496 - The Anarchy Era

“Shall we all ride to Wynchbank then, or is there another line that would be profitable for some of us to follow at the same time?”

"Well, I think that there are likely a few people here in Sarum that have accompanied Lady Ellen who were also present at Wynchbank. Her ladies in waiting, Earl Robert, their guards..."

Cubeth smiles wickedly, "Well, it looks rather fortunate I came all this way then.  We could ride to Wynchbank, with you as guests under my behalf, and not likely run into any issues.  But just keep your heads about you, because my protection can only extend so far.  But I agree, it would be best to talk to those here in Sarum before going all that way."

Ross M said: (With Arnold being married into the family of a wealthy trader, could he have better access to reports of banditry?) Not better than Sarum would regarding Salisbury, but maybe he could access people who have more detail on those abroad

"How do you wish for me to direct my time?"

"I'd suggest that we start talking to those who have arrived from Wynchbank and see what we can glean. I'll leave it up to each of you to work out who you feel most comfortable to approach. My family had looked for a clue to what happened within Sarum itself without success, but if you have any connections within the town you might catch a lead. But if you have any other thoughts, I'd welcome hearing them."

Do you know if any priests escorted them?

Dylan will give Owain a nod. "I'll leave it to Taron to have word with Lady Ellen's servants. He is better known to them. I will do some asking around amongst the rest of the servants in the castle. Let's meet back tonight to share what each of us has learned." Dylan will seek out the steward or castallan of the castle - whoever is in charge of the servants. I'm interested in speaking to any that were part of the staff when the events in question took place and generally seeing if anyone remembers anything that might prove useful.

Dylan, make a folklore roll, let's see how accurately you guide your investigations through Sarum Castle's common staff

And... Dylan fumbled his folklore roll. :)

Ouch! So I think you got the following information: A servant remembers that one of Lady Ellen's handmaidens disappeared that night too, but she re-appeared some months later. The handmaiden was the daughter of Baron Bryoc pen Godren, a Breton who holds a Barony in Salisbury.

Can I find out if that Handmaiden is here in Sarum, or back on her father's estate?

The Steward informs you that she was married - by the account of the servant, it would have been the week she returned - to a Cornish Baron, named Baron Gerens, who holds lands in both the Duchy of Cornwall that you are familiar with and the Kingdom of Cornwall, ruled by the Bretons from across the channel. She would be found in one of those holdings, most likely. Her name was Lady Morgelyn

Dylan will report back to the other knights after they have gathered their own information. He will volunteer to track down Lady Morgelyn if that is deemed a wise course of action.

Owain will seek out the Armello.

The Armello is in Sarum Castle and she immediately makes time to meet with you. "Sir Owain, How are you, how is your family? And Tisbury, I hope it's people are well?"

"Thank you for meeting with me Armello. Tisbury fares relatively well, although the manor misses Violette's careful stewardship. You are of course welcome to visit and stay again." "As for my family, well, that is the main reason for my visit. You may not have heard, but Violette went missing from Sarum a few years ago. My attempts to find out what happened have been to no avail. I come to you to seek counsel and advice. I know that Lady Ellen knows something about this that she will not share with me. Something happened at Wynchbank last winter. The token of Violette's that I sent to Lady Ellen as a mark of my support for Robert has been returned in a lesser state than it arrived. I would guess that it has travelled somewhere, but I can't be certain. I am struggling with not knowing what happened to her, and I would do anything to recover her. But Lady Ellen's reticence has me worried that I have placed my trust in the wrong individuals, and I start to wonder whether Violette's disappearance is linked to greater plots that I cannot discern."

The Armello looks thoughtful for a moment. "I was not here at the time of Violette's disappearance, but I am Lady Ellen's advisor now. I can speak with her about this matter in private, and see what I can tell you." "There is another way, I can help you perform a ritual, the sort you often saw me perform. They are not perfect, and they... tax you in ways that you cannot understand. You would also be performing a magical spell, and I know you knights do not respect such ancient practices so you may well lose social standing. You would also need to take the stone into yourself, you would need to convert to Tor Worship. I can only do this if Lady Ellen does not ask me to keep Lady Violettes fate from you, with a reason that I agree with. So I may not be able to help you with the ritual if I speak with Ellen first." She watches you carefully "You did say anything."

"My heart has been torn by her absence. I feel close to the edge, and my responsibilities already war with my desire to find her. I risk falling to madness if I don't pursue this as far as I am able."

Sir Arnold goes to check court records for references to other wife disappearances. 

She says nothing for a moment, but continues to watch you carefully. "Very well" she breaks the silence. "Full conversion will take many years, but I trust you Sir Owain, your word has always been true, so I will help you with the ritual on your intent only. I shall meet you at Tisbury standing stone, tonight. Bring your sword, and something personal of Violette's. That token would be ideal."

Arnold, the Scribe searches through to the start of Rodericks Earldom, and the few cases there are have been solved. Mostly the wife was found living with another man. There is only a single unsolved case other than those already known to you, a peasant - a farmer from the local area had lost his wife at about the same time as Lady Violette went missing, only the day before. She was found dead, buried in the corner of the farmers home. The record shows that the farmer could account for his whereabouts, and as he was at Sarum market, hosted at Sarum Castle for the trial, his account is corroborated by countless witnesses. Arnold, give me a courtesy roll please.

Courtesy vs 15, rolls a 13

"It's strange, there's a line that's been struck from the record, but I can read it, it said that a witness at the farmer's home reported two knights in blackened armour, but was dismissed as a fantasy. The witness was a child."

(What colour Armour does Cubeth wear?)

Ross M said: (What colour Armour does Cubeth wear?) (I think you know the answer to that.)

Sir Arnold locates sir Cubeth. ”Sir Cubeth, a possible lead suggests itself. I wondered if you would join me in a short ride. I have discovered another abduction that fits the timeline.”

(Question for Will: If Sir Cubeth wanted to speak with Lady Ellen, would that be more likely to occur sooner or later?  Or does it not matter if she rides out with Sir Arnold first?  Sorry, this has been quite the week.)

Lady Ellen will grant you an audience in court when-ever you wish, but has taken very few private audiences, so it depends!

Ross M said: Sir Arnold locates sir Cubeth. ”Sir Cubeth, a possible lead suggests itself. I wondered if you would join me in a short ride. I have discovered another abduction that fits the timeline.” Sir Cubeth, who is still trying to think of and explore her own avenues to help in the search and is finding herself wanting, replies to Sir Arnold's request, "Let us see what we can discover from this lead of yours.  Hopefully, it will provide some useful information."

Where was the disappearance Will?

The farmer was on his stall at Sarum market and his wife went to browse the other stalls, and never returned

Cubeth suggests they go to the market area and look for possible places to see where someone could hide unsuspectedly.  (Think dark alleys, hidden corners, and the such).

In the meantime, Taron will question as subtly as he can the ladies of the court.  (Was Bethan with Lady Ellen when all this happened?)  Taron is utterly lovesick, his beloved Bethan is to be married this winter and it isn't to him. What would Taron know about this Sir Garbhan? 

Taron, make an Intrigue roll, let's see just how subtle your questioning is. Bethan would have been with her, yes. He knows very little about Sir Garbhan, aside from being a knight of Silchester, and a man who has steadily become quite wealthy since his knighting 5 years ago.

Arnold walks alongside Cubeth, at ease in the market so close to his manor. ”I need your expertise Cubeth, this women disappeared at the same time and I want to see if there were other connections. I have uncovered a redacted note that a child saw two figures in sooted armour. I want to see what reaction those involve have to seeing you. I suspect it to be fluff and nonsense.”

Intrique 4, rolls a 15. This is going to be embarrassing. 

Word quickly reaches Lady Ellen of your questioning, and you are asked to appear before her in her private chamber, along with Robert.

Taron will present himself as requested "My Lord, my Lady, how can I be of service?"

"Sir Taron" she smiles. "Would you be a dear and round up all the knights making enquiries into the disappearances of the young women? Please bring them before me tomorrow at noon."

Taron blushes somewhat at being found out and sets off to round up the others 

(( This is a few days after Dylan set off for Cornwall, so he won't be able to be rounded up )) Taron, would you make an Awareness check please, and let us know what you tell the others!

(( Just a warning, Dylan could arrive back from his trip at any minute, and when he does, we'll jump ahead in time to then, and I'll summarise what happens in the mean time - as the only actually active player at the moment, it wouldn't be fair to make him wait for you to catch up ))

Seems fair!

UllinBethalto said: Cubeth suggests they go to the market area and look for possible places to see where someone could hide unsuspectedly.  (Think dark alleys, hidden corners, and the such). Ross M said: Arnold walks alongside Cubeth, at ease in the market so close to his manor. ”I need your expertise Cubeth, this women disappeared at the same time and I want to see if there were other connections. I have uncovered a redacted note that a child saw two figures in sooted armour. I want to see what reaction those involve have to seeing you. I suspect it to be fluff and nonsense.” (Sorry, was kind of holding off until I had gotten word if any of this was producing anything.  Or did that spark the audience with Lady Ellen?)

We can do this before or after the audience. Whatever makes most sense.)

I think before makes most sense - and sorry I did think I had answered this one, but clearly I didn't - There are literally dozens of such hiding places, almost everywhere you look. Sarum is an ancient and very important city, as such, free space has been built on again and again over the centuries, leading to a mish mash of architectures, all hemmed in as closely as possible and every alleyway has been squeezed to it's limit, sometimes beyond. Every corner clashes leaving strange angles of say a Roman buttressed house to a circular flint granary, or a wattle and daub building joining a granite block walled garrison.

You are all, minus Dylan and Owain summoned before Lady Ellen, who, asks you to investigate, but do so in a way that doesn't spread fear or rumour around Sarum Court. She explains that during their own investigation, the people of Sarum were already questioned, and that if you want their testimony, then speak with the scribe who can call up the records. A few weeks pass before Owain, The Armello of the Tor Worshippers and Dylan have all returned. Did you want to share your findings?

(Sorry, this is paraphrased due to lack of mental energies... :-(  ) Cubeth apologizes to Lady Ellen, saying something along the lines: 'As a guest in Salisbury, I apologize for any incitement of fear which may have unintentionally occurred.' She then inquires as to who was in charge of the investigation and asks permission to speak with the scribe asking to look into the accounts of: who claims to see the Lady's last, whether they were seen together or separate, what location in the market it was last documented they were seen, and the account of the eye witness mentioned to Sir Arnold.

(( Don't worry, same here! )) Lady Ellen tells you that it was Earl Roderick who led the investigation, and permission is granted for Cubeth to speak to the scribe.