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Post by Father on May 20, 2020 11:40:53 GMT 1
Young Lord Blackwood is making his best to look resolute and authoritative, but the few stray hairs on his chin does not help his case. In a room full of hardened veterans of previous conflicts with the hated Brackens and other wars besides, he seems rather timid and small, seated upon the gnarled and ancient weirwood seat that allegedly was the throne of Blackwood kings. Ser Simon is being lead forth, the fear on his face only overshadowed by the anger against those who dared doubt the word of a Tarly or impudent enough to punish him even if he had done the dark deed. He is not chained for a knight of honor needs no shackles to ensure that he presents himself for justice, and adding those would suggests he has already been judged guilty like a common criminal paraded in front of the lord for quick sentencing based on the reports of his betters. Besides, an attempt to escape his minders would serve no other end than to incriminate himself, such an indignity he has been spared at least. Although some might think that fetters would have helped make him seem more repentant.
PC's on the Blackwood side can react as they please before the proceedings start.
Davos should declare anything out of the ordinary he might have wanted to do before it all begins. Taking the story of the ladies in private is something he presumably would do (pretty much anything they might have said is already known).
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Post by Davos Dayne on May 26, 2020 15:37:22 GMT 1
Other than talking with the girls and posting trusted guards at their door, Davos would have availed himself of the Blackwood's maester to research Westerosi laws & precedent in cases of rape, the history and current state of House Tarly, and sought out any information/rumors about Simon himself.
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Post by Father on May 29, 2020 22:01:38 GMT 1
The girls have not much to say that Davos does not already know of, alternating between blaming themselves for everything and wanting to see Ser Simon punished. The man's reputation is well known, less so in The Riverlands, but in The Reach he is known as a heavy drinker and a bully, all the whispers put together by the assembled reacher knights would imply that he has availed himself forcefully of every tavern wench between Horn Hill and Tumbleton and enough peasant girls to be on a trajectory to outrape Lord Eldon on account of the latter's girth surely will be the end of him, assuming Ser Simon does not beating him to it by getting himself killed or maimed where all men fears it the most. Most of those tales are probably grossly exaggerated, and Davos would know that peasant girls and tavern wenches often enough go along with the desires of knights and lords knowing that their resistance beyond a certain point is mostly futile. As for the laws, they can be flexibly applied, rape does not warrant execution as murder does, but gelding is instead the harshest penalty which may be administered, which can be fatal enough if done carelessly or deliberately if the blade is dirty or not properly heated, and the wound not treated. In Ser Simon's case, it would surely be performed as gentle as such a thing can be. That being said, a lord might show leniency, he might be satisfied with fines to himself and restitution to the victim and her family. Lord Bloodraven would surely have waived the ransoms of the ladies as penance if he sat in judgement and Ser Simon was found guilty. Lord Blackwood, though? It seems rather clear that a guilty verdict will end with a black cloak or a red hot dagger for Simon. House Tarly itself would likely agree with Lord Blackwood's view on what to do with rapists, Lord Alekyne being no exception, but they are an old, proud and prominent house, it takes a rare individual to be consistent when it is one's own son on the gibbet, no matter how great a disappointment that son surely has turned out to be. All these things might turn out to be moot, however, as when Ladies Jeyne and Sarra Bracken formally gives their testimonies, it is a different story than previously heard. One in which Ser Simon had his share of the lady companions of common birth as they were passed around, but it was only after he fell asleep from the drink that his men figured that the "real pretty ones" should be part of the grand feast, a course to top off all the others. Ser Davos could push to have Ser Simon punished as equally responsible as his men, being their commander and all, but whoever had made the girls sing this new version of their song have offered him a way to make a case for a much milder punishment. Ser Simon, obviously sensing what is afoot, Davos having good cause to expect that he had been told in advance, tries his best to be humble and contrite, though his best is not very good, agreeing with the new tale, and providing various knights to state that if a little enjoyment of common girls of dubious willingness is a crime to be punished, half the room ought to be on trial. Davos might seek to have Ser Simon relieved from any further commands, perhaps pay restitution for failing his duty as a knight, suitable to cover their dowries perhaps? The latter would surely enrage the knight, and make Davos an enemy he can do without, but Lord Tarly would likely find it a tolerable outcome. Lord Blackwood's anger would probably be slaked by gelding Ser Simon's men, now that they have been damned by both the knight they followed and the ladies they raped. He might also push for Ser Simon being guilty same as his men, and that he should face the full penalty, for that which a knight allows without protest, he might as well have taken part in comitting. Simple intrigue (act) w/assist: 5d6k4+1 16Won't fool Davos, Robyn/Roland/Mikel won't be able to tell that this new testimony is false, but might not be entirely convinced. If Davos argues for something that Lord Tarly would find tolerable, simple intrigue (convince, presumably) vs TN 13 should suffice to make it happen. If Davos argues for Simon to be gelded, he'll need to do full intrigue vs Lord Blackwood (technically it would be to win over the maester whispering in his ear).
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Post by Davos Dayne on May 29, 2020 23:51:24 GMT 1
Davos was furious. He knew exactly who had gotten to the girls - or at least who had sent whomever had gotten to the girls. Moreover, he knew who had given Bloodraven the idea, and that is whom he was most angry at. That, of course, was he himself.
It had been a moment of weakness, a moment of hoping he could trade an injustice against the girls for justice for his brother. It wasn't the right thing to do, and it wasn't even successful at accomplishing what he wanted.
Going to have to think on what to do with this - I should have expected it though, just as Davos should have but didn't.
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Post by Davos Dayne on May 31, 2020 22:41:02 GMT 1
There were enemies worth making, and enemies with the reach, power, and perhaps inclination to make others suffer for your actions. Simon Tarly was of the former, but Bloodraven was of the latter. How far would he go if Davos were to push the point? Nearly all the fight had drained out of Davos. He looked at the Bracken girls, his face clouded with a mask formed of jumbled sorrow, rage, disappointment, frustration, guilt, and more. He cannot fight for them if they are too afraid to fight for themselves - and he can't ask them to recant their testimony without possibly making an enemy of the second type... and Davos had lost enough family in the past few years that he just couldn't risk it right now. One thing was for sure, though - while the King's supporters might be less prejudiced against the Dornish, they certainly had their share of blackguards. He halfheartedly argued that Ser Tarly should be punished, not just for allowing his men to do what they did, but for failing to to live up to the knightly vows. Certainly he should not be given any positions of leadership, as he has exhibited the ultimate failure of leadership For failing his knightly duties to protect the young ladies, that duty should be enforced upon him - if not to take one of the ladies as his wife, at least to be responsible for their dowries. Raven's Justive - "Tarly Approved" SI(convince): 4d6+2 16, how extremely average.
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Post by Father on Jun 1, 2020 14:59:43 GMT 1
Lord Blackwood agrees with Ser Davos, and more or less word for word. He is not pleased however, nobody seems to be. Most of the hall whisper and murmur that the ladies had been pressed into changing their statements. Others thinks even the slap on the wrist Ser Simon received is just petty and unnecessary, the Brackens being the enemy and all. Simon himself silently accepts the verdict, but coldly rages inside. The next day he leaves, taking with him such men as followed him from Horn Hill along with a sizable contingent of fortune seekers happy to take Tarly gold and favors over such as might be won on the battlefield. Wise enough to go north to Fairmarket to put the Blue Fork between him and any Brackens.
Robyn: -2 Disposition with House Blackwood, -5 with Simon Tarly Davos: -5 Disposition with Simon Tarly, +2 Disposition with Bloodraven Roland: -2 Disposition with House Blackwood, -5 with Simon Tarly Blackwoods: -5 Disposition with Simon Tarly
Simon Tarly leaves the Blackwood host and 10 strength worth of men either leaves with him or awaits transport to the wall. 3 War crimes are removed, as men other than Simon is punished.
A complex intrigue to sway Simon Tarly towards a faction gains +5VP towards fire (probably tipping the scales that way by default).
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