Torn Webs and Ancient Steel
Thirteenth Day of the Eighth Month 293 AC
Leaving aside the Lannisters you turn to the matter of that most improbable of Westerosi conundrums, an honorable and competent man soon to sit on the small council whom you would rather see anywhere else. If Stannis Baratheon takes the seat of master of laws he will likely as not fight to the bitter end in his brother's name, or worse still in the name of his supposed nephew, dying for the sake of oaths sworn dishonestly asked.
"So then you would take a leaf from Varys's book, put an arcane puppet to hold his seat, subsume his untainted agents, and supplement them with your own. As neat a weave as any I have seen," Bloodraven complements you absently, no courtly pretense in evidence. So might one craftsman complement another on their works. "Still," he continues in the same vein, "I think you might be too invested in ensuring the younger Baratheon's ass never touches the council seat. To try and move a King when he has set his mind so firmly on a course of action is difficult, for it is too easily seen as an attempt to
usurp the power of the throne." Again a faint smile touches his withered lips. "Let him have his seat for a few days, a week even, and then point out to the king how unpleasant his company is. That should not be too hard given how little love there is between the two elder Baratheon brothers."
"So something like encouraging Stannis to pester his brother to attend council, or put into effect some of his less popular ideas?" you ask, the beginnings of a plan forming in your mind. They say Stannis Baratheon would outlaw brothels if he could. Doubtlessly he would be too canny to actually bring that up with the Usurper, but if a rumor that he might wish to do so made it onto the streets and then Robert were to hear it as some jeer or crude jape
that would have the makings of a fight.
"Just so, Your Grace," Brynden Rivers replies when you share your thoughts. "The lord of Storm's End is a man of strong convictions. Thus while he might keep them behind his clenched teeth for a while he would be unlikely to deny them if asked outright."
"We are going to have to make sure he does not find the Queen and the Kingslayer in a compromised position during that time, too," Dany points out. Shaking her head and looking up at the roots slipping through the cavern roof she adds: "What in the world were they thinking? If they didn't care about the Seven Kingdoms then surely they must at least care about the risks they are exposing their family, their
children to."
"I might spend hours trying to explain the roots of such folly, Highness," the old sorcerer replies. "However, I believe the simplest answer works best—
they weren't thinking at all. "
"I don't suppose the Spider knew if the Queen has given anymore thought to what she would do if she were to kill her husband?" you ask without much hope.
"Alas, the Spider does not have any greater impression of Cersei Baratheon's wit than the rest of us," comes the expected reply. "His best guess would be preparing for a long regency with either the Queen or Kevan Lannister as regent for the boy Joffrey. The flaws in that reasoning speak for themselves, do they not?"
"A woman and a witch-wrangler. Aye, that will make the lords and smallfolk cheer alright," Vee snorts. "
I'd make a better schemer than her, and I can barely stand to be around that shit for more then half-an-hour."
"A disdain for the pomp of court can be an advantage to one within to twist it to their will," Bloodraven says so softly you almost do not hear it. Catching your curious look he explains: "I was remembering a friend." The words carry a thread of sorrow, old and worn smooth by the years. "Those memories are closest when you are here conversing with me."
You nod in understanding and in your heart you vow again to extract him from the Old Gods' embrace once the threat of Winter no longer looms. He deserves to live again among men, not brood here in the dark among the shadows of the dreaming dead.
Dany clears her throat, breaking the uneasy silence. "Can you tell us the precise names and composition of each diabolic cabal Varys knows of, the manner they are organized, and the names of any fiends who might be in contact with him?"
Such a lovely ice-breaker, you think, the slightest bit bemused by the sudden sense of how far you had come, from the day when the mere mention of fiends would turn your stomach with fear.
Thus you learn that in addition to the Brachina acting in the Reach under the guard of a pair of Bone Devils, the Vale cabal, which includes the Corbrays, is headed by a Gilded Devil which has sacrificed many of the usual powers of his kind for the skill to mimic divine miracles, playing a part not unlike the mask of Dywen you donned before Lord Grafton. What is of greatest note for this fiend is the possession of Lamentation, the ancestral blade of House Royce which now lies in the desecrated barrow some three miles south of Heart's Home.
No doubt Waymar will be eager to reclaim the sword as well as put paid the fiends who stole it.
"What about the names?" Dany prompts. "It would probably be better to just summon the fiends away and leave the mortals without allies to be swept up either by us or the local lords."
"In the interest of sparing my tongue the contortions needed to utter those names..." Bloodraven tilts his head slightly towards the glided calligraphy wyrm who claims of a sheet of parchment from the stack you had brought and starts writing quickly at the sorcerer's silent command.
Gained List of Devil names operating in Westeros
"And the Dragon Eggs they claimed from Summerhall?" you ask, hoping you will be able to recover them as easily as Lamentation.
Alas that fate is not so generous, nor your foes so foolish. "They have been sent to Hell, as part of the tithe Varys paid to his infernal master," Bloodraven replies.
What do you ask next?
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OOC: Rather than having Bloodraven just giving you a detailed list of instructions it felt more organic to have Viserys fill in the blanks since he is quite skilled at intrigue too. However, that in no way obligates you to go with the outlined plan regarding Stannis, it's just an option.
