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

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Interlude MLVIII: Ordering the Realm
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    • Ordering the Realm ​

    Twelfth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

    Aran the Fair had not, no matter what you might hear around the City Hall of Tyrosh, earned his name for his fairness of heart or mind. It was long ago when his hair was yet gold and not silver that he earned a reputation with the ladies of high birth and some not so high. He had been a singer then and sweet had been his voice, and he had been a scholar of numbers and of verse. A man of the world they called him when they wished him to stay, and a man of the road when they bid him take it.

    Over the years he had learned much, from architecture to engineering and from sailing to singing, even a few magician's tricks such as could keep you warm when all other slight of hand had failed or to ward you from the dark things that walked abroad in deserted places. He had known to keep clear of those who were worshiping their own doom and had been wise enough to free his slaves before the Dragon came, as any fool with ears to the wind would know he would.

    Taking the job of a clerk half from curiosity and half from weary feet, and mayhap a third half to fit with the times from spite at those great lords and magisters who cared so little for the wisdom he was bearing, he had found much to his surprise that he was good at it, and more then good. Where those who had been just one thing their whole lives could only see one path he could see twelve and twelve again branching from those. He rose high not only on what he could do, but also on what he could not do. He had no kin to favor... well none who would recognize him at least, and he had no interest in gathering gold by the piles in his old age, but to leave his mark upon the city and to see it grow and flourish, to hear his name praised and to be remembered. That he prized more than fine wine on the tongue, more than kisses laced with lotus flowers.

    ***​

    They said the Lady Alinor had been a whore and she did not deny it, for she was great and high in the counsels of the Dragon who was above Dragons, the Imperator. Indryse did not have that luxury of honesty, she could not admit she had come to the Deep by selling her body to the captain of a ship now sunk of piracy. She had her name and the skills she had learned in her father's house, the ones that would have made her a fair wife and perhaps it would have earned her a place as a house slave rather than leave her 'working' on her back.

    She had been hired on for her sharp mind and perhaps for pity's sake, but she did not long need pity for Indryse was sharp of mind and took in the concepts of her new masters in craft like the parched sand of the dune lands takes in the sea. She surpassed them all in many ways because she did not have the preconceptions of another world. She had been trained from the start in this one and no baggage of mind did she bear with her. She had walked in the company of stone fey as they delved their tunnels, she had tried sometimes with success to follow the mind of the tinker fey, she had served at times in law and at times in administration, she had helped raise schools and Houses of Healing when the realm was narrower and the need to jump from one place to the other more urgent.

    Through it all Indryse of Myr never forgot where she came from nor where she might have ended up were it not for that desperate, hateful ship journey to take her to the far shore and freedom. She did not love men like her father, nor those others of the same rank who would have bought and sold her like a piece of meat if the world had not changed.

    ***​

    Vaero knew he had been born into much batter circumstances than most other slaves of the Old City. Ever since he was a boy his first master had recognized in him a thirst for knowledge and a skill for its finding, and so that was what he had been trained in, keeping the family finances in order and later as an overseer over his fellow slaves. He was not the man with the whip, luckily for him else he might have found himself at the other end of some Imperial Judge's gavel as many of his fellows had been in those days. It was after all easier to blame the overseer than the master and they had less recourse and less coin.

    Yet that did not mean his prospects were particularly grand in those days before Wisdom Zherys found him and put his skills to better use. He had been in no small part the architect of Volantis' administrative reform for the highborn did not much care for numbers, which left them blind when a slave could see, and it left them deaf where a slave could hear. His new master had been well served of Vaero's aid.

    Choose a Minister of Administration:

    [] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
    +Eclectic Skills (Can find odd solutions to odd problems)
    +Honest (Has neither the cause nor the desire to take bribes)
    +Good Working Environment
    -Prideful (Works for a personal legacy)
    -A Scandalous Past

    [] Indryse Umaris (Myrish)
    +Old Deep Hand (Used to working with magic and odd allies)
    +Skilled Organizer
    +Wide Experience
    -Socially and Economically Liberal
    -Dislike of Former Slave Holders

    [] Vaero the Reckoner (Volantene)
    +Proven Skill
    +Humble
    +Political Moderate
    -In his Master's Debt
    -Whispers of Influence

    OOC: I finally figured out what was so hard about writing these character portraits, they were too impersonal, better to just go with mini-interludes. Viserys does not get them from a first person PoV of course, but it comes down to the same information in character.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • DragonParadox said:
    Ordering the Realm ​

    Twelfth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

    Aran the Fair had not, no matter what you might hear around the City Hall of Tyrosh, earned his name for his fairness of heart or of mind. It was long ago when his hair was yet gold and not silver that he earned a reputation with the ladies of high birth and some not so high. He had been a singer then and sweet had been his voice, and he had been a scholar of numbers and of verse. A man of the world they called him when they wished him to stay and a man of the road when they bid him take it.

    Over the years he had learned much, from architecture to engineering and from sailing to singing, even a few magician's tricks such as could keep you warm when all other's light had failed or ward you from the dark things that walked abroad in deserted places. He had known to keep clear of those who were worshiping their own doom and had been wise enough to free his slaves before the Dragon came, as any fool with ears to the wind would know he would.

    Taking the job of a clerk half from curiosity and half from weary feet, and mayhap a third half to fit with the times from spite at those great lords and magisters who cared so little for the wisdom he was bearing, he had found much to his surprise that he was good at it, and more than good. Where those who had been just one thing their whole lives could only see one path, he could see twelve, and twelve again branching from those. He rose high not only on what he could do, but also on what he did not do. He had no kin to favor... well, none who would recognize him at least, and he had no interest in gathering gold by the piles in his old age. To leave his mark upon the city and to see it grow and flourish, to hear his name praised and remembered, that he prized more than fine wine on the tongue, more than kisses laced with lotus flower.

    ***​

    They said the Lady Alinor had been a whore and she did not deny it, for she was great and high in the counsels of the Dragon who was above Dragons, the Imperator. Indryse did not have that luxury of honesty, she could not admit she had come to the Deep by selling her body to the captain of a ship now sunk through piracy. She had her name and the skills she had learned in her father's house, the ones that would have made her a fair wife and perhaps it would have earned her a place as a house slave rather than leave her 'working' on her back.

    She had been hired on for her sharp mind, and perhaps for pity's sake but she did not long need pity for Indryse was sharp of mind and took in the concepts of her new masters in craft like the parched sand of the dune lands takes in the sea. She surpassed them all in many ways, because she did not have the preconceptions of another world. She had been trained from the start in this one and no baggage of mind did she bear with her. She had walked in the company of stone fey as they delved their tunnels. She had tried, sometimes even with success, to follow the mind of the tinker fey. She had served at times in law and at times in administration, she had helped raise schools and houses of Healing when the realm was narrower and the need to jump from one place to the other more urgent.

    Through it all, Indryse of Myr never forgot where she came from nor what she might have ended up but for that desperate, hateful ship journey to take her to the far shore and freedom. She did not love men like her father, nor those others of the same rank who would have bought and sold her like a piece of meat if the world had not changed.

    ***​

    Vaero knew he had been born into much batter circumstances than most other slaves of the City. Ever since he was a boy, his first master had recognized in him a thirst for knowledge and a skill for its finding, and so that was what he had been trained in, keeping the family finances in order and later as an overseer over his fellow slaves. He was not the man with the whip, luckily for him, else he might have found himself at the other end of some Imperial Judge's gavel as many of his fellows had been in those days. After all, it was easier to blame the overseer than the master and they had less recourse and even less coin.

    Yet that did not mean his prospects were particularly grand in those days before Wisdom Zherys found him and put his skills to better use. He had been in no small part the architect of Volantis' administrative reform, for the highborn did not much care for numbers, which left them blind when a slave could see and it left them deaf where a slave could hear. His new master had been well served of Vaero's aid.

    Choose a Minister of Administration:

    [] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
    +Eclectic Skills (Can find odd solutions to odd problems)
    +Honest (Has neither the cause nor the desire to take bribes)
    +Good Working Environment
    -Prideful (Works for a personal legacy)
    -A Scandalous Past

    [] Indryse Umaris (Myrish)
    +Old Deep Hand (Used to working with magic and odd allies)
    +Skilled Organizer
    +Wide Experience
    -Socially and Economically Liberal
    -Dislike of Former Slave Holders

    [] Vaero the Reckoner (Volantine)
    +Proven Skill
    +Humble
    +Political Moderate
    -In his Master's Debt
    -Whispers of Influence

    OOC: I finally figured out what was so hard about writing these character portraits, they were too impersonal, better to just go with mini-interludes. Viserys does not get them from a first person PoV of course but it comes down to the same information in character. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

    I like this format, dude. Nice little character pieces to bring the choices to life. Makes it even harder to choose.
     
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    [X] Indryse Umaris (Myrish)

    Is she one of that, uh, Bed Slaves from that Lyseni Slave Ship we once "commandeered" back when we were gallivanting as the Pirate King of the Stepstones?
     
    [X] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)

    Naming someone who is prejudiced against a third of our Empires ruling class is a great recipe for an utter catastrophe.
     
    Azel said:
    [X] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)

    Naming someone who is prejudiced against a third of our Empires ruling class is a great recipe for an utter catastrophe.
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    Don't care they were slavers, they can suck it! Besides a little oppression is good for the soul, especially against some fuvks who've never experienced any serious hardship in their life!
     
    Annatar said:
    Don't care they were slavers, they can suck it! Besides a little oppression is good for the soul, especially against some fuvks who've never experienced any serious hardship in their life!
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    They personally won't be hurt the slightest bit. Instead, the animosity among the departments will hurt our government. Majorly so, due to how central and important the Administration seat is.
     
    Nevermind any sympathy I might have for her history, I like Indryse's work experience here in the Deep. She's been here from nearly the beginning and she's had a chance to work in many facets of the administration, so not only does she have the necessary skills but also a solid perspective of the whole.

    Aran seems like another solid pick, though. Smart and skilled, plus a hefty dose of forward thinking and pragmatism, that's a winning combination. His past is of little concern, IMO.

    [X] Indryse Umaris (Myrish)
    [X] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
     
    DragonParadox said:
    [] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
    +Eclectic Skills (Can find odd solutions to odd problems)
    +Honest (Ha neither the cause nor the desire to take bribes)
    +Good Working Environment
    -Prideful (Works for a personal legacy)
    -A Scandalous Past
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    he seems perfect for the job . as for his cons Prideful seems fine if anything great as he will be the first minister to ever hold the office and his actions will cast a lasting shadow on it as for his 'Scandalous Past' who cares our first vassal proper ever was a Bravosi courtesan we don't care and anyone that does care is not likely someone we care much for either

    [X] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
     
    Honestly? These are horrible options.

    Adran is ok, but nothing really fancy.
    Indryse is a nightmare, since she will constantly have to interact with ex-slavers in a professional capacity.
    And Vaero is a no-go, since we absolutely don't need to give Zherys that much leverage over the central government.
     
    [X] Aran the Fair (Tyroshi)
    Azel said:
    Honestly? These are horrible options.

    Adran is ok, but nothing really fancy.
    Indryse is a nightmare, since she will constantly have to interact with ex-slavers in a professional capacity.
    And Vaero is a no-go, since we absolutely don't need to give Zherys that much leverage over the central government.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Still saying we should try to clone Alinor.
     
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