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

Twenty Ninth Day of the First Month 294 AC

Lame Man's Bridge over the Honeywine, Florent Lands, the Reach

Were a traveler to pass by the old bridge that morning as the first rays of the sun peeked over the dark green hills, they would find it strange indeed to see what was by all appearances a lady garbed in blue with a silver belt and hair black as raven's feather down under the span of stone, doubtless dirtying her fine boots with river mud. The Honeywine wasn't particularly deep this close to the source, nor treacherous as some rivers were that sprang from the hearts of mountains, but still the bottom of the gorge was no place for so fine-fitted a traveler.

The strangeness didn't end there, not by far. With steady hands, Rina Cox sliced her palm upon the shard of True Ice and waited for the blood to seep out to the slow beat of her heart. She then drew runes of calling upon the mortared stone where the bridge met the shore, their echoes sinking into the rock beneath, calling forth an elder power.

Not all that is old walks under the stars. Not all that is wise keeps faith in the sleeping king. So whispered shadow unto shadow, the Lady Melisandre's arts confirming the tales the Orphne fey heard.

Lya needed to speak to one knowledgeable in the ways of land-binding, and it just so happened such a being slumbered here, not yet ready to rise and meet the sun. Foresight had shown that the green warden would answer only Rina's call, of all of them. What they had not accounted for was how it would answer...

Great green hands covered in living moss and large enough to crush a horse emerged from the stone of the bridge, only to envelop Rina and attempt to crush the life from her as a bellow loud enough to crack stone emerged from the depths of the hill. "Betrayers and Defilers! I know the stench of your blood! Never shall you befoul this land again!"

A small part of Rina noted that being gripped by something like that should have snapped every last bone below her shoulders, not felt like she was maybe going to bruise tomorrow. Are my bones even bones or just ice all the way through? Most of her attention, however, was bent upon sending a bit of her magic spiraling into her silver anklets to vanish out of the stone grip and reappear atop the bridge.

From here she could see the titanic being merge from the stone, parting it like a curtain in the way a xorn might do, though this was no creature of the distant Spheres, but instead an elder giant slumbering at the roots of the hill that was its kin. He was also doing his best to kill her, as the second thunderous roar, heavy with magic as much as rage showed.


"I do not serve the enemy of life, Elder One!" the sorceress shouted, hoping he would listen. While she would likely not be able to defeat the enraged giant herself, she was sure Lady Melisandre's flames would be more than a match for him, though it would be a shame for one who had survived the turning of so many ages to die to a misunderstanding. Calling upon the Green and the memories of frost undefined for wisdom, she added, "Not all that is frost is fallen, not all those who wander are lost, and in the dawning of a new age the wheel may yet turn anew as it was meant to."

Although she had only the vaguest notion of what she had just been talking about, something about short summers and winters just as brief, the words seemed to calm the great troll enough to look at her with something other than murderous rage in his coal black eyes. "Speak then, daughter of frost who has the ear of the Green. Why have you woken me this day to look once more upon the face of the sun?"

"First I must ask your pledge that you will not share what I shall tell you with the Star Crowned Queen nor any in her service," the sorceress replied.

"Because I intend to pay you much rich yellow gold and more wondrous things besides," she replied at once, drawing from her enchanted satchel a pouch heavy with coin to toss at him. There was, after all, a reason why they had chosen to awaken this particular being. Unlike the winsome fey, their thoughts flitting from tale to trick to clever magic, trolls were motivated by solid greed, and gold the Empire had a aplenty.

Lost 500 IM

"I'm listening," the elder giant said after sniffing the small pouch with interest.

"Your word," the sorceress reminded him firmly. She would not put it past him to try to get paid twice, but he was enough of a fey thing that once he made a proper pledge he would be bound by it.

"I, Hurk of the Honeywaters, swear not to inform the Queen of the Court of Stars nor any in her service of the words that shall be imparted to on me this day," the troll grumbled

Feeling the weight of the oath settle on the land like cold mist, Rina nodded and explained the conundrum, the landwards of the Court of Stars, bound to living fey and mortal lords alike, how they would like them removed, preferably in such a way as they could be studied and the lore made use of by mortal sorcerers. "Surely one such as yourself, blood and bone of the earth, knows more of how such things can be made and unmade than fickle bright spirits," the frost-touched flattered at the end.

"Hmph... yes... and you say you need this soon? Within moonturns?" the giant rumbled, obviously not best pleased with mortal haste. At Rina's nod he said, "In that time, I can have a rtiual made to break it the way a boulder breaks a spider's web, as long as you have the aid of the mortal lords in the doing, but not steal its secrets."

"We do not count only upon your prodigious skills, elder one, but our own understanding," Lya interjected as she dispelled her veil while floating in mid air, and not by any spell but rather the power of air woven into her form.

"Well now, that sounds like an interesting way to shake off the Long Sleep," the giant replied.

Do you hire Hurk the Elder Troll, master ward crafter, to help with the landwards?

[] Yes (Guaranteed to be able to break the wards in time, may be able to reproduce them; Cost 100,000 IM in precious metals and other treasure)

[] No, the cost is too high Lya can continue on her own next month

OOC: Lya has learned a thing or two from Viserys over the years, when she could not figure out a less complex way to break the wards on her own, she started to look for people she could outsource to. Not yet edited.