I've sent just 4 (barring "few" "joke" "characters", although a "joke" character got in, with some changes).
Fun fact all of them have so… moremething to do with Leonard Constantine (well duh, one of them IS him).
I suppose making lone wolf characters suits me better, let them define themselves rather than their family or friends or enemies. Plus I don't want to give Liquid insomnia.
I don't make families with too large of numbers in fear that the family member's unique personalities don't get to shine through due to the distraction that is the other plus dozen of family characters who are trying to get enough screen time to make an impact upon the readers. The largest family I've made so far was six, but I'm fairly confident that large number won't inhibit their ability to be unique because they all have interesting backstory and personality. I also could never make 15 characters for one family because I put so much backstory into each of my characters that it may as well be the length of an novel, which Liquid can agree with. I usually don't make characters unless I get some inspiration for them. Like I made one half of Marigold-Vega family and finished the other half a year later or so. I can't wait to see this 15 character family.
I guess it fits the dynastic theme for GoT, I myself just finished sending Liquid the notable quotes for my finished House Beltaine, with 15… more characters in it. It was my 3rd House, I still have one full house for Liquid left and a few solo characters, but now I'm almost done.
I don't make families with too large of numbers in fear that the family member's unique personalities don't get to shine
It's Westeros. All men must die, and can at any moment. I doubt the number of characters matter in this aspect
I also could never make 15 characters for one family because I put so much backstory into each of my characters that it may as well be the length of an novel
While I do make a few characters with shorter descriptions majority of them also have quite long descriptions, unless Liquid or Stigz_52, Lord_EAA, mellofox confirm otherwise I think we are on the same level here, or perhaps I write them even longer
I can't wait to see this 15 character family.
Mind you, this includes a mother from a different dynasty, bastards, etc
I don't make families with too large of numbers in fear that the family member's unique personalities don't get to shine through due to the … moredistraction that is the other plus dozen of family characters who are trying to get enough screen time to make an impact upon the readers. The largest family I've made so far was six, but I'm fairly confident that large number won't inhibit their ability to be unique because they all have interesting backstory and personality. I also could never make 15 characters for one family because I put so much backstory into each of my characters that it may as well be the length of an novel, which Liquid can agree with. I usually don't make characters unless I get some inspiration for them. Like I made one half of Marigold-Vega family and finished the other half a year later or so. I can't wait to see this 15 character family.
The Nathamers were so enjoyable to write, the family is crazy. And they are just one of the dysfunctional families I've made that will be showing up. There's also the Marigold-Vega family that have yet to show their dysfunctionality, and another family that will be quite interesting to see.
I can only say that I'm really looking out for that!
The Nathamers were so enjoyable to write, the family is crazy. And they are just one of the dysfunctional families I've made that will be sh… moreowing up. There's also the Marigold-Vega family that have yet to show their dysfunctionality, and another family that will be quite interesting to see. Oh and to add to the list of forgotten POVs there is still Lyria, Alys, and Torvin.
I've sent just 4 (barring "few" "joke" "characters", although a "joke" character got in, with some changes).
Fun fact all of them have so… moremething to do with Leonard Constantine (well duh, one of them IS him).
I suppose making lone wolf characters suits me better, let them define themselves rather than their family or friends or enemies. Plus I don't want to give Liquid insomnia.
That is also an option, I actually thought at start I would do the same, but as I wrote the first character I began to think about the family, and it exploded into an unending flood of ideas.
I prefer lone wolfs as well while creation. AlI of my 3 characters submitted for FoT are this way.
Only for Stigz stories recently I felt crazy and brave enough to create some characters connected one to another as friends or family.
That is also an option, I actually thought at start I would do the same, but as I wrote the first character I began to think about the family, and it exploded into an unending flood of ideas.
The Nathamers were so enjoyable to write, the family is crazy. And they are just one of the dysfunctional families I've made that will be sh… moreowing up. There's also the Marigold-Vega family that have yet to show their dysfunctionality, and another family that will be quite interesting to see.
I can only say that I'm really looking out for that!
I see what you mean by they can die at any moment so you want to have back up characters in case one of them still dies you still have other characters that will be around, but I really don't mind character death because it offers a chance to get a bunch of other characters so much development and become more interesting. Saying that I don't any of my characters to die, but if one did, after I got over the initial shock of it I would be excited to see how their death would affect other characters and the story as a whole.
When you showed me one of your characters for Stigz story, my first impressions were that he was quite a badass. He has done a lot of things in his life already in the backstory I wonder what he has left to do in the story. He does look like a interesting character to see I didn't know Stigz had a story going on so thanks for showing me it and I'll make sure to read up on it.
I don't make families with too large of numbers in fear that the family member's unique personalities don't get to shine
It's Wester… moreos. All men must die, and can at any moment. I doubt the number of characters matter in this aspect
I also could never make 15 characters for one family because I put so much backstory into each of my characters that it may as well be the length of an novel
While I do make a few characters with shorter descriptions majority of them also have quite long descriptions, unless Liquid or Stigz_52, Lord_EAA, mellofox confirm otherwise I think we are on the same level here, or perhaps I write them even longer
I can't wait to see this 15 character family.
Mind you, this includes a mother from a different dynasty, bastards, etc
I see what you mean by they can die at any moment so you want to have back up characters in case one of them still dies you still have other… more characters that will be around, but I really don't mind character death because it offers a chance to get a bunch of other characters so much development and become more interesting. Saying that I don't any of my characters to die, but if one did, after I got over the initial shock of it I would be excited to see how their death would affect other characters and the story as a whole.
When you showed me one of your characters for Stigz story, my first impressions were that he was quite a badass. He has done a lot of things in his life already in the backstory I wonder what he has left to do in the story. He does look like a interesting character to see I didn't know Stigz had a story going on so thanks for showing me it and I'll make sure to read up on it.
[Go outside and speak to Aditha] Arthur doesn't seem like he'll add much to the inspection since Mathea and Hackor are there the only thing … morethat he would add is the PoV so the readers get to see what Clayton really did to the body, Mathea will be doing most of the work. And Arthur seems like he can actually help Aditha.
That's true XD While Aren is not a coward, he's not stupid enough to do that either. Though I guess it's safe to say that Helenys will take good care of her pet in due time
only thing that he would add is the PoV so the readers get to see what Clayton really did to the body,
nope, it would also allow Arthur to identify traces of the murderer, perhaps be able to avoid an attack that could end up killing him
He meant that the killers of Corbin (Clayton & co.) aren't after Arthur because Arthur gave them Wolfius. Personally I wouldn't trust Clayton's promises though.
He meant that the killers of Corbin (Clayton & co.) aren't after Arthur because Arthur gave them Wolfius. Personally I wouldn't trust Clayton's promises though.
edit: I got that wrong
Arthur "promise" them to not say a world about how he succeed to capture Wolfius (aka to not reveal their identity);the reason because Clayton decide to give Wolfius to the city guard was because Woodbark had become an annoyance (thanks to his insane quest to kill half raylainsfair townfolk) that can only make more hard the assassins mission.
In return, Arthur did not tell Hackor of Clayton's involvement in Wolfius' capture. It sounds like a small thing to do, but actually helped Clayton quite a lot. With this move, he basically wanted to frame Wolfius for the crimes he commited himself, namely the murders of Maester Eaton and Lord Raylan. After the city guard attacked his hideout, he knew it would only be a matter of time until they would find him, so he rather sacrificed Wolfius, who had become a danger for the mission anyway, to end the investigation. Now, the city guard still has no idea that Clayton even exists, while Wolfius is officially seen as the man who murdered Maester Eaton and Lord Raylan on top of the murders he actually commited.
I'm afraid I never vote myself, since I believe this should be about your choices. Otherwise, I could have just decided on my favoured outcome right away, therefore making the voting obsolete. If I really don't want a certain outcome, I wouldn't even give you the choice in the first place. That said, I do have a method on how to deal with vote ties, even if we had none for a long while.
I see what you mean by they can die at any moment so you want to have back up characters in case one of them still dies you still have other… more characters that will be around, but I really don't mind character death because it offers a chance to get a bunch of other characters so much development and become more interesting. Saying that I don't any of my characters to die, but if one did, after I got over the initial shock of it I would be excited to see how their death would affect other characters and the story as a whole.
When you showed me one of your characters for Stigz story, my first impressions were that he was quite a badass. He has done a lot of things in his life already in the backstory I wonder what he has left to do in the story. He does look like a interesting character to see I didn't know Stigz had a story going on so thanks for showing me it and I'll make sure to read up on it.
The Voting is... not closed? We have a tie? But we hadn't had a tie in forever! What is this madness?
Yes indeed, we have a tie once again. Now, back when the story was still young and vote ties were somewhat more common, I came up with a system that made sense to me back then, but which has a couple of problems nowadays. Basically, I decided to give the person who created the PoV character a second vote in case of a tie, so that their character would behave the way they want in such a difficult situation. Back then, with a way smaller amount of PoV's, every PoV character belonged to an active reader. Over the past year, several readers have left, which means that my old system needs an update. It still works in this particular case, but for the next time I will make some changes to it. Most likely, the first vote will decide the next time we have a voting.
For now it still works, luckily. This means, @Bounden, I summon thee to break the tie. Arthur is your character, which means you'll get a second vote. Would you rather have him work alongside his father in the dungeons or comfort his sister in the castle courtyard? I can reveal, the choice is certainly not minor and some important consequences will come out of it, so choose wisely.
That said, the next part is not related to this choice, so I can already continue to write it without knowing the outcome of this voting. It might be out today, though I have made less progress than I hoped yesterday. Basically, I miscalculated a few things that came up yesterday and as a result, spent far more time on them than I thought. I still hope to finish the next part today. It will feature PoV's from Ilish and Sadie. The last time we saw Ilish, she and her group, consisting of Philip, Jarow, Torold and Taenora arrived at the fair, where she spoke to Taenora's daughter Nila, who revealed to her that she was stalked by Kreep. This proved that Kreep had been at the fair for a while at least. However, Philip and Torold got into a disagreement of sorts, with Torold wanting to stick to their original plan of searching for Kreep at the fair, while Philip brought up the possibility that Kreep could be at the town square instead, to look for a way to free his father. Ilish ultimately agreed with him on this and she supported him, which means the group will now head to the town square. Meanwhile, Sadie was at Gyles' tavern, where she hoped to find her sister. Before she could start her rescue though, she was stopped in the taproom by Leonard Hill, leader of a sellsword group in Gyles' employment and one hell of a dangerous guy, according to her ally Baelor. Though Leo acted polite, Sadie got a bad feeling around him. Eventually, it was revealed that he is a Lannister bastard, with a particular hatred for Lannisters. The seemingly random arrival of a traveller wearing the Lannister colours, whom Leo identified as his distant cousin Tythan, caused a distraction that allowed Sadie to leave the taproom to the inner courtyard of Gyles' tavern/whorehouse. Her plan was to enter the whorehouse part of the building through one of the windows and she was ultimately left with a choice to enter a well-illuminated, but currently empty room, or to enter a dark and silent room, where she couldn't be sure if it was truly empty. She ultimately decided for the latter.
Arthur could really help as he knows who the killers are and can point out who they are if they see them. All he can't do is tell anyone that he didn't catch Wolfius.
Before I make my vote, I want to know where the execution taking place and how close it is to the castle courtyard and where Aditha is? Because now I'm thinking it's possible Kreep is going to break out Wolfius and if Arthur is within visibility he could help and try to stop them. Or it is no where nearby and Arthur choosing Aditha could be a bad choice and that it proves Havkor right about Arthur not being able to be best guard in the town.
The Voting is... not closed? We have a tie? But we hadn't had a tie in forever! What is this madness?
Yes indeed, we have a tie once agai… moren. Now, back when the story was still young and vote ties were somewhat more common, I came up with a system that made sense to me back then, but which has a couple of problems nowadays. Basically, I decided to give the person who created the PoV character a second vote in case of a tie, so that their character would behave the way they want in such a difficult situation. Back then, with a way smaller amount of PoV's, every PoV character belonged to an active reader. Over the past year, several readers have left, which means that my old system needs an update. It still works in this particular case, but for the next time I will make some changes to it. Most likely, the first vote will decide the next time we have a voting.
For now it still works, luckily. This means, @Bounden, I summon thee to break th… [view original content]
The Voting is... not closed? We have a tie? But we hadn't had a tie in forever! What is this madness?
Yes indeed, we have a tie once agai… moren. Now, back when the story was still young and vote ties were somewhat more common, I came up with a system that made sense to me back then, but which has a couple of problems nowadays. Basically, I decided to give the person who created the PoV character a second vote in case of a tie, so that their character would behave the way they want in such a difficult situation. Back then, with a way smaller amount of PoV's, every PoV character belonged to an active reader. Over the past year, several readers have left, which means that my old system needs an update. It still works in this particular case, but for the next time I will make some changes to it. Most likely, the first vote will decide the next time we have a voting.
For now it still works, luckily. This means, @Bounden, I summon thee to break th… [view original content]
The execution will take place in the town square, which is in the centre of the town, a good deal away from the castle, which is located more to the side of the town. Though the execution will take place later, hours after Hackor dealt with the examination of Septon Corbin, so it is unlikely that Arthur will remain in the courtyard for such a long amount of time, even if he chooses to comfort Aditha.
Before I make my vote, I want to know where the execution taking place and how close it is to the castle courtyard and where Aditha is? Beca… moreuse now I'm thinking it's possible Kreep is going to break out Wolfius and if Arthur is within visibility he could help and try to stop them. Or it is no where nearby and Arthur choosing Aditha could be a bad choice and that it proves Havkor right about Arthur not being able to be best guard in the town.
The execution will take place in the town square, which is in the centre of the town, a good deal away from the castle, which is located mor… moree to the side of the town. Though the execution will take place later, hours after Hackor dealt with the examination of Septon Corbin, so it is unlikely that Arthur will remain in the courtyard for such a long amount of time, even if he chooses to comfort Aditha.
I didn't know Stigz had a story going on so thanks for showing me it and I'll make sure to read up on it.
This is a great idea! You … moreshould totally check Stigz' story out, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it because it is awesome. In case you haven't found it, here's a link: https://telltale.com/community/discussion/99062/interactive-got-fan-fiction-the-invasion
Liquid, is it good for you how I sent you the last character? I can't stop my own style and method of writing, so I will have to cut up my characters and rearrange it according to questions, thus doubling my workload to also post for you in classic char sheet format while also posting in the usual format for myself (with working links, images, videos, quotes, etc) but if you wish for me to do that I will, but it will slow my process of finishing characters down.
I'm afraid I never vote myself, since I believe this should be about your choices. Otherwise, I could have just decided on my favoured outco… moreme right away, therefore making the voting obsolete. If I really don't want a certain outcome, I wouldn't even give you the choice in the first place. That said, I do have a method on how to deal with vote ties, even if we had none for a long while.
The Voting is... not closed? We have a tie? But we hadn't had a tie in forever! What is this madness?
Yes indeed, we have a tie once agai… moren. Now, back when the story was still young and vote ties were somewhat more common, I came up with a system that made sense to me back then, but which has a couple of problems nowadays. Basically, I decided to give the person who created the PoV character a second vote in case of a tie, so that their character would behave the way they want in such a difficult situation. Back then, with a way smaller amount of PoV's, every PoV character belonged to an active reader. Over the past year, several readers have left, which means that my old system needs an update. It still works in this particular case, but for the next time I will make some changes to it. Most likely, the first vote will decide the next time we have a voting.
For now it still works, luckily. This means, @Bounden, I summon thee to break th… [view original content]
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members of the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but seeing all of these people, the uncharacteristic, undignified hatred they oozed, it still made her sick. Murderer, monster or not, taking such an amount of delight in witnessing Wolfius' death was something Ilish saw as plain wrong. The only thing she was glad of was that neither Audrey, nor Megur or Daisy were here. She wanted to keep her good opinion on all three
In the centre of the square, a large wooden platform had been built, rather hastily. It wasn't finished yet, though Ilish was already able to recognize the gallows. Wolfius would hang. Any other executioner would let him suffocate slowly instead of breaking his neck, but Ilish knew that Hackor Nathamer was too much of a just man for such cruelty. And she had no doubt that the captain of the city guard would take care of this matter personally, especially with the turmoil the castle was in at the moment. It would have only been nice if he would have dealt with the matter in private, if he had given the beast a quick, clean death behind the closed doors of the city guard headquarters.
“So, what are the news in the castle?”, Torold asked his brother. Similar to Ilish, he had a light frown on his face, but in his case it was not because he disapproved of people celebrating the upcoming execution, but because they were even here. He made no secret of his disapproval of the group's decision. At the same time, Philip was obviously pleased. An approving nod into Ilish's direction had shown this.
They had met Daemion Stratford not long ago. Torold's younger brother was a captain of the city guard, looking a good ten years younger than his brother, with a full blonde beard and dark blue eyes that sparkled with warm joy. While his duties made it impossible for him to help directly, he accompanied them during his patrol across the square.
“It's bad”, he stated bluntly. “We have a foreign princess, a potentially hostile Reachlord and the Red Lion of Castamere, all locked into quite the power struggle” Ilish raised an eyebrow. Of course she had heard the rumours, though they have been hardly reliable. Most of the talk on the street mentioned the beauty of the stag princess and the elegance of the Lord of Mander's Mouth. No one mentioned how dangerous they could be for the city.
“And who's going to win?”, Torold asked. Daemion shrugged. “I'd bet on the princess. She has the right name”, he answered. “Though it doesn't matter in the end. The only thing I care for is how much of the city will be left for folk like us when the high lords and ladies are done with their game” Torold sighed. “Bad times, eh?”, he muttered and Daemion gave him a nod. “Bad times”, he confirmed and the two brothers looked at each other in silence.
In this moment, Philip's pleased expression turned into one of surprised joy, as he spotted someone among the crowd he hadn't been expecting. Ilish followed his stare and saw a familiar face, with wavy, black hair and piercing eyes in an orange-yellow colour. “Mathea!”, he said to gain her attention. Ilish had only met the healer once, though she remembered her fondly, for it had been her who treated Lawsen's wound after Kreep took a bite out of his neck.
The young woman noticed them, her eyes widening in surprise, as she approached them with a delicate smile. As she came closer, Ilish noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes. “I haven't expected you here”, she greeted them and Philip grinned. “Haven't expected you here either”, Ilish answered, glancing around the bloodthirsty crowd.
Mathea's smile faded. “Oh, I'm not here for... that”, she clarified and rose a small basket that was dangling on her forearm. “I was going to the market, trying to get some fresh herbs. I've reserved the Milk of the Poppy for Rosalie, which means I have to use substitutes for Urid and Lyria. A couple of herbs are great for compresses, which should ease their pain a bit”
Philip gave her a nod and the hint of concern formed on his face. Mathea noticed it and her smile returned. “They will make it”, she assured him. “Lyria is already as good as new, though her broken wrist needs time. Urid's legs are in a bad condition, but it's no longer life-threatening. And Rosalie...” Her smile grew weaker, more forced. “She will live”
Now, Philip sighed. “That wasn't what I meant”, he told her. “When was the last time you've slept?” As if she had just waited for his comment, Mathea let out a heavy yawn, almost contagious. She thought about it for a moment before answering. “Yesterday in the morning I got a few hours”, she stated. “I woke up when Rosalie's milk stopped working and she started to scream again” A sad streak formed on her face. “Her physical wounds will heal, but the damage Wolfius did runs deeper than that, goes beyond physical pain”
Philip wanted to answer, though the sound of hasty footsteps caused him to wait. “Lady Mathea!”, a boy yelled as he raced towards them. “Lady Mathea, it's urgent!” He stopped in front of them, gasping for air, while Mathea raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”, she asked and she tried to sound casually. It was a clumsy attempt at hiding her surprise and nervousness. “Murder!”, the man finally managed to exclaim.
Ilish looked up, her stare meeting Taenora's. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daemion Stratford tensing up, while Philip clenched his fists. Mathea gulped audibly. “Septon Corbin has been murdered, mylady!”, the boy explained and Ilish frowned. Not the most faithful person in town, she hadn't known the Septon very well, but most people around her spoke highly of him. Audrey in particular would be heartbroken to hear the news.
“Commander Nathamer demands your presence in the castle”, the boy explained, to which Mathea looked mildly confused. “I'm afraid this must be a mistake”, she said in a reserved tone. “If this man is already dead, then there is nothing I can do for him. I take care of the living, not the dead” The boy shook his head. “Commander Nathamer demands your presence in the castle”, he repeated. “Please, the commander needs your help with the investigation”
Now, Mathea bit her lower lip. “But... I have patients to take care of...”, she explained, clearly torn. Philip came to her aid at once. Calmingly, he put a hand onto her upper arm. “It's alright”, he assured her. “Go and help the commander. Don't get yourself in trouble. I'll look after them once we're done here. Wanted to visit Urid either way”
A relieved smile formed on Mathea's face. “Thank you”, she said wholeheartedly and she gave the boy a nod. “Lead the way then” Before the boy could turn around, Daemion Stratford walked up to them, a concerned frown on his face. “A murder in the castle you say...”, he growled. “And an important witness on top” He glanced around, focussing on the gallows. “Mylady, if you don't mind I shall accompany you”, he stated. “I have something to discuss with the commander”
“I do not mind at all, Ser”, Mathea answered kindly. With a thankful smile towards Philip, she separated from the group, while Daemion and Torold stood in front of each other for a moment. Then, the brewer grabbed his brothers forearm, shaking it slightly. “Take care, brother”, Daemion said and Torold gave him a nod. “You as well” And with these words, the Stratford brothers separated from each other. Mathea, Daemion and the young messenger quickly started to walk towards the castle.
“Another murder...”, Taenora sighed. “Could it be this Kreep?” Torold shot her a glare. “What? You want to change our plan again? Maybe searching the castle courtyard now?”, he growled in a stressed, worried tone, though his expression softened immediately. “Apologies, mylady. This whole situation is just...”
Taenora gave him a mild nod. “There's no need to apologize”, she assured him. “This situation is difficult for all of us” She glanced around the crowd. “We should still discuss our next step. Kreep might be here somewhere, trying to prevent the hanging of his father. Any suggestions?”
Philip started to look around the nearby buildings and his gaze quickly fell upon the stables next to the tavern. They were exceptionally large, formerly owned by House Raylan until Audrey's late husband had bought them. It proved to be a foolish decision, as the tavern rarely accommodated that many guests who arrived on horseback. Two floors gave enough room for horses, for hay and especially to hide. From a large window in the second floor, one would be able to overlook the entire square.
“Good idea”, Taenora commented, as she followed his line of thought. “Armed with a bow, he could easily shoot the rope around Wolfius' neck, could cover his escape... Searching the stables might be a good start” She looked at Ilish. “You know the building?”
Ilish gave her a quick nod. “It would be a good choice for Kreep if he truly wants to free his father”, she agreed. “It's dark, lots of space to hide. It also has two entrances, the large in the front, and a small door in the back”
“Two ways for him to escape then...”, Torold muttered. “We should cover both of them. Three of us go in through the front, two cover the back door” Immediately, Philip shook his head. “Yeah, that's not going to happen”, he stated. “We're not going to split up. That's just plain wrong”
Torold frowned and he glared at Philip. “It appears we disagree once more”, he stated. “I wonder if we're ever going to agree on something. Still, this time splitting up is clearly better. We have to cover both entrances, or else Kreep could escape”
Philip sighed. “Yeah, and if we split up, he could overpower us...”, he started to say, though Jarow cut him off. “No one overpowers the Lord of Bridges!”, he proclaimed and Philip raised an eyebrow. “The last time we split up, you nearly got killed”, he reminded him calmly, before he looked at Ilish. “You know the building better than I do. What would you suggest?”
[Stay together][Split up]
Sadie
Sadie took a deep breath, before she moved her hands to the window. The room behind was pitch black and she sent a quick prayer to the Seven that it was truly as empty as it seemed. Carefully, she tried to open the window and to her relief, it was indeed not locked from the inside. It wouldn't have stopped her of course, but it would have made things harder, especially as she still tried to be quiet.
The window creaked slightly as she pushed it open, but the noise was low enough that she wasn't worried. With a singly, swift motion, she lifted herself up, climbing through the open window and into the room behind. She turned around, closing the window as silently as she could, before she finally took a good look of the room itself.
Now that she was inside, it was still dark, but she was able to see some details. The first thing she noticed was the smell, a stale, musty stench unlike anything she had smelled before. That was perhaps a good thing, since Sadie was sure that she had smelled every awful thing imaginable during her time in the Storm King's army. At least she was reasonably sure that this wasn't the smell of a rotten body.
The room itself was relatively small, at least compared to the luxurious bedroom she had seen through the other window. Despite that, it was decorated nicely, with a large bed and a finely crafted wardrobe. At the other side of the room, Sadie saw a door, undoubtedly leading into some sort of hallway. Through a small gap below the door, she was able to see a bit of light.
And then, Sadie tensed up as she heard the noise. It was rhythmic and close, the sound of hoarsy, almost snorting and high-pitched breath and it came from something that could be a rocking chair next to the door. Sadie was unable to see any details, though it looked like someone was sitting in there, sleeping in a crooked position.
Cursing her bad luck in silence, Sadie started to sneak through the room. The person that was sitting there was obviously sleeping and she wouldn't wait until he or she would wake up. She had hoped to use this room as a hideout, but that plan was impossible now. The only thing that was left now was to enter the hallway as quick as possible, in the hopes that no one would see her leaving the room. Slowly, carefully, she made her way through it.
As she came closer, she was able to make out the details of the person that was sitting in the chair. It was a woman, probably one of the oldest women she had ever seen. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, though Sadie could see that she was dressed in an almost ancient red dress below. A big blue stone was dangling from a chain on her neck. Her ghastly pale skin was covered in countless wrinkles, her nose was large and pointy, with a huge wart on top of it and her grey hair reached the ground. If it wouldn't be for the slight raising of her chest, she would have looked like a corpse. With slight disgust, Sadie also noticed that this woman was the source of the smell.
Just as she put a hand onto the doorknob next to the old woman, she felt a sharp pain in her forearm. She suppressed a scream, as she realized that the old woman's hand had moved with shocking speed and that she had grabbed her. Her skin was disturbingly cold and her long fingernails were painfully cutting into her flesh, almost drawing blood. It was not only the shock of the moment that prevented Sadie from immediately breaking free, but also the fact that it was a surprisingly strong grip.
“I can hear you, girl”, the crone hissed, her voice sounding like rustling parchment. Slowly, she opened her eyes and Sadie tensed up as she saw the piercing, yellow glare, not unlike Gyles' eyes. “And I can see you very well”, the woman continued. “You are not one of my sons little whores, aren't you?”
“Your... your son?”, Sadie whispered in a barely audible voice. The crone cackled. “Gyles”, she revealed. “My poor excuse of a good-for-nothing son, that yellow-haired fat pig who looks just like his useless father. He owns this building and he likes to think that he owns the whole damn world” Her eyes narrowed. “But you'd know this if you were one of his sellswords. You'd know me and you'd know better than to break into my room” She shook her head. “Sellswords!”, she spat. “I told him not to hire that scheming Lannister bastard, that Leonard Hill. Brought us fifty worthless strangers to the house and all they do is to eat and drink and fuck and only bring problems with them...”
She paused as if she had forgotten what she was talking about. Her lips continued to move, though she had stopped talking, until her eyes fell upon her hand, still tightly and painfully wrapped around Sadie's forearm. “What's your name, girl?”, she spat.
Sadie gulped. “It's... Kelly”, she revealed. “My name is Kelly” The woman's eyes narrowed even more. “That's a name for a whore”, she growled. “Are you a whore, girl?” Immediately, she shook her head, a cackling chuckle coming out of her dry throat. “No... you're pretty enough, but not dressed the part” Her glare wandered down Sadie's body. “Far too many clothes” A twisted grin formed on her face. “My name is Sanyse”, she revealed. “And you're in my room”
“Apologies”, Sadie stuttered, feeling not only nervous, but highly uncomfortable in the woman's presence. “I... I had to enter this building” Sanyse snorted. “Ever tried it through the front door, you little bitch?”, she snarled. “You have no right to be here. This is my room and you are not wanted here!” Her glare got even more piercing as she pulled her closer.
Against her will, Sadie obeyed. Something about this woman reminded her of her own mother and in a truly terrible way, it reminded her of her greatest shame. Just being close to this crone brought back the horror of said night. Her mother charging at Sadie with a bloody knife, the axe in her own hands, how she struck first, the pain, the fear, the rage and finally, the guilt as she realized what she had done to save her own life. They had called her kinslayer, though all she did was defending herself.
With a terrified gasp, Sadie broke free of the old woman's strong grip, as she jumped back. Anger flared up inside her. Sanyse growled something, as she slowly rose from her chair. “Now, that's it!”, she spat, in a vicious tone not unlike Sadie's mother. In turn, Sadie refused to give in to the fear she felt. She straightened her back, her green eyes glaring at Sanyse's sick yellow. She would not cower in front of this evil old woman, never again.
“Listen, you little bitch”, Sanyse hissed with a hoarsy voice, already breathing heavily from the exhausting task of standing up. “I'm done being nice to you. You're telling me why you're here and you better give me a bloody good reason not to call for my son. You're obviously not one of his bitches and not one of Leonard's Forgotten, so who are you? A common thief or something more?” As she said this, her hand moved to her thick necklace and with a swift movement, she hid the blue stone beneath her dress. “You're not one of my sons whores, but if I don't like what you're telling me, I'm going to call him and girl, then you'll be”
Sadie tensed up as she thought about her next possible step. Her first impulse was to knock the old woman out, her fists were already clenched. Physically, it shouldn't be much of a problem. That said, she knew better than to give in to her first impulse again. The woman was ancient, a single punch could likely kill her, or any sort of physical confrontation to be honest. Sadie had killed before, but always to defend herself or others. She was a kinslayer, but not a cold-blooded murderer. Reluctantly, she opened her palm.
Dan would probably solve the situation by talking. Sadie wasn't the best talked, but it seemed to be the only option aside from killing the woman. But what could she say? The truth perhaps? Risky, very risky, but if she would succeed in convincing Sanyse, she might be able to win an ally. The old woman would know where Gyles would keep his girls, maybe she even knew Melanie in person.
At the same time, Sadie hesitated to use this option. It was a risk, not only for her, but for her sister as well. As soon as Gyles would learn about their connection, there was no telling what he would do, to her and to Melanie. Maybe it was better to lie to Sanyse, even if she likely had to pose as an ordinary thief. There was no chance she'd get support that way, but the risk for her sister was minimal.
Finally, a third option formed in her mind. The window was still behind her and Sanyse was very slow. She could just turn around and attempt to escape. It wouldn't get her any closer to freeing or even finding her sister, but it would give her another chance another day. Hopefully at least...
[Tell Sanyse the truth][Lie to her][Try to escape]
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
[Stay together] We know who killed Corbin, no need to further endanger our good "friends". Well, we as in the readers, not the characters.
[Tell Sanyse the truth] Yes, I guess? She probably won't care, but maybe she will?
the elegance of the Lord of Mander's Mouth
I laughed.
You know what character I'd really hate to be? Mathea.
"We need Mathea. Quick, get Mathea, Mathea, we need you. Help, I'm injured!" yada yada yada. Poor girl, jeez. Need a new master. It must really suck, being forced to "help" and do things.
It probably also sucks to be Harris, at least right now, and I guess any of the "peasants" too.
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
[Stay together] We are not in a B-rated horror movie
[Lie to her] Since tell the truth probably won't work (the woman will never let a whore of the brothel escape) and escape is not a good choice (because the woman will obviously ask for help and we shall be in an even worst situation than this one) lie is the only good choice
RT:
And finally they start to prepare the execution!This is obviously one of the main event of this chapter
And today we are introduced to Torold brother!Well,about this new character for now I have not much to say except that he seems a good brother (weird)
About Sadie's PoV we discover that Gyles is a mama's boy!And I must admit that the old hag (that for a second make me remember a certain GoT plot twist) for sure has cold blood!I mean,usually people prefer scream "THIEF!MURDER!FoT READER!" instead to have a "normal" conversation
I almost forgot! I remember that at the beginning of the story seems that Philip has a liking for Rosalie however,during the last chapters (and this Ilish PoV),he seems to switch his own attention to Mathea;we can officialy say that he has change is love interest? Or maybe he is only a playboy?XD
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
[Stay together] Yeah, no splitting up if Kreep indeed is there. And I wouldn't be surprised if he is, because I'm still pretty sure that he will try to save his old man.
[Lie to her] As much as she mocks her son, I feel like Sanyse still wouldn't like someone stealing her sons "property" (ugh), meaning she would bring Sadie to Gyles and tell him what's going on. And I think escaping now would make it harder for Sadie to try this later. So, I'd say a convincing lie is the best way to go here.
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members o… moref the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but see… [view original content]
Comments
hm, I don't think I made a single joke character
I don't make families with too large of numbers in fear that the family member's unique personalities don't get to shine through due to the distraction that is the other plus dozen of family characters who are trying to get enough screen time to make an impact upon the readers. The largest family I've made so far was six, but I'm fairly confident that large number won't inhibit their ability to be unique because they all have interesting backstory and personality. I also could never make 15 characters for one family because I put so much backstory into each of my characters that it may as well be the length of an novel, which Liquid can agree with. I usually don't make characters unless I get some inspiration for them. Like I made one half of Marigold-Vega family and finished the other half a year later or so. I can't wait to see this 15 character family.
It's Westeros. All men must die, and can at any moment. I doubt the number of characters matter in this aspect
While I do make a few characters with shorter descriptions majority of them also have quite long descriptions, unless Liquid or Stigz_52, Lord_EAA, mellofox confirm otherwise I think we are on the same level here, or perhaps I write them even longer
Mind you, this includes a mother from a different dynasty, bastards, etc
I can only say that I'm really looking out for that!
I prefer lone wolfs as well while creation. AlI of my 3 characters submitted for FoT are this way.
Only for Stigz stories recently I felt crazy and brave enough to create some characters connected one to another as friends or family.
That is also an option, I actually thought at start I would do the same, but as I wrote the first character I began to think about the family, and it exploded into an unending flood of ideas.
Even for your story which is still under construction I am planning a lone wolf - I even started to write it down slowly.
All I can say is that they tend to give the cold shoulder.
I see what you mean by they can die at any moment so you want to have back up characters in case one of them still dies you still have other characters that will be around, but I really don't mind character death because it offers a chance to get a bunch of other characters so much development and become more interesting. Saying that I don't any of my characters to die, but if one did, after I got over the initial shock of it I would be excited to see how their death would affect other characters and the story as a whole.
When you showed me one of your characters for Stigz story, my first impressions were that he was quite a badass. He has done a lot of things in his life already in the backstory I wonder what he has left to do in the story. He does look like a interesting character to see I didn't know Stigz had a story going on so thanks for showing me it and I'll make sure to read up on it.
I think I have to point out here that I make some of my characters just for the reason to die in the story in certain ways.
[Go outside and speak to Aditha]
nope, it would also allow Arthur to identify traces of the murderer, perhaps be able to avoid an attack that could end up killing him
I suggest you cast your own vote now for the choice you think would be more interesting and count the votes
Although they arent even after Arthur considering they gave him Wolfius.
why do you assume this has anything to do with Wolfius?
He meant that the killers of Corbin (Clayton & co.) aren't after Arthur because Arthur gave them Wolfius. Personally I wouldn't trust Clayton's promises though.
edit: I got that wrong
edit: your constant edits confused me o_O
Actually I messed that up
They gave Arthur Wolfius and Arthur gave them... What did he gave them? I can't remember?
Arthur "promise" them to not say a world about how he succeed to capture Wolfius (aka to not reveal their identity);the reason because Clayton decide to give Wolfius to the city guard was because Woodbark had become an annoyance (thanks to his insane quest to kill half raylainsfair townfolk) that can only make more hard the assassins mission.
In return, Arthur did not tell Hackor of Clayton's involvement in Wolfius' capture. It sounds like a small thing to do, but actually helped Clayton quite a lot. With this move, he basically wanted to frame Wolfius for the crimes he commited himself, namely the murders of Maester Eaton and Lord Raylan. After the city guard attacked his hideout, he knew it would only be a matter of time until they would find him, so he rather sacrificed Wolfius, who had become a danger for the mission anyway, to end the investigation. Now, the city guard still has no idea that Clayton even exists, while Wolfius is officially seen as the man who murdered Maester Eaton and Lord Raylan on top of the murders he actually commited.
I'm afraid I never vote myself, since I believe this should be about your choices. Otherwise, I could have just decided on my favoured outcome right away, therefore making the voting obsolete. If I really don't want a certain outcome, I wouldn't even give you the choice in the first place. That said, I do have a method on how to deal with vote ties, even if we had none for a long while.
This is a great idea! You should totally check Stigz' story out, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it because it is awesome. In case you haven't found it, here's a link: https://telltale.com/community/discussion/99062/interactive-got-fan-fiction-the-invasion
The Voting is... not closed? We have a tie? But we hadn't had a tie in forever! What is this madness?
Yes indeed, we have a tie once again. Now, back when the story was still young and vote ties were somewhat more common, I came up with a system that made sense to me back then, but which has a couple of problems nowadays. Basically, I decided to give the person who created the PoV character a second vote in case of a tie, so that their character would behave the way they want in such a difficult situation. Back then, with a way smaller amount of PoV's, every PoV character belonged to an active reader. Over the past year, several readers have left, which means that my old system needs an update. It still works in this particular case, but for the next time I will make some changes to it. Most likely, the first vote will decide the next time we have a voting.
For now it still works, luckily. This means, @Bounden, I summon thee to break the tie. Arthur is your character, which means you'll get a second vote. Would you rather have him work alongside his father in the dungeons or comfort his sister in the castle courtyard? I can reveal, the choice is certainly not minor and some important consequences will come out of it, so choose wisely.
That said, the next part is not related to this choice, so I can already continue to write it without knowing the outcome of this voting. It might be out today, though I have made less progress than I hoped yesterday. Basically, I miscalculated a few things that came up yesterday and as a result, spent far more time on them than I thought. I still hope to finish the next part today. It will feature PoV's from Ilish and Sadie. The last time we saw Ilish, she and her group, consisting of Philip, Jarow, Torold and Taenora arrived at the fair, where she spoke to Taenora's daughter Nila, who revealed to her that she was stalked by Kreep. This proved that Kreep had been at the fair for a while at least. However, Philip and Torold got into a disagreement of sorts, with Torold wanting to stick to their original plan of searching for Kreep at the fair, while Philip brought up the possibility that Kreep could be at the town square instead, to look for a way to free his father. Ilish ultimately agreed with him on this and she supported him, which means the group will now head to the town square. Meanwhile, Sadie was at Gyles' tavern, where she hoped to find her sister. Before she could start her rescue though, she was stopped in the taproom by Leonard Hill, leader of a sellsword group in Gyles' employment and one hell of a dangerous guy, according to her ally Baelor. Though Leo acted polite, Sadie got a bad feeling around him. Eventually, it was revealed that he is a Lannister bastard, with a particular hatred for Lannisters. The seemingly random arrival of a traveller wearing the Lannister colours, whom Leo identified as his distant cousin Tythan, caused a distraction that allowed Sadie to leave the taproom to the inner courtyard of Gyles' tavern/whorehouse. Her plan was to enter the whorehouse part of the building through one of the windows and she was ultimately left with a choice to enter a well-illuminated, but currently empty room, or to enter a dark and silent room, where she couldn't be sure if it was truly empty. She ultimately decided for the latter.
Arthur could really help as he knows who the killers are and can point out who they are if they see them. All he can't do is tell anyone that he didn't catch Wolfius.
Before I make my vote, I want to know where the execution taking place and how close it is to the castle courtyard and where Aditha is? Because now I'm thinking it's possible Kreep is going to break out Wolfius and if Arthur is within visibility he could help and try to stop them. Or it is no where nearby and Arthur choosing Aditha could be a bad choice and that it proves Havkor right about Arthur not being able to be best guard in the town.
Aaaw. Missed it. Looking forward to Ilish and Sadie though.
The execution will take place in the town square, which is in the centre of the town, a good deal away from the castle, which is located more to the side of the town. Though the execution will take place later, hours after Hackor dealt with the examination of Septon Corbin, so it is unlikely that Arthur will remain in the courtyard for such a long amount of time, even if he chooses to comfort Aditha.
Well if that's the case I've got to vote for [Stay inside with Hackor] in hopes of getting Arthur some respect.
So be it. Arthur is going to stay inside then. In the semi-near future, you'll see if this was truly the good choice.
thanks Bounden, and thanks Mathea
Seconded, he just joins us there when House Manderly starts to show up, perfect timing
Liquid, is it good for you how I sent you the last character? I can't stop my own style and method of writing, so I will have to cut up my characters and rearrange it according to questions, thus doubling my workload to also post for you in classic char sheet format while also posting in the usual format for myself (with working links, images, videos, quotes, etc) but if you wish for me to do that I will, but it will slow my process of finishing characters down.
I like how you sum up previous events
Ilish
Hours before the execution was supposed to take place, the town square was already crowded with people. Some of them were members of the city guard, who would likely be in full force at the square today, but most were common folk, trying to get a good spot to witness the last moments of a monster. Ilish recognized some of them. Her neighbour was among them, usually a kind widow who never raised her voice, now with brooding anger engraved on her face. The man she bought her vegetables from, a proud father of three, now considering wether he should throw a half-rotten tomato or a stone at Wolfius. His eldest daughter, a girl of twelve, had already made her decision and she held both objects in her hands.
It was the first execution Ilish was present at and she already knew that she would hate watching it. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Wolfius to die. As a matter of fact, she was glad he would never hurt anyone again, but seeing all of these people, the uncharacteristic, undignified hatred they oozed, it still made her sick. Murderer, monster or not, taking such an amount of delight in witnessing Wolfius' death was something Ilish saw as plain wrong. The only thing she was glad of was that neither Audrey, nor Megur or Daisy were here. She wanted to keep her good opinion on all three
In the centre of the square, a large wooden platform had been built, rather hastily. It wasn't finished yet, though Ilish was already able to recognize the gallows. Wolfius would hang. Any other executioner would let him suffocate slowly instead of breaking his neck, but Ilish knew that Hackor Nathamer was too much of a just man for such cruelty. And she had no doubt that the captain of the city guard would take care of this matter personally, especially with the turmoil the castle was in at the moment. It would have only been nice if he would have dealt with the matter in private, if he had given the beast a quick, clean death behind the closed doors of the city guard headquarters.
“So, what are the news in the castle?”, Torold asked his brother. Similar to Ilish, he had a light frown on his face, but in his case it was not because he disapproved of people celebrating the upcoming execution, but because they were even here. He made no secret of his disapproval of the group's decision. At the same time, Philip was obviously pleased. An approving nod into Ilish's direction had shown this.
They had met Daemion Stratford not long ago. Torold's younger brother was a captain of the city guard, looking a good ten years younger than his brother, with a full blonde beard and dark blue eyes that sparkled with warm joy. While his duties made it impossible for him to help directly, he accompanied them during his patrol across the square.
“It's bad”, he stated bluntly. “We have a foreign princess, a potentially hostile Reachlord and the Red Lion of Castamere, all locked into quite the power struggle” Ilish raised an eyebrow. Of course she had heard the rumours, though they have been hardly reliable. Most of the talk on the street mentioned the beauty of the stag princess and the elegance of the Lord of Mander's Mouth. No one mentioned how dangerous they could be for the city.
“And who's going to win?”, Torold asked. Daemion shrugged. “I'd bet on the princess. She has the right name”, he answered. “Though it doesn't matter in the end. The only thing I care for is how much of the city will be left for folk like us when the high lords and ladies are done with their game” Torold sighed. “Bad times, eh?”, he muttered and Daemion gave him a nod. “Bad times”, he confirmed and the two brothers looked at each other in silence.
In this moment, Philip's pleased expression turned into one of surprised joy, as he spotted someone among the crowd he hadn't been expecting. Ilish followed his stare and saw a familiar face, with wavy, black hair and piercing eyes in an orange-yellow colour. “Mathea!”, he said to gain her attention. Ilish had only met the healer once, though she remembered her fondly, for it had been her who treated Lawsen's wound after Kreep took a bite out of his neck.
The young woman noticed them, her eyes widening in surprise, as she approached them with a delicate smile. As she came closer, Ilish noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes. “I haven't expected you here”, she greeted them and Philip grinned. “Haven't expected you here either”, Ilish answered, glancing around the bloodthirsty crowd.
Mathea's smile faded. “Oh, I'm not here for... that”, she clarified and rose a small basket that was dangling on her forearm. “I was going to the market, trying to get some fresh herbs. I've reserved the Milk of the Poppy for Rosalie, which means I have to use substitutes for Urid and Lyria. A couple of herbs are great for compresses, which should ease their pain a bit”
Philip gave her a nod and the hint of concern formed on his face. Mathea noticed it and her smile returned. “They will make it”, she assured him. “Lyria is already as good as new, though her broken wrist needs time. Urid's legs are in a bad condition, but it's no longer life-threatening. And Rosalie...” Her smile grew weaker, more forced. “She will live”
Now, Philip sighed. “That wasn't what I meant”, he told her. “When was the last time you've slept?” As if she had just waited for his comment, Mathea let out a heavy yawn, almost contagious. She thought about it for a moment before answering. “Yesterday in the morning I got a few hours”, she stated. “I woke up when Rosalie's milk stopped working and she started to scream again” A sad streak formed on her face. “Her physical wounds will heal, but the damage Wolfius did runs deeper than that, goes beyond physical pain”
Philip wanted to answer, though the sound of hasty footsteps caused him to wait. “Lady Mathea!”, a boy yelled as he raced towards them. “Lady Mathea, it's urgent!” He stopped in front of them, gasping for air, while Mathea raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”, she asked and she tried to sound casually. It was a clumsy attempt at hiding her surprise and nervousness. “Murder!”, the man finally managed to exclaim.
Ilish looked up, her stare meeting Taenora's. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daemion Stratford tensing up, while Philip clenched his fists. Mathea gulped audibly. “Septon Corbin has been murdered, mylady!”, the boy explained and Ilish frowned. Not the most faithful person in town, she hadn't known the Septon very well, but most people around her spoke highly of him. Audrey in particular would be heartbroken to hear the news.
“Commander Nathamer demands your presence in the castle”, the boy explained, to which Mathea looked mildly confused. “I'm afraid this must be a mistake”, she said in a reserved tone. “If this man is already dead, then there is nothing I can do for him. I take care of the living, not the dead” The boy shook his head. “Commander Nathamer demands your presence in the castle”, he repeated. “Please, the commander needs your help with the investigation”
Now, Mathea bit her lower lip. “But... I have patients to take care of...”, she explained, clearly torn. Philip came to her aid at once. Calmingly, he put a hand onto her upper arm. “It's alright”, he assured her. “Go and help the commander. Don't get yourself in trouble. I'll look after them once we're done here. Wanted to visit Urid either way”
A relieved smile formed on Mathea's face. “Thank you”, she said wholeheartedly and she gave the boy a nod. “Lead the way then” Before the boy could turn around, Daemion Stratford walked up to them, a concerned frown on his face. “A murder in the castle you say...”, he growled. “And an important witness on top” He glanced around, focussing on the gallows. “Mylady, if you don't mind I shall accompany you”, he stated. “I have something to discuss with the commander”
“I do not mind at all, Ser”, Mathea answered kindly. With a thankful smile towards Philip, she separated from the group, while Daemion and Torold stood in front of each other for a moment. Then, the brewer grabbed his brothers forearm, shaking it slightly. “Take care, brother”, Daemion said and Torold gave him a nod. “You as well” And with these words, the Stratford brothers separated from each other. Mathea, Daemion and the young messenger quickly started to walk towards the castle.
“Another murder...”, Taenora sighed. “Could it be this Kreep?” Torold shot her a glare. “What? You want to change our plan again? Maybe searching the castle courtyard now?”, he growled in a stressed, worried tone, though his expression softened immediately. “Apologies, mylady. This whole situation is just...”
Taenora gave him a mild nod. “There's no need to apologize”, she assured him. “This situation is difficult for all of us” She glanced around the crowd. “We should still discuss our next step. Kreep might be here somewhere, trying to prevent the hanging of his father. Any suggestions?”
Philip started to look around the nearby buildings and his gaze quickly fell upon the stables next to the tavern. They were exceptionally large, formerly owned by House Raylan until Audrey's late husband had bought them. It proved to be a foolish decision, as the tavern rarely accommodated that many guests who arrived on horseback. Two floors gave enough room for horses, for hay and especially to hide. From a large window in the second floor, one would be able to overlook the entire square.
“Good idea”, Taenora commented, as she followed his line of thought. “Armed with a bow, he could easily shoot the rope around Wolfius' neck, could cover his escape... Searching the stables might be a good start” She looked at Ilish. “You know the building?”
Ilish gave her a quick nod. “It would be a good choice for Kreep if he truly wants to free his father”, she agreed. “It's dark, lots of space to hide. It also has two entrances, the large in the front, and a small door in the back”
“Two ways for him to escape then...”, Torold muttered. “We should cover both of them. Three of us go in through the front, two cover the back door” Immediately, Philip shook his head. “Yeah, that's not going to happen”, he stated. “We're not going to split up. That's just plain wrong”
Torold frowned and he glared at Philip. “It appears we disagree once more”, he stated. “I wonder if we're ever going to agree on something. Still, this time splitting up is clearly better. We have to cover both entrances, or else Kreep could escape”
Philip sighed. “Yeah, and if we split up, he could overpower us...”, he started to say, though Jarow cut him off. “No one overpowers the Lord of Bridges!”, he proclaimed and Philip raised an eyebrow. “The last time we split up, you nearly got killed”, he reminded him calmly, before he looked at Ilish. “You know the building better than I do. What would you suggest?”
[Stay together] [Split up]
Sadie
Sadie took a deep breath, before she moved her hands to the window. The room behind was pitch black and she sent a quick prayer to the Seven that it was truly as empty as it seemed. Carefully, she tried to open the window and to her relief, it was indeed not locked from the inside. It wouldn't have stopped her of course, but it would have made things harder, especially as she still tried to be quiet.
The window creaked slightly as she pushed it open, but the noise was low enough that she wasn't worried. With a singly, swift motion, she lifted herself up, climbing through the open window and into the room behind. She turned around, closing the window as silently as she could, before she finally took a good look of the room itself.
Now that she was inside, it was still dark, but she was able to see some details. The first thing she noticed was the smell, a stale, musty stench unlike anything she had smelled before. That was perhaps a good thing, since Sadie was sure that she had smelled every awful thing imaginable during her time in the Storm King's army. At least she was reasonably sure that this wasn't the smell of a rotten body.
The room itself was relatively small, at least compared to the luxurious bedroom she had seen through the other window. Despite that, it was decorated nicely, with a large bed and a finely crafted wardrobe. At the other side of the room, Sadie saw a door, undoubtedly leading into some sort of hallway. Through a small gap below the door, she was able to see a bit of light.
And then, Sadie tensed up as she heard the noise. It was rhythmic and close, the sound of hoarsy, almost snorting and high-pitched breath and it came from something that could be a rocking chair next to the door. Sadie was unable to see any details, though it looked like someone was sitting in there, sleeping in a crooked position.
Cursing her bad luck in silence, Sadie started to sneak through the room. The person that was sitting there was obviously sleeping and she wouldn't wait until he or she would wake up. She had hoped to use this room as a hideout, but that plan was impossible now. The only thing that was left now was to enter the hallway as quick as possible, in the hopes that no one would see her leaving the room. Slowly, carefully, she made her way through it.
As she came closer, she was able to make out the details of the person that was sitting in the chair. It was a woman, probably one of the oldest women she had ever seen. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, though Sadie could see that she was dressed in an almost ancient red dress below. A big blue stone was dangling from a chain on her neck. Her ghastly pale skin was covered in countless wrinkles, her nose was large and pointy, with a huge wart on top of it and her grey hair reached the ground. If it wouldn't be for the slight raising of her chest, she would have looked like a corpse. With slight disgust, Sadie also noticed that this woman was the source of the smell.
Just as she put a hand onto the doorknob next to the old woman, she felt a sharp pain in her forearm. She suppressed a scream, as she realized that the old woman's hand had moved with shocking speed and that she had grabbed her. Her skin was disturbingly cold and her long fingernails were painfully cutting into her flesh, almost drawing blood. It was not only the shock of the moment that prevented Sadie from immediately breaking free, but also the fact that it was a surprisingly strong grip.
“I can hear you, girl”, the crone hissed, her voice sounding like rustling parchment. Slowly, she opened her eyes and Sadie tensed up as she saw the piercing, yellow glare, not unlike Gyles' eyes. “And I can see you very well”, the woman continued. “You are not one of my sons little whores, aren't you?”
“Your... your son?”, Sadie whispered in a barely audible voice. The crone cackled. “Gyles”, she revealed. “My poor excuse of a good-for-nothing son, that yellow-haired fat pig who looks just like his useless father. He owns this building and he likes to think that he owns the whole damn world” Her eyes narrowed. “But you'd know this if you were one of his sellswords. You'd know me and you'd know better than to break into my room” She shook her head. “Sellswords!”, she spat. “I told him not to hire that scheming Lannister bastard, that Leonard Hill. Brought us fifty worthless strangers to the house and all they do is to eat and drink and fuck and only bring problems with them...”
She paused as if she had forgotten what she was talking about. Her lips continued to move, though she had stopped talking, until her eyes fell upon her hand, still tightly and painfully wrapped around Sadie's forearm. “What's your name, girl?”, she spat.
Sadie gulped. “It's... Kelly”, she revealed. “My name is Kelly” The woman's eyes narrowed even more. “That's a name for a whore”, she growled. “Are you a whore, girl?” Immediately, she shook her head, a cackling chuckle coming out of her dry throat. “No... you're pretty enough, but not dressed the part” Her glare wandered down Sadie's body. “Far too many clothes” A twisted grin formed on her face. “My name is Sanyse”, she revealed. “And you're in my room”
“Apologies”, Sadie stuttered, feeling not only nervous, but highly uncomfortable in the woman's presence. “I... I had to enter this building” Sanyse snorted. “Ever tried it through the front door, you little bitch?”, she snarled. “You have no right to be here. This is my room and you are not wanted here!” Her glare got even more piercing as she pulled her closer.
Against her will, Sadie obeyed. Something about this woman reminded her of her own mother and in a truly terrible way, it reminded her of her greatest shame. Just being close to this crone brought back the horror of said night. Her mother charging at Sadie with a bloody knife, the axe in her own hands, how she struck first, the pain, the fear, the rage and finally, the guilt as she realized what she had done to save her own life. They had called her kinslayer, though all she did was defending herself.
With a terrified gasp, Sadie broke free of the old woman's strong grip, as she jumped back. Anger flared up inside her. Sanyse growled something, as she slowly rose from her chair. “Now, that's it!”, she spat, in a vicious tone not unlike Sadie's mother. In turn, Sadie refused to give in to the fear she felt. She straightened her back, her green eyes glaring at Sanyse's sick yellow. She would not cower in front of this evil old woman, never again.
“Listen, you little bitch”, Sanyse hissed with a hoarsy voice, already breathing heavily from the exhausting task of standing up. “I'm done being nice to you. You're telling me why you're here and you better give me a bloody good reason not to call for my son. You're obviously not one of his bitches and not one of Leonard's Forgotten, so who are you? A common thief or something more?” As she said this, her hand moved to her thick necklace and with a swift movement, she hid the blue stone beneath her dress. “You're not one of my sons whores, but if I don't like what you're telling me, I'm going to call him and girl, then you'll be”
Sadie tensed up as she thought about her next possible step. Her first impulse was to knock the old woman out, her fists were already clenched. Physically, it shouldn't be much of a problem. That said, she knew better than to give in to her first impulse again. The woman was ancient, a single punch could likely kill her, or any sort of physical confrontation to be honest. Sadie had killed before, but always to defend herself or others. She was a kinslayer, but not a cold-blooded murderer. Reluctantly, she opened her palm.
Dan would probably solve the situation by talking. Sadie wasn't the best talked, but it seemed to be the only option aside from killing the woman. But what could she say? The truth perhaps? Risky, very risky, but if she would succeed in convincing Sanyse, she might be able to win an ally. The old woman would know where Gyles would keep his girls, maybe she even knew Melanie in person.
At the same time, Sadie hesitated to use this option. It was a risk, not only for her, but for her sister as well. As soon as Gyles would learn about their connection, there was no telling what he would do, to her and to Melanie. Maybe it was better to lie to Sanyse, even if she likely had to pose as an ordinary thief. There was no chance she'd get support that way, but the risk for her sister was minimal.
Finally, a third option formed in her mind. The window was still behind her and Sanyse was very slow. She could just turn around and attempt to escape. It wouldn't get her any closer to freeing or even finding her sister, but it would give her another chance another day. Hopefully at least...
[Tell Sanyse the truth] [Lie to her] [Try to escape]
[Split up]
[Tell Sanyse the truth]
[Stay together] We know who killed Corbin, no need to further endanger our good "friends". Well, we as in the readers, not the characters.
[Tell Sanyse the truth] Yes, I guess? She probably won't care, but maybe she will?
I laughed.
You know what character I'd really hate to be? Mathea.
"We need Mathea. Quick, get Mathea, Mathea, we need you. Help, I'm injured!" yada yada yada. Poor girl, jeez. Need a new master. It must really suck, being forced to "help" and do things.
It probably also sucks to be Harris, at least right now, and I guess any of the "peasants" too.
[Stay together] We are not in a B-rated horror movie
[Lie to her] Since tell the truth probably won't work (the woman will never let a whore of the brothel escape) and escape is not a good choice (because the woman will obviously ask for help and we shall be in an even worst situation than this one) lie is the only good choice
RT:
[split up]
[lie to her]
(Stay together)
(Lie to her)
[Stay together] Yeah, no splitting up if Kreep indeed is there. And I wouldn't be surprised if he is, because I'm still pretty sure that he will try to save his old man.
[Lie to her] As much as she mocks her son, I feel like Sanyse still wouldn't like someone stealing her sons "property" (ugh), meaning she would bring Sadie to Gyles and tell him what's going on. And I think escaping now would make it harder for Sadie to try this later. So, I'd say a convincing lie is the best way to go here.