| A Trio of Dragons |
| Summary: | The Sokar brood gathers for a meeting. |
| Date: | 2019-10-21 |
| Related: | Siege logs, and recent Partharian events. Also, the loss of Duke Gauvain. |
| NPCs: | None |
| Players: |
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| Galenthia - Griffon Point - Study |
| A study. You know the sort of thing. |
| 1875-10-21 |
One of the rooms available for small gatherings has been set aside by Dertan and secured by a pair of Sokar guardsmen with the sort of glares that surely must have inspired Basilisk myths. Dertan himself is stood near a central tabletop with a deep red doublet on along with all those other things that go with it. He lacks his bow but has his sword. He looks fresh with his facial hair trimmed close and his hair shorn down to a couple of inches of mid-brown curls. "I'm sorry to have to do this here." he says to the pair of them. "But I have checked and am reasonably sure we are not being spied upon." Dertan's aide, a slender young man who's probably only just in his twenties, presents Jarret with a selection of alcohol before offering the same to Rowena. Dertan's cup is set on the table and is steaming gently. Tea or mulled wine perhaps.
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"Tea, if I may." Rowena did not look to be in the mood for anything stronger. She had made it into the room only a few minutes behind Dertan, carrying a small bundle of map cases. The Sokar guards received a frown for their trouble, though neither of them took enough time from their duties to ask what had soured the Admiral on them. Instead, they simply allowed her through, and left Rowena to the task of sorting the maps and other rolls she had tucked in there. "There is no need to apologize. We do not have the luxury of time."
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"You're reasonably sure, hmmm?" Jarret sounds half-amused as he hears that, looking around the room a bit thoughtfully. "I suppose there's always someone trying to spy on people, no matter where we are." It's offered a bit lightly, before he gets himself something to drink from the aide, along with a half-smile for the young man.
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Dertan spreads his hands at Jarret's comment. "There is always a chance that one of those Tarris peacocks actually has skill." He inclines his head at the second part. "It is court. If there is not at least one man or woman who wishes to know what three Sokar in a room full of maps are up to I will be terribly disappointing." he gives Rowena a brief smile. "First. I will fill you in on what has been happening amongst the Brigadier's Jarret. The decision is that Duke Letholdus will advance to Lord Marshal and Thomas will step up as Knight Marshal. In addition, following discussions with Lillian - which I recommend you follow up on yourself if you are interested - it has been decided that they will send" his mouth gets an ironic twist "knights out in search of any trade of Duke Gauvain. There is apparently some possibility he is not actually dead." He picks up his tea. "And now thats done with. Lets get on with the more interesting things. I was hoping we could all put our heads together and work out a plan for the Salt now that we actually have fleets again." he looks to Rowena. Again with a small smile. "What do you think Rowena? You are first amongst us in this regard."
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Rowena allowed the conversation to pass over and around her, as she laid out the maps she had brought with her, weighting them down with stones from a small bag she had attached to her waist. Quite unlike many of the women at court, she wore her usual leather and brigadine, as though she fully intended to step aboard a ship at a moment's notice. "Coning has a fleet, and so far as I know, the Red Sails are still replenishing themselves, but I have had no word from the Red Sails Admiral. We have managed some reconnaissance of their forces, but not enough to gain a full picture of what we are facing. I hope to send out another scouting convoy once we return to Coning."
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"I wouldn't be certain the man is dead until someone's seen the body," Jarret replies, thoughtfully, nodding at what's being said. Taking a sip from his drink, he looks a bit thoughtful, nodding again. "Scouting is important. So is keeping our trade routes open, I believe."
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With a vaguely satisfied look in his eyes Dertan asks "Does that mean we have your permission to requisition the red sails Jarret?"
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Rowena finished setting up the maps, one of which showed the Salt, with the known position of the partharian ships having been added in. The other showed the river routes, including the places where the Coning ships had seen incursion from pirates and possibly from ironhold-controlled vessels. She did look up, finally, at the question of the Red Sails.
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"Within reason, of course," Jarret replies, nodding a bit as he hears that. He looks to the maps, studying them as he sips some more of the drink, expression thoughtful.
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Dertan goes to look at the maps properly, quietly asking questions once or twice to Rowena as he absorbs the details. He's looking at something off on the Ironhold border when he casually drops "Now might be a good time to consider retaking Rosendal." into the conversation. He looks up at Jarret and then Rowena as the words settle. "What do you both think?"
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Rowena, for her part, did not seem to have an opinion one way or the other, instead, retrieving a wax pencil to make a few markings on the map, "We have the ships for it, but it would mean deciding on which we want to prioritize. Reclaiming the Salt, which is necessary for trade and defense of the kingdom, or seeking to reclaim one plot of land. I would also wonder as to the feelings of the Queen in regards to actions between the Houses."
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"I'm not entirely sure this is a good location for much on that topic, though," Jarret replies, before he nods a bit at Rowena's words, "True. Reine will get what's coming to him at some point, but any action against them now, unless we can convince the Queen it is warranted will probably create far more trouble than it is worth."
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"Its safe." Dertan says to Jarret "Unless there is a painting with holes in or an extremely clever moongazer lurking in the corner." To Rowena he simply says. "She allowed Tarris to take it off us without reason." Dertan says simply. "She can hardly complain when we retake it /with/ reason and the longer it remains in Reine hands the worse our case to take it back will be." He looks to Jarret. "The Queen favors Tarris. You know this."
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Rowena pulled the map that showed the river routes near Coning closer to herself, beginning to mark out locations on the map where she might place ships of the line as well as their support vessels. "We have the vessels to land enough troops, especially if I commandeer a few of the Red Sails. "So far as I know, Reine has not supplemented the forces that belong to that House, even after establishing his regent there. We would not need a large force to take the town and castle."
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Jarret lets out a bit of a breath. "Trust me, Dertan. Few things are safe anymore," he offers, before he lets out a bit of a sigh. "I was hoping the old man Tarris being gone would lead to better relations…" There's a brief pause as he considers things, looking at the map rather carefully. "One thing is taking it, another thing is keeping it," he notes, thoughtfully.
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"I know that Jarret." Dertan says "I know that better than most of us." He gives a brief nod to Jarret's words. "Attacking Rosendal certainly would make that more complicated. Although it might create a more respectful relationship than has previously existed." To Rowena he says "I spent some effort scouting and watching Rosendal in the year or two following it being assaulted. He had made significant efforts to fortify at that point. It seems he fully expected it to be attacked." He glances back to Jarret. "Duchess Isabel made it extremely clear that an attack on Rosendal would make her very irritated with me and Kaedon. I had permission to make plans. Which I do not have with me. But I have not looked at it seriously for a long time." he looks at Jarret. "If the Queen allows Tarris to invade it after we have retaken it she will be sending a very firm message about how only Tarris is allowed to get away with it. It needs returning but like you I am not certain that doing it through violence is the best way. I am just concerned that this is likely to be our last opportunity of this type."
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Rowena waited in silence, looking between her cousin, who was now her commander, and her brother, who was still her Duke. When she spoke, having given Dertan and Jarret both time to say their piece, her words were for Jarret, "What are your intentions for Sokar, Jarret? With the exception of fighting the siege over the winter, which was anecessity, and not a choice, I have seen nothing from Sokar that speaks to advancing the House from you, unless you consider adding a spare to your heir the best use of your time. You have been the Duke of Sokar for over a year now, and the Duchy seems to be existing in a state of limbo while you do…whatever it is that you are doing. Dertan and I have rebuilt the Red Sails, or at the least made sure that they will be rebuilt in record time. The coastal towns are likewise being rebuilt. But what are your plans? You are the rudder of this ship and right now, this ship is dead in the water."
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Jarret nods a bit at Dertan's words first. "True," he replies to the part about there being a more respectful relationship than before, before he raises his eyebrows at the words about Isabel's words. "Yet still, it seems that what happened helped send her down the path she went in the end," he offers, before he sighs as he hears Rowena's words too. "Learning to swim," he says, a bit absently. "I thought I was ready for what I did, but it's still a lot to learn." He sighs, as he looks between the two of them, then to the map, draining the last of his drink. "I think that me being so weary of battlefields made me think everything would be better if I could keep people from having reasons to fight the battles…" A brief pause, before he looks to Dertan again. "You say you don't have the plans with you, but you still have them, right?" Another brief pause, before he adds, "If so, see about getting them ready in case we need them. While I still hope there's a way to get Rosendal back without needing to use military force, we should be ready in case we need to show the rest of the kingdom we still have our claws." A brief pause, before he adds, "And to remind the Queen that if it wasn't for us, a huge middle chunk of the Kingdom would have been gone, either before or right after the invasion…"
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"Of course it did Jarret." Dertan says "How loyal would you be to a Queen who thinks so little of you that she sends your rival, or even enemy, at the head of an army to go over your head in chastising a vassal and then forgives one of that mans vassals for taking advantage of the opportunity created by that very same conflict? She made serious mistakes."
He puts a hand lightly on Rowena's forearm for a moment. "I wish we could avoid wars as well Jarret. I want nothing more than to be an architect these days. But if we always turn the other cheek people will simply keep slapping us." He gives a short nod at the request to get the plans out the cupboard. "We could also try acting as if we are going to take Rosendal, without actually intending to do it, and watch what happens. Odds are it will not get us Rosendal back but it will teach us a great deal about how we are going to be treated. And of course you can also make a petition to have it returned. Both routes risk us ending up with a royal decree to leave it alone. Which has to be considered."
To Rowena he adds. "That work towards rebuilding the red sails was all your doing Rowena. My own part was limited only to rebuilding Coning's fleet." A thoughtful look passes through his eyes "I wonder what would happen if we were to name Rowena Baroness Rosendal."
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Rowena looked about to offer a rejoinder to Jarret, when Dertan's hand stilled her words and she looked away from both of them, studying the maps which did not need to be studied at all, for she had made every mark on them. She held her tongue long enough that one might have wondered if she had lost the ability speak at all. Or perhaps it was Dertan's suggestion that prolonged her silence. "Dertan is right, Jarret. Mother was many things. Cruel, grasping, devious, pitiless, but she wanted things for this House. She wanted Sokar to be more than people thought it could be. More than it has been allowed to be all of these years. She might have gone about it the wrong way, and she may have brought her doom on herself, but she knew the truth of it. Everything that we want, we have to earn. If we continue to allow the the other great Houses to grind us under their heel, we will soon be so deep beneath the earth we will never be able to climb out again." She looked between her brothers, for she had long ago adopted Dertan as such, "War is not the only way, nor would it be the way I prefer, but we must reclaim the power that has been slowly taken away from us."
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Jarret nods as he hears that. "True," he replies, letting out another breath. "Make sure to dust off those plans you mentioned, Dertan. We need to figure out how to proceed, but we need the alternatives there." He grins as he hears the last thought of Dertan, and looks between the two of them. "It would be well deserved,, really."
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"It would." Dertan agrees. "I would give her a lordship myself if I had one to give away. You could do far worse than naming her to the admiral of the Red Sails as well." He shifts to better look at one of the maps markings. "She is more like me than I like." He looks up at Rowena again then. This time to give her a small, one sided, smile. Then, as if he didn't just say anything of the sort, he says "We should think about moving on Partharia as well. Or Ironhold. But I find I have little desire to pay the cost for these activities. We are shouldering an uneven burden against them as it is."
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"You mean thoughtful, decisive, and given to acting with logic and with an eye towards the effective resolution to a problem?" Rowena made no comment on either Dertan's suggestions or Jarret's comment. She had already been passed over for one of them. "I recall so much talk, after the seige, of striking back at Partharia, and yet, I have seen not a single hand lifted to do anything from any Tarris save the new Duke, and nothing at all from Romante. The Arkanin was helpful, indeed, and unexpected. It seems all of them are talking, but no one wants to waste themselves in the attempt. They would rather see us spill our blood to fulfill their designs."
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Jarret nods as he hears the conversation. "True," he replies to the part about not seeing any action from the other houses of striking back at Partharia. "Which is one of the reasons why it would probably be better to do something about Ironhold, if we should move for any of the two. It would also be more to gain, since there's a bigger chance of actually managing to claim parts of their territories and holding them." He shrugs after a few moments, glancing around once more.
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"Yet we are at war with Partharia." Dertan says "And I still believe we will suffer to much in trade restrictions if the lake to the south of ironhold is closed to us." he gives a small shake of his head. "There are no good choices Jarret. You just need to decide on the path that leads best to what you see as the future. I wish I could help but I know that I would not chose the same path. The way I weigh things is different to you." He takes a drink from his cup and then places it back down empty. "Elixane promised to play for me tonight if either of you wish to join me."
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"And the Quee clearly stated at her last court that we were not to move against Ironhold. Though we have met some skirmishes along the water, and we have fended off some of their raiders, that is not the same as an all out assault. We can explain those away with the truth. That we are defending our lands and our property." Rowena finally turned to her own tea, which was now stone cold. But she drank it regardless, "I would enjoy hearing her play."
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Jarret smiles, nodding a bit. "While I will have to decide, I always value the input of those I trust," he offers, a bit quietly. Nodding a bit as he hears what's being said, he offers a smile to Dertan. "I would love to hear her play," he offers, with a bit of a smile.