Ambergriff wonders her way through the bog at night, looking for safety. Silver leads a heroic assault on the infiltrators before they can destroy the city. Both will have to wake soon...
Hopefully Spark's line will continue soon as well.
>>167829The blue pony sits up. She is vulnerable to a hug.
"Darkie, the politics are a little complicated. Crimes against children are, well, crimes. And criminal matters belong to the local government, to the SDP appointed Baltimare Police. By saying we are making raids on criminal organizations to enforce a criminal law, we are making it unambigious that we are not trusting or allowing the SDP to enforce criminal laws, at least as concerns one of its own. It's an attack on the treaty we made with the SDP to allow them to govern Baltimare. It's not a simple political issue."
>>167830"Command the dead? Tell me the difference." He finishes the wine, and pours more.
>>167831"Halt them, control them, turn them to my side. I spent a lot of time commanding uncontrolled thralls in magehold. It's considered... Lower management."
>>167832"But only when they are already animated" He replies
>>167833"... Yes, for now..." Posie says, burying her muzzle in Gloomy's mane
"...Is it dinner time, momma?"
"Mmmph, not now, sweetie."
>>167834"So really, you need corpses that have already been reanimated" He adds
It's noon, for perspective
>>167835>noonThe time was not why he was asking
"That's only one of my skills. I'm also proficient in blackweave hexes and combat magic, especially the entropic sort."
>>167836Alrighty then....
He nods, and moves back
"Why don't you tell me a bit about that. Hexes and entropic magic."
>>167831I Hug her
"We're in quite the fix here, What would happen if we "Found" some evidence that Pointed directly at him, some undeniable proof?"
>>167837>hexeshttps://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/classSpellLists/dreadNecromancerSpells.html"The kinds of spells that cause panic in living creatures, or inflict supernatural wounds - I'm rather good at that one, so much that I can do so at will. I know the fundamentals of magic detection as well. I can even conjure temporary undead minions from beyond the void."
>>167838Pony is huggedShe is still soft
"That would probably be helpful, I think. At least for public opinion. But still, I don't know if we can afford to attempt to replace the Social Democratic Party now."
>>167839He nods.
"That may be helpful. It may well be helpful."
I'm going to go to bed soon. Could we wrap up the exposition soon and get ready for Posie's first quest later?
>>167840"I would certainly hope so... I didn't practice all this for nothing. It's certainly useful when it comes to healing undead thralls, although I have none of my own right now..."
>>167839"There's a body in the back I'd like to show you"
>>167843"~Ooh, now we're talking" Posie says, perking up
"Well, what are we waiting for. Let's see it."
>>167840"Not much else that we could do, Either Pin it on the waterfronters or the SPD"
>>167844"Follow me" He says. He gets up, goes towards a door behind the stairs, and then through another room with more couches and book shelves that seems to be a study, and then through a door outside, onto a porch. In the back is open grass, and trees past a low area, but he walks towards the left towards a small building that seems to be a kind of guest house. Through a door, Lament opens it, and goes to a simple double bed that has an object on it it under covers. He pulls the covers off
Posie sees the corpse of a zebra mare, still partly dressed in a black cape, that has been cut up and shot multiple times. The eyes are wide open, and oddly red. There is some abnormal quality to it, not the least of which is that it doesn't seem to be decaying despite being laid out in the ambient air. It isn't hard at all to guess the cause of death, as the oddly bloodless cuts are more than enough explanation.
>>167845"But, you see, Seabreeze isn't happy to start a war. It would need to be a faction we expect to not fight back. Or one we can make peace with easily. Unless we had more resources."
>>167846Is it moving?
I don't actually know what it is, so I'm going to roll Religion
[1d20+9 = (8+9) = 17]
>>167846"Well preserved, at least." Posie says, brandishing her silver medallion from her implements purse
"Where did you get this one?"
>>167849>>167847Posie can discern that this particular mare was likely the practitioner of a voodoo religion from the great lakes region of Zebrica, and then, likely a creole Equestrian variant.
But that isn't what makes this zebra interesting. Role to learn more
>>167846"More Resources Being what exactly?"
>>167850>practitioner of a voodoo religion from the great lakes region of Zebrica, and then, likely a creole Equestrian variant"Ah, voodoo. Quite a few arts of necromancy have roots in Zebrican tradition, especially when it comes to reanimation. Zebras have an odd knack for it."
>>167852Those stab wounds aren't bloodless because they were inflicted by magic. They are bloodless because the heart stopped beating before the wounds were inflicted. This creature died by violence, was reanimated, and then cut down again
It's Day Low Rain who answers,
"This was my cousin"
Then Lament
"A Voodoo sorceress by the name of Rue Dumare. She was one of the better sorceresses in this region. She was killed in a raid by Customs agents about four nights ago, along with several other prominent locals."
>>167854"Well, in that regard you are lucky. We have voodoo practioners here in these swamps."
>>167853"Agents, mostly. Soldiers too."
>>167855"Any idea what smaller Faction would not fight back?"
>>167856"Which ever one expects to lose. More likely the Waterfront gang. The SDP thinks the ponies will side with them. Maybe they will, though maybe not if the ponies think... know they are all pedophiles"
>>167855>then cut down againAww, what a waste
>"This was my cousin""I see..."
>by Customs agents about four nights ago, along with several other prominent locals"What a waste... If only they'd mind their own business." Posie says, gritting her fangs
She then turns to lament
"Did you show this to me to show me the consequences for exposure? I well aware of the risks."
>>167857"Yea that would be the Death knell for the SDP. It's time To get out there and "Find" some evidence."
He does the Air quote gesture with his hooves
>>167855>We have voodoo practioners here in these swamps"Do you now? Voodoo is volatile sorcery. Perhaps I might be able to find some thralls of my own afterall. It wouldn't hurt to chat with the locals either."
>>167858"More or less, yes. There's an ocean between us Old Worlders and Mageholders, and more difference than that between us in mindset. We exist among the living, distinct and above them, but not entirely seperate from them. And a part of that is always remaining hidden. The governments here, there is more than one, go through phases of being wilfully blind to everything, and then overreacting on crackdowns. More good magicians than her were killed that night. You would have had more mentors to look up to, if only you came a week earlier."
He looks down at the corpse
"But part of the reason is to see if she can be of any service in death. Such a pitty to lose her..."
>>167860He nods and smiles
"Now, you are thinking right"
>>167859She makes a malign smile
"Perhaps we should" She answers
>>167861>"But part of the reason is to see if she can be of any service in death. Such a pitty to lose her...""I can't reanimate her quite yet (unless I move some stuff around on my character sheet, which I might), although she might rise again supernaturallly based on the conditions of her grave. It's not uncommon for mages of her profession to spontaneously reanimate after death. For now, it's best that she be kept somewhere cold and dry."
>"Now, you are thinking right"Posie smiles
"I guess we should get to business then. I'll head out shortly, although I prefer to travel at night."
I'm really tired, so I think I'll turn in for tonight. Maybe that'll give you some time to write stuff and whatnot.
I had fun though. Looking forward to the next chance to play.
>>167862I grab my trench coat and head towards the door, after putting my coat on, and fake glasses
>>167865It is so. Does he grab his guns, and where does he go from here?
>>167866They are still in the saddle bag if i remember right
>>167866>>167867>>167868Does he go for food within the Blackhooves Headquarters, or does he head outside?
>>167870Downstairs, to the left, down the hall and to the right,
They have a set up in a room with plates, coffee, tea, orange juice, milk, fruit, muffins, toast... even waffles. There are a few other ponies and creatures in the room, also eating.
>>167871I order Orange Juice and Some Toast and Waffles
>>167872Orange Juice, Toast, and Waffles it is. Options for jam are apple, and strawberry. Just those two.
Fellipe and Jacques are down here, as is a white pony unicorn mare, and a bat pony mare that looks familiar.
>>167873how is the cafeteria set up? where is everyone located?
>>167874Different tables, like a dining room, with a buffet set up for the breakfast. It's pretty obvious that they just set up breakfast in exactly the same manner and style as existed in the hotel that's being used as the headquarters. Felippe and Jacques are together, while Moonlit Meadow (the bat pony mare) is to herself. There are also empty tables.
>>167875I sit down at a table to myself, a few tables away from Felippe, and a couple tables from moonlit meadow
>>167876Dark Star has his meal to himself.
Waffles... doesn't he know a mare who likes those?
>>167877He tries to think back, memory slightly hazy, He remember Tricky and Sorrel
He begins staring at his waffles
>>167878They are a bit imperfect in shape, and a little small. There is syrup for them.
Tricky and Sorrel must still be at Dark Star's room over at the Eastside tavern, since they didn't really have anywhere else to go.
>>167879"Shit... They probably are still over there."
i say under my breath
i poke at my waffles pushing them around the plate while drinking my Orange Juice