One of the women remains in the water, just far enough out so that she can stand with only her head above the surface.
Holding her wrapped cloak tight with one hand, she raises the other and waves to get some attention:"Uhm. You don't happen to have a spare set of clothes with you, do you? Could you assist me in acquiring anything suitable to wear? I was afraid soggy clothing would drag me down, but I may not have thought things true entirely when I panicked..."
She addresses the two female half-elves if possible to get them to notice her, who seem to have a slender build roughly similar to her own.
It frustrates Amandine when the people aboard the ship ignore her simple instructions in favor of random panic. She does what she can, grabbing people near her in the water by an arm or their clothing and dragging them over to grab on to the boat. When everyone is safely afloat in some way, she helps Dro'gan pull the boat back to shore.
Once the ship's passengers are on land, Amandine begins to ask some questions of them so she can try to figure out some way of getting them where they need to be to take care of themselves. For this she tries relying on the captain and crew, thinking they are more likely to have kept their heads during and after the disaster.
"What caused the fire? How long were you intending to be out on the lake? Where did you launch from? Were you planning to return to the same location for disembarking?"
Amandine also takes the woman in the water's request for clothing. She finds a spare dress in her baggage in the carriage and brings it to the shoreline.
"I have something for you, but you'll want to come out of the water if you don't want to remain soaked when dressed, if you could even get dressed while up to your neck in water."
Amandine might not be using an overly charitable tone, but she's still a little piqued about the rescue becoming a sloppy free-for-all.
"Oh, certainly. I just didn't want to...expose myself longer than necessary. The staring can be a bit uncomfortable.", Mira responds when Amandine approaches she shoreline with a dress.
Without even attempting to cover herself - something that would be futile with a wet bundle in one hand and only one hand left - she wades to the shore, jumps and shakes once or twice to get rid of as much water as she can, then approaches the lady and takes the dress, putting it on swiftly.
"Much appreciated. Fortunate that you came by when you did. Where were you headed? I'll come along to return this as soon as I can retrieve or acquire clothing of my own. As to your inquiries..."
Dro’gan tries to help the situation by creating a simple floating magic curtain for the unfortunate woman with his Prestidigitation magic.
“The ‘naked’ truth ladies and gentlemen…literally!”
He then goes back to juggling and distracting the unfortunate people involved.
The local fishers who have gathered upon the shore to gawk at the scene are far more entertained by Dro'gan performance than the rescued boat passengers, who are still processing the ordeal they have just survived. His jokes begin to elicit smiles from the boat crew, however, and once again he endears himself to the common folk. If nothing else, his delivery is so well aimed that the noble foils of his barbs, sitting so near at hand, can't even hold it against him too terribly.
Mira recalls that the fire started inside the afthouse, erupting suddenly and terrifyingly. Rather than creeping steadily and surely like the flame of a toppled candle, it was more akin to a smashed oil lantern - spreading its fire around in an abrupt explosion. However, she does not recall seeing any lanterns aboard the boat.
As she hears more from Mira, Amandine begins to get drawn in by her strange account of the fire. It doesn't sound accidental to her. Despite her desire to move on to other things, including a visit to see baron Okerra, she starts asking more questions. There may be some pattern to be found that might help explain things.
"What was the occasion for the boating trip? Was it just leisure, or a celebration? The ship doesn't seem the type for mundane travel. Who owns the ship?"
"Who are the others you were on the ship with? Do you know any of them well? If not, what is your connection to them? Is anyone local or are you all visiting here from somewhere else?"
Amandine also looks around at the other ship passengers to see if she can find any familiar faces.
With all of the unfortunate passengers safely ashore, Meraki swiftly strides over the lake's surface to join Amandine and Mira at the water's edge.
"Are you all right?" she asks, her face full of concern. "What happened?"
"I...actually have a suspicion on what might have happened.", Mira looks around to make sure nobody else was in range to eavesdrop.
"I know little about who owns the ship - as far as I know it was just a leisurely joyride, some drinks, entertainment. But that was not why I was on the boat. For reasons my own, I had been trying to learn some information about a noble - Count Lotheed. An information broker assured me he could get me into contact with a former employ of the Count - a scribe that had in his possession documents relevant for my purpose."
She pauses a moment to look at the other survivors again, to see if any seem too interested in her, then continues: "I was supposed to meet him on this boat ride. We never met. I was to wear a yellow flower in my hair, him a red handkerchief in the left breast pocked. I am a very cautious person, and came with the flower in my purse, not my hair. Nobody matching the description was on the boat with me. While I was still deliberating over wether they were too cautious as well, and considering putting on the flower myself, first, the fire happened. I do not believe that to be an coincidence - there should have been no reasonable source of flame for such an inferno on that boat."
She sighs deeply, then shrugs:"Under normal circumstances, I would be reluctant to tell strangers as much, but it would seem I was targetted. Either Count Lotheed set me up, or my contact has been compromised - in either scenario, I suspect that there was someone trying to get rid of me. It is also why I stayed far from the others during your rescue. I suspect if you had not come, a few blonde girls would have mysteriously drowned during the panic. And honestly, that is one reason beyond returning the dress that I would prefer to travel in company, for the immediate future."
Mira's answers leave Amandine even more curious than before. She especially wants to know the particulars of Mira's purpose in seeking the documents. There could be something useful there, especially if Mira is right about Count Lotheed's, or his proxy's, willingness to murder a boat full of people to kill her.
But, now is not a good time to pry about those things. Later, after the crisis is handled.
Amandine can think of two possibilities for how the boat was sabotaged. Either some clever device was placed on board to do its work at a later time, or an agent of the Count's was on board to set the fire manually. if the first is true, it is too late to find the device. But, a person responsible for the fire should be among the rescued. Amandine keeps her eyes peeled for anyone she might recognize among the people pulled from the water, perhaps someone she has seen before at the Palace of Birdsong among the Baron's people or servants or among Sir Gul Gusairne's people.
As for her conversation with Mira, Amandine ends it for the present, with a promise to come back to it later.
"You present a very intriguing set of suppositions, and an even more intriguing story of your own. Let's return to this later, when everyone is sheltered and immediate needs have been attended to. The closest shelter is to be found with Baron Okerra, who owns this land. We were on our way there when we saw your boat in distress. We'll bring everyone there to work out what to do next."
"If you are right about a potential assassin among the boat's passengers, it would be best if you stay close to my company. They are extremely talented at handling unexpected problems so you will be safe."
Amandine begins the task of organizing the crowd of boat passengers for the journey to Baron Okerra's estate. When it is ready to move, Amandine will go on ahead to alert the Baron that a large number of people are on the way, in need of his succor under emergency circumstances.
Among the assembled fishers and other locals from nearby Pensaris, Amandine does not spot any familiar faces from the Count's coterie that she might have seen during the Jubilee or other visits to Lotheedar. Whatever sort of magical or alchemical device triggered the fire, it was probably planted by an agent of Count Lotheed whilst the boat was docked at Pensaris, and the culprit likely fled even before the vessel set out upon the lake.
Baron Okerra's estate is only a short walk away from the wharves upon the lake, through the bustling village of about 200 residents. Pensaris is one of Meratt's most prosperous settlements, second in wealth and prominence only to Lotheedar.
In short order, you again stand at the gates of the baron's manor with the rescued passengers from the barge.
"Your offer is much appreciated. Until I know what exactly happened, and who was responsible, I'd much prefer to stay close to someone. I do not easily trust strangers, but this would be far too complicated a gambit on behalf of whoever is behind the fire.", Mira curtsies perfectly to Amandine.
On the road, she comments on the catfish:"What a marvelous specimen. Biggest I have ever seen. What's the story on that one?", and gladly gasps, laughs, and is awed by the re-telling of Greenley's antics.
Generally, Mira seems easy-going, chatting easily and gladly, but skillfully avoiding or dodging questions about her own person.
When they arrive at the estate shortly after, she turns to Amandine once more:"So, are we here just for that catfish, or is there more to the visit? I don't mean to pry - I'm just curious - "
"Technically, we was supposed to ask before we caught this thing, but in my defense, I did kill it to, like, save two people from getting eaten by it." There is a pause before Greenly corrects herself. "I did push one of them into harm's way and the other was me, but," the warrior trails off, embarrassed.
Upon Mira's question, she jumps in, "We was gonna ask forgiveness because of the poaching of the prize fish but now that like, a bunch of nobles caught fire I'm sure he won't even mind I killed his stupid catfish. Did him a favor, really. But no, like, that makes you the most important person in this carriage right now, right miss?" She nods to Amandine.
Amandine finds Mira pleasant and outgoing, which concerns her a little. Disarming people tend to be good at drawing others out in conversation, getting them to divulge things they wouldn't normally tell people. Thus, they make good intelligence gatherers. That alone wouldn't be much, but she has also shown up out of the blue speaking freely about complaints against Count Lotheed. Combined it's a little much to swallow without some examination to ensure she is not one of the Count's minions sniffing around.
For the time being Amandine decides to tell as much truth as is possible while revealing nothing that might be sensitive.
Amandine introduces herself more properly as Lady Betony, with an estate in the neighboring Telus Barony. She also explains to Mira they were curious about the legend of The General, as the fish is known, and things took a strange turn. With people in danger in the water and no other options, they had killed the fish.
"We were on our way to speak with Baron Okerra, to dispel any appearances of purposeful poaching. But then we happened upon your ship, and you know the rest from there."
Greenly's nudge to her, along with a few... uncomfortable details she adds to the account of the fish could make things awkward if Mira is perceptive. Amandine acts quickly with the first thing that comes to mind for explaining Greenly's forwardness with her, while distracting Mira's mind from the fish.
Amandine slides her hand over to rest gently on the inside of Greenly's knee. She leaves her hand there without taking her eyes off Mira, or changing her expression from the blandly pleasant one she has been wearing all along. It is the most normal explanation she can come up with to hint at.
"Oh, it sounds like a splendid story. I am sure your minstrel will make a wonderful song, or even play from this. It sounds better than anything I have seen the playwrights come up with in the past years.", Mira finds the story amusing. "And it can't be poaching if it's self-defense, right?"
Mira may have noticed the unusual relationship between Greenly and Amandine, or the forced sudden-ness and reaction following Amandine's suggestive gesture. But if she did, her reaction or facial features hardly betray her.
Instead, she simply plays along: "I look forward to spending more time in your company. You seem...fun, to be around, in the most unexpected ways."
From the carriage's darkest corner, Dro'gan's napping form suddenly speaks from under his cloak's hood with only a little muffling.
"I find naked ladies fun to be around too. You can hang around me as much as you want...especially if you keep ripping your clothes off every time something dangerous happens. It tends to happen a LOT around here..."
If there is anyone posted at the mansion gates, Amandine asks them to inform Baron Okerra of their arrival.
Tell the Baron Lady Amandine Betony has arrived, with apologies for such a sudden intrusion. Inform him the reason is a disaster on the lake that has left a large number of people in need of his aid."
If there is nobody at the gate, she will look for a bell to ring, or some other way to signal the mansion. If there is nothing to alert the residents with, she will push the gate open and proceed onward to the house.
A very nervous footman greets you at the gate. When bidden by Amandine, he hastens away to summon his master.
"Calm down, man, you aren't making any sen..." Baron Okerra chides his footman before his words die off as soon as he rounds the corner of the manor and sees exactly what the servant was trying to explain.
Taken aback, the nobleman surveys the sight in front of his home: Lady Betony and her coterie, nearly two dozen sodden other visitors, and a dead catfish of legendary size. Okerra, who normally thrives upon order, is very much at a loss for words to process the unusual scene.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asks, more confused than angry. Baron Okerra counts the Betony household as friends, so he would like to offer his help, but he needs a bit of an explanation for what has so recently been unfolding in his barony.
Mira leans towards Dro'gan, a playful smile on her lips:"I'm afraid that was just a teaser. But you are free to visit the temple if you share a certain fondness of the sacred sting. I am not sure how familiar you are with her tenets, but I'm pretty certain you'd like them..."
When Baron Okerra makes his appearance, Mira focuses her gaze on him, but does not speak up - it seemed proper to let Amandine address the man and sort things out, and only interject if such seemed necessary.
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During the wait Amandine had produced a handkerchief, which she is working nervously in her two hands. As she walks to the Baron to try explaining, she keeps the small piece of cloth circling in her grip.
"I am so sorry for this intrusion Baron Okerra. Extraordinary circumstances are involved" she begins. Amandine pauses for a moment, as if she she is gathering her thoughts before speaking further. She balls up the handkerchief in the palm of one hand, and with her other she gently reaches out to touch the Baron at his elbow. She applies a small amount of pressure, as if to guide him and asks "Could we move away so we may have privacy?"
When they have moved a few feet to be out of hearing range she stops, steps in close to him so she can speak in a lowered voice, begins to tell him about the day.
"It all started as something of a lark. We were curious about the legends we had heard about the creature in the lake, The General. We came out to see if we might get a look at the thing, and heard from another lake-goer that a hermit nearby had considerable knowledge of the beast. We sought out this hermit and persuaded him to show us a place where it is often seen."
Amandine looks up into the Baron's eyes meekly, both anxious and upset.
"Unfortunately, it was cliffside and the hermit went over the edge into the water. The General appeared quickly, intent on devouring the hermit. My bodyguard Sir Greenly leapt into the water to the hermit's rescue. The rest of us helped from land as we could. Miraculously both the hermit and Sir Greenly emerged from the water alive, but the great beast was killed. You see, Sir Greenly was swallowed by The General in a single great gulp. But, she cut herself out to freedom through its innards. This also killed the monster of course."
"This placed us in a very delicate situation. We had not asked for your permission to fish the lake, but now we had fished the lake, whatever the reason behind it. Intent on apologizing and delivering The General to you, we pulled it from the water and made it ready for travel."
"As we proceeded onward to come here, we saw a pleasure barge out on the lake in distress. It was in flames, which were spreading too rapidly to control. Taking a boat from the shore and ropes, we rescued the passengers and crew, bringing them to shore. However the barge, along with all the passengers' possessions sank, a total loss."
"Since they were stranded at the lake and we were already on our way to your estate, we brought them with us so they could appeal to your generosity for assistance in returning to their homes."
"It has been quite an unusual and trying day. Again, I apologize for our unannounced disturbance here, but the need is great and we had no alternatives."
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"Astounding," Baron Okerra sighs, his face confirming that he is utterly amazed by the account provided by Amandine. It is also clear that he fully accepts the veracity of the events. What's more, there seems to be a bit of a blush upon his cheeks.
He launches himself into action to distract himself. He orders his servants to fetch dry clothes and linens for the rescued passengers, prepare some hot food and drink to keep them from catching a chill, and to store the giant catfish somewhere out of sight.
"Since the behemoth is your catch, I'll leave it to your discretion what you would like done with it: whether you would like it made into a trophy, turned into a celebratory feast, or what have you," Okerra states while helping distribute clothes and towels to the boat survivors. He uses the action to avoid making eye contact with Amandine.
"I'm not much of a fisher myself. I prefer land beneath my feet that doesn't buck like an unbroken stallion," he explains. "And don't worry about not getting permission to fish the lake. Since it seems this beast was a necessary casualty as you sought to rescue one of my own residents, it would be madness to consider that poaching."
As he continues talking without looking in Amandine's direction, it becomes obvious to the entire party that Baron Okerra, a veteran of the Taldan Horse and a pillar of the county, is as embarrassed as a school boy struggling to conceal his first crush.
"What's more, as though rescuing one man was not enough heroism for you, you rescued an entire - and literal - boatload of guests to my land. Some cousins from Cassomir had asked to visit and use the lake for an outing, since boating on Star Bay near their own home is simply too 'gauche' for them. A bit of forgiveness is certainly the very least I can offer in return."
It is easy for Amandine to pick up on Baron Okerra's new awkwardness. She doesn't have much more trouble surmising the probable kind of feelings underlying it. What does surprise her is the Baron's response to those feelings. She sees him as a direct man of great confidence, and had assumed the observation would hold true across all things for the Baron.
While Amandine is happy to discover a hint of reciprocated fondness from Baron Okerra, his discomfort with it, at least in her presence, makes her feel uncomfortable on his behalf. She begins to mirror his reactions to the situation, partially to spare him, but mostly because she can't help it.
Amandine pinkens some also. Her pulse quickens and she develops a lurching feeling in her stomach. Amandine quickly moves to assist in distributing clothing and towels as well so she has an excuse not to look at him. A sudden break off in their conversation followed by silence might make him feel even worse, thinking she had noticed all this about him and was unhappy or offended. Amandine casts about for a subject he would favor and be pleased to engage with, and comes up with "How is Selli? It has been some time now since I've seen her."
Meanwhile Amandine tries to parse her new discovery about Baron Okerra, and try to figure out what she should do about it, if anything.
Greenly is initially interested in the furtive glances and the avoided eye contact between the two flirting parties but also dislikes them both enough not to care and her attention quickly wanders.
During a slow moment in conversation, the warrior intersperses herself between her ward and the Baron. "As the person who, like, caught the fish and, as you said, heroically rescued one of your own in the process, would it be appropriate for, like, a statue of me to be erected? Or a feast thrown and a trophy made?"
Catching Greenly's excited look at the idea of a statue, Dro'gan finally stops rolling his eyes at the flirting couple and intervenes a little.
"I think what the excitable lady means...is that maybe a little official recognition from the Baron on improving the safety of his lake, and having the impressive remains of the General stuffed and mounted for Ms. Greenly's pleasure would be an appropriate gesture for her daring and fortitude?"
Meraki, positively fascinated by all of the interpersonal dynamics at play here, finds it difficult to focus on any one set of interactions. There's Greenly and Lady Betony, of course, plus Dro'gan and "any woman at all," but there's also the vastly different ways Okerra interacts with the knight and the baroness.
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"Oh, my dear Selli," Okerra laughs, "I rue when she learns about this development. She'll insist on learning to fish, then she'll aim to catch an even more monstrous catfish within a matter of days. I've already started her on riding lessons, mostly because I know that if I say 'no' she'll sneak into the stable and try to teach herself."
He pauses his parental reflection as Greenly and Dro'gan make their appeal, spinning their recent heroism to make inroads on the baron's good graces. Without any begrudging, he acknowledges the great deeds you have accomplished this day.
"I may have to dust off and oil up my long-neglected hunting gear. Knowing that you have such a trophy on display in your home leaves me feeling a bit competitive," he jests with a good-natured smile, agreeing to have the General stuffed and mounted for you.
Amandine also laughs, relieved the tension between them is dissipating some.
"If I see her before I leave, I believe I can help with her impending fishing obsession. I can explain to her why she will not find a fish to match this one for many years to come. At least it might forestall her ambitions in that direction for some time. I'm afraid I can't help with horse riding though."
Given the extra time to mull over Baron Okerra's somewhat out of character reaction to her, Amandine considers the possibility of the Baron being moveable in other ways, perhaps doubting things he had previously thought of as certainties.
While it is absolutely too soon to tell the Baron everything, it might be a ripe timing to say a couple of small things casting doubt on Count Lotheed's character. She decides to wait and see if the opportunity comes to speak with him in confidence and gauge his mood if that time comes. If it feels right, she will.
A gloomy look crosses the baron's face.
"Truth be told, I'm reluctant to even let her learn to ride, even if she might rightly accuse me of being a hypocrite," Okerra says, shaking his head. "I worry about her taking too much after me."
He walks down the hall of the manor, away from the hubbub still going on around his home. Although he clearly wants to continue speaking with Amandine, he wants to do so away from prying ears.
"I worry that she may grow up wanting to join the Taldan Horse, become a mercenary, or - Abadar forbid - become an adventurer. There was once a day when I would have been proud to think of her taking the saddle to serve Taldor, but ever since we lost her mother to that troll..."
Amandine chuckles briefly before catching herself and apologizing.
"I'm sorry, I should not have laughed. But, from what I know of them mercenaries and adventurers take up such careers because they are seeking things Selli already has: wealth, a title, high position. I so doubted Selli would find that sort of life attractive, I believed you were joking for a moment."
"The Taldan Horse on the other hand, maybe so. But, if you will indulge a metaphor, rivers always run to the sea. They may be diverted from their course for many good uses, but whatever the new path, it will end at the sea. No feat of engineering can stop a river. Even a great dam can only stop a river for a while before the river overflows it. A dam must have gates to allow some flow to continue onward to the sea."
"What I mean is, if Selli does decide that is her ambition, the best you can do is prepare her well for it. If she is determined, and she seems to be the kind of person who is, you will not stop her. If you do no teach her to ride, she will find another way to learn eventually. Probably not as well as if you had been the one to teach her though."
"I do not know much of war, or a military life; but I do know something about young girls. What you withhold will become more desirable to her. So, do not hold anything back. Teach her all you know so she has the skill to better avoid the harm you fear. There is plenty of time yet for something new to come along and capture her ambitions instead. But, if her ambitions never waver, you will know you have done all you can to protect her. I know you love Selli and grieve for your wife, but you must be clear eyed about what you can control and what you cannot. That is hard hardest thing for a parent."
As they continue to walk, Amandine decides now is the time.
"There is something I want to confide in you as well. It is something weighing heavily on my mind recently. But, it is extremely sensitive. Could we continue our walk on out the back? Perhaps there are gardens or a forest trail we could take to ensure we cannot be heard?"
Amandine walks in silence until they have left the manor some distance behind. As she walks Amandine alters her course the slightest amount to minimize the distance between herself and the Baron. Without looking at him, she tells Okerra "If your arm were encircling my waist, I would not think it to be out of place."
Though well out of earshot, their body language is as an open book to Meraki's practiced eyes. As the pair turns a corner and leaves her sight entirely, Meraki looks back at her compatriots.
"Our Lady is quite the multitasker, is she not?"
The baron heaves a deep sigh, acknowledging and inwardly accepting Amandine's insightful parenting advice.
With a look of curiosity and concern, Okerra nods and bids Amandine follow him to a small orchard behind his manor.
Although his blush renews with vigor, Baron Okerra...Nicolaus again accepts his companion's advice and, steeling his courage, slips his arm about her waist.
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So Baron Okerra will know she is comfortable and appreciates his gesture, Amandine relaxes her posture a bit, transferring a slight amount of her weight for him to support with his arm. She waits until the two of them have found their new, combined stride and have settled into it before speaking.
"Recently I have heard things concerning Count Lotheed, from others and from him directly, that have troubled me. This is why I asked for the most secluded place to speak with you. I do not divulge what I have heard lightly, but I need the perspective of someone who knows the Count and the county well, and I trust you."
"This all began when I went to pay my respects to Baron Telus and offer fealty. We found Jambis to be in shambles, with its people displaces and starving. The Baron had indeed been cursed; the rumors were true. Meraki was able to break the curse, and restore Baron Telus's mind. He is now fit again, if remorseful for the harm he caused. I pledged resources to assist with the rehabilitation of Jambis, food, building materials, laborers."
"I hoped the aid would allow Jambis to quickly recover its self-sufficiency. But within a few days of our return to Stachys, Count Lotheed's tax assessor arrived. I knew well my project in Jambis would be a burden, but the tax assessment was heavy, and between the two the sum required is impossible. I repeatedly asked the assessor to explain the formula or equation for determining taxation levels, but he refused to be transparent. When I insisted, he produced an ad hoc formula, which, when compared to previous years, showed no consistent formula for taxation at all. Assessors are simply to maximize collections by whatever means."
"The tax assessor and I were at an impasse, so I decided to appeal to Count Lotheed personally. I released a collection of twenty percent of the harvest rather than the fifty percent the assessor had demanded. I was hoping to appeal to the Count for a lesser amount than the remaining thirty percent in light of my support given to Jambis."
"I departed for Lotheedar with Dro'gan and Sir Greenly immediately, and on the way we came upon Count Lotheed's tax assessor and his men again. They had been set upon by the Night Swan. The wagons carrying the Stachys collection had been sabotaged and they had been left bound. We freed them and sent them back to Stachys for replacement wagons."
"My audience with Count Lotheed did not go well. I had hoped he would see that the small sacrifice of a lesser collection now, would yield greater rewards in the long term. A recovered Jambis would yield far more in future collections than a one time reduction for Stachys would cost. Count Lotheed was not interested in discussing the collection in general, much less in its details. Instead he offered to consider the matter if I captured the Night Swan for him. He went further, dangling an offer to supplant any heirs of the Voinum or Telus Baronies in favor of me if I brought him the Night Swan."
"I demurred of course. He seemed to believe I would be an unknown factor who could surprise the Night Swan. I told him his assumption was incorrect; the Night Swan has previously threatened my life. Obviously I am well known to her. It was very disturbing to know he would treat Baroness Voinum's and Baron Telus's families' claims to the title as nothing worth a thought on his part."
"There is one other thing, perhaps the most serious. While waiting to see Count Lotheed, I had an unpleasant encounter with his relative Lord Titus. He was drunk, ultimately we exchanged some barbs. It was clear to me that despite his loyalty to the Lotheed family, he resents them. He pointed out to me the Count is only a steward of Merrat. He further let slip that Count Lotheed is meeting with representatives of High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus about turning the county over to Pythareus, presumably in return for granting Count Lotheed full ownership of Meratt. He further mentioned Count Lotheed's great uncle Duke Panivar as the one who facilitated the negotiation."
"All of this shows Count Lotheed to be derelict as Steward of Merrat. He neglects Merrat and its residents in favor of his own pocketbook. He has tacitly admitted to me he and his people under Sir Gul Gusairne are either incompetent or indifferent to the county's security. They cannot or will not control banditry or the Night Swan. He betrays his oath to the Stavian family by plotting to hand over the county to their enemy. If that is not treason, it is at least abandonment of his fiduciary responsibility to govern the county with its owners' interests as his first priority."
At this point, Amandine looks up at Baron Okerra. "This knowledge is a great burden to me. I fear there are very dangerous things afoot, and Merrat may be teetering toward disaster."
"I am not asking you to act on any of this, but to tell me what you think of it."
"That...is a lot to take in," Nicolaus Okerra muses, shaking his head gently as he processes all the information that Amandine has presented.
You also hear him faintly whisper "whoa," as though the conversation - and the entire situation in Meratt unfolding around him - was a horse he could rein in. He walks a few more yards, giving himself time to consider his response.
"You know, if anyone else came to me with such business, I would summarily dismiss them and bid them to never return to my lands. Such talk could be considered treasonous, after all, and traitors are the most heinous of all criminals, for they have betrayed the oaths and loyalties that form the very foundation of our society.
"However, given all that you've done in your short time here in the county - by Aroden's bones, even just given what you've done this very day - I have to give it credence."
Okerra putters around, staring up at the apple blossoms upon the boughs of his orchard's trees.
"From my service in the Taldan Horse to my days here in Meratt, my entire life has been guided by the importance of loyalty, of upholding one's oaths and obedience. After all, law and order is what protects us from sliding into the kind of anarchy and slaughter that grips Galt.
"I'm no fool. I know that Count Lotheed is a fop. I've seen how he neglects his duty to his subjects," he says, clearly frustrated. "But I also know how useless it is to talk and gossip and politic behind closed doors. I'd hoped...I tried to set an example, demonstrate through deeds rather than words how we could serve the people who serve us."
Not long ago, rebellious notions such as unseating Count Lotheed would have been blasphemous to Okerra. Now, however, he's grappling with the possibility that such unscrupulous methods may actually be necessary to save the county from its corrupt leader.
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Amandine intuits Baron Okerra's inner conflict. She senses he is a man used to giving orders with clarity and resolve in life or death situations. Doubt is a killer when one is a military officer. She can feel in his now hesitant steps and silent moments that he is confronting a situation his military past hasn't adequately prepared him for.
Needing a moment to think about how to proceed, Amandine turns toward him, stopping them both both. She reaches around him with the arm opposite his, completing their encirclement of each other and making it a full embrace. She lays her head on his chest, giving them both a quiet pause.
Amandine needs to bring him further along, but not so far that he will be unable to resist his need to act when his mind is made up. She must also not push, but pull. Too much pressure on him to see things her way might make him reactive, snapping back into what has been comfortable for him in the past. She takes several deep, slow breaths and begins speaking, leaving her head resting on Okerra.
"We share the same fears, and I believe we sense the same dilemmas. But I wrestle with them in a slightly different way than you."
"Yes, Galt is a tragedy. I am sure we have heard the same stories about its horrors. I deeply fear the possibility of a similar future in Taldor. There is no real law there except for the whim of the mob. It is a lesson that cannot be ignored."
"But Galt cannot truly be understood as the simple story so often told. It is a product of Cheliax. That part is often forgotten by those who hold it as a cautionary example. Galt did not simply devour itself. Galt gnawed itself free of Cheliax because it would not be subject to infernal law."
"As we both know Cheliax is nothing if not a nation of law and order. I will not repeat the stories of how Cheliax's people suffer and are degraded through the brutality of law for the sake of obedience, for I am sure you know them well Baron Okerra."
Amandine releases herself from their embrace and steps back so she can meet the Baron's eyes. She raises her hands, palms upward.
"So the full story gives us two examples to consider. One," she raises her right hand slightly, "shows us principles that have curdled because law did not discipline them."
Amandine then raises her left hand. "The other shows us the brutality and nihilism of law without principles."
She lowers both her hands. "The true lesson of these two wretched nations' histories I see is we must reject both extremes."
"But, I think even this simple conclusion is not the whole truth; it is an illusion of sorts. For to me law and principle are not opposites like Galt and Cheliax might imply. They are not the same kinds of things at all. Law is a tool, made by us to uphold what we hold dear. It is a scaffolding we build to lift up ideals, principles. Those things that are bigger than us, gifted to us by the gods when we were created as creatures of reason and conscious."
"Law for the sake of the law, is an empty edifice unless it supports some set of principles. I believe laws are how we give form to the ethos we value, whether personally or as an empire."
"Do we want laws that oppress, or laws that benefit all those who live by them? My dear Baron, I propose there is only one universal truth in history; things always change. If it were not so, there would be no history to write. People, nations, institutions, all change inevitably. They either grow, if we accept the inevitable and map our future wisely; or they atrophy, if we are dragged forward kicking and screaming while we clutch at the past."
"I believe as you do, that we must all respect and uphold the law. But I further believe we must be clear-eyed when we see its failures. When we do, we must dare to remedy them rather than looking away. For, as those overlooked failures compound each other, the time will come when the entire edifice, both the good and the rotten, will fall."
"But, grand theories of law, or good and evil, do not easily lend themselves to practice. In this moment, I struggle with competing oaths. Does my oath to Count Lotheed outweigh my oath to Baron Telus? Is my obligation to Meratt's owner or Meratt's administrator greater? I don't know if there is a precise, codified answer. What I do know is there are clear ethical answers."
"I have tried to reconcile my competing obligations and I have failed. As frightening and worrisome as it is to me, given the state of things here and in Taldor as a whole, I do wonder if we are now living in one of those rare times when we must sometimes choose principles over the law because the two have become incompatible. There are laws that no longer raise up what we hold dear. That is why I am here speaking with you now. I also doubt my wisdom in placing principles above other considerations. Is what I have told you enough to justify the risk of continuing to do so? And if it is not, how do I live with myself going forward?"
Romance is as much a skill as swordplay - and it's one that Nicolaus Okerra has neglected for many long years. Amandine's sudden maneuver and embrace leaves him very flustered. In the quiet moment before Amandine makes her appeal, he attempts to offer a compliment. However, he ends up putting his foot in his mouth, and the compliment comes out akin to praising a fellow soldier's sword arm.
It's almost a relief for him when Amandine breaks the silence with her rhetoric.
At the end, when Amandine awaits his response, Okerra is unable to restrain a nervous laugh.
"You may have just given a speech worthy of Senate Hill," he says, briefly grimacing as he remembers the Massacre before pressing on, "but much of it has gone well above my head, I'm afraid.
"I have never been accused of being a smart man," he concedes. "Maybe I've avoided delving into these matters of the philosophy behind law simply because I'm not even shrewd enough by half to understand all the fine details. Hells, it makes me miss the simplicity of life in the cavalry.
"Of course, using Cheliax as an opposite example - that I can certainly understand. You know, after the Massacre, when it became clear that Taldor was entering a crisis of succession, I'd hoped to stay out of the conflict. I returned home to Meratt so I could look after my own people - preserve a small bit of peace and stability. I figured I could do at least that much, and that would be enough.
"However, somewhere between the Jubilee and right now, I found myself thinking that Princess Eutropia would be the better choice to lead Taldor. If you're interested in the clout, then you should know that you definitely had a hand in leading me in that direction."
He pauses, then offers as much of a shrug as Amandine's close proximity will allow.
"I don't know. I just don't know what to do or what more to say. This is well off the map for me. I've always relied upon my strength. When it comes to smarts, I think it would be wise to just defer to your insight," he says, offering a boyish smile that belies the lines upon his face and the flecks of gray hair at his temples. "What do you think? What should be done?"
Amandine pauses for a minute after Baron Okerra's question. Then, although she knows better, she does something she shouldn't.
"For the time being, wait. I've already done something, and what comes next may depend on the results. I've written to Princess Eutropia, telling her the same things I've told you."
While Amandine does believe Okerra can be trusted to keep the confidence she has shared, she does not know it with certainty. It is her desire to believe in him that bridges the distance between what she hopes and what she can know.
"If the Princess responds, we will know her wishes. If she does not, I suppose we will also understand her wishes. So, for a while we wait."
Amandine steps in closer again and reaches up to lay her hand along the side of the Baron's face. Going up on her tiptoes, she leans in and kisses him.
"Whatever the outcome, thank you for listening, and believing me Nicolaus."
Any further input on the matter from Nicolaus is cut off by the kiss. The gesture sends the baron's mind further back into stammering, anxious boyhood, and he loses what little ability to contemplate political philosophy he had.
He manages to compose himself enough to ask what the plan is for the rescued boat passengers and crew. Finding comfort by speaking as though discussing military logistics with an aide-de-camp, Okerra asks whether the rescued need further shelter or transportation home.
While Amandine offs and aways, Greenly is busy at work detailing the story of this afternoon's adventure to the wet nobles, reenacting stabbing the General above the beast's eye while it wrestled her in its mouth, being swallowed before splitting its belly and pulling herself out of the great fish.
"It's the most fun I ever had, like, fishing, really. Not my usual sport. I'm a jouster, like, you may not recognize me, but I even bested our host."
She then dramatically regales them with the story of the Jubilee Joust, a poorly timed affair to be sure, as she ends her tale just as the Baron and "Lady" return.
Amandine would rather have continued her embrace with the Baron longer, but she backs away from it as he does. It is better he not become overwhelmed or uncomfortable with this sudden shift in their relationship.
She mirrors his change over to the tasks at hand, becoming businesslike as they walk back.
"I know little about any of the passengers myself. We brought them here as quickly as we could. There is one of them who kept her head in the situation, Lady Mira. I take you to her. She is probably the one who will best know what they need."
When they arrive, Amandine takes Baron Okerra to Mira.
Amandine and Baron Okerra rejoin the rest of the party in one of the trellised gardens abutting the manor. They arrive just in time to hear the end of Greenly's account.
"I suppose I can't be sore considering that it's all true," he laughs, hearing Greenly's boasts. "However, I feel that a rematch may be in order."
He then turns his attention to Lady Mira.
"I'm terribly sorry that you've had to endure such a harrowing ordeal," he says after preliminary introductions are made. [b]"I promise our land and lake are usually far more welcoming.
Seeing Amandine return with a smiling Baron, Dro'gan nods then steps up carefully.
"If I may Baron? How about I take our large carriage and start trying to get those who live further away home safely. However, that might take even almost a day or so. Would you be so kind as to take great care of my Lady and her bodyguard for the night in your residence, and then I will retrieve her and Ms. Greenly on the next day? Also, if you don't mind stashing the remains of the general someplace he could be filleted properly as well...I'm sure your cooks and hunters will appreciate the challenge involved!"
Mira curtsies to the Baron, then smiles:"Oh, I am most certain. I have only recently arrived and would be both surprised and devastated to find them usually less welcoming - ", she adds a small giggle to signal it was meant as a joke to lighten the mood.
She looks around as if to make sure he was really addressing her, then throws a glance at Amandine by his side: "Alas, by what turn of events did I receive the honor of your attention, noble Sir Okerra?"
Mira was unsure how close her new host and this Baron were, or what information, if any, she had shared with him. If she wanted her to recount her tale, certainly they would head somewhere more private for that, but for now, it seemed safer to not assume and instead just do small-talk and ask.
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Greenly snorts at the Baron's suggestion, and in front of everyone asks the man, "Are you, like, fond of losing to me?"
It is meant to be jovial and familiar, a teasing olive branch in their continued misunderstandings of each other, but it comes out mocking, petulant, childish.
"Sir Greenly," the knight quietly corrects Gand'ro.
Baron Okerra agrees with Gand'ro's suggestion, and he even offers to rent some carts from his citizens in town at Pensaris to better expedite the rescued passengers back home.
As for Greenly's comments...
Greenly snorts at the Baron's suggestion, and in front of everyone asks the man, "Are you, like, fond of losing to me?"
He tilts his head down, narrows his gaze, and speaks with a rather stern expression.
"I am curious to see whether your victory was merely a fluke or naught but luck," he says. You aren't sure whether he's actually cross or merely trying to tease Greenly right back.
Turning his attention away from Greenly, the baron explains that Lady Betony suggested that Mira might better know what aid the rescued passengers could make use of. At the very least, she might know where they need to be delivered to take them home.
Mira makes an impeccable first impression on Baron Okerra. Since he has seen Amandine's heroics and noble behavior on repeated occasions, Okerra is not about to suddenly elevate this stranger above Amandine in his esteem. However, she quickly earns the dogmatic baron's trust, and he does not worry about her presence around his home or daughter.
"Sir Greenly, could I ask a favor?" Meraki whispers, sidling up next to the knight. "Would you mind helping me with my painting while they're all busy trying to impress each other?"
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Predictably, Greenly takes the bait. "A fluke? Luck? I-"
Meraki's intercession catches her friend thoroughly off guard; Greenly freezes trying to process.
"Is it," she murmurs, soft enough for just the tiefling to hear, "is it, like, a painting of me? You asking me to model?"
Instantly, all the vigor and vim returns to her blood as she puffs up her chest to stick up her nose at the Baron. Speaking out the corner of her mouth, she smirks "Sorry milord, can't play now, I gotta, like, get a portrait painted of my heroic actions." The smile on her face is painfully big.
"But let's get it done sometime soon, Baron. We can even pray for the Savored Sting's luck together if you're worried she, like, has a favorite."
She offers a conciliatory handshake. This was not the time nor place for their squabble, better to set it aside now to feel the clatter of lance against shield later.
As they lock hands , the knight can't help but get a final word in edgewise. "It's me, tho, I'm the favorite," she hastily utters.
Letting go, she bounces off to assist Meraki and avoid harming the group's favor with their closest ally.