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

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Part XVI: Strange Companions
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    • Strange Companions​

    Twenty-eight Day of the Ninth Month 289 AC

    Ser Richard the Tall retained his own name for much the same reason Dany had an alias so similar too her real name, you did not trust him to answer convincingly to anything else, not that you told him that. His introduction went smoothly enough.When Yohn asked for his full name he reasonably enough stated that he did not wish his family name linked to the actions he would do in this place. As you had hoped this led to some of thugs in the Rat taking umbrage and deciding to "break the noble prick's 'ead."

    The resulting fight (which took place outside by Merin's irate orders and threats to stop serving whoever started a brawl in his tavern) conclusively proved the superiority of a trained knight over dock-side thugs. Even without his sword Ser Richard was able to handle three opponents at once. He even managed to do it without causing permanent injury. Yohn was quite impressed, later telling you that you must have a devil's luck to have not only found so fel a fighter but persuaded him to join up on nothing more than your father's looks and smooth promises.

    +relations with Yohn

    Quest complete: The Knight of Skulls and Kisses. Gained 350 XP
    Bonus objective complete: Initiate Ser Richard into the Thieves' Guild without endangering your cover. Gained 50 XP

    As you make your way up to your room with Ser Richard following to introduce him to Dany you sense some nebulous frustration from Varys. Perhaps she is hungry...

    On opening the door you discover this is not the case. A disgruntled Vays is warped in one of Dany's faded pink hair ribbons with a doll riding her no doubt playing the role of a noble Dragon Rider. Ser Richard sits frozen behind you and Dany gives you a beaming smile before squiking in surprise at your companion.

    Now would be as good a time as ever to to tell your sword sword about your more outre abilities as you doubt Dany could effectively hide anything for long periods of time and partial understanding could lead to suspicion given the reputation of magic in Westeros

    [] Tell Ser Richard about the magic
    -[] Write in how

    [] Do not tell Ser Richard about the magic
    -[] Write in explanation for Dany's antics with a poisonous snake

    OOC: The dice can't always be in your favor. There was a 30% chance that Dany would be playing with the viper and you rolled 13.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Do not tell Ser Richard about the magic
    -[X] Explain that the snake was a trained viper given to yoy by Ser Darry for a nameday present that was bought off a trader from Yi Ti.
     
    [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.

    That scene with Dany was quite funny. As for vote about magic - better tell him truth now, preferably with some harmless demonstration, least he will think Viserys is crazy.
     
    Unelemental said:
    but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him.
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    "loyal subject" might not be the idea wording here when discussing the ability to affect minds. It sounds like we are saying we won't mind control him because he is already obedient, rather than that we aren't misusing the power.

    ... also, I get a feeling that if we tell him we should do so in a more private location so nobody can overhear us.

    The way I see it, if we roll really poorly here he tries to kill us for being a witch, or maybe gets loud about it and others overhear.
    If we roll well, he would be completely ok with our secret.

    Still trying to decide what to actually do, will vote after I get some sleep
     
    mrttao said:
    "loyal subject" might not be the idea wording here when discussing the ability to affect minds. It sounds like we are saying we won't mind control him because he is already obedient, rather than that we aren't misusing the power.
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    Loyal doesn't mean fully obedient. It means that he isn't treacherous. I'm mainly thinking that we're going to be using the spell a lot in the future, often in his presence if we take him with us on our jobs, and don't want him to catch us in a lie where such an important matter is concerned. After all, who aren't we willing to use it on? Or rather, who shouldn't we use it on? Our followers and potential allies (anyone that we don't want to become our enemy once they find out they'd been mind-controlled, that is), that's who, the rest are fair game, whether they're nobles or not.

    ... also, I get a feeling that if we tell him we should do so in a more private location so nobody can overhear us.
    Click to expand...
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    *shrug*
    If the two of them don't think they can make the conversation in the room secure, then they'll have to go out again.

    The way I see it, if we roll really poorly here he tries to kill us for being a witch, or maybe gets loud about it and others overhear.
    If we roll well, he would be completely ok with our secret.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    On the other hand, putting it off lowers our chances of convincing him of our good intentions later.
     
    Here's my idea for an emerging mage class in the setting. It's basically a reskined and slightly altered Magewright:

    Hege Mage class

    Hedge mages are not part of a unified tradition, rather they are emerging mages building on the scraps of mystical lore surviving in the world. Their lack of sophistication allows them to forgo many of the typical props of a wizard in settings with more advanced magical traditions at the price of far slower and ultimately limited advancement in the Art. Hedge mages have an electric mix of skills to reflect their diverse origins, from the former street conjuror who finds his magic enhanced beyond his previous meager skills to the village wise-woman who's petty magics grow in scope and power.

    Hedge mages might then share their skills with family members or other apprentices. Attitudes towards them will depend on the culture of their land but will almost always include a measure of suspicion. The exception will mostly be small tribal societies where the mage can pass off his abilities as divine blessings.

    Hit die

    d4

    Skill points

    2 + Int

    Class Features

    Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hedge mages are proficient with all simple weapons. Hedge mages are not proficient with any type of armor or with shields. Armor of any type interferes with a Hedge mage's arcane gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.

    Spells: A Hedge mage casts primarely arcane spells. He is limited to a certain number of spells of each spell level per day, according to his class level. Like a wizard, he prepares his spells ahead of time each day. Unlike wizards, Hedge mages do not keep spellbooks (see Spell Mastery, below) and cannot learn spells they find in spellbooks or on scrolls. The DC for a saving throw against a Hedge mage's spell is 10 + spell level + the Hedge mage's Int modifier. When a Hedge mage gets 0 spells of a given level (see the class table), he gains only the bonus spells for that spell level that he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score.

    Spell Mastery: A Hedge mage prepares spells as a wizard does, but does not need a spellbook to do so. Rather, a Hedge mage's mostly self-taught mystical education emphasizes a small number of spells that he can use without the use of a spellbook. A Hedge mage begins play familiar with a number of spells (of any level he can cast) equal to his Intelligence modifier, exactly as though he had taken the Spell Mastery feat. Every time he gains access to a new spell level, and again at 20th level, he learns a number of new spells equal to his current Intelligence modifier, plus one 0-level spell. For example, a 1st-level Hedge mage with an Intelligence of 15 knows two spells, and might choose mending and magecraft. When he reaches 4th level, he increases his Intelligence to 16 and learns three more spells: detect magic, unseen servant, and make whole. At 8th level, he increases his Intelligence to 17 (which does not improve his Intelligence modifier) and learns three more spells: arcane lock, explosive runes, and glyph of warding.

    Eschew Materials: A hedge mage can cast any spell that has a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component. (The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.) If the spell requires a material component that costs more than 1 gp, he must have the material component at hand to cast the spell, just as normal.

    Eye of the Gods: With the resurgence of magic the gods too are becoming more active. While a great deal of their attention is going towards creating great champions of their causes (Clerics, Druids, Paladins and Rangers) they do also turn their eyes towards those of their worshipers who would dabble in the arcane. Every time a Hedge Mage gains access to a new level of spells he may select a bonus divine spell from the domain spells of his deity of choice in addition to any arcane spells he selects. For instance a Hedge Mage among the Mountain Clans of the Vale may select Magic Stone as a bonus spell at 1st level due to the Old Gods having the Earth Domain.

    Advancement

    As magewright with the added divine spell.

    Class skills:
    Bluff
    Concentration
    Craft
    Handle Animal
    Heal
    Knowledge
    Profession
    Spelcraft

    OOC: Any thoughts or suggestions regarding the class?
     
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    [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.
    ​
     
    [X] Do not tell Ser Richard about the magic
    -[X] Explain that the snake was a trained viper given to you by Ser Darry for a nameday present that was bought off a trader.

    No need to say anything about the location of where the trader is from any lie that could be disproven is not worth telling.
     
    Interlude I: Communion
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    • Communion​

    Call of the Deep Part I Next>

    Twenty-eight Day of the Ninth Month 289 AC

    Aeron Greyjoy never thought it would end like this, as the longship Golden Storm broke under the onslaught. He clung to the wreckage he cursed Stannis Baraheon for a clever foe and his brother Balon for a fool lord. Baratheon is weak, Balon had said. The Dragons are gone, now the Ironborn can take all that the Greenlanders have the right way, the Iron Way. Aeron had been a fool and he had listened as did many others and now he cursed himself most of all as he waited for the sea to claim him.

    Despairing as he watched the unbroken vista of the sea before him the scion of the House Greyjoy let go of the piece of flotsam that was once a part of his proud ship. Had he endured a moment longer he would have seen the shore on the horizon and with renewed strength clung on until he would have come at last to be washed ashore and taken prisoner.

    As it was his fate was stranger by far than he could have imagined. At first the seawater raked his throat and lungs with such pain as he could not rightly describe. He would have screamed had he but the air to do so. Then all at once as his head finally want fully under the pain stopped. Aeron felt a lightness in his bones and a strange gladness bubbling in his heart as if he was returning home. He sank down, down down into the inky darkness of the depths and he saw there things such had never before been beheld by human eyes creatures alien and wondrous that lived by no light save that which they themselves gave off.

    There in the depths beyond the touch of sun or moon Aeron knew himself dead yet death refused to come. What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger. The words came to him distantly from some foggy recollection for he had never been a praying man.

    Hard it is to hold the faith when the tide has gone out and only the unforgiving sands remain. Yet now the waters return    . the words intruded on his mind feeling heavy and ponderous as nothing he had ever thought before.

    Shadowy figures like man yet not him surrounded the Aeron. They moved in strange ways and their forms were warped, soft heads webbed hands and feat did they have. The Drowned God has given you life again Man. Serve HIM as we do and you will have power such as will wear down mountains and glory such as will endure until the end of times. Refuse and this shall be your final resting place, silent and forgotten.

    Yes, anything     Aeron thought desperately wiling the creatures to hear or perhaps praying for the first time in a long while.

    You have accepted HIM. It is Good. The time approaches again. Forever. No longer bound, free. The alien thoughts tumbled through his mind in a terrible cacophony. His head hurt as if something was trying to claw its way out and then he, mercifully, knew no more.

    ***​

    He awoke on shore near Pike on one of the beaches he played on as a boy. There in the sand, unmistakable, were he prints of soft, webbed feet. Aeron Greyjoy shivered to the bottom of his soul. The Deep Ones had returned. However his fear was paired with a strange exaltation for in his mind also were prayers and rituals of the Drowned God subtly different from the ones he had heard all his life and he knew that these prayers were the key to his promised reward and he vowed then to loyalty serve the God that had seen fit to take the scales from his eyes and raise him up.

    OOC: In canon Aeron does not become Damphair until a later near-death drowning experience. I moved up the timetable a bit. Hail the cleric of the Drowned God.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.
     
    [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.


    I want to do some debate ..hmm,I don't think kept secret form our inner circle is good idea then yeah reveal our ability to him should be good for now.

    As Tagaryen then people suppose to know about our ability with dragon and their relate with magic then we should pass on that front.​
     
    [X] Tell Ser Richard about magic
    -[X] Make sure that no one overhears you two.
    -[X] Explain that you have awakened your ancient blood somehow and have access to magic now. Stress that it is not of a kind that requires sacrifice, being a limited source of power that replenishes regularly instead. Confirm that you can affect minds with it (because hiding it now and having him find out later would be even more disastrous), which is how you managed to get ahead among these criminals so quickly, but assure him that you would never use it on loyal subjects like him. If he expresses doubt still, remind him that he wouldn't even be asking these questions if he was affected by your magic, and clarify that you can't really do this subtly, requiring words and gestures. This new (or old?) magic, you excitedly tell him, is why you feel so confident about being able to gather the necessary resources for conquest.
    -[X] Remind him that this must be kept secret.
    ​
     
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