A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

Seventh Day of the Eighth Month 293 AC

"It had to come to this eventually," Dany sighs over the last imp you had summoned forth, the pitiful fiend simply drugged into unconsciousness as it lacks a greater devil's hardiness against poisons. The imps had all been very much aware of you and thoroughly unaware of any news from the remainder of the infernal plots on the materiel realm. Mammon's operations have always had firebreaks, now they are acquiring chasms, isolating any fiends you can summon.


"One should always remember to look at the full side of the scales also," Malarys interjects. "We have been capturing a great many messengers without messages, which likely as not means they are not being delivered. The same strategies that preserve their assets also stunt their growth."

"Not to mention the skirmishes against the Farspawn..." you trail off. It is strange to think of two of your most hated foes fighting each other over the face of Westeros, smallfolk and nobles none the wiser, but it is clear that outside the Reach the devils have been one of the main forces moving to burn out infestations of Deep One horrors, diabolic subtlety in manipulating mortals helping to even the odds against the Deep Ones enthrallment. More than one knight thought his triumph over twisted monsters a gift of the Seven when in truth it has been bequeathed by far darker powers.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing is the fact that one of the main targets of the Yronwood infiltration in Dorne was the threat of Deep Ones scouring Dorne's poor and sparse coastal villages. You get the sense that even with Mammon's pawns moving against the Farspawn and other prescient influences, among which you suspect is Bloodraven doing the same, the only reason they have bee able to stave off the foul tide is because they are not fighting armies, but hunting parties.

"I suppose we owe the Golden Shields some respect for keeping the Fiends' and Deep Ones' hooks out of Tywin, too," Dany allows. The definite confirmation that the current head of House Lannister is still his own man came late and from the mouth of a particularly clever imp whom you might almost release for providing news it was not supposed to have.

"The fish fuckers I'll grant, but how the hells are you supposed to tell the difference between Tywin and a devil wearing his skin?" Ser Richard snorts in distaste. Even among all the horrors he has fought, Richard Lonmouth is nothing if not consistent in his grudges.

"The latter would have a great deal more sorcery to call on," Malarys replies simply.

To that point no one can object.

As your thoughts turn to the task ahead you look towards the uncharacteristically silent fifth member of your gathering for this fiend snaring. "Are you ready for this, Maelor?" you ask.

"Yeah, I'm not scared or anything, it's just..." he hesitates a long moment. "I'm kind of curious to know more about my mother, but at the same time I can take a guess and... well, it ain't likely to be pretty, is it?"

"No, it's not," Dany replies gravely. "But we are all here for you whether you want to hear it or not. Remember that, alright?"

Maelor nods: "Let's yank out the rotted tooth quick, then," he says, more of the polish slipping from his speech from nervousness. Not even Malarys thinks to correct him.

You turn to the circle and summon forth the spirit of darkness and evil you had first seen aboard that Myrish circus ship and last within the Shadow Tower itself. A leering face of tattered shadows spun looks out at each of you in turn. Only the eyes are clear, burning crimson alight with unhallowed envy.

"Following in the Listener's footsteps, are you?" A cold laugh that tastes of ash and blood blows through the room.

What do you do?

[] Let Maelor handle the conversation

[] Try to properly imprison and interrogate the demon rather than letting it talk freely
-[] Write in how

[] Write in

OOC: Not the most exciting place to end a part, but I do need to know if you're planing to trap and sacrifice the incorporeal demon, and if so, how.