[Phase 1] Stormyweather [Abelar, Lynesse]

Lynesse was a little overawed to be in the presence of a man so admired by her mother, the late Barbara Blackbriar. She had met Septon Abelar only briefly when her wardship began in Gyldenhaal, with his own exile from Blackbriar lands beginning soon after.



"And what would loyalty or commitment be if they depended on circumstance, father?"



She glanced around, a little perturbed by their privacy beneath the open sky. "Do you not require guards, Father Abelar? I had heard that a great many men of lesser honour might wish you harm after recent events in Highgarden."

"Lynesse turned toward the river, watching the water run its course. Such a great volume of water passed toward the ahrbour, and yet the surface of the water was barely disturbed, hiding a haste and turbulence below."

"If your enemies intend to use the Tribunal as a weapon against you, then perhaps they might try to get a grip on its members, to wield them as they would a blade."

Even as she uttered the idea, she found herself gainsaying it. "But as senior officials of the faith, would they not be proof against such misuse?" Was such a thought naive? Certainly when she was a handmaid here, she had always considered members of the faith somewhat removed from the petty affairs of court politics.

My uncles are present in the city, not Uncle Jon, but the Dornish Daverhyls, Ser Eustace and Ser Sandor. Both men have taken a public stand against you, in the strongest terms, though I do not believe either man was even present for the Tournament in Highgarden." 

She chooses her words carefully, keen to make her point, but aware it is not fitting to tarnish one's relatives, even where they deserve it. "Though it pains me to say as much of my family, piety and justice are not their foremost concerns. Both must see some advantage in their action that I cannot fathom. Ser Sandor was ever hot-blooded, and so perhaps he seeks to challenge your champion simply to achieve a victory on some public platform. Ser Eustace is a more strategic sought, and must have some goal in mind."

---

[I've decided that this scene should probably come after Ser Sandor has decided to challenge Roland, but before that duel is actually to be held, so that it doesn't overshadow this scene. Happy to reverse this if you would like.]

Finesse. The word could describe an elegant court dance, or a knife between the ribs. Still, this was a man of undoubted conviction and piety, and the opposition he faced from her uncles only hardened Lynesse's resolve.

"Your cause has my sympathy Father. If there is anything I can do to assist  that will not draw dishonour onto my family, I will do it willingly. And yet, I am not sure what good I can do that you are not more than capable of undertaking yourself. What did you have in mind?"

Closer to the knife than the dance, Lynesse mused to herself.

"Such hypocrisy, for a man to sit on your judgement while he fails to keep his own vows," she frowned at the gall of it, in genuine disdain. 

"Such a scandal may delegitimize a ruling against you, if it could be proven that your judges were unworthy to cast such a judgement. You would need evidence, or proof for such a thing to carry weight, else the man might laugh off such accusations as a desperate or false act."

"Or is it that you intend me to confront this false Septon with his sins and encourage him away from a path of judgement, lest he find himself a target of a similar tribunal?"

Lynesse mused on this option, both for its strategic superiority to the first option and its moral... depth.

"Such a path would likely make me a powerful enemy, Father, and clearly one who is not bound by the bonds of his own word or fear of the judgement of the Gods. I am beset already, by the avarice of my uncles and their pestilential allies from Dorne. And yet I lack resources or allies of my own, to stave of such threats."

---

[Lynesse is willing to assist with this, presuming there is something substantial enough to blackmail the Septon with.

In return she would hope to be able to count on Abelar as an ally at some future point, in a matter than would not compromise Abelar's own vows or calling, but probably wouldn't serve his own goals.

Given that Lynesse thinks highly enough of Abelar that she wouldn't see this as a transactional agreement, I would like to avoid an intrigue. If Abelar is either unwilling to offer such an alliance in return, or would offer it without intending to follow through, then it should probably be resolved as an intrigue.]

"A sordid thing for a man of such an esteemed and sanctified rank to do, no doubt. Perhaps he will seek to atone for his past misdeeds if given the chance."



"I do worry father..." She pauses here, trying not to sound silly or foolish, but rather seeking some reassurance, "Will the gods understand that I intend a righteous end? Regardless of the man's impiety... that is to say, are such actions regarding an officer of the faith righteous?"

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[Giving Abelar a chance to justify this course of action, and probably close the scene immediately afterward]