[Phase 3] The Raven's Justice [Raventree]

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.

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Simple intrigue (act) w/assist: 5d6k4+1 16
Won'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).

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.

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Raven's Justive - "Tarly Approved" SI(convince): 4d6+2 16, how extremely average.