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

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Adhoc vote count started by Crake on May 16, 2020 at 3:13 PM, finished with 30 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] "I don't suppose you have some matter you'd seek my counsel on, my Lord?"
    -[X] "I do admit that the concerns of the Lord of Old Town aren't precisely the same as the Lord of the Deep, but they are more similar than one would think at a glance."
    --[X] If he doesn't need any other assistance, you will try to gather more information in the city.
    ---[X] You want enough actionable intelligence to start acting next month, essentially.
    ----[X] Then you'll move on to meeting the three Fey Courts you'd heard about, while Rhaella and her Reach group will meet with House Graceford as a formality, then House Caswell, House Costayne, House Cuy and House Oakheart.
    -----[X] If she finishes with that before you have finished with the Fey courts, she will begin a cursory but cautious investigation into both branches of House Fossoway. You will personally handle House Leygood, House Serry, House Osgrey and House Rowan when nothing else can distract you.
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Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by Crake on May 16, 2020 at 3:13 PM, finished with 30 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] "I don't suppose you have some matter you'd seek my counsel on, my Lord?"
    -[X] "I do admit that the concerns of the Lord of Old Town aren't precisely the same as the Lord of the Deep, but they are more similar than one would think at a glance."
    --[X] If he doesn't need any other assistance, you will try to gather more information in the city.
    ---[X] You want enough actionable intelligence to start acting next month, essentially.
    ----[X] Then you'll move on to meeting the three Fey Courts you'd heard about, while Rhaella and her Reach group will meet with House Graceford as a formality, then House Caswell, House Costayne, House Cuy and House Oakheart.
    -----[X] If she finishes with that before you have finished with the Fey courts, she will begin a cursory but cautious investigation into both branches of House Fossoway. You will personally handle House Leygood, House Serry, House Osgrey and House Rowan when nothing else can distract you.
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Part MMMDII: An Timely Message
  • Threadmarks
    • An Timely Message ​

    Fifteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    "I don't suppose you have some matter you'd seek my counsel on, my lord?" you ask after a moment. "I do admit that the concerns of the Lord of Oldtown aren't precisely the same as the Lord of the Deep, but they are more similar than one would think at a glance."

    "Not at the moment, Your Grace," Lord Hightower's response is courteous as ever, but you get the sense that after the revelation of how much you will be changing the city's defense he would rather not tempt any more far-reaching royal aid for the moment. All well and good then, he has certainly done well for himself and his House so far.

    You bow in parting, Ser Richard half a step behind you as both of you vanish into the ether before you reach the solar door.

    ***​

    Sixteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    Oldtown certainly does not lack for rumors and tales, of the Citadel no less than any other institution, from novices giving unflattering accounts of their masters' doings to Lantern Bearers comparing notes in quiet corners and tradesmen talking up what they had sold and why. The trouble of course is sorting the wheat from the chaff and there is a great deal of chaff to be sifted through. Without the mind dragons and Naria it would likely have taken you the better part of a week rather than a day to gain any deeper sense of the intrigues of the Citadel.

    As is you learn that Lord Hightower's sense of the political divisions in the Citadel are not wrong but overly narrow in focus. Both Norren and Theobald are among the least circumspect maesters when it comes to political inclination, a fact which subtler factions take advantage of to distract from their own doings.

    Archmaester Harodon has been seen in the company of sprite-kin empowered beyond what is usual for their kindred making you suspect he has some sort of understanding with the Court of Stars. He seems to be working to secure the position of Seneschal, though he is not well liked by his peers. By contrast Archmaester Ebrose, one of those most involved with the Lantern Bearers and the defense of Oldtown, seems to be favored by many for the position but has no interest for it, working instead to have Lantern Bearer mages deployed on a rotating basis to protecting the Citadel itself which may indicate some sort of breech of existing protections or an attempt to bind the protectors of Oldtown more closely to the order.

    Your mother is also able to find proof of many supposed Lannister-leaning archmaesters making increasingly more frequent visits to both Castamere and King's Landing for journeys that were not made through mundane means, nor the direct aid of Golden Shield mages as you had first assumed. It seems the upper echelons of the Citadel have access to translocation on a wide scale, though the absence of other obvious feats of magic makes you suspect it is the work of some artifact rather than their own magic, at least in the case of most.

    There is also talk among the lower ranking maesters whom your mother was able to reliably follow and listen in on that the Grand Maester might send a delegation to Sorcerer's Deep soon, for academic purposes ostensibly, though given the fact that such a visit is to be kept secret from King's Landing the two maesters overheard suspect its purpose is actually to formally bend the knee. From your correspondence it is clear Pycelle has no idea of any such plan, though that does not preclude an ambitious group of archmaesters acting in his name.

    Before you can decide if you should continue looking for more information or move on from Oldtown a message arrives from the 'Worm's Way'. Archmaester Marwyn would speak to you, or rather with Corlys Waters for it was under that name you left a message in the pawn shop.

    "How would the man know," your mother asks worriedly. "He couldn't have divined us."

    "Ooh," Kira breathes. "Maybe he has a spell that can see it anyway."

    "We've been talking to the Lantern Bearrers, one of them could have said something to this Marwyn," Ser Richard points out reasonably.

    "You're no fun," the incarnate briefly pouts for dramatic effect, though beneath the jest she is clearly as relieved as the rest of you for a simple explanation.

    Do you speak to the Archmaester of magic?

    [] Yes
    -[] Write in guise

    [] No, you have more important things to do, move on to fey negotiations

    [] Write in

    OOC: Some pretty good rolls, but there is only so much you can find out in a day while keeping a low profile.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Archmaester Marwyn pops up again. I was wondering where he was after Sam stole his notes to become a wizard.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    An Timely Message ​

    Fifteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    "I don't suppose you have some matter you'd seek my counsel on, my Lord?" you ask after a moment. "I do admit that the concerns of the Lord of Old Town aren't precisely the same as the Lord of the Deep, but they are more similar than one would think at a glance."

    "Not at the moment, Your Grace," Lord Hightower's response is courteous as ever, but you get the sense that after the revelation of how much you will be changing the city's defenses he would rather not tempt any more far-reaching royal aid for the moment. Well and good then, he has certainly done well for himself and his house so far.

    You bow in parting, Ser Richard half a step behind you as both of you vanish into the ether before you reach the solar door.

    ***​

    Sixteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    Oldtown certainly does not lack for rumors and tales, of the Citadel no less than any other institution, from novices giving unflattering accounts of their masters' doings to Lantern Bearers comparing notes in quiet corners and tradesmen talking up what they had sold and why. The trouble, of course, is sorting the wheat from the chaff, and there is a great deal of chaff to be sifted through. Without the mind dragons and Naria it would likely have taken you the better part of a week rather than a day to gain any deeper sense of the intrigues of the Citadel.

    As it is, you learn that Lord Hightower's sense of the political divisions in the Citadel are not wrong, but overly narrow in focus. Both Norren and Theobald are among the least circumspect maesters when it comes to political inclination, a fact which subtler factions take advantage of to distract from their own doings.

    Archmaester Horodon has been seen in the company of sprite-kin empowered beyond what is usual for their kindred, making you suspect he has some sort of understanding with the Court of Stars. He seems to be working to secure the position of Seneschal, though he is not well liked by his peers. By contrast, Archmaester Embrose, one of those most involved with the Lantern Bearers and the defense of Oldtown, seems to be favored by many for the position but has no interest in it, working instead to have Lantern Bearer mages deployed on a rotating basis to protecting the Citadel itself, which may indicate some sort of breech of existing protections or an attempt to bind the protectors of Oldtown more closely to the order.

    Your mother is also able to find proof of many supposed Lannister-leaning archmaesters making increasingly more frequent visits to both Castamere and King's Landing, journeys that were not made through mundane means nor the direct aid of Golden Shield mages as you had first assumed. It seems the upper echelons of the Citadel have access to translocation on a wide scale, though the absence of other obvious feats of magic makes you suspect it is the work of some artifact rather than their own magic, at least in most cases.

    There is also talk among the lower ranking maesters, whom your mother was able to reliably follow and listen in on, that the Grand Maester might send a delegation to Sorcerer's Deep soon. The trip is for academic purposes ostensibly, though given the fact that such a visit is to be kept secret from King's Landing, the two maesters overheard suspect its purpose is actually to formally bend the knee. From your correspondence, it is clear Pyrcelle has no idea of any such plan though that does not preclude an ambitious group of Archmaesters acting in his name.

    Before you can decide if you should continue looking for more information or move on from Oldtown, a message arrives from the 'Worm's Way'. Archmaester Marwyn would speak to you, or rather with Corlys Waters, for it was under that name you left a message in the pawn shop.

    "How would the man know," your mother asks worriedly. "He couldn't have divined us."

    "Ooh," Kira breathes. "Maybe he has a spell that can see it anyway."

    "We've been talking to the Lantern Bearers. One of them could have said something to this Marwyn," Ser Richard points out reasonably.

    "You're no fun," the incarnate briefly pouts for dramatic effect, though beneath the jest she is clearly as relieved as the rest of you for a simple explanation.

    Do you speak to the Archmaester of Higher Mysteries.

    [] Yes
    -[] Write in guise

    [] No, you have more important things to do, move on to fey negotiations

    [] Write in

    OOC: Some pretty good rolls, but there is only so much you can find out in a day while keeping a low profile. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
     
    [X] Certainly, meet as Corlys in a public space which could become less public if he so desires, with bread and salt prepared at the first meeting. Whether he suspects it is you, or knows Corlys to be acting in your name, Viserys Targaryen is known to respect Guest Right highly and would expect his agents to do the same.
    -[X] Once assurances are out of the way that you have no harmful intentions, it will depend on what signals he sends just as the meeting begins how you deal with him. But revealing Corlys Waters is just a face and a name for Viserys Targaryen without cause doesn't hold much benefit to you, so if you can pursue your own agenda in regards to the Citadel and be able to act more informally, that's fine as well.
     
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    Crake said:
    The damnedest thing is, I don't think that will protect against this spell. If you fail the Fortitude save, you just experience a nutshot violent enough to make you cry home to mommy.
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    Oof, indeed.

    Pretty good reason to invest in a Constitution booster and PfE item.
     
    [X] Certainly, meet as Corlys in a public space which could become less public if he so desires, with bread and salt prepared at the first meeting. Whether he suspects it is you, or knows Corlys to be acting in your name, Viserys Targaryen is known to respect Guest Right highly and would expect his agents to do the same.
    -[X] Once assurances are out of the way that you have no harmful intentions, it will depend on what signals he sends just as the meeting begins how you deal with him. But revealing Corlys Waters is just a face and a name for Viserys Targaryen without cause doesn't hold much benefit to you, so if you can pursue your own agenda in regards to the Citadel and be able to act more informally, that's fine as well.

    [X] Mereth Level-up
    -[X] Class: +1     Steel Fury
    -[X] Skills: +1 Concentration, +1 Intimidate, +2 Knowledge (War), +1 Listen, +1 Sense Motive, +1 Sleight of Hand, +1 Spot
    -[X] Maneuver:     Tempest Gale
     
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    Crake said:
    [X] Certainly, meet as Corlys in a public space which could become less public if he so desires, with bread and salt prepared at the first meeting. Whether he suspects it is you, or knows Corlys to be acting in your name, Viserys Targaryen is known to respect Guest Right highly and would expect his agents to do the same.
    -[X] Once assurances are out of the way that you have no harmful intentions, it will depend on what signals he sends just as the meeting begins how you deal with him. But revealing Corlys Waters is just a face and a name for Viserys Targaryen without cause doesn't hold much benefit to you, so if you can pursue your own agenda in regards to the Citadel and be able to act more informally, that's fine as well.

    [X] Mereth Level-up
    -[X] +1     Steel Fury
    -[X] Skills: +1 Concentration, +1 Intimidate, +2 Knowledge (War), +1 Listen, +1 Sense Motive, +1 Sleight of Hand, +1 Spot
    -[X] Maneuver:     Tempest Gale
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    It's great to see Mereth advancing in our service. Millennia as an Advanced 9 HD Erinyes, but less than a year working for us and she's up to 12 HD with no end in sight.
     
    Goldfish said:
    It's great to see Mereth advancing in our service. Millennia as an Advanced 9 HD Erinyes, but less than a year working for us and she's up to 12 HD with no end in sight.
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    Comes from proximity, I think. She's doing activities that closely align with her nature. There's been some slow growth for other Erinyes too, which shows that stagnation (and attrition from Blood War related activities) will generally keep you from climbing any higher.

    Like with Fey, a wimpy one just needs unique narrative beats to climb the power ladder, which is also why it's easier for them to gain Mythic power.
     
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