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Post by Jon Blackfort on Jun 6, 2016 10:14:10 GMT
"My lord," Jon inclined his head, "We shall serve you with honour." He turned his attention to Ser Valarr. "What can you tell us of these men? Ser Simon, Ser Bruce, and the veteran scout. Are they good men? Bad men? Both?"
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Boros
Knight
Jon
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Post by Boros on Jun 6, 2016 10:54:15 GMT
"Aye aye, commander..." Hoster said just a little annoyed, waving at his men. He gave the old salute from his time in Harroway's Watch, this all made him feel a little nostalgic of those simpler days. "Ye heard da big boyo, git ready ta leave."His brother
His brother seemed to have sprouted from the ground, he had no idea Jon had been there with them. In other situations, that might have called for a good old Hoster Blackfort greeting, which might end with Jon's weak body getting a little bruised; but Hoster was too busy thinking of this to actually be bothered by his brother's presence.
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Vex
Lord Paramount
what is this
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Post by Vex on Jun 6, 2016 12:24:51 GMT
After seeing enough of the bleak conditions of their new domain, Dacey had returned to the party just in time to catch Yoren's last few sentences and find out that the situation was even further complicated by a possible occupation of the castle.
"I'll go with," she told Belric, and looked to the stranger he'd spoken to. He seemed composed enough. A squad consisting of only Hoster, his few goons and Yoren would probably have been... quite horrible.
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The Gambler
Administrator
Alea Iacta Est
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Post by The Gambler on Jun 6, 2016 14:45:13 GMT
"My lord," Jon inclined his head, "We shall serve you with honour." He turned his attention to Ser Valarr. "What can you tell us of these men? Ser Simon, Ser Bruce, and the veteran scout. Are they good men? Bad men? Both?" "Ser Simon and Ser Bruce, if they still live, are knights for all that it means in time such as these, ones that never took their spurs for granted. Grim chaps, but this keep tends to have that effect, and they always did their duty without complaint and with purpose before...well...the situation as it stands," Valarr explained. "As for Jaime, he was a boon for this town before the war. Always smiling, always smelting down coppers into little rings for the children, always shoeing horses and forging plows on credit when times were lean. War changed him, made him smile less, laugh less, but isn't that always the case?"
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Post by Sigfry Deddings on Jun 6, 2016 16:47:30 GMT
"Alright. Seems we're getting a decent group together." Yoren said as he looked between Jon and Dacey, then back to Hoster. "You going to be fine without a horse?" he asked, wanting to make sure they were set before they headed out, "We may need to turn and run, if things get too intense."
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Boros
Knight
Jon
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Post by Boros on Jun 6, 2016 16:56:55 GMT
"Ah don' ride, but if da need arises I coul' jump on wi' one of yer. Otherwise, ah can take are of mah self." Hoster grumbled, there was no way he was going to ride one of those things on his own. He checked his equipments: blades, sword and shield, pushed his hair back with some spit, and said quickly changing subject from the horse topics. "Time ta go, eh mates?"
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Barley
High Lord
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Post by Barley on Jun 6, 2016 17:04:07 GMT
Saesha looked to Valarr, "Why did you not put this in your letter?" she asked, frown deepening. "What did you make of Lady Lothson, do you know of any reason that Ser Bruce would have to kill her?" she asked, face an implacable, finding it odd otherwise loyal knights might turn on their liege. "sieges only work when there is no means of the place you are sieging getting food. If you want to besiege the place then that is essential," she confirmed for Belric. "We need a greater idea of the state of things inside the towers though in order to make an informed decision. If the store room is at the bottom of the tower, and the men who went there only to get food for their families have not returned then it would make sense to me that there is more going on now, five hundred men is more than enough."
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The Gambler
Administrator
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Post by The Gambler on Jun 6, 2016 17:16:26 GMT
"Apologies, my esteemed lady, but I would have written a fuller report had I the time," he said, head bowed in deference. "As it were, once the swords came out in the Great Hall, I ran, not knowing who was friend or foe. Tis a long trek to the rookery at the top of Kingspyre and I feared if I was not brief, there would be no message at all. Scrawled what I could, that Lady Lothson, the last of the Lothsons, was dead and that Harrenhal required a new liege. Didn't even have the time to seal it, just tied it to the raven's leg and prayed before making my way here, stepping over bodies of friends as I went."
"I've heard it poor fortune to speak ill of the dead, but the lady turning cloaks in the middle of the war didn't sit well with many of the men. A knight follows the commands of his liege, but the burden can weigh heavy at times." He seemed to squirm a bit at the question, but did not elaborate further.
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jun 6, 2016 18:20:46 GMT
Belric was glad to hear Saesha had similar views on the situation. Information was everything, and right now they had none. "One hundred and twenty knights could make quick work of five hundred peasants. It is imperative that we get to the bottom of this, either winning the loyalties of Ser Simon and Ser Bruce, or at the very least, their men. The lives of the peasants is of concern, but I would not expect us to hold our seat very long without trained knights at our disposal." He spoke so that everyone could hear him. Belric wanted to make his intentions obvious, in case anyone had ulterior motives.
There was something about Ser Valarr's nervousness that rubbed Belric the wrong way. The man was shifty, and it seemed obvious that there was more to the story than he was letting on. "Valarr," Belric barked with potency, "What do you know of the weight of a traitor's burden? Now is the time to speak truthfully. If I find out this situation is not as you say, or there is more to the story than you are letting on, you will be made an example of."
(Intimidation: 70)
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The Gambler
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Post by The Gambler on Jun 6, 2016 18:30:46 GMT
(Success)
"I am no traitor, my lord," Ser Valarr replied, defensively, though clearly feared disappointing his new liege. "I have served Harrenhal with loyalty and distinction through my years."
"I have told you the situation as I know it to be, it is just...Lady Danelle was not well near the end, erratic. A few months ago, she demanded a great many of the children of Harrentown be sent behind the walls for their own protection, promising them shelter in the castle and work in the kitchens. It seemed prudent at the time for their safety, as Harrentown had been sacked twice in the course of the war, once by Targaryen forces and once by the Blackfyres. However, when the villagers asked me to check on their children, I could not find them and when I asked Lady Lothson, she was always evasive, claiming it was a large keep and things got lost. When she asked for yet more children, this time the villagers refused and demanded to see the ones already in the keep, so she ordered the knights to bring them to the castle by force. I do not know what befell them, and dare not suggest what may have, but I fear that was part of the reason for Ser Bruce's actions and certainly Jaime the Smith's desire to enter the keep, besides the empty stomachs."
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Post by Tim of Raventree on Jun 6, 2016 19:11:42 GMT
Leaving her siblings to plot a strategy, Violet decided to try a tactic of her own. She knew nothing of warfare or subterfuge, but she hoped to use her words to move the people. She dismounted her old horse (she had hoped to buy a new one now she was a proper lady, but it seemed that might have to wait) and looked to the smallfolk gathering in the street.
She looked for someone who looked less afraid than the others, someone who might be willing to talk.
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The Gambler
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Post by The Gambler on Jun 6, 2016 19:20:23 GMT
Not a one of them looked particularly stoic, the ragtag bunch of peasants left behind to defend their home, most of them far too skinny with gaunt faces and haunted eyes. Out of the doorway of a nearby inn came a woman bearing a large crossbow, who at least met Violet's gaze. At her knees, her likely children carried knives in their hands. The boy had a sheathed shortsword on his back. Similar sights greeted Violet as she explored. Old men dragging two handed blades. Cripples with warhammers. Some wore leather and chainmail and plate that ill fitted their thin, malnutritioned bodies.
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jun 6, 2016 19:24:51 GMT
"Kidnapped children is no trivial thing, Ser Valarr." Belric said scoldingly. "If I am to trust you, as the King has recommended, I require your courage. It is not for you to decided what I should or shouldn't be told. Things are about to change for Harrenhal, and honesty will be rewarded."
"I fear this is far more complex than a simple mutiny," Belric said to his wife. "What use could Lady Lothson possibly have for the town's children?"
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Post by Tim of Raventree on Jun 6, 2016 19:24:56 GMT
Holding up her hands to show she meant no harm, Violet approached the woman wielding the crossbow. The fact that the smallfolk carried weapons, and some armour, indicated that there was something very wrong here, and perhaps something more than a new lord arriving.
"We're not here to hurt you," she told the woman. "Have the people been in danger since Lady Lothston's demise?"
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The Gambler
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Post by The Gambler on Jun 6, 2016 19:33:28 GMT
"Kidnapped children is no trivial thing, Ser Valarr." Belric said scoldingly. "If I am to trust you, as the King has recommended, I require your courage. It is not for you to decided what I should or shouldn't be told. Things are about to change for Harrenhal, and honesty will be rewarded." "I fear this is far more complex than a simple mutiny," Belric said to his wife. "What use could Lady Lothson possibly have for the town's children?" "I understand, my lord. Apologies." Ser Valarr replied simply, lowering his head at the chastisement. Some things were not easily spoken of. Holding up her hands to show she meant no harm, Violet approached the woman wielding the crossbow. The fact that the smallfolk carried weapons, and some armour, indicated that there was something very wrong here, and perhaps something more than a new lord arriving. "We're not here to hurt you," she told the woman. "Have the people been in danger since Lady Lothston's demise?" The old woman gave a derisive laugh as if that were the funniest thing she had ever heard in her entire long life. "Been in danger for the last five years," she answered. "Town has been sacked twice in the war, first by the Reds, then by the Blacks."
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