[X] Go mind control theoffending priests and plant false evidence framing them as the devil traps. Have the inquisiton uncover it and have public trials. Maybe have a few dozen summoned appear in the air to go arrest them. Spinning the narrative as the seven sending angels to protect them from Manipulation. Have the angels endorse trust in us.
Why would we do this? It seems like a convoluted mess that both introduces a significant risk of getting caught breaking our own laws and enflames some of the base issues causing us problems in the first place.


[X] "Tell them that their gods still watch over them, as they have for untold centuries, and that they will continue to do so for centuries to come. The land on which they live, the land upon which they and their ancestors have labored, will still be there for their children, their children's children, and many following generations to come. When they pass from this corporeal existence, their souls will be welcomed into the embrace of the Seven and their descendants will continue to live their lives as their parents and grandparents did."
-[X] "Ask them not to let fear rule their lives, for while their is much darkness and pain in the world, there is also much light and life, joy and laughter. While the Seven will do their part to shepherd the souls of their worshipers, it is the duty of the Imperium to protect its citizens from more material threats. The Imperium cannot fulfill this duty if it's forces are occupied with policing the fearful and recalcitrant."
-[X] In case the High Septon's intervention proves ineffective, send word to the Inquisition to prepare to discredit and dismantle the organized Faith in the Vale. If the High Septon can't control his subordinates, then it is time to turn the people against them. Perhaps more reasonable replacements can be found to shepherd the wayward flocks.
@Goldfish why are you trying to talk up the seven? If it works it's an easy route to solving our short term problem, but it would also further cement them as the last piece of sanity in the world to these guys, and we still haven't really worked out a functional peace with them yet.

It also helps shore up the power base of the people who're leading this movement, which could bite us in the ass later if they decide to try this again next time something upsets them.

[X] Azel
 
Why would we do this? It seems like a convoluted mess that both introduces a significant risk of getting caught breaking our own laws and enflames some of the base issues causing us problems in the first place.



@Goldfish why are you trying to talk up the seven? If it works it's an easy route to solving our short term problem, but it would also further cement them as the last piece of sanity in the world to these guys, and we still haven't really worked out a functional peace with them yet.

It also helps shore up the power base of the people who're leading this movement, which could bite us in the ass later if they decide to try this again next time something upsets them.

[X] Azel
The Seven aren't our enemy in this instance. Using them to calm the yokels is quick and easy, if it works. We can always deal with the troublemakers more thoroughly later on, but right now they're causing a disruption when we're trying to build momentum with the uplift of Westeros.
 
The Seven aren't our enemy in this instance. Using them to calm the yokels is quick and easy, if it works. We can always deal with the troublemakers more thoroughly later on, but right now they're causing a disruption when we're trying to build momentum with the uplift of Westeros.
I see where you're coming from, but my concern is that it's implicitly positioning these septons to dig in even more throughly than they already are. It makes the seven the pivotal piece of society that's still normal for them, and emphasizes their place as protectors of the people against the unnatural, which could easily be embodied in us.

If it goes smoothly it would quiet them down, but it seems a lot like serving the locals all the pieces they need to construct a narrative to anchor their movement to as it develops and formalizes.
 
I see where you're coming from, but my concern is that it's implicitly positioning these septons to dig in even more throughly than they already are. It makes the seven the pivotal piece of society that's still normal for them, and emphasizes their place as protectors of the people against the unnatural, which could easily be embodied in us.

If it goes smoothly it would quiet them down, but it seems a lot like serving the locals all the pieces they need to construct a narrative to anchor their movement to as it develops and formalizes.
I just don't think trying to force a paradigm shift on these people, at least where it comes to faith and religion, is going to work out for us at this point.

Calm them down now and half the problem is solved. A little time passing is all that's really needed to dispel the more ridiculous rumors that are firing the idiots up. That will also go a long way toward discrediting the more fiery of the rabble rousers, once it becomes common knowledge that they were spreading such BS.

And nothing says we can't replace or remove them later on when they're not in the spotlight. A sudden stroke, a bad case of food poisoning, a mugging gone wrong, etc., people causing problems can be removed as needed when time permits. Right now it's better to nip this in the bud ASAP before it spreads on a wave of fear and ignorance or further impacts our efforts to drag Westeros out of the muck.
 
Vigilant Shadow Cat
Advanced Plant-Imbued Watchman Shadow
Cat (+4 RHD) - CR 8
Size/Type:
Tiny Plant
Hit Dice: 6d8 (30) + 30 (CON) = 60 HP
Initiative: +7 (DEX)
Speed: 60 ft.
Armor Class: 28 (+2 Size, +7 Dex, +9 Natural), Touch 19, Flat-Footed 21
Base Attack: +4
Full Attack: 2 Claws +11 (1d2+7), 1 Bite +11 (1d3+7)
Space: 2-1/2 ft., Reach: 0 ft.
Special Attacks: Eye Rays, Revolting Gaze, Unavoidable Gaze
Special Qualities: Telethapy 100 ft., Scent, Darkvision 90 ft., Low-light Vision, Fast Healing 5, Spell Resistance 19, Damage Reduction 10/Magic & Slashing, Plant Traits (Immune to Mind-Affecting, Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, Polymorph, Stunning, Critical Hits), Spell-like Abilities, All-Around Vision, Eternal Sentry, Touch the Intangible, Vulnerable to Fire (+50% damage), Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +11
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 24, Con 20, Int 16, Wis 28, Cha 24
Skills: Balance +24, Climb +20, Disable Device +16, Hide +33 (+41), Jump +24, Listen +22, Move Silently +30 (+38), Spot +22, Tumble +16. Racial Modifiers: +4 Climb, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, +8 Balance & Jump, +8 Hide & Move Silently while in a forest, tall grass, or in heavy undergrowth.
Feats: Darkstalker, Hellcat Stealth, Mindsight, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy(B), Weapon Finesse(B)
Languages: Draconic, Low Valyrian (Braavosi), Sylvan, Westerosi Common
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Telepathy (Su): Vigilant Shadow Cats can communicate Telepathically with any creature which has a language within 100 feet.

Plant-Imbued:
  • Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): 9th caster level; At Will: Freedom of Movement (Self only), 3/Day: Entangle (DC 20), Magic Fang, 1/Day: Sunburst (DC 27), Tree Stride
  • Woodland Stride (Ex): Vigilant Shadow Cats can move through any sort of undergrowth at their full movement rate without taking any penalties or suffering any damage. Magical enchantments designed to impede movement still affect them.
  • Acute Senses (Ex): Vigilant Shadow Cats can instantly sense anything within 60 feet. They cannot be flanked or surprised and can detect invisible foes or opponents in heavy fog or other obscuring conditions allowing them to strike without any miss chance.
Shadow:
  • Shadow Blend (Su): In any conditions other than full daylight, a Vigilant Shadow Cat can disappear into the shadows, giving it Total Concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability, but a Daylight spell will.
  • Shadow Form (Su): As a Standard Action, the Vigilant Shadow Cat can turn into an animate pool of darkness for up to 10 minutes per day. This duration need not be used at all once, but it must be used in 1-minute increments. This ability functions as per the Gaseous Form spell.
  • Evasion (Ex): If the Vigilant Shadow Cat makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage. A helpless Vigilant Shadow Cat (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of Evasion.
Watchman:
  • Eternal Sentry (Ex): A Vigilant Shadow Cat does not age or breathe. It does not require food, drink, or sleep.
  • Touch the Intangible (Su): Vigilant Shadow Cats can touch, attack, and grapple Incorporeal, astral, and ethereal creatures normally.
  • All-Around Vision (Ex): A Vigilant Shadow Cat's eyes allows it to see in all directions. It also benefits from a +4 Racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks and cannot be Flanked.
  • Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks (Ex): A Vigilant Shadow Cat suffers a -4 penalty against all Gaze attacks and loses any resistance or immunity it has to the effects of a Gaze attack.
  • Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): 20th Caster Level; Constant: Detect Magic, True Seeing, At Will: Quickened Dimensional Anchor, Discern Location, Greater Teleport (self plus 50 pounds), Plane Shift (self plus 50 pounds).
  • Revolting Gaze (Su): The Vigilant Shadow Cat can make a Gaze attack against any creature within 30 feet. If the creature fails a DC 20 Fortitude save, it is Staggered for one hour. If it succeeds, it is instead Sickened for one round.
  • Eye Rays (Su): Once every four rounds as a Standard Action, a Vigilant Shadow Cat can make a Ranged Touch Attack against all creatures within 100 ft. (make only one attack per creature). The subject takes a penalty to Constitution equal to 1d6+3 for six minutes. The subject's Constitution score cannot drop below 1. A successful DC 20 Fortitude save reduces this penalty by half. This penalty does not stack with itself. Apply the highest penalty instead.
  • Unavoidable Gaze (Ex): A Vigilant Shadow Cat can actively Gaze as a Standard Action affecting all creatures within 30 feet. The opponents must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid it via averting their eyes or wearing a blindfold (causing the Vigilant Shadow Cat to have Total Concealment from the opponent). Thus, it is possible for an opponent to have to save against the Gaze attack twice during the same round, once before their action and once during the Vigilant Shadow Cat's turn.
Hey, just wanted to let you know tThe image isn't working.
 
Reminder that you have Homo-Erectus trapped inside the Feywild of Sarnor. Maybe you'll get some new citizens (or loot)!
That's unimportant enough to be below abstraction. Maybe Dany will collect them as a curiosity.

It is possible, but not very likely. Dany is not really in the collecting people business. If anything the Companion most interested would be Lya from sheer academic curiosity, but she is rather busy with other things to worry about trying to trace the relationships of various humanoid beings with each other.
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 19, 2021 at 5:10 AM, finished with 39 posts and 17 votes.

  • [X] "Tell them that their gods still watch over them, as they have for untold centuries, and that they will continue to do so for centuries to come. The land on which they live, the land upon which they and their ancestors have labored, will still be there for their children, their children's children, and many following generations to come. When they pass from this corporeal existence, their souls will be welcomed into the embrace of the Seven and their descendants will continue to live their lives as their parents and grandparents did."
    -[X] "Ask them not to let fear rule their lives, for while their is much darkness and pain in the world, there is also much light and life, joy and laughter. While the Seven will do their part to shepherd the souls of their worshipers, it is the duty of the Imperium to protect its citizens from more material threats. The Imperium cannot fulfill this duty if it's forces are occupied with policing the fearful and recalcitrant."
    -[X] In case the High Septon's intervention proves ineffective, send word to the Inquisition to prepare to discredit and dismantle the organized Faith in the Vale. If the High Septon can't control his subordinates, then it is time to turn the people against them. Perhaps more reasonable replacements can be found to shepherd the wayward flocks.
    [X] They can keep to their faith and to the loyalty and trust they have shown their lords in the past.
    -[X] Send word to the Inquisition to prepare discrediting and dismantling the Faith in the Vale. If the High Septon can't control them, then it is time to turn the people against the Septons.
    [X] Go mind control theoffending priests and plant false evidence framing them as the devil traps. Have the inquisiton uncover it and have public trials. Maybe have a few dozen summoned appear in the air to go arrest them. Spinning the narrative as the seven sending angels to protect them from Manipulation. Have the angels endorse trust in us.
 
Part MMMDCCLXXXVII: The Press of Change
The Press of Change

Twenty-First Day of the Seventh Month 294 AC

It is harder than it perhaps should be to bite back a sigh. Perhaps you expected too much from the Faith. "Tell them that their gods still watch over them, as they have for untold centuries, and that they will continue to do so for centuries to come. The land on which they live, the land upon which they and their ancestors have labored, will still be there for their children, their children's children, and many following generations to come. When they pass from this corporeal existence, their souls will be welcomed into the embrace of the Seven and their descendants will continue to live their lives as their parents and grandparents did."

The High Septon nods looking a touch relieved, though for your part you cannot share the sentiment. All that you had said is true, yet telling so little of the truth. Part of you wonders how long it will take before that truth seeps from the halls of the Curia and to their kin, from there to their confidants on an on, a whisper for which are peeled the careful ears of the Inquisition. How long until the man before you will know the truth that might break his faith or forge it all the stronger in the face of the horrors of the world?

It is with that in mind that you add, "Ask them not to let fear rule their lives, for while therd is much darkness and pain in the world, there is also much light and life, joy and laughter. While the Seven will do their part to shepherd the souls of their worshipers, it is the duty of the Imperium to protect its citizens from more material threats. The Imperium cannot fulfill this duty if it's forces are occupied with policing the fearful and recalcitrant."

"I shall carry your words to those of my brothers I shall send to the Vale, Your Majesty," the man bows low, the edge of his heavy formal sleeves almost sweeping the floor.

"May the Crone give them wisdom and the Father show them the just path," you conclude with a smile that must to him appear wholly genuine.

The next person you see is Brynden Rivers and the solution on the table with the Lord Inquisitor is one that is far less gentle compared to the Faith. "How much of your plans can you trim and reapply within the current circumstances of the Imperium?"

"Enough," the words have a certain finality to it that would have chilled the blood of any who heard it, not for any particular emotion, but rather their lack. This is the man who had long plotted the dismembering of the Faith of the Seven, and had gone quite some way to it though his tools had been few and flawed. "Shall I begin now?"

"No," you shake your head. "Let us see if they can bring their house to order first. The Inquisition's eyes and hands can be better used elsewhere for the moment. The Vale merely inches towards unrest."

"The first stones in an avalanche usually do move by inches also," he replies, but when you open your mouth to reply he shakes his head. "Do not let an old man's suspicions get in the way of the path you wish to chart, Your Majesty. It is you and not I upon that throne, a fact which most of the realm finds great relief and joy in no doubt." His laughter is not as bitter as it might once have been. "At least the lords of the Vale are unlikely to catch the dissatisfaction of their citizenry, not with silver struck in Redfort Hills and all manner of new lands being brought to use. It is almost remarkable how much land was not being used for lack of investment."

You nod, some of the land he is talking about will need magical enhancement, indeed you have a dozen days planned to spend in Verdant Vales and Runesone Duchies to set flame to the task of making soil, but a lot of what had been found by the surveyors could have been exploited in the old world as easily as the new. There are hills perfect for growing grapes and alpine meadows that had never seen more than the scraggly goats of the hill tribes when they could have been growing wool as fine as any that is traded for in the markets of the North. Perhaps the most impressive find was not silver at all, but a seam of emeralds in the lands of House Royce itself which, according to the first reports of the House of Mirrors, would be able to produce gems fit to serve as high order arcane reagents. All things told, the Vale lords have little time to lend an ear to the worries of 'the smallfolk', and for once you are glad of it.

Survey of Marginal Lands
Verdant Vale: 50 (Success)
Runestone: 68 (Second Order Success)


***​

It is therefore with shock that you listen the next evening to the news that one of the senior clerks sent to Ironoaks to advise Lady Waynwood had been brutally killed, crushed in a cheese press of all things. The perpetrator had been caught and was likely to be hung, but this is no isolated incident, no work of a lone madman.

Thanks to the introduction of the preservation jars and chests, otherwise perishable goods can now be sold far and wide at far greater price, so long as one is willing and able to make the up the front investment. This dropped the demand for the usual staples of durable food like cheese and sausages, and thus the peasants who usually paid their taxes in such staples found that they were worth far less according to nobles who now had access to the Astral Current numbers on what commodities are sold for both now and in terms of future predictions.

A lot of very unhappy people are told that the goods with which they had paid their local taxes are worth as little as a fifth, or in the case of the murderous cheese maker, a tenth of what they had been worth last year and they are not soothed at the abolition of taxes and tools which they think will serve to 'make the fat merchants fatter'.

Help with setting up local taxes Verdant Vale, Runestone: 17 (Failure)

What do you do?

[] Ask the Lords to keep the local taxes artificially low until the smallfolk can see with their own eyes that they costs are decreasing also

[] Cover the shortfall from Imperial coffers as subsidies

[] Nothing for now, though you intend to make sure the two provinces will get particular attention from the Ministry of Justice in the future

[] Write in


OOC: For anyone wondering how you could kill someone with a cheese press, imagine something like this.
 
Last edited:
The Press of Change

Twenty-First Day of the Seventh Month 294 AC

It is harder than it perhaps should be to bite back a sigh. Perhaps you expected too much from the Faith. "Tell them that their gods still watch over them, as they have for untold centuries, and that they will continue to do so for centuries to come. The land on which they live, the land upon which they and their ancestors have labored, will still be there for their children, their children's children, and many following generations to come. When they pass from this corporeal existence, their souls will be welcomed into the embrace of the Seven and their descendants will continue to live their lives as their parents and grandparents did."

The High Septon nods looking a touch relieved, though for your part you cannot share the sentiment. All that you had said is true, yet telling so little of the truth. Part of you wonders how long it will take before that truth seeps from the halls of the Curia and to their kin, from there to their confidants on an on, a whisper for which are peeled the careful ears of the Inquisition. How long until the man before you will know the truth that might break his faith or forge it all the stronger in the face of the horrors of the world.

It is with that in mind that you add, "Ask them not to let fear rule their lives, for while their is much darkness and pain in the world, there is also much light and life, joy and laughter. While the Seven will do their part to shepherd the souls of their worshipers, it is the duty of the Imperium to protect its citizens from more material threats. The Imperium cannot fulfill this duty if it's forces are occupied with policing the fearful and recalcitrant."

"I shall carry your words to those of my brothers I shall send to the Vale, Your Majesty," the man bows low, the edge of his heavy formal sleeves almost sweeping the floor.

"May the Crone give them wisdom and the Father show them the just path," you conclude with a smile that must to him appear wholly genuine.

The next person you see is Brynden Rivers and the solution on the table with the Lord Inquisitor is one that is far less gentle to the Faith. "How much of your plans can you trim and reapply within the current circumstances of the Imperium?"

"Enough," the words have a certain finality to it that would have chilled the blood of any who heard it, not for any particular emotion, but rather their lack. This is the man who had long plotted the dismembering of the Faith of the Seven, and had gone quite some way to it though his tools had been few and flawed. "Shall I begin now?"

"No," you shake your head. "Let us see if they can bring their house to order first. The Inquisition's eyes and hands can be better used elsewhere for the moment. The Vale merely inches towards unrest."

"The first stones in an avalanche usually do move by inches also," he replies, but when you open your mouth to reply he shakes his head. "Do not let an old man's suspicions get in the path you wish to chart, Your Majesty. It is you and not I upon that throne, a fact which most of the realm finds great relief and joy in no doubt." His laughter is not as bitter as it might once have been. "At least the lords of the Vale are unlikely to catch the dissatisfaction of their citizenry, not with silver struck in Redfort Hills and and all manner of new lands being brought to use. It is almost remarkable how much land was not being used for lack of investment."

You nod, some of the land he is talking about will need magical enhancement, indeed you have a dozen days planned to spend in Verdant Vales and Runesone Duchies to set flame to the task of making soil, but a lot of what had been found by the surveyors could have been exploited in the old world as easily as the new. There are hills perfect for growing grapes and alpine meadows that had never seen more than the scraggly goats of the hill tribes when they could have been growing wool as fine as any that is traded for in the markets of the North. Perhaps the most impressive find was not silver at all, but a seam of emeralds in the lands of House Royce itself which, according to the first reports of the House of Mirrors, would be able to produce gems fit to serve as high order arcane reagents. All things told, the Vale lords have little time to lend an ear to the worries of 'the smallfolk', and for once you are glad of it.

Survey of Marginal Lands
Verdant Vale: 50 (Success)
Runestone: 68 (Second Order Success)


***​

It is therefore with shock that you listen the next evening to the news that one of the senior clerks sent to Ironoaks to advise Lady Waynwood had been brutally killed, crushed in a cheese press of all things. The perpetrator had been caught and was likely to be hung, but this is no isolated incident, no work of a lone madman.

Thanks to the introduction of the preservation jars and chests, otherwise perishable goods can now be sold far and wide at far greater price, so long as one is willing and able to make the up front investment which dropped the demand for the usual staples of durable food like cheese and sausages and thus the peasants who usually paid their taxes in such staples found that they were worth far less according to nobles who now had access to the Astral Current numbers on what commodities are sold for both now and in terms of future predictions.

A lot of very unhappy people are told that the goods with which they had paid their local taxes are worth as little as a fifth, or in the case of the murderous cheese maker, a tenth of what they had been worth last year and they are not soothed at the abolition of taxes and tools which they think will serve to 'make the fat merchants fatter'.

Help with setting up local taxes Verdant Vale, Runestone: 17 (Failure)

What do you do?

[] Ask the Lords to keep the local taxes artificially low until the smallfolk can see with their own eyes that they costs are decreasing also

[] Cover the shortfall from Imperial coffers as subsidies

[] Nothing for now, though you intend to make sure the two provinces will get particular attention from the Ministry to Justice in the future

[] Write in


OOC: For anyone wondering how you could kill someone with a cheese press imagine something like this. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

Holy shit, that's an unusual murder weapon... 🤯
 
[X] Cover the shortfall from Imperial coffees from Imperial coffers as subsidies
-[X] This issue will be revisited in six months, and again before next year's taxes are due once more. If the local lords are not seen as adequately working with their smallfolk to aide in the necessary economic transition, the Lord's themselves may be penalized.
 
Last edited:
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