The Shadow Tower

[Deleted]

"The Night's Watch cannot be fighting itself when its strength is already so low and winter is so cold. With the absence of the Lord Commander, and seeing how you already have more experience than Bracken, would you be willing to take over as Acting Commander until the Lord Commander is found?"

[The Smith]

"Of course but that is not how it works." Wull shook his head. "We vote for the position. And Lord Bracken will never support me."

[Deleted]

"Will you agree to work jointly with him then?" Aranya reflected that the Wall would be doomed to the Others if there was such discord and mistrust within the Night's Watch.

[Deleted]

There was a strange, vague intrusion in Aranya's mind, fleeting and faint, but she sensed a child's mind, and the whispers of a godswood. She shook it off. It felt like an old memory that had happened some time ago.

[The Smith]

"If I am elected Lord Commander I will treat him as any other brother. That has betrayed our whole order. And if another is elected Lord Commander I will serve." Taking a deep breath Wull pointed angrly with this last statement, "But if Bracken is elected Lord Commander, that is putting the whole Night's Watch at danger and I will resist such a devastating turn of events with force."

[Deleted]

"You cannot be elected Lord Commander, nor can he. You have a Lord Commander. What the Watch needs are able men who can run things until Wendwater is found. The Watch needs a new First Steward and an Acting First Ranger...and it needs men like you, Lord Wull, to be Acting Commander. And if it will bring peace to the Watch, then Bracken will need to be promoted as well. Put pride aside, my lord. What the Watch needs is strength in unity."

[The Smith]

"Fine. I new First Steward must be selected. And I will act as Lord Commander until we can select another." Wull frowns before he continues, "I will even allow Bracken to be the acting First Ranger."

[Deleted]

OOC: Sorry I was leaving class.

"I don't think you understood. You cannot be the Lord Commander, that is Wendwater's position. What I am asking is for you and Bracken to share control."

[The Smith]

"I am afraid I can not trust him that far. He has already betrayed the Brothers by attacking us once. How can I be sure he will not do the same again." Lord Wull looked melancoly.

[Deleted]

"I had forgotten that," Aranya's face darkened. "A traitor and deserter of the Night's Watch are both the same thing. I believe the punishment for that is death. Why did you not kill him?" She stood. "I will ride to Eastwatch immediately, if you wish, and carry out Lord Bracken's punishment now. The Watch does not need traitors, especially when it is in such a weak and potentially dangerous situation."

"After that, you would be Acting Commander and the King will send you reinforcements."

[Deleted]

"You should probably ride with me as a witness," Aranya said to Lord Wull. "And then your men will know you hold the control of the Watch until Wendwater gets back. Do you have any objections? Lord Bracken betrayed the Watch in the worst way, even worse than mere deserting. Your sworn brothers have defected to the wildlings beyond the Wall in the past - old Mance Rayder was the worst, I think - and they've deserted and fled south. But the idea of a crow attacking the Watch is shocking, infuriating, and unacceptable. It is his lot to die, by the laws of the Night's Watch, Westeros, and the old gods and the new. And I will see it done, and you will accompany me to Eastwatch, as is your duty as Acting Commander."

[The Smith]

"If we march to Eastwatch, I am ready. I have planned an assualt on the keep. It is well defended, but I have drawn up plans to take it. If you would like to look at my plans I can show it to you." Lord Wull takes out thick sheet of parchments and maps with many attack plans drawn on them.

[Deleted]

Aranya eyed him carefully for a few moments, and then looked over his plans.

"Are his men so loyal to him that we need to assault a Watch castle?" Aranya asked quietly. "I can't imagine that insipid Bracken inspiring so much loyalty when he has broken his oaths and shamed them all. Can we not convince the Eastwatch men to turn on him - and then take the castle? I would prefer that this was done with the least amount of bloodshed, Lord Wull. You have already lost hundreds and hundreds of sworn brothers; you do not need to attack the few the Night's Watch has left."

[The Smith]

"After the first incident twice I tried to have men apprehend him, both times his men defended their Lord. No this is going to come to blows." Lord Wull nodded.

"This would probably be over, if it wasn't for that fool Mudd. After the heavy blizzard I marched a large force to try and take and take Eastwatch, and Rimewatch. Bracken knew I was coming and marched out to stop me. We would have finished this once and for all."

Wull shook his head sadly, "Mudd Marched out three hundred unarmed stewards and builders and then kept them positioned between our two forces for three weeks."

"My men... and I did not want to hurt the fools from Castle Black so we were forced to retreat unblooded." The Commander of the Shadow Tower sighs regretfully.

[Deleted]

"Mudd chose the most inopportune time to play peacemaker," Aranya growled. "He marched out unarmed men who can't fight? And for three weeks?

"This is dissolving into madness. We need another loyal Watch castellan to bring men over. One of the black brothers I have with me is Doyle Swann of the Rimewatch, I think. Or a castle that sounded like it had a similar-sounding name. Ser Doyle, who leads Rimewatch, and how many hold it? Do you know if they're loyal to Wull or Mudd?"

She turned back to Lord Wull. "I have only fifty knights in my company, Lord Wull, but they are not unskilled. I will add them to your forces, but first we must see exactly how large our resistance will be. We can't march your men out into the terrible winter only to have them turn back again."

OOC: You play Doyle.