A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover
- Thread starter DragonParadox
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- a song of ice and fire a sword without a hilt d&d 3.5 dungeons & dragons 100% high octane dragon fuel ave corvidae battle action dragon diplomacy best sister bureaucromancy delicious soul-stuff dragon dreams come true dragon ta'veren greatest uncle hubris is a coward's word in defiance of gods and men mammon's folly mutually assured mage's disjunction qm murderhobo top tier coatl
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Yeah I favor weakening or at least schisming the Seven and the Drowned Faith by encouraging this Iron God business. It would add some flavor to the Seven and wouldn't be too hard, I think.
Heck, if we can turn the rebel flayers into some kind of clerics of the Iron God, that would be even more fun.
As a note here, you guys do not know enough about Ilithid to make that judgement IC.
On the other hand you do not even know if these guys are rebels, it's just the most likely theory.
Vote closed.
Part MMMCDXLIV: Chains of Flesh
Chains of Flesh
Twenty-Eight Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC
"I'm not cutting some poor bastard's gibbets out looking for Deep One curses with just the knife I have on me," Vee sounds as determined as you have ever heard her. "Get 'im into the Forge, get 'im under wards at least. I can deal with the map table in the Deep but not some lord's keep a thousand miles away with spies lurking in every shadow."
"We don't know if there's anything in his giblets to be found," you point out, considering the political implications of kidnapping Lord Chester's son to not only dispel the curse but perform surgery. Cutting into living flesh has a poor reputation in the Reach due to the influence of Oldtown.
"Better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission," Vee says carefully, obviously quoting someone. Either Dany or Glyra, either way she is not wrong. Better an unplanned journey than an unplanned death.
***
Blood splatters upwards in a wide crimson arc, ribs snap like twigs... Are those tentacles lashing in his chest? Magical healing had not gone well, thankfully having listened to Vee's instincts you find yourself deep within the Flesh-Forge of Gogossos and the arts of Old Valyria prove equal to the task. A translucent membrane closes like an eyelid over the unconscious figure of Lyan Chester as familiar cerulean light flashes behind it so bright it is almost painful to behold. The thrashing slows before finally stopping as the foreign flesh begins to wither.
Seeing this Vee touches the membrane channeling healing light through it. "It only lets certain kinds of magic in," she explains, reading your surprised look. "Useful for when you want to grow grafts and let other parts of the growing creature wither away, being useless to the final form."
"We do not know for certain that the growths were not being of use to the young knight," Qyburn points out. You can't tell if he is indulging in extremely dry humor or being sincere, and truth be told you are not sure you want to find out.
"I assume he is safe now," you half-ask Vee as the Forge mechanisms give a series of complex multi-tonal chimes, some of which would have been imperceptible to ordinary human hearing, likely because all flesh-smiths would have been assumed to have grown beyond such limited senses.
"Yeah, he's fine now," Vee pauses. "You probably want to fix his clothes first though."
Given that said clothes are practically unrecognizable and soaked through with blood and ichor he would hardly have missed them. You briefly consider waking the knight here to impress upon him the gravity of his circumstances, but that might be a step too far, especially if he recalls any of the Deep Ones' own flesh-smithing.
Thus you take the still unconscious lordling back with you to the warded tavern room you had taken for your temporary base in Greenshield, clean and mend his clothes by magic before setting him in a chair facing not just you, Dany, Lya and Ser Richard, but Brandon and Danelle too. The two of them had not raised any objection to being publicly associated with your investigation in the Shield Islands.
"Greetings Ser, apologies for the abrupt and uncommon greeting, but it was for your own safety. We had to undo not one but two death curses upon you, one of mind and one of flesh. Anything you can tell us about how you came to be so afflicted by the Deep Ones..."
The young knight's eyes only grow wider from the moment he wakes, his cheeks paler. "They'll kill me, worse then kill me," he blurts out.
"That is generally the fate they have in store for all mortals," you point out dryly. "You, however, are safe from their afflictions." Though you are careful not to give the words the air of a threat Brandon's icy stare is matched by an only slightly less grim expression from Ser Richard.
"Deep Ones... I..." The knight rises to his feet abruptly. "I have no idea what nonsense you are talking about. I suggest you leave Greenshield before my lord father hears about this."
"Indeed, I am certain your lord father would be fascinated to hear about how you were almost torn apart by a dormant lethal flesh graft," you cut him off.
Dead silence falls for a brief moment before Ser Chester finally asks: "Who are you all?"
Given that you are currently doing nothing to hide your identity, including allowing your crown to be visible and the looks of recognition afforded to Brandon and Danelle you can only conclude he means the others, still you humor him with an answer. You can still wipe the entire episode from his memory if it becomes necessary.
"I have to speak to my lord father. I will invite you to the keep later..." A lie on both counts, you know at once, as does everyone else in the room.
"Ser, please, you are putting yourself and your family in greater danger by keeping these secrets," Danelle speaks up softly, but with no trace of wavering in her voice or gaze.
"I have no reason to trust any of you besides your given word that you spared me from some dark fate..."
"One you knew was possible, or was that fear a moment ago mummery?" Dany asks sharply. "If so you have a grand career ahead of you on the Braavosi stage."
Something about these words, perhaps the sheer strangeness of hearing them in such a mocking tone upon a child's lips, finally gets through. The knight sinks into the chair as though all the strength had gone out of him.
"The folk behind Sunset Shores, they aren't... human, but they don't want to eat us or enslave us, just work for mutual benefit." From his expression he must have realized how weak an excuse it sounded like, but no one interrupts now that he is talking.
Lyan Chester explains that he had been approached by a merchant connected with Sunset Shores more than half a year ago as Greenshield's prosperity was sore wounded in the wake of his father's conflicts with Greyshield and Oakenshield. He had not discovered their likely connection with the Deep Ones until two months ago when a shark-men attack on the Mander's Gift had been repelled by the timely interjection of some sort of crystalline giant and what you instantly recognize as a ulitharid. The being had called him 'too valuable to waste in a blood raid' before supposedly apologizing for not keeping a closer eye on his fate, assuring him that it meant no harm to House Chester... and cursing him with death should he speak of the encounter. "It also said we should be ever vigilant of fey machinations for they seek to twist us in their image more surely than the fish-men ever were."
Silence falls once more, leaving you to decide how to react to this revelation. It is looking more and more like rebellion, though you doubt an ulitharid could ever value mortals for more than their immediate utility. Still, understandings have been reached on shaker grounds. You even have a pact with the Deep Ones for the moment, tattered and frayed as it may be.
What do you do?
[] Try to discover how to get into contact with the entities behind Sunset Shores
[] Use the discovery and his son's testimony to attempt to secure Lord Chester's fealty
[] Write in
OOC: If you guys choose to break the plot wide open here at Greenshield any subsequent negotiations with ulitharid and any of its fellows are likely to be much more difficult if not impossible.
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Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
Err, so we could probably twist the callousness of his trade partners to get Lord Chester to reconsider working with them and even work with us, but it would cause problems if we ever wanted to work with the other squidheads.
Do we want to do that though? Do we really want to do that??
They probably do have information on the other squidheads, which is the thing they have that is most valuable to us, as opposed to just about anything else they can offer us.
Do we want to do that though? Do we really want to do that??
They probably do have information on the other squidheads, which is the thing they have that is most valuable to us, as opposed to just about anything else they can offer us.
egoo
Totally Not Creating Problems Where None Existed
- Location
- Russia
I call bullshit.
That aside, I'm kinda too busy to try and unfuck this i many direction, apparently being on a lockdown means literally nothing but lots of homework :/
Do we really want to even try talking to squids, considering the general "no fucks given"-attitude for other races?
Gith can attest to the fact the thing we are seeing is likely but elaborate mummery because of lack of forces, or something.
That aside, I'm kinda too busy to try and unfuck this i many direction, apparently being on a lockdown means literally nothing but lots of homework :/
Do we really want to even try talking to squids, considering the general "no fucks given"-attitude for other races?
Gith can attest to the fact the thing we are seeing is likely but elaborate mummery because of lack of forces, or something.
- Location
- Argentina
... I think thst we should ask that Alhoon an honest opinion on this clusterfuck.
Divide and conquer. What is the alternative? To work against both at the same time? To further the goals of one when we defeat the other?
Divide and conquer. What is the alternative? To work against both at the same time? To further the goals of one when we defeat the other?
Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
The Gith would probably say "just kill them all and let Cthulhu sort them out".
The problem with working with Illithid is that you are working with Illithid. Bloody smart gits. They also don't conveniently have a pathological hatred of oathbreaking and pride of service like Devils do.
The problem with working with Illithid is that you are working with Illithid. Bloody smart gits. They also don't conveniently have a pathological hatred of oathbreaking and pride of service like Devils do.
egoo
Totally Not Creating Problems Where None Existed
- Location
- Russia
Kinda the idea, yeah.
I mean, it's not like we are working with any of the Archdevils to fuck up Mammon (the one-time deal with that Blood War-oriented Archdevil is a one-time exception, really).
Nor do we work with Sseth/Llolth to fuck up Llolth/Sseth.
We don't go working with Bloodstone Emperor to fuck up the 15th.
Just because someone is an enemy of our enemy doesn't mean they are a viable friend :/
The fact that Gith/Ferryman/Stormy will be angry with us if we start working with Squids is just a cherry on top.
- Location
- Argentina
No, Devils just have a particular love of fine print so that they don't break oaths.
Still, if we work with them... what can we offer to keep the most unsavory things they do from happening?
- Location
- Germany
What they can offer is pretty significant.
- Fleshcrafting lore directly from the masters
-- assorted templates and base creatures
-- Illithid and likely Silithar grafts
- Psionics
- intel on the main Illithid forces
- military assets
- tons of knowledge
I for one would try to cut a deal with them. If we can create proper non-sentient food for them, the main problem for long term coexistence and cooperation goes away.
- Fleshcrafting lore directly from the masters
-- assorted templates and base creatures
-- Illithid and likely Silithar grafts
- Psionics
- intel on the main Illithid forces
- military assets
- tons of knowledge
I for one would try to cut a deal with them. If we can create proper non-sentient food for them, the main problem for long term coexistence and cooperation goes away.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Pretty much. They're "Lawful" only in the sense that they adhere to their own laws. Those same laws don't extend to food or slaves, no more than we consider it murder for a rancher to have a herd of cattle slaughtered to sell their meat. "We" in this case being everyone who eats meat.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I don't dispute the fact that we could gain something of value from forming even a minor alliance with the rebel Deep One faction, but we have some fairly irreconcilable differences.
Non-sentient food has never been an issue for the Illithid. They've been able to bypass their need to consume humanoid brains for literally billions of years. Sustenance is a 2nd level Psionic power, and a Ring of Sustenance only costs 250 IM to craft. They eat brains because they like it a lot and see nothing wrong with it, since they place no intrinsic value on non-Illithids beyond their ability to serve as slave labor or as food.
EDIT: Rings of Sustenance actually use a 3rd level spell as a base. Psionic crafters could use the Sustenance power to make an equivalent item for only 120 IM, so it's even less onerous to equip the Illithid population with them than it appears at first glance.
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Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
At this point I am tempted to approach them just to understand more about their situation, being absolutely prepared to just kill all of them at the drop of a hat because they are still horrible little shit-goblins who deserve death not just because of what they are mind you, but because they inherently see any partnership between us as having an expiration date, rather than just possible to be dissolved due to us having irreconcilable differences. They want to kill us, they are just patient enough about it to wait until they have the resources to do so.
Look we are never going to agree that working with these things is a good idea. Not when it could also be a tremendously bad idea.
But as Azel has pointed out in the past, we are operating on a lot of assumptions in regards to the Deep Ones, not a lot of hard facts, because we never bothered to go searching because they left us well enough alone for the most part until recently.
If you make an argument that sounds more like "let's see what we can do to these things to make it benefit us" rather than "maybe we can work together and offer THEM stuff to not being horrible shit-goblins?" you would probably convince more people in this thread. We have an intense aversion to bargains that could bite us in the ass, I think the only thing we hate more than certain enemies around here is someone who tricks us, takes what we offered them and then stabs us in the back in the same move. That's not only stealing from us, that's making us a fool.
And nobody makes Viserys Targaryen their fool.
- Location
- Germany
Hence my proposal to provide them with a source of brains that doesn't require a living humanoid.
They are interested in the taste of memories and feelings that the brain contains, which makes the difference between a nice meal and chewing on cardboard. However, we can grow brains in a vat in Gogossos just fine, so we only need to hire Ishmagnis in Heaven's Shore to devise a way to inject the copies of memories into the things.
If "being a complete asshole" was an argument not to ally with someone, we would have much fewer minions.
egoo
Totally Not Creating Problems Where None Existed
- Location
- Russia
Ugh, I feel like this is going to be a mess.
Relatively simple "this is a powerful enemy you don't know much about" turns into "you can try diplomancing them, but already established allies may or may not be fffucking apoplectic at ya".
I prefer simple solutions, even if we, say, have half our empire eaten in a war.
Yes, I don't want to deal with squids to such a degree.
Whaaaatever.
[X] Crake
Let's move this trainwreck.
Relatively simple "this is a powerful enemy you don't know much about" turns into "you can try diplomancing them, but already established allies may or may not be fffucking apoplectic at ya".
I prefer simple solutions, even if we, say, have half our empire eaten in a war.
Yes, I don't want to deal with squids to such a degree.
Whaaaatever.
[X] Crake
Let's move this trainwreck.
- Location
- ?????????
I want to see if they are the standard garden variety zealots with a side of brain-eating or if they can be reasoned with. If the former then we can "ally" with them and wipe them out later. If the later then they can have a plce within the Empire.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Extract a promise from him to meet again tomorrow. You know that there's a lot of things to process for him, so you will give him some time to calm down and think.
-[X] Send Dany at night to figure out how to contact that Ulitharid, then wipe the memory of the visit.
-[X] Meanwhile Viserys goes to Heaven's Shore to discuss the notion of rebelling Illithid with Ishmagnis.
-[X] Meet with the Ulitharid to find out what they are doing and why.
Agreements and / or nuking to be decided later.
-[X] Send Dany at night to figure out how to contact that Ulitharid, then wipe the memory of the visit.
-[X] Meanwhile Viserys goes to Heaven's Shore to discuss the notion of rebelling Illithid with Ishmagnis.
-[X] Meet with the Ulitharid to find out what they are doing and why.
Agreements and / or nuking to be decided later.
Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
I just... really don't like the bad habits that Tiamat's forces picked up over the years, working with people that, on both sides, fully intend to cooperate rather than actively planning betrayal for just the right moment assuming or not caring if the other side even plans to betray them ahead of time.
That distrust innately compromises literally every attempt at cooperation because you never know. You never know "is this it? Is this the moment they are going to betray me while I am concentrating on another foe?"
You can't work with those factors, being distracted at a pivotal moment killed the Listener, and it only took a single gremlin to prove it.
That distrust innately compromises literally every attempt at cooperation because you never know. You never know "is this it? Is this the moment they are going to betray me while I am concentrating on another foe?"
You can't work with those factors, being distracted at a pivotal moment killed the Listener, and it only took a single gremlin to prove it.
- Location
- Germany
Which us why I want to figure out what their deal is before deciding anything. If cooperation can be achieved, I would go for it due to the value they can offer and that it would be the seed of integration of more Illithid after the Elder Brain is no more.
Jack vile Ripper
The swellest guy in Creation.
- Location
- Indonesia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
*widens eyes*
Wait... we can just do that? Cast a Spell and *whoosh* we're in front of that Eldritch Undead Abomination's store stall?
In Hellven?
With no Wards need to be passed? No Curses born from a million Angel Tears? No passport nor paperwork needed for the Directorate of Custom and Excise?