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

Seventeenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

From the plots of King's Landing and the weapons that are supposed to guard it you move on to the Royal Fleet which should be guardian the capital's waters, but which you suspect holds more than a few loyalists of your House still by virtue of its association with the smallfolk and petty nobility of the Narrow Sea. Alas, you are not the only one with those suspicions.

"Guncer Sunglass purged the fleet of 'suspected traitors' of every stripe." Likely noticing your darkening expression Bloodraven hastens to add: "He only sent officers he did not count loyal or pious enough off, not that I do not suspect the man of wanting to, but Pycelle made himself useful getting the High Septon involved in curbing the worst of the fool's zeal. It would not do for 'the Spider' after all to come off as lacking in ruthlessness. Still, between the officers who were selected for the strength of their faith as much as their loyalty to the crown and the sailors who were inflicted with fiery sermons against the evils of sorcery daily it might be difficult to get many in the fleet to surrender."

"So there is nothing worse than ramming and bolts from the fleet?" Surely not even the Usurper would be so foolish as to fail to arm his ships with magic in the name of maintaining loyalty.

"They are all equipped with simple alchemical launchers and have one or more Golden Shield Wand Mages attached. Their available wands are such that they can do anything from allowing the boarders to cut through arcane protections, to offering mild boons to the ship's weaponry and dispelling enemy magics. All are limited by both range and the degree of arcane complexity that can be bound into wands made available to many."


"How much of a strain is all this putting on the treasury, particularly given Baelish's meddling?" you ask, surprised and wary at hearing of that many sailors pressed to serve.

"Enough that I would worry about how the realm would be run after the conquest if I thought Baratheon's treasury would make much difference compared to what you have amassed," Bloodraven replied. "The royal coffers have perhaps on the order of two or three hundred thousand dragons left and debt is piling up with every noble House loyal enough to still lend the crown money, including of course the Lannisters, for the value of loyalty, that includes passing off their bastards as his heirs."

"I do not think Tywin Lannister knows about his children's doing," you point out in the interest of truthfulness, not fairness.

"Folly can be treason," he scoffs.

"And folly and treason together can be worse when a man does not know how to show loyalty," you muse, a decision hardening in your thoughts: "Get rid of Baelish, he has served his purpose and I do not want him interfering with the invasion."

"So no later than the end of the third month," he nods. "You do realize he might be replaced with someone competent..."

"Then perhaps I will have some task for that unfortunate soul when they no longer have to sift through the ashes of Robert Baratheon's domain," you wave the matter off. "I doubt they can do anything substantive to help the current holder of the Iron throne in so short a time."

"It will be done, Your Grace," Bloodraven nods firmly, the same gesture you imagine he must have given when commanded to kill by three other kings of your line.

"Good, then there is one other matter of concern in the Crownlands, this plot against Lord Velaryon..."

"Aims to kill him in a way that implicates neither the Golden Shields nor the crown directly, but hints at it strongly enough to cow other lords of his alliance," he replies smoothly. "That much I can see, but not the dagger being used nor the hand that bears it. Given the queen's involvement I would wager it is rash and vindictive, in a way that only someone who considers themselves brilliant without any cause can manage."

What next?

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OOC: Doing a giant list of lords would have made this update much too cluttered so instead consider you have been told IC, and when a certain lord comes up you will know if they still have court connections.