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

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Eh. I would greatly prefer to burn down the temple if negotiations break down.

We never pulled that one yet after all.
 
Azel said:
Eh. I would greatly prefer to burn down the temple if negotiations break down.

We never pulled that one yet after all.
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I kinda want to save it for the faction of R'hllorites we can't force to play ball. Oh, your temple burned down? How odd. Maybe your fire god is unhappy with you? :V
 
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Adhoc vote count started by Diomedon on May 11, 2018 at 2:55 AM, finished with 188293 posts and 13 votes.
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Part MM: Upon the Middle Path
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    • Upon the Middle Path​

    Twenty-Seventh Day of the Second Month 293 AC

    "I've come to learn about the god praised in these halls and those who do so. The laws I bring with me demand thus, so that I know that it is truly the divine you call upon and not... other..." you reply, honestly enough. Something about the figure before you is unnerving even beyond the way it is so thoroughly shrouded against all your senses.

    "An odd thing to say," comes the reply. It might have been amused, defiant, or curious, but it was none of those things, only the same half-whispered monotone. "For how can one be bound by laws you yourself wrought?"

    "Laws are created for the betterment of all, and even a king must follow them rather than merely his own desires," you reply, following the figure deeper into the temple, never allowing it out of your sight. Ser Richard will keep watch to the rest, of that you are certain. "A question for a question I would ask, then. What do you serve, priest?"

    "We serve the Threefold One, the Forge of Souls. First is birth in blood and screams, last is death come much the same, and in between ascension lies for those fortunate enough to see the path," the priest replies as he sits upon a cold stone bench opposite a wall which showed an ancient fresco, far too vast for the light of the lantern in his hands to illuminate it all, but to your eyes as clear as day. There a chimeric beast with the coils of a serpent, the manes of lions and the bloody beaks of hawks coiled about a city of white stone seemingly unnoticed by the inhabitants, from princes in their finery to beggars draped in rags, not even those among them who tripped into its gaping maws.

    One head perches on the window of a birth-room, the other opens beneath the feet of a man about to drink from a envenomed chalice... the third, however, opens to reveal smooth and featureless human form crowned in starlight who stands before a shepherd's 's crook, a spear and a flute.

    "Ascension is finding greatness in this life, be it as a ruler, a warrior, or an artist," you guess.

    "That and a thousand things bedside which could not fit upon any stone or canvas smaller than the world entire, the singer and his voice, the writer and his quill, smith and potter at their craft, even the humble baker," comes the half-whispered reply. "Though it is not greatness in the rumble of applause that the second head grants but tempering, understanding of ones' self and place in the world."

    "What of sorcery?" you probe, wondering all the while if you dare a divination to reveal any secrets the priest may hold close.

    "It is not a calling but a tool, a lantern to show the path for those who treat it with respect, or a marsh-light to lead one into the mire from which only death can free one for those foolish enough to trust it without reservation."

    Frustrated at the deflection, whether intentional or otherwise, you speak plainly about the temple guard, thinking to limit them to a-hundred-and-twenty as you had done for the temple of R'hllor.

    Alas the answer you receive is neither acceptance nor a refusal that would be cause for firmer action. Instead the priest merely declares, "Their feet are firmly upon the path and they will walk it no matter what cloak they bear or where they lay their heads down to sleep."

    "So you would allow them to walk from your armory with arms and armor to do with as they will?" you asks, surprised. It does make a twisted sort of sense, any man dedicated enough to die for a cause would certainly come when called no matter that he had to seek his bread elsewhere.

    "They have earned them in the service of the Threefold one even as I have earned these robes." There might be the faintest whisper of pride in those words then, but you would not stake much upon it.

    What do you reply?

    [] Write in

    OOC: Viserys' Knowledge Religion skill was put to good use this update.
     
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    • ...this thing still feels hella iffy.

    Let's speak with uncle dearest, as the best intermediare between gods with a lot of knowledge and us we have.

    No, I don't include communing with Yss, the shit is too restricted and/or vague.

    And then we could invest in this religion. Seems somewhat useful for us, if applied properly.
     
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    [X] Plan Question Time
    -[X] "What does it mean for you and them to serve your god?"
    -[X] "How would one seek this enlightenment?"
    -[X] Ask about the meaning of the depiction of the enlightened figure as featureless and crowned in starlight.
    -[X] "What us your relationship with the other faiths in this city and the citizenry as a whole?"
    -[X] "What are the three head priests deliberating? From what I gather, your faith is centered on the self, not the community, so what does the man on the throne matter to you unless he seeks to destroy these halls?"
    --[X] Anticipate that he will counter that you contemplated to do exactly that: "There was another faith in this city that offeres enlightenment. I would be grave dereliction of my duty to not question the motives of all men, no matter if they peddle fish or faith and claim themselves just, wise, kind or holy."

    That featureless humanoid is something important, but I can't lay my finger on it.

    Tentatively, I would integrate the former guards into the Legion. If it's excellence as warriors they seek, bearing any cloak, then they should be perfect fits.
     
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    Artemis1992 said:
    That doesn't seem wise.

    How can wie trust men who'd fight and die for another liege?
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    A good chunk of our Legion are former sellswords who are just the same. Loyalty is nothing we can recruit, but something we must create.

    Besides, these guys strike me as very lawful. The theme of their religion is the natural order of life and death with the cornerstone being personal enlightenment through dedicating yourself fuly to your calling. It even includes imagery of the dissolution of the self in that pursuit, as evident by the figure in the mural and the face paint of our guide.

    To me, this looks like Useful Minions - The Religion so far.
     
    Erm.
    @DragonParadox, we did give our legionarries/mages/party members express orders not to drink any sort of alcohol while in Tyrosh until we officially say "its safe", didn't we?
    I'm thinking about Drunky possibly deciding to make a mess.
    And I don't like the mental image.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    Creating loyalty is one thing, stealing already existing to-death loyalty seems more problematic.

    No man can serve two masters.
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    Hence digging a bit deeper. I'm unwilling to dismiss potential recruits out of hand when we have no tangible reason to think them unreliable.
    Goldfish said:
    Agreed, @Azel. No inviting religious fanatics into the Legion, especially those of suspect deities.

    Also, maybe have Viserys use his earring for some True Seeing?

    [X] Azel
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    We will get Burny recruits in the Legion and they might decide to join up without our knowledge anyway, so I see no reason for this paranoia.

    The earrings haven't recharged yet.
     
    More valid: no more than 120 of the previous Temple Guard can actively use their equipment in service to the Temple (at least visibly). And while they could probably putter around close at hand, it would be very unproductive. The Temple also couldn't feed and shelter them as they do now, making us look like total shitheels for making warrior-monks beggars to keep to their faith (which implies being the best at their calling as they can be--who will they fight for besides themselves, if not their Temple?)

    Simpler language, our options are:

    1) Let the Trios temple guards remain as they are.
    2) Limit their guards and watch the bunch fall into destitution or the beds of our enemies "for the sake of their God" since we've clearly done nothing but obstruct them from following their path in life.
    3) Offer them gainful employment, fully knowing that if we ever act against their faith their loyalty will tear in twain like the threadbare sheet it is.

    There's probably another option in there somewhere, but involves copious violence invariably.
     
    Azel said:
    Hence digging a bit deeper. I'm unwilling to dismiss potential recruits out of hand when we have no tangible reason to think them unreliable.

    We will get Burny recruits in the Legion and they might decide to join up without our knowledge anyway, so I see no reason for this paranoia.

    The earrings haven't recharged yet.
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    There's a significant difference between a believer and a fanatic. Degrees of rationality and trustworthiness being the most important.
     
    Azel said:
    We will get Burny recruits in the Legion and they might decide to join up without our knowledge anyway, so I see no reason for this paranoia.
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    There's propably a difference between regular religious people and armed forces in service of a deity.

    I expect the former to fall in line with our Legion easier than those already willing to kill and die for someone else.

    Also we should hand out pamphlets with the actual truth we told Arianne.
    Sure, most people wouldn't want to believe it, but some might and at least everyone would know our truth, if not buy it.
     
    On that note, I can just tell that, at least in Free Cities not Braavos, all of these temples with their own private military forces stem from copious bribes to short-sighted fools and their utility (why maintain a modest private army at great expense constantly otherwise?) stems from the fact that the local nobility are constantly eyeballing them with intent to harm.

    This is most pointed out when the Old Blood of Volantis were making overtures to the Golden Company to kill Benerro and burn down the main temple in the city (which was beyond suicidal, and the Golden Company pointed this out).

    Though the fact that Benerro actually has a good shot at pulling off a coup shows that maybe all these temples aren't employing their own armies to defend themselves against the Magisters, but to defend themselves against the fucking Red Priests and their Jihadist god (and mobs of fanatical cannon fodder, given the majority of people in Essos worship Burny).
     
    Crake said:
    On that note, I can just tell that, at least in Free Cities not Braavos, all of these temples with their own private military forces stem from copious bribes to short-sighted fools and their utility (why maintain a modest private army at great expense constantly otherwise?) stems from the fact that the local nobility are constantly eyeballing them with intent to harm.

    This is most pointed out when the Old Blood of Volantis were making overtures to the Golden Company to kill Benerro and burn down the main temple in the city (which was beyond suicidal, and the Golden Company pointed this out).

    Though the fact that Benerro actually has a good shot at pulling off a coup shows that maybe all these temples aren't employing their own armies to defend themselves against the Magisters, but to defend themselves against the fucking Red Priests and their Jihadist god (and mobs of fanatical cannon fodder, given the majority of people in Essos worship Burny).
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    I guess that can be researched as a phenomenon of the pre-Viserys era by future scholars.
    Definitly a relic of the past in cities we keep order in.
     
    Letting them keep their troops is entirely unpalatable. We will have 1000 soldiers pointed at the inner city and the Burny Boys will kick up a stink over this, since it would be a blatant sign of us shafting them in particular.


    Also, why do people want more gods when this is the reaction to them? You sound like a bunch of rednecks trying to start a lynch mob centered on the local mosque, because bearded people are clearly terrorists.
     
    Azel said:
    Also, why do people want more gods when this is the reaction to them? You sound like a bunch of rednecks trying to start a lynch mob centered on the local mosque, because bearded people are clearly terrorists.
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    Oh my:rofl:

    Tell them to stop training new guards on the condition that our legion will be keeping public order until we fix the one in the city.

    It will take a while, but it will give us time to prove we can and will defend them while not totally stripping them of their ability to defend themselves.
     
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