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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:
When It Rains ​

Twenty-Fifth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

The tall, foreboding walls of Westhaven, with its batteries barred against any foe that might come by land or sea, serve in one way as the ideal place to meet the delegation from Trader Town. It is an unmistakable reminder of the arcane strength you brought against the Golden Company and your pledge not to interfere in the internecine battles of that realm. Thus you make no move to acknowledge Pol Qo, instead smoothly moving from questions about the journey and what they might have glimpsed of your realm along the way, to an invitation to the palace, where they will be accommodated in high state, but not so high as to imply anything more than graciousness for visitors who had traveled far to wish you well on the day of your coronation.

Pol Ning takes your reply with a sort of resigned acceptance, but not all are as philosophical about the matter.

"It is good for those who are brothers in the gaze of the Heavens to see to each others works. Better still to share words of wisdom in the face of a world grown dark with the miasmas of folly," a man in silk braided in the colors of dawn replies. Introduced as Bai Da, you suspect he is the most skilled sorcerer among the delegation from the way the wind bends to his thoughts without motion or word. Ning's keeper, most likely. Air can feed fire, but it can also snuff it out.

"There is much in the world that needs to be remedied by any hands set to the task," you reply courteously, but not giving an inch more. Quite apart from the fact that you do not like the self-styled Orange Emperor, you also have no time to play these games, your eyes fixed not east but west.

Once they had been escorted to the Deep, you make a mental note to ensure the inquisitors assigned to your new guests are experienced and at least somewhat familiar with the powers that the higher circles of spellcraft grant one. Definitely erinyes as watchers. Perhaps even Garin's personal attention would not go amiss. You can think of many ways they might attempt to profit from the presence of so many powerful individuals both among your subjects and other visitors, and none of them are things you would like to cast a shadow on the day.

As though timed to correspond with the arrival of the Trader Town delegation, which it may well have been given that not all of them are proof from divination, you also receive a message from the embassy in Yin, word of a far larger delegation almost two hundred strong, from court eunuchs and an honor guard, to a pair of Emerald Magistrates. Judging by the size of their baggage train, you estimate the sheer volume of coronation gifts could fill the hold of a mid-sized galleon, though of course such are to be delivered in person on the day rather than revealed beforehand.

"They want to open a gate to Yin?" Dany asks, startled when Hua Fen reaches the relevant part of the message.

Already somewhat accustomed to your sister's short patience with decorum in a private audience, though not wholly comfortable with it, the young envoy replies, "They name it the Pearl Bridge, but from what I understand of the work of the honorable Wu Jen, that would not be a poor way to name it, Highness. It is old magic, and even in olden days little used, for the Golden Empire had few interests beyond the Four Pillars of the Realm and those which it did were not urgent, but in this instance it was counted safest for the delegation to pass by magic and not by sea, lest wind, storm, or fouler things work their malice upon it."

You could hardly refuse them at this point without insult, though the prospect of having the representatives of warring factions in your city, in your court, does not fill you with joy.

How do you greet the envoys from Yin and what precautions do you put in place to watch both of the Yi Tish factions?

[] Write in

OOC: Coronation gifts are traditional practically everywhere so expect a lot of delegations around for this.
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Made some additional edits to the chapter, DP.
 
[X] Plan No Hanky-Pank
-[X] Have them open their gate near the palace and have the diplomatic corpse receive them.
-[X] House the Yi-Tish delegations in opposite wings of the palace to keep them separated.
-[X] Tell both delegations that they enjoy your full protection and that guest right is enshrined as one of your most important laws.
-[X] Assign a few Vigilant Shadow Cats and Mini Mimics of the palace guard to keep an eye on the groups and let the most important dignitaries be covertly guarded by Divining proof Black Wardens with Bloodclot Molds.
-[X] Since you will now likely be unable to not officially recognise the factions in some fashion, address them as "representatives of the Azure / Orange court of Yi-Ti" and leave it at that.
--[X] The same courtesy will be extended to any potential delegations from Carcossa.
 
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I think Tywin would have loved this. He loves putting people in their places. Shame he never sided with us.
On a totally unrelated note. Is the Storm King a Kami? Cause I know a few people who might be interested in forming a pact.
 
Azel said:
[X] Plan No Hanky-Pank
-[X] Have them open their gate near the palace and have the diplomatic corpse receive them.
-[X] House the Yi-Tish delegations in opposite wings of the palace to keep them separated.
-[X] Assign a few Shadow Cats and Mini Mimics of the palace guard to keep an eye on the groups and let the most important dignitaries be covertly guarded by Divining proof Black Wardens with Bloodclot Molds.
-[X] Since you will now likely be to not officially recognise the factions in some fashion, address them as "representatives of the Azure / Orange court of Yi-Ti" and leave it at that.
--[X] The same courtesy will be extended to any potential delegations from Carcossa.
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I think we should specify that Vigilant Shadow Cats are assigned rather than the regular variety. The Watchman template plus them being able to communicate Telepathically between themselves and the Mimics throughout the palace will allow them to monitor all of the guests in real time and relay any urgent information to us in an instant.

[X] Azel
 
Goldfish said:
I think we should specify that Vigilant Shadow Cats are assigned rather than the regular variety. The Watchman template plus them being able to communicate Telepathically between themselves and the Mimics throughout the palace will allow them to monitor all of the guests in real time and relay any urgent information to us in an instant.

[X] Azel
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We only have Vigilant Shadow Cats in the palace, but sure.
 
One Autumn Leaf said:
Huh so immediately my first thought was "Let's One Up these people" but the only thing that comes to mind are fucking dinosaurs.
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If we're looking for return gifts, how are our dinosaur-taming efforts going @DragonParadox?

[X] Azel

@Azel, I still think it's better to explicitly address the issue. They'll probably notice our watchers somehow (Emerald Magistrates are PCs who probably have enough Spot/Listen to detect our cats, for example).
If we must explicitly address the issue, how about pointing up to the massive heart tree (which is undoubtedly visible in the distance) and mentioning that the Old Gods consider guest rights absolutely sacred, which requires us and all guests to avoid conflict while here?
 
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It would defeat the purpose of having a kickass palace staffed with Flesh Forged abominations against nature and sanity (aren't the Mini-Mimics so cute? ☺), but it would be amusing if we housed each large delegation in a Resplendent Mansion.

We could lead them to an empty lot, tell them that we have chosen it as their lodgings, then before they can grow too confused, we Wild Arcana a gigantic magical mansion on the spot, one tailored to their aesthetic preferences based on what we know of their culture.

/Mythic Archmage flex
 
Azel said:
-[X] Tell both delegations that they enjoy your full protection and that guest right is enshrined as one of your most important laws.
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@TalonofAnathrax, this should suffice to appraise them of their hidden guards. Didn't use the Old Gods track since we are a secular ruler, but breaking guest right is one of the few crimes mentioned directly in our constitution, alongside stuff like slavery, treason and oath breaking. Should sufficiently impress upon them the gravitas of betraying our trust in that regard.
 
Azel said:
@TalonofAnathrax, this should suffice to appraise them of their hidden guards. Didn't use the Old Gods track since we are a secular ruler, but breaking guest right is one of the few crimes mentioned directly in our constitution, alongside stuff like slavery, treason and oath breaking. Should sufficiently impress upon them the gravitas of betraying our trust in that regard.
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Thank you!

Nonetheless, you're assuming that "don't break local laws" matters as much as "don't pick fights with local Gods in their own holy places". Maybe my assessment of Yi-Ti's culture is wrong, but I'd be amazed if local mages cared as much about foreign, inferior customs as they do about actual supernatural gribblies who probably don't care about mortal politics.
And of course if they're all about Kami and spirits of the land, they can probably sense that the OG are a Big Deal (TM) here where the weirdwoods run deep in the bones of the earth.
Similarly, while we're a secular ruler I think they're more used to religious ones, so a promise that guest right is sacred here likely means more than "oh yeah, I pinky swore to do this in the past".
 
TalonofAnathrax said:
Thank you!

Nonetheless, you're assuming that "don't break local laws" matters as much as "don't pick fights with local Gods in their own holy places". Maybe my assessment of Yi-Ti's culture is wrong, but I'd be amazed if local mages cared as much about foreign, inferior customs as they do about actual supernatural gribblies who probably don't care about mortal politics.
And of course if they're all about Kami and spirits of the land, they can probably sense that the OG are a Big Deal (TM) here where the weirdwoods run deep in the bones of the earth.
Similarly, while we're a secular ruler I think they're more used to religious ones, so a promise that guest right is sacred here likely means more than "oh yeah, I pinky swore to do this in the past".
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I think you are misreading them there. They are big sticklers for courtly protocol and formal rituals of respect, so they seem more likely to me to accept a formal warning from us then an informal one that rests on the authority of foreign gods that they associate with sacrificial magic.

And if they actually think that they can disrespect us in our own giant house, I'll happily shit on them until they learned their lesson. Diplomatically of course.
 
Cue in a Valyrian looking guy with asiatic features in yellow robes, struts in on SD. Gives congratulations, and asks to be directed to the Yellow Court faction.
 
All we need now is an envoy from Carcosa covered in artefact-level magic auras and stinking of Void's touch, and we'll have the full set!
 
TalonofAnathrax said:
Thank you!

Nonetheless, you're assuming that "don't break local laws" matters as much as "don't pick fights with local Gods in their own holy places". Maybe my assessment of Yi-Ti's culture is wrong, but I'd be amazed if local mages cared as much about foreign, inferior customs as they do about actual supernatural gribblies who probably don't care about mortal politics.
And of course if they're all about Kami and spirits of the land, they can probably sense that the OG are a Big Deal (TM) here where the weirdwoods run deep in the bones of the earth.
Similarly, while we're a secular ruler I think they're more used to religious ones, so a promise that guest right is sacred here likely means more than "oh yeah, I pinky swore to do this in the past".
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Huh, that does make me wonder what they think of the Old Gods, specifically all the Heart Trees growing within Sorcerer's Deep, especially the monstrously huge Tree of the Dawn Age easily visible over the horizon and the blessings it provides to the inhabitants of the island.

I know Wood is considered an Element within their mystical paradigm, but are Tree Kami a thing?
 
IIRC part of why we don't have Kami all over the place is because we have Fey and Old Gods filling all the ecosystem niches.
Unfortunately we don't have enough Kami lore to know why, or even to really know the difference between Kami and Fey.
 
That's a shame, but it's understandable. We did make that mistake.
Can we whip up a fleshforged templated dinosaur or two, with the same conditioning as the Darkenbeasts? Or with the personality of a puppy?
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jan 30, 2021 at 6:12 AM, finished with 37 posts and 7 votes.
  • [X] Plan No Hanky-Pank
    -[X] Have them open their gate near the palace and have the diplomatic corpse receive them.
    -[X] House the Yi-Tish delegations in opposite wings of the palace to keep them separated.
    -[X] Tell both delegations that they enjoy your full protection and that guest right is enshrined as one of your most important laws.
    -[X] Assign a few Vigilant Shadow Cats and Mini Mimics of the palace guard to keep an eye on the groups and let the most important dignitaries be covertly guarded by Divining proof Black Wardens with Bloodclot Molds.
    -[X] Since you will now likely be unable to not officially recognise the factions in some fashion, address them as "representatives of the Azure / Orange court of Yi-Ti" and leave it at that.
    --[X] The same courtesy will be extended to any potential delegations from Carcossa.
Click to expand...
 
Azel said:
[X] Plan No Hanky-Pank
-[X] Have them open their gate near the palace and have the diplomatic corpse receive them.
-[X] House the Yi-Tish delegations in opposite wings of the palace to keep them separated.
-[X] Tell both delegations that they enjoy your full protection and that guest right is enshrined as one of your most important laws.
-[X] Assign a few Vigilant Shadow Cats and Mini Mimics of the palace guard to keep an eye on the groups and let the most important dignitaries be covertly guarded by Divining proof Black Wardens with Bloodclot Molds.
-[X] Since you will now likely be unable to not officially recognise the factions in some fashion, address them as "representatives of the Azure / Orange court of Yi-Ti" and leave it at that.
--[X] The same courtesy will be extended to any potential delegations from Carcossa.
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[X] Azel

For a while I was a little hesitant because I was thinking "It is really a good idea to have these delegates surrounded by walking corpses in armor with blood magic mold and ever watching cat sprits of darkness?" but then I thought "Eh, they are already terrified of us anyway."
TalonofAnathrax said:
If we're looking for return gifts, how are our dinosaur-taming efforts going @DragonParadox?

[X] Azel

@Azel, I still think it's better to explicitly address the issue. They'll probably notice our watchers somehow (Emerald Magistrates are PCs who probably have enough Spot/Listen to detect our cats, for example).
If we must explicitly address the issue, how about pointing up to the massive heart tree (which is undoubtedly visible in the distance) and mentioning that the Old Gods consider guest rights absolutely sacred, which requires us and all guests to avoid conflict while here?
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Azel said:
@TalonofAnathrax, this should suffice to appraise them of their hidden guards. Didn't use the Old Gods track since we are a secular ruler, but breaking guest right is one of the few crimes mentioned directly in our constitution, alongside stuff like slavery, treason and oath breaking. Should sufficiently impress upon them the gravitas of betraying our trust in that regard.
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If we want we could maybe make the point about how they would offend the Old Gods and maintain our secular ruler image by offering bread and salt. It is one of the primary ways of formally extending guest right and while it is an Old Gods ritual in origin it isn't widely seen as such given its wider adoption by others. Accompany that with a basic explanation of what it means for because they are foreigners and they would probably get the gist of break guest right will make the wood kami come for your blood.

Anyway looking forward to seeing the Yi Ti perspective on SD! I can't help but wonder who they will get along with. Are the Gith sending anyone? They seem like they would get along. For some reason I like the idea of them meeting Ned as well.

Edit: Sorry didn't see the vote close.
 
masterofmadness said:
For a while I was a little hesitant because I was thinking "It is really a good idea to have these delegates surrounded by walking corpses in armor with blood magic mold and ever watching cat sprits of darkness?" but then I thought "Eh, they are already terrified of us anyway."
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They are our regular palace guard, so they would be around anyway.


@TalonofAnathrax, how about Minitiature Magebred Tyrannisauri? Maybe with Firesouled to see if they make good songbirds.
 
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