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Post by Father on Jan 3, 2022 12:36:37 GMT 1
Balon is a good rider, but the headstart of the bridestealer and a bride that seems rather willing to be stolen is too much, or perhaps it is simply the familiarity with the terrain. He might perhaps track them down regardless. The Sunflower heraldry is unfamiliar to Balon, but surely not to the locals, so they might already be on their way to where they assume he has taken refuge, and such a stain upon the honor of both the groom and the bride's family would likely only be washed away with blood unless an outsider might intervene.
Addam is assumed to have decided that this bridestealing thing is someone else's problem. Ride rounds 5 to 9: 5#6d6k3 16 13 13 15 14Challenge: Make a series of Survival (Track) TN 9 -Per DoS beyond the first: Gain +1 to the next test. -Simple Failure: A cumulative +1 is applied to the TN's of any further tests. -Critical Failure: Lose the trail completely. -Taking extra time: Possible, but a cumulative +1 TN applies to all further tests. -Three successful tests required to follow them to were they are headed.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 5, 2022 8:34:00 GMT 1
Balon is a good rider, but the headstart of the bridestealer and a bride that seems rather willing to be stolen is too much, or perhaps it is simply the familiarity with the terrain. He might perhaps track them down regardless. The Sunflower heraldry is unfamiliar to Balon, but surely not to the locals, so they might already be on their way to where they assume he has taken refuge, and such a stain upon the honor of both the groom and the bride's family would likely only be washed away with blood unless an outsider might intervene.
Challenge: Make a series of Survival (Track) TN 9 -Per DoS beyond the first: Gain +1 to the next test. -Simple Failure: A cumulative +1 is applied to the TN's of any further tests. -Critical Failure: Lose the trail completely. -Taking extra time: Possible, but a cumulative +1 TN applies to all further tests. -Three successful tests required to follow them to were they are headed. Test 1: [Phase 4] Bridestealer! Max Extra Time, Survival (Track) TN11: 4d6 21, 3 DoS, +2 next test
Test 2: [Phase 4] Bridestealer! Max Extra Time, +2, Survival (Track) TN13: 4d6+2 18, 2 DoS +1 next test
Test 3: [Phase 4] Bridestealer! Max Extra Time, +1, Survival (Track) TN15: 4d6+1 17. 1 DoS
***Son of a bitch, I did it.*** Things that were beneath Balon: Falconry. It was a woman's sport as far as he was concerned. Tracking. That was something a hunter, not a knight focused on. Navigation. Only important to seamen or woodsmen in the deep forest. Foraging. Something a hapless peasant or hedge knight would do. Not Balon Blackbriar. Of all these things that Balon shunned, tracking was the most important now that he'd lost the bride-stealer during the chase. Pulling back the reins of his horse he slowed, then stopped. Tracking can't be that hard, can it? He dismounted and slowly began following the tracks. It was easy at first. A horse at full gallop with two riders left deep hoof prints. But as time passed the task became more difficult. His pace slowed further and he began to kneel every so often to ensure he was following the right set of tracks. Slow and steady wins the race. He told himself. At Appleton he'd charged through the keep looking for a murderer instead of taking his time and thinking. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. He paced slowed again and though at times he felt like he was on the wrong track or doubling back, he felt in his gut he was making the right decisions. Closing his eyes and focusing on his hearing, Balon thought there was something in the distance. A pair of voices perhaps? Maybe the bride-stealer was confident he'd lost all pursuit and was ensuring the health of the bride-to-be. What unlucky bastard am I about to find. The thrill of the chase ebbed and anger replaced it. With a tightened jaw he crept forward, his hands flexing open and closed. If I can't have love, no one can.
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Post by Father on Jan 5, 2022 15:50:30 GMT 1
The pair of voices turned out to be little more than some smallfolk, but they could point Daeron in the right direction, and coming over a hill, he spots his quarry in the distance, but also their destination, a Motte and Bailey with a village sprawling outside the walls and moats, Balon could likely take it by storm with a few dozen good men, but the tower on the top of the earthworks might require preparations or the element of surprise to claim, or maybe just enough lives, the place seems mostly suited for protecting winter stores and other valuables from outlaw bands than withstand a proper assault, but no army had marched into the domains of Highgarden for hundreds of years.
Banners showing the same Sunflower heraldry as the bridestealer was garbed in adorn the walls, they appear to not even bother to try to hide, the wedding party is likely soon to arrive.
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jan 6, 2022 5:41:53 GMT 1
Daeron and MikelThe internment of the Grand Maester in Oldtown passes by without incident, but taking advantage of a bigger audience than usual, though not in such a way as to be blatantly disrespectful of the dead, Septon Oberyn steps upon a makeshift podium to give a speech, the man does have his devoted followers, and many more curious as to what the fuss is all about. The Olive skinned man make a striking figure, tall of nature, gaunt from fasting, but with a strong set of lungs. His message is a blistering denunciation of the sin brought into the world, and how vice, sloth, vanity but lust above all is bringing The Seven Realms to the edge of the abyss with the bastard offspring of the unworthy falling to their depraved nature to lay claim to that which is not theirs, and debauchery and greed among the supposedly chivalrous and pious knights of the realm have turned them blind to the hellfire that the bastards are about to wreak upon the lands. He goes on to some length to give examples, with only Gwenys Rivers of the children born to Aegon's official mistresses escaping his scathing tongue, even Blackfyre is given no such exception, of the less famous of the Great Bastards, Laena is given considerable attention, with special note of how she has abandoned her duties as a mother to live a life of hedonism and wanton selfishness. Mikel is not the most religious of people but he did enjoy the Septon's firey sermon. Not for the message, he couldn't disagree more than with an idea such as, "if you look upon a woman with lustful thought you have already committed the deed in your heart, and it is no longer pure..." He appreciated that the Septon seemed to spread his wraith around politically, and used the higher side of society as poor examples. It seemed more mad than brave, more a fanatic than your everyday man speaking his hearts truth, but he smiled now and then regardless. When he heard the Septon mention Lady Laena not once but twice he considered speaking him but thought better of it. The Septon was quick and overwhelming with words. He also did not believe that Lord Starkwood would appreciate a screaming match with a Septon despite it being on behalf of a member of his House. He also enjoyed the argument between the Septon and the man who he saw as he walked out to be Ser Daeron whom he recalled from the Tourney at High Garden. Daeron made a point which Mikel agreed with, why wasn't he, or most people, speaking out or taking some kind of action against the villainous Lords, like Merryweather or Mandrake or the many others there doubtless were? Well, he suddenly thought to himself, perhaps this Septon could change that if he heard the idea in better way.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 6, 2022 8:54:44 GMT 1
The pair of voices turned out to be little more than some smallfolk, but they could point Balon in the right direction, and coming over a hill, he spots his quarry in the distance, but also their destination, a Motte and Bailey with a village sprawling outside the walls and moats, Balon could likely take it by storm with a few dozen good men, but the tower on the top of the earthworks might require preparations or the element of surprise to claim, or maybe just enough lives, the place seems mostly suited for protecting winter stores and other valuables from outlaw bands than withstand a proper assault, but no army had marched into the domains of Highgarden for hundreds of years. Banners showing the same Sunflower heraldry as the bridestealer was garbed in adorn the walls, they appear to not even bother to try to hide, the wedding party is likely soon to arrive. Balon cursed his luck when he saw how close his quarry was to the motte and bailey. No point in trying to catch them in the open. I'd never make it in time. He mounted his horse and weighed his options. His initial assessment of the fortification suggested an armed party could overcome the defenses with the right leadership. His leadership. The wedding party would undoubtedly provide an ample amount of volunteers but it'd be some time before they showed up. So what to do in the mean time? A sense of curiosity overwhelmed Balon. Why would this sunflower knight do something so stupid? What did he think he'd accomplish? Only one way to find out. He gave his horse a giddy-up and trotted towards the town. Once in the town Balon described the bridestealer as best as he could (without mentioning said bride stealing) to a couple of smallfolk to see if he was the lord of the keep or one of his children. Satisfied with the answers received Balon went to the entrance of the motte and bailey seeking an audience with the sunflower knight. "My name is Ser Balon Blackbriar and I seek an audience." He remained calm and impassive. ***Basically Balon is there to talk if they'll talk to him. He needs something to do before the mob shows up.***
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Post by Father on Jan 6, 2022 20:39:18 GMT 1
Balon quickly learns that "Lord Cleos" is the master of the "castle", but with smallfolk it is hard to tell if he's a true lord or just a landed knight, the size of his holding suggests the latter, but some petty lords have little land to go with their title. He appears to not be totally oblivious as to what the consequences of his actions might be as the gates have been shut and sentries stationed.
The situation would call for an audience test.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 7, 2022 8:48:35 GMT 1
Balon quickly learns that "Lord Cleos" is the master of the "castle", but with smallfolk it is hard to tell if he's a true lord or just a landed knight, the size of his holding suggests the latter, but some petty lords have little land to go with their title. He appears to not be totally oblivious as to what the consequences of his actions might be as the gates have been shut and sentries stationed. [Phase 4] Bridestealer!, Audience Test, Status (Reputation) + Chivalry: 5d6k3+6 22Be it Lord Cleos or Ser Cleos, he'd be referred to in the past tense if he didn't release the lovely Lady Daena Whitethistle. He patiently waited, hoping to see the pair together and talk some sense into them before things turned bloody. As he waited his anger over their love turned to pity. Balon had ruined his chances (though he'd never admit it) and Cleos had ruined his own in a completely different manner. What mattered now was trying to find a way to resolve this while making Balon look like the good guy. That'd be no small feat.
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Post by Father on Jan 10, 2022 23:47:45 GMT 1
"On what business, ser?" The men at the gate appears to know Balon by reputation, given their glances to one another, most likely they would have taken note of his deeds at Highgarden the year before, not all of them particularly worthy of praise.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 13, 2022 8:45:33 GMT 1
"On what business, ser?" The men at the gate appears to know Balon by reputation, given their glances to one another, most likely they would have taken note of his deeds at Highgarden the year before, not all of them particularly worthy of praise. "Your Lord and I recently attended an event together and I wish to speak with him on the matter." Balon kept his answer vague but truthful. They had in fact attended an event together and Balon did want to speak with Cleos about it. Did the guards need to know the event was a wedding that Cleos had stolen a bride from? "Be quick about it as I believe he'll be interested in learning of my arrival." Worst case they refused entry. If they made him wait until the aggrieved party showed up that wasn't a large concern to Balon either. The only thing he didn't want to happen was to get stuck in the keep if this Cleos thought he could sit tight and wait it out.
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Post by Father on Jan 13, 2022 23:29:16 GMT 1
Balon is shown in, though he does not feel particularly welcome in the hall, where Ser Cleos and Lady Daena awaits him, she occupies a seat one would normally assume would be reserved for the wife of the master of the castle. If bothered to ask the knight that accompanies him inside, Balon would be informed that it is indeed Ser Cleos Sunflower holding these lands in the name of Lord Tyrell.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 15, 2022 9:00:16 GMT 1
Balon is shown in, though he does not feel particularly welcome in the hall, where Ser Cleos and Lady Daena awaits him, she occupies a seat one would normally assume would be reserved for the wife of the master of the castle. If bothered to ask the knight that accompanies him inside, Balon would be informed that it is indeed Ser Cleos Sunfyre holding these lands in the name of Lord Tyrell. ***Is it Sunflower or Sunfyre?*** House Sunflower of Peachtree Grove
-Ser Cleos Sunflower, a landed knight in service to Highgarden. As Balon was escorted inside he casually looked around, trying to identify any weaknesses to assault from within the walls. It's certainly no Pennytree. Then again I had a lot more soldiers for that... and Redtusk. When he was presented to Cleos and Daena he bowed his head in respect, "Ser Cleos, my lady." Lady Daena was indeed beautiful but not so beautiful to whisk away during her own wedding ceremony and incur the wrath of the several houses. After complimenting Cleos on the village he presided over and the sturdiness of his keep Balon got right to the point. "Ser Cleos I must admit I like audacity. I like it when knights take bold action. And while this may surprise you, I appreciate the bond that comes from love." Balon chuckled, "When I didn't know what was happening at the wedding I chased after you, almost caught you. Thought you were some mad man kidnapping Lady Daena. But then I saw the two of you on your horse and I realized what had likely happened." He became more serious, "And while I am the first to arrive, I certainly won't be the last. Ser, I'm not here to fight or threaten but," Balon held up a cautionary hand, "even you must know what you've done will not be allowed to stand." "They will come for you and Lady Daena." There was an almost sad look on Balon's face. "What do you plan to do when they arrive?"
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Post by Father on Jan 15, 2022 19:41:01 GMT 1
Davos
Lord Starling's party arrives past the marker stone denoting the border between the domains of Greenholt and Ivy Hall, but it is not Ser Norren that awaits them, but a contingent of Kidwell men, led by one Ser Eoric demanding to know if any man in Lord Starling's company could shed any light on the assault upon Ser Norren Wyther's and retinue in the night. Lord Kidwell would offer a reward for any who might identify those responsible for the murder of a dozen men he goes on to say.
One of the companions spits and mumbles darkly that Lord Kidwell has been bought by Longtable gold and rewarded with a furious glance from Lord Starling who obviously dislikes that someone sought to prevent his duel. Though none seem to comment on the fact that Ser Norren was not mentioned among those murdered, it would thus stand to reason that he survived.
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Post by Father on Jan 15, 2022 23:26:44 GMT 1
Balon
They will bring fire and steel without a doubt, but Ser Cleos intends to offer his romantic rival the chance for a duel to the death instead, if he loses, he does not want to live without Lady Daena by his side, and if he wins, surely The Seven must have made their wills known?
While this might seem hopelessly naive, there may be *some* truth to it, for Lady Daena's interest to any other potential suitors would be much diminished after such a debacle, but her father may force her to join the faith after, the would be couple does however seem willing to risk anything for a chance to be together.
Balon could try and intrigue them into giving up this fool notion, he could decide to help either side, or he could stand by let this be other people's problems.
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Post by Davos Dayne on Jan 16, 2022 16:41:09 GMT 1
DavosLord Starling's party arrives past the marker stone denoting the border between the domains of Greenholt and Ivy Hall, but it is not Ser Norren that awaits them, but a contingent of Kidwell men, led by one Ser Eoric demanding to know if any man in Lord Starling's company could shed any light on the assault upon Ser Norren Wyther's and retinue in the night. Lord Kidwell would offer a reward for any who might identify those responsible for the murder of a dozen men he goes on to say. One of the companions spits and mumbles darkly that Lord Kidwell has been bought by Longtable gold and rewarded with a furious glance from Lord Starling who obviously dislikes that someone sought to prevent his duel. Though none seem to comment on the fact that Ser Norren was not mentioned among those murdered, it would thus stand to reason that he survived. I cannot imagine that those hedge knights would have taken action alone, with no reward to be reaped. It would have to have been a Companion, but all that were at the wedding are here now."I cannot think of any at the wedding that would do so, save perhaps some in our company here, but as you can see none here show sign of battle."Not that I would tell you if I did know.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jan 17, 2022 7:49:48 GMT 1
BalonThey will bring fire and steel without a doubt, but Ser Cleos intends to offer his romantic rival the chance for a duel to the death instead, if he loses, he does not want to live without Lady Daena by his side, and if he wins, surely The Seven must have made their wills known? While this might seem hopelessly naive, there may be *some* truth to it, for Lady Daena's interest to any other potential suitors would be much diminished after such a debacle, but her father may force her to join the faith after, the would be couple does however seem willing to risk anything for a chance to be together. A duel? This man is either a genius or insane. Balon stood in quite contemplation for a few moments while he weighed his options. How can I profit from all of this? Rose Hall and Peachtree Grove were about the same in terms of strength. With the exception of himself, and to a lesser extent Addam Velayron, there were no knights of note at the wedding. He couldn't recall any of the parties involved being pro or anti Blackfyre. Maybe if I killed Cleos there'd be an opportunity to acquire Peachtree? Balon pictured his mother chastising him for chasing after such a small prize. "If I may Ser Cleos, I have two questions. One for you and one for Lady Deana." Balon turned his attention to Cleos, "You tell me you love Lady Deana and don't want to live without her by your side. You're willing to fight to the death over it. But I ask you ser, are you willing to do *anything* to see the two of you wed?"Balon then turned to Lady Deana, "My lady, if Ser Cleos dies," he didn't bother to sugar coat it, "will you wed Ser Marlon and put this behind you? Or will you reject all proposals from this day forward?" He wanted to be able to directly quote her for when the aggrieved parties arrived.
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