I may continue this if anyone is interested. Either field agents encountering "spontaneous psychic effects" for the first time, or a direct meeting between Viserys and these "extraplanar invaders".
Count me interested, and for 'Viserys doesn't know' ... some of the gods should. And likely hell, Abyss and Abaddon. And these are now angling for influence on more parts (ie, space empires) of the prime material ... which incidentally would explain the 'xenophobic empire, xenophobic empire, driven assimilators, "eats everything" hivemind, ...' setup of a lot of Stellaris games ...
[] Purchase
-[X] 10 +1 Soulfire Mithral Bracers (Ser Richard, Waymar, Garin, Vee, Tyene, Xor, Maelor, Malarys, Rina, Bloom) -- 5,000 IM each, 50,000 IM total
-[] 3 Scrolls of Gate -- ??? IM
-[] 1 Scroll of Undead Anatomy II -- ??? IM
-[] 4 Scrolls of Create Greater Demiplane — ??? IM
-[] 1 Scroll of Undead Anatomy III -- ??? IM
-[] 3 Mind Blank items -- 22,000 IM each, 66,000 IM total
-[] Permanency Scrolls (one 500 XP scrolls, two 2,000 XP scrolls) -- 45,000 IM
-[] 400,000 IM of crafting materials
-[] Commune with Nature item (at will, 10 min. cooldown time) -- 16,200 IM
-[] GRAND TOTAL: 577,200 IM (not including scroll costs)
Thankfully royal favor is as useful at opening the doors of far grander enchanters than the mages of the Kartun. There you called for spells to take the form of the living dead and bracers to guard against death magic as well as the imposition of another's will and the tyranny of fate and foresight. Lastly you also take up tablets writ on purest gold, keys to forge vast avenues between the spheres through which even the greatest spirits might stride.
Though the most frustrating and most heartening fact of your purchases is the fact that even knowing where to go and who to ask after, even with written word from the palace that those who deal with you should accommodate you within reason, it is the task of almost half a day to gather all the reagents and artifacts together, and even so your most recent commission will take two months to complete by virtue of the fact that even the mages of the Opaline Vault have not the time to do all that you have asked for in a more timely manner.
Even here there are limits to what might be found and made... An ally of the Shaitan you are and likely one you will remain, yet it is good to see that even in this land paved with gold and silver there are limits you can brush against with only what resources you have now. Perhaps, you dare to dream, one day Sorcerer's Deep will come not only to mirror the great crossroads of the planes, but in the fullness of time surpass them.
566,250 Gold lost
Gained 400,000 Gold worth of crafting materials
3 Scrolls of Gate
1 Scroll of Undead Anatomy II
4 Scrolls of Create Greater Demiplane
1 Scroll of Undead Anatomy III Permanency Scrolls
"It would look odd to pave the streets with gold. The other dwellers might find it awkward," Varys hisses in your mind, drawing a laugh and a raised eyebrow from Ser Richard.
On hearing the jest the knight shakes his head as though in bemusement. "I've never been one for dreams and portents, but sometimes I wonder what I would say if I had seen where life would take me that day at the One-Eyed Rat?"
"You would have thought Merin's wine was even worse than it tasted like most likely," you answer instantly. Though you had never spoken with him personally, you are very glad Ser Richard had been drinking less in recent months, his troubles perhaps soothed by time and distance.
***
"Fifty mages..." Teana says, throwing her hands in the air with a dramatic air that speaks to her history on stage. "You need me to put up fifty mages as we are rebuilding and expanding with the new class in barely this week? It's a good thing I can be in more than one place at once I suppose."
"That's the spirit," you call with excessive good cheer, playing along. Then more seriously, "If you need any sort of help dealing with getting them used to how things are, or any administrative aid with the expansion, do not hesitate to ask. My door is open... though I am more likely to be on the other side of it during the evenings and at night."
"I'll try to restrain myself to doors further down than that," the headmistress replies. She hesitates a moment. "There are these requisitions that would probably go through faster if I had them signed off..."
One thing leads to another, and soon enough you find yourself making annotations to the plans for the tower's reconstruction as well as looking over the financial aspects where you are able to shave off about a tenth of the cost by making use of the cargoes of several Silver Serpent ships you know to be in port.
Lost 5,500 Gold (Shadow Tower renovations)
Seeing that Sorcerer's Deep is otherwise in order and not having yet received words from Myr or Lys from those there, you decide that now is a good time to approach the Night's Watch with your unusual gifts.
***
Morning light streams through the leaves of elms and aspens shrouding the newly made 'King's Garden' in vibrant green. You had not much time to spend here the past month, though many of your friends, Alinor chief among them, swear by the soothing power of birdsong and bubbling water, by the lazy moments spent watching the local leaf spirits spar one moment and play 'hide and go seek' with the local children the next. The inhabitants, born of Lys' reconsecrated flesh-forge are not all so small and frolicsome, however... some are large and frolicsome as Waymar discovers when a large wolf-like being covered not in fur but moss and flowers bowls him over in its eagerness to 'get going to the Wall.'
"Would introducing the poor Lord Commander to them and Bloom be too much all at once?" Dany asks giggling.
"The Old Bear is tough, he will soldier through," you answer, smiling also. Still, the concern behind the jest is real. You will have to measure your words carefully when speaking to the Watch of your gifts, as though the whole North is listening, for in the end they will.
How do you address the Black Brothers?
[] Write in
OOC: I have to admit it's a relief to write scenes without having to worry about where each character is at a precise moment in time. The new system continues to work great for me. I hope it comes across like that for you guys too.
Realistically speaking, at least a few Black brothers should invest a thought or two of how to abscond with some magic items, make for greener pastures and live the good life by selling the stuff ...
@Azel I suggest we approach the first part of the affair, delivering the supplies, brazenly and completely unconcerned with current events, as if we have done it before (we have) and will do it again (we will). Then I suggest we spend a little time asking after the challenges and fears from some of the more senior rangers, stewards and builders and maybe pick a few of them we can solve, or make suggestions for, if they have a magical (or master administrator) solution to them.
And then we talk with Mormont before think about any speeches.
This shows we care, and that we're not concerned with Southron politics while at the Wall, only the Wall.
Point out that for all that there are creepy and awful monsters lurking out there in the shadows, there are helpful God's and angels as well.
When you can find them.
We should also take the pains to explain That blossom is exceedingly powerful, and inhuman. She has opted to spend her valuable time here. Someday she will be going elsewhere.
Realistically speaking, at least a few Black brothers should invest a thought or two of how to abscond with some magic items, make for greener pastures and live the good life by selling the stuff ...
Realistically speaking, at least a few Black brothers should invest a thought or two of how to abscond with some magic items, make for greener pastures and live the good life by selling the stuff ...
If you think deserting after taking the Black puts a target on your back, stealing artifacts gifted by the Dragon is a step too far for all but the stupidest to attempt, and eventually you're gonna run out of stupid. Something has to give. Hint: It's the stupid.
Working on it now then.
I'm seriously tempted to skip their initial meeting though. You're already writing something pretty similar after all (well, you should be. I'm waiting for updates on those Worm Omakes!).
I'll see what I can come up with.
Count me interested, and for 'Viserys doesn't know' ... some of the gods should. And likely hell, Abyss and Abaddon. And these are now angling for influence on more parts (ie, space empires) of the prime material ... which incidentally would explain the 'xenophobic empire, xenophobic empire, driven assimilators, "eats everything" hivemind, ...' setup of a lot of Stellaris games ...
Good point. The avoid the issue of "why didn't one planet somewhere collapse into demons and thus release an endless stream of them onto the Prime Material", I'm ruling that magic is far harder to learn on all other worlds and that "natural magic" (like spontaneously arising undead) just doesn't happen.
Of course magic works there (Stellaris involves weaponizing psychics, right?). It's just far harder to actually discover.
Disclaimer: I have never played or read Stellaris. I'm therefore running the Commonwealth as a generic "competent sci-fi civilisation" able to do pretty much whatever it wants.
Except properly defend against magic. Whoops!
I'm going to presume that they can defend against physical damage trivially easily and defend against mental powers with a little more difficulty (especially if they get test subjects to research). But defending against Divination will be beyond them for a while.
I'll also be running with the "you need a Plane Shift anchor from a planet to teleport/Plane Shift there" ruling DP made.
I mean worse comes to worse Viserys and Co. could just disappear with their treasure and valuable subjects off-plane, then reverse engineer and run a guerrilla war against the Commonwealth, keeping their base in Air or Earth, or both. What're they gonna do? Stab us?
I mean worse comes to worse Viserys and Co. could just disappear with their treasure and valuable subjects off-plane, then reverse engineer and run a guerrilla war against the Commonwealth, keeping their base in Air or Earth, or both. What're they gonna do? Stab us?
If you want to tank direct orbital bombardment rather than divine it two weeks in advance and move all your assets somewhere else whilst simultaneously building accurate decoys to serve as distraction...
...well, more power to you? My way is amusing too.
