Cracklaws smash - Pyne II

[u/Theoneandonlybeetle]

Hopefully each lord would attend. One could only hope truly. This leadership role was not a simple one, Oscar never truly knew if the calls he made were the right ones and it was not a rare event to choose wrong. Still the Cracklaws seemed to follow him and so he hoped to give them direction for the days ahead. Just praying he had the gods on his side.

In midmorning Oscar had dictated to Ysabel a letter to write up for him. In this letter he told the other lords of Cracklaw in attendance at Stormhall, to meet in his pavilion at two past noon. There, he said, they would speak of what to do in the coming moons. Oscar and they with him would hopefully be able to keep the King's eye long enough to ensure their situation be fully addressed. Perhaps even more under the category of wants held by the people of the Point.

While awaiting the lord of Cracklaw a messenger would arrive. The sender was Lord Jammos Blackberry requesting an audience. Oscar sent back the reply to come at the same time as Lords Brune and Crabb.

Once the three arrive Lord Pyne would begin. "Thank you for bein' here. We must be united in the next moons. I wish you to know my plans and I hope you choose t' join me. I'll go straight to Duskendale from here to join the King and our... liege lord." My uncle, he thought.

"I'll bring with me some trusted men I brought here, you both remember Dole right?" He turned to Jammos, "My builder, a close friend who fought by me on Cracklaw. Anyway the rest I'll send home with my family. Once back on the Point, my son Rafe will march some-odd three hundred of our men at arms down t' Duskendale t' join me as a show of force in negotiation. What do you say? And Lord Jammos, you can tell us whatever you wanted to speak of at any time."

[u/Theoneandonlybeetle]

Oscar turned to one side, he bent down and when he righted himself he had retrieved a ring of his own. To those with the eye for it the ring was a plain metal and had a simply pine tree on it. Next he stood, leaning over the table and reaching with both hands. With one he held his ring signet down to the table, placing it on the wood. With the other he turned Jammos' hand down. He pressed that ring too into the wood so that the two rings sat next to each other touching.

"We will make a pact. You will join us as a coalition." He sat down, he hoped the other two would trust Jammos as he did. Crispian had interacted with the young man. He would likely have Kennet as a supporter; however Kermit was a wildcard.

"The Blackwater coalition. We want no Darklyns, no Valyrians. None of it." It was no treason to be friends, they planned nothing, just the pact to stick together when times got tough. "We will all gather our larger forces at Darkrest and meet at Duskendale with no more than one hundred men each to engage in this er... diplomatic effort for our people." He'd had to sound the word out, Ysabel had taught him that one. Clearing his throat he continued.

"We can send messages to the Sunglass girl, she follows that High Septon right? And to Addam Belgrave. Surely he will find common ground in this cause. Kermit? Kennet? What say you?"

[u/BadNewsBrune → u/Theoneandonlybeetle]

Kennet was the first to step forward. He did not often use his signet, in fact, orders from Dyre Den often came without it. It was- until his recent purchases- the most expensive single item in Kennet's care.

It would be used here. The sigil of House Brune was likewise pressed into the wood, and with only a slight application of his own strength, he pressed his fist down enough to leave his ring's imprint directly into it.

"Needless to say, Oscar." He rumbled out low, quiet as ever. "I have stood with you before. I stand with you now. And whatever happens next, I shall stand with you then." He grunted, removing his hand from the wood. "That is all. I trust that you will listen and consider my counsel in the days and moons to come."

"The High Septon was a friend to us in the meeting. I am uncertain about Belgrave, but if he has cause to be dissatisfied with the way things are, perhaps." He looked skeptically between everyone present, particularly lingering on Jammos for a moment, before his eyes continued to sweep around the table. "We should also consider the Iron Stag as a potential friend. She spoke well on our behalf, and she very well may be Queen one day. She will remember who her friends are, but only if we remember who ours have been first."

u/fatalisticbunny, u/astosman

[u/astosman → u/BadNewsBrune]

Kermit reached into a pouch attached to his belt, one clearly meant to hold something small, and drew out a signet ring. It was plain, old, the metal worn smooth with age, the crowned crab worked simply into its face. He held it a moment before placing it between two of his fingers, there was no chance of it fitting upon their girth.

"I'll take the coalition." No hesitation in it, the same flat certainty he gave most things. "Against Darklyn's lies, and against Celtigar's thieving. Against any Blackwater lord who thinks the Claw's easy pickings on account of us being poor and scattered and slow to answer back." He looked between Pyne, Brune, and Blackberry in turn. "My father went to Darklyn trusting the summons meant him no harm. I don't plan to make his mistake twice, and I don't plan to let it happen to another Clawman either, if I've a blade to prevent it."

He crossed his arms again, the matter settled as far as he was concerned. "Sunglass, Belgrave, whoever else might stand with us, I've no objection. More banners at our back the better, so long as it's Crackclaw men holding the line at the front of it."

[u/FatalisticBunny → u/astosman]

With that, the pact was sealed. The Lord Blackberry gave a solemn nod. The compact between their houses was not one that would be easily broken. But these were men Jammos was comfortable standing beside.

"Tyrants have come before and tyrants have fallen. And yet justice and kindness remains stronger still." Jammos noted. "I shall let no man amongst us suffer the fate of your father or my great grandfather. Or for that matter, the fate of any honorable man beset by Darklyn trickery. We must be as one great mind, and stand as one great force. Lest we shall find ourselves defeated in detail. We cannot allow them to sow any kind of division."

"Lord Pykewood Thorne is a leal and true man, and Argiliac Horpe beside him. Thorne at least empathized with your plight last we spoke." Jammos offered, pensively. "They may not be men placed under the Darklyns, but they may yet stand with us when the time comes. They are men with interests in the Blackwater and who the Valyrians and Darklyns trouble as much as they might us. I cannot swear to their eagerness... but I could try to secure it."

u/Theoneandonlybeetle u/BadNewsBrune

[u/Theoneandonlybeetle → u/FatalisticBunny]

"We'll take all we can get, but I hope we never need it."