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

Twentieth Day of the First Month 294 AC

The frozen one whom mortals and immortals alike had named Hulmabi, the Tormentor of Ice, among many other names, had seen its circumstances change time and again over the slow ages. From a barely remembered torments of metamorphoses of the spirit that saw a blind lemure emerge from the husk of a mortal soul consumed by darkness, up through the ranks, fighting with fang and claw, weaving spells of ruin, whispering secrets and temptation with a forged tongue ever changing. Yet it had not thought it would find itself in quite these circumstances.

Flying above the Sea of Fire, yes, his was the frozen breath of Stygia which the creatures of this realm had best be wary of. Fighting against the Brazen Throne, perhaps, for though the Heir of Iblis was an ally he was treacherous as he was haughty and many were the times when one Archduke or another had to settle disputes upon the edge of blood-drenched steel. But to serve another, a mortal, or mortal-born at least, that Hulmabi had not pondered in its long years of existence, until he found himself in a summoning circle faced with a... stark choice. Perhaps he had grown senile in his old age, mind fracturing under the weight of years uncounted, but as he descended upon the dfreeti outpost veiled in silence and illusion he did not think so.

It was a little mentioned power of his kindred that they could spin a illusion off as easily as breathing, light fracturing off their frozen shells as easy to shape as clay in the potter's hand or flesh between one's claws.

Hulmabi conjured for the thin-blood's ship a mirage of a full feet, crewed with rapacious salamanders looking to plunder and destroy the lightly defended port. Above this fleet flew dragons of flesh and steel, but not under their true guise, far from it. Horned devils and mighty pit fiends armed with blades of fire, together with their companies of lesser baatezu all bearing the gold of Mammon. The irony did not escape Hulmabi that those few devils of flesh and blood interspersed with his illusions and the works of the thin-blood actually were renegades from the hosts of the Lord of the Third... and it tasted sweet.

When the 'fleet' was still comfortably out of range of any sharp-eyed watchers to pierce through the glamour a salikotal flew down under a banner of parley, not peace of course for peace was a lie between those who served different masters, as knew the soldiers of Hell and those who stood beside them.

"In the Name of Mammon, Lord of Avarice, King of Greed, Archduke of Minauros and Treasurer of all Baator we demand immediate restitution of a slave ship pirated in these waters by clans of the fire-lizards which are supposedly in your keeping. Treasure precious beyond your understanding has been lost to the endless depths. If no restitution is given even within your paltry means we shall raise this miserable place to its foundation and crush the pumice upon which it sits to ash. Souls of fire may yet burn in the Flames of Hell."

Hulmabi himself had once served as a herald to one of the generals of Minauros. He was really quite proud of his work. If this did not draw out the outpost commander nothing would.

From the chaos of the outpost arose the ordered ranks of the azer and behind them dervishes with swords of molten steel swift and sure. Arcane weapons aimed at a host of devils that were mostly not there and from the dark below emerged a colonel of the Hosts of Brass, garbed in blacked armor and salamander hide. In a voice like brazen trumpets she called for them to make themselves known and stake their claim to face the wrath of the Great Sultan.


War, Hulmabi knew, never changed. And as the dragons descended and the trap was sprung he reveled in it, the only thing that could still warm the ice in his veins.

What do your forces focus on the most during the month's operations, and particularly the capstone false flag attack?

[] Gaining information about efreeti movements. Was that actually a trap, what are they planning?

[] Acquiring wealth, the efreeti are rich and that can be put to much better use in royal coffers

[] Doing as much damage as possible to aid the salamander rebellion

OOC: I know you guys assigned the ice devil for its offensive potential, but they have other assets to bring to the table too, magically and strategically.