From a High Perch
Tenth Day of the Eleventh Month 294 AC
The Eyrie, the Duchy of Runestone
It is really quite remarkable how much commonality one can find between two continents. Three, really, if you count Naath as part of the third. For instance, all the excuses one hears from the mouths of newly caught brigands tend to ring the same in the ear. They had been driven off the land and had no other choice else their children would starve, or they were only reclaiming their own from greedy merchants. It was really quite remarkable how no one tried to justify in open court the murders and the rapes much less the mutilation that so often became the calling card of 'successful' outlaws. Fear, after all, went a long way towards convincing the local populace not to reveal hideouts and common stomping grounds to the authorities. This particular bunch had a penchant for branding crude 'V' onto their victims, supposedly the mark of an eagle. Give them a few more months and their leader would be claiming to be the rightful lord of House Arryn.
Of course, they and many other fledgling robber bands which had started to show in the Vale as mountain tribesmen unwilling to resign themselves to the end of the long war joined motley crews of outcasts, killers, and the even the odd disgraced minor knights to try to pick up where the mountain clans had left off. Those very clans were now on the side of Imperial justice and more than happy to lead legion patrols right to the best ambush spots and the best hideaways, too. When one accounted for Messenger ravens and the far-seeing eyes of the House of Mirrors, some of which had settled here in the former keep of House Arryn, it was only a matter of time before the wheel would turn and the brigands would be caught beneath it.
For all their protestations of being 'simple folk hard done by' or else 'valiant servants of the Faith', it was clear as day the smallfolk near which they laired bore these sorts of bands no good will. According to the Ministry of Justice's own filings, the most common complaints by locals was that not enough of them hanged.
Bring Imperial Law to the western Provinces
- Gates of the Moon: 93 (Success)
- Bloody Gate: 77 (Success)
It was not, however, just the agents of Imperial law who had set about walking the paths of what had once been the Vale of Arryn. Alongside them, or most often in their wake came scholars from all parts of the realm, missionaries of learning come to teach everything from simple numbers and letters to better farming and herding techniques.
Obviously, there were those who looked upon these strangers with suspicion, who did not think they needed anymore than their ancestors had made due with to thrive, but for every such distrustful soul there was one who was at least curious enough to listen in once or twice, and of those, some returned or sent their children to learn what they may. As a means of education, it is still chaotic and uneven, but that is a large step up from no education at all, which is what most of these villages got, unless one counted those seeking to join the Faith and even they would be a long time traveling.
Traveling Tutors -the Vale-: 88 (Success)
Speaking of the Faith and of faith more broadly, you are relieved to hear that the unrest near Gulltown and along the whole duchy is dying down as heralds for the Ministry of Information, be they former singers, fey in disguise, or even septons called on for the trust the smallfolk have in them, spread the news that the Imperium had no ill plans for their souls or the souls of their children. The reports of people literally playing war-games in the public square to show that they are inoffensive bring a smile to your face now, but you do not doubt that for the people on both sides they are done in deadly earnest.
Calming the Waters: 51 + 5 (Measured Response) = 56 (Success)
***
Last, though certainly not least, that evening you receive a preliminary report from the Ministry of Trade, and it too is good news. Significant headway has been made in spreading new sorts of sheep and goats into the Vale, fine long coated varieties that would trade for a pretty mark since the harvest rituals and increased road network should be more than enough to guarantee food security. There is nothing quite like making people more wealthy and more secure to see them comfortable enough to at least consider change.
With the recent successes across the two duchies, Vee has come to you with a suggestion that might make things go even smoother... or it might roll the whole shell-cart over. She suggests making certain small changes to common animals in the forge, enough that they should be easy to care for yet produce more while being themselves more hardly, resistant to illness, and longer lived.
Better Herds -the Vale-: 43 (Success)
What is your reply?
[] Agree that this will likely be helpful, start handing out advanced livestock as part of the Imperial programs
[] You can do even better than that
-[] Write in other flesh-forged beasts to offer
[] No, best not offer works of magic quite so blatant yet
[] Write in
OOC: You guys were pretty lucky this time around, the way it worked this time was each success helped keep the rest on an even keel, but a fail on either the justice or educational actions could have made Calming the Waters go up in DC. Also if you had reacted in too extreme a manner last turn to the unrest that would have also been a malus. Not yet edited.
