[D4, LM] Cats Fight, Mice Scurry

[Nathaniel Mason]

Taking advantage of the massive interest and occupation of practically everyone around the Trial by Combat, Nathan decides to take advantage of the situation and try to get to the bottom of what Lord Tully is hiding about his financial issues.

Taking his time, he disguises himself as a messenger/page/courier. By the time he is done, people would be hard pressed to recognize him, he looks about 14. {This is one of the reasons I chose to be 16 rather than 18. It's just the right age to look a bit younger or a bit older.]

[url=Disguise-Cats and Mice][/url]: 6d6 27

Happy with his work, he immediately proceeds to the castle, heading to the Senechal's office. Even from here, he can hear the crowd baying for Athelstan's blood.

[Reader]

It is as if Lan the Clever himself moves among the castle, as if Nathaniel had served there all his life. Nobody pays him any mind when he passes, and none will remember him after he is gone.

He reaches his goal unchallenged, with plenty of time to work.

Papers are strewn across the desk, their author having abandoned them in his haste to get to the trial by combat. Nearby stands a locked cabinet.

[OOC: Thievery 9 to get at the locked papers, which are presumably more damning/easier to deciper

Accessible papers - languages roll, TN 6 to understand the transactions, extra DOS = more info]

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan quickly moves to the cabinet, and with a quick flick and small rattle, pops the lock.

[url=Lockpick Seneshal Cabinet][/url]: 3d6+2 13

Rapidly, Nathan skims the various documents with the same considered efficiency he displayed to Daveth in the library. He had always shown a strong talent with language from a young age. He might have grown up to be a scribe had his life not been forced to take a different path. He probably would have made a good one, although in hidesight, one bored out of his mind.

[url=Seneschal Documents (Language)][/url]: 4d6 21

[Reader]

Nathaniel is in his element - locks are no obstacle to him.

Nathaniel would indeed have found life as a scribe dull, but this was a treasure trove of political opportunity.

Within it lurked a tale of a man beginning with the best of intentions to improve the lives of his people, but then getting in over his head with grandiose plans and follies.

Hard decisions await - steal the papers as evidence and risk discovery? And if so, which? Or chance that the papers will remain undisturbed - after all, they've sat here for some time already...

Language to search loose papers - 4 DoS = 2 items per DoS [well, Nathaniel gets all 8]
- House Tully is in severe financial trouble, Lord Tully isn't simply greedy.
- The debt come from a failed irrigation project to boost crop yields to help Lord Tully's people, an attempt to undermine Frey power by constructing a bridge (that washed away) and watch towers constructed on marshland.
- The debt is now so large that House Tully can barely cover the interest payments.
- Some of the monies are owed to House Lannister, but by far the bulk is owed to the Iron Bank of Braavos.
- An agent from the Iron bank of Braavos, Stefio Florenz is due to arrive to present a public demand for payment on [Day 5] morning!
- None of the debt is owed to the Crown or House Hightower - Lord Tully seems to have attempted to conceal his problems from House Tully.
- Lord Tully's son Eoric does not know about this and must not!
- The seneschal is competent and doing a good job, but some calculations don't quite reconcile.

Locked papers - opened
- The calculations don't reconcile for a good reason. Seneschal Hubert is doing a good job, but skims a small fraction of the cost savings he makes off to merchant companies he has an interest in.

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan's eyes widen, he cannot quite believe what he is reading!

After he gathers the jist of what is going on, he closes his eyes and beings to think.

Do the calculations. Think quickly. What is important and what is not. Lord Tully cannot keep this quiet once Stefio Florenz arrives unless the man is paid a large installment. Likely, House Tully would be completely unable to pay even the prizes of the Tourney, which would be unheard of! It would be an unforgivable embarrassment not only to House Tully, but to the Riverlands as a whole. The scandal could destroy House Tully.

The political ramifications were enormous.

Going through the papers, he takes one or two key documents that clearly show Senechal Hubert has been embezzling. Nathan had no problem with thieves, cheats or swindlers. Many of them were quite nice people. However Lord Tully was obviously drowning and Hubert had chosen to throw rocks at the man instead of a rope. That violated Nathan's sense of aesthetics. What the Seneschal should have done is taken kickbacks from the foremen of the building projects or the merchants supplying the materials. He was doing such a good job of juggling, at the very least he should have gotten a small stipend from the Iron Bank.

Relocking the cabinet, he glanced around the room. He wanted to search more;
perhaps learn more about the Senechal, but Nathan had learned early in life to stay on task. He had got what he came for. To be distracted further would be indulgent and foolish. Making sure nothing was out of place, he left the office.

[Reader]

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