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

Thirtieth Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

Chamber of Benign Summoning, Shadow Tower, Sorcerer's Deep

Fire roared around the circle arcane oils burning true, not to bind, but rather to call forth to the golden winged chorus, three more singers to heal and to guide, to mend and to teach. One hundred and sixty one, Lya remembered, Not a round number certainly but one that would bring much aid to those sorely in need of it; the poor, the lost... the orphaned. She spoke the tongue of fire fairly, they all remarked upon it when she conversed with them and formally sealed the agreements in the name of the crown, though of course these were not hard bargains to make. Velen's kin wanted to give what aid they could to a world filled with hope and fear in equal measure, to tip the scales true. Still, there is no denying the fact that I'm better at talking to fire spirits than people, at least without magic. Once the thought would have been bitter, now it was simply another part of herself, no more and no less strange than any other.

Summoned 161 Phoenixes (483 HD)


In another far more warded chamber, a different Lya, and yet the same, sat face to face with a conjurer trained in the Academy of Chains, in whom flowed the blood of Baator, and whom many there would see cast into ruin as she would see them. It had clearly not been comfortable for Siduri to share her infernal lore over a cup of Myrish Black tea. Oath or no, the habits of a lifetime did not break easily, and for Siduri of Dis those habits were of distrust and domination. Here too a sort of hope was born, though darker by far than phoenix' song. The hope of vengeance, and beneath that the hope that she would finally be able to stop running. Although she suspected neither sorceress would find the comparison flattering, Siduri reminded Lya a little of Melisandre and not just in their power over flame.


"So you are not entirely sure on the names of the imps since you never called them forth..." Lya began.

"Cowardly, untrustworthy, and weak, what is there to summon?" Siduri shrugged. "I made use of devils for their arcane abilities and their strength in battle. Imps, however, have little more than the skill to boast and flatter." A small sigh escaped her lips. "I've seen far too many fall to their blandishments over the years. I realize it's hard to fathom knowing what you know, being where you are, but it's disturbingly easy to come to trust an imp, especially one made into a familiar. There were tales... Ah, never mind, you don't want to hear old Disian lies do you?"

"I'm curious about many things, and even lies can reveal something about the teller or the place they were told," Lya replied sincerely.

"There were rumors in the academy that a sufficiently skilled or strong will could tear his or her imp familiar free of the grasp of Hell. It made a sweet lie for those who had already invested blood and soul-fire into the bond."

"i see..." probably more than you want me to, Lya thought. Would Siduri ever consider visiting an archon mind healer, or one of their mortal students once they were fully trained? she wondered.


"...we need healers everywhere really, but what we need even more than that are teachers," in her other body Lya motioned to a copy of the Imperial Times. "We have been trying to spread knowledge of the dangers of the world, but you can only do so much without a teacher. Ideally everyone who knows low magic rituals should also know a little about the nature of spirits, fey, and fiends."

"You teach such things in orphanages too?" one of the three spirits asked.

"Orphans receive some of the most comprehensive education the state can provide. They can use the leg up in life and the simple fact that they are not expected to work for their keep, as most children outside the nobility and merchant families are expected to do, means they have the time to study."

"A kindly deed," the phoenix bowed slightly before setting off out the window and into its new life. A pity she would not be able to gain such affinity for the spirits of earth from the Old Gods, as their kinship to stone was at once removed, through root and soil. Perhaps in the libraries of the Opaline Vault there were more answers, if she could find the time or make it.

OOC: I hope the structure here is not too confusing, I'm trying to get across how having two bodies feels to Lya. She is in both places emotionally intellectually and in every other respect. She is not just splitting her attention as though between two drones.