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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 MMCCLXXV: Upon a Sea of Flame Part Eight
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    • Upon a Sea of Flame Part Eight​

    Sixth Day of the Fifth Month 293 AC

    The notion of being disembarked not onto another ship, but instead upon the flame-shrouded form of a Fire Whale, is enough to get some of the crew to mutter angrily, perhaps even considering putting up some desperate final fight rather than risking being 'cast into the sea like so much garbage'. The mephits' constant taunts to their former crewmates for not possessing wings do little to ameliorate the situation, though they do present a stark reminder as to why you never regretted being parted from Kral as you did from Velen. You certainly do not envy Dany having the self-appointed task of keeping them in order until they get bored and wander off.

    Thankfully, the combination of Ser Richard and Waymar dismissing their own enchantments of flight and trusting Baella to keep them afloat combined with the gentle traveler's own reassurances are enough to calm the prisoners fears enough for them to gingerly step off the iron boarding ramps and onto their temporary haven. The reminder to be considerate of the only being standing between them and drowning is likely redundant, but you make it anyway, having seen worse acts of folly before.

    "Ain't no one quite that stupid in the Sultan's service. They'd be giant stew for sure," the minor Azer mage, Ungor, noted. Only then do you realize you must have uttered the last aloud in some manner.

    "Even the giants?" you ask in jest.

    "Them too, sure as the City's Walls," comes the instant reply, one you would rather not have heard if truth be told.

    ***​

    The addition of one more odd inhabitant to the city of Sorcerer's Deep is overshadowed quite literally by the three ships you gently lay on the rocky land overlooked by Dragon's Roost. Out of the sea they almost have the look of giant seashells, their underside fluted with strange pipework leading up to a device that seems to you to be some strange mingling of a seed-drill and a pump. No doubt it shall provide great entertainment to the tinker fey in time, but for now it is set to be the abode of a full infantry company of legionaries, a squad of minotaurs, a pair of Scholarum students, and even a battle-wrought servitor.

    "No one without a writ from either me or Wisdom Lya is to enter the ship," you tell the captain, a former Westerosi hedge knight from his easy use of both the Common tongue and the courtesies of the Seven Kingdoms.

    "As you command, Your Grace," he replies respectfully.

    Truth be told, given with all the precautions in place, you are less worried about theft or spies than you are over the safety of any overly curious visitors, particularly with regards to the damaged ship which had groaned alarmingly as it settled into its new home, prompting you to gather a handful of stone fey to craft a cradle of sorts for it.

    The gruesome task of sorting the bodies and skulls of the fallen by their worth is made difficult by the fact that many of the fallen died in the conflagration of lightning which freed the elemental, though the rigid order of battle aboard the Sultan's ships helps you make some sense of where they fell. To your surprise none of the surviving Azer object to having their former comrades and sometimes kin delivered to the Fungus Forge to serve as soil for a new blooming Leshy once the process is explained to them, though a handful do demand compensation.

    Much to the surprise of their less bold fellows you provide it as soon as you prove the truth of their words by magic.

    Lost 565 Gold

    The act seems to be the tipping point for many of the crew deciding that they would be willing try their luck in your service. Honeyed words they had heard a plenty, but gold in the hand was proof of sincerity of an altogether higher sort, especially coming from a dragon.

    Gained 10 Azer Warriors and 16 Mephits

    Just as you finished delivering those few warriors who would rather strike on their own to the nearest port you notice something odd about the minor elementals. They seem to be huddled together, close as you have ever seen them.

    "I think they're merging," Tyene says, as startled by the process as you are.

    As the six of you watch on equal parts wary and curious the almost four score man-sized living flames spin themselves together in an intricate dance accompanied by Baella's Deep melodic humming. The song ends on a soaring note, which calls to some primal joy within you older than flesh.

    Thus from the flames arise five lithe figures sculpted of living fire, each half again a firegiant's height. From the waist up they are manlike, though idealized and somehow unfinished looking all at once, while from the waist down there is only a pillar of flame. So might the Efreeti themselves looked so long ago when the world was young and yet unshaped.


    "Under the whips of our masters this semblance would have been a burden, only exposing us to more refined tortures and torturous uses, but in you we sense strength and purity of purpose, a chance to grow and learn... to avenge ourselves," the fire spirits speak as one, their voices a hissing crackling chorus. "We do not desire to leave this place, but would serve you here if you desire it."

    What do you reply?

    [] Accept the service of the Huge Fire elementals for the moment, until you leave the Plane of Fire

    [] Try settle on some more long lasting agreement
    -[] Write in

    [] Write in

    OOC: The huge elementals are all int 12. That's why they are so few of them after merging. They want to be able to properly appreciate the anguish you will inflict on their former masters (or conversely be smart enough to run away if it comes to it).
     
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    • What about asking them to accompany Baella on her travels? They can serve as companions and protectors, and should we ever need their services, we can call upon them via magic.

    And if they want revenge against the Efreeti, we'll be hitting that treasure ship soon.
     
    Takesis said:
    It's missing the Defense Tree. We'll have it close to the Legion Barracks. The Royal Stables as well which I believe is along the way to the keep.
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    W8 we have four Trees in Sorcerer's Deep? I thought we just had three so far... And I've got rid of the barracks outside the city because the 1st Legion is mostly spread out across the Disputed Lands and Tyrosh with some at the Dragon's Roost. I've made a HQ for Legion operations(figured I might as well) which are those red buildings in the top right circle of the inner city. I can put a godswood and the defence tree there. And I thought the stables was where all the weird and magic creatures were being kept and was in Mosshold?
     
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    Goldfish said:
    What about asking them to accompany Baella on her travels? They can serve as companions and protectors, and should we ever need their services, we can call upon them via magic.

    And if they want revenge against the Efreeti, we'll be hitting that treasure ship soon.
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    I like the idea. The denizens of the Fire Plane gathering together to fight the oppression of geniekind
     
    [X] Welcome To The Rebell Alliance
    -[X] Tell them that you are not here solely for plunder. Your allies and you have more radical goals in regards to the Sultan of Brass.
    -[X] Baella would certainly appreciate their aid, since her kin knows the cruelty of the Efreeti all too well.
    -[X] As for you, it would be great to have eyes and ears in the plane. To learn about the Efreetis operations and look for new targets.

    Nothing fancy, but if those guys want to fuck with the Efreeti, they are more then welcome in the club.
     
    Goldfish said:
    What about asking them to accompany Baella on her travels? They can serve as companions and protectors, and should we ever need their services, we can call upon them via magic.

    And if they want revenge against the Efreeti, we'll be hitting that treasure ship soon.
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    No, that's a terrible idea. This thing is bloodthirsty and Baella isn't. Worse, it isn't really powerful or versatile enough to survive the inevitable reprisals that will follow it's attacks against Efreet. And that's just if it isn't killed!
    It could be an asset to a team effort, but it isn't strong enough to operate alone.

    Quest said:
    I think we're technically terrorists.:drevil:
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    We're foreign invaders. Well, saboteurs. We haven't relied on civilian terror yet (in part because we can't).
     
    If we move alot of oil from PoFire and sell it on PoBalance before the results of the conference affects the economy... Earn cash or crash the lampoil market @Azel ?
     
    [X] Welcome To The Rebell Alliance
    -[X] Tell them that you are not here solely for plunder. Your allies and you have more radical goals in regards to the Sultan of Brass.
    -[X] Baella would certainly appreciate their aid, since her kin knows the cruelty of the Efreeti all too well.
    -[X] As for you, it would be great to have eyes and ears in the plane. To learn about the Efreetis operations and look for new targets.

    Hmm @DragonParadox Baella is a pacifist, these elementals want vengeance. Is there a non-violent aid they can give her?
     
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