Tyrion Kinnemorne, eldest son of Lord Urquart, left his Father's Great Hall along with his companions; his youngest brother Gwint Kinnemorne, their Father's Master of Arms Cadfael of the far North, Maarz Kinnemorne (the last son of a senior branch of the family stripped of their title for turning to piracy) and the Castle's Septon Garrick Webber. They had been charged with travelling to the lands of their Father's Cousin, Lord Gostt Kinnemeve.

Their cover story was that they were travelling to pay their respects to the family as Lord Gostt had recently died, finally succumbing to wounds he had taken during the Blackfyre Rebellion fighting for the true King. He was an old man to be taking to the front line of battle but he would not have deserted his friend King Daeron II. The real reason for making the journey was to speak with the Kinnemeve's liege lord Lord Hal Rocsly to find out why the family had been barred from their cousin's lands or any contact with them following the passing of Lord Gostt. This had been done in such a humiliating fashion by Lord Rocsly that it potentially dishonoured the Kinnemornes.

Advised by the family Septon they decided to take ship from the port in their small town to Old Town in the Reach. Cadfael and Gwint soon found their sea legs but for the rest of the party it was the most wretched beginning to a journey they had even undertaken with Master Tyrion recovering before the others.

In Old Town they (with the exception of Maarz who it was felt could not be trusted in noble company) stopped to pay their respects to Lord Hightower and buy mounts as they had been able to travel with only Septon Garrick's cart. Lord Hightower welcomed them and after commiserating them for the loss of a cousin inquired, somewhat knowingly, whether they would be paying their respects to Lord Rocsly. The following day they spent buying horses, to the great joy of Master Gwint Kinnemorne who went into great detail on the breeding lines of the horses to improve the family’s bloodstock. Virtually penniless, but rich in horseflesh, they set off for Highgarden after spending a couple of nights in an inn as Lord Hightower failed to offer the hospitality of his castle.

In Highgarden they were honour bound (without Maarz once again) to pay their respects to Lord Tyrell, Warden of the South and second only to the King in the land of the Reach. Lord Leo Tyrell was at court but his cousin Ser Ardon welcomed them, offering the hospitality of Highgarden to them. He also commiserating them for the loss of a cousin and also inquired, somewhat knowingly, whether they would be paying their respects to Lord Rocsly.

Master Tyrion recalled that Lord Gostt had been made a Lord only sixteen years ago when he won an epic joust against a young Daemon Blackfyre. King Aegon IV 'the Unworthy' was so impressed with Ser Gostt's knightly prowess against a man who was already being spoken of as the greatest knight of his age, that he proclaimed him 'the Lord of the Field'. King Aegon IV granted him the lands on which he had won his epic joust to be his domain. This meant that the host of the joust, one Lord Hal Rocsly, had his lands more than halved overnight, losing most of his good arable land and being left with little more than the town and port of Rocksport. Master Tyrion surmised that Lord Hal Rocsly may not have been pleased by this act of kingly generosity to another and by the high lords' comments may bear some enmity towards the families of Kinnemeve and Kinnemorne.

They dined in great hall of Highgarden that evening where Master Tyrion had to smile through several barbed jibes from their host about the scandal that had rocked the Kinnemorne house some two generations ago when it was rumoured that they had reached an accommodation with the Dorneishmen just before King Daeron I conquered the lands of Dorne. Maarz overheard guardsmen complaining that the were often away from their homes dealing with bandits in the north but didn't catch on whose lands and Septon Garrick learnt that the spiritual welfare of the people of Rocksport was been looked after by the Kinnemeves as House Rocsly could no longer afford to support a Sept. He also learned that Lord Rocsly was not close to Lord Tyrell paying little more than the bare minimum due to his liege lord.

The following morning they set off north to the town of Rocksport following the Coast Road with a caravan bound for Lannisport, the seat of the Lannisters. A few days into their journey they encountered an oversized mummer's wagon blocking the road as it was too narrow to pass across a bridge that was being strengthened and repaired. The leader of the mummer's troupe and the knight overseeing the workmen were in the middle of a shouting match over whether the workmen should remove the stones obstructing the bridge or the mummers should remove some the stage trimmings bulking up their wagon when Septon Garrick intervened. Septon Garrick convinced them that the looming, ominous, presence of Cadfael was sufficient reason for them to leave the road to allow the caravan to pass through.

A couple of days later they arrived in the town of Rocksport. Deciding not to announce their immediate arrival to Lord Rocsly the party decide to scout out the town first. Maarz checked out the seafront and the commercial activity posing, with limited success, as a merchant's factor looking for space on a merchant vessel to transport cargo. He felt that the town's markets were ticking over but by no means full. Septon Garrick went to the Sept and found it in good order, especially as it was only partially in use and learnt that the Septon for the Kinnemeves would be giving a service there on the next Seventhday. Masters Tyrion and Gwint, accompanied by Cadfael, wandered the town getting a feel for it. They found the town's watch somewhat slovenly and thin on the ground and the Rocsly castle small but the town bustling with life in comparison to their own.

They resolved that Septon Garrick would hold a service that evening and that the Rocsly family would be invited. This would give the Masters Tyrion and Gwint an opportunity to size up Lord Hal on neutral ground.