Re: [D7, MA] Forming The Treaty (Open)

[Benedict Marsten]

Again Ben entered through the back of the pavilion with Ser Markus. The men pause still in conversation. Nodding at Ben, Ser Markus ducks back through their same entrance.

Ben runs is fingers through his still damp hair, his face a strange sight, freshly shaven. He wears a new dark gamebson with green breeches. A small silver brooch, of a lightening bolt entwined in thornes sets upon his right breast. For once his appearance mirrors his position.

"
Forgive my tardiness, my lady, my Lords, and Sers. As my father used to say it takes a lot of polishing to turn a rock to gem."
He smiles charmingly.

[Davain Bartheld]

"
It is ok Lord Bnedict. i am afriad you haven't missed much."

[Ser Walton Dulver]

Ser Walton was obviously tired of situation, slowly turned to Lady Marsten and looked at her with mocking sight "
In Your opinion I am testing You?"
In Walton's voice was dibelief. "
You are talking about hospitality and protection under YOUR OWN banner? That's what You offered to our archers, when WE kindly offered You help in dealing with YOUR OWN problems, on YOUR OWN lands? Using them as bait for cavalry charge was hospitality, or protection? Please, clarify this for me, my Lady?"
Walton leaned to front and put his elbows on table. "
Or You mean protection You offered to Ironborns not long ago, putting arrows into their backs, when they were fighting and falling under YOUR banner, my Lady? Or maybe it's problem of etiquette? I guess You are mentioning threatening demands of Drakesons, due to which investigation lost valuable witness, not mentioning putting other Houses' into persuing false leads?"
Walton wasn't angry, he was calmly specifying cases. "
Is there anything else, what would You like to ensure us in this very moment, Lady? I remind everybody present, that it is Royal Mission, graciously appointed us by our Good King, and represented here by his son, Prince Aemond."
He emphasized last words, as Prince's unwillingless towards Marstens was commonly known. "
You can do whatever You want in Your tent, but don't expect everybody to kneel and bow in front of You."
Walton stood up gustily from his chair "
This is madness. We hear about Peace Treaty, but I will name it farce... For last few days we watch political struggle and fighting for power, with Blacks leading the forefront... I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror, if I would stay here."
Walton just waved away with his hand, and added quiter, but strong and enough loud, so everybody could hear him clearly "
Count Septon Arlyn's voice as Dulvers'- maybe presence of man of Faith will awake conscience of some..."
Ser Walton simply turns out and left tent in vigorous step, not looking behind...

When Walton left, Garred without word just throwed him back his scabbard, which Walton attached back to his belt. Soon after, only sound of receding hoofbeats was heard inside pavillion...

[OOC: Sorry for long time taken, now not sure where is it chronologically in this thread ]

[Daveth Coldbrook]

[I would like to arrive at the same time as Lady Gwyneth (acting as an advisor) IC, for coherency's sake, but their player is obviously having connectivity issues, so I'm not sure if they wish to join. For the sake of flow, I am assuming Gwyneth is present and arriving with me, so they don't have to turn up partway through the meeting, but note their presence is merely provisional until confirmed, and obviously they'll be quiet until their player gets things sorted.]

A few moments after Ser Walton angrily left, Daveth arrives. Presumably surprising no-one, he is unarmed and unarmoured. "
Lady Corrine."
He bows respectfully to her. "
Lords and Knights."
another bow, slightly shallower, to the table as a whole. "
Apologies if we are late. We were working on something that we hope will be helpful to our discussions here."


[Placeholder for Lady Gwyneth's greeting, that I can add/delete as required, but marks them as present.]

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Well, that saved me the bother,"
Corrine quips, giving her husband's hand a little squeeze in greeting.

If only you'd been here sooner. I'll wager he wouldn't have spoken such in your presence.

She glances over to her cup-bearer with a subtle roll of her eyes, and beckons for him to bring her wine.

"
Welcome, honoured guests. Please partake of the bread &
salt, and help yourself to the food &
drink. We have a few more due to arrive."


She moves round to stand between Yoren and Davain, lowering her head to speak quietly. Her tone was not harsh, but it was gently firm.

"
I will explain to the others that your attire was an error, but I ask that you do not make such a mistake again. You are both educated men. There is no excuse for breaching etiquette this way. It looks like you don't trust me, and I would hope at least my lord Yoren would know how seriously I take matters of hospitality and honour. House Marsten is friendly to you both. Please fon't squander it like that fool Dulver."


She pats them each on the shoulder, indicating she was not irate with them, and that was all she wanted to say. She returns to her place and sips at her wine.

"
Ben? We should talk after this. Ser Walton's behaviour was most problematic."

[Benedict Marsten]

Ben listens to Walton's tirade, one eyebrow cocked high. As he reaches the end of his mighty speech Ben's lips curl into a slight smile. "
Good day, Lord Walton, may the Maid grant you her blessings."


When Corrine returns and speaks to Ben he nods in agreement.

[Samurel Manderly]

A cleanly dressed, immaculate individual glides over to Corrine's side, Silver plate beneath a proper drinking cup in hand. A light bright white wine is within.
[url=Deception (Disguise) Taking Some TIme!][/url]: 5d6k5 17

"
Of course my lady."


Placing himself standing beside and to the back of her after she takes her drink.

[Loreia]

[I am hoping that attending this meeting armed and armored is appropriate for a member of House Coldbrook's elite guard. If not, we can assume I am not. We wouldn't want the issue to drag on.]

Loreia enters in time to hear Corrine speak in disdain of the giant lad she and Daveth passed on the way in. Her face betrays bemusement, though she refrains from what is very likely to encourage continued derailment of the meeting's true purpose. On salute, she spares a passing glance toward Daveth upon his mention of additional information to add, bemused again. You're always so productive, to this day it still surprises me.

[Yoren longshore]

Yoren carefully holds his own opinions to himself, but simply asks: "
Only Kytley and Tullison left to show, then we can start?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

[ooc: Light leather or chain under a tabard would be ok for a guard, just not full plate etc. ]

Corrine gives Sam a grateful look, thdn smiles at Loreia.

"
Welcome, Shieldmaiden Loreia. It is good to see you."


She gestures for her to partake of bread &
salt.

"
The attendands will bring you whatever drink you would like.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Yoren carefully holds his own opinions to himself, but simply asks: "
Only Kytley and Tullison left to show, then we can start?"

"
Indeed. Hopefully they will not be much longer."

[Loreia]

[ooc: Light leather or chain under a tabard would be ok for a guard, just not full plate etc. ]

Corrine gives Sam a grateful look, thdn smiles at Loreia.

"
Welcome, Shieldmaiden Loreia. It is good to see you."


She gestures for her to partake of bread &
salt.

"
The attendands will bring you whatever drink you would like.

[Since I have neither, I'll play it safe and stick to my livery.]

"
Thank you, m'lady. Water,"
she says in request to one of the attendants, as she takes a few pieces of bread, one for each of the members from House Coldbrook currently present.

[Baelon Drakeson]

Baelon enters along with Daveth and Gwyn. He is dressed in comfortable but fashionable attire in Drakeson colors: dark, almost blood-red hose, a dusky-purple shirt with a high-collared black sleeveless jerkin. The jerkin bears embroidery of a dragon in flight and a silver star-shaped pin adorns it's right-hand collar. Black leather boots and belt round out the ensemble. On the belt is a dagger in a fine, blue-dyed leather sheath - somewhat mismatched to his outfit - but no other weaponry.

Approaching the front of the room, he addresses his hosts first.
"
Lady Corrine,"
he kisses her hand. "
Lord Ben,"
He proffers a slight, polite bow. "
Greetings, and thank-you for hosting this most important event."

He partakes of the bread and salt.
"
Assembled lords, ladies, and representatives, good afternoon."


He leaves the front of the room and takes a seat in the gallery with a good view - he is but a concerned observer;
perhaps he might have some insights to share, but certainly not a vote.

"
I passed Ser Walton on the way in. Probably for the best that he left;
from what I know of him he lacks the wit, wisdom, and temperament for diplomatic work. Ser Eoric told me how he behaved on the training ground. Unseemly, to say the least."
He shakes his head disapprovingly.

[Reader]

Lord Tullison entered with his usual flamboyance in a fetching red cape and blue Tullison tunic, bowing to his fellow investigators.

"
A fine afternoon to all! We have brought peace to Battle Valley, but men and women will truly remember us if we can make a lasting peace and do justice towards those wicked in the eyes of the Old Gods and the New!"


Jamys Rivers, the scholarly young delegate from House Kytley carefully examined his notes, occasionally peering in to a strange crystal for inspiration and mumbling prayers to the Seven to guide them to forge a lasting peace. An unusual quirk, but House Kytley has long esteemed the Smith above all other aspects of the Seven that are One, but enough to set those who cling to the Old Gods or favour House Blackwood on edge.

[OOC: these two will largely be in the background]

[Septon Arlyn]

Septon Arlyn enters, jovial warm smile, and greets everyone, unaware of his status as Dulver representative nor the heirs outburst. Introducing himself in the more formal side he makes his way over to Terren Dulver's side.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine greets Baelon &
Gwyn with friendly smiles. Dunstan, Jamys, and the Septon with more reserved, but still polite smiles.

"
I quite agree with Lord Tullison. We have a rare opportunity to right wrongs and build a better future here. May we prove ourselves worthy of such trust. Now that all representatives are assembled, we can begin. We shall be handling this in two parts;
determining punishment for the guilty, and setting conditions for peace. For the former, we will address each point by referral to our original remit. From there, we can build the framework of our recommendations to the Crown."


She unrolls one of the scrolls and reads aloud;


"
The first matter is that of the Bracken lands that were salted."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

[ooc: If desired, I can basically put up the proposal written by Baelon's player, and we can vote on it as a whole, as though we had already discussed each point, to save time.]

[Daveth Coldbrook]

[OOC: I was going to present it as mostly Lady Gwyneth's work - it was what I was hinting at when I mentioned having 'something helpful for our discussions here'. We'd present it as a 'starting point for our discussion'. Lady Gwyneth gets the credit to keep the 'credit' within the House responsible. If that's okay, since their player has posted that they have internet again, I'll let her present it.]

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

[OOC: I was going to present it as mostly Lady Gwyneth's work - it was what I was hinting at when I mentioned having 'something helpful for our discussions here'. We'd present it as a 'starting point for our discussion'. Lady Gwyneth gets the credit to keep the 'credit' within the House responsible. Since their player has posted that they have internet again, I'll let her present it.]

[ooc: Thanks for the info. I had been unaware of that. I'd thought it was going to represent the culmination of discussion, rather than having sole authorship. Best to see what the others think. Might be best to take the OOC discussion out of here though, in case it gets involved. ]

[Terren Dulver]

Terren walks in as he sees Lady Marsten lecturing his brother and Lord Davain. He swiftly enters the room in silence, clearly trying not to make too much noise, but not really succeeding at it, as he will simply wait until someone notices him.
(ooc: I had posted this earlier, however, I already had something to do in the Mid Afternoon, so I deleted the post, but since Reader did allow me to be here as well I am reposting this .)

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyneth returned Corrine's smile, and approached the table she and Benedict were sitting at, politely waiting for recognition before speaking. She says then in a low tone, "
Baelon, Daveth and I prepared a document summarizing the various charges and investigations known to date. I present it to you as a resource, and to help focus debate only. It's not intended to be a finished document, or to in any way stifle or supplant discussion. Use it, or not, as you see fit."


She places a rolled up scroll of parchment before Corrine, which when opened states:

We the undersigned, acting upon the authority granted unto our represented houses by His Grace, King Viserys Targaryen, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Realm, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Defender of the Realm, do hereby declare that the following is a true and accurate accounting of crimes committed by Houses Bracken and Blackwood, and a fair and just punishment to be meted out for the same.

I. Crimes

Let it be known that these crimes were investigated by representatives of the houses of Marsten, Bartheld, Coldbrook, Dulver, Kytley, Longshore, and Tullison:

Ser Steffon Vance and Ser Rufus Bracken, with the aid of various lesser men, did without the foreknowledge, consent, or authorization of their superiors plot and execute the assassination of Lord Bryan Blackwood and his wife, the Lady Reina.

Maester Arran of House Blackwood, without the foreknowledge, consent, or authorization of his superiors, did poison the well of the village of Blackbuckle, ending countless innocent lives as well as the lives of various Bracken soldiers and torturers, for the purpose of ending the suffering of Blackwood soldiers held captive and tormented there.

Both House Bracken and House Blackwood did fortify their respective iron mines, depriving the crown of vital resources for the war in the Stepstones. Upon attack by House Bracken, soldiers of House Blackwood did fire the supports of the Blackwood mines in an attempt to render the Bracken attack profitless.

House Bracken soldiers, led by Ser Humphrey Piper, acting dishonorably without the foreknowledge, consent, or authorization of their superiors, did attack a merchant caravan from Dorne for the purpose of personal profit.

Ser Tyron Blackwood did lead a regiment of Blackwood cavalry in the salting of fields in the vicinity of Warrior’s Seat.

Bandits in the employ of Ser Olyvar Lucas did sack the Septry at Battle Valley, falsely bearing the arms of House Blackwood and thereby did wrong to House Blackwood, House Bracken, and the Faith of the Seven.

Both House Bracken and House Blackwood did violate the borders of their lands with House Darry, with Ser Tyron Blackwood using Darry lands as a point of refuge and staging ground for attacks and Ser Wyll Bracken, pursuing his attackers, did cause damage to Darry lands and holdings.

Lord Benjicot Blackwood, having recently been orphaned, did in his grief and youthful impulsiveness order an attack from under a flag of mourning upon Bracken troops.


II. Punishments

The following have been determined to be appropriate punishments for the aforementioned crimes.

II.A. Punishments levied upon House Bracken and House Blackwood.

Each of House Bracken and House Blackwood shall send forth a knight of high position [Status 4+] to join the Night’s Watch as a symbolic act of contrition and forgiveness-seeking. As perpetrators of various crimes listed above, it is the strong recommendation of the representatives that Ser Steffon Vance and Ser Tyron Blackwood fulfill this obligation, and thereby be forgiven of their crimes, obviating the .

No less than one quarter of each houses’ revenue income shall be spent on reconstruction, repair and maintenance of lands and holdings, for a period of no less than ten years or until the lands and holdings of the house have been restored. [25% of House Fortune income must be for Lands, Population, or Wealth (only if earmarked for the relevant holdings)]

No less that one quarter of each houses’ revenue income, plus any remainder from the previous item after a house’s lands and holdings have been repaired or rebuilt, shall be spent on internal peacekeeping efforts, for a period of no less than ten years. [50% of House Fortune income must be for Law or for the previous item, no less than 25% towards Law]

All revenues from the Bracken iron mine and the adjacent Blackwood iron mine, including the vein of crystal discovered therein during the investigation, shall be used to refund the generous donations of coin and services made by outside parties in this time of crisis, for a period of no less than two years;
income from these mines for the following three years shall be granted to the Crown. [Game mechanics effects at Reader’s discretion]

II.B. Punishments levied against individuals

Ser Steffon Vance shall be executed in a manner determined by Lord Haig Bracken.

Maester Arran shall be executed in a manner determined by Lord Benjicot Blackwood’s regent, Ser Myles Blackwood. It is the recommendation of the representatives that the Citadel of Oldtown posthumously strip Maester Arran of his chain, and provide a new Maester of good character and peaceful disposition to House Blackwood.

Ser Tyron Blackwood shall turn over one half of the revenue income of his lands to House Bracken for a period of no less than three years, and his son, Jojen Blackwood, will be made ward and squire to Lord Haig Bracken.

Ser Olyvar Lucas shall serve as Warden of the Sept at Battle Valley for a period of no less than three years, living among the Brothers and receiving no incomes for his service. Any incomes earned by other means shall be donated to the Sept at Battle Valley to be used as alms for the unfortunate.

Ser Humphrey Piper will be removed from command and will be fined [amount TBD].

Lord Benjicot Blackwood, having shown remorse for his crime and on account of his age, shall be forgiven with no further punishments.

[Septon Arlyn]

"
Terren,"
Whispers Septon Arlyn to the boy beside him, "
Where is your brother, shouldn't he be here to vote in these proceedings?"

[Theomore Tullison]

Theomore scribbles rather furiously on a sheet of parchment as the suggestion was read, at the other side of Dunstan, Haelis does the same, but with much more elegance and effectiveness.

When Gwyn is finished, he calls attention to himself. "
I have a curiosity, my lady."
If he knew himself, he would be speaking more than he liked today, better start early to not speak too much in too short amount of time. "
Ser Steffon Vance and Ser Tyron Blackwood are listed as recommended for the wall, yet one we call for the execution of, while the second we should merely fine? The stipulation that each house sends one knight to the wall does appear to be intended as punishment for both houses for their general part in waging war upon one another, but if a man whose life we condemn may take the black to fulfill this requirement, it does not seem to be any real punishment at all."

[Kevan Lyras]

As nobody seemed to reply immediately, Kevan decided to speak up: "
I agree with Ser Theomore on this. Ser Steffon should not be able to dodge his punishment of death, which is the only appropriate punishment for his actions. On the other hand, Ser Tyron was guilty for some crimes, but these were a lot less severe and would warrant a fine.."

[Yoren longshore]

"
Where is the other four mines in your treaty? Four mines in a contested area is still enough to cause a minor civil war. Also, I agree: Why would you specify people you want to send to the wall, but not state that they will be sent to the wall, why the ambiguity?"
Yoren stops;
"
I'm getting ahead of myself. Could we simply break it into paragraphs, to easier be able to deal with it?"

This last was directed at Corrine.

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