Harrentown

[The Gambler]

Harrentown or Harrenton is a town located outside of Harrenhal. It lies on the northern shore of the Gods Eye, along the road leading to the main gate, the town becoming dark early in the afternoon due to the large shadow cast over it by the massive keep. The multitude of lords, retainers, and smallfolk who came to Harrenhal for the Great Council of 101 AC led to Harrentown briefly being considered the fourth largest city of the Seven Kingdoms.

[The Raven]

It doesn't snow in the Crownlands, and so the Blackforts have an easy trip. Four traveling minstrels stop in the road to sing "The Devil on Weeping Ridge" in hopes of gaining employment or a few silvers. One sings 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair," but likely only because it is a popular tune. In every tavern they stop at, they hear news from King's Landing of Daemon Blackfyre taking the Iron Throne. They hear tales of heroism and outrage and horror concerning the past few years. But mostly, the tone is relief. It is freezing and mothers cannot feed their children and there is little work unless you are a healthy man, but at least noone is trying to kill eachother over a silly chair.

In Shoreham, the family learns that the Siege of Riverrun has finally ended. Most assume that Medgar Tully will bend the knee soon, but a few suspect he might hold out to see how strong Blackfyre's position really is. It is also in Shoreham that they first lay eyes on Harrenhal across the Gods Eye lake. It is not quite as impressive as the legends say, dangling just beyond a small island. Harrenhal looks almost plain and rather wretched at first glance. A keen eye can spot the damage inflicted by Aegon and his sisters two hundred years ago. It's towers are clearly shattered, with the largest seeming to lean with the wind. The entire thing is the color of plain ash, and unspectacular seen across the God's Eye. If anything, the most dazzling sight is the famous black swans. Like a storm cloud, they often blot out the sun before landing on the island. When a local is asked how there are so many swans and so many hungry people, a local peasant replies that the black swans flew south years ago. These are wild ravens, which seemed to have settled near the God's Eye after gorging themselves on the expansive charnel house that the Riverlands had become.

The decently large but not absurdly so castle quickly reveals its fantastical scale as its new owners circle the lake. It becomes clear that it is not a large castle situated beside a small lake. In fact, the lake is the largest in the Seven Kingdoms. Maester Augustyn, a noted sceptic, once wrote that much of Harrenhal's reputation must stem from the human mind's inability to grasp the scale upon which it was built. The closer an observer comes to it, the more the sense of unreality grows. Spatial awareness becomes fragile, and viewers undergo constant shock at when their expectations and estimations are repeatedly dashed apart. The many accounts of madness, concluded Maester Augustyn, must derive from the ordinary person's mind inability to simply cope with just how large Harrenhal is. There is a frequent urge among travelers to simply reach out their hand and touch the thing, only to be reminded that Harrenhal is still miles away. Its smallest tower puts the Red Keep atop Aegon's Hill to shame. The most apt comparison would be the great mountains of the Westerland, or the nearly insurmountable nmarches surrounding Dorne. It is inconceivable that Man could have designed and built it.

The Eastern Gate is clearly locked, or perhaps just impossible to open or close. The doorway is as tall as any rampart found in King's Landing. Resting nearby are a family of merchants who trade goods for the trip to Harrenhal. When asked what madman expects to be paid for supporting a trip that has already ended, the wife grins and points out that now they must go around the monstrosity if they want to actually meet the people of Harrentown. When asked about the details of the past week, the father grips his boy to him and says he has had little traffic with the people of Harrentown recently and may the Crone guide your path.

On horseback, the trip around the castle wall takes a day. It is not arduous, for the colossal curtain walls and towers regularly keep the sun out and the winter winds off of them. The game is also rich and daring. In the forests and plains that surround their new home, deer, bears, wolves, scavengers, and birds of all size are seen. There is much fertile land here to be sowed and reaped, if a person has a mind to do so.

Harrentown is as large as Gulltown or White Harbor, but not so sophisticated or well populated. Built just past the Western gate, which can easily swallow almost any other castle the Blackforts have ever laid eyes on, it consists of hundreds of old buildings, with the only stone ones built near the the road itself. There are wooden walls around the township nothing a few hefty axes and a burning torch could not overcome.

The town appears quite empty, despite there being no overt signs of battle here. No one greets their new rulers, no procession or trumpets to signal they're home. The afternoon sun is blocked by the castle, lending shadows and darkness to almost area of the town. The only signs of life are the black birds that regularly rest on the rooftops, looking down at the the travelers. Few ever caw.

Halfway through the town's road, surrounded on each side by closed business, rides into view a massive man on a withered old nag. His loosely strapped breastplate cannot contain his gut,and the horse seems ready to pass out from the strain at any point. He cries out, in a deep but somewhat effeminate voice that carries through the town, "Halt! I, Ser Valarr River, magistrate, sheriff, and headman of the township, do demand you surrender yourself to myself, in the name of the Lord of Harrenhal! Know that keen eyed and blood honed marksmen watch you from every window! Prepare your knees for submission or your souls for penance!!"

(Curses are now active folks. Have fun!)

[Tim of Raventree]

Violet shuddered as she heard the challenge. She was actually a little frightened at the threat. She began to wish she had stayed in King's Landing with Alice. This was the last thing she had expected.

[Vex]

Dacey brought her horse to a halt and scanned the surrounding windows to see if there really were as many keen-eyed and blood honed marksmen as this 'magistrate' had just advertised.

(40 Observation)

[The Gambler]

She could not see in all the windows, but the few figures she could make out appeared to be mostly comprised of scared women and children, holding crossbows with shaking hands.

[Maester Percival]

Percival was not in the front of the group, but he heard the men call out. He frowned at the surprising words. And as the other horses halted he kept steadily on toward the keep. He lifted his chain high as he rode toward the sheriff. He called out in a calm voice, "Fools, do not shoot me. I am the New Maester here to serve the Lord of Harrenhal." He spoke loud enough for all nearby to hear his words. "I come from the Citadel. I carry medicines for all who need them." Percival was sure the peasants would not dare fire at a unarmed Maester, so he kept his gaze on the Sheriff.

(persuasion 50)

[Barley]

Saesha could have said something, she had plenty to say, first among them that Belric was the Lord of Harrenhal. Against her better judgement she waited to see how he handled it, this would be the defining moment in how much she felt she was going to need to micro manage this shit show.

She was unimpressed by the weaselling actions of their new Maester, but then he served Harrenhal, not them, he'd be staying anyway. 

[Sigfry Deddings]

The ride over here felt strange, the constant changing of perspective and the size of the castle making him feel uncomfortable. Not to mention the reputation of this place made him feel extremely uneasy. Everything culminated in giving the man a headache, which was not being helped by the fat man on a dying equine trying to poster about arresting them in the name of belric blackfort, the lord of Harrenhal.

"What are you on about?" Yoren spoke up, looking to the so-called magistrate with a look of confusion and annoyance, "House Blackfort are the rulers of Harrenhal. The king's declared it, and my lord, Belric Blackfort, is here. Show some respect, fatty."

[The Raven]

Jun 5, 2016 20:31:02 GMT Maester Percival said:

Percival was not in the front of the group, but he heard the men call out. He frowned at the surprising words. And as the other horses halted he kept steadily on toward the keep. He lifted his chain high as he rode toward the sheriff. He called out in a calm voice, "Fools, do not shoot me. I am the New Maester here to serve the Lord of Harrenhal." He spoke loud enough for all nearby to hear his words. "I come from the Citadel. I carry medicines for all who need them." Percival was sure the peasants would not dare fire at a unarmed Maester, so he kept his gaze on the Sheriff.

(persuasion 50)

(Success. +1 to Persuasion skill.)

Ser Valarr rubbed the round of his breastplate in thought. "A maester, you say... Been a dragon's age since we were privy to a maester. Lady Lothson hung the last one by his chain after she found one too many wrinkles on herself... But how do I know you serve who you serve? You could have stolen those chains. You could be an enemy maester, here to help Tully claim Harrenhal before His Grace Daemon Blackfyre."

[Barley]

If looks could kill right now Yoren would be joining the many ghosts that inhabited Harrenhal.

She looked to her husband to see how he was going to deal with his rude and clearly idiotic knight.

[Tim of Raventree]

Violet winced at Ser Yoren's insult. She felt that it was a bad idea to bandy insults with the sheriff. She willed Belric to speak up and take control of the situation.

[The Raven]

Jun 5, 2016 20:41:40 GMT Sigfry Deddings said:

The ride over here felt strange, the constant changing of perspective and the size of the castle making him feel uncomfortable. Not to mention the reputation of this place made him feel extremely uneasy. Everything culminated in giving the man a headache, which was not being helped by the fat man on a dying equine trying to poster about arresting them in the name of belric blackfort, the lord of Harrenhal.

"What are you on about?" Yoren spoke up, looking to the so-called magistrate with a look of confusion and annoyance, "House Blackfort are the rulers of Harrenhal. The king's declared it, and my lord, Belric Blackfort, is here. Show some respect, fatty."

"The Blackforts live in Lord Harroway's Town, you great ignorant heap of cow shit! I fought beside Ser Bruce myself many a skirmish."

[Maester Percival]

Jun 5, 2016 20:45:20 GMT The Raven said:

Ser Valarr rubbed the round of his breastplate in thought. "A maester, you say... Been a dragon's age since we were privy to a maester. Lady Lothson hung the last one by his chain after she found one too many wrinkles on herself... But how do I know you serve who you serve? You could have stolen those chains. You could be an enemy maester, here to help Tully claim Harrenhal before His Grace Daemon Blackfyre."

Percival snorted, "I do not know how I can prove my skills besides having you gather your ill and infirm and having me use my Citadel trained skills. I will do that if you insist." Percival kept riding closer and closer tot he sheriff, "Maesters stand apart from all wars. Every fool should know that." He now spoke in a lecturing tone, and let his voice carry. "And I serve the man King Daemon commanded to take this keep, Lord Belric Blackfort. The man who slew the Bloodraven himself." He motioned to the group behind him, "He rides right there." 

(persuasion 51)

[Barley]

Jun 5, 2016 20:49:01 GMT The Raven said:

"The Blackforts live in Lord Harroway's Town, you great ignorant heap of cow shit! I fought beside Ser Bruce myself many a skirmish."

"I am Saesha Seastar. You dare use such language in the presence of the King's own sister?" she inquired, tone even as she spoke to the man, impersonating a member of the royal family could be punishable by death, so he should understand the seriousness of her words.

She clearly could not wait for Belric to get over his selective muteness. "Your wariness does you credit, Ser Valarr, in these uncertain times with no Lord in residence." She paused for a moment to let the words carry over. Deciding to back up the Maester.

"For the services they performed for His Grace, my brother, during the war, Lord Belric has been honoured with the Lordship of your great Keep, and my hand making him the King's family also. You yourself sent the raven informing the King of Lady Lothson's death."

[The Raven]

Jun 5, 2016 20:52:21 GMT Maester Percival said:

Percival snorted, "I do not know how I can prove my skills besides having you gather your ill and infirm and having me use my Citadel trained skills. I will do that if you insist." Percival kept riding closer and closer tot he sheriff, "Maesters stand apart from all wars. Every fool should know that." He now spoke in a lecturing tone, and let his voice carry. "And I serve the man King Daemon commanded to take this keep, Lord Belric Blackfort. The man who slew the Bloodraven himself." He motioned to the group behind him, "He rides right there." 

(persuasion 51)

(Failure)

Ser Valarr banged on his breastplate. "Apart from all wars, you say? Two ignorant stacks of cow shit, one with jewelry sitting on top. Clearly your lofty teachers never thought to inform you that the Grand Maester himself sits on the King's own Small Council, and it was the Grand Maester himself who handed King's Landing to Daemon Blackfyre. My squire can't read a roadsign, but even he would find your ignorance appalling, charlatan!"