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Occupied Equestria - Morning
Anonymous
DH5jH
?
No.127000
Up in the North, the ponies have successfully found who, or rather, what was damaging the mine. But their quest is not over, as they go to look for the source of the trouble. In Baltimare, Iron, Silver, and Dark Star enjoy the fruits of defeating the cultists, while Midnight herds the remaining rescues.

We welcome any new players to join
1653 replies and 45 files omitted.
Anonymous
2b1879a
?
No.127828
>>127827
Unbeatable in everything except math
Anonymous
baa6b83
?
No.127829
127830
>>127827
Her smile softens somewhat
"I guess that is true. I just think collecting may be a bit less of a challenging for us than calculating"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127830
127831
>>127829
Iron can't help but widen his smile, turning slightly mischievous. "Oh come on," Iron mutters out, chucking somewhat before looking at Cauldron "do you see me as a pony who backs down from a challenge?"
Anonymous
bf04c3e
?
No.127831
127832
>>127830
She smiles wider at him,
“I see you as a pony that didn’t do any better at math in school than I did”
She giggles
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127832
127833
>>127831
Iron chortles at the response, lightly tapping Cauldron's chest. "Hey," he mock protests after a bit "I will have you know my father made me study the magical number thingies or unless I sought to get spanked." He pauses, smiling widely "I admit my flank got beet red more than I would like to admit."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127833
127834
>>127832
She gives a toothy, kind of awkward smile
"My father wanted me to do well in school, I just kind of... slacked off and did other things"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127834
127835
>>127833
Iron cocked his head. "Oh?" he lets out, intrigued by her potential hobbies as a filly "What did you do before?"
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127835
127836
>>127834
"Well, you know. Talk to other fillies and colts. Play around."
She looks down at the notepad
"I would often ask the teacher when I would ever have to use math in life. I had no idea..."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127836
127837
>>127835
Iron can't help but chuckle. "Me too, actually," the native admits sheepishly, rubbing his cheek "I did not expect to have to use them for all sorts of things either, even less that it would apply to something like this."
The native pulls up his foreleg, looking pensively "I thought we would simply be coercing ponies from the money they owed, nothing more."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127837
127838
>>127836
"No, you have to get the money to lend out from a boss, find creatures that need money but can't get it from the bank or pawn shop, sell them the loan, keep track of where they are, how much they owe, and then collect on it. And this is on top of issues like the police, or if borrowers are borrowing to cover debts to a different lender"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127838
127839
>>127837
Iron can't help but smile at Cauldron. "Seems you caught on pretty quick, I would say," he replies gingerly, wrapping a foreleg around the zebra "to nopony's surprise, of course."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127839
127840
>>127838
As Iron places a foreleg around her, she at first pulls away from the movement, but then relaxes into it
"Well, you either catch on, or you fall behind. That seemed okay in school, but it isn't in life, so I caught on"
Her smile is subtle and confident
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127840
127841
>>127839
"I sure can tell," Iron confirms warmly, "from your snout poking prowess to this stuff we just went through, I bet you could do anything you wanted with enough time and effort."
Iron moves his head to stick by hers, glancing at her from her side. "Speaking of, do you think all of the goods I have gotten would be able to be invested in a trade you really want?" he asks
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127841
127842
>>127840
She stops, her eyes are focused, her ears go straight up, and her fur seems to stand up

"What do you mean?" She asks
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127842
127843
>>127841
Iron tilts his head. "What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" he asks in return. The native feels something is off, making sure he didn't miss anything in terms of her emotional state.
[1d20+2 = 8]<Sense motive roll
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127843
127844
>>127842
She seems surprised or excited
"What are you proposing?" she asks
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127844
127845
>>127843
"You know, the whole potion maker business," he clarifies, rubbing her back with his foreleg reassuringly "in order to boost your money making further up, help your family and be safer from this crackdown in the future, remember?"
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127845
127846
>>127844
"Yes. And?"
She is definitely excited
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127846
127847
>>127845
"Well, I did create a lot of capital through the goods I have gotten," Iron suggests happily, excitement clear in his voice "meaning you could be able to invest in preparations for it. Not to mention I got a few extra hoooves as well if you need more hired help either at your father's place or with your promising enterprise."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127847
127848
>>127846
".... For me?" She asks
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127848
127849
>>127847
"Yep!" Iron confirms happily, eyes closing and smiling at Cauldron.
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127849
127850
>>127848
And...

WHOMP!
Cauldron jumps on him, hugging him
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127850
127851
>>127849
Iron's ears straighten, eyes widening at the glomp as he finds his body falling backward due to both unpreparedness and tiredness, but happily accepts the hug, now on the floor, belly up, wrapping his forelegs around her back. "O-oh it is nothing, Cauldron," he stammers out, taken aback by such a massive gratitude exhuding from the mare, clearly blushing hard "you did f-far more."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127851
127852
>>127850
After finding she's knocked him to the ground, she stands back up, blushes and smiles awkwardly
"I mean... Thank you"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127852
127853
>>127851
Iron blinks once or twice, still laid down on the ground, before looking back at Cauldron, laughing heartily, eyes closing as he waves his hoof dismissively. "Oh do not be worried about my personal space," he comments happily "I am glad I could help you after what you did for me."
He extends both of his foreleg, yet stays prone, smiling warmly "Besides, it is not like you could sour my mood after such a cute display," he comments.
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127853
127854
>>127852
She scrunches her mouth in a twisted smile, then walks over to Iron, over top of him, and hugs, or lets him hug him
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127854
127855
>>127853
Iron gladly reciprocates the hug, being overly gentle and caring, feeling all the Tartarus he went through back at Hoebuck and the Pier worth it. Her coat... her hugs... her smile... her. It was all for her, for what she did for him so far.
He would suffer a million wounds, drown a thousand times, break all his bones and even hoof over his life. All for that smile, that joy, that cheerful enthusiasm.
He closes his eyes, enjoying such a peaceful, soul strengthening climax as they both hugged for as long as Cauldron wanted.
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127855
127856
>>127854
She actually doesn't feel all that soft and fluffy. Certainty not as much as White Sands. A kind of hard and muscular body underneath short, if kind of soft fur. But she hugs him more. A little harder now even. She closes her eyes, and seems to have tears coming down from them
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127856
127857
>>127855
Iron's ears straighthen at the sight before hugging her slightly tighter as well, letting her pour all her emotions on him. "I am glad to help, Cauldron," he whispers to her ear, lightly nuzzling her cheek "You deserve it."
Anonymous
1ace520
?
No.127857
127858
>>127856
She kind of tenses and curls her neck in at the nuzzling
"Well I don't know about that"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127858
127859
>>127857
Iron chuckles, retreating his snout, the back of his head returning to the floor, smiling wide. "At least I think you do," he honestly replies, half lidded, grateful eyes staring at Cauldron's own "and nopony could change my mind about it."
Anonymous
caa63cd
?
No.127859
127860
>>127858
She smiles, now warmly
"Thank you"
And then she leans in, and hugs him around the neck
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127860
127861
>>127859
Iron reciprocates the hug, happy to have her hug his neck as he closes his eyes and hugs her back, smiling warmly as well. "Thank you as well for giving me this much time of the day," he mumbles happily, content as ever to hug her crush so intimately.
Anonymous
caa63cd
?
No.127861
127862
>>127860
Zebra is hugged
"Oh, it's no problem Iron. You know that"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127862
127863
>>127861
Iron hums happily at Cauldron's words, heart fluttering slightly. "You are going to make me blush with words like that," he mock protests, still calmly hugging the zebra.
Anonymous
9bacb3e
?
No.127863
127864
>>127862
She smiles again, warmly, but pulls away from the hug
"So... We have items to sell, do we?"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127864
127866
>>127863
Iron nods. "Indeed we do," he confirms, turning himself around and standing up.
Anonymous
85fb8eb
?
No.127866
127867
>>127864
"Well... I haven't touched it since last night. I'm not sure what all you had there. I could see that you were really in a hurry last night."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127867
127868
>>127866
"Some directly useful notes and bits, along with some fancy coins I have never seen before and 'bonds', whatever those are," he recounts "as well as some papers, some having pictures of a stallion bedding a mare or two used for blackmail for some reason, then some shiny gemstones and some fancy looking liquids."
Anonymous
5df1578
?
No.127868
127869
>>127867
"Uh.... Okay then. You really have a lot to learn if you want to be a good criminal here. But there's probably something good in there."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127869
127870
>>127868
Iron nods understandingly. "Perhaps we can go back and you can take a more thorough look?" he suggests.
Anonymous
5df1578
?
No.127870
127871
>>127869
"I think we should. Yes."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127871
127872
>>127870
"For the best," he agrees "lead the way."
Anonymous
e50112c
?
No.127872
127873
>>127871
"Alright"
She goes out from the back room, into the bar, picks up her sweater, and onto the street. It's a walk of many blocks before they get back to her apartment, her unlocking the door, then locking it back after they enter inside
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127873
127874
>>127872
Iron blinks a bit, still slightly tired from yesterday's events before turning to Cauldron. "Alright, so I believe it is time for your judgement," he suggests with a grin.
Anonymous
e50112c
?
No.127874
127875
>>127873
She goes into the closet, and unwraps the towels that cover the horde

"Jewelry and gems." She says, looking at the first portion of the find. "We'd need to take this to a jeweler or somegriff who can determine the exact value of these, but these are at minimum a few hundred bits. Probably more." She looks at the cash. "Nice! A thousand bits. Or 1100, more like." Then she looks at the bonds. "Even better. 1500 bits worth." She quickly looks at the photographs, and as quickly places them away without comment, as if she were forbidden to look upon them. She holds up the coins. "I don't know the exchange rate on these, but it's worth something to the griffins, especially on the foriegn markets." She looks at the crystal glass, and almost drops it as she immediately starts laughing. "Hahaha!" She places it back down without comment. Then she looks at the vial of pink. "Hmmm... Now this is something. I don't know the retail value, but 100 bits minimum." Then she looks at the three rifles, operating the lever action on the lever action gun. It fits her hooves well. "I don't know if you were intending to sell these.... Well, these aren't really as desired as bolt actions. They don't have quite the range or power. But they are easier to create fake permits for, they look more like legal guns, and in any case, guns are at a premium in the city now. Maybe 250 to 350 per gun."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127875
127876
>>127874
Albeit the stallion jumped after hearing her laugh at the crystal glass, Iron listened intently at Cauldron's appraisal, nodding slightly.
"So, the next priority is to go to a jeweler?" he asks, trying to get into the ropes before looking at the rifles "Maybe we can keep one in case the gang is not as charitable with their weapons."
Anonymous
e50112c
?
No.127876
127877
>>127875
"They will be less charitable now than they were a week ago, I can tell you that. But we can go to a jeweler, yes."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127877
127878
>>127876
Iron thought for a second, considering his future, planned lineup. "...actually, let us keep the metal shooters," he informs " we may need them for later use."
With that, Iron looks over at the gems. "Would now be a good time for looking for jewelers?" he asks, a bit unsure mostly out of ignorance.
Anonymous
e50112c
?
No.127878
127879
>>127877
"Well, they may want to close up for lunch hour. But that won't necessarily stop them from wanting to do business"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127879
127880
>>127878
Seeing a likely successful outcome soon-ish, Iron nods. "Then let us make haste," he proclaims eagerly before looking from side to side. "...where is the jeweler again?" he asks
Anonymous
e50112c
?
No.127880
127882
>>127879
"Over in Cowtown, near the water. We can make it"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127882
127885 127910
>>127880
Iron nods understandingly, trotting in place and ready to follow at the pace she deems necessary.
Spirit of a Sardonic Economist
2b1879a
?
No.127885
127886 127901
>>127882
Iron has made progress, but is still not yet at first base.
I had a dream where certain members of the party joined the equivalent of the CIA, impersonated dead/retired agents, and engaged in torture.
Anonymous
066c36f
?
No.127886
>>127885
Alright, that's going in the next quest
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127901
>>127885
Iron's not very good at baseball.
At least he's patient.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127910
127911
>>127882
They leave her apartment, down a straight road in the direction of the harbor, and up another road.
"Here it is" She says, as they approach a single story shop
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127911
127913
>>127910
"Should we mention anything about the origin of these gemstones?" Iron asks Cauldron in a whisper, leaning his head over to her ear.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127913
127914
>>127911
"No. And he will not ask. That is why I go to him."
Entering in the shop, they see counters, display cases, and in the center at the end of the room, a lone griffin. He has a double chin, white feathers and the standard amber fur underneath, with hazel eyes that meet the entering native and Zebra

"Shalom" he says to the new customers
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127914
127915
>>127913
Iron's snout scrunches at the new word, eyes widening as he looked at the griffon. "What?" he asks, flabbergasted.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127915
127916
>>127914
He pulls his lips back and up, in what is presumably a smile on a mouth that doesn't allow for much expression

"I take it you came here to sell" He says
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127916
127918
>>127915
Recovering from the shock, Iron nods before pulling up his bit pouch, where he comfortably stored the gemstones, taking them out to show the griffin.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127918
127919
>>127916
His smile grows, vindicated in his assumption. Quietly, he reaches a claw down, beneath a counter, and pulls out a looking glass. With a lone talon, he moves around the gems, inspecting each beneath the glass, which he sometimes twists whichever way, which moves the device in and out.

"Ah. Diamonds, yes? A ruby. An emerald. All, carefully cut."
He holds up a single, green jewel
"This emerald here, it's damaged. It looks as if it were ripped out of it setting in a necklace or ring."
He looks back up to Iron and Cauldron
"I see why you came to me"
Smiling widely,
"Sixteen hundred for the lot"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127919
127920
>>127918
Iron looks at the griffon for a few seconds, before slowly leaning back into Cauldron's ear. "...is that a good deal?" he asks in a whisper
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127920
127922
>>127919
Whispering back,
"I don't even know. But he could tell it was stolen"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127922
127923 127925
>>127920
Figuring it would not hurt much by trying to rise the reward, Iron leans away before smiling softly. "I would say the cutwork deserves a little more than that, even if one of them is damaged" he starts "1700."
Spirit of a Sardonic Economist
d626c24
?
No.127923
127924 127925
>>127922
Is there a skill or modifier that affects barter?
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127924
>>127923
There is, but I'll wait for GM to place it on the table first.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127925
127926
>>127922
He smiles back
"You must not know much about diamonds," he says, pulling up a particular gem
"It isn't about the damage, or the cut, but what the cuts and the damage implies." Then diverting attention to the diamond
"This is an 'asscher' cut diamond." Then he pulls up another. "Pear shape." Then another gem "An here... A ruby."
Then he looks to Iron
"A diamond is only cut before it is set in jewelry. Here, we have not only a cut diamond, but many diamonds, and many gems. Cut not just for a necklace, but for many necklaces. Do you care to explain to a different jeweler where exactly you got so many different cut gems?"

>>127923
Charisma
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127926
127927
>>127925
Iron nods. (Well that did not work out,) he thinks to himself (at least he knows what he is saying)
"...I understand," he relents, not overly hurt by his small prodding attempt, but his ears fold slightly and his small pout at the loss of potential extra dosh "I accept your price."
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127927
127928
>>127926
He continues his smile
"Mazel Tov! Let me get the money"

He goes back for a minute, and comes back with a number of paper covered rolls. He sits before Iron, opening the coins and counting out coins, until there is a definite large stack of coins before Iron, which he pushes over with his foreleg. Then, he offers a claw to shake
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127928
127929
>>127927
Iron aligns his bit pouch, pushing the coins inside with a foreleg as he stares at the extended claw for a few seconds, cocking his head slightly.
Coins nicely snug inside his trusty pouch, Iron decides to bump his claw with his hoof, thinking that may be the thing he's looking for.
Anonymous
4f375cb
?
No.127929
127939
>>127928
He smirks his mouth, and looks at Iron strangely

"Very well"

It is a very large number of bits, more than can fit in his bit patch
Anonymous
ad539ec
?
No.127938
127940 127943 127950
>>127151
Don't think I added anything to be honest. Just put a bunch of pressure on the dm and then didn't commit to be part of the campaign.
>>127152
Sorry, about that btw.

Yeah, that was me. No, that wasn't the reason. I just had troubles making a character. Those troubles being laziness. Also, at the time. I had other things on my mind.
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127939
127940
>>127929
Iron stares at the admittedly larger bit amount than he can comfortably carry, looking back at Cauldron, hopeful that she'd aid him with an extra container.
Anonymous
dd54252
?
No.127940
127944 127950 128046
1587485743.png
>>127938
You can definitely still join. We'd love to have you

>>127939
It takes her a moment, but she turns around, takes off her saddle bag, unlatches it and places it next to Iron
Spirit of a Sardonic Economist
2b1879a
?
No.127943
127950 128046
The quoting system is one thing I can honestly say I love about the update. I hated how quoting a post in a long thread before would lead to long loading times
>>127938
Please do join! I'm joining the game next in-game day probably gonna be a month or two of irl time from now at this rate and although I was planning to join Dark Star on a quest, it might be more practical to team up with you activity depending.
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.127944
127952
>>127940
Nodding, Iron proceeds to place all of the extra bits into Cauldron's saddlebag. "Thanks," he lets out.
Commentary - Abby Willows (part 1)
Anonymous
e21471d
?
No.127947
127948
1587500902.jpeg
Alright, I am going to start a series of commentary. Mostly on the Hoebuck questline, but the first instance will be a solo encounter for, and a character only ever interacted with by a character and player who is no longer here. Still, it has left an impression on me.

It starts when Ash and Iron are rescuing the orphans from the gangsters in the Northside cannery, who were seized when the orphanage could not repay a loan. A cream colored Pegasus filly who is on the older end of the lot, seeing the druid Kirin Ash – a type of creature she has never seen before, and who practices magic and belongs to some unknown religion – promptly starts screaming, accusing Ash of buying the orphans for “virgin sacrifice” to pagan gods. The panic is infectious, and soon, several younger orphans are running about along with her inside the abandoned cannery. Iron picks them up, and they are on their way. As Ash leads the herd back to the orphanage, she loses sight of the cream-colored filly on a street corner, and they chase her again. Foals making assumptions about strange magic users that seem rational in the mind of child.

That was the end of that, until Ash’s player wanted more play time while advancement to the next day was pending. So I improvised a “bonus round.” Ash wakes up in the middle of the night to see a shadow running by. Exiting the room, she follows the figure to a downstairs door, through the orchard, through a slim patch of woods, and to a clearing where ponies gather – orphan ponies, including a rust colored earth pony colt recognizable from among those rescued – sitting around a fire under the light of a gibbous moon. The cream-colored filly stands in a prominent position, I believe wearing a hoodie, and holding a rabbit in her hooves. A pony recognizable from among those rescued the day before, and who seems to be the one who Ash followed to the clearing, hooves a kitchen knife to the filly. Ash watches as the filly holds up the rabbit, says something in a black tongue, and slices the rabbit’s throat with a knife.

Now Ash intervenes, revealing herself from the bushes and telling the foals to stop. But the cream-colored filly speaks more in black tongue, and a cold wind picks up, lowing beneath the canopy. In the tree line, a giant black dog with glowing red eyes appears, and sets his eyes on Ash. Ash summons magical powers of her own, and sends down a bolt of lightning on the dog. But the dog survives, rushing Ash, and biting into her. After a struggle, the hell hound is dispatched, and the orphans are rounded up. The nuns are awoken and informed of what has happened, and Ash goes to search the room of the cream-colored filly. She finds a book with an innocuous dust jacket taken from a travel guide. But inside, the book is written in three different languages, Ponish, a griffin language, and black tongue. She can determine readily that this book describes part of the history and some spells for the worship of the Griffinion god Maar.

The nuns are very much disappointed and stunned to hear what the foals have been up to, and while talking to them, Ash learns that the filly is named “Abby Willows,” and has only recently come to the orphanage. The next day, when Abby Willows is confined by the nuns alone in the dorm upstairs to write lessons in an endless series as a part of her punishment, Ash comes to visit her, delivering her food. Ash takes note of the fact that Abby’s mane and tail are cut short in a rather masculine fashion, and she clearly resents Ash after the episode the previous night, crossing her forelegs in a guarded pose. Ash tries to break the tension by starting to braid Abby’s mane. Ash tells Abby that she really shouldn’t be tangling with dark magic and unknown spirits, as it can be quite dangerous. Abby asks Ash if she knows why her mane is so short, and of course Ash responds in the negative. Abby then informs Ash that her mane was cut short by the gangsters during her captivity as a measure to prevent or reduce lice infection. She then explains to Ash that she consulted with spirits of a questionable nature because others failed to protect her, adding “my father thought he could protect all of us fighting in the Army, but he died in the process.” Ash tells Abby that she needs to have faith in the ability of the nuns to protect her from dangers. Abby responds by pointing over to the empty dorm room across the hall – empty because the nuns were forced to give over half the orphans to systems overseas after pressure from the fascists – and says “how can I trust them to do that?!” This leaves Ash speechless. Ash asks her if there were any other books, conspirators, or any other parts of her plan, and Abby vehemently denies. Ash does, however, calm Abby down enough to make her pay attention to the food Ash brought, which she gobbles up quickly.

Though that was the end of Abby’s direct appearances, and shortly thereafter, the end of Ash, it wasn’t the last part of the story. The next day, Iron returned to the orphanage, and helped the nuns by clearing dead trees in the orchard. Bucking a tree, a large, leather bound plain covered book falls to the ground, with pages opening to a strange and alien language Iron takes the book to Sister Marery, who confirms that the book is a religious and spell text belonging to a religion based around an evil griffin spirit, and connects it with Abby Willows and her misadventures.
Commentary - Abby Willows (part 2)
Anonymous
e21471d
?
No.127948
>>127947
Even though the story never goes anywhere after that, and the character hasn’t been seen in well over a year now (and probably never will be again), I am kind of proud of having come up with and executing the ritual in the woods almost immediately after the player indicated they wanted to play. I was pleased by my own blending of EAW lore and the circumstances into making a character who has compelling reasons for doing evil things, and a series of events that recontextualizes earlier happenings

I was very much impressed and pleased for Ash and the player to reason that a rabbit for a hellhound was an unfair trade tilted in favor of the foals, and surely any spirit making such a trade must have more sinister plans. I was disappointed that the character would not call out the teenage girl for being a liar and I did not entirely understand why she didn’t promise to help protect the filly herself. I was most disappointed that neither Ash nor Iron made any sort of inquiry as to where Abby got the books from.

“Abby Willows” is named for Abigail Williams, the accuser at the Salem Witch Trials. I gave her the name while phone posting at a Mexican restaurant, and so was going by memory rather than looking it up, so mistakenly thought that Abigail Williams was the accused. I blame that “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” movie with Nicholas Cage for confusing me. Considering that Abby Willows makes her first appearance by accusing Ash of being a witch who is buying foals for the purpose of Equine sacrifice, it still fits her.
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127950
127952 127960 128046
>>127938
Yay! More players!
>>127943
I'm sure they can wrap up the day to let you join.
>>127940
Can we continue in the north today?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127951
One thing that was not mentioned in the commentary:
when Ash opens the book and reads an incantation, the incantation is taken from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," but with the names of various human gods replaced with villains from the My Little Pony generations, especially generation 1, and several from EAW, including the Smooze and Grogar before he was mentioned in season 9 of the show. The line from Lovecraft translates into English from Latin as:
"By Adonaï Eloïm, Adonaï Jehova, Adonai Sabaoth, Metraton On Agla Adonaï Mathon, the pythonic word, the mystery of the salamander, the assembly of sylphs, the grotto of gnomes, the demons of the heaven of Gad, Almousin, Gibor, Jehosua, Evam, Zariatnatmik, Come, Come, Come!"

Unfortunately I do not have my ponified version as the new code has completely removed the ability to search the website, but it was as stated above, with the reference to "slyphs" certainly remaining in a nod to the brony artist "SlyphStorm."
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127952
127953 128013
>>127950
Sure. The last post made to Spark is >>127800

>>127944
She nods to him, and places the saddlebag back on her bag
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127953
127954
>>127952
But no signs of what could have made it?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127954
127955
>>127953
Some disruption in the surrounding branches and bushes, the dirt seems to have been moved aside or even pressed in, and the oval clearly has more pine needles in it then normal. Otherwise, no.
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127955
127956
>>127954
Spark investigates the bushes.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127956
127957
>>127955
There are a couple limbs that are torn and pressed down, most in a particular path of approach, while others are undisturbed. There does not seem to be anything placed in them, nor do they look like they've been eaten
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127957
127958
>>127956
Spark shrugs and tries to find the tracks again, perhaps this was not the destination, but simply a stop along the way.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127958
127959
>>127957
Roll spot
0ae78d2
?
No.127959
127961
[1d20 = 8]
>>127958
Spot
Spirit of a Sardonic Economist
d626c24
?
No.127960
>>127950
I don't want to make anything inconvenient particularly since Brie and Dark Star haven't done anything yet. I can wait.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127961
127962
>>127959
There are some slim hints of tracks, and a number of silhouettes in the treeline around Spark
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127962
127963
>>127961
Hmm... Spark follows more tracks. Where do they lead this time?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127963
127964
>>127962
Another dice roll, also wisdom modifier
0ae78d2
?
No.127964
127965
[1d20 = 9]
>>127963
More dice, no wisdom mod. The only mods I have are -1 strength and +3 charisma.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127965
127966
>>127964
A few disrupted patches of needles going off at an angle, and the definite sound of feet, paws, or hooves crunching needles
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127966
127967
>>127965
Do they sound like charging speed steps?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127967
127968
>>127966
Slower. Walking speed and picking up, losing caution
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127968
127969
>>127967
Spark turns to observe if the shadows are coming closer for him.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127969
127970
>>127968
They stop, but they've come closer to Spark since he saw them and ignored them
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127970
127971
>>127969
Spark resumes walking and listens for more steps.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127971
127972
>>127970
Immediately they start again. More than one, and varying degrees of speed
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127972
127973
>>127971
He turns back. Are they in viewing range yet?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127973
127974
>>127972
Yes. Roll spot if you want to figure out just how much detail Spark can discern in the limbo between setting moon and rising sun under forest canopy
0ae78d2
?
No.127974
127975
[1d20 = 16]
>>127973
Spot
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127975
127976
>>127974
Quite a bit, actually.

Wolves. Four of them visible, spaced around Spark almost evenly in a circle, to the degree Spark may wonder if there are more behind him. One of them is the white wolf Spark saw earlier, now identifiable as a female, though the rest seem to be male, and have a grey coat in two instances, and a pepper-grey in another. They seem to have something covering over portions of their fur, particularly around the front and the chest, and in two instances on the left foreleg. A couple are at a distance from Spark as he saw the white wolf earlier, but two have come closer to him, a grey male in particular.
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127976
127977
>>127975
Poor doggos. They are probably going to pick a fight and get burned. Do they halt now that Spark has turned back towards them?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127977
127978
>>127976
Yes. For Spark, it's almost like a foal's game of "statues," where the statues in the garden are imagined to move and sneak up on you when you are not looking, but freeze in place when observed
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127978
127979
>>127977
Spark plays their game and stand there, staring back at them.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127979
127980
>>127978
For the moment at least, they simply stand there, looking back at Spark. A wind picks up through the trees
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127980
127981
>>127979
Spark continues the stare game.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127981
127982
>>127980
Spark can see now that the darker patches around their chests seem to be clothing of some kind. Leather.
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127982
127983
>>127981
Armored puppers? Oh no. This might be harder than I suspected. He still holds his ground, forcing them to make the first move.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127983
127984
>>127982
More than this. There are large irregularities on their bodies, protruding out. A best guess is weapons of some kind. At least they are sheathed, if that is so

Slight cracking behind Spark
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127984
127985
>>127983
Spark glances behind himself to see if there are shadowy warrior pups there too.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127985
127986
>>127984
There are indeed. Two of them, thus placing all of them in a definite circle around Spark. Both have a grey color scheme, although one is definitely lighter. One of them, the lighter one, seems to have been moving slowly, coming closer while the other was standing his ground. He stops.
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127986
127987
>>127985
Spark casts an illusion of himself behind himself, locking both sides of dogs into a statue state.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127987
127988
1587526166.jpg
>>127986
Kek

Spark now has the dogs locked
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127988
127989
>>127987
Nice! Spark tries to make out their faces. Are they angry?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127989
127990
>>127988
It varies by the individual creature - one of the grey males especially looks kind of angry. But by and large they are cautious or even curious, and seem to be looking over Spark and watching his movements
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127990
127991
>>127989
He waits for them to come closer with him watching. Hopefully that will make them more friendly.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127991
127992
>>127990
After some time - not quite a full minute - the white wolf breaks ranks, turning her body to Spark, and starting to move towards Spark in a circle around him counter clockwise, moving forward as she rotates around him, almost like an object spiraling into a gravity well. Clouds in the sky glow yellow in the pre-morning twilight, as the level of light steadily grows. Spark can see the wolf's golden eyes, leather around her chest, around her left leg, a leather guard around her right ear, and a large bow - somewhere between a recurved shortbow and a crossbow - is slung around her back, along with a small quiver. Then the pepper wolf follows behind her, likewise moving in a spiral counterclockwise, around and towards Spark. A grey wolf at distance moves to be right in Spark's field of view, staring right at him
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127992
127993
>>127991
Spark is a bit nervous, but holds his ground.
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127993
127994 127995
>>127992
The white wolf continues looking at him, as she continues in a spiral around Spark. The peppered wolf, likewise, grows bolder, and spirals in closer.

Then, from behind, Spark can hear the distinct sound of a dog sniffing
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127994
127996
>>127993
Spark knows that if he moves, he will be seen as either a threat or prey, so he keeps as still as he can.
Anonymous
2b1879a
?
No.127995
127996
>>127993
As ponies have an instinct to be afraid around predators, I would go for a fortitude roll to avoid showing fear. I can understand if you have other ideas, though
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127996
127997
>>127994
On Spark's right, he sees a wolf walk by, head lowered and sniffing Spark. It's not the white wolf, but rather the light grey wolf that was attempting to sneak up on him earlier.

Then it happens. The light grey wolf pokes Spark with a paw, the first physical touching. It's a soft pad, and almost a "dabbing" action.

The white wolf circles around, to almost directly in front of Spark, looking at him

>>127995
Is he trying to not show fear?
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.127997
127998 127999
>>127996
At least it wasn't teeth or a sharp claw. Should I roll not to show fear at the touch?
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127998
127999
>>127997
Hmmm
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.127999
128001
>>127997
>>127998
Yes. Roll will save, +2
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.128000
128001 128003
Spoilered
Best Pony noises
0ae78d2
?
No.128001
128002 128003 128004
[1d20+2 = 5]
>>127999
Will save
>>128000
Cuteness!
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.128002
>>128001
RIP me
Anonymous
d626c24
?
No.128003
128005
>>128001
Oof, sorry
>>128000
Checked
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.128004
128005
>>128001
Spark shows very definite signs of fear, surrounded by an entire pack of wolves

Then the light grey wolf turns to the wolves in front of Spark, and speaks:
"Wii bwaa aanjibii`ige aawan"
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.128005
128006
>>128003
No problem. Not every story can go as planned. That makes it interesting.
>>128004
Spark is very nervous with the strange speech.
"Umm... h-hi?"
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.128006
128007
>>128005
Spark now has three wolves directly in front of him. The light wolf that just spoke is invading his personal space, the White wolf is not far beyond that and looking at him, and the darker grey wolf much further away is staring at him

The light wolf's ears go up

The white wolf responds,
"Hi"

The grey wolf responds
"Why are you here, Pony?"
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.128007
128008
>>128006
"Well, I was looking around for creatures that attacked the changeling mine."
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.128008
128009
>>128007
Even though he is far away, he answers Spark with a very firm response
"And you will not find them here"

The white wolf gives an answer of her own in a much softer voice
"We do not... know anything of any attacks. We heard gunfire, but that is all"
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.128009
128010
>>128008
"The creatures was able to disguise themselves and fool even changelings. If they are still around, I have to make sure they don't attack again. I didn't mean to trespass, but I hope you understand my presence is temporary to make sure we are safe."
Anonymous
fe63867
?
No.128010
128011
>>128009
Grey wolf:
"But your presence isn't temporary. Is it?"

White wolf
"We've seen Changeling reprisals before. But why have they sent a pony?"
Shimmering Spark
0ae78d2
?
No.128011
128229
>>128010
"Temporary indeed. I sent myself because a friend and I had saved the changelings and volunteered ourselves to have a look on their behalf."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128013
128014
>>127952
Iron turns his gaze over to the griffon, nodding as well. "I believe that will be all in terms of exchanges," he concludes, looking around at the goods displayed as well as his physique, particularly looking for his age.
(Perhaps he may be interested in a potion to boost his working,) he thinks to himself.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128014
128015
>>128013
He holds up a wing, as if to wave
"Zay Gezunt" he says

He looks older, minimum of 40 and probably older. Either he normally has a hunch or he adopts that pose when sitting. He's somewhat overweight

The goods on display all appear to be jewelry. Rings, necklaces and brooches. Diamonds, pearls, and other gems. If any of the items offered are for purposes other than aesthetics or signs of love or status - such as historical artifacts or magic - it's not evident by looking at it.
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128015
128016
>>128014
Iron hums slightly, nodding to himself before turning to Cauldron. "Alright, let us go back," he proposes "I need to discuss specifics about the future project."
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128016
128017
>>128015
She nods, turns, and leaves quickly. They go their way back to either Cauldron's apartment or The Watering Hole
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128017
128018
>>128016
Deciding to go to her apartment, Iron enters it, letting her close and lock the door once again. "This is going to be a rather long talk," he starts, going for the living room and sitting next to the sofa "but I want to know what sort of potion brewing you can do for certain so I can plan on who should we be targetting as customers."
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128018
128019
>>128017
She sits down in front of him, and starts
"Well..." She holds a hoof up near her chin, and looks up
"I know I can make health potions."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128019
128020
>>128018
"We both know that by this point," Iron replies in a slightly amused tone before humming, looking up as well "so there is a focus on either accident prone or dangerous jobs that we know for sure as a second wind to keep their productivity up."
The native looks at Cauldron inquisitively, tilting his head. "What sort of work do you know fit into at least one of these categories, aside from gangsters, 'poh-leece' and hunters?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128020
128021
>>128019
She blinks
"Oh I know one for sure, if you want to sell to them. The Overseas."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128021
128022
>>128020
Iron tilts his head. "The Overseas?" he asks, puzzlement clear on his face. "Who are they?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128022
128023
>>128021
Her ears go down near to her neck, and the smile disappears
"All you particularly need to know is they have seemingly endless resources, endless demand for medical supplies, and deal with them at a distance because they are the biggest sons a bitches out there. Contracts can be problematic... but damned if it isn't consistent. Now, the resistance. That's an option."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128023
128024
>>128022
Iron nods softly, looking at the ground in thought. "...anything of note about this resistance?" he asks tentatively, slightly munching on his lower lip, calculating the amount of success and failure expected.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128024
128026
>>128023
"They are several groups in one, not all of he police like them, and their resources vary"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128026
128027
>>128024
"So a mix between guaranteed, dangerous profits or safer, fluctuating ones."
Iron scratches his chin softly. "You said the former's contracts can be problematic," he starts thoughtfully "What do you mean by that?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128027
128028
>>128026
"Wanting exclusivity and an appearance of legitimacy. They don't want to be 'off the book.' They want to be on the book and make sure no one else is."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128028
128030
>>128027
"That indeed sounds problematic..." he muses, shaking his head "It seems the resistance is a good place to start the venture, albeit probably will be stuck with them for a while."
Iron then looks at Cauldron, starting up his question process once again. "What about the potions you are uncertain you can do?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128030
128031
>>128028
"Well, there are very many potions out there. Hair-growth is one. Certain plant growth potions are another. Strength and endurance potions are still other options."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128031
128032 128033
>>128030
Nodding softly, Iron visibly raises her ears at the variety of pony changing potions, tilting his head. "...I believe the last set should be the most applicable to the most amount of ponies," he suggests "so if there are potions to increase strength and endurance, are there others to make one dexterous, wiser, smarter, charismatic, and more?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128032
128036
>>128031
"For a short time. Yes"
Anonymous
d626c24
?
No.128033
128039
>>128031
The two will invent pony viagra and become insanely rich
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128036
128037
>>128032
"That sounds like something we should focus on ensuring you know first, considering the possible applications," Iron theorizes, rubbing his chin "selling a temporary edge on their normal lives usually excellent. I can imagine all of the stallions seeking them in order to woo their mares." He can't help but snicker at the thought, imagining a thin, frail stallion suddenly become the horse embodiment of Chad, nailing all the mares in his vicinity from a single potion sip.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128037
128039
>>128036
That'd make a great television commercial
She smiles back
"I suppose I have a bit to learn..."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128039
128040
>>128033
Hue
>>128037
Iron nods, giving a smile back as his ears fold slightly "Of course," he replies, still somewhat sheepish at the raunchy imagination taking place, lightly blushing. "We can go with whatever you feel like learning after that, since it should be covered by the health and body-altering potions that we will distribute to the public."
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128040
128041
>>128039
"Well, we'll see what we can sell legally" she answers
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128041
128042
>>128040
Iron can't help but tilt his head slightly. "You believe there are restrictions in place?" he asks.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128042
128043
>>128041
"Well, the city doesn't particularly like selling health potions without a medical license, and there's usually inspections for making potions that can be consumed... which is most of them. But it varies by the potion."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128043
128044
>>128042
Iron purses his lips, not eager to go seek medical licenses for something he knows works. "...I see..." he replies before shaking his head. "So you needed a pony who would take your shifts back at your father's establishment?" he inquires. "I believe I have one that could help, but I need some help tracking her down."
The native clears his throat as he remembers Khoi's details and past history, relaying what he knows to Cauldron.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128044
128045
>>128043
"Is this...." She turns her head, and one ear falls down
"That kirin you told me a couple days ago you were in love with, or something?"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128045
128047
>>128044
Iron shakes his head. "Not at all," the stallion denies "she probably would not have been eager to help me do this in the long run, considering her lifestyle. This one is more eager for a stable job, considering her status as a recently freed slave that seeks to make a living here."
The native awkwardly looks away, pouting softly. "As for her, I concluded we would not work out."
Anonymous
9b21114
?
No.128046
128047
>>127940
>>127943
>>127950
Thanks for the enthusiams even though I didn't even talk about it. But sure, I might throw together an simple illusionist wizard when I have read enough of the player's handbook to feel educated.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128047
128048
1587609833.png
>>128045
Black Cauldron places up a hoof on Iron's neck, and pets him, softly

"Well, cooking right takes some skill. But it's still a skill that can be learned. Maybe my father could have some use for her. Depending on how things go, I might even need an assistant..."

>>128046
Huzzah!
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128048
128049 128050
>>128047
Iron glances back at Cauldron, smiling softly, leaning into her hoof. "That is good," he answers, blushing slightly at the act "she seems to be an eager, capable learner."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128049
128050
>>128048
He pauses, looking pensive inbetween his affectionate permission to be petted. "I have no clue where she currently is, but I did tell her to meet me at The Watering Hole last night. Think you can find her?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128050
128053
>>128049
>>128048
She smiles to him
"Good. There aren't too many young Kirin females at the Watering Hole. I think I can."
She looks at him for a moment, then adds
"I did't know you were in the business of helping young mares get on their hooves"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128053
128054
>>128050
Iron can't help but chuckle at the remark, glancing away as he blushed slightly. "Would you believe me if I told you only one of the potential candidates was a stallion dog-looking thing only by sex?" he asks tentatively, smiling sheepishly.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128054
128055
>>128053
She twists her mouth and head, and an ear flops down and back up
"What? Stallion dog sex?"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128055
128056
>>128054
Iron briefly thinks of that one diamond dog he sweettalked that one time, wondering how would that work before quickly shaking his head. "No no, what I mean is that the only one with something between their legs was a weird looking dog," he quickly corrects himself, blushing further at the word scramble mishap and the thought of how would dogs and ponies copulate.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128056
128057
>>128055
She looking at him blankly for a moment
"Oh... Hahaha."
She blinks
"Still, it's new turn for you. To be so nice"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128057
128058
>>128056
Iron twiddled his hooves, pouting slightly. "I can be nice when I want to," he mumbles, looking downwards sheepishly "specially when it works in our favor."
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128058
128059
>>128057
Now, she definitely laughs
"Hahahah, there we go!"

Then when she stops
"Anything else?"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128059
128060
>>128058
Iron decides to promptly boop her snoot in retaliation. "Bully," he mock proclaims, pout still present.
The native proceeds to look downwards once more, face contorting into a thinking expression. "...there is one last mare that could help me ensure I get the best deals with almost anything," he suggests "but she seems to have high standards and has a secretive demeanor, as if she is being hunted down, considering she does not like to give a lot of information, and when she does, it is mostly related to shady subjects."
The native looks back towards Cauldron, pensive look still present. "It was the mare that came with me with the weapons, if you recall. What do you think of her?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128060
128061
>>128059
"Yip Yip!" She barks at the touch, scrunching, moving back and then rubbing her snout

"She was wearing bandages, using towels of all things to hide rifles. She was wet - so were you. She seemed to be one of those pretty mares the pony stallions love to go after, and she kind of looked like she played that up for all its worth... or at least I assume she would if she weren't covered in salt water. From what you're describing it sounds like she was into some bad business, and possibly even some important pony's significant other, someone she wants to get away from. But I can't be surprised if she feels 'hunted.' There's a lot of factions that could want to 'hunt' somepony."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128061
128062
>>128060
Iron looks down, flicking his lips from left to right as he mulls over the information. "I suppose that could be it," he surmises, considering her charm and physical attractiveness "I would wish not to be suddenly surprised to find the pony that is looking for her in one of our runs, but I suppose that is a constant risk to deal with."
The native can't help but sigh softly, feeling distanced from Sands and not be able to provide her security for the time being, as he was busy establishing the method to achieve it. "...what else, what else..." he mumbles before looking at the two fluids before looking at Cauldron. "Do you think those two would reveal something for you if you studied it?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128062
128063
>>128061
"The vials? Oh, I know what those things are"
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128063
128064
>>128062
Iron cocks his head. "You do?" he asks, astonished. "What are they?"
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128064
128065
>>128063
She pulls up the decorated heart shaped vial with the "9" and pink liquid.
"This is a love potion."

Then she pulls up the vial, which has another substance of a pink-reddish color.
"This is Changeling honey. It is love."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128065
128066
>>128064
Iron blinks, looking back and forth between the two vials. "...I do not get their use," he replies, puzzled.
Anonymous
96c2441
?
No.128066
128070
>>128065
She looks at him blankly, then holds back up the elegant vial
"This one causes the drinker to become romantically infatuated with a particular subject. Usually the first member of the opposite sex they lay eyes on... though that can go wrong in several ways. Or, add a hair belonging to somepony in there, and whoever drinks the potion will fall in love with the origin of the hair."

She holds up the simpler cylindrical vial
"This right here.... well, imagine that Changelings are bees, and ponies and other creatures are... like flowers..." She closes her eyes and shudders
"Or don't, the point is that Changelings turn the positive emotions of other creatures into a jelly. That jelly, when consumed, causes the consumer to feel those same emotions. All of the experience of falling in love for the first time, so they say. It's very hard to come by, for obvious reasons. This stuff can also function kind of like a love potion, though not as reliably."
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128070
128071
>>128066
Iron's ears fold as he tilts his head, eyes widened substantially after such a revelation. "Love in a bottle?" he asks incredulously, blinking off his surprise. "That is ludicrous."
Anonymous
786f452
?
No.128071
128073
>>128070
“You could say that. But those who want a good feeling can and have gone so far.”
Spirit of a Sardonic Economist
2b1879a
?
No.128072
128075
1587660892.png
Well, this is irritating. I wanted to play HOI4 with the EaW mod–well, not really play it on my toaster of a PC, but just load the map so I can check province names–but the launcher says it cannot access the directory and thus mods, DLCs, and settings won't load. I tried installing the mod manually by making a "mod" folder under Hearts of Iron IV in documents, putting EaW in it, and editing the .mod file to create a pathway. This did nothing. A cursory look through forums and tickets got no results, and trying to load the "old launcher" of Hydra edition to get mods to show up broke it entirely. Apparently even with the current version I cannot boot up HOI4, with the game appearing briefly in task manager using 0% CPU and then disappearing without fanfare.

I decided to do a clean reinstall. Problem is that although the game itself uninstalled from Steam, the caches/logs in my documents folder (I'm guessing this is the troublesome directory) are a different animal. I am actually able to create folders in the folder of Hearts of Iron IV and add files, but I cannot delete or even edit those nor the other folders. Folder access is denied and Windows Explorer asks me to provide administrator permission. Although I am on an administrator account hitting "Continue" tells me that I still need permission from my administrator account–which I'm currently on–to make changes and tells me to try again, which of course is ineffectual. I'm essentially soft-locked out of my own files despite being on an administrator account and I should fully be able to do whatever I'd like to those files. All permissions are allowed except for "Special permissions" which I cannot change.

Keep in mind that I bought and installed HOI4 back in 2017 which is presumably what the directory dates back to. Because I can't really play the game with any real performance I just let it sit there until recently when I updated the game. I don't think it's so much of a game issue as it is a broader software issue because I'm locked out of essential tasks. I don't think I have a virus. I don't know where else to ask this technical question except maybe /cyb/ but it bugs me. I just want an interactive map of Equestria.

Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128073
128075
>>128071
Iron can't help but purse his lips disapprovingly, but nods nonetheless. "I suppose it cannot be helped," he muses with a small shake of the head before returning his thought process to the main subject. "So, to summarize, we start to deal with the resistance for the next couple of months, hopefully providing enough so you can research on the pony-altering potions. I will act as a courier alongside White Sands, the mare that came with me, while you find, meet and teach Khoi on your works." He pauses, poking his snout pensively. "Did I miss anything?"
Anonymous
786f452
?
No.128075
128076 128079
>>128073
“If that is the way you want to do it, that should work”

>>128072
>>128072
Aww. I’m not sure how to solve the problem. I would have thought downloading the game from steam would work. In any case, be sure to get the 1.91 Husky patch

I can try to get a map
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128076
128077
>>128075
Iron nods before humming softly. "Do you have another way you want to suggest?" he asks curiously.
Anonymous
786f452
?
No.128077
128078
>>128076
“No... or not necessarily. Just know that depending on what is sold, creatures sometimes take interest. They don’t like it when someone competes with them, or sells something that helps their enemies.”
Anonymous
dcc67b6
?
No.128078
128082
>>128077
Iron nods understandingly. "You are correct," he promptly answers "for potion transactions, we might have to conduct them at the Watering Hole exclusively, particularly in a private room, so you can detect any would-be pursuers seeking information while I am standing in the open." He softly rubs his chin, thinking something. "If I am being followed, try to make the bartender tell me some sort of code for it, like a particular drink. That way I would know and not jeopardize our operations."
Anonymous
2b1879a
?
No.128079
128080
>>128075
Well, you know I'm a stickler for details and I always was the sort to plot out the Fellowship's journey on the map in LotR. The general area of the Changeling Lands-party is helpful and I'd like to know the name of the province my character is from. I wish it was possible to load maps with all the details outside of HOI4.
Anonymous
850514f
?
No.128080
128081
1587667496.png
158766715.png
1587667961.jpg
>>128079
Alright, I'll try to give some kind of maps as a filler.

Here you can see Baltimare, located on the corner of a landmass with ocean to the north and east, with a neatly horseshoe shaped natural harbor that the city itself is located on. I am pleased that my guess that the city is mostly north of the river that lets out into the harbor, and that the peninsula is more inhabited than the south side of the harbor, is reflected in the map. Notice there is a narrow strip of land on the northern coast line that is not covered in forests and is inhabited, but everything south of this strip is dense wilderness including forests and marshes.

My version of Whinnysota deviates more heavily from what is in the game, and is actually based more upon a real life location than what is in EAW. For instance, the game has that whole area as grassland plains, while I have it as dense forests with more than a few lakes and hills. It would also require imagining a tributary of the large river running through
Anonymous
2b1879a
?
No.128081
128082
>>128080
THANK YOU