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

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A_Somebody said:
[X] Crake

Huh I actually wondered if the protest was going to be about the Eirynes being present, but no was a pleasant surprise.

I mean brain drain is a legit concern when it comes to migration plus the all too human(? Sapient?) concern of parents and their young ones rushing off to battle. I'm guessing the Tritons do not have a Westerosi militarism bone in their body, do they?
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Probably a byproduct of scattered tribes being whittled away over millennia. In that light it makes a lot of sense why Breath Taker and Blight's Bane are so supportive of their Tritons are being united under the Imperium. I have the suspicion that though they could technically find safe harbor in the cities of the Marid they're far from united there.
 
A_Somebody said:
[X] Crake

Huh I actually wondered if the protest was going to be about the Eirynes being present, but no was a pleasant surprise.

I mean brain drain is a legit concern when it comes to migration plus the all too human(? Sapient?) concern of parents and their young ones rushing off to battle. I'm guessing the Tritons do not have a Westerosi militarism bone in their body, do they?
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The concern has more to do with the concern that there will be a lot of overlap with the types of people we are hiring (both free companies and independent mercenaries, but also crafters) that a sufficient quotient of young Tritons will want to take the offer to go fighting their ancestral boogiemen for us (or getting paid money to work in an exotic locale), which our being a dragon compounds in the context of Vialesk as the local Triton community there doesn't like them from a cultural bias standpoint.

But to be honest the number of young Tritons seeking work from us should be statistically fairly low, especially if we just set our hiring criteria to employing people who are clearly experienced and know what they are all about, which would usually mean mature adults with experience in one or more military campaigns. Not youths looking for glory or wealth.
 
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Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 31, 2020 at 3:52 PM, finished with 34 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] Plane of Water Ambassadorial Mission #1
    -[X] Go out to try to address the crowd
    --[X] After using what social buffs she has access to (via her own spells or spell scrolls), Hermetia will ask the crowd for patience, and to allow her to speak to them for a moment. She will assure them that the Imperium is making no special effort to convince young Tritons to immigrate to the Plane of Balance. She will also remind those present that many of their children, if they are anything like Humans, will be all the more likely to rebel against their parents if they are seen to be too strongly against their actions.
    -[X] Investigate who might be behind the protests
    --[X] As part of the investigation, send a priority request to the House of Mirrors and the Inquisition for assistance.
    --[X] Hermetia will also contact Breath Taker for advice on dealing with the Tritons. If someone is manipulating them, he may be able to provide valuable insight into their culture on the Plane of Water.
    ---[X] Hermetia's bodyguards and the embassy staff will be on high alert for any potential assassins who might use the opportunity to take a direct shot at our representative.
    ---[X] Reminder: Hermetia is at this point now authorized to lean on the Crown's resources in the pursuit of her objectives in Vialesk and its environs, besides the Inquisition and House of Mirrors. What the Commissariat in Sorcerer's Deep suggests is what comes standard to many provinces when their presence is requested to deal with a problem of a nature which cannot be solved by purging it with fire, spell and blade: Information.
    ----[X] Hermetia will spend as much as required to get a chain of informants set up, taking special pains to ensure she is not violating any local laws with regards to the nature of their employment. It should be relatively safe however to hire the local water mephits or other denizens to report gossip and linger in places where they could track movements of people, and likely as not everyone who is interested in brokerage of information likely has done the same to those beings who aren't suited to earning a living more effectively for amount of energy and skill invested versus the profit.
    -----[X] She will maneuver socially for as much as her involvement as possible rather than in a clandestine fashion. If we need to take less than legal action to respond to such in kind, we will employ Companion-grade agents to take care of it at some point. Ideally she would try to deal with this problem if at all possible through negotiation with the parties interested in tarnishing our good name, or if it is clear they are provateurs set in their path by a darker power, to expose it to the city's authorities.
    ------[X] If Hermetia is able to take overt action in Vialesk with what and who she has on hand right now, she will do so as it falls within her remit, essentially. Priority is of course compliance with the city's authorities.
    -------[X] Speaking of the City's Authorities, seeing as how we are now facing diplomatic issues, one of the largest vectors for solving this issue and allowing Vialesk to keep its new trading partner and prospective military ally would be to politely ask them to use some of their own resources to assist us. We don't technically have to do everything ourselves if it isn't just us who benefits from it, it's just a bit of give and take.
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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 31, 2020 at 3:52 PM, finished with 34 posts and 11 votes.
  • [X] Plane of Water Ambassadorial Mission #1
    -[X] Go out to try to address the crowd
    --[X] After using what social buffs she has access to (via her own spells or spell scrolls), Hermetia will ask the crowd for patience, and to allow her to speak to them for a moment. She will assure them that the Imperium is making no special effort to convince young Tritons to immigrate to the Plane of Balance. She will also remind those present that many of their children, if they are anything like Humans, will be all the more likely to rebel against their parents if they are seen to be too strongly against their actions.
    -[X] Investigate who might be behind the protests
    --[X] As part of the investigation, send a priority request to the House of Mirrors and the Inquisition for assistance.
    --[X] Hermetia will also contact Breath Taker for advice on dealing with the Tritons. If someone is manipulating them, he may be able to provide valuable insight into their culture on the Plane of Water.
    ---[X] Hermetia's bodyguards and the embassy staff will be on high alert for any potential assassins who might use the opportunity to take a direct shot at our representative.
    ---[X] Reminder: Hermetia is at this point now authorized to lean on the Crown's resources in the pursuit of her objectives in Vialesk and its environs, besides the Inquisition and House of Mirrors. What the Commissariat in Sorcerer's Deep suggests is what comes standard to many provinces when their presence is requested to deal with a problem of a nature which cannot be solved by purging it with fire, spell and blade: Information.
    ----[X] Hermetia will spend as much as required to get a chain of informants set up, taking special pains to ensure she is not violating any local laws with regards to the nature of their employment. It should be relatively safe however to hire the local water mephits or other denizens to report gossip and linger in places where they could track movements of people, and likely as not everyone who is interested in brokerage of information likely has done the same to those beings who aren't suited to earning a living more effectively for amount of energy and skill invested versus the profit.
    -----[X] She will maneuver socially for as much as her involvement as possible rather than in a clandestine fashion. If we need to take less than legal action to respond to such in kind, we will employ Companion-grade agents to take care of it at some point. Ideally she would try to deal with this problem if at all possible through negotiation with the parties interested in tarnishing our good name, or if it is clear they are provateurs set in their path by a darker power, to expose it to the city's authorities.
    ------[X] If Hermetia is able to take overt action in Vialesk with what and who she has on hand right now, she will do so as it falls within her remit, essentially. Priority is of course compliance with the city's authorities.
    -------[X] Speaking of the City's Authorities, seeing as how we are now facing diplomatic issues, one of the largest vectors for solving this issue and allowing Vialesk to keep its new trading partner and prospective military ally would be to politely ask them to use some of their own resources to assist us. We don't technically have to do everything ourselves if it isn't just us who benefits from it, it's just a bit of give and take.
Click to expand...
 
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Interlude DCCCXVIII: In Troubled Waters
  • Threadmarks
    • In Troubled Waters ​

    Sixteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    There was something at once terrible and dreamlike about wrapping herself in arcane insight, in hearing the dreams of dragon-kind whisper so close she could almost the hot breath of wyrms on the nape of her neck. Hermetia did not call upon those powers lightly or often, and not because she begrudged the coin spent on fine parchment and arcane inks. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never be able to match who she was under the magic's song with her own merely mortal skills and thus she used it sparingly, a tool not a crutch, but this was certainly a time to do so.

    The sounds of the crowd outside echoed strangely off living coral, but she could certainly hear hem chanting loud and clear by the time she reached the front door of the embassy.

    "Dragon's Eels slither back! We don't want your kind 'round here!"

    "Our blood's not for sale!"

    "Liar's breath is short! Down with the mad prophet!"

    Azirah hesitated outside the door. "Must you?" she sent. "I am certain there must be someone in this city who can have this crowd dispersed for the right price."

    "The price of having them scattered as you are likely imagining is higher than the Empire can afford to pay,"     Hermetia replied. "I was sent here as an envoy, to represent the Crown which is just what I am doing, no more and no less than my duty and I trust that you shall do yours just as diligently."

    That was enough for the furies to be resolved to her decision, if not Ser Kennos who still looked faintly guilty as the four of them stepped forward into the coral and limestone square facing the glares of angry tritons. There were not any obvious leaders, no one wearing magic beyond what one might expect of ordinary guildsmen and shop workers. All loud and very much not happy to see her.

    Magic could let her drown out the crowd of course, but that would send the wrong message she knew instinctively. Instead she started calling for peace, for a chance to be heard, quietly motioning Ser Kennos not to intervene when he looked ready to draw the horn from his belt. Let them feel powerful.

    Finally the crowd did calm down enough for her to speak: "Though the Empire welcomes all comers we are not seeking to convince young tritons to emigrate to the Garden," she explained in plain terms. "We have sought out and paid for skilled artisans of all the breeds of the sea, traders that have brought their wares to our markets and sellswords who have carried their banners into our seas. We do not make a habit of driving the young and hopeful to their deaths against the enemies of all. If you do not trust my lord's honor or his goodwill than at least trust his common sense. Why send children to die holding spears when their deaths would serve only the enemy?"

    The crowd did not miraculously part and melt away then, but the shouts did grow a little quieter and most helpfully more specific, all manner of unsubstantiated rumors about where they were supposed to be recruiting young tritons and why. Some where just exaggerations of things they had done to recruit some Vialesk locals for the embassy, using Breath Taker's contacts, other names and places which were wholly new to Hermetia, though she knew they would not stay so long.

    "Write this down," she sent to her little golden assistant, using one of the furies as a relay. The Inquisition would have quite a few threads to follow. Of course she would also share the news with the city's authorities. It was altogether pleasant for that to be someone else.

    Lost 8,000 IM (Setting up Simple Information Network)

    What next?

    [] Return to Viserys (Reaching into the Reach)

    [] Receive a report
    -[] Searching for the Targaryen Isles (The Search for Heritage Long-Lost)
    -[] Privateering on the Plane of Fire (Into the Fire)

    OOC: It takes time to hire agents and chase down leads. The plot in Vialesk will advance next month, though thanks to good social rolls the protests have been at least a little defused, and more importantly they can serve as the beginning of the trail for your agents.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Receive a report
    -[X] Privaterring on the Plane of Fire (Into the Fire)

    I wanna see Amy, Baella and our ragtag band of freed devils
     
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    [X] Recieve a report
    -[X] Moonsong, Moonchaser, and the crew attempting to fly into space

    I want something short (and potentially very eldritch)
     
    I wonder if this is just the course of nature or if somebody has been spreading malicious rumors. It wouldn't take much.

    I am glad we took an even handed approach to this though.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    In Troubled Waters ​

    Sixteenth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    There was something at once terrible and dreamlike about wrapping herself in arcane insight, in hearing the dreams of dragon-kind whisper so close she could almost feel the hot breath of wyrms on the nape of her neck. Hermetia did not call upon those powers lightly or often, and not because she begrudged the coin spent on fine parchment and arcane inks. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never be able to match who she was under the magic's song with her own merely mortal skills, and thus she used it sparingly, a tool not a crutch, but this was certainly a time to do so.

    The sounds of the crowd outside echoed strangely off living coral, but she could certainly hear them chanting loud and clear by the time she reached the upper door of the embassy

    "Dragon's Eels slither back. We don't want your kind 'round here!"

    "Our Blood's not for sale!"

    "Liar's breath is short! Down with the mad prophet!"

    Azirah hesitated outside the door. "Must you?" she sent. "I am certain there must be someone in this city who can have this crowd dispersed for the right price."

    "The price of having them scattered as you are likely imagining is higher than the Empire can afford to pay,"     Hermetia replied. "I was sent here as an envoy, to represent the crown which is just what I am doing, no more and no less than my duty, and I trust that you shall do yours just as diligently."

    That was enough for the furies to be resolved to her decision, if not Ser Kennos who still looked faintly guilty as the four of them stepped forward into the coral and limestone square facing the glares of angry tritons. There were not any obvious leaders, no one wearing magic beyond what one might expect of ordinary guildsmen or shop workers. All loud and very much not happy to see her.

    Magic could let her drown out the crowd, of course, but that would send the wrong message, she knew instinctively. Instead, she started calling for peace, for a chance to be heard, quietly motioning Ser Kennos not to intervene when he looked ready to draw the horn from his belt. Let them feel powerful.

    Finally the crowd did calm down enough for her to speak. "Though the Empire welcomes all comers we are not seeking to convince young tritons to emigrate to the Garden," she explained in plain terms. "We have sought out and paid for skilled artisans of all the breeds of the sea, traders have brought their wares to our markets, and sellswords have carried their banners into our seas. We do not make a habit of driving the young and hopeful to their deaths against the enemies of all. If you do not trust my lord's honor or his good will, then at least trust his common sense. Why send children to die holding spears when their deaths would serve only the enemy?"

    The crowd did not miraculously part and melt away then, but the shouts did grow a little quieter and most helpfully more specific, all manner of unsubstantiated rumors about where they were supposed to be recruiting young tritons and why. Some were just exaggerations of things they had done to recruit some Vialesk locals for the embassy, using Breath Taker's contacts, while other names and places were wholly new to Hermetia, though she knew they would not stay so for long.

    "Write this down," she sent to her little golden assistant, using one of the furies as a relay. The inquisition would have quite a few threads to follow. Of course she would also share the news with the city's authorities. It was altogether pleasant for that to be someone else.

    Lost 8000 IM (Setting up Simple information network)

    What next?

    [] Return to Viserys (Reaching into the Reach)

    [] Receive a report
    -[] Searching for the Targaryen Isles (The Search for Heritage Long-Lost)
    -[] Privaterring on the Plane of Fire (Into the Fire)

    OOC: It takes time to hire agents and chase down leads. The plot in Vialesk will advance next month, though thanks to good social rolls the protests have been at least a little defused, and more importantly they can serve as the beginning of the trail for your agents. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
     
    [X] Receive a report: Skies of Our Allies
    -[X] After Action Reports of Rogue Squadron Commander Lucerys, in regards to the combat missions flown at the behest of the Admiralty of Armun Kelisk.
    --[X] We pledged a full squadron to the fighting, or x16 Type-A Wyverns armed with alchemical munitions/Beetle Bombs for each sortie.
    ---[X] Extra-Planar/War of Three Powers rumors

    Edit:

     
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    I love ace combat.

    And as someone who's country burst into flames last night I am glad we did not start hosing them down with pepperspray.
     
    Crake said:
    [X] Receive a report: Skies of Our Allies
    -[X] After Action Reports of Rogue Squadron Commander Lucerys, in regards to the combat missions flown at the behest of the Admiralty of Armun Kelisk.
    --[X] We pledged a full squadron to the fighting, or x16 Type-A Wyverns armed with alchemical munitions/Beetle Bombs for each sortie.

    Edit:

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    We need to somehow introduce the concept of the "Ace" for our pilots, a moniker for those skilled and lucky enough to down five or more enemy vessels or rough analogs (flying creature, enemy mage, etc).

    The term "Ace" isn't really culturally appropriate, though, at least from an IC perspective. Maybe call them Talons (of the Dragon)? Shrikes (scary little murder birds)? Bolts (from the blue)?
     
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