[D4:LN-EM] On the horizon, a red spear

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
Gwyn!"


While chest after chest of coin are placed in the Drakeson pavilion, Baelon rushes over to his wife, embracing her.

"
Thank the gods you are well. I..."

He glances over at the Marsten guards.
"
I have much to tell you."


He turns to the guards. "
You have a report to give, I think. Go, and get some sleep. I give you my word that I will not leave this encampment before you arrive back in the morning - I'll most likely be sleeping long after your arrival anyway."

The tone of his voice makes it clear that this is not a request.

After they leave, he follows them to the entrance and gives some orders to the Bloodriders - six men on watch at all times, two on the front entrance, one on each of the other sides, and a sixth that circles the tent. No one other than know Drakeson retainers were to allowed within ten feet of the tent without his or Gwyn's explicit permission. Maximum precautions were to be taken - no food or drink was to be accepted except that which came directly from the Drakeson quartermaster, and the quartermaster was to only use Drakeson supplies unless given explicit permission by Baelon or Gwyn.

"
I have something to show you, Gwyn."


Taking out the keys that he took from Ser Hugh's chambers, Baelon opens up each chest, revealing the hoard of Dornish coins and the letters, all the while telling the tale of his night - saving Ser Eoric from the burning inn, his flight with Brother Kyle to the cave, his fight with Ser Hugh and the acquisition of the coins and letters.

"
Ser Hugh claimed that he had Dornish backers, and that these letters are proof of it. I didn't have time enough to read them, let alone look for hidden truths. I need your help, Gwyn. I need to know the truth of these letters before I present them even to Daveth. This could easily mean war with Dorne - there can be no mistakes made."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

More than a little stunned at the rapid pace of things, Gwyneth nevertheless takes the letters. Her eyes dart between the chests of gold, then back to Baelon.

"
And the money? Dornish coin? Ugh."
She rubbed her temple. "
I know you have your reasons, but we really need to start working more within the framework Corrine is trying to set up. Every time we don't, it puts us in the awkward position of either making US look bad, or HER. And given the difference in age and influence of our respective Houses...well, it's no secret who's generally going to come out ahead on that score."


"
Now, lets see what we have here. I may need Leopold's consult on this. He's much cleverer in wordplay than I am..."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
You're right, of course - but Corrine hasn't been making the best decisions lately. This is simply too big take such risks with. This could mean war with Dorne. Real war, Gwyn. I lived in a war for my first nine years. Believe me when I say that it makes everything we've seen here in Battle Valley look like a mere shoving match among children."


He shakes his head.

"
It may cause us a headache later, but I simply cannot trust Corrine to deal with this appropriately. I don't even want Daveth to know until we've got some idea of whether or not it is true. How we present it will go a long way in determining how it is received. I cannot help but feel that this is yet another deception... and if it is, we need to know who is truly behind it."


He sends a page for the Maester. His gashes cry out for help, and the Maester would certainly be of more use to Gwyn in examining the letters than Baelon would be.

OOC:

Cunning (decipher) and languages please, blind TNs.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
We don't have to trust her, exactly,"
Gwyn replies. "
Corrine is..."
she pauses, looking for the words. "
...in some ways rather timid. She doesn't know war, but she would do just about anything to avoid it, or being responsible for it. If we'd gone to her, and presented our case in the right way, she'd have trusted us to deal with it. Unfortunately, that's no longer an option. And this coin will complicate things a great deal you know...we're going to be accused of profiteering and worse..."


(assist and coordinate work well, I think...assuming you assist and I coordinate, how does that shake out mechanically?)

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
What do you think Corrine would have done had she gotten this coin? I suspect immediately distributed it to the needy here in Battle Valley. Noble, certainly. However, it would also be immediately obvious that the coins were Dornish, and the inevitable rumor that Dorne was behind the attack would be seen as proven. Whether or not Corrine would want war, we would have it. Taking this coin is about controlling the information of the alleged Dornish involvement more than it is about the value of the money."


He shakes his head.

"
We can correct the impression of profiteering - substitute an equivalent value from our own treasury and let it be assumed that it is the money from the cave;
then use it to support the rebuilding efforts here. Such a switch would have been impossible if I had immediately handed it over. What I told Corrine's spies is that she would have to trust that we would spend it appropriately. Actually spending it - or the coin substituted for it - nobly might even buy us some goodwill from House Marsten - a rare commodity these days."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Corrine would have done as we advised her,"
Gwyn replied irritably. "
She's not hard to influence, is what I'm saying, especially in this situation. She's...choking in uncertainty, eager to be told what to do. The only real danger in going to her with this would have been someone in her entourage seeing it. Kevan or Ben might not have the wit to keep their jaws from flapping. And her new spy Samruel...he's been in the household since he was young, but he's a Manderley...hard to say where his true allegiance lies."


"
Anyway, that ship's out of the harbor now. I'll do what I can to soothe the feathers. And we'll have to make arrangements for the money immediately. That will help."


"
Even with those things though, I ask that you try to act with more...tact. You have keen insight into the politics of situations, Baelon, but not always into the politics of people. Just because we CAN function without the goodwill of others doesn't mean its in our best interests to."


At that there was a rustle at the tent flap, and Leopold poked his head under. "
My Lady, my Lord,"
he said, "
you wished to see me?"


Gwyn waved him over, shifting immediately to a warm smile. "
Yes, please come here. We need your help with some letters. What you're seeing here is, of course, not to leave this tent. Take a look at these...and tell us what you see."

[Baelon Drakeson]

Baelon opens his mouth to to say something in response to Gwyn's comments, but closes it immediately when the Maester walks in. There are more pressing matters at hand;
he and Gwyn could talk about the Marsten situation later.

[Reader]

Letters from Dorne? - blind TN, unknown DoS across two checks, below not necessarily entirely true
- Hidden to protect the innocent/guilty. :;
):
[OOC: I'll let you have this information IC by the end of D5 so you can use it for a scene, but Maester Leopold needs to work through D6 confirming his findings/recovering, and is therefore unavailable for investigations. Taking your time has costs, albeit in this case they may have been worth paying]

[Reader]

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"
That coin..."
He gestures over his shoulder at the chests from the cave "
...is all Dornish. I had thought it to be a ruse, an attempt to start a war for Gods-know-what reason. I dared not let anyone see it until I could make sure lest the ruse be seen as reality, but these..."
he pulls a packet of letters from his tunic "
...turned out to be real."
He puts them down on the table so the others can peruse them.

[Reader]

OOC: Cleaned up version of an important plot point (and well chosen subject line) being made public.

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