Winning vote
A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover
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- a song of ice and fire a sword without a hilt d&d 3.5 dungeons & dragons 100% high octane dragon fuel ave corvidae battle action dragon diplomacy best sister bureaucromancy delicious soul-stuff dragon dreams come true dragon ta'veren greatest uncle hubris is a coward's word in defiance of gods and men mammon's folly mutually assured mage's disjunction qm murderhobo top tier coatl
Part MMMCCLXXXV: As Silver Gears Turn
As Silver Gears Turn
Third Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC
The Moonchaser's engines thrum to life once more as she dives beneath the rolling waters of the harbor, heading not for any earthly shore but for ivory-spired Vialesk. It's holds had already been flooded and filled with half a thousand dolphins bristling with blade-like protrusions. Beyond the glamour-crafted 'windows' two and twenty green-shrouded mantas swim gracefully under the care of skillful triton herders, aided by sea cats of the same breed.
"Alright, let's take these here beasts to market," Moonsong says in Westerosi Common, doing her best impression of a Marcher rancher driving their herds into Oldtown, for some reason.
"Well, we don't have to wrangle them long," Lya snorts in amusement at the fey captain's antics from the observer seat next to you as she lays down her book for the transition. Heirs of the Green, you read along the spine, preparing for the journey into the Reach later this month. Thankfully a copy, it would be rather awkward to walk into Lord Rowan's Keep with the book that had been stolen from him by Clansmen raiders.
Your journey takes you not to the garden where you had first met Star Admiral Kharba, but to the guarded tunnels bored through coral and stone where the light of Palixna shines faintly, occluded by the great bulk of the floating city. Thankfully, the Splendid Armada lives up to its name in organization at least with riders and trainers prepared to take on the beasts.
The High Quartermaster, a grey bearded triton whose left arm and leg had been replaced with with true silver pistons and gears, greets the beasts with grim approval. "Damn Far Spawn took my limbs, hope these will give 'em hell when the time comes." At Lya's curious look he continues: "Can't regrow them with sorcery, they come out twisted, even tried marid wishcraft, but no luck. Found a lad who's good with gears and golems and here I am. That's how I got reassigned to supply, it ain't the worst job in the world for keeping the rest of my limbs safe."
Gained 37,100 IM
Though the Star Admiral is not available to speak to you today he had left a politely worded letter with an aid, thanking you for good business and explaining that he would not be buying again for the moment, though that would likely change in a month or two after the beasts had been put through their paces. Truth be told the language of the message is so filled with flawless almost ornate Draconic metaphor that you suspect a diplomatic liaison had penned it rather than the blunt-spoken tojanida, but one can hardly blame him for delegation.
The High Quartermaster sends you off with a hearty goodbye and almost forty thousand Imperial marks worth of payment for the beasts, though it is going to take a week or two before they are used enough to their new handlers for the tritons you brought along to be able to leave. Thankfully, you have no shortage of work in Vialesk and its Sphere.
What do you do next?
[] Seek an audience before the Council of Vialesk
-[] Attempt to secure a military alliance against Deep Ones
-[] Grab the crafting orders we made, make new ones
-[] Inquire if they have changed their mind about setting up Planar Terminus station - with all the trade we brought in with us
[] Visit the Emirate of Mardja, inquire about setting up a Planar Terminus station there
[] Look further for mercenary companies capable of effectively fighting Deep Ones
-[] Asking around in Mardja seems a good start, what with us having made a defense pact
[] We already got the crafters and Enchanters from Vialesk and Hampa, now would be the time to try and get more from:
-[] Dalaqua (focus: crafters/artisans, also any enchanters we can get)
-[] Zerbat (focus: artisans, also any enchanters we can get)
-[] Dawa (focus: crafters (fishnets), also any enchanters we can get)
-[] Kela (focus: crafters (massive amounts), also any enchanters we can get)
[] Look into the situation between the Emirate of Kela and the Wyrm Galzerai - learn the truth about their relationship insofar as we can, there is a possibility of us manning a rescue mission of sorts, in order to get Kela's resource support
[] Look into the possibility of bringing more Marid Emirates into your war on Deep Ones:
-[] Dawa (fishnet-wielding units, said to have been excelling in the last war)
-[] Kela (huge amounts of crafters, so possibly war-machines of sorts..?)
[] Attempt to have a meeting with Althazi the Deathless - learning his price for use of his forces against Deep Ones, and looking for guarantees he won't establish a foothold on Plane of Balance once those are vanquished
[] Write in
OOC: A rather short update because of background rolls rendering the Grand Admiral unavailable. I thought about pushing on but given all the stuff you guys have to do I think it's better to put the order of operations to a vote rather than make assumptions.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
The Admiral purchased 32 of the mantas, not 22, so I corrected that, and added the number of sea cats as well.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
It's really powerful. Our version doesn't have the three elemental immunities to help tone it down a bit.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Whatever we do next, I want to visit the person who crafted the High Quartermaster his prosthetic limbs. That's a valuable talent that I would like to poach, if possible.
I'm not opposed to it (a Dire Bear mount for a Mormont would be more thematic than Putin riding a Russian warbear), but I question the usefulness of giving Jeor a mount of any kind. He should be commanding from the Wall, not out fighting himself. Giving him such an awesome mount would just encourage him to use it.
Nope.
I'm not opposed to it (a Dire Bear mount for a Mormont would be more thematic than Putin riding a Russian warbear), but I question the usefulness of giving Jeor a mount of any kind. He should be commanding from the Wall, not out fighting himself. Giving him such an awesome mount would just encourage him to use it.
- Location
- France
Honestly, I'm hyped by none of these options. Does anyone have any preferences?
I'd prefer to ask about a purely defensive military alliance, or perhaps a Terminus station. Sounds difficult, but interesting to read about.
Incidentally, some of these options feel like egoo suggested the wording. Am I wrong?
I'd prefer to ask about a purely defensive military alliance, or perhaps a Terminus station. Sounds difficult, but interesting to read about.
Incidentally, some of these options feel like egoo suggested the wording. Am I wrong?
They are directly copied from the minor action vote, yeah.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
[X] Seek an audience before the Council of Vialesk, but first try to learn more of the person who crafted the High Quartermaster's prosthetic limbs.
-[X] Our primary goals for the meeting with the Council will be to attempt to secure a defensive military alliance against Deep Ones and to gauge how receptive they are to allowing us to establish a Planar Terminus in Vialesk, considering how much trade revenue we have already brought to the city and what will likely be coming in the future. Explain that even if they agree, construction wouldn't begin until next month and it wouldn't be ready for operation until the month after that.
--[X] A Terminus connection would make coming to their aid militarily much easier, and vice versa, should we establish a defensive alliance.
--[X] We won't lead with this, but we can make them aware that we are going to seek another site for an economic Terminus somewhere on the Plane of Water if they prove reluctant and Viserys doesn't believe doing so will actively damage our relations with Vialesk.
-[X] Our primary goals for the meeting with the Council will be to attempt to secure a defensive military alliance against Deep Ones and to gauge how receptive they are to allowing us to establish a Planar Terminus in Vialesk, considering how much trade revenue we have already brought to the city and what will likely be coming in the future. Explain that even if they agree, construction wouldn't begin until next month and it wouldn't be ready for operation until the month after that.
--[X] A Terminus connection would make coming to their aid militarily much easier, and vice versa, should we establish a defensive alliance.
--[X] We won't lead with this, but we can make them aware that we are going to seek another site for an economic Terminus somewhere on the Plane of Water if they prove reluctant and Viserys doesn't believe doing so will actively damage our relations with Vialesk.
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We should take that terminus action in Mardja pretty soon so we can demonstrate that we're making a good faith effort to actually keep our word. We need to make trading rep as solid as we can here, and we can make a profit on the trade in the meantime.
[X] goldfish
[X] goldfish
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
If the Council on Vialesk isn't receptive to us putting a Terminus there, Mardja will be a nice alternative site. Letting the Council know we have alternatives might help us, too.
They're not exclusive are they? In any case, signing a defensive pact and then not installing the most basic of mechanisms to support it looks disingenuous. Do they even have a way to contact us, let alone a route for rapid troop deployment in case of an attack? If we don't want to do another trade terminus we could try for a military only version or some sort of emergency gate scroll setup.
- Location
- United Kingdom
[X] goldfish
- Location
- ?????????
[X] Goldfish
I kinda want to look for an aqueous creature here. Is it possible to do that? After this that is?
I kinda want to look for an aqueous creature here. Is it possible to do that? After this that is?
egoo
Totally Not Creating Problems Where None Existed
- Location
- Russia
...Shoild I be taking offense?
I feel like I should be taking offense.
[
]I just threw every action we discussed doing the last visit into the list of MAs.
Now that we voted on "do these", we can paraphrase them however we want, long as we actually do them, imo.
On that note,
[X] Goldfish
@Goldfish, I should agree with BT here, we should at least mention to them that the Termini aren't exclusive - they will lose out on trade if they don't agree now to have one built - because we'll go to Mrdja, and they will gladly grab onto the offer for one regardless.
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- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Goldfish
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I agree that we shouldn't make them exclusive, and that an economic Terminus in Mardja is on the table, but I don't think we should lead with that during the meeting. We can mention it if they're not enthused about a Terminus of their own, though....Shoild I be taking offense?
I feel like I should be taking offense.
[
I just threw every action we discussed doing the last visit into the list of MAs.
Now that we voted on "do these", we can paraphrase them however we want, long as we actually do them, imo.
On that note,
[X] Goldfish
@Goldfish, I should agree with BT here, we should at least mention to them that the Termini aren't exclusive - they will lose out on trade if they don't agree now to have one built - because we'll go to Mrdja, and they will gladly grab onto the offer for one regardless.
Plan updated a bit to take this into account.
egoo
Totally Not Creating Problems Where None Existed
- Location
- Russia
So, ah, what is the complete list of "we probably should talk to Gith about this"-matters right now..?
Ironborn children with the Psionic bullshit implanted into them sound like something we should ask about the possible post-effects.
Noting we have 8 fresh dead squid brains and asking whether there are any particularly destructive anti-squid applications sounds logical to me too.
They've been warring for aeons, they'd know how to stitch some brains together to make a Psionic megaphone.
Shall we present The Many though? DP ruled before that Gith'll be weirded out as fuck by a group of Abominations capable of co-existing with other sentient/mortal races...
Ironborn children with the Psionic bullshit implanted into them sound like something we should ask about the possible post-effects.
Noting we have 8 fresh dead squid brains and asking whether there are any particularly destructive anti-squid applications sounds logical to me too.
They've been warring for aeons, they'd know how to stitch some brains together to make a Psionic megaphone.
Shall we present The Many though? DP ruled before that Gith'll be weirded out as fuck by a group of Abominations capable of co-existing with other sentient/mortal races...
- Location
- Philippines
[X] Goldfish
Finally caught up again. Been binge reading for the past couple of days. This is the most hilarious xianxia parody I have ever read. If only there is more of this: Arrogant Young Master Template A Variation 4.
Finally caught up again. Been binge reading for the past couple of days. This is the most hilarious xianxia parody I have ever read. If only there is more of this: Arrogant Young Master Template A Variation 4.
So, ah, what is the complete list of "we probably should talk to Gith about this"-matters right now..?
Ironborn children with the Psionic bullshit implanted into them sound like something we should ask about the possible post-effects.
Noting we have 8 fresh dead squid brains and asking whether there are any particularly destructive anti-squid applications sounds logical to me too.
They've been warring for aeons, they'd know how to stitch some brains together to make a Psionic megaphone.
Shall we present The Many though? DP ruled before that Gith'll be weirded out as fuck by a group of Abominations capable of co-existing with other sentient/mortal races...
I'm kind of worried about deliberately causing a schism in the squids before we break their power. Right now they're operating as mostly one unit, which makes them stronger, but also makes easier to effect as a whole group. If they break up into dozens of factions we could be hunting squid schismatics (squidmatics?
) till the end of time.Odd are we'll need to deal with some of that in the aftermath of the bloody waters conflict (or whatever we were calling it), but the kind of resources they can flee with would be significantly different. The seed resources of any future illithid factions will be much higher if we split them up before we break them.
On the Gith trade front, did we make any items ofPerinarch for them? I think this is a significant trade resource we can use to get useful stuff out of them if done right.
Rhaella interlude in the reach next
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
No, we didn't craft them any Perinarch items. As a short-range low duration spell, it would cost 11,200 IM to make one with a constant effect and it would only affect an 80 foot area.
If we were going to make Limbo easier on them, we would be better off transporting huge blocks of stone, which they could then use to make permanent structures that don't rely on constant mental reinforcement to avoid returning to formless chaos.