic you deal in, preferring to clothe it in rhetoric of "what Rome should be" instead of the stark naked "what Rome is". You try to manipulate the hearts and souls of each other, using the oratory of Cicero to mask the actions of Brutus. This language of overblown heartstrings is what you listen to, and it is this language that I shall speak now: The Douxes are the true scum of this grand Empire. Greater than the "Catholic", the Mohametan, or the Russian. The purpose of the grand tradition of the senate is, from what I can surmise, is the check the power of these pompous fools - to ensure they fall into line and never consider betraying the Empire that shelters and feeds them. This...this "Branas" fellow...he is a hapless puppet of those landed relics, dreaming of great things but never to achieve them if they run afoul of his masters. The Tsar, forceful and abrasive as he was, was clearly independent and wanted what he saw as best for his children and the empire of his wife. I would be a liar if I did not think that the Douxes had something to do with his death, likely fearing that the Tsar would come for them after his senatorial reforms were complete. The aristocrats conspired to kill our Tsar, forced a civil war using a hopeless puppet to carry out their will, and, perhaps most heinous of all, robbed a child - little girl - of her birthright. The ex-Tsarista is young, yes. She is not Roman or Greek, yes. But she is of the Purple. If raised correctly, she has the potential to be one of the grandest Empresses Rome will ever know. And to those of you who dare throw her away because of her heritage - recall that the first rulers of Rome were Etruscans, and that there have been Saracens, Macedonians, Dacians, and more who have held the throne. Slavic blood does not mean she is unworthy, nay, I would say this blood gives her potential. I believe in the senate. I believe in Rome. I believe in this little girl. I believe in Yaroslavich.
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Apr 20, 2014 03:56
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It isn't what we believe, it is what we know. I know that you cannot win a crusade against the doukes. Why? They must wage your war. To defeat the "doukes" you must court them. Convince them. Let them wage the war. And after it is over, if you win, do you know what they will know? They took an Empress off the throne, and put her right back on. They will know that they are the real power in the Empire, and that the Emperors rule at their convenience. If you must believe something, believe that.
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Apr 20, 2014 04:09
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Hellenic Restoration ##Kommenos
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Apr 20, 2014 04:19
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Allowing the Empire to be led by a figurehead controlled by whatever Doux holds the most power on any given day is a sure recipe for disaster. In the interest of the security and continued survival of Kiev-Byzantium I support our rightful Empress. ##Support Yaroslavovich
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Apr 20, 2014 04:40
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Funky Valentine posted:I believe in Yaroslavich. The esteemed senator who flies the flag of the newly-independent and traitorous Republic of Venice strikes near the point, but misses it cleanly. The issue of the de-throned empresses' age and blood are not that these are unbecoming of a Roman ruler, but that they are unbecoming of a Roman ruler at a period of great instability. You speak of the late Tsar as if he were some man of great character, but I remind you that he ruled Rome for but a year and his own homeland for but a few years more. What, in that time, did he do to so impress so many of you? Did he reclaim lost Roman land? Did he strike terror into the hearts of the wretched of the earth? Nay, he went on a vacation with the lickspittle senators of this body who were so quick to fall in line after he beheaded a few of our number. He traveled from the holy land to Kiev spending money and copulating with the daughters of every innkeeper along the way until eventually he was done in, not by the bullshit he spoke but the bullshit beneath his feet. I am not an unkind man. The young girl should not be put to death, nor should she be divested of the lands she now rules. As a token of mercy I would counsel our esteemed emperor Branas to accept her back as a vassal of Rome, for she cannot truly be held accountable for her actions.For all this talk of puppets, she herself is but a child under the power of her guardian and her family in Kiev. In time she will see the peace that comes from this situation and will be thankful to have lost. Clayren fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 04:50
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Voting is now closed!
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Apr 20, 2014 05:14
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(My, those are nice party emblems you got there.  What does the old Fraternalist and Venetian Committee ones look like?)Senators, I think we've overlooked something very important in the power struggles of the past century. WHERE IS THE NOBLE BREED OF CONSUL SCRUFFLES?! It's been so long.  (In absence of timely Scruffles related news, eh, ##SteppeUp)
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Apr 20, 2014 05:16
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mageofthesands posted:(My, those are nice party emblems you got there. As sad as it might be, I believe that the most recent of the Scruffles line died in the poo poo explosion. We must find his heir. All who want to join me in this noble quest, please meet me downstairs. Many of us might not return, so think carefully before you depart.
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Apr 20, 2014 05:22
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Rubix Squid posted:
There's only three years to teach her, if it possible to replace her mentor. Supporting her is almost certain to mean at least two more civil wars.
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Apr 20, 2014 05:37
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It is too late! Half the Senate has decided to commit suicide. Well, to still call them Senators would be presumptuous, yes? You fools and traitors have chosen exile to the ruin of Florence, for what? A ~litte girl~ has lost a throne she didn't deserve? You would surrender everything, see thousands dead, for that? I will not be joining you. I will be hear with Emperor Komitas and Doux Helias with the rest of the real Senate. The Empire is restored.
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Apr 20, 2014 05:43
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For the Emperor and the House of Branas: 17 Raserys Muskatnuss theblastizard diskorians: 5 Patter Song Lord Windy Ghostwoods Tevery Best Pyroi new byzantiny: 1 Clayren committy for imperial integrety: 1 Readingaccount old romance: 4 Lord Cyrahzax Gnooble WeaponGradeSadness Grim reaper millvians: 2 occipitallobe Rejected Fate Steppe Blackunknown No Party Affiliation For the Duchess of Tuscany and the House of Yaroslavovna: 26 Committee for Imperial Integrity: 5 Adept Nightingale Rubix Squid TheMcD JT Jag Mirdini Phanariote Committee: 8 Frozen_flame YF-23 Aeromancia Luhood cokerpilot AdventFalls WilliamAnderson D3m3 Committee of St. Valeria: 1 Pester Committee of Venice: 1 Funky Valentine Varangian Committee: 2 DentedLamp mcclay Komnenians in Exile: 2 Ghetto Prince GoatLord Old Rome in Exile: 1 Flesnolk New Byzantium in Exile: 2 ChrisAsmadi OddObserver Discordia in Exile: 1 Freudian No Party Affiliation: 3 Sindai Lost Season NewMars Republican Malcontents: 2 Old Romans: 2 Samuel Skyfinder And, finally, ThatBasqueGuy proves that the Hellenic restoration is still living in the past by voting for the Komnenoi. BRANAS: 17 YAROSLAVOVICH: 26
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Apr 20, 2014 05:56
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PART TWENTY-EIGHT: The Growing Pains of Dobrava Yaroslavovna (1362-1368) I suppose it could have been worse.  I am still the Duchess of Tuscany, controlling the provinces of Florence and Lucca, with Countess Aleksandra of Siena remaining my direct vassal. I am also still the titular doukessa of the Theme of Thrace, although, as Emperor Komitas has seen fit to seize Constantinople for himself, my powers extend only to the province of Thrake. Thrake's proximity to the capital, coupled with the crippling debts incurred by the civil war, have made it very difficult to administer. Still, Tuscany alone is nothing to sneeze at.  So, not only have I escaped with my head, I am still a noble of consequence in the empire. And I still enjoy the friendship and protection of Queen Basillike of Sicily— perhaps the most powerful vassal of the Roman Empire. It is still difficult to adjust to the smaller scale of the politics I am now engaged in. Once, my regents were kings and doukes. Now, a humble baron has been placed in charge of my themes. At least his coat of arms is a cute squirrel, though. I feel rather less threatened by him than I am by my past regents.  Of more concern is my council. Many of the talented men and women who had served me in Constantinople are gone— either purged by Doux Helias, killed in the fighting, or absorbed into the usurper's regime. My new councilors are by and large loyal— although Basillike has told me to mind Ecclesiarch Mastino the Wicked-- but mediocre in the arts of statecraft compared to the great minds available to an empress.  Basillike has avoided visting Constantinople, for fear of provoking Helias, but her agents have kept us informed of developments there. She told me of a certain decay in the centralized authority of the emperor, with the empire falling under gavelkind law. Not that it mattered, however, as Emperor Komitas possessed only a single title aside from that of emperor: komes of Constantinople. His heir? His own father. Basillike tells me that I'm very grown-up compared to the emperor, even though he's old enough he doesn't have a regent.   Yuriy, removed from the throne of Kiev by Rurikovich usurpers, requested the aid of Tuscany in a war against his false liege. Basillike advised me to accept his offer, although we can hardly afford the expense. "We must tell the empire that you are still a major force amongst the vassals."  Unfortunately, the only support we could lend was of the moral variety.  It turns out that there was a silver lining to the sorry state of my levies, however— it meant we had a plausible excuse to avoid aiding the usurper in his own wars. While the merchant republics of the empire all slipped away from Roman control in the aftermath of the civil war, Branas still felt obliged to them for their aid, and they easily influenced the young emperor. First, Belgorod dragged Komitas into an embargo war against the mighty Republic of Somalia--  And then, mere days later, Abkhazia induced the Emperor to declare an embargo war on their rivals for the Black Sea Trade in Belgorod. I know I still have a lot to learn about being an Empress, but I feel like Basillike's taught me enough to avoid doing things like going to war on behalf of an ally, and then declaring war on that ally a few days later. That's a pretty bad idea, isn't it?  The Fatimids seemed to think so, anyway.  All this fighting was far from Italy, however, and my own life changed very little. I felt very frustrated by my inability to do more for my brother. Sometimes, it was very hard not to lash out at the people around me. I knew, however, that a good empress— or even a good duchess— had to be kind to those around her. Basillike taught me that.  Basillike has been so good to me. I want so very badly not to disappoint her, to do what she thinks is right.   Somalia, for all its riches, was finding it difficult to fight a war so far from their own territory. Basillike has gone to fight with the imperial troops. "I want the empire you inherit to be strong," she told me, "so if I have to try to fix Komitas' mistakes, then, so be it." While Somalia was able to land a truly immense army in Anatolia (Did they hire boats from the Gauhar Ayin or Fatimids? Carry their great merchant dromonds across the Sinai peninsula as portage? Circumnavigate the entire African continent and then sail across the Mediterranean?) the troops were still retching and seasick from their rough voyage when imperial forces fell on them; the Somalis fought at a substantial disadvantage.  My brother's solitary struggle against Kiev, Third Rome, was going less well.  But there was little I could do. While many of the regiments of my personal standing army followed me to Tuscany, I couldn't afford to even begin replenishing their ranks. I had 2600 soldiers to my name— not enough to make any sort of difference in the struggle for the Kievan throne.  While the wars against Somalia and Belgorod were going well for Komitas, he was having a lot more trouble in Egypt. The two rival Fatimid states— the Shia Caliphate proper, and the breakaway kingdom once absurdly known as "Jerusalem" but know known, rather more sensibly, as "Egypt"— had finally found something they could agree on— Alexandria and its surrounding countryside must be reclaimed from the Romans.  With the Roman Empire occupied, Pope Paul III took the initiative to punish the French for their repeated attempts to conquer Latium by seizing Corsica and Sardinia.  He also officially moved his capital from Orbetello back to whatever was left of the city of Rome. They say it took months for him to transport his treasury down Italian coast.  The war against Belgorod came to an end after the Katepano was captured in the January of 1364.   With one war brought to a swift conclusion, and the war against the Somalian Republic going well, Byzantine troops began to make probing attacks against the Fatimid forces in Egypt.  Today, I finally came of age.  I am, to be entirely honest, not entirely confident about my own abilities in many of the areas of statecraft. I asked Basillike if she'd still help me. She said that of course she'd always be a friend to the Yaroslavoviches.  On her advice, I began sending out feelers amongst the vassals of the empire to see who, if anybody, would back my claim to the throne.  Komitas Branas was unpopular amongst many other nobles, and I was rapidly approached about backing various plots and intrigues against him. For the time being, however, few would openly support replacing him with me.  My own resources alone made me the most significant claimant to the throne— Prince Gerasimos Komnenos, Doux of Crete, had scarcely 900 soldiers to his name. However, most of those opposed to the Branas regime sought to follow the merchant republics into independence under the leadership of the Duke of Lombardy. Of course, even this faction refused to stoop so low so as to take up arms against an emperor as he fought off a Fatimid jihad. There was, therefore, still time to maneuver.  I knew that, eventually, I would have to find some way to sway the vassals of the empire to my side. For now, however, I could try to gain allies outside the empire. I remember how, in my father's reign, his New Senate advised an alliance with the kingdom of France. The French, however, refused to make any marriage alliance. I suppose I can't blame them-- in their eyes, I was just some Russian duchess with little to her name but a Tuscan villa and a dream. Instead, I betrothed myself to a prince of England— and hoped the de Contevilles would be better at moving armies by sea than the Somalians. I was not terribly optimistic.  Sometimes, I wonder what my life had been like if the House of Yaroslavl had never married into the house of Komnenos, if we had stuck to just being Tsars of Kiev, Russians ruling over Russians. But, then, had the circumstances of our family been so altered, my father, my brother, and myself would never have been born in the first place. I am continuing my education under Basillike. "Turning 16 is no excuse to stop improving yourself," she says, again and again. Sometimes, I'm afraid that she's disappointed in me.  But if I keep on studying hard, I know she'll feel better.  In Egypt, the combined Fatimid war effort was rapidly disintegrating. A good thing for Christendom, perhaps, but I feared for the effect it might have on the emperor's prestige. It's an ugly thought to have. I need to stop thinking of things like that, or Basillike might think I'm selfish.  Bankrupted by their defeat, Belgorod, like Genoa before it, was unable to pay its mercenaries. This time, however, the aggrieved Lombard Band called the whole brotherhood of dispossessed Catholic mercenaries which had come together in service of the Papal State-- and then the Papal State itself. That's what Komitas' war on Belgorod won for the empire, then— the fall of an Orthodox republic and the establishment of a Catholic military dictatorship on the banks of the Danube.   But there has been good news, too. For some mysterious reason known only to Iziaslav II, the Grand Duke of Kiev made peace with my brother.  Prince Gerald de Conteville came of age, and we were finally married. I'm married. That's supposed to be one of the most important things you can do in your life, but all I can think of is the gold he brought to my coffers, to the alliance our match represents, to the effect this has on the concrete political realities of my position. That sort of thing is easier to think about than Gerald, the man, my husband. He doesn't understand a word of Russian, of course, or Greek, or Italian, or Arabic. I don't know any English, either, so we're reduced to speaking Latin to one another. As if trying to get to grips with being married wasn't hard enough! How does anybody ever... you know... produce an heir?  My brother was stripped of his remaining titles by the perfidious Grand Duke, and sent into exile in my court. For some reason, I'm struck by how Russian he is. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised by this? Maybe I've been in Italy for too long, living amongst Italians and Greeks and Turks. And he was groomed from birth to be Grand Duke of Kiev— a Russian leading Russians.  I placed him under the care of Basillike. She'd done right by me— perhaps she would do the same for my brother.  There was still one remaining member of my dynasty holding titles in Kiev, Third Rome, however— my aunt Yekaterina. As the Kievan countess who sought her titles and the duke who backed her claim are significantly less of a force to be reckoned with than the Grand Duke of Kiev, I felt I was in a position to at least preserve this last foothold of influence in Third Rome.  And the imperial nobility continued to plot against their emperor. "Komitas the Wicked", they called him.  As I began the long journey north with my army-- the first time I'd left Italy since Doux Helias exiled me from Constantinople-- I was struck by the great beauty of the stars of the northern skies. I found a book Basillike had given me about astronomy and the art of navigation, and soon learned the names of all the constellations and how to orient myself according to their configurations.   I've finally managed to properly establish control in Thrake. It is an intensely vulnerable position— Komitas' personal power might begin and end at the Theodosian Walls, but Thrake sits in their shadow. Still, having loyal territory so close to the emperor might come in handy...  I have been trying to master the arts of intrigue, having already substantially approved my abilities in matters of learning and diplomacy. Sometimes, however, I'm not quite sure why I'm approached about certain plots.  After an extremely long journey, my forces have finally met those of my aunt, and we've joined the enemy in battle.  My aunt's flank, however, quickly melted away forcing us to face the enemy alone.  Fortunately, well-trained Tuscan soldiers were more than a match for the ragged levies of a Kievan countess and duke.  I even got to use the swordfighting lessons Basillike gave me so long ago!   A great victory, to be sure.  Perhaps it might have made more of a splash if it hadn't had happened on the same day the Fatimids formally surrendered to Emperor Komitas...  So I don't think that personal valor is how I'm going to succeed in this whole thing. That's... it's not enough?  Komitas was beginning to get suspicious of Basillike, and accused her of plotting to secede from the empire. "That's ludicrous," she said, "Sicily is part of the Roman Empire, now and forever." And then she said that she was also loyal to Komitas himself, because this isn't a story where there's any benefit to telling some kind of half-truth with a double meaning instead of just lying normally.  I still spent some months in Kiev, mopping up the reminder of the enemy's troops. Finally, enough was enough, and the war was over. I looked forward to returning to Sicily. I felt that, with the war in Egypt over, events might begin progressing very quickly.  I was right. With nothing else to distract the imperial army, Somalia quickly realized that the war effort was unsustainable, and ceased hostilities.  I've finally arrived back in Florence, and I'm struck by how much it feels like home. Kiev felt like a land of strangers— these aren't my people anymore. The crowns of Kiev and Byzantium had split after my father died— if I'm ever going to be the Roman Empress, well, then, I had better be Roman.  I shall always remember my roots, of course. I am Dobrava, daughter of Yaroslav, the Tsar of Kiev-Byzantium. But there's no future for me in the bleak north. My future is in Italy, and Greece, and Anatolia. My future is in Rome. And it's time I accepted that.  Around this time, however, many of my fellow vassals of Komitas were rapidly authoring a future for themselves outside of Rome.  Komitas issued impotent decrees to try to marginalize the military powers of his vassals, but they were simply ignored.  Amongst those vassals who still believed in the idea of Rome, however, I was quickly becoming more popular.  On February 23rd, 1368, the Doux of Lombardy issued his demands— independence for himself and his supporters, or war. Emperor Komitas did something no Komnenos ever did— he caved in to a faction and accepted its demands.  And so, with the stroke of a pen, without a single drop of blood spilt, Lombardy, Trebizond (and the other titles held by the Doux of Trebizond), Kiev, Antioch, and Jerusalem all slipped away from the empire. Every ounce of goodwill Komitas had won for his defense of Alexandria and his victories over Belgorod and Somalia was burnt up in an instant.  And my faction was now the most potent force in the empire.  Assassination Scorecard: Tsars Killed: 2 Badshahs Killed: 2 Sultans Killed: 7 Nosy Chancellors Killed: 2 Katepanos Killed: 1 Mad Bishops Killed: 1 Adventurers Killed: 1 Popes Killed: 2 Battle Scorecard Badshahs Killed: 1 Sultans Killed: 1 Katepanos Killed: 1 That guy who killed our genius heir: 1 World Map, 1368 
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Apr 20, 2014 05:59
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Well I don't care what people say, I like our Emperor  .He protected Alexandria from the Shia, he removed Somali influence from our shore (I hope my letters to him played into this), he removed the unsustainable Kiev from our Empire... perhaps letting Trebizond go was a mistake, but he is a man that rules from popular will. ....Although he could have released the Baltic provinces too. ...Ugh, does that look ugly.
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Apr 20, 2014 06:20
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OOC: so what happens now that you are independent?
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Apr 20, 2014 06:21
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