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

Fifth Day of the Ninth Month 293 AC

The decision on what to do next is not an easy one, for though the first impulse is to remove Tiamat's pawns and break whatever webs the Deep Ones forged the fact remains that you know very little of their actual purpose, of the way they might interact with the Conclave which might perhaps be turned to some advantage. The latter notion sits ill with Waymar, but even he had to agree that so far as you can see neither cabal seems to be any imminent threat to the city, both reigning in their darker impulses in favor of some longer game which you cannot guess at now for you barely know more about the Conclave than what the rumors tell.

"I have to go back to the Deep and deal with the Order candidates," Waymar admits reluctantly. "If we are not going to deal with them now I should probably be going."

"I've gotta get to hooking that big devil-snake corpse into the Fungus Forge," Vee speaks up in turn, drawing a faintly incredulous look and a shake of the head from Leto.

"Me too," Lya says. Looking to Ser Richard she adds: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take Oathkeeper with me as well, Ser."

The knight gives his sword a long telling look that shifts into an amused snort at some comment from the spirit within before carefully undoing the straps that hold the enchanted scabbard in place.

"Probably best to keep that," you note, quickly conjuring a mundane but otherwise identical sheath.

"I hope this is worth absenting myself from battle," the blade's voice rings in all your minds.

What weapon will Ser Richard use while Oathkeeper is being empowered?

[] Write in


Of course, deciding that you will not be removing either of the two conspiracies you have discovered yet does not mean ignoring them. Fortunately the Furies are in many ways perfect for the task of silent observation, able to take on any face, pierce all but the most skillfully woven glamours, and should it come to it vanish at a moment's notice. Thus you ask Leto to select some of her sisters to keep an eye on both the Deep One pawns and Tiamat's demon, a task she readily accepts, though not without her own suggestion.

"My sisters have little in the way of subtle recourse should something we see require immediate intervention, either death by sword and bow, or tangling ropes and curses that any half-trained sorcerer would recognize for the mark of our kindred. The Sun Haters might be of use to us here, the Drow. Their magics are subtle, and I would judge they have the sense to follow orders to the letter and the spirit while they are under our eyes."

She has certainly given you no reason to doubt her judgment, and she knows the time-lost brothers better than you, and if you are going to justify the cost of restoring them much less paying them then you have to make use of their skills at some point. Under the Fury's unwavering gaze seems a good place to start, yet they have had little time to grow used to this age of man.

Do you bring in Morwyn and Tuin as backup for the Erinyes?

[] Yes, it will be a good way to test their skills under strict supervision

[] No, they are yet too new in this new age


Lymond's Watch is a quiet tavern with a view to the Honeywine, its doors sturdy and its patrons stout tradesmen, no trace of magic or glimmer of a maester's chain, and the most the patrons talk about the Conclave is about commissions to arriving delegations. It is a near ideal base while you get your footing under you in Oldtown, and speaking of getting your footing you also bring your mother back with you from the Deep, the better to wade into the murky waters of Faith and politics.

On hearing an account of the Faith she nods thoughtfully and gives her own accounting: "I know Ollidor from my time at court. He is..." she hesitates. "Well... no reason to mince words, he is a lecher, but a charming one. The sort of man over whom young ladies half his age sigh and bemoan that he took on holy vows, a skilled courtier, though one who had a reputation for both caution in the face of change or peril and staying bought. If he is Tywin's creature now he will put up a good fight in keeping the status quo of lords being able to hire mages as they please, but only train them by royal decree. Whether he has any genuine faith or care for the Seven-Pointed Star I could not tell you."

"So then would he find an ally in Septa Aglantine?" you wonder aloud. "She is the High Septon's voice while he is 'busy', which is to say leaving himself room to invalidate the decisions of the Conclave if he does not like them."

"I do not know her personally, but from what I have heard the current High Septon is far more pious than his predecessor and would select his envoy to mirror," your mother replies. "While their interests for the Conclave may align, I suspect they will clash, personally..."

"And she also might be more inclined to listen to Brother Lucan by reason of that piety..." you muse. "So far his merry band of godsworn mages have been tolerated more than endorsed, but after that business in Crakehall I do not think Tywin is inclined to be quite so forgiving." The news, as far as one could trust rumors, was that several of the Golden Shields had to be rescued from Deep One agents, making the mages themselves more inclined to trust Lucan, but you suspect causing the Lord of Casterly Rock to seethe over the implication that he could not protect his own lands.

"Will he be bringing any Archons?" Leto speaks up for the first time in the discussion, her tone very carefully neutral.

"No way to know for certain," your mother replies, very deliberately meeting the Fallen Angel's eyes, not so much in challenge as to prove she does not fear her or what she represents.

"Not from rumors, but we could divine these priests as easily as we did the demons." The Erinyes looks to you in askance.

Do you use commune to answer questions about the arriving delegations?

[] No, you will search for information by more conventional means
-[] Write in

[] Yes
-[] Write in questions

OOC: This jumps around a bit more than I am comfortable with, but it's the best I could come up with for course-correction.