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

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DragonParadox said:
A Surer Binding ​

Seventh Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC

"Joint custody will me more than enough, captain," you reply as you bind the pulsating organ in amber for safekeeping, and to ensure it does not react violently to having its supply of blood so abruptly cut off. "I am not concerned about vengeance against another of the Deep Ones' pawns, but only the safety of Vialesk and other realms of good will."

"Right," the officer nods, taking out a scroll woven of of waxed kelp strands and begins to write down his report. "You don't need to talk to me like you're standing in front of the Council. Name's Investigator Captain Musikos."

"Speaking of the Council, I'm afraid I'm about to complicate that report of yours, captain," you admit with a sympathetic smile. You recognize the type beneath the flowing silver heraldry of the Sea Guard, that is at once citizen army, city guard, and even a part of Vialesk's administration in the sort of bureaucratic tangle than only several thousand years of institutional evolution can create.

The mage sighs, his plain brown eyes that would not seem out of place in any port at home look back at you steadily, only the rippling of his gill-slits marking what might in another been a sigh. "You want a Council representative for this, don't you?"

"Who knows how far the roots go beneath the surface, he has been in the company of influential parties, traders, council members, high officers of the guard..." Saying it aloud makes you all the more aware of the tangle you could have stepped into, the danger your fledgling alliance with the City of Splendid Waves could already be in.

"We screen for Far Realm influence constantly," Captain Musikos interjects. "The higher you go the more thorough the investigations, and considering how much I have to go through..." he gives a small laugh. "Well, this is still a fetid current to be swimming in, but it's not a whole fetid sea if you catch my meaning."

"I do, and I am relived to hear it captain..." you reply truthfully. The more you consider the, matter the more you are inclined to at least cautious optimism. This city had fought a successful war against the Deep Ones.

That experience shows in the guards sent to both accompany the white bearded Guildmaster Neios and and help ascertain the truth of your prisoner's motives and allegiance. The pair of teleriel mages sent to aid in the investigation proper have the same knack for countering mind magics as Breath Taker, and a skill for sifting through one's deepest memories to match yours or Tyene's, but by far the most impressive thing they bring with them is a true silver sarcophagus threaded through with sapphire crystal such as you have only seen in one other place before, the Monastery of the Unbroken Circle.

"That's like crafting an arcane void... only for their magic isn't it?" Lya asks more confident with every moment spent observing the device.

"Yes," one of the sorcerers who had delivered it replies unceremoniously scooping up a cup of the transmuted spy and placing it inside. "It also affects magic of the Spheres since there is nothing stopping their adepts from using it, but it does have a whole array of spells meant to counter curses and enchantments built into it," he touches a rune at the side of the sarcophagus and the thing comes to life with an unpleasant dissonant hum that shivers through your bones. Then the investigator touches another of the subtle runes and the hum rises to an almost painful pitch.

The experience must have been far less pleasant from the inside as Islin returns to his own form screaming, just in time for steel chords to burst to life inside the sarcophagus and bind him tight as a spider's web. Captain Musikos motions for you to begin, while the guildmaster waits somewhat impatiently, and the two guards he had arrived with initially do their best to blend into the marble facing of the wall while the teleriel enchanters look on curiously.

What questions do you ask?

[] Write in

OOC: I could have started this myself, but I'm almost certain I would miss something you guys would want to ask so I figured it's best to have one vote to cover everything.
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Here's an edited version of the chapter. DP.
 
Interrogation Template:

1. What were his target goals in this infiltration?
  1. Were there officials or other important dignitaries he actively planned to make contact with in the pursuit of this infiltration, and if so for what purpose? Sabotage? Subversion? Assassination?
  2. Were there any valuable items which he intended to steal, and if so, what were they?
  3. What polities did he intend to pit against one another?
2. What ongoing plots is he aware of (for the purposes of uprooting immediately)?
3. What vulnerabilities in the Plane of Water were the envoy and the Deep Ones actively exploiting?
4. What has he already achieved in this infiltration? (causing diplomatic incidents, stealing valuables, causing info leaks, etc)
5. What Deep Ones is he aware of and how does he contact them? How do they give him new assignments?
6. What other Deep Ones agents is he aware of? How deep does this rot go?
7. Get a full accounting of the story of why Galzerai took those children when the army was fighting the Deep Ones? What part did this envoy play in that?
8. Get intel on the Anvil. How did Galzerai get it in the first place? What were its powers? What did Galzerai use it for? How did Galzerai lose it? Where is it now?

I want that Anvil.
 
Duesal said:
Interrogation Template:

1. What were his target goals in this infiltration?
  1. Were there officials or other important dignitaries he actively planned to make contact with in the pursuit of this infiltration, and if so for what purpose? Sabotage? Subversion? Assassination?
  2. Were there any valuable items which he intended to steal, and if so, what were they?
  3. What polities did he intend to pit against one another?
2. What ongoing plots is he aware of (for the purposes of uprooting immediately)?
3. What vulnerabilities in the Plane of Water were the envoy and the Deep Ones actively exploiting?
4. What has he already achieved in this infiltration? (causing diplomatic incidents, stealing valuables, causing info leaks, etc)
5. What Deep Ones is he aware of and how does he contact them? How do they give him new assignments?
6. What other Deep Ones agents is he aware of? How deep does this rot go?
7. Get a full accounting of the story of why Galzerai took those children when the army was fighting the Deep Ones? What part did this envoy play in that?
8. Get intel on the Anvil. How did Galzerai get it in the first place? What were its powers? What did Galzerai use it for? How did Galzerai lose it? Where is it now?

I want that Anvil.
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Most of those look good, but I don't think 7 or 8 are going to do us any good, and may give away our interest in the Anvil to those present for the interrogation. Islin was not an agent of Galzerai, after all, but was instead trying to make us come into conflict with him. More likely than not, he doesn't know any more about the Anvil than anyone with a good Knowledge (Local) or Gather Information skill couldn't learn with some effort.
 
Goldfish said:
Most of those look good, but I don't think 7 or 8 are going to do us any good, and may give away our interest in the Anvil to those present for the interrogation. Islin was not an agent of Galzerai, after all, but was instead trying to make us come into conflict with him. More likely than not, he doesn't know any more about the Anvil than anyone with a good Knowledge (Local) or Gather Information skill couldn't learn with some effort.
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Alright, we'll save the Anvil questions for later.
 
I would rather not start a war over something that nearly started a war, given the optics for the situation is a dragon who has an apparently bizarrely bad reputation without anyone to present an alternative narrative, and our ambitions to gain Vialesk (and other Marid Emirates) as allies. It also would tend toward making other dragons cagey about interacting with us, since this is supposed to be the heart of another dragon's own hoard.

Ultimately the anvil is interesting to me but I'm already planning long-term and we have another forge ruin we can loot to the bedrock. And by looting it, we might be able to collaborate with Kelasi by opening up some options for them that were previously unavailable.
 
Crake said:
I would rather not start a war over something that nearly started a war, given the optics for the situation is a dragon who has an apparently bizarrely bad reputation without anyone to present an alternative narrative, and our ambitions to gain Vialesk (and other Marid Emirates) as allies. It also would tend toward making other dragons cagey about interacting with us, since this is supposed to be the heart of another dragon's own hoard.

Ultimately the anvil is interesting to me but I'm already planning long-term and we have another forge ruin we can loot to the bedrock. And by looting it, we might be able to collaborate with Kelasi by opening up some options for them that were previously unavailable.
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While it would be nice to get the Anvil, I'm mainly asking about it because it baffles me how the fuck it was stolen in the first place. If the Anvil is the heart of Galzerai's hoard it would have been the most guarded thing in his domain.

The fact that Galzerai didn't find it in Kelasi and that Kelasi maintains that they never stole it (and the involvement of a Deep Ones agent) leads me to believe that it's either hidden or the Deep Ones wanted it for something.
 
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Duesal said:
While it would be nice to get the Anvil, I'm mainly asking about it because it baffles me how the fuck it was stolen in the first place. If the Anvil is the heart of Galzerai's hoard it would have been the most guarded thing in his domain.
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I am actually curious about this too. This is a relic from a location that is probably completely fucked. How the hell did it get stolen?
 
Duesal said:
The fact that Galzerai didn't find it in Kelasi and that Kelasi maintains that they never stole it (and the involvement of a Deep Ones agent) leads me to believe that it's either hidden or the Deep Ones wanted it for something.
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It's not outside the realm of possibility. Some real Five-Dimensional Hyper-Cyvasse type shit.
 
I added all of your questions, @Duesal, along with some of my own. Can ya'll think of any others to ask in this round of interrogation?

Gonna add the Forge orders to this in a few minutes.

[X] Islin Interrogation
-[X] Who does he report to? Are they here in Vialesk or located elsewhere? How does he report to them? When did he last report to them?
--[X] Is he aware of any other Deep One collaborators, agents, or flesh puppets operating in Vialesk, the nearby Emirates, or other local powers?
--[X] How long has he been an agent of the Deep Ones? If he did not specifically know he was working for them, who did he believe he was working for?
-[X] Was he tasked with pitting us against Galzerai specifically, told to thwart our efforts here in the Plane of Water any way he could, or did he act on his own?
--[X] Did the Deep Ones or their agents arrange the theft of the Anvil from Galzerai's hoard? If so, how and why? If not, were they responsible for Galzerai's attack on the Emirate of Kela during the war with the Deep Ones, culminating in the kidnapping of the Emir's children?
-[X] What were his main tasks here in Vialesk, beyond blending in and remaining free of the authorties?
--[X] How did he remain undetected for so long, somehow even managing to get through security to meet with Council members and other VIPs? What other security vulnerabilities is he aware of that have aided him or fellow agents in their operations?
--[X] What has he already achieved in this infiltration (causing diplomatic incidents, stealing valuables, causing info leaks, etc)?
--[X] Were there officials or other important dignitaries he actively planned to make contact with in the pursuit of this infiltration, and if so for what purpose? Sabotage? Subversion? Assassination?
--[X] Were there any other polities he intended to pit against one another?
--[X] Are there any other ongoing plots, those engineered by himself or others, which he is aware of?

[X] After the interrogation concludes, speak with Captain Musikos and the others present, especially the mages and technicians, to attempt to learn;
-[X] The origins and capability of the Mithral sarcophagus. If they can be crafted, who makes them and where can we find them?
-[X] Do they have the means of applying the effect to an entire chamber, or is the device limited to something smaller, such as the sarcophagus?
-[X] Any security measures or standard operating procedures they use to root out Deep Ones infiltrators and those under their influence. Anything they can share with us might help our own investigators protect our realm as they do Vialesk.

[X] 12th Month Forge Order
-[X] Special Forces:
--[X] 1 Grand Dragon Turtle (CR 15) - 28,800 IM
--[X] 7 Seawyrm (CR 15) - 28,800 IM each (Total: 201,600)
--[X] 6 Mighty Mind Dragons (CR 15) - 28,800 IM each (Total: 172,800)
--[X] 5 Aureate Seawyrm [Advanced Fire-Souled Half-Dragon Sorcerer Creature Gilded Sea Serpent (w/+8 Racial HD)] (CR 15, 13 HD) - 28,800 IM each (Total: 144,000)
-[X] Aquatic Forces:
--[X] 25 Plant-Imbued Coral Drake (CR 10, 11 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 120,000)
--[X] 25 Aquatic Cleric Creature Jesulan (CR 10, 12 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 120,000)
--[X] 100 Plant-Imbued Electric Eel (w/+6 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD) - 1,200 IM each (Total: 120,000)
--[X] 25 Bladeleaf Plant-Imbued Sea Cats (w/+3 Racial HD) (CR 8, 8 HD) - 2,400 IM each (Total: 60,000)
--[X] 50 Advanced Aquatic Snapdragon Leshy (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD) - 1,200 IM each (Total: 60,000)
-[X] Construct Forces:
--[X] 20 Mushroom Golems (CR 10, 12 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 96,000)
--[X] 40 Kelp Golems (Reskinned Aquatic Pumpkin Golem) (CR 8, 8 HD) - 2,400 IM each (Total: 96,000)
-[X] Other Forces:
--[X] 250 Verdant Kingfisher (CR 2, 2 HD) - 300 IM each (Total: 75,000)
--[X] 25 Guardian Naga (CR 10, 12 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 120,000)
--[X] 25 Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cat (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM each (Total: 30,000)
--[X] 25 Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 120,000)
--[X] 25 Verdant Raven [Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Raven (w/+4 Racial HD)] (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM each (Total: 30,000)
--[X] 30 Imperial Hippogriffs [Advanced Magebred Hippogriff (w/+3 Racial HD)] (CR 5, 6 HD) - 900 IM each (Total: 27,000 IM)
-[X] Fire Whale Guardians:
--[X] 12 Gigantean Half-Dragon Shadow Creature Constrictor (CR 10, 18 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 57,600)
--[X] 12 Half-Dragon Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+7 Racial HD) (CR 10, 13 HD) - 4,800 IM each (Total: 57,600)
-[X] Hermetia's Mount: Horse-Eagle, an "Aerebalyan Steed" (Draconic Magebred Vahana Advanced Horse w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 8, 10 HD) - 2,400 IM
-[X] Venom Production: Begin production of Colossal Fiendish Spider Venom (Cost Per Dose: ???)
-[X] TOTAL: 1,738,800 IM, plus cost of starting Venom Production

[X] Begin Imperial Kobold Project: 1st Generation (Cost: 500,000 IM)

[X] 12th Month Undead Order
-[X] Gogossos Defense Force
--[X] 40x Paralyzing Snatcher - 28,800 IM
--[X] 10x Snatching Terror - 35,600 IM
--[X] 2x Necro-Kraken - 9,760 IM
--[X] 5x Black Brute - 23,500 IM
--[X] 5x Black Champion - 26,800 IM
--[X] 50x Black Knight (Mobility Upgrade) - 28,000 IM
--[X] Total: 152,460 IM
-[X] Strategic
--[X] 10x Black Champion - 53,360 IM (high-class bodyguards for squishy mages on deployment)
-[X] Inqusition
--[X] 20x Paralyzing Snatcher - 14,400 IM
--[X] 5x Snatching Terror - 17,800 IM
--[X] 50x Black Knight - 24,500 IM
--[X] Total: 56,700 IM
-[X] CoB Preparation
--[X] 500x Necro-Harpy - 120,000 IM
--[X] 2,000x Firefly - 80,000 IM
--[X] 1,000x Spitter - 30,000 IM
--[X] 500x Spitter Swarm - 30,000 IM
--[X] Total: 260,000 IM
-[X] Illithid Preparation
--[X] 2,000x Firefly (aquatic) - 80,000 IM
--[X] 5x Necro-Kraken - 24,400 IM
--[X] 50x Paralyzing Snatcher - 36,000 IM
--[X] 10x Snatching Terror - 35,600 IM
--[X] 50x Black Knight (Mobility Upgrade) - 28,000 IM
--[X] 10x Black Brute (aquatic) - 47,000 IM
--[X] 1,000x Spitter (aquatic) - 30,000 IM
--[X] 500x Spitter Swarm (aquatic) - 30,000 IM
--[X] Total: 311,000 IM
-[X] Fire-Whale Support
--[X] 120x Burning Bloodshark - 51,750 IM
-[X] Total: 957,720 IM

[X] Grand Total: 3,196,450
 
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tarrangar said:
Okay that's not too bad, we might want to spend some action points on increasing recruiting at some point, but that already seem pretty good to me.

@Goldfish I think we should up the amount of guardians we make a little, 10 guardian teams are the absolute minimum we might need next month.
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Then we can order more next month.

If we're adding anything else to the Forge order, I think it should be for our own forces to deal with the Deep Ones and other threats. That's already twenty CR 10 creatures we're growing which won't be helping us.
 
Goldfish said:
I added all of your questions, @Duesal, along with some of my own. Can ya'll think of any others to ask in this round of interrogation?

Gonna add the Forge orders to this in a few minutes.

[X] Islin Interrogation
-[X] Who does he report to? Are they here in Vialesk or located elsewhere? How does he report to them? When did he last report to them?
--[X] Is he aware of any other Deep One collaborators, agents, or flesh puppets operating in Vialesk, the nearby Emirates, or other local powers?
--[X] How long has he been an agent of the Deep Ones? If he did not specifically know he was working for them, who did he believe he was working for?
-[X] Was he tasked with pitting us against Galzerai specifically, told to thwart our efforts here in the Plane of Water any way he could, or did he act on his own?
-[X] What were his main tasks here in Vialesk, beyond blending in and remaining free of the authorties?
--[X] How did he remain undetected for so long, somehow even managing to get through security to meet with Council members and other VIPs? What other security vulnerabilities is he aware of that have aided him or fellow agents in their operations?
--[X] What has he already achieved in this infiltration (causing diplomatic incidents, stealing valuables, causing info leaks, etc)?
--[X] Were there officials or other important dignitaries he actively planned to make contact with in the pursuit of this infiltration, and if so for what purpose? Sabotage? Subversion? Assassination?
--[X] Were there any other polities he intended to pit against one another?
--[X] Are there any other ongoing plots, those engineered by himself or others, which he is aware of?
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I'd appreciate it if you add the questions about the Anvil in the context that we suspect the Deep Ones agent fucking around with this and engineering this whole thing in the first place. Also I'm honestly just curious about the backstory of how Galzerai got it in the first place.
 
Inquisitors/Inquisitor Equivalents: *pain-staking investigations, paperwork, analysis of evidence, some of that CSI 'ENHANCE!' type bullshit to grasp at the straws that got knocked loose from the haystack concealing the needle*

Viserys Targaryen, casually uncovering elaborate conspiracies over literal tea: "Get on my level."
 
Duesal said:
I'd appreciate it if you add the questions about the Anvil in the context that we suspect the Deep Ones agent fucking around with this and engineering this whole thing in the first place. Also I'm honestly just curious about the backstory of how Galzerai got it in the first place.
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Done.

12th month Forge order added also.
 
Goldfish said:
Done.

12th month Forge order added also.
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Thank you.

Please add the following as well so we don't pass up the IC opportunity to get the specs for an anti-Psionics chamber, or at least learn where to purchase our own.
Duesal said:
@DragonParadox
1. What are the specs for the abilities of this thing? What level of psionic spell can it block out? How much does one cost to make or buy?
2. Where did they get this one?
3. Could the same principles be applied to a room?
4. Can we get a primer on their anti-Deep Ones measures and pass it on to the Inquisition to implement in our own realm?
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As for the anti-Deep Ones measures, I'm not committed to getting them though it would be nice.

[X] Goldfish
 
Duesal said:
Thank you.

Please add the following as well so we don't pass up the IC opportunity to get the specs for an anti-Psionics chamber, or at least learn where to purchase our own.

As for the anti-Deep Ones measures, I'm not committed to getting them though it would be nice.

[X] Goldfish
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Added.
 
I went ahead and added a couple more guardians, @tarrangar, bringing the total up to 12 of each. Those not on assignment can hang around in SD in case of trouble.
 
Any chance we could throw some Imperial Hippogriffs in that forge order, enough to start a breeding population?

Also, I personally favor a soft cap of some sort on what we can get straight out of the forge.

Regarding the opioid idea, apparently we've got some sort of spider venom production line. Can we do that with the Gilded Sea Serpents?
 
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