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

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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jul 8, 2019 at 4:25 AM, finished with 75 posts and 12 votes.
  • [X] Plan "So your daughters wants to be an adventurer?"
    -[X] "Your daughter Brienne is the main reason we have traveled to Tarth, my lord. Word of her deeds has begun to spread beyond the shores of this island, of evils fought and costly triumphs, of treachery and survival by the barest of margins. Brienne appears to have truly embraced her calling in the short time since we were last here." Encourage Selwyn to speak of Brienne's accomplishments and struggles, if he seems willing.
    --[X] When Viserys deems it most appropriate, move on to this: "Well I know the difficulty of fighting dark creatures with little more than luck, skill, and a glimmer of sorcerous power, my lord. It has not been so many years since my magic awakened in Braavos, when even a minor talisman might be the difference between life and death as my companions and I fought monsters crawling out of their hidden slumber. We could have all died on more than one occasion for simple lack of adequate supplies." Look to Dany and Richard to provide confirmation of this statement.
    ---[X] "It is now within my means to make certain that others who have taken up the cause of defending humanity, of protecting the innocent from those whom would prey upon them, are adequately prepared for the rigors of battle. If you would allow me, I would bestow upon Brienne the fruits of my artificers' labor; enchanted arms and armor, talismans to ward the mind and body, and various accoutrements to aid her in battle. From my alchemists, I would make available a stockpile of substances, some to use to heal the body, to purge toxins or disease, and others to use as weapons should the situation demand it. And lastly, compiled from my libraries, books and notes which provide detailed information on the strength and weaknesses of the monsters, of how to identify them, and how to defend against them."
    ----[X] If Selwyn seems reluctant to allow Brienne to accept such an offering, or suspicious of the offer, explain; "These should not be considered gifts, my lord. Brienne has chosen the path of a defender, shielding others from danger and violence. Please allow us to give her the tools that might help her live a long rewarding life, one interrupted by unfortunate bouts of violence, rather than a short brutal existence snuffed out decades too soon."
    -[X] With that matter settled, move on to an equally weighty issue. "I fear there is more to discuss than your daughter's deeds or the tools I would bestow upon Brienne to aid in her holy duty, my lord. Horrors from the depths of nightmare now plague Westeros, yet oaths sworn in good conscience would prevent lords from accepting my aid, would even see those whom I help labeled traitors for not rejecting my assistance."
    --[X] "For years since the return of magic, devils have worked their twisted plots, the restless dead stir from their crypts and barrows, and beasts from times immemorial awaken to devour us all, and what has been done in response?"
    ---[X] "Tywin Lanniser's force of armsmen, knights, and mages are allowed to run rampant, committing wholesale slaughter of the inhabitants of those villages suspected of dealing with dark powers, yet do nothing to prevent them from being tainted in the first place. Perhaps in time this strategy might succeed, or transform Westeros into an abandoned wasteland drowned in the blood of the innocent and the damned alike." If Selwyn seems receptive, explain to him what we have learned of Tywin's practice of binding mages and enchanting his vassals.
    ----[X] "The thought of a king allowing this darkness to sink its claws so deeply into the land without even attempting to root it out...the sheer incompetence of it is simply unacceptable. How many wrongs must I right or monsters must I slay, all without the cooperation or trust of the lords of the land, hamstrung as they are by their oaths of fealty to an ineffectual king. What good is a king who does not use his power and influence to protect his people, my lord?
    -----[X] "My duty compels me to try to secure the safety of the people regardless, because I am not pretender to the Iron Throne."
    ------[X] "I am, and have always been, Viserys Targaryen, rightful ruler of Westeros and King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. And I would be failing in my duty to behave in any other manner."
    -[X] When Brienne is summoned to Selwyn's presence, greet her as you would any adult hero, but without seeming patronizing due to her age or gender. She has more than earned the right to such respect.
    --[X] After speaking with her, perhaps reiterating some of what we already told Selwyn, draw from within our cloak a large chest of exquisite craftsmanship. It contains her Adventurer's Starter Kit(™). We will, of course, provide her instruction on the function of the contents.
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Part MMCMXLI: Warrior's Path, Father's Hopes
  • Threadmarks
    • Warrior's Path, Father's Hopes ​

    Ninth Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    Truth will serve here under the eyes of gods and men where honeyed words would not, you suspect: "Your daughter Brienne is the main reason we have traveled to Tarth, my lord. Word of her deeds has begun to spread beyond the shores of this island, of evils fought and costly triumphs, of treachery and survival by the barest of margins. Brienne appears to have truly embraced her calling in the short time since we were last here."

    A long soft sigh passes Lord Selwyn's lips as he motions for you to take a seat. "It has been less than a year since that day, hasn't it? Sometimes it feels like a lifetime. I can only imagine what it must be like for her to have taken up the charge. I used to wonder if I was a fool to encourage her interest in the knightly arts, but what I had thought a childish whim has proved to be the Warrior's own plan." There is reverence in the gaze turned to the gleaming marble statue of the Warrior, but even so you can hear a thread of resentment in his voice, one he might not wish to reveal even to himself.

    "Well I know the difficulty of fighting dark creatures with little more than luck, skill, and a glimmer of sorcerous power, my lord. It has not been so many years since my magic awakened in Braavos, when even a minor talisman might be the difference between life and death as my companions and I fought monsters crawling out of their hidden slumber. We could have all died on more than one occasion for simple lack of adequate supplies. I was about the same age as her then, and Dany younger by far. I will not lie and say that it was easy, but in the end it proved a path worth walking on," you reply, offering what encouragement you can.

    The Lord of Tarth looks to your sister bemused as she dispels the glamour around her armor to reveal a set of gleaming segmented True Silver Fullplate. "I am far from a knight of any sort, my lord, but armor is always useful in a fight," she shrugs. "I made my choice years ago that I would rather walk into the night torch in hand than pull the curtains against the sight of it."

    "Yes, it's good work, necessary work, Father above preserve us, but..." he trails off, shaking his head.

    "I do not wish to pry, my lord, but if you would share what troubles you so I promise to give the best counsel I can," you interject, sitting down on the bench besides Dany as Ser Richard stands vigil. "Sometimes distance can allow one to look with fresh eyes upon even the most tangled of problems."

    He is silent for so long that you wonder if that is the only answer you will get. At last, however, he does speak: "I love my daughter, my lord. She is the last of my children upon this earth. Every night I worry that I will lose her as I have her brother to drowning and her two sisters to cradle sickness. Every night I pray the Seven will guard her, and every day I see that this is true by her skill with a blade, greater than any a squire of four-and-ten could hope for, and by the healing light in her hands." The words come faster now as though he is afraid he will not be able to speak them if he thinks too long upon it. "Yet my heart is not at ease, for the Seven guard their champion and not Brienne, my daughter."

    "My lord, there is room for both," you offer, speaking carefully. How long had he been keeping that confession silent to speak it at so little prompting? you wonder. Looking more carefully at Lord Tarth's pale face and the black circles under his eyes you realize something must have happened of late to make it all the more urgent. "When I found myself a sorcerer, I did not forget I was a prince. When I became a dragon, I did not cease being a man. "

    Lord Selwyn Tarth only shakes his head sadly. "You spoke of the betrayal Brianne suffered. Do you know what form it took?"

    "No, I know little more than rumor and hearsay, and I know better than to trust any tale blowing on the wind overmuch," you reply, curious.

    "She had a dream of a pit of bubbling darkness like tar opening in the depths of the Rainwood and corrupting the life that dwelt there into hideous forms enslaved to powers of the dark heavens. And so she set off with those who have aided her on such quests before. I provided a ship, as many armsmen as one could send upon another lord's lands without giving insult, and my blessing. It served little."

    He goes on to explain that as Brienne and her companions had reached the pit, men had been warped also. Most were feral with hunger and rage, but a few struggled against their foul instincts and begged her to find some cure for their curse. Having already saved others on Tarth from an affliction akin to living death, which you recognize even through the lord's recounting, the girl had agreed to try again, but when the new moon came the afflicted had turned savage from one moment to the next, ripping apart the two veteran armsmen and the scholar.

    It is only with this final piece in place that you finally recall from dreams not your own what the creatures must have been. "Black Loppers..." you whisper. "They had not been men at all, just the things that killed them and filled with the broken memories of their victims." A cruel trap indeed for the apostate septon to lay.

    "So Brienne told me," Lord Tarth continues hollowly. "She had to kill the things even as they begged her to stop with the voices of her dead friends, but she did it anyway because it was her duty, because the Warrior demanded it of her. She is being honed like a sword to the grindstone to better serve the purpose. As a lord I give thanks for the guardianship of my people, as a faithful son of the Seven I honor the sacrifice, but as a father I hate it."

    The last words echo strangely in the stillness of the chapel, almost seeming to linger past their time.

    "It's not just the Seven," Ser Richard speaks up unexpectedly. "It's a lucky man who goes to war and doesn't have to put some poor bastard with a gut wound out of his misery."

    "A knight might one day hang up his sword and live in peace while his sons go off to war," Lord Selwyn replies wearily. "But heroes... they die valiantly upon the field. That much every ballad tells."

    "Do not put too much stock in fate, my lord, its bonds can be broken and even the words of prophecy made false," you speak softly in turn. "All any of us can do is meet the future with wisdom as much as courage. If you would allow me, I would bestow upon Brienne the fruits of my artificers' labor—enchanted arms and armor, talismans to ward the mind and body, and various accouterments to aid her in battle. From my alchemists I would make available a stockpile of substances, some to use to heal the body, to purge toxins or disease, and others to use as weapons should the situation demand it. And lastly, compiled from my libraries, books and notes which provide detailed information on the strengths and weaknesses of monsters to hopefully keep such a tragedy as she has faced from ever happening again."

    Though you had feared the Lord of Evenfall might balk at such a gift, he does not hesitate a moment before accepting it, likely more intent on sparing his daughter pain of mind and spirit both than to care about any perceived treason to the Iron Throne that has given him nothing.

    Given to House Tarth: Adventurer's Starter Kit (™)
    This large Masterwork treasure chest (75 lbs. empty, 6 cu ft of storage space) is crafted from cedar and banded in Mithral, all magically Hardened, and emblazoned with the Tarth family crest. It is secured with a Superior quality lock (DC 40 to open using Disable Device). It contains;

    Equipment:
    • Anklets of Rapid Translocation:
      • Benefit from a +30ft Enhancement bonus to ground movement speed.
      • 2/Day Instantly teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied destination within line of sight and line of effect. The wearer can teleport with objects, up to their maximum load, but cannot bring other creatures.
    • Boneward Belt of Giant's Growth (+2 CON):
      • Healing (3 charges/Day): 1 charge (Heal 2d8 points of damage), 2 charges (Heal 3d8), or 3 charges(Heal 4d8)
      • 3/Day use Enlarge Person(self only) as a Swift Action for up to 10 rounds per day. The effect can be dismissed as a Free Action.
    • Cloak of the Hedge Wizard (Divination):
    • Earring of Arcane Acuity (+1 CHA):
      • 3 Charges/Day: 1 Charge(Darkvision 60 ft., 1 hour), 2 Charges (See Invisibility, 10 minutes), 3 Charges (True Seeing, 1 minute)
    • Gloves of Zephyr's Grace (+2 DEX, +2 STR)
    • Greater Amulet of Protection from Evil:
      • 3 Charges/Day: 1 Charge (12 Temporary Hit Points), 2 Charges (18 Temporary Hit Points), 3 Charges (24 Temporary Hit Points), Duration: 10 minutes
    • Greater Ribbon of Disguise: Alter Self, Magic Aura, Undetectable Alignment (At Will)
    • Greatreach Bracers of Quickstrike:
      • 3/Day as a Swift Action, your arms stretch and elongate extending your Reach by 10 feet for one round.
      • 1/Day you can make one extra attack with any weapon you are holding if you already made a full attack on this turn. This attack is made at your full base attack bonus, plus any modifiers appropriate to the situation. This effect is not cumulative with any other effect that grants you an extra attack when making a full attack, such as the Rapid Shot feat, a speed weapon, or the haste spell.
    • Handy Haversack: This backpack is of high quality but appears otherwise normal.
      • It has two side pouches, each of which appears large enough to hold about a quart of material. In fact, each is like a Bag of Holding and can actually hold material of as much as 2 cubic feet in volume or 20 pounds in weight. The large central portion of the pack can contain up to 8 cubic feet or 80 pounds of material. Even when so filled, the backpack always weighs only 5 pounds.
      • While such storage is useful enough, the pack has an even greater power. When the wearer reaches into it for a specific item, that item is always on top. Thus, no digging around and fumbling is ever necessary to find what a haversack contains. Retrieving any specific item from a haversack is a Move Action, but it does not provoke the Attacks of Opportunity that retrieving a stored item usually does.
    • Muleback Cords(Slotless): Strength score is 8 higher than normal when determining carrying capacity.
    • Ring of Sustenance
    • Watchful Warrior's Ring:
      • When this ring is activated as a Standard Action, any armor or weapon the bearer is currently wearing disappear and are stored within the ring, and any armor or weapon currently stored within the ring appear in the appropriate places on their body (items that must be held appear at their feet if their hands aren't free hands).
    • +1 Reinforced Segmented Glamered Adamantine Fullplate
    • +1 Razor Sharp Adamantine Shortsword
    • +1 Razor Sharp Cold Iron Shortsword
    • +1 Razor Sharp Mithral Shortsword
    • +1 Heavy Mithral Shield
    Single-Use Charms:
    • x1 Sending Stone
    • x1 Plane Shift (with personal instruction from us on how to use it to reach Armun Kelisk and our embassy there)
    Alchemical Supplies:
    • x30 Antiplague
    • x20 Antitoxin
    • x5 Auran Mask
    • x100 Healing Salve
    • x20 Smoke Sticks
    • x20 Sunrods
    • x30 Vermin Repellent
    • x20 Alchemist's Fire
    • x20 Fungal Stun Vials
    • x20 Liquid Ice
    • x20 Sleep-Smoke
    • x10 Tanglefoot Bag
    • x10 Thunderstone
    Study Material:
    • Canticle of Decay
    • Journals of the Betrayed
    • In Memory of Death
    • Reign of Madness
    • The Bitter Cub
    • Bestiary of the Bizarre
    • Notes on Devils, Fey, Demons, and other assorted beasties.

    Thus you continue with some confidence: "I fear there is more to discuss than your daughter's deeds or the tools I would bestow upon Brienne to aid in her holy duty, my lord. Horrors from the depths of nightmare now plague Westeros, yet oaths sworn in good conscience would prevent lords from accepting my aid. It would even see those whom I help labeled as traitors for not rejecting my assistance. For years since the return of magic, Devils have worked their twisted plots, the restless dead stir from their crypts and barrows, and beasts from times immemorial awaken to devour us all, and what has been done in response?"

    "Too little and too late, in most regards if rumors are to be believed," the lord replies, though the question had not been meant for him. "The Faith has done more to guard Westeros than the king ever did, and last I checked the High Septon is not the one collecting taxes and demanding fealty." He meets your surprised look with an expression too bitter to be called a smile. "Are you surprised that I would think so after all that I have seen?"

    "No, not truly, though I am glad you see so clearly how little Baratheon has done for the Seven Kingdoms, though I fear his indolence runs deeper than that. Tywin Lannister's force of armsmen, knights, and mages are allowed to run rampant, committing wholesale slaughter of the inhabitants of those villages suspected of dealing with dark powers, yet do nothing to prevent them from being tainted in the first place. Perhaps in time this strategy might succeed, or transform Westeros into an abandoned wasteland drowned in the blood of the innocent and the damned alike." You go on to explain what you had learned and guessed of Lannister doings, most of which do not seem to truly surprise the Lord of Tarth, though a few revolt him.

    So at last you come to the crux of the matter. "The thought of a king allowing this darkness to sink its claws so deeply into the land without even attempting to root it out... the sheer incompetence of it is simply unacceptable. How many wrongs must I right or monsters must I slay, all without the cooperation or trust of the lords of the land, hamstrung as they are by their oaths of fealty to an ineffectual king? What good is a king who does not use his power and influence to protect his people, my lord?"

    You take one last breath to proclaim your right to the Iron Throne when the lord before you surprises you yet again by answering. "I think you have done enough, though there is one thing more I would ask of you for the sake of my House and the smallfolk who look to me for guidance. Will you recognize my daughter as heir to Tarth though the oaths of the Warrior hang upon her?"

    What do you reply?

    [] Write in

    OOC: I hope this detailed accounting is not slowing things down too badly. I'm trying my best to keep lords from blurring together, to give them some depth. Also I find Selwyn's conflict very interesting personally, so this flowed well.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Goldfish said:
    so we would be creating intelligent creatures destined to die shortly thereafter because they couldn't find a viable host to infect.
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    This is something I was concerned about and couldn't think of how to make it so it could be a useful infiltration asset without making Vee (or myself) sad.

    I do so want them to fear us though, will have to start re-thinking a venom or spore based Memory Rot.

    Re: Bigger Fish I think I want to make it a plant instead of a construct.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Will you recognize my daughter as heir to Tarth though the oaths of the Warrior hang upon her?"
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    Mhm.
    I'm not sure, actually.
    Does someone holding political power of the sort is allowed in our Empire's constitution, while doing the duty of Faith, and one as huge as her's?

    Worst case, we have the access to Unravellings.
    We may set the option on table as "If one day you are ready to lay down the mantle of Father's chosen, and take up one of your heritage - it's ther"?
    :/
     
    DragonParadox said:
    As you take one last breath to proclaim your right to the Iron Throne the lord before you surprises you yet again by answering. "I think you have done enough, though there is one thing more I would ask of you for the sake of my house and the smallfolk who look to me for guidance. Will you recognize my daughter as heir to Tarth though the oaths of the Warrior hang upon her?"
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    Do we want to recognize Brienne as Heir of Tarth, or do we want to give him a counteroffer, of reviving his son to be the Heir?

    Personally I would rather revive his son, as I want Brienne to become the head of an order of Paladins trained by her, and doing that, ruling Tarth and adventuring, might be a little much.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Warrior's Path, Father's Hopes ​

    Ninth Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    Truth will serve here under the eyes of gods and men, where honeyed words would not you suspect: "Your daughter Brienne is the main reason we have traveled to Tarth, my lord. Word of her deeds has begun to spread beyond the shores of this island, of evils fought and costly triumphs, of treachery and survival by the barest of margins. Brienne appears to have truly embraced her calling in the short time since we were last here."

    A long soft sigh passes Lord Selwyn's lips as he motions for you to take a seat. "It has been less than a year since that day hasn't it? Sometimes it feels like a lifetime. I can only imagine what it must be like for her to have taken up the charge. I used to wonder if I was a fool to encourage her interest in the knightly arts, but what I had thought a childish whim has proved to be the Warrior's own plan." There is reverence in the gaze turned to the gleaming marble statue of the warrior, but even so you can hear a thread of resentment in his voice, one be might not wish to reveal even to himself.

    "Well I know the difficulty of fighting dark creatures with little more than luck, skill, and a glimmer of sorcerous power, my lord. It has not been so many years since my magic awakened in Braavos, when even a minor talisman might be the difference between life and death as my companions and I fought monsters crawling out of their hidden slumber. We could have all died on more than one occasion for simple lack of adequate supplies. I was about the same age as her age then and Dany younger by far. I will not lie and say that it was easy, but in the end it proved a path worth walking on," you offer what encouragement you can.

    The lord of Tarth looks to your sister, bemused as she dispels the glamor around her armor to reveal gleaming segmented True Silver. "I am far from a knight of any sort my lord, but armor is always useful in a fight," she shrugs. "I made my choice years ago that I would walk into the night, torch in hand, rather than pull the curtains against the sight of it."

    "Yes, it's good work. Necessary work, Father Above preserve us, but..." he trails off, shaking his head.

    "I do not wish to pry, my lord, but if you would share what troubles you so I promise to give the best counsel I can," you interject, sitting down on the bench besides Dany as Ser Richard stands vigil. "Sometimes distance can allow one to look with fresh eyes upon even the most tangled of problems."

    He is silent for so long that you wonder if that is the only answer you will get. At last, however, he does speak: "I love my daughter, my lord. She is the last of my children upon this earth. Every night I worry that I will lose her, as I have her brother to drowning and her two sisters to cradle sickness. Every night I pray the Seven will guard her and every day I see that this is true, by her skill with a blade, greater than any squire of four and ten could hope for, by the healing light in her hands." The words come faster now, as though he is afraid he will not be able to speak them if he thinks too long upon it. "Yet my heart is not at ease, for the Seven guard their champion and not Brienne, my daughter."

    "My lord there is room for both," you offer, speaking carefully. How long had he been keeping that confession silent, to speak it at so little prompting? you wonder. Looking more carefully at Lord Tarth's pale face and the black circles under his eyes, you realize something must have happened of late to make it all the more urgent. "When I found myself a sorcerer I did not forget I was a prince, when I became a dragon I did not cease being a man. "

    Selwyn Tarth only shakes his head sadly. "You spoke of the betrayal Bri,nne suffered. Do you know what form it took?"

    "No, I know little more than rumor and hearsay, and I know better than to trust any tale blowing on the wind overmuch," you reply, curious.

    "She had a dream of a bit of bubbling darkness like tar opening in the depths of the Rainwood and corrupting the life that dwelt there into hideous forms enslaved to powers of the dark heavens. And so she set off with those who have aided her on such quests before. I provided a ship, as many armsmen as one could send upon another lord's lands without giving insult, and my blessing. It served little."

    He goes on to explain that by the time Brienne and her companions had reached the pit, men had been warped also. Most were feral with hunger and rage, but a few struggled against their foul instincts and begged her to find some cure for their curse. Having already saved others on Tarth from an affliction akin to living death which you recognize even through the lord's recounting. The girl had agreed to try again, but when the new moon came, the afflicted turned savage from one moment to the next ripping apart the two veteran armsmen and the scholar.

    It is only with this final piece in place that you finally recall from dreams not your own what the creatures must have been. "Black Lopers..." you whisper. "They had not been men at all, just the things that killed them, filled with the broken memories of their victims." A cruel trap indeed for the apostate septon to lay.

    "So Brianne told me," Lord Tarth continues hollowly. "She had to kill the things even as they begged her to stop with the voices of her dead friends, but she did it anyway, because it was her duty, because the Warrior demanded it of her. She is being honed like a sword to the grindstone to better serve the purpose. As a lord I give thanks for the guardianship of my people, as a faithful son of the Seven I honor the sacrifice, but as a father I hate it."

    The last words echo strangely in the stillness of the chapel, almost seeming to linger past their time.

    "It's not just the Seven," Ser Richard speaks up unexpectedly. "It's a lucky man who goes to war and doesn't have to put some poor bastard with a gut wound out of his misery."

    "A knight might one day hang up his sword and live in peace while his sons go off to war," Lord Selwyn replies wearily. "But heroes... they die valiantly upon the field. That much every ballad tells."

    "Do not put too much stock in fate, my lord. Its bonds can be broken and even the words of prophecy made false," you speak softly in turn. "All any of us can do is meet the future with wisdom as much as courage. If you would allow me, I would bestow upon Brienne the fruits of my artificers' labor; enchanted arms and armor, talismans to ward the mind and body, and various accoutrements to aid her in battle. From my alchemists, I would make available a stockpile of substances, some to use to heal the body, to purge toxins or disease, and others to use as weapons should the situation demand it. And lastly, compiled from my libraries, books and notes which provide detailed information on the strength and weaknesses of the monsters, to hopefully keep such a tragedy as she has faced from ever happening again."

    Though you had feared the lord of Evenfall might balk at such a gift, he does not hesitate a moment before accepting it, likely too intent on sparing his daughter pain of mind and spirit both to care about any perceived treason to the Iron Throne that has given him nothing.

    Thus you continue with some confidence: "I fear there is more to discuss than your daughter's deeds or the tools I would bestow upon Brienne to aid in her holy duty, my lord. Horrors from the depths of nightmare now plague Westeros, yet oaths sworn in good conscience would prevent lords from accepting my aid, would even see those whom I help labeled traitors for not rejecting my assistance. For years since the return of magic, devils have worked their twisted plots, the restless dead stir from their crypts and barrows, and beasts from times immemorial awaken to devour us all, and what has been done in response?"

    "Too little and too late in most regards, if rumors are to be believed," the lord replies, though the question had not been meant for him. "The faith has done more to guard Westeros than the king ever did and last I checked the High Septon is not the one collecting taxes and demanding fealty." He meets your surprised look with an expression too bitter to be called a smile. "Are you surprised that I would think so after all that I have seen?"

    "No, not truly, though I am glad you see so clearly how little Baratheon has done for the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, I fear his indolence runs deeper than that. Tywin Lanniser's force of armsmen, knights, and mages are allowed to run rampant, committing wholesale slaughter of the inhabitants of those villages suspected of dealing with dark powers, yet do nothing to prevent them from being tainted in the first place. Perhaps in time this strategy might succeed, or transform Westeros into an abandoned wasteland drowned in the blood of the innocent and the damned alike." You go on to explain what you had learned and guessed of Lannister doings, most of which do not seem to truly surprise the lord of Tarth, though a few revolt him.

    So at last you come to the crux of the matter "The thought of a king allowing this darkness to sink its claws so deeply into the land without even attempting to root it out...the sheer incompetence of it is simply unacceptable. How many wrongs must I right or monsters must I slay, all without the cooperation or trust of the lords of the land, hamstrung as they are by their oaths of fealty to an ineffectual king. What good is a king who does not use his power and influence to protect his people, my lord?"

    As you take one last breath to proclaim your right to the Iron Throne, the lord before you surprises you yet again by answering. "I think you have done enough, though there is one thing more I would ask of you for the sake of my house and the smallfolk who look to me for guidance. Will you recognize my daughter as heir to Tarth though the oaths of the Warrior hang upon her?"

    What do you reply?

    [] Write in

    OOC: I hope this detailed accounting is not slowing things down too hard. I'm trying my best to keep lords from blurring together, to give them some depth. Also I find Selwyn's conflict very interesting personally so this flowed well.
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    Made a few edits to the chapter, DP.

    Whew, that was a good one. Heavy, but nice. Selwyn is a pretty good sort, it seems.
     
    If she can't swear to truly heed us to be her liege before other oaths to the Faith or Divine, she can't fulfill her responsibility to the Crown.

    Offer to raise his son instead after pointing this out.
     
    [X] I would not ask her to serve two lieges.
    -[X] We have a magic that can unravel any magical bond, even that between a God and his Chosen. If Brienne wants to succede you, we can offer her that option.
    -[X] Alternativly we could try raising his dead children, though depending on their age at the time of death that is more or less likely to succede.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    [X] I would not ask her to serve two lieges.
    -[X] We have a magic that can unravel any magical bond, even that between a God and his Chosen. If Brienne wants to succede you, we can offer her that option.
    -[X] Alternativly we could try raising his dead children, though depending on their age at the time of death that is more or less likely to succede.
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    You MADLAD.

    [X] Artemis1992
     
    Duesal said:
    Guys, the Unravelling is reserved for Garin if we need it against R'hllor. We simply don't have another one.
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    By the time Brienee is likely to try for it (if she even goes there), we'll likely have another one.
    I'm not seeing her dropping her "duty" anywhen soon.
     
    egoo said:
    By the time Brienee is likely to try for it (if she even goes there), we'll likely have another one.
    I'm not seeing her dropping her "duty" anywhen soon.
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    No we won't. Where do you plan to even find another one? The Orphne Court, the only known source of these things, sold us their last one already.

    Making sure Garin as head of the Inquisition doesn't have R'hllor hanging over his head is so much more important.
     
    It bears remembering that not every soul wants to return from death and some may not be able to. You guys might want to vote for a contingency for that too if you make the offer.
     
    Duesal had a point, and using it for that is symptomatic of an impulsive decision made because it seems brilliant in its sheer audacity.

    But I also just really want to make the offer because it would remove a queen piece from our rival's board very neatly, and we are in the unique position of being able to make the offer whereas no one else could.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    It bears remembering that not every soul wants to return from death and some may not be able to. You guys might want to vote for a contingency for that too if you make the offer.
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    @DragonParadox
    1. Now that the Orphne Court is ours, can we be told either what it takes to get them to make an Unravelling, or where we could look for more?
    2. How many dead children does Lord Tarth have whom we could attempt to raise?
    Crake said:
    Duesal had a point, and using it for that is symptomatic of an impulsive decision made because it seems brilliant in its sheer audacity.

    But I also just really want to make the offer because it would remove a queen piece from our rival's board very neatly, and we are in the unique position of being able to make the offer whereas no one else could.
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    I understand the value here, it's just that Garin is much more dangerous to leave without the means to break free. We should have taken care of this a while ago. I wish he'd just told us what his deal with R'hllor was already.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    It bears remembering that not every soul wants to return from death and some may not be able to. You guys might want to vote for a contingency for that too if you make the offer.
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    This is another reason why, and the point of needing a good backup plan is raised therein.

    But I don't want merely a good plan, much less a decent one. I want more perfect, devious masterstrokes. I want to get contact high off success.

    I am an addict, looking for his next rush, and that vice is called victory.
     
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    Duesal said:
    @DragonParadox
    1. Now that the Orphne Court is ours, can we be told either what it takes to get them to make an Unravelling, or where we could look for more?
    2. How many dead children does Lord Tarth have whom we could attempt to raise?
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    1. Unravelings are made from the souls of powerful priests who were either abandoned by the gods or became apostates
    2. Only one with any chance to restoring (his son), his other daughters died in the cradle.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    1. Unravelings are made from the souls of powerful priests who were either abandoned by the gods or became apostates
    2. Only one with any chance to restoring (his son), his other daughters died in the cradle.
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    So if we capture the next apostate we see and toss them to the Orphne we can get an Unravelling out of it? Because while not common, in this day and age I'm sure we can still find a few wandering around.

    As for the son, isn't there a spell we could use to straight up commune with his soul and convince him to accept? @Deliste?

    Lastly, @DragonParadox, if we sit Garin down in either the Mind Blank room of the Shadow Tower or in Bloodraven's lair, will he tell us exactly what his terms with R'hllor were? We've been in the dark for an unacceptably long time for that, and paranoid about it every step of the way. We literally got an Unravelling for it, and we don't even know how bad the deal he made is.
     
    Brienne is a Paladin, y'all, even if she is sworn to the Warrior. If she swears to obey our laws, she will do so. If she fails to do so, she will Fall and no longer be beholden to the Warrior.

    [X] If Brienne is willing to swear her oath of fealty and obey the laws of our realm, we have no issue with her being the heir.
     
    Goldfish said:
    Brienne is a Paladin, y'all, even if she is sworn to the Warrior. If she swears to obey our laws, she will do so. If she fails to do so, she will Fall and no longer be beholden to the Warrior.

    [X] If Brienne is willing to swear her oath of fealty and obey the laws of our realm, we have no issue with her being the heir.
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    @DragonParadox based on the implication that the Warrior would fudge the rules on this in his favor and that if Brienne was refusing to uphold her oaths to us for any reason, it would likely be because it was demanded of her by her deity to do so, can we assume this isn't actually correct?

    Come on Goldfish, it can't be that simple.
     
    Crake said:
    @DragonParadox based on the implication that the Warrior would fudge the rules on this in his favor and that if Brienne was refusing to uphold her oaths to us for any reason, it would likely be because it was demanded of her by her deity to do so, can we assume this isn't actually correct?

    Come on Goldfish, it can't be that simple.
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    Paladins don't exactly get a lot of wiggle room in their Code.
     
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