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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Sept 27, 2018 16:05:21 GMT 1
By the time for Roland's appointed confession the hour is late, and the sunset through House Tyrell's famed stained glass windows is as beautiful as ever. Roland attempted to ponder the lessons of the Sevon Pointed Star depicted in glass, but frequently found himself distracted by the coloured patterns the high panes cast on the floor.
In Septa Marie and Septon Arlan's absence he had sent his squire, Hugh Blackwood, to request the presence of the fiery Septon Abelar to hear his confessions.
As he awaited the septon, Roland retreated to a child's hobby, absent mindedly toying with his hair, still cut as long as could be comfortably worn beneath a helm.
He had placed himself in plain sight, adjacent to an alcove for his confession, but with Septon Abelar there was always the possibility of something more public and dramatic. The Seven's insight is strong in Abelar, he will know best.
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Post by Septon Abelar on Sept 28, 2018 3:19:02 GMT 1
Abelar allows his conversation with another confessor come to its natural conclusion before making his way to Ser Roland's side. Reading Roland's body language, Abelar sinks back into the alcove, bracing an arm against the wall and allowing the tall, granite sculpture between them to obscure the line of vision. Confession requires a certain sense of aloneness, an illusion that eye contact can dispel.
"My son, what is on your mind?"
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Sept 28, 2018 16:28:42 GMT 1
Roland's hand briefly went to his Seven Pointed Star necklace, before dropping to his side. Alone with the famed septon, Roland fought the urge to drop his gaze in deference, but managed to keep his head high, for the moment at least.
"My thanks Septon Abelar, I am away from my normal confessors and must confess my sins in the sight of the Seven."
The alcove had not seemed near as small when he picked it out a few moments ago. A trick of the light, doubtless.
He paused briefly - Septa Marie often prefaced confession with a strict admonishment, while Septon Arlan tended to simply wave proceedings onward with a friendly smile.
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 1, 2018 3:07:24 GMT 1
Abelar responds with the traditional benediction.
"Speak, and the truth shall set you free."
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 2, 2018 11:48:05 GMT 1
Best to get the easy bits out of the way first, then confess to worse.
"I have frequented alehouses and taverns, but that is not my sin. I did so to uncover rumours and gossip about my birth house."
Roland pauses, the word "Cordwayner" not coming to his lips.
"I do not confess carousing or wanton behavior, as I attempted to restrain myself. I instead confess to three other faults in the eyes of the Seven. Ill deeds done in a noble cause are still ill deeds."
"Deception - as I did not drink as much as my fellows, nor enjoy myself as much as I pretended to. I did this to lower the guard of the wretches I wrung tales from."
"Secondly, enjoyment in wickedness. I confess I enjoyed the pursuit of these tales as I would enjoy the hunt of a boar. A knight should not enjoy such base behaviours. I had thought myself a martial man, and am concerned to find I have a talent for such intrigues."
Roland had managed to keep his gaze high until now, but dropped his eyes at the mention of intrigue and did not lift it at what follows.
"Thirdly, and worse still. These events drove me to fear, which my oaths to the warrior command me to overcome."
There were further confessions to come, but once more Roland paused briefly, awaiting a signal from the Septon.
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 3, 2018 3:24:36 GMT 1
Abelar allows the silence to hang heavy between Roland's words, so that he does not cut Roland off too early. When he sees Roland's shoulder's sag and the knight's words have faded away long moments before, Abelar stirs from his reverie. He looks over at Roland, reading the knight's face.
"Sin can be insidious, Ser Roland. It can taste like wine, to tempt the drunken. Like sweet flesh, to lure the licentious." Abelar's hand slides off the stone sculpture between them and finds the frayed ends of his woven belt. "For those of us strong enough to resist the common flavor of sin, the Lord of the Seven Hells uses our most virtuous instincts against us--in your case, your appetite for truth and justice."
Abelar sighs. "Alas, gossip is a tantalizing, but endless trail--twisting, weaving, and forking--to a bounty that can never be taken. The whispers spread and multiply faster than any man can trace them. Before you know it, you're deep in unfamiliar territory, having suffered debauched taverns and worse. No closer to the prize, but degraded by the chase. Because as you say, there's a certain thrill to it. And soon enough, suffering those places, and those people, is no suffering at all."
"I will have more to say regarding your deception and enjoyment in wickedness, but you named your third sin as worse than these." Abelar meets Roland's gaze. "Tell me, that thing that drove you to fear--was it a truth or a falsehood?"
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 4, 2018 13:58:27 GMT 1
Roland nodded, perhaps a touch over eagerly at Septon Abelar's condemnation of vice. I have taken the easy path, but the Septon's words light a way back to the Seven. The harder path is the righteous path.
[OOC: I'm going to cut Roland's self-imposed daily Rumours rolls from equal to his Knowledge rank down to only two, as for the remainder of the tourney he will conduct his investigations at more proper venues and earlier hours.]
The question is scarce out of the Septon's mouth before Roland blurts an answer.
"Lies, blasted lies and plotting."
Roland did not raise his voice, but practically hissed his first answer before regaining his composure.
"I have tracked each tale and am satisfied they are baseless. Someone seeks to drive my family in to sedition, sullying Denyse's good name or my brother's rule, claiming that only a strong knight like Ser Daemon can see justice prevail at Hammerhal, or prevent our line being tainted with Dornish blood."
"I fear my sister by marriage and half brother are half convinced by such talk already - my sources have proved reliable so far. That said you were right to counsel me against pursuing gossip."
Still no names for those of his blood, beyond Denyse.
He paused a moment in thought, recalling what had been said and done.
"Mayhaps Ashara's match was my brother's attempt to assert his authority, and they seek to undo it by making a new marriage alliance and distance themselves from a marriage to Dornish blood?"
Ashara Starkwood and Alicent Yronwood's faces flashed before his mind's eye, contrasting hair and colouring but each intoxicating.
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 7, 2018 18:19:56 GMT 1
Abelar thinks for a moment after Ser Roland finishes speaking. Chasing lies and rumors is for lords, not knights. But the trouble is that Lord Cordwayner is not much help.
"You say your sister is half-convinced of these rumors. I would expect a mother to move swiftly to protect her daughter's virtue. Has she made any efforts to chastise Denyse or to rebut these rumors?"
OOC: I'm not sure who you're referring to when you say "only a strong knight like Ser Daeron can see justice prevail at Hammerhal." Is this Daeron Waters, the PC? Forgive me if I haven't adequately read the other threads.
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 7, 2018 18:36:03 GMT 1
Abelar thinks for a moment after Ser Roland finishes speaking. Chasing lies and rumors is for lords, not knights. But the trouble is that Lord Cordwayner is not much help."You say your sister is half-convinced of these rumors. I would expect a mother to move swiftly to protect her daughter's virtue. Has she made any efforts to chastise Denyse or to rebut these rumors?"
OOC: I'm not sure who you're referring to when you say "only a strong knight like Ser Daeron can see justice prevail at Hammerhal." Is this Daeron Waters, the PC? Forgive me if I haven't adequately read the other threads. [OOC: a typo on my part, meant Daemon, will correct...]
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 8, 2018 10:14:15 GMT 1
"My sister by marriage is hopefully convinced of Denyse's good character, but from what I hear she and my natural brother are swayed by talk that bringing Dorne in to the kingdom by marriage and spreading such ties to her own house is an outrage too far. That if a stronger man was king Dorne would be dealt with by Fire and Blood rather than marriage alliance. It is hard to know how far this is a sincere political belief and to what extent resentment at my lord brother making the match with Lady Ashara and my nephew rather than leaving it to her."
"As to the particulars at my family's House, I cannot say. I suspect my correspondence with Hammerhal is interfered with, and my duties have prevented me from speaking with my family."
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 11, 2018 4:25:08 GMT 1
So he's figured out that his letters are being intercepted.
Abelar sighs. "It is a monstrous thing for a mother to stand by and allow her daughter's virtue to be falsely sullied, and to do so for political gain. I must admit that this possibility has a touch of the absurd--slandering a daughter to sabotage a son's betrothal is . . . indirect. And to believe that there is more profit in avoiding ties to Dorne than in the continued honor of the heir and the only daughter of the house--well, one would have to believe that something gargantuan approaches, and soon." The septon thinks for a moment or two. "If a man thought that his house might lose all in a war, any sacrifice the winning side demands seems worth the price. The trouble with this is that it leaves no quarter for truth, virtue, or honor."
"Power is the only language such men and women understand. In such a world, there are no knights. Just men with swords."
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 11, 2018 12:09:49 GMT 1
"While I yet draw breath, I shall strive to ensure that this is a world with honour, virtue and truth." Roland's words were firm - here stood a true believer, even if such beliefs had already come at a personal cost. Firm views, but would such a man break when the realm's turmoil forced oaths in to conflict. "The evening draws on, and I must away soon." "If I am not to make my earlier words a lie I must make a final confession for the night." "While I bear Lady Janna Hightower's favour, and wish to court her and continue to bring honour to her in the joust, I must confess to lustful thoughts about another." Such ambitions may have political ramifications, but these were set aside for Roland in the sanctity of the confessional. D7 confession Will Courage TN 9: 4d6k3 14Despite his shame, Ser Roland managed to keep his gaze level and his tone even. "My nephew's betrothed, Lady Ashara Starkwood." If a cautious man would have kept his admiration for Lady Janna to himself or couched it differently, he would not even have dared whisper such a thought about Ashara, particularly given House Cordwayner's delicate political situation. Roland was not a cautious man.
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 12, 2018 3:26:09 GMT 1
Abelar does not fail to note that Roland plows past the septon's hints as to Lady Maegelle's political designs. Mayhaps I should speak more plainly. Ser Roland is as straight as a blade, with little patience for subtle wordplay.
The septon remains impassive as Roland confesses his lustful thoughts about Ashara. He is only human, as are we all. As am I . . .
"My son, lust is a sin, as you point out. In this case, it is deepened by the duties you owe your nephew and house, but complicated by what we previously discussed." If Ashara is cast aside, he might try to stand in his nephew's place . . .
"Are these thoughts a flitting, passing thing, or have they overmastered you in your every quiet moment?"
For now, Septon Abelar withholds his judgement, although Roland can likely detect the edge of disappointment in his voice. He genuinely likes Roland, and now comes a sin as tangled as any.
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Post by Roland Cordwayner on Oct 12, 2018 9:34:49 GMT 1
"I had thought myself a man grown and no longer dragged around by such urges like some new-made squire."
Roland blushed.
"Such, um, thoughts are not a constant companion - they are a fleeting thing that come when I am in the maiden's company, or should conversation bring her to the fore."
"I can but hope by confessing these sins the light of the Seven helps burn them away, avoiding further complications. I am a knight, not some peasant brute driven to act on every beastly thought. My Septon is wise to remind me of my duty to my house and nephew."
His birth house's name does not come easily to his lips in recent days, but it finally breaks through.
"House Cordwayner may not want my sword or service, but that does not free me from duty and obligation to it."
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Post by Septon Abelar on Oct 13, 2018 22:11:10 GMT 1
Septon Abelar steps out from the alcove. "Come, I have just the thing for you."
The septon leads Roland across the sept, their footsteps echoing up to the vaulted ceilings. Past the other parishioners they go; past the septons and septas in quiet contemplation. 'Neath the marble gods, tall as titans. Through the smoke curling up from a forgotten censer. At the back of the sept is a small door, leading to the private quarters of the faith. Abelar pauses to open it, the white of his robes bathed in red, yellow, green, and violet as the colored light washes over him. "If the lust that tempts is with you constantly, you must needs counter it with something just as ever-present."
Behind the door is a narrow corridor cluttered with brooms and mops, a bin of septons' whites, some shelves full of books and half-melted candles, and bundles of clean rushes for the floor. Abelar helps himself to one of the candles, already lit, and leads Roland down some stairs, to the cells below the sept. "I do not often give these out, because some find them . . . unconventional. Besides, I only have a few." He throws open a final door.
The cell is small--no more than eight feet to each side. A small bed of lumpen hay wrapped in canvas dominates the space, as does a small table covered in papers, a book, and a lamp. Abelar bends over, lighting the lamp. The light reveals other accoutrements--some white robes hung on pegs in the wall, a dusty straw hat, a riding switch. The septon rummages a bit through the robes hanging from the peg, finally coming away with a rough shirt woven of horsehair. He offers it to Ser Roland, sizing up the fit as he does. It appears as though the shirt is too small, and will have to be worn almost as a vest, with the laces stretched to their limit to contain Roland's powerful chest.
"This shall be your repentance for lustful thoughts. Every move you make will remind you of your duties to remain pure until marriage and to your family. As you have recognized, a son's duty--a knight's--does not end merely because the leaders of the house turn their back on him. Your nephew deserves to have this marriage seen though, no matter the depredations of politics, and no matter your temptations. Can you do this?"
I do not intend for wearing the horsehair shirt to impose any mechanical penalties. Abelar has been wearing one at all times and I haven't been penalizing myself in any way.
Awareness (Notice) TN 9 to spot anything out of the ordinary in Abelar's cell.
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