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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 10, 2019 13:34:59 GMT 1
It took a good deal of consideration, but Laena decided not to mention the hedge knight's claim to Bloodraven, using the excuse of it 'lacking credibility' - a claim she was prepared to justify. Unless he pushed, of course. She hadn't discounted the possibility that the hedge knight was a deliberate plant by her brother, to see if she would share.
Viewing even your allies with a large degree of paranoia was only wise, after all.
Should 'misfortune' befall Lady Maegelle, she wanted Bloodraven to believe she was still undecided.
So, when they met up again, she made sure her face wore the expected degree of frustration. The grief mixed in she didn't have to fake.
"My apologies, brother." She curtseys, not quite hiding her grinding teeth. "I found no credible leads. May I hope you had better fortune, and are still willing to share, despite my failure?"
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Post by Father on Jun 10, 2019 19:18:58 GMT 1
"One of Lord Ashford's knights believes that it's not far off from their castle, there's a First Men rock formation like that out in the woods, but I've seen others like it, further north though, mostly, there's two in Lord Ulbert's lands actually" Streetwise: 7d6k5 27
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 11, 2019 21:09:56 GMT 1
House Ashford? Laena couldn't make any connection between them and Ashara, at least not without further digging. The Fossoway connection at least made *sense*.
She raises an eyebrow at the mention that Lord Ulbert has two similar sets of rocks. "We're still sure that those two formations don't match what's shown in that map, aren't we? If further strikes are planned against House Starkwood, Lord Ulbert should be informed immediately. Sorry to have to ask, but I'm not particularly aware of them - when I was in Starkwood lands, I had better things to be doing than wandering about the forest, staring at rocks.
"Sorry to say, I can't make any kind of connection between Lady Ashara and House Ashford, aside from the similarities in name. So, what's the next step? Send someone to Ashford lands, to discreetly check and see if the formation does indeed match what's drawn on the map, and look for the other landmarks?"
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Post by Father on Jun 12, 2019 14:08:36 GMT 1
Well, in theory, it could be one of those in the Starkwood, but the map says nothing of which one, and neither is easily found unless one knows exactly where to look. Investigating the place at Ashford does seem to be the logical next step, indeed.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 12, 2019 18:23:51 GMT 1
Laena nods. If these First Men rock formations are scattered around, it's entirely plausible there are such rocks both among the Fossoways and the Ashfords. It would be suspicious if she didn't want to follow up on the Ashfords, and they could be the true lead, so she'd see where this path led for now. "So, do you have someone adept at woodcraft you can send to locate the place discreetly? Because I *could*, but I'd have to persuade the Ashfords to host me as part of my travels, and somehow pretend to be excited about 'these strange rocks back in Starkwood lands', and try and persuade them to show me theirs, since otherwise I'd be wandering blindly about their woods for weeks. And if they *are* involved, that's likely a good way to 'choke on a chicken bone'.
"And while I *do* want to expose them if they are complicit, I'd prefer a less fatal method." She concludes dryly. Though from her tone, she's open to argument on the matter.
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Post by Father on Jun 13, 2019 14:00:40 GMT 1
Easy enough to find reliable men for such tasks for those who know where to look Bloodraven remarks with a wink. Perhaps it might be all the sweeter to have them tried and executed? Get their champion slaughtered in the process as well.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 13, 2019 17:08:26 GMT 1
"If it is them, I would very much like that. Is there anything I *can* do to help that happen?"
A nasty thought worms into her mind. Lord Ashford's sister is married to Lord Meadows, Lord Marq's man. Were Lord Randyll Ashford and his sons to die, she'd have a claim on those large, fertile lands neighbouring Lord Meadows' own. Would Lord Marq murder her sister to use her as a tool to advance his man's interests, and hence, his own?
Would he betray her like that?
She tried to shake the suspicion off. Lady Maegelle still made far more sense. But still, her suspicions would linger. She hoped they were wrong. She did not want Lord Marq as an enemy.
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Post by Father on Jun 14, 2019 15:02:06 GMT 1
First one needs to know who might have hired them, and if they were supposed to go there to receive payment, it's likely a dead end.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 14, 2019 19:39:05 GMT 1
"And with the assassins all dead, there's no other leads!" Laena growls in frustration. "Without more information, we'd at best be able to identify *which* set of rocks the map refers to, but we won't be able to know if they're paymasters, patsies, or further victims!"
She turns firmly to her brother. "Give me some hope. Hope that this is more than just following the only lead to a dead end. Hope that the woman I saw as a sister will have justice. Because I have to say, right now, I'm pretty much out." Unshed tears glisten in her eyes, held back by will alone.
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Post by Father on Jun 15, 2019 16:24:42 GMT 1
Sometimes one is lucky, sometimes one stumbles upon the hole left behind by four men who apparently knew how to fight, and find clues as to who might have hired them.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 15, 2019 18:14:57 GMT 1
"To find the hole left by four *peasants*....?" She trails off with a sigh. "It is not impossible, I suppose. Not quite. I see a lot of prayer in my future."
At least she had a short-list of houses who lands she should focus on. Cordwayner, Fossoway, Ashford, .. and Durwell. Still a near-impossible task.
She curtseys. "Thank you, brother. A faint hope is better than none at all. Our agreement continues?"
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Post by Father on Jun 16, 2019 17:41:19 GMT 1
More than peasants most like, given that they obviously knew more about fighting than most militia's. Meaning sellswords, most like, most of that kind were ever wandering which would be unfortunate for tracing them to their homes, but they seemed old enough to maybe have family somewhere.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Jun 16, 2019 19:22:27 GMT 1
She nods slowly. "A family suddenly in need of a new income source." She puffs out a breath. "It's something.
"Not much, but something."
[Happy for that to be /scene, unless there's more you specifically want to cover.]
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Post by Father on Jun 16, 2019 20:54:14 GMT 1
/scene
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