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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 my first iteration of a Watchman creature, the Vigilant Briar, intended mainly for assignments on land. I almost forgot about these, @egoo, but then I had a brainwave.

It uses the Child of the Briar as a base chassis, with +4 Racial Hit Dice to get it to the minimum 6 HD for the Watchman template. As Tiny-sized Plant creatures, Children of the Briar can easily hide in very small spaces without being noticed and can blend into foliage quite well. This also directly translate into a good bonus (+8) for Hide and Move Silently. I've got their feat and skill selections mono-focused on perception and stealth to make them even more effective at their job. They're definitely not intended for any kind of combat, after all. Add on Telepathy to allow them to silently communicate with nearby allies and benefit from the Mindsight feat and these little guys are an even greater asset to any group they accompany.

As CR 4 creatures with the Telepathy upgrade, we can grow each of them for just 660 IM. If we decided to grow 200 of them next month, that would only cost 132,000 IM. An aquatic version would be just as simple and cheap. An aerial version would take a bit of finagling, however, and would probably be better to use a different base creature chassis.
Vigilant Briar
Watchman Child of the Briar (+4 RHD) - CR 4
Size/Type: Tiny Plant
Hit Dice: 6d8 (30) + 18 (CON) = 48 HP
Initiative: +3 (DEX)
Speed: 40 ft., Climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (+2 Size, +3 Dex, +6 Natural), Touch 15, Flat-Footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+9
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 (1d2-2 plus Grab)
Space: 2-1/2 ft., Reach: 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spitdart Tongue, Thorny Grapple, Eye Rays, Revolting Gaze, Unavoidable Gaze
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Low-light Vision, Damage Reduction 5/Cold Iron, Telethapy 100 ft., Plant Traits, Immune Mind-Affecting, Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, Polymorph, Stunning, Critical Hits, Vulnerable to Fire (+50% damage), Spell-like Abilities, All-Around Vision, Eternal Sentry, Touch the Intangible, Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 20
Skills: Climb +6, Hide +20 (+26 in forests), Listen +20, Move Silently +17 (+23 in forests), Spot +23, Racial Modifiers: +8 Climb, +6 Listen & Spot, +6 Hide & Move Silently while in a forest
Feats: Alertness, Mindsight, Skill Focus (Spot)
Languages: Briarclick (spoken only), Westerosi Common, Low Valyrian (Braavosi)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Telepathy (Su): Vigilant Briars can communicate Telepathically with any creature which has a language within 100 feet.

Child of the Briar:
  • Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): 6th Caster Level; 1/Day: Entangle (DC 16)
  • Briar Magic (Sp): 3/Day a Vigilant Briar can cast any cantrip from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list (DC 15) at 6th caster level.
  • Spitdart Tongue (Ex): Every Vigilant Briar can shoot a wooden spike from its mouth every other round. Treat this as a tiny dart (1 damage, base range 20 ft.).
  • Thorny Grapple (Ex): A Vigilant Briar's long thorny limbs enable it to grapple creatures up to 2 size categories larger than itself. It adds its Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to any damage inflicted while grappling.
Watchman:
  • Eternal Sentry (Ex): A Vigilant Briar does not age or breathe. It does not require food, drink, or sleep.
  • Touch the Intangible (Su): Vigilant Briars can touch, attack, and grapple Incorporeal, astral, and ethereal creatures normally.
  • All-Around Vision (Ex): A Vigilant Briar's eyes allows it to see in all directions. It also benefits from a +4 Racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks and cannot be Flanked.
  • Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks (Ex): A Vigilant Briar suffers a -4 penalty against all Gaze attacks and loses any resistance or immunity it has to the effects of a Gaze attack.
  • Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): 20th Caster Level; Constant: Detect Magic, True Seeing, At Will: Quickened Dimensional Anchor, Discern Location, Greater Teleport (self plus 50 pounds), Plane Shift (self plus 50 pounds).
  • Revolting Gaze (Su): The Vigilant Briar can make a Gaze attack against any creature within 30 feet. If the creature fails a DC 18 Fortitude save, it is Sickened for one hour.
  • Eye Rays (Su): Once every four rounds as a Standard Action, a Vigilant Briar can make a Ranged Touch Attack against all creatures within 100 ft. (make only one attack per creature). The subject takes a penalty to Constitution equal to 1d6+3 for six minutes. The subject's Constitution score cannot drop below 1. A successful DC 18 Fortitude save reduces this penalty by half. This penalty does not stack with itself. Apply the highest penalty instead.
  • Unavoidable Gaze (Ex): A Vigilant Briar can actively Gaze as a Standard Action affecting all creatures within 30 feet. The opponents must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid it via averting their eyes or wearing a blindfold (causing the Vigilant Briar to have Total Concealment from the opponent). Thus, it is possible for an opponent to have to save against a Vigilant Briar's Gaze attack twice during the same round, once before the opponent's action and once during the Briar's turn.
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This is epic, but can't we fit Tremorsense and scent on it? Pretty please?
Mindsight and Watchman creature are unable to get at Mindblanked (or mindless, and leaded constructs and undead) and those hiding without magic respectively.

Tremorsense is more of a priority, ofc, since it'd get at thjngs underground as much as to things underwater, iirc.
 
egoo said:
This is epic, but can't we fit Tremorsense and scent on it? Pretty please?
Mindsight and Watchman creature are unable to get at Mindblanked (or mindless, and leaded constructs and undead) and those hiding without magic respectively.

Tremorsense is more of a priority, ofc, since it'd get at thjngs underground as much as to things underwater, iirc.
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The Vigilant Briars are the bare bones Watchmen servitor. At just 660 IM each, we can make a bunch of them for better coverage. They don't have Tremoresense or Scent, but they have incredibly high Listen and Spot bonuses for their level, which helps a lot with spotting sneaky enemies.

The upper tier of our Watchmen creatures will be the Commando Bio-Constructs, modified Slayers with the Watchman template. At CR 10, those will cost 5,280 IM and will have real combat potential and significant stealth capability with constant Greater Invisibility.

The middle tier is probably going to have the Greenbound Creature template for Tremoresense or the Plant-Imbued template for their Acute Sense ability which is basically an enhanced form of Blindsight. There might be two of these, a ground-based Greenbound Watchman creature with Burrowing if I can fit it in and a flying Plant-Imbued Watchman creature of some sort. I want to keep these around 6 CR (1,320 IM) if possible.
One Autumn Leaf said:
@Goldfish This template? This has tremorsense
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Yep. I wanted to squeeze this in for the Vigilant Briar's but there was no way to do it without pushing the CR too high. It'll fit well on some of the middle tier Watchman creatures, though.
 
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@Goldfish, Watchman-Creature template on an Umbral Stalker - yay or nay?

Seems like the absolute most we can push on the "hiding/searching" unit.
 
egoo said:
@Goldfish, Watchman-Creature template on an Umbral Stalker - yay or nay?

Seems like the absolute most we can push on the "hiding/searching" unit.
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I don't think that would really mix, given the Umbral Stalker's Incorporeal nature and suite of abilities. It's hard to put all of your extra eyes to use when you're a shadow hidden under someone's clothing.

Besides, Umbral Stalkers already have Mindsight and Lifesense. Lifesense is extremely rare and normally only found on Undead. Mind Blank doesn't do shit to block it, meaning you have to be a Mind Blank'd Undead to sneak up on one of them. Not impossible, of course, but not exactly common either.
 
DragonParadox said:
As midnight tolls beyond your study window you receive more news over the whispering sands. Zherys and the Volantene mages have almost complected their study of Valyrian steel, though not without one near-fatal accident from the dangers of studying blood magic and infernal secrets.

"The Lady Sandviper might be able to derive a useful poison from the residue, and one of my would-be apprentices learned an important lesson about always having a proper healer at hand when working with half-understood magics," the message ends. You can practically hear the mage lord's dry tones in the transcribed note.

You eye the small jar of hardened glass with interest and a touch of weariness. From preliminary observations it seems to attack either the soul or the aspect of the mind concerned with the shaping of magic.

Gained Hungering Ash (Potential poison ingredient)

Secrets by Devils' Blood Wrought Progress 11/12
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@DragonParadox, we both fudged a bit here.
[] Secrets by Devils' Blood Wrought: Valyrian Steel holds many a secret, from what was the first seed that bore this metal-eating material... To what it can yet do.
-[] Find out the mechanisms and effects of the process allowing Valyrian Steel to consume ambient magic and release it slightly changed. Potentially, VS could be used to store magical energies or to transform them to cause specific effects, also study the mechanics of the way that Valyrian Steel "devours" other metals. Especially how it is doing so with Gold, which doesn't corrode naturally, and magical metals like Mythral and Adamantine. (Progress: 12 10)
-[] The process of creating VS can be compared to the way Anu used to "quieten" Living Brass. As the making of both materials has similarities, using life-force and souls respectively to empower mundane metal, this study might give insights into the creation of VS or similar materials from scratch, without needing a pre-existing seed. (Progress: 16 14)
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I don't remember exactly where the discount came from, but we should've finished this research.

DragonParadox said:
Waves of the Sea, on Depths and Fire Turned Complete 15/15
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And this is just background "wards made stronger", because we have too much detail already, aye?
 
Well, I think the Plane of Fire raiding should be the last action-scene for this month, maybe we can enter that now, between research and administration?
 
@Artemis1992, we still have a few things to do IC, but otherwise, it's all-reports, aye
egoo said:
Points of interest until the month's end:

[Viserys]
- Diplomancing Marwyn the Archmaester
- Checking in with Ferryman for Water Elemental-forging lore.
- Another vote for summoning, since we apparently need those. See here.

[Delegated stuff (who does it though? No idea)]
- Talking to Wild Hunt, asking their services against the CoS in any manner they can provide, be it info or action.
-- We have the potential to coexist perfectly well with each other, and we can offer them more grand enemies to hunt/fight than... anyone, really.
- Grabbing non-court-aligned Fey insofar as we can while around Reach and Westeros.

[Reports]
- Inquisition and The Rogue Faceless - we are still on the semi-active lookout for those that left the Empire's borders.
- Moonsong's first foray into spehhs in a metal bawks.
- that one Moonchaser-class searching for Targ isles?
- Amrelath, Siduri, Yirten and the battle-group of Devils led by our Gelugon, doing... stuff on Plane of Fire.
- How the Lejnths summoned in the 12th month took to serving us in Gogossos -- shall we summon more if so?
- Snake Port state, the numbers of snek-people hatched, numbers of defenses too.

[Random chance-based (may not happen)]
- Chosen of Stranger making a new dead drop of materials for Chosen of Smith and us rushing to it.
- Meraxes succeeding in her Imperial Steel RA.

[Economy, Scholarum, Infrastructure, Intrigue reports]
Not even touching that, nuh-uh! :V
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egoo said:
@DragonParadox, we both fudged a bit here.
I don't remember exactly where the discount came from, but we should've finished this research.


And this is just background "wards made stronger", because we have too much detail already, aye?
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  1. Yes, I did not feel it would help the narrative
  2. Good catch on the VS. Rather than retcon that update I'll give you the results of it in a few days.
 
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DragonParadox said:
  1. Yes, I did not feel it would help the narrative
  2. Good catch on the wards. Rather than retcon that update I'll give you the results of it in a few days.
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Please re-read, the "fudged up" bit was that you took the RA for VS as unfinished (11/12 whereas it should be 11/10), and I didn't correct ya in time.
 
enigma1995 said:
I wonder how Vee is gonna get her mythic rank. She doesn't really have a legend or story, she's just part of the group.
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Vee's is the kind of presence that is tightly controlled, like her patience for others it only goes so far :p

I'd imagine she has a quite powerful legend amongst those a little closer to things, people have seen her chastise a god.
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jun 22, 2020 at 7:25 AM, finished with 64 posts and 20 votes.
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Here's my proposal for a Watchman Bio-Construct I'm currently calling the Hunter, @egoo, @Crake. At CR 10 with the Telepathy upgrade, each of them will cost 5,280 IM. I've also got some basic gear figured into their stats that will cost another 2,615 IM but will significantly enhance their effectiveness and survivability.

Unlike the Briar, a Hunter is very much a combat capable unit while remaining highly focused on perception and stealth. Since they can maintain their Greater Invisibility constantly, one of these guys can hang out near whoever they're protecting while being detectable to a very small percentage of potential enemies. They're also rocking a very high Hide skill and the Darkstalker feat, meaning that even when an enemy can bypass Invisibility, there's a damned good chance the Hunter will still remain hidden.
Watchman Commando Bio-Construct (Seeker, Hunter Variant)
Hunter: Medium Bio-Construct - CR 10
Hit Dice: 12d12 (90) + 84 (CON) = 174 HP
Initiative: +7 (DEX) + 4 (Tactical Awareness) = +11
Speed: 60 ft. + 30 ft. (Anklets) = 90 ft.
AC: 36 (+7 Dex, +12 Natural, +7 Armor), Touch 17, Flat-Footed 29
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+13
Attack: Hollow Bone Dagger (VS sheathed); +21 (1d4+9; 19-20/x2)
Full Attack:
  • Hollow Bone Dagger (VS sheathed): +21/+21/+16 (1d4+9; 19-20/x2)
  • Dual-Wielding Hollow Bone Dagger (VS sheathed): +19/+19/+14 (1d4+9; 19-20/x2) & +19/+14 (1d4+9; 19-20/x2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Hollow Bone Daggers (Valyrian Steel Sheathed), Sneak Attack (4d6+19), Eye Rays, Revolting Gaze, Unavoidable Gaze
Special Qualities: Bio-Construct Traits (Immune to Mind-Affecting effects with the Charm or Compulsion descriptor and magical Sleep & Possession effects), DR 5/Chaotic, Arcane Sight, SR 17, Vulnerability to Chaos (+50% damage), Spell-like Abilities, Darkvision 60 ft., Low-light Vision, Telethapy 100 ft., All-Around Vision, Eternal Sentry, Touch the Intangible, Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +14; +6 vs Morale effects, -2 vs Fear effects, -4 vs Gaze attacks
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 22(24), Con 22(24), Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +25, Listen +23, Move Silently +22, Search +16, Spot +26
Feats: Alertness, Craven, Darkstalker, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Mindsight, Skill Focus (Hide), Skill Focus (Spot), Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Spell-like Abilities (Sp): Caster Level: 12th; At Will: Greater Invisibility (self only)

Hollow Bone Daggers (Ex): The Vigilant Hunter wields a pair of retractable bone daggers, one in each hand. Each of these daggers contains a hollow channel the Hunter can use to inject a paralytic toxin which causes Paralysis for 1d4+1 rounds via injury (DC 20 Fortitude save negates).
  • Special: Each of the Hunter's hollow bone daggers has been sheathed in Valyrian Steel to increase their effectiveness and durability.
Telepathy (Su): Hunters can communicate Telepathically with any creature which has a language within 100 feet.

Watchman:
  • Eternal Sentry (Ex): A Hunter does not age or breathe. It does not require food, drink, or sleep.
  • Touch the Intangible (Su): Hunters can touch, attack, and grapple Incorporeal, astral, and ethereal creatures normally.
  • All-Around Vision (Ex): A Hunter's eyes allows it to see in all directions. It also benefits from a +4 Racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks and cannot be Flanked.
  • Vulnerability to Gaze Attacks (Ex): A Hunter suffers a -4 penalty against all Gaze attacks and loses any resistance or immunity it has to the effects of a Gaze attack.
  • Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): 20th Caster Level; Constant: Detect Magic, True Seeing, At Will: Quickened Dimensional Anchor, Discern Location, Greater Teleport (self plus 50 pounds), Plane Shift (self plus 50 pounds).
  • Revolting Gaze (Su): The Hunter can make a Gaze attack against any creature within 30 feet. If the creature fails a DC 18 Fortitude save, it is Nauseated for two hours. If it successfully saves, it is instead Staggered for one round.
  • Eye Rays (Su): Once every four rounds as a Standard Action, a Hunter can make a Ranged Touch Attack against all creatures within 100 ft. (make only one attack per creature). The subject takes a penalty to Constitution equal to 1d6+5 for 12 minutes. The subject's Constitution score cannot drop below 1. A successful DC 18 Fortitude save reduces this penalty by half. This penalty does not stack with itself. Apply the highest penalty instead.
  • Unavoidable Gaze (Ex): A Hunter can actively Gaze as a Standard Action affecting all creatures within 30 feet. The opponents must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid it via averting their eyes or wearing a blindfold (causing the Hunter to have Total Concealment from the opponent). Thus, it is possible for an opponent to have to save against a Hunter's Gaze attack twice during the same round, once before the opponent's action and once during the Hunter's turn.
Commando Construct:
  • Extra Attack (Ex): When using the full-attack action, a Hunter can make one extra attack per round at its highest Base Attack Bonus.
  • Tactical Awareness (Ex): The Hunter gains a +4 bonus on Initiative checks. Additionally, it is never considered an unaware combatant and is always able to act in the surprise round. It is still Flat-Footed in the surprise round until it acts.
  • Brutal Attacks (Ex): When the Hunter makes two successful melee attacks against the same target in a single round, its attacks either rend flesh or crush bones. This deals an additional amount of damage equal to the damage dealt by its highest-damage successful melee attack plus twice the Hunter's Strength modifier.
  • Energized Alacrity (Su): Once per minute as a Swift Action, the Hunter can temporarily enhance its speed to a great degree. When doing so, the Hunter gains a +30-foot bonus to all of its movement speeds for one round. Additionally, when making a full attack during this round, the Hunter can move up to its speed either before or after it attacks. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.
Seeker Construct:
  • Vulnerability to Chaos (Su): Seekers are held together by the purely logical minds that drive them. As such, they take half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from spells with the Chaotic descriptor or weapons with the Anarchic special ability, regardless whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. Spells with the Chaotic descriptor ignore a Seeker's Spell Resistance.
  • Bio Construct: Bio-Constructs possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry): Darkvision 60 ft, Immune to Mind-Affecting effects with the Charm or Compulsion descriptor, +6 save bonus vs Morale effects and a +4 bonus on all Will saving throws, and Immunity to magical Sleep & Possession effects. The Seeker benefits from Spell Resistance equal to 5 plus its current Hit Dice. As with regular Constructs, Bio-Constructs are immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 or less Hit Points. Despite being living beings, Bio-Constructs do not have soul and cannot be Raised or Resurrected. Progression (Good BAB, Good Saves, +4 skill points per HD)
Bone Armaments (Ex):
  • Weapons: Seekers wield melee weapons made from their own bone, which grow from one or more of their arms. The type of weapon it has is determined by the Seeker's role (see its Attack and Full Attack listing for the bone weapon it carries) . Bone weapons are directly attached to a Seeker, which prevents them from being disarmed. They can be Sundered (any damage to the bone weapon is delivered to the Seeker as well). A Sundered bone weapon can be reformed 2 rounds later as a Move Action. Bone weapons have a Hardness of 5 and 1/2 the HP of a normal version of that weapon. Any part of a bone weapon that is sundered from the body of a bio-construct immediately looses its special properties, becoming a useless bit of broken bone.
Equipment: Amulet of Tears, Anklets of Rapid Translocation, Bead of Newt Prevention, Boneward Belt (+2 CON, +2 DEX), Reinforced Segmented Mithral Breastplate (+1), Ribbon of Disguise, Ring of Protection from Evil, Valyrian Steel Bone Dagger Sheathing (+2)

Amulet of Tears:
  • Reinforcement (3 Charges/Day): 1 Charge (12 Temporary Hit Points), 2 Charges (18 Temporary Hit Points), 3 Charges (24 Temporary Hit Points), Duration: 10 minutes
Anklets of Rapid Translocation:
  1. Benefit from a +30ft Enhancement bonus to ground movement speed.
  2. 2/Day Instantly teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied destination within line of sight and line of effect. The wearer can teleport with objects, up to their maximum load, but cannot bring other creatures.
Boneward Belt: +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity
  • Healing (3 charges/Day): 1 charge (Heal 2d8 points of damage), 2 charges (Heal 3d8), or 3 charges(Heal 4d8)
Ribbon of Disguise: You can use the Disguise Self spell at will.
 
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Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jun 22, 2020 at 7:25 AM, finished with 64 posts and 20 votes.
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Part MMMDLXVII: Of Elder Steel and Tools New-Made
  • Threadmarks
    • Of Elder Steel and Tools New-Made ​

    Twenty Eight Day of the First Month 294 AC

    In the end you decide against a public commendation, calling instead for a column in the Times praising the efforts of the Lyseni administration, the architect of the healthcare plan in particular, on top of a generous payment in coin to express more material consideration. That should hopefully encourage more of your clerks to try to take that sort of initiative to promote their interests rather than the sort which would see them draw the ire of the Lawmen.

    Lost 2,000 IM

    Looking further east into traditionally Volantene lands you find in many ways much the same as in the Disputed Lands, progress continuing apace with another three notable reports. The first is from Volon Sar, indicating the province is fully covered by the royal messenger service allowing people from all walks of life to more easily keep in touch with kith and kin, and merchants to conduct long range business safely. In neighboring Volon Therys there is still a bit more progress yet to be done, but road surveyors did come across a deposit of fine marble while preparing the ground for one of the more remote posts. Though the land belongs to one of the local potentates, the man is more than happy to share his good fortune with the state by contracting pech miners and bulabar engineers at a premium. More fine marble will also be welcome in Volantis, of that you are certain.

    Gain 3,500 IM from fey commissions on marble quarry

    Last though certainly not least is Valysar, where twice before you had been impressed in the initiative of the local potentates and now you find yourself impressed yet again, though under grimmer circumstances. An unexpected landslide had cost the lives of several workers looking to connect a key pass between the hills with the wider realm. The loss of trained engineers and even one of the project administrators looked like it would delay the project another month, but several of the local magisters united their efforts to get the wheels of the bureaucracy turning just a little quicker, having an engineer flown in from Volantis on the back of a Legion darkenbeast to get the project completed just in time, though not quite on budget. The fact that the magisters who helped salvage the project all earned large contracts with the royal postal service does not escape your notice, but as long as they do not profit unduly from the connection you see no harm in it.

    Lost 1,000 IM (project over budget)

    Expand Law Enforcement in Orange Shore (7/52)
    Establish Messenger Service in Orange Shore (21/92)
    Establish Messenger Service in Volon Therys (9/11) -> Critical Success -> Complete
    Establish Messenger Service in Valysar (3/4) -> Complications -> Previous Action Synergy -> +1 Progress -> Complete
    Establish Messenger Service in Eastern Disputed Lands (7/67)
    Establish Messenger Service in Selhorys (9/10)
    Establish Messenger Service in Volon Sar (7/6) -> Complete

    ***​

    After lunch you are surprised but not displeased to hear the familiar triple knock Zherys uses with the same precision he brings to his magic resound outside your solar door. "Excellence, I received your message yesterday." A touch more wearily, you add, "Is there anything you did not feel you could trust to a brazier?"

    "Nothing of the sort, more an unexpected boon after studying efreeti writtings young Maelor delivered..." he pauses a moment. "The boy needs a House name. It's absurd for someone of his breeding and position to share his name with ten thousand urchins the realm over."

    You forbear from reminding him that Maelor used to be one of those urchins and simply nod, acknowledging the point. Even Yrael has something recognizable as a House name, even if it did evolve from a title he was given in Mantarys. "The steel...?"

    "Is for lack of a better word... hungry. It seems specifically designed to consume small, almost insignificant quantities of ambient magic. Insignificant under present circumstances that is," The mage lord pauses ever so slightly for effect, in a way you recognize not least from your own presentation of some new piece of lore or secret. "I suspect the present composition of Valyrian steel is not what the first forgings of it were. Rather it is designed to draw power into itself in a wasteland of waning magic, such as one might find ten years ago. It is not for nothing that Valyrian steel endured when so many other works of sorcery failed."

    "But now that there is more than enough magic in the world the steel 'exhales' as much magic as it takes in, only slightly transmuted by its nature," you guess. "What about the metals?"

    "From its quenching in fiend's blood, dragonsteel retains a prideful and jealous nature. It will not bear the touch of lesser metals and so burns them away, even gold and adamant is," Zherys replies, his appreciation for the works of the Feeehold more guarded than it once was, but still sincere in this matter. "If you could enhance the property with magic one might obtain a weapon particularly adept at sundering armor, or a siege engine to tear down say... great walls of brass." A cold smile crosses his face at the obvious irony.

    "Does it actually consume mass though, and convert it to magic?" you probe, having perhaps less militant applications in mind.

    "No, it grinds the metal to an impossibly fine powder shed to the winds. Barring poor safety precautions it is not dangerous to inhale," he replies, obviously thinking of the accident mentioned in yesterday's message.

    Secrets by Devils' Blood Wrought: New Research Options Available

    After a moment's silence, he adds, "There is one other thing I wished to ask you, Your Grace. A question that is probably best to ask in person." At your nod, he continues, "I have been considering sending a few agents to Qohor to discover just what state the city and its priesthood is in. Nothing too disruptive, just making use of the presence of the Red Priests there to get some answers about what the fools are meddling in."

    Do you allow the Mysterium expedition?

    [] Yes, if Zherys feels he has the resources there is no reason to deny him
    -[] Send some auxiliary support: Write in (optional)

    [] No, best not risk poking the hornets' nest until you are ready

    OOC: And here we are. Zherys has been getting more worried about Qohor for months, given his past experiences with the priesthood there so he is asking for permission to send some of his senior people over.
     
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    • [X] Yes, if Zherys feels he has the resources there is no reason to deny him
    -[X] Lock in the intrigue-action for the next month

    Simply put, I can't be bothered to start planning next month's action-assignment today.
    I don't mind looking into the things, and leading up to us burning the place down in a month or two but we also have Fey, Sallosh, Slavers' Bay... Lots of shit on our plates up there, in the air.
     
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