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

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DragonParadox said:
Sifting though the scores of reports on everything from gossip among the highborn to trade to weather patterns Melisandre or rather her serpentine assistants whose eye for patterns was all the sharper for their remoteness from most mortal concerns, found three promising threads that may be unwound to find the hand of Hell, the first was an order of arcane reagents specifically human bonemeal sourced from dead slaves that matched almost perfectly with the timeline of devils arriving in Goossos. The servants of Asmodeous certainly would not struggle to carry any initial findings back across half the world.

The second lead involved a fire at once of the temples of the Lady of Spears which onlookers described as hot enough to melt stone, an inquisition source reported hearing 'strange chanting' as the blaze died down the blaze ministrations of a bucket lines. Finding and recalling the actual memory confirmed that the words were infernal, though too few as to make any true guess as to their context.

Last though surely not least was a temple of Asmodeous in one of the neighborhoods most frequented by well off merchants, or at least what had been well off merchants before the recent trade disruptions. Fertile ground for poisoned seeds and from what Melisandre saw in the flames the one ministering to the small flock of the damned was a true servant of the Lord of the Hells, though not one particularly skilled. He looked like a lure if ever she had seen one, but even a lure must have a line attached and lines could be followed.
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Wait, there's an outright temple of Asmodeus there now? :rofl: God damn, you've got to admire the balls there. It's no doubt not the main headquarters, way too obvious.
 
[X] The trade in bonemeal

I am positively ecstatic to have Mel on the case here. She will do well.

The temple will be useful. How best to make use of it though...

I worry that one of the things that benefitted Asmodeus was massacring the upper class.

I fear he could use ritual magic to get the 15th on our tail by playing some kind of Bizzare Atrocity Bingo.
 
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Of Secret Flame ​

Fourth Day of the Second Month 294 AC

Where there were slaves there were those who kept faith with the Lord of Light, Melisandre had known the truth of those words long before she had first donned the crimson robes of a novitiate. The whip might scour flesh, and collars of iron encircle it, but the mind, the soul, would not be so lightly bound. Thus when she stepped into Yunkai, called the Yellow City, under the guise of a rich trader from the east, the confidence she bore like her mantle of silk was not a lie. Yet she did not trust blindly, for she knew that devils too walked these paths, able to twist the minds and souls of men with twisted counsel and blackest temptation.

"So what are you hoping to find here," the voice of the girl, Anya, sounded tentative in her mind. She was not entirely comfortable with Melisandre's power, a fair enough reaction, but inconvenient just the same. She was, after all, the closest to an expert on Yunkai among those selected for this part of the plot.

"So far the enemy has succeeded in keeping, if not a step ahead, then at least half a step. Our answers are as crumbs on the trail and all the blood we have spilled is not even the merest tithe to the Black Lord of Neresus," she replied, speaking to the whole company, from the brothers of the sunless depths to the Daughter of Wind and sky, and the dragons light and dark hidden in human guise. "More and more it reminds me of a certain lizard that lives in the ash-lands, which can leave its tail in the claws of a hawk seven times and seven times it grows back. I believe, and Lord Justice Malarys agrees, that we should keep at least one eye off the trail of blood."

  • Melisandre
  • Aradia the Huntress
  • Anya the Inquisitor
  • Morwyn and Tuin
  • 1x Mind Dragons
  • 1x Myrkdreki
  • 2x Umbral spies
  • 3x Guardian Nagas

"A summary of what you learned over the last two weeks would be appreciated, Inquisitor Talero," the priestess said once she was seated behind her borrowed desk. She was almost tempted to do this in the library, but Melisandre preferred to keep any space that was hers, however temporarily, under lock and ward. A unnecessary precaution in an inquisition safe-house perhaps, but she was too old to be second-guessing every habit.

The Commissar's expression shifted ever so slightly under the mask of absentminded bonhomie. "I will have everything brought up, Holy One. If you need any details from the agents who compiled it..."

"Wisdom will do," she interrupted. "Though the Lord of Light is ever with me, I came here under the king's seal."

"Yes, of course." The man bowed and made a hasty exit. Regardless of the silver badge he now had a right to, Tyroshi magisters were still not comfortable in the presence of priests of the Lord of Light, much less being placed under the authority of one.

***​

Eighth Day of the Second Month 294 AC

Sifting through the scores of reports on everything from gossip among the highborn, to trade and weather patterns, Melisandre or rather her serpentine assistants whose eye for patterns was all the sharper for their remoteness from most mortal concerns, found three promising threads that may be unwound to find the hand of Hell. The first was an order of arcane reagents, specifically human bonemeal sourced from dead slaves, that matched almost perfectly with the timeline of devils arriving in Gogossos. The servants of Asmodeous certainly would not struggle to carry any initial findings back across half the world.

The second lead involved a fire at one of the temples of the Lady of Spears which onlookers described as hot enough to melt stone. An inquisition source reported hearing 'strange chanting' as the blaze died down due to the ministrations of the bucket lines. Finding and recalling the actual memory confirmed that the words were infernal, though too few as to make any true guess as to their context.

Last, though surely not least, was a temple of Asmodeous in one of the neighborhoods most frequented by well off merchants, or at least what had been well off merchants before the recent trade disruptions. Fertile ground for poisoned seeds, and from what Melisandre saw in the flames, the one ministering to the small flock of the damned was a true servant of the Lord of the Hells, though not one particularly skilled. He looked like a lure if ever she had seen one, but even a lure must have a line attached and lines could be followed.

Which lead does the party in Yunkai investigate first

[] The trade in bonemeal

[] The fire and dark chanting

[] The temple of Asmodous

[] Try to look into more than one at once
-[] Write in distribution of forces

OOC: Keep in mind this is an evolving situation so options that are not picked might not be available later. not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox.
 
The bonemeal angle might be an expired lead that wastes time and the temple seems too likely to be a trap, and one of little value. Given what we know of the Lady of Spears' dealing with Hell, I think investigating the fire would be the best course of action.

[X] Artemis1992
 
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OKay, my basic plan would be to have Anya follow the relativly mundane trail of bonemeal (with some backup-guards for a proper punch if things happen that require a mighty dragon up her sleeve), while Mel goes the mystic way and follows up on the unnatural fire and chanting, because she has the knowledge to actually understand what the people are doing there.
 
The bonemeal was probably a ritual component.

Learning what ritual, or whatever else it was used for seems important...

But these are all good honestly.
 
[X] Try to look into more than one at once
-[X] The trade in bonemeal
--[X] Anya, the Minddragon, one Umbral Spy and two of the Naga
-[X] The fire and dark chanting
--[X] Mel and the rest of the crew
 
@Artemis1992 Send a couple of Vigilant Hunters with her, we have some by now in the free-floating Inquisition pool IIRC. True Sight should be pretty much requisite when operating against Devils.

Edit: Forgot these were dated earlier in the month... but we should have access to some of them since they were made a priority item.
 
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Azel said:
<< Previous
The Traveller II​
Twelfth Day of the Second Month 294 AC

The man that was led into his hall looked almost offensively unassuming. Just another scruffy traveller roaming the roads in these strange days, owning nothing except the clothes on his back and what he could fit into his saddle bags. A hedge knight without armour. The eyepatch certainly made him seem like oh so many down on their luck nobles who got cocky and paid for it. Maybe a sellsword from the east, given the vaguely glaive-like weapon on his back. Certainly, no one important or even all that worth the trouble to rob, unless maybe you thought you could sell the horse without too much suspicion. Walder Frey was not buying the act though. The man was too calm and too quiet, the only expression he gave an absent-minded stare that had the servant hurry right out of the hall the moment he had dropped off the tablet with the soup, the bread and the salt. That he had announced himself with a full Sovereign as a message was almost normal in comparison to his odd demeanour.

"Your message was received. Tell me then what kind of spook the dragon sends to me in the middle of night." While he spoke, Walder took a pinch of salt and tore off some bread for himself, the latter which he dunked unceremoniously into the stew before eating it. Then he pushed the tablet forward, gesturing to the stool brought up to the other side of the high table with his other hand.

Instead of bowing like a low-born would, the stranger just gave a curt nod to the Lord of the Twins, then quietly whispered something into the clasp of his cloak. Slowly the illusion rolled off the man, revealing a cloak of pink and crimson that was rather easy to place for anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention to things north of the Neck. "I apologize for the deception, Lord Frey, but in these days, one has to be careful who sees you on the road." His voice barely rose above a whisper as he spoke, placing his cloak and the weapon on another table as he did so.

The latter of which briefly caught Walders attention, what with it being made from ice, but that was something he would learn about from the gossip in the Twins sooner rather then later anyway. "Lord Bolton I assume then. Been a while since we saw each other." At the questioning look he got in return, the old man just chuckled. "Lonnel Reed was giving a feast when his boy Howland was born, and your father brought you along too. You were still shitting your breeches, so you probably don't remember me."

For his part, the Leech Lord did not deign the comment with much of a reaction. Both of them knew the others reputation after all. Instead, he silently took his own pinch of salt and bread before settling on the stool. "I would like to express my congratulations to your grandsons land grant, Lord Frey. It must be a welcome change to you to have a liege lord who appreciates your families loyalty."

Walder just smiled in return, silently wondering if Bolton was joking or serious. It was hard to tell with him. "It seems rumours are indeed faster then even the best raven." Quietly he mulled over who might have brought news to the Dreadfort before it even reached the Twins. A son perhaps? No. None of his had mentioned a Bolton in the south. But there was this one guest lecturer at the Scholarium that Fair Walda had nicknamed Creepy Walder for his alleged similarity to him and who allegedly was a Bolton man. He had to admit that he did not quiet knew what to make of this visit and that certainly rankled him. "Don't tell me though you came all the way to flatter someone you never met before for something happening at the other end of the world. What drives a northern lord to traipse around in the Riverlands in the middle of the night?"

"I am on a longer trip and decided to travel without any hangers-on. Mainly to take my son Domeric home, but also to meet with a few people of import, what with the war drawing on the horizon."

"Heh. War you call it. Won't be much of a war when most of Westeros is already washing up their dragon banners for the occasion." As the Leech Lord continued to ignore the steaming bowl in front of him, Walder tore off another piece of bread and dipped it into the broth again. No sense wasting good venison. "If you want to know whom to talk to, I know a few lads who can make introductions for you. Not everyone will be as kind as I am when you show up unannounced at their keeps."

"That would be appreciated, Lord Frey, but I did want to talk specifically with you." From his belt he pulled a scroll case, seemingly a quite normal one from lacquered wood as you would use to carry letters with you. When he sat it down on the table though, it clanked as if it was filled with iron and a few brief, whispered words, the cap came off on it's own. "You always had a reputation for being a pragmatic man and eager to take a good opportunity when it presented itself. I have a proposal that might be to both our houses benefit."

For a brief moment, Walder was torn between getting his reading glasses back out of their case for this or trying without, but in the end, he took them when he saw the fine writing on the parchments presented to him. And drawings. Certainly, the drawings were the more interesting part at the first glance. Some faceless things that looked vaguely like men, the finely inked lines showing muscles and bones cut apart. They were not garbed in armour, but the plates nailed straight onto the bones they were meant to protect. The other pages were no different in kind. Emancipated harpies. A giant wielding an axe as large as a man. "What exactly are those things?" He ran a finger over the image of a thing looking like a bloated firefly, beneath it an illustration of how it hurled itself at a group of soldiers who disappeared in a ball of flame.

"Soldiers, Lord Frey. Of a kind that knows no fear, no hunger and no tiredness. I have been granted a special dispensation to have certain practices performed in my fief and these are the products of these labours. Your grandson has been granted a fief with few who are loyal to him and far from any other city of the realm. He will likely find good use for warriors who cannot even conceive of betrayal."

"This is unexpected, I will give you that. Did not take you for a merchant though." With this, he rolled up the papers, handing them back to Lord Bolton who immediately put them back into their case. "What are you thinking about?"

"A letter of introduction to your grandson would be all I am asking for. I plan on building a proper harbour in my lands and would like to make an agreement with him. The Dreadlands will sent him soldiers and in turn, the riches of Omber will come to the Dreadlands and no other harbour in the North." He paused for a moment, eyes fixed on the older man before speaking again. "Of course, if you are interested in my offer yourself, I am sure we can come to an agreement too."

For a long moment, Walder starred back at the other Lord, only to scoff and shake his head. "Give it another few years and the boy will have all lords speak with each other like Braavosi fishmongers. I can see your point though. Spices and jewels from half the world away sound a lot more promising then trying to squeeze another groat out of the peasantry. The question is though, what is in there for me? I don't particularly need soldiers. I have plenty of those already."

Slowly the old man leaned back in his chair, mentally running up and down the wide hedge of a family tree that came after him. Lord Bolton seemed content to wait and so he took his time trying to remember how old that Domeric must be. He was fairly sure he had heard about him squiring at some tourney or another, but when? How old a girl would it take? But before he was faced with the prospect of having to gauge the likelihood of him cajoling Fair Walda into a betrothal, he remembered something else.

"You wife has been dead for a few years, right?" This time he caught the tiniest reaction on the Leech Lords face, but he did not loudly object, so there was no reason to not push further. "My daughter Tyta is not that much younger than you are. A maiden still. Had a mage divine it and she really is. Most think she is a bit dense, but I think she just plays at it to be left alone. I would even throw in a good dowry. Building harbours is expensive, isn't it?" By the end of his pitch, Walder was openly grinning. He had done this often enough to notice when someone was listening out of politeness and when they were listening because they were interested.

It was a quiet for a moment, before the younger man rose from his stool. "That is an unexpected offer, Lord Frey. If you don't mind, I would prefer to retire for the night before deciding on this."

"Sure, sure." Walder waved him off, the sly smirk still plastered on his face. As the other lord was already half way to the doors, he couldn't resists one last push though. "I'll make sure that Tyta brings you a hearty meal first thing in the morning. Can't let people think the Frey's are bad hosts," he yelled after him and the Northman seemed almost to stumble at that suggestion. It was indeed a good day to be Walder Frey.


AN: As much as things change, some things remain the same.
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I'm surprised to see Roose traveling on his own like this, at least from what I remember of the ASOIAF I read long ago, but then again this is a very different Roose in a very different Westeros. With the right mindset, the right gear, and a powerful Martial class under their belt, it really isn't that hard to imagine a noble going off the reservation with no retainers or fanfare to mark their travels.

Interesting to see Roose and Walder interacting, too. I bet getting a new wife was the last thing on his mind when he decided to stop in the Twins.
 
Wait... wasn't Melisandre with us for the Sarnori campaign? I remember her healing Malarys when he got his Mythic Rank for one.
 
Goldfish said:
I'm surprised to see Roose traveling on his own like this, at least from what I remember of the ASOIAF I read long ago, but then again this is a very different Roose in a very different Westeros. With the right mindset, the right gear, and a powerful Martial class under their belt, it really isn't that hard to imagine a noble going off the reservation with no retainers or fanfare to mark their travels.

Interesting to see Roose and Walder interacting, too. I bet getting a new wife was the last thing on his mind when he decided to stop in the Twins.
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He's a 9th level martial initiator who had Qyburn do some improvements. There's not all that much out there in the countryside that can do much against him unless he were to actively look for trouble.
 
Goldfish said:
it really isn't that hard to imagine a noble going off the reservation with no retainers or fanfare to mark their travels.
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It's kind of necessary if he doesn't want to be spotted south of the Neck. A Lord isn't required to report their every move to their liege... but they probably should expect some blowback from making political connections without a "by your leave" in this kind of climate where the King isn't in a stable position.
 
Crake said:
@Artemis1992 Send a couple of Vigilant Hunters with her, we have some by now in the free-floating Inquisition pool IIRC. True Sight should be pretty much requisite when operating against Devils.

Edit: Forgot these were dated earlier in the month... but we should have access to some of them since they were made a priority item.
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I'm working with the party mentioned in the update?
 
I sometimes wonder if Walder Prime won't die happy unless half the world is part of his family somehow.
 
egoo said:
Rhango's Dothraki Support Group
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Unrelated, but...

Boro: "My name is Boro, and I'm a recovering Dothraki Screamer."

Other Dothraki veterans: "Hello Boro."

Boro: "We rode past a city, earlier in the week. As we were coming up on it, I was already sending out scouts and preparing the support column for an intake of loot and fresh slaves, but then I remembered we followed the Dragon Khal now, and slavery is against our new code of conduct."

Bonebreaker: "I see, and how does it make you feel?"

Boro: "Lost. Confused. I guess I'm not too upset over it, it's just force of habit."

Bonebreaker: "Just a habit?"

Boro: "We do get to crush our enemies before us still, though there's a distinct lack of lamentations in the aftermath."
 
Crake said:
It's kind of necessary if he doesn't want to be spotted south of the Neck. A Lord isn't required to report their every move to their liege... but they probably should expect some blowback from making political connections without a "by your leave" in this kind of climate where the King isn't in a stable position.
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The King? No even the Lords Paramount are in a stable position.

Hoster had to go to Kings Landing to beg for help to restore a semblance of order in the Riverlands.
John Arryn just died and the succession is a mess, with a weird and potentially cursed infant the the heir.
The Tyrells are in some kerfuffle with the Fey and ever since those appeared on the field, Reacher politics have been escalating in viciousness.
Tywin is pretty obviously at the top of the shit-list of the person who has been conquering western Essos at an alarming rate.
The Stormlands were handed over to Stannis for some weird reason, right before Renly disappeared, and relations to his brother the King are frostier then ever.
The Crownlands are torn apart by people pledging for the Lannisters or the Targs in increasingly obvious fashion.
People are still politely pretending that Dorne hasn't already betrayed the king.

Oh, and most in the North have zero interst to die in the clusterfuck brewing in the south. Except for old Ned, who everyone expects to stay loyal to his buddy Robert.

Westeros is already a failed state. A completely failed state at that. It's basically everyone for themselves.
 
Azel said:
The King? No even the Lords Paramount are in a stable position.

Hoster had to go to Kings Landing to beg for help to restore a semblance of order in the Riverlands.
John Arryn just died and the succession is a mess, with a weird and potentially cursed infant the the heir.
The Tyrells are in some kerfuffle with the Fey and ever since those appeared on the field, Reacher politics have been escalating in viciousness.
Tywin is pretty obviously at the top of the shit-list of the person who has been conquering western Essos at an alarming rate.
The Stormlands were handed over to Stannis for some weird reason, right before Renly disappeared, and relations to his brother the King are frostier then ever.
The Crownlands are torn apart by people pledging for the Lannisters or the Targs in increasingly obvious fashion.
People are still politely pretending that Dorne hasn't already betrayed the king.

Oh, and most in the North have zero interst to die in the clusterfuck brewing in the south. Except for old Ned, who everyone expects to stay loyal to his buddy Robert.

Westeros is already a failed state. A completely failed state at that. It's basically everyone for themselves.
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Perfect for us to swoop in and establish the western province of the Imperium. ;)
 
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