Inquiring Minds
Posted by Apostate on 03/24/20
It is widely seen as crass when Princess Arianna Pravus seems to make light of the death of the widely admired and liked Juniper Godsworn. Certainly not every Peer of the Realm lives up to the noble decorum most of the peerage would hope, but it's particularly grievous when it comes from a house so recently elevated, which has traditionalists with a bedrock respect for the Faith and its clergy making many disapproving noises and griping about House Pravus and how Arianna reflects on them. But ultimately one tacky offhand comment, however possibly mean spirited, is not that noteworthy to the peerage. If someone is slighted, demand an apology and if it doesn't happen, call champions and be done with it.
Then things get weird.
The Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace, Sir Jeffeth Bayweather, issued a challenge to Arianna in response. Now, normally this is done after someone refuses to apologize for a specific stated grievance and not something vague and nebulous as an unnamed slight on honor that requires everyone to either be up to date on the latest gossip or be refusing to air the dirty laundry, and what fun would that be? But even so, not that strange. And not naming a champion from the Champion's Guild- well, that's very gauche to be sure, and it reflects poorly on the Grandmaster, but what's a Lord Oberion Thornweave? There's a House Thornweave? What's a Huntsman of the West? That's a new title that Highlord Edain is giving out? Confused consternation quickly gives way to something else as gossip begins to catch up, and then things get chaotic.
The only mention of a 'Thornweave' is, according to Oathlander soldiers and specifically those sworn to House Telmar, a band of barbaric shavs that were responsible for the battle that claimed the life of Duke Arn Telmar, one of the most celebrated generals in the Oathlands. Some claim that the same roving band of shav'arvani are responsible for the fall of House Steelhart and Moore, and they are a murderous lot that House Telmar and others in the Oathland need to bring to justice. But apparently the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace is calling their chieftian as a champion? Wait, what? Inquiring minds want to know what is going on.
Theories about this are incredibly confused. Many, particularly in the Knights of Solace, assume this is some bizarre, off-color injoke. There's certainly no way that their Grandmaster is calling a bloody shav chieftain as his champion! That's unthinkable! One theory holds that since Arianna made a tacky joke, that this was somehow a joke of Jeffeth's own about... Arn? Since he's dead? But why would that bother a princess of House Pravus? So maybe her and Arn were involved? There's already some novels being created about that particular theory, hotly denied by members of House Telmar which of course in the eyes of Lycene gossips just adds more credence to the wild accusation. Then there's Oathlanders that believe this was an intentional, pointed insult by Jeffeth against the House Telmar and the Oathlands in its entirety. What did the Oathlands -do- to the Knights of Solace? Was it something involving the Great Road? A lot of Knights of Solace died because of the Great Road. It must be the damned Great Road. Or maybe Jeffeth just isn't well. Is there a Mercy in the house? And wait, House Telmar recently had an altercation with Bliss Whisper over that heirloom sword. Is she involved? Is this some way of trying to rub salt in the wound of Arn's death? Are the Knights of Solace trying to win the favor of the Whisper House by trying to score a cheap shot on the dead duke of the Telmarch?
Of course, a few peers and commoners just wonder if maybe the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace has become a shav sympathizer. There ARE an awful lot more prodigals these days. A few Oathlander Knights of Solace write exceedingly passive aggressive vague journals bemoaning how their leadership now seems to love shavs more than their own battlehardened knights fighting them. And a few other Knights of Solace are insulted on Jeffeth's behalf and call for champions.
Those champions are in the Champion's Guild though.
Then things get weird.
The Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace, Sir Jeffeth Bayweather, issued a challenge to Arianna in response. Now, normally this is done after someone refuses to apologize for a specific stated grievance and not something vague and nebulous as an unnamed slight on honor that requires everyone to either be up to date on the latest gossip or be refusing to air the dirty laundry, and what fun would that be? But even so, not that strange. And not naming a champion from the Champion's Guild- well, that's very gauche to be sure, and it reflects poorly on the Grandmaster, but what's a Lord Oberion Thornweave? There's a House Thornweave? What's a Huntsman of the West? That's a new title that Highlord Edain is giving out? Confused consternation quickly gives way to something else as gossip begins to catch up, and then things get chaotic.
The only mention of a 'Thornweave' is, according to Oathlander soldiers and specifically those sworn to House Telmar, a band of barbaric shavs that were responsible for the battle that claimed the life of Duke Arn Telmar, one of the most celebrated generals in the Oathlands. Some claim that the same roving band of shav'arvani are responsible for the fall of House Steelhart and Moore, and they are a murderous lot that House Telmar and others in the Oathland need to bring to justice. But apparently the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace is calling their chieftian as a champion? Wait, what? Inquiring minds want to know what is going on.
Theories about this are incredibly confused. Many, particularly in the Knights of Solace, assume this is some bizarre, off-color injoke. There's certainly no way that their Grandmaster is calling a bloody shav chieftain as his champion! That's unthinkable! One theory holds that since Arianna made a tacky joke, that this was somehow a joke of Jeffeth's own about... Arn? Since he's dead? But why would that bother a princess of House Pravus? So maybe her and Arn were involved? There's already some novels being created about that particular theory, hotly denied by members of House Telmar which of course in the eyes of Lycene gossips just adds more credence to the wild accusation. Then there's Oathlanders that believe this was an intentional, pointed insult by Jeffeth against the House Telmar and the Oathlands in its entirety. What did the Oathlands -do- to the Knights of Solace? Was it something involving the Great Road? A lot of Knights of Solace died because of the Great Road. It must be the damned Great Road. Or maybe Jeffeth just isn't well. Is there a Mercy in the house? And wait, House Telmar recently had an altercation with Bliss Whisper over that heirloom sword. Is she involved? Is this some way of trying to rub salt in the wound of Arn's death? Are the Knights of Solace trying to win the favor of the Whisper House by trying to score a cheap shot on the dead duke of the Telmarch?
Of course, a few peers and commoners just wonder if maybe the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace has become a shav sympathizer. There ARE an awful lot more prodigals these days. A few Oathlander Knights of Solace write exceedingly passive aggressive vague journals bemoaning how their leadership now seems to love shavs more than their own battlehardened knights fighting them. And a few other Knights of Solace are insulted on Jeffeth's behalf and call for champions.
Those champions are in the Champion's Guild though.