Remove ads

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

Reader mode
Vote closed.

Also a heads up on a technical note I just noticed alerts for watched thread no longer pop up, only reactions. Judging by my alert list this started with the forum change. It will probably get sorted soon, but I felt it was worth noting.
 
If were still doing how we found this quest i have watched this since torturers deep or more like lurked in it and is the reason i have an account on this site because this quest is awesome
 
Remove ads
Part MMMCCVI: A Tale of Silver, Flesh and Silver
  • Threadmarks
    • A Tale of Silver, Flesh and Silver ​

    Twenty Third Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

    'Red' Rick proves to be as soured to the company of his fellow man as the septon's tale had hinted at, though thankfully still appreciative of the clink of silver coin. Given how unlikely the man is to gossip about strangers asking for tales you do not trouble yourself with hiding your tracks as you had in the village, simply handing him a small pouch of coin and asking him about the day he escorted lady Catelyn to Copperidge and what he may have seen through the storm.

    "'T wasn't no storm that scattered us then, there be devils out there I tell ya," the man begins loudly, old spite practically boiling to the surface.

    "Devils?" you prompt with worry. You had not seen any hand of Hell in these doings. Has the lord of the Third learned subtlety at last, or is his master acting in the west as well as the east?

    "It's the wolves, what else are you supposed to call 'em if not devils? I ain't never seen wolves acting like that," the erstwhile armsman continued much to your relief. You would gladly take fey or other woodland things over fiends. "D' you think we left the little lady out there on her lonesome 'cause we were scared of thunder? No sir, they sneaked up on us careful like through the rain and came bittin' at the legs of the horses with that big black beast leading 'em, bigger than any horse I ever saw it was. They came after us fearing neither steel nor prayer. By the time we gathered to the call of the horn again the storm had passed and we found Lady Catelyn's horse dead and her no where about. There was not a mark or sign to show that she'd walked off, I swore it to Lord Jonos when he cursed at me and I'll swear it to you now I will."

    For a moment you wonder if whatever power had arranged Hotser and Catelyn's meeting had also erased their tracks, but it occurs to you that the far more likely suspect in this case is Hoster himself with his woods witch's magic. After all, it would damage the lady's reputation were to it to be known that she was alone with a man much less a Blackwood for however brief a span. An ironic twist on later happenings, but one cannot truly blame either of them for it.

    "Can you describe this wolf?" you prompt, mentally calling on Dany to listen in.

    Unsurprisingly it proves to be the same beast, though Rick's firsthand account is clearer than what could be gleamed from handling the clothes of the sick of Copperidge.

    Torn left ear, lighter patch of fur around the right eye... It seems the fellow had gotten a very close look at the wolf indeed as it tried to scare him off. Worth noting itself you suppose that the wolf did not kill anyone, whether from an inherent dislike of doing so or so as not to draw undue attention you cannot say for certain.

    "Thank you for your time, goodman," you say while handing him the second half of his pay.

    ***​

    It is with no small measure of surprise that you discover the wolf can be scryed and for that matter that it is an actual wolf, no different from any other in the forest making its lair in a shallow earthy cave along with its pack. "Male and female breeding pair, eight other adults and only three pups, no earthly reason why they would go after armed men," you muse looking down at the pack gnawing on the bones of an old kill, staying guard or plaything in the moonlight. "No sign of any magic either."

    "So what now, Your Grace?" Ser Richard asks, still glaring down at the wolves as though expecting one to transform into a demon anyway.

    "Talk to them," you shrug, dropping the glamour you had used to get this close before twisting your magic in an unaccustomed way that you might speak in the manner of wolves. It is strange to hear the yips and growls of a wolf coming from your throat in the way a dragon's roar never has, stranger still the way the magic adjusts your posture instinctively, as much a part of conversing with wolves as any sound.

    This time you offer a bribe of meat, not silver, but the results are much the same. "The Wolf Brother came to us in the night and said to drink the bitter water, then to go to the places of men and lick the fur-that-is-not-fur so that some of them might sicken. He said to to drive away the ones upon the no-horns that he would put the fear in them and they would not strike us with long-claws, and we might eat the no-horn with the broken leg."

    "How did the Wolf Brother come to you?"     you ask, recalling tales of wolf spirits of winter that Koron had shared two months ago. Could this be a like creature? These wolves looked uncommonly hale and healthy to be touched by death.

    "In the time of no-moon, he comes without flesh in silence, he comes to hunt for revenge against those who hurt his pack long ago. It was 'a man-thing and we would not understand the whole of it,' the Wolf Brother said," the wolf replies.

    "If he was a man seeking man's vengeance then why did you aid him?" you prompt, knowing that the wolves cannot tell time well enough to give you a proper answer as to what 'long ago' may mean.

    "Because he is Wolf Brother," the best replies confused and you have the sense there is something you are missing about the nuance of its speech.

    What do you do next?

    [] Question the wolf more
    -[] Write in

    [] Try to find out what 'Wolf Brother' might mean
    -[] Ask Bloodraven
    -[] Check the library

    [] Ask the wolf to lead you to 'the bitter water'

    [] Write in

    OOC: The plot thickens once more.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • DragonParadox said:
    A Tale of Silver, Flesh, and Silver ​

    Twenty Third Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

    'Red' Rick proves to be as soured to the company of his fellow man as the septon's tale had hinted at, though thankfully still appreciative to the clink of silver coin. Given how unlikely the man is to gossip about strangers asking for tales, you do not trouble yourself with hiding your tracks as you had in the village, simply handing him a small pouch of coin and asking him about the day he escorted lady Catelyn to Copperidge and what he may have seen though the storm.

    "'T wasn't no storm that scattered us then. There be devils out there, I tell ya," the man begins loudly, old spite practically boiling to the surface.

    "Devils?" you prompt with worry. You had not seen any hand of Hell in these doings. Has the lord of the Third learned subtlety at last or is his master acting in the west as well as the east.

    "It's the wolves. What else are you supposed to call 'em if not devils? I ain't never seen wolves acting like that," the erstwhile armsman continued, much to your relief. You would gladly take fey or other woodland things over fiends. "D' you think we left the little lady out there on her lonesome 'cause we were scared of thunder? No Ser, they sneaked up on us careful like through the rain and came bittin' at the legs of the hoses. That big black beast leading 'em was bigger than any horse I ever saw, it was. They came after us fearing neither steel nor prayer. By the time we gathered to the call of the horn again, the storm was passed and we found Lady Catelyn's horse dead and her no where about. There was not a mark or sign to show that she'd walked off, I swore it to Lord Jonos when he cursed at me and I'll swear it to you now, I will."

    For a moment you wonder if whatever power had arranged Hotser and Catelyn's meeting had also erased their tracks, but it occurs to you that the far more likely suspect in this case is Hoster himself with his woodswitch's magic. After all, it would damage the lady's reputation were to it to be known that she was alone with a man, much less a Blackwood, for however brief a span. An ironic twist on later happenings, but one cannot truly blame either of them for it.

    "Can you describe this wolf?" you prompt, mentally calling on Dany to listen in.

    Unsurprisingly it proves to be the same beast, though Rick's first hand account is clearer than what could be gleamed from handling the clothes of the sick of Copperidge.

    Torn left ear, lighter patch of fur around the right eye... It seems the fellow had gotten a very close look at the wolf indeed, as it tried to scare him off. Worth noting itself, you suppose, is that the wolf did not kill anyone. Whether from an inherent dislike of doing so, or so as not to draw undue attention, you cannot say for certain.

    "Thank you for your time, goodman," you say, handing him the second half of his pay.

    ***​

    It is with no small measure of surprise that you discover the wolf can be scryed, and for that matter that it is an actual wolf, no different from any other in the forest, making its lair in a shallow earthy cave along with its pack. "Male and female breeding pair, eight other adults and only three pups, and no earthly reason why they would go after armed men," you muse, looking down at the pack gnawing on the bones of an old kill, staying guard or plaything in the moonlight. "No sign of any magic either."

    "So what now, Your Grace?" Ser Richard asks, still glaring down at the wolves as though expecting one to transform into a demon anyway.

    "Talk to them," you shrug, dropping the glamor you had used to get this closed before twisting your magic in an unaccustomed way that you might speak in the manner of wolves. It is strange to hear the yips and growls of a wolf coming from your throat in the way a dragon's roar never was. Stranger still the way the magic adjusts your posture instinctively, as much a part of conversing with wolves as any sound.

    This time you offer a bribe of meat not silver but the results are much the same. "The Wolf Brother came to us in the night and said to drink the bitter water, and then to go to the places of men and lick the fur-that-is-not-fur so that some of them might sicken. He said to to drive away the ones upon the no-horns, that he would put the fear in them and they would not strike us with long-claws, and we might eat the no-horn with the broken leg."

    "How did the Wolf Brother come to you?"     you ask, recalling tales of wolf spirits of winter that Koron had shared two months ago. Could this be a similar creature? These wolves looked uncommonly hale and healthy to have been touched by death.

    "In the time of no-moon, he comes without flesh in silence. He comes to hunt for revenge against those who hurt his pack long ago. It was a man thing and we would not understand the whole of it, the Wolf Brother said," the wolf replies.

    "If he was a man seeking man's vengeance, then why did you aid him?" you prompt, knowing that the wolves cannot tell time well enough to give you a proper answer as to what 'long ago' may mean.

    "Because he is Wolf Brother," the beast replies confused, and you have the sense there is something you are missing about the nuance of its speech.

    What do you do next?

    [] Question the wolf more
    -[] Write in

    [] Try to find out what 'Wolf Brother might mean
    -[] Ask Bloodraven
    -[] Check the library

    [] Ask the wolf to lead you to 'the bitter water'

    [] Write in

    OOC: The plot thickens once more. Not yet beta-ed.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

    It's always nice to wake up to a new chapter. This is a very interesting turn of events. I was trying to figure out what kind of creature the black wolves were, leaning toward Fey of some sort, when it turns out they were just plain old wolves, though with a bit of bad juju attached.

    Now I'm thinking there's a decently leveled Bracken Ranger or Druid Warg, possibly also a Werewolf, living somewhere out in the surrounding woods. Probably barking up the wrong tree (punny!), though.
     
    This is sounding more and more like either a very powerful werewolf, a very strong druid (Disease spells/potions alongside some wildshape and charm beast magic), or some form of warg with a particular affinity to wolves
     
    I know they're wild animals, but in my heart they're just big doggies living on their own in the woods, so I'm having to resist my inner Magpie's desire to loot them all... 🐶

    [X] Ask the wolf to lead you to 'the bitter water'.
    -[X] As thanks for his cooperation, whether or not he leads us to the water, offer to heal the pack of any diseases or lingering injuries which might ail them. Cast Mass Heal via Wild Arcana on them if he does not object. Offer them a new home, where food will always be plentiful and they need not have fear or death through disease or injury. If they agree, arrange with Vee to make a space available for them in the Menagerie of Sorcerer's Deep.
    -[X] While being lead to the bitter water, or if the Alpha refuses, try to find out what 'Wolf Brother' might mean by contacting Bloodraven using the Permanent Telepathic Bond we share with him.
     
    Last edited:
    As much as I would like to loot them, a pack of wolves isn't really going to appreciate being cooped up in the menagerie. It's kinder to leave them free to continue their lives in the Riverlands.
     
    Goldfish said:
    As much as I would like to loot them, a pack of wolves isn't really going to appreciate being cooped up in the menagerie. It's kinder to leave them free to continue their lives in the Riverlands.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...We already have a family of Wolves looted from the North, tho?

    Ye can't go wrong by looting doggos.
    :V
     
    egoo said:
    ...We already have a family of Wolves looted from the North, tho?

    Ye can't go wrong by looting doggos.
    :V
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I don't remember that, but I'm not surprised.

    Wolves are also territorial, though, so introducing another wolf pack to the menagerie could be troublesome.
     
    Goldfish said:
    As much as I would like to loot them, a pack of wolves isn't really going to appreciate being cooped up in the menagerie. It's kinder to leave them free to continue their lives in the Riverlands.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    How about you let them decide? Wolves would definitely appreciate guaranteed food and healing, and I'm sure Vee gives every animal she takes care of the space it needs to run around. If they still say no then so be it.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top