"Of course my queen, I live to serve.  If you need to make a spectacle of me, I welcome it as long as it helps you.  My pride is not so great after all."  He said as she smiled at him.<br/><em><br/>The queen nod her head briefly, before raising her voice up, finally audible to the rest of the court. "We have been informed of a strike against your person during your journey however, one that has raised our concern. Some here have claimed the roads are safe, but as a nobleman, tell us here how safe they truly are for a man of your station? A man of court?" Her voice was serious and seemed to direct some anger during the last few words, a glare cast at a man in a priestly uniform a bit further off, speaking to a pair of older noblemen. <br/><br/>The topic seemed to hit a sore spot, and annoy those same men, one of whom tried to protest audibly. "But surely you jest, there is no banditry in the lands near Londinium."</em><br/><br/>"Please, I beg that you pardon me sir for disagreeing," Tehr said as he moved away from the queen and spoke in a loud and clear voice, so as to carry across the court.  "But unfortunately that is the exact opposite of true."<br/><br/>He closed the distance till he stood half way between the priest and the queen.  "For in fact it was just in this last week alone that I, as well as two noble daughters of house Ravos were beset on the road, only a few hours north of Londinium, by a bandit and assassin.  He sought to kill us with bow from the trees, then make off with our belongings.  Luckily for me, and any who were at the great hunt two and a half weeks ago can attest to this fact, I am not completely incapable of defending myself."<br/><br/>He paused to let the court murmur.  His winning the great hunt had been his first true spotlight in the royal court, and certainly one that wouldn't be forgotten so easily, especially considering some of the beasts brought back as trophies.<br/><br/>"Nor," he said again after a moment, "Are the daughters d'Ravos.  So we were able to dispatch the bandit."<br/><br/>Tehr could feel it.  He had the eyes of the court.  As he spoke, he looked around and saw nobles leaning inwards slightly, waiting for his next breath.  He was having a reaction, swaying those who were on the fence, reinforcing those who were not.  So he paused for just a moment, just long enough to let the priest draw breath before continuing, then he rushed on, continuing his point.  "But if that were all, I might yet agree with you.  But it is not.  In this last month, I have had my home burglarized.  I have seen a group of priests try to condemn, convict, and crucify a lawful knight of the kingdom on the streets.  I have heard of fighting of a deplorable scale on the docks.  We have foreign diplomats showing up in our court making requests and hinting at demands.  Why even today, while in broad daylight, walking with a foreign diplomat, the two of us were accosted by cutpurses."<br/><br/>He turned and spoke loudly, his eyes seeking those who he knew to be allies to the church or house Dale.  His gaze accusing, pointing them out, including them in the suggested villainy of lawlessness that had spoke of, "But this isn't the worst of all of it.  The worst is that while you claim that we need less guards and soldiers, certain houses have been offering generous contracts to any mercenaries or unaligned soldiers to wear their own livery."<br/><br/>He pointed at the priest and the two nobles next to him, "You speak from the corner of your mouth sir and it sickens those of us who wish to see peace and stability in our queendom.  Maybe if you and those who claim to be followers of your faith spent more time clothing the poor and tending to the sick, and less time spreading lies about good people and searching for heretics, there truly would be no need of so many armed soldiers."<br/><br/>Tehr's voice had risen to a dangerous and angry level.  He stopped and took in a deep breath and smoothed his hair back and after a moment said in a much more controlled voice, "For if all of the atrocities that those living in Londinium have faced have been under the current level of protection, I shudder to think of what sort of dangers I would face were the queen not so powerful in protecting her city."  Finally he ended with a broad smile, taking in the court as he turned slightly to take in the assembled nobles and commoners alike, "But please, maybe I am wrong.  I'm sure that you have an enlightened view as to why the queen, who is the sworn defender of the realm, our sovereign protector, should reduce the amount of guards protecting the people while those nobles who have coin are spending it on snatching up every mercenary in sight?  I'm sure you meant no hypocricy..."  He paused again to let the sarcasm sink in, "So I beg you, please explain your position."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc diplomacy roll</div><div class="spoiler_body">Diplomacy check<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=56131<br/>Roll Result: rhev rolled: 1d20, adding 9to the total<br/>Comment: diplomacy roll<br/>Result: 17, <br/>Total: <span class="bbc_u"><strong>26</strong></span><br/><br/>Boom.  About time I get a good roll.  :)  <br/>I figure with a 27 roll on diplomacy while making a speech to court, he's probably not going to be necessarily swaying allies of the church or of house Dale away from their loyalties, but he's probably making a really good show of it.  Also I'm not sure if it was the priest who spoke or one of the two nobles, but in my second to last paragraph, that's who Tehr is addressing.<br/><br/></div></div>