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As a GM, I hate all my players in particular
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joining the war on smoking, on the side of smoking
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9 mos ago
as a patreon reward I will read your least favorite person's handmade custom tabletop RPG homebrew and ask them why they didn't just run it in 5e instead
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11 mos ago
I started RP before double digit age but you couldn't have gotten an admission I was under 18 under threat of death. Kids just casually admiting it online now is wild.
Dragan been prepared to abandon his attack on the skeletal paladin when the giant reached for him, but fortunately, it appeared that he didn't have to. Aleksiya's assault upon the giant distracted it enough that Dragan could continue his offense without reserve. A quick scan of the battlefield revealed that most of the enemy undead had been taken care of, leaving only the abomination remaining. Dragan mentally commanded his horde to continue slaughtering the stragglers before moving on to the larger targets, freeing Aleksiya to deal with the more threatening elements without distraction.
As the paladin turned to face Illena, Dragan raised his hammer once more, preparing to strike it from the back. The gorebat sent to support him was immediately commanded to distract the paladin from above, and Dragan hefted his warhammer.
"Goodbye, brother. Rest now." He murmured quietly before dashing forward and swinging with all his might, aiming to pulverize the undead paladin's helmet and skull in a single stroke while it was distracted.
Hours before the tourney was set to begin, the lord of Horn Hill and his only daughter sat before a table set up within his tent in the Tarly camp, patiently awaiting their guests.
"Remember," Talbert nodded to Mina, idly filing his dagger as they waited. "Give me your measure of the boy when we're finished. The Hightowers have enough sons that you've your pick of the bunch, should this one not be preferable to you. Unless Ryam Hightower is a more neglectful man than his accomplishments have led me to believe, I doubt they'll all be lackwits."
"Oh?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "How strange, that you're giving me more of a choice than Sam. People may talk, Father."
"Let them," He grumbled in response, lowering the file to inspect his weapon. "The Hightowers have four sons, all unwed. I've only the one daughter. I'll not have you wed to anyone unworthy. Fortunately, you're more realistic than your brother. I hope you'll judge the Hightower lad by practical terms than by any...superficial matters."
At this, Mina scoffed. "One night and Samwyle's already besotted with the Redwyne girl. But speaking of superficial matters, am I to mention the fact that I can wield a dagger and bow as well?"
"You complained enough about the training that I doubt it's anything you take pride in." Talbert said flatly. "Do as you will regarding that. Only know that it may just save your life one day." A brief commotion outside had him turning his head up, returning his dagger to its sheath.
"Enough. Our guests arrive."
"Remember, the Tarly House is proud and rightfully so. They have a long history of military achievement and as such are to be treated with the respect they are due for such a legacy. Do you remember all the notes on Lord Tarly's daughter?" Addam Hightower, Heir to Oldtown and the Hightower looked over and back to his aunt, dark brown hair falling slightly over his eye.
"I did the required research that you gave me, but I don't see a problem. I don't consider myself repulsive and I believe I'm simple to get along with. And besides Leo is as yet not promised to anyone, nor is Ashton."
His Aunt scoffed and rolled her eyes, brushing her hand on the back of his jacket to remove imagined dust or dirt. "Leo would rather marry a book and Ashton, bless his soul would have a heart attack before he could even speak to a woman about simple court proceedings, let alone betrothal. No, while you have brothers, you must be the one. Marrying the heir of the Hightower gives Lord Tarly a perceived higher standing. They get the Heir and the Redwynes get the only daughter and one that will never likely gain anything in the succession."
Addam sighed and nodded before turning into the main walkway to their hosts. As they arrived Addam shot a quick wink to his sister who had remained silent thus far, even when spoken about as she was. She was a bright girl, exceptionally quick and well spoken while also unafraid to let her opinion be known or be disagreeable. Addam got a nod from the girl and he turned to the front and gave a nod to the herald to announce them as they entered.
Addam came first, escorting his sister. Addam wore a flowing silver silk tunic, tight in the shoulders and loose near the hands. A black jacket was worn over the tunic, a silver collar blending in with the tunic, with the first three buttons undone and folded over top. The jacket was long, going to the Hightower's lower shin. Polished black boots and leather belt finished the outfit. Addam's hair was styled his usual style, well brushed and pushed to the right. Alicent on the contrary wore a stunning cloth of gold dress, obviously tailored specifically for her as it hugged and accentuated all the right places. An emerald necklace, earrings, and hair pin accentuated the gold coloring. Finally came Khloe Hightower, the sister to the current Lord Hightower. Khloe was dressed much simpler, a nice but not striking powder blue dress, and silver accents.
The trio approached Lord Tarly and Mina, to whom Addam offers a wide dimpled smile, and they all bowed or curtsies at the same time. "My Lord Tarly, it is an honor to be hosted by you for this discussion."
Talbert and Mina rose to meet their guests, returning the bows and curtsies with their own. Talbert was clad today in a tabard bearing House Tarly's colors over a leather jerkin, and Mina in a silk dress dyed a rich navy blue.
"My lord and ladies Hightower. In the name of House Tarly, I bid you welcome." Talbert gestured towards the seats, giving them leave to sit. As they did so, Mina looked over all three of the visiting delegation with a critical eye, though Addam most of all. A stern enough expression crossed her face that she looked for all the world like a younger, female version of her father.
Talbert reached for a jug of wine on the table and began to pour into several cups for his guests.
"Arbor Red. From our mutual allies in the Redwynes." He stated plainly, raising his own cup in a brief salute before taking a sip. "Now for the formalities. Ser Addam, I take it you act with your father's authority in this matter?"
Lord Tarly, Lady Mina, thank you for your welcome. It is well received and honestly after travel it is a great relief to finally have a chance to rest. This meeting is very important to our House which is why it is you that we have come straight to meet upon arriving." The two ladies sat Addam waiting until they did so before sitting himself. His eyes found Mina's again and he looked right at her unafraid to hold the eye contact.
Addam maneuvered the various cups to his female companions and then looked to Lord Tarly whom he nodded to a few times. "In this matter and in any other that may arise I do speak with my father's voice and my actions should be considered as his." He inclines his head and then politely sips his wine, smiling and nodding a few times. "A great taste here, but now. As you said let's get to business. Alicent here," he nods towards his sister, "will be going to meet with the Redwyne lad after this meeting."
At this, Talbert simply inclined his head to acknowledge Addam's words while Mina began to speak instead.
"Oh? We wish you the best then, Lady Alicent." Mina offered a slight smile before turning back to Addam, her gaze suddenly sharp again. "Tell me of Oldtown, Ser Addam. I have visited on occasion, but that pales in comparison to having actually lived there since birth. After all, if you wish for us to be wed, I ought to know more of the lands I am to help you oversee, yes?"
Talbert himself said nothing after Mina's question, merely staring at Addam with an inquisitive gaze, bordering on challenging. It seemed this was some sort of test, really.
Alicent smiled widely at Mina when she spoke and gave a quick wink that Mina would notice. "My thanks Lady Mina, just as I hope that my bone headed brother here doesn't make a fool of himself."
Addam simply chuckled and sipped his wine again, eyes moving from Talbert to Mina and back again rapidly. When Mina asked her question though, Addam's smile widened and his eyes glimmered while he sighed in contentment. "Oldtown is, simply out, the most magical place on earth. Boats coming in from quite literally every place in the wider world. The way the sun catches on the buildings and sails, the louder voices on the dock or the various celebrations House Hightower sponsor in the city. It's... Home, I don't really know what more to say."
The barest hint of a smirk crossed Mina's lips at Alicent's wink, and she inclined her head back briefly to acknowledge it. Her expression softened slightly at Addam's clearly enraptured overview of his home, and she took a sip of wine, waiting until he finished before she spoke again.
"A beautiful picture you've painted, my lord. Though I was more wondering the amount of effort you and your family have put in to see such a city thrive. As I've heard, Oldtown has prospered greatly in the recent years of House Hightower's administration, yes?"
Addam chuckles and nods, his hands going out before him and making a sort of shrug. "Apologies, I quite love my home, as I'm sure that you love yours. Before I answer I wish to make it clear that any desire at any time you have to visit will be understood. The last thing I would ever seek to do is make you a prisoner. But yes, we have spent most of my father's rule to ensure the city flourishes, putting regular stipends of cash into keeping things going, broadening trade little by little so as not to overflow, and of course prop up our armed troops, and city watch."
Alicent spoke then, having mostly sat quiet. "Addam has been working directly with a group of Essosi mercenaries on drilling a standing force. And I Routinely walk the city and keep an ear on things." She copies her older brother's chuckle, "so you could say that we recognize that the city IS our strength."
"I should think that I'd be doing my brothers a favor not returning often, really." Mina said dryly, though she seemed genuinely touched by Addam's sentiment. "But I do appreciate the thought. And that your family understands the value of your territory. I've doubts that Father would hand me off to someone likely to drive his house into the ground, after all." She gave Talbert a significant look at that, to which he held up a hand, finally speaking once more.
"Enough. This match has my blessing. Ser Addam, if you'll have my daughter, I consent to joining Houses Hightower and Tarly together." He stood from his seat and walked over to the desk present in the tent, pulling out a sheaf of parchment before heading back over and sitting down, handing the documents to Addam.
"I believe you'll find the offered dowry is more than generous." The documents that Talbert handed over listed off a significant sum totaled in in crowns, food shipments to Oldtown, and preferential treatment in Horn Hill's fur trade.
With the words from Talbert, Khloe stood up and walked out of the room. The woman had remained quiet for the entire meeting, showing that she was more or less just an observer and advisor if needed. Alicent also stepped towards the door and gave a curtsy to the Lord Tarly and another wink to Mina. "I look forward to seeing you in Oldtown Mina. I will be looking forward to having another female presence in the family dinners. I've been outnumbered for some time."
While his grandmother and sister moved to leave, Addam simply stood and moved over to the parchment Talbert stood over. He quickly read through it, and then muttered softly so only Talbert can hear. "My father wishes to know if this agreement consolidates previous discussions with himself over wine". It was a coded message and spoken nonchalantly, and before Talbert could reply, he leaned down prepared to sign.
Mina didn't quite wink back, but smirked slightly instead and dipped her head towards Alicent, standing up and curtsying as well to both Talbert and Addam.
"By your leave then, Father." She said, turning to exit the tent after Talbert waved her off. With all that done, he looked back towards Addam, who was busy in the process of signing the marriage agreements.
"It does." He murmured in as quiet a tone as Addam had given him before raising his voice once more. "Ser Addam. By all accounts, you are a man of honor. I trust that after you wed my daughter, you'll continue to be as such." His eyes narrowed. "The girl was trained to fight and hunt at my command, no matter how much she protested against such. But I've no reason to threaten you for misconduct. She is entirely capable of expressing her displeasure with you in such a case on her own. Remember that."
His threats made, Talbert softened his gaze slightly towards his usual stoic mien. "That all said, should you wish to make her happy, allow her to take the reins in administration of your holdings, as befits a competent wife of noble stock. Mina's talents lie with numbers, and she's been trained through aiding myself and Samwyle in managing Horn Hill's lands for the past few years."
Addam finishes writing and then goes for his wine goblet. "When I take rule over from my father I assure you that Mina will have all the administration she desires. I can't promise my younger brother or sister won't attempt to help but it'll be made clear who is in charge. I swear to you and the seven now that I will do all that I can to make her happy and comfortable, and to defend her with my last breaths if needed."
He takes a sip of wine after his declaration and smiles. One marriage down. What a crazy tournament this would be.
Both houses hash out marriage agreements to each other, Addam Hightower and Mina Tarly are set to wed. Possible hints of conspiracy definite loyalty.
After finishing his maintenance on his weapons and separating from Fionn and Serenity, Renar did exactly as he stated he'd do, and returned to his quarters to begin drafting several letters. They'd been exactly as he said they were supposed to be as well, comprising of various reports of the battle on his end, sent out to contacts of his with varying influence. And his family. Some were of more use than others, but anything that got his name on the lips of the upper echelon of power in Thaln would be beneficial towards his goal.
Writing the letters hadn't taken too much time, given that most were the exact same in content, and Renar left his quarters once more in order to send them off. Once he'd finished mailing them away, he began the slow walk back to the dormitory, wondering what to do with the remainder of his free time for the day. Under ordinary circumstances, he'd be training. However, for some reason, none of his usual training partners and/or friends were located within the training grounds. Unfortunate. Perhaps they all had something else to do for the moment. Regardless, that did leave him with a wealth of free time.
It was during his musings of what to do that Renar stumbled across a rare sight. The knight-captain and Cecilia in the chapel, with the latter having fed the former...something. Judging by Fanilly's reaction, it wasn't exactly pleasant. Still, it clearly wasn't a poisoning attempt. Or at the very least, it was the worst poisoning attempt Renar had ever heard of. Regardless, the chapel was a public place, and this didn't quite seem to be a private conversation. If nothing else, he could use this chance to get more of a gauge on his new commander.
"Captain Fanilly. Dame Cecilia." Renar approached, giving Cecilia a respectful nod and Fanilly a brief salute. "I hope you're not trying to poison our new knight-captain so soon after our first successful mission." He smirked briefly at Cecilia, conveying his jest.
By mid-morning, Talbert was already striding through the tourney grounds, a pair of bannermen at his back to serve as his guards for the time being. He concealed a grimace as best he could, though the bags under his eyes belied his state. Dinner with the Redwynes the previous night had resulted in him drinking far more than he would have preferred, if only to keep his hosts and potential allies happy. As a result, he was nursing a particularly onerous hangover, though Talbert powered through it as best he could and got on with business.
Said business brought him to the Bracken encampment, where he announced himself to the men-at-arms and awaited permission to be led forward. When said permission was given, Talbert strode forward, following after the guardsman who eventually led him to the tent of Bittersteel. After being let in, the lord of Horn Hill would incline his head towards his peer in a show of respect.
"Ser Aegor." Talbert greeted, waiting to be granted leave to take a seat by his host. "I received your raven before I departed Horn Hill. Everything is in order, then?"
Despite the jovial nature of the event, the Braken encampment was ochestrated as if it were at war, men-at-arms in the prideful yellow of the house standing guard with no sense of levity throughout the microcosm of the camp. Despite this, the process of Talbert was smooth through the process, admitted with efficiency and no lack of greeting for the anticipated ally of the house.
The reception that the man recieved from Aegor himself was more muted, a careful studying of the potential ally, his intense violet eyes lifting from the missives on his desk to regard Talbert. Papers aplenty spread across Bittersteel's desk, the man standing, not sitting, behind the light wooden frame.
"Fetch Lord Talbert some water." These were the words the man first heard in greeting, as Aegor supped from his own cup, his eyes casting back down to the papers as a servant scurried to perform the task, as military in their precision as Aegor's armed men. "Matters proceed as they should, soon Daemon will be willing and able to claim what is his." He spoke in the brief windown between the servant leaving and the drink being provided, then dismissing them from the tent with a nod from his head. "Can House Tarly be relied upon?" Aegor spoke in a manner which suggested the question had as much to do with the current meeting than any grander sense, those same cold eyes boring into the man before him.
Talbert took a seat at Ser Aegor's offer of water, taking the cup when it was provided to him. He matched Bittersteel's gaze with his own, unfaltering.
"Of course we can." He stated plainly, sipping his water. "I bring all the swords of Horn Hill and my bannermen, both of which you've campaigned alongside before. You know their quality. Between our houses, we possess some of the only battle-tested forces available in this age. So long as Blackfyre is willing to do what is necessary, he has House Tarly's support."
Talbert studied Aegor for a moment, as if musing over his next words. When he spoke, it was quieter.
"I bring word from others as well. House Peake is fully behind this venture, and have brought me into their alliance of Reach houses so as to influence the other two. I mean to marry my heir to a Redwyne girl, and my daughter to a Hightower to bind them into the fold. I trust this is acceptable?"
"Have a care with who we approach, matters are progressing swiftly and we must control when those against us become aware of what we are capable of." Aegor mused in reply to the Lord, his attentions still on the table before him.
He took a short, brief, sip from his own cup, before he once again matched gaze with Talbert. "But we are not in a position so strong as to turn down such aid, feel out the potential of their support, or at least, their willingness to stand aside for when Daemon acts. Of that, it can be sure to be soon, once he arrives I shall have the full measure of his wishes." It was not like Bittersteel to not be made aware of the entirety of the Blackfyre cause, yet Daemon was playing cards closer to his chest of late, it made Aegor uneasy, and yet, it would mean he was finally close to pressing his claim. It had to.
"Would there be anything else?" The final question was blunt, but with no additional sense of dismissal, simply the words of a man who did not waste time when it could be spent effectively.
Talbert waited patiently, showing no sign of offense at the abrupt bluntness of Bittersteel's last sentence. After all, he'd prefer to conduct himself in much the same way most of the time. Still...
"Nothing else of note on my end at this moment." He confirmed, taking one last sip of his water. "Your brother hasn't made the full extent of his plans known to you yet? I had been led to believe you were among his closest confidants." Talbert stated neutrally, not intending for his words to be a challenge or accusation. "Do you foresee this to become a potential problem?"
"There are matters that are not safe for ravens." Aegor's response was terse, but it was not entirely untrue, even as his attention drifted back to his missives. "When he strikes camp, we will know all."
Talbert and Bittersteel discuss DEFINITELY BEING LOYAL TO THE IRON THRONE. Yep.
Frankly, he hadn't expected Serenity to actually take the bait. Still, what she said told him enough about her feelings on the matter. As for her own question...
"Paladin Tyaethe gave us our commands, and we executed them. I suspect she'd prefer not to be in a position of leadership, but her target prioritzation was correct. We were ordered to focus on either Jeremiah or what we now know to be the griffin should they appear, and I would have commanded the same in her position. As for unit tactics, to be frank, I'd wager the fault is more on our individual components than our leadership." He glanced in Fionn's direction in acknowledgement for a moment before continuing on.
"Unlike the common soldiery our friend here came from, I find that most knights tend to be somewhat too proud to consider unit tactics and formation warfare past the lance or wedge on horseback. There are exceptions, like ourselves, but to an average member of the order? Doubtful. After all, it's the poor bastards on foot bearing shoddy munitions that need exact drilling to survive and win against men in full plate and on horseback, not the other way around."
Renar glanced down to his own armaments, having finally finished maintenance on them. As he began packing his supplies back up, he looked to Fionn who seemed to be leaving.
"Go on, then. I'd join you immediately, but I've some letters to send out first. Reports of the battle, petitions, and whatnot. While I can't claim any greater glories, I'll not see any effort I made go to waste."
And now he was being scolded. Renar bit back a sigh, simply staring at Fionn impassively until he finished. Frankly, Fionn was one of very few people he would tolerate this sort of lecture from. And only because he knew that his friend was a genuine believer in church and chivalry. If Fionn didn't want to hear this from him, fine. Fionn wouldn't hear this from his mouth again. In earshot, at least. But his own injured pride wasn't quite worth continuing this argument with one of his only friends in the order.
"Fine, friend. I hear you." Renar looked to Fionn, his expression resigned. "Consider the matter dropped on my end. I'd prefer not to argue with you over it. And Gerard would likely take your side on this." But he couldn't resist getting one last jab in. "Though I still reserve the right to complain about the little shit's antics."
"As for the Captain, that's good. Seems we're in no immediate danger of disgrace or disaster, then. Unless you'd object to that, Dame Serenity?" Renar looked over to her, a half-smirk rising to his lips in challenge. He had a suspicion that she felt more strong about this subject than she'd let on. It was just a matter of seeing if she'd take the bait or not.
From Dragan's perspective, this was the second time in two days that he'd been struck by silver. Fortunately, there was far less of it this time. And of much reduced quality. The blessed metal still burned, of course. But its corroded state meant that the bulk of his strength remained intact.
The Death Knight hissed in pain as he was cut and knocked back, his hammer still in his grasp. He wasn't given much time to collect himself, as the paladin was on him, blade raised up and drawn back for a vertical cleave. Dragan only narrowly evaded the blow, sidestepping the swing. Given how much the skeletal knight had committed to that blow, Dragan was out of immediate danger as it tried to recover. The only issue was that they were both too close in for him to effectively get a swing in with a two-handed hammer.
Instead, the vampire lord lashed out with his free hand, a plated fist crashing into the skeletal paladin's skull to attempt to knock him back before Dragan took up his hammer with both hands and swung for the open wound that he'd already made with his first blow.
Ah, yes, of course. Jests and japes. Fine. If that was how they were going to be regarding what he said, Renar wouldn't push the issue. If they didn't have a real point to rebuff him with, there was little need to continue the debate. Instead, he fell back on companionship and gossip to pass the time while he moved on to sharpening the spiked butt of his weapon.
"Does anyone even know who exactly allowed the boy into the order? Because I'd like to thank them profusely. Thank the goddesses that no one outside the order's caught on to the fact that we let some fool boy in with no training or feats to his name." Renar continued to grumble in response to Fionn and Serenity.
"Do as you want with that plan, Fionn. But I'll have no part in it." He said flatly, wiping the spike down and moving on to maintaining his arming sword. "The boy's sheer presence in the order spits on everything I've worked to achieve. On everything any other Iron Rose has done to simply be considered for candidancy. And frankly? I hope the Flower will be his new mentor. It only means he'll get himself killed quicker. As for Sir Fleuri..." Renar stared down at his sword, choosing his next words with deliberate care.
"His skill backs up his absurd thinking. Had anyone less adept attempted that nonsense with mounting the griffin, we'd have had to haul back another corpse. Would that he'd just killed it outright once he'd gotten atop its back, but I suppose our tourney champion desired a shiny new steed for himself." Renar sighed, shaking his head as he seemed to slump somewhat. This was why he didn't like to think about the Flower of the North too much.
"Enough with all that. Your thoughts on our new commander, Fionn? Considering she'd managed to slay Jeremiah with the slightest amount of aid from yourself and Gerard, I assume that she at least meets expectations?" Renar's gaze flickered to Serenity for just a moment, as if testing her reaction.
It took some time, but with Roche's help, Valerie unpacked all her luggage. She hadn't brought all too much of it, but unpacking was still a pain no matter how used she was to the process.
"Thanks for all the help." Valerie thanked her roommate after they finished, her staring in admiration at her Chazz Princeton posters for a moment. "I owe you, lemme get you something once I get some more DP to spend." She told Roche as she moved to leave the room, waving goodbye behind her. "Gonna head out for a while, look around. See you later, yeah?"
As she started walking through the halls of the dorm, Val pulled out her PDA, idly checking her DP balance after her first win. Did they really need to use that acronym? Whoever came up with it really hadn't thought the whole matter through, considering it was for an island of hormonal teenagers. That, or they thought it was funny.
Apparently their first day's food budget had already been allotted to their balance.
"Divide by three per meal..." Valerie muttered to herself, doing some quick mental math. "Subtract the win...wow. One win doesn't count for squat." Her winnings were just a fraction of a third she'd allotted from the food budget per meal. It'd get her a light snack, at most. She'd check the card shop on the island later, but considering how much cards cost on the outside, it'd probably take her several more wins to afford anything beyond a single booster. Or if she skipped meals...
"Girl, your expression reveals what you're thinking." Ceruli cut in, an eyebrow raised at Valerie's expression. "Do not think to skip meals to afford additional cards. Need I remind you that you're still growing?"
Valerie just sighed and rubbed the back of her head, reluctantly shrugging. As much as she appreciated having Ceruli around in place of her parents, there were times when she was reminded of the downsides of having a constant companion looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, mom." She groaned quietly, after confirming that there was no one else in the hallway to overhear her even whispering. Whatever. Time to keep moving. She'd work all this out later.
The dorm lounge was already somewhat filled, with some people already out socializing. Valerie idly glanced over as she made her way to the vending machine, purchasing a bottle of iced tea as she tried to decide where to sit. As much as she knew everyone was in the same situation as her where no solid friendships had been established yet and they all had a clean slate in social terms, breaking old habits was still hard. She wanted a quiet corner. But the closest she could find to that was a block of seats where some gray-haired guy was sprawled over, looking half-dead. Screw it. Hopefully this guy wasn't a creep or anything.
Valerie sat down a few seats away from who she didn't know was Flynn, opening her bottle of iced tea and taking a few swigs. After seeing that he wasn't going to initiate conversation, she figured she may as well. It was still the first day. Couldn't hurt to be sociable yet.
"Dead already, huh? Was the trip over that bad, or something else? Roommate a bit too much?" Not that she was speaking from experience or anything.
The smithy wasn't Renar's first choice of venue for exchanging gossip while maintaining his weapons, what with the blacksmiths and apprentices being able to listen in, but he supposed that the noise and the work the smiths were doing would go some way to ameliorating that issue so long as they kept their voices low. So while Serenity began to work on her shield, Renar set about the business of sharpening and oiling his weapons, pulling out a whetstone, a file, oil, and cleaning cloth from the satchel he'd brought along.
He listened to the conversation as he worked, chiming in when he felt the need to say something. Fionn's musings on Jeremiah were interesting, but in the end, inconsequential. Renar understood why the bandit's motivations disquieted his friend, but to him? He understood.
"I don't disagree that he wanted to die." Renar said plainly, working on his poleaxe first, wiping the head down. "I simply think it's not something to worry over. The man knew he had no future after throwing in with the wrong side and not throwing his sword down after all was said and done. Were I in his position, I can't say I would do the same, but I can understand his thought process. Personally, I would have fled the country and tried to eke a living out as an adventurer or sellsword in another nation. But Dame Serenity is correct. Best to move on."
The conversation flowed on to the matter of the griffin, and Renar allowed his expression to warp into a scowl as he sharpened and oiled the ax head of his poleaxe.
"Unfortunately," He responded with venom to Serenity's query first, keeping his voice low so that the clangs of the smithy obscured his words to anyone on the outside listening in. "The idiot turned out alive. I don't know where he went, and frankly, I don't care. The boy still isn't cut out for this. I watched our illustrious Flower save him from getting killed from a bandit, and I had to step in to make sure others didn't flank him." As much as Renar would have liked to express how he should have just let the fool boy die, he wasn't quite so stupid as to express some of his more...severe thoughts out loud.
Fionn's own inquiry towards Renar had him roll his eyes only slightly. This again? Goddesses help him, how many times would he have to explain himself?
"Hardly. But we all knew those men were bound for the gallows anyway. I simply wanted to expedite the process. One would think I should be thanked for trying to make things just a bit more efficient for everyone involved. Less men to spend time judging, less hangings to conduct, and less space and provender to waste on dead men."
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