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

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A Reckoning in Blood Writ​

Twentieth Day of the Second Month 294 AC

Eight hundred and ten caskets would be travling back to Sorcerer's Deep according to the legion's final accounting. It would have been as much as three times that in crippled soldiers and those who might perish from wound rot had it not been for access to healing magic. The worst losses were taken among the outriders on the left flank, who had to weather the arrows of the enemy charioteers until the heavier cavalry could charge home, and among the siege companies who traded salvos with the bone wagons of the enemy. Thankfully, you had not lost any sky-ships, through the valor of Manticore pilots, and only three heralds on that push to the altar.

It seemed that your mages were also spared from trading spell-fire by the fact that the Sarnori seemed mostly inclined to use spells which empowered their own allies rather than harmed the enemy. ensured that none of the mages called to serve alongside the legion died. Sadly, a few did perish, mostly from picking over the remains of the battlefield and ffrom malicious magics.

None of the staff and high officers had died, though among the hardest hit companies the commanders were no less likely to have perished than the common soldiery. Ser Gerold delivers the first bit of news with relief, the second with grim satisfaction. He might be one of the highest officers in the land now, but no doubt he remembers being just one more 'knight' of the Golden Company, only a step above line infantry, and he like others of similar background have imposed in the legion a culture of fighting from the front.

The last losses of note were a trio of Minotaur fighters who had faced one of the stronger of what the legionaries had taken to calling 'death knights'. According to all accounts, they had practically hewed it limb from limb even as its blade and cursed aura sapped their life. The sorceress attached to the company, a young woman with the fading accent of Dragonstone still in her voice, solemnly asks for a chance to light their pyres and send their souls on to the Lord of Light in whom both she and they held faith. "I already burned them halfway out there on the field, Your Grace. Seems only fair to finish it, and may the Lord of Light judge me as he sees fit."

You would have to be blind not to see the guilt in her eyes, the question that will doubtless haunt her from this day on. Had all three of the minotaurs been dead when she had cast fire upon the death knight?

Not a question you can truly answer, but perhaps one you can obviate the need for. Melisandre catches your eye from across the plaza where the First legion had set their tents. "Though they found the Lord of Light by paths stranger and darker than most, they fought valiantly in the protection of life. I would see them restored if you would allow it."

The implication is obvious, being able to end her post-battle sermon by bringing three of the fallen, whose exploits had already begun to be known to the whole expeditionary force, would likely strengthen the faith of many in the Lord of Light and perhaps draw others to His worship.

1st Legion
  • 201 Siege Engineers
  • 99 Outriders
  • 20 Heavy Horse
  • 57 Assault Troopers
  • 126 Heavy infantry
  • 3 Minotaur Fighters
9th Legion
  • 99 Outriders
  • 20 Heavy Horse
  • 25 Heavy infantry
8th Legion
  • 99 Outriders
  • 20 Heavy Horse
  • 25Heavy infantry
Total Legion losses: 810

Special Assets Lost:
  • 3 Heralds
  • 2 Wizards (Level 5)
  • 1 Adept (Level 4)
  • Soft Strider (Ranger 7)
  • 1 Mind Dragon
  • 2 Fiery Dragonbeasts
  • 6 Fiery Dragonbeast Riders

Who do you draw back from death's embrace?

[] Soft Strider

[] The mages

[] The minotaurs
-[] Allow Meliandre to do so
-[] Do it yourself

OOC: If Mel raises the minotaurs she is doing it on her own dime. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox.

There is one sentence I highlighted in red which doesn't quite make sense in the context of the rest of the paragraph.
 
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Artemis1992 said:
[X] Soft Strider

[X] The mages

[X] The minotaurs
-[X] Allow Meliandre to do so
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Evaunit02mark1 said:
Seems a simple choice to me. They made their faith with the LoL they should be rezzed by him.

Don't see much point in trying to spin this politically to be honest. It's like making a guy get KFC when he wanted Popeyes, either way you're going home with chicken.

[X] Soft Strider

[X] The mages

[X] The minotaurs
-[X] Allow Meliandre to do so
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Guys, don't forget we need to get the Mind Dragon too.
 
[X] Soft Strider

[X] The mages

[X] The minotaurs
-[X] Allow Meliandre to do so

At this point, we don't really care if Rhollor is gaining in converts. So long as the religion itself isn't actively spreading sedition, we should be good. More then good since the newest converts probably also equate us (or our sister if we fall) as the Last Hero.
 
[X] Reached Chained True Resurrection cast by Malarys
-[X] Soft Strider
-[X] 2 Wizards
-[X] 1 Adept
-[X] 1 Mind Dragon
-[X] 2 Fiery Dragonbeasts
-[X] 6 Fiery Dragonbeast Riders
-[X] 3 Minotaurs
--[X] Thank Melisandre for her generous offer, but in this instance we would prefer to see them restored ourselves, as they fell in a battle we instigated.
 
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[X] Goldfish

Goldfish said:
[X] Chained Resurrection
-[X] Soft Strider
-[X] 2 Wizards
-[X] 1 Adept
-[X] 1 Mind Dragon
-[X] 2 Fiery Dragonbeasts
-[X] 6 Fiery Dragonbeast Riders
-[X] 3 Minotaurs
--[X] Thank Melisandre for her generous offer, but in this instance we would prefer to see them restored ourselves, as they fell in a battle we instigated.
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We should have 19 slots if no bead of karma or alchemical item used. We have up to 24 if we use both. Do you think we should ressurect some random legionaires?
 
After this we should have a meeting with Vargo and Queen Namaru. This is a good chance to introduce the two with Vargo being cast as the most prominent leader of the Sarnori under the Imperium, and the queen of course being a figure quite literally out of legend. We can vaguely discuss the future of the people of Sarnor as a whole along with coming up with a game plan for the rest of the campaign. I'm not married to the idea, but we should give Vargo the option of accompanying us for the rest of the campaign so he can see everything with his own eyes (and get that extra XP, you can never have too much XP).

We should probably go to hunt down the Rat King before we march on Sarnath. For narrative purposes it's saving the best for last since we're killing the dead smith god in Sarnath, but more practically the Rat King just seems like a slippery son of a bitch who will run off if given the chance. Knowing our luck he'd go straight to the Bloodstone Emperor via the shadow plane.
 
We shouldn't rezz the mages. We did not rezz the mages who died in the Rhoyne to those Waterbender Ghosts, why should we help these?

They are as much soldiers as everyone else in this war. Should we truly set the expectations that we will bring back from dead everybody with a few levels of sorcerer?
 
Tomcost said:
We shouldn't rezz the mages. We did not rezz the mages who died in the Rhoyne to those Waterbender Ghosts, why should we help these?

They are as much soldiers as everyone else in this war. Should we truly set the expectations that we will bring back from dead everybody with a few levels of sorcerer?
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Ironically, a caster who is 5th-6th level has outsized value due to being able to craft things and having access to 3rd level spells.

If we're talking purely strategic value, they hold similar value to us as one of the Wyverns does, and we'd spend about the same amount bringing one back into top condition without thinking about it.
 
Crake said:
Ironically, a caster who is 5th-6th level has outsized value due to being able to craft things and having access to 3rd level spells.

If we're talking purely strategic value, they hold similar value to us as one of the Wyverns does, and we'd spend about the same amount bringing one back into top condition without thinking about it.
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Okay, if you think it worthy to rezz all the mages then it will be set as a precedent. I'm just warning about it.
 
Tomcost said:
Okay, if you think it worthy to rezz all the mages then it will be set as a precedent. I'm just warning about it.
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The precedent is basically that we deem you valuable enough to resurrect you. A small group of people who hadn't even attainted mastery went out to go grave robbing. We didn't resurrect them. Ergo, people who heard about that and never heard from them again can assume we did not think they were valuable enough to bring back.

A small number of mages who had attained mastery died after a major battle combing through the battlefield disabling booby trapped items.

Look, this isn't zero sum. Failing to resurrect a few people who hadn't even attained their Mark of Mastery yet means Viserys doesn't feel obligated to bring you back to life for any reason.

If he does when you die on a battlefield he brought you to, and he brought you specifically because he considered you to be just that skilled and declined to bring anyone who wasn't at least as skilled as you, doesn't that answer your question?

Edit: The basis of this argument falls through if you for some reason decide to equate the life of a mage, someone who is hard to replace and can take years to train up, as being somehow equal to that of a Legionnaire, someone who's combat power is at least 60% tied up in their gear at Green experience, and still probably at least 40% at Veteran.

It seems a bit fallacious.
 
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