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

[Crake]

Wind Ships: With the aid of his Djinn guest Sorrol Zo has succeeded in setting to water swan ships that can bend the very winds to their captain's will. Given your own efforts in forging the Moonchaser and other great vessels of the which can cross over land, over sea and under it, in other spheres and even the black heavens above you would have little interest in this success save for one small and seemingly mundane detail. According to the Red Priest who is providing you information on the process is is extraordinarily cheap, much more so than enchantments and elemental bindings should be. Unfortunately your source has been less able to discern how well the process scales or how skilled the enchanters must be

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Question is, how fast and maneuverable are they really? "Faster than a ship" also isn't really much of an achievement when the direct competition is basically ships powered by the agony and despair of nature given form. Or the power of a world's gravity.

Like, I'm not even certain an elemental-powered ship can break the down sound barrier without there having been something screwy like time manipulation or some other high-tier enchanting like that involved.

 

[DragonParadox]

You know, if we had someone with the patience of Azema to spare... and yes, I really do mean patience. She put up with the likes of Aedon for months.

Really though, this is a bit of an oversight @DragonParadox. If Personnel decided that this area was less urgent, we definitely have broad enough recruitment goals that someone with a Diplomacy Skill Focus feat and some study on Westerosi ass-kissing would have been available to placate him. In fact it might have been easier than finding easterners who were willing to plant their asses in a foreign backwater for multiple months without expectation of much action.

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While yes you guys can and do recruit in Westeros, most of it is covert and generally the people the inquisition recruits in Westeros are more useful staying where they are and feeding information than getting uprooted so they can massage Lord Tybalt's ego just so. Inquisition agents who can be freely assigned are a lot more likely to be Essosi.

 

[egoo]

Do you guys want Ibben rumors too or just extraplanar ones and wrap up?

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I'm okay either way I guess.
Ibben only has, like, 2 things happening that we know of: rainbow smoke that eats ships, and Squids, hasn't it?

I don't think the place deserves a whole rumor post on it's own, unless you feel that-a-way.

 

[Crake]

If the latter were indeed behind the attempted assassination which began the chain of events than they seem to have won more in failure than they ever could have in defeat.

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Even this shows how cynical our agents making reports are. They immediately voice suspicion that the whole thing was a framed failed assassination in order to have the opportunity to show off "see, we're not so bad, we're far more concerned about fixing this bloody mess than prying concessions out of you, and you're the one that came in here screaming about underhandedness".

To be honest though, I actually get the feeling most of the nobles around here are fairly decent people compared to Essos and Westeros. I mean logically, GRRM engineers things to have both of those continents filled with abuses of power by usually incompetent idiots, but you gotta figure at least one area is ruled by people who care about peace and stability, right?

 

[DragonParadox]

Even this shows how cynical our agents making reports are. They immediately voice suspicion that the whole thing was a framed failed assassination in order to have the opportunity to show off "see, we're not so bad, we're far more concerned about fixing this bloody mess than prying concessions out of you, and you're the one that came in here screaming about underhandedness".

To be honest though, I actually get the feeling most of the nobles around here are fairly decent people compared to Essos and Westeros. I mean logically, GRRM engineers things to have both of those continents filled with abuses of power by usually incompetent idiots, but you gotta figure at least one area is ruled by people who care about peace and stability, right?

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Worth keeping in mind your agents are mostly esossi traders, former slaves and the odd red priest so expect them to be cynical about rulers of all sorts

 

[Azel]

Once the invasion is done, we should have finally some diplomacy and intrigue assets left over to start working on the Summer Isles. Peaceful absorption should be in the books there.

 

[Crake]

Worth keeping in mind your agents are mostly esossi traders, former slaves and the odd red priest so expect them to be cynical about rulers of all sorts

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That's right, we don't usually recruit nobles without them being special cases like Shara...

Do nobles usually do things like join the Military Academy to become officers, or vie for an administrative posting, then? And I'm sure we have business partnerships with a lot of them through Red Scales Holding proprietary companies.

I wonder what the nature of personal network looks like outside of what we've seen on screen? I'm sure we have some kind of hold on most nobility just through our indirect actions, and it's pretty clear if you want to jump a level up in terms of wealth and influence you have to do it closer to court.

 

[Crake]

Last comment, as I just caught up with discussion.

@Azel @Goldfish @egoo we should assign some protection detail to Brightwater Keep. I like how the Lord there is just taking absolutely no shit. And that endears me.

 

[DragonParadox]

That's right, we don't usually recruit nobles without them being special cases like Shara...

Do nobles usually do things like join the Military Academy to become officers, or vie for an administrative posting, then? And I'm sure we have business partnerships with a lot of them through Red Scales Holding proprietary companies.

I wonder what the nature of personal network looks like outside of what we've seen on screen? I'm sure we have some kind of hold on most nobility just through our indirect actions, and it's pretty clear if you want to jump a level up in terms of wealth and influence you have to do it closer to court.

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Most nobles with their own fortunes prefer economic and courtly ties to military ones, ambitious second sons (and increasingly daughters in some places) look towards the administration while adventurous ones seek the military (specially prestigious pranches) or the Scholarum.

 

[Crake]

Most nobles with their own fortunes prefer economic and courtly ties to military ones, ambitious second sons (and increasingly daughters in some places) look towards the administration while adventurous ones seek the military (specially prestigious pranches) or the Scholarum.

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Considering how the Legion is fast expanding and our brass is also with it, all of the branches are pretty damn prestigious. Leading an entire Legion (over ten thousand soldiers) as a colonel is a significant jump in power and influence.

 

[Azel]

Last comment, as I just caught up with discussion.

@Azel @Goldfish @egoo we should assign some protection detail to Brightwater Keep. I like how the Lord there is just taking absolutely no shit. And that endears me.

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What kind of protection are you thinking about? Plants carry the risk of Seven vs. Old Gods backlash, while other fleshforged or undead carry the risk of being grossly unnatural.

 

[egoo]

we should assign some protection detail to Brightwater Keep.

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I'm thinking having the standard bodyguard unit be as most our people have these (and some carry bags full of Undead Octopi Construct):

1 Vigilant Hunter (CR 10), 1 Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cats (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD), 1 Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD), 1 Black Champion

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Sounds reasonable enough?
Or did you mean something beyond personal guard?

 

[DragonParadox]

Considering how the Legion is fast expanding and our brass is also with it, all of the branches are pretty damn prestigious. Leading an entire Legion (over ten thousand soldiers) as a colonel is a significant jump in power and influence.

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Assuming you can somehow get into the high echalons of the legion yes, but that is decades of work and dedication. There will always be more who want a Wyvern now

 

[Crake]

What kind of protection are you thinking about? Plants carry the risk of Seven vs. Old Gods backlash, while other fleshforged or undead carry the risk of being grossly unnatural.

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Some low profile stuff like Shadowcats to forewarn screwy things, and maybe a constantly invisible Vigilant Hunter.

If we really want to commit, and I think we should as they are a significant House with, as pointed out by Companions, the ability to use their bloodline in sympathetic ritual bonds, a Mind Dragon. Granted that is with the expectation that they might be under significant threat and could really use comprehensive and total prevention of death from multiple sources, that they even need a detection net that can catch illusionists, enchanters and traditional sneaky-stabby.

 

[Crake]

Assuming you can somehow get into the high echalons of the legion yes, but that is decades of work and dedication. There will always be more who want a Wyvern now

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So the political sons and daughters go for the Legion, and the ones who just want to go fast and far are usually the Air Force, then.

So that means the religious fanatics among the noble sons and daughters volunteered for the Praetorians...?

Just making logical deductions.

 

[DragonParadox]

So the political sons and daughters go for the Legion, and the ones who just want to go fast and far are usually the Air Force, then.

So that means the religious fanatics among the noble sons and daughters volunteered for the Praetorians...?

Just making logical deductions.

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Praetorians are too new to make a judgement on patterns of recruitment just yet. but that seem like a good guess

 

[Crake]

Poor Imperial Navy... already obsolete before you hit the starting line...

Then again, once we have dozens of airships, we might split the two again, and half will become the Navy again, and the other half will be just the airforce aiding the Legion and Navy with combined arms operations.

 

[mrsean22]

Can see Nobles houses and people that live on the coasts or on a Island joining the Imperial Navy. Basically have control over the seas. Have good influence like the Legion.

 

[Azel]

@egoo

[] 10x Roving Aquatic Patrols -- Narrow Sea
1*10x Lead-clad Greater Bloodshark - 2,325 IM each - 2,325 IM per unit - 23,250 IM total
1*10x Lead-clad Black Brute - 4,880 IM each - 4,880 IM per unit - 48,800 IM total
5*10x Lead-clad Bloodshark - 1,035 IM each - 5,175 IM per unit - 51,750 IM total
20*10x Lead-clad Advanced Skeletal Narwhale - 220 IM each - 4,400 IM per unit - 44,000 IM total
50*10x Lead-clad Blood Seal - 45 IM each - 2,250 IM per unit - 22,500 IM total
76*10x Necrotic Mold - 300 IM each - 22,800 IM per unit - 228,000 IM total
1*10x Greater Bloodclot Mold - 28,800 IM each - 28,800 per unit - 288,000 IM total

That's 70,630 IM per unit.

 

[egoo]

@egoo

[] 10x Roving Aquatic Patrols -- Narrow Sea
1*10x Lead-clad Greater Bloodshark - 2,325 IM each - 2,325 IM per unit - 23,250 IM total
1*10x Lead-clad Black Brute - 4,880 IM each - 4,880 IM per unit - 48,800 IM total
5*10x Lead-clad Bloodshark - 1,035 IM each - 5,175 IM per unit - 51,750 IM total
20*10x Lead-clad Advanced Skeletal Narwhale - 220 IM each - 4,400 IM per unit - 44,000 IM total
50*10x Lead-clad Blood Seal - 45 IM each - 2,250 IM per unit - 22,500 IM total
76*10x Necrotic Mold - 300 IM each - 22,800 IM per unit - 228,000 IM total
1*10x Greater Bloodclot Mold - 28,800 IM each - 28,800 per unit - 288,000 IM total

That's 70,630 IM per unit.

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Do we want anywhere except the Narrow Sea filled with those yet?

 

[Azel]

Do we want anywhere except the Narrow Sea filled with those yet?

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Goggossos, Braavos and the Rhoyne come to mind. Those are the most vulnerable to the kind of infiltration that these units would be best at countering.

As for Westeros, I'd say Old Town, the Mander, the Iron Isles and Dragonstone.

 

[egoo]

Goggossos, Braavos and the Rhoyne come to mind. Those are the most vulnerable to the kind of infiltration that these units would be best at countering.

As for Westeros, I'd say Old Town, the Mander, the Iron Isles and Dragonstone.

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So, around 80 patrols in total with the Narrow Sea ones, then?
Kk. adding to forge-order proposal.

 

[Azel]

So, 80 patrols in total with the Narrow Sea ones, then?
Kk. adding to forge-order proposal.

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Uhm... the Narrow Sea gets 10 patrols because it's huge. The other locations can do with one patrol each.

 

[egoo]

Uhm... the Narrow Sea gets 10 patrols because it's huge. The other locations can do with one patrol each.

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Yeh, brainfart, sorry.

 

[Crake]

@Azel Aren't the rivers pretty dang big, too? You pointed out that since the chokepoints are narrow it shouldn't take that much effort to patrol, but can't the kind of infiltration you worried about mostly get around just watching one area into the river system by teleporting stuff up river, or heck if you wanted to get a lot of stuff moving just have one open a Gate a few times to get masses of stuff in place just before a larger attack.

There's not much we can do to stop that, though, so it makes me question the point of assigning anything to the rivers themselves. And granted, there's no harm in controlling the entrances, since it will never be logistically sound to Gate in raiding forces compared to sending hundreds of Skum and abominations upriver from the ocean itself.

I guess argument mostly retracted, it does deal with large groups of attackers, just not so much infiltrators, which is expected. Any determined enemy with access to magic is going to infiltrate you, your native defenses matter more in that respect.