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

TalonofAnathrax said:

@Crake, @Goldfish, I'm imagining each pamphlet as being a single A3 sheet of paper, folded over. We're basically dumping magic brochures, not magic novels.
IMO each caricature should be on its own sheet, maybe with an article on the back.

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TalonofAnathrax said:

Well then. @Crake, here are some bullet points for short columns that fulfill the role of political pamphlets. They can act as a sort of Foreword, but should ideally each be a short column somewhere. Spread them out amidst the political cartoons?

And honestly, reread your whole plan. There is no way in hell that this all fits in a single newspaper. IMO it makes a lot more sense to keep them as independent pamphlets and posters - in which case each of my ideas should be its own short little pamphlet.

-[X] First one : Values. This one could be an introduction to a newspaper-style pamphlet, or it could be a standalone pamphlet. In a short first-person text, Viserys earnestly says what he believes in and why those things are everyone's fundamental rights. Go easy on the monsters and saving the world, and insist on everyday issues. We aren't some mad reformer : we still stand by good traditional common-sense values, but we think that the Usurper's regime is no longer following those values. "We stand for safety, prosperity, freedom and justice" For each such value we claim to stand by, use one of our folk hero moments as an example (saving that beekeeper village from an angry Lord's senseless "justice", etc) or our general policies in Essos (freeing the slaves, providing emergency relief and making sure the fields and bountiful). Overall : the past was a Golden Age, and we want it back! In the Age of Heroes all this magic was a boon and not a curse. In the Age of Heroes honor mattered, people were free, and legendary Lords brought justice. The world is changing, and the impossible becomes possible. Beneath the Dragon's wings, those legends shall once again be true!

Obviously, we are going towards the future. But here we aren't speaking to slaves whose past was horrible : we are speaking to free men raised on tales of past heroes, and promising them that the future will be like that again. Of course we won't be returning to the actual social order or living conditions of the past, but those dirty bits are usually left out of stories anyway ! We're making people root for a glorified past that never really existed, but that we are really trying to recreate.

-[X] Prosperity. It is the right of all people not to starve, and it is a Lord's duty to prepare the realm against famine. But sometimes, despite the best efforts of past Lords, famines happen anyway. Wars, long Winters... Well, no more! As magic is returning to the world, the land can bloom once again. Similarly, healing magic in our cities promises and end to plagues. Strange magics and disasters spring from misrule and war (mention Tywin's Golden Shields accidentally rotting wooden houses in Lannisport), but our blessings will bring peace with the Fey just as easily as they brought crops to the Stepstones and healing to the sick. Our ancestors lived in peace with the Children of the Forest, and today the Children have returned and live in peace in Sorcerer's Deep! Angels walk the earth once again, even ruling the city of Mantarys in our name in the East! Wonders live all around us!

This one is straightforward.

-[X] Land and trade. We believe in good, honest work. In making your life better with your own two hands. And so in our Empire, there are schools to help teach children a new trade. There are fertile lands where age-old wars have ended, who now need to be brought beneath the plough. Even orphans and freed slaves with nothing to their name are fed and/or taught skills that will help them live as proud and free adults.

This one is also straightforward.

-[X] Safety. Lords live from the taxes you pay and the food you grow. In exchange they promise skilled leadership, and they do all they can to provide safety to all. They keep Knights and armsmen, they build mighty castles, and they suppress crime and banditry. But as the world changes, are they still able to fulfill those ancient duties? In the Age of Heroes, mighty knights with magic swords and wise spellcasters defended the people. But where are those mighty spell-weavers now? Where are those brave heroes? They are lost, confused, and weakened. Beneath the dragon's wings you will find peace with the Fey and nature spirits, and protection from darker things. When Riverlend Lords could do nothing to keep the peace between the Fey and the people, it was us who came and helped the brave Septon to avoid violence and arrange a satisfactory resolution to misunderstandings and disputes. Tywin's Golden Shield fumble with powers they do not understand, spreading magical plagues and making the dead rise against them. Our Scholarium promises order and law, safety and expertise. No more shall wandering mages wrong you : now spellcasters will be properly trained, and have to answer to laws that apply to them. And we care about the people : when Cersei laughed at the tales of monsters raiding the coastline, it was us who flew in and drove back the monsters. When brave men joined us to defend their families and free the slaves, we armed them like Knights and armoured them in full plate. And when the slavers of Lys attacked us, we did not conscript your sons : instead our army of brave volunteers fought and won against a foe many times their number, for they were well-trained, well-armed, well-led and well-paid.

Duh. This one is obvious, but it had to be said. I'm starting by focusing on the old status quo, then bringing up local problems, and then mentioning war. That's intentional.

-[X] Freedom. We stand against slavery in all its forms. Every soul is created free, and has a right to live free. Of course to live together in harmony we all agree to respect certain basic rules, and a leader is needed for times of crises, to provide justice, and to defend the weak. But your freedom remains yours! We stand against serfdom like we stood against bondsmen, and we guarantee that everyone's voice has a right to be heard. In our Empire, the smallfolk can elect "Voices" to represent their interests. These Voices advise those who lead, but they also wield power of their own to defend the weak and ensure local prosperity. [Mention the kind of things our local councils have been doing with their local budgets]. You will be free and your voice will be heard - all this without losing the safety and justice that comes with strong leadership and the rule of law !

Here we goo! Down the path of stuff that will really annoy Westerosi Lords!
We'll have to be careful not to terrify all Lords into opposing us, honestly.

-[X] Justice. Here, we start be setting out the fundamental aspects of the feudal social contract, in all their ideal glory. The poor pay taxes and the rich defend the poor and make sure those taxes are used for the good of all, to prevent famine and ensure safety and justice. Then we segue into tales of how that doesn't really work IRL : while some Lords are great, others fail to keep up their side of the bargain or act as thieves and thugs extracting too much and giving back too little in return. Then we bring up Montesquieu's theories about the separation of powers, and promise that our Empire already has it. Here if things go wrong, the law will be clear and stable, and there will be people to turn to! If a Lord is insane, or if a local priest start causing shit, there will be a balance of powers to fall back on! "Your valiant protectors and leaders" (Lords) will remain, but the worst excesses that a single madman can have will no longer occur. A Lord's duty is to their people

Note that we are NOT promising an end to feudalism. What we are promising is a counterpower to avoid the worst excesses of some madmen.
We could even hint that this counterpower could be a place for a Lord's second son, or for skilled and clever smallfolk.
We're walking a tightrope here, trying not to spook the Lords too much while selling dreams to the people. This will without a doubt be the most "radical" and risky of our pamphlets.

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Crake said:

@DragonParadox, please threadmark this post as "The Imperial Times: Issue #1"?

Spoiler: Final Draft without the colorized text.

[] The Imperial Times, Final Draft: Included in the link is a variation of that logo with a depiction of Viserys in Dragon-form and Planetos guarded by his wings during his rest, depicted upon the title page.
-[] Details: The Broadsheets will each have an Arcane Mark differentiated with each Issue #. This will make tracking them with a proper ritual and foci (the Marker key) simple for any properly trained mage or expert. The Broadsheets will be hardened by sorcerous means, the batches not being overly bulky, enough that there's no reason that Viserys couldn't do it himself to maximize potential Hardness rating.
--[] Finally, while true that many of these will be pointlessly lost, or at least have access restricted as people either cast them aside from baseless superstition, or the enemy gets better at disposal, that doesn't mean that attempts to maximize its spread and retention shouldn't be made. We have Inquisition assets in two of the locations they are bound for. Where possible, they will ensure some of them stay in circulation.
-[] Statements from Viserys: See the Plan Segment provisioned from @TalonofAnathrax's post.
-[] Editorials: In addition to statements from yourself above, as well as other information collated together seeking to inform people of the state of the world, nothing that a well-traveled sailor could not pick up in a port, but purged of the most outlandish inaccuracies and seeking to educate and inform--hopefully the fact that most of what is happening in the world is actually quite riveting when given the right prose will keep people passing it along as-written.
-[] You will also try to include an editorial on the Grand Tournament, since everyone else got a foreword about the Traitor's Tourney, why not regale the continent on the mighty deeds of daring that the visitors accomplished over that month instead of whispering and screaming of abandoned duty? After all, you are the rightful King, not Robert. Why should he get the final say?
--[] Create a serialized set of stories and fables, supported by visually expressive art.
---[] They would tell about Fey, the kind we deem acceptable, about how to spot Devil/Demon/Daemon cultists, about the spheres and so on and so forth (the point is twisting the narrative of those supernatural creatures that are seriously affected by it, to more sensible and useful direction, while also giving general population a minimal understanding of basic concepts we want them to know).
--[] Propaganda Posters: Pro-Imperium propaganda along the lines of recruitment for the the imperial institutions—Legion, the Scholarum, the Inquisition, the Imperial Administration, the Diplomatic Corpse, etc. These will come in the form of illustrated posters captioned by truespeech.
-[] For the Inquisition the posters will be along the lines of security and trust, focusing mainly on the need for citizens to cooperate and share intel for the good of the empire. (the Inquisition recruits on their own, that shouldn't be messed with). The themes of this poster will focus on the various threats that the Inquisition regularly squares off against -- mainly fiends, but also Deep Ones.
-[] For the Legion the posters will focus on the need citizens to cooperate, but also on recruitment. These will be images of glory and righteousness, of liberation and justice. Your basic army recruitment stuff, but embellished as much as we can. They'll illustrate how the Legion defends the Imperium, brings law to godforsaken cities, frees whatever slaves they come across, etc. It's a rallying cry to join in, to see the nearest recruiter, etc.
-[] For the Scholarum again the need to cooperate, but this one is more an advertisement that they're a legal and certified means of magical expertise, be it for crafting or other things. This could be split in two different approaches—the first being like some university's advertisement, detailing the courses and the resources (geared towards those who are more interested in learning and research), and the second being a call to duty for all eligible mages to rise to serve (this would mirror the Legion posters in a way, with an obviously arcane bent to it).
-[] For the Diplomatic Corps and the Imperial Administration the general idea is to portray how vital their jobs are and what lives they touch. For the latter, for example, focus on the imperial works in progress, how the materials are being shipped there, the roads being built to connect the Imperium in full, etc. "One Empire". It basically writes itself.
--[] Create a series of politically charged caricatures: Varied by region.
-[] 1. The Warlock of the West
Description: The picture shows Tywin Lannister sitting on the Rock. In his hands is a small person in robes, standing for a mage, to which he wants to affix a collar with chain. Nearby stands a huge cauldron with many mages chained to it and reluctantly tending to it. In it bubbles a repulsive liquid, with bones and skulls being seen inside, and it splashes goop all over the Westerlands, with a large glop landing square on Lannisport.
Caption: "They will do as they are told."
Locations: Lannisport, Kayce (trade harbor), Crakehall (trading city on the Ocean Road)
-[] 2. Thirst
Description: Tywin Lannister and Robert Baratheon loom over the Red Mountains, looking down at Dorne. Both of them carry a goblet from which Robert drinks, while Tywin holds his one down to Gregor Clegane, who stands there and lets the blood running from a peasants severed head drip into the goblet.
Caption: "We will get our fill!"
Locations: Sunspear, Hellholt, Godsgrace
-[] 3. Stolen Legacies
Description: Looming like a giant, his head sticking out of a lion's mouth, the head mounted upon the shoulders of a Golden Shield knight, one giant brazen hand lifts the top of Dragonstone's castle and reaches down and up to pull away a fistful of tabards, tapestries and keepsakes marked with Targaryen heraldry and regalia. Dragon Eggs fall between fat fingers and smash themselves on top of Duskendale, King's Landing and Storm's End lain upon a tableau like a map, tiny figures scurrying around and chased by stampeding stags and prowling lions.
Caption: "The legacy of a thief."
Locations: King's Landing, Duskendale, Dragonstone, Driftmark
-[] 4. Important Matters
Description: Robert Baratheon sits in a tavern hall, which is richly festooned in hunting trophies and with various frippery. He is busy ogling a whore that fills his wine cup. Behind his back, Cersei sits on the Iron Throne and torments various people with sorcery and laughing at them, while a few of the people in the hall are dragged away by demonic figures reaching out of the shadows. Beneath them all, there is a scene of starving peasants knifing each other in the streets.
Caption: "What could be more important then this?"
Locations: Kings Landing, Duskendale, Dragonstone, Driftmark
-[] 5. The Great Rulers
Description: A large picture of the whole Riverlands, with three giants standing on it, their steps having left deep craters in it. One can only see the legs of the giants, but they are clearly marked by the house sigils of Tully, Lannister and the Crowned Stag. Meanwhile, the peasants and lords look upward in fear for where the giants will step next.
Caption: "The dance of the high lords."
Locations: Riverrung, Saltpans, Maidenpool, Harrenhall, Seaguard
-[] 6. Absent
Description: A depiction of the Vale, with the Eyrie in the center. Upon it stands and empty chair. Around it, both Andals and Hill Folk are locked in combat with Demons and Devils.
Caption: "Everyone for himself."
Locations: The Eyrie, Gulltown
-[] 7. No Help Coming
Description: A depiction of the North, including the Wall. There is a massive breach in the Wall and the Night's Watch rushes to fill it in, aided by what is clearly Legionnaires under the Targ banner, and is trying desperately to close it off, while directly ahead of it a forest with clawed hands and slavering jaws peers southwards. To the South itself, Jon Arryn, Hoster Tully, Tywin Lannister and Robert Baratheon stand opposite of Ned Stark. Robert clutches a Targ banner and is clearly yelling at Ned.
Caption: "How dare you to let my enemies in?"
Locations: Winterfell, White Harbor
-[] 8. Dragging You Down
Description: A depiction of various smallfolk interrupted from seemingly idyllic work and ordinary life, dragged screaming into the sea by tentacles and enormous webbed hands, while distinctive figures in their heraldry gather around a witch's pyre to burn a small girl, with tears in her eyes, a golden-haired witch holding back their mother nearby.
Caption: "Get back into line."
Locations: Coastal Communities, North, East, South and West
--[] Start serializing a "Monster's Manual", focusing on common threats to the individual regions. Ideally, these segments could be bound together to eventually form a complete manual around the time space for it is given to some other document.
-[] "An Exile's Journey, Part One" In addition to the mentioned free informational document section, we will produce a serialized re-telling of our adventures, putting our utter genius with words and public address to use.
--[] "Greetings, gentlefolk of Westeros. My name is Viserys Targaryen, though I am known by many others. If you would give me but a moment of your time, I would like to tell you a story, a story of a young boy and his infant sister, cast out into the world to fend for themselves."
---[] In short, explain how we were forced into exile by Robert Baratheon, carried to safety in far off Braavos by the loyal Ser Willem Darry in order to avoid the horrific fate which befell our kinfolk when King's Landing fell to Lannister treachery.
----[] We grew up in Braavos, untroubled by the events of the world as children so often are. Eventually Ser Darry passed and magic returned to the world. We struggled, faced hardships and monsters, but grew strong. We gathered friends, loyal companions all, and we helped to defend Braavos from inhuman threats which now plague so much of the world.
-----[] And then we had to leave our comfortable home in Braavos, not for any wrongdoing on our part, but due to threats levied against the city that had welcomed us. Jon Arryn, the Hand of the Usurper, threatened the well being of Braavos, to block its traders from all Westerosi ports. Rather than force our friend the Sealord to decide whether to defy the Usurper and watch his city wither, or cast us out of our home, we voluntarily departed, going once more into exile.
------[] All was not lost, however, and soon we set foot upon unfriendly shores, the pirate's haven of Torturer's Deep. Through force of arms and powerful magic, the island was cleansed of the cutthroats infesting it, so that a new city could rise, one founded on principles we learned growing up in Braavos. We had a new mission, to rid the Narrow Sea and Essos of slavery.
-------[] Our successes came quickly, wiping slavers from the Narrow Sea that had previously gone unopposed for centuries. That success attracted the Usurper's fearful gaze once more, and for a third time he sought to chase us from our home, this time with a grand fleet, one bought and paid for with Lannister gold. This time we chose to make a stand.
--------[] To Be Continued
-[] "Master of Puppets, Pulling Your Strings" A serialized story from the perspective of a member of the Golden Shields, chronicling their life from the streets of Lannisport, their tutoring in magic and their willingness to swear fealty to Tywin, and then the betrayal of that loyalty when he binds with magic what should be freely given.
--[] "I was expecting to have to make hard choices. Tywin Lannister--a hard man, they said. But he always paid his debts. But as time went on, I was the one bleeding coin, every smashed head a grout, every trampled cobbler and miller boy a loose halfpenny. And in the end that's all we're worth to a man who sits on top of a mountain of gold. Coppers." The story then chronicles his misery at being forced into more and more heinous (and worse still, counterproductive) deeds by Tywin, culminating in his capture by agents of Viserys Targaryen and freeing at our hands.
---[] "They were scared. That was the part that always stuck with me. They were scared, not angry. A red haze settles over me, over us. And then there's fifteen broken bodies strewn across the ground. One of them only a little younger than I. 'What was the point?' I had thought. What did this slip of a girl do to the mighty Tywin Lannister?" The horror this deserter feels at his actions, on Lannister orders, is palpable.
----[] "I expected the block for what I did, if he was feeling merciful. T'wouldn't have surprised me if I was bound for the noose. The blood on my hands will like as not never wash off for all my days. But that doesn't mean I get to take the easy way out. Not while it's still going on." A prisoner in his own body, he takes the first opportunity to escape that he can, nearly dying on the way out. It ends with him gratefully swearing fealty to us. Special attention should be paid to making people empathize with him and then making the binding out to be as viscerally horrifying as possible. The objective is to make Tywin out to be as monstrous as possible and provoke outcry against his hiring practices.

[X] The Imperial Times, Final Draft: Included in the link is a variation of that logo with a depiction of Viserys in Dragon-form and Planetos guarded by his wings during his rest, depicted upon the title page.
-[X] Details: The Broadsheets will each have an Arcane Mark differentiated with each Issue #. This will make tracking them with a proper ritual and foci (the Marker key) simple for any properly trained mage or expert. The Broadsheets will be hardened by sorcerous means, the batches not being overly bulky, enough that there's no reason that Viserys couldn't do it himself to maximize potential Hardness rating.
--[X] Finally, while true that many of these will be pointlessly lost, or at least have access restricted as people either cast them aside from baseless superstition, or the enemy gets better at disposal, that doesn't mean that attempts to maximize its spread and retention shouldn't be made. We have Inquisition assets in two of the locations they are bound for. Where possible, they will ensure some of them stay in circulation.
-[X] Statements from Viserys: See the Plan Segment provisioned from @TalonofAnathrax's post.
-[X] Editorials: In addition to statements from yourself above, as well as other information collated together seeking to inform people of the state of the world, nothing that a well-traveled sailor could not pick up in a port, but purged of the most outlandish inaccuracies and seeking to educate and inform--hopefully the fact that most of what is happening in the world is actually quite riveting when given the right prose will keep people passing it along as-written.
-[X] You will also try to include an editorial on the Grand Tournament, since everyone else got a foreword about the Traitor's Tourney, why not regale the continent on the mighty deeds of daring that the visitors accomplished over that month instead of whispering and screaming of abandoned duty? After all, you are the rightful King, not Robert. Why should he get the final say?
--[X] Create a serialized set of stories and fables, supported by visually expressive art.
---[X] They would tell about Fey, the kind we deem acceptable, about how to spot Devil/Demon/Daemon cultists, about the spheres and so on and so forth (the point is twisting the narrative of those supernatural creatures that are seriously affected by it, to more sensible and useful direction, while also giving general population a minimal understanding of basic concepts we want them to know).
--[X] Propaganda Posters: Pro-Imperium propaganda along the lines of recruitment for the the imperial institutions—Legion, the Scholarum, the Inquisition, the Imperial Administration, the Diplomatic Corpse, etc. These will come in the form of illustrated posters captioned by truespeech.
-[X] For the Inquisition the posters will be along the lines of security and trust, focusing mainly on the need for citizens to cooperate and share intel for the good of the empire. (the Inquisition recruits on their own, that shouldn't be messed with). The themes of this poster will focus on the various threats that the Inquisition regularly squares off against -- mainly fiends, but also Deep Ones.
-[X] For the Legion the posters will focus on the need citizens to cooperate, but also on recruitment. These will be images of glory and righteousness, of liberation and justice. Your basic army recruitment stuff, but embellished as much as we can. They'll illustrate how the Legion defends the Imperium, brings law to godforsaken cities, frees whatever slaves they come across, etc. It's a rallying cry to join in, to see the nearest recruiter, etc.
-[X] For the Scholarum again the need to cooperate, but this one is more an advertisement that they're a legal and certified means of magical expertise, be it for crafting or other things. This could be split in two different approaches—the first being like some university's advertisement, detailing the courses and the resources (geared towards those who are more interested in learning and research), and the second being a call to duty for all eligible mages to rise to serve (this would mirror the Legion posters in a way, with an obviously arcane bent to it).
-[X] For the Diplomatic Corps and the Imperial Administration the general idea is to portray how vital their jobs are and what lives they touch. For the latter, for example, focus on the imperial works in progress, how the materials are being shipped there, the roads being built to connect the Imperium in full, etc. "One Empire". It basically writes itself.
--[X] Create a series of politically charged caricatures: Varied by region.
-[X] 1. The Warlock of the West
Description: The picture shows Tywin Lannister sitting on the Rock. In his hands is a small person in robes, standing for a mage, to which he wants to affix a collar with chain. Nearby stands a huge cauldron with many mages chained to it and reluctantly tending to it. In it bubbles a repulsive liquid, with bones and skulls being seen inside, and it splashes goop all over the Westerlands, with a large glop landing square on Lannisport.
Caption: "They will do as they are told."
Locations: Lannisport, Kayce (trade harbor), Crakehall (trading city on the Ocean Road)
-[X] 2. Thirst
Description: Tywin Lannister and Robert Baratheon loom over the Red Mountains, looking down at Dorne. Both of them carry a goblet from which Robert drinks, while Tywin holds his one down to Gregor Clegane, who stands there and lets the blood running from a peasants severed head drip into the goblet.
Caption: "We will get our fill!"
Locations: Sunspear, Hellholt, Godsgrace
-[X] 3. Stolen Legacies
Description: Looming like a giant, his head sticking out of a lion's mouth, the head mounted upon the shoulders of a Golden Shield knight, one giant brazen hand lifts the top of Dragonstone's castle and reaches down and up to pull away a fistful of tabards, tapestries and keepsakes marked with Targaryen heraldry and regalia. Dragon Eggs fall between fat fingers and smash themselves on top of Duskendale, King's Landing and Storm's End lain upon a tableau like a map, tiny figures scurrying around and chased by stampeding stags and prowling lions.
Caption: "The legacy of a thief."
Locations: King's Landing, Duskendale, Dragonstone, Driftmark
-[X] 4. Important Matters
Description: Robert Baratheon sits in a tavern hall, which is richly festooned in hunting trophies and with various frippery. He is busy ogling a whore that fills his wine cup. Behind his back, Cersei sits on the Iron Throne and torments various people with sorcery and laughing at them, while a few of the people in the hall are dragged away by demonic figures reaching out of the shadows. Beneath them all, there is a scene of starving peasants knifing each other in the streets.
Caption: "What could be more important then this?"
Locations: Kings Landing, Duskendale, Dragonstone, Driftmark
-[X] 5. The Great Rulers
Description: A large picture of the whole Riverlands, with three giants standing on it, their steps having left deep craters in it. One can only see the legs of the giants, but they are clearly marked by the house sigils of Tully, Lannister and the Crowned Stag. Meanwhile, the peasants and lords look upward in fear for where the giants will step next.
Caption: "The dance of the high lords."
Locations: Riverrung, Saltpans, Maidenpool, Harrenhall, Seaguard
-[X] 6. Absent
Description: A depiction of the Vale, with the Eyrie in the center. Upon it stands and empty chair. Around it, both Andals and Hill Folk are locked in combat with Demons and Devils.
Caption: "Everyone for himself."
Locations: The Eyrie, Gulltown
-[X] 7. No Help Coming
Description: A depiction of the North, including the Wall. There is a massive breach in the Wall and the Night's Watch rushes to fill it in, aided by what is clearly Legionnaires under the Targ banner, and is trying desperately to close it off, while directly ahead of it a forest with clawed hands and slavering jaws peers southwards. To the South itself, Jon Arryn, Hoster Tully, Tywin Lannister and Robert Baratheon stand opposite of Ned Stark. Robert clutches a Targ banner and is clearly yelling at Ned.
Caption: "How dare you to let my enemies in?"
Locations: Winterfell, White Harbor
-[X] 8. Dragging You Down
Description: A depiction of various smallfolk interrupted from seemingly idyllic work and ordinary life, dragged screaming into the sea by tentacles and enormous webbed hands, while distinctive figures in their heraldry gather around a witch's pyre to burn a small girl, with tears in her eyes, a golden-haired witch holding back their mother nearby.
Caption: "Get back into line."
Locations: Coastal Communities, North, East, South and West
--[X] Start serializing a "Monster's Manual", focusing on common threats to the individual regions. Ideally, these segments could be bound together to eventually form a complete manual around the time space for it is given to some other document.
-[X] "An Exile's Journey, Part One" In addition to the mentioned free informational document section, we will produce a serialized re-telling of our adventures, putting our utter genius with words and public address to use.
--[X] "Greetings, gentlefolk of Westeros. My name is Viserys Targaryen, though I am known by many others. If you would give me but a moment of your time, I would like to tell you a story, a story of a young boy and his infant sister, cast out into the world to fend for themselves."
---[X] In short, explain how we were forced into exile by Robert Baratheon, carried to safety in far off Braavos by the loyal Ser Willem Darry in order to avoid the horrific fate which befell our kinfolk when King's Landing fell to Lannister treachery.
----[X] We grew up in Braavos, untroubled by the events of the world as children so often are. Eventually Ser Darry passed and magic returned to the world. We struggled, faced hardships and monsters, but grew strong. We gathered friends, loyal companions all, and we helped to defend Braavos from inhuman threats which now plague so much of the world.
-----[X] And then we had to leave our comfortable home in Braavos, not for any wrongdoing on our part, but due to threats levied against the city that had welcomed us. Jon Arryn, the Hand of the Usurper, threatened the well being of Braavos, to block its traders from all Westerosi ports. Rather than force our friend the Sealord to decide whether to defy the Usurper and watch his city wither, or cast us out of our home, we voluntarily departed, going once more into exile.
------[X] All was not lost, however, and soon we set foot upon unfriendly shores, the pirate's haven of Torturer's Deep. Through force of arms and powerful magic, the island was cleansed of the cutthroats infesting it, so that a new city could rise, one founded on principles we learned growing up in Braavos. We had a new mission, to rid the Narrow Sea and Essos of slavery.
-------[X] Our successes came quickly, wiping slavers from the Narrow Sea that had previously gone unopposed for centuries. That success attracted the Usurper's fearful gaze once more, and for a third time he sought to chase us from our home, this time with a grand fleet, one bought and paid for with Lannister gold. This time we chose to make a stand.
--------[X] To Be Continued
-[X] "Master of Puppets, Pulling Your Strings" A serialized story from the perspective of a member of the Golden Shields, chronicling their life from the streets of Lannisport, their tutoring in magic and their willingness to swear fealty to Tywin, and then the betrayal of that loyalty when he binds with magic what should be freely given.
--[X] "I was expecting to have to make hard choices. Tywin Lannister--a hard man, they said. But he always paid his debts. But as time went on, I was the one bleeding coin, every smashed head a grout, every trampled cobbler and miller boy a loose halfpenny. And in the end that's all we're worth to a man who sits on top of a mountain of gold. Coppers." The story then chronicles his misery at being forced into more and more heinous (and worse still, counterproductive) deeds by Tywin, culminating in his capture by agents of Viserys Targaryen and freeing at our hands.
---[X] "They were scared. That was the part that always stuck with me. They were scared, not angry. A red haze settles over me, over us. And then there's fifteen broken bodies strewn across the ground. One of them only a little younger than I. 'What was the point?' I had thought. What did this slip of a girl do to the mighty Tywin Lannister?" The horror this deserter feels at his actions, on Lannister orders, is palpable.
----[X] "I expected the block for what I did, if he was feeling merciful. T'wouldn't have surprised me if I was bound for the noose. The blood on my hands will like as not never wash off for all my days. But that doesn't mean I get to take the easy way out. Not while it's still going on." A prisoner in his own body, he takes the first opportunity to escape that he can, nearly dying on the way out. It ends with him gratefully swearing fealty to us. Special attention should be paid to making people empathize with him and then making the binding out to be as viscerally horrifying as possible. The objective is to make Tywin out to be as monstrous as possible and provoke outcry against his hiring practices.

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Crake said:

I'M BACK BIZATCHES!

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egoo said:

Magnus rode off on his stormbike, eh?

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DragonParadox said:

Some bad news guys, I just had internet problems, update is unfortunately only half-done

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DragonParadox said:

Some bad news guys, I just had internet problems, update is unfortunately only half-done

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Artemis1992 said:

[X] Yes
-[X] Fly as a True Dragon in the courtyard, before meeting up with the rest of your group and facing the Azure Emperor in human shape
-[X] Warn him of the people working with Oni and supporting the GC silently, as planned, to avoid hasty action against them until you have learned all you can
-[X] Otherwise mix the good with the bad, the Golden Company is a potential danger, your trade-fleet is merely as taste of what's to come

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Duesal said:

Even that evil eunuch noted that the only magic items in the palace were old relics left over from the Yellow Emperor, so some protective magic gear would probably go over well.

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DragonParadox said:

Missives on the Wind​

Twenty-Fourth Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

The small bundle of parchment lands with a satisfying thud on the table that had held everything from plans for the invasion of Tyrosh to the first draft of your legal and administrative code. In its own way, the slightly prematurely named 'Imperial Times' is as important as either of those documents. For far too long your enemies have tarred you as they saw fit, twisting truths to fit fearful superstitions and outright lying at their whim. Hardened by arcane means, the parchment would would take a heavy axe to shear or forge fire to burn, and each and every one would be marked by sorcery that you may find who might gather them to keep them out of the hands of the smallfolk of the Seven Kingdoms.

"I think it's as polished as its going to get," you proclaim, handing copies around the table. Dany giggles at the sight of the lurid but fundamentally accurate image of Tywin Lannister as 'The Warlock of the West', shackler of mages and brewer of vile plots. Hopefully that and the more detailed dramatized tale found within of a Golden Shield mage being used and betrayed will at least give food for thought to the Lannister mages, if not breed outright defections.

"A good thing we sent word to the loyal lords of the Crownlands and the Riverlands," your mother notes, smoothing out the creases of another finely-made drawing of royal and noble legs stomping through the Riverlands, caring nothing for the smallfolk scampering underfoot. "This could all too easily fire up some of the more hot headed Pointsmen or vengeful Darry men, never mind the words that come with it."

"I think Pointsmen get their share of blood slitting taxmen's throats," Ser Darry snorts, some of his awkwardness at being present in the council chambers fading. If anyone deserves to be here for the moment that will hopefully mark the restoration of your family's reputation in the Seven Kingdoms, it is the man whose loyalty did not waver in your darkest hour.

"Well now they will have a better idea how to slit other things, too," you note. Aside from presenting a positive view of your rule and its institutions, the Times contains knowlege of how to identify the influence of Fiends, Fey, and Deep Ones, as well as counter them, at least as much as can be done by those with no magic or training at arms. The day when you can finally send agents openly into Westeros cannot come quickly enough.

"I think what the common folk look to most would be the promise of prosperity," Dany interjects, the mirth fading from her eyes. "Monsters come and go from the shadow of fireside tales, but lean years and hungry bellies are something all of them would know. I only hope the tales behind it do not seem too outlandish."

"More outlandish than the parchment that puts words in your head?" Alinor speaks up for the first time. "I may not have much knowledge of the Sunset Kingdoms, but I suspect many of them will not risk glancing at witch letters."

"Mayhap so," you shrug. "But as we have found time and again, rumors are a powerful thing, spreading like wildfire through sewing circles and tavern talk. The brave will share the news with their more timid fellows. How many will resist hearing news of the tourney of the Deep painted in words as cunning as any minstrel's, or viewing etchings fine enough to set upon a lord's wall?" So saying you turn the page to have an image of Amrelath in his full glory standing over the forms of vanquished knights, beside accounts of the joust, the archery competition, and so much more. You rather suspect quite a few lords will join the smallfolk in glancing though these forbidden writings.

Granted, even some of the loyalist lords might have balked at the implication that they would need the aid of Scholarum mages and Inquisition agents to fulfill their ancient duties, but the False Ravens had already flown with letters in the vanguard of those who would be bearing the Times.

Now all that remains is to see what will arise from a thousand hurried readings. The conclusion is not only for lords and maesters, septons and knights to decide, but for those whom have been for so long named smallfolk in Westeros. For your part, you have a better name for them—citizens.

Alas, you do not have time to linger upon the first reaction to the full account of the Imperial Times. News arrive by brazier from Yi-Ti—the Azure Emperor has called your emissaries to a formal audience. Now is the time to decide if you wish to participate yourself under the mask of Corlys Waters or as yourself, or if you'd like to leave the matter to Tyene.

Do you participate in the Yi-Ti audience, and if so, how?

[] Write in

OOC: The vote feels a little weak given how late this is, but given that there have been discussions about Viserys participating I feel it was necessary.

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egoo said:

[X] Duesal
Since its too soon for us to trade in and/or gift Lore, I have nothing.

Maybe the body of that super-ancient general-guy we found in Snek city?
Or maybe he'd be completely worthless to the emps, I don't think we ever questioned the skull.

G'night all.
*broken-sleep-schedule's away*

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Duesal said:

Share what you know of the Bloodstone Emperor in the Shadowlands of Asshai, and what you know of the various rakshasa he commands

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Goldfish said:

[X] No.
-[X] It is not yet time for a meeting between us and the Azure Emperor. Our emissaries have worked to obtain this audience and it would be improper to invite ourselves to it unannounced. Once diplomatic relations have been formally established, then we can arrange a face to face introduction.

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Duesal said:

-[X] Share what you know of the Golden Company's machinations in the Azure Emperor's court, and how they intended to seize his dragon eggs to use in their own schemes
--[X] Segue into getting his cooperation in acting against the Golden Company and removing the threat they represent to both empires

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