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

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Mmmhm. Too bad, really, Garin's life is getting ever harder.
Well, off he goes.
 
DragonParadox said:
Questions about the character of the other officers were asked when you tried to figure out the politics of the Golden Company. You can at least tell openly Tiamat-aligned from natural and Illyrio-aligned. Whether any of the latter have committed any other hanging crimes Mudd is not a sure source.
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Guess we wrung everything of use out of him then.

We can now rightfully say:
"When asked, he meticulously recounted the vile deeds of everyone around him. It was disgusting to listen."

What everyone will hear:
"He tried to sell out others to save his neck."

No better lies then a carefully framed truth.
 
So, what are our current plans with sellswords? Hang all Tiamat-worshippers, loot the place to bedrock, get all others on a ship and port it to SD?

By the way, @DragonParadox, can we set a precedent right now to constantly have someone checking up on Illyrio's location with Wayfinder at least 2-3 times a day?
 
Can't teleport a ship w/people aboard.

We could capture those supply ships though.
 
Crake said:
Can't teleport a ship w/people aboard.

We could capture those supply ships though.
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Isn't the restriction only due to unwilling targets of teleport? If we'll get them convinced (and we have our buffs for bullshit like that) can't we port 'em up?
 
We can however, make..
Wait no, not using the shadow tower to port recently looted tiamat worshippers, or should we? Mmm
I guess they Will have to walk.
 
We're going to off tiamat worshippers before anything else, are we not? ST'ing them after that becomes somewhat less risky.
Though we'll have to make sure none of sellswords we do take get to go away from us.
Someone learning of this wonderful ability before Tyrosh is going to be saltifying.
 
Hopefully going to sleep now, in case we get a chance soon, remember to ask Amrelath if he knows about the "different pelt" Spy in the tower, just in case he noticed anything strange.
 
egoo said:
We're going to off tiamat worshippers before anything else, are we not? ST'ing them after that becomes somewhat less risky.
Though we'll have to make sure none of sellswords we do take get to go away from us.
Someone learning of this wonderful ability before Tyrosh is going to be saltifying.
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Yes, we Will get rid of the tiamatists first, but with so many of them chances are some are going to slip trought, if only because they are untrustworthy instead of being cultists.
But one of those not!cultists might still decide the chance to make off with something from the tower, or try to sell the info, or just sabotage, or whatever, we dont trust them thats the point.
However, divination can protect us from the worst of those, and mass teleport vía shadow tower is just so convenient.
 
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Part MDCCLXXXIII: Of Ruins and Dreams
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    • Of Ruins and Dreams ​

    Seventeenth Day of the First Month 293 AC

    There is no anger burning in your breast when all is said and done, no righteous fury, only disgust as the deeds you had heard recounted. For a moment you consider waking 'Ser' John Mudd from his trance that he face you as a man not a puppet before you end him. Pointless mummery, you shake your head at the notion. A wounded mouse has a better claim to 'facing down' the cat that's playing with him than the serjeant has of doing the same to you.

    Better to keep from inflicting even more senseless suffering on the world, the man before you had done quite enough of that. "Sleep," you command by the enchantment that binds him. Then in one quick cut of your sword you slit his throat. He barely has a chance to twitch before death takes him.

    Faint disdain, though paired with grudging understanding, radiates from Dark Sister. This had not been the first time the ancient blade had been used for execution, and though she understands the need she does not love shedding the blood of helpless captives.

    "Apologies, my lady,"     you send as you clean the blade in the same preternaturally hot flame that serves as John Mudd's pyre.

    "The heart-blood of a mighty foe I have drank by your hand, my king. I am content," she replies, the answer is markedly clearer than your first contact days ago, as though she is learning more about herself with every passing day.

    "Should of taken his clothes first," Vee's words draw you from your thoughts with a start. Seeing your confusion she adds, "The dead man, plenty of folk who'd like fine clothes like that and not be bothered a whit over them being on a corpse for a bit."

    Before you can marshal and answer to what must seem to the girl an eminently sensible position, Malarys interjects smoothly, "That would have defeated the purpose of making him disappear entirely to avoid troublesome questions."

    Vee nods, understanding the need for subterfuge, though she rarely feels the need to use it herself.

    You look at Rolland and the three crossbowmen with different eyes than before John Mudd's final confession, not because you know any of them to be monsters, but because they are in the dead serjeant's words, 'the usual run of sellswords.' By that you take to mean they might well have committed what you count hanging offenses though not with such fervor as to start rumors. No worse then the Ironborn you 'inherited' from Damphair, probably better for the Golden Company is rightly famed for its discipline, you are forced to admit.

    ***​

    A rather incongruous parade you must make walking among the ruins of Sallosh. Stones shake at the heavy iron tread of the sentinels while most of your company follows behind at a measured pace, save Dany who had taken to flying above as a scout, barely a glimmer of silver in the darkness.

    "You know, they've done a good job here," Maelor muses besides you. "It's not easy leaving a place looking mostly like a ruin while fixing it to be proper to live in. Course the stonework helps... better than some parts of Mantarys."

    "Sallosh was far enough away from Valyria that the Doom did not end it directly, though the Dothraki and supposedly the plague were still its end," Lya interjects sadly.

    "Could you bring folks to live here again?" Maelor asks idly. "It would be a shame to let it go to waste," he unknowingly echoes Vee's sentiments from a few moments ago.

    "Fancy being lord of Sallosh?" Waymar asks in jest.

    Maelor snorts. "No, thank ye. Hard enough to fix a leaking roof, never mind a whole city worth of them. I'd sort of like one that was in better shape," he says, glancing at you. "This conquering business ends with a lot of lords losing their heads, right? If any of them should happen to own a nice spot by the sea with enough people to be getting on with..."

    What do you answer?

    [] Promise to grant Maelor a conquered city
    -[] Write in which one (optional)

    [] Promise to help Maelor build his own city
    -[] Write in where (optional)

    [] Stay silent

    [] Write in

    OOC: I know this slows down things again, but this felt like a good place to put the minor action. It's just more natural coming from Maelor than to have Viserys always asks the question directly.
     
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    • [X] "Trust me when I say that a prosperous city brings even more work to your table. You should find yourself a good administrator, if you don't want to keep hours like I do. I will keep you in mind when a suitable spot opens up or is scheduled to be build."

    Nothing definite yet, though I see little reason to deny him. Don't think he has the temperament for it, but the imperial bureaucracy can run his fief just fine with him as a figurehead.
     
    We seem to be quickly running out of nice spots by the sea.
    The obvious solution is to use the hammer of the water to create more coast and inland seas.
    Also, plan "go to sleep at a semi-reasonable hour" has failed.
    [X] Azel
     
    [X] "Trust me when I say that a prosperous city brings even more work to your table. You should find yourself a good administrator, if you don't want to keep hours like I do. I will keep you in mind when a suitable spot opens up or is scheduled to be build."
     
    [X] Azel

    I actually like the point about him finding himself a Steward before thinking about raising his own city. That's really important for the future.

    Edit: Though it's worth keeping in mind that with Draconic Knowledge, Maelor has all the Knowledge skills, so he could passably run a fief on his own... it would just take up all his time.
     
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    Crake said:
    Edit: Though it's worth keeping in mind that with Draconic Knowledge, Maelor has all the Knowledge skills, so he could passably run a fief on his own... it would just take up all his time.
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    Hence reminding him of that. I don't doubt that he could, just that he would want to.

    Speaking of lords, do we have a plan for the ownership of the Three Daughters? I would like to keep Tyrosh as Viserys demenesne, simply due to the proximity to SD, but Lys and Myr are a different matter.

    Depending on how we want to direct Lys, either Uthero or Maelor could be useful there.
     
    [X] Azel

    Hmm, if there's any worth in Daemon's Folly, he could have that built up and lean on us for Lyre stuff and a healing thing (tree, someday) but maybe he wants a real city.

    But yes.
    @DragonParadox - has he looked at the laws we made and realised that the workload can be distributed between an Imperial Bureaucracy and himself at a ratio that he wishes? Like, does he have an idea of what he's asking for?
     
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    I would like to keep Tyrosh plus the chunk of the Disputed Lands that Tyrosh owns as part of Viserys' personal holdings. The lands so that he isn't dependent on anyone else for growing food, and with magical agriculture and the very highly arable lands there, he could feed a fairly large population without having to import onerous amounts of grain at marked up prices.

    King's Landing is like an albatross around the neck because the owners don't directly have arable land as part of their purview, only the city itself as a trade center. Being able to feed your own metropolis for the most part is important.
     
    [] "As my first and so far only apprentice, people will expect great things of you, i have little doubt that in a few years you will have the power to claim a city for your own, but yes, i intend to give everyone of us the lives we want, to the best of my power"
    -[] "As you may have noticed, rule is quite demanding, i am no longer able to spend my days on a clever play, or act in ways that reflect badly on the kingdom... At least not as often as i used to (smirk)".
    -[] "So listen to your wise old master when i say this, do not worry yourself too much with the prospects of the future, of duty and service, enjoy your fun and your adventures for you never know when the need of others will take precedence over your own enjoyment"
    -[] "however i have little doubt that one day you will make a fine lord, i am proud to see you come so far, and will gladly trust you to care after any city or keep you desire, and should we not find any to your liking, well, what is magic for if not to shape the world to what we think It should be?"
    [] Offer to teach him what you know of ruling and administration, by having him apprentice under you as you fulfill your duties to the kingdom.

    Just some master apprentice bonding, with viserys acting as a man 10 times his age in a bit of bittersweet humor, i think that aspect of his relationship to maelor is not explored often enough, since we often note how much he reminds us of our younger self, but we never let him know that.
    Also,
    [] Quest started: collect 1000 bear asses, reward: your own city.
     
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    Azel said:
    [X] "Trust me when I say that a prosperous city brings even more work to your table. You should find yourself a good administrator, if you don't want to keep hours like I do. I will keep you in mind when a suitable spot opens up or is scheduled to be build."

    Nothing definite yet, though I see little reason to deny him. Don't think he has the temperament for it, but the imperial bureaucracy can run his fief just fine with him as a figurehead.
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    He still must be able to check things over. Apprentice him for a month to Viserys, in addition to his usual duties.
     
    Yeah, I think we should take this a little more seriously in hindsight, @Azel. We planned on talking about Maelor's plans for the future--sure we can gloss over that and get to it at a later date when we're sure where we want to raise his House up, but why not seriously offer to have him ride backseat for a couple of turns to see if he actually likes what is involved in ruling lots of people?
     
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