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

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Goldfish said:
Here's what I've got so far for our response to the questions posed by the Sons. Anything ya'll think I should add or change?

[X] "I serve those who do not wish to see the people of Mereen, Astapor, or Yunkai, whether they be freed man or lowly slave, succumb to the depredations of Hell. The fools who willingly sell themselves into Infernal servitude also forfeit their souls to an afterlife of unimaginable torment, thus my allies and I work to hasten their inevitable descent to Hell before they can doom those not yet corrupted to share a similar fate." We don't need to push an anti-slavery agenda right now, as it would be of little use beyond all but guaranteeing the Sons of the Harpy refuse any cooperation with us at all. Instead, we need to make it clear we are targeting the folks who have allied themselves with Hell. Given the nature of Slaver's Bay, however, that means that most of our victims are going to be counted 'Masters' by the Sons.
-[X] Teana will go on to explain that we do not expect the Sons of the Harpy to trust us, as we do not yet trust them, except perhaps in regards to situations where our interests closely align. They do not appear to wish Slaver's Bay to become a puppet state of Hell any more than we do, so in this we have a common purpose.
--[X] We will not ask for material assistance from the Sons, nor will we expect them to ask it of us. Rather, we will share information. We have methods of gathering intelligence distinct from those employed by the Sons, and vice versa, so it is in both our interests to share what we learn, when we can do so without endangering our respective organizations of course.
---[X] She will stress that this is an opportunity to establish a working relationship which may evolve into a more beneficial partnership in the coming months and years. Just as we did not execute every former slave master in Tyrosh, Lys, or Myr when we took control of those cities, we need not do so in Slaver's Bay either. The Sons of the Harpy, assuming the being they claim allegiance to is not as bad as or worse than the powers of Hell, could very well end up as governors and administrators of Slaver's Bay when it comes time to join the Imperium.
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No mention of the Lady of Spears joining Baator?

It is pretty relevant.
 
DragonParadox said:
So it looks like I've been doing too many write in votes recently, judging from the low vote count

Sorry about that guys.
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No worries, DP. There just aren't many of us who are comfortable making our own write ins, or who wish to participate to that degree. I don't mind writing them, but it is nice to simply have a few options to choose from, with the option to do a write in if someone wants to.
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 30, 2020 at 9:42 AM, finished with 35 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] "I serve those who do not wish to see the people of Mereen, Astapor, or Yunkai, whether they be freed man or lowly slave, succumb to the depredations of Hell. The fools who willingly sell themselves into Infernal servitude also forfeit their souls to an afterlife of unimaginable torment, thus my allies and I work to hasten their inevitable descent to Hell before they can doom those not yet corrupted to share a similar fate." We don't need to push an anti-slavery agenda right now, as it would be of little use beyond all but guaranteeing the Sons of the Harpy refuse any cooperation with us at all. Instead, we need to make it clear we are targeting the folks who have allied themselves with Hell. Given the nature of Slaver's Bay, however, that means that most of our victims are going to be counted 'Masters' by the Sons.
    -[X] Teana will go on to explain that we do not expect the Sons of the Harpy to trust us, as we do not yet trust them, except perhaps in regards to situations where our interests closely align. They do not appear to wish Slaver's Bay to become a puppet state of Hell any more than we do, so in this we have a common purpose.
    --[X] We will not ask for material assistance from the Sons, nor will we expect them to ask it of us. Rather, we will share information. We have methods of gathering intelligence distinct from those employed by the Sons, and vice versa, so it is in both our interests to share what we learn, when we can do so without endangering our respective organizations of course.
    ---[X] She will stress that this is an opportunity to establish a working relationship which may evolve into a more beneficial partnership in the coming months and years. Just as we did not execute every former slave master in Tyrosh, Lys, or Myr when we took control of those cities, we need not do so in Slaver's Bay either. The Sons of the Harpy, assuming the being they claim allegiance to is not as bad as or worse than the powers of Hell, could very well end up as governors and administrators of Slaver's Bay when it comes time to join the Imperium.
    ----[X] As our first contribution to this tentative alliance, explain that the Lady of Spears, long rumored to be the secret Goddess of the Unsullied, does in fact exist. Unfortunately, not only does she exist, but she has also made a Pact with Hell. In exchange for her support of Hell's forces in Slaver's Bay, including the control of the Unsullied who worship her, she will soon become the newest Archduke of Hell. The implications for her increased personal power and ability to act through her pawns are obvious, as is the reality that no Unsullied can be trusted not to be one of hers.
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Interlude DCCCXIV: A Fragile Bargain
  • Threadmarks
    • A Fragile Bargain ​

    Twenty First Day of the First Month 294 AC

    "I serve those who do not wish to see the people of Meereen, Astapor, or Yunkai, whether they be freed man or lowly slave, succumb to the depredations of Hell. The fools who willingly sell themselves into Infernal servitude also forfeit their souls to an afterlife of unimaginable torment, thus my allies and I work to hasten their inevitable descent to Hell before they can doom those not yet corrupted to share a similar fate," Teana said, or perhaps vomited for though the shadow-seeming could not taste the words they still left a taste in her mouth like bile. She knew it would not help to tell these men, these bastions of Meereenese so-called-honor, to free the slaves or face the Legion and the skyships, the dragons and the King. They were better than Asmodeus not out of any lack of willingness to set a yoke just as tight on every neck, but a lack of ability. Still, she kept her voice light and well-meaning, she had said worse lies for lesser causes.

    Alas she did not prove convincing enough, only one of the bird skull masks nodded, the iron, the others continued to look at her with mistrust behind eyes of glass. "Your words are sweet, shadow. Did your master speak their like to the lords of Myr before he made them beg for scraps of their birthright like hounds at his table?"

    "You do not need to trust us me, nor my King, to trust that our interests are aligned in keeping the hand of Hell from squeezing around the throats of men," the sorceress replies softly. "There will be no daggers at your back, no agents in the flesh for you to work with, only answers shared back and forth, which can be verified before we act upon it." She paused, with a sense of drama gained as a mummer and honed as an instructor of would-be sorcerers. "For a beginning know this the Lady of Spears, goddess of the Unsullied, with the knowlege and will of your fellow Masters, has sold out her service to Hell in expectation of being made one of the great generals of the Lord of the Ninth. Worry not about our daggers my lords, but about the thousand spears poised above the backs of every single master in this city when they move in earnest."

    The silence that followed was such that Teana could hear the ragged echoing breath behind the masks, a pity she did not have longer to enjoy it.

    Three of the four nodded, one instantly, the other two far more reluctantly. It was apparently a majority decision because the man in the copper mask spoke up, trying and failing to hide his distaste: "We shall cooperate with you in service of destroying our common foes."

    The cooperation went little further than exchanging dead drop locations to communicate through and accounts of House Loraq's arcane protections that while not entirely worthless were nowhere near an equitable trade for the secret Teana has just revealed.

    Maybe they will open up more in the future, or maybe we get to be as unfair to them in turn when they lose their fortunes or their heads in turn after the conquest. Teana Strycos, former slave and present vassal of the Dragon King, knew which fate she would prefer them to have.

    What next?

    [] Return to Viserys (Reaching into the Reach)

    [] Receive a report
    -[] Hermetia in Vialesk (Waves of Intrigue)
    -[] Dealing with the rogue enchanter near Ashford (A Cult of Personality)
    -[] Searching for the Targaryen Isles (The Search for Heritage Long-Lost)
    -[] Privaterring on the Plane of Fire (Into the Fire)

    OOC: Not the best rolls unfortunately, Teana is not a focused social build and she really does not like slavers.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Yeah alright, we may have chosen not the best person not present us.
    Still, I'd take dealing with Slavers over losing to Asmy any day, any time.
    Who knows, they may just fold in into the Empire peacefully eventually, Myr/Lys/Tyrosh had their share of Magisters do so.

    [X] Recieve a report
    -[X] Dealing with the rogue enchanter near Ashford (A Cult of Personality)

    I'm just curious about this one.

    It's been, what, four to six months since we've heard of it first?
    Let's just say, we probably can expect anything there by now.
     
    [X] Recieve a report
    -[X] Dealing with the rogue enchanter near Ashford (A Cult of Personality)
     
    DragonParadox said:
    A Fragile Bargain ​

    Twenty First Day of the First Month 294 AC

    "I serve those who do not wish to see the people of Mereen, Astapor, or Yunkai, whether they be freed man or lowly slave, succumb to the depredations of Hell. The fools who willingly sell themselves into Infernal servitude also forfeit their souls to an afterlife of unimaginable torment, thus my allies and I work to hasten their inevitable descent to Hell before they can doom those not yet corrupted to share a similar fate," Teana said, or perhaps vomited for though the shadow-seeming could not taste, the words still left a taste in her mouth like bile. She knew it would not help to tell these men, these bastions of Mereenese so-called-honor, to free the slaves or face the legion and the skyships, the dragons and the king. They were better than Asmodeous not out of any lack of willingness to set a yoke just as tight on every neck, but a lack of ability. Still, she kept her voice light and well-meaning, she had said worse lies for lesser causes.

    Alas, she did not prove convincing enough, only one of the bird skull masks nodded, the iron, the others continued to look at her with mistrust behind eyes of glass. "Your words are sweet, shadow. Did your master speak their like to the lords of Myr before he made them beg for scraps of their birthright like hounds at his table?"

    "You do not need to trust us me, nor my king, to trust that our interests are aligned in keeping the hand of Hell from squeezing around the throats of men," the sorceress replies softly. "There will be no daggers at your back, no agents in the flesh for you to work with, only answers shared back and forth, which can be verified before we act upon it." She paused, with a sense of drama gained as a mummer and honed as an instructor of would be sorcerers. "For a beginning know this, the Lady of Spears, goddess of the Unsullied, with the knowlege and will of your fellow Masters has sold out her service to Hell in expectation of being made one of the great generals of the Lord of the Ninth. Worry not about our daggers my lords, but about the thousand spears poised above the backs of every single master in this city when they move in earnest."

    The silence that followed was such that Teana could hear the ragged echoing breath behind the masks, a pity she did not have longer to enjoy it.

    Three of the four nodded, one instantly, the other two far more reluctantly. It was apparently a majority decision because the man in the copper mask, trying and failing to hide his distaste, said, "We shall cooperate with you in service of destroying our common foes."

    The cooperation went little further than exchanging dead drop locations to facilitate communications and accounts of House Loraq's arcane protections that, while not entirely worthless, were nowhere near an equitable trade for the secret Teana had just revealed.

    Maybe they will open up more in the future, or maybe we get to be as unfair to them in turn when they lose their fortunes or their heads in turn after the conquest. Teana Strycos, former slave and present vassal of the dragon king, knew which fate she would prefer them to have.

    What next?

    [] Return to Viserys (Reaching into the Reach)

    [] Receive a report
    -[] Hermetia in Vialesk (Waves of Intrigue)
    -[] Dealing with the rogue enchanter near Ashford (A Cult of Personality)
    -[] Searching for the Targaryen Isles (The Search for Heritage Long-Lost)
    -[] Privateering on the Plane of Fire (Into the Fire)

    OOC: Not the best rolls unfortunately, Teana is not a focused social build and she really does not like slavers. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

    The rolls might not have been great, but this was really all I was hoping for. Establishing a dialogue was the important part. Anything else would have just been gravy.

    Now I'm really interested in seeing how Hermetia has been getting along in Vialesk.

    [X] Receive a report
    -[X] Hermetia in Vialesk (Waves of Intrigue)
     
    egoo said:
    Yeah alright, we may have chosen not the best person not present us.
    Still, I'd take dealing with Slavers over losing to Asmy any day, any time.
    Who knows, they may just fold in into the Empire peacefully eventually, Myr/Lys/Tyrosh had their share of Magisters do so.

    [X] Recieve a report
    -[X] Dealing with the rogue enchanter near Ashford (A Cult of Personality)

    I'm just curious about this one.

    It's been, what, four to six months since we've heard of it first?
    Let's just say, we probably can expect anything there by now.
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    Yeah, Teana wasn't the best choice to meet with the Sons, at least as a diplomancer. She was no slouch, though, especially with social buffs active. She was chosen not for her diplomacy skills, however, but because sending her Shadow-Trace duplicate meant that no matter what was waiting at the meeting, there was no danger to her or any of our other people. I might not be as paranoid as you are, but Devils make me nervous enough that I'm in favor of taking whatever reasonable precautions we can.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    "For a beginning know this the Lady of Spears, goddess of the Unsullied, with the knowlege and will of your fellow Masters, has sold out her service to Hell in expectation of being made one of the great generals of the Lord of the Ninth. Worry not about our daggers my lords, but about the thousand spears poised above the backs of every single master in this city when they move in earnest."

    The silence that followed was such that Teana could hear the ragged echoing breath behind the masks, a pity she did not have longer to enjoy it.
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    Basically we revealed them that all their economy is now serving their enemy. Truly Asmodeus utterly outmaneuvered the Sons of the Harpy.
     
    Tomcost said:
    Basically we revealed them that all their economy is now serving their enemy. Truly Asmodeus utterly outmaneuvered the Sons of the Harpy.
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    The Lady of Spears is only worshipped by the Unsullied, not by all slaves.

    So Astapor is basically down for the count, but Yunkai still might have something of a fighting chance.
    Bedslaves would not worship the Lady, so they are safe at least from that side.

    [X] egoo
     
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