ASoIaF RPG - A Tourney of Gulls IC

[DrZombie]

“Honor neither bends nor breaks” Laton agrees.

“Milady, it looks like we’ll be travelling together, at least for a while. You’d better get packed.”

With a polite bow he takes his leave and heads outside.

And now for a piece of humble pie.

Laton goes to look for Ser Gough, and hails him when he spots him.

“Ser Gough, a bit of your time please.” Laton sighs, then continues.

“Last night I was less then polite to a fellow knight. I misunderstood your jest as an insult, and acted a bit rash. I can only offer my age and the hard travelling for my lack of restraint, and would like to apologise.”

 

[Cor Azer]

Karlon idly recites the learned names of the flowers passing by as he rides in his wagon. Just ahead, Ser Gough regales Dalwyn of how he cowed Ser Laton again, and like a polite lady, she smiles.

The maester rolls his eyes. The Vantri heir was smart; Ser Gough is nothing if not vain, and that small act of humility was enough to make this one of the more pleasant travels in months.

Stretched in front of the maester's wagon to well behind, a neat little convoy travels down the road - Ser Patrek and his men at the front, followed by the Vantris, the Lady Palla Lynderly, her good-sister Jacelynn still disguised as Jace the squire, the murderous sellsword Agorn bound awkwardly to a horse, Ser Gough and his retainers, and the finally the Pentoshi merchant Raquinno and his sellswords at the back.

Of course, the Vantris likely have some scouts out and about.

A shout up ahead and to the side confirms Karlon's suspicion.

A few House Vantri men emerge from the woods near the shore of a small lake. Karlon is a bit too far away to hear everything, but the wind carries a few key words - ruin, Lannister, knight, corpse.

 

[DrZombie]

Laton rides out to meet the scouts, alert for danger, and directs sleepy pat towards the prisoner.

At least now we'll see what that sellsword has done. I hope. The tourney is still a few days off and we have our hands more than full before even getting there.


[sblock=OOC] : the nobles have had their share of the story, time for the lower class peasants to do their share of the hard work [/sblock]

 

[muggie2]

Laton rides out to meet the scouts, alert for danger, and directs sleepy pat towards the prisoner.

At least now we'll see what that sellsword has done. I hope. The tourney is still a few days off and we have our hands more than full before even getting there.

Roy joined Sleepy Pate as he headed toward the prisoner. If anything bad was likely to happen, now would likely be the time, when the protectors of the caravan had been peeled away from it. Well, partially peeled away, at least. In any case, if the sellsword had been lying, or if there was any attempt made to free him (or kill him, depending on circumstances) then perhaps his presence could help to forestall it. He had no illusions about his ability to stand up to the sellsword if he got free, but Sleepy Pate stood a good chance. If Roy was there to help him, perhaps that would be enough to tip the balance.
He shook the kinks out of his arms and legs, then laid his iron-bound staff across his shoulders as he walked with Pate.
"I hope you don't mind me coming with you."

 

[Captain Impossible]

Ser Jarl struggled to keep his mouth shut as he overheard bits and pieces of Ser Gough's story. He was half tempted to charge him with his lance. Ser Jarl sincerely hoped he would get to tilt against the fat oaf. Or maybe a duel. It gave the knight no small amount of amusement imagining his rotund traveling companion having to take the black and spend his days in a frigid garrison post.

His thoughts were interrupted by the words of the scouts. Jarl gripped his lance and chased after Laton. Someone had to make sure the boy wasn't galloping into an ambush.

 

[Cor Azer]

Agorn watches Sleepy Pate and the young man approach. The guard didn't concern him - strong, sure, but not like to act without the Vantri heir's say so. The boy though...

Doesn't look like a guard. Studying the boy more, he realizes the boy seems out of place. The witness in the barn, Agorn decides.

He hears the House Vantri sarjeant Haken Stone give the boy - name of Roy - permission to accompany Pate.

"Be careful though, and mind Pate's orders."

The sellsword turns his attention to the scout Talmond reporting to Ser Laton. Distant though he is to the conversation, his excellent hearing - and knowledge of how he left Ser Wylke Lannister - allow him to fill in the hushed parts.

"... splayed out in the old courtyard of Reedrock Hall," says Talmond, describing his scouts discovery. "Banner is Lannister, although it's got several embellishments, so probably a cousin..."

Be a surprise if Tywin even know Wylke's father's name, let alone Wylke himself, thinks Agorn. But a lion is a lion.

"Mhyrko's girls seem to have the scent of the knight's horse. It wasn't traveling fast, but did wander from the ruin, so it may be a while before he finds it, if he even bothers," continues the scout.

Too bad I couldn't have kept the horse - the destrier could have fetched more than a few dragons down at the tourney, but with my luck, someone would probably have recognized Ser Wylke's horse. Maybe one of the Vantris'll ride it with more honor than Ser Wylke.

"... courtyard's a ruin itself, but it looks like there was a short fight. The lion looks like he died on his feet - a knight's death..."

A coward's ambush...

"Crows and more have been at him already; probably been at least a day, so we're not like to find anyone who recognizes him. Doesn't look like any other men have been through, so the clansmen probably aren't active in the area - one of their dogs probably would have smelled it by now if they were."

Agorn turns his attention closer as Sleepy Pate and the boy pull up beside him.

"Quite an honor guard I get - Pate and a boy." He looks at Roy Stone, staring down the blacksmith. "You hid in the hay. Smart move; I probably would have thought you in league with the lions if not."

 

[muggie2]

Agorn turns his attention closer as Sleepy Pate and the boy pull up beside him.

"Quite an honor guard I get - Pate and a boy." He looks at Roy Stone, staring down the blacksmith. "You hid in the hay. Smart move; I probably would have thought you in league with the lions if not."

Roy initially ignores the words, but he thinks about them as he looks around the area. it seemed secure, no signs of anyone coming to rescue the sellsword, or otherwise take advantage of the splitting of the protectors. Worth being wary though, just in case.
Without looking at Agorn, he replies.
"Cold, wet, asleep in the hay. Woke up to the argument, and sat up just in time to see you cave in the stableboy's head. By the time I was awake and warm enough to do anything, you were cutting down an unarmored old knight who was just there trying to protect an innocent stableboy. Me, I was near as naked, when it came to a fight. Armor in my pack, and only leather to boot, staff out of my reach, and a dagger alone is suicide in a swordfight. So, yeah, I stayed in the hay. What would you have done in my place?"
During the entire time he talks, Roy keeps moving slightly and looking around. He is on edge. A conversation with the weasel is a good way of keeping himself centered.

 

[Gurthngwaw]

"Perhaps I should go retrieve the horse? It may hold answers less biased than the sellswords explaination." Mhyrko says to the sers as they ride up to the scouts. "maybe even clues to his true identity?"

 

[Captain Impossible]

"A good idea Mhyrko. But we shouldn't wander too far afield. Even without the sellsword, this place holds danger," Jarl replied to his cousin. Jarl glanced down briefly at the corpse. His curiosity satisfied, he returned his gaze to their surroundings. He wondered who used to call this place home, and what befell them. He would ask the Maester later. But for now, he had to be alert.

 

[Cor Azer]

Haken is the first to note Mhyrko's return leading the gold-and-crimson blanketed destrier, his girls following obediently at his side.

The animal seems a bit wary, but remains calm in the master-of-hounds presence at least.

The sarjeant smiles and shakes his head. How animals know who's an animal person, I'll never know. Maybe a question for the maester some day...

He looks across the one-time courtyard to the sellsword being guarded by Pate and the blacksmith boy. Paying particular attention to the nearby horses, he notes them shying away from the captive. Not an animal person it seems. Probably why he cut the horse loose.

A search of the destrier's saddlebags reveals little in the way of identifying objects - mostly items that any knight would carry and the rest obscure items of a likely personal meaning, but nothing that would speak to the Lannister's knight's name.

"Maester Karlon took a look at the banner, Sers," says Haken as he approaches Ser Laton and Ser Jarl. "Definitely a Lannister. Ser Wylke Lannister. Probably wouldn't have ever heard of a knight that young before - even a Lannister one - as he's pretty well removed from Tywin's brood, but he's been in the Vale for a year or two and had been seen at a few tourneys. Actually feasted at Upfalls one time, although to his eternal distress, Ser Gough was not in attendance with his family. Likely a good thing he didn't get any of his petty schemes funded by lion gold."

Toeing his boot in some overgrown shrubs, something catches the guard's eye. He reaches down, and picks up an empty leather coin purse, expertly embroidered with a golden lion. "Robbed?" he wonders, holding it out for the Vantri knights.

He tosses a glance over to the sellsword.