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

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Duesal said:
Uncomfortable to watch, sure, but what else was Viserys supposed to do? Leave Tor's mages wandering around with the shackles still attached? This was the best option by far, and we have reliable methods to grow back her hand.
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I understand DP's point. Viserys is not so inured to the suffering of others that he can completely disregard such trauma inflicted on people caused at least in some part by his actions.

That said, he's also pragmatic enough not to let it prevent him from doing what needs to be done.
 
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Duesal said:
Uncomfortable to watch, sure, but what else was Viserys supposed to do? Leave Tor's mages wandering around with the shackles still attached? This was the best option by far, and we have reliable methods to grow back her hand.
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The point is not that what Malarys did was unreasonable, because Viserys himself said that Malarys, while being ruthless and uncaring of human life, was also reasonable.

The point is that Viserys had a negative reaction to seeing people who did not do him wrong have their hands blown off because of his actions.

When Waymar has his arm blown off, Viserys's reaction wasn't "no worries, we can just grow it back".
 
DragonParadox said:
Take more time to figure out the bindings instead of just brute-force it.
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We were kind of on the clock, further proven by the snake suddenly trying to destroy the house. If we had the option to study then we might have done it, but we were pressed for time, and the mages couldn't be trusted. Hell, they should still be considered enemies even now. We haven't even had a proper conversation with them.
Goldfish said:
I understand DP's point. Viserys is not so inured to the suffering of others that he can't completely disregard such trauma inflicted on people caused at least in some part by his actions.

That said, he's also pragmatic enough not to let it prevent him from doing what needs to be done.
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So long as Viserys doesn't stop doing what needs to be done.
Raichu1972 said:
When Waymar has his arm blown off, Viserys's reaction wasn't "no worries, we can just grow it back".
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Because we didn't have a way to grow it back at the time. That's why everyone was so much more mad. We then brainstormed and figured out a way to grow it back, and now Waymar has a shiny new arm.

If it ever happened now, we would go "don't worry, we can just grow it back."
 
Eh. Them losing their hands is good news: they'll probably be more vulnerable to our social-fu while they have no hands, and fixing them is both a sign of power and of generosity.

Approach: let's appear benevolent but not too interested, as if we have lots of spellcasters of their power and don't really care about recruiting them but would like to add them to our forces (which get magical education, good pay, and get to live in our awesome city).
 
If we manage to diplomance them, I'd like to stick em in the Scholarium faculty.

If it werent for Xor being our only bard I'd push to have xer take on apprentices / Scholarium courses.
 
@DragonParadox Seems fairly consensus-ish.
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Mar 14, 2018 at 11:17 AM, finished with 165087 posts and 9 votes.
  • [X] "Calm yourself! We fully intend to free you now that the safety of Tor's more fragile captives has been assured."
    -[X] Ask the serpent if it knows how to breaks it's binding without destroying the house, as we are still quite interested in what it might contain.
    --[X] If it does, begin making preparations to do so while inquiring into it's nature and goals. Mention Yss, our allied serpent deity, and the productive relationship we currently enjoy.
    --[X] If it does not, ask questions and talk, as detailed above, while we continue to explore the house, if the serpent's bindings do not prevent such movement.
    -[X] In the privacy of our thoughts, firmly commit to hunting and destroying the serpent if it continues to struggle and causes the house to collapse upon us. If the serpent's divinatory powers match it's claims, it should understand the seriousness of testing us on this matter.
    [X] Tell the spirit about Yss and the possibility of meeting him as long as he doesn't run off.
    -[X] Gesture to Vee's belt to prove we are telling the truth.
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Perhaps not the best plan goldfish...

We should have just tped it to SD and told it to behave.
Edit: terrible plan actually.

I genuinely
don't know why you think suddenly putting this thing in a life or death situation is a good idea.

It is an animal. It's going to attack us if we threaten it.

Not to mention how out of character it is.
 
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zxzx24 said:
Perhaps not the best plan goldfish...

We should have just tped it to SD and told it to behave.
Edit: terrible plan actually.

I genuinely
don't know why you think suddenly putting this thing in a life or death situation is a good idea.

It is an animal. It's going to attack us if we threaten it.

Not to mention how out of character it is.
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What? We aren't threatening it at all. And it is most assuredly not an animal. It is a powerful being and obviously quite intelligent. Likely an Outsider of some sort, too.

It's also bound to this location in some manner, so Teleporting it without breaking that binding first isn't possible.
 
I think the point is that his Neutral alignment meant that as a general rule he doesn't like inflicting pain on people.

He can and will if it's necessary but if it happens by accident he might regret it. I don't see him disliking it as bad, so long as he view it as "an unfortunate accident" instead of "oh god I'm a terrible person".
 
Azel said:
I really love how the snake was worried about its appearance and Viserys just shrugged, wondering what's supposed to be scary.
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Odd thing for a pre-cog to be worried about. Suspiciously odd, imo. Tbh, I think it's a monster giant snake, not a nice/neutral giant snake :(. So, ya know, traps and headaches and general asshole powers being assholes. Looking forward to finding out what this thing is.
 
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Part MDCCCXXIII: The Serpent's Treachery
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    • The Serpent's Treachery ​

    Twenty-Third Day of the First Month 293 AC

    "Calm yourself..." you begin, resolving to destroy it if it does bring down the house and all its treasures to ruin. The thought is not born of anger but calculation. If its foresight is as strong as it claims, this should at least incline it to speak.

    "An interesting riddle if a crude one," the serpent hisses, ceasing its struggles as abruptly as it had begun them. "The answer to the question unasked is thus: tumbling down this dwelling of men would allow me to escape while not being compelled to offer service, the swiftest surest path. Why then would I not take it?"

    "And now?" you ask, admittedly somewhat unbalanced from this strange conversation, unstuck in time.

    "And now I see that you would destroy me to gain my service. Why then aught I not count you foes?" comes the hissing reply. Is there anger in that voice? Fear, perhaps? Or some other emotion for which you have No Name?

    "Because I and those beside me do not require service, only answers and ones that will serve you to gain vengeance besides," you reply honestly. Unless the serpent's plans lie opposed to your own or threaten that which you would see kept safe: your kith and kin, your kingdom, even the world of men entire, absurd as it may sound to take such a charge even in the silence of your own thoughts.

    "In blood I was bound... by blood I shall be released..." Cascading veils of light flicker at the edge of your vision. "Whose blood it matters little to me, but I will not fall once more in the shadow of the Old One.

    "You mean Yss," Vee concludes. "Yer some other kind of snake god 'r god snake."

    "Why should I who have endured the lean times by guile and cleverness become beholden once more to one whose only merit was winning a single gambit to bring that... trinket into your hands?" The night-black tongue darts out, clearly indicating Vee's belt.

    "More fucking snake gods," ser Richard sighs, oddly enough getting what might be a sympathetic look from Malarys.

    "I do not recall making such an offer..." You had certainly considered speaking of Yss, but no more.

    "It matters not if the traveler upon the darkened path cannot see the end of it for still coils to the same end." A flash of ivory fangs as long as swords accompanies the words. "Though I suppose there is another way: offer me that belt as sacrifice and I shall come before him not as a supplicant but as an equal, and thus you shall be able to make use of both our powers in raising up the ancient pass and learning its secrets."

    The offer is in many ways tempting, for the belt is not that potent compared to the marvels Lya can craft... too tempting. Were it not for your long dealings with fiends you might have missed the poison amidst the sweetness, but with every word the creature speaks you become more and more certain something is not...

    No sooner had the thought crossed your mind that the the gem in the serpent's forehead flashes impossibly bright with power. "Ware..." you begin to call as a fan of deathly colors washes over the chamber.

    Twin rays indigo and violet strike you, one to rend your mind asunder, the other to fling you entirety from the world. Kin to dragons you are who are as the the bones of the earth... and this the power washes over you as the tide upon the shore. Ser Richard too is lashed twice by the withing energies, a blast of flame that washes harmlessly over his armor and a wave of noxious green meant to turn his very blood to poison.

    Ser Richard takes 6 Constitution Damage

    "I'll make a new belt out of your hide!" Vee shouts as she throws herself out of the path of another burst of flame, though not quite swiftly enough to keep from getting burned.

    Vee takes 10 damage

    Malarys contemptuously sheds a shower of cerulean light and calls out in an almost conversational tone, "I suspect the stone in its forehead is far more precious then its hide."

    What do you do?

    [] Write in

    OOC: All those points you dropped into Viserys' sense motive paid off. This is not a nice snake and Yss would not be happy to see it... alive that is.
     
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    • It wanted us to sacrifice Yss' belt to it?! :rage: Vee can make a belt from its hide, we get the gem for neat items, and Make Whole on the skull for a trophy.
     
    Didn't someone suggest once that there was some dualism in Yss religion with him and a destructive force opposing him?
    I guess whoever that was now gets an internet-cookie.
     
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