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

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Part MMCMLIX: Shifting Masks
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    • Shifting Masks ​

    Eleventh Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    Carefully, you set your personal Interplanar Whispering Brazier down upon the stone after retrieving it from the folds of your cloak, the brass almost warm to the touch as though alive, the magics strong enough to reach as far across the boundaries of worlds, but for now you need only speak to the priest of Yss known only as the Dreamer, or Svitran as he had most often come to be called in the tongue of dragons. Men can speak that after all if imperfectly, but the voices of the serpents are not so easily imitated, nor their works understood. And so you wait there in the dark, strung around the rim of the pit for the words of the priest and the lore of his god, the six of you are stare out over the stark walls of the arcane mechanism.

    "Do you think it could be an egg chamber?" Dany asks slowly. "It was something they said about not being able to take the eggs south. What if they made an incubation chamber and gathered magic there as you would water behind a dam?"

    Vrath's head darts up and in his unblinking golden stare, you see hope flare as clearly and as painfully as it might in any human eye. He does not speak, nor do his thoughts reach out to share more than that, an assassin's caution precluding idle speculation.

    "The black bile... do you think it's leaking from somewhere down here?" you add your own speculation in lieu of an answer to relieve the ever heavier silence. "If this system, whatever it is, was designed to operate with little magic than could have the flood that has poured over the world of late drowned it, caused it to overflow?"

    Lya gets up and starts to pace, steps echoing unnaturally loudly through the enormous shaft. "Then why is it trying to absorb magic? A waste product would surely give off arcane potential..."

    "The plinth binds the Dark Heart," Svitran's voice, thin but still understandable rises from the brazier, wasting no time on pleasantries. "Ware the emptiness that drives the city's breath. Long has death been shackled to preserve life, wearing at the roots of its prison... it wakes."

    When it becomes clear that the serpentfolk cleric has nothing more to add, Ser Richard sighs. "Well that made everything clear as mud. Nothing about what the hell we are supposed to do with this thing, and how the hell does something being empty drive breath?"

    "Same way lungs work," Vee answers unexpectedly. "You make a place with less air, and the air around you rushes in. That is how the wind works too, right?" Strangely you see the faintest plume of mist forming in front of her lips.

    "Is it getting... colder?" you ask slowly. It seems almost as though the stone beneath your feet takes that as a challenge... slick and cold. You look down to see more of the black bile around your feet unbidden. Instinctively you burn it off with your fiery breath.

    "Yes... very cold," Vrath admits. "Cold matters not before all we have learned of the Old Ones," he adds firmly, though his thoughts grow more sluggish with every syllable.

    "Where is this even coming from?" Lya asks, frowning at the unexpected resurgence of the slime. "It's not rising from the pit, the walls look like clean stone as far down as we can see, and it can't be coming over the bridges since they are still translucent." Turning, she touches the wall behind her. Her hand comes away covered in oily filth. "It's like the stone is sweating this stuff."

    "Trust...mask... fear... mummer..." the words emerging form the brazier are almost too faint for you to catch now, and they cut off mid-sentence.

    "What the hell?" you curse. The brazier looks perfectly functional, but the sand inside is dead and silent. Before you can spend more than a moment pondering the matter, you hear the rustle of scales behind you, Ozemond hisses at something.

    Turning to face the more obvious threat, you see a being that at first seems akin to a Naga, the great serpentine coils seeming to have once been painted in vibrant colors, though now mostly faded to dull grey. The face shivers and sifts faintly as it looks upon each of your companions. With a start you realize it is no sort of naga, though the mind behind that cold gaze might have once belonged to one of the Children of Yss. Mezlan... the word rises slowly to the forefront of your mind as though even for the dragons of old the truth of this being had been a strange one, living minds imprinted upon arcane fluids that can mimic any creature of flesh.


    "Come away from there," the creature speaks in Common Westerosi of all tongues to hear in such a place. "The fire feeds it, just as any other magic might."

    "What peril do you speak of?" you ask, intrigued, though all the more wary at the coincidence of the being's appearance.

    "I am not permitted to speak of the Great Net, save to warn away those who might imperil it," the creature answers. "If you do not choose to heed my warning I will be forced to fight you... and I will die." The last is spoken almost tonelessly, as though life or death seems much the same to it after all these many centuries.

    "Do you know of anyone down here that could explain the Great Net to us?" Dany asks.

    A long moment of silence passes before the False Naga speaks. "Not someone, something. The main control Stela, perhaps. But I am only permitted to bring one other with me into its presence..." It looks directly at Vrath, obviously preferring his company.

    What do you do?

    [] Send one of your number along with the strange ooze
    -[] Write in

    [] Capture the being, this was likely what Yss was trying to warn you about

    [] Try to get more answers
    -[] Write in

    OOC: I hope the tension building works here, I know by the time we were this far into say Valyria you had already fought several things, but the serpentfolk ruins felt like they would be served better by broken up by strange and alien lifeforms.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Shifting Masks ​

    Eleventh Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    Carefully, you set the brazier down upon the stone, the brass almost warm to the touch as though alive. Although its magics are strong enough to reach far across the boundaries of worlds, for now you need only speak to the priest of Yss known as the Dreamer, or Svitran, as he had most often come to be called in the tongue of dragons. Men can speak that after all, if imperfectly, but the voices of the serpents are not so easily imitated, nor their works understood. And so you wait there in the dark, strung around the rim of the pit for the words of the priest and the lore of his god the seven of you are stare out over the stark walls of the arcane mechanism.

    "Do you think it could be an egg chamber?" Dany asks slowly. "It was something they said about not being able to take the eggs south. What if they made an incubation chamber and gathered magic there as you would water behind a dam?"

    Vrath's head darts up and in his unblinking golden stare you see hope flare as clearly and as painfully as it might in any human eye. He does not speak, nor do his thoughts reach out to share more than that, an assassin's caution precluding idle speculation.

    "The black bile... do you think it's leaking from somewhere down here?" you add your own speculation in lieu of and answer to relive the ever heavier silence. "If this system, whatever it is, was designed to operate with little magic than the flood that has poured over the world of late could have drowned it, caused it to overflow?"

    Lya gets up and starts to pace, steps echoing unnaturally loudly through the enormous shaft. "Then why is it trying to absorb magic? A waste product would surely give off arcane potential..."

    "The plinth binds the Dark Heart," Svitran's voice, thin but still understandable rises from the brazier, wasting no time on pleasantries. "Ware the emptiness that drives the city's breath. Long has death been shackled to preserve life, wearing at the roots of its prison... it wakes."

    When it becomes clear that the serpent priest has nothing more to add, Ser Richard sighs. "Well that made everything clear as mud. Nothing about what the hell we are supposed to do with this thing and how the hell does something being empty drive breath?"

    "Same way lungs work," Vee answers unexpectedly. "You make a place with less air and the air around you rushes in. That is how the wind works too, right..." Strangely you see the faintest plume of mist forming in front of her lips.

    "Is it getting... colder?" you ask slowly. It seems almost as though the stone beneath your feet takes that as a challenge... slick and cold. You look down to see more of the black bile around your feet unbidden. Instinctively you burn it off with your fiery breath.

    "Yes... very cold," Vrath admits. "Cold matters not before all we have learned of the Old Ones," he adds firmly, though his thoughts grow more sluggish with every syllable.

    "Where is this even coming from?" Lya asks frowning at the unexpected resurgence of the slime. "It's not rising from the pit. The walls look like clean stone as far down as we can see, and it can't be coming over the bridges, they are still translucent." Turning, she touches the wall behind her. Her hand comes away covered in oily filth. "It's like the stone is sweating this stuff."

    "Trust...mask... fear... mummer..." the words emerging form the brazier are almost too faint for you to catch now and they cut off mid-sentence.

    "What the hell?" you curse. the brazier looks perfectly functional, but the sand inside is dead and silent. Before you can spend more than a moment pottering the matter you hear the rustle of scales behind you, Ozemond hisses at something.

    Turning to face the more obvious threat you see a being that at first seems akin to a naga, the great serpentine coils appearing to have once been painted in vibrant colors, though now mostly faded to dull grey. The face shivers and shifts faintly as it looks upon each of your companions. With a start you realize it is no sort of naga, though the mind behind that cold gaze might have once belonged to one of the Children of Yss. Mezlan... the word rises slowly to the forefront of your mind, as though even for the dragons of old the truth of this being had been a strange one, living minds imprinted upon arcane fluids that can mimic any creature of flesh.


    "Come away from there," the creature speaks, in Common of all tongues to hear in such a place. "The fire feeds it, just as any other magic might."

    "What peril do you speak of?" you ask, intrigued though all the more wary at the coincidence of the being's appearance.

    "I am not permitted to speak of the Great Net, save to warn away those who might imperil it," the creature answers. "If you do not choose to heed my warning, I will be forced to fight you...and I will die," the last is spoken almost tonelessly, as though life or death seem much the same to it after all these many centuries.

    "Do you know of anyone down here that could explain the Great Net to us?" Dany asks.

    A long moment of silence passes before the false naga speaks. "Not someone, something. The main Control Stela, perhaps, but I am only permitted to bring one other to me into its presence.." it looks directly at Vrath obviously preferring his company.

    What do you do?

    [] Send one of your number along with the strange ooze
    -[] Write in

    [] Capture the being, this was likely what Yss was trying to warn you about

    [] Try to get more answers
    -[] Write in

    OOC: I hope the tension building works here, I know by the time we were this far into say Valyria you had already fought several things, but the serpent-folk ruins like they would be served better by loneliness broken up by strange and alien lifeforms.
    Made some edits to the chapter, @DragonParadox.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Is anyone else having trouble seeing pictures on SV? I can see them fine in drafts, but when I post on the site proper nothing (old ones induced).
    Click to expand...
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    I can't see it normally, but when I opened it in a reply window it was there. Also, if you expand the spoiler box and click on the empty space inside, the picture will become visible.

    It's an odd occurrence.
     
    Goldfish said:
    I can't see it normally, but when I opened it in a reply window it was there. Also, if you expand the spoiler box and click on the empty space inside, the picture will become visible.

    It's an odd occurrence.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Same here. I initially thought it was just that picture, but then I looked on the font page and it was the same.I think it has something to do with the upgrade process.
     
    I'm glad we saved Vee's belt questions.

    [X] Vee asks Yss, via her belt, the following;
    -[X] Is the Mezlan being truthful? Is it trustworthy? Is it being controlled against it's will?
    --[X] If both answers are positive, or even just the second, allow Vrath to accompany it, though not before Vee casts Mass Resist Energy (Cold) on everyone, Lya casts Mass Aid, and Viserys Blood Wishes a Telepathic Bond between everyone, and Dany loans Vrath a Teleportation charm.
    --[X] If the Mezlan is not trustworthy or it is being controlled against it's aill, Viserys will use Assay Spell Resistance and Blood Wish an Ooze Puppet spell to capture it for further questioning.
     
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    @DragonParadox, I don't know about everyone else, but this is a fun alternative to another combat encounter (not that I don't enjoy those, too!).

    I'm just so damned paranoid, I'm having trouble not assuming the worst about our new acquaintance. The last words we heard from the brazier make me nervous. Either the Mezlan is attempting to deceive us, or it is being controlled by one who is.
     
    Goldfish said:
    I'm glad we saved Vee's belt questions.

    [X] Vee asks Yss, via her belt, the following;
    -[X] Is the Mezlan being truthful? Is it trustworthy?
    --[X] If both answers are positive, or even just the second, allow Vrath to accompany it, though not before Vee casts Mass Resist Energy (Cold) on everyone, Lya casts Mass Aid, and Viserys Blood Wishes a Telepathic Bond between everyone, and Dany loans Vrath a Teleportation charm.
    --[X] If the Mezlan is not trustworthy, Viserys will use Assay Spell Resistance and Blood Wish an Ooze Puppet spell to capture it for further questioning.
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    Are you sure you want to keep spending spells on divination and other issues before we even had our first encounter?
     
    @Goldfish Could give us a false positive if someone ELSE is controlling our friend, and he's actually a remnant of a defense mechanism that doesn't have ill intentions.

    But at that point your paranoia is actively working against you and on principle second guessing actual responses from divination spells will just lead you to distrusting every probability based answer. 99% of the time it is accurate, 1% of the time someone got clever.
     
    Crake said:
    @Goldfish Could give us a false positive if someone ELSE is controlling our friend, and he's actually a remnant of a defense mechanism that doesn't have ill intentions.

    But at that point your paranoia is actively working against you and on principle second guessing actual responses from divination spells will just lead you to distrusting every probability based answer. 99% of the time it is accurate, 1% of the time someone got clever.
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    Updated the plan to ask if it's being controlled.

    At work now and it's getting busy, so I don't have time to do much right now. If you have an alternative suggestion, I'm willing to change my plan.
     
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    Inserted tally
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jul 17, 2019 at 9:18 AM, finished with 21 posts and 8 votes.
    • [X] Vee asks Yss, via her belt, the following;
      -[X] Is the Mezlan being truthful? Is it trustworthy? Is it being controlled against it's will?
      --[X] If both answers are positive, or even just the second, allow Vrath to accompany it, though not before Vee casts Mass Resist Energy (Cold) on everyone, Lya casts Mass Aid, and Viserys Blood Wishes a Telepathic Bond between everyone, and Dany loans Vrath a Teleportation charm.
      --[X] If the Mezlan is not trustworthy or it is being controlled against it's aill, Viserys will use Assay Spell Resistance and Blood Wish an Ooze Puppet spell to capture it for further questioning.
    Click to expand...
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Turning to face the more obvious threat you see a being that at first seems akin to a naga, the great serpentine coils seeming to have once been painted in vibrant colors, though now mostly faded to dull grey. The face shivers and sifts faintly as it looks upon each of your companions. With a start you realize it is no sort of naga, though the mind behind that cold gaze might have once belonged to one of the Children of Yss. Mezlan... the word rises slowly to the forefront of your mind as though even for the dragons of old the truth of this being had been a strange one, living minds imprinted upon arcane fluids that can mimic any creature of flesh.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Hello, future minion. :)
     
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