Planning a Hunt, Part 1 |
Summary: | Kamron goes to speak with Mortimer about plans to hunt bandits. Justin joins in the conversation and Ayanna cameos. |
Date: | 24/04/289 |
Related Logs: | Bandits in Terrick lands |
Players: |
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Town Square, Terrick's Roost |
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The town square of Terrick's Roost was once considered well-kept. The stone streets run right up to the building fronts around the edge and the locals have kept the spaces between free of grass and weeds that might otherwise sprung up between them, although dark streaks of stubborn soot have crawled in between the stones. There are several homes and shops located here which show the scars and cinders of the sacking of the town at Ironborn hands. The ruin of the town's Sept can also be seen from here with its ornate stone front rising above the surrounding structures just down the cobblestone road. |
24 April, 289 A.L. |
Kamron has evidently been working on one of the many rebuilding efforts across the Roost, because he wears simple clothes, and those clothes have become rather dirty. Theoretically, he could have been wrestling in the dirt with someone, but given the willingness that the Mallister has shown in getting dirty in the name of reconstruction, some time doing carpentry seems more likely. He enters the town square in the company of a half dozen people of the village, chatting with them with a relatively easy manner for one noble-born. They peel off toward their homes for something to eat, while Kamron heads towards the inn and an appointment he has with the Sheriff.
Mortimer has also, it appears, been spending the morning aiding the reconstruction. TUrns out that growing up in the house of a stonemason wasn't entirely a waste of his childhood. He may not be a master of the art, or even really proficient anymore, but he still has some of the basics and anything is useful now. Lunch time it is though, and that means a drink, some food, and a meeting. Since the actual Sheriff is still listed among the missing, it's fallen to him to go talk to the nobles. Wiping the worst of the dust from his hands he unconciously glances down the street that leads to his home, before turning instead for the Inn.
Kamron pokes his head in the inn's front door, speaking quietly to someone inside. There's an exchange of a few coins, and then the Mallister straightens up from his lean in the door, starting over toward a couple of barrels standing on end along the front door. As the other man approaches, he frowns slightly, his eyes narrowing as he compares descriptions in his head, and then the knight starts forward, "Master Trevelyan? I'm Ser Kamron Mallister." His voice is light, easy, at the high edge of the baritone range.
Well, that makes finding the man easy enough, although in truth, Mortimer wasn't too concerned about that bit. "M'Lord Malliser," he replies with a respectful sort of half-bow half-nod, "how can I be of service to you? I do hope that nothing ill has befallen you in so short a time." BEcuase that'd be allhe needs, someone stupid enough to try and mug a Mallister.
Kamron chuckles softly and shakes his head at the question, "Call me Ser Kamron, or Ser Kam. Even my father isn't Lord Mallister." He gestures over to the collection of barrels, "If you don't mind, I had some lunch sent out. It's a nice day, and I thought we might enjoy it while we talked?" He looks down at his dirty and slightly battered hands, "And some water to wash up, as well." Moving back over to the barrels and inviting the Sheriff to follow with a gesture, he continues, "Nothing ill, no. Hopefully quite the opposite. My cousin and I have been leading patrols of the Mallister knights and armsmen along the roads near the Roost, and I was hoping we might coordinate with your own efforts, maybe even manage to find where the bandits are hiding."
"Aye m'Lord," Mortimer replies, entirely, and purposefully ignoring the very suggestion of such means of address as 'Ser Kam'. He'll remain standing though, until Kamron has selected his own barrel and sat. He ponders for a moment, just how much to say, but then figures that the Terricks are bannermen to teh Mallisters so he doesn't have to been to cagey on the situation at hand. "I fear m'Lord, that you might be over estimating own own capabilities at the moment. We have what men we have out on the roads, but they're spread thin. We're simply not currently in a position to start hunting them out. Ser Jarod mentioned the potential of using the levie now it's returned, but with his circumstances changed as they are I'm not sure of the situation with that now."
Kamron smirks just a little at the repetition of the lordly title, but doesn't protest further. He settles down atop one of the barrels, even if he has to make a slightly undignified stretch to get up on it. One of the women from the inn comes out with a bowl of water and a couple of almost clean stretches of cloth, and the Mallister man gives her a nod and grin of thanks. That grin fades as she disappears back into the inn and he pours some of the water over his hands, scrubbing them together and passing the bowl over to the Sheriff before he takes up one of the sections of cloth to dry his hands. The action gives him time to think, "I'm sure that Ser Hardwicke can handle the levies with Ser Jarod no longer in his father's service, Master Trevelyan. And Ser Martyn and myself are at the service of House Terrick in this matter as well, along with the rest of the Mallister men at the Keep. As I said, we've been making patrols when not working. What we could really use are a few scouts who know the territory."
Mortimer has spent enough of his time around the ruling class to know the order of things. Lords are m'Lord, Ladies are m'Lady, Knights are Ser and everyone else.. well, that where it gets interesting. Well apart from Maesters and Spetons, they're easy too. "Scouts you'd have to go ask at the Castle for I'm afraid m'Lord, but there are men enough who know the land that I reckon would do you as well." He notions faintly with his chin towards the inn door and adds, "I heard of one in particular who's looking for work at the moment. Hedge Knight they say, grew up round here and fresh back from the war on the Isles. I'd have him myself if we could afford to pay a knight." Taking the bowl he sets it on top of one of the barrels and then dips his hands in it, scrubbing to get the worst of the dust off before cupping some of the water in his joined palsm and doing the same to his face. "When were you planning on heading out?"
Kamron sits atop a barrel outside the Rockcliff Inn, dirty and dusty but for the hands he's drying with a strip of cloth, and his face, which gets the attention of the now-damp cloth. He looks over to Mortimer, nodding his head, "An outrider. That would work. I've spoken to a few people, but they — quite understandably — preferred to work on rebuilding their homes rather than going bandit-hunting. If there are a few hunters you think might be interested… or a few people you've had to track down in the past…" He leaves that unsaid with a shrug. "I've run a few patrols along the roads already, but without knowing more about the numbers we're dealing with, I haven't started planning to take the fight to the bandits." A flash of a smile crosses his lips, "I'm brave and all that, but not about to stick my hand into a rotten log before knowing just what's in there. I'd like to start finding out about them as soon as possible though. What's this hedge knight's name, Master Trevelyan?"
Ayanna walks up the street. She does not stroll like some, nor hurry like others, she walks like someone with purpose or just looking busy. She is dressed in ragged looking, mismatched garments that hide much of her form.
"He goes by the name of Rivers m'Lord," comes Mortimer's easy answer, "on account of his mother not being his Lord Father's wedded wife. You might know him if you saw him, I heard he was at the front when Pyke fell." Figuring he's done just about all he can on that score he leaves the rest to Jarod, assuming the lad is intereted of course. "I'll make sure the word goes round though and I reckon you'll get your men. Captain Blayne was saying though, that he's spare men ofthe garrison when he could, so best talk to him as well, make sure everyone knows who's out doing what." One group of bandit hunters ambushing another is not conducive to banit hunting after all. His eyes scan the street every now and again in a practiced fashion, but given there does not seem to be any signs of trouble or disturbanc he doesn't move from where he is, in front of the Inn with Kamron. Ayanna, among others, is spotted and noted as showing no ign of causing a threat to the peace.
Kamron blinks at Mortimer in confusion a moment at his description of the hedge knight, and then recognition dawns on his face and he laughs, "Well played, Master Trevelyan. And without armor, Ser Jarod is more suited to scouting. I don't know if Lord Mallister would ever forgive me for hiring him without talking to him, however." The serving woman comes out with bread, cheese, and cold roast chicken — just a few slices to spice up the meal. Kamron gestures toward the foot, inviting the Sheriff to partake, and then picks up a crusty loaf himself and breaks it open to add some crumbles of chease, "That's really why I'm here. I want to make sure we're all on the same page, and we're all coordinating together. If we work together, we can cover more ground, and make sure that we eliminate any bandits we do find."
Ayanna turns into side street and disappears from view. A short moment later a kid dressed in rags, about the age of nine or ten runs out of the alley. The kid does not look like he is running away from something, but rather running somewhere. Not long after that, the girl emerges as well, chewing on something as she continues walking up the street.
If Kamron were one of the other lads working for the Sheriff, Mortimer might make some joke along the lines of suggesting that maybe Jarod should grow his hair long and call himself Jarodine, then no one would recognise him and he'd get hired on the spot. Kamron is a Lord however, so he saves the thought to share later with those of appropriate status. "He used to be Captain of the Guard you know," he offers instead, "reckon he'd have had a shot at Sheriff himself, assuming Lord Jerold makes a new appointment now those recovered from Pyke are returned to us." The running catches his eye and he turns to watch for a moment, still, young kids out and about in the sun. Nothing suspicious there, and high spirits are somewhat of a blessing right now. Satisfied he turns back, breaking his own chunk of bread and cheese. Still though, the square is given one final glance before he actually eats.
Kamron is evidently quite dedicated to the discussion at hand, because he doesn't notice children running or relatively grubby women moving about. He shrugs his shoulders slightly, "Maybe he should grow a beard and just call himself Jay." The words are spoken in clear jest, a crooked grin twisting his lips once more, although it fades quickly, "But no… he won't be hired on at Four Eagles, Master Trevelyan. He told me his father was quite firm on that." The lordling's shoulders shift uncomfortably, and he pauses to tear off a shred of the cooked chicken and add it to the meal he's gathering, "It sounds as if Ser Hardwicke, yourself, and one of us," he gestures idly toward his chest, evidently meaning one of the Mallisters, "should sit down and plan things out together. I'll see if I can talk to Ser Jarod, but he said he was going to Seagard to explain himself to Lord Mallister. In the meantime, anyone you can find who's willing to trade their time for a couple of strong backs helping with their house…"
From the direction of Stonesbridge comes a rider into Terrick's Roost moving at the canter. The horse is a pale dappled grey with dark grey points, the rider outfitted in a black surcoat over partial maile with steal cap. As he leaves the worn road and comes into the town, Justin slows his horse to the walk and bares his head. He scrapes his gloved fingers through his dark hair to loosen and cool it, then secures his cap to one side of his saddle prow.
Ayanna keeps walking up the street, past the men sitting and dining in front of the inn. She shoots at them a quick glance, looking almost like an icy stare with those teal blue eyes, but she does not change the speed of her walk. A brief moment later, the boy returns in sight, running back to that alley and stopping abruptly, looking around. Spotting the girl he changes course and rushes to her, pulling on her skirt as he reaches her to get her attention. Turning to him, she leans a little so that he may speak to her ear, to which she responds with a firm nod, sending him on his way.
"As you say m'Lord," Mortimer answers, personally feeling it's a bit of a shame gien the need for capable men, but he's confident enough that Lord Jerold has his reasons, even if it was his place to question. Which it isn't. "I'll get you a couple of lads," he says with a nod, and he's confident enough that he will as well, even if one of them ends up behind himself. ANything he might then add is lost as Justin makes his arrival home. Setting his bread down he makes ready to take the bridal of his horse so the young Terrick so decide. Unfortunately, this also means he misses the interaction of the youths.
Kamron shrugs one shoulder, "Every person holds their own honor differently, Master Trevelyan." He looks up as Justin approaches, giving the Terrick a polite nod, "And I'll do everything I can to keep them safe." The words are meant for Mortimer, but as the Sheriff goes to assist the local lord, he tucks into his meal where he sits atop an upturned barrel just outside the Rockcliff Inn, glancing around the square. It's then that he notices the boy looking around, then finding Ayanna. A faint smile touches his lips until she greets him more like a business partner than a family member. This interaction brings a puzzled look onto his features, along with a faint frown.
Justin is a little surprised that Mortimer moves to intercept and take his horse's bridle, not accustomed to anyone but grooms coming up to do so perhaps. "Good afternoon Mortimer, Ser Kamron." But as he quiet gelding's head is now held, Justion goes ahead to swing a leg over and hop down easily enough. The grey is not a hot war horse but an aging mount that is about as docile as any lady could want. Justin loosens the cinch on the saddle one notch and then slips his hand up to take the reins, content to hold his own horse as he is more accustomed. "I trust all goes quietly here?"
With whatever business she had there being done, the raven haired girl strides on while the boy disappears into the alley where he first emerged from.
Mortimer passes the reins back to Justin as the lord reaches for them. "Aye m'Lord," he answers with a nod, "and we've Mallister men out on the roads to help keep them safe too." He inclines his head briefly in the diretion of Kamron, just in case it isn't clear who he was refering to, then, that duty done he steps back to reclaim his lunch, figuring Justin will follow if he is so inclined.
Kamron chews and swallows his food before responding to Justin's greeting, eventually coming up with, "Lord Justin." He nods at Mortimer's words, "I hope you didn't run into any trouble while you were out riding. We're doing what we can, but the bandits are avoiding us so far. I was meeting with Master Trevelyan to begin organizing patrols. Ser Hardwicke's my next step." His eyes vaguely track the retreat of the odd woman as she walks off, then he shrugs to himself and transfers his full attention to Justin and Mortimer again.
Justin listens, then turns to his horse to open up a pommel bag to remove an apple he obtained while in Stonebridge - not a dried up apple but a nice juicy one. He walks over following Mortimer to join the two men, taking a bite of his apple before he takes a seat, the reins of his grey loosely held in his off hand. "Ser Hardwicke is precisely as I remember him." Which could be a good thing or not depending upon said memories. Another bite of his apple and chewing of it to clear his mouth before he speaks further, "I did not mean to give insult to Ser Solomon the other day. I hope that he did not take any."
Kamron starts assembling another collection of bread and cheese, although he forgoes the last of the cold baked chicken. Shaking his head slightly at Justin's words, "Ser Solomon's hard to insult. If I didn't manage to do it yesterday, I doubt he'll take offense at anything you said." Rolling his shoulders a little, the Mallister lifts his light lunch up to his lips, "I don't know that I've ever properly met Ser Hardwicke. Both of us always too busy with different tasks. What's he like then, if you don't mind, Lord Justin?"
Justin eats more of his apple before he gives reply, "Hardwicke is a solid and loyal man of my father's. One I'd be pleased to have watching my back at any turn. Senisble, but distant and grough. He won't come across friendly but he knows his place. I doubt he'll be wanting to spare any men lest my father orders it. The tower and town must, obviously, be held fast and safe first and formost. There's wagons coming and going from the wood to haul timber for rebuilding and what men can have likely already been spared to escort them." Justin shrugs. "Once the rebuilding is well in hand and food stores aren't so thin, I expect it'll be easier to deal with bandits."
The grey stands calmly, ears to swivel this way of that, otherwise he shakes his head or stamps a foot now and then due to the summer flies, his tail in regular motion.
Once more, Kam shows his breeding by finishing chewing and swallowing before he responds. He does, however, nod at the description of Hardwicke. When he speaks, there's a frown behind his words, "If we don't root out the bandits, they'll take a tithe of the wagons coming in, unless we escort -them- heavily. It will also kill commerce to and from the Roost as surely as having Stonebridge shut to us would." He draws in a breath, let's it out, nodding once, "If need be, we'll work with just the Mallister forces here, plus whatever help Master Trevelyan can get us in finding them."
Justin is also careful not to speak with his mouth full. He nods, "Until things might press me otherwise, I will ride the patrols and escort wagons. If we can but find sign of them, I might could track them." He finishes his apple and offers the core to his horse who perks up and accepts the morsel. Justin strokes the soft grey muzzle, "I wish to seek a good Knight who will take me on, but I'm leary of doing so too quickly. I think I am needed here."
Mortimer nods in confirmation to Justin's words, "Aye, Ser Blayne knows of the issue at hand but has said he can not spare any of the garrison." To Kamron he then adds, "hence what i was saying early about the possibility of those form the levie." To them both though he then says, "either way though m'Lords, I have work to do doing and should thus be about it. Good day to you both." A polite nod to each and he's off again, back into the streets of the town.
Kamron nods to Mortimer as the man excuses himself, "If we need to call the levy, we need to call it. But I they're just back from the Isles. I'd bet that they'd prefer to work on their homes and businesses than tramp through the countryside." He nods again to Justin, frowning slightly in thought, "I'm afraid I'm full up, Lord Justin. Percy's about all I can handle squire-wise, or I'd offer myself. You might talk to Ser Martyn about it. It's always good to keep the ties between Mallister and Terrick tight." A faint smirk touches his lips, "Of course, if you wanted to be political about it, you might talk to the Young Lord Ser Kittridge Groves. Might bring him and his up to the Roost."
Likewise, Justin moves to regain his feet and nod to Mortimer, "Seven watch over you." He makes no comment upon the levies but he does turn his head to listen to Kamron concerning Ser Martyn and then Kittridge. "I am … rather fishing for suggestions of those I might speak to and consider. I'm no man of the sea to be taking Captain Soloman's offer even if he were a good match otherwise. What might you tell me of this Lord Kittridge?"
Kamron shrugs one shoulder at the question, "He's a good man in a fight. I honestly don't know much about him outside of one. I wish I did. Whatever foolishness the Groveses got into five years ago, they're still one of our bannerhouses, and the cool between our houses helps no one but the Naylands and the Freys." He gathers up the last scraps of cheese, balling them together between his fingers idly, "He stood with us when we talked to King Robert…" a flash of a smile returns to his features, "…but then again, who would pass that up."
Justin huffs a breath, idly fingering his horse's reins, "Indeed, not I. Though I'm certainly no one the King would bother with anyway. Why would you say it would be political to Squire to such a man if he'd have me? Is he especialy good with politics? I fear I am not. Administration and law are things Ser Haffrey said I needed to work on yet - more so as my elder brother Jaremy has departed."
Kamron shakes his head at the question, "It would be political, because you could draw House Groves closer to house Terrick, Lord Justin." He finishes off that balled-up clump of soft cheese, then brushes his fingers clean on the towel alongside his tray. "You might even get Ser Kittridge up here to Four Eagles. And if he came, he would undoubtedly bring a few of his men with him, and probably some supplies."
Justin nods, "Those things were obvious, aye. I'm less certain I could draw him to stay here when it would be me squiring to him and not the other way around. I should go where he pleases. However, any good men I can manuver to aid my father here I would certainly do if I am able." A pause to step around and retighten up his horse's cinch, "I will certainly consider it and give you my thanks for offering the advice, Ser Kamron."
Kamron chuckles softly, shrugging his shoulder again, "We're here to help however we can. Strong backs, road patrols, advice… whatever it takes. We've a duty to repay House Terrick for its loyal service." His grin turns crooked once more, "That is to say, you're welcome."