Remove ads

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

Reader mode
Remove ads
Part MMDCCXCIII: Of Prayers and Plots
  • Threadmarks
    • Of Prayers and Plots ​

    Fifth Day of the Ninth Month 293 AC

    One-and-twenty questions you ask into the ether and listen to the answers, their answers fair and foul echoing back upon a hiss of fire's breath. So do you learn that the Deep Ones plan to move during the Conclave, though to what purpose is yet veiled to you, though not so much as it is from the Lantern Bearers who are yet wholly in the dark regarding the fate of House Shermer.

    By contrast the despoiled sept is not meant to be part of the plan to incriminate you, but is playing some longer, subtler game, not knowing that the Lantern Bearers have already found them out. Alas that they in turn know nothing of Lormar or the Golden Company. Likely they are hesitant to dig deeper knowing that they are in turn being spied upon by a seer's gaze.

    You pause for breath, letting your mind wonder the dream in search of another whose fate you have oft pondered but never so deeply as to look upon him thus. Brother Lucan is warded in mind and body even as you are, but those who move beside him are not. You ask of a company of godsworn bearing arms in the company of sorcerers bound to the Seven, and so you find that among their company are two angels of the sword and one of the Father's hallowed law. Besides such otherworldly might are mages also bound by covenant, one of the Fifth Circle, three of the Third, and oddly enough one solitary mage who can work no spells higher than the First Circle. A fearsome force to be sure, but with your friends at your side you have faced far worse.

    Even as your attention turns to the other major players you are also conjuring plans to turn the servants of the Father from their god. Surely they cannot all be so blind as Baelor had become in the end.

    Septon Kyle knows of the plan to wed Margaery to the King of the Fey, and Septon Ollidor could be turned by reason and bribery, you learn from the spell's last gasps before you must emerge fully into the light of common day.

    Viserys loses 100 XP

    "Angels of the Father..." your mother muses quietly. For a moment you fear that she might be beset by doubt as to your course, but then her tone hardens. "How many times I have prayed for some sign of justice from Him only to find his hand shown here, now... aiding a sanctimonious fanatic who would take away magic, the realm's sword and shield against the darkness to come, if its bearers will not abase themselves enough. I had still hoped... I was a fool." She shakes her head.

    "Mother," you reach out a hand to touch her shoulder. "I would never think you foolish for hope of all things."

    She sighs. "I hoped that this Brother Lucan was a charlatan or a ploy by some darker power, that the Seven were gods of love as I was taught, not tyranny and clanking chains."

    "It is the nature of gods to covet souls in life and in death," Leto proclaims, not as a reproach for ignorance as she might once have done, but simply as an immutable fact of the world.

    "Might not be all of them," Ser Richard offers in gruff sympathy. "This Danelle we've heard about has taken up with sorcerers and spirits. Mayhap the Maiden is of a different mind to the Father. It is easier to value groveling over sense when propped atop a lord's throne, be it a throne of gods or men."

    "I hope you are right, Ser," you reply, staring out onto the darkening skyline of Oldtown. Your first few hours here has given you many answers, but just as many questions.

    You spend the evening finding out more about how the seven days of the Conclave are to be structured. Each day of the proceedings is to begin with prayers to the Seven in order—first the Smith so that sparks from his anvil might kindle discussion, next the Mother to temper hasty thought. On the third day the Maiden is said to give the voice of youth, followed by the Crone bearing age's wisdom before the Warrior gifts boldness, and the Stranger's contemplative silence upon the sixth when the Conclave will move to solitary contemplation with no votes or deliberation. Only once all the others have been given their say will the Elders pray to the Father for judgement to make the right choice in the definitive vote of the Conclave.

    Of course things are not usually so clear cut with votes on lesser matters brought before the Conclave on the first five days to test the waters and the power of the various factions.

    "Without the High Septon to moderate I imagine the positions will be very brittle on all sides," your mother says thoughtfully as you discuss the matter over a simple meal of poached salmon you had asked to be delivered to your room.

    "And by those brittle edges they may be cut," you nod. "My first instinct is to go directly for Ollidor since he can be reasoned with, but first I think we need to know where the other factions in the city stand on the matter—House Hightower and the Citadel particularly. We should also endeavor to see which Elders will be in attendance and how many of the truly important ones lean to one side or the other..."

    "And which are reserving judgement either honestly or waiting for bribes," your mother finishes.

    A moment later Ser Richard interjects: "Probably a good idea to figure out how they would react in case of a threat or peril, with there being dragons, demons, and squid-heads around."

    "Not to mention us," you note with a smile.

    "I would not try to anticipate your plans, your Grace, but I can guess one thing—it won't be us that will be remembered for whatever happens."

    What do you do next?

    [] Try to discover the strength of the various factions

    [] Attempt to gain a better understanding of the objectives of one of the main factions already present
    -[] Most Devout Kyle
    -[] Most Devout Ollidor
    -[] Most Devout Aglantine

    [] Speak to Lord Hightower to try and gain his support
    -[] Write in

    [] Try to discover the mood/position of the Citadel
    -[] Write in

    [] Write in

    OOC: I fully expect a write in but I put down some options to build up on. Also just to be clear Maer and Lucan have not arrived yet.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • DragonParadox said:
    You pause for breath, letting your mind wonder the dream in search of another whose fate you have oft pondered but never so deeply as to look upon him thus. Brother Lucan is warded in mind and body even as you are, but those who move beside him are not. You ask of a company of godsworn bearing arms in the company of sorcerers bound to the Seven, and so you find that among their company are two angels of the sword and one of the Father's hallowed law. Besides such otherworldly might are mages also bound by covenant, one of the Fifth Circle, three of the Third, and oddly enough one solitary mage who can work no spells higher than the First Circle. A fearsome force to be sure, but with your friends at your side you have faced far worse.

    Even as your attention turns to the other major players you are also conjuring plans to turn the servants of the Father from their god. Surely they cannot all be so blind as Baelor had become in the end.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I remember a time when we would be flipping our shit about a Planetar.

    Now our biggest problem is capturing all of the angels without doing it in front of a crowd.

    But yes, 100% agreed with Viserys here. I want to turn those angels.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    You pause for breath, letting your mind wonder the dream in search of another whose fate you have oft pondered but never so deeply as to look upon him thus. Brother Lucan is warded in mind and body even as you are, but those who move beside him are not. You ask of a company of godsworn bearing arms in the company of sorcerers bound to the Seven, and so you find that among their company are two angels of the sword and one of the Father's hallowed law. Besides such otherworldly might are mages also bound by covenant, one of the Fifth Circle, three of the Third, and oddly enough one solitary mage who can work no spells higher than the First Circle. A fearsome force to be sure, but with your friends at your side you have faced far worse.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Looking forward to it.
    All those besides a powerful cleric would make a fight worth talking about.
    The Pathfinder-version Planetar is a terrible foe, but we can deal with such, power to power.

    The Devas are the really mean ones, with AMF as SLA they just have to get in the right position and then they can greatsword any mage who's not also a dragon to death with ease.
    We want to keep good guard around Lya.
     
    Well, one thing that needs to be remedied is our critical lack of manpower here. Lucan has too much firepower available to him for us to have so few Companions here. We need reinforcements.
     
    Goldfish said:
    Well, one thing that needs to be remedied is our critical lack of manpower here. Lucan has too much firepower available to him for us to have so few Companions here. We need reinforcements.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    We only need reinforcements if we intend on getting into a fight. I would say investigate in the lead-up to the Conclave. Nothing we've seen so far couldn't be evaded or disengaged from with what we have now, so risk of getting tangled in someone else's web isn't more likely now while warded than it was while we had Waymar and Vee around.
     
    Last edited:
    zxzx24 said:
    A planetar

    My someone is trying to bring the big guns.

    @Duesal if they serve the father directly flipping them isn't going to happen. Forcing them to obey a ceasefire could.

    Find out the terms of their summoning.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    We'll explore this after they're captured/beaten, or if we have a chance to get at them with words. They're dangerous, but not intolerable. And I don't see them as 100% steadfast in their faith. There's at least a shot there.
    Goldfish said:
    With Cleric levels.

    @DragonParadox Can you give us more info on Yrael? How many Cleric levels, stats, etc.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    @Goldfish, that said, you should probably clean up the sheet a bit.
     
    Duesal said:
    We'll explore this after they're captured/beaten
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Errr...
    Are you sure we're quite capable of taking on them and them alone, with no one else the wiser, Lucan not coming in and seing the trouble, nor any of his mages/clerics/swords?

    I thought we kinda wanted this whole conclave to go in flames, but, like, in secret?
    :confused:
     
    I'm going to have to sit out discussions because all of those targets in one place is making my Murderhobo instincts twitch like crazy.

    I know we're better than that, but all I want to do is set of a successive amount of nukes until there's nothing left.

    Not even out of hatred mind you, I don't hate the Seven, it's just a large grouping of enemies, be they political or otherwise, makes me reach for the largest explosive on hand.
     
    egoo said:
    Errr...
    Are you sure we're quite capable of taking on them and them alone, with no one else the wiser, Lucan not coming in and seing the trouble, nor any of his mages/clerics/swords?

    I thought we kinda wanted this whole conclave to go in flames, but, like, in secret?
    :confused:
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    What on earth made you think I want to fight them now? It'll be a failure on our part if they even realize we're here during the Conclave.

    I want to get to them a month or two after.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top