Post by The Smith on Jul 3, 2009 21:46:55 GMT -5
Ser Aaron sat at a desk in Duskendale. He'd sent a raven to the Eyrie two days ago, but was still waiting for a response from his brother. He smiled at the irony of he and Armand each holding each others' inheritance but theirs had been a friendly youth, so he trusted his brother explicitly. The people of Duskendale barely seemed to have noticed the four years of war that had passed since a Royce had been in the city. The castle was not in disrepair, but it definitely showed the fact that it had not been inhabited in several years. Aaron's first order of business had been to clean, restock and restaff Duskendale castle. He picked out men from the town who could fulfill the various jobs that he needed, but he was blocked by the Duskendale guild of carpenters.
"What you're saying, my lord Royce, is that you want our services to shore up Duskendale's defenses, but you don't trust us enough to give us free reign of the castle while we work?" The master carpenter was dressed relatively lavishly, with several rings and chains of silver and rich, furred clothing. Ser Aaron's frustration was palpable but he reined it in slowly before replying.
"Master Galloway, you know as well as I that there very well might be remnants of Lord Thatcher's cult in this city, perhaps even among your own guildsmen. All your work in the castle will have to be supervised by my men, for the safety of everyone here, until it is proven to me that not a man, women or child in Duskendale follows the cult. I cannot waver on that point, but rest assured my father will pay you handsomely for your work upon completion." Aaron looked stonily at the artisans, until it was the master carpenter who looked away first. The man grumbled his ascent, and bowed before turning to leave.
Ser Aaron sat calmly at the desk as the man walked out, closing his eyes and laying his palms flat on the cherry wood. His breathing began to slow and the blackness around him started to blur. He'd begun to feel flickers in his mind, as soon as the dragons charged into battle. The could focus the tingles and spread out his mind. He sensed a small rat in the hallway, crawling in the rafters, and suddenly he sat on a two-by-four above four men. They spoke in hushed voices but the rodent's hearing was incredibly focused and the man's mind inside the rat could decipher some of the words.
"This young Valeman won't give us free reign of his castle, but he's been right suspicious of everyone so I do not believe we stand out," said the one called Galloway.
"Lord Thatcher ordered everyone to surrender ourselves to the dragon's justice but I do not fancy that fate," said a second. The other two nodded as the quartet walked down the hallway out of sight of the rat.
Aaron exhaled in a huge gasp, feeling as if he hadn't breathed in hours. He was covered in sweat, his tunic drenched. He was still breathing heavily when a hedge knight in his service entered the room. "Ser Derek," he said softly. "Arrest the four men of the carpenter's guild who were here. Have your men search through the other guilds in the city for any cultists and take them into custody. Do whatever is necessary to get the information you need out of them," he added. The knight nodded and hurried off to alert the guards. Another of his men entered as Ser Derek left and he walked quickly to the desk to speak with Aaron.
"Send your men to the taverns and bars. The guards will be searching for cultists among the artisans, I want you to find any of them existing among the citizenry," he said. He tossed a bag of gold to the man, and added, "Use it at your discretion, hire what men you need." The man nodded and left the solar quickly, heading down into the town of Duskendale.
The heir to the Eyrie smiled, and picked up a letter on his desk. A raven had come from Selwyn in the King's army saying that they had reached King's Landing and were preparing to enter the city. He crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it into one of the braziers near his desk, before laying his head down on his arms and falling deeply asleep.
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Novice Skinchanging
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Expert Intrigue
Ser Aaron Royce begins to build a network of whisperers in Duskendale
"What you're saying, my lord Royce, is that you want our services to shore up Duskendale's defenses, but you don't trust us enough to give us free reign of the castle while we work?" The master carpenter was dressed relatively lavishly, with several rings and chains of silver and rich, furred clothing. Ser Aaron's frustration was palpable but he reined it in slowly before replying.
"Master Galloway, you know as well as I that there very well might be remnants of Lord Thatcher's cult in this city, perhaps even among your own guildsmen. All your work in the castle will have to be supervised by my men, for the safety of everyone here, until it is proven to me that not a man, women or child in Duskendale follows the cult. I cannot waver on that point, but rest assured my father will pay you handsomely for your work upon completion." Aaron looked stonily at the artisans, until it was the master carpenter who looked away first. The man grumbled his ascent, and bowed before turning to leave.
Ser Aaron sat calmly at the desk as the man walked out, closing his eyes and laying his palms flat on the cherry wood. His breathing began to slow and the blackness around him started to blur. He'd begun to feel flickers in his mind, as soon as the dragons charged into battle. The could focus the tingles and spread out his mind. He sensed a small rat in the hallway, crawling in the rafters, and suddenly he sat on a two-by-four above four men. They spoke in hushed voices but the rodent's hearing was incredibly focused and the man's mind inside the rat could decipher some of the words.
"This young Valeman won't give us free reign of his castle, but he's been right suspicious of everyone so I do not believe we stand out," said the one called Galloway.
"Lord Thatcher ordered everyone to surrender ourselves to the dragon's justice but I do not fancy that fate," said a second. The other two nodded as the quartet walked down the hallway out of sight of the rat.
Aaron exhaled in a huge gasp, feeling as if he hadn't breathed in hours. He was covered in sweat, his tunic drenched. He was still breathing heavily when a hedge knight in his service entered the room. "Ser Derek," he said softly. "Arrest the four men of the carpenter's guild who were here. Have your men search through the other guilds in the city for any cultists and take them into custody. Do whatever is necessary to get the information you need out of them," he added. The knight nodded and hurried off to alert the guards. Another of his men entered as Ser Derek left and he walked quickly to the desk to speak with Aaron.
"Send your men to the taverns and bars. The guards will be searching for cultists among the artisans, I want you to find any of them existing among the citizenry," he said. He tossed a bag of gold to the man, and added, "Use it at your discretion, hire what men you need." The man nodded and left the solar quickly, heading down into the town of Duskendale.
The heir to the Eyrie smiled, and picked up a letter on his desk. A raven had come from Selwyn in the King's army saying that they had reached King's Landing and were preparing to enter the city. He crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it into one of the braziers near his desk, before laying his head down on his arms and falling deeply asleep.
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Novice Skinchanging
Ser Aaron Royce improves to Expert Intrigue
Ser Aaron Royce begins to build a network of whisperers in Duskendale