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

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Crake said:
I am in favor of limiting general access to the Forge and making it borderline impossible to extract intelligence from a failure-fault at the hands of someone with loose lips.

While it would greatly slow research to give up Scholarum bonuses, that's probably why the Planar powers aren't constantly innovating. Incremental returns when you can only trust a select number of specialist experts to a research topic, maybe no one trusting each other with their own research, and even when they finish it they only share it with a couple of people they're forced to.
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Yeah, I am okay with just not using the Scholarum at all for sensitive projects.
 
BronzeTongue said:
I think we need to start making more extensive use of Whisper Safes. They basically let you track the number and general demographics of the people who know a particular piece of information. We load them up with keywords and similar tags for our projects, and then we can passively monitor who's learning it instead of needing to use constant blind divination.

We should also consider just making something based on the memory moss to remove information from people while they're off site. They can just deal with needing to eat moss in the mornings to remember where they left off.
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These aren't useless, but the problem is not knowing who does or doesn't know restricted information, and more that the information just isn't sufficiently restricted in the first place. We do not have this outlined anywhere, so it's just assumed that our less capable personnel default to our PCs main stance when it comes to threat displays from third parties: escalation.

The problem with that is, escalating the trouble to a thousand average people just increases the pool of people you can extract bits and piece of intel out of until you can paint a good enough picture to make an accurate guess.

For the sake of negotiating, you don't even need to be completely certain of what did or did not happen, only reasonably sure that it serves as a rhetorical point that you won't easily dismiss.

And the method of "deny, deny, deny" does not work like it does IRL when it comes to PR topics, because in this quest politics are still mostly relations-based. If someone gets a mean owwie from someone else, that's a grudging.

Realpolitick doesn't really exist yet outside the Spheres.
 
Tomcost said:
Hey, does Dany have Bonuses to dreamweaving research like the other dreamer we have?
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No she doesn't, the only people to ever get bonuses like that were Elaheh (fleshcrafting-based RAs) and Sarnena's daughter (dreamlands-based RAs).
Don't ask why.
I don't want to overhaul the whole system based off who knows what best. I'd really rather not touch that one.

Also, to all:
I will remove Scholarum Branches off anything close to Gogossos, but do we also want them off the constituent parts for the Godcrafting (dreamwavjng, ritual-crafting etc).
They wouldn't know what we are building up to, there.
Do we want Scholarum branches off our Armor development, forcefield projectors, etc?

Where do we stop with "this is too important, cant let anyone know this shit" and start with "eh, whatever"?
 
egoo said:
No she doesn't, the only people to ever get bonuses like that were Elaheh (fleshcrafting-based RAs) and Sarnena's daughter (dreamlands-based RAs).
Don't ask why.
I don't want to overhaul the whole system based off who knows what best. I'd really rather not touch that one.

Also, to all:
I will remove Scholarum Branches off anything close to Gogossos, but do we also want them off the constituent parts for the Godcrafting (dreamwavjng, ritual-crafting etc).
They wouldn't know what we are building up to, there.
Do we want Scholarum branches off our Armor development, forcefield projectors, etc?

Where do we stop with "this is too important, cant let anyone know this shit" and start with "eh, whatever"?
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That's a HUGE yes.

Gods know what those idiots have blabbed about. No more trusting them with important things, even if those now take us forever to complete.
 
egoo said:
Do we want Scholarum branches off our Armor development, forcefield projectors, etc?
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This OTOH I'm alright with. Construct Armor for example is something that people already have in limited quantities out in the Planes.

Forcefield Projectors, well, I'd prefer to just have one person working on them TBH. It seems like a good qualitative advantage. So for qualitative advantages we know other people don't have, specialists with Mindblanks only.

For stuff that's too small an advantage to really matter if it gets out, or already has examples in the wild, go wild?
 
Crake said:
These aren't useless, but the problem is not knowing who does or doesn't know restricted information, and more that the information just isn't sufficiently restricted in the first place. We do not have this outlined anywhere, so it's just assumed that our less capable personnel default to our PCs main stance when it comes to threat displays from third parties: escalation.

The problem with that is, escalating the trouble to a thousand average people just increases the pool of people you can extract bits and piece of intel out of until you can paint a good enough picture to make an accurate guess.

For the sake of negotiating, you don't even need to be completely certain of what did or did not happen, only reasonably sure that it serves as a rhetorical point that you won't easily dismiss.

And the method of "deny, deny, deny" does not work like it does IRL when it comes to PR topics, because in this quest politics are still mostly relations-based. If someone gets a mean owwie from someone else, that's a grudging.

Realpolitick doesn't really exist yet outside the Spheres.
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The point would more be to make it easier to detect when a breach happens. So long as we keep track of who is supposed to know sudden changes will at least let us notice when something got out.

Sure there are spells that can fool it, but right now they don't need to even bother with that expense to mess with us. Its not a silver bullet, but it is a relatively reliable and broad passive alert system. It pairs well with more active efforts, and is way better than the nothing we have in this role right now.
 
silvanknight said:
Welp, recruiting trustworthy research PCs now got even more important.
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Ashin and Marwyn are another two, technically, and dedicated researchers of their respective fields at that.

To a point, it's worth it to us if we just focus on one project at a time that has a definite, immediate net benefit, while also slowly completing our Transcendent projects as soon as we have the relevant experts available and the lore uncovered.
 
Okay, I know the thread moved onto our latest security breach, but I just wanted to comment on the previous update.

How the fuck did the Tyrell envoys think the "Opening of the Ways" would make Viserys happier? Like I can kinda excuse someone thinking the "fairytale-ification" of the Reach would be mostly okay if they didn't think about it too hard and were presented it via extremely socially buffed fey peeps. Like that one lord who's tourney we humiliated Fossoway at was a decent dude who bought it since "low risk, low cost way to make it easier for even normal people to discover fucking illithids wandering around," sounds amazing even when your arcane defenses aren't jack and shit and infinitely more so when they are.

However, I can't see any possible way that a magical contract that allows the Fey to pop up anywhere, anytime and is literally called "open the way" doesn't start ringing all sorts of fucking alarm bells. Like wut.
 
A_Somebody said:
Like I can kinda excuse someone thinking the "fairytale-ification" of the Reach would be mostly okay if they didn't think about it too hard and were presented it via extremely socially buffed fey peeps.
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You just answered your own question.

Also, do not downplay it as complete ignorance. I'm not calling it competence, but they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

They simply do not care.

They had fundamentally abrogated their responsibilities to their subjects because they simply do not consider them to be people. Not like the Fey we slaughtered. Those were real people. People they ate with, shared tales and gifts with, lived under the same roof with.

They were people, and we murdered them, and that's awful.

But enslaving people on a level so violating it makes Essos slave-trade seem not-so-bad by comparison? At least you keep your mind when you die, and I'd even say with the grim odds of evading enslavement after death, you can at least fight against it. The repeated rebellions against all the horrors Asmodeus can bring to bear seems to bear that out significantly.

But this is all the more insidious for the fact that no one would have been made aware of it, and it would have been strong enough to erode any and all awareness after the fact.
 
Crake said:
You just answered your own question.

Also, do not downplay it as complete ignorance. I'm not calling it competence, but they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

They simply do not care.

They had fundamentally abrogated their responsibilities to their subjects because they simply do not consider them to be people. Not like the Fey we slaughtered. Those were real people. People they ate with, shared tales and gifts with, lived under the same roof with.

They were people, and we murdered them, and that's awful.

But enslaving people on a level so violating it makes Essos slave-trade seem not-so-bad by comparison? At least you keep your mind when you die, and I'd even say with the grim odds of evading enslavement after death, you can at least fight against it. The repeated rebellions against all the horrors Asmodeus can bring to bear seems to bear that out significantly.

But this is all the more insidious for the fact that no one would have been made aware of it, and it would have been strong enough to erode any and all awareness after the fact.
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I am considering the merits of a very blunt chat with the Tyrells.

One single toe out of line, one more problem caused by their family, and I would be happy to see them removed and replaced.

Their reaction to us killing the Queen makes it clear that they'll never learn unless it's spelled out for them.
 
Duesal said:
I am considering the merits of a very blunt chat with the Tyrells.

One single toe out of line, one more problem caused by their family, and I would be happy to see them removed and replaced.

Their reaction to us killing the Queen makes it clear that they'll never learn unless it's spelled out for them.
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I am down for a 1on1 with Willas, who seems like the most rational/salvagable of the adults.
 
Okay, RAs for 4th month.
This good enough for y'all?
-[] Proximity Alarms: You have been in the possession of plans for enchantments that trigger an effect when something comes close to it for a while now. See about developing a cheap and reusable item that can be used to detect intruders. Maybe even Serpentstone can be triggered this way, which would allow you to even take pictures or recordings of your targets.
(Progress: 0/25; Cost: 30,000 IM)
----[] Riz'Neth (4d6 Progress), Pentos Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress).

-[] Improved Alchemy: The Imperium hungers for alchemical goods and much effort was poured into producing as much of them as possible, but it still does not even remotely satisfy the demand. Especially the military can devour concoctions such as Alchemists Fire or Explosive Packs at an astonishing rate. See about to either improve the output of your alchemical factories or to discover alternatives to these substances that are easier to mass-produce.
(Progress: 0/50; Cost: 200,000 IM)
----[] Denys Trainer (4d6 Progress), Naria Lore-Seeker (4d6 Progress), Braavos Scholarum branch (2d6 Progress), Volantus Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress).

[] Ritual-crafting: 1 point of Progress per spell-level, max spell level - 4th.
-[] Mind Warding: Rituals
--[] By this point you have the process for creating ritual formulae for spells completely worked out. It merely needs to have a competent mage assigned to the task. (in order of priority)
---[1] Widely-Shared Ritual - Dream Shield (Progress: 4)
---[2] Widely-Shared Ritual - Suppress Charms and Compulsions (Progress: 2)
---[3] State Ritual - Sense Madness (Progress: 2)
---[4] State Ritual - Clarity of Mind (Progress: 3)
---[5] State Ritual - Rite of Centered Mind (Progress: 1)
(Total Progress: 12 +??, Cost: ??)
----[] Rina (4d6 Progress), Svitran (2d6 Progress),

[] Spell-Crafting
-[] Research a Greater version of Baleful Teleport [no distance limit, 8th level]
(Progress: 11/16, Cost: ??)
----[] Lya (1st body) (4d6 Progress),

[] Sand Viper's Reach: Have Tyene retrain her Occular Spell into a version of a Reach Spell that has only +1 level adjustment
(Progress: 0/8)
----[] Tyene (4d6 Progress),

[] Secure the Flesh Forge, and fleshsmiths, against memetic attacks
-[] Heavy defenses (Progress 29/45; Cost 600,000 IM)
----[] Vee (4d6 Progress), Lady Saenena Caleris (4d6 Progress),

[] Project Distilling Dreams: The Rituals Naria discovered produce divine power but not in any usable form, distill it to something that can be stored and used
(Progress 0/60 Cost 120,000 IM)
----[] Lya's 2nd body (4d6 Progress); Dany (4d6 Progress), Aenie Caleris (4d6 + 2d6 Progress);

[] The Undeath's End: The secret of the creation of the ancient and extremely potent anti-Undead poison you received from Faceless Men is lost to eons... Yet one of the greatest poison-makers the world knows is in your employ, and few other races have as much intimate knowledge of poisons as the Snake-kin, and the Drow, both of whom you have access to. Recreate the ancient mixture.
(Progress: 23/50, Cost: ??)
----[] Wyla (4d6 Progress), Naath Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress)

[] Forge of Creation -- 2.0: With the Sarnor's pacification, there comes a much higher need for Warforged bodies than could ever have been expected. Now, that the arcane machinery of Forge of Creation was built once, it could be built again - but not without effort by those most skilled at the arcane artifice.
(Progress: 0/15 -- half of the original RA)
----[] Anu the Warforged (4d6 Progress), Mantarys Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress);

[] Selectively Permeable Force Effects: Allow wards, enchantments and spells to selectively ignore materials passing outward and inward through a Force effect, allowing for more complex structures and materials with further research. Not limited to examples given.
-[] Tier 1: Gateway research. Straight upgrade for pre-existing, simple barriers, at-cost. (Brilliant Barrier can attune to the weapon systems on airships.)
--[] The first step to creating more delicate workings that interact with the Ethereal Plane, progressing along this path will first allow simple, contiguous objects to pass through Force effects once properly attuned. At this level of progress, mass and complexity is limited, and materialized creatures and objects with strong auras of enchantment will be unable to move outside of the effect.
(Progress: 0/25, Cost: 70.000 IM)
----[] Beryl (4d6 Progress), Tyrosh Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress), Stepstones Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress).

-[] Razor Wire: While the easy availability of earth-moving magic has made it much easier to erect battlefield fortifications, many of the Legions officers see still room for improvement. They are asking for something that can be incorporated into other defenses to block an enemy's movement, but which does not hinder their own soldiers ranged attacks and which is vulnerable to hostile earth movement magic or alchemical weapons. There has been some talk about using spiked metal rods or something similar for that purpose.
(Progress: 0/18; Cost: 15,000 IM)
----[] Sorcerer's Deep's Engineering University (2d6 Progress)

[] The Mind's Games: The psychological effects of repeated and sustained enchantment on the mental state and brain of the average person.
(Progress 24/32)
----[] Mercy of the Soul (4d6 Progress); + Gith bonus.

[] A Baleful Mirage: You have recently been forwarded a set of spell-scripts and samples by which the Efreeti have been made use of to manipulate the 'Grey Veil'.
-[] While this may be a technological dead end, studying it will prevent it's usage from being as effective in the hands of your enemy and may even be of some use to your allies
(Progress: 38/60, Cost: ??).
----[] Valeria the Wondersmith (4d6 Progress); Tolos Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress);

[] Undead Template Research
-[] Metal-Clad Template (Mythral and Adamantine): Unlike the Dreadfort, the Imperium has vast stocks of arcane metals. Some of those might yield exceptionally strong coatings for undead bones. (Requires Metal-Clad Template (Mundane Metals),
(Progress 0/20, Cost 100,000 IM)
----[] Elaheh Marita (4d6 Progress), Urak the Forgemaster (4d6 Progress)

[] Reading through the bound Daemon-tome infected with the Void:
----[] Maester Qyburn (?) (Light reading an a free action? :V)

Changes:
[] Mantarys and Volantis moved off "less cost for Dreamshaping", so Anie is moved onto "Distilling Dreams" as well, focusing that one with Dany and Lya.
[] Mantarys is moved to halping Anu build another Forge (since we can't care less for mass-profuction engines Forges are being figured out without Warforged themselves being figured out).
[] Volantis is moved to a new action -
-[] Razor Wire: While the easy availability of earth-moving magic has made it much easier to erect battlefield fortifications, many of the Legions officers see still room for improvement. They are asking for something that can be incorporated into other defenses to block an enemy's movement, but which does not hinder their own soldiers ranged attacks and which is vulnerable to hostile earth movement magic or alchemical weapons. There has been some talk about using spiked metal rods or something similar for that purpose.
(Progress: 0/18; Cost: 15,000 IM)
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because fuck if I know what else to assign them to that isn't of severe secrecy or danger to do without a PC around.
 
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@egoo maybe move the volantis scholarum action to help with Improved Alchemy? imo it's more beneficial for us to finish that RA in a month than to start on the Razor Wire one.
 
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Preliminary: Alert Levels
  • Informational
    • Alert Levels of Imperial Forces and Institutions​

    Alert StateDescriptionArmyAirforceInquisitionScholariumForges
    Normal OperationsDefault alert level.
    No special measures taken.    		-----
    Low ReadinessIncreased vigilance in response to threats or expected future deployment.- leave lasting longer then 24 hours is cancelled
    - unit must be able to reach full deployment readiness within 24 hours
    - unit must maintain supplies for at least 1 month of operation
    - civilian access to military installations is restricted unless strictly necessary
    - defensive installations must maintain minimum personnel at all times
    - Whispering Braziers must be manned at all times    		- leave lasting longer then 24 hours is cancelled
    - unit must be ready for deployment of all anti-grav vessels within 6 hours
    - non-essential maintenance operations are cancelled
    - unit must maintain supplies for at least 1 month of operation
    - Whispering Braziers must be manned at all times    		- increased hidden security in all Inquisition installations
    - increased presence of visible security in public offices
    - increased guard of prisoners
    - prisoners will be held restrained at all times
    - civilians are not allowed to access Inquisition installations, except for the purpose of reporting suspicious activities
    - all leave is cancelled
    - at least 50% of rapid response forces and assault teams must be ready to deploy within 1 minute
    - Whispering Braziers must be manned at all times    		- full guard contingent will be on patrol
    - no access to Scholarium premises without valid identification
    - access to restricted areas requires express permission by the headmaster, even if prior consent was obtained
    - students who are away from premises for more then 24 hours have to undergo a full security check upon their return
    - targeted security checks can be performed at the headmasters discretion
    - frequency of random security checks increased    		- non-essential personnel will be restricted from entering the premises
    - non-essential entrances are sealed
    - all creatures produced, but not yet deployed, will be temporarily added to the security forces
    - security forces are instructed to subdue or kill all trespassers
    - full security checks are performed on all essential personnel at least once per week
    - the forge will reject all orders or requests for information from anyone except head researchers, Grand Inquisitors, the High Inquisitor or the Imperator
    High ReadinessAn attack or the need for deployment is considered likely.- all leave is cancelled
    - unit must be able to reach full deployment readiness within 6 hours
    - at least 30% of the unit must be ready for combat at all times
    - access to military installations restricted to essential personnel
    - defensive installations must maintain full combat crew at all times    		- all leave is cancelled
    - unit must be ready to deploy all anti-grav vessels within 1 hour
    - all deployment ready light vessels are kept loaded with munitions
    - turrets of all larger vessels maintain a full stockpile of munitions    		- access to Inquisition installations is restricted to essential personnel
    - at the discretion of the local Commissar, security checkpoints are erected in population centers
    - all rapid response and assault teams must be ready to deploy at all times
    - Inquisition officers can requisition personnel or material from all government institutions without requiring consent from the other branch    		- students are not permitted to leave Scholarium premises
    - Scholarium should be granted additional security forces from other government institutions
    - all scheduled courses are cancelled    		- all entrances are sealed and will only be opened if ordered so by head researchers, Grand Inquisitors, the High Inquisitor or the Imperator
    - security forces are instructed to neutralize trespassers as quickly as possible without regard for their life
    - persons who were inside the forge, but not part of it's personnel (such as newly made Praetori) will be imprisoned within local holding cells for the time being
    Imminent DefensiveIt is considered extremely likely that the unit will be attacked by hostile forces in the very near future.- all forces must be ready for combat at all times
    - defensive installations must be fully crewed and ready to respond to attack at all times
    - Whispering Brazier contact with higher command units must be maintained at all times    		- large vessels maintain battle stations at all times
    - in absence of other orders, large vessels leave berths and maintain low-altitude position above installations
    - small vessels are kept fully armed and manned at all times
    - in absence of other orders, all small vessels will begin low-altitude combat patrols above installations
    - Whispering Brazier contact with higher command units must be maintained at all times    		- all Inquisition installations are fully locked down
    - up to 50% of rapid response and assault teams will be used to bolster defenses of important installations
    - remaining forces are kept in reserve to support installations or personnel coming under attack
    - Whispering Brazier contact with higher command units must be maintained at all times    		- students who are deemed unfit for combat will be confined to their quarters
    - students fit and willing to aid defensive efforts will be used as auxillary guards    		- all non-combat ready personnel will be confined to their quarters
    Imminent OffensiveIt is considered extremely likely that the unit will be ordered to attack hostile forces in the very near future- all forces must be ready for combat at all times
    - unit must be able to break or erect camp within 1 hour
    - Whispering Brazier contact with higher command units must be maintained at all times    		- as Imminent Defensive- all Inquisition installations are fully locked down
    - Whispering Brazier contact with higher command units must be maintained at all times    		- not applicable- not applicable
    Special TraitorIt is assumed that mind control or memetic attacks will or already have been used against the unit.- banners have to be deployed at all times, covering the entire unit
    - random and target mental checks may be performed by qualified personnel
    - adherence to the chain of command is lowered, allowing sub-units to reject orders if they can reasonably assume them to be illegitimate    		- large vessels will lock down and apply anti-enchantment measures
    - the units of small vessels will isolate and all officers and pilots placed under anti-enchantment measures
    - random and target mental checks may be performed by qualified personnel
    - adherence to the chain of command is lowered, allowing sub-units to reject orders if they can reasonably assume them to be illegitimate
    		- personnel must be under the effect of anti-enchantment measures at all times
    - personnel suspected to be compromised will be arrested and not released until a full mental scan has been performed
    - access to restricted areas, such as archives, artifact storages and similar, is restricted to personnel under Mindblank
    - adherence to the chain of command is lowered, allowing sub-units to reject orders if they can reasonably assume them to be illegitimate    		- all teaching and guard personnel must be under the effect of anti-enchantment measures at all times
    - access to restricted areas, such as libraries, artifact storages, summon rooms and similar, is restricted to personnel under Mindblank    		- all personnel must be under the effect of anti-enchantment measures at all times
    - access to restricted areas, such as laboratories, incubation chambers and similar, is restricted to personnel under Mindblank
    Special SpectreIt is assumed that hostile forces contain incorporeal elements.- unit will use attached mages or request aid from friendly forces to maintain enchantments capable of attacking incorporeal foes on ranged weaponry
    - all siege weapons maintain a stockpile of Ghost Touch ammunitions    		- large vessels will lock down and only open their hulls when guarded by personell capable of detecting and repelling incorporeal borders
    - all weapons maintain a stockpile of Ghost Touch ammunitions    		- all Inquisition installations are locked down and will not be opened unless in the presence of personell capable of detecting and repelling incorporeal attackers- students must remain in areas warded against incorporeal intrusion at all times
    - guard units will regularly sweep for intruders in areas that can not be warded against incorporeal intrusion    		- all operations that might compromise existing wardings, such as expansion of the forge, are halted immediately
    - facility is placed on High Readiness at minimum
    Special FastIt is assumed that hostile forces make use of translocation or planeshift capabilities to rapidly change positions.- unit is placed on Imminent Defensive alert level
    - attached mages or friendly forces will erect temporary wardings against translocation as necessary    		- in absence of other orders, large vessels will leave berths and maintain a low altitude above facilities
    - munitions stockpiles and small vessels are guarded at all times    		- no special measures (the Inquisition is always assumed to expect Special Fast threats)- students must remain in areas warded against translocation at all times
    - all areas not warded against translocation are locked down and placed under guard    		- no special measures (the forges is always assumed to expect Special Fast threats)
    Special ShadowIt is assumed that hostile forces make heavy use of invisibility and illusions to infiltrate or misdirect the unit.- sensitive areas are physically locked and placed under tight guard
    - anti-illusions measures will be enacted, including but not limited to passcode challenges and touch confirmation
    - attached mages or friendly forces will erect temporary wardings against illusions as necessary
    - unit requests assistance of forces with True Sight    		- large vessels will lock down and only open their hulls when guarded by personell capable of detecting invisbility and illusions
    - munitions stockpiles and small vessels are guarded at all times
    		- no special measures (the Inquisition is always assumed to expect Special Shadow threats)- no special measures (the Scholarium is always assumed to expect Special Shadow threats)- no special measures (the forges are always assumed to expect Special Shadow threats)
    Special DragonIssued when more then two Special alert levels would have to be issued simultaneously. All special procedures apply.-----
     
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  • Informational
    • @Azel, so would our troops be on constant low readiness due to Deep One threat?
    I'm not too sure when we can expect "normal operations" to actually be normal.
     
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