[D4, LM] Assembly (Open)

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Answering Lady Marsten's summons the previous evening, members of the King's inquisition gather in the Marsten command tent.

Lady Marsten stands stoically at the head of the long table, with maps of both the Blackwood and Bracken lands arranged before her, among a few other documents. She regards the room coolly, arms folded, though she greets those who enter with a polite nod.

[ooc: As per this missive - viewtopic.php?f=189&
t=2075]

[Samurel Manderly]

Samurel can be found beside Lady Corrine, Simple clothing and a tray with a cup on top, in his hands. Soft eyes examining the room as the others enter it. The tell-tale markings of freshly cleaned skin, Lavender odor and piercing eyes give insight into the man beneath the servant. [url=Deception (Disguise)][/url]: 4d6k4 11

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathaniel Mason is the first to arrive. His retinue is substantial but he enters the tent alone.

"
My Lady Marsten."
he says, giving her a deep bow. "
I am here to represent House Bartheld in answer to your summons."


Blue eyes flicker over the young servant and dismisses his presence. [[url=Awareness][/url]: 4d6k3 15]

He wears his usual slight smile, but it seems today more out of habit. More unusual is his dress. He wears finely tailored armor of black scale with a red cloak draped across his shoulders. The armor gives him a more athletic build than nature has, although the belt and sword still accentuates his narrow waist.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Welcome, Nathan,"
Corrine greets him. "
Thank you for coming. I don't believe I've ever seen you in armour before."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
Do not take it as a reflection on this meeting, My Lady."
Although given recent events, a layer of steel is probably better protection than my winning smile. "
I have several appointments today, some more dangerous than others."


"
Unrest is growing, and even simple travel requires a level prudence at the moment."
With locals and investigators alike. "
The Blackbuckle area is fairly quiet, but the valley and some of the 'neutral' areas can be quite dangerous."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I understand. It was not a criticism,"
Corrine replies gently. "
I am glad you are keeping yourself safe. Have you learned anything from your time at Blackbuckle?"
she asks, tentatively.

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
I have learned that it was deliberate, and the poison placed in the well was extremely rare. I have learned that it was an atrocity. You will recall the story I told you of the Boltons spreading plague through their enemies. I don't know if this was a greater or lesser evil than that. How does one rank evil beyond a certain level. I can only say that what remains of Blackbuckle is a nightmare."


"
I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of capping the well yesterday. I felt that giving anyone with a bucket access to such potent poison was... unwise. I may be overcautious, and I would not wish anyone to accuse me of tampering with evidence, but I thought it needed to be done."


"
That may have been Lord Bracken's concern, and perhaps the reason he left both well and village untouched."
Nathan was using that bland diplomatic tone that everyone uses when they feel they have to say something and but don't believe a word of it. "
The well may still be opened and, as yet, the human remains have not been touched in case you or any of the other investigators wish to examine the village yourselves."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Gods above,"
Corrine murmurs. "
It must me very hard on you, to see the wake of such a thing. "
Capping the well was a good idea. I don't mind at all. We definitely do not want anyone touching the water there until it can be cleansed."


She takes a deep breath, her imagination creating horrors in her mind of what the place must be like.

"
Do you have any leads to such a rare poison? I understand that the poisoning killed Blackwood prisoners too. Several of the incident we are investigating seem to point to third parties, rather than the House feud."

[Septon Arlyn]

Septon Arlyn arrives and bows to lady Corrine and gives a smile to Nathan. He settles himself in a far corner of the tent to pay respect to his betters.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Welcome, Septon. Are you here as House Dulver's representative, or are we expecting others?"

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan nodded to the Septon, then continued, his voice grave. "
My Lady, the poison was designed to give no symptoms for an extended period. The intent was to kill as many people, the entire village, if possible. They were successful beyond their wildest dreams."


"
On the information I have, I can only come to one logical conclusion. It is currently my belief that the poisoner intended to silence the Blackwood prisoners, and resolved to that, decided to eliminate as many of the Bracken people as possible in the process. If any of the other investigators can present realistic motivations of these third parties beyond coin, I would be interested to hear it. I do not take this belief lightly. I would be the first to defend the Blackwoods in the matter of the Sept. However, I cannot find any other motivation for this crime that would satisfy the facts. Perhaps some of the others have been more successful."


"
Now, it may be that whoever did this, did so alone without Blackwood knowledge or authority. I would like to think that no sane man would countenance such an action no matter how much they may hate their enemy, but I am finding very little of what I would call sanity in any of this conflict."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I find it difficult to countenance such a horrific act too,"
Corrine agrees, sorrowfully. "
I do not think I have the mind to comprehend any reason to it."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
The only way have been able to get this far with the Blackbuckle investigation is to distance my self emotionally from it. Not an easy task, I assure you."


Nathan turns to the Septon. "
Perhaps the Septon can help me with a moral quandary. Septon, a man has a hated enemy. A deeply hated enemy that he has been in conflict with for years. Unbeknownst to the man, his loyal servant decides to rid his master of this enemy, killing him and his entire household in the process. How much culpability does the man have for the actions of his servant. Is he morally responsible for something he did not order or knew nothing about?"

[Septon Arlyn]

"
Welcome, Septon. Are you here as House Dulver's representative, or are we expecting others?"

My Lady, I'm sure that the other
Dulver's wish to arrive, unfortunately last I heard Ser Raynald Dulver appears to have come down with a
Chill. I have ministered some tea but he does not seem to have recovered from his injuries as well as could have been expected. But Ser Walton I am sure will be here, and Luecian and Ser Jergen might be arriving with him.

OOC : I think Raynald had been MIA for a few days, I have a post in our house thread asking if anyone else is joining. Hopefully things will go well and they can show up.

Septon Arlyn nods at the quandary, apparently deep in thought. "
Goodman Nathan, there must be responsibility for the actions based those who are your charge. Think of a man who owns a dog. If that dog was taught to hunt, then, while the man was not looking, the dog went out and slaughtered a farmer's sheep, without the man's knowledge, would we not say that the man should have had better control of his dog? That he should have been on a better leash or pen that the dog could not escape and slaughtered the sheep?

Now I realize that equating the lives of small folk should not be equated with the lives of sheep, but I believe the principle is the same. Even if a man did not give the order, which pray the gods is the truth, then he would still be responsible to those who have acted under him. Unless... Good man, Lady Corinne. When I attempted to investigate the Blackwood's Maester's chambers to exonerate him off evidence, I ran into a snag, unfortunately, and was not able to complete my investigation of his chamber's. "
or even start it really. "
so I can not speak to his guilt or not. But as Nathan said, the knowledge is not that of a common poison, so I think it would be good to question the Maester, as I feel he is the one who is most likely to have knowledge of such a poison."

[Benedict Marsten]

Ben and Ser Markus enter through a rear entry, with a rattle of plate and voices. The two men in a deep conversation, do not notice the others for a moment.

"
My apologies, my lady."
He kisses his wifes hand. Then turns to bow to the remaining two. "
Septon, Nathan it is good to see you both again."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
We shall see soon if any of the others have questioned the maesters,"
Corrine replies to the Septon.

She turns to look at Ben and Ser Markus, and gives her husband a small smile when he kisses her hand in greeting.

"
It's quite alright. We are still waiting on several others. Nathan and the Septon were just discussing Blackbuckle."

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan takes a seat beside the Septon to await the other arrivals, smiling at Ben and nodding to Ser Markus.

"
I am not prepared to make any accusations concerning Blackbuckle at the moment."
says Nathan. "
Certainly a Maester is the obvious suspect, but they are not the only ones to possess such knowledge."


"
My question, while prompted by Blackbuckle, I believe has a wider implication. I consider myself an extremely ethical man, but it could be argued with relative conviction, that I am not a moral one;
so my question was genuine."


"
You see, we have all been called here to determine who is at fault in these crimes. The more I investigate, the more I must conclude that few, if any of these crimes would have happened were it not for the feud between the Blackwoods and the Brackens. For example, while I am leaning toward the belief that neither House Blackwood or Bracken were responsible for the attack on the Septry, I firmly believe the attack would not have happened, or been far less likely to happen, had the two Houses been at peace. So, does that make either House morally responsible, even if neither were involved?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine considers Nathan's words carefully, her eyes looking thoughtfully ahead into space.

"
I believe that seeking harmony is the duty of each House, and Houses Blackwood &
Bracken have been remiss in that duty. While I believe in punishing the perpetrators of a crime as proportionately as possible, I also believe both Houses should have sought an end to this feud long ago, and thus share a degree of complicity. I consider it a selfishness that they have harboured such a long and pervasive grudge, which has led to much unnecessary suffering. However, I think that harsh monetary or corporeal punishment for something so generalised would only sow the seeds of future rancour, so our chastisement should perhaps be of a less material nature."

[Septon Arlyn]

Septon Arlyn smiles as Ben entered. "
Good to see you again Lord Marsten."


After hearing Nathan's and Lady Corrines words, Septon Arlyn continues. "
I believe that Lady Corrine has the right of it. But the question is, how do we make punishments equal the crimes committed, and how can we ensure that these two mighty houses work together in the future. Wards have been used before to ensure compliance of Lords."
Septon Arlyn smiles a sad crooked smile. "
I am in agreement with Lady Corrine that this Feud should have ended many years ago."

[Theomore Tullison]

"
The sad answer, septon, is that we cannot accomplish either."
Theomore enters dressed for the field, he had delayed his departure so that he might partake in this one meeting, relying upon his Fossoway steed to catch up with the troops already having ventured forth.

"
My Lady, my lord."
He acknowledges the Marstens, "
Master Nathan"
.

"
Punish one lord too severely and he will seek the earliest opportunity to break the peace to get a settlement more to his preference, to make them work together would require a lifetime of dedication. We can only do so much in the span of a week. To forge a peace that will last until such a time as Blackwood and Bracken gets swept up in the tide of war not of their own making, this we can do."

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan nods at the Knight. "
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Ser Theomore's assessment. They might be willing to cease hostilities in the hopes of rebuilding their strength, but that is a delay at best, and will only last so long as one side does not think they have an advantage over the other."


He shrugs wearily. "
After five centuries, I doubt it will be truly over until one side annihilates the other."

[Kevan Lyras]

Ser Kevan enters as well, he wears the plate armour with the coat-of-arms of House Lyras and the cloak he has been seen with in the last few days. Catch the last remarks just as he enters, he involves himself in the discussion:

"
I have to say I share your skepticism Nathan, but we have to ignore that. If we do not give our best efforts to provide justice and a peace treaty for this crimes, how can we expect anybody to respect our decision?"


After that, he looks around and greets the present investigators with a nod and a slight bow for Lady Corrine.

[Yoren longshore]

Yoren enters the campsite with a retinue of men, the last four having departed with the body of the last one.
Entering the tent, he settles in a chair positioned in a corner. The chair creaking under his armored bulk.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Welcome, Ser Theomore, Ser Kevan, my lord Yoren,"
Corrine greets the new arrivals. "
Please be seated. I believe we now await only House Coldbrook's representative."


[ooc: I've left out Kyteley, as Jamys Rivers has been absent for some time. Regarding House Coldbrook, Drakeson or Holt would count as a representative. I want to do this fairly quickly, so I'm not hanging about for everyone to trickle in.]

[Yoren longshore]

Yoren smiles and nods to Corrine as his own name is mentioned, before falling back to simply listening.

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