Remove ads

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

Reader mode
so assuming we roll an 8 on the dice we have a roll of 141 against everyoen and 146 against those who are attracted to us
 
DragonParadox said:
The Devil You Don't Know ​

Thirtieth Day of the Fourth Month 294 AC

Cedric Penrose, the Old Lord of Parchments, looked out his window into a night filled with the panicked shouts of guards, and not without cause. He had been expecting dragons ever since he got the letter about the 'Emperor's' coronation. He knew a bit of dragons, for he had a drop or two of the Valyrian blood in him, more than his son who had counseled surrender and throwing themselves on the mercy of the boy king. Nor would he have been surprised to see young Stannis try to reason with him one more time into abandoning his brother's legacy. He had not been expecting a great silvery... thing floating above the keep by what could only be sorcery. The wings of dragons were one thing, but this...

Hanging in the air, unsupported by any force save sorcery, was something like a great silver fish of the sky, longer than any galleon and no doubt armed with weapons of fel magics. Words of sorcery born boomed through the air like unto the voice of thunder from the blue. They were more conciliatory than he had expected given the manner of their speaking:

By Imperial decree, Lord Cedric of Parchments is hereby ordered to present himself to the Imperator, who rightfully rules these lands, to swear his fealty. He is to bring with him all sworn knights of his house and inform all of his banner lords that they too are ordered to present themselves. His forces are to stand down and to permit full access to all fortifications to the Imperial Armed Forces. Refusal to do so will be regarded as an act of treason against the realm. If this order is not obeyed within one hour, Lord Cedric will be named a traitor and the Imperial Air Force is authorized to let loose on this fortification until the total surrender of the garrison. In half an hour, the Imperial Airforce is authorized to give one warning shot to demonstrate it's capabilities to Lord Cedric.

The Imperator offers clemency to all who surrender and lay down their arms. To all those who force others to fight and die for them, who hide behind women and children, or who turn on their own brothers in arms to curry favor with him, he offers death.

So ordered Imperator Viserys Targaryen, may his rule last twice ten-thousand years and more.

It was to the credit of the armsmen of Parchments that they turned for their orders from the old lord when he showed himself at the window.

"Wake my son," Cedric said to the equally aged manservant who had been his valet for the past three decades.

Yohn looked him up and down for a long moment, then asked in a manner more familiar than most would have dared presume, "Should I get the silk shirt, milord?" There was no need to say which one. A man of Cedric's age did well to prepare for his own funeral, though he had not planned to rise into the sky before facing a pyre.

He nodded. He had little cause to believe the pretty words he had just heard. But oh how a part of his old heart wanted to believe for the sake of his kin, if not for his own.

Cortney arrived before the shirt, and the first words to come out of his mouth were as predictable as the tides. "Why, father? Why could you not have gone to the coronation? We could have..."

"We could have dined in hell tonight in the company of devils," his father interrupted him. Seeing the dismissive look in Cortney's eyes, he bristled. "Don't look at me like that, boy. You may be past your fortieth year, but I still recall where the rod is in this keep." His voice softened a touch as he continued, "Do you recall a man named Hama who was brought in judgement before me three months ago?"

"The charlatan who was using petty magic to cheat at dice?" the younger lord asked, shocked, still giving worried looks to the window. They were supposed to still have time, but could you really trust the man inside the silver shell, if man he indeed be?

In that, at least, he was wise, Cedric thought. "The sorcerer, I took him into my service in secret, for who better than a witch to know a witch? I sent him in secret to Sorcerer's Deep. Do you know what he found there, boy?"

"Devils?" he ventured. On another night he might have been filled with questions and brimming over with shock that his father had employed a hedge wizard in secret, but now was not the time for sharing confidences. Time was short and growing shorter with each breath.

"Devils guarding the library open to all and sundry who would donate a book, devil women in particular. They have a name all their own apparently, though I did not care to recall it. They were hidden under a veil, but do you know what one did when she saw that she had been observed under it?"

"Tried to kill him to hide the secret?" his son tried. "He must have been more skilled in his dark art than I gave him credit for to escape with his life."

"She smiled and nodded like he was a child who had figured out a helmsman's knot or some other petty riddle," Cedric recounted slowly, giving each word the weight they deserved. "She did not try to stop him when he fled. The Sorcerer of Sorcerer's Deep is making pacts with devils and taking them into his service "

"What will you do now?" Cortney asked after a long moment mulling over his father's words.

"Surrender as they say, of course. We have no more chance to killing that thing than we do a dragon. Less maybe, for dragons at least are flesh and blood. I would rather walk into a cage of my own free will than force men who have been loyal for decades to choose between treachery and a pointless death."

"But..." Cortney tried, but his father spoke over him.

"He will probably find some cause to see me dead, but I'm not much longer for this world anyway. If he is being honest then you will have to figure out some way to live with him. Our House survived Maegor, we will live through this as well..."

The words 'twice ten-thousand years' hung in the room unspoken. There would have been little point to speaking them aloud. What was either of them to do against such might?

Upon arriving on the bridge of the Dawnchaser, they were to receive one more shock in the person of its captain...

OOC: Here we are, the first keep fallen of the conquest with not a shot being fired. I thought about taking this to a talk with the Archon captain of the Dawnchaser, but that would have put this at 2K words easy and I'm still feeling a bit tired. I figured it would be best to be sure I could get this out than try to force it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Made some additional edits to the chapter, DP.

I like Cedric Penrose. He's made some incorrect assumptions, but he seems to have a better head on his shoulders than most Westerosi lords. Are we going to see a second part of this encounter, DP?
 
DragonParadox said:
OOC: Here we are, the first keep fallen of the conquest with not a shot being fired. I thought about taking this to a talk with the Archon captain of the Dawnchaser, but that would have put this at 2K words easy and I'm still feeling a bit tired. I figured it would be best to be sure I could get this out than try to force it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Cedric: Oh, great angel you must listen to me, for while I know not what lies the Sorcerer has spoken to you I bring nothing but the truth. The Dragon has made foul pacts with Hell and summoned devils to this world to serve his purposes!

Archon captain: Yes, I know. It's honestly kind of nice to see some of my estranged kin do something I can agree with, after all this time.

Cedric: what
 
Last edited:
DragonParadox said:
Here we are, the first keep fallen of the conquest with not a shot being fired. I thought about taking this to a talk with the Archon captain of the Dawnchaser,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
So how did that conversation go?

Cedric: "But he employs DEVILS? How are you able to serve such a monster?"

Archon: "My Marine captain is Bateezu, yet I trust her to safeguard mine life and those of my crew. Have you spoken to her, perhaps as to why she gives her service to His Majesty?"

Cedric: "Why would I speak with a devil? To risk their poison seeping into my heart?"

Archon: "Because they know poison infecting the heart better than any other, and also wish for more than to walk upon the fields of blood. Hope is often called a disease in Hell, and it infects many."

Cedric: "I need to sit down..."

Archon: "Do have a word with her or one of her sisters, when you find the time. It should be most illuminating."
 
If House Penrose would have sworn fealty but for being misinformed about the nature of the devils in our service we can work with them. A lord who is both practical in the face of overwhelming odds by stalwart in his conviction to oppose infernal influence is actually a huge step above a lot of the chaff we have accepted into our service/vassalage.
 
DragonParadox said:
Yes that counts.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
House Mallister is genetically about as Andal as anyone else in the South, but they date back from the Age of Heroes. They're of First Men lineage, and thus committed no atrocities (outside the usual for Westeros) during the Andal Conquest.

But that aside, they worship the Seven by this point, and have little tradition or ties connecting them to the Old Gods.
 
Last edited:
did we ever get through the List of corranation interludes anyway? i thought we were still midding quite a few
 
DragonParadox said:
OOC: Here we are, the first keep fallen of the conquest with not a shot being fired. I thought about taking this to a talk with the Archon captain of the Dawnchaser, but that would have put this at 2K words easy and I'm still feeling a bit tired. I figured it would be best to be sure I could get this out than try to force it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
@DragonParadox, please tell me the next interlude covers this. I desperately want to see this.

EDIT: Excellent, I am glad to be Faceless'd in this way.
 
I have to say I did not expect this interlude to draw that much interest. I saw it more as a chance to showcase a challenge and surrender as well as show some of the reasons why lords would have waited this long. It was just something I felt I could reasonably write while still sick from this shot (it's been getting better as evening rolled around so I'm hopeful by tomorrow I will be back to a state to write properly)
 
DragonParadox said:
I have to say I did not expect this interlude to draw that much interest. I saw it more as a chance to showcase a challenge and surrender as well as show some of the reasons why lords would have waited this long. It was just something I felt I could reasonably write while still sick from this shot (it's been getting better as evening rolled around so I'm hopeful by tomorrow I will be back to a state to write properly)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is our victory lap. It is extremely cathartic. After five years IRL we're finally showing up in spaceships threatening to blow up the uppity lords' puny castles if they don't bend the knee then and there.

Hell yeah I want to watch every second of it. :D
 
I'm not too hyped on seeing the rest of this conversation, honestly. "Westerosi Lord has his preconceived ideas shaken by the world being weirder than he expected" isn't exactly a new storyline.
 
DragonParadox said:
I have to say I did not expect this interlude to draw that much interest. I saw it more as a chance to showcase a challenge and surrender as well as show some of the reasons why lords would have waited this long. It was just something I felt I could reasonably write while still sick from this shot (it's been getting better as evening rolled around so I'm hopeful by tomorrow I will be back to a state to write properly)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I think we like the idea of a Lord making assumptions about what Viserys is all about (he's a devil conjurer, about as bad as we expected him to be) and then being confronted with celestials serving him, and asking WHY WOULD YOU?! Did he mind control you? Threaten you with hostages?

And it turns out that the angel thinks we are the kind of ruler the world needs.

Bitter pill to swallow? Or hopeful medicine?
 
DragonParadox said:
I have to say I did not expect this interlude to draw that much interest. I saw it more as a chance to showcase a challenge and surrender as well as show some of the reasons why lords would have waited this long. It was just something I felt I could reasonably write while still sick from this shot (it's been getting better as evening rolled around so I'm hopeful by tomorrow I will be back to a state to write properly)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

We do love how we bend the order of the spheres to our will and have instead celestials and fiends serving us side by side. And we want to hear more about that.
 
DragonParadox said:
I have to say I did not expect this interlude to draw that much interest. I saw it more as a chance to showcase a challenge and surrender as well as show some of the reasons why lords would have waited this long. It was just something I felt I could reasonably write while still sick from this shot (it's been getting better as evening rolled around so I'm hopeful by tomorrow I will be back to a state to write properly)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Literally any time your write a scenario that features clash of deeply held convictions it is well received. Doubly so right now because its part of the main event 5+ years in the making, so it does not feel like exploring these little moments is distracting from progression. I expect you could write a hundred of these "slice of conquest" vignettes and the thread would ask for more.
 
Interregnum said:
Literally any time your write a scenario that features clash of deeply held convictions it is well received. Doubly so right now because its part of the main event 5+ years in the making, so it does not feel like exploring these little moments is distracting from progression. I expect you could write a hundred of these "slice of conquest" vignettes and the thread would ask for more.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I would find it hard to argue with.

There are some people here who would be happy if this entire arc was over literally next update, but I don't really care for that opinion.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top