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Post by Alliser on Oct 2, 2018 20:54:43 GMT 1
Alliser pens a note quickly, taking a second risk that night. "Here Regyn, make sure this note reaches Lady Leana. And do so quietly, I'm sure you should be able to manage "My Lady, I have a message for you." The retainer stands at attention, waiting for Leana, holding a small scroll sealed in wax.
L,
Thank you for accepting the invitation. Unfortunately due to where we were, no promise we would not be followed. Disguise and meet at Golden Rose. Look for silver Fox
A
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 2, 2018 21:43:47 GMT 1
After getting back to her tent from the mummers' event, Laena had just begun preparing for bed, so she could rise early the following day, when she received the message. Her lip curls as she reads it. Paranoia is good, but he's setting up a situation where she'd be spectacularly vulnerable to a double-cross. Still, she nods at the retainer. "Message received. No return message." Once he's gone, she slides the message up one of her sleeves, and quickly takes care of providing a little post-mortem revenge should things go wrong. Then, she begins disguising herself. This time, she takes the role of an old woman, hunched over, with a walking stick. Some lotion on her face removes the shine of youth, and the shadows of her hood provides the rest. It likely wouldn't stand under close scrutiny, but it's all she has time for. And it means she doesn't have to do anything with her hair - with the poor light night brings, it's easily enough mistaken for grey. Patient Disguise - Disguise: 5d6k4 16She walks briskly, slightly hunched over, using her walking stick, but not relying on it. Weak enough to be boring, not so weak as to be too tempting a target. And when she arrives at the Inn, she starts looking around for what could be a 'silver fox'.
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Post by Alliser on Oct 2, 2018 22:05:11 GMT 1
An old man sits, draining his mug, which has a pair foxes dancing on a silvered mug. His hair a vibrant red against the pale skin and whitened goatee. He sits in a quieter corner, but the hubbub of the busy tavern makes it difficult to distinguish between conversations. His clothes were simple but well made black linen, the long sleeves hemmed with leaves dancing with acorns stitchwork. He takes a small drink, if he recognized her he chose not to becon to her. Day seven patient disguise deception: 4d6 17
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 2, 2018 22:31:40 GMT 1
Laena shuffles steadily around the room, eyes flicking around until they notice the silver mug. Without changing pace, she makes her way to the man, eyes checking for possible ambushers, and sits next to him, keeping her back to a wall so that she cannot be sneaked up on, pushing her hood back a bit. In the dim light of the quiet corner, keeping the hood up would attract more attention than an old lady showing a bit of silver hair.
She keeps the walking stick handy, the implication that it is her main weapon of defence should he double-cross her obvious.
She nods at her new 'companion'. In the dim light, she can't be sure if it is Lord Alliser or merely a lookalike, so she'll let him address her first.
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Post by Alliser on Oct 2, 2018 22:56:30 GMT 1
"ah good, I was hoping you would still meet. I know changing locations can be suspicious, but unfortunately I'm concerned that I am not trusted by either side..." He paused as he takes another drink from the tankard. It appears to hold some simple thick grain stew.
"As you are aware, my son is thinking we should throw our lot in with those that support bittersteel. At first I tolerated the dalliance, deciding that all young men feel rebellion in their hearts, and this would be a way to keep tabs on the movement. " He shakes his head, "but now it has grown into something more. With the rumor about bittersteel sacrificing Daven to consolidate his support I worry that I might be next. It is part of the reason I am playing along with Ser Daeron. Any hint of betrayal may end up with me on the wrong side of one of bittersteel's hunting accident and securing of house Levalle to the blackfyre cause." He shakes his head sadly, "I don't think my son has kin slaying in his heart, but that does not mean those he supports do not."
Another dreg.
"So I presume that you support your brother the king, even if you can not openly support him, for your own reasons. I wish to support the King, but this is a dangerous time for a reachmen who does so. as have given my concerns I wonder, what can you offer me to assuage my fears?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 3, 2018 2:47:34 GMT 1
Laena listens carefully to both what is said and what is unsaid. A barmaid swings by, having spotted her lacking a drink, and she orders a diluted wine to give her time to think, in a voice weaker than her usual.
When the barmaid departs, she responds, in the same voice. "For what it's worth, I agree with your assessment of the situation. I gave pretty much the exact same warning, just with different names, to another house in a rather similar situation. It is a dangerous time for lords and heirs to disagree."
She considers carefully for a few moments more, putting the pieces together. "I don't like you. I don't feel I've done a particularly good job hiding that. And yet, of all those you believe crown loyalists, you reached out to me, seeking certainty. Certainty which is not mine to give ... personally. Feel free to say if I'm misreading the situation, but my house is open in its loyalties, and honest in its oaths, to the point of s- certainty. No matter their personal feelings about the people involved, once they swear an oath, it is absolute. But I doubt they would give your words any consideration directly, so you come to me. Failing that, I have siblings of influence I can turn to, of course. But all of that can only act to protect you against political betrayal. If I had some guarantee against assassination, I could barter it into a position on the Small Council!" She considers a moment. "The only way I can see off-hand to reduce the size of the target on your back is for Bittersteel - not exactly known for his forgiving nature - to receive evidence that your son had betrayed him. Should he stumble upon evidence Ser Thaddeus has been discreetly meeting with Bloodraven, for example. At that point, it doesn't matter what he says or truly believes, only one side will welcome him at all, and the motivation to kill you goes away, mostly.
She considers a moment more. "How is your relationship with your liege? Does he take your council at all? If you could make a case that securing you sways him towards the same side, because of economics if nothing else, you have a significantly bigger cudgel to wield."
She stops talking for a few moments as the barmaid returns with her drink. She pays, with a small tip, and waits for her to leave again before continuing. "All of which leaves aside the obvious question that will be asked should I approach *anyone* with it. How do I know you're not simply attempting to start a bidding war for your loyalty? It's not stupid to try and get as much for your loyalty as possible, and you are not stupid."
She holds up a hand. "So we are clear, I have not agreed to anything. I am attempting to understand the situation only."
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Post by Alliser on Oct 6, 2018 16:11:15 GMT 1
His expression grows serious, "your very distain towards me is what makes this meeting safer. For should you attempt to spread my leanings I could easily countered with you trying to punish me and not sharing the truth." He paused considering her comments on certainty, "indeed it is also your distaste that allows me to believe what you say you are capable of, for I imagine that you would be less forthright with your capabilities then what you could actually offer."
"My liege and I are close, although I doubt that my son making a fool of himself with my Lord's sister has endeared him towards me." Another moment of concern flashes across his face.
"As far as a bidding war?" He chuckles quietly, "that tends to work best when I know what cards are in play. Unfortunately my resources and contacts have been less successful then I would have hoped, leaving me with very little to go on."he scratches his chin, then discreetly wipes of the powder. "I did pick up something from watching the mummer's show that I shared with a knight that supports the King, perhaps I could share this knights name and what I saw as a way of gaining your trust?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 7, 2018 13:43:37 GMT 1
She cants her head at his reasoning for approaching her, acknowledging the point, though she lets his comment about her having more capabilities than she admits remain unacknowledged.
After a moment's consideration, she shakes her head. "Let's save the information for if I decide to help you. Besides, just because you pass the information - assuming it's even accurate - to a crown-loyalist knight doesn't mean that you haven't also passed it on to a revolutionary knight as well. Keeping one foot in both camps.
"However, let's put that aside for now, as it's a matter of trust, and, frankly, *my* trust of you isn't the primary factor in this. Just as well for you. As I understand it, from what you've said, the primary - not the only, but the primary - thing stopping you from declaring as you wish is your son's political leanings, and the target it would place on you were you to lean differently. Correct? Let's rule out the extreme possibilities - no killing him, no getting him sent to the wall, nothing like that. So, that leaves the 'big three': bribery, blackmail, and trickery. Have you tried any of them yet?"
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Post by Alliser on Oct 9, 2018 22:09:45 GMT 1
"indeed my Lady has read the situation accurately," Alliser shakes his head, "No, I have not tried any of those methods yet." He pauses, "I guess a part of me wished that he would see on his own the dangers of bittersteel's machinations." he chewed his lower lip, the white of the patch of hair under his lip growing darker as he sucked out the coloring agent. "Giving marriage a thought, placing him with a wife who was loyal to the king can do much to persuade a man to reconsider his previous leanings. But to do so might simply expand the target from just my back to his new wives as well. Especially if Bittersteel felt that I were arraigning such a match to interfere with my son's support of his treachery."
"And as far as blackmail goes, having my son meet with blood raven a few times might make bittersteel reject him, but I have no connection to bloodraven. If I were to approach him openly about it, such meetings could be traced back to me as well. If there is one thing that could make bittersteel more furious then the appearance of treason, it would be a Lord attempting to manipulate him into casting out one of his boy's on the appearance of treason." Lord Alliser chuckles lightly at the idea of a traitor being so ill disposed towards treason.
"Then trickery?" he pauses, again chewing on his lip, "Well, there are a few things that I did not teach him, but he is my heir and that sort of familiarity can lead to difficulty in tricking a man. Especially one as clever as my son. I am sure he is aware of the fact that he has not been involved in our meetings lately. For now I can chalk it up to being at a busy tournament, but it also would but him on alert should I try and sneak something past him.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 10, 2018 9:20:20 GMT 1
"I would also point out that, should you choose the wrong woman to marry your son, it is entirely possible that he would convince her to join his side, rather than the other way around, which will only entrench his position. Not to mention that you don't want a repeat of the situation with your second son, which, to my limited knowledge, originated when you arranged his marriage without his input.
"Really, the ideal scenario for you would be for an appropriate lady to seduce him towards marriage, 'against your wishes'. All you'd have to do is very publicly forbid it, and he'd be certain to bite, and you'd be covered. Sadly, finding a lady ambitious enough to accept being the wife of the future lord as adequate payment for taking the Levalle name, cunning enough to play the game well, and loyal to the relevant side is not a trivial task, if it is even possible. And that is without considering the complications of who their lord is.
"So, let us consider other possibilities. What *need* is your son meeting by his association? Does he seek respect? Companionship? Influence? Pardon me, but few men join factions out of adherence to abstract values, for all that that rhetoric spills readily from their lips. For all but the most straightforward and naive, it is because they want something. If you know, or can find out, what the need is, then perhaps he could be guided to find a better source elsewhere. In my opinion, of the 'big three', bribery is best, for it is the only one in which everyone walks away happy, and there remain no unfortunate threads which, when pulled on, can undo all your hard work."
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Post by Alliser on Oct 10, 2018 10:06:21 GMT 1
"I agree," he says through pinched lips, "you have summed up my problems well enough. And I would agree that bribery would be the best option, but as he is my son and heir I don't have much to offer him that will not become his evidently anyways."
He gives a self depreciating chuckle, "so perhaps you might know such a women for my son? Or maybe you could ask your brother?" He shrugs, "but what could I offer to you in exchange for this information or speaking to your brother about it? No deed should go unrewarded after all"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 10, 2018 14:58:38 GMT 1
"Don't be so tangibly-minded. Yes, your eldest son will inherit your wealth and power, but, strange as it may sound, many people want more than those two things, things which cannot be inherited. Respect, camaraderie, access to men of influence; these are things that you can bribe with, just as easily as coin." She remembers who she's speaking with. "Okay, probably not quite *that* easily for you, but easily enough. If you can find out *why* he follows Bittersteel, that could help in prying him away.
"As for payment: you do not ask for much, so far. Particularly since I cannot guarantee results. But the number of people who both can and will do what I can is not massive, and each approach you make carries risks. So, I think what I am asking for is reasonable payment, since I cannot guarantee I will even ask you to follow through.
"I am seeking a husband. I currently am focusing on one prospect, but I would be foolish to rely on that definitely happening, so a contingency is wise. Under the circumstances that my current candidate doesn't pan out, and the lady whose favour he carries is not interested in marrying him, I have a great deal of interest in your liege lord's nephew, Ser Aemon. However, I am hardly alone in that regard. Should that situation come to pass, your assistance in the matter would likely prove of worth. I may not come from a house which can offer House Florent much, but Lord Florent is, by reputation at least, a man who can appreciate and value individuals of talent, and will use said talents regularly, beyond merely locking the individual in a tower and expecting them to pop out a baby every year." Her tone is dry, rather than bitter, as she says this. "Because I ask for this, you can at least be certain I will try my best for you, since the better I do for you, the more persuasive you can be for me."
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Post by Alliser on Oct 11, 2018 3:01:45 GMT 1
Alliser nods, "You give wise counsel. I will see about continuing to improve my relationship with my liege. He would definitely be a man who would not let talent go to waste." in fact, that is one reason why he tolerates me. I usually get him results.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Oct 11, 2018 9:39:57 GMT 1
"So, we are agreed on how we can make use of each other for both our benefits. However, the people I can speak with are interested in results. If they manage to pry your son away from Bittersteel, can they expect your loyalty, or are there other ... complications getting in the way? I do not wish to sell them on the idea using coin that is not mine to spend."
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Post by Alliser on Oct 11, 2018 17:23:59 GMT 1
He shakes his head, "no, and if my son will fall in line with how support it would be good for us to make our allegiances to the king known, and to start gathering what support we can."
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