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

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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Apr 20, 2020 at 10:18 AM, finished with 60 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] New Research Paths
    -[X] The Final Contravention: With how far you have come, and how many you broke off from Hells' leash, perhaps you can go around the Pact Primeval in a way none before you had - and utilize the Lawful nature of all Devils to create a Ritual that would be capable of severing their connection to Hells regardless of their exact kind, or strength. (Progress: 23+??/30, Cost: 20.000 IM)
    --[X] Lya [Second body] (4d6 Progress)
    -[X] Dreamscaping: The realm of dreams is an odd thing, shaped by the minds of mortals and shaping them in return, though some beings such as Yss have shown you that it can be altered in more direct ways. You will need to learn about such shaping before you can hope to leverage the dreamscape for your grand work. (Progress: ??/20, requires Dany, progress added by other characters is halved)
    --[X] Aenie Caleris (4d6 Progress + 1d6 for specialization)
    -[X] The Heavy Thoughts: The Mindspeak that some creatures wield in this day and age has proven it's utility time and time again - and finding a way to grant the ability to use it holds great promise in most various fields.
    --[X] Find a way to evoke the ability for Telepathy in those without innate talent for it.
    --[X] Svitran (4d6 Progress)
    -[X] Watchful Eyes, by Aeons Untouched: Attempt to create the Watchman-Creature template (Progress: ??/25, Cost: ??)
    --[X] Volantis Scholarum branch (2d6 Progress), Naath Scholarum branch (2d6 Progress) -- 4d6 Progress total.
Click to expand...
 
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Interlude DCCLXIX: To Know Thyself
  • Threadmarks
    • To Know Thyself ​

    Twentieth Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC

    Great Godswood, Sorcerer's Deep

    When one considered the workings of arcane research the mind conjured images of dark foreboding halls deep in the heart of the Shadow Tower, all the more so if that research is of a sort more often mentioned in whispers among the very highest of the Scholarum's sorcerers, the study of devils and their pacts. Yet all those suppositions would be wrong for one simple reason, Lya loved swings, always had even as a child in the temple of the Moonsingers. There had been this old oak tree, one of the few trees in that part of Braavos, certainly the biggest one Lya had ever seen. She had set up the rope all by herself and just swung there, reading. She knew that some people liked to do it for fun, maybe they liked the wind in their hair, Lya just found it nice for reading, and thinking.

    All devils bound to the Lord of the Third were bound by greed...

    Swing

    Bought and paid for, not necessarily by gold, or any currency one might imagine, but all of them had made a bargain with the Lord of Avarice, a secret for a secret, a rival's humiliation for a century of service, the companionship of trusted follows for unexpected treachery.

    Swing

    Yet it came to Lya as she pondered the hopeful pilgrims moving further into the Goodswood that no one could really sell all of themselves, for to sell something you must own it and to own it one must know it. Young and old mortals and immortals all had chased perfect self-knowledge in ways beyond count, and yet no one had ever truly found it. How could one after all when life is transformation as surely cooling metal flows into a mold and morning light teases the dew from flowers petals?

    Swing

    The Lord of Minauros was lied to, all unknowingly. All that was needed to unbind devils from Hell, after securing them through the loophole he himself had opened, was to remind them of those parts of themselves that they had not known of and could not trade away. The symbolism was so clear now. The patterns of scores of potential rituals conversing upon higher order elements. The thoughts briefly flowed beyond the attention span the sorceress could maintain here/now, but she reeled them in quickly, not wanting to miss Viserys riding Balerion, seen through another pair of eyes.

    A little wistfully she got off the swing, she could not actually dictate her findings on diabolic pacts in public and anyway she needed a hand free to draw the ritual movements. Aebys still had not gotten over using his former mistress' awful short-hand for that. Really, it was a minor miracle she had not set herself on fire by accident long before the Doom. Then again she had been a Valyrian, maybe she had cheated at it.

    Whistling faintly, and not she would admit entirely on-key, Lya headed back to the tower, waving to Samwell as she went. Should she get the boy to watch her craft the ritual. He was far too inexperienced to actually try his hand at it himself, but he seemed like a sensible lad and she had no doubt he would enjoy the glimpse into what deep magic could forge, or in this case loose

    The Final Contravention Complete (23+20 =43/30)

    ***​

    Elsewhen Elsewhere

    Aenie Caleris had never considered the difference between Dreaming and dreaming before, why Dragons and their kin sank into the memories of what was and omens of what might yet be while most of humankind twisted and turned on tides of hopes and fears, unacknowledged desire and forgotten sorrows. She had after all been taught since before she could walk and talk that she was better than most, that magic flowed in her blood raising her above more common souls as gold against pewter.

    Even a life of sorrows and hunger, eking out an existence among the ruins, had not dissuaded her of that fact. After all, had not a Goddess chosen her and those in her charge to survive against some future need? Even the calamity itself spoke of the greatness of her kin. It was no small thing to scorch the sky and torment the earth.

    However, to seek answers in the Dream was to look within as well as without, to weigh and consider why the vistas before her appeared as they did in order to understand them.

    And so she did.

    When men dreamed they were gods, each of their own narrow sphere, but they knew it not and so that potential was lost to them. Yet it would not fade, but was instead transformed. From it were born gods and when gods dreamed miracles came to be. She saw the pattern now and had only to follow it.

    Dreamscaping Progress 6+11 = 17/20

    OOC: I tried to get the telepathy research and the watchful creatures in here, but it just felt crowbared into what is otherwise a nicely complementary interlude about self-knowledge.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Seven thousand years from now, the Sage's Thinking Swing is going to be a Major Artifact of indeterminate origin and earth shaking power.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    To Know Thyself ​

    Twentieth Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC

    Great Godswood, Sorcerer's Deep

    When one considered the workings of arcane research, the mind conjured images of dark foreboding halls deep in the heart of the Shadow Tower, all the more so if that research is of a sort more often mentioned in whispers among the very highest of the Scholarum's sorcerers, the study of devils and their pacts. Yet all those suppositions would be wrong for one simple reason; Lya loved swings. She always had, even as a child in the temple of the Moonsingers. There had been this old oak tree, one of the few trees in that part of Braavos, certainly the biggest one Lya had ever seen up to that point. She had set up the rope all by herself and just swung there, reading. She knew that some people liked to do it for fun, or maybe they liked the wind in their hair, but Lya just found it nice for reading and thinking.

    All Devils bound to the Lord of the Third were bound by greed...

    Swing

    Bought and paid for, not necessarily by gold, or any currency one might imagine, but all of them had made a bargain with the Lord of Avarice, a secret for a secret, a rival's humiliation for a century of service, the companionship of trusted fellows for unexpected treachery.

    Swing

    Yet it came to Lya as she pondered the hopeful pilgrims moving further into the Godswood, that no one could really sell all of themselves, for to sell something you must own it, and to own it one must know it. Young and old, mortal and immortal, all had chased perfect self-knowledge in ways beyond count, no one had ever truly found it. How could one, after all, when life is transformation as surely as cooling metal flows into a mold and morning light teases the dew from a flower's petals?

    Swing

    The Lord of Minauros lied and was lied to, all unknowing. All that was needed to unbind devils from Hell after securing them through the loophole he himself had opened, was to remind them of those parts of themselves that they had not known of and could not trade away. The symbolism was so clear now. The patterns of scores of potential rituals converging upon higher order elements. The thoughts briefly flowed beyond the attention span the sorceress could maintain here/now, but she reeled them in quickly, not wanting to miss Viserys riding Balerion, seen through another pair of eyes.

    A little wistfully, Lya got off the swing. She could not actually dictate her findings on diabolic pacts in public, and she needed a hand free to draw the ritual movements. Aebys still had not gotten over using his former mistress' awful short-hand for that. It really was a minor miracle she had not set herself on fire by accident long before the Doom. Then again, she had been a Valyrian, maybe she had cheated at it.

    Whistling faintly and not, she would admit, entirely on-key, Lya headed back to the tower, waving to Samwell as she went. Should she get the boy to watch her craft the ritual? He was far too inexperienced to actually try his hand at it himself, but he seemed like a sensible lad and she had no doubt he would enjoy the glimpse into what deep magic could forge, or in this case loose.

    The Final Contravention Complete (23+20 =43/30)

    ***​

    Elsewhen, Elsewhere

    Aenie Caleris had never before considered the difference between Dreaming and dreaming, why Dragons and their kin sank into the memories of what was and omens of what might yet be, while most of humankind twisted and turned on tides of hope and fear, unacknowledged desires and forgotten sorrows. After all, she had been taught since before she could walk and talk that she was better than most, that magic flowed in her veins, raising her above more common souls as gold against pewter.

    Even a life of sorrows and hunger, eking out an existence among the ruins of fallen Valyria had not dissuaded her of that fact. Had not a Goddess chosen her and those in her charge to survive against some future need? Even the calamity itself spoke of the greatness of her kin. It was no small thing to scorch the sky and torment the earth.

    To seek answers in the Dream, however, was to look within as well as without, to weigh and consider why the vistas before her appeared as they did in order to understand them.

    And so she did.

    When men dreamed, they were gods, each masters of their own narrow sphere, but they knew it not and so that potential was lost to them. Yet it would not fade, but was instead transformed. From it were born gods, and when gods dreamed miracles came to be. She saw the pattern now and had only to follow it.

    Dreamscaping Progress 6+11 = 17/20

    OOC: I tried to get the telepathy research and the watchful creatures in here, but it just felt crowbarred into what is otherwise a nicely complementary interlude about self-knowledge. Not yet edited.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
     
    Did we have any devils left that we wanted to recruit, but didn't for the lack of this ritual?

    I think that Azel's troop on the Plane of FIre was one such case, but there might be more.
     
    Since we are already discussing the next turn, we have 11 Lejnths, who are joining us soley for the promise of more interesting foes and battles than the Bloodwar can offer.
    They are on a one-month trial run and if they don't like it, they'll go back to killing demons in some Archduke's pay.

    What task can we give them?
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    Since we are already discussing the next turn, we have 11 Lejnths, who are joining us soley for the promise of more interesting foes and battles than the Bloodwar can offer.
    They are on a one-month trial run and if they don't like it, they'll go back to killing demons in some Archduke's pay.

    What task can we give them?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Explore the coast of Sothoryos.
     
    So i had an idea, i was playing a game the other day and summoned a dire tiger. It is surprisingly good at being killy. So would it be a good base for a melee bruiser.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    Since we are already discussing the next turn, we have 11 Lejnths, who are joining us soley for the promise of more interesting foes and battles than the Bloodwar can offer.
    They are on a one-month trial run and if they don't like it, they'll go back to killing demons in some Archduke's pay.

    What task can we give them?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    If we stationed them somewhere in Sothoryos, maybe with the Gogossossi garrison, there would be plenty of deadly stuff for them to fight regularly.
     
    They can literally murder shit all day there, together with the local garrison, Seekers, Undead and all the other monstrosities under our command.

    They will feel right at home.
     
    So I've had another strange "what would you pick" thought : if this quest had been an E6 game and you'd known it, which classes would you have chosen for everyone? Would you still have gone for spellcasters, or would you have tried better skillmonkeys, or daylong classes like Warlock?

    Here's an example I whipped up in a few minutes :
    • Viserys : Dragonfire Adept 6 (Dragon theme, all social skills, decent invocations)
    • Daenerys : Cleric 6 (Healing!)
    • Lya : Artificer 6
    • Richard : Warblade 5 / Crusader 1 (Fighter just isn't worth it in E6 : retrain!)
    • Waymar : Duskblade 5 / Warblade 1
    I was going to add a "and what would you take for an insertion there?" but then I realized everyone would be saying "Mystic Wild Shape Ranger" because E6 still has a power class.
     
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