[D5,MM]Noblesse oblige

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth sat in a small tent specially set up atop a small hill, giving a nice scenic view over the countryside as a light rain gently drizzled down on the dry land. The tent contained little other than a table, a sufficient number of chairs and glasses, with a few spare, just in case, and a few bottles of drinks. He'd already opened a bottle of light wine with a sharp taste. It was a bit early in the day, but after last night, he felt like he needed it.

So he sat, sipped his wine, looked over the countryside, and wondered just how he would be able to pull what he intended to do off, while he waited for his guests to arrive.

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan arrived. Punctual as usual. The boy had made an effort to clean himself up by washing and with a fresh gambison, but his armor and hair still smelled lightly of smoke.

"
Good Morning, Master Daveth."
he said with a bow. His tone was light, but there was obvious signs of weariness around his eyes and fatigue in the set of his shoulders.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

"
Good morning, Nathan."
Daveth replies with a smile. He gestures towards the table. "
Please, take a seat. Help yourself to a drink if you want one. And smile a bit. Based on what you said to the royal party last night, I think you'll appreciate what I have to say here."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
Speaking of yesterday."
he says pouring a glass of water. "
I thought I might mention something. Lady Marsten, among some others, are pushing back against the poisoning of Arran. Poetic justice seemingly out of fashion these days. I thought I might suggest burning."
Perhaps recent events inspired the idea. "
Once he has toured the wreckage of Blackbuckle, we can execute him beside the well he poisoned. As I have to burn all his victims, I see no reason he can't join them, and it should give the survivors of Blackbuckle a least a degree of satisfaction to see justice done."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth gives a grim smile. "
We may disagree on politics, Nathan, but it seems we still find plenty of common ground elsewhere. But I doubt those who oppose poisoning would be any warmer towards a burning."
he pauses. "
Perhaps a poor choice of words there."


He sighs. "
Like you, I'm disappointed that poetry is out of fashion, but so long as he dies, I'll be content. The Wall is a mercy shown to those who deserve the chance to redeem themselves for past mistakes."
he takes a sip. "
What I saw at Blackbuckle convinced me that he does not deserve that redemption."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine approached, and curtsied;


"
Master Daveth. I came as soon as I could. I hope I am not too late."

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan nodded. "
Burning at least has the advantage of being a common form of execution. I don't think Arran is worthy of the clean death of the sword or axe."
He took a sip of his water. "
In any case, the execution needs to be public. The smallfolk have suffered much at his hand. The survivors and the families of the victims must see justice done. They have the right. They deserve that much."


Nathan bows to Lady Marsten. "
My Lady. I want to commend you for your quick action and calming words last night."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth stands, and bows a response. "
Not at all. Or at least, if you are, then so was my invite. Thank you for coming."
he stands and moves to hold a seat for her to sit down on. "
We're still expecting at least a couple more, then we can begin. Can I offer you something to drink in the meantime?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
That is kind of you, Nathan. I commend your bravery. Ut truthfully, I wish I could have done more."


She nodded to Daveth;


"
A drink would be lovely."

[Yoren longshore]

Still unused to the cumbersome armour, Yoren comes panting up the hill, with a much better trained Ben.
"
Good morning."
Is all he greets them with before he slumps down.

[Assuming that Ben comes with him, if desired I can edit this post.]

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyneth appears at the tent flap just moments after Yoren. On seeing those inside, she looked at Daveth curiously.

"
Well, this is suspenseful. I'm either surprised to see you notifying all these other fine gentles at the same time as us...or a little put out that you waited to tell us until you told them too. Whatever it is, I'm dying to know. The letter somehow made it seem worse than Blackbuckle or wildfire, which staggers even my considerable imagination."


She secured a seat and sat down.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

(OOC: The below assumes Lord Benedict has indeed shown up with Yoren.)

Daveth fills Lady Corrine's glass, then moves to offer Lady Gwyneth a chair and a drink when she arrives. Once she's settled, he sits back down. "
I think that's everyone I'm expecting, so I'll begin.

"
To cut to the heart of the matter, yes. I strongly suspect that if nothing is done, it will be worse than both Blackbuckle and the wildfire plot combined. Quite possibly by multiples. The reason why I wanted to speak with you all at the same time is I have a plan to avert it, but it requires a dedicated effort across multiple houses to achieve.

"
I'm sure we all remember Nathan's words to the royal party yesterday, where he warned of a full revolt among the populace. Well, he's absolutely right. Well, almost. In the short-term at least, what we'll get will be a notch or two below that, but still plenty bad enough. I spent about half of yesterday, after the assembly, looking into this matter, and coming up with a plan to deal with it.

"
This is the situation as it stands: The people have lost hope. The only thing that was keeping them from total despair was Ser Hugh Rivers and his efforts. Who is now dead. I suspect we have a day, maybe at most two, before that loss really sinks in, then the region will explode, not just against Houses Blackwood and Bracken, but against the royal investigators as well. I'm sure you've heard the rumours that we're seen as villains by many of the local populace.

"
I chose to speak with you all because I consider all of you my friends, and hope to speak freely with you. While I have no doubt that this mini-revolution would fail, the death toll could well be staggering, and I fear that ..."
he takes a breath "
if your favourite tool is a dragon, then every problem looks flammable. And if *that* happens, then whatever damage was done to the land by salt or poison would be like a candle beside a bonfire, and that will cause far greater problems later on.

"
What I want isn't to put down the revolution, but to prevent it entirely. But that requires dedicated, decisive action."
he looks across the others. "
Today.

"
I've spoken with a well-connected local woman who was able to give me a run-down on the situation. There are supplies desperately needed all over. But if we can at least start getting those supplies delivered, if we can give the populace hope that tomorrow will be better, then we can prevent it.

"
The issue is cost. There is a vast deficit, and both Houses Blackwood and Bracken are strapped for cash from the conflict. I have a plan to get as much as possible from both houses, but that's not enough. If the plan is to succeed, the royal investigators houses will have to contribute somewhere in the region of two to four hundred gold dragons each [1-2 Wealth], depending on how many are willing to support the idea.

"
House Coldbrook is willing to contribute 400 gold towards this effort."
his face turns grim. "
I could do nothing but bring the poisoner to justice for Blackbuckle. I failed to prevent the wildfire plot."
he thumps his finger down firmly on the table. "
This injustice, I *will* prevent."
he looks at the other people sitting there. "
But I can only do it with your help. Both in contributing financially, and sharing if you find more effective ways of using the money - better targeting, better distribution, whatever it takes."


Daveth looks at each of his friends in turn, before finishing in a grim tone. "
I've seen enough death here. No more."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Drakeson can afford to contribute,"
Gwyneth said slowly, "
But that's a lot of money to spend in just a day or two. Who is our supplier? How are the goods getting here? And there'll have to be oversight of it all."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I am told that Baelon made off with a chest of gold that, by rights, should go to the smallfolk who have suffered from this feud. I say the entirety of it should go to helping these people. House Marsten will match it's value."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

"
Ah, sorry, I was a bit unclear. We do not need to spend the entire amount in a day. But we need to get the process *started* today, to head off the event, and to actually prevent it, that's the total amount required. It has to be done quickly, but not quite that quickly.

"
And as for things like suppliers and distributors, that depends on what's required. I have a list, but that's not to say it can't be improved on."


Also, damnit, Baelon! The Drakesons are supposed to by my safe and secure tie to the Marstens. Could you please stop antagonising them?

Are you sure? If that connection weakens, then maybe Dy-

Don't even go there.

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
Master Daveth, the problem is not so much the lack of supplies, but who has them. Several merchants in the area are sitting on large stockpiles of grain and other foodstuff. The war, the destruction of crops and the food shortages have driven prices up perhaps a hundred times or more. Some won't sell as they hope the prices will go even higher... or that the Investigation Houses will line their pockets. Trust me. I have spent the last two days looking for food. The food is there, just no-one can afford to buy it. I would be happy to pay the entire sum out of my own pocket, but I won't be cheated by those who profit from the suffering of others."


"
I have supplies coming in from merchants I know in the Reach and Lannisport, but that will take at least a week. Probably longer. The sudden influx of supplies will drop the prices through the floor. If we make that well known, the merchants might be more willing to sell at reasonable prices knowing that they may bankrupt themselves if they don't unload their current stocks with some haste."


"
In the meantime, we could always have another hunt. Lord Bracken seems to like those. If we can keep their bellies full and help them to feel safe, we might be able to stave off disaster. I have been keeping the refugees fed one day at a time. They are quite willing to work and help themselves if they know someone cares enough to help them. Giving them something to do also helps keep them mind off other things."

[Benedict Marsten]

Ben drapes his wet cloak over the back of his chair. He rests his hand on his lady wife's shoulder as he takes a seat beside her.

"
Then we can make it public knowledge we are bringing the food and supplies in. That should force their hands and make them lower their price.

We can hunt and there is much work to be done."


He pauses to consider more options.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
If it would help, I'd be happy to personally help distribute food and aid to the people. It's important that they can see friendly faces among us."


Corrine momentarily patted Ben's knee to acknowledge him.

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
To be honest, normally I would throw a party. Nothing elaborate, festival games, picnic food and the like. Just something to foster goodwill. However, under the circumstances, it might be problematic. Throwing one on Bracken lands and not Blackwood or vice versa would be insulting. Throwing one on both lands would be difficult. Throwing one for both in neutral lands could be contentious."
Nathan shrugged. "
I am open to suggestions."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
We could take advantage of the Prince's presence,"
Gwyn says. "
We arrange for the food to be distributed directly to the villages, under Aemond's banner. An act of mercy in his name will hopefully also give him pause in his anger."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
We could take advantage of the Prince's presence,"
Gwyn says. "
We arrange for the food to be distributed directly to the villages, under Aemond's banner. An act of mercy in his name will hopefully also give him pause in his anger."

"
I am definitely in favour of quelling his anger,"
Corrine nodded in agreement.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

(OOC: Right. Apologies for the delay. Finally have a bit of time.)

Daveth slowly shakes his head. "
I'm definitely in favour of the goal, there. But I'm not sure that acting in the prince's name behind his back is the correct method to quell his rage. I rather fear that instead his rage may grow, and encompass our houses as well. But *something* to distract or charm him is definitely a good idea.

"
Thinking on Nathan's idea of a hunt to get meat for the population, I don't think that will make a big difference, but it does give me an idea. If we can persuade Lords Blackwood and Bracken to open their woods up to commoners hunting, for a few days, that could well make an impact - not only is it an additional food source, but it means they're spending time and aggression against wildlife, rather than nobles."


(OOC: Mechanically, according to Reader, this idea will cost 1 Influence to get the idea enacted, and gain the equivalent of 2 wealth towards our goal).

"
The merchants are an obstacle, but I think one we can handle. If we can get as little as one or two merchants to sell to us at a reasonable price, other merchants will very swiftly hear about it, and, without further information, will assume they were acting on hidden information - presumably that food supplies are coming in the next few days, and look to make their own deal before they lose out. Nathan, you've clearly spent time dealing with these merchants. Do you think you can find a way to get a few of them to publicly sell at a reasonable price, in just a few hours? It's a lot to ask, but I feel it could make a big difference."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
Well, as far as the hunting, both Houses are descended from the First Men. I am sure you or I, Daveth, can pull some ancient festival out of our hat as an excuse for allowing the smallfolk access to the forests for a few days. However, I want experienced fighters and woodsmen to accompany them. Some areas of the forests are extremely dangerous, and I don't want any more fatalities."


[OOC: House Bartheld has a ton of Influence Points. I have no problem donating one to the cause, especially if it saves us two Wealth points. I will note it in the House forum.]

Perhaps the best way to deal with the merchants is to stick them all in one room and wait for them to cut their throats in a mad scramble to the lowest price. The greediest of them will come to regret it when imported supplies start arriving.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Something like that may indeed be helpful. That way, we would not be presuming to act on the Prince's behalf."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth thinks for a moment, then nods. "
Alright.

"
Yoren, this group is rather short on non-Black aligned nobles. Would you be willing to speak with the Prince, and either calm him directly, or find out what would calm his rage? I think that's a better path forwards than simply guessing.

"
Lord Benedict, would you mind contacting Ser Jorah, and assisting him with speaking with Lord Benjicot to get House Blackwood to release funds?

"
Lady Gwyneth, I remember your lord husband has bonded well with Lord Haig. If he could get House Bracken to allocate their funds, that would be appreciated.

"
Nathaniel, I plan to dedicate the bulk of the afternoon to getting things moving with regards to the merchants. If I could impose on some of your time to assist me, since you seem familiar with them, that would be convenient.

"
Lady Corrine,"
he pauses, and his eyes flicker in thought for a moment before he continues. "
Actually, I can't think of anything special for you to help with at the moment."
there's a momentary pause, and he gives a rather embarrassed cough. "
So, does that plan work for everyone?"

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