1359 replies and 110 files omitted.
>>170450Posey's first course of action is to make seductive eye contact with the guards and attempt to charm them, supernaturally.
Same save DC as usual.
"He's from far out in the countryside and hasn't left his home in years: he doesn't have any official ID. He's moving closer to the city with some friends of his relatives."
(not a lie)
[1d20+3 = (17+3) = 20] [1d20+3 = (11+3) = 14]>>170451The group seems to consist of at least two ponies and at least... six(?) griffins. The pony next to Posey's window, looking in, has a submachine gun on a sling. It's the same model that Posey has seen several times, including with Succored Brave, with a metalic pipe structure, and a magazine that feeds from the top. He is not brandishing it, but lets it loose on the sling, as he inspects the ID. He's a tan pegasus pony, with a flak jacket, an olive drab uniform, and a cattlemare's hat. He seems to be the leader, though from his voice he sounds young. He is accented in such a way that he certainly not from the area.
"Good mornin' miss. We're looking for partisan activity. We've got a report of multiple gunshots, and
automatic gunfire, heard near a village not far from here." He looks back up to her eyes. "Would you happen to know anything about it?"
>>170452"Guns? I did happen to hear some loud noises while I was studying the wood in the forest. I figured it was just hunters or farmers, but a bookworm like me wouldn't know any better from the sounds alone."
Bluff
>>170455>>170454He...
seems to buy it?
"And what are you travelling for?" He asks
Posey can tell that a different pony is speaking to Mason, and the rear of the vehicle is already being opened up.
>>170456"Xylogogy. Research for the local paper mill." Posey says, putting on the face of a passionate botanist who threatens to bore you to death with a profoundly unremarkable rant about the intricacies of wood grain
"We're also picking up this fine stallion, as due to unfortunate circumstances he's finding having to move out of his old home."
>>170457"Uh huh." He says, to the paper mill. He turns his light over to Backa, and shines it on him. He almost jumps back
"Celestia, what is wrong with him? Looks like a boiled lobster that's been dried in the sun."
Backa stares back in such a way as to at least prove he is animate, and looks about ready to launch into a tirade."
>>170458"Rude."
Possy frowns, and leans forward a bit, as to speak discreetly
"He's very old, and the anguish of losing his loved ones has gotten to him. Try not to bother him too much, his heart can't take much more stress now."
>>170459Mason whispers, loudly, to Backa to not speak.
The soldier looks back to Posey
"What do you have in the back?"
>>170460"A few of this stallion's old possessions. Mostly furniture, and a few heirlooms. There's also two empty coffins that we're going to examine the grain of back at the lab, which he was generous enough to donate to us. They were built a long time ago, but are empty; perfect specimens for a xylogogy thesis."
>>170461>these coffins are totally empty>they are not filled to the brim with illegal firearms, ammunition, fake IDs, radio equipment, and bomb making materials>trust me bro"Alright, we'll just do a search for contraband, and make sure."
A few seconds pass and then... they open the coffins
"Hey, there's a big silver cup back here! it's like what they'll use in the Celestialist church. You know. The cup. And there's another one here."
Backa turns back to yell at them
"Those are valuable instruments of sacred ritual. Keep your hooves off, you cretins!"
>>170463"Please do be careful. Some of those are rather fragile. You're free to open the coffins and confirm that they are empty, but PLEASE do not damage the wood."
>>170464"Where'd ya get the cups?" He asks
He looks back
"Are those real silver?"
>>170465I fell asleep
>where did you get cups"They're heirlooms"
>silver"I don't know. They're not mine to appraise."
>>170467And now, three more questions,
"Where are you coming from?"
"Was it Painted Creek?"
"Why did you leave so early?"
>>170468>"Where are you coming from?""Not far from here."
>"Was it Painted Creek?""I'm not familiar with the nomenclature of the area. I wasn't near any rivers, but the woods near the village."
>"Why did you leave so early?""We have business to attend to elsewhere, and we found the samples we were looking for."
>>170469"And what business is that?" He asks, evidently not quite satisfied
>>170470"Analyzing the wood grain on these coffins. Also, I have a colt at home to take care of."
>>170473AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Gonna roll an opposed Cha check to influence the ones who are already charmed, to get them to just let us through.
[1d20+4 = (18+4) = 22] >>170473>>170474"Step out of the vehicle."
And when this is accomplished (assuming that Posey complies)
"You have this guy who looks like a cadaver in your vehicle, you somehow don't know where you are coming from, you've got silver vessels in a coffin in the back, and most importantly, you were near the location of the discharge of illegal arms, and decide to leave at five in the morning."
"So I will ask you, and I need straight answers: where were you staying, what were you doing there, and for how long?"
>>170475Posey's steps out of the car in annoyance.
>where were you staying"I stopped briefly at the local inn, had a drink and a shower, but I spent most of the night doing my research in the forest."
>what were you doing there"Research. Dealing with the flow of entropy and decay in the forest." (not a lie, technically)
>and for how long"One night."
(I didn't know that Backa was so visibly decayed. I would have changed my plans if I knew that)
>>170477He's not decayed, so much as he has unusual skin coloration
>>170476"And you know nothing of partisan activity?" He asks again
>>170478"I told you I heard some unusual sounds in the woods, but I can't help you with what they might have come from."
>>170479Better do another bluff role.
“What kind of shots did you hear? How many, from what direction, and for how long?”
>>170480"I can't help you, sir. I don't know very much about guns, not was I close to the action."
[1d20+12 = (11+12) = 23] >>170482Skin. His fur is ragged, matted in areas and thin in others, and does have the appearance of thickened and partly dried blood, but that isn't entirely unsual
>>170482>>170481"What did you
hear?" he says, clearly believing Posey to be uncooperative.
>>170483"Some banging sounds that may or may not have been gunshots, some wolves howling, and that's about it."
>>170484"Wolves?"
This may not be a sincere question, as either way, he steps back, and starts to talk with the other pony. They write something down. Posey may or may not have any interest to know what they said.
All the same, when headlights appear behind them, the pony comes back to Mason and Posey:
"You're free to go."
>>170485"Good night."
Possy reenters the vehicle
>>170486Mason is quick to place the vehicle back into gear, drives past the military truck, and then speeds away quickly once out of line of sight
>>170487Huzzah! Encounter resolved.
Does the ride back to the manor go smoothly?
>>170488Posey can gather that the soldiers found the situation to be suspicious, but had no reason to further waste their time on them.
There actually is an issue.
Driving through the night, Posey, Mason, and Backa drive through the forest, eventually giving way to fields. With Backa there, the truck is more talkative than on the way up. Backa wants to talk about his weird foreign lands and some dispute with a treasurer that he had, and Mason is curious as to just how, exactly, Posey defeated August. And what is this August Wreath like?
The sky has a decent assortment of stars, more than are visible from the manor house. But then the sky begins to lighten in shade, and eventually, becomes nautical twilight. The sun will be rising soon, and Backa is concerned.
>>170489>Mason is curious as to just how, exactly, Posey defeated August. And what is this August Wreath like?Posey's gives a brief description of August and explains that in the end there was little to be gained from slaying the ELF other than potentially having the military question them about the dead bodies, so in the end he got away, but she doubts he'll be a threat in the future given his adversarial relationship with the regime.
Possy says she simply feigned death after being shot, and that August was none the wiser.
>Sun will be rising soon"Hurry up, if you can."
>Backa is concerned"If we can't make it there, we'll put you in the back of the truck."
>>170490"Uh huh" He looks at Posey skeptically, but smiles, and leaves it at that.
Mason tells Posey,
"This truck only goes so fast, and it's a long distance. Sunrise will happen before we arrive."
>>170491"Then pull over. We'll put Backa in the coffin."
>>170492This is no difficulty at all, as there is quite a bit of nothing between New Horseleans and Baltimare. Mason pulls over to a strand of trees. Backa seems displeased with this turn of events. The coffin is already open when Posey gets to it, but removing the items presents space for Backa.
Continuing along the journey, the sun rises along the horizon. It shines directly in the eyes of both ponies, and Mason moves a visor, lowers his hat, and uses multiple maneuvers to keep it out of his eyes.
The last obstacle is the military checkpoint outside the city. They ask to see ID, what cargo they are carrying, where they are coming from, and the purpose of the trip.
>>170493Wait, there was another checkpoint? Damnit.
Gonna have to modify the story. We're morticians transporting the body of a deceased elderly stallion to his family.
>>170494This is certainly doable. Posey should hope that they don't bother to check the records from each encounter, though.
Luck check (to see if Posey gets the same guard that questioned them the afternoon before). And bluff check
Do I get XP for these non-combat but high-risk skill check encounters?
>>170496Posey has the same guard who questioned Mason yesterday afternoon. Otherwise, it seems her story is fairly persuasive
>>170497Sure? >>170499But even with a good dice roll, I need to hear Posey’s cover story
>>170500Posey says that a friend of a relative was recently deceased, and they don't want to leave him out in the countryside, so they're transporting his coffin.
>>170501But he adds,
“Wasn’t there something about trees?”