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Post by Amelia Royce on Apr 19, 2015 13:09:54 GMT -5
"Well that's some good news," Benjen responded pleasantly. He might not have liked the Faith but he wasn't an asshole, so he acted like any good heir to his throne should.
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 19, 2015 13:28:26 GMT -5
Martyn nodded. "I bear no ill will towards the old gods, Prince Benjen. As far as I know they've never fractured the realm by crowning a new king, arming their followers, or burning their enemies at the stake."
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Post by Queen Joanna Lannister on Apr 19, 2015 13:30:15 GMT -5
"Yes, that much was clear from the letter," Joanna replied, not unkindly. She would maybe have attempted to justify her curt note she'd returned to Martyn, but not with Benjen in the room. "From what I've heard, you have already managed to put some freeriders and such to use. I assume you would have me help you using my connections?" she guessed, and sipped some wine, keeping her eyes on the septon.
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 19, 2015 13:36:42 GMT -5
"The assistance of both you and your husband. The smallfolk care little whether their septon answers to their liege lord or the High Septon, in most cases anyways. Change must therefore come from above. As I understand it, the Reach sapped manpower not only from the West, but your own lands as well."
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Post by Amelia Royce on Apr 19, 2015 14:07:47 GMT -5
"They did, mostly from the Riverlands," Benjen replied. "I don't know much about how the Faith is run, so you will likely need to inform me of some of the ways of your church."
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 19, 2015 14:07:51 GMT -5
Edit: Wrong Post
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 19, 2015 14:12:09 GMT -5
To keep it simple, in the days when the Adals first arrived there was no High Septon. The Kings and rulers of the people were seen as directly endowed with authority by the gods. It wasn't until Septon Robeson gained temporal authority through Lord Hightower that the office of High Septon was formed and exercised authority over the whole religion. It wasn't until much later when the High Septon began to be considered as the embodied avatar of the Seven, a dangerous notion, if the Faith Militant or the worshippers of R'hllor are any evidence."
He continued, "in the West we have a King who follows the Seven. Whether or not that includes fealty to His Holiness is another matter, but if your house sanctions the sundering of your vassals from the High Septon it will look too...politically motivated rather than some act of altruistic piety when the Starks have no members of the Faith. I need you and your wife's help to convince the more prominent Lords who follow the Seven in the West, Riverlands and the Vale that breaking from Summerhall and the Starry Sept is in their interests. Control and stewardship over of the Faith's property within their demense, acting courts of last resort when matters of religion and law are brought forth, and both the religious and legal allegiance of their smalfolk."
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Post by Queen Joanna Lannister on Apr 20, 2015 10:47:19 GMT -5
Joanna nodded thoughtfully. "As it should be," she said, and smiled. "I think you might be on to something here, septon. With the right amount of persuation, this could even work, and work out pretty well for us. Do you reckon the Reach would follow, should these other regions be converted first?" she wondered.
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Post by Amelia Royce on Apr 20, 2015 10:53:33 GMT -5
"That... seems like a good notion, Martyn," Benjen responded. "It will be difficult to discuss such things with my lords during a time of war, but I promise you that a discussion will be had once peace settles in again."
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 20, 2015 13:39:17 GMT -5
Martyn shrugged, "with regards to the Reach...that's largely in the hands of your brother and husband here. If the Reach can be brought back into the fold, it's a possibility. If not? Well...I can't say for sure, but expect a fracturing of the Faith and what the people in Lannisport are calling the Seveners." He inclined his face towards Benjen, "I would posit the notion that this IS part of your current war. As long as Tyrell lives and any doubt among your people, high born or low remains that he truly is the anointed Lord of these Seven Kingdoms, there will be fear and sometimes outright rebellion."
He ran his finger along the rim of the cup before taking another sip, "I do not mean to speak out of turn, Prince Benjen, but a break from His Holiness just might expedite this conflict. Confiscated money to hire sellswords, stopping the siphoning of men by Highgarden, and eliminating the risk of some peasant rebellion at your back while you fight Dayne and Tyrell in the South. It also...shores up your lands and the lands of House Lannister against some future Lord or King claiming to be the overseer of Westeros by divine blessing. Let's face it, it will take another Aegon with his dragons to completely unite Westeros, and until someone like that shows up, the Southron royals might as well just get used to the idea that the Iron Throne is just some meaningless relic of a bygone age."
He raised a hand before anyone could continue, "but I don't mean to trouble you with this, you're right, you do have a war to win...but why not your wife here?" He glanced at Joanna, "From the rumours I heard in the market's more...unseemly quarters, it seems as though you spend most of your time buying silks, frowning over the godswood, and looking utterly bored or worried. My apologies for the frankness."
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Post by Queen Joanna Lannister on Apr 20, 2015 14:25:13 GMT -5
Joanna, who had just opened her mouth to reply that she could definitely take care of that, closed it as the septon raised his hand. A slow smile spread across her lips, and she looked to be genuinely amused by Martyn's comment. The nice tone she'd treated him before was gone now, though, as could be expected. "You have figured me out, septon. I would gladly help my husband with his war, but I'm afraid everything other than buying silks is way out of my skillset," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She exchanged a look with Benjen which clearly conveyed the ancient emotion of can you believe this guy?
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 20, 2015 15:18:11 GMT -5
Martyn returned the smile, "It seems as though my ability to offend knows no bounds. First the Citadel, then the Faith, and now the nobility. I expect that the Night's Watch will be next until I'm left writing treatises and working words that will leave the grumpkins and snarks hating me." He sighed the sigh of man well versed in the ancient practice of foot in mouth.
"I'm not ignorant of the stories which precede me, nor the reputation the heralds my coming to any town or lord of any sort of repute. So I'll be blunt. Why does an ex-student of the Citadel, a member of the Faith, and the third son of a noble-yet-impoverished House find himself in a brothel consorting dwarves, disgraced septas, and lyseni whores? Because he was bored, stifled, depressed, and ill-used with regards to his environment and capabilities. But thrust pen and paper into his hands, give him a cause he cares about, and the means to accomplish it and you'll find he doesn't even have the time for either boredom or trouble of the low-kind."
There was fire in Martyn's eyes, "I would not accuse you of any crime or sin so low as those committed by the soiled septon of Lannisport, princess Joanna. If anything, I only mean to imply that your current activities under-utilize the charm, grace and capabilities of a Lioness of Lannisport. That same could be said of the prince if his ability to command, fight, or rule was wasted in a sept or godswood in prayer to the Seven, a tree, the Lord of Light, or the gods of tits and wine for all I care. My bastard brother, Kyle Hill disappeared on the behalf of our houses going south against the Faith, those hellspawned Daynes reap havoc among the smallfolk and noble houses alike, and it was by shadow and sorcery that Eddard Stark was killed and Vhagus Blackfyre rules today. If shattering any one of those means offending the prince and princess of Houses Lannisport or Stark then I bow my head before your headsmen, take my vows for the Night's Watch in some cold, snowy sept, or accept exile to some Essosi whorehouse. Whichever you prefer my prince and princess."
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Post by Queen Joanna Lannister on Apr 20, 2015 16:23:33 GMT -5
Joanna's expression did not falter, but she could see tha man was most likely sorry for his poor choice of words. "And does it not strike you as odd that everything I do should be as frivolous as you say? A cleverer man would perhaps conclude that a Master of Whispers would not be announcing everything they do to the entire world. My war is fought in the shadows, septon Martyn." Not that she really needed to explain herself to a septon. "But I forgive your implications."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Kyle Hill.. Why does that name sound familiar?"
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 20, 2015 20:30:14 GMT -5
This time the smile on Martyn was genuine. It was becoming more and more clear the type of woman that Joanna was: intelligent, smart, vivacious, and just bitchy enough to keep some of the more stubborn lords on their backside. "My princess, I do not apologize for my words. I DO apologize for my preconceived estimation of you. I was expecting a cub, and found a lioness. Your brother doesn't do your reputation its full service. My apologies."
He fingered the small crystal at his neck. "Your wife is a shrewd woman, Prince Benjen. I hope that my barbs and jabs haven't been overly rude as to put you off from any notion of working with me."
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Post by Septon Martyn on Apr 20, 2015 20:41:43 GMT -5
"With regards to Kyle Hill...I cannot say how you might know him, begging your pardon. We do come from the same father and the same home at the Crag, however."
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