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

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TalonofAnathrax said:
Not if we kill Asmodeus after all the other gods...

More seriously, I agree with you that war is a senseless bloodbath and ought to be avoided whenever possible.
@Artemis1992, don't you prefer the idea of PCs and baby PCs hunting down the enemy leadership while our propaganda machine and Inquisition try to reduce tensions ?
This works better if we straight-up nip them in the bud and don't even let the war truly start.

Of course a Conclave success + good political follow-up would be even better, if we can manage it.
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I'm not sure what you mean here?
 
Ericwinter said:
In Gold Wrought
part 1
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It would be nice if this was canon, too many of the main planners have hiss fits over any sensible idea involving, Bahamut and metallic dragons. Hell I've stopped bringing it up for fear that even if it did get traction people would once again threaten to leave the game if any plan was followed through on.
 
lancelot said:
It would be nice if this was canon, too many of the main planners have hiss fits over any sensible idea involving, Bahamut and metallic dragons. Hell I've stopped bringing it up for fear that even if it did get traction people would once again threaten to leave the game if any plan was followed through on.
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It contradicts this story's canon. Bahamut doesn't need a cleric searching around if he can just willy-nilly gift gold dragon eggs to the next-best good person.
 
lancelot said:
many of the main planners have hiss fits
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lancelot said:
over any sensible idea involving, Bahamut and metallic dragons.
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lancelot said:
people would once again threaten to leave the game if any plan was followed through on.
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You are being an asshole to a fairly large group of people right now.

Cease and desist, please.

What in "sensible" to you, may vary highly from definition of that of other people.

A lot of arguments was thrown around in the past, yes, but if you aren't willing to bring up your own and take arguments/critique for them, then you probably should not call out everyone who invest a lot of their time in this quest on that.
 
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One has to be wary of the canonicity of omakes, lest they become tools for those who write them to gather power or force world-building and events in their favor.

These things have negatively impacted quite a few quests.

Canonization is a privilege, not a right, and any omake written under the idea that "I want to have this" should not be canonized at all.

Edit: That being said, @Ericwinter, nice omake and please do not consider this an attack. I'm speaking in general.
 
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Ericwinter said:
In Gold Wrought
part 1​


Visara didn't cry out as the cruely barbed whip lashed across her back time and time again, no matter how much she may want to. To do so would be giving the Master the satisfaction of hearing it, and that she would never do. Most other slaves might be tempted, just to end the pain that had consumed their world, ot at the least curse the wretched choices which had found them tied to a post in the middle of the Master's compound, beaten to an inch of their life, but not Visara. She had known what she was doing when she threw herself between little Misha and the Miqhael, the Master's son. She knew interrupting the teenage boy from taking his wrath out the much younger slave was to invite it upon herself, and yet Visara did so anyways, because it was the right thing to do. So she took the lashes in silent stoicism, teeth clenched so tight it felt like they might shatter, but without a sound escaping between them.

Eventually, the boy's father grew tired of observing his son learning 'proper household management' and cajoled him inside for supper, leaving Visara to finally slump down on the post in exhaustion. She had lost track of how many lashes she had suffered, somewhere between fifty and sixty, she thought through the ahlf-dreaming haze of pain and determination she had sunk into. It was a miracle she remained alive at all, and thanks only to her life in the master's fields, before the Master's daughter Jehanna took a liking to her and claimed her as maid and bed warmer both. Now… now she wasn't sure she'd last through the night. But that was okay, as long as Misha didn't suffer the same fate. By whatever gods might be listening, no child deserved something like this.

"Oh my, they really did a number on you, didn't they?" Visara blinked at the sudden, soft voice intruding up on her thoughts, struggling to see through the blur of pain. Slowly, a slightly indistinct form came into view, of a tall man wearing plain cloth robes, looking down on her sadly. Her, let me help you." The man said again, laying a hand on Visara's shoulder--or at least the torn and bloody strip of meat that had once been her shoulder before Miqhael's terribly aimed lashes ruined it. And then, there was light.

Visara jerked upright, blinking again but in shock this time, as in a single instant all of the pain in her body disappeared. One moment, she was in agony, and the next, everything was clear, like waking up after a good night's rest. She stared once again at the man taking him in with a wide-eyed expression. He did not have the look one might expect of a mage--with all the silks, jewels, and magical artifacts a member of the Mysterium would wear draped over themselves--but instead appeared as a total foreigner to the world of Volantis. He was tall, and straight-backed despite the creases of age lining his kindly face, and wore only a simple brown robe while bearing a plain walking staff. The only thing that marked him as strange, something Visara had missed in her pained haze, were the seven bright golden hummingbirds buzzing around him, yet even they seemed almost to give off an air of innocence.

"Wh-who are you?" Visara managed to stutter out after a few seconds of panic. This was very, very bad. If Miqhael learned she had been healed, he might grow even angrier and give her a dozen more lashes next time. And Visara could think of no good reason for a mage to even bother unless he wanted something from her, which could be even more dangerous. Jehenna had friends in the Mysterium, who told her all sorts of stories that were then passed on to Visara as idle chatter when she shared the girl's bed, none of which boded well.

"My name does not matter, child." the kindly man replied, tapping the staff to the ground in front of him and folding his hands above it as he smiled. "But your name does. Or will, at least. Visara, correct?" Visara felt a sudden surge of fear swell up in her at the realization that this man knew her name, but pushed it down, calling on the same measure of resolve which had let her keep her mouth shut before. Now was not the time to panic. If she did something this man didn't like, he could kill her instantly. Instead, she nodded stiffly.

"Excellent" The man said as soon as she gave her confirmation, before lifting a hand to touch the rope which had bound her to the post. An instant later, they snapped, and Visara was shocked senseless as she fell to the ground with a thud. "First things first, you are free now, so don't be worrying about that."

"Wh-what? But how?" Visara stuttered, even as she was trying to comprehend just what was going on. What was this strange man babbling about? Was she going mad? The old man, however, was entirely unphased by her disbelief and merely shrugged with a sharp frown.

"I paid for your release, along with every other slave on this estate. Laws are laws, regardless of how distasteful, and that boy is taking his sweet time fixing the wretched state of affairs. Now, up you come. I have a gift for you." by this point, Visara was entirely numb, and so listened without question even as her own mind thrashed in turmoil. She was free? Was this even real. And yet now that she listened, the young, silver-haired girl could hear the faint cries of astonishment and joy starting to echo out around the estate. How long had she been out of it, tied to that post. Eventually, however, she was forced to look back at the kindly old man who had helped her stand.

"What more could you possibly give me, Kaelos? You have already gifted me the world." But the kindly man simply smiled, and with a flourish, with drew something from the depths of his robes.

"This." Visara gasped. The object sitting in the kindly man's hand was easily recognizable, and all the more unbelievable for it. After all, one did not simply offer a recently freed slave bright golden dragon eggs as if they were party favors.

"Is… is that what I think it is?" Visara whispered, staring at the treasure. She hardly even noticed the people now flooding through the previously empty courtyard, running hither and thither wtih abandon. Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice her, the man, or his priceless gift etiher, and so they remained undisturbed.

"Not quite." He replied with a small grin, hefting the egg at her once more. "You'll find that what lies in this shell is of a far grander nature than the beasts you know as dragons." Unbidden, Visara's hands reached out to touch it, trembling, but stopped suddenly, hardly an inch short.

"Why me?" The girl asked suddenly, looking back to the man who had just changed her entire life. She couldn't believe that there wasn't some alternative motive here. Life wasn't a fairy tale, and these things didn't just happen. But he simply answered with a warm smile, eyes twinkling with kindness.

"For the very same reason you were on this post when I found you, Visara. Because it is the right thing to do." And then the egg was in her hands, pushed there gently, and turning with a swirl of brown cloth, the man disappeared into the growing crowd of freed slaves and estate guardsmen trying to keep order, leaving Visara to stand there staring blankly, holding one of the greatest treasures in the world.

OOC: Sorry, this is just a little worm that got into my head and wouldn't get out. For those of you wondering what just happened, Bahamut finally got off his ass and did something, namely giving a Volantine slave with a lawful good alignment a Golden Dragon Egg to start bringing back the metallics, since I can't see it happening any other way really. @DragonParadox I don't expect this to be canon, but I'm curious if there's anything I could do to make something similar work? It just seems to me like there's been a woeful lack of progress on that front, despite it being confirmed that he's still around in some way, shape, or form. Also, ignore any similarities between the slave's name and a certain king-soon-to-be-emperor. I swear it didn't think of it until after I started typing.
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Great omake, dude. Although I agree with the others about it not being canon due to previously established plot points, it could still be a neat non-canon series. Please keep up the good work.

There are other possibilities, as well, if you want to introduce a Gold Dragon in a more canon compliant manner, pending @DragonParadox approval of course. We know from previous Dragon Dreams that the ritual the Valyrians used on the former Red Dragon masters can occasionally allow mutant outliers to exist, such as Dragons with limited sentience (Int 3 instead of 1 or 2), and it's possible for True Dragons to very rarely lay eggs which hatch into a different type of Dragon than either parent.

What if someone found such a mutant egg, one which hatched into a feral, degenerate Gold Dragon? It would be just as mindless as all the rest of the Valyrian Dragons, but appear much more like a Gold Dragon, which could be an interesting plot point, since Golds are quite goofy looking, IMO. Some people might not even believe it was a Dragon at all. o_O
 
We need more votes for consensus, y'all.
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on May 15, 2019 at 6:40 AM, finished with 255 posts and 8 votes.
  • [X] Approach Septon Kyle to raise concerns about Lucan's radicalism
    -[X] Start by congratulating him on the results of the first day of the conclave.
    -[X] Mention that you were surprised when Lucan so readily agreed to side with Kyle, he is afterall a man of the sword.
    --[X] If Kyle responds with any concerns/suspicions, play into them.
    --[X] If He does not, speculate on the reasons Lucan must have had.
    ---[X] Mention how unfortunate those rumors going around about Lucan are, and how they paint him out to be a much more dangerous man than he appears.
    ---[X] Confide that while you aren't truly worried about Lucan, you are somewhat worried about how Ollidar might respond to it, viewing it as an attack at royal authority or some similar foolishness
    [X] Ask Tyrene to brew some potions capable of incapacitating mages, knocking them out, and restraining their power
    -[X]Magebane
    -[X]Sleep-Smoke
    -[X]Purple Keif
    [X] Look into the Mysterious book thief using divination
    -[X] What were the contents of the book?
    -[X] Have Lucan's followers recovered the book?
    -[X] Was the thief actually a maester?
    -[X] Was the thief part of the Citadel Conspiracy?
    -[X] Is the thief currently in Oldtown?
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Winning vote
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 15, 2019 at 6:57 AM, finished with 259 posts and 9 votes.
  • [X] Approach Septon Kyle to raise concerns about Lucan's radicalism
    -[X] Start by congratulating him on the results of the first day of the conclave.
    -[X] Mention that you were surprised when Lucan so readily agreed to side with Kyle, he is afterall a man of the sword.
    --[X] If Kyle responds with any concerns/suspicions, play into them.
    --[X] If He does not, speculate on the reasons Lucan must have had.
    ---[X] Mention how unfortunate those rumors going around about Lucan are, and how they paint him out to be a much more dangerous man than he appears.
    ---[X] Confide that while you aren't truly worried about Lucan, you are somewhat worried about how Ollidar might respond to it, viewing it as an attack at royal authority or some similar foolishness
    [X] Ask Tyrene to brew some potions capable of incapacitating mages, knocking them out, and restraining their power
    -[X]Magebane
    -[X]Sleep-Smoke
    -[X]Purple Keif
    [X] Look into the Mysterious book thief using divination
    -[X] What were the contents of the book?
    -[X] Have Lucan's followers recovered the book?
    -[X] Was the thief actually a maester?
    -[X] Was the thief part of the Citadel Conspiracy?
    -[X] Is the thief currently in Oldtown?
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Part MMDCCCXLIII: In the Balance of the Faith Part Nine
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    • In the Balance of the Faith Part Nine​

    Sixteenth Day of the Ninth Month 293 AC

    You take a moment to mull this over, formulating plans to capture or to kill, running through the list of people you could put the blame on, and what to do with Lucan's entourage if you manage to capture any of them. In the end this will take more thought then you can spare it right now, for it would be strange indeed if someone saw Dywen lingering before Kyle's door too long. None the less, the preparations can be set in motion. "Let Tyene prepare some poisons for an attack. Something to incapacitate and maybe the Magebane brew?"

    There is a slight pause before the answer comes, your sister sounding faintly bemused. "We are somewhat low on fiends to take apart for that. I will go home and check if we have enough freshly summoned ones for her to brew any." The thought catches you with quite some surprise. The shelf warded a dozen times over to safely store your collection of fiends had been filling up for so long that you have gotten used to having one whenever necessary. Before you can ponder the matter any further, Dany's voice imposes itself over your own thoughts. "We also ran the divinations of the day. There are no portends of trouble and it seems Lucan still has not told anyone of our presence. Even those of his mages outside of the wardings seem unaware, though they are at least aware that some threat stalking them."

    Silently you curse the existence of competent foes. Lucan Longfield seems fond of playing his cards very close to his chest. Then again, Bloodraven once called him 'the one that got away'. It's hard to say if the man was always cautious or if he learned hard lessons at the hands of the Last Greenseer. "See if you can divine who they expect. Given recent events, they might be looking out for Deep Ones or the slaves of Her. And see if you can divine some details about the book that allegedly was stolen from Lucan. We will talk when I am done here in the Sept." In return she sends no words to you, just a indistinct sense of approval, so you raise your hand at last and knock on the door of Brother Kyle to sow the seeds of strife.

    ***​

    It takes a good while before Kyle unlocks his door for you, ushering you into the modest chambers he picked for himself. It would not do for the organizer of the Conclave to reserve the most lavish quarters for himself after all, or even the second most lavish. The best rooms had been set aside for the High Septon, the organizers of this event still pretending that he would attend. "Take a seat brother. I apologize for my lack of hospitality in advance, though it is quite late and the day was long, so I would ask you to keep matters short. We can talk at length tomorrow." As he speaks thus, he settles down behind the simple birch wrought writing desk standing near the center of the room, pointing you to one of the chairs standing before it. And as you settle down, you notice that the words are not meant solely to brush you off, or at least not entirely. The septon looks spent and weary, a harsh day having taken it's toll on him.

    "Of course. I will keep it brief, though I still wanted to make sure to talk with you before debate and voting resumes." While you speak, he shortly opens one of the drawers of his desk, taking out a finely wrought glass cup which is framed by golden leaves. A bottle follows it and he pours himself a spiced mead, a Reacher blend if you are not mistaken, one of those where the spices have been chosen with the deep conviction that more equals better. It seems the man is unwilling to forego all luxuries his ties to House Tyrell can afford him. A useful thing to know, though that he pours himself a drink and offers you not even water drives home the impression that your visit is less then welcome.

    However, what is done is done, and so you press on. "First off though, let me congratulate on your successes today. To bring one of the Fey to the Conclave to be questioned by our brothers and sisters was an inspired plan and I'm glad to see your motion to have passed. Likewise it is heartening to see the Faith's acceptance of the arcane arts growing, as evident by Brother Lucan's motion passing with such resounding majority too." You pause, just for the fraction of a heartbeat, as if the thought you speak next just came to you. "I must admit some surprise at that though. I would have not expected what I saw of him, given all those rumors floating around."

    At this he pauses, taking a long and thoughtful sip of his mead. "I take it these rumors troubled you?" There is a slight edge to the question, a trace of suspicion sinking into his words.

    Quickly you wave him off, the mask of Dywen moving with the practiced ease of countless lies to smother his doubts in the crib. "At first, yes, but thankfully they were proven most false and vicious by the bearing of the man himself. I'm saddened by them now actually, for it is a shame to see a man so calm and friendly slandered as a maddened butcher. However..." A deep sigh punctuates the sentence, leaving a short pause before you press on. "I'm worried more about others. Brother Ollidor has ties to Tywin Lannister after all and I fear that Brother Lucan's efforts might be seen unkindly in the Westerlands. His new order would compete with the Golden Shields after all, and I know not what else he might propose in the coming days."

    To read Kyle's face in this moment is a study in contrasts. The suspicion returns, though you no longer are sure concerning whom, and it plays against both weariness, anger, and even a speck of fear. After a quiet moment, Kyle opens another drawer in his desk. "This is a talk I should have my full wits for." With these words he procures a small vial from the drawer and you know it for what it is at the first glance. Fresh leaves of a tree you could not name, for they are so even and perfect that they seem more the idea of a tree given form then any plant that ever grew in this world, wrapped around each other with no sign of any binding. Feycraft.

    Quickly calling on your magic, channeling it through one of Lya's works so that you need to speak no words or move a finger, you weave a spell of sight into your eyes to better see what he is doing. A faint enchantment clings to the clear liquid he pours from the vial into his mead, though you can't make out the purpose of the twirling strands of power yet. In the next moment he gulps down the remainder of the mead mixed with the liquid and you pay close attention to what working the threads will spin themselves. However, something foils your sight. As quickly as the magic spreads through his body, it seems to disappear again. The aura of the enchantment blooms for the tiniest of moments, then a working of illusion hides them even from your enhanced sight. By the time he puts down his cup, the vial's contents have done their work and there is no sign of what it was and if it still lingers.

    "Just a little something I bargained for from the Fey. Sharpens your wit and eases the pain after a night of drinking, though I also found it most useful when my days are long and the nights short." He gives you an easy smile with his words, and indeed he looks much more calm and collected after his drink. "As for the concerns you raise, I'm afraid that something much more contentious might be proposed by Brother Lucan. There is talk that he will propose to arm the Faith on the Day of the Warrior. Surely, he will make it sound wise and couch it in most pleasant terms, but I think we all know how this will end. I would raise my concerns with Sister Aglantine, though I'm afraid she is not overly fond of me." A slight hint of worry creeps into his words as he goes on, his fears maybe exaggerated, though not false.

    The implications are clear. He would have you speak to her in his stead to make alliance against Lucan. It would be a brittle thing indeed, founded both by deperation and in spite of animosity, but it would not have to last any longer then a single vote. However, there is still no sign of the working of the Fey on him, leaving you guessing if what he said was truly their purpose. He does not act as if controlled by some other force or his thoughts being muddled, quite the contrary, but you have used similar tactics too often to rely on obvious tells alone.

    What do you do?

    [] Keep talking to Kyle.
    -[] Write-In

    [] Inquire about the vial and what bargain he made for it.
    -[] Write-In

    [] Take your leave for now.
    -[] Write-In plan for the next day.

    OOC: Here we go, more politicking, sorry for not closing the vote. I was rushing around this morning.
     
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    • Awww, the chapter dropped right before I leave for work. Now I'm going to have to hope to get stuck at enough traffic lights to read it ASAP.

    But hoping to get stuck at traffic lights is insane.

    Am I insane now? :o
     
    Goldfish said:
    Awww, the chapter dropped right before I leave for work. Now I'm going to have to hope to get stuck at enough traffic lights to read it ASAP.

    But hoping to get stuck at traffic lights is insane.

    Am I insane now? :o
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    You're a self-confessed abomination from a world beyond reason. The ship your sanity was on sailed a long time ago :p
     
    Snowfire said:
    Yessssss.

    The fractures. They come!
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    How best to exploit them, though?

    It's late enough in the day that Kyle felt the need to use magic caffeine to have a coherent conversation, so speaking to people today might not go too well.

    Maybe plan to speak with Aglantine first thing in the morning?
     
    DragonParadox said:
    The aura of the enchantment blooms for the tiniest of moments, then a working of illusion hides them even from your enhanced sight. By the time he puts down his cup, the vials contents have done their work and there is no sign of what it was and if it still lingers.
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    Enchantment?

    What components of magical caffeine need the Enchantment school and then an illusion to hide it?

    This sounds like there's something tricky at play.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    Enchantment?

    What components of magical caffeine need the Enchantment school and then an illusion to hide it?

    This sounds like there's something tricky at play.
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    Keep Watch is an Enchantment spell, too.

    I'm worried about Glibness, though. I hope it doesn't exist in this setting.
     
    Goldfish said:
    How best to exploit them, though?

    It's late enough in the day that Kyle felt the need to use magic caffeine to have a coherent conversation, so speaking to people today might not go too well.

    Maybe plan to speak with Aglantine first thing in the morning?
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    Spend most of the rest of the night plotting, get two hours of sleep to recover - Ring of Sustenance fuck yeah - and then see if we can make arrangements to talk to Aglantine in the morning. I doubt we'll be welcome that early. Getting to her is probably going to be a double-point expenditure, but it'll be worth it. Then we just need to hit up Olindor in the evening to solidify the block.
     
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