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

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One Autumn Leaf said:
A distinction eludes me.



I mean...it could work...though that sounds like Mythic level 10 fights
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Gods are born of, or draw power from, worship and get power over a domain from that. Most of the things that get labeled primordial (like the original axiomites) are formed from a basic topic/concept important enough that it could also be a divine domain, and don't need anyone else's support to wield their power.
 
Hey kids, I say we use Mindrape on the Ymir to fundamentally rewrite its personality so that it stays in our service when killed and regrown, and then we "farm" it to methodically create demiplanes as needed.

Now that Azel's gone it's my duty to show you the truly efficient path to fixing planar catastrophes, freeing your minds from the shackles of morality! And that Snowfire and his ridiculous "it doesn't work like that" objections are gone, I can campaign to use Mindrape to resolve every problem ever!

This is not a serious post
 
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Part MMMCCXLI: Behind Azure Walls
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    • Behind Azure Walls ​

    Twenty Seventh Day of the Eleventh Month 293 AC

    Where the Sand Road from Qarth and Bayasabhad crosses the Stone Road that winds east from Lhazosh, skirting the northern edge of the Red Waste and the old Steel Road that winds under the shadow of what the Horse Lords call the Mother of Mountains, there you will find a city called a thousand names, some fair some foul, in all the tongues of the world depending on whether or not fortune smiled upon the speaker, but to all of them it is Trader Town. So wrote Lomas Longstrider the better part of three hundred years ago, and if any Westerosi had heard anything of the city then it was likely this one. For your part you cannot say if you had known even that much of it as a child learning of the shape of the world under the Grand Maester's indifferent hand, but though you have gained fairer maps and more recent accounts as you gained contacts among traders and travelers you cannot say any of them did the city justice.

    Walls of blazing blue tile like shards of the sky fallen to to earth encircle a city half again as large as Old Town and more well ordered by far than King's Landing. Upon the battlements thousands of spears sway like a forest of silvery points and gates large enough to accept four elephants passing abreast stand open in stark defiance to the Golden Company's tightening siege. Even standing upon a low hillock some three leagues from the gate proper you can glimpse the vast fortress at the heart of the city, the orange terracotta roof from which general Pol Qo takes his hopeful imperial name.

    "Does he actually plan to make Trader Town the new imperial capital as the name suggests?" you ask Tyene who had returned from from Yin for the day to serve as the closest thing to a guide, though she had been quick to point out that Yi Ti was a land as populous as the Seven Kingdoms, if not more so, and was likely to vary from one corner to another.

    "There is a reason the walls here are blue," your friend replies thoughtfully. "At the height of the dynasty the Azure Emperors wanted to make a mark even here to truly bind even this western gate of the realm to their will. For a time, under Bu Gai's grandfather, it seemed like they may have managed it, but now... an Orange Emperor." She shakes her head. "No, I do not think you could rule Yi Ti from here, it would be like trying to rule the Seven Kingdoms from Sunspear. There is too much that is foreign, too much that is strange to truly seat the Son of Heaven, but the 'Army of the West' has been here for more than a generation, I would not be surprised if the common soldiers at least see themselves as locals. So while this is his main base of support it makes sense for Pol Qo to play to their pride."

    "So he acts the emperor more than the general?" you ask frowning. A meeting would be much easier in the context of military practicality than imperial formality. For that matter you can hardly afford to indulge the notion if you wish to maintain cordial relations with Yin. Explaining the corruption of the Azure Emperor's cousin in a way that will not bruise imperial dignity is already troublesome. Adding dealing with a rebellious general on his terms to that...

    "At least he has some skill as a leader with which to make the pretense," Mereth interjects. "The Golden Company hesitates moving to open war, not just the common soldiers but the officers, the shadows have not been able to infiltrate their highest councils yet but among the officers they have overheard whispers of failed assassinations. Given Yin's newfound intransigence owing to the efforts of Lady Sandviper and her companions," she gives a small nod of respect to Tyene, "I suspect it might be more a case of failed subversion."

    "Assassin or enchanter the suspicion that would breed would make an approach by subterfuge more troublesome," Aradia points out. "Maybe we should look for a sympathetic officer to serve as an envoy."

    "Sympathy is rather hard to cultivate in a matter of hours," you point out. Come what may you have to be back in Sorcerer's Deep by tomorrow, preferably by this evening.

    "I was thinking of the kind of sympathy that clinks when shaken," the incarnate points out with a smile, earning a frown from Mereth.

    "It grates me to make a potential enemy stronger," the fury says, wings rustling slightly with frustration. "Though I suppose anyone inclined to take a bribe would be unlikely to turn it to the common good of the faction."

    What do you do?

    [] Try to present yourself for an audience with the self-proclaimed Orange Emperor
    -[] As a rich merchant willing to pay well for the privilege
    -[] As a very rich merchant willing to pay specifically for someone with the ear to the Emperor to make the process smoother
    --[] Write in maximum bribe size

    [] Try to infiltrate the fortress and speak to Pol Qo in secret

    [] Write in

    OOC: The option for Viserys to go as himself is too politically disastrous for all the efforts you sunk into Yin to be an option. Tyene for one would very loudly object.
     
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    • DragonParadox said:
    "Does he actually plan to make Trader Town the new imperial capital as the name suggests?" you ask Tyene who had returned from from Yin for the day to serve as the closest thing to a guide, though she had been quick to point out that Yi Ti was a land as populous as the Seven Kingdoms, if not more so, and was likely to vary from one corner to another.
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    Equivalent period accounted for posits that Yi Ti would likely have 80 million people living within its borders, not including the people living on the Plains of Joghos Nhai or Nefer (or Asshai for that matter though it's likely not that many more than 50,000).
     
    Crake said:
    Equivalent period accounted for posits that Yi Ti would likely have 80 million people living within its borders, not including the people living on the Plains of Joghos Nhai or Nefer (or Asshai for that matter though it's likely not that many more than 50,000).
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    True but this is very much a rough and ready comparison to present variations in culture, not really meant as a exact population comparsion.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    OOC: The option for Viserys to go as himself is too politically disastrous for all the efforts you sunk into Yin to be an option. Tyene for one would very loudly object.
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    We are just taking a look at all potential Emperors before deciding on one.
    I'm still hoping the Yellow one is a decent candidate instead of an eldritch abomination.


    Though, if we shouldn't go as Viserys, how about a different dragon?
    Take on the guise of some random Red, like Scalathrax back on the Plane of Fire, claim to have beef with Tiamat and the meeting will propably happen because nobody keeps the murderlizard offering help waiting.
     
    SCALATHRAX ASHBRINGER STRIKES AGAIN!

    I think we should just go as Corlys Waters, Most Interesting Man In The World.

    @DragonParadox how many enemy intelligence reports actually revolve around that persona? It would be funnier if that was one of the denser dossiers. 😂
     
    So, the things we care about with this venture:

    [] Ending Golden Company's Siege and consecutively their existence.
    We are attacking next month, so there is little point to promise resources.
    What has a point, however, is ensuring the Orange Emps here doesn't fuck things up. As in, we come here to ensure his cooperation, military or otherwise, with rooting out Golden Company.

    [] Ensuring Orange Emperor focuses on weird-ass shit that is crawling out of every hole these days, and not people-killing.
    He's likely to know more of Bloodstone Emperor than us - but we definitely should tell him of Others, and Long Night coming again.
    Devils, Demons, Daemons, Fey, Illithids, Others, Tiamat... There are really too many threats to everyone, to properly name them.

    We can prove their existence, and get the Emperors (all of them) straight on how utterly fucked they are if they don't take care of supernatural threats first and foremost.
    That we'd get more lore on first Long Night, and Rakshasa/BS!Emps specifically, is just a happy coincidence, is all.

    [] Taking a personal measure of Orange Emperor.
    We really shouldn't help the claim of either Emperor before we see them all in person. Even the potentially-eldritch-one.

    The meeting our Diplomats are arranging with the Asure Emperor would be a great chance for such.
    But here, we are far more free to act, due to lack of ages-old overly-restrictive traditions (yet).

    [] Grabbing some rare resources from the markets, if we get a free moment after all is said and done.
    Trade City. Duh.

    ----------------------------------
    I'd really rather throw money at the problem, there had been enough subterfuge in this month to make me annoyed.

    -[X] As a very rich merchant willing to pay specifically for someone with the ear to the Emperor to make the process smoother
    --[X] Maximum Bribe Size - 20.000 IM

    G'night all
     
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    [X] Try to present yourself for an audience with the self-proclaimed Orange Emperor
    -[X] As an Avatar of Tiamat the Many-Hued, come to accept his surrender to her Chosen in the Golden Company
    -[X] Don't kill more than a tenth of his force when fighting breaks out, but focus on eliminating his army's leadership (except him of course)
    -[X] Get Daenerys to help fake her touch if needed.

     
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    Okay but more seriously, I suggest that we don't just offer money as a bribe. We should offer something magical to set the mood. Memory Moss, maybe? @Crake has already established that there's a burgeoning black market for it in his lawyer Omake, after all...
     
    I'm honestly feeling less and less sanguine about this "shopping around for Emperors" business, much like Tyene. We've already made some really good progress on one who I feel we can manage. They're established enough to be useful, but not too overwhelmingly powerful that they can afford to ignore us. Which to me is ideal. I suspect that Orange-y isn't the former, Yellow is the latter.
     
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    Crake said:
    I'm honestly feeling less and less sanguine about this "shopping around for Emperors" business, much like Tyene. We've already made some really good progress on one who I feel we can manage. They're established enough to be useful, but not too overwhelmingly powerful that they can afford to ignore us. Which to me is ideal. I suspect that Orange-y is the former, Yellow is the latter.
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    Honestly, I can't care less about which one we chose.
    We'll get Yi Ti in due time regardless.

    What I do care about, is that all the Emperors manage their own supernatural threats well, so that there isn't another apocalypse brewing around because they failed some insight rolls.

    So, yes, we totally should go around interacting with Emperors, if only to see whether Yellow is Eldritch Apocalypse in the making, and to exchange "we are all soooo fucked"-lores with Orange/Asure.
     
    Crake said:
    I'm honestly feeling less and less sanguine about this "shopping around for Emperors" business, much like Tyene. We've already made some really good progress on one who I feel we can manage. They're established enough to be useful, but not too overwhelmingly powerful that they can afford to ignore us. Which to me is ideal. I suspect that Orange-y isn't the former, Yellow is the latter.
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    I'm in agreement with this. Orange Emperor might prove useful, but I doubt he will be any more helpful to back than the Azure Emperor, while we have already established decent diplomatic ties to the Azure Emperor.

    That could change, of course, but I think Azurenis the way to go. He comes with a ton of built-in credibility and cultural inertia.
     
    -[X] As a very rich trade magnate from the West, willing to pay specifically for someone with the ear to the Emperor to make the process smoother
    --[X] Maximum Bribe Size - 20.000 IM
    ---[X] For this kind of bribe it better be a somewhat powerful official in the Pretender's hierarchy. You don't pay twenty thousand Imperial Marks to waste time dragging your feet before being granted an audience.
    -[X] In private quarters with the Orange Emperor, reveal ourselves as Master Liu, a powerful sorcerer originally from Qarth who has returned from exploring the Spheres, carrying much lore and invested in leaders around the world being adequately informed against supernatural threats which aim for the ruin of all, undivided by mortal politics or geography.
    -[X] We go in with extensive social buffs hidden behind a Cloak of Khyber and a convincingly Eastern-oriented disguise for our equipment.
     
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