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

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DragonParadox said:
Blood Gifts​

Twentieth Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC

Garin and Selyse's dining room does not resemble the Westerosi feast halls of your childhood in any but the broadest lines. There is a table, delicately carved darkwood with patterns like evening's shadows playing in the luster of the wood. There are chairs designed for comfort more than looks, though with the perfect symmetry that marks things shaped by magic rather than mortal hands, but that is as far as the similarities go. The room is wide and airy, made all the more so by the floating mage lanterns that had been set throughout the room. Garin had privately admitted that though he rather liked the aesthetics of the lighting, the main reason he had had them enchanted was to be able to cast light, and more importantly shadow, wherever he pleased in the house with but a thought. But tonight is not the time to think of battles and perils...

"Your Grace, w-welcome, welcome," you catch the unexpected stutter of fear before you recognize the voice. You turn with your most gracious smile to face the kikimora, the one you faced years ago at Sweetsprings, the only being in all of Sorcerer's Deep that can truthfully claim to have almost killed you, not that the poor fey looks in any fit state to boast.

"And a welcome to the spirits of hearth and home," you say in the fey tongue after weaving a silent spell to give yourself the skill.

The fey returns your smile with one of relief, then begins trying to herd a trio of familiar children out of the room, familiar in manner that is, though not in form. You catch the girl among the trio shift her hair to black and her eyes to crimson in annoyance, confirming your suspicion as to the identity of the trio. Selyse had said she was interested in seeing to it that Norro, Alinor, and Vee the Younger had a chance to meet other children of magic, though unsurprisingly your wards were not terribly interested in infants.

"Off to raise hell somewhere else already? And here I thought the evening would be interesting," you ask, your smile growing more conspiratorial as you look down at the children. They look closer to four then the two and a half they 'should' be, and from what you heard of their tutors, the swifter growth is not just physical.

"Being a baby's borin', they should get over it already, like we did," Orryso, one of the two boys says with an air of superiority somewhat marred by the fact that he seemed to have somehow gotten dirt on his nose though the room is scrupulously clean.

"They're not shape-sfifters, silly. They're shadow-kin," Jaime countered, instinctively shifting to a male iteration of her previous form so she can look her brother squarely in the eye. "They'll 'nly be able to change around their... seeming," she sounds out the word carefully. "Not their shape like we can."

"How do you know that?" Garin asked from beside you, sounding at once charmed and bewildered.

"Asked a shadow, er..." The girl frowns in annoyance, for a moment not finding the word before projecting the image of a shadow sprite with her mind.

"That's a sprite, probably of the Orphne court," Lya confirms before you can. "How did you get it to answer your questions?" From her tone you suspect she has the sane inkling of an answer you do.

"Gave her some blood," the little changeling girl replies with a shrug. "She said we were really, really rare..."

"You should ask an adult before you make any more offerings like that," you head off the rather mercantile gleam in her eye quickly.

"Why? It's my blood?" the child asks mulishly.

It takes the better part of half an hour to explain the dangers of unsupervised blood magic to the children's satisfaction, but in the end they do all nod genuinely convinced, not just feigning acquiescence for your benefit.

"Is that... I mean should you have encouraged them like that?" Rina asks after the door closes with a faint creak behind the children.

"That was hardly encouragement," Malarys interjects. "His Grace merely told them 'no' in a manner that would not encourage youthful rebellion. In a few years if they should be curious about it still... well, it is good for children to have something to strive towards. It makes them much easier to manage."

Rina does not look entirely reassured, but before you or Dany can speak up, she gives a rueful shake of the head. "My introduction to sorcery was not the best, it is hardly fair for me to disapprove of others being introduced to it in a more kindly manner. It was just a bit surprising."

What do you speak of during the dinner?

[] Write in

OOC: The talk with the changelings sort of ambushed me so here's a vote on a bit more social interactions. Not yet edited.
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Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

Changelings! Oh shit, they're gonna be "teenagers" by this time next year... 😱
 
So what do ya'll want to talk about? Anything we might want to ask Garin, like how the Drekelis holdings in Braavos are doing? Or has he been thinking about having a Simulacrum created to help with the triplets?
 
i't fun to finally see these three again, last time we saw them we had them flaot about pretending to be dragons which was adorable
 
Goldfish said:
@Azel, I've added the Arch of Attunement to the Strategic Assets section of the Armory. I think it should work well for Plane of Fire operations.

Arch of Attunement: As many as two individuals can touch this Mithral and Dragonglass archway every six seconds, or walk under it if they are Medium-sized or smaller, in order to gain the effects of an Attune Form spell for 24 hours at 6th caster level.
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The shape and mechanics are a bit problematic for my ideas. How expensive was it to make that item?

Also, what's you opinion on these deployment scenarios:
- guerrilla warfare in the Bazaar of Beggars
- raiding with Yrten
- attacking Salamander polities loyal to the Efreeti, using a ship as a base
 
Azel said:
The shape and mechanics are a bit problematic for my ideas. How expensive was it to make that item?

Also, what's you opinion on these deployment scenarios:
- guerrilla warfare in the Bazaar of Beggars
- raiding with Yrten
- attacking Salamander polities loyal to the Efreeti, using a ship as a base
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3,240 IM, so not outside our means to reproduce in a different form, though a small arch doesn't seem like it would be difficult to integrate. I don't know your plans, though, so whatever works.

As far as mechanics go, Attune Form is by far the best option for long term survival on the Plane of Fire, or any other hostile Plane. A 24 hour duration is extremely good and the only way we would be able to exceed that with a better effect would be to use something like Extended Planar Adaptation at 12th caster level, which would cost 10,800 IM and require time from our higher level crafters, while only being marginally better. What did you want?

For the scenarios, I think we would have more success in the 2nd and 3rd. Guerilla warfare in the Bazaar of Beggars would be extremely difficult to pull off, since that generally requires cooperation from the locals and the ability to blend in to them at least temporarily. I don't think our forces could do that very well. Attack the place, sure, but not conduct true guerilla-style warfare.
 
And we missed out on a lot of cute scenes and some good practice for when we have to raise a prince....

I recall telling you they probably had accelerated growth....

And yes, I can see them being "teenagers" by the end of the year. Maybe a bit past it but not by much
 
[X] Talk about Garin's children, and how he and Selyse are adjusting to being parents.

Gotta head out to look at a house. This is to get the ball rolling. It can be added to or changed as ya'll wish.
 
Azel said:
The shape and mechanics are a bit problematic for my ideas. How expensive was it to make that item?

Also, what's you opinion on these deployment scenarios:
- guerrilla warfare in the Bazaar of Beggars
- raiding with Yrten
- attacking Salamander polities loyal to the Efreeti, using a ship as a base
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I think having the Ice Devil join Maelor and Malarys' scheme would prove very useful, even if he's not necessarily with them. For example, he could divert attention just outside of the City of Brass when Maelor and Malarys need to do something big.

Also @Goldfish, now's your chance for that Minotaur level up.
 
Welp... Romania will declare a state of national emergency on Monday (we do not have any deaths or even people in critical condition, but that's only a matter of time).

I hope my internet does not fall now. I suspect it would be a lot harder to get back online if that happens. Just thought I'd put that out there in case I vanish off the net for a while.

Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Mar 14, 2020 at 1:17 PM, finished with 20 posts and 6 votes.
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Also, I'm breaking my own rule here a bit but I thought this might be something worth sharing given my own issues with anxiety about the outbreak

"Minimize watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed; seek information only from trusted sources and mainly to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and loved ones. Seek information updates at specific times during the day, once or twice. The sudden and near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried"
-WHO: Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak

Advice I should be taking myself so on to the blood sacrtifice and cute magical toddlers.
 
Duesal said:
I think having the Ice Devil join Maelor and Malarys' scheme would prove very useful, even if he's not necessarily with them. For example, he could divert attention just outside of the City of Brass when Maelor and Malarys need to do something big.

Also @Goldfish, now's your chance for that Minotaur level up.
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With the level up, we're going from this:
64x Minotaur Fighter 3, 16 Minotaur Fighter 4, and 5 Minotaur Fighter 5
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to:
64x Minotaur Fighter 4, 16 Minotaur Fighter 5, and 5 Minotaur Fighter 5/Occult Slayer 1
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I haven't updated Argo's sheet yet, but he'll be a Fighter 5/Occult Slayer 2 once his latest level up is applied.
 
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