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

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Of all Genies I think the Marid are the least centralized in terms of Government and Authority. Ironic given the Djinn but that just means we are more free to recruit from them based on their interests instead of dealing with them as a block.
 
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Interlude DCIX: A Tale Half Told
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    • A Tale Half Told ​

    Fifteenth Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

    The skin-changer stepped into the abandoned longhouse with a light and sure step, though Vee noticed she didn't look at Mance as she sat herself down on a creaky chair, tight-lipped. "What do you know about Hardhome?" she asked at last. "Not the things you've found, I mean the history..."

    "You know I've some questions of my own I'd like to be asking," the Free Folk chief cut her off, trying and failing to sound cheerful, or maybe he was trying to fail at being cheerful. Vee knew she wasn't the best at reading things those sorts of things, nor did she really want to. That was how you ended up being put in charge of some pile of stones and told to shovel whatever shit the last fool to own it had piled up.

    "And I'll be..." Yara broke off, finally meeting his eyes. "Well, not happy to do it, but I will give you the answers you seek, but somethings have to be told first to make sense of it all."

    "You didn't seem in much of a hurry to tell us anything before Vee figured out your secret," Waymar said darkly, causing the girl so named to scowl.

    You didn't corner a cat unless you wanted to get scratched, everyone knew that, Vee mentally groused.

    "We know it was a Free Folk town, 'r almost was until 'round about six-hundred years ago when something bad happened," Vee interjected. "The tale goes that it was raiders 'r pirates from the east, but there's books at Castle Black that that say you could see the fire from up at the top of the Wall. That's more trouble than bandits would be willing to go through." The image of a small village on stilts gone still and dead from brigand's work flashed before her mind's eye, but she pushed it aside. The mire had already swallowed up that place and there was no sense digging it up in her head.

    "Wisely said..." Yara paused, not trying to lie Vee judged, maybe thinking of how to put it all together. "Magic was waning in those days, but it wasn't gone yet so none thought it strange when the sorcerer Drokha became one of the three chiefs of Hardhome, none thought it any stranger than Grom who rose by the strength of his sword arm nor Jevild by her skill at trade. But what they all forgot about wizards is that they like to pick at the skeins of the world the way a man might pick at a scab until it stats bleeding, hoping for a taste..." A shiver went down the skin-changer's spine.

    No one spoke up. Strange as it was to hear someone talk about things six-hundred years past like they'd been there, Vee and Waymar had heard stranger. At least Yara was alive to tell her tale. As for Mance, it looked like a storyteller's instincts or mayhaps a king's duty weighed more in his mind than wounded pride.

    "There was trade going through Hardhome in those days, from as far away as the place where the Southern Gods have their stone grove," the woman continued.

    "Oldtown," Amrelath hissed, though even he was quiet, not wanting to spook her before she finished her tale.

    "Aye, that, and even further, behind the sunrise where the shadows live, Asshai," the skin-changer said the word without any hesitation, though pain shine in her eyes. "One winter when the cold was bitterest, jagged ice floated down from the north, pieces big as mountains fit to scrape the sky, then the fog rolled in, thick and heavy so you couldn't see your hand in front of your nose, almost like something'd planned it... maybe They did." The word was heavy enough to get the point across without saying. There weren't many things in the Far North with power over ice and cold winds.

    Vee, Waymar, Mance, and even Amrelath just nodded grimly while only Riz'Neth stayed still as stone, unless he was saying something with mind-talk.

    "A man washed up on shore, half frozen and shivering, wrapped in a cloak of red, he was strange... limbs too long, eyes too black and he had—" The words cut off in a wet gurgle. "No... that wasn't supposed to... curse." Yara clutched at her throat before collapsing off the chair, twitching all the way down.

    At least that means she's still alive, Vee thought grimly as she rushed to heal her.

    OOC: It looks like my dice have a sense of the dramatic when it comes to failed Wisdom rolls too, on Yara's part in this case. She thought she would not be triggering her curse.
     
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    • DragonParadox said:
    A Tale Half Told ​

    Fifteenth Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

    The skin-changer stepped into the abandoned house with a light and sure step, though Vee noticed she didn't look at Mance as she sat herself down on a creaky chair. "What do you know about Hardhome?" she asked at last. "Not the things you've found, I mean the history..."

    "You know, I've some questions of my own I'd like to be asking," the Free Folk chief cut her off, trying and failing to sound cheerful, or maybe he was trying to fail at being cheerful. Vee knew she wasn't the best at reading these sorts of things, nor did she really want to. That was how you ended up being put in charge of some pile of stones and told to shovel whatever shit the last fool to own it had piled up.

    "And I'll be..." Yara broke off, finally meeting his eyes. "Well not happy to do it, but I will give you the answers you seek. Some things have to be told first to make sense of it all."

    "You didn't seem in much of a hurry to tell us anything before Vee figured out your secret," Waymar said darkly, causing the girl so named to scowl. You didn't corner a cat unless you wanted to get scratched, everyone knew that.

    "We know it was a Free Folk town, 'r almost, until 'round about six hundred years ago when something bad happened." Vee interjected. "The tale goes that it was raiders 'r pirates from the east, but there's books at Castle Black that say you could see the fire from up at the top of the Wall. That's more trouble than bandits would be willing to go through." The image of a small village on stilts, gone still and dead from brigand's work, flashed before her mind's eye, but Vee pushed it aside. The mire had already swallowed that place, and there was no sense digging it up in her head.

    "Wisely said..." Yara paused, not trying to lie, Vee judged. Maybe thinking of how to put it all together? "Magic was waning in those days, but it wasn't gone yet, so none thought is strange when the sorcerer Drokha became one of the three chiefs of Hardhome. None thought it any stranger than Grom, who rose by the strength of his sword arm, nor Jevild, her place earned by her skill at trade. But what they all forgot about wizards is they like to pick at the skeins of the world the way a man might pick at a scab, until it starts bleeding, hoping for a taste..." A shiver went down the skin-changer's spine.

    No one spoke up. Strange as it was to hear someone talk about things six hundred years past like they'd been there, though Vee and Waymar had heard stranger. At least Yara was alive to tell her tale. As for Mance, it looked like a storyteller's instincts, or mayhaps a king's duty, weighed more in his mind than wounded pride.

    "There was trade going through Hardhome in those days, from as far away as the place where the Southern Gods have their stone grove," the woman continued.

    "Oldtown," Amrelath hissed, though even he was quiet, not wanting to spook her before she finished her tale.

    "Aye, that and even further, behind the sunrise where the shadows live, Asshai," the skin-changer said the word without any hesitation, though pain shines in her eyes. "One winter when the cold was bitterest, jagged ice floated down from the north, pieces big as mountains fit to scrape the sky. Then the fog rolled in, thick and heavy so you couldn't see your hand in front of your nose, almost like something'd planned it... maybe They did." The word was heavy enough to get the point across without saying. There weren't many things in the Far North with power over ice and cold winds.

    Vee, Waymar, Mance, and even Amrelath just nodded grimly with only Riz'Neth saying still as stone, unless he was saying something with mind-talk.

    "A man washed up on shore, half frozen and shivering, wrapped in a cloak of red. He was strange... limbs too long, eyes too black, and he had, he had...."

    The words cut off in a wet gurgle. "No... that wasn't supposed to... curse." Yara clutched at her throat before collapsing off the chair twitching all the way down.

    At least that part meant she was still alive, Vee thought grimly, as she rushed to heal her.

    OOC: It looks like my dice have a sense of the dramatic when it comes to filed wisdom rolls too, on Yara's part in this case. She thought she would not be triggering her curse. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
     
    You've got me on the edge of my seat now, @DragonParadox.

    I don't know enough to speculate, but I really want to. Anyone have a clue what the long-limbed stranger with the black eyes might have been?
     
    I wonder if Yara was in some sort of stasis during the long magic drought, off plane, or managed to just live through it somehow. Even a Shadowcat Shapeshifter would have to be extremely lucky and skilled to survive six centuries without magic; was she stuck in Human form during that time, or maybe as a Shadowcat? I doubt she retained the ability to freely switch between both forms, not when magic was so weak that it required an hours long ritual to fire up a Light cantrip.
     
    @Goldfish We should talk about about level-ups again. We've got more than a few pending.

    I posted a few for the Claw Isle group, and we already voted on and edited Dirriz... so that leaves Roger, Jeyne and Kennos. Kennos you wanted to retrain... I'll edit that in a second.

    There's also Shara and Anya.
     
    Crake said:
    @Goldfish We should talk about about level-ups again. We've got more than a few pending.

    I posted a few for the Claw Isle group, and we already voted on and edited Dirriz... so that leaves Roger, Jeyne and Kennos. Kennos you wanted to retrain... I'll edit that in a second.

    There's also Shara and Anya.
    Click to expand...
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    There's also Relath. @Goldfish, we can retrain one of his current two Sorcerer levels into Dragon Mystic while getting him another level in Dragon Mystic. Turns out he qualified last level, but the class wasn't suggested back then.
     
    [] Roger Level-up
    -[] +1 Martial Rogue
    -[] +1d6 HD
    -[] Retraining: -2 Appraise, -2 Knowledge (Local),
    -[] Skills: +4 Knowledge (Arcana), +3 Spellcraft
    -[] Feats: +1 Level, +1 Bonus Feat ??

    [] Jeyne Level-up
    -[] +1d4 HD
    -[] +1 Autohypnnosis, +1 Concentration, +3 Knowledge (Psionics), +1 Psicraft
    -[] Feats: +1 Level ??

    [] Kennos Level-up
    -[] +1 Paladin
    -[] +1d10 HD
    -[] Retrain 5 Fighter Levels into 5 Paladin
    -[] Lose Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-By-Attack, Stand Still
    -[] ACF: Divine Spirit, Replaces Mount
    -[] Skills: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Ride, +2 Knowledge (Religion), +1 Sense Motive
     
    Crake said:
    [] Roger Level-up
    -[] +1 Martial Rogue
    -[] +1d6 HD
    -[] Retraining: -2 Appraise, -2 Knowledge (Local),
    -[] Skills: +4 Knowledge (Arcana), +3 Spellcraft
    -[] Feats: +1 Level, +1 Bonus Feat ??

    [] Jeyne Level-up
    -[] +1d4 HD
    -[] +1 Autohypnnosis, +1 Concentration, +3 Knowledge (Psionics), +1 Psicraft
    -[] Feats: +1 Level ??

    [] Kennos Level-up
    -[] +1 Paladin
    -[] +1d10 HD
    -[] Retrain 5 Fighter Levels into 5 Paladin
    -[] Lose Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-By-Attack, Stand Still
    -[] ACF: Divine Spirit, Replaces Mount
    -[] Skills: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Ride, +2 Knowledge (Religion), +1 Sense Motive
    Click to expand...
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    Since we're in the Plane of Water with Relath right now, and there is a decent chance we'll see combat before we leave, let's get his level up taken care of tonight.

    @Duesal, at most, we could retrain one of Relath's current Sorcerer levels to Dragon Mystic.
     
    Goldfish said:
    Since we're in the Plane of Water with Relath right now, and there is a decent chance we'll see combat before we leave, let's get his level up taken care of tonight.

    @Duesal, at most, we could retrain one of Relath's current Sorcerer levels to Dragon Mystic.
    Click to expand...
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    That's what I was suggesting. He's currently at Sorcerer 2 and has earned his next level. We can then retrain one of those existing levels to Dragon Mystic, while also using his new level to advance in Dragon Mystic, thereby bringing him to Sorcerer 1/Dragon Mystic 2.

    EDIT: Not sure about spells, though. He's currently CL 7 soon to be CL 8. As far as I can tell he gets to pick one spell of the Fourth Circle?
     
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    How's this for Relath's level up?

    He gets a new feat and access to 4th level spells. I know neither selection I have listed for now is particularly exciting, but they're solid choices that fit Relath, IMO.

    There are a lot of good alternatives, if ya'll have any other suggestions?

    [] Relath Level Up
    -[] Class: -1 Sorcerer, +2 Dragon Mystic
    -[] Feat: Versatile Spellcaster
    -[] Skills (5 points): +1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Sense Motive, +3 Concentration, +3 Spellcraft
    --[] Retrain (+4 points): -4 Survival
    -[] Spells:
    --[] 3rd Level:
    ---[] Retrain: Call of the Void >>> Ancestral Awakening
    --[] 4th Level:     Voice of the Dragon
     
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    Goldfish said:
    How's this for Relath's level up?

    He gets a new feat and access to 4th level spells. I know neither selection I have listed for now is particularly exciting, but they're solid choices that fit Relath, IMO.

    There are a lot of good alternatives, if ya'll have any other suggestions?

    [] Relath Level Up
    -[] Class: -1 Sorcerer, +2 Dragon Mystic
    -[] Feat: Strafing Breath
    -[] Skills (5 points): +1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Sense Motive, +3 Concentration, +3 Spellcraft
    --[] Retrain (+4 points): -4 Survival
    -[] Spells:
    --[] 3rd Level:
    ---[] Retrain: Call of the Void >>> Ancestral Awakening
    --[] 4th Level:     Voice of the Dragon
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    For feats I'd definitely go with Versatile Spellcaster instead of Strafing Breath since he's specifically advancing his magic over everything else, but other than that looks good.

    If you want Strafing Breath we could retrain Hover?
     
    Duesal said:
    For feats I'd definitely go with Versatile Spellcaster instead of Strafing Breath since he's specifically advancing his magic over everything else, but other than that looks good.

    If you want Strafing Breath we could retrain Hover?
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    Versatile Spellcaster is one that would be needed eventually, but for right now Relath wouldn't get much use out of it with his current spell list.

    If you just don't want Strafing Breath, he could learn something different. I was thinking about Expanded Arcana to get him another 4th level spell. Draconic Bloodline would get him some spells, too, but doesn't quite fit him, IMO.
     
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