Okay, I think I gotta say something about these last few chapters @DragonParadox.
They don't fullfill their purpose.
I know you are trying to build atmosphere, to write horror and maybe pay homage to some inspirations.
But at the same time you are not giving the necessary information to make informed strategic decisions about Qohor's future, which was the purpose of this action.
The delusions of the mutated druid of the homelife of one of Shubb's spawn do not matter for this.
Now everyone is filling the blanks in their own mind and it leads nowhere pretty.
So I'd like to know to the full extend we can make educated guesses about IC:
1. How much of Qohor is in on the full version of the Goat-worship, with aberrations and muations and all that, and how many are just regular people with asonewhat creepy religion like their parents where in the time of low magic?
2. The eldritch stuff in the Forest, is that limited to a few hotspots a dedicated PC-attack can cleanse, or is it spread out over the whole forest and a corrupted Feywild as well and far too much to handle for a handfull of teams?
Those are just the closest to my mind right now, everything else relevant to the strazegic situation would be nice too.
Okay, I think I gotta say something about these last few chapters @DragonParadox.
They don't fullfill their purpose.
I know you are trying to build atmosphere, to write horror and maybe pay homage to some inspirations.
But at the same time you are not giving the necessary information to make informed strategic decisions about Qohor's future, which was the purpose of this action.
The delusions of the mutated druid of the homelife of one of Shubb's spawn do not matter for this.
Now everyone is filling the blanks in their own mind and it leads nowhere pretty.
So I'd like to know to the full extend we can make educated guesses about IC:
1. How much of Qohor is in on the full version of the Goat-worship, with aberrations and muations and all that, and how many are just regular people with asonewhat creepy religion like their parents where in the time of low magic?
2. The eldritch stuff in the Forest, is that limited to a few hotspots a dedicated PC-attack can cleanse, or is it spread out over the whole forest and a corrupted Feywild as well and far too much to handle for a handfull of teams?
Those are just the closest to my mind right now, everything else relevant to the strazegic situation would be nice too.
This is a very fair set of questions, thanks for asking. I'll have this in the next update from Viserys' PoV at elast as far as Garin and company were able to deduce.
By the way, yeah, pretty much.
Viserys waffled every side of the spectrum of "do I buy them or do I not buy them?" regarding slaves that it isn't even funny anymore.
It is bad, and since quest's start we said it is bad. Anyone buying slaves condones and sponsors slavers, buying slaves bad.
See first visit to CoB, see first visits to Free Cities, see... lots of examples.
But we go to Heaven and buy slaves there out of nowhere. Just because shiny.
And then keep saying "buying slaves is wrong!" as if at this point lampshading is going to make the point any less moot.
Viserys fully ignores any sort of moral point he ever decided on, if that's what the thread feels like at the moment. See indiscriminate summons next month. See almost 'brainwashing' that kid that one time. See slavery lately. See Tiamat cultists sent at the Wall and then "oh shit that vote was stupid!"-counter'ed by sending info on them to Black Brothers. etc.
That we really rarely come to such situations in the first place is but a testament to how well-aligned the thread is to Viserys after the years of playing.
And that's more or less why I think it is pointless to argue morals of actions anymore.
For all intents and purposes, aside from a few lines concerning children and family, Viserys is True Neutral with a "Blue and Orange morality" that is wholly based on what the thread thinks 'reasonable' at the moment, until voted otherwise.
If something works, then it works.
If it doesn't, then it doesn't.
We'll look at the next update and see whether Qohor is "recoverable", but killing everything in it is not something to take off the table just because it is immoral.
By the way, yeah, pretty much.
Viserys waffled every side of the spectrum of "do I buy them or do I not buy them?" regarding slaves that it isn't even funny anymore.
It is bad, and since quest's start we said it is bad. Anyone buying slaves condones and sponsors slavers, buying slaves bad.
See first visit to CoB, see first visits to Free Cities, see... lots of examples.
But we go to Heaven and buy slaves there out of nowhere. Just because shiny.
And then keep saying "buying slaves is wrong!" as if at this point lampshading is going to make the point any less moot.
Viserys fully ignores any sort of moral point he ever decided on, if that's what the thread feels like at the moment. See indiscriminate summons next month. See almost 'brainwashing' that kid that one time. See slavery lately. See Tiamat cultists sent at the Wall and then "oh shit that vote was stupid!"-counter'ed by sending info on them to Black Brothers. etc.
That we really rarely come to such situations in the first place is but a testament to how well-aligned the thread is to Viserys after the years of playing.
And that's more or less why I think it is pointless to argue morals of actions anymore.
For all intents and purposes, aside from a few lines concerning children and family, Viserys is True Neutral with a "Blue and Orange morality" that is wholly based on what the thread thinks 'reasonable' at the moment, until voted otherwise.
If something works, then it works.
If it doesn't, then it doesn't.
We'll look at the next update and see whether Qohor is "recoverable", but killing everything in it is not something to take off the table just because it is immoral.
Wait, he still says buying slaves to free them is wrong? This is something we have a history of doing, and not just in Heaven.
We did it first in Volantis when we bought and freed our first castle servants. We settled on a "buying slaves is okay if you free them afterwards" stance.
I remember at least one case of "all slave-buying is wrong" cropping up since, but I'll concede the point if y'all say I'm wrong on this one.
I was always rather... hesitant to looking too deep into morally-charged elements of the story and/or to remember them back when I cared more about reading than playing.
I remember at least one case of "all slave-buying is wrong" cropping up since, but I'll concede the point if y'all say I'm wrong on this one.
I was always rather... hesitant to looking too deep into morally-charged elements of the story and/or to remember them back when I cared more about reading than playing.
I'll be right there with you in calling out the narrative if it has Viserys start contradicting himself. Buying slaves to free them then offering recruitment afterwards is fairly cut and dry as far as thread issues go.
I'll be right there with you in calling out the narrative if it has Viserys start contradicting himself. Buying slaves to free them then offering recruitment afterwards is fairly cut and dry as far as thread issues go.
The news from Qohor is not as good as you might have hoped... no, you glance down at the reports in Garin's quick unembellished style. Being honest the news from Qohor is downright horrifying and makes the Court of Stars look like the easier foe to face by far. The most comfort you can draw from it is Xor's tentative conclusion that the entity known to the Qohorik as the Black Goat cares nothing for the prayers and ambitions of its 'priests'. If nothing else that would account for why Norvos is still standing. The God of the Axe may be old in these lands, older even than humanity, but besides the horror that is honored upon the altars of Qohor he is as young as springtime and his priests are still learning their arts.
"And yet you believe that you can deal with the madness of Qohor," Varys interjects slyly, a not-quite echo of your own thoughts.
"We have two Flesh Forges to their one." The sheer scale of use one can obtain from harnessing the ley lines is becoming clearer day by day. Probably more than half the reason why you don't wake up with screaming nightmares when contemplating the armies of the Outer and Inner Spheres. "Also, we happen to be sane. I heard that does great things for one's chances of victory."
"Certainly, we have a good example of the disadvantages of lunacy in your sire," Varys quips and for a moment you almost reprimand her for the glib tone, before you realize that it is less ill feeling at the word and more the habit that you 'aught' to take it ill. She is your familiar after all, her thoughts twined about the root of your mind.
The reminder of what your father was, what he became at the end, hurts less than it used to, a fitting state to contemplate a realm raised where Aegon never flew before planning your return to Westeros. Not that you plan to tell Varys any of this, her ego needs no encouragement. Instead you look at her in askance before returning the the account from Qohor.
Green Faith:
Inner Circle:
Heavily infiltrated by eldritch influence (Sanity Compromised to a proportional degree)
Mutation common and praised (Outer Mutant and Eldritch Template spotted)
Blighted druidic and psionic powers present (Estimated skill comparable to the Mysterium at annexation though up to twice or three times greater numbers)
Outer Circle:
Moderately infiltrated in eldritch influence (common mutation comparable to the worst survivable examples seen in Sorcerer's Deep under Damphair)
Evidence that conditioning can be broken, though any defectors should be watched with utmost care
Psi-like and supernatural abilities more likely than formal magic or psionics
Flesh Forge:
Path shown in Zherys' map still present
Guarded by Far-Touched psionic beings specifically grown for the task
No mass military deployment of flesh-forged creatures in evidence (Limited Scouting)
Evidence of surrogate mother use (Religious; ritualistic significance?)
Forest of Qohor:
Some eldritch influence present throughout, mostly in the form of warped animals and fungus (mostly physical, not conceptual, threat)
The worst of the Far Realm influence is focused in several areas of the deep woods (places of pilgrimage for the cult, what were once the Feywild interfaces which now lead to Far-Touched demi-planes; not scouted)
Clearing the whole forest to a meaningful degree is likely to require a combined exercise between small elite fores, bombardment by skyship and military deployment on the ground
The Population at Large
Minor mutations witnessed
Incidence of mental effects far more common and often self-destructive
Proscribed and dangerous texts worryingly common
There will be no short sharp war for Qohor and Norvos next month, but you make a note to have the general staff draw up several plans for what might be done with the city. You are going to need all the options you can get when the time comes to deal with the city of the Black Goat.
What next?
[] Write in
OOC: And here is what you know summarized, yes it's cosmic horror and it most certainly cannot all be solved by sending a few adventurers, but you guys are not locked out of claiming the city and the Forge if you plan well and luck is on your side.
They are mostly gone to ground and Garin did not look into them much though from what Garin and company were able to infer they also dealt with the same powers, just with a lot more care about protecting themselves. Their last surviving magics were almost all abjurations of one sort or another
The news from Qohor is not as good as you might have hoped...No, you glance down at the reports in Garin's quick, unembellished style. Being honest, the news from Qohor is downright horrifying and makes the Court of Stars look like the easier foe to face by far. The most comfort you can draw from the fact is Xor's tentative conclusion that the entity known to the Qohorik as the Black Goat cares nothing for the prayers and ambitions of its 'priests'. If nothing else, that would account for why Norvos is still standing. The God of the Axe may be old in these lands, older even than humanity, but beside the horror that is honored upon the altars of Qohor, he is as young as springtime and his priests are still learning their arts.
"And yet you believe that you can deal with the madness of Qohor," Varys interjects slyly, a not-quite echo of your own thoughts.
"We have two flesh forges to their one." The sheer scale of use one can obtain from harnessing the ley lines is becoming clearer day by day. Probably more than half the reason why you don't wake up with screaming nightmares when contemplating the armies of the Outer and Inner Spheres. "Also, we happen to be sane. I heard that does great things for one's chances of victory."
"Certainly we have a good example of the disadvantages of lunacy in your sire," Varys quips and for a moment you almost reprimand her for the glib tone, before you realize that it is less ill feeling at the word and more the habit that you 'aught' to take it ill. She is your familiar, after all. Her thoughts are twined about the root of your mind.
The reminder of what your father was, what he became at the end, hurts less than it used to, a fitting state to contemplate a realm raised where Aegon never flew before planning your return to Westeros. Not that you plan to tell Varys any of this, her ego needs no encouragement. Instead, you look at her in askance before returning the the account from Qohor.
Green Faith:
Inner Circle:
Heavily infiltrated by eldritch influence (Sanity Compromised to a proportional degree)
Mutation common and praised (Outer Mutant and Eldritch Template spotted)
Blighted druidic and psionic powers present (Estimated skill comparable to the Mysterium at annexation though up to twice or three times greater numbers)
Outer Circle
Moderately infiltrated in eldritch influence (common mutation comparable to the worst survivable examples seen in Sorcerer's Deep under Damphair)
Evidence that conditioning can be broken, though any defectors should be watched with utmost care
Psi-like and supernatural abilities more likely than formal magic or psionics
Flesh Forge:
Path shown in Zherys' map still present
Guarded by Far-Touched psionic beings specifically grown for the task
No mass military deployment of flesh-forged creatures in evidence (Limited Scouting)
Evidence of surrogate mother use (Religious; ritualistic significance?)
Forest of Qohor:
Some eldritch influence present throughout, mostly in the form of warped animals and fungus (mostly physical, not a conceptual threat)
The worst of the Far Realm influence is focused in several areas of the deep woods (places of pilgrimage for the cult, what were once the Feywild interfaces which now lead to Far-touched demi-planes; not scouted)
Clearing the whole forest to a meaningful degree is likely to require a combined exercise between small elite fores, bombardment by sky ship, and military deployment on the ground
The Population at Large
Minor mutations witnessed
Incidence of mental effects far more common and often self destructive
Proscribed and dangerous texts worryingly common
There will be no short sharp war for Qohor and Norvos next month, but you make a note to have the general staff draw up several plans for what might be done with the city. You are going to need all the options you can get when the time comes to deal with the city of the Black Goat.
What next?
[] Write in
OOC: And here is what you know sumarized, yes it's cosmic horror and it most certainly cannot all be solved by sending a few adventurers, but you guys are not locked out of claiming the city and the forge if you plan well and luck is on your side. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox.
They are mostly gone to ground and Garin did not look into them much though from what Garin and company were able to infer they also dealt with the same powers, just with a lot more care about protecting themselves. Their last curviving magics were almost all abjurations of one sort or another
They're the elder cult, with the corresponding lore and relics as their inheritance of centuries of ruling Qohor. We can't really do anything unless we have a general idea of what the original cult has to offer against us, or this is going to be Slaver's Bay all over again except worse.
They're the elder cult, with the corresponding lore and relics as their inheritance of centuries of ruling Qohor. We can't really do anything unless we have a general idea of what the original cult has to offer against us, or this is going to be Slaver's Bay all over again except worse.
Lysa Tully is the daughter of the current Lord Paramount of the Riverlands -- Lord Paramount Hoster Tully -- and Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully is his brother.
Lysa married the Lord Paramount of the Vale during Robert's Rebellion -- Lord Paramount Jon Arryn -- and once the war was over, Ser Brynden followed her to the Vale so he could protect her from the constant Mountain Clan raids.
We've sent a few minions to assassinate Blackfish and make it seem like it was the result of a bad fey bargain on Lysa's part, because we know she was already fucking around with fey since her son stayed an infant for several years, then grew unnaturally quickly when his father was assassinated by Bloodraven having his horse throw him.
Now we're waiting for the Vale as a whole to turn against Lysa for perceived kinslaying.
You imply we start attacking it next month with hastily-grown armies of Undead (we can afford to, I guess), or just throwing general strategy out there for later?
3rd Month Turnvote proposal (0.5) -- Qohor-less edition! Hero Character and Strategic Assets proposal
[] Operation Starfall: After months of work invested into finding ways to sow disunity within the Court of Stars or to gain diplomatic leverage, you stand without having found any amount of success in either endeavor. More worryingly, it has become evident that the Fey possess much more combat power then expected and could spell disaster for the conquest of Westeros, if not the Imperium as a whole. They are a threat that needs to be dealt with and due to gentle means being unsuccessful and the time running out, drastic steps have to be taken.
-[] Part 0 - Snare preparations and continues summoning:
--[] Using diamond dust, the Snare will be enhanced with Permanent Symbols of Blinding (2,000 IM) and Vulnerability (5,000 IM) that have been password protected to allow our personnel to avoid being affected by their effects.
--[] In her Half-Celestial form, Dany will use her Hallow spell-like ability with a linked Resist Energy (Acid) spell to create a ward against Acid damage that will extend from the inner edge of the Summoning Circle to the walls of the Snare Chamber itself, protecting everyone and everything within the effect with 30 Acid Resistance. The Summoning Circle itself will remain under the effects of a Hallow spell with a linked Dimensional Anchor effect.
--[] The security of the Snare itself will be further enhanced by a Permanent 30th level Lost Locale spell (DC 33 Will save, 40th level to overcome Spell Resistance) using diamond dust (14,000 IM). The spell will affect the entire island which houses the Snare.
--[] The shaft beneath the Summoning Circle will be temporarily sealed, the floor of the circle will be sheathed in a 1/4 inch thick layer of Adamantine (6.5 cubic feet of Adamantine spread over the 315 square feet of the 20 foot diameter circle, 190,710 IM value), and an immense steel vat sufficient to contain a Gargantuan-sized Stone Pudding will be placed within it, taking up the entire available floor space of the circle. Viserys, working alongside Lya, will use a 30th level Hardening spell to raise the Hardness of the Adamantine to 35 and the steel to 25.
---[] A special order Stone Pudding will be grown in the Flesh Forge, augmented to be immobile but gifted with the Advanced and Giant templates, along with 16 additional Racial Hit Dice. This will be a CR 15 creation and will cost 28,800 IM, but will increase the Fortitude saving throw DC of the Stone Pudding's Petrifying Touch from 21 to 32.
----[] The special order Stone Pudding will be contained within the Hardened steel vat occupying the Summoning Circle so that it will be in immediate physical contact with each Summoned Brimorak, forcing it to make a DC 32 Fortitude saving throw to avoid being Petrified. Even if it resists, it will be stuck within the Summoning Circle and forced to continue making saves each round to avoid Petrification.
--[] Using the Summoner's Circle of Lesser Planar Binding, a team of mages will work to continually Summon Brimorak Demons, one every 10 minutes, throughout the 3rd month. Each Summoning attempt will have a 70% chance of successfully overcoming the Will save of a random Brimorak, meaning that an average of 100 Brimoraks will be Summoned of the potential 144 on a daily basis. Over a 30 day period, this should result in the Summoning of 3,000 Brimorak Demons (18,000 combined HD).
---[] The Summoner's Circle of Lesser Planar Binding is a three foot diameter ring of Mithral engraved with runes of Conjuration and Summoning which. When linked to a prepared Summoning Circle, it allows the user standing or sitting within it to use the Lesser Planar Binding spell to Summon and Outsider with no more than 6 HD as often as once per 10 minutes. Outsiders Summoned in this manner can resist the effect with a DC 17 Will saving throw.
---[] A Herald will remove the Petrified Brimoraks from the Stone Pudding's vat before they can be catastrophically damaged by the Ooze's powerful acid. The Petrified Brimorak will then be moved to where another Herald is set up alongside our Shrink Item Chamber. For the first several days of the month, a Herald will use the Shrink Item Chamber to reduce each Petrified Brimorak to a more easily stored size. It will switch over to the more powerful Advanced Shrink Item Chamber when it is completed. The Chambers will be used as often as necessary to keep all Petrified Brimoraks shrunken, until they are needed for sacrifice.
----[] Guards:
-----[] Inside the Snare: Mereth, 8x Erinyes, 4x Heralds, 8x Glass Golems, 4x Vigilant Briars, 4x Blood Clot Molds, 4x Black Brutes, 2x Greater Blood Clot Molds, 2x Black Champions, 1x Adult Mind Dragon
-----[] Outside the Snare: Balerion, 8x Fiery Dragonbeasts, 24x Erinyes, 6x Heralds, 12x Glass Golems, 16x Vigilant Briars, 6x Blood Clot Molds, 6x Black Brutes
-[] Part 1 - Holding Action: Resume your current efforts, even though you know them to be futile, so that your enemies are not alerted to the change of tactics. Let your people spy on Fey gathering, subvert minor, unaligned courts and interfere with the CoS' attempts to make pacts with Reacher lords. --[] Spy on CoS and combat minor Dark Fey: 1x Orphne Fey Lord, 4x Wild Hunt Archers (Mounted) [CR 14], 2x Wild Hunt Scouts (Houndmaster Hounds x3) [CR 16], Osryx (Very Old Myrkdreki), 6x Verdant Phoenixes, 10x Guardian Nagas, 5x Heralds
--[] Find and subvert minor courts: Glyra + Feytroupe, Liomond Lashare, Ser Dregaire, Dirriz the Faerie Dragon, Vrath the Serpentfolk Hexblade, 1x Asura Upasunda (CR 9), 4x Asura Vayphaks (CR 5), Azema --[] Spy on and subvert Reacher nobles: Alyssa Crowl, Danar Crowl, Ser Aubert Flowers, Velen, Xor, 2x Adult Mind Dragons, The Misfits --[] Reserve & Aid: 25x Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cat (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD), 1x Falxugon, 1x Gancanagh (CR 4) - Garantos, 22x Legion Devils, 4x Salikotal / Vengeance Devil
-[]Part 2 - Prepare the Great Sacrifice: Under utmost secrecy, prepare a great sacrifice ritual to the Old Gods, R'hllor, the Ferryman and Yss to use the Crown of Flowers as a conduit to kill the leadership and high-level combatants of the Court of Stars. ----[] Riz'Neth, Soft Strider, Nirah, the Champion of Yss (CR 20), Aife, Herald of the Ferryman (CR 22)
-[] Part 3 - The Great Summoning: Summon as many Fiends as you possibly can to fuel the ritual. ----[] Summoners: Viserys, Lya (1st Body)
----[] Guards: Dany, Richard, Vee (Free Action), Zherys, Waymar (Free Action), Malarys, Tyene (Free Action), Adamantine Golem (Monk 1)
-[] Part 4 - Culmination: Perform the great ritual at the end of the month, sacrificing thousands of fiends to destroy the Court of Stars. Then immediately assemble a strike-force with all available Companions to either confirm the demise of the Court of Stars leadership or to assault their seat of power to finish off what is left. ----[] Everyone from the other parts, plus everyone else who is available.
[] Operation Salted Earth: The situation in the Ghiscari lands continues to be tense, but for now it seems viable to scale back operations and merely observe Baators movements. Recent attacks should have disrupted the enemies plans enough to move your assets to more pressing fronts while keeping a decently sized contingent to look for further developments.
-[] New Ghis: The main goal here is to look into the political situation of the polity and to see how deep ties to the other cities have remained in face of the sea blockade cutting them off from each other. Also look into their current trade relations and the economic stability of the island while cataloging relevant information for a future invasion. ----[] Alysande Redsail, Kira Windgraced, 2x Vigilant Hunters (CR 10), 20x Vigilant Briars (CR 4), 4x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4), 5x Watchmoles (CR 6), 1x Umbral Spies, 1x Umbral Stalkers, 1x Adult Mind Dragons (CR 15), 5x Glass Golems
-[] Mereen: Look into Devil activities, disrupt them if possible and keep an eye on the land trade coming through the city. Also keep an eye out for the Sons of the Harpy and the Unsullied of the city. ----[] Shara Rogare, Teana, 2x Umbral Spies, 1x Umbral Stalkers, 2x Vigilant Hunters (CR 10), 20x Vigilant Briars (CR 4), 2x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4), 5x Watchmoles (CR 6), 1x Adult Mind Dragons (CR 15), 5x Glass Golems
-[] Yunkai: Look into Devil activities and disrupt them if possible. Also keep an eye out for the Sons of the Harpy and the Unsullied of the city. ----[] Mia the Inquisitor, Shadow!Tor, 2x Umbral Spies, 1x Umbral Stalkers, 2x Vigilant Hunters (CR 10), 20x Vigilant Briars (CR 4), 2x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4), 5x Watchmoles (CR 6), 1x Adult Mind Dragons (CR 15), 5x Glass Golems
-[] Astapor: Look into Devil activities, disrupt them if possible and keep an eye on the (former) training facilities of the Unsullied for any activity. Also keep an eye out for the Sons of the Harpy and the Unsullied of the city. ----[] Anya the Inquisitor, Wyla, 2x Umbral Spies, 1x Umbral Stalkers, 2x Vigilant Hunters (CR 10), 20x Vigilant Briars (CR 4), 2x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4), 5x Watchmoles (CR 6), 1x Adult Mind Dragons (CR 15), 5x Glass Golems
-[] Assassin reserve:To be called in when there are opportunities to kill important figures who have been subverted by Baator, or to kill high-value assets of Baator. ----[] Sari (Bounty Hunter 15), Ashin (Occult Historian 15), Morwyn and Tuin, Aradia the Huntress. 1x Orphne Fey Lord, 2x Very Old Myrkdreki Dragons, (CR 15) (twins), 2x Adult Mind Dragons (CR 15), 1x Umbral Spies
-[] Combat reserve: To be called in if there is heavy combat expected or to assault Devil strongholds. ----[] 2x Heralds, 3x Glass Golems, 10x Blood Clot Molds, 10x Black Brutes, 2x Greater Blood Clot Molds, 15x Black Champions, 2x Vigilant Hunters (CR 10)
[] To Extinguish the FeyFire: The battle between R'hlor and Ymeri is beyond even you and your closest Companions to help directly... yet, as shown by the forces he gathers to break into Ymeri's domain, much can still be done to smoothen that out.
-[] Goal: Support R'hlor's forces in killing Ymeri. ----[Airforce] 1st to 4th Battlegroups, 1st and 2nd Fighter Squadron, 1st Bomber Squadron (3x Moonchaser Type A, 1x Dauntless, 12x Wyvern Type-B, 31x Wyvern Type-A, 8x Manticore) ----[Other Forces] Yrael; Moonsong; Amrealth; the Hadhayosh (CR 20); Bloom the Brijidine; The Harbringer (CR 17); 15x Heralds
[] Operation Woodlouse: Given the information provided by Archmaester Marwyn, you have enough information to begin the preparations for the assault on Casterly Rock, to dig out any dug in Golden Shiels, Lana Lannister and Tywin Lannister, while preferably taking Casterly Rock intact. To this end, a team will begin to locate the portals leading the the caverns beneath Casterly Rock on the Plane of Earth and use these routes to infiltrate them. To do this, they will use Divinations to narrow down the possible locations, then scout on foot in the Plane of Earth. Once the caverns are infiltrated, they will observe the wards and, assuming they can remain undetected, plant minor, burrowing undead with the Lead-Clad template and Necrotic Molds controlling them. These undead will then begin to map the caverns and resume spying on all activities until the day of the attack. ----[] Garin, Marwyn (Wizard 6/Loremaster 10), Vargo (Counterfeit Mage 15), Nuri, Vee, Waymar, Tyene, 5 Hunter Bioconstructs, 10 Greater Bloodclot Molds (to be crafted); 10x Lindworms (to be crafted);
[] Plane of Water Delegation: Wrap up the necessary permissions to create a Terminus in Amun Kelisk and try to avoid more unnecessary entanglements in the politics of the city.
-[] Do note the personal wants of the local Archmages, on an off chance the Empire might be capable of providing it for either the troves of exotic (for PoW) lore, or general access to unique resources -- This here is not an invite for interlude series, but rather a desire to roll again and see if maybe this time the Archmages there have any desires we can fulfill quickly/easily enough to get them to work for us. ----[] Hermetia; Grazdan the Grim; Koron Redmane; Lothos Saan; Menel Goldtooth; Living Ship Queen Rhaella & Diana the Sea Sprite; 1x Herald; 5x Advanced Erynies;
[] Raiding the Efreeti on Plane of Fire: ----[] Siduri, Yurten & the crew; 2x Heralds; ----[] 1x Gelugon / Ice Devil, 2x Steel Devil, 3x Lead Devil, 6x Salikotal (previously established group)
[] Infiltration into the City of Brass:
-[] Goals: Slowly slow down the activities, unless that makes the shop suspect. Prepare for the shop's running to be taken over by the Myrkdreki and the Mind Dragon support cast. ----[] Maelor (continued), 1x Mind Dragon (continued), Bronn (continued), Sarell (continued).
[] Sarnori Pacification: The fate of Sarnor was a dark one indeed, yet now, a hopeful light shows itself, with the remaining polities being friendly, and disposed towards an eventual alliance with the Empire. However, but one in hundred are the Undead that kept their sanity, and far too many of their mindless brethren toil the countryside for it to be safe for... any activities at all, to be attempted within these lands, not least because the Undead poison the soil so.
-[] Goal: Undead-hunting competition between Erynies, Lenjths, and Wild hunt; focus on ending any un-aligned Sentient Undead or stragglers of the destroyed armies. In absence of Sentient Undead, hunt down Mindless Undead as far as possible to. ----[] Nettles and the Sheepstealer; 11x Veteran Erynies; 11x Lenjths; 4x Wild Hunt Archers (Mounted) [CR 14]; 2x Wild Hunt Scouts (Houndmaster Hounds x3) [CR 16]. ----[] Previously assigned forces: 2x Very Old Myrkdreki Dragons, CR 15; 5x Black Champions; 40x Black knights; 10x Vigilant Briars(CR 4)
[] The Swamps Dried
(Progress 29/40) (Each PC granted 1d6 Progress; the Heralds (4x) Granted 2d6 together due to flight and combat power; the Nagas (5x) another 2d6) ----[] Relath; Mercy of the Soul; Kennos of Kayce; Argo the Cunning Bull; 3x Heralds; 10x Guardian Nagas;
[] Scouting the Neck - Send some people to investigate the situation in the Neck, which Fey there are and how they are aligned in the wider Fey politics. Take special not of any information relevant to the movement of large armies, such as a potential host from the North trying to march through the Neck to the Riverlands. ----[] Valeana Velarion; Jeyne Weaver; Roger Reyne
[] Praetori Conversion - Undergo the process to become a Praetori. ----[] Sandor Clegane
[] Pointsmen Recruitment - To alleviate the eagerness of the Pointsmen for a little while longer, send a few people to start some recruitment efforts among them for the Imperial Military. Also distribute the Imperial law code among the nobility so that they can begin preparations to transition the area smoothly into the Imperial bureaucracy. ----[] 1x Heralds; Mors 'Crowfood' Umber; Ser Gerold 'Darkstar' Dayne; Ser Bonifer Hasty
[] Aerial patrols: Use Serpentstone Recorders to take reconnaissance videos of Westeros. To get a good quality, try low altitude and low speed (500m, 200km/h) fly-overs during mid-day.
-[] Areas to cover:
--[] Coast near Parchments in the Stormlands
--[] Coast of Blackwater Bay, especially the estuary of the Blackwater.
--[] The Fingers in the Vale
--[] The Neck in the North
--[] Coast near White Harbor in the North.
--[] The Arbor in the Reach.
--[] Coast near Oldtown in the Reach.
--[] The Bay of Crabs in the Riverlands. ----[] 3rd Fighter Squadron (12x Wyvern Type-C)
[] Pilot Training ----[] 1st Training Squadron (8x Wyvern Type-B, 2x Manticore)
[] The Mysteries of East: With them now open to you, have the libraries of Vahar accessed, and scoured through for lore of illusion, divination, and other low-energy magics. (Progress: 0/12) ----[] Rhaella (2d6 Progress); Naath Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress); Tolos Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress); The Seeker (CR 15), 1x Black Knight, 1x Greater Blood Clot Mold, 1x Erynies
[] Dreamscaping Having created a beacon in the dreamlands now you must consider how one might build a road that will endure the ever-shifting paths of that realm (21/25 Progress) ----[] Aenie Caleris (4d6 Progress +1d6 Progress per Specialization);
[] Tying the rituals of Administration into Imperial Deity base (Progress: 0/30 Progress – TIERED RESEARCH; Tier 1) ----[] Naria the Loreseeker (4d6 Progress); Volantis Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress); Mantarys Schoalrum Branch (2d6 Progress); Sorcerer's Deep Scolarum Branch (2d6 Progress);
[] Secure the Flesh Forge, and fleshsmiths, against memetic attacks
-[] Heavy defenses (Progress 0/45; Cost 600,000 IM) ----[] Lady Saenena (4d6 Progress); Elaheh Marita (4d6 Progress); Tyrosh Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress);
[] Trade for Fey Lore applicable to Imperial Deity project (without spreading the information on the exact nature of the project too freely) with the Fey of:
-[] Sea Courts
-[] Golden Grove Court
-[] Spread-out Westerosi Old Gods-aligned Courts
-[] Wild Hunt
-[] Lys' Goblin Market Court (0/12 Progress) ----[] Rina (4d6 Progress); Tolos Scholarum Branch (2d6 Progress);
[] Lya watching Zathir work his hammer.
(Progress: None, it is 'just watching' ) ----[] Lya (2nd body)
[] I Like TrainsSteam's Motion Given Form: [Get us steam trains]
(Progress 35; Cost 65.000)
----[] Beryl the Strategist (4d6 Progress); Anu of Sallosh (4d6 Progress); SD engineering university (2d6 Progress)
[] The Mind's Games: The psychological effects of repeated and sustained enchantment on the mental state and brain of the average person.
(Progress 11/32 ) ----[] Svitran the Dreamer (4d6 Progress);
[] Tireless Steel by Sorcery Moved: The art of golem-making is ancient indeed... but one has to wonder if it is possible to wring an armor in the same qualities, to create personal defense truly unsurpassable. (Requires the "Layering the Defenses"-Research Action)
-[] Develop the basic chassis of the Imperial Powered Armor systems - and create the Warden Pattern armor.
(12/18 Progress) ----[] Valeria the Wondersmith (4d6 Progress);
MAs
[] First 4 days of the month +- rng - attempt the summoning of the Daemon sighted in Sarnor last month.
[] Have the Inquisition throughout Westeros scour for information on Lucan, his motivation and character (Viserys needs IC knowledge)
[] Post-Qohor, post- month's summoning, sacrifice captured enemies to R'hlor, in order to power anti-Ymeri action.
[] Eyes in the Sky: Have the training/patrol flights experiment with mounting Serpent Stone recorders on their Wyverns to later review the footage for intelligence purposes. Try mounting it on different spots of the hull, in the cockpit and so on.
[] Visit Hellven.
-[] Have an agent visit the information broker Undead illithid, bargain for True Names for Mammon's Devils, or those who'd know said names.
-[] In return sell the True Names for..:
--[] "()" = allegiance, "-" = source of the True Names
--[] 5x Hellchain Weavers (Bel) - Advodaza
--[] 1x Hamatula (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 3x Amnizu (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 6x Bezekira (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 3x Imp (Never summoned) (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 1x Kocrachon (Summoned only once) (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 8x Merregon (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 7x Barbazu (Dispater) - Siduri
--[] 1x Phistophilus (Servants Mephistopheles) - (2 steps removed) -- Advodaza eaten by Yss
[] Have the whole stock of the Abomjnation 'librarian' previously visited on Plane of Earth bought. (1.5 million IM, a wide variety of lores, no Archmage-grade stuff though)
[] Have Roderick the Reader start the diplomatic efforts to organize a secret Kingsmoot in the Iron Isles in the middle of the 4th month. Justification would be Roderick seeing the need for a clear and strong leadership of the Iron Isles, since Westeros is visibly coming apart at the seams these days, and the secrecy being necessary to prevent foreign meddling.
[] Have your Riverlander collaborators try to nudge Hoster Tully to leave Riverrun with a small contingent of loyal knights to support Lysa Arryn, as raising the banners in the current situation will be all but impossible and might cause so much chaos that he can't help her at all, leaving Riverrun in the capable hands of Edmure Tully.
[] Ask Dalla to scout for a well hidden valley near the Bloody Gate that can be used as a staging ground for a Darkenbeast company.
[] Ask Doran Martell to look for a well hidden valley in the Red Mountains that can be used as a staging ground for a Darkenbeast company to attack the Marcher Lords.
[] Send a team of engineers to assess the state of Harrenhall and to make plans how it can be rapidly refurbished with Titan Tools to serve as a major base for the Legion and the Airforce.
[] Rotate out most of the Inquisition agents at Lord Tybalt Blackbars court. Make it quietly known to them that this not because of their opinion of the man, but because they were so sloppy that he noticed. You are expecting better secrecy from the Inquisition then that.
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