Post by Father on May 16, 2021 11:49:09 GMT 1
The list of grievances against Lord Eldon Merryweather is long, despised and loathed by all, yet greatly feared for his wealth, power and willingness to leverage his resources to wreak disproportionate harm upon those he perceives to have wronged him. Though as repulsive as the man is, he is not without his allies, opportunists mostly, and given the brewing conflict, a reasonably clever man in his position can easily enough find powerful men to support him, however reluctantly in fear of forcing him to side with the enemy if not doing so. And a man such as Lord Eldon would never have managed to carry on with his mockery of all things noble without having the cunning to match his girth. Politically, he seems untouchable, even managing to secure a betrothal to Lord Peake's Valyrian beauty of a daughter without any bonds of alliance being offered in the union, merely a sacrificial offering to the man to keep him from seeking to repay Starpike a hundredfold for the slight of not dismissing the Hastwyck accusations out of hand. And now Lord Eldon will have a hostage against the most prominent supporter of the Blackfire claim in The Reach.
But there are many who would see him brought to justice for his sins, or simply removed as a danger, among them knights with only their lives to lose, many not fully appreciating that Lord Eldon understands perfectly well that everyone has their loved ones, their charges, their duties. The pig reasons that if a knight in service to a lord wrongs him, then that lord must suffer to teach the knight a lesson about failing his duty to keep safe those whom he swore to protect, only Lord Eldon would word it as such of course, but the threat is there. Only a knight of the hedges with no family at all can truly be said to have nothing else but his life to put at risk. Some may not think that thought to it's conclusion, others might deem it an acceptable price to pay to put an end to the depravities of the monster.
Participation: Presently (to narrator memory), only Addam has discovered Mya Hastwyck's presumed fate worse than the death everyone else thinks she suffered, but other sorts of motivations to get involved in the hunt for Eldon will presumably not be lacking. NPC's are unlikely to actively take measures unless brought in by PC's.
Challenge: To go after Eldon and things important to him will involve high risk, no guarantee of even decent chances of success, and generally requires those pursuing the matter to come up with a plan of attack and then see if it works. The man is very aware of what people think of him, and takes precautions.
Possibly routes of accomplishing whatever objective one may have:
-Physical confrontation, at Longtable, on the road, or other places.
-Information gathering and cultivating agents at Longtable to find a weakness in his defenses.
-Question someone in his service (coercion likely required, their absence might alert Lord Eldon that something is amiss).
-Flatter the man's vanity or bait his appetites.
Any resolution mechanics will have to be determined on a case for case basis.
Longtable
A strong castle situated on the southern bank of the Mander, with a moat having been dug to let the waters of the river surround it , Longtable have never been breached, but occasionally yielded to siege, such as to Lord Hightower during the dance. It is a large Motte and Bailey formation with Lord Eldon's keep, grand hall and other buildings serving the needs of his household being kept behind the inner walls along with the winter stores, a massive Gatehouse being the only way in from the castle town. The town itself is surrounded by a curtain wall 30 feet high, itself protected by a watery moat.
Attempting a frontal assault is thus most likely doomed to failure without somehow getting a small army through the town without raising alarm, but there are many comings and goings through the gates, so for a few to get inside should not be too difficult. The town itself is easy enough to gain entry to, all sorts of travelers does pass through and the tolls collected on the bridge spanning the Mander only adds to the wealth of Longtable, Lord Eldon's incomes from it must surely exceed those that the Freys commands, but of the many foul deeds to his name, demanding exorbitant fees like those hated upstarts is not an accusation laid at his feet.
But gaining access is one thing, Lord Eldon surely has his eyes and ears on the lookout for those showing unusual interest in matters beyond trade and travel. And the castle itself is one of the larger ones of The Reach, finding what one is looking for without a guide may prove difficult indeed. Infiltrating the castle will most likely require patience, middlemen and persons with a very particular set of skills.
Elsewhere
Lord Eldon is known to travel with a large contingent, including several fearsome knights (if perhaps not deserving of being addressed as a noble) and a strong guard, including outriders. He typically travels in a wheelhouse that most likely will protect him from assassins hoping to slay him with a well placed arrow. Laying ambush is not impossible, but should require a considerably larger operation than what felled Lord Blackbar, while his appetite for the pleasures of the flesh is well known, he usually brings one or more girls from Longtable that are never allowed to wander off, he is known to occasionally have his men find a companion for the eve, but there is no pattern to when they might search nearby farms for a comely face whose father or husband gets silver pressed into his hand with the implicit threat of steel in their belly and a knife across her throat should they resist or complain to their lord. After the Black Tourney, there have not been any new tales of such visits, suggesting he has grown more cautious, or just made aware of the risks of other lords taking issue with raping someone under their protection.
But there are many who would see him brought to justice for his sins, or simply removed as a danger, among them knights with only their lives to lose, many not fully appreciating that Lord Eldon understands perfectly well that everyone has their loved ones, their charges, their duties. The pig reasons that if a knight in service to a lord wrongs him, then that lord must suffer to teach the knight a lesson about failing his duty to keep safe those whom he swore to protect, only Lord Eldon would word it as such of course, but the threat is there. Only a knight of the hedges with no family at all can truly be said to have nothing else but his life to put at risk. Some may not think that thought to it's conclusion, others might deem it an acceptable price to pay to put an end to the depravities of the monster.
Participation: Presently (to narrator memory), only Addam has discovered Mya Hastwyck's presumed fate worse than the death everyone else thinks she suffered, but other sorts of motivations to get involved in the hunt for Eldon will presumably not be lacking. NPC's are unlikely to actively take measures unless brought in by PC's.
Challenge: To go after Eldon and things important to him will involve high risk, no guarantee of even decent chances of success, and generally requires those pursuing the matter to come up with a plan of attack and then see if it works. The man is very aware of what people think of him, and takes precautions.
Possibly routes of accomplishing whatever objective one may have:
-Physical confrontation, at Longtable, on the road, or other places.
-Information gathering and cultivating agents at Longtable to find a weakness in his defenses.
-Question someone in his service (coercion likely required, their absence might alert Lord Eldon that something is amiss).
-Flatter the man's vanity or bait his appetites.
Any resolution mechanics will have to be determined on a case for case basis.
Longtable
A strong castle situated on the southern bank of the Mander, with a moat having been dug to let the waters of the river surround it , Longtable have never been breached, but occasionally yielded to siege, such as to Lord Hightower during the dance. It is a large Motte and Bailey formation with Lord Eldon's keep, grand hall and other buildings serving the needs of his household being kept behind the inner walls along with the winter stores, a massive Gatehouse being the only way in from the castle town. The town itself is surrounded by a curtain wall 30 feet high, itself protected by a watery moat.
Attempting a frontal assault is thus most likely doomed to failure without somehow getting a small army through the town without raising alarm, but there are many comings and goings through the gates, so for a few to get inside should not be too difficult. The town itself is easy enough to gain entry to, all sorts of travelers does pass through and the tolls collected on the bridge spanning the Mander only adds to the wealth of Longtable, Lord Eldon's incomes from it must surely exceed those that the Freys commands, but of the many foul deeds to his name, demanding exorbitant fees like those hated upstarts is not an accusation laid at his feet.
But gaining access is one thing, Lord Eldon surely has his eyes and ears on the lookout for those showing unusual interest in matters beyond trade and travel. And the castle itself is one of the larger ones of The Reach, finding what one is looking for without a guide may prove difficult indeed. Infiltrating the castle will most likely require patience, middlemen and persons with a very particular set of skills.
Elsewhere
Lord Eldon is known to travel with a large contingent, including several fearsome knights (if perhaps not deserving of being addressed as a noble) and a strong guard, including outriders. He typically travels in a wheelhouse that most likely will protect him from assassins hoping to slay him with a well placed arrow. Laying ambush is not impossible, but should require a considerably larger operation than what felled Lord Blackbar, while his appetite for the pleasures of the flesh is well known, he usually brings one or more girls from Longtable that are never allowed to wander off, he is known to occasionally have his men find a companion for the eve, but there is no pattern to when they might search nearby farms for a comely face whose father or husband gets silver pressed into his hand with the implicit threat of steel in their belly and a knife across her throat should they resist or complain to their lord. After the Black Tourney, there have not been any new tales of such visits, suggesting he has grown more cautious, or just made aware of the risks of other lords taking issue with raping someone under their protection.
