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Post by GMS Freeman on Jan 16, 2022 10:51:54 GMT
[Ask the city guard for help]
[Meet with Robert Tavner]
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Post by InGenNateKenny on Jan 18, 2022 6:57:15 GMT
[Ask Vitihho for help] I like working with the sketchy types.
[Refuse to meet with him] This guy seems sketchy; we should stay away from him.
Leonard sure seemed like he wanted to punch somebody, Quent or otherwise. I like the comedic juxtaposition having a calm, not particularly strongly opinionated Kersea (who, again, is/was an assassin) and a volcano on the verge of eruption in the form of Leonard (a supposedly dignified knight) interacting with an old geezer like Quent who resembles a medieval Professor Farnsworth and is more of a disagreeable fellow than I recall.
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Post by TheAPlegends on Jan 21, 2022 0:01:19 GMT
[Ask Vitihho for help]
[Refuse to meet with him]
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Feb 7, 2022 2:35:30 GMT
[Ask the city guard for help] I think this is probably the safer option because there are some good city guard characters that have no connection to Mullendore, so its interesting to see if what I think happpens actually does. Keresea can gain a valuable ally if so [Meet with Robert Tavner] Only fair to give it a chance and feel him out, don't think there is much risk involved in this one Yeah, there are indeed good people still in the city guard. It's been confirmed back in Book 1 that most guardsmen never knew of Mullendore's dealings as Butterfly. Maron himself confirmed that not even his closest captains in the city guard knew of this, with Samuel's old companion Jaylon being the sole exception. Now that Maron has stepped down to serve Petyr Vyrwel, the city guard is actually led by Farris Flowers, who was one of the more reasonable guardsmen in Book 1. Of course, being reasonable doesn't necessarily mean that he will align himself with Kersea and Leonard, who are, after all, both wanted fugitives. Aye, not much that can go wrong in hearing him out. Tavner is still a bit of a mystery, he's been mentioned from time to time but hasn't appeared yet, Keat's not too fond of him (mostly because he's in debt to Tavner's right-hand man), but Hishi is confirmed to work with him, so he cannot be as bad as Mullendore. He will make his first appearance in this chapter, giving you a better idea of what type of man he is.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Feb 7, 2022 2:45:19 GMT
[Ask Vitihho for help] I like working with the sketchy types. [Refuse to meet with him] This guy seems sketchy; we should stay away from him. Leonard sure seemed like he wanted to punch somebody, Quent or otherwise. I like the comedic juxtaposition having a calm, not particularly strongly opinionated Kersea (who, again, is/was an assassin) and a volcano on the verge of eruption in the form of Leonard (a supposedly dignified knight) interacting with an old geezer like Quent who resembles a medieval Professor Farnsworth and is more of a disagreeable fellow than I recall. Indeed, Leonard would have actually gotten violent here if not for the fact that Quent is a couple of days older than dirt and unlikely to survive even a light punch. He still has enough self control not to lower himself to that level, but the archmaester really didn't make it easy for him. As you remember, Leonard was against working with Quent back in Book 1 and considering how that ended, it's definitely his greatest shame. Of course, Lucas was the one who made the decision not to work with Quent, but Leonard has this thought that perhaps things could have been different if only he had argued in Quent's favour. Lunett could have lived and since Petyr and Maron justified Lucas' trial by combat by blaming him for her death, this would have really changed a lot. So, he's not happy to be reminded of his own mistake and Quent, as it turns out, is a petty, vindictive bastard and has absolutely zero problems with taunting him. He himself feels slighted and this means that Leonard's discomfort satisfies him greatly. By comparison, Kersea has no ties to this part of the plot, Quent is a stranger to her and she's therefore a lot calmer in his presence.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Feb 10, 2022 2:47:40 GMT
The Voting is closed!
Kersea is going to ask the city guard for help
Ilish is going to meet with Robert Tavner For whatever reason, I keep calling Robert 'Roland', like the Borderlands guy. He's been submitted for several years now, I've mentioned him in every single chapter of Book 2 and in every single one of them I had to read back and correct his name. I even wrote it wrong in this post before realizing it and fixing it. At this point, perhaps I should just retcon it. In any way, Ilish's meeting with Roland Robert will be one of her highlights of this chapter and the first time this character will be introduced. He's quite a different breed from the Burned Man or Butterfly, as you will soon see, a very intriguing character whom I am looking forward for. The next part will hopefully be out tomorrow. It will mark the return of the Raylansfair storyline in the form of Arthur's part, but it will also feature one of the PoV's whom we haven't seen in a while, Lachlan Keding from the Vale of Arryn. Last time we saw Arthur was in this part, he and Rodrik Grimthorn, the Sphynx, ventured to the castle, where they wanted to negotiate with the Tom about a possible alliance between them against Wolfius Woodbark and his enigmatic master, Lupin Frostborn. Before Arthur could talk to the Tom, however, he was interrupted by none other than Maron Mullendore, who had apparently been seeking to talk to him for a while now. He was unusually cordial in this talk, even implying that he'd rather see Arthur as the commander of Raylansfair's city guard instead of Daemion Stratford, mostly because of Hackor's deeds and good reputation, a notion which Arthur firmly rejected. Eventually, it became clear why he was trying to talk to Arthur. As you remember, Arthur had been the one to find Sherryl and hear her final words, making him one of the few characters in Raylansfair who knows the depths of Mullendore's crimes and his ties to Petyr Vyrwel and Devrin Oakheart. Of course, Maron doesn't know that, but he has an assumption and his entire talk with Arthur served the purpose of finding out about it, while subtly framing Sherryl as a mentally ill ex-lover of his who spreads baseless rumours out of insane jealousy. To confirm your suspicions here, nothing of what he said about Sherryl should be taken without a grain of salt, but you probably knew that already. In any way, Arthur was given the choice to either confirm that he spoke to Sherryl before her death or to deny it and you chose honesty. The next part will show how this will work out for Arthur. Meanwhile, Lachlan hasn't actually appeared in this chapter yet, but his storyline will take an interesting twist in the parts to come. Last time we saw him, he intercepted a suspicious figure that was apparently trying to leave Gull Tower at night. To remind you of the entire situation, Lachlan had been sent to Gull Tower, seat of the once-powerful knightly House Shett, to confirm their loyalty to House Royce now that the War of Conquest is starting to threaten the Vale. He was accompanied by his cousin Kyle Coldwater and Lord Royce's son and heir Osborn, who apparently has a history with Ser Sterling Shett's daughter and heiress Octavia. The very same Octavia has been linked to a sellsword army that has landed in Gulltown, namely the Hawk and his Three Companies, which brings up the possibility that Sterling hired them to add some military might to a potential coup against House Royce. In any way, the nightly figure whom Lachlan tried to stop from leaving the keep was none other than Ames Howard, Sterling's captain of the guard. Lachlan quickly deduced that Ames had packed for a longer journey, implying that he meant to leave Gull Tower for the time being and when he questioned him on this suspicious behaviour, the man quickly cracked. He invited Lachlan to a nightly ride, during which he would explain his plans and motives. As they made their way out of Gull Tower, Ames claimed that it was actually Orson Royce and not his bannermen who were conspiring against House Arryn. According to him, Orson was in league with House Targaryen, while a few disgruntled Royce bannermen, namely Sterling Shett and Torgold Tollett, were trying to stop him from handing Gull Town over to House Targaryen. He himself was riding to Gulltown to warn Octavia Shett that Orson suspects them already. Sensing that Lachlan is a reasonable man, Ames tried to win him over for their cause, but Lachlan was torn between the man's arguments and his loyalty to Orson Royce. Failing that, Ames would have been perfectly fine with just forgetting their conversation and going on his merry way, but Lachlan chose to intervene and try to stop him. We'll see how this works out in his next part.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Feb 13, 2022 1:23:26 GMT
Arthur “I…”, Arthur began. Maron Mullendore’s one eye narrowed, but he remained quiet. Arthur knew what sort of man he was dealing with here. Perhaps Sherryl had exaggerated back then, lied to him about the sheer number of the knight’s crimes, the sheer extent of his treason. He wouldn’t put it past her. And yet, she had undeniably honest with one thing and it made Arthur at least wary, it was enough for him to consider that she had actually been honest with him. Maron Mullendore was exactly as dangerous as she had claimed him to be, one only had to look at his face, scars mingling with early wrinkles, sternness mixed with intelligence. There was a slight smile on his face, but it was all for show. He was a cunning man and that meant he was dangerous as well. “I did meet her”, he confirmed and still there was no reaction from Mullendore. But Arthur would not lie to him. He wouldn’t tell him the full truth, of course, but he had the fleeting suspicion that the knight suspected him to have met Sherryl already. It would be suspicious to deny even this clear fact. “She had been injured during the battle, a severe facial wound. I think it was already infected by the time I caught up to her” Maron grimaced and this time, though Arthur was not entirely certain, the knight’s smile grew more nervous. “She was cornered and desperate, but badly injured. A more decisive man could have overwhelmed her, taken her in for further questioning”, Arthur continued. “I… tried to talk her down. I tried to reason with her and I let my guard down. She pulled a knife and I was too late to stop her from ending her own life” “She killed herself?”, Maron asked. “Seven… I told you we did not split on good terms, but I never wanted such a fate for her. Nor would I have imagined her to go that far… yes, her beauty was her greatest asset, but losing it… the Sherryl I knew wouldn’t have killed herself over this. Did she say anything to you?” Now, Arthur shook his head, this time a clear lie. He could only hope the knight would believe him. “She was rambling”, he revealed. “I hardly remember, but it seems she’s been angry at someone” “Must have been me”, Maron revealed, surprising Arthur with his honesty. “I wager she mentioned me by name, yes?” To this, Arthur could only nod, though he wouldn’t reveal just how much Sherryl had told him. “She mentioned a couple of names. Harris, our old castellan, who died during the raid, but also someone named Maron. That must have been you then?” “Aye”, the knight confirmed. “I suppose she was still mighty pissed at me, the poor girl. We were involved for a while, back in Oldtown. I know what you’re thinking now, the age difference is quite startling, but you’ve seen her. I’m just a man and I have my vices. I enjoyed her attention, her devotion. She made me happy, for a while” His expression shifted now. Briefly, he seemed lost in thought and there was something genuine in his smile. “I don’t regret the time we spent together, but even then, I failed to recognize her obsession with me” “What was she doing in Raylansfair?”, Arthur asked and Maron shrugged. “Beats me”, the knight replied. “I broke things off with her in the end. She didn’t take it well, but last I heard, she left Oldtown and for me, that was the end of it. You can imagine my surprise when I heard she was causing trouble for you up here, but for the life of mine I cannot imagine what she wanted to do here. My best guess is that she was hoping to latch herself onto your old castellan. She said nothing else before she took her life?” Arthur shook his head and perhaps he just imagined it, but now there was a hint of relief on the old knight’s face. It was all he needed to know to confirm Sherryl’s tale. “That’s a shame”, Mullendore mumbled. “All of this is a bloody shame. Sherryl’s been a good woman, believe it or not and once upon a time I’ve been very fond of her” He let out a heartfelt sigh, as he stared down at the city again. “But you… you solved that case. You’ve been by her side in her final moments and for that, you have my thanks”, he added and indeed, his tone was genuine. It was a far cry from what Arthur had expected after all he had heard of him, but he was not naive enough to assume that Mullendore wasn’t aiming for another angle here. Though his father would disagree, Arthur had always considered himself a capable guardsman and he recognized an interrogation for what it was. “I would have done the same for anyone, m’lord”, he confirmed and it was nothing but the truth. Mullendore gave him a firm nod. “That honours you, Nathamer”, he complimented him. “Also makes you a reliable man in my opinion. That’s an important virtue to have. All my life I have tried to surround myself with reliable men” Instinctively, Arthur had to glance down at the courtyard, where the Sphynx was chatting with the Tom. Mullendore followed his gaze and let out a dry chuckle. “They are better than their reputation”, he claimed. “The Tom is of unfailing loyalty to the one who pays him. I know he would never turn against me and that’s why I keep him close” Now, he looked back at Arthur. “As for you… I’m going to be honest with you, I want to make connections here in the city. My men are strangers and while they have blended right in back in Oldtown, they stick out here in Raylansfair. Folk don’t trust them and I’m afraid it’ll take years until they do. That’s why I want to establish a good rapport with reliable locals. Your commander, Stratford, he’s not been very forthcoming, but I believe you and I are more agreeable” Now, Arthur briefly narrowed his eyes. “If this is about a promotion, I have to decline, respectfully”, he clarified. “I don’t know if my father would have changed his mind had he lived for longer, but Daemion Stratford was his chosen successor. I don’t claim to be happy with his decision, but it’s the only thing I can still do to honour him. I’ll respect his wishes” There was something else within Mullendore’s gaze, a brief moment of sorrow. “I know that feeling…”, he mumbled. “I was your age, perhaps a bit younger when my father was killed. Skewered by some backalley thug, a petty criminal who never got caught. He was part of Oldtown’s city guard and I joined forces with them to honour his memory. Didn’t like it at first, but… ah, those duties grew on me. They were not without merits” Though Sherryl’s warning rang fresh through his mind, Arthur couldn’t help but reciprocate the smile. “Father never wanted me to join the guard”, he revealed. “But I always wanted to be like him and I could be just as stubborn” This time, the knight’s expression was warm and genuine. “I sadly never got to know your father, but I know men like him. He would have been proud. Probably was proud of you as well”, he stated firmly. “But worry not, I’m not suggesting you should take his spot. Commander Stratford and I, we will reach an agreement sooner or later. Perhaps one day there will be a Commander Nathamer again, when you are ready. But that doesn’t mean we cannot work together already, does it? Make sure the next generation of guardsmen is as capable as your father’s was before you. I picked up a trick or two in Oldtown and I’m all too happy to share them with reliable men” So that’s what he was trying to do. Arthur had to admit, Ser Maron was making a good point for himself. And yet, Arthur knew what Sherryl had told him. A different man would have used this knowledge against him, but Arthur had to look out for the city and for his sister. Maron was a powerful enemy and not one he was willing to make, not unless he was causing harm to Raylansfair. His father would have tried to arrest Ser Maron, no matter the consequences. But Arthur knew, making a move against such a powerful man would plunge the city into chaos. And he was not his father, as Hackor himself had always pointed out. Perhaps peace was more important than justice at any cost. “I know, I know, you’re worried what this will mean for Commander Stratford”, the knight deduced and Arthur could only give him a nod. A thin, cunning smile flashed across Mullendore’s face. “Loyalty is a good trait to have”, he complimented him. “So let me ease your concerns. Commander Stratford and I may not always see eye to eye, but I welcome constructive criticism. If anything, perhaps you can help us in overcoming our differences” He gave him a hearty pat onto the back. “What do you say, boy?” “I’ll… think about it”, Arthur promised, but before he could say anything else, a voice called out for them. “Maron!”, a man yelled and as Arthur glanced across the courtyard, he spotted none other than Lord Vyrwel himself approaching them. He was not running, but hasty enough to make it clear that whatever he wanted, it was urgent. Ser Ian Shortwood of the knightly guard hurried to keep up with him and on the other end of the courtyard, Arthur could see Hugo Farnham and Darren Tallwood, both of them approaching the stables. Maron sighed, as he leant against the wall. “That’s all I’m asking for, boy”, he growled. “Now, help me down. Looks like there’s urgent business that needs my attention” He didn’t even try to hide his annoyance at the interruption, but Arthur was glad for it. The more time he had to think this through, the better. “Maron!”, the lord yelled again. Suddenly with weakness in his stride, the knight leant onto Arthur as they descended from the wall. His limp seemed more pronounced that it did just moments ago. “Petyr”, he greeted him and after a moment, Arthur took a deep bow in front of the man. “Mylord”, he spoke, but Lord Vyrwel spared him nothing but the smallest look. By now, Ian Shortwood had reached him. He was one of the newcomers in the city, though Arthur had seen him around before the raid already. A hedge knight who had latched himself onto the new Lord of Raylansfair, but clearly a capable swordsman as well and a worthy addition to the court after the recent losses of Ser Lucas, Ser Leonard and Ser Harris. One of his hands was casually resting on the hilt of his blade and unlike his lord, who seemed strangely nervous, he was not taking his eyes off Mullendore and Arthur. “You seem agitated”, Mullendore added and Lord Vyrwel let out a sigh. “Edith is missing”, he spoke. That had to be his daughter… Arthur had heard of the lord’s bastard, the child he doted on more than most fathers doted on their trueborn. That explained the look of genuine distraught on his face. “Gather the castle guard. I want units of three patrolling the city while we look for her” Mullendore’s calm expression hardened. “All of them, mylord?”, he asked, his voice suddenly colder. The jovial tone he had just moments ago as he was speaking with Arthur was gone. Instead, he saw the man Sherryl had described to him, dangerous and ever calculating. But Petyr Vyrwel was his equal when it came to that, at least if the rumours about him were true. “Is this a problem to you, castellan?”, he replied. “May I speak freely?”, Mullendore growled and now, Lord Vyrwel finally looked at Arthur as if he just now took notice of him. “You there”, he spoke. “You’re part the city guard?” Arthur saluted in front of his lord. “Captain Arthur Nathamer, mylord!”, he exclaimed. “At your service” The lord narrowed his eyes. “A captain?”, he mumbled. “What rare fortune. Send word to your commander. I expect his full cooperation as we search for Edith” “Mylord”, Mullendore now interjected again and Lord Vyrwel let out a sigh. “Speak, Maron”, he confirmed. “But be quick about it” His fists were clenched and for a second, he closed his eyes. There was concern written all over his face, an expression Arthur had rarely seen with his own father. Mullendore gave him a slight nod. “Don’t you think this is a bit too much”, he asked. “Mobilizing our forces because one girl has gone missing” “My daughter”, the lord reminded him. “Your bastard daughter”, Mullendore corrected him, earning himself a chilling glare. He noticed it at once and his expression softened. “I mean… are we even sure she’s left the castle? Maybe she’s just playing hide and seek” Lord Vyrwel shook his head. “One of the guards saw a girl matching her description wander off”, he revealed. “He didn’t think much about it, that blasted halfwit. She entered the city all on her own. That was an hour ago, so she could be anywhere in Raylansfair” “And marching through the streets will help her how exactly?”, Mullendore asked. His tone was still cutting, but a jovial warmth returned to his face. “Look, Petyr, there’s gotta be limits. If you send the troops to scout the city for one lost girl, wouldn’t that concern the people? Soldiers on the streets, that’s always cause for unrest. We shouldn’t startle your citizens, that could only make Edith’s situation more dire” “What is your suggestion then?”, the lord hissed, though his tone was less hostile than before. “Send out smaller groups to scout the city”, the knight suggested. “I know you don’t like the idea, but the Alley Cats are well suited for that. Meanwhile, you can take a few of your knights to scout the countryside if you absolutely must get involved in person. If she left the castle an hour ago, she could have just as easily left the city by now” Hesitation appeared on the lord’s face. “Under one condition”, he agreed, before he glanced at Arthur. “The city guard will assist the Alley Cats during their search. I will tolerate your men, Maron, but none of them will be left alone with Edith at any given moment, so they will work alongside the city guard on this. Captain Nathamer, you will inform Commander Stratford of my orders” Once again, Arthur saluted in front of his lord. “I will leave at once, mylord!”, he promised, but before he could slip away, Maron Mullendore held him back. “Take the Tom with you”, he growled and just then, the masked man appeared by the knight’s side, as silent as a ghost. Arthur had neither seen nor heard him approach and there was something deeply unsettling about the way he moved, quiet, observant and more deadly than any of Lord Petyr’s knights, yes, any man Arthur had ever seen. “And the Sphynx as well”, Mullendore added. Unlike his leader, Rodrik Grimthorn was notably less silent as he moved, strolling across the courtyard and stopping between Arthur and the Tom. “You’ve called, Ser?”, the Tom purred, his gaze focussed on Maron Mullendore, who gave him an impatient nod. “Lord Petyr’s bastard has gone missing”, he growled and Arthur was certain that the Tom narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. He turned to Lord Vyrwel, taking a brief, but decidedly elegant bow in front of him. “And now you wish for my aid in finding her”, he realized, to which the lord only gave him the slightest of nods. “I can’t deny your effectiveness”, he admitted. “I have never asked a thing of you, Ser Erik, but I shall do so now. If Edith is anywhere in this city, find her. Bring her back to me” The Tom replied with a similar nod, distanced, but respectful. “She will be returned to you, alive and unharmed”, he promised, his deep, smooth voice barely raised above a whisper. He let out a swift, shrill whistle and Arthur tensed up as he saw his bodyguard stepping out of the nearby barracks. Though he considered the Tom the more dangerous of the two, the Moggy was clearly the more unsettling sight, a true giant of a man, skin and hair as white as snow and with a pair of ruby red eyes glaring at them from beneath his mask. “Leave the Moggy”, Petyr spoke at once, even before the giant reached them. “I want groups of four, evenly split between Alley Cats and city guardsmen” The Tom shook his head and though his mask made it impossible to read his expression, the simple gesture alone was a baffling defiance. “I’d rather take him, mylord”, he replied. “Rodrik here told me that I have something to discuss with this guardsman and I’d prefer to do it without prying ears nearby” He looked at Arthur, his eyes cold, the look within them deeply unsettling. And yet, Rodrik gave him an encouraging nod. Arthur was less than happy to work with the Alley Cats, but they had a common enemy after all. There was no need to antagonize them. Lord Vyrwel let out a frustrated sigh. “I have no time to deal with this”, he spoke. “Captain Nathamer, I leave this decision to you” He glanced at Ian Shortwood by his side. “Ser Ian, I want you to bring Jenna Harking to me” Mullendore’s expression hardened. “What do you want with the Harking girl?”, he growled. Lord Vyrwel shook his head. “She and Maester Eddard were with Edith during her studies. I already questioned Eddard and he claims to know nothing, so I want to speak with her first, if she’s seen anything, if Edith was acting different than usual”, he explained. He looked back at Ian Shortwood, who saluted. “It will be done, mylord”, the former hedge knight promised. He turned to leave, but Petyr held him back. “And… I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but inform Lord Donnel. I may have need for his knights” Ser Ian gave him a quick nod before he hurried off, with the lord slightly behind him. After a few steps, he glanced over his shoulder, looking right at Mullendore. “My daughter, Maron”, he mumbled. “Please, find her” Once he left, Maron Mullendore shook his head. “It’s pitiful to wear one’s weak spot so open”, the knight growled. “But I’ll see what I can do and so should all of you” He looked at Arthur. “It seems our lord has given you command over this little unit. Use the Tom and the Sphynx as you see fit… as for the Moggy, I will not order you to take him against your will. He is not a man of many talents, as I must admit…” As he said these words, the Moggy narrowed his eyes and something resembling a deep, feral growl sounded from beneath his mask. “But the few things he can do, he can do exceptionally well”, Mullendore was quick to add, slightly calming the giant. “Take him if you wish, or perhaps you would care for one of your own guardsmen to accompany you?” [Take the Moggy with you] [Take another guardsman with you]
Lachlan Lachlan awoke to the smell of blood and a thumping pain in his head. There was a twilight around him, illuminating a narrow room… a basement of some sorts, as it seemed. Walls and a ceiling of crafted stone, straw covering the ground and torches, too few for an already tiny space. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see heavy iron bars. A prison cell, undoubtedly. He let out a groan and immediately, there was another sound, the rattling of chains. “You’re awake!”, a voice called out for him. “Take it easy…” Only now, as he tried to move one hand upwards to place on his head did Lachlan realize that he was chained as well. His hands were tied together, though the same couldn’t be said about his feet, not that it would do him much good. “Hey, look at me!”, the same voice spoke again and a figure leant over him. It was a young voice, but Lachlan needed a moment to make out the features, before he realized that this was a young man, perhaps half a decade younger than him, still with the smooth cheeks of a boy, his face only beginning to show the hardships of adulthood. He had dark hair, unkempt and matted, falling down almost to his shoulders, as well as stern, grey eyes. “Stay awake!”, the young man exclaimed and Lachlan groaned again. With narrowed eyes, he forced himself to give him a nod, before immediately resting his head back on the straw. “Where…”, he tried to say, but the moment he opened his mouth, he realized just how dry his throat was. Under heavy coughs, he pushed his upper body upwards and the stranger grabbed him by the shoulder. “Drink”, he spoke, having thankfully realized at once what Lachlan needed. Without looking, the knight felt a waterskin shoved into his hand and he immediately took a few greedy gulps from it until the coughing was gone and his throat felt better. “Thank… you…”, he managed to say. His breathing was still heavy, his chest and throat aching almost as badly as his head, but he remained conscious. Now, he finally noticed that the young man’s hands were bound as well, a fellow prisoner in an unexpected prison. “Who…”, he began, before he cut himself off. “Where are we?” The young man let out a sigh. “Gulltown”, he revealed and Lachlan’s eyes widened. “Gulltown!”, he exclaimed. “What the hells am I doing here?” Now, the young man shrugged. “Sitting on your ass in this tiny jail cell, I wager”, he replied in a dry tone. “You seem confused and I got nothing better to do, so tell me what’s the last thing you remember and I’ll try to fill in the blanks” Gulltown… it was close to Gull Tower, yes, but still a notable distance. It’d take a good rider two hours to get there. The last thing he remembered though… “Ames Howard…”, he mumbled. “Ser Sterling Shett’s captain of the guard, he was trying to sneak out of the tower at night. I confronted him and he… confessed. He claimed that his liege is conspiring against Lord Royce, but only because the Bronze Lord is trying to sell the Vale to Aegon Targaryen” The young man frowned as he heard these words. “You know, I was offering to fill in the blanks, but it seems like you still got a good hang of the situation”, he revealed. “Ames Howard, I’ve heard the name before. Saw him as well, half a day ago when he brought you in” He placed one hand on his chest. “I’m Waymar Egen… well, not pleased to make your acquaintance under these circumstances, but it’s good to have someone to talk to at last” “Egen…”, Lachlan mumbled. Once again, the maester’s teachings were paying off. “Your house is sworn directly to House Arryn” Despite his dire situation, a proud smile flashed across Waymar’s face. “We may not be the most powerful of House Arryn’s vassals, but we have served the Kings of the Mountain and Vale longer than any other”, he confirmed. “And you are…?” “Lachlan”, Lachlan introduced himself. “Ser Lachlan Keding” There was no recognition on Waymar’s face, so after an awkward pause, the knight just continued. “Sworn to House Royce…”, he added and now, Waymar gave him a nod. “Yeah, I knew that”, he claimed. “So, you’re a knight… oh boy, it’s bad news that they’re not even afraid to abduct proper knights anymore” “And you… you’re not…?”, Lachlan asked, to which Waymar shook his head. “Just a squire”, he confirmed. “To my uncle Kyle… I suppose the name’s familiar?” Once again, Lachlan had to nod. Kyle Egen was famous in certain parts of the Vale and popular among impressionable lads. He was not ashamed to admit that he himself had aspired to be like him at some point, mostly due to the circumstances that had led to Ser Kyle’s knighting. Though the Vale was far from peaceful with the constant threat of the Mountain Clans, no war had been fought on its territory in thousands of years. As such, most knights won their titles during tourneys. Lachlan himself had earned his knighthood during the Great Tourney of Gulltown three years ago, where he had unhorsed Ser Bedwyr Belmore and Ser Drystan Templeton. They as well had earned their knighthoods during tourneys, but there was another type of knight as well, rarer, but not unheard of. Kyle Egen belonged to that latter group, for he was a knight who had earned his title in proper battle, by killing men like his ancestors had done during the Andal Invasion. “Heard he killed two dozen Mountain Men in a single battle”, Lachlan revealed and Waymar chuckled. “Not quite as many, but still, enough that our late king had no other choice but to knight him”, the lad explained. “Ever since they put me here, I’ve just been counting the hours until Uncle Kyle barges in and kills them all” “If he’s anything like the stories make him out to be, then I won’t doubt it”, Lachlan stated. He was feeling better by the second now, his headache slowly fading, though a lingering pain remained. With Waymar’s help, he even managed to sit up again, now leaning against the iron bars of their shared cell. Behind him, there was a dim corridor as well as a second, empty cell, as well as a staircase. “Which brings up the question, why would these people mess with a man as dangerous as Kyle Egen?” “Why indeed?”, Waymar asked. “I don’t think they knew who I was when they put me here. Now that they know, it’s a bit too late. I suppose they want to keep me here for the time being, same as you” He shrugged. “But it’s only a matter of time until my uncle finds me, so until then, relax and try not to worry too much” His confidence was admirable, but Lachlan did not quite share it. He remembered it now, fragments of his fight with Ames. A fight he himself had provoked, to be fair. He had been too confident in his own skills and though Ames himself would have been willing to let him go, that was no longer an option after Lachlan had drawn steel. He barely remembered the duel itself, it couldn’t have taken the former sellsword long to beat him. “Ames Howard claimed that Ser Sterling is working with Torgold Tollet, that they have good intentions and only seek to save Gulltown from the Bronze Lord’s ambition”, Lachlan stated, repeating what Ames had told him before their fight. Waymar shrugged. “Yeah, I heard something similar, but frankly, I couldn’t care less. It wasn’t Orson Royce who put me here”, he replied and given their current predicament, it was a valid opinion to have. “Shett and Tollet have brought a sellsword army to Gulltown. There’s no way they have good intentions” Perhaps things weren’t as simple, but Lachlan was too tired to argue with the young squire and as such, he only gave him a brief nod. “Why did they put you here?”, he asked, getting an annoyed sigh out of Waymar. “I was too curious”, he mumbled. “Listened to the wrong conversation in the backroom of a portside tavern. I got caught, roughed up and put here. That was three or four days ago” “What were you doing in Gulltown anyways?”, Lachlan asked. “It’s a hundred miles from here to the Eyrie. Rare to see an Egen around here” Waymar’s confident smirk faltered for a second, just long enough for Lachlan to notice. “Well, I… I suppose I can tell you”, the squire admitted. “Given that we’re basically in the same situation here. I’ve seen how they brought you in, covered in your own blood and all, so I doubt you’re one of them” Now, despite his situation, a proud expression appeared on his face, firmly there to stay. “Me and Uncle Kyle, we’re still serving House Arryn even here”, he claimed. “The king’s spymistress, Lady Eudoxia, has sent us here” “I’ve met her”, Lachlan confirmed, recalling his earlier meeting with the woman back at Runestone. “I’m here on her behest as well, though she never mentioned you” Waymar gave him a cocky smirk. “That’s because you’re working for the Bronze Lord”, he clarified. “A sellsword army lands in Gulltown. Orson Royce claims his vassals hired it to overthrow him, but only a fool would take him for his word” “So, while Lord Royce sent one group to Gull Tower and another to Gulltown, Eudoxia Tournebulle sent another group to confirm which side is actually fighting for the Vale in this conflict…”, Lachlan realized. “Lord Royce won’t like this” Waymar chuckled, but it was a hollow expression and ended as quick as it came. “He can’t exactly do anything about it, can he?”, he replied. “But after what I’ve heard, I’m certain he’s in the right here. There’s no way his vassals have the Vale’s best interests at heart” This, at least, was a bit of a relief. Lachlan had reluctantly tried to stop Ames before, unsure if it was the right course of action, but hearing Waymar’s words confirmed to him that he did well. Yes, he failed, but it was a knight’s duty to try. And as long as he was still alive, he could always try again. “It’s just you and your uncle then?”, he asked, but Waymar shook his head. “No and we’re not the only ones either”, he clarified. “First of all, there’s…” Before he could continue, a new sound echoed through the hallway and Waymar grew quiet at once. The creaking of a door, the crackling of a freshly illuminated torch, then three pairs of boots. Despite his earlier confidence, Lachlan could see doubt on Waymar’s face, a brief hint of youthful concern, a sensation he himself had not yet lost in its entirety. As such, he was nervous as well as he saw three figures approaching. His captors had kept him alive, but there was no saying when this would change. The bad feeling in his gut did not disappear once he recognized Ames Howard, now flanked by two armed men. The one to his right was carrying a torch, the one on the left a crossbow, a weapon deadly enough to ruin any thought of resistance. Ames himself was clad in simple linen now, with a dark overcoat, looking more like the sellsword he used to be than a soldier sworn to House Shett. While his companions were aloof, he was notably calmer, his expression downright cordial and he even took the briefest of bows in front of Lachlan. “Ser Lachlan, I am glad to see you awake”, he greeted him, earning himself an angry glare from Lachlan. “Ames”, he greeted him in return, as he pushed himself around to fully face his captor. “What are you doing here? Abducting a highborn knight and a squire, putting them into this unworthy cell… have you so quickly abandoned your seemingly good intentions?” Ames’ smile grew thinner and he shook his head. “I regret these circumstances, Ser”, he replied. “I have nothing but respect for you, but you forced my hand. When you drew steel against me, you knew what could happen. The fact that you still draw breath should prove my intentions” He gave the man to his right a nod and the man approached the cell door. “But perhaps I wasn’t the right man to explain what we’re trying to do here. I’m just following orders, after all” “That’s a great answer as usual”, Waymar chimed in from the side. “Keep it up Ames, you good little drone” This failed to get a reaction out of Ames, whose smile grew merely a tiny bit more strained. “I see you’ve made friends already, Ser Lachlan”, he stated. “Don’t believe a word this loudmouth is telling you. He’s a green boy who thinks he’s got it all figured out on his own” “Is he wrong though?”, Lachlan asked. “You’ve hired an army of sellswords. You’ve silenced all who caught up to your plans. Do you really think Sterling Shett can get away with this and still claim to have done it all for the greater good? You know once you let me out of here I’ll deal with him myself” Now, Ames narrowed his eyes. “You’d do well not to threaten my liege”, he replied. “Sterling is innocent in this” His words surprised Lachlan only for a moment, but it made sense now that he thought of it. During their brief interaction, Sterling Shett had not given him the impression of a master schemer. He seemed meek, too gentle to hire a sellsword army. “He’s covering for his daughter…”, he realized and Ames gave him a firm nod. “Lady Octavia is a remarkable woman and she has all the decisiveness her father lacks”, he clarified. “She has made this plan, but my point remains, she wants only what is good for the Vale” “Then why this?”, Lachlan asked, as he raised his chained hands. Ames sighed, before he moved closer to the bars as well. “A regrettable necessity”, he stated. “You attacked me. I could have killed you back then, but I have no desire to take your life. You’re a good man, Lachlan, a proper knight. There will be need for men like you in the wars to come, if only you can see the Bronze Lord for what he truly is” Lachlan shook his head. “I know Orson Royce has schemes of his own”, he admitted. “But that doesn’t make him a traitor to the crown. I won’t take your word for it” Ames seemed a little bit disappointed, but he knew the former sellsword would understand. Though they were on opposing sides in this conflict, Lachlan couldn’t help but admire the man’s restraint. Even he would have hesitated to spare his opponent had their roles been reversed. Keeping him alive was admirable, especially due to the risk and given the opportunity, he would try to spare Ames in return. “Understandable”, Ames finally spoke. “This is precisely why I’m here. Perhaps I haven’t been able to convince you, but my lady thinks you are not a lost cause yet. She has requested an audience with you, as soon as you’re feeling better” He glanced at the man with the torch and Lachlan realized that he was carrying a few keys on his belt. “If you agree to our terms, you will be released from this cell, you will be given a bath and fresh clothes and you will stay here as a welcome guest for the time being” “Which is a nicer way of saying you’re going to remain a prisoner regardless of what you choose”, Waymar interjected and Lachlan had to agree with him. “It is only knightly to hear the lady out at least, but don’t think her words will sway me any easier than yours did”, he admitted. “But first I wish to hear your terms” “Very well”, Ames spoke, a hint of relief in his voice. “We will let you out of this cell. You will be given a room upstairs, one more suitable for your status, but you will remain locked in for most of the day. If you accept, you will dine with the lady and her allies and you will be allowed some physical exercise down in the courtyard to maintain your prowess. In return, you will swear an oath that you will behave as if you are a treasured guest. No attempts to escape, no attempts to harm the people in this manor” “And you would simply trust my word?”, Lachlan asked, to which Ames gave him a nod, without even hesitating. “You are a knight, a man of your word. If you promise me this, then I can arrange for better conditions” Lachlan hesitated for a moment. “What about Waymar?”, he asked, earning himself a surprised look from the young squire. “I… thank you, Ser”, he stated. “But I don’t think this offer applies to me and were they to extend it, I’d tell them just where they can stick it. I don’t trust them and neither should you” “Waymar here also hasn’t taken his knightly vows yet”, Ames replied. “Lady Octavia is willing to take the risk with you, but she will not offer the same courtesy to someone who could break his words as easily as a common street rat. He'll stay here until Lord Royce has been stopped, then he will be released and sent back to his family, alive and unharmed” He shook his head. “I understand if you don’t trust us, but think about it, if anyone here wanted you dead, you’d have never woken up again”, he added. “Just meet with Octavia, promise you will treat us with the same courtesy you are offered here and hear her out. Things should be a lot clearer then” [Meet with Octavia] [Refuse to meet with her]
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Post by drdestroyer18 on Feb 13, 2022 13:09:34 GMT
[Take another guardsman with you] [Meet with Octavia]
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Post by diversegnu on Feb 14, 2022 6:23:58 GMT
[Take another guardsman with you] [Refuse to meet with her]
We can't just abandon our new friend, we can chill in the cell until someone rescues us or we figure out an escape plan.
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Post by TheAPlegends on Feb 16, 2022 12:43:08 GMT
[Take another guardsman with you] Less alley cats the better.
[Meet with Octavia] Lets hear her out. Any potential escape attempts should also have higher chances outside of a cell.
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Post by InGenNateKenny on Feb 20, 2022 17:47:17 GMT
[Take the Moggy with you] Hear me about, if we do this then the Moggy won't be able to cause problems at the castle for someone else. Plus it will be a good bonding experience for everyone.
[Refuse to meet with her] This was a really hard choice - have dinner and force Liquid to write delicious diction about the delights of dining OR hang out with this squire dude and force Liquid to write even more parts of a POV in a small jail cell...
Also, lol, I like how Lachlan's part opened in a cell from the ending of his last part. That's a fun twist, something you don't always do.
Must. Avoid. Sympathy. AGH. Hate. Mullendore.
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Post by nightshroud on Feb 23, 2022 11:22:21 GMT
[Take another guardsman with you] Never trust an Alley Cat. Never again
[Meet with Octavia] I mean shes kinda cool? Not sure if she is trustworthy, but its better to explore all options rather than regret it later
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Post by GMS Freeman on Feb 25, 2022 11:44:26 GMT
[Take another guardsman with you]
[Meet with Octavia]
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Mar 5, 2022 1:55:17 GMT
[Take the Moggy with you] Hear me about, if we do this then the Moggy won't be able to cause problems at the castle for someone else. Plus it will be a good bonding experience for everyone. [Refuse to meet with her] This was a really hard choice - have dinner and force Liquid to write delicious diction about the delights of dining OR hang out with this squire dude and force Liquid to write even more parts of a POV in a small jail cell... Also, lol, I like how Lachlan's part opened in a cell from the ending of his last part. That's a fun twist, something you don't always do. Must. Avoid. Sympathy. AGH. Hate. Mullendore. Yes, bonding with the Moggy! He is not just a brute with the intellect of a particularly simple and mean-spiritied child whose favourite past-time activity is tearing people limb from limb, no, he is just misunderstood! I'm sure Arthur can bond with him, they have so much in common. For example, they are both human (a wee bit ambiguous in the Moggy's case, there might be an actual giant or two among his distant ancestors), they both unironically have the same taste in food and... that's probably where the similarities end, but great friendships have been formed over less! Hey, I like jail cell parts! One of my favourite Book 1 storylines was Lucas' chapter 9 storyline and most of it took part in a jail cell. Admittedly, I also like parts where a PoV character meets a morally ambiguous chessmaster for a possibly semi-friendly conversation, which, weirldy enough, won't be the only time such a scene will occur in this chapter. I know! Most of the time, I rather want to show the immediate aftermath of your choices (in this case it would have been Lachlan's failed duel against Ames), but especially the chapter breaks give me the opportunity to try something different from time to time. This was such an opportunity and I'm glad you liked it! If it helps with losing any sympathy for Mullendore again, he was, of course, lying when he said he had no idea what Sherryl was trying to do in Raylansfair and he also kind of failed to mention that he essentially threw her away after her disfigurement, which was ultimately the main reason for her suicide. At the same time, this conversation with Arthur was probably the most genuine and emotional conversation Mullendore had in a long while and save for a few details concerning Sherryl he was actually being honest here. He was fond of her in his own way, he is feeling some amount of sadness over her death (he notably refrained from personally killing her when he had the opportunity even though she was a liabilty and a loose end) and he genuinely values Arthur for his honesty and for his work as a guardsman. Of course he's still the worst, but as this part has shown, he's perfectly capable of forming a genuine emotional connection to someone else. Everyone shall decide for themselves if this humanizes him to some degree, or if it makes his monstrous crimes all the worse, given that he is emotionally capable of understanding how bad they are, which is something that cannot necessarily be said about similarly villainous characters such as Wolfius or Harmund.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Mar 5, 2022 2:40:42 GMT
The Voting is closed!
Arthur is going to take another guardsman with him
Lachlan is going to meet with Octavia Two fairly decisive votes and I am not surprised about this outcome. Probably the one good reason for taking the Moggy with him is that Arthur has something to discuss with the Tom and unlike most of the guardsmen, the Moggy is guaranteed to remain silent about this conversation. At the same time, it would mean that Arthur is alone with the three most infamous Alley Cats in the entire story and I don't blame you for not taking that risk. The next part will hopefully be out tomorrow. It will feature PoV's for Jenna and the Hawk, the other respective halfs of the current Raylansfair and Vale storylines. Both of their parts will have minor details changed due to your choices here, which is the main reason why I split them up like this instead of doing it Arthur/Jenna and Lachlan/Hawk as I usually do. Last time we saw Jenna was early in this chapter, where she received her first lesson from Maester Eddard. As you might remember, Petyr Vyrwel has seen some potential within her and has decided to grant her a proper education, to see where her potential can lead her. She takes these lessons with Edith Flowers, Petyr's young bastard daughter. In the middle of her first lesson, she was interrupted by Vali Flowers, who informed her that her friend, ally and resident Targaryen spy Saerya has returned to Raylansfair after having previously escorted the Gardener knight Kasyn Luck out of the city. She now wishes to speak to Jenna about their next moves. However, Jenna decided to first finish her lesson. As you know from Arthur's last part, the lesson has since ended and Edith has gone missing, which is where we'll start Jenna's next part. Meanwhile, like Lachlan the Hawk hasn't been seen in this chapter yet. His last part at the end of Chapter 3 has been a very important one for him as a character, as it revealed his dark secret. As you hopefully remember, he is surprisingly, unnaturally strong and resilient for a man of his advanced age and his last part revealed this to be the result of dark alchemy performed by his enigmatic assistant Hadrax, who has performed such a procedure on himself as well, prolonging both of their lives and their vitality, though as he mentioned, he is not yet able to prolong it indefinitely. The Hawk is still ageing, albeit at a slowed rate and without suffering from most of the ailments that come with old age, but his long life is slowly coming to an end. As Hadrax has informed him, there might be a way to make the treatment more potent, to prolong the Hawk's life even further, though it would require... donations from the locals, probably not willing ones. The Hawk, while tempted by this offer, chose not to allow it and therefore Hadrax will continue the treatment as it is, for now. His next part will start slightly after this conversation, at around the same time as Lachlan's. On a more personal note, I unfortunately have to inform you that I have managed to infect myself with Covid while I was out with friends last weekend. I am fine so far and I hope it stays that way, just got a bit of a cough and that's it. Given that my infection happened almost a week ago, it is likely things will stay that way, if I'm fine by the end of the next week then that'll be it for me. However, I have met my mother before developing the first symptoms and now I am immensely worried that she caught the virus from me. She's been vaccinated three times, but has numerous pre-existing conditions that improve the risk for her. At the same time she's got no symptoms yet, whereas I developed mine three days ago, so there's a chance she's not even infected at all. I'm trying to remain in good spirits, but I cannot deny that I am incredibly worried. I'll keep you updated as the situation progresses, it's likely that things will turn out just fine in a week from now, but I remain on the edge about this.
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Post by GMS Freeman on Mar 8, 2022 16:48:03 GMT
Ah thats pretty unfortunate mate.Be careful and take care of yourself and I hope you get well soon.My prayer is with you and your family.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Mar 14, 2022 4:40:07 GMT
First of all, thank you very much for your concern! I have spent the last week with a mean headache, but my mandatory quarantine ended yesterday and my covid tests are negative again. I’m feeling much better, so it is very likely I had only a mild infection. Unfortunately, my mother and my grandmother, whom I have both seen before showing the first symptoms, have also tested positive for Covid. They are both vaccinated, my mother is boostered as well and they have only mild symptoms so far, but I remain a bit nervous due to their pre-existing conditions. They should be able to leave their mandatory quarantine in a few days and if their health hasn’t gotten worse until then, it should be safe to say that they both managed to beat Covid as well. The fact that it could have been different despite their vaccinations and the current, relatively less dangerous variant is a chilling thought, so I truly hope you and your loved ones will all remain healthy! Now, I kept you waiting for long enough while I’ve been sick, so here’s the new part. The next one shouldn’t take me that long now that I’m feeling better again, but first of all I hope you enjoy this one!
Jenna By the time Maester Eddard’s lesson had finished, the sun was already past its peak, slowly setting somewhere beyond the western waves. Jenna felt a sting of guilt for having left Saerya to wait for so long, but it couldn’t be helped. She had been given an opportunity by Lord Petyr and she wasn’t Saerya’s lackey to summon as she desired. These lessons brought her closer to Lord Petyr’s trust and through them closer to Maron Mullendore, closer to getting justice for her father, for Ser Lucas and all the others that had suffered under that monster. Yes, justice… revenge… it mattered little what she called it. Maron Mullendore would pay for what he had done. This was in Saerya’s best interest as well, so Jenna was certain the spy would understand. She hoped so, at least. Leonard and Kersea were doing their part in Oldtown and though Jenna was neither as strong nor as brave as them, perhaps there was something she could do to help. Petyr Vyrwel was key to this. A willing accomplice to Maron Mullendore perhaps, but not a monster, nothing like that false knight who had taken her father. He was stronger too, a lord with an army, a powerful man in the Reach, unlike Mullendore who had to latch onto men like him to succeed. If she could just find a way to turn the two of them against each other, perhaps their alliance would fall apart on its own and Maron Mullendore would be left without a lord to protect him. Slowly, but with determination in her stride, Jenna walked down the hallways of Raylansfair. So much had changed over the past year, so many familiar faces were gone, but this was still her home and she would do what little she could to defend it from the monster that had taken it. There was a sword for every monster, as Ser Ilhan had once told her in what felt like a lifetime ago. Others would be that sword, Leonard, Kersea, Samantha or even Saerya, but she would make their task as easy as possible. While she was heading towards her chambers to prepare for the journey to Saerya’s hiding place, her gaze fell out of a window and down onto the courtyard. In better days, Ser Ilhan would have trained the soldiers here, with Ser Harris overlooking his efforts while jesting with Ser Darren. Around noon, Lord Robert and Maester Eaton would briefly grace the courtyard with their presence, before the kitchen staff would serve supper for the Lord of Raylansfair and his retainers. Now, the faces she saw were new, but unfortunately they had burned themselves into her mind to the point of being just as familiar as those she had spent her entire life around. Maron Mullendore stood there, flanked by his masked monsters. The Tom, who had just stood there when the beast had taken her father, even going as far as to prevent Nora Recton from intervening. The Moggy, his silent giant, as well as the Sphynx, the black-masked torturer whom even the bravest among the servants tried their best to avoid. Jenna had heard him speak only once, but even thinking about his soft, cold voice sent shivers down her spine. They were talking to Arthur Nathamer, of all people. Commander Hackor’s son was the last man she would have expected to see here, the last she would have associated with Mullendore and his Alley Cats. As she looked on, the Tom and the Sphynx separated from their lord, now flanking Arthur as he led them down the courtyard. Mullendore and the Moggy remained, with the one-eyed knight shaking his head. He muttered something to the giant before marching off, with the Moggy close behind him. Aside from them, there were several soldiers on the courtyard. Darren Tallwood and Hugo Farnham were gathering them, with the latter already on horseback. A dozen men had gathered there and Ser Darren was speaking to them calmly, not raising his voice enough for Jenna to listen to his words. But whatever it was, it seemed something serious was happening, for she could clearly see the distress on Ser Hugo’s usually calm face. “Jenna? Jenna Harking?”, a deep voice called out for her, sudden enough for her to flinch. She spun around, glancing down the hallway and instinctively backing away from the voice, before a man stepped from the shadows. It took her a moment to recognize Ian Shortwood. For a knight, he was almost unremarkable, with a wiry build, close-cropped dark hair and a short beard that covered most of his lower face. If not for his finer attire, one could have easily mistaken him for a common soldier and both the look on his face and his movement reminded her of a practised sellsword more than of a proper knight. Several badly healed cuts on his face and arms told the story of a veteran, a far cry from the summer knights that were so often seen here at Raylansfair. After a moment of composing herself, she did a curtsy in front of him. “Ser Ian”, she greeted him, lowering her head and not meeting his gaze. Truth be told, she knew little about this man. Unlike Ser Darren, he was not one of Lord Robert’s men, but unlike Ser Hugo, he wasn’t one of Lord Petyr’s either, at least not at first. He had been in the city before the raid, a hedge knight without a house to serve. During the raid he had made a name for himself by selflessly protecting the smallfolk and though there was something shady about his sudden arrival at Raylansfair, his heroics alone had earned him a position as one of Lord Petyr’s knights. But where she knew she could trust those who had been around before, while never trusting those that came with Petyr and Mullendore, she was not so certain what to think of Ian Shortwood. He was a man of few words, but polite enough and she hadn’t heard any complaints about him from the other servants either. Slowly and still with some reluctance, she calmed down as the knight approached her. “Follow me”, he spoke, as he marched right past her. “Lord Petyr wishes to speak to you” His tone was stern now and though he hid it well, she recognized the same nervousness she had so clearly seen on Ser Hugo’s face. It was in this moment that Jenna realized without a doubt that something bad had happened. “Is… is anything the matter?”, she asked, as she hurried after him. The knight was marching at a steep pace and she only caught up with him after a moment. “Ser Ian, why does the lord wish to speak to me” “Not my place to tell you”, he growled without looking at her over his shoulder. “But if you are worried, then let me ease your mind a little. You’re not in trouble” A calming smile flashed across his face and his words indeed eased her mind, if just a little. Still, what could the lord want from her? This seemed important and if it wasn’t about her, then… Before they continued, Ian briefly held her back with one firm, outstretched arm. “But if word about this matter reaches the other servants before the lord is ready… well, you shouldn’t be the source of any rumours, just to be clear”, he warned her and though his voice remained polite, it was undoubtedly sharper now. “Clear”, Jenna confirmed. With this out of the way, they continued through the castle, towards the lord’s study. Unlike the lord’s chambers, which Jenna had cleaned once during the days of Robert Raylan, she had been to the study a handful of times and she would find her way there with her eyes closed. Harris had used them in the same function and it seemed that Lord Petyr continued the tradition. It was located on the far side of the castle, where the walls reached the cliffside and where each window overlooked the sea. Though Ian led the way, Jenna was confident that she knew it better than him. To her surprise, the door to the building wasn’t even closed, but slightly ajar. Ian knocked on it and from inside, a muffled voice replied. “Come in”, Lord Petyr spoke and she could tell from his voice that something serious was going on. The lord was sitting not behind his table, but in front of it, in one of the chairs usually reserved for his guests. Compared to last time they spoke, he seemed tired, not physically exhausted, but mentally drained. It was an expression Jenna knew all too well, for she had spent a significant part of her life being afraid. And yet, she was not sure what a man like him could be afraid of. She had always been small, powerless, trying her best not to be noticed, but he was a lord, he was strong, his people respected him. And yet, he was afraid. “Come inside, Jenna”, he mumbled and once she followed his order, Ser Ian closed the door behind her. She could still hear him outside, taking position right in front of the door, but aside from his presence, it was just her and the lord. “M… m’lord?”, she asked. “Mylord Vyrwel?” Usually confident, the lord notably hesitated before he replied. “I will be brief, for time is of the essence”, he sighed and now as he looked up, right into her eyes, she could see how distraught he truly was. “My daughter is missing” That explained a lot. From what she had seen, the Lord of Raylansfair genuinely loved his daughter to a degree she wouldn’t have expected from a man like him. That was another aspect that separated him from Maron Mullendore, who loved no one except himself. His words were not spoken with his usual strength, but with a quiet concern to them, still composed, but she noticed the hint of a shiver as well. “Lady Edith… she was with me during the studies”, Jenna stated. “Though she left earlier…” “Maester Eddard confirmed that already”, Petyr sighed. “She does that all the time. Putting in the bare minimum of effort, then sneaking out on her own. Only difference is that back in Darkdell, I always knew where to find her. Here… it’s been a few months since the king bestowed this title upon me, but I am still a stranger in my own city. So is Edith, but she’s always been a curious girl. One of the gate guards saw a girl matching her appearance sneak out of the castle about an hour ago. He didn’t think anything by it, the lackwit!” Just about a year ago, Jenna wouldn’t have thought much of it. Her home had been a safe place for her back then. There had been no wolves in the forest, no murder in the streets, no monsters. That had been an illusion, of course, one she had lost to Wolfius, to Harris, to Maron Mullendore. Just because she had been unimaginably lucky during her childhood, whenever she herself had snuck away from her chores to take a stroll through the city and the countryside, didn’t mean that Edith would be lucky too. Her expression was every bit as concerned as she felt right now. She was torn on how to feel about the lord himself, who seemed noble in one moment and ruthless in the other, but Edith was innocent of his crimes. She wouldn’t even have wished harm on the girl if her father were Maron Mullendore instead of Lord Petyr. “Then I don’t think there’s anything new I can tell you”, she realized. “Why exactly have you called for me?” Petyr gave her a grimaced smile, marred by concern, but nonetheless genuine. “Indeed, Maester Eddard told me all I need to know about when Edith left his lessons. From his account, I’ve been able to follow her trail to the castle gates”, he confirmed. “You’re not here for your information, but because I need your aid” This, however, took her by surprise. “And what aid could I grant you, m’lord?”, she asked, a baffled, slightly embarrassed smile on her face. “You’re the lord of Raylansfair, no matter what you require, there has to be someone more capable than me, I…” He cut her off with a mildly annoyed gesture. “Don’t sell yourself short, Jenna Harking”, he growled. “There are not many locals who have proven themselves to me, so you are a surprisingly decent choice for what I require. You’ve grown up on a farm just outside the city, you know the surrounding forests well, don’t you?” After a moment of hesitation, Jenna gave him a nod. “I do”, she confirmed. “But I’m far from the only one. Ser Darren…” Once again, Petyr cut her off. “Ser Darren was my first choice”, he admitted. “But he knows what is at stake here and he suggested I should ask you instead. I have reason to believe that Edith is no longer in the city. She never liked brick roads and stone houses” Despite his obvious concern, a soft smile briefly flashed over his face. “She got that from her mother”, he mumbled, before he shook his head. “No, Edith has left the city. What moved her to do so, I cannot tell, but she won’t waste her time wandering through these streets. That’s why I allowed Maron to lead the search within the city. He gets to make himself useful, but his men won’t get close to my daughter” Jenna’s expression darkened. “There might be worse dangers outside of the city than within”, she warned him. She still remembered the beast her father and the others once hunted for. It ended with two of them dead and the beast still on the run. There had been talks about a new alpha wolf in the woods, about a large, aggressive pack, about missing hunters and even lone travellers who were never seen again. Those woods, which she had played in during her childhood, were no longer a safe place for anyone, much less a girl as young as Edith. As such, she didn’t even have to think about it. This was not about her revenge, about Mullendore or how conflicted she felt about the lord, but about a child in danger. “My father’s farm… my uncle’s farm is close to the city. I don’t know if I’ll be of help, but…”, she began, immediately noticing the relief on Lord Petyr’s face. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I weren’t certain, Jenna”, he assured her. “Ser Darren trusts in your knowledge and you are already working for me. I could ask one of the hunters, yes, but I don’t want word about this to get out before Edith is safe back at the keep” “I… understand”, Jenna replied. “If you’re that certain, then I will do my best. I know the land and I can keep a secret” Petyr gave her a nod. “Obviously”, he replied. “You will accompany me and my knights then. Lord Selwyn has also requested a meeting before we leave and I wager he will offer his support, so some of his men will come with us as well. Can you ride?” She gave him a nod. “It’s been a while and I’ve never been good at it, but I can stay in the saddle”, she promised. Petyr looked her right in the eyes then and after a moment, he sighed. “That has to be enough”, he stated. “I’m not expecting a chase. It’s possible Edith merely lost track of the time or cannot find the way home, but I won’t take any chances” “In that case…”, Jenna began, before she paused. The lord waited for a moment, before he approached the door. “Speak freely”, he told her and she pulled herself together. “It’s just…”, she continued. “My father’s land is close to the city, but not the only one. Hal Recton has a small farm to the west, but it’s just open fields. One rider should be enough to check if she’s there. If we leave through the eastern gate, however, we’ll get to Roman’s farm… at least it used to be Roman’s farm, I don’t know who owns it these days. It’s closer to the forest and I’ve often passed through during my childhood” “You believe she could be there?”, Petyr asked and Jenna shrugged. “I cannot be certain”, she spoke. “But if she left the city as you suggested, then she either went south and stumbled upon my families land, or she went east and reached Roman’s land first. Send one rider to the Recton farm, while the rest searches through one of the other farmsteads, just… by the Seven, keep your riders together once you approach the forest” The lord narrowed his eyes. “I’ll think about it”, he growled. “Make no mistake though, if I have to risk my life or that of my knights to ensure Edith’s safety, then I won’t even hesitate” Though he spoke his words with a chilling determination to them, Jenna couldn’t help but give him a brief smile. “No father should hesitate, m’lord”, she replied and the honesty in her tone clearly caught him off guard. “I’m glad we have an understanding then, Jenna”, Petyr replied. “Now then, I cannot promise that I will keep my men together as you suggested, but I will try. In your opinion, which place should we scout first? Your families farm to the south, or perhaps Roman’s land to the east?” [Suggest to search Harking’s land first] [Suggest to search Roman’s land first]
The Hawk At day, the entire world seemed changed. The air seemed clearer, the sun brighter, bringing back faint memories of a childhood he had almost forgotten, of warm plains and soothing days. Just last night, the Hawk had felt closer to death than ever before, not the noble death of a warrior, but the one thing he feared the most, pitifully withering away, with old age finally catching up to him. As always, however, Hadrax’ treatment had proven its worth and the Hawk felt like a man half his age. It would not last, it never did, but for the time being, he would enjoy it to his fullest. His men reacted accordingly as the Hawk stepped from his tent. Timos the Hammer was already working and already drinking, but he paused to give the Hawk a respectful nod. Sharako was whispering something to Mirandra the Sweet, but both paused their talks when he walked past them and the former even bowed to the Hawk. And both Montoya the Duelist and Hazar the Weak were waiting for him by the edge of his camp, with his trusty squire already having saddled a horse for him. “Good morning, Hawk”, Montoya greeted him. “You’re looking better today” The Hawk gave him a wide grin. “I’m feeling better, Montoya”, he replied and his smile was only marred by the fact that he knew it would not last. Hadrax’ elixirs were getting weaker despite the alchemist’s attempts at perfecting them. His body was getting ever more tolerant to them. Had he started taking them two decades earlier, perhaps he could have slowed his ageing down as well as Hadrax had, but it was a cruel twist of fate that he had only met him about twenty years ago, when he had already been grey and withered. And potent as it was, no elixir in the world could turn back time, could restore vigour that had been lost. Those potions made him feel better, they slowed down the ever-approaching touch of death, but they would not keep him alive forever. Looking at his two most trusted swords as he climbed his horse made him realize how inadequate they still were. Montoya was a splendid fighter, perhaps not as fearsome as the Hawk himself had been in his youth, but quite possibly the best duelist among the Three Companies in its current state. But he was also irresponsible, a lecher and trickster who failed to take his duties as seriously as the next Hawk would have to. And Hazar was as weak as his name implied, but unlike Montoya, he was loyal, diligent and full of potential. As it stood, Montoya was the better choice at the moment, but Hazar could surpass him in a few years from now. But no, there was no reason to dwell on future choices right now. Hadrax’ elixir had lifted the fog from his mind and the Hawk would use this opportunity to its fullest. For the next week or so, he would negotiate with their enigmatic employers, with Zeth Arryn, Octavia Shett and their Iron Bank pet, Jaqiros Nestoris. Something was brewing here in Westeros, conflict outside of the Vale and within and the Hawk had to know more about the side he had picked before he would fully commit to the wars to come. That’s what he was going to do today. Nobody had summoned him, but he was not their dog and he would seek them out by himself when he had a grievance to discuss. And if they weren’t able to give him the answers he was looking for, well… he hadn’t touched Jaqiros Nestoris’ coin yet and could repay him in full should their contract fall apart. Furthermore, he had enough coin saved to hire Bartmer Tidewater and his small fleet once again. Though the captain had been hired by the Iron Bank first, their contract seemed to have been finalized and the last thing the Hawk had heard was that Tidewater was still docked in Gulltown, waiting for a good moment to leave Westeros. The captain had a keen nose for business and surely he was waiting to see if the Hawk and his men needed a trip back to Essos. “So, what do you want to discuss with the girl?”, Montoya asked, dragging the Hawk away from such thoughts. “Or perhaps you’d rather talk this through with Zeth Arryn. That’s a man to my liking, he knows when to invest in a cause and when to back out of it” The old sellsword narrowed his one eye. “Sounds like Jaqiros Nestoris”, he growled. “You’d do well not to dismiss Octavia Shett because of her youth. I believe she’s the most dangerous of the lot” “She seems nice”, Hazar interjected, bringing a cold smirk to the Hawk’s face. “Aye, she seems nice”, he agreed. “That’s what makes her so dangerous. Zeth Arryn is a businessman, can’t say I like him, but he’s got his charms and I think there’s lines he won’t cross. Torgold Tollet wants something out of this, a purpose beyond coin. Revengeis a dangerous cause, but predictable. The Shett girl though, she’s wicked smart. She’s not here for coin, but I don’t think it’s ideals she’s pursuing either. She’s got no obvious code of honour, no ties to any great power in the Vale, but she’s got coin and wits aplenty. I need to know what she’s after” “So you don’t believe her tale?”, Montoya asked and the Hawk shook his head. “The one about Lord Royce being a traitor to the crown and her, the last heir of a disgraced house as the noble defender of the Vale?”, he replied, his tone obviously mocking now. “Not for one moment and if she’s as smart as I think she is, then she’ll know. She might have tricked the Pig, maybe even the Rat, but not me” Montoya’s calm smile faded. “I believed her”, he admitted, to the Hawk’s visible delight. “That’s why you’re not the Hawk”, he stated, perhaps a bit too bluntly, for his trusty second-in-command seemed visibly annoyed for a moment. As such, the Hawk quickly shot Hazar a terrifying glare. “Neither are you, boy, before you start celebrating”, he growled. “I plan to stick around for years to come” By now, the busy gates of Gulltown were clearly in sight. There seemed to be more travellers here than usual, not just traders, but travellers, whole families who arrived in heavily loaded carts. “They act as if the dragonlord is moving against the Vale”, Montoya mumbled. “Targaryen would be a fool to attack this kingdom. I’ve seen those mountains… nobody can conquer them” “Not with soldiers, no…”, the Hawk confirmed. “They are fools to come here. If he attacks, he’ll attack by sea. Most of the houses sworn to him have brought a considerable fleet with them. Maybe enough to outnumber the Vale fleet… if he attacks, he’ll strike here. If he takes Gulltown, he takes the southern coast and from what I’ve seen, that’s basically the only part of this kingdom that’s worth a damn” “You think that’s why she hired us?”, Montoya asked, as they walked past the guards. He was a well-known sight in this city by now, the old sellsword with the dragonglass eye and none would stop him. Though Lord Grafton, the ruler of Gulltown, hadn’t spoken to him yet, there seemed to be a silent agreement between him and Octavia Shett, a promise not to dabble in each other’s affairs. As such, the members of the Three Companies could enter the city as they pleased and the Hawk was confident at least that his own men would cause no trouble. As for the others, they were for the Rat and the Pig to deal with. “I don’t, no”, the Hawk clarified. “There would be better choices if she wanted to stop an army. The Iron Shields have more men under their banner and the Sons of the Rhoyne descend from dragonslayers. Means she’s been looking for a company with our certain reputation” It was true that there were larger companies, cheaper companies, probably even better companies, much as the Hawk didn’t want to admit it. But the Three Companies were reliable. They always did what they were hired to do, no exceptions. The only time he ever broke a contract was when a Pentoshi lord tried to hide information from them, using them as disposable pawns. That’s what he had to discuss with Octavia Shett. By now, Zeth Arryn’s city mansion was already in sight. It was heavily guarded for a minor nobleman’s residence, by men that clearly were former sellswords. The Hawk recognized their stride, the expression on their faces. Those were men who had seen battle before and he knew to be wary of them should his talks not take the direction he hoped for. One of the men gave him a quick nod as he passed through the gates of Zeth’s mansion, into the inner courtyard around which the building had been constructed. It was a beautiful courtyard, with a short, well-trimmed hedge surrounding it from three sides, while the walls behind it were covered in ivy. The courtyard itself was covered in stone, not the dirty cobblestone out on the streets, but grey marble, while several doors on all sides led into the different wings of the lavish building itself. A dozen sellsword guards had gathered here for their morning routine, half of them sparring with each other, the rest tending to their equipment. The Hawk took a brief moment to watch them and all things considered, he was impressed. They were not of the same calibre as his own men, but he demanded excellency from the Company of the Hawk after all. But compared to the slave guards he had grown accustomed to in Essos or the conscripted and barely trained peasants one would expect guarding the courts of Westeros, these were exceptional warriors nonetheless. He knew Zeth was a rich man, but it was clear that he was not afraid of spending that wealth either, be it by giving it away on his lavish evening celebrations or by investing in the security of his mansion. Once again, however, no one tried to stop them. He was well-known to these men too and no higher officer was in sight to question him. Of course, the Hawk was unarmed and so were Montoya and Hazar, save for the dagger he always carried with him, but still, he felt almost insulted that these people saw him as such a tiny threat. Even in his age he could take on three or four of them at once, much more so now while Hadrax’ treatment was still fresh in his veins. They had gotten almost across the courtyard when one of the doors in front of him got opened. A man marched out, his attire reminding the Hawk of the guards, but unlike them, he carried himself with a sense of authority. A higher officer perhaps, though the Hawk hadn’t seen him at Zeth’s dinner last night. This one was an imposing sight, about six feet tall and full of muscles. A thick beard hid a well-constructed face with high cheekbones and a fine chin. This warrior made no attempts at clearing the way as the Hawk and his companions headed towards him. His arms were crossed as he carefully mustered the old sellsword from head to toe. “You must be the Hawk”, he greeted him. “Lady Octavia spoke of you. You’re unmistakable indeed” The Hawk flashed him a cold grin. “The pleasure is all mine”, he replied. “Though you have me at an impasse. If you’re not going to clear the way, tell me your name at least” “Gladly. I am Ames Howard”, the warrior replied. “And if it’s the lady you seek to speak with, then I am afraid I must stop you. She has just started a conversation with a new guest at this mansion and I’m afraid this one will take a while” The Hawk narrowed his one eye. “She’ll make time for me”, he replied. “Tell her that the Hawk is waiting for her. I am a patient man, but I will not suffer disrespect” “That’s not what she intends, Ser Hawk”, Ames assured him. His tone was genuinely polite, but strict as well and the Hawk knew at once that he would not relent. “But Lady Octavia has other duties to attend to. She will converse with you in time” Montoya did not wait for the Hawk to reply. He tried to walk past Ames in one step, but immediately the guardsman moved in front of him again. One hand reached for the duelist’s collar, so fast that not even the Hawk’s trusty second-in-command could dodge it. “I’m trying to be cordial here”, he growled, as he pushed Montoya away from him again. The duelist shot him a sharp glare, but Ames immediately looked back towards the Hawk. “I would appreciate it if you could do the same” “Aye”, the Hawk confirmed, as he held Montoya back with one hand. “But I’m afraid I really have to speak to your lady, just about now. I’ve crossed the Narrow Sea for her and I’ve brought three hundred men with me. If that isn’t good enough for her to receive me right now, then I’ll have to rethink our agreement” As expected, the subtle threat did nothing for Ames, who still looked at him stone-faced and without stepping aside. However, just in this moment a familiar voice called out for him from the side. “Hawk!”, Zeth Arryn exclaimed, as he stepped onto the courtyard from one of the other doors. “And the ever-grandiose Montoya! It is good to see you again, my friends!” He walked towards them swiftly and as he passed his guards, each briefly interrupted their sparring matches to salute him. Ames did not, quite tellingly. “Zeth”, the Hawk greeted him and the merchant shot him a wide, genuine smile. “You look much better, my friend”, he spoke. “It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do” He gave the Hawk a hearty pat onto the back, before throwing a questioning glance at Ames. “Is there a problem?” Ames shook his head. “Not a problem”, he replied. “But these men wish to speak to Lady Octavia right now. She’s busy with our… newcomer” Immediately, Zeth’s smile faded, only for a second. When it returned, it was a bit thinner than before. “I see, I see…”, he mumbled. “Ser Hawk, is this important?” His tone was notably shakier now, making it clear at once who was truly calling the shots. This was Zeth’s mansion and aside from Ames those were his men here in the courtyard, but Octavia Shett was the leader of their little scheme and he wasn’t even trying to contest her for it. “It is”, he confirmed and Zeth let out a small sigh. “Then bring it up with me”, he offered. “I am just as qualified to listen to your grievances and unlike Octavia, if it’s a monetary issue I can solve it at once” That was not an idle promise, as the Hawk knew, for Zeth’s wealth would have made him notable even in the Free Cities. And yet, he had come to speak to Octavia Shett. He could insist on it, all but causing a scene, but seeing how nervous Zeth seemed and how determined Ames was to keep him away from Octavia and her mysterious guest, he was not sure if this would be worth it. And yet, it only made him more curious about her plans... [Insist on speaking to Octavia] [Agree to speak with Zeth instead]
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Post by drdestroyer18 on Mar 14, 2022 18:01:03 GMT
[Suggest to search Harking’s land first] [Agree to speak with Zeth instead]
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Post by diversegnu on Mar 16, 2022 7:55:59 GMT
[Suggest to search Harking’s land first] [Insist on speaking to Octavia]
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Post by InGenNateKenny on Mar 18, 2022 5:35:11 GMT
[Suggest to search Roman’s land first] Roman! It's your cousin, let's go bowling! Oh, you've been dead for several real-life years in the story? Well...I'll just stop by your place then, eh? See what stuff you got there...chase off any squatters Maybe run into that Dimitri the Wise fellow ah?
[Insist on speaking to Octavia] INSIST. Yes, insist. To be honest I am interested by this choice's consequences; being more antagonistic is fun eh?
Sort of true on Mullendore, but just a little ironic considering the very conversation Arthur had with him. I can see why these parts were released the way they were.
Also, mentions of Wolfius and his wolf pack? That's not cash money. That guy and his son really do suck, and would hate to run into them again. Hopefully they appear on a ship that sinks in a storm, and then some sharks attack them, and then they wash on shore, only to have Jenna capture them and then proceed to tell them all her self-confidence issues endlessly. That would be real torture they deserve.
Also terribly sorry about the COVID situation and hope your family makes a swift recovery, my friend.
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Post by GMS Freeman on Mar 18, 2022 17:26:22 GMT
[Suggest to search Harking’s land first]
[Insist on speaking to Octavia]
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Mar 19, 2022 12:08:04 GMT
[Suggest to search Roman’s land first] Roman! It's your cousin, let's go bowling! Oh, you've been dead for several real-life years in the story? Well...I'll just stop by your place then, eh? See what stuff you got there...chase off any squatters Maybe run into that Dimitri the Wise fellow ah? [Insist on speaking to Octavia] INSIST. Yes, insist. To be honest I am interested by this choice's consequences; being more antagonistic is fun eh? Sort of true on Mullendore, but just a little ironic considering the very conversation Arthur had with him. I can see why these parts were released the way they were. Also, mentions of Wolfius and his wolf pack? That's not cash money. That guy and his son really do suck, and would hate to run into them again. Hopefully they appear on a ship that sinks in a storm, and then some sharks attack them, and then they wash on shore, only to have Jenna capture them and then proceed to tell them all her self-confidence issues endlessly. That would be real torture they deserve. Also terribly sorry about the COVID situation and hope your family makes a swift recovery, my friend. Yes indeed, I think Roman was killed off in 2016, which kinda seems like it should have been two years ago, but it's actually six. Crazy how fast time flies. In any way, his land is currently held by another farmer who manages it for his lord, but Petyr obviously has no idea who it is at the moment. Dimitri the Wise... maybe? Aye, it's gotten a bit rare for me for two PoV's to interact with each other in this way now that the cast has been all split up (which will change once again in future chapters), but I enjoyed doing things this way for once. As for Mullendore, Jenna is not entirely wrong, but she obviously lets her hatred for him cloud her judgement. Arthur's part has shown that Mullendore, in his own twisted way, is at least theoretically capable of loving someone else, though it is very questionable if there is such a person in his life at the moment (Sherryl might have been at one point and so was Briar Catelins in a more fatherly manner), so her statement is not untrue either. Should that happen, Kreep would probably take out a notepad and write down some important points Jenna has talked about, he would genuinely try (and fail) to understand them and occasionally ask her to further elaborate on rather odd details. Wolfius meanwhile would rock back and forth in a near-catatonic state once he's within five feet of Jenna without being able to kill her. Unfortunately there's been a bit of a bad situation since my last update, which I'll get into in more detail when I close the Dark Eye voting (though no ETA when I'll get to that yet, hopefully I'll have the clearance of mind within the next few days). My mother has been hospitalized with Covid pneumonia and her condition is very serious, though stable for the moment and unless it worsens, she has a chance to recover, as the inflammation is currently contained to her lungs. That's literally all I know at the moment, as the doctors need to give her time to hopefully recover (which is a possibility, but unfortunately not the only way this could end), but I am of course deeply worried. It might affect my writing schedule in the near future (and it already did, as I haven't even been able to start writing the next Dark Eye part yet), but no matter what happens, I'll keep you updated as the situation unfolds and I'll try my best to keep my hopes up.
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Post by TheAPlegends on Mar 19, 2022 23:13:16 GMT
[Suggest to search Roman’s land first] I'm just guessing, but I feel like we will learn more in Roman's land, especially if they are closer to the forest and our good friend Wolfius.
Also, nice to see more of Ian again!
[Agree to speak with Zeth instead] I think he knows what's going on and he should be easier to get the information out then Octavia.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Apr 3, 2022 2:21:31 GMT
[Suggest to search Roman’s land first] I'm just guessing, but I feel like we will learn more in Roman's land, especially if they are closer to the forest and our good friend Wolfius. Also, nice to see more of Ian again! [Agree to speak with Zeth instead] I think he knows what's going on and he should be easier to get the information out then Octavia. Yes, there should be a lot more for him in this chapter! I know he hasn't really been around for a while now (I think there has only been a small update about him having joined Petyr's household), but I've wanted to flesh him out a bit better for a while now, especially after the last in-depth look we got at him in Drent's late Book 1 storyline. This chapter will finally give me the opportunity to do so, there's some scenes for Ian I've planned for a while now and I hope they will be enjoyable to read
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Apr 10, 2022 18:31:00 GMT
The Voting is closed!
Jenna is going to suggest searching her families land first
The Hawk is going to insist on speaking with Octavia Both of those choices will be fairly important for the way their respective storylines will play out in this chapter. The Hawk's in particular will change quite a few dynamics between him and the other characters in his storyline and I am excited to write about this. Jenna's choice meanwhile won't mean that they won't eventually search Roman's land as well if it turns out to be necessary, but this will be a bit of a homecoming for her now, though quite a bitter one. The next part will hopefully be out tomorrow. I am currently a bit preoccupied with my mother's stay at the hospital, her health unfortunately hasn't improved as swiftly as I had hoped for last time I spoke about this and she remains in a serious condition. Should that worsen, I will keep you updated and it might mean that there will be a bit of a delay until the next part is finished. In any way, the next part is progressing well, with PoV's for Samantha and Keat. Last time we saw Samantha was a while ago, back when she and Sasha arrived at Oakenshield, the seat of House Hewett, where Lord and Lady Serry had fled to after their castle had been taken over by Holgar the Red and his Ironborn. They are currently guests of Lord Hoster Hewett, the sickly head of House Hewett, whose duties are currently performed by his wife, Lady Arianna, who is clearly not someone to take lightly. For saving her niece Heleri, Arianna has granted Samantha and Sasha an audience with Lord and Lady Serry, from whom they hope to gain aid against Maron Mullendore. For now, she has given them a room in Oakenshield, though Sasha remains understandably on her guard around Arianna and the Hewett soldiers. Samantha had the choice to try and calm her down, but she instead decided that the situation could indeed get dangerous, so she rather supported Sasha in her concerns. Meanwhile, Keat arrived back at the Thousand Shades of Flowers after having managed to recruit several members for his upcoming heist. However, during the last recruitment mission, where he gained the support of the acrobat Nicola Sand, he encountered a certain Gerald Inchfield, estranged cousin to Erik Inchfield, who is currently sort of the middle man between Keat's group and their benefactor Hishi. Gerald claimed that Erik is a kinslayer, a harsh accusation that quite troubled Keat, so even though it is not necessarily something he should get involved in, he decided to ask Hishi in their upcoming conversation about those rumours. As I said, the part is coming along nicely, but depending on how the situation with my mother develops I might not be able to make it in time.
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Apr 19, 2022 2:54:26 GMT
Keat “There is one more thing, Hishi”, Keat confirmed and the Ambiguous Lover shot him a thin, calm smirk, neither satisfied nor annoyed. “Yes, darling?”, they asked with a tone that made it clear to Keat that he had time for exactly one more question at most. “It’s about Erik”, he replied. “I wager you’ve done some digging into his past?” “My, are you accusing me of spying on my men?”, Hishi chuckled, now without a smile. “You’re not wrong, of course, but that is a terribly brusque way of putting things. I am keeping an eye on new hires, but that is to be expected, yes? After all, I am running Oldtown’s most exclusive den of desires and I won’t have its reputation tarnished by hiring witless brutes. There are standards to be met and of course I take a discreet look into their past. If I don’t like what I see, I don’t hire them” “And Erik passed your check?”, Keat asked, to which Hishi gave him a nod. “Of course”, they confirmed. “There’s not much to him, really. He worked for the Burned Man, he’s motivated by greed, but he’s efficient, loyal to his employer and neither cruel nor corrupt, by Oldtown standards. In short, I trust him to work around my flowers” Now a streak of curiosity appeared on Hishi’s face. “Why are you asking?” There was something different in their tone now, a shrewd, inquisitive coldness that demanded an immediate, honest answer. Keat met their gaze for only a second. “I met a relative of his”, he spoke, to which Hishi sighed. “Let me guess, you mean his cousin?”, they remarked, immediately breaking into a soft smile again. “Yes, I know of Gerald Inchfield. A knight without a master, wandering from hedge to hedge. I’ve started to look into his background as well and let me just put it that way… in just a week of subtle inquiries I have found more questionable details about his past than I have for Erik in three months” “So I shouldn’t trust a word of his?”, Keat asked, to which Hishi shrugged. “You shouldn’t take it at face value”, they clarified. “I have yet to confirm his accusations, which is the only reason why I haven’t dealt with him yet. Erik is working for me and I will not tolerate him being threatened by a madman… unless, of course, it turns out that he’s right with what he claims. I’ll admit that some of my men have blood on their hands, but who hasn’t in this city? I would always draw the line at kinslaying, however” It was not an empty promise either. Unlike most people whom Keat had worked for, Hishi was not a crimelord, but ran a legitimate business. To be honest, he was surprised they were even interested in something as blatantly shady as breaking into the Hightower. They had actual standards and as far as employers went, they were one of the better ones here in Oldtown. “So, Erik is clean?”, he asked, to which Hishi shrugged. “Only as far as I know, but neither he nor Gerald had any reputation to speak of before arriving in Oldtown. Some accusations are harder to track”, they explained. “To sate your curiosity, I do not think Erik would be capable of such a terrible crime. I wouldn’t call him a good man, but he is no monster” That was good enough for Keat, at least for now. And yet, Gerald hadn’t struck him as a liar either, so some doubt remained. It was clear, however, that this would be all he’d be getting out of Hishi. “That would be all then?”, they asked and he nodded in response. “Yeah, for now”, he confirmed. “I’ll stick around, in case there’s anything else” “No need, darling Keat”, Hishi assured him. “Lanford will find you when the time is right. Now, let me grant some attention to Nicola here and his fabulously trained monkey” He gave Nicola a nod and the thief tensed up in his chair. “We can make a contract, alright”, he agreed. “But no tricks, or I’m out” Fabul the monkey was still sitting on his shoulder, glancing from Keat to Hishi with a surprising, slightly unsettling intelligence within its dark eyes. Keat took a stifled bow in front of Hishi, much to their amusement, before turning towards the door. He had almost reached it when another thought crossed his mind, slightly unsettling this time. “One more thing, Hishi…”, he growled and as he glanced over his shoulder, he knew at once that he had gained their full attention for a moment. “You mentioned you’ve been spying…” “Keeping an eye on them”, Hishi corrected him and Keat rolled his eyes. “Keeping an eye on all your hires”, he sighed. “Does that… include me?” Hishi’s smile grew slightly mischievous. “Darling Keat, there are thousands of thiefs here in Oldtown, quite a number of them better than you”, they stated. “Of course I had to make sure you have other qualities. I know you put coin to the side to care for your siblings, I know of the old beggar down by the docks whom you slip a coin or two even after he lost his wits, I know you’ve finished jobs for the sake of it even when the pay wasn’t up to your standards” They shrugged. “And you are not particularly smart, else you wouldn’t have gotten yourself into this mess to begin with. I mean, is there anyone in this city whom you don’t owe something?” This caused Keat’s smile to disappear immediately. “Hopefully the two of us will be even soon”, he mumbled, before he took his leave, accompanied by Hishi’s amused chuckle. He closed the door behind him, now standing back in the dark hallway, here in the backrooms of the Thousand Shades of Flowers. Soft moaning could be heard from somewhere above him and at the end of the hallway, an older Summer Islander enjoyed the attention of two young men, though the trio quickly hurried into a nearby room the moment they spotted Keat. Samuel Puffer was waiting for him by the opposite corner, arms crossed, his expression surprisingly severe. As Keat came closer, the reason for this became apparent, for Samuel was not alone. Half-hidden behind the corner, an impressive feat for a man of his size, stood a Northerner he knew well, one of the last men Keat wanted to see today. He was a tall, well-built man, probably quite handsome in his youth, but long since past his prime, with streaks of grey mingling with his dark-brown mane, though they had yet spared his thick beard. There were deep trenches on his face, wrinkles and scars, as well as reddish-brown eyes glaring down at Keat. “Keat”, he growled and the thief flinched involuntarily. “Efram”, he mumbled, giving him the slightest hint of a nod. Efram Forrester was one of many whom he still owed coin. Though usually a jovial man and a far cry from more uncomfortable debt holders such as Vogero Forios or Thorin Bannister, there was little love between him and Keat. Efram was soft-spoken and polite, but Keat had seen him cut a man’s throat without even hesitating. This was one of many qualities that had endeared him to Robert Tavner, whom Efram was serving as his right-hand man. “They told me I could find you here”, Keat began, offering the Northerner a shaky smile, which Efram did not reciprocate. “And I know you’ve been here for a while, thief”, he replied. “So I came. Brought a knife with me” His voice was not raised even once, but the calm threat was enough for Samuel to tense up. Should they come to trade blows, Keat would place coin on his friend, but although Efram stood alone in this hallway, there was no doubt his men were nearby. Robert Tavner would never allow his friend and right-hand man to come to such a place unguarded. Briefly, Efram glanced at Samuel, before he turned back to Keat. “Wasn’t sure how this would end”, he stated. “Hishi took care of your debts, but there’s still the manner with which you swindled me. Robert would have taken one of your ears for that, but I see Thorin Bannister beat us to it” Now, his mouth broke into a crooked, toothy smile. “Ain’t that a bloody shame?” Keat winced as he remembered the brute’s knife pressed to his head and the pain. “Yeah, quite so”, he stuttered. “But… Hishi took care of things, yes? I am working for… for her now” Briefly, Efram narrowed his eyes. “If you think you can get out of this so easily…”, he growled. “Well, turns out Hishi is indeed protecting you. He made that clear when last we spoke. I am not amused and neither is Robert, for by stealing from me, you indirectly humiliated him” Keat had feared that much, but hearing it out aloud only confirmed it. Though he never had any direct dealings with Tavner before, he had somehow managed to get on the bad side of one of the most dangerous crimelords in Oldtown. Though he had his pride, this was not the moment to insist on it. As such, he lowered his head, taking the hint of a bow in front of Efram. “Please, sent Lord Tavner my sincerest apology”, he mumbled. “Is it sincere though?”, Efram growled, in a tone that made Keat shiver. “I… of course…”, he began, before he noticed the stern glare in the Northerner’s eyes. The situation was dire, but his mind was racing, trying to find a solution, a way out of this. Escape was not an option, for he was bound to Hishi now, meaning Efram could always find him again. But both the Northerner and his master were known for their pragmatism. “I mean… what would you accept as a token of apology?”, he asked. “Hishi would have taken care of the coin. There’s nothing to gain from revenge, so… you must want something of me. Speak your mind and perhaps we can find common ground” Efram’s expression softened barely. “I still don’t like your tone, thief”, he snarled. “You should grovel at my feet and beg for forgiveness instead of offering a deal, as if we’re equal partners of any sort” This was followed by a mild sigh. “But as usual, you are not wrong”, he admitted. “I am not here for revenge. I know what you’re planning to do for Hishi and I want in” That was unexpected. “Come again?”, Keat gasped, but he realized at once that Efram hadn’t spoken in jest. “You heard me. I want to play a part in your little heist”, the Northerner growled. “I want one of my best men by your side when you break into the Hightower, to support you and to make sure our interests are represented” “You want someone to keep an eye on us”, Samuel growled and Keat had come to the same conclusion. “Call it what you want”, Efram replied. “This is not a threat though, but an offer. We may have parted on bad terms, but there was a time when we’ve worked well together. Wouldn’t it be good if we could continue there? Forget about the bad blood and work on rebuilding some trust” “Yeah, if I could only believe that…”, Keat mumbled and to his surprise, a genuinely amused chuckle left Efram’s throat. “You’re hesitant, maybe a bit paranoid. Not bad traits to have here in Oldtown”, he complimented him. “You know what else is a good trait to have? Forgiveness. That’s what my lord believes in. You’ve slighted him by cheating me, but it’s not like we’d gain anything from hurting you. After all, Hishi settled your debt. Now, instead of mulling over hurt feelings, Robert believes that it is time for us to reconcile. See what good you can bring to his operation, let us show you what good we can bring to yours” So it was an operation now? Keat knew that Tavner was not the most vengeful man, which was part of why he had made it this far in Oldtown. A ruthless pragmatist without any ideology to speak of, not above slitting throats if necessary, but never unreasonable. Efram was cut from the same cloth. The only thing that surprised Keat was that he was now apparently important enough to be forgiven for his past transgressions instead of serving as an example. “You know, I kinda figured your lord would be Hishi’s mysterious benefactor”, he added. “You’re not trying to get one of your men into my team so that you can go behind Tavner’s back, eh?” Immediately, Efram’s smile faded. “Things are never that simple, Keat”, he growled and now, his tone was clearly a warning. “You will meet Hishi’s ally in time and no matter what you decide now, you will not speak of this conversation. To sate your curiosity, my lord isn’t this ally Hishi spoke of. Yes, they’re on good terms, Robert has intimate knowledge of your upcoming heist, but he’s not involved, not personally, not yet. He has no stakes in this, but like me, he sees the potential” “Intriguing”, Keat admitted. “I get why you and Tavner want in. Kinda surprised you’re the first to try and get involved, but I suppose a lot has changed in Oldtown while I was away. The one thing I don’t understand is, why are you talking to me about this? Hishi is in charge and from what I’ve heard, you’re already acquainted” Briefly, Efram’s calm expression slipped and from this second, Keat caught all he needed to know. “Unless… you already tried, didn’t you?” “Hishi can be… stubborn”, Efram admitted. “But they put you in charge, didn’t they? You want the best of the best in your team and I can assure you, my man will fit right in. Accept my aid and you will not regret it” He shrugged. “But if you’re too afraid of Hishi to make your own decisions, why don’t you talk to them about it first? They think surprisingly well of you, so put in a good word here and there and maybe I can negotiate something. I’d consider us even either way” Now, he extended a large, calloused hand. “What do you say, Keat? We got a deal?” [Accept Efram’s aid] [Promise to talk to Hishi about it] [Refuse Efram’s aid]
Samantha After a short night more tiresome than anything else, Samantha was woken during the early hours of the day, when a heavy knock sounded on her door. She herself had barely slept, for Sasha’s warning was still fresh, keeping her weapons close and having blocked the door with a spare chair to avoid any unwelcome intruders. But nothing of the like happened and eventually, she even found a little bit of sleep. In the early morning, she was woken up by a heavy knock on the door. Sasha’s mattress was empty and one quick glance confirmed that she was up and dressed already, sitting on a stool with her arakh resting on her lap. The sight of the weapon brought a slight grin to Samantha’s face. “You’re expecting trouble?”, she asked and Sasha turned towards her, having previously glared at the door. “You don’t?”, she asked in return. “We went over that already. Something ain’t right here, this is all going just a little bit too smoothly” Samantha could only agree, all things considered. Up until now, nothing good had just happened to them. Even a routine trip to Southshield had ended up with both of them having to fight off an Ironborn incursion, so she was inclined to share Sasha’s pessimism. While her friend kept watch, she quickly got dressed and briefly even considered reaching for one of her hatchets, as the knock sounded again. “Coming!”, she yelled, as she hastily put on her clothes, tying the jerkin while already stumbling towards the door. Robert Beesbury stood on the other side, leaning against the opposing wall, his arms crossed. “You overslept”, he greeted her, his tone dry, but somewhat welcoming, accompanied by a patient smile. A guilty grin appeared on Samantha’s face. “Not true!”, she argued, just as Sasha pushed herself past her. “True”, she growled. “I was up half an hour ago” “Then why didn’t you wake me?”, Samantha asked and in response, Sasha only shrugged. “Am I your wetnurse now, or what?”, she replied. “For the record, I didn’t know either” Just as she was about to leave the room, she glanced down at her arakh, then at Robert, who seemed completely unfazed by her weapon. “Is this going to be a problem?”, she asked. Robert seemed to think about it for a moment, before he shook his head. “Not for me, no”, he clarified. “You proved yourselves at Southshield, as far as I’m concerned. But I wouldn’t exactly take that with me if I were you, not unless you’re aiming for a bad first impression” Just a few weeks ago, Samantha would have been certain that Sasha would have taken the sword with her just to spite him. Now, however, her temper was a bit more even and after a moment of hesitation, she placed the arakh in the room, leaning it against the wall right next to the door. “Not a bad decision”, Robert commented on her choice, though he refrained from smiling at her in this moment. Sasha still shot him a fierce glare. “I hope I’m not going to regret this”, she hissed, to which Robert shook his head. “I don’t believe we earned this hostility”, he told her. “Lady Arianna has kept her word. Chrass Serry will join you for breakfast and you can talk to him to your heart’s content, just the three of you” “What about Lady Arianna?”, Samantha asked as she and Sasha left the room to follow Robert down the hallway. “She’ll use this opportunity to speak with our Shield Island allies, the envoys from House Grimm and House Chester, as well as Margo Serry, Lord Chrass’ wife”, the man explained. “Though she very much expects to see you around for dinner, where you can discuss the future of your stay in Oakenshield” “If there’s going to be a stay at all”, Samantha clarified. “We’ve come for Lord Serry. If he gives us the aid we seek, then we shall be on our way as soon as possible” For a brief second, Robert gave her a curious look. “And what aid would that be?”, he remarked. “I was under the impression you were hoping to get a reward out of him, but this makes it sound as if you hope to get something more out of him” He narrowed his eyes. “Just between the three of us, who are you two working for?” “Just between the three of us… none of your business”, Sasha growled and immediately, Robert took a step away from her. “Message received”, he replied, no less hostile than her. “I was just curious, that’s all. You really helped me out in Southshield, so I hope there’s no bad blood between us” Sasha was about to reply something, but Samantha was quick to intervene this time. “It’s alright”, she stated. “We’re just all a bit nervous lately. Southshield was a close call” “We’re fortunate we survived at all”, Robert agreed. “If that’s the case, I will not pry. You’ve earned your secrets” He said it, but Samantha was not sure if he actually meant it, for there remained some distrust in his eyes. At the same time, he hadn’t given them any reason to trust him either. She knew he used to work for Lord Oakheart, a man she knew preciously little about, so she had to be careful around him. Even Arianna Hewett didn’t seem to fully trust him, which Samantha had surely taken note of. “So, what can you tell us of Chrass Serry?”, Samantha asked in an attempt to break the silence. Robert hesitated for a moment, before he indeed replied. “I don’t know him well and I don’t like to speak of strangers”, he told her. “But from what I’ve seen, he’s a man of honour, a knight of the Green Hand. Had he been at Southshield the night Holgar the Red came upon his people, he would have driven the Ironborn back or he would have died trying. Only an unfortunate injury prevented him from being with us a few nights ago, else he would have surely thanked you in person already” As he spoke, they continued their way through the halls of Oakenshield. Robert led them up a flight of stairs, past a set of windows that offered a beautiful view of the Sunset Sea. He stopped in front of a narrow door on the opposite side of this hallway, where a lone guard stood watch. Where most guards in this keep seemed to wear white and blue, this man’s tabard was red instead, with a rose on top, a symbol she had seen in Southshield. The Serry soldier briefly glanced at them before he recognized Robert, at which point he immediately saluted him. “Lord Serry is waiting for you”, he told them. Robert gave him a nod, before he took a step to the side, allowing Samantha and Sasha to approach the door. “I’ll be waiting nearby”, he promised. “If there’s a problem, just call for me” “How gallant”, Samantha chuckled. “Should we expect a problem?” For a brief second, she noticed a hint of nervousness on Robert’s face. It was probably nothing, but given the serious talk she had with Sasha just last night, she took note of it. “Of course not!”, he protested. “It was a figure of speech. Just… wanted to offer my aid if it’s needed” “It’s not”, Sasha growled, as she approached the door. “Come on, let’s get this over with” Without even knocking first, she opened the door, leaving Samantha to hurry after her into a small, round room. There was an open balcony overlooking the courtyard, flooding the entire room with sunlight. A dark table took up its centre, with four chairs scattered around. There was a large, open drawer to the side, holding porcelain dishes, though some of them had been put onto the table, now holding bread, sausage and eggs. Three of the chairs were empty, but a man sat in the fourth, the one that faced the door. He was younger than Samantha would have expected from a lord of his renown, perhaps somewhere in his thirties, with a head full of blonde hair, a tangled mess despite his obvious efforts to comb it. His clothes, while fine and surely expensive, were not as fancy as she had expected, more the practical attire of a higher-ranking soldier than the finery of a lord, while his facial features were broad and somewhat common, with a prominent, clean-shaven jawline. He was tall and well-built though, likely more at ease in armour than in a lord’s garment. There was a warm, genuine smile on the man’s face and immediately as Samantha closed the door, he stood up from his chair. “You must be the two women Arianna told me about”, he greeted them. “The ones who saved my ward, Heleri, and who helped with retaking my keep” As he stood up, Samantha noticed something else about him, for he was leaning onto a crude cane. He noticed her gaze and gave her an apologetic nod. “A minor injury, I was told”, he assured her. “But enough to keep me away from the frontlines” She could see how disgruntled he was about this. “In any way, you have guessed it already, I am Chrass Serry, Lord of Southshield” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Serry”, Samantha replied. “I’m Samantha, this is Sasha. Has anyone told you why we wanted to meet you?” The lord shook his head. “Arianna has been tight-lipped about your reasons, but I’ve come to expect this from her. But you’ve risked quite a lot just to meet with me, so you have certainly earned my curiosity” He pointed at the two chairs close to them, before sitting back down on his own, a sigh of relief briefly leaving his throat as he was able to rest his injured leg again. “But first, I insist you take a seat. I take it you haven’t had breakfast yet?” Sasha was the first to sit, while Samantha gave him a nod first. “Indeed”, she confirmed, while Sasha was already reaching for a slice of bread. “Mind if I take some?”, she asked and Lord Chrass gave her a mild smile. “Please, indulge yourselves”, he told them and even before he finished the sentence, Sasha began to munch on her food. “I am indebted to the two of you”, Chrass began. “Margo and I have been blessed with only one child, our son Naidal, so when Heleri’s parents died, we gladly took her in, raising her as the daughter we never had. The thought of her in the clutches of this Ironborn monster…” He paused and for a second, his calm smile faded. “I should have been there on that day, trying my utmost to prevent those monsters from taking my island” “You would have probably died”, Sasha interjected between two bites and Lord Serry shot her a grim glare. “Perhaps I could have saved a few lives”, he disagreed. “I am the Shield of House Serry and yet the two of you have done a better job at keeping my island safe than I have” His smile returned, clearly forced now. “Which makes it all the more remarkable”, he added. “You are an odd pair. Not from around these parts, I wager?” “Not by a long shot. Sam’s from the north and me… I’m from somewhere to the east, near the great Dothraki Sea”, Sasha confirmed as she reached for a sausage. “Gotta say though, I’ve been to worse places. You should be glad you get to live here instead of blaming yourself for not throwing it all away against those Ironborn arses” This brought a more genuine smile to Lord Serry’s face. “Margo told me something similar”, he revealed. “It doesn’t make this any easier though. I might not be the head of House Serry, but I am indebted to you nonetheless” “You’re not?”, Samantha asked and Chrass leant back in his chair. “I suppose nobody told you”, he muttered. “I might be Lord of Southshield, but I am not a Shield Islander myself. I am not even a Serry by birth. Margo, my wife, she’s been the last of her line. I hail from an unremarkable family in service to House Gardener, so when we were wed, I took her name as my own, so that her ancient and proud house could survive. Our son meanwhile, he’s a trueborn Serry. At the moment he’s still in Uplands as a squire, but once he returns, I am certain he will want to express his gratitude as well, for saving Heleri and Southshield” Samantha was listening carefully to his words, but there was one word that alarmed her. “Uplands?”, she asked. “That’s the seat of House Mullendore, isn’t it?” Chrass gave her a nod. “I am well-acquainted with its lord, Cregan, to the point where I’d consider him a friend. Naidal is currently squiring for his nephew, Ser Yoreen, down in the Dornish Marches”, he explained, though as he spoke he slowly narrowed his eyes, giving Samantha a stern, inquisitive glare. She kept her smile up, trying her best not to waver even for a moment. “I take it you are familiar with House Mullendore?”, he asked. His tone made it clear that he knew her answer already. “I am, mylord”, she confirmed. “I’ve met Ser Maron Mullendore in the past” “Maron, yes… he’s Cregan’s cousin and Yoreen’s father”, Chrass mumbled. “The Protector of Oldtown, at least that’s who he was when last we met. Lately, I heard he’s found himself a new lord to serve and new duties to uphold” His expression remained blank, not giving away even a hint of how he felt about Maron. “I am curious though, would you consider yourselves friends of Ser Maron?” Samantha tensed up at his words, scanning his face for any expression. Before she could reply, Sasha spoke up, having already finished one of the sausages and now peeling one of the hard-boiled eggs in her hands. “Of course not”, she scoffed. “That man is a monster if I’ve ever seen one” Samantha’s eyes widened as she looked from Chrass to Sasha, who was entirely unmoved by her growing panic. “Sasha, what…”, she hissed, but Chrass cut her off by a mild, pleasant chuckle. “I am glad I’m not alone in feeling that way about him”, he confirmed. “Maron is… a vile man indeed. It is baffling how different he is even from his own son. Tell me then, what is your business with Maron Mullendore?” A sigh of relief left Samantha’s throat as she realized that they had indeed come to the right place. “We’re trying to stop him”, she revealed. “Vali Flowers sent us. He’s been a bit vague about it, but he believes you can aid us” Chrass’ eyes widened. “Margo was right after all. I told her about our meeting today and she knew at once that Vali had to be behind this”, he chuckled. “He needed some strings pulled at the Citadel so that he would be assigned to assist the new maester of Raylansfair, but I never thought he’d find new allies in that town” “He needed some strings pulled?”, Samantha remarked. “So he actively went after Mullendore… sounds personal” She spoke from experience there, but while she knew all about her own grudge, it was surprising to hear that the young maester’s apprentice felt similar. Chrass confirmed her suspicions with a nod. “It very much is”, he clarified. “But Vali can tell you all about it when he’s ready. Know only this, if your intentions are genuine, then he will be the most steadfast ally you can hope for against Maron Mullendore” “Butterfly”, Sasha interjected and Samantha noticed how the lord didn’t even hesitate. “You know…”, she realized and once more, Chrass gave her a nod. “I wager I know more about his crimes than you ever could”, he spoke. “Nothing I can prove, for he has always been cautious around those who could harm him. Nothing that threatens the Reach either, so I remained silent, if only to spare his family the dishonour” “Sounds like an excuse”, Sasha growled and while she was a slight bit too blunt for Samantha’s liking, she was right at the same time. Chrass Serry’s smile faded, but there was no anger on his face. “Perhaps it is”, he confirmed. “Maron Mullendore has tarnished what it means to be a knight. He is a twisted man, the sort that cannot be reasoned with, the sort that believes in their own righteousness. All the while, I never spoke up about him because I had my own duties, as a father and husband, as a lord… but as a knight of the Reach too. I thought he was at least doing something of value in Oldtown and turned a blind eye to him” He spoke these words without hesitation, making it clear to Samantha that it was not a new realization. “What changed then?”, she asked and the lord briefly closed his eyes. “I was starting to doubt my course of action when he left Oldtown”, he admitted. “That place needed a man like him. For better or worse, he has brought some semblance of order to it. But now he serves Petyr Vyrwel, now he pursues his goals in Raylansfair and it made me wonder what he could be after. I have no proof beyond my own suspicions, of course, but I’m starting to fear that I have underestimated his ambition” “And what if we could get you some proof?”, Samantha asked, which brought a pleased smile back to Lord Serry’s face. “On your own, there is not much you can do”, he stated. “King Mern is a good man, but he would never take your word over that of a knight. At worst, you could lose your head for insulting a man of his standing. If you were to bring me solid evidence, however, then all of a sudden I could present your case. Then, King Mern has to listen” Samantha reciprocated his smile, but out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the expression on Sasha’s face. The woman was staring daggers at Lord Serry… no, not exactly at him. “Everything alright, Sasha?”, she asked, just as her friend’s eyes widened. “Get down!”, she barked, as she jumped up from her seat. Before either Samantha or Chrass Serry could react, she was darting across the room towards the lord and in this moment, Samantha saw it. Through the window, atop the roof on the other end of the courtyard, she saw a figure, holding something in their hands… a crossbow, with which they aimed right at the Lord of Southshield. In this moment, fear grew within Samantha. She had been in similar situations before, looking at a loaded crossbow ready to fire, but the sudden severity of the situation sunk in at once. It was in this moment that she wished she would have taken her weapons with her, even if there was little she could have done against a crossbowman several dozen feet away. Clearly having noticed the commotion inside, the figure pulled the trigger just as Sasha reached the lord. She pulled him away and what would have been a clean shot through the neck instead merely pierced the man’s shoulder. Chrass screamed out in pain and staggered against the table, before Sasha dragged him to the ground. Far behind her, Samantha could see the figure jumping up, taking their leave instead of trying for another shot. In an instant, they were gone behind the rooftop. Just a moment later, the door got pushed open and Lord Serry’s soldier rushed into the room, followed by Robert Flowers. Before Samantha could react, the soldier was pointing his weapon at her and even Robert had a hand on the hilt of his sword. She immediately raised her hands, her eyes wide with surprise, not fear. “What have you done?”, the soldier barked, but Robert’s gaze already darted past them, towards the lord and then out of the window. “Not them”, Chrass Serry managed to gasp between two groans of pain. One quick glance confirmed it, the bolt had torn through his shoulder, but she had seen dozens of injuries like this one. It was nothing that would go beyond any half-decent healer’s skills, but if not for Sasha, he would have likely died just then and there. “There was a figure on the roof just now”, Samantha revealed, as Robert hurried past her, towards the window. “Fuck!”, he barked, at the top of his lungs. “We need to lock down the castle at once, search the entire area. This is an island, so I doubt they’ll get far” He spun around, only glancing at Lord Serry in passing, before already hurrying towards the door. “I will need any able-bodied help I can get”, he spoke, clearly directed at Samantha and Sasha. “Including you, if we want to have any chance at catching that cunt” “No way!”, the soldier protested. “We need to make sure that Lord Serry is safe” He knelt down next to his lord, who had his good arm wrapped around Sasha’s shoulders now. “I’ll live…”, Chrass mumbled, but his injury was bleeding heavily and clearly paining him a lot. He still managed to give Sasha a brief, sincere smile. “Thanks to you…”, he added in a weak tone. “You coming?”, Robert growled, already hurrying out of the door. The soldier meanwhile gave Samantha a brief, urgent glare. “You two seem capable”, he stated. “If that killer returns, I might need your help” He brought up a good point and for what it was worth, Sasha made no attempt at leaving, instead she remained on the ground with Lord Serry. “I’ll stay and I should be good enough”, she spoke, as she looked at Samantha. “If you want to catch that whoresone, you better hurry” [Chase after the assassin] [Make sure Lord Serry is safe]
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Post by drdestroyer18 on Apr 19, 2022 11:50:02 GMT
[Promise to talk to Hishi about it] [Chase after the assassin]
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Post by TheAPlegends on Apr 19, 2022 21:40:02 GMT
[Refuse Efram’s aid] There is already a lot of moving pieces in this heist as it is. Even more people, and the ones we don't trust on top of that, not a good idea.
[Chase after the assassin] Lets try to catch him.
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Post by GMS Freeman on Apr 21, 2022 12:17:26 GMT
[Promise to talk to Hishi about it]
[Chase after the assassin]
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Post by Resident Lychee on Apr 22, 2022 4:17:24 GMT
[Promise to talk to Hishi about it]
[Chase after the assassin]
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