Even though there likely no chance of any actual lawless encounters inside their own borders, Acired chose to wear her boys clothes and armor for the ride out.  It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the effort of the Lady Fell, but she felt a restless urge that wouldn't satisfy with just riding in the ladies train.

Clad in polished scales, her coat of mail looked like it had been fished from the sea foam itself.  Her shield was in good condition, and her spear was rubbed with wax and recently sharpened.  She smiled brightly and looked for the others as she took an unsteady seat on horseback.  She could ride fairly well, but she preferred the swaying of wooden decks to the gait of a mount.

"What is the name of the hamlet we are to rendezvous at?  Will there be others there already to meet us?"

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 49):

"Like night and day M'Lady Acired, ....." he reaches over to one of the straps that seems to have come loose. "The strap is loose, if I may, ....." as he tightens it. "It seems that the rest have not given you the credit you deserve, perhaps this trip will change their minds".

When the rest of the noble house members enter the courtyard Ser Lachland approaches each to make sure they are ready and tends to their requests. He mounts, .... "Fell Rangers Mount Up, Lord Loranth when you are ready".

"We ride to Ridgewing a hamlet just within the lands of House Dondarrion, be sharp the Marcher Lords are not to trifle with, and the Dorne we escort are not liked, …. we could see some not interest in seeing our charge make it to King's Landing."

Ser Lachland waits for his seniors to lead.

The heads of the house lead the way out of the courtyard and down the muddy road. It has rained for several days the road is slick with mud and holes have filled with rain making large puddles.

Single file (the only wat through) they ride through the heavy forested lands of House Fell. Once they reach the boards of House Fell, .... Vanna Storm heads out ahead with a group of her rangers to scout. "Lords, I will scout ahead and meet at camp if all is good on the road ahead, I will see by night fall  ....  If we find trouble or trouble find us I will send word."

Ride well M' Lords.

OOC: Posted by GM

On the road to Ridgewing, ....

Ser Lachland Fell rides up beside Acired "So Lady Acired, have you every been to the Red mountains or Ridgewing?"

Ser Lackland is a well known womanizer, he enjoys the company of his ladies and often is call unsavory for his interest in noble born daughters. Their is an attractive aspect in his demeanor, ....

As soon as he rides side up to Acired, his cousins and other family members begin to whisper. When he sees them do so he says to Acired, "Don't mind them they are jealous, and they think I bed every lady I talk too. It's not true you know ? I only bed the best in breeding." He laughs at his own joke as if unsure you thought it was funny as well.

OOC: @ Acired Velaryon you the only PC at this time in this IC, so when ready let me know. I was waiting on your post.

Flattered at the interest of Ser Lackland, Acired doesn't seem to quite realize his interest in her is because of how she looks, but seems to think she can relate to him because of his prowess as a knight.  As such, his comment about bedding her seems to go completely over her head.  Shaking her head at the initial question, she smiles,

"I've never really been anywhere outside of Blackwater Bay, Ser Lackland.  I've never even been to Dragonstone, my father never allowed me to accompany him.  These woods here are the only other opportunity I've had for travel, and I find them exotic and most unlike anything we have at home.  I'm excited to be up and about in armor again though!  I've always wanted to ride in the company of knights, and being allowed to attend the upcoming Tourney and possibly squire if I make a good impression, well it's quite exciting!  I can hardly believe this is all happening!  Would you take it amis if I ask you to tell me more about your campaign experiences, Ser Lackland?"

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 54):

Smiling much like he did when he made those rude remarks "Well there is not much to tell unless you like blood, death and whoring, .... Sorry M'lady, sometimes I forget I'm not there, and here such talk is distasteful."

In a much softer and noble tone, "Well I've seen much, is there something you have heard that you wish me to talk about?"

Wryly speaking, Acired replied with a bit of sour humor.

"Given my relative ignorance on the topics of all of those subjects, Ser.... I think perhaps I leave it in your discretion to tell me what war stories you deem fitting and entertaining.  I am after all inquiring after your experiences, in a general sense."

She then turned her attention away and murmured quietly.

"But you do not have to feel as if you are indulging me such as a child, Ser Lachland.  If there is naught you find worthy of discussion, then I shall entertain myself by watching the lands as we travel."

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 56):

"Well I did defend the pass once when House Baratheon called for banner men and sent troops to assist House Dondarrion from the Dornish. I did get to see some fighting but those skirmishes were a Dorne trick to distract us from their main assaults on the western mountain domains of House Dondarrion. The Dorne elite are not to be trifled with, I saw how fierce their spear men fought and that's when I knew that I wanted to continue with my training. I didn't want to be the loser on the end of a Dornish spear."

"My father spoke highly of the Dornish spears as well..  it's part of why he suggested I learn to fight with spear and shield, so that I had the advantage of cover and reach.  He also taught me that a shallow stabbing puncture is far more lethal than a shallow slash, and that a spear would put down my foes more readily and with less strength needed."

She looks rather proud as she speaks of her father's teachings.  Her eyes glance over at the knight and she tilts her head, as if looking at him from a specific angle.

"Why do the ladies of the castle say you must always be walking bow-legged each morning you return from the townhouses outside of the walls?  Is it because you ride quite a lot on your own?"

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 58):

Lachlan smiles and holds back his laughter, in order not to cause insult "No lady Acired its not from my horse riding. It's my reputation with the women that seems to strike others to talk about me."

His grin gets bigger and a light chuckle escapes his lips. "My apologies I am not laughing at you just at the fact they say these things. Perhaps if I rode horses harder then my women I could call such things a lie. But I would say I prefer the taste of women more then the other less fruitful things life has to offer. Every man has a weakness some it's the bottle, or honor, maybe even duty, ... me a beautiful women at my side"

The smile slowly goes away and he make a last comment, "At the end what is life unless you can share it, ....."

A side of Lachland few get a chance to see.
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:43, Sat 02 May 2015.

Looks surprised at Lachland's admission and then ponders.

"So for your part, you're seeking to find a wife and marry?"

She however smirks and quips "...or are we speaking now of camp followers and sordid women of the famed seraglios of King's Landing?"

She wasn't entirely ignorant of these affairs, but as all young people, her ideas were drawn from stories and gossip, rather than practical experience.

"Have you any knowledge of the place we are to rendezvous?  Is it a friendly place?  Or is the land itself treacherous and ill-suited for large parleys?"

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 60):

"Yes, my understanding we are to meet the Dorne lords in the next two days by the village just outside House Dondarrion's lands."

Grinning and he says to himself "friendly" "Well there's a reason its outs House Dondarrion's lands. Every since Old Dandarrion's son took over the house their seems to be friction with the other Marcher Lords. Old Dandarrion's son seems not to honor all of his fathers oaths and says those are his father responsibilities, of course the Marcher Lords have history that dates back hundreds of years so these oaths are not so easily broken or taken lightly. BUT these things matter little to a Fell, we are not Marcher Lords and we do not own them our fealty, so let them deal and we well pick up the piece's as they shall fall."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 21:29, Tue 19 May 2015.

"I should like to see a little excitement, I think."

The young lady seemed a bit chipper, as she spoke.

"I don't mean violence or bloodshed...  I've seen quite enough of that to suit my tastes back in Blackwater Bay." she added hastily.

"But don't you think it's wonderful to be out, riding, away from walls and boring people..."

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 62):

"I seen a lot, and what I have seen in the world is cruel, with mostly unwanted shits, so much of it that the walls became friends and the people were in the way. But the comfort of a companion is the only this that truly is pleasing, next to knowing that our enemies are dead, so I can enjoy my walls and forget about the people." He laughs slightly as if that he said something funny, but it clearly was not.

Form ahead, two riders come back from patrol. "My Lords the valley pass has been flooded out and we most go around, the wagons and horses will not be able to pass. Unless My Lords you wish to make camp and wait out for the floods, ..... perhaps two or three days?"

"Ser Lachland take 15 of your choosing, check the pass and what is ahead, make sure our new Dornish friends are ok, ... Maybe the gods favor us today and they all drowned in the flooding." 

"Go cousin carefully make your way through and meet with us at the village outside the valley. We will wait for you there" As Lord Loranth Fell begins to bark orders to the rest that they will go around and camp outside the village.

"So lady Acired, looks like you may have what you asked for, Are you up to some adventure?"

Wide-eyed, Acired nods solemnly and answers.

"If you would have me by your side, I will gladly accompany you.  It's not my first foray, and I will stay by your side and not get in your way.  I won't run off off or rush ahead!"

She reaches for her strapped belongings at the rear of her horse, pulling her shield onto her arm while she unfastens her spear from the saddle ring it was bound to.

OOC: Acired Velaryon are you the last active player in the house?

I just realized that they all dropped or have not been around. I would be willing to change her story a little to make room for you to split off and RP with the others because as of now your kinda solo and that's tuff on me as GM.

"Yes, I would have you by my side, .... come lets pick 15 good man to come with us. With the rain season being so strong this year we should leave our horses behind and take some scouts with us."

"We can make it to the crossing just in time if we leave right away"

Ser Lachland would love to bed a Velryon lady, but for some reason he has taken a liking to Acired, which simply mean if he every bedded her it would be more her choosing then his. It's just the way Lachland thinks.

In reply to Caladin (msg # 67):

(Yeah, I thought that's what you were doing, last we checked!  When everyone else seemed to drop, you said you would get me to King's Landing, and decided which group to move Acired to, probably using the politics of her name to place her somewhere 'interesting'!)

Following Ser Lachland, Acired nodded and had her things readied within moments.  Her father had taught her well, and she was eager to show that his faith in her had not been wasted.

Taking her cues, she watched as the knight picked good footmen to scout, ones that looked like they could adapt to the terrain and move fast.  She looked at the selection process much like how her father would have chosen fighting mariners over sailors or seamen.  Adaptation and flexibility over specialization, in both cases.

In reply to Acired Velaryon (msg # 69):



OOC: yes more interesting!, lol I do truly apologies for the way that group ended up. And I do appreciate you sticking it out. :)

 Lady Acired and Ser Lachland gather 15 men, and leave their horses. By foot the travel out and head in the direction of Blackhaven.

 The Stormlands, ... the very name conjures images of its mystery and adventure for those that have traveled so far. Blackhaven is no little village. At the northern base of the Boneway its stronghold keeps the unwanted out.

 It has rained for almost 3 days with little rest from the clouds above. At times the wind force would speed the rain, and it would hurt when it struck the face or exposed hand.

 Its been a miserable trip, every article of clothing is wet, and fires to keep warm at night are impossible to keep, even the food is wet & cold.

The rain has finial let up on the 4th day and on the 5th night well after dark, Ser Lachland has ordered to press on so to reach Blackhaven not have to stay another day on the muddy treacherous road ways. So far it seems no one has dared to travel in the weather and only on the last day did you see any merchants on the road.

The moon is over head and Blackhaven is lite by street lanterns. You have not yet seem a patrol.


OOC: you can post and finial comments and this IC will be closed.

Acired was used to stormy and rainy weather, the damp wetness was something taken for granted in the Gullet.  But that didn't make this any more pleasant because she happened to know what to expect.  Grimacing at her sticky clothes, matted hair, and smelly wet-horse, she glanced at the others and noticed the scouts gesture to Blackhaven in the near distance.

"Finally!" she exclaimed.  "...we're going to find dry rooms at an inn, I hope?  Or will we be greeted by the local lord, you think?"

As they entered the empty streets, she wondered why everything was so eeriely quiet.  Even the little fishing villages of home had some level of bustle after dark.  Men drinking and singing, animals being brought indoors, families laughing over dinner...  There was none of that here.

"How queer...  where do we go now?"

All PC will be awarded 2 exps

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