[CLOSED] nevarra gonna give you up

[katabasis]

WHO: Division Heads
WHAT: Deciding which Nevarran relative to visit for Thanksgiving.
WHEN: Nowish, whatever that means.
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Prose, but with the spirit of action spam. Tag order is flexible. Don't overthink it etc.

A chiliagenarian elf, an ex-qunari, two spies, and a pirate walk into a war room.

--Is, some might say tragically so, not the set up to a joke. However, if there is any principle which Riftwatch holds dear, then surely it must be the sentiment 'Work with what you're given' and here the five Division Heads can be found studded about the heavy old war table and emboding that very ideal as Riftwatch turns its attention toward the civil war breaking even now across Nevarra.

(So, yes. There is probably going to be some spirited debate.)

"We'll need to move quickly to see that whichever Nevarran noble houses remain undecided consolidate behind the Van Markhams," says Flint in the tones of a foregone conclusion nearly the moment they're all present and accounted for.

Comments

[saam]

Eshal nods. It's news to her-- what would she know of child-rulers? The Qun is... not here right now. Stay in the presence.

"You have seniority," she says, addressing Thranduil directly, "and my respect. But I would... it's not helpful to continue to entertain his ideas. He just wants us squabbling."

A flashed look at Flint. Prove her wrong.

"Like I said, we agreed on Pentaghast. Now it's a matter of how. From what's been said, I no longer think a peace treaty can be... done."

[bouchonne]

Perhaps surprisingly, Byerly shakes his head -

"I don't want to sound contrary, but - I think we must continue to entertain the Captain's ideas." A small half-shrug, and a bow to Flint. "He is the head of Forces, and we cannot embark upon this campaign without our forces backing us. We must be united."

[saam]

You, she'll listen to. What a smack in the head this turned out to be. "Then I'll entertain what you," she nods toward Byerly, Thranduil, Yseult, "think is worthwhile past his bluster. If," and a look toward Flint, "he's willing to compromise. Otherwise, all he's going to do is shake his fists and polarize until we can't get anything fucking done."

[katabasis]

His attention on her from across the table is cutting and dark and very fixed, hardly batting an eye toward the rest of the room.

"If you can't convince me, when you know what I did and want, then you won't have any chance of persuading the rest of the people outside this room who you know nothing about."

It isn't much - this feels like the absolute narrowest of finger holds. But it's enough to get him to sit back down. Flint sinks quite low in his chair.

"You may as well get your practice in," he growls, then sets his knuckles hard against his mouth and lapses into silence.

[hassaran]

"Most people care far less than you seem to about who sits on the throne in Nevarra." Yseult has been listening quietly, but speaks up now, momentarily acknowledging Flint's continued existence and participation in this meeting in order to disagree with him. "Stop pretending you speak for anyone but yourself and Silver."

"What we need," and she looks back at the others now, each in turn encompassed, "Is an actual plan. It hardly matters which side we'd prefer to support when we don't have any real means to do so. The letters were our only bargaining chip with either side. Offering to create evidence that they were forged isn't impossible, but it is complicated and it's not as though we are a trusted voice in Nevarra."

[saam]

Eshal is happy to turn back to Yseult, if only to keep herself from saying something regrettably vile to him. Not regrettable because it was said to him. Regrettable because it would be a loss of control in front of the remaining colleagues she respects.

"It's war," Eshal agrees. "People are afraid and want stability. Some may have deeply-held political opinions, but generally the promise of safety wins out. That is a fact." Unspoken: The Qun, the Qun, the Qun, I know because of the Qun. She opts not to bring it up, if only because it seems like an answer better left in reserve if anyone questions her.

She's not looking at Flint anymore.

"So our plan must offer safety and stability. Even if it leads to war, the after war promise must be safety and stability, and that you will know what you are doing tomorrow and it won't be war. Starting from there, the Pentaghasts have had Nevarra safe and stable for how long? I can't count that high." She can, but that's not the point. "Now- how do we manage the rest?"

[hassaran]

"Yes," comes with a nod to Eshal, agreement in the space between that is a fact and our plan.

The rest gives her greater pause. "But we can't just concede that there will be a war and focus on the after. If they're warring against each other, they can't fight Corypheus. Tevinter may be content to focus on dismantling Orlais for now but they will look east at some point. Cumberland is nearly as rich a prize as Val Royeaux. And in the meantime, we need their support."

[rowancrowned]

"If we were to," he starts, then takes a moment to iron out the finer details, translate his own speech to Trade. "If we were to prevent the Van Markhams from raising an army at all, deprive them of their generals from the start, then there would be no battles of the sort that would kill the soldiers who will be needed to fight the larger war. That is only what, a handful of their supporting lords and ladies?"

[bouchonne]

Byerly rubs his chin. "Presumably, even Nevarrans won't pursue death with no hope of reward," he says. "So we would not, I fancy, need to sway all those lords and ladies - just sway enough that our pretty young lad and his puppetmasters see that there's no winning this war." A little wave of his fingers at Yseult - "Or spread enough misinformation that the pretty young lad and his puppetmasters think they have less support than they do."