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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 21, 2018 1:20:28 GMT 1
[during the Moonlit Dance] "Ser Brynden. I almost thought that you had decided to decline my invitation." Ashara curtsies with a smile, then extends a hand for him to... start the dance? Kiss the back of? She was curious to see which interpretation he would take. Either way, he would find that the hand contained a small round bundle of the same cloth her dress was made of, no bigger around than a coin, though a fair bit thicker. She had deftly slipped it from a concealed pocket in her skirt when she curtsied, and while it was somewhat too large to be fully concealed in the palm of her hand, she hoped that between the dim lighting, the distance, and that others would be distracted by their own dancing partners that it would go unnoticed. If not, well, that she gave some sort of token to Bloodraven would likely be one of the least scandalous things that occurred tonight. "A gift for you. I am sure that if anyone could find a use for it, it would be you. I would of course, hope that you would keep it to yourself where you got it - even from a certain mutual relation." In her mind, the man dubbed 'Bloodraven' was not a man as other men were. Oh, certainly, he possessed a male form, but his mind, his demeanor, his purpose and his methods... they were so perfectly a match for her own - or at least, that was her impression - that the very notion of gender seemed at odds with his existnce. He was not a man, he was barely human - in her mind he transcended both those concepts in a way that no other person she had ever seen or met did. In some ways he was the polar opposite of his brother Ser Daemon. She was fascinated by them both, but for completely different reasons. If Daemon was the Warrior in mortal flesh, then Bloodraven was the Stranger... and to her, the Stranger had far more appeal. Of course, the Stranger was also mysterious and more than a little frightening, so she was not completely at ease with him.
Let's get the intrigue ball rolling. Opting for Compelling(Charm). Audacious attire grants +2 to Charm and Status tests, and 2 additional disposition steps if successful. Disposition: Indifferent Technique: Charm Objective: Friendship D8 Dance Bloodraven Init Status(reputation) with attire bonus: 4d6+2 12Free action: You don't play a player. D8 Dance Bloodraven Free Action Status(breeding) with attire bonus: 6d6k4+2 21 not bad! First round action pending outcome of the above.
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Post by Father on Oct 21, 2018 2:20:00 GMT 1
"How could I refuse an intriguing lady?" His smile goes only skin deep, confirming that it his curiosity rather than her charms that made him approach. He makes a gesture with his eyes towards a pocket on his doublet, takes her hand and places it upon his shoulder, right above it, it is a simple matter for Ashara to drop the item in at the right moment. "And giving secrets to this particular knight is surely the way to win his heart" He leads on into a style considered rather too intimate for the tastes of the Reach, but popular in Dorne, it is hardly surprising that he knows it well, as it is almost impossible for onlookers to get enough of an angle to read the dancer's lips. At Sunspear, it is a favorite among all couples that had a mind to make others speculate on what they might be conspiring, and never by those who actually had a mind to conspire, or so the saying went, in short, one had no idea what to read into it, at some places it was custom to expect everyone to dance in that fashion just to make it all the more interesting to make speculations based on who danced with who. No such association is likely to apply to the Reach, however. "I must admit, the affairs of House Cordwayner have unexpectedly drawn my attention, I anticipated that my sister would stir one pot or the other, she always does, but of all those I strive to keep an eye on, I fail to think of anyone more difficult to predict"
Objective: Can't quite think of anything, which means charm for friendship. Intrigue Iniative: 7d6k5 23But the player plays..deception: 6d6k4 17 Oh well, worth a shot. ID 16 DR 4 Composure 12 Charm: 5d6k4+3 17 4 influence/DoS
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 21, 2018 3:13:00 GMT 1
"Intriguing, I like the sound of that." She smiles, quite genuinely. It's not often that either her dance or conversation partners elicit such. "I have oft found myself indebted to one of your sisters, and now may find myself indebted to another, though I have no illusions that she spoke as she did on my account. House Cordwayner..." She pauses. No need to ruin a lovely dance with the ugliness from earlier. "Ser Roland is a good sort - useful enough, and loyal, if a bit lacking in wit." She had no doubts that he would pick up on the implication of her speaking well of only one, and that one not being either her unfortunately betrothed or his immediate family. "I pity most of them, really. Lady Maegelle is a hard woman, and none too pleased with me, I think." Now that's an understatement."But you, good Ser, must have some quite fascinating tales. Not that I expect most of them are fit for public discussion."
Ashara's free action does 2 DoS, which garners +1b, will use immediately. 17 vs ID 11 is 2 DoS, less 4 DR is 4 composure lost. ID 11 DR 4 Composure 8/12 Frustration 0 D8 Dance Bloodraven R1 Persuasion(charm) w +1b, Graceful, Compelling, and Attire: 6d6k4+2+2+2 24 vs ID 16, 2 DoS 5 composure per DoS (4 + Compelling) is 10, less 4 DR is 6 composure lost.
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Post by Father on Oct 21, 2018 14:23:51 GMT 1
"I would have preferred that she had decided to rile up the daughter of a house already committed to their doomed cause, not pushing one down from the fence and onto the wrong side." Bloodraven doesn't so much as grimace at the statement. "I fear our victory will require more blood than is needed for it"
ID 16 DR 4 Composure 6/12 Charm: 5d6k4+3 18 another 4
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 21, 2018 15:51:03 GMT 1
"I suspect that my own vocal support of our king may have inclined the lady towards your opposition, so I would be remiss in allowing you to place all blame on your sister. However, i do not believe the situation to be quite as dire as you have made it sound. If Lady Maegelle can be removed and Ser Roland reinstated at his brother's side then House Cordwayner's allegiance would easily be swayed back to it's proper place with little or no bloodshed."
Ashara smiles. She had not particularly wanted to discuss House Cordwayner, but it had provided a good opportunity to press forward with what she really wanted.
"If there is anything I can do to help you with that situation - or in your work on behalf of the king in any way - please do not hesitate to ask. I have various talents and skills that I have no doubt you might find useful, and I think that nothing would please me more."
However I will first offer a 'yield' that I think both might find mutually rewarding. Normal win results for Ashara would be +3 Disposition and +1D next intrigue. I would offer the following:
Bloodraven +5 disposition toward Ashara. Ashara +3 Disposition towards Bloodraven. Bloodraven will call upon Ashara to aid in his 'activities' if a suitable opportunity arises.
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Post by Father on Oct 21, 2018 19:23:29 GMT 1
Getting more out of this affair than you normally would isn't really going to fly (even if he also gets more than he normally would).
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 21, 2018 19:43:14 GMT 1
I honestly thought he was getting the better end of the deal, but ok. I've decided to hold onto the DP for more consequential battles later, so on to Round 3.
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Post by Father on Oct 21, 2018 19:54:57 GMT 1
"She started it, though I have suspicion that my lady chose a somewhat different response than a Starkwood not having spent years at Sunspear would have elected, while pretending to be just like a lady that had never left the Reach, the end result would likely be the same if my lady did nothing, however." He notes dispassionately. "I have a theory that my lady have little enthusiasm for her upcoming marriage, however delayed it would appear to have become."
ID 16 DR 4 Composure 5/12 Charm: 5d6k4+3 12 yeah, right. Volunteering for agent duty doesn't really need an intrigue.
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 21, 2018 22:06:40 GMT 1
"Nor any other, to be frank, but alas we ladies are not typically given many options and with House Starkwood in need of alliances, I must submit to one or another, or somehow find some other way to bring allies to my house."
She sighs.
"If I were a man, I could take a position of leadership within the house or with some other lord, or even strive for a position in service to the crown. Alas, there are few men more interested in a woman's capabilities than what is between her legs."
She smiles.
"I have a feeling you are one of the exceptions, however."
I was looking less to just be a volunteer agent and more looking to lay the groundwork for... hm. An apprenticeship? Something along those lines, that would likely come into fruition in an off-season or a later story.
ID 11 DR 4 Composure 4/12 Frustration 0
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Post by Father on Oct 22, 2018 16:36:04 GMT 1
"Only foolish men, my lady, but of those there are no shortage" Bloodraven does not take such an extremist view of things. "Wise and clever men knows the value of making good use of a talented wife, and a clever lady might otherwise use her talents to get her husband to do as she wants, but there is not a shortage of ladies that cares only for being coddled either"
"It really is no different for a son either, a lord will seek to build alliances with all his children, the main difference is that a son usually need not move in with her wife and deal with her family"
He takes the defeat, so that's +1 disposition and +1D to next intrigue.
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 23, 2018 1:28:41 GMT 1
"Oh, aye, a clever lady - or a domineering one - may effectively rule her husband, but unless like Lord Ronnel Penrose he has high position she still is chained - metaphorically speaking, of course - to it's confines. this tourney has lords and knights from across the Seven Kingdoms - but I note a conspicuous absence of ladies traveling with them."
[+2 disposition from Audacious attire, so +3 total]
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Post by Father on Oct 23, 2018 17:24:03 GMT 1
"And most of their ladies are quite fine with that." He observes. "But my lady might find me a vile man, given that I am seeking marriages for my sisters, though I note that one of them is making this endeavor excruciatingly difficult, though I do not believe that to be her intent, we are all chained by the expectations of society, the price we pay for our privilege is that we rarely get to chose whom we might marry, and the choice not to marry at all is typically the choice to take the vows of the faith or a maester's chain. Few of us can ever escape those two alternatives."
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 23, 2018 18:43:18 GMT 1
She shrugs.
"I suppose that for many a gilded cage is preferable to the threat of destitution, and if a marriage is loveless then a respite while a knight or lord runs off to play with sticks would likely be welcomed."
She smiles.
"Oh, I am well aware that I will likely be required to wed, eventually, lest I become an outcast of society. The Septa's life is certainly not for me - I seek to serve a higher power, but one still of this mortal realm. If this land adhered more to Dornish ways, I might find a powerful lord to serve as a paramour, as then I would at least have more freedom to depart if I chose... but that holds almost as little appeal for me as marriage. Marriage though is not a vile condition, and seeking marriages for your sisters is not a vile thing to do - so long as your sisters assent to it. It is the treatment of women as chattel that I object to broadly, not marriage."
Not really sure where else this conversation might go, so unless he has a request or something he'd like to say, we can wrap it up.
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Post by Father on Oct 24, 2018 11:50:57 GMT 1
"Even Dornish Lords expect their trueborn daughters to wed the sons of other lords to forge the very same alliances, and to stay chaste outside of the marriage bed" Bloodraven notes. "But they are much more accepting of women training with weapons and taking any role for which they have talent and inclination" Few Dornish women would march to war, men were undeniably stronger and perhaps more inclined, but many Dornish women knew how to defend themselves and their homes, often practicing along with the militia if lowborn, or instructed by the master at arms if highborn, perhaps half of them did so regularly, but how many of these soft Northrons? Pretty much none south of the Neck. Where the blood of the First Men still flows thick, it is more accepted.
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Post by Ashara Starkwood on Oct 24, 2018 16:39:47 GMT 1
"True, perhaps I am merely seeing things with the eyes of wishful thinking. Regardless, I have only my own situation to contend with, not that of anyone else. As for chastity, that is not an undue burden for me; I would not dishonor myself for mere passing pleasure, much to the chagrin of some."
At his mention of training with weapons, her face takes on a mischievous look.
"The only training I received in Sunspear that would not be common here in the Reach was the extent of my dancing. One of my dance instructors was Braavosi, though... one of many styles of dancing I've not had occasion to use here in the Reach. Another is this very dance - I must say I am pleased by your selection of style, and your skill."
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