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

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egoo said:
I can prolly find the quote when I get back home this evening, but DP ruled that the thing is far too corrupted by Bloodstone Emperor's/Rakshasa influence to safely use in Dark Sister's upgrade.

It's only worth is either as a weapon or an RA to look into Rakshasa Artifacts.

Well, or as a sacrifice. More likely, even, since I remember it nor really fitting anyone.
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It's worth keeping around in that case. Tor won't be the only Rakshasa we recruit.
 
The problem with research material isn't a matter of "it's never going to benefit us or do anything". We're getting to it pretty much precisely when we need and can get to it.

It's more that every turn reveals new things that are immensely useful, unique or just crib a lot of notes that appeal to players in a conflux of "that's metal as fuck"/"that's going to give us all the bragging rights".

They would not be worth researching if they did not payoff in the end. It's just like people panicking about any dozen threats being introduced monthly despite not resolving plots for all of the others revealed beforehand.

Well, we cleared a lot of names in our little black book over the past several months. And at this point I am finally beginning to get the impression that all of the main players in this sordid play have already been introduced.

We are, if not heading toward our Endgame, are definitely about to get our Civil War.
 
Crake said:
Funny you should reference multiple things on that list which we are at present planning to research next turn.
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Oh, so we are finally dealing with them. Good!


Duesal said:
:facepalm: It's honestly starting to get draining to deal with this.
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It's also draining to look at that list, and others, growing due to additional loot, plot points, & sub-quests that keep piling. Can you honestly say you can finish all of the priorities on that list before we find another faction we declare war on?
 
Duesal said:
The Landwyrms were explicitly a pain to deal with, even for Valyria in its prime. We were never in a true hurry to hatch this thing.
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Honestly, I didn't even remember us having one before this.
What were the specifications for it, again..?

I think, even as much of a problem as it is as a grown thing, we can get lots of use from it.
It is the thing Valyrians made their Dragonstone-cement with, yes?

Because if yes, at least Shaitan might have some great use for it. What with war and everything.

We might even combine the thing with a fungal pod and get a constant stream of a versatile and cheap material.
 
Takesis said:
Oh, so we are finally dealing with them. Good!




It's also draining to look at that list, and others, growing due to additional loot, plot points, & sub-quests that keep piling. Can you honestly say you can finish all of the priorities on that list before we find another faction we declare war on?
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Obviously not. But it's the nature of the beast with a quest this big. There will always be too much to do. And no, a "clean sweep" of destroying all possibilities of researching those items isn't reasonable. Being repeatedly passive aggressive about this only gets more annoying with each time.
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Sep 30, 2019 at 5:21 AM, finished with 107 posts and 13 votes.
  • [X] Administration: At the Vizier-equivalent's discretion, these files may be unsealed in such cases as they deem it appropriate or necessary, likely dependent upon the region the officials are working in.
    [X] Legion: All members of Imperial High Command will be informed by an unsealing of files upon achieving that rank, unless psychological evaluation and divination proves this to have deleterious effects unforeseen. Though 'unforeseen' is in emphasis here, as this essentially means that as a rule of thumb, those who will mentally crack or be cast down into despair at the knowledge will be less likely to achieve that rank, and the very highest ranks in the military are by personal appointment regardless.
    [X] Inquisition: Branch heads and Inquisitors. Every member of the Inquisition will henceforth be coached and evaluated until such a time that this knowledge be more widely known within the wider apparatus of the intelligence community, as they are the most likely to trip upon this fact first. Senior personnel will have these files unsealed to them when they are deemed ready for promotion or they are simply regarded as veteran and hardened enough to withstand it.
    [X] Magistrates and Lawmen: Senior Government and Law Enforcement officials will have these files unsealed to them only in the cases where they have received direct coaching from a Companion or the Crown on similar matters, if they are deemed trustworthy, and if they are discrete.
    [X] Scholarum: Branch heads and ideally instructors, even if it takes personal coaching from Viserys and Company. Also ideally, you would want every single mage before leaving on their Journey of Wisdom to understand the reality of this situation, though that is a concern for the Scholarum itself to begin working against.
    [X] In General: "This is going to cost many people their lives. Let us not pretend otherwise. It is our responsibility as officials with more mental fortitude than the average citizen to protect this knowledge and see it safely into the hands of those who will act equally responsibly in our work against that which our Enemy deems inevitable."
    -[X] Staring Relath and Amrelath in the eye unflinchingly as you speak: "Though the average person is unable to cope with this knowledge, despair on such a scale is simply a tool for our Foe. It benefits Nothing and No One. In this case the weakness of the body is a weakness of the mind, and we are of that mind. Do you all understand?" If not compassion, then resolution to be better than either Valyria or the Ancestors that came before even them, to allow this blight to continue as it pleased, ignored until there was nothing more that they could do to stop it. "A world which we can live in as we please is impossible, if it's one the majority cannot bear to."
    -[X] "Let us make that better world, then. Together."
Click to expand...
 
Well, this has certainly been a long read, and my eyes will hopefully thank me for catching up and resting by ceasing to be blurry in their vision. That said, definitely worth the read; you've all given me quite a lot of inspiration for running a game of my own.

Thank you, for writing this wonderful quest.
 
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egoo said:
Honestly, I didn't even remember us having one before this.
What were the specifications for it, again..?

I think, even as much of a problem as it is as a grown thing, we can get lots of use from it.
It is the thing Valyrians made their Dragonstone-cement with, yes?

Because if yes, at least Shaitan might have some great use for it. What with war and everything.

We might even combine the thing with a fungal pod and get a constant stream of a versatile and cheap material.
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We asked about dragonstone before. Apparently there's nothing truly magical about it (hence why we can Fabricate it), and the stones we make with the titan's tools are equal if not superior in quality and far easier to produce. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Dragonstone certainly isn't useless, but at this stage when we have something cheaper and easier and of equal quality it's hard to justify pursuing.

I'm not against giving the Shaitan some dragonstone samples. Maybe they can come up with some new enchantments attuned to dragonstone. That would make it worthwhile.
 
Logos said:
Well, this has certainly been a long read, and my eyes will hopefully thank me for catching up and resting by ceasing to be blurry in their vision. That said, definitely worth the read; you've all given me quite a lot of inspiration for running a game of my own.

Thank you, for writing this wonderful quest.
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Welcome aboard, Logos.
 
Crake said:
I am halfway convinced lurking readers popping up to post are doing so mostly to announce "that was awesome but y'all are still crazy mofos for sticking it out for so long!!" Then popping deuces before they get sucked into the madness too.
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I mean, this is still the best piece of fanfiction I've ever read - if it can even be called that at this point - and I am still regularly reading the updates. I've just got way too much to do to also engage much if at all in the discussion here most days. :frown2:
 
Inserted tally
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Sep 30, 2019 at 5:21 AM, finished with 107 posts and 13 votes.
  • [X] Administration: At the Vizier-equivalent's discretion, these files may be unsealed in such cases as they deem it appropriate or necessary, likely dependent upon the region the officials are working in.
    [X] Legion: All members of Imperial High Command will be informed by an unsealing of files upon achieving that rank, unless psychological evaluation and divination proves this to have deleterious effects unforeseen. Though 'unforeseen' is in emphasis here, as this essentially means that as a rule of thumb, those who will mentally crack or be cast down into despair at the knowledge will be less likely to achieve that rank, and the very highest ranks in the military are by personal appointment regardless.
    [X] Inquisition: Branch heads and Inquisitors. Every member of the Inquisition will henceforth be coached and evaluated until such a time that this knowledge be more widely known within the wider apparatus of the intelligence community, as they are the most likely to trip upon this fact first. Senior personnel will have these files unsealed to them when they are deemed ready for promotion or they are simply regarded as veteran and hardened enough to withstand it.
    [X] Magistrates and Lawmen: Senior Government and Law Enforcement officials will have these files unsealed to them only in the cases where they have received direct coaching from a Companion or the Crown on similar matters, if they are deemed trustworthy, and if they are discrete.
    [X] Scholarum: Branch heads and ideally instructors, even if it takes personal coaching from Viserys and Company. Also ideally, you would want every single mage before leaving on their Journey of Wisdom to understand the reality of this situation, though that is a concern for the Scholarum itself to begin working against.
    [X] In General: "This is going to cost many people their lives. Let us not pretend otherwise. It is our responsibility as officials with more mental fortitude than the average citizen to protect this knowledge and see it safely into the hands of those who will act equally responsibly in our work against that which our Enemy deems inevitable."
    -[X] Staring Relath and Amrelath in the eye unflinchingly as you speak: "Though the average person is unable to cope with this knowledge, despair on such a scale is simply a tool for our Foe. It benefits Nothing and No One. In this case the weakness of the body is a weakness of the mind, and we are of that mind. Do you all understand?" If not compassion, then resolution to be better than either Valyria or the Ancestors that came before even them, to allow this blight to continue as it pleased, ignored until there was nothing more that they could do to stop it. "A world which we can live in as we please is impossible, if it's one the majority cannot bear to."
    -[X] "Let us make that better world, then. Together."
Click to expand...
 
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Part MMMXCII: Secrets of the Spheres Part Three
  • Threadmarks
    • Secrets of the Spheres Part Three ​

    Thirty-First Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    The sun had along since set, the wine cups emptied and filled again more times than anyone can count by the time you have something approaching a answer to the question of whom to share the truth of the Sundering to and how. Firstly, all branch heads and Inquisitors must know, with constant tests throughout the career of any promising agent to judge if they can bear the burden. Alysande Redsail, an inquisitor herself though she still bears the seal of the Silver Eye, is quick to point out that it would be unwise to share the truth with every one of her colleagues at once. "Unless our enemies are all fools they will see a pattern to every senior member of the Inquisition suddenly finding faith, a few hours forgetfulness at the bottom of a wine cup, or however they choose to deal with the shock. I admit freely, Your Grace, that when I get home I will probably keep drinking without the magic to wipe it all away..."

    Uthero grips her hand in sympathy, but his attention is still on the discussion. "And it's not just going to be Inquisitors, Your Grace. Soldiers, clerks, sorcerers, all of them are going to want to be with their families. They are going to try to use divinations to ensure the souls of kith and kin who have passed on are safe and probably pushing those who are still alive to be more pious. All that worry is not going to be doing wonders for their jobs, at least if we spread it out there will be others to pick up the slack line before the sail flies."

    "And I'm afraid the Scholarum will be hit the worst since we have to tell all instructors," Teana sighs, her shadow seeming to sink in on herself. "I agree with the need, even working towards telling all mages who graduate, but it will impact our studies."

    "Better to be slow now than risk bitterness and despair later," you reply, the report on the Cult of the Masque and its mad leader fresh in your mind. He had been abandoned by his god in the face of torture, and so you could easily imagine a Fiend presenting the truth of the Sundering as 'proof' that the Imperium had abandoned them to the eternal torments of damnation.

    "What of you, Ser Gerold?" you ask the quiet Legion general. "How quickly do you judge that the high command can be informed?"

    "Thankfully, we are not at war, Your Grace. Well, I suppose you could say we are at war with the Seven Kingdoms, but with the fleets of Braavos and Volantis added to our own only a madman would attempt the crossing, never mind the Dragons and Darkenbeasts. Most of what we are doing these days is being lawmen in armor for places they haven't gotten around to yet, at least outside of places like New Lys'os, but if you told the men stationed there that Hell had swallowed up Heaven they would likely sigh, point at the sky and say they'd figured as much already."

    "How have matters gone in New Lys'os this month?" you interject, satisfied with the answer and even the grim humor at the end. Gerold had been one of those you worried about the most because he had not been involved in any of your more esoteric dealings since you had been fighting Lemures in Braavos, and unlike say Alinor he had not been keeping an ear out for them either, more concerned with deployments and conventional troop counts. "I have not gotten the report as of this morning."

    "They lost a few men to some kind of dream eater that looked like an old crone, but the Sisters of Battle chased it off." Here he nods towards Mereth before continuing, "And then they, with the help of Archons out of Mantarys, tracked it down and killed it.

    Gained Night Hag Corpse (CR 9; 8 HD)

    "A Night Hag," you muse. Their ilk would be right at home in a place of lost spirits and broken dreams. "Did they recover the body?"

    "Already been delivered to the Forge, Your Grace," the general replies, the thought of delivering the bodies of dead foes to the Fungus Forge as natural to him as any other ordering of supplies. Though you would never ask, you wonder if he felt the same about the bodies unearthed from Essaria, men he might have served besides under the banners of the Golden Company.

    Instead you turn to address the room at large: "This is going to cost some people far more than their peace of mind, or their effectiveness for a few short weeks, it is going to cost them their lives, let us not pretend otherwise. It is our responsibility as officials with more mental fortitude than the average citizen to protect this knowledge and see it safely into the hands of those who will act equally responsibly in our work against that which our Enemy deems inevitable."

    As your gaze passes over Relath and Amrelath, you look them each in turn in the eye and add: "Though the average person is unable to cope with this knowledge, despair on such a scale is simply a tool for our Foe. It benefits Nothing and No One. In this case the weakness of the body is a weakness of the mind, and we are of that mind. Do you all understand?" If not for compassion's sake then a resolution to be better than either Valyria or the Ancestors that came before even them, to refuse to allow this blight to continue as it pleased, ignored until there was nothing more that they could do to stop it. "A world which we can live in as we please is impossible, if it's one the majority cannot bear to."

    "No need to teach us hatchling's lessons," the Lord of Tolos replies evenly. Amrelath is silent. He, after all, cannot claim that was a lesson the Wyrms of the Red Flight took to heart. Both Dragons nod.

    "Let us make that better world, then. Together," you once more address all present, mortal and spirit, be they born to a lord's keep a magister's manse, the jungles of Sothoryos, or drawn from the depths of the Far Realm.

    What do you do next?

    [] Make a further proposal
    -[] Write in

    [] Conclude the meeting
    -[] Scry the Chosen of the Smith
    -[] Receive the report on summonings and True Names

    [] Write in

    OOC: I'm not sure what else you guys would like to decide on here, so I put a break point here.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Well, that was sufficiently epic.
    Thanks for this chapter, DP. I really liked the slight dichtomy between Amy and Relath, and everyone else seems reacting realistically enough to the revelation.

    We also chose a somewhat uneventful time to revel the truths to the rest of Imperium.
    Yes, a fight with Tiamat's forces is coming nearer, and by the 12th month's beginning it'll likely already happen - but at least everyone will ahve about a month to come to terms with this shite.

    [X] Conclude the meeting
    -[X] Scry the Chosen of the Smith

    *goes for a nap*
     
    [X] Conclude the meeting
    -[X] Scry the Chosen of the Smith

    Though I wonder if the above actually has enough substance for an update. What are we going to do with him?
     
    Cue the guy having Mindblank, because Chosen of CraftGod.
    :V

    But for real, we know next to nothing about him, not his allegiance, not his circumstances, not his (in)direct company, not his goals/convictions, not what he is making (aside from very nebulous "weapons against Dragon") nothing.

    Kinda why we were supposed to spend the month Divining all we can think of about him in the background, so that even if Mindblank is there, we'd get a decent enough picture going around him.
     
    Takesis said:
    Laugh at his anti-dragon weaponry of course.

    [X] egoo
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    You know what, yes, that is worthy of an update on its own.

    Like what the fuck did you think that would do to us? You thought we were going to stand close enough to you that you could hit us with your swords?!?

    "Let me introduce to you the King of Battle."

    Chosen of the Smith, with a scoff: "Yourself?"

    "No, he's over on that hill a kilometer and a half away from here. Take a closer look."

    Chosen, looking through Myrish spyglass he was handed: "What the fu--"



    Hello Chosen.

    Goodbye, red smear on the ground.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Secrets of the Spheres Part Three ​

    Thirty-First Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC

    The sun had long since set, the wine cups emptied and filled again more often than anyone can count by the time you have something approaching an answer to the question of with whom to share the truth of the Sundering and how. Firstly, that all branch heads and inquisitors must know, with constant tests throughout the career of any promising agent to judge if they can bear the burden. Alysande, an inquisitor herself though she still bears the seal of the silver eye, is quick to point out that it would be unwise to share the truth with every one of her colleagues at once. "Unless our enemies are all fools, they will see a pattern to every senior ember of the inquisition suddenly finding faith, a few hours forgetfulness at the bottom of a wine cup, or however they choose to deal with the shock. I admit freely, Your Grace, that when I get home I will probably keep drinking without the magic to wipe it all away..."

    Uthero grips her hand in sympathy, but his attention is still on the discussion. "And it's not just going to be inquisitors, Your Grace. Soldiers, clerks, and sorcerers, all of them are going to want to be with their families, they are going to try to use divinations to ensure the souls of kith and kin who have passed on are safe, probably pushing those who are still alive to be more pious. All that worry is not going to be doing wonders for their jobs, at least if we spread it out there will be others to pick up the slack line before the sail flies."

    "And I'm afraid the scholarum will be hit the worst, since we have to tell all instructors," Teana sighs, her shadow seeming to sink in on herself. "I agree with the need, even working towards telling all mages who graduate, but it will impact our studies."

    "Better to be slow now than risk bitterness and despair later," you reply, the report on the cult of the masque and its mad leader fresh in your mind. He had been abandoned by his god in the face of torture, and so you could easily imagine a fiend presenting the truth of the Sundering as 'proof' that the Imperium had abandoned them to the eternal torments of damnation.

    "What of you, Ser Gerold?" you ask the quiet knight. "How quickly do you judge the high command can be informed?"

    "Thankfully, we are not at war, Your Grace. Well, I suppose you could say we are at war with the Seven Kingdoms, but with the fleets of Braavos and Volantis added to our own, only a madman would try the crossing, never mind the dragons and darkenbeasts. Most of what we are doing these days is being lawmen in armor for places they haven't gotten around to, at least outside of places like New Lys'os, but if you told the men stationed there that Hell had swallowed up Heaven, they would likely sigh, point at the sky, and say they'd figured as much already."

    "How have matters gone in New Lys'os this month?" you interject, satisfied with the answer, and even the grim humor at the end. Gerold had been one of those you worried about the most, because he had not been involved in any of your more esoteric dealings since you had been fighting lemures in Braavos, and unlike Alinor, he had not been keeping an ear out for them either, more concerned with deployments and conventional troop counts. "I have not gotten the report as of this morning."

    "They lost a few men to some kind of dream eater that looked like an old crone, but the Sisters of Battle chased it off," he nods towards Mereth, and they, with the help of archons out of Mantarys, tracked it down and killed it.

    Gained Night Hag Corpse (CR 9; 8 HD)

    "A night hag," you muse, their ilk would be right at home in a place of lost spirits and broken dreams. "Did they recover the body?"

    "Already been delivered to the forge, Your Grace," the general replies, the thought of delivering the bodies of dead foes to the flesh-forge as natural to him as any other ordering of supplies. Though you would never ask, you wonder if he felt the same about the bodies unearthed from Esaria, men he might have served besides under the banners of the Golden company.

    Instead, you turn to address the room at large: "This is going to cost some people far more than their peace of mind, or their effectiveness for a few short weeks. It is going to cost them their lives, let us not pretend otherwise. It is our responsibility as officials with more mental fortitude than the average citizen to protect this knowledge and see it safely into the hands of those who will act equally responsibly in our work against that which our Enemy deems inevitable."

    As your gaze passes over Relath and Amrelath, you look them each in turn in the eye and add: "Although the average person is unable to cope with this knowledge, despair on such a scale is simply a tool for our Foe. It benefits Nothing and No One. In this case the weakness of the body is a weakness of the mind, and we are of that mind. Do you all understand?" If not for compassion's sake than a resolution to be better than either Valyria or the Ancestors that came before even them, to refuse to allow this blight to continue as it pleased, ignored until there was nothing more that they could do to stop it. "A world which we can live in as we please is impossible, if it's one the majority cannot bear to."

    "No need to teach us hatchling's lessons," the lord of Tolos replies evenly. Amrelath is silent. He, after all, cannot claim that was a lesson the wymrs of the red flight took to heart. Both dragons nod.

    "Let us make that better world, then. Together," you once more address all present, mortal and spirit, be they born to a lord's keep, a magister's manse, the jungles of Sothorys, or drawn from the depths of the Far Realm.

    What do you do next?

    [] Make a further proposal
    -[] Write in

    [] Conclude the meeting
    -[] Scry the Chosen of the Smith
    -[] Recive the report on summonings and True Names

    [] Write in

    OOC: I'm not sure what else you guys would like to decide on here so I put a break point here. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
     
    Crake said:
    You know what, yes, that is worthy of an update on its own.

    Like what the fuck did you think that would do to us? You thought we were going to stand close enough to you that you could hit us with your swords?!?

    "Let me introduce to you the King of Battle."

    Chosen of the Smith, with a scoff: "Yourself?"

    "No, he's over on that hill a kilometer and a half away from here. Take a closer look."

    Chosen, looking through Myrish spyglass he was handed: "What the fu--"



    Hello Chosen.

    Goodbye, red smear on the ground.
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    As fun as the image is, I dare to guess that he is making some sort of conceptual Artifact instead of regular armaments.

    I'd really like to do the "artillery strike annihilating an otherwise full-of-themselves figure, like 7's Chosen or Bobby"-thing 'tho.
     
    OOC note, my fridge's water valve broke and apparently it's been spewing water onto my kitchen for a few hours. Kitchen is soaked, and the basement below is soaked. Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid mold?
     
    Duesal said:
    OOC note, my fridge's water valve broke and apparently it's been spewing water onto my kitchen for a few hours. Kitchen is soaked, and the basement below is soaked. Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid mold?
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    Increase surface acidity through use of vinegar.

    Obviously, you want to do this after drying the place, but the timescale you're working with, it would have to be flooded for weeks untreated before that would be an issue.

    Remember that concrete and wood is porous, though. Just because you drain the water doesn't mean a lot of it isn't still there.
     
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