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

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Baelor is an all around competent and reliable dude , a true noble who gets shit done plus he is loyal too seeing as he backed us against his own gods during the conclave at Oldtown . I think we should do something nice for him
 
DragonParadox said:
Or, looking at it from the other side he is not reliable at all since he will even betray his gods if it lets him stay on top. :V
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I think that can be called enlightened self-interest. Just make sure that he knows there are dire, dire consequences for betraying PCs, and he should continue being useful to the Imperium.

See what we did to the Lannisters as an example. Murderhobos know how to get their vengeance.
 
DragonParadox said:
Behind the Smile ​

Nineteenth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

There was a quiet hum of excited voices with just the smallest echo of sorcery to them as the hall filled, the shuffle of feet over fine marble as each man or woman found their own seat, as if to some grand spectacle. All these people were not yet familiar to Duke Baelor Hightower, but he knew they would be soon.

He loved the sight of Oldtown stretching out below the feet of the High Tower and he loved to walk its streets mingling with all manner of folk from lands far and wide. He loved to read a book in the windowless halls below, where the treasures of his House had been gathered from time out of mind, but all these things the imperial city had more of. Strangers from lands so distant they were beyond the borders of the world, books in tongues unseen by mortal man, wide boulevards that stretched into green parks where elder gods seemed to whisper and the halls of power grand beyond telling, where the fate of the world was writ.

He tipped his head to Duke Darry, wondering where the man would stand in the byplay of Tyrell and Redwyne. He was one of those he did not have a good read on simply because his House had been so long defined by their doomed stand in the Rebellion that Baelor had thought he would be a throne's man through and through. That did not quite seem to be the case judging from the fact that he had made some approving noises at Mace's talk of arming armsmen with weapons fit to match the Legion.

As soon to walk up to King Aegon the first and ask him if you could have a dragon egg...

Sometimes Baelor was quite amazed at how his fellow lords could miss the obvious though it was writ in the sky with tongues of fire. There would be no sharing of the great weapons of the Legion and no Air Force in the hand of any lord, now or ever. Swords they would be gifted, aye swords by the thousands, to name, to treasure and to hold in place of high honor, for power was no longer drawn from its sheath as glimmering steel. Not that it had stopped Baelor from acquiring one of the finest blades that djinn-craft could forge, fate and fortune folded into steel, but he had not done so because he thought the power and prestige of a lord was likely to hang on battle-craft. No, Baelor knew better than most lords, and sooner, that the world had far too many horrors in it, and even if he did not go looking for them as his father had alas done, they could still be looking form him.

He shook off the thought and the nagging guilt that always came with it with a weary sigh as he took his seat and looked upon the chamber.

If there was anyone in all the Imperium who would have the means to stage a military conflict against the crown it would be the ones who were today selected to lead the Legion and the Air Force, and he was very curious indeed to know what manner of folk the Imperator would trust with that much power. Some were obvious. Gerold Torchwood had earned his name quite literally in the service of the Dragon Banner and he had been with the Imperator as long as some Companions, and they did not call Clegane 'Hound' just for his habit of barking at any who approached him unwarily. He would serve faithfully, unless... well, unless you were as foolish as the man Baelor had seen hang yesterday. He smiled as he recalled the flash of horror in Mace's face when he thought no one was looking, no doubt considering how close to that fate he had come. It was quite remarkable how many blindspots the man could have and how deep they ran, it was not that he was the oaf he sometimes allowed himself to seem, but if he was approached from the wrong angle... well, there was a reason Baelor would prefer to look to Redwyne, history and all its prestige aside.

"Netzachel Far Traveler, the Hallowed One, Keeper of the lore of War and Master of its many arts!" the herald called, interrupting Baelor's thoughts once more.

Well, I always did think those folk who went to war could use with consulting more books and not less, the young duke thought as he beheld the being he thought was called a codex archon. He wondered if he should make the jest aloud. They did call him Brightsmile, after all, and the reputation had served him well. Best not, he decided after listening some more to the tale of the angel. There was something just a touch unsettling about the voice that issued from those pages the more he listened to it, as though the hairs on the back of his neck had been informed of some fact that escaped his conscious mind.

Not many others seemed to get the message, the applause was long and loud, lingering in the hall into the entrance of the next. General Vaerios Ghand was... well, certainly not holy, though he seemed rather enamored of holy things, the sort that burned with red flame.

Time to earn my hay, as father was wont to say. The silent lord is oft forgotten, and while that may be a good thing when one is doing things best left in the shadows, the same cannot be said for open court. "General Ghand, do you believe that there is merit in the notion that we are living in the last days of the age as some proclaim from the altar?"

"I do," the man replies without hesitation. "One has but to see all the things that crawl from the dark to trouble the world to know that it is so. Soon it shall be given to each of us to fight for the soul of our world even as we fight for our souls with each sunrise."

Baelor nodded gracefully. "And I would be the last to deny you that faith as a citizen of the Imperium, but I contest that the belief that these are the last days of the age might move you to let use say... less prudent military tactics. For myself, I would prefer if the marshals of the realm marched first by facts, good or ill, and then by faith. Evil things are abroad, I know it well, and they seek to end all that is, but the fate of the world is not preordained for good or ill. This I must myself have faith in, if I am to get out of bed in the morning." He waited for the laughter to subside, mostly from his fellow dukes, though a few of the Essosi potentates joined in.

"Whether I am right or you are, my lord, such things are well out of both our hands," the general glanced towards the throne. "I shall not be making any decisions thinking I know the day or the hour of wrath, this I pledge."

That had the air of a quote of some kind, though Baelor had not read the holy texts of the Red Priests. It was a deficiency he vowed to correct soon, for there were very many of them in the realm and some of them quite influential. "Then I am content for my part," he replied and took his seat once more. Fanatical religious belief that you are a divine envoy come to save the world, that was one way to assure loyalty, the Duke of Hightower thought.

OOC: And that was Baelor, he can be quite insightful, but he does not get everything right, like the fact that Viserys considers the whole belief that he is Azor Ahai more of a negative that a positive.
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Made a few additional edits to the chapter, DP.

Always nice to see the POV of a sensible Westerosi lord. There aren't as many of those sort as I would like, but we work with what we've got.
 
DragonParadox said:
Or, looking at it from the other side he is not reliable at all since he will even betray his gods if it lets him stay on top. :V
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That makes him pragmatic as hell then, a good trait to have in a subject if you are that 'pragmatic' choice (which we clearly are), not so much if otherwise. Still though, Baelor has proven himself to be competent in his duties and acclimating to the new world besides, so if nothing else we shouldn't have much trouble with him and can generally trust him to be a good lord.
 
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Part MMMDCCLXXVI: Ships of Air and Sea
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    • Ships of Air and Sea​

    Twentieth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

    The former Archmaester Benedict makes something of a strange sight wearing the colors and armor of the Legion, one assumes in the hope of trying to erase the grey robes of his former calling, even as taking up the name of Deepfinder does. A touch on the nose, but you chose the man for his skill in military theory not politics or public relations, in truth a lack of skills there might even be a selling point to a degree. The last thing the realm needs is marshals overly involved in politics. Still, it does make the confirmation of a bit of a slog as several among the Vox of Braavos and Lorath call into question his experience and even make veiled comments about the supposed loyalty or lack thereof of those who bore a maester's chain. This is not so much an objection to a Westerosi, you guess, but to what is likely seen as another conservative voice on the Curia that will side with the landholders, be they of east or west.

    No one is quite sure what to make of celestials, devils, shaitan and azer, but everyone east of the Narrow Sea seems certain they understand their Westerosi colleagues, especially the ones who had hardly met one before. One can already hear the refrain of their debates over everything from trade to infrastructure to education. Well, you had asked for a place for them to debate... it is clear that until voting blocks form that debate is likely to swirl chaotically from one supposition to another.

    Thankfully Tyrael is sure to slip through on both his military record and the simple fact of his nature, while sharing nothing of the glaring golden light that had dazzled so many or the subtle shiver of Netzachel. In a sense you were right, but another matter was raised over the course of the interview.

    "...if I may be so bold as to ask the Air Marshal what is to be done with the ships that yet sail upon the face of the ocean?" the Lady Doreah Phassen asks. "I make no claim that such vessels can even hold a candle to your great ships of the air, but surely defense from the sea is of grave import given those that lurk beneath the waves as well as the current dependence of most trade between east and west upon the waters of the Narrow Sea."

    "You speak the truth, my lady, but I can no more speak for the readiness of the galleons any more than I can over that of the Legion," Tyrael replies. "While it is true much of the recruitment of the Airforce is among seamen the ships themselves are not under my command."

    "Well then, should not their commander be represented in this great body?" the lady asks, all too aware that the senior officers of the fleet tend to skew first to the Braavosi and then to the Myrish, Lyseni and Tyroshi in that order. From the glance she throws to the Sealord it looks as though there is some understanding between them in this matter.

    The first inklings of a political block east of the Narrow Sea perhaps...

    Still, you do not think you can give them this victory even if you wanted to. In a matter of decades if not years sea going ships shall be as much a thing of the past as chariots thanks to the Deep Ones and the simple economics of air transport. How you present this fact to a chamber containing so many places with a strong maritime tradition and interests just as strong is not obvious. Perhaps you could devolve the ships back to local control or some of them at least, that would make for some very happy trading cities... but on the other hand it would seem favoritism compared to the inland lords to whom you had just denied military improvements.

    What do you do with your remaining wet navy?

    [] Write in

    OOC: A quick update so we can have a vote going and cover a small transitional issue.
     
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    • [X] The remaining navy will remain under the Imperial High Command for the time being, while it's duties (protecting trade lanes, anti-piracy measures and ensuring maritime hegemony) will gradually be taken over by the Air Force. As the need for ships contracts, they will be demilitarized and sold off to shipping companies (with most of them likely ending up in the byzantine labyrinth of Red Scales Holding).
     
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    Ah, well the assembly did look up to the Sealord and Braavos main thing is making a ship in a day...

    [X] The Admiral of Braavos for the Main Fleet
    -[X] Privatization for the rest
     
    Acolyte said:
    [X] Add a new post under the Air Marshall. Call it the Admiral of the Navy.
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    That doesn't really make a lot of sense since the only thing connecting naval ships with anti-grav vessels is this weird obsession with naming the latter ships.

    As is, I see no reason to make any changes to the current system of each fleet being under one admiral until the point is reached where the fleets are phased out entirely. We are talking about a matter of months to a year, depending on how much we focus on aerial buildup. We can cover vast areas with very few Wyverns and some divinations.
     
    Azel said:
    That doesn't really make a lot of sense since the only thing connecting naval ships with anti-grav vessels is this weird obsession with naming the latter ships.
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    It's more to have a middle ranking officer in charge of the few ships we have right now. When we phase the ships put we can shuffle that officer to the airforce again or whatever. It's just a minor rank to care for the phase out process.
    Azel said:
    As is, I see no reason to make any changes to the current system of each fleet being under one admiral until the point is reached where the fleets are phased out entirely. We are talking about a matter of months to a year, depending on how much we focus on aerial buildup. We can cover vast areas with very few Wyverns and some divinations.
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    Sure but someone needs to organise the phase out and it can be that admiral.
     
    Acolyte said:
    It's more to have a middle ranking officer in charge of the few ships we have right now. When we phase the ships put we can shuffle that officer to the airforce again or whatever. It's just a minor rank to care for the phase out process.

    Sure but someone needs to organise the phase out and it can be that admiral.
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    We already have admirals in charge of our fleets though. People with actual naval command experience. They just never appeared, because Empire is where our Pokemon are stored.

    Let's just keep them off-screen and taking orders from High Command instead of form Viserys directly for the remaining time that they exist.
     
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