Occupied Equestria is an RP campaign set in a post-Equestria Equestria, where the princesses are gone, as are the Elements of Harmony. Gone, temporarily at least, but not by any means forgotten.
New players are welcome.
Fantasy Play has a few "kitties" to cuddle with
Brie has a Changeling Queen to negotiate with
Iron has some gangsters to beat
Silver has some follow up to do
Amber is exploring her new home
Spark is either looking for forest demons, or negotiating the fate of a tribe of Wolves
Midnight has more cultists to kill
Onyx has a colt to look after
Dark Star has some communists to kill
1880 replies and 54 files omitted.
>>131548"Hmm... well if they can't be seen in the wild, then I suppose there is no point in wandering in search for them."
>>131549Non-responsive to Spark, she adds
"In some stories, being around one can cause the change..."
>>131550"Well... we where around it for a bit before it revealed itself. Mainly it was when the bat stabbed him..."
>>131551She turns her head, and her right ear twitches down
"Bat?"
>>131552"Batpony. Have you met them before?"
>>131553"N-..."
She turns her head to her side, towards Makade. She stops her head before turning it further, as if she was expecting him to be located a little bit closer to her side, instead of behind her. She speaks to him:
"nagaji' pakwaanaajiinh-bebezhigooganzhii?" she says to him, inflecting it like it's a question.
"Ni-nagadenim pakwaanaajiinh-bebezhigooganzhii?"
He tips his head a little to the sight, rights it, and answers
"Eniwek"
She turns her head to Spark, and answers him
"No. I have never met a 'bat' pony. Makade is at least aware of them though. What is a 'bat pony'?"
>>131554"Well, they look a lot like us ponies, but with features you associate with bats. Different eyes, pointy ears, cravings for certain fruits, leathery wings, stuff like that."
>>131555She tilts her head in the other direction, and looks at Spark with big yellow eyes which blink
"huh, I would not have thought there were more types of ponies than the glittering, horned, and bird-winged ones."
>>131559(You) are also silly pony.
>>131258White Sands quickly trots forwards towards Iron, and to his side. She speaks sternly into his ear
"I thought you were going to goad them lightly. Not outright
threaten them?!"
>>131543>>131544The taxi stops out in front of the long, connected trio of buildings. The stone and brick of 33 Hoebuck looks particularly aged in the daylight, and the lot is surrounded by police tape. On the lot next to the building are carts belonging to Baltimare PD, as well as a single green light truck with the insignia of R&M.
>>131564"Дерьмо. This will complicate things."
He looks at the R&M truck, and looks over towards Mala.
"'R&M'. What is that?"
>>131566Silver rubs his chin in thought.
"Think they would let us in since we were ones who cleared it?"
>>131568"Hmm..."
Are there any police outside?
>>131569One pony seems to move from a cart into the covered loading dock by the factory building. It's the same general area where the ponies tried to break in the first time
>>131570"Hmm...perhaps we could try to sneak in, since there is few outside. Else we can just ask one who is outside..."
>>131572"I don't have a good history with police. I will leave it to you."
Silver can either try to locate another officer, or figure out how to sneak around
>>131573"Hmm...I think I will try to find another officer. Are you coming, or will you stay outside?"
>>131574"I think I will be better off by your side" he answers
>>131577Mala does indeed stay close to Silver.
Silver can see that there is another officer wearing a green uniform and a cattlemare's hat by the truck, doing something there
>>131578Silver trots up to the officer in question.
"Excuse me, officer? My partner and I were part of group that cleared this location two nights ago. We need to go inside for investigation."
>>131579The stallion is placing something into the truck when he is surprised and turns back to Silver. The melon-orange Pegasus stallion turns back to Silver, seeming startled. He looks older, much older than many of the officers Silver has encountered. He blinks, and looks directly at Silver with his green eyes
"Aye, the fuck did you come from?"
>>131580Silver blinks, and points behind where they came from.
"We just took taxi here...?"
>>131581"Oh great, anotha group claimin' the place. Well, carry on. Look ya just came out of a fairy tale with those things on ya back. And the fuck is wrong with your dog there? Little bastard's got a sword too, and a big one."
>>131582He gives him an awkward stare.
"Uh...this is Mala. He is my partner."
>>131583"Partna'" He turns his head to the side
"They do all sorts a weird shit in here, cain't say this is the weirdest thing I've seen all day. Almost makes me long for the days when all we had to worry about were fungus infected kiwis. Well I'll tell ya you might as well go on in. Damn city police officas them themselves the royal guard ova in that factory building. Must make em feel super important doing this."
>>131584He nods to the officer.
"Thank you."
Silver then enters the building, looking for the garbage chute room.
Fantasy Play casts fatal from fatal and wins the game. Then she dances a happy horse dance with happy horse noises.
We need to play sometime.
>>131600Fantasy Play doesn't give up that easily and cast simulacrum on the gm.
>>131605I might be free tomorrow.
>>131585The officer waves a hoof, and sticks his head back in the truck, saying something to himself that is not quite distinct enough to be understood. When Silver enters, another green uniformed officer starts to flag him down with a "hey," but gives up before completing the task, saying something about the "damn police and every agency wants to get in here like it's a mare on the cover a' monthly." The first level seems to have considerable activity, with a couple officers. A glance into the old central hall shows a floor cleaned of bodies, burned robes and dropped machetes, but stained black in areas. Going down, into the access tunnels, there are no officers at all. Though dried blood still stains the floor, the bodies in the boiler room are gone. Silver enters back into the open, stonewalled, rectangular room where he first found Loputu and Jubilosa, and the garbage chute.
>>131626Sure. Spark's last post was
>>131556 >>131627"A couple other kinds, but they are rare. You won't meet too many."
>>131625"Well...here goes..."
Silver prepares himself for what he might see, and opens the chute.
>>131628"I haven't met any. Not that I really wanted to, but I mean... have you met many?"
>>131629Immediately, he is greated with the smell, and:
"Over verdomde tijd! Get me out of here!"
Maakie is still there, evidently conscious, and tied up face down in the pile of bones. His feathers and fur are stained with dried blood, and some not so dried. His voice conveys weakness and fatigue, as surely as anger.
>>131630Oh, good, he is alive.Silver gets the rope, and drops one end of it down the chute for Maakie to climb up on.
>>131630"Not many. Just the one bat. He is a bit... well... impatient is one way to put it. But he got me this far. I owe him."
>>131631He yells demandingly, though hoarsely and with a trembling voice
"Get.. me out of here!"
His forelegs are tied up, as are his wings, and he is unable to get get. At least one of his hind legs, the right rear, is free and is pushing back against the rear wall, but all that can do is push his face deeper into the bones and the wall in the narrow confines of the chute
>>131632She blinks, and her ears twitch as she looks at Spark, silent for a moment
"Does... that have anything to do with you being out here?"
>>131633"Oh, right."
He looks down into the chute so he can use his magic to tie the rope around Maakie. He looks back to Mala.
"Mind helping me pull?"
>>131634This is possible if, and only if, Silver shines a light down into the chute. When this is done, Silver sees the details of a scene more than a little ghastly in its own right. A skull with a sawed off horn, the long exposed bone remnant of the muzzle of a minotaur - maybe it was a horse, hard to tell - and a beakless skull, as well as more than a few blackened rib bones, long bones that probably belonged to a wing, and broken fragments of other, smaller bones and claws.... all of these are visible only on the edges, as the still living body Maakie is perched diagonally on top of the pile of bones in the narrow steel chute, blocking the view of most of them. His fine, formal suit is tattered, torn, sliced, blood soaked, and dirty, and his ruffled feathers and fur are in the same situation. More than a little of his blood has poured onto the bones, adding a rust color to decayed brown and charred black bones that never bleached white in the sun, giving them an all the more ghastly appearance. Maakie may have been fortunate to be so dirty and covered in clothes, as it seems to have helped the blood to clot, and saved him from shock. Maakie's head is faced down, and he can't move it much from that position. He cannot see Silver, but continues yelling things like "get me out!"
Mala nods, and pulls on the rope once it is tied, using the entrance of the chute as a sort of pulley. He pulls back on it using his weight, and holding the rope in his mouth with the same mouth guard he used for the sword. Mala pulls with a bit of strength. Maakie begins to be pulled out.
>>131633"Yes. We are hear because we are saving some changeling foals. They were trapped in New Mareland territory, so we are being them back home."
>>131635Silver pulls as well, splitting the effort between them and making it a far easier affair than it would be for them separately.
>>131636She shakes her head
"I do not know what you mean about foals and merry land. But I do know that these... things from outside our home threaten our peace."
>>131637Mala pulls, and it quickly becomes the case that the problem isn't the strength, exactly, but maneuvering Maakie through a narrow chute that barely fits a creature his size,
>>131638"The peace of the land is already broken. It just takes longer to get to some places than others."
>>131639"And that is why we are afraid" She says
>>131638"Shit..."
He looks down the chute, and tries to use his magic to maneuver Maakie on his way out of the chute.
>>131640"And that is why I want to help."
>>131641Clank "Ow!"
Clank "Ah!"
It's harder to pull him back out than it is to shove him in head first, but it's not impossible. Mala keeps pulling, and Silver can maneuver him until he drops on the floor. His clothing is well torn and almost wet
>>131642"Can you keep them away?" She asks
>>131643"Well then, enjoy your stay?"
>>131644He is shivering on the floor, and moves his head up, moving it to face Silver. When his right eye meets Silver it locks and narrows on Silver, and instantly his whole body freezes in place, locked on Silver
"
You."
>>131645She moves up closer, and her tail moves slightly back and forth
"And that, I think, is why the spirits have brought you here."
>>131646"Maybe so. I certainly don't mind helping out."
>>131646"Yes, me. I take it you are dehydrated, yes? I think I still have water ration somewhere..."
He looks in his bags a bit before pulling one out.
>>131647Makade walks further forward
"And how, exactly, will you help?"
>>131648"You son of a bitch! Come here!"
He starts thrashing about, trying to move. Mala gnarls and pulls in closer
>>131649Silver puts a foreleg in front of Mala to halt him before looking at Maakie's admittedly pathetic display.
"You really should stop."
>>131650And almost immediately, he stops, locking eyes on Silver.
"What do you want?"
>>131649"I can get you prepared in case anything should happen, while working to make sure nothing ever does."
>>131651Silver opens the water ration, and offers it to Maakie by putting it up to his beak.
"Here, drink."
I'm finally over the worst of it so I can play again. I'll hop into sessions earlier from now on, don't worry.>>131519The first thing Amber notices when entering this area is the loud raucous rhythm of mysterious industrious machines. The thought occurs to her to wonder what working in a factory would be like instead, but her desire to ask–let alone look inside–is quelled by the heavy degree of security. The Dominion Mining Company building immediately catches her eye, but its plain façade and the difference between mining and sailing is certainly unromantic so she doesn't care to approach. Nonetheless, she does note its position as a useful landmark.
The run-down nature of the tenements makes even her own seem practically palatial in comparison and she breathes a sigh of relief that she found her residence where she did. She doesn't know if the ponies and creatures here are friendlier than in her new neighborhood–they certainly seem more productive–but she's glad that they're ignoring her for now. After shedding her odd dress Amber likely sticks out much less, though she may still clearly be an outsider.
Although she's initially neutral at best regarding this utilitarian district, perhaps despite the din her ears pick up the sound of surf against a seawall, or she smells salt in the air. Amber's eyes widen and she makes a beeline for those segments of the waterfront that are easily accessible, though she looks back over her withers now and then to make sure she remembers the way back. If the colonial-style mansion comes into view that will certainly be the center of interest.
I've never seen the ocean before. It's so close! >>131653He looks down at the water, and then up to Silver
"I don't imagine this is poison. Too many alternatives to make that your go-to" He stares flatly at Silver. "Unless you only intend to cause pain. Tear up internal organs. Or... A truth serum, perhaps..."
>>131652"Get us 'prepared'?"
He moves his shoulder, which brings the rifle on the sling closer to the ground. He uses his muzzle to place it there. Spark can see that it's smoothly lathed and sanded hardwood, with a long scope, no bayonet mount, and a leather five round cartridge holder on the right side of the butt. The model, though pre-war, is fairly new, and while likely designed and sold as a civilian hunting rifle, it's hard to imagine what else a sniper would use but that kind of gun.
Makade looks up and at Spark with amber eyes
"I have hunted large game since I was a pup. I have gone through your pony 'basic training' when your government directed me to fight their wars. I have lead hunting parties, and I have lead warriors into battle against these doubles - and it was the doubles who retreated. I won't tell you... I won't tell you that we are undefeatable... but uh..." His eyes search and look around. "The greatest tree in the forest may fall in a strong enough wind. So tell me, pony, what is it exactly that you can offer to 'prepare' us?"
>>131655Silver looks at him deadpan.
"Is water. Would it make you feel better if I had sip of it first?"
>>131657He lifts the drink up to his lips, takes an audible sip, then holds it again in front of Maakie's beak.
"There."
>>131658He continues staring directly at Silver, but opens his beak to accept the water, and pulls the container closer to him with the hook of his beak. He drinks greedily, at one point pulling away and coughing. But before Silver can ask if he is 'okay,' he pulls his beak closer, and quickly drinks the remainder of the water.
>>131659Silver asks him the question, "Better?", with a geniune concern in his voice despite his...dislike of the griffon in question.
>>131658For all its lack of ostentation, the Dominion Mining building still belongs to a style of architecture from an era where buildings had style and grace. It's stone facade is not particularly like those concrete monstrosities of the Brutalist school that look as much like prison walls as buildings. It's simply that, as a regional and not corporate headquarters, it lacks the adornment of the cathedrals of capitalism slightly west of city center.
The ponies and other creatures on the street do not say hello or wave as she passes, even as one or two ponies smiles or nod if eye contact is attempted most avoid it, and a few narrow their eyes. If Amber looks like a stranger, it seems that so does a third of the neighborhood. Many of those on the streets are creatures having no origin in Equestria, and many more are from the various cultures within Equestria, pony and non-pony alike. None of this stops Amber from getting a sense of what exactly is the 'norm,' and the local culture and custom, only it lets her know how it is being diluted. A particular style of hat and coat seems popular, with vertical stripes and grey color, even if most creatures have less clothing on than Amber.
Exactly what Amber will see or smell depends on just how far north she is relative to the district, but Amber does know this: the air has a somewhat polluted smell, with coal dust and chemical fumes. The smell of salt is light, though not wholly absent.
>>131661And staring at him he asks
"What is it you want?"
>>131662"Straight to point? Alright. I am going to turn you into customs."
>>131663“To customs?” He is silent for a moment. “How much are they offering?”
>>131664"I do not know. What I do know is that you are likely to be worth fair amount to them."
>>131665“I can pay more” he answers
>>131666"Perhaps. But you might also send others after me, or others who were involved."
>>131667“Why would I do that.... I just want peace”
>>131662Well, the place is certainly not appealing to Amber, to say the very least, and she starts to question why she came here in the first place. Nonetheless, she's going to make the most of it. Would she know how to reach the sea?
>>131669“”The same as you. To be free and not hunted.”
>>131670Yes. Keep traveling East, and you’re bound to hit it. Exactly what she hits depends how far north or south she is
>>131671Amber doesn't know her precise positioning either, only that she's quite a ways south of the Dominion Mining Company. However, she reasons that since Baltimare juts out into the water on the northeast end, just going east from here ought to reach the sea.
[1d20-1 = 7]>>131671Sense Motive: "Hmm. And I do suppose that also includes putting end to your previous 'activities'?"
>>131672Going towards the water, Amber finds that the area closest to the water is dominated by industry and especially warehouses. A significant portion of the eastern waterline, maybe even as much as half, is take up by wharves of some kind or other, be they for deep water cargo, barge terminals, or liquids. Amber is able to walk around a warehouse, and to a shop that seems to be related to fishing on the waterfront, and which itself has a dock with a couple small boats tied up.
>>131673"Ugh,
you've already done
that." He seems a little scared, and Silver can't really tell his level of sincerity
>>131675I wasn't expecting to find a fisherpony's wharf among all these buildings, but maybe that's not unusual here.Amber tentatively walks to the dock, looking at the activity (or lack thereof) around her then at the waves below.
>>131674Since Silver has 9 Charisma, he takes a -1 penalty to any Charisma-based rolls like diplomacy or sense motive.>>131675"You know what I mean. Say I let you leave here. What stops you from doing to people what you did here?"
>>131676Best guess is a dock other creatures have tied up to. One motor boat of unknown purpose and a small sail boat. The waves are a green-tinted blue, and a few feet in height. It looks like high tide. There's a seawall right along the shore line, and the dock is actually a step or two down from that. There are other creatures around, but they pay her no mind
>>131677Sense motive is a wisdom based check"What? What I 'did here'? That was Boek's doing, not mine. I am a smuggler - was a smuggler. What do you want?"