Face Time

Plans, operations, and intentions

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Face Time

Postby Lord Ewen » Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:51 am

So, our clever plan has worked, and Sirs Baris and Ewen have managed to obtain face time with the Earl.

As a matter of fact, he is in our face.

So what now? I suppose we should opine first about the cliffhanger ending to last session. What does the Earl's question portend? In spite of Sir Ewen's initial thought (Which daughter have you misplaced, my lord?), I think we can dispense with the possibility that Maid Camissa Caldeth has somehow disappeared. It is Thilisa, after all, who has numerous powerful persons vying for her hand, some of whom with a demonstrated track record of skullduggery. If it turns out that someone has attempted to snatch Camissa from the arms of Sir Karsin, I for one will be flabbergasted.

Assuming then that Caldeth speaks of Thilisa, what might have happened here? Sir Toren Curo is clearly embarked on underhanded means of eliminating Sir Ewen from the competition, but to my mind those efforts suggest a different approach to the problem, and make a rash abduction of Thilisa seem foolish when Curo enjoys (per Sir Andro) favorable odds and the closeness of Caldeth, under whom he squired, as well as a good plan to discredit the competition. And the other invited suitors have, thus far, shown no evidence of ungallantry in pursuit of the lady.

Sir Rollard, on the other hand, has shown less than professional detachment in the matter of Sir Ewen's pursuit of Thilisa, and has frankly admitted to harboring an unrequited love of the lady. Thilisa, in turn, has remarked to Sir Ewen on a past occasion that Sir Rollard has ambitions exceding his station, apparently conveying her awareness of the knight's infatuation. Could Sir Ewen's letter have tipped him over the edge, triggering some rash act of desperation?

For rash it is, if someone has abducted the lady, an act of madness it seems. Or has something else happened here. Has Thilisa run off with the lovely page? Has she disappeared of her own volition, perhaps in the heat of a conflict with her father regarding the suitors?

Let's weigh and rank order the more likely possibilities first, shall we, before discussing how to handle a very angry Earl.
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Postby Imarë » Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:05 pm

My thoughts also go toward Sir Rollard. He is the only one who is out of the competition before it even began. All the others have some chance (no matter how remote) to be chosen. The others also have to contend with the fallout to their families if they snatch the heir to an Earldom. Sir Rollard (so far as we know) is immune to this being from another place. Until we get more than a "where is my daughter you son of a bitch" we really cannot suppose much further. If the Earl does know of Sir Ewen's heritage, did he really call Arren Parkhurst a "bitch"???
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Postby Lord Ewen » Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:22 pm

I think the typical assumption in such cases is that the derogation refers to one's mother, but needless to say Sir Ewen found the salutation to be a bit on the tart side. Truth be told, Sir Ewen prefers "Royal Bastard" in such circumstances. :wink:

Sir Rollard, being in his capacity responsible for Thilisa's safety (unless he really is just her lapdog), would reasonably be called upon to provide a report should she go missing. Assuming Baris and I have the opportunity to ask a question or two whilst protesting our ignorance of the lady's whereabouts (as opposed to being peremptorily thrown in the castle oubliette by the good earl), we should probably attempt a query regarding the activities of the foreign knight.

(Which makes me slap my forehead. That damned play is about Sir Rollard! Drink hot blood indeed... :shock: )
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Postby Matt » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:28 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:Truth be told, Sir Ewen prefers "Royal Bastard" in such circumstances. :wink:

And a right, royal bastard he is too! :lol:
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Postby Imarë » Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:57 pm

It's really the logistics which get to me on this. I am sure the heir to an Earl is not riding around the countryside without protection, at least Sir Rollard and probably some men at arms to protect her if she does. If she were in the castle, that would be even more difficult, guards at the gate, various points within. Sir Ewen does not even know the layout of the castle or where people are quartered (unless he has been sleep walking again). Sir Ewen has no place to hide a captive and his (and parties) horses have not left the ostler since arrival. The only time that Sir Ewen has been out of the sight of either masses of people or gentle folks has been at night when his access to the castle would be nil and riding parties are rare.
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Postby Lord Ewen » Thu Apr 22, 2010 6:38 pm

I agree on all points.

An abduction by some party quartered outside the castle seems preposterous, for all of the reasons you mention. An inside job, on the other hand, might just be possible. If somebody could steal away in the dead of night with Thilisa without being apprehended, it would be someone like Sir Rollard or perhaps any of the nameless legion of castle insiders who might not be questioned about what's in that large sack slung over their shoulders, etc. It would be difficult, but not so hard as an operation involving insertion of intruders, apprehension of the target, and extraction.

Moving up the scale of feasibility, Thilisa sneaking out herself, for whatever reason, seems even more manageable, no? She must know Caer Minarsas through and through, both physical layout and routine, from childhood. On the scale of difficulty, Thilisa sneaking out some postern gate would have its challenges, but the logistics, as you say, are less daunting.

Maybe there are other scenarios?

Where a kidnapper could stash Thilisa without departing the Minarsas settlement is puzzling, as you mention. Does Vemion think I stuffed her in the loo at the Green Dragon? Does Caldeth's arrest of Sir Ewen suggest the Earl believes Ewen has magically hidden her somewhere? Or does he think Thilisa has willingly run off (ie. away from his chosen four suitors) and into Sir Ewen's arms? In other words (ask a dumb question), why immediately accuse Sir Ewen?

Does the time of day of Sirs Baris and Ewen's arrest tell us anything? If Thilisa has gone missing at dinner time the evening before, would the hue and cry not have gone up last night? I think so, and note that the perceptive Arnys was unaware that anything was amiss. Which leads me to conclude that Thilisa was most likely absent and found missing at daybreak, breakfast, or whatever this morning. Agreed?
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Postby Matt » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:32 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:Which leads me to conclude that Thilisa was most likely absent and found missing at daybreak, breakfast, or whatever this morning. Agreed?

Logical. Since you were arrested (and that's what an arrest looks like) in the afternoon, it is reasonable to conclude that the absence from Caer Minarsas was noted sometime during the morning, late morning being more likely.
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Postby Imarë » Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:38 am

On the possibility of an inside job again, there are probably secret exits hidden to allow passage in time of difficulty. Once again Sir Rollard would probably be aware of such a thing as protector.
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Postby Lord Ewen » Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:45 pm

Yeah, that type of scenario is what I had in mind. An inside job by a castle denizen ranks lowest on the difficulty scale. Or, on a somewhat more difficult level, due to lesser familiarity with the castle, one of the guests who was staying in the castle for the wedding smuggling a captive out. In that case, at least, they wouldn't have to worry about getting in. Suspects would include the sneering Uldiens.

Looked at this way, Thilisa being abducted by someone in the town is the least likely, difficulty-wise. It is the scenario with the greatest hurdles to overcome. So, one asks, why make Sir Ewen your lead suspect, if that's what he is?

Answers to that question aren't gonna be pretty. Inveterate loathing of us by the Earl? Some kind of irrational misconception of what a Deryni can or can't do? Or a calculation by Caldeth that Sir Ewen has the most to gain, or the greater motive to commit a crime?
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Postby Matt » Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:00 pm

Couple things - it's important to consider all the angles. The castle is but one, for who is to say that Thilisa/Camissa was in the castle when abducted?

Two, Sir Rollard is the Captain of Thilisa's guard, but this is not her or his castle so while she might know secret methods of egress, he might not.

Third, my suspect list seems a lot longer than yours ... :roll:
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Postby Lord Ewen » Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:20 pm

Good points, all. Let me take them in reverse order.

I hazard to say, if Dave was inclined to do another poll, he would have little difficulty padding it out with various "suspects" beyond Sir Rollard and Sir Toren, who were the two I mentioned in my initial post. I concentrated on those two because we know Toren is up to no good, with a fine genetic loading for mayhem, and Sir Rollard has behaved IMHO with diminishing professional detachment as the sweepstakes for Thilisa have heated up. The Uldiens were mentioned en passant in my last post because they have access to the interior of the castle, and had the impertinence to sneer in our general direction. The lovely page was referenced in jest.

Now a nod was given to the other suitors, without mentioning them individually, but only to say that none of them have manifested any overt inclination toward desperation or malice. I guess we can list them as suspects, but doing so depends upon some logical flaws, the main one being that the abduction of an earl's daughter and dowager countess in her own right might promise the chance of a ransom, but necessarily involves complete loss of status in Kaldor. You can't just grab her, much less marry her, without provoking an internecine baronial war. (Hold that thought, BTW, for a future post. 8) )

Now other potential suspects have impinged upon my cogitations, but frankly for fairly flimsy reasons. The guy educating the peasants about Agrikan history gets branded a potential troublemaker just on sheer principle, and shouldn't be left out of any needle-in-the-haystack search. (The very thought makes me shudder, given our track record.) Sir Coreth Lothlar is disliked by Sir Gorbar for some reason, but that doesn't make him a prime suspect, I think. Sir Prehil is bored with his wife, but my goodness. I mean, we can make a case for adding any number of folks to the list, and perhaps we are neglecting some clues, but a proper list should be headed by those with motive, opportunity, means, or ideally all three. The alternative is the Clue approach, where everyone in the mansion is a suspect, but here that makes for a long list indeed.

As you point out, Sir Rollard may be relatively unfamiliar with the castle, although I would note that Thilisa has been present there for five or six months, which seems long enough to scout the castle and hatch a plan.

As for your first point, there is nothing to say that Thilisa/Camissa was not outside the castle at night, and certainly luring a lady outside the castle is a tad easier than breaking into the castle to carry her off. I'll only note that we attempted, unsuccessfully, to lure her out once. She might have gone out herself without luring, of course, but that would suggest an opportunistic abduction, no?

Finally, and coming a bit full circle, this all makes me wonder about motive and logistics again. What do you do with the lady once you grab her? It seems a grossly boneheaded move if you hope to successfully marry an heir to an earldom. On the other hand, perhaps it's a great way to frame a guy like Sir Ewen? What if you are really not interested in Thilisa, but the Sword of Calsten instead? I don't know, just mulling over angles right now, before we get down to the nitty gritty of planning responses to Caldeth's question.
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Postby Matt » Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:54 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:As for your first point, there is nothing to say that Thilisa/Camissa was not outside the castle at night, and certainly luring a lady outside the castle is a tad easier than breaking into the castle to carry her off. I'll only note that we attempted, unsuccessfully, to lure her out once. She might have gone out herself without luring, of course, but that would suggest an opportunistic abduction, no?

It might not have been at night - could have been this morning. But yes, in that case, it does suggest a crime of opportunity.
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Postby Lord Ewen » Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:36 pm

Yup, could have been morning. If she came out without a lure, we are dealing either with a crime of opportunity, or she has just gone off the reservation of her own free will. I mean, we are not sure a crime has been committed, because Caldeth has not vouchsafed the reason for his question.

The alarm has been raised for one of two reasons. A daughter is missing, just plain absent, when she should have been present, and nothing more. Or, a daughter is missing and the earl possesses some evidence of abduction, harm, struggle, runaway note, ransom note, whatever. The first possibility, with the lady being missing, could either have an innocent or malign explanation to it. The second is thornier, because we have the additional fact that he arrested Sirs Ewen and Baris whilst holding evidence of some sort.

We were arrested for one of two reasons. Caldeth made the decision based upon prejudice against us. Or, some evidence points in our direction. Note that the former is much easier to talk one's way out of than the latter.

BTW, the Uldiens as suspects should be expanded upon. Looking for motive, they would have perhaps the strongest motive, not for abduction but for murder. Remember, we only assume Thilisa is still alive. With her dead, Camissa becomes Vemion's heir. Having said all of this, I for one would have waited a bit longer, lest the funeral baked meats coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. 8)
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Postby Matt » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:28 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:The second is thornier, because we have the additional fact that he arrested Sirs Ewen and Baris whilst holding evidence of some sort.

Just on the basis of the anger in his voice, it would seem there is some evidence. Declaen Caldeth, by reputation and by your own observation, does not fly off the handle like that.

Sir Ewen wrote:I for one would have waited a bit longer, lest the funeral baked meats coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. 8)

Catherine Parr. :wink:
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:03 am

Matt wrote:Just on the basis of the anger in his voice, it would seem there is some evidence. Declaen Caldeth, by reputation and by your own observation, does not fly off the handle like that.


This makes sense, and is why your little cliffhanger was so chilling. The implications which follow, though, provide even further cause for concern.

Evidence pointing to Sir Ewen, possessed by Caldeth, suggests a deliberate effort to frame Sir Ewen. Yes, it is possible that circumstantial evidence from the event might inadvertantly or coincidentally be pointing toward Sir Ewen. But I think we will agree that the scenario of Sir Ewen being framed is the most likely, given the length of the list of Sir Ewen's enemies. Take the defamatory play, combine with the assassin in the night, and a pattern of deliberate sabotage of Sir Ewen becomes the no-brainer favored hypothesis here.

So here's why this is disturbing. It is easy to frame someone for murder, but much harder to frame someone for kidnapping. Not impossible, mind you, but difficult. Consider the logistics. If you are not going to kill the abducted target outright, then you need to stage a lot of shennanigans to make it look like Sir Ewen is the kidnapper, which becomes exponentially more difficult once Sir Ewen is in custody and his supposed victim is still missing. Not impossible, mind you, but quite difficult I think.

Of course, the murder scenario probably rules out Thilisa's suitors, for obvious reasons (you can't win Thilisa by killing her), save perhaps Sir Toren. Because we know Neph is out for Sir Ewen, and we don't know whether the Earl of Neph has decided at this point that obtaining the Sword would be easier or harder with Sir Ewen dead. That part is a cipher, but I think we would agree that Sir Toren Curo might be aiming, at his father's behest, for Ewen and not Thilisa, and be willing to kill Thilisa to destroy Sir Ewen. Although, admittedly, that absurdly means valuing the death of Sir Ewen above marrying your son to the heir of Vemion. Which seems crazy, unless you are convinced that your seventh son is unlikely to win the lady's hand anyway.

So, the Sir Toren scenario makes more sense as a framed kidnapping (why not go for both prizes, especially if Thilisa might be won with Sir Ewen out of the way?), in spite of my argument that the logistics for this are enormous. Especially in light of the apparent sequence of events which a Sir Toren scenario suggests.

Here is my stab at it. Sir Toren bribes the players a few months back to concoct a play slandering Sir Ewen. Subsequently, or upon arriving in Minarsis, he assesses the situation and decides that stronger measures must be taken against Sir Ewen. Maybe because Ewen was unexpectedly given the favored suite, maybe for other reasons, but either way Sir Toren is no longer content to rely upon the "Sir Foren" scheme to undermine Sir Ewen. So he sends an assassin against Sir Ewen, but that fails. Therefore, he hatches a scheme to frame Sir Ewen for kidnapping Thilisa, but has to structure things so Thilisa survives (to marry him) but Ewen is ruined, executed, whatever. But the sequence suggests that the abduction is concocted subsequent to the failed assassination attempt, which seems a challenging endeavor to improvise.

Of course, having said all of this, there is a neat way to dodge the logistical nightmare of staging an abduction and framing Sir Ewen for it.

Murder Camissa. And frame Ewen for that, leaving Thilisa alive to marry Sir Toren.

:shock:
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Postby Imarë » Sat Apr 24, 2010 12:28 pm

Them trees are looking better and better...
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:59 pm

Hey, wait a minute. Sir Baris and I are relying on the distaff side of the party to rescue us!
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Postby Imarë » Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:16 pm

You know we elves are a fickle lot...

On a more serious note. The Neph idea does not seem to fit the Earl's usual blunt instrument methodology to me. If something had happened to one of his daughters, the line would have been "what did you do to my daughter", not "with". This would indicate there is no corpse involved as of yet. If it were the grooms family, they would have waited until after the wedding (a death or kidnapping in the family could bring the marriage into question at this time). The Earl of Vemion might also want to rearrange the partner for an heir. There are only the three that we can give much information on at all. Other suspects might exist but without knowing the ins and outs of this Earldom, we are really at a disadvantage. The only person, to our current knowledge, that has acted differently recently is Sir Rollard.

As to the responses of the Earl of Vemion, we have never seen how he acts when in his own element. His violence (reputed) toward his wife says to me that he can fly off the handle if he feels there is provocation and nobody that surpasses his authority in the region. It could be that Sir Ewen, being the only non-Kaldoric subject or not familiar to the Earl, is the only one he feels would have done something like this. If he does know of Sir Ewen's father it could predispose him to think that Sir Ewen, being the spawn of the devil, has those tendencies himself.

In short, there are too many variables to really pick a path at this point. All of the scenarios have logic and possibility behind them and none should be discarded but ranking by me would have Sir Rollard in the primary position (since I know that Sir Ewen did not actually do it). My usual candidate is unlikely because he would wait until the decision of husband has been made (and then go after the Earl himself...)
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Postby Matt » Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:40 pm

Imarë wrote:The Neph idea does not seem to fit the Earl's usual blunt instrument methodology to me.

Huh? Neph's methodology is a blunt instrument? Since when? He's the guy who will use any tool. That's why he's dangerous.

Imarë wrote:If it were the grooms family, they would have waited until after the wedding (a death or kidnapping in the family could bring the marriage into question at this time).

A nicely subtle observation.

Imarë wrote:The only person, to our current knowledge, that has acted differently recently is Sir Rollard.

How so?

Imarë wrote:It could be that Sir Ewen, being the only non-Kaldoric subject or not familiar to the Earl, is the only one he feels would have done something like this.

Sir Ewen is now a Kaldoric subject. He became so after the tournament, but doubly so once he held land in the kingdom.

Imarë wrote:My usual candidate is unlikely because he would wait until the decision of husband has been made (and then go after the Earl himself...)

Who do you mean here?
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:33 pm

(Matt beat me to the punch...)

I am inclined to quibble over using the term "blunt" to describe Neph, as I associate the adjective more with Harabor than Curo. Neph is shrewd and undoubtedly murderous, and you must admit the assassin through the window could be classic Neph. The Sir Foren play is clever, and a departure for the father, but we know it was Sir Toren's doing; a seventh son may tend to cultivate a more agile cunning and indirect style than perhaps the father has patience for.

I completely agree that Caldeth's behavior suggests no corpse has been yet found. I am expressing concern that, if you follow my logic above, a body is likely to be found in the near future. My point hinges on the notion that framing someone for a disappearance is quite a challenge in the present circumstances. The reasoning here is by no means dispositive, however, and as you say we are missing much of the data.

You make a good point about Vemion's assault on his wife, but I think Matt's point about his present behavior bears considering, and not just because he's the GM. If Sir Ewen was suspected on the strength of being a foreigner, or son of the arch-fiend, Caldeth would more likely summon him in for questioning. But Sirs Ewen and Baris have been arrested; their weapons were removed at the inn, whereas decorum would otherwise allow knights summoned for questioning to retain their arms up to the point they enter the castle, at which point they keep or give up their arms at the lord's pleasure. That, taken in combination with Caldeth' angry denigration, strongly suggests he thinks he has evidence against Ewen.

I know speculation seems futile given so many possibilities, but it helps me to group the various scenarios. For instance, what if thirty seconds into next session we learn that Camissa is the daughter missing? Well, then, we wasted time on numerous Thilisa scenarios here, but also have formulated here some ideas about who might benefit from snatching Camissa, and whether we think it more likely she's captive somewhere or dead. Teddy and I won't have much time to plead our case before being frogmarched to the dungeon, so I appreciate you bearing with me and testing the internal logic of some of these scenarios.

BTW, I suspect Sir Rollard too, and his motive would seem to be his hopeless love for Thilisa. But can you imagine what he might be doing, if he is actually behind Thilisa disappearing? I mean, what does he do once he's got her? Does he plan to keep her in a hole somewhere, calling down to her, "It rubs the lotion on it's arms..."?
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:58 pm

Sir Ewen is certainly a Kaldoric subject, but he is also Sir Foreign, which I think was Dave's point. Just like a lot of folks disliked Ewen winning the tournament, he is also likely to be tainted by suspicion in such cases, fair or no.

As for Sir Rollard's behavior, the Baron of Bastune's heir made an excellent observation regarding Rollard's handling of the letter. And Sir Rollard committed an odd parapraxis, telling Sir Ewen he hoped he wouldn't "suffer the same outcome again", which Sir Ewen immediately called him on and Sir Rollard tried to explain as due to his imperfect grasp of Harnic. Also, in reading back through all of the session notes starting with the arrival in Kaldor, which I did prior to last session, I found Sir Rollard to evolve in his attitude toward Ewen from rueful but polite to a touch bitter to (now) openly hostile. The transformation is subtle, gradual, but striking in retrospect, and quite artfully depicted, BTW. It makes me fully agree with the gist of Dave's point, and is why we both rank Sir Rollard high on the suspect list.
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Postby Matt » Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:29 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:I know speculation seems futile given so many possibilities, but it helps me to group the various scenarios. For instance, what if thirty seconds into next session we learn that Camissa is the daughter missing? Well, then, we wasted time on numerous Thilisa scenarios here, but also have formulated here some ideas about who might benefit from snatching Camissa, and whether we think it more likely she's captive somewhere or dead. Teddy and I won't have much time to plead our case before being frogmarched to the dungeon, so I appreciate you bearing with me and testing the internal logic of some of these scenarios.

I second this for obvious reasons of saving time in session. I will confess as GM that I planned the cliff-hanger, deliberately left out details, and specifically intended that Vemion's anger would be the focus at the last minute. Van has latched on to the obvious point that additional details will come out fairly quickly in the next session. I'm the GM. I wanted the drama. Sue me. :wink:

Sir Ewen wrote:Does he plan to keep her in a hole somewhere, calling down to her, "It rubs the lotion on it's arms..."?

You polymath!

Sir Ewen wrote:I found Sir Rollard to evolve in his attitude toward Ewen from rueful but polite to a touch bitter to (now) openly hostile. The transformation is subtle, gradual, but striking in retrospect, and quite artfully depicted, BTW.

Thanks, but I plead the 5th. :D
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:08 am

Dave's point about the Uldiens, acknowleged by Matt above, argues strongly for demoting them to a low rung of the suspect list. They would have little to gain by disrupting the impending wedding, and have plenty of time after the wedding to kill Thilisa before she produced an heir (if they intend a crime). Now, people are known to do stupid, impulsive, reckless things, so we shouldn't completely rule them out by assuming that persons in the Melderyn Campaign only act logically and in their own best interest. But I am swayed by the argument, and consider them low on the list in spite of the sneer and their access to the interior of the castle.

As for Sir Toren, I neglected one possible causal sequence in my attempt to craft a scenario involving him being behind a daughter disappearing. Did our interview, and release, of the actor prompt something here? Did the guy go straight to Sir Toren, which led the latter to embark on framing Sir Ewen later that night or in the morning? Sequence is not the came as causality, mind you, but it's another plausible component of a Sir Toren scenario I think.
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Postby Imarë » Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:35 am

I also believe in going into each and every possible scenario. I just rate them.

My prime suspect is usually Sir Ewen's father. I have not done it recently but old habits die hard.

As for potential actions if it is Sir Rollard, he is from a foreign land and has family and connections we know nothing about. Perhaps he intends to spirit her out of Kaldor, off Harn and back home. Remember, the Earl of Osel lived in Tashal for years and nobody ever recognized him.

Good Harris reference by the way...
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Postby Lord Ewen » Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:37 pm

Yes, it had occurred to me that Sir Rollard might have Thilisa tied up in a gunny sack and slung over his saddle, riding pell mell for the coast even as we speak. Because nothing says true love like forceable abduction. The thing with stealing Thilisa is that her value plummets once she enters the black market, as most of her value resides in the cachet she brings in public society. Unless you can find someone willing to trade her head for, oh, three manors, say, or you can manage to ransom her successfully, she's not worth a flip. Unless, of course, you actually love her, and are obsessed with that love. Come to think of it, Sir Rollard might be the only person in Minarsas who actually loves Thilisa... :cry:

Going back to our tentative conclusion that Vemion has some sort of evidence impugning Sir Ewen, any ideas on what that might be? A forged note purportedly signed by Sir Ewen, luring Thilisa away? Perjured witness testimony claiming they saw Sir Ewen up to no good? A lock of Ewen's hair?

The forged note seems a possible way to frame Sir Ewen, because two actual notes from Ewen, signed and sealed, where passed into the castle since we arrived. In the wrong hands, the style could perhaps be copied convincingly. On the other hand, one could argue that a forged note is likely to fail for the same reason: it would insufficiently resemble the real deal, and could be compared with the real two. I doubt either of the actual notes composed by Ewen and written by Imarë could be Caldeth's "evidence", unless the earl has jumped to the conclusion that our previous attempt to invite her to the inn was an attempt to abduct her, which subsequently succeeded via another unlocated note. Hmm...

A perjuring witness with damning testimony is hard to refute, and generally can be parried only with a superior alibi. With the amount of wealthy people in Minarsas presently, I would think it easy to bribe someone to help frame Ewen.

Other ideas on what evidence might have prompted Caldeth to arrest Sir Ewen and Sir Baris?
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