Don't I do anything right?

[Kaiser Ayreon]

Well, yeah?

[hypatias mom]

Your Niftiness--

Yes, you are making changes, and changes feel threatening to a lot of people. I think they make sense, and people will probably adust to them with time. If you find they don't accompliish what you hoped, you can always rescind them. As Kaiser, you have the right and restponsibility to put in the changes you feel are necessary. You are more responsive than many former Kaisers to reasoned opposing comments, but the final decisions must remain yours.

You are doing fine, and are leading the country through a transition from war and economic change to a period of peace and domestic development. I, for one, am grateful for your reign.

[Erik Mortis]

You need to understand. It's my job as "the old guy" to be a stickler about tradition.

but... in honesty. This is your first time as Kaiser, And my memory doesn't recall you having a large amount of experience in the upper levels of the government before becoming Kaiser. With that said, you have tried a number of times to implement laws that change some of the older institutions of the nation. Namely the recent decree to change the ministries. You are Kaiser and can change things at will, but you seem to like to kinda fix things people think don't need to change, or at least not drastically.

Honestly I think Jacobus may have said what I mean to:

The effective way to do these things is to float the ideas in the forum or the Landsraad. Throwing around decrees with ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY that no one pays attention to merely waters the Kaiser's authority and hastens the day of Mors V!.

Something I've noticed in recent times, is the attempt by Kaisers/Steward to wield blunt and unchecked power. While the Kaiser IS all powerful, we have to remember, this isn't real life, people can leave, they can rebel, then can ignore you. Absolute power needs to be managed. I myself made this mistake a lot early on. And it drove me out of power.

This is part of the reason I've been so active as Arbiter. Under Hasan, and with Ardy, I kept having to try to check their use of blunt power, especially when it violated the charter. And, along with the rise in legalistic tactics by some, this nation is drifting in a bad direction.

You aren't a bad Kaiser, but you need to remember, as much as we like to pretend we are an absolute monarchy.. we still get our power from the people. As Kaiser you have absolute power, until people don't like you anymore. Right now people like you. But if you just start changing things out of nowhere, that can change.

Also, on occasions when your intervention would have been useful, you have not said a word. Since it effects me, I mostly refer to various legal battles I have had to face as Arbiter, and the complete lack of support I have received. Hasam and Ardy have numerous times gone out of their way to challenge court rulings about laws, to the point of absurdity. When I pointed out that the Steward could not fire the Praetor, or order him about, the whole fight about whether the praetor was a member of the landsraad.. and various other ludicrous legalistic maneuvers really angered me. In the end, I myself was forced to use blunt power and tell them to shut up and accept my ruling. Which led to accusations of Empire building by the court, which are true to be honest. But as the Judex has never had any outspoken support from the Kaiser, we've been forced to entrench and slug it out.

The fact that you even come to the IAC shows that you have skill as a Kaiser, even if you ignored us, if you at least honestly sought to hear what we had to say.

I think all that really needs to happen is you need to more thoroughly acquaint yourself with the traditions and institutions already in place in this nation. I point out your attempt to create a cabinet for the ministers to advise you, when you already had the IAC, though not active yet.

I don't mean any of this to discourage you, or break your spirits. If it means anything I don't seek your removal or abdication or overthrow or any of that. I do support you as Kaiser. Perhaps just ponder ideas a bit more, ask us for advice.. etc.
As it stands you are one of the more prolific Kaisers, in terms of decrees. Perhaps that may indicate something. Perhaps not.

[Kaiser Ayreon]

Thanks, Erik and Carol.

-

I appreciate the fact that I need to learn to be a bit more traditional. I will read up more about the history here, and in all fairness I haven't been here that long...

Points of action then.

Ask for more advice on decrees.
Listen to the People
Speak out when needed to.

Well... I'd like you to bring matters to me as well. As advisers you're not only here to answer my questions, but to bring questions before me. So let's go ahead with that

Erik, thanks.

[Aurangzeb Khan]

Decrees should be enforced and ministers punished when they do not comply with the Imperial Will. Activity is in the sub-divisions and the economy. Only the overly sentimental get worked up about petty things such as ministerial name changes (and the old names, like the flag, tend to be pretty awful), everyone else has plenty to be preoccupied with otherwise.

Your Imperial Majesty, if you have admin powers I suggest you work with Ari to enforce the changes you desire.

Edit: Indeed the changes are now in effect and with sufficient time they will bed down and be controversial to no one.

[Erik Mortis]

Like I said... Blunt Power is not the way to go.

[Ari Rahikkala]

OK, my advice about some recent stuff:

Don't worry about the ministry names. You can just leave stuff like that for the next kaiser so you don't need to lose face by waffling about minor things.

Do not give land to Tellia. You have historical precedent and principles to protect, after all. If anything, negotiate (or have Corey negotiate) a land use treaty that lets them administrate one of the islands, have access to its resources (not that there are any listed in the MCS's resources map), etc.. Let them build cities (but not military bases) but have the MCS mod for those cities go through us, that sort of thing. They could get a good "Christians oppressed by Cedrist overlords" thing going

Oh, and slap Hesam or something for being a miserable legalistic git, and make sure Yvain's will (100 erb to Mike Fors, 39 to Jacobus, 150 to himself) gets honoured once Scott gets around to registering his bank account...

[Erik Mortis]

Don't worry about the ministry names. You can just leave stuff like that for the next kaiser...

Like me!

[Kaiser Ayreon]

I actually have some ideas for a next kaiser... but I will have to talk to zir about whether ze is willing to take up the throne upon my death. I won't abdicate. Only death may take me from my throne.

[Erik Mortis]

I'm patient.. it'll come back to me eventually. Then I can work on the charter and a few other things.

[hypatias mom]

Let's try not to hasten that day, alright, Your Niftiness? We've had enough shocks around here lately to last us quite a while.

[Erik Mortis]

I love good plot lines...