Post by The Stranger on Jul 23, 2008 17:08:48 GMT -5
Lord Kellington arrived at the home of a well-off King's Landing stone-mason with plans for a unique construction tucked underneath his arm. He and his guards entrusted their horses to an attendant outside the building while they walked to the man's office and found the mason sitting behind a small wooden desk.
"Ello sers. Are you the Lord Kellington?", the man asked. He was a short fellow with auburn hair and long, thick mutton chops. "I've been waiting for yeh all day"
"My apologies, Ellan, but the rain slowed us down." "Regardless, I've come with plans for construction", the Lord Kellington said as he procured the plans and unraveled them neatly on the top of Ellan's desk.
"Have a look", he said, flattening the pages of parchment out with his hands.
The older man took his examining eyes to the plans and lifted them closer to his face, denoting a poorer eye-sight than Kellington's own.
"Give a day and I'll find a dozen ways to improve it...but it looks good. At least the premise."
Kellington nodded and Ellan looked back to the Stormlord, "Where will it be constructed?"
"The woods", Kellington said. "The woods near my seat in the Stormlands. A hunting lodge of sorts."
"Ahh, I see now", Ellan said. "That's the reason for the animal cages in the tunnels I presume?"
"Correct", Kellington said, lying blatantly as he received the papers back and handed them to one of his guards. "So are you familiar with the techniques we'll need for building the tunnels? They're essential for such a...lodge."
Ellan nodded, "I am. I've been employed twice before for similar projects, though with animal holding...chambers, which were smaller. The premise is the same though, should be no real problem."
Kellington nodded, "My thanks to you, master mason. Ahh, and one more question for you ears-- would you be able to outfit the walls with ample defenses should it befall attacks from bandits? I'm afraid the recent war in Dorne has created an influx of far southern bandits who like to call my home their looting places."
Ellan laughed heartily, "Right, right. I understand the idea, two of my sons fought in Dorne and they're always talking of how ruined the land was after the war left its land."
Kellington smiled, "You have the truth there, certainly. Your sons tell no lies unfortunately. Ah, and unfortunately I'm also going to have to cut this visit short now as I have other businesses to attend to at home here."
"Very well, Lord Gerold", Ellan said, which risked informality, but Kellington let the comment slide. "I shall speak with you again soon and will be eager to get you the supplies necessary. The place isn't -too- large, and it shouldn't take more than a few months to construct."
Kellington smiled, nodded, and motioned to his guards who fell in behind him as they went out of the building, paid coin to the attendant before taking their horses and left for Blackhold.
Back at Blackhold Kellington was receiving word-- updates from a new network he was establishing in the Stormlands. They were again mostly septons, agents of his and friends of his, that were placed strategically around the Stormlands. While their updates weren't terribly frequent on an individual basis, because there was at least a score of them they provided him with a fair constant update of going ons across the Stormlands.
Given their lowborn status, they have certain connections that noblemen could rarely earn. They had connections to other smallfolk, and could rumors and help circulate approval of plans and plots. That was their second purpose.
Their pay was in part monetarily and in part in favors, granting these men small positions and contracts with more powerful employers than themselves.
He spent the rest of that night and the next day and afternoon penning letters to his agents, thanking them for their first correspondences and approving their friendship and service to their Lord, and indirectly his grace the King.
On the following day he received word back from Ellan approving the construction and started making appointments to purchase the goods needed for constructing the lodge. The building was going to be placed just beyond the Kingswood, doubling as a lodge and a haven for Kellington and his agents as well as political prisoners.
No one truly knew Kellington's plan beside himself and Dondarrion, who had received word of this and shortly after disposed of the message.
The lodge began construction as soon as Kellington was able to get his hand on the resources, and the inner tunnels and rooms were started with great eagerness by a couple score of hands-- almost exclusively Kellington's own men, who he had brought with him to King's Landing originally.
Kellington made no inspections of the site until a couple weeks after the construction had begun, as his busy schedule hardly gave him free time to do so. But when he did visit he was able to kill two birds with one stone as he met with smallfolk locally and hired more individuals at local taverns, all recommendations of prior agents and guardsmen.
Results:
Lord Kellington improves towards Grandmaster Espionage
Kellington creates a spy network in the Stormlands
Kellington begins construction on a hunting lodge in the Stormlands with holding cells in lower tunnels of the structure.
"Ello sers. Are you the Lord Kellington?", the man asked. He was a short fellow with auburn hair and long, thick mutton chops. "I've been waiting for yeh all day"
"My apologies, Ellan, but the rain slowed us down." "Regardless, I've come with plans for construction", the Lord Kellington said as he procured the plans and unraveled them neatly on the top of Ellan's desk.
"Have a look", he said, flattening the pages of parchment out with his hands.
The older man took his examining eyes to the plans and lifted them closer to his face, denoting a poorer eye-sight than Kellington's own.
"Give a day and I'll find a dozen ways to improve it...but it looks good. At least the premise."
Kellington nodded and Ellan looked back to the Stormlord, "Where will it be constructed?"
"The woods", Kellington said. "The woods near my seat in the Stormlands. A hunting lodge of sorts."
"Ahh, I see now", Ellan said. "That's the reason for the animal cages in the tunnels I presume?"
"Correct", Kellington said, lying blatantly as he received the papers back and handed them to one of his guards. "So are you familiar with the techniques we'll need for building the tunnels? They're essential for such a...lodge."
Ellan nodded, "I am. I've been employed twice before for similar projects, though with animal holding...chambers, which were smaller. The premise is the same though, should be no real problem."
Kellington nodded, "My thanks to you, master mason. Ahh, and one more question for you ears-- would you be able to outfit the walls with ample defenses should it befall attacks from bandits? I'm afraid the recent war in Dorne has created an influx of far southern bandits who like to call my home their looting places."
Ellan laughed heartily, "Right, right. I understand the idea, two of my sons fought in Dorne and they're always talking of how ruined the land was after the war left its land."
Kellington smiled, "You have the truth there, certainly. Your sons tell no lies unfortunately. Ah, and unfortunately I'm also going to have to cut this visit short now as I have other businesses to attend to at home here."
"Very well, Lord Gerold", Ellan said, which risked informality, but Kellington let the comment slide. "I shall speak with you again soon and will be eager to get you the supplies necessary. The place isn't -too- large, and it shouldn't take more than a few months to construct."
Kellington smiled, nodded, and motioned to his guards who fell in behind him as they went out of the building, paid coin to the attendant before taking their horses and left for Blackhold.
Back at Blackhold Kellington was receiving word-- updates from a new network he was establishing in the Stormlands. They were again mostly septons, agents of his and friends of his, that were placed strategically around the Stormlands. While their updates weren't terribly frequent on an individual basis, because there was at least a score of them they provided him with a fair constant update of going ons across the Stormlands.
Given their lowborn status, they have certain connections that noblemen could rarely earn. They had connections to other smallfolk, and could rumors and help circulate approval of plans and plots. That was their second purpose.
Their pay was in part monetarily and in part in favors, granting these men small positions and contracts with more powerful employers than themselves.
He spent the rest of that night and the next day and afternoon penning letters to his agents, thanking them for their first correspondences and approving their friendship and service to their Lord, and indirectly his grace the King.
On the following day he received word back from Ellan approving the construction and started making appointments to purchase the goods needed for constructing the lodge. The building was going to be placed just beyond the Kingswood, doubling as a lodge and a haven for Kellington and his agents as well as political prisoners.
No one truly knew Kellington's plan beside himself and Dondarrion, who had received word of this and shortly after disposed of the message.
The lodge began construction as soon as Kellington was able to get his hand on the resources, and the inner tunnels and rooms were started with great eagerness by a couple score of hands-- almost exclusively Kellington's own men, who he had brought with him to King's Landing originally.
Kellington made no inspections of the site until a couple weeks after the construction had begun, as his busy schedule hardly gave him free time to do so. But when he did visit he was able to kill two birds with one stone as he met with smallfolk locally and hired more individuals at local taverns, all recommendations of prior agents and guardsmen.
Results:
Lord Kellington improves towards Grandmaster Espionage
Kellington creates a spy network in the Stormlands
Kellington begins construction on a hunting lodge in the Stormlands with holding cells in lower tunnels of the structure.