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

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Azel said:
Huh. We should commission a few books. And songs. And rev up the propaganda machine
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You could do that, but they are not idiots. If you try to impose too extreme a change they will react to is as an attack. Right now most high-ranking fey are in the mood to bargain because winter is coming and that is everyone's concern, but if they ever perceive whatever you are doing as a worse threat to them, then all bets are off.
 
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DragonParadox said:
You could do that, but they are not idiots. If you try to impose too extreme a change they will react to is as an attack. Right now most high-ranking fey are in the mood to bargain because winter is coming and that is everyone's concern, but if they ever perceive whatever you are doing as a worst threat to them, then all bets are off.
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Okay... but what would constitute as a "worse threat"?

We want them under our control. If they live on Prime Material then they have to swear to the Imperium and abide by our laws. That's our price.
 
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Canon Omake: The Lads, Part Five
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    • The Lads: Part 5​

    If nothing else, Monford Velaryon drolly thought to himself, King's Landing was excellent at setting the ambiance.

    The city really had gotten worse, as difficult as that was to believe. The last time Monford had spent a significant amount of time in King's Landing was the waning days of Aerys' reign, when he had seen where the wind was blowing and made a quiet exit from court. Then, the slums had festered, the goldcloaks had been corrupt, and the city had stank. Now it felt on the edge of exploding, the hysterical riots of the smallfolk egged on by septons all but demanding rebellion little more than a sieve for the increasingly unbearable pressure. Not that such outbursts were limited to those of low birth, as the excitement of yesterday had shown.

    The Velaryon manse in King's Landing was old, established in the reign of King Aenys, and the servants maintaining it trusted. Thus, despite being in the metaphorical 'heart of the beast,' Monford felt safe to hold a meeting discussing extremely sensitive topics. Not that many wouldn't very well know exactly what they were doing, but things were already pushed to the breaking point and he had no desire to spend another night in Queen Cersei's company.

    "This is a damn outrage!" Lord Pearse Langwald exclaimed once again, pacing back and forth before his chair, his son Selwyn futility trying to calm him down. The rest of the Loyalists weren't quite so vivid in their umbrage but the room echoed the lord's rage. Some still sported bruises and cuts from the brawl, as although the Golden Shields had 'kindly' offered to heal any of the more serious wounds some lords refused on principle.

    Personally, Monford almost wanted to thank that incredible bitch whom Tywin Lannister had plopped on the throne. Gods knew she bedeviled the Usurper more than anything he'd ever accomplish. Here he was thinking he'd have to carefully approach potential candidates and contend with Jon Arryn's seasoned statesmanship, and then the Queen swoops in and just flips the game board. He'd be more than willing to spend one very uncomfortable night in custody for a success of this magnitude. As Duncan Wendwater enthusiastically demonstrated what he'd do to the traitors once he got his hands on them, the Lord of Driftmark sat back and spent a moment looking at the gathered nobles.

    The current Lord of the Wendwater was a boy recently come of age, and in many ways was utterly typical for a young, glory hungry lord looking to prove himself. Monford wasn't surprised in the least to discover he had been one of the leading instigators of that clusterfuck of a feast. Despite his rashness, Duncan was popular with his vassals and smallfolk, and reportedly skilled with the blade. Controlling the lands at the mouth of the river they took their name from, the Wendwaters owned a good section of the Kingswood and stood as one of the larger and wealthier houses in the Crownlands, and so had enjoyed atypical status in court. The last lord of the Rapids had been one of King Aegon V's more avid supporters, hence the current one's name. This had also seen them suffer disfavor under King Robert's reign, with concessions extracted from them while Lord Duncan was still in regency in order to earn the loyalty of their neighbors. Nothing seriously damaging, mostly just border disputes and trade privileges, but incensing enough that Monford had taken the boy's firm support as a given.

    Pearse Langwald was considerably more of a surprise. An old and proud house, they were nonetheless poor by any reasonable standards. Monford would have expected the lord to follow his peers in the Blackwater Rush and take Lannister gifts for quisiense, but instead Pearse had openly denounced the bribery. The man was something of an arse, in Monford's opinion, but unlike many similar figures Pearse followed up on his grandiose claims, and for that he deserved a degree of respect. His son, Selwyn, was much more subdued in his bearing. A quiet and erudite boy, it was widely known that he had wanted to earn a Maester's chain until his older brothers had perished in some sort of hunting accident and a duel. After that, Selwyn had set down his books and taken up an heir's duties.

    The Rykkers, Buckwells, and Stauntons had all shown their allegiances, and with the three houses and their vassals Monford could safely say the upper part of the crownlands was secured, especially since the Riverlords to the immediate north were also largely trustworthy in this regard.

    The Rykkers in particular were new to their position as the Lords of Duskendale and were well aware of the promises the Lannisters had undoubtedly made to the Darkes and the Dargoods if they would support the Crowned Stag when the time came. Renfred was cautious and unambitious - no doubt the qualities which had seen him granted Duskendale - but the man was no fool and knew very well what would happen to his family should the remnants of the Darklyn's seize power. His son, Ser Jaremy, was considerably more outgoing, and was enthusiastically agreeing with Lord Duncan.

    Lord Elston Buckwell and Lord Wylis Staunton had less pressing reasons to raise for the three-headed dragon, and indeed were significantly less enthusiastic about the prospect of fighting the rest of the Seven Kingdoms than their peers. Still, Elston's mother was a Darry, Wylis's brother had been maimed in the Sack, and their presence was as good as a declaration as any.

    Monford's fellow lords in the Narrow Sea had not been summoned to the royal feast, the assumption being that Jon Arryn considered them a lost cause that would've just disturbed the proceedings, similarly to the lords of Crackclaw Point. Personally, the Lord of the Tides wasn't so certain of that. They'd all be subjected to punitive taxation from the very end of the Rebellion, and the current crop of Lords wasn't exactly what he'd consider stalwart loyalists. Lady Clarysse Bar Emmon nee Footly was by all accounts a lovely woman and a capable regent, but she had no real connection to the Targaryens. Lord Terrence Massy was well known to resent his humiliation and expulsion from court in the days of King Aerys, although the man should consider himself fortunate that it happened before the king took a liking to burning alive those who displeased him. Ardrian Celtigar fiercely resented the chipping away at his family's accumulated riches, but Monford knew his goodbrother well enough to understand he was a pragmatist in the end. If the taxes were relieved and certain promises about the Point made …

    In the end, however, it didn't matter. No offers were extended or ties made, and the Crown continued to disregard the Narrow Sea lords. If Monford had to guess why, it was Robert Baratheon's interference. The man could hold a grudge like nothing else and was as intransigent as a mule, Monford could easily see him refusing to let Jon Arryn court those known to be ancient Targaryen loyalists while at the same time refusing to let the Lannisters replace them with more reliable alternatives. Thus, the royal policy towards the Narrow Sea was to just ignore the issue, leaving Velaryon free to make under-the-table deals to ensure that they'd remember their oaths when the time came.

    Once it looked like the young men had gotten it out of their systems, Lord Monford learned forward and cleared his throat. The room quickly fell silent, as for all they had to declare the crownlanders knew it all depended on the King, one which they knew little of besides rumor. While it wasn't confirmed that the Velaryons were in contact with him, nobody had been surprised when Monford had called them to his manse in order to 'discuss the future of the kingdom.'

    "It goes without being said that we've all chosen our sides yesterday, so I shall be frank and honest, gentlemen." The Lord of the Tides said. "I have been in contact with His Grace." The room was silent, even the rambunctious boys quieted at the blatant declaration. For a moment nobody wanted to say the first word, but finally Elston Buckwell sighed and sat down.

    "What's the plan." He said, the man's usual jovial attitude utterly absent from his slightly flabby face.

    "Things are obviously still in flux," Monford hedged. "But of as the moment the King is contacting possible allies across the seven kingdoms while handling his affairs in Essos."

    "Hmm." Lord Pearse grunted. "Who's going to rise with us?"

    "This is understandably something that's kept highly secret, but I can say that inroads have been made in the Stormlands and Vale, as well as assurances made by prior loyalists in Dorne, the Reach, and the Riverlands." Monford explained.

    "Something to do with the reason the Lannisters are keeping Stannis Baratheon's family hostage?" Renfred Rykker said, raising an eyebrow.

    "There's little enough love lost between the Baratheons and Lannisters already." Wylis Staunton pointed out. "I'd expect those grasping fuckers to keep whatever leverage they had no matter the actual deal Lord Renly made."

    "It appears the ransoming ended on an amicable note while relations between Robert and his brothers are … tense. While I doubt they'd willingly declare for King Viserys, I believe it's safe to say that the Stormlands will not be eager participants in the war, and that's assuming the Usurper lives. If he were to perish in a way that implicated the Lannisters …" Monford could scarcely imagine a more fortuitous series of events, all the more so since they weren't actually implausible, but he wasn't going to count on it. Simply having the Lord-Paramount of the Stormlands be reluctant to commit to a war was more than enough. "Then there's the business with the Night's Watch," Monford continued.

    "What is His Grace actually doing?" Duncan Wendwater spoke up. "I have difficulty believing it's just some ploy to win over the Northerners. Surely there are simpler ways of going about that, or for that matter worthier targets?" That wasn't actually a bad question, out of all the seven kingdoms to focus on subverting the last one that would come to Monford's mind would be the North. It was both categorically opposed to the Targaryens and strategically almost useless. The past year had given him a great deal of context, however, and although the North was bereft of manpower, wealth, and dignity, there was something that might interest the Dragon King …

    "Perhaps it isn't the North he's actually interested in?" Selwyn suddenly said, the quiet boy having been intently watching the proceedings. "We aren't exactly acting on a proliferation of accurate and detailed information, but from what we know the King has been investing into the Night's Watch extensively." Receiving confused and curious glances, the boy looked to his father who gestured for him to continue. "His Grace could very well be interested in whatever ancient magics the Wall holds or knowledge the Watch has accumulated over the centuries."

    There was uneasy shifting at the reminder of the King's unusual proclivities. At this point almost everyone of importance in westeros had been exposed to magic in some manner or another, but that didn't mean they were necessarily accustomed to it. Although none of the men in the room placed much stock in the septons who even now were raving about the 'Witch Queen' and 'Blood Dragon,' and how the only hope for the realm was if they all listened and did exactly what they said, their King's utter embracing of his Valyrian heritage wasn't something any good lord liked to spend a great deal of time thinking about. Still, the matter had to be raised, and now as good a time as any. While Monford didn't know why the king was courting the Night's Watch, he had an uncomfortably good idea.

    "There is another possibility, one which will hopefully shed light on why exactly His Grace has been taking his course of strategy at large." Monford prompted, waiting for everyone's attention to fall back on him. "You've all almost certainly spent some time wondering why exactly King Viserys has been focusing his efforts in Essos,"

    "It has been something of a quandary, yes." Lord Renfred dryly said, sparking a brief set of chuckles, but the tension kept the humor strained.

    "I was under the impression that the King was going to use Tyrosh as a base to launch the invasion?" Duncan said, frowning. "Time to gather resources and raise a host, grow his dragons, that sort of thing." He continued, vaguely waving his hand at the end.

    "That is all true, yes, but it's not the primary reason." Monford took a moment to figure out how he was going to approach this. The whole thing had certainly led to more than a few sleepless nights once he understood how deadly serious the King was about evil, twisted, and inhuman forces conspiring the downfall and subjugation of all humanity. It would certainly be a hard truth to swallow, and then there was the difficulty of handling their reaction once the lords and sers actually believed him.

    ***

    Two days later, Monford Velaryon found himself back in his solar without further incident. Letting out a deep breath, the Lord relaxed the tension in his shoulders which had been present ever since he first stepped foot into King's Landing. His exit had been particularly stressful, not because of any incident - he'd left without a hitch - but concern over one, which had persisted until the city disappeared over the horizon.

    The talk with the lords had ended as well as he could have expected it to. They accepted what he had to say, they were going to wait for the king, and they took the minor magic items he'd had Aurane buy in Braavos during his trip there. Lord Wendwater's brother would be betrothed to Barbara Staunton, one of Lord Elston's sons would be granted a castle in Essos, Lord Langwald would have his lands expanded at his turncoat neighbors' expense, Daris Rykker would squire for Ser Mathar Buckwell, and so on. For all the talk of magic and monsters, the promises exchanged and pacts made were refreshingly mundane. Well, almost all of it, liberally distributing coin was something he definitely wasn't familiar with, although it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

    When he first got the loan from the Iron Bank, Monford had made an initial attempt to keep it a secret. That … hadn't lasted for long. There was just so much that'd been bedeviling the Velaryons for so long that he suddenly had a solution for, and although Monford was pretty sure he'd managed to conceal the pure extent of the reserve of funds he suddenly had access to, it didn't exactly take an expert spy network to see that he'd started refurbishing large sections of Driftmark.

    Besides that he'd been focusing his efforts on preparing for the war, both in bolstering his demesne and supporting loyalists elsewhere. The men-at-arms received fresh equipment, the fleet was expanded, he'd made efforts in finding and hiring those magically inclined, although that was still a work in progress. Aurane had been spending time in Braavos to secure supplies and equipment for the fleet, while Monford had trusted men head to Crackclaw Point to inquire about getting in on whatever deal old Eustace had made with the 'tritons.'

    It was a good time on a personal front as well. His first son, Monterys, had been born a few months ago. Monford's wife had recovered quickly and now doted on their child, finally overcoming the malaise that'd overtaken her with the absence of Valaena. The Lord of Driftmark privately wondered if Monterys too would become a dragonrider … or perhaps …

    Shaking his head, Monford refocused on his reports. There was still some time before that possibility could even be explored, and he still had work to do.



    OOC: This is set at the same time as Part 4, this time from the perspective of the loyalist lords. We also got to see good old Monford again! He's been having a better time lately, as you can tell. I've also updated the Crownlands Nobility Chart with the new information we've received, and the Riverlands should be receiving their own soon.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Duesal said:
    Okay... but what would constitute as a "worse threat"?

    We want them under our control. If they live on Prime Material then they have to swear to the Imperium and abide by our laws. That's our price.
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    The degree of control and the precise nature of the laws they are to follow is where the negotiations will have to be focused

    Great work on the omake @LonelyWolf999

    All nice character building and a good bit of fleshing out the world which will help me when it comes to Crownlands actions.
     
    Azel said:
    Huh. We should commission a few books. And songs. And rev up the propaganda machine
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    Well, we did just hire four or five Bards from the Plane of Air to aid in construction using Instruments of Building. They can only do so much of that, though. That leaves plenty of time for them to do Fey-shaping propoganda for us.
     
    @DragonParadox, how much would Alysande of the Silver Eye be able to help us in negotiations against the Fey? I distinctly remember her having a few victories against the Orphne.
     
    TalonofAnathrax said:
    Wait a minute. So our GLORIOUS STATE PROPAGANDA can literally reshape their minds?
    Holy shit, that's awesome. The very threat of that makes for an amazing bargaining tool!

    And the Seven must have been trying that, what with their "all spirits are evil and must be killed, and they come from other worlds". Make Fey evil, make them stand out, make everyone hate them more and more until it becomes self-sustaining. Try to get Fey out of this world by making the stories all about "them being from hell" and by making humans inhospitable to Fey.
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    If they're aware of it, it seems like flawed reasoning, because they can't actually bar the shifting and natural paths to the Feywild, not when they keep swapping locations, and if they twist all stories of Fey to be that they are evil and will wreak havoc and harm upon all mankind, they will have a neverending plague of the most maximally vile and evil immortals troubling them for all time.

    And Fey can riposte and parry wording based on divine writ, it is kind of their thing.

    Which come to think of it makes me realize that they probably believe that they are doing the Reach a favor by manipulating the Lords and playing patron to them. Entice, offer blandishments and protection, get some personal stakes out of the bargain, and make it so that the Lords will swat down tales of "Evil wicked Fey who can't be trusted" for them so that they can have an amusing playground of chivalry and courtly romance open to them forever.

    ...and then everything changed when the Dragons attacked.
     
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    The bare minimum here is that they actually have to abide by Imperial Law while setting foot within the Imperium. If they're incapable of doing that @DragonParadox, they are actively undermining the law. If it doesn't apply to fey just because they're special snowflake immortals, law loses meaning.

    That's the thing, if they want to interact with mortals, times have changed. We bite back, and we can either war to the knife, or they can accept that we won't just give up primacy and make them First Class and our own Second Class ones.
     
    Crake said:
    The bare minimum here is that they actually have to abide by Imperial Law while setting foot within the Imperium. If they're incapable of doing that @DragonParadox, they are actively undermining the law. If it doesn't apply to fey just because they're special snowflake immortals, law loses meaning.

    That's the thing, if they want to interact with mortals, times have changed. We bite back, and we can either war to the knife, or they can accept that we won't just give up primacy and make them First Class and our own Second Class ones.
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    I get the position you guys have, but a naked ultimatum is likely to give you that war. You have to figure out how to make it palatable.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    I get the position you guys have, but a naked ultimatum is likely to give you that war. You have to figure out how to make it palatable.
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    Frankly, what else are they expecting?

    Our offer is "you accept the full obligations of the law of the realm and in return get it's full protection and can live and work as equals in it's borders".
     
    Azel said:
    Frankly, what else are they expecting?

    Our offer is "you accept the full obligations of the law of the realm and in return get it's full protection and can live and work as equals in it's borders".
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    They're beings of magic and grace! They expect privilege! Exceptions! Being above the law!
    Instead, the best they'll get is a few years of delegated rule before we roll in.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    I get the position you guys have, but a naked ultimatum is likely to give you that war. You have to figure out how to make it palatable.
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    What's palatable is they will have access to high society. They will have freedom to travel throughout the Imperium. They will be able to get fair and level hearing, with their own liege lord able to appeal to us in specific cases if they find a ruling questionable. Moreover they will have access to trade and even allies against things which threaten all life.

    These are all princely things given the scale we're talking of here, but if they don't matter to them, and threats of force don't matter to them, how can you convince them it is in their best interest to coexist? Why must they rule over man, if not directly than in all but name? Their lack of understanding causes this issue. If they understood man, as @Artemis1992 has pointed out there wouldn't be anything inherently wrong with it, but their capriciousness disallows us to countenance this.

    I get it, can't really say more, this will just come down to us trying to get recognition for the fact that we're not trying to be punishing with enforcing laws, we are actually just trying to prevent any conflict whatsoever. The minimum of that, is again, ensuring that mortals do not feel like they have zero rights the second a Fey gets involved.
     
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