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Child of the 7th Age · 09-11-2003, 07:18 AM

Eckthelion leaned back in his chair fingering a small stack of letters that had been set down on a tray in front of him. He owed a debt of gratitude to Diorwyn, a debt that he would not forget when she left Minas Tirith to return to her home in Dol Amroth. It was not only that she had responded to him politely and promptly, but the notes he'd received were exactly what he'd hoped for. Vieana, Averyll, and Eleniel.... His personal agents had done a bit of digging to ferret out the details on each of the women who'd replied. And the background of the women, their personalities and loyalties, seemed to be the precise match for the job.

The Steward hunched over his desk and carefully set his quill to the sheet of blank vellum that lay before him on the desk. After several moments of writing, he stopped to reread the message before folding the sheet over and applying his personal seal.

Ladies Vieana, Averyll, and Eleniel,

My personal greetings to you and yours.

It was with keen interest that I received your recent messages regarding the matter that Diorwyn and I had previously discussed.

As Diorwyn explained to you, I strongly suspect that one or more members of my immediate entourage are intercepting dispatches in order to gain access to information that would normally not be available to them. This highly sensitive material is likely being forwarded to the authorities in Umbar.

Since the dispatches are handled solely by my personal guards in Minas Tirith, I consider it most likely that the particular person involved is stationed at the nearby garrison. I would enlist your help to uncover the identity of this individual.

Your task will be to gather information--this and nothing more. Use your eyes and existing contacts, asking subtle questions to uncover details that are not readily apparent to the casual eye. You are to convey all information gathered directly to me. Even if you find that a particular guard looks to be at fault, you are not to approach him at this time.

Rather, I have a later strategy in mind that will help us identify who is actually innocent and guilty. More importantly, this ploy may aid us in publicly identifying the persons at the top of the chain who are employing and manipulating these lesser agents.

My own men have been able to do some preliminary leg work. We know that a confidential message was sent directly from Gandalf to me, and that it definitely arrived at the garrison four days ago. It should have been immediately sorted and sent on to my attention. That did not happen. The dispatch appeared on my desk only the morning after the masquerade.

We need to identify every person who handled that dispatch in the interim. There are no written records of these assignments and the commanders themselves do not keep track of such a 'routine' task, a deficiency that we will remedy in the near future. Only the guards are likely to notice, but will account it a matter of little importance whether one person does the chore or another.

If I was to begin asking questions, the entire garrison would be immediately aware that something was very wrong. We simply cannot tip our hand to Umbar's agents in this manner. Therefore, we must proceed with secrecy. It is far more acceptable to have a young woman ask innocent questions, perhaps under the guise of helping track down a guard who's caught her friend's fancy.

First, Averyll....Could you make discreet inquiries as to the identify of the guard who rode down to the Anduin and met the small, swift vessel that brings in the dispatches from lands to the south? This ship would have docked four days prior to the masquerade. The dispatch that was diverted was definitely delivered at that time. Give me as much information as you can -- the solider's name, physical description, from what city he ostensibly hails, and whether his fellows have noticed any strange behavior on his part.

Eleniel....In the same manner, you are to find out who was the guard responsible for sorting the dispatches that same day, once they arrived in the garrison.

And lastly, Vieana, you are to find out which guard delivered the dispatches to my office the morning after the masquerade.

One of these three is surely a spy....possibly all of them. We know there was tampering going on at this point. But if you find out their names, I will be able to discover who the guilty party is.

I wish you success in your endeavors and beg you to carry out your tasks with caution and secrecy.

Gondor is forever in your debt.

Eckthelion
Steward of Gondor

The Steward wrote out two identical copies of the letter. He could not risk entrusting the task to a scribe, since he yet had no idea who was loyal and who was not. It was this fact, as much as any other, that had forced him to turn to the women of Dol Amroth for aid. At least he could be fairly certain that they were not part of the court cabal that was loyal to Umbar.

He read over the dispatch one final time to make sure that it said exactly what he wanted and then called his personal manservant into the room, telling him to deliver the messages as quickly as he could without stopping to talk to anyone.

[ September 12, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

09-11-2003, 07:18 AM	#203
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Eckthelion leaned back in his chair fingering a small stack of letters that had been set down on a tray in front of him. He owed a debt of gratitude to Diorwyn, a debt that he would not forget when she left Minas Tirith to return to her home in Dol Amroth. It was not only that she had responded to him politely and promptly, but the notes he'd received were exactly what he'd hoped for. Vieana, Averyll, and Eleniel.... His personal agents had done a bit of digging to ferret out the details on each of the women who'd replied. And the background of the women, their personalities and loyalties, seemed to be the precise match for the job. The Steward hunched over his desk and carefully set his quill to the sheet of blank vellum that lay before him on the desk. After several moments of writing, he stopped to reread the message before folding the sheet over and applying his personal seal. Ladies Vieana, Averyll, and Eleniel, My personal greetings to you and yours. It was with keen interest that I received your recent messages regarding the matter that Diorwyn and I had previously discussed. As Diorwyn explained to you, I strongly suspect that one or more members of my immediate entourage are intercepting dispatches in order to gain access to information that would normally not be available to them. This highly sensitive material is likely being forwarded to the authorities in Umbar. Since the dispatches are handled solely by my personal guards in Minas Tirith, I consider it most likely that the particular person involved is stationed at the nearby garrison. I would enlist your help to uncover the identity of this individual. Your task will be to gather information--this and nothing more. Use your eyes and existing contacts, asking subtle questions to uncover details that are not readily apparent to the casual eye. You are to convey all information gathered directly to me. Even if you find that a particular guard looks to be at fault, you are not to approach him at this time. Rather, I have a later strategy in mind that will help us identify who is actually innocent and guilty. More importantly, this ploy may aid us in publicly identifying the persons at the top of the chain who are employing and manipulating these lesser agents. My own men have been able to do some preliminary leg work. We know that a confidential message was sent directly from Gandalf to me, and that it definitely arrived at the garrison four days ago. It should have been immediately sorted and sent on to my attention. That did not happen. The dispatch appeared on my desk only the morning after the masquerade. We need to identify every person who handled that dispatch in the interim. There are no written records of these assignments and the commanders themselves do not keep track of such a 'routine' task, a deficiency that we will remedy in the near future. Only the guards are likely to notice, but will account it a matter of little importance whether one person does the chore or another. If I was to begin asking questions, the entire garrison would be immediately aware that something was very wrong. We simply cannot tip our hand to Umbar's agents in this manner. Therefore, we must proceed with secrecy. It is far more acceptable to have a young woman ask innocent questions, perhaps under the guise of helping track down a guard who's caught her friend's fancy. First, Averyll....Could you make discreet inquiries as to the identify of the guard who rode down to the Anduin and met the small, swift vessel that brings in the dispatches from lands to the south? This ship would have docked four days prior to the masquerade. The dispatch that was diverted was definitely delivered at that time. Give me as much information as you can -- the solider's name, physical description, from what city he ostensibly hails, and whether his fellows have noticed any strange behavior on his part. Eleniel....In the same manner, you are to find out who was the guard responsible for sorting the dispatches that same day, once they arrived in the garrison. And lastly, Vieana, you are to find out which guard delivered the dispatches to my office the morning after the masquerade. One of these three is surely a spy....possibly all of them. We know there was tampering going on at this point. But if you find out their names, I will be able to discover who the guilty party is. I wish you success in your endeavors and beg you to carry out your tasks with caution and secrecy. Gondor is forever in your debt. Eckthelion Steward of Gondor The Steward wrote out two identical copies of the letter. He could not risk entrusting the task to a scribe, since he yet had no idea who was loyal and who was not. It was this fact, as much as any other, that had forced him to turn to the women of Dol Amroth for aid. At least he could be fairly certain that they were not part of the court cabal that was loyal to Umbar. He read over the dispatch one final time to make sure that it said exactly what he wanted and then called his personal manservant into the room, telling him to deliver the messages as quickly as he could without stopping to talk to anyone. [ September 12, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ] __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.