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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 Jun 8, 2020 at 4:09 PM, finished with 32 posts and 13 votes.
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Takesis said:
Oh hi Jace! You're female now? That's Jace Beleren on your pic for her, DP. MTG's poster boy this past decade. He's popular enough to have Rule 63 fan art. But I see where you're going with selecting that picture.
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Look at me! I'm a mage who wears robes everywhere!
Look at me! I'm the rule 63 version who wears a bikini!
:/

DP's picture is the best here, even if the gender doesn't match. It's not super visible, and I also think that it fits the tone (and Astronomer theme) much better to have a mysterious figure in robes instead of a generic "most common superpower" Marvel magic-user.
 
TalonofAnathrax said:
Look at me! I'm a mage who wears robes everywhere!
Look at me! I'm the rule 63 version who wears a bikini!
:/

DP's picture is the best here, even if the gender doesn't match. It's not super visible, and I also think that it fits the tone (and Astronomer theme) much better to have a mysterious figure in robes instead of a generic "most common superpower" Marvel magic-user.
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Plus I mean, women wanting to have an androgynous look in some situations is a thing IRL.
 
Zioneer said:
Plus I mean, women wanting to have an androgynous look in some situations is a thing IRL.
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In-setting, what we've seen so far suggests that robes are a mage's clothing of choice in most places with developed magical traditions (although armor is often worn for battle). I'd bet anything that there's a whole robe fashion industry out there, with Valyrian mages arguing over the cut of their robes and whatnot (because people want to look good, and often want to look good in a gender-coded way). Heck, even the IRL artist who drew that could have found a whole lot of feminine robe styles to go with the R63 idea, and he doesn't live in a society in which the spellcasting aristocracy wears robes every day.

To be fair, I don't usually bother quibbling about this sort of outfit for in-universe reasons, because we all know the usual justifications and hand-waiving:
  • If I could do magic I'd also make myself improbably good-looking
  • The inconvenience of that bikini outfit is probably being mitigated with magic
  • "I can hide things in my robes" is irrelevant once you get to a certain level of magic ability (just use a custom Handy Haversack Shrink Item Possum Pouch or something, and literally pull your gear out of your belly button using 3.5 RAW). This is stupid handwaiving to justify having a bikini mage, of course, but it's also true to this setting at this point
  • Presumably a setting in which every woman wears a bikini all day wouldn't have social stigma against doing that
And in any case, I wouldn't get into a rant about sexism or whatever unless one has already started. It's neither fun nor productive for anyone involved, and I'm not completely delusional about the state of fantasy artwork and socially acceptable representations and whatnot.
No, I'm mostly annoyed at the idea that this R63 picture would have been a better choice for a mysterious astronomer than the one DP picked, which was honestly great for the job. That bikini pic was more of a warmage (at best).
Unless the issue wasn't the clothes, but the gender? Did you want DP to photoshop a different chin on it, to hammer in that it's a woman?
 
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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jun 8, 2020 at 4:09 PM, finished with 32 posts and 13 votes.
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Part MMMDXXXVIII: Opening Gambit
  • Threadmarks
    • Opening Gambit ​

    Twenty Fifth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    Much as you might wish to hear the tale of the strange shugenja garbed in crimson and steel, or know what charge or task binds the bodiless angel to endure, you do not wish to draw undue attention to Mikael Abdul-Hassan, earth-born sorcerer looking for a bargain. Instead you engage the Astronomer in a touch of scholarly smalltalk, curious how one can be a watcher of the skies in a realm where the sky is all with neither star nor moon to look upon, though of course you do not present it in quite those terms, not wishing to seem too familiar with the Realm of Balance above or below.

    "The marks I bear are not of any lights of the Endless Sky, but of the realm beyond where cosmic luminaries bright beyond our understanding reveal the secrets of fate and celestial fire," Kimu proclaims, clearly enthusiastic about her work. "To witness their motions and guess at their secrets was for many an age an inexact art and dangerous besides, but as the Garden opens to more visitors of the Spheres they can more easily be seen. Why I heard Janir Bin Lasir, whom I had the honor of studying under briefly, even traveled under that vault to teach and to learn."

    You are surprised to hear the name, though the rumor isn't entirely unfounded of course, there have been djinn cryomancers teaching in the Deep, though not Janir Bin Lasir, called the Mage of Metamorphosis. The only time she had been to 'the Garden' had been to a portion of the world that perhaps least deserves the name, for she had been the djinn archmage who had aided in repulsing the Brazen Throne's attack over Valyria.

    "I have heard much of her wisdom and her skill as a teacher besides, truly you were blessed with the chance to learn from her, though it seems your own arts have grown beyond those of frost..." you motion to the storm vortex which surrounds her, not least to her guards.

    "Frost may bind and break, but lightning transforms," she replies. "A more fitting thread for fate to run along. Perhaps soon I shall see storm clouds dance across the face of the moon, but for now let us watch and wait for our host."

    Something about her tone strikes an odd note, an almost perfect opening, too perfect perhaps to be a coincidence, or are you simply jumping at shadows? Had you given something away when you heard the cryomancer's name unexpectedly? Meeting the sorceress' gaze intent behind the good cheer, you suspect you had, familiarity with the Garden at least, though you doubt she could guess your true identity from just that.

    Alas, you do not have time to decide what more to say about it for it is in that moment that the chest in the middle of the room opens... and reveals itself to be a mouth with teeth of steel, eyes bubbling into the flesh... a mimic. "Welcome, welcome to Eschyr's Emporium," it calls out in a voice loud but measured in every syllable. "Apologies for the wait, I had to know how you would react. I'm Eschyr of course and these..." he starts extracting what you hope are sealed scrolls from his mouth. "Are today's scrolls on offer."

    "A merchant who's his own box," you hear Ser Richard at the back of your mind echoing your own surprise. "I'd say I'd seen it all, but then the world would probably prove me wrong in half a bell's time."

    Hardly seeming to pause for breath Eschyr continues: "The first scroll on offer is this beautifully illuminated scroll representing the composite parts of the soul and their decay or departure in death..." Thankfully he is using magic rather than his tongue to present the scroll, though that may have to do with the fact that he is using his tongue to speak. "Do I hear four thousand Gilded Tears for this wonderful piece?"

    First Piece on offer: Scroll Of Spiritual Decay (+5 to all knowledge and spellcraft rolls related to spiritual necromancy)

    Asking Price: 8,000 IM

    Do you bid for it?

    [] Yes
    -[] How high

    [] No, observe the other participants for now

    OOC: Well it's been a while since Viseerys failed an opposed bluff check outright, but he then made the sense motive check to at least realize he had done it. Kimu caught some kind of recognition about the name of the cryomancer and/or the Garden. Also I rolled 1d100s (with modifiers) to see if any of the others would approach you. The rolls on the unmodified dice were 3, 5, and 7 in that order. Good thing they were not on domain events or something.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • TalonofAnathrax said:
    In-setting, what we've seen so far suggests that robes are a mage's clothing of choice in most places with developed magical traditions (although armor is often worn for battle). I'd bet anything that there's a whole robe fashion industry out there, with Valyrian mages arguing over the cut of their robes and whatnot (because people want to look good, and often want to look good in a gender-coded way). Heck, even the IRL artist who drew that could have found a whole lot of feminine robe styles to go with the R63 idea, and he doesn't live in a society in which the spellcasting aristocracy wears robes every day.

    To be fair, I don't usually bother quibbling about this sort of outfit for in-universe reasons, because we all know the usual justifications and hand-waiving:
    • If I could do magic I'd also make myself improbably good-looking
    • The inconvenience of that bikini outfit is probably being mitigated with magic
    • "I can hide things in my robes" is irrelevant once you get to a certain level of magic ability (just use a custom Handy Haversack Shrink Item Possum Pouch or something, and literally pull your gear out of your belly button using 3.5 RAW). This is stupid handwaiving to justify having a bikini mage, of course, but it's also true to this setting at this point
    • Presumably a setting in which every woman wears a bikini all day wouldn't have social stigma against doing that
    And in any case, I wouldn't get into a rant about sexism or whatever unless one has already started. It's neither fun nor productive for anyone involved, and I'm not completely delusional about the state of fantasy artwork and socially acceptable representations and whatnot.
    No, I'm mostly annoyed at the idea that this R63 picture would have been a better choice for a mysterious astronomer than the one DP picked, which was honestly great for the job. That bikini pic was more of a warmage (at best).
    Unless the issue wasn't the clothes, but the gender? Did you want DP to photoshop a different chin on it, to hammer in that it's a woman?
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    I'm not entirely convinced that there weren't female Dragonlords in the Freehold who flew to war while wearing their Valyrian Steel Chainmail Battle Bikinis.

    Of course, there could have also been male Dragonlords who wore their own Valyrian Steel Battle Banana Hammocks... 🤢
     
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    [X] No, observe the other participants for now

    We want the shiniest shit we can carry off without gaining too much attention - and hobbling up every bid there is will definitely do that.

    To be fair, it isn't like spiritual necromancy is even of much interest to us as a topic.
    The only enemy who'll be using such against us actively are Others/Void, and there we already have some Rina and OG-based bonuses.
     
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    TalonofAnathrax said:
    No, I'm mostly annoyed at the idea that this R63 picture would have been a better choice for a mysterious astronomer than the one DP picked, which was honestly great for the job. That bikini pic was more of a warmage (at best).
    Unless the issue wasn't the clothes, but the gender? Did you want DP to photoshop a different chin on it, to hammer in that it's a woman?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    @Takesis did say he could see where the pic was coming from. I think he just wanted me to know that it was a famous character, which to be fair I did not know because the only exposure I ever had to MtG were a couple of crossover fics.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Opening Gambit ​

    Twenty Fifth Day of the First Month 294 AC

    Much as you might wish to hear the tale of the strange shugenja garbed in crimson and steel, or know what charge or task binds the bodiless angel to endure, you do not wish to draw undue attention to Mikael Abdul-Hassan, earth-born sorcerer looking for a bargain. Instead, you engage the Astronomer in a touch of scholarly smalltalk, curious how one can be a watcher of the skies in a realm where the sky is all, with neither star nor moon to look upon, though of course you do not present it in quite those terms, not wishing to seem too familiar with the Realm of Balance, above or below.

    "The marks I bear are not of any lights of the Endless Sky, but of the realm beyond, where cosmic luminaries bright beyond our understanding reveal the secrets of fate and celestial fire," Kimu proclaims, clearly enthusiastic about her work. "To witness their motions and guess at their secrets was for many an age an inexact art and dangerous besides, but as the Garden opens to more visitors of the Spheres they can more easily be seen. Why, I heard Janir Bin Lasir, whom I had the honor of studying under briefly, even traveled under that vault to teach and to learn."

    You are surprised to hear the name, though the rumor isn't entirely unfounded, of course, there have been Djinn cryomancers teaching in the Deep, though not Janir Bin Lasir, called the Mage of Metamorphosis. The only time she had been to 'the Garden' had been to a portion of the world that perhaps least deserves the name. She had been the Djinn archmage who had aided in repulsing the Brazen Throne's attack over Valyria.

    "I have heard much of her wisdom and her skill as a teacher besides. Truly you were blessed with the chance to learn from her, though it seems your own arts have grown beyond those of frost..." you motion to the storm vortex which surrounds her, not least to her guards.

    "Frost may bind and break, but lightning transforms," she replies. "A more fitting thread for fate to run along. Perhaps soon I shall see storm clouds dance across the face of the moon, but for now let us watch and wait for our host."

    Something about her tone strikes an odd note, an almost perfect opening, too perfect perhaps to be a coincidence, or are you simply jumping at shadows. Had you given something away when you heard the cryomancer's name unexpectedly? Meeting the sorceress' gaze, intent behind the good cheer, you suspect you had, familiarity with the Garden at least, though you doubt she could guess your true identity from just that.

    Alas, you do not have time to decide what more to say about it, for it is in that moment that the chest in the middle of the room opens... and reveals itself to be a mouth with teeth of steel, eyes bubbling into the flesh... a mimic. "Welcome, welcome to Eschyr's Emporium," it calls out, voice loud but measured in every syllable. "Apologies for the wait, I had to know how you would react. I'm Eschyr, of course, and these..." he starts extracting what you hope are sealed scrolls from his mouth. "Are today's scrolls on offer."

    "A merchant who is his own box," you hear Ser Richard at the back of your mind, echoing your own surprise. "I'd say I'd seen it all, but then the world would probably prove me wrong in half a bell's time."

    Hardly seeming to pause for breath, Eschyr continues, "The first scroll on offer is this beautifully illuminated scroll representing the composite parts of the soul and their decay or departure in death..." Thankfully, he is using magic rather than his tongue to present the scroll, though that may have to do with the fact that he is using his tongue to speak. "Do I hear four thousand Gilded Tears for this wonderful piece?"

    First Piece on offer: Scroll Of Spiritual Decay (+5 to all knowledge and spellcraft rolls related to spiritual necromancy)

    Asking Price: 8000 IM

    Do you bid for it?

    [] Yes
    -[] How high

    [] No, observe the other participants for now

    OOC: Well it's been a while since Viserys failed an opposed bluff check outright, but he then made the sense motive check to at least realize he had done it. Kimu caught some kind of recognition about the name of the cryomancer and/or the Garden. Also, I rolled 1d100s (with modifiers) to see if any of the others would approach you. The rolls on the unmodified dice were 3, 5, and 7 in that order. Good thing they were not on domain events or something. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

    Holy crap, that mimic is neat. Gives me high hopes for our own mimic back in SD.
     
    Great chapter!
    I feel for Richard, honestly.
    And it was fun to fail a social check, if only for the novelty.
    Goldfish said:
    I'm not entirely convinced that there weren't female Dragonlords in the Freehold who flew to war while wearing their Valyrian Steel Chainmail Battle Bikinis.

    Of course, there would have also been make Dragonlords who wore their own Valyrian Steel Battle Banana Hammocks... 🤢
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    Click to shrink...
    I would bet you that it didn't happen : wearing bikinis all day was for the catgirl sex slaves, you see, and what kind of Dragonlord would dress like a slave?
    Although that would arguably just make it kinky, not forbidden...
    Yeah, on second thought forget that bet, I can see it happening a lot.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    Creating and banishing ghosts, creating and manipulating haunts and poltergeists etc... Anything that has anything to do with what the mortal soul and anima does in death.
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    So, at best tentatively connected to matters like making Imperial Deity-based Outsiders?

    All the more "not really worth it", then, imo.

    Tomcost said:
    Which means that we need to feign interest.
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    Erm, why do we have to be?

    We are here doing sneaky-breeki against Mammon's agents, and maybe, maybe snatching something of interest.
    How feigning interest in a lot we aren't interested in helps with deception?
     
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