The National Assembly will soon make what is perhaps the most important vote of its existence. First, however, there will be a period of debate and discussion.
SUMMARY OF THE FACTS:
Very little is known about Rhodes, or the character of its emperor. There are a few well-attested accounts of the so-called “Roman Empire in Rhodes” from the past century or so:
Dorothea Kauffmann (Artemis), in the Athens Gazette, 1742 posted:
Great Zimbabwe, incredibly, won a war against the Somalian Republic. And that’s how Cyprus returned to the Commonwealth without us having to deal with the intractable problem of waging a naval war against the second-greatest naval power of the world.
Little Rhodes was liberated as well– and, why, you’ll never guess who’s ruling it!
A Komnenos. A Sunni Komnenos.
‘Emperor’ Timotheos Komnenos of Rhodes. No, really.
Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1828 posted:
The Mad Emperor Theodoros I Komnenos of Rhodes still insists that he, not the sovereign people of Byzantium, nor even the surviving Yaroslavid dynasts in Holland or elsewhere, is the true emperor of Rome. His island domain has become a dark mirror to the revival of the antique arts and culture seen in the late Roman empire and the Byzantine republic.
Emperor Theodoros I Komnenos
This is the first time anybody has provably come or gone from Rhodes since 1828. Indeed, nobody even knew for sure if Thedoros Komnenos had died, although given his advanced age, it seemed a safe assumption. Still, rumors— most of which read like something straight out of the most lurid histories of Suetonius— passed between the hermit empire and Byzantium.
The arrival of Kaisarios Komnenos on the shores of the Byzantine Republic have been accompanied by a new rumor— that he’s as mad as his late grandfather. Whether it’s true or not, he must have spent his entire life in the hermetically sealed world of Rhodes.
Emissaries of the Emperor have brought a portrait of Kaisarios and his Empress to Constantinople, so that everyone would know what he looked like:
Kaisarios II Komnenos, Emperor of Rome in Rhodes & the Empress Julia Drusilla
He has made only two promises— the “continuation of the Byzantine state” (whatever that means), and not to kill the entire National Assembly for defying him.
On the other hand, if rejected, there will almost certainly be a civil war. And while, if victorious, the Republic and all its liberties, institutions, and laws will survive— a loss would have quite unfortunate consequences.
Or, to get real for a second…
If we accept Kaisarios as emperor… BYZ will become a monarchy of some sort (so, no, we won’t become “Rome”, since the only way that can happen in ByzMod is if we go fascist. Which we aren’t doing.) Which type, and with what political reforms, remains unknown. Life is full of surprises when you put a sheltered teenager in charge of an empire.
If we reject Kaisarios… we will fight a civil war against Kaisarios’ supporters (or, well, the republic’s opponents). If we win, I’ll give us some kind of nice event, a core on Rhodes, maybe some cash and an infamy reduction because holy moley could we use a break. If we lose, it’s a game over. Which, as we’ve seen, doesn’t mean the end of the LP. But we probably won’t enjoy it very much.
##Vote A: Support the Republic: 49
TheMcD
Ghostwoods
Erwin the German
Cestrian
BwenGun
Jimmy4400nav
General Antares
Freudian
Tevery Best
NewMars
Luhood
GunnerJ
Technowolf
Reveilled
loquacius
Rejected
Caustic Soda
RZApublican
Rumda
Sky Shadowing
ThatBasqueGuy
Hitlers Gay Secret
Glenn Zimmerman
paragon1
Hutter
JT Jag
Tulip
GoatLord
Flesnolk
StrifeHira
mcclay
tatankatonk
Grizzwold
Pacho
Blackunknown
Meinberg
Ogianres
sloshmonger
LowellDND
Unwise_Cashew
Rahmbo
RagnarokZ
chippocrates
Magni
Shadow gamer
vancho1
Lynneth
Clayren
Frontspac
NGDBSS
##Vote B: Support Kaisarios: 21
Jeoh
AJ_Impy
HiHo ChiRho
QuoProQuid
Lord Cyrahzax
Arbite
Chief Savage Man
Zikan
Readingaccount
Juvenalian.Satyr
WeaponGradeSadness
Packyy
ninjahedgehog
TheFlyingLlama
Ghetto Prince
GSD
Dry Hump
Duckbag
420 Gank Mid
Patter Song
Horsebanger
Vote closed!