/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>175682
In the kitchen is extra goulash and other stew, mashed potatoes, and assorted dishes. There's also bread.

>>175681
It's just the priest and the one assistant.
"This needs no witness but the Angel." He says. A candle burns below a brass statue of a peacock in the location behind where the altar would have been.

The ghast pushes in Sasha, who is oddly stiff and drags her paws against the ground standing upright. Her eyes are wide open, and are more discolored even than before.

>>175683
It'll do! Amber grabs a bowl of goulash and some bread and goes to sit down.

>>175685
Price Run gives Amber a dirty look to the side.

Mustard Trim walks up, in his uniform, naturally. His tail wags.
"Hey, Amber"

>>175684
>who is oddly stiff and drags her paws against the ground standing upright. Her eyes are wide open, and are more discolored even than before
Posey sees this, and decides that she's not about to let take her subject before she's done with her.
>"Paralyze her, without killing her."
Posey wordlessly commands the ghast

Posey squints at her grimoire and behind murmuring something intelligible in abyssal as ghast does it's jobs and drags Sasha forward.
"Any help would be appreciated...!" she says to the priest between between tongues

Muh buff spells

>>175686
Amber worries about how much he suspects her. A customer running off due to spicy food probably makes the rounds pretty easily.

Mustard lifts her spirits again. "Hi Mustard! We didn't get much chance to chat earlier. How was your day?"

>>175687
The ghast bites her, though with little obvious reaction on Sasha

"What help do you need?" The priest asks

>>175688
Mustard looks down, "A bit hard... with math, and... customers" Then he looks up. "But it's better with you now. You were a bit later than I expected... I hoped you would be here early."

>>175689
Amber's ears dip as she smiles at him. "After my first job I needed to pick up an ID card. It took me a little while but I'm glad to have gotten that done. Was it important?"

>>175689
She requested Desecrate by name earlier.

"Odds of, success will increase if the grounds are sanctified for the offering. I could also use any blessing or orisons you can muster up, something for good fortune or knowledge." Posey says, as she flips through her grimoire, the blackened veins appearing on her forehead betraying her own nervousness
She looks up at the peacock idol, as is second-guessing her decision to come here for this gruesome act of charity
"Things like this aren't easy. There's no telling what could happen if the spirit does not accept our offering..."

>>175690
With a wince, his ears go back, then back up, and he pulls a hoof up and back apprehensively, before grabbing onto a glass of water he begins to drink

"You didn't already have an ID card?" He asks, genuinely surprised. He takes a sip of water. "How did you manage that?"

>>175691
"Of course we've sanctified out temple. Did you think we would not?" He replies

"The bridge to the other world may be crossed only one way. I've never heard of the angel allowing anyone back."

>>175692
She frowns with worry at the offense he seems to have taken.

"I…just did? I didn't know I had to have one until a couple nights ago, when I was stopped by police. They weren't too accusative but I was still sternly talked to. I just couldn't put it off any longer."

>>175693
To clarify, he looked like that before discussion of the ID. If he's offended, that's probably not the reason.

"Huh. I didn't know you were stopped." Another wincing smile. "First time?" And after a pause, "They made us get them during that big revolt last September. Came into our town... We got them... I guess that explains why you weren't here earlier. I didn't know they missed your town. Err... Hamlet"

Fuck it. Enough stalling.
"Well, I guess it's time to see if diamond dogs really do have diamonds in them..."
Posey proceeds with the ceremony as she reads from her tome, which sounds like a series of animalistic growls and gutteral moans, punctuated by shrieking howls. She does this for a long period of time, but visibly hurries as she races to outrun the death of her subject.
At the end of her ceremony, Posey's words become more intelligible, and she closes her tome, chanting a poem of her own writing:
"In the shadows deep, where the darkness bleeds, We call upon the ancient needs, Y̴̤͍͕̪̣̲̯̍̐̅̊ȇ̶̢̛̛̘̦̦̑͒̽̀̎̍̑͗̚͠E̷̪͎̖͕̭͎̥̐̓̉͒̓͐͋̉́̉̇̅̚̕̚͜n̵̖͇͋́̎̐͋͒͆͝Ơ̴̛̤̖̯̲͂͌̏̒̈͋͌̌͋g̶̢͉̬̠̣̭̳͙̹̝͈͆̔̓̏̈́͘͜ͅH̴͕̮͛͗ù̵̱̮̘̖͍̹̙͎̼̦̣̉̓͊̎́̿̇̕̕͘̕͘̕, Lord of the Abyssal Maw, We offer this life to thy dreadful claw.

By the glint of diamond and the howl of night, We seek your favor, dark and bright, The flesh of the beast, the spirit of dread, To stir the dead from their shadowed bed.

O Harbinger of Despair and Wrath, Hear us in this unholy path, Agire, rise from the earth so cold, In the name of sacrifice, behold.

To you, Y̴̤͍͕̪̣̲̯̍̐̅̊ȇ̶̢̛̛̘̦̦̑͒̽̀̎̍̑͗̚͠E̷̪͎̖͕̭͎̥̐̓̉͒̓͐͋̉́̉̇̅̚̕̚͜n̵̖͇͋́̎̐͋͒͆͝Ơ̴̛̤̖̯̲͂͌̏̒̈͋͌̌͋g̶̢͉̬̠̣̭̳͙̹̝͈͆̔̓̏̈́͘͜ͅH̴͕̮͛͗ù̵̱̮̘̖͍̹̙͎̼̦̣̉̓͊̎́̿̇̕̕͘̕͘̕, the Hyena’s might, We surrender this life to the endless night, Grant us the boon, the ancient rite, To summon forth the cleric's light.

By the blood we shed and the darkness we cast, Let the veil of the grave be torn at last, We beseech thee, heed our sacrificial plea, And let Agire rise, set the fallen free.

Oh Y̴̤͍͕̪̣̲̯̍̐̅̊ȇ̶̢̛̛̘̦̦̑͒̽̀̎̍̑͗̚͠E̷̪͎̖͕̭͎̥̐̓̉͒̓͐͋̉́̉̇̅̚̕̚͜n̵̖͇͋́̎̐͋͒͆͝Ơ̴̛̤̖̯̲͂͌̏̒̈͋͌̌͋g̶̢͉̬̠̣̭̳͙̹̝͈͆̔̓̏̈́͘͜ͅH̴͕̮͛͗ù̵̱̮̘̖͍̹̙͎̼̦̣̉̓͊̎́̿̇̕̕͘̕͘̕, great Avenging Angel, Beast who prowls the realm beyond the gray! Y̴̤͍͕̪̣̲̯̍̐̅̊ȇ̶̢̛̛̘̦̦̑͒̽̀̎̍̑͗̚͠E̷̪͎̖͕̭͎̥̐̓̉͒̓͐͋̉́̉̇̅̚̕̚͜n̵̖͇͋́̎̐͋͒͆͝Ơ̴̛̤̖̯̲͂͌̏̒̈͋͌̌͋g̶̢͉̬̠̣̭̳͙̹̝͈͆̔̓̏̈́͘͜ͅH̴͕̮͛͗ù̵̱̮̘̖͍̹̙͎̼̦̣̉̓͊̎́̿̇̕̕͘̕͘̕, favored Son of L̸̘̯͙̮̼͇͇̦̲̭̭͇̘̗̼̼͒̀̋͊̂̄́̅̊̃́̒̀̚͜á̴̗̪̟̰̳͖̖̂̂̍̂Ṁ̴̧͎̭̺̟̤͚͓̜̳̦̌̂̓̈̍̂͜a̶̢̨̜̭̳̫̠͍͈̖͖̅̄̎̊̃͆͋̎͛̈́S̴̫͈̣̫͉̃͋͗̈́̉̍͌̊͑̓̃͗̆̚͝ḥ̵͉̱̰̖̪̠͚̰̝͈̺͇̲͇̳͗͂̆̍̐̈͌̿̍͊́́̐͑̑̂̕͜Ṱ̵̢̭̱̥͎̩̱̟͙͔̤̤̼̉̇̌̓̅͊͘̕̚ͅu̸̢̢̹̰̝̞̫̣̜̙͙̩͕̖̟͎̥̅̔̆͌̀͗̎͗̔̕̚͝͝, let us hear you Howl, for what you smell before you is your Prey!"

She then draws her knife and plunges it into her own chest, leaving it embedded in her chest as she coughs up rotten blood while gurgling the somatic components for a spell.
Posey expends two spell slots with versatile spellcaster to cast Necrotic Bloat, the cyst she implanted in Sasha's chest swelling to enormous size, dealing 8d6 damage (no saving throws), half of which is vile
[8d6 = 32]
She then immediately rips the knife out of her own chest and pierces it into the cyst, popping it in a shower of gore as a coup-de-grace

And now, the moment of truth (refer to >>175669 for any additional mods that apply)
[1d20+20 = (14+20) = 34]

>>175694
"Who came into your town?" Amber leans forward with interest and starts eating the goulash.

>>175695
Sasha, less paralyzed than believed, clicks rapidly
“Tlct tlct tlct tlct”

The priest nods
“The wisdom of the Crocutta. I had not considered that. Agire would have. I would not…”

>>175696
“The- the Army. The Republicans.” He answers

>>175695
>34
>target was 35
Gee, I really hope a friendly priest cast the lvl 0 Guidance orison to give me +1 to that skill check...

>>175697
Posey has done her part. Does the Angel or whatever dark powers Posey was appealing to accept our offering?

>>175697
Posey stands still as a corpse, covered in putrefied cyst blood, her golden eyes facing the peacock idol as she watches it in anticipation and fear.

>>175699
It's the offering, and not the angel, who does not cooperate. Black vile spills out of Sasha's chest, followed by a yellow pollen-like substance, and then a white mold-like powder. The hole in her chest gaps like the rotted-out hollow of a still-living oak tree - yet she turns her black-hole eyes towards Posey

"tlct tlct tlct tlct. AYEEAH!"

>>175700
No. They are kind of everywhere. More so then, in the Uprising."

>>175702
spooky
"They didn't bother you much, did they? I mean the soldiers," she asks with concern.

>>175702
I guess I'll roll religion to see what this means
[1d20+11 = (17+11) = 28]

Also going to roll Perform to see how well Posey sang her poem earlier
[1d20+8 = (10+8) = 18]

>>175702
Posey ushers Gloomy to stay behind her, and telepathically commands the ghast to defend her from whatever is about to be unleashed.

>>175704
It’s actually very simple:

She failed to kill it. No offering took place.

>>175705
The ghast is very uncomfortable, and wants - tries - to flee.

>>175703
“Not- not too much. I didn’t like being made to get the IDs. And they didn’t like equestrian flags flying in some places.”

>>175706
"It is darn annoying, pardon my language," Amber agrees. She decides to steer the conversation back. "Well, why were you looking forward to my comin' early, besides us seein' each other?"

>>175702
>who does not cooperate
Wait, is she not dead?! How did she survive 32 damage and a coup-de-grace?
The fortitude DC to survive the coup-de-grace would have been 10 + ([1d4+7 = (3+7) = 10] × 2)
>>175706
"Oh for the love of-!" Posey says
Posey immediately recasts her spell to finish off the dog [8d6+2 = (28+2) = 30], further bloating the cyst

>>175707
“Well”, he looks down, then back up, with a smile that is at first awkward but then pleased.
“So we could spend time together in the back room.”

>>175708
Sasha proves a bit less helpless than her situation would imply. With a “crack,” she breaks her hands off, freeing her from the shackles. She isn’t paralyzed at all. The cyst has clearly burned through her chest cavity and removed what remained of her lungs, but it doesn’t slow her down. She now jumps back on all fours, minus the broken-off hands, and tilts her head looking at Posey. Her legs in the rear are bent to make up the difference in height, but the bones of her forearms grow down and out, extending her higher above the tile floor.

>>175706
"Die, bitch!"
>>175708
That's another 15 points of vile damage
She's now taken 32 points of damage that cannot be healed by any means except within a hallowed area.
>>175709

(I would like to say that if she's undead right now, she technically still died, so our ceremony should have succeeded...)

I guess I'll roll initiative.
[1d20+10 = (20+10) = 30]
Posey lets out a sigh.
"It can never be easy now, can it?"

>>175709
"Oh," she exclaims with an expression of surprise and a blush. She quickly looks off to the side and taps her hooves together. "I'm, heh, touched, but, erm, we already did that this week and I don't want Salt Mixer getting mad at me. I actually was 'bout to ask if there were any other tasks that need doin' around here," she replies with a nervous giggle.

>>175709
I'm going to make an intelligence check as a free action to identify whatever monster I'm encountering
[1d20+3 = (19+3) = 22]
If it's undead, the mod is +11

"I would like to apologize, my dear Reverend, because things might get a little messier than expected. Don't worry though, I'm no stranger to things that refuse to die." Posey says, whirling her cape as she begins for battle.

(I'm going to need to step out soon)

>>175710
Posey does, if nothing else, gain advantage of first move.

>>175711
He just looks at her in long silence, saying nothing.

>>175712
It’s still alive. Best guess is plant or fungoid type.

>>175713
The Reverend shouts something in a foreign language. It’s definitely curse words.

>>175715
Amber's smile falters somewhat. Mustard's "lost puppy" stares always leave her on edge, weighing what she possibly could have said wrong. "A bit for your thoughts?" she asks after a little while, resuming her eating.

>>175716
“A what now?” He asks

>>175715
>Best guess is plant or fungoid type.
That's alive, so it can be killed. The ceremony continues.

Posey has spent four of her lvl 2 slots dealing over 60 damage to the creature.

The ghast, under Posey's control, attacks the monster with teeth and claws
[1d20+5 = (16+5) = 21]
[1d20+3 = (12+3) = 15]
[1d20+3 = (6+3) = 9]

Posey expends her final lvl 2 slot to cast Inflict Moderate Wounds on the creature. It's flat-footed, so no attack of opportunity.
Touch attack
[1d20+8 = (10+8) = 18]

>>175717
"It's more of a saying. I don't have to give you a bit if you tell me what you're thinkin'. But I will, if you want me to. I just, uh, want to chat." Oh goddesses, is she rambling?

GM, I'm sorry, but I have to step out now.

Rolling Posey's damage roll
[3d8+11 = (14+11) = 25]
Will half

The ghast is intelligent, so it's subject to undead commander. It deals +1d6 damage to the living while within Posey's aura.
Rolling for bite damage
[1d8+3 = (1+3) = 4] [1d6 = 3]

>>175719
“What do you want to chat about?” He asks, knees on the table. He never touches any if the food. Perhaps he ate already.

>>175721
Amber mulls over things. Maybe being direct isn't the solution here. "You said math was hard today. What did you have to do?"

>>175722
“Well, Mr. Notion gave us a quiz on integrals, even though we just started. And evidently my homework didn’t have enough “explanation” -“ he stops himself suddenly, and ceases

>>175723
"I'm sure the quiz was just to see where y'all were at," she reassures him. "Wanting explanations is the same thing. It's not so much whether you got the answer right as much as seeing what your thinking process is."

>>175724
“Yeah.” He sighs. “That’s what he said. Still doesn’t make it anymore pleasant to get the right answer, yet still get it wrong.”

>>175725
Amber mulls over how Mustards tends to withdraw in a shell of sorts and not express his thoughts, sometimes even with ponies he's intimate with. She can't really blame him for that, his mother seems to have caused it from what she's seen.

"It ain't pleasant but neither are a lot of the harder things in life. Maybe you could work on a habit to write down every step you take, and even your thoughts behind it? That could help."

>>175726
He turns and looks back towards Amber,
“You said something about Salt Mixer and tasks when you were telling me ‘no’? What was that?”

>>175727
She leans forward toward her confidant. "I really want her to approve of my work even though…especially since I'm new here. I get the feelin' other folks here think I take it too easy since being a hostess is a lot less work, and I want to prove that notion wrong."

>>175728
“You could ask to be a waiter.” He answers simply. “Or to bus. Or to cook.” He tilts his head. “Is that what that thing about the food was earlier?”

>>175729
Her eyes shift away for a second. "Um, not really. I was curious." She continues, "But I will ask Ms. Mixer about what she thinks."

She should be finishing up her food now.

>>175730
“So back to your place once you’re finished?” He asks

>>175731
"You don't feel tired tonight?" she responds with surprise.

>>175732
“I do.” He answers. “But you missed earlier and you don’t want to upset Salt Mixer.”

>>175718
>>175720
I'm back.

She's taken ~94 points of damage so far (if she failed that last save; otherwise it's 82]
Is she dead yet?

The Will save for Posey's inflict moderate wounds is 19. Because of the necrotic necrotic cyst, she takes a -2 penalty to the save
Ghoul bite triggers fortitude vs paralysis, also having a -2 penalty to the save

Oh yeah, and undead have an additional 1d6 on damage rolls vs her. Let me roll 2d6 for Posey's touch and the ghast's bite
[2d6 = 7]

>>175733
"I think it'd be best to rest up for tomorrow. I can walk you home if you want," the mare adds.

>>175734
Oh yeah, Posey ends her turn with a 5 foot step, the ghast moving likewise, flanking the sacrifice.

Gloomy skedaddles off to the back of the church.

>>175735
“So what you really mean is ‘you don’t want to’?”

Posey should have dealt 100+ damage to this creature, accounting for the additional 1d6 when she stabbed her with the dagger.
>>175715
Does it die?

>>175737
"I mean, I'd like to, but I haven't been feeling too energetic all day. We'd be tired all over again tomorrow, and, and, it just wouldn't be the same…." She is looking away abashedly.

>>175739
"Try the abandoned building?" He asks.

Actually, sense motive
[1d20+3 = (4+3) = 7]

>>175738
Posey hopes it isn't speaking to her telepathically:
>Did you thing a little gnawing and clawing would do enough? Did you think I was not ancient when your 'black magic' was created? That I had learned nothing of resistance and resilience after all of these millennia? When your masters were failing their same quest before, I was taking notes.
But it probably can't talk. And no, it isn't dead.

>>175740
She might be afraid of public perception or someone imposing judgement.

She blinks. "You don't mean…in the abandoned building? Doing…that?"

>>175740
What kind of monster has more than 100 HP at this level?
Posey rears for combat
"Oh no you don't. I am not going through all the trouble to get another subject, so get back on the altar and DIE BITCH!"

I guess it's the monster's turn now.

>>175741
He shrugs
"Private, away from coworkers. Much closer than your apartment. We could make it quick."

>>175742
A level appropriate monster.

>My seed is already planted in you. I will have you regardless.
It turns away from Posey, and towards the priest

>>175743
>My seed is already planted in you. I will have you regardless.
REEEEEEEEEE
>It turns away from Posey, and towards the priest
Attack of opportunity Posey makes a Slam attack
[1d20+10 = (4+10) = 14]
The Ghast bites
[1d20+7 = (7+7) = 14]

Does a 14 hit?

>>175743
Her ears dip down and she looks at him, aghast. "'Make it quick?' Why would you want to 'make it quick' when it's such a special moment between us? Better to appreciate that…special moment, or not have it at all. Don't you feel the same?"

>>175746
“So…. Not at all?” He replies

>>175743
If the monster spent its turn moving, is it Posey's turn?

>>175747
Mustard's fillyfriend sniffles. "I…I like your company. I don't to lose this magic by spending it so carelessly." She's no longer looking at him.

>>175749
“I see…” he stands up. “Goodnight Amber. I can walk myself home. That’ll give you more time to get rested.” And starts to walk away.

Okay, the good news is, if this monster has more than 100 HP, that means that it should have enough hit points to add enough HD to add +3 to my check, so if I survive this encounter, my sacrifice will be successful...

>>175750
Despite internal misgivings, Amber doesn't chase after him. She cleans up her dishes and looks for Salt Mixer.

>>175743
Is it Posey's turn yet?

Are we still doing this, GM?

>>175752
Salt Mixer is in the back now, locking up the cash. But she is there.

>>175651
Half-lidding his eyes, Silver grins at Pear. "Heh, if they already think that, then, well...why not seal deal?"

Returning to her tangent, Silver listens along, not looking bored or annoyed and in fact looks intrigued by her vast wealth of knowledge. "Us Severyanans had some stories of spirits like that, long ago. Many were turned into saints and other holy figures within Orthodox teachings, when we adopted Celestialism as state and people. Some of those old stories, it makes you wonder what really was spirit or deity, and what is explained by something else. Creatures back then, pony and otherwise, it is possible they misinterpreted something they saw and did not understand as something they could understand. It can be easy and even calming for creature to simply go, 'oh that must just be nature spirit' or something of that sort, to have easy explanation for everything."

>>175651
This prey was apparently never taught any self-preservation. Pity. The lamia would have enjoyed a bit of sport. Food will have to suffice.

The bite itself is forceful, but ultimately harmless. Rather than other predators who use biting as a primary way of inflicting harm, the lamia uses it as a way to grab and hold onto a target, preventing easy escape, as well as to make the next part of her attack easier. With her mouth wrapped around the goat's large head and horns, the lamia begins wrapping the goat up with her tail, coiling around is legs and midsection to begin grappling the prey.

[1d20+12 = (12+12) = 24]

>>175756
She tentatively approaches the mare.
"Hello, Ms. Mixer. I was wondering, do you need a waitress or cook? I like the hostess work, but I wouldn't mind another role if you think I'm better suited to it."

>>175758
“Bahh!” He cries in terror

Opposed.
[1d20+2 = (18+2) = 20]

>>175759
“You didn’t leave with Trim? I just saw him walking away…” she remarks more to herself than as a serious question to Amber

Roll Charisma

>>175757
Her ears go back, abd eyes go wide.

>>175760
It's no use, she's already got a hold of the prey. The goat puts up a valiant fight, but she fully wraps her tail around the prey, and already the lamia begins to constrict her coils around the prey, forcing air from its lungs and preventing it from drawing in breath easily.

[1d6 = 4]

>>175760
"I would have to warn you, though, it can get rather...messy. For me it is go big, or go home." He turns his head to looks around the quarry. "As you already saw, of course."

>>175757
>>175763
She grins, and her ears go back up.
“Sure. Would you like to go back to my room?”

>>175762
“BAHHH!”
Hopper screams and cries while he thrashes about. But it is no avail. Several bones are broken, and Kira still has him in her grasp.

>>175765
A noble effort from the goat. It appears the prey has at least some fighting instincts, though if the goat truly does not wish to become the lamia's next meal then it must make a proper attempt to escape. As is, the lamia continues to constrict the prey in her coils.

[1d6+3 = (6+3) = 9]

>>175765
Silver grins widely. This is definitely an unexpected turn, but a welcome one.

"Absolutely."

>>175767
She smiles, leans in towards his face, looks into his eyes, and places her right hoof against his mouth. Then she pulls her hoof back, and taps him.

“Absolutely not. I’m working.”

And then a scrunchy face. She tries to wiggle out of Silver’s embrace, mostly by moving down.

>>175766
He has only a few kicks in him left, still bahing. But his forelegs can’t move. They are already broken.

GM, I'm here to finish the encounter whenever you're ready.

>>175768
Silver, the big strong unicorn, scrunches after being lured into her false promise of a kiss. He reluctantly allows her to escape before chuckling slightly.

"Okay, but do not think I have forgotten. You can not be at work forever." He gives her cute lil' snoot a quick boop before she gets out of range. "Have you found anything interesting in there that was missed during my exploration?"

>>175768
The prey weakens. Only a short amount of time is left before the goat becomes one with the lamia. Once more her coils tighten around the helpless prey. The more it bahs and kicks without escaping, the quicker it succumbs. The lamia waits for the oxygen-starved food to fall unconscious.

[1d6+3 = (2+3) = 5]

>>175771
“BAAaaa…”
Hopper falls silent, and stops moving. It is done.

>>175770
The little mare closes her eyes, flinches her head back, and then scrunching. She sits down and wraps her bright strawberry tail around herself. She doesn’t address Silver’s first statement.

“What did we find? What did you leave behind? I’ve been focused on the books, but… I know there are multiple pony corpses. Zebra corpses too… Bones in catacombs as well. The others are trying to piece that together. Who they were. How they got there. I do know some occult items have been found. It appears old Curwhinny was even more of a collector of the esoteric than the rumors suggested… it’s kind of a treasure trove of that period. Well, of several periods. Hard to believe this was all right here, and ignored. It was even found after it was sealed, by the quarrymen. And they just sealed it again. But much is still here, even if the fire took much, and… some books are missing. Curwhinny himself as well. But I have quite a bit I can look at, and find something new. Like this book here.”

>>175773
It is done, but not finished. The lamia notices the rope still tied around the goat. Meddlesome thing, getting in the way. She unties the rope, freeing the goat from at least one thing shackling it to this place. Much better now, now that nothing is interfering with her meal. She releases the goat's head only to readjust and place her mouth around it once more. An angle that is good for grappling isn't necessarily good for swallowing, either. Her snake coils grab the goat's body and begins to feed it down her throat slowly. It is a sizable meal especially with the horns still intact, perhaps it is among the largest meals the lamia has ever had, but her pony half stretches and morphs visibly and audibly around the goat's form in an unnatural fashion all the same. It feels good, fulfilling her natural instincts to hunt, to feed, to follow the natural order of things. Bit by bit, less and less of the goat becomes visible as she takes the prey down her voracious maw, feeding her ravenous hunger. Her coils let go of the goat's body section by section until only the hind section is left outside the predator's form. The lamia lifts her head up, swallowing down the final section of her prey whole. Her pony half regains shape as the goat slides down her neck into the snake-half of her body. It seems to settle, as it stops moving nearly as quickly as it did first going down. The lamia can't help but to let out a satisfied sigh, letting her tongue hang out of her fully-opened mouth for a bit.

She closes her eyes. There's a small pop as she closes her mouth, jaw snapping back into place. Her pony facial features return to normal, her body showing few if any signs of what had just happened save for the massive lump in her snake section. She breathes, in, then out, as her quieted primal instincts once again settle back down in her mind. She opens her eyes, returned to their normal, bat-pony like shape. Kira has returned. She turns slowly to face Neela, looking afraid to see her deer friend's reaction to what she just did. Looking afraid to see how her opinion of Kira has changed from witnessing what must have been a horrible occurrence for any prey animal to see.

>>175773
"You did not Curwhinny?" Silver looks at the small mare, absolutely puzzled by this information. "Did you find where he had been sealed, in room surrounded by corpses?"

>>175775
>>175775
“We found a coffin, to be sure. But there was nothing in it besides a little dust.”

>>175774
Oh my…

Having the ability to force her upper body upright and let gravity assist, while also having forelegs to hold down, help guide in and then physically push down the prey is a major benefit true snakes don’t have. All the same, the process is slow, and Kira may feel vulnerable. She may be glad to be doing this in a wooden and chicken wire enclosure.

After some time, it is done, and Kira no doubt feels much better after a true meal. This goat was was just under a quarter of her body weight, after all.

Neela stares at Kira with her observant, presumably fascinated expression.

“The Nagini’s true form reveals herself.”

>>175776
"Huh. He was truly lich after all...I did not know they turned to dust after you killed them, but to be fair I had never killed lich before either. You did indeed find what had remained of Curwhinny."

>>175776
Indeed they are benefits, benefits the lamia had taken advantage of in her scarfing of the meal down her throat. But that was the lamia of a short bit ago. This is the lamia of now, who is named Kira. And Kira looks a bit...confused, about Neela's reaction. It does get her to blush and look to the side, her pony ears folding down.

"It's not...it's not who I really am. At least, it's not all of what I am. I'm not a monster. I'm Kira."

>>175769
>>175776
Does the monster do anything else on its turn?

>>175777
“Or he wasn’t in there to begin with, and that was just normal dust.” She says.

“That warning on the wall did advertise a lich. Featherduster, the grad student, didn’t want to open it, but Critical Theory insisted there was no such thing.”

She looks up and away.
“Come to think of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if Feather Duster exchanged the casket for one from the catacombs…”

>>175778
“And Kira is a Nagini who strangles creatures and eats them whole.” she retorts in an almost baby-voice.

They more normally,
“Would you like more? We still have the kid. You can have more.”

>>175779
Soon (TM). There’s several mechanics

>>175780
Those words seem to sting at Kira far more than any potential discomfort swallowing that huge goat could have done to her. She continues to look away, blushing.

"N-no, I'm good. That...that will do me for a long time. A month maybe, maybe more."

>>175780
"Well, let us go see." Silver stands up from where he was sitting on the ground. "I am only pony who has seen original casket and lived. If it is different, if Feather Duster really did switch them out and is hiding it, then I will know."

>>175782
Her ears go down.
“Are you sure? It’s okay. No one will not but me and the farmer. Actually… I think I could jump that fence and get it for you. Won’t cost you anything. And the farmer won’t know. Only if know, and I don’t judge. I’ve known what you are when I saw you, anyways. And you’ve seen me eat. Even bought food for me. See? It’s okay. I can get the kid for you, just say it.”

>>175783
Okay, I have to note that when I wrote that Curwhinny was missing I had forgotten that the casket was there. I hadn’t intended to eliminate any ambiguity as to whether Curwhinny had taken the last step to become a lich

>>175784
Kira shakes her head. She returns to looking at Neela, blush slowly fading. "No, no, I'm good, really. Gluttony can be very bad for a lamia, it slows us down and makes us sluggish, turns us into easy prey for the other predators of the plains. At least that's what's taught to us really early on in our hunter training. Oough...gonna have a hard enough time moving around as is." She slowly starts to slither towards the door to the enclosure, moving sluggishly and with effort. "Nnnf..."

>>175785
I think it’s a nice, creative idea, but I will hate deciding on an actual outcome of that

>>175786
“Nagini’s can’t be preyed upon. The god and goddess won’t let them.” She says.

She watches Kira try to move past and out of the enclosure

>>175781
I would like to finish the encounter before the end of Labor Day weekend, if possible.
She can't have that many hit points left. I just need to stop her from killing the priest before that.

>>175787
"Tell that to the...nngh...the tribe." It's a slow process, far slower than her normal slithering speed, made worse as she has to very carefully navigate the bulge in her snake section through a gap that's not very much wider than it. "It's why I'm even here in the first place. The Talons, with their technology, were faster and more powerful than us, and we turned from predator to prey." She has a rest by the fence as she manages to fully exit the enclosure. "Oh sweet Ouroboros we have a long we to slither..." She looks over at Neela. "'The god and goddess'? Who are they?"

>>175784
Heeey, wait a minute, what do I hear about a mystery pertaining to a lich?
This sounds like a job for a licensed Necrologist.

[1d20 = 15]
[1d20 = 6]

>>175788
You know what, let’s just say the two attacks land.

>>175789
Once Kira’s free of the enclosure, she knows it’s only about… 3 miles or so to the row house.

“Oh, well let’s not” she looks down “let’s not focus on that.” Then back to Kira “Talons. You mentioned them before. They are like predators?”

When Kira is stopped, Neela comes closer to Kira. Then even closer. She comes right up to Kira’s mid section and taps onto Kira’s stomach, presumably trying to feel the outline of the gist underneath. Then she does it again.
“Ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Neela has a bout of laughter, looking at and feeling Kira’s snake body, especially her bloated mid section.

>>175790
Well what do (You) want?

>>175792
Okay
Posey's slam damage
[2d6+8 = (3+8) = 11]
Ghoul bite
[1d8+3 = (5+3) = 8][1d6 = 5] + paralysis

I am really glad I put that Necrotic cyst in her, or this encounter would have been a lot harder.

>>175793
>>175792
Surely, any quests involving a lich would seek the help of a licensed Necrologist, right?

>>175792
Neelas continued responses to Kira's way of eating continues to confuse the poor lamia. She's never seen anyone respond this way. Neela can feel something hard, presumably Hopper the goat, through the firm muscles and scales of Kira's snake body. If her touching the lamia there makes Kira feel uncomfortable or painful, she doesn't show it.

"The Talons. They're griffons who moved in and settled a colony near my tribe. Talonsvaal. They haven't been there long, they've only been around for our recent history. They got into a war with a nearby zebra nation, Roam, and to everyone's surprise the Talons won. We really didn't think it would happen, the Roamans greatly outnumbered the Talons, but I guess now we know they had a technological advantage that gave them the edge. At first we were grateful, the Roamans really didn't like lamias and we were worried they were going to attack us after they dealt with the Talons and wipe us out. Then some time after the war the Talons built a gold mine on our lands, and started dumping poisons from it into the river we used for our drinking water. A bunch of angry lamias kicked the griffons out of the mine against the wishes of the chief, and the Talons responded by launching an attack on the entire tribe." Her ears fold backwards. "I'd call it a declaration of war, but we never stood a chance. Guns, and artillery, and airplanes...we had nothing that could match them. Mom sent me off with some valuables to get help from the mythical Equestrians for our tribe, while she rallied what was left of the hunters to protect the remnants of our tribe, and...now I'm here."

>>175792
Does the Priest respond to Zuggtmoy rudely interrupting our sacrifice to a completely different rot-related demon?

Gloomy begins drawing something with his Crayola crayons in the corner

>>175798
No. The monster will triple in HP before Gloomy is safe enough to color with crayons.

>>175796
poke

“Equestrians weren’t so mythical after all, were they? Griffins and gold, can’t say that surprises me. We have a similar problem with the ponies here, attacking and dominating. Can’t say I’ve seen very many griffins that weren’t also downtrodden. There’s a few wealthier griffins, sure, but they hardly seem like predators to me.”

The farmer walks up
“Are you - are you done?”

>>175800
"There are griffons here?" Kira's eyes go wide, and she looks almost afraid. The farmer coming up snaps her out of it, and she looks over at him. She blushes, and slightly nods.

"Ye...yes, it's done."

>>175799
He is frantically drawing a seal to activate his class feature which takes a whole minute to activate.

Anyway, who's turn is it?

Are we still doing this tonight, GM?

Back

[1d2 = 2]

>>175801
Neela:
"Of course. Didn't you see that catty bitch with Lash at my apartment, Girka? There's quite a number of them here."

The stallion looks down at Kira's midsection
"Is that... Is that the goat? You ate it?"
To be fair to the stallion, the goat is very nearly his size, if a bit shorter. If Kira can swallow the goat, she probably could the farmer too.

>>175803
>>175802
Falling apart, the creature charges at the priest with a "ryah!" He jumps out of the way and draws a sword. The creature misses all together.

>>175805
>He jumps out of the way and draws a sword
"Oh good, you brought a sword. I was going to bring mine, but it's so complicated to bring past customs." Posey says, almost casually as plans her next attack.

I take it means that it's Posey's turn now?

>>175806
Yes.

>>175807
Okay, Posey has 6 lvl 1 spell slots left. She's hit this thing with two lvl 3 spells, and one lvl 2 spell. She has no way of knowing how many HP it has left, but she knows that with her cyst inside it it cannot withstand her attacks for long.
Posey commands the ghast to grapple the monster
The ghast charges as it grapples, flanking with the priest
Touch attack to grapple
[1d20+9 = (14+9) = 23]

This provokes an attack of opportunity

>>175808
Going to follow that up with an opposed grapple check
[1d20+9 = (3+9) = 12]

>>175809
drat...

Okay, Posey then proceeds to attack the flanked monster herself, casting Chill Touch
[1d20+10 = (19+10) = 29]

>>175804
Oh. Right. She had honestly forgotten about her. Kira looks away from the farmer, and continues to blush. She speaks in a small, meek voice.

"...mmhmm..."

>>175808
AAAYIH!

It bites at the ghast with teeth like splinters
[1d20+11 = (5+11) = 16]

>>175809
blinks
Are you opposing yourself?

>>175810
Well, Posey has in fact touched the creature

>>175810
I'll follow that up with a damage roll
[1d8+1 = (6+1) = 7][2d6 = 6]
DC 18 to avoid Str damage from chill touch, it takes a -2 penalty to the save due to Posey's embedded cyst

>>175812
Rolling the grapple against the monster
... Unless I'm mistaken. 3.5e grapple rules are a mess.

>>175813
13 damage from Posey's attack

>>175815
Wait, 14, I forgot a mod>>175814

>>175811
Neela rolls her eyes up
"I wish I could forget her..."

The farmer asks
"Do you uh, need anything else?"
he's still clearly unsettled

>>175814
The monster rolls its own opposed grapple with its own modifiers

>>175815
Did the ghast have damage from its touch attack, or did he strictly just grab?

>>175817
It's just a regular grab. The touch attack was to start the grapple, the 12 was to hold.
Unless the monster rolls lower than a 12, the grapple fails.

Posey's turn is over

>>175817
"No, I'm all good, thank you..." She looks back up at the farmer, meek and embarrassed despite all that Neela told her about accepting who she is. "I know this isn't ever a...pleasant transaction for a non-predator to make with a predator, but...thank you. Truly. You really do provide an invaluable service for us." She extends a hoof towards him for a hoofshake. "I know it's weird, calling what just happened a transaction, but...I hope I can call upon you and your farm again in the future. It won't be for a while though, trust me. This should do me for at least a month, maybe longer." Finally, she smiles at him, and despite the fact that she currently has a goat in her belly, she does her best to look as friendly and nice as possible.

I'm going to have to sleep soon.
Does Posey's attack wither the creature away? Does it look close to dying?

>>175822
The creature screeches, and its rear limb falls off. It's forearms, already cracked and sundered, slinter down the middle. It cries, and then bleeds more black vile - from the cyst, surely - out its mouth, followed by white mold spores. It stops, and falls to the ground

>>175821
The farmer smiles, but its yet another wide, teeth-showing smile that betrays a sense of awkwardness in a social situation.

Neela taps her. Not on her belly, but on the side of her pony chest. She leans over and speaks into her ear.
"Ask him for a ride."

>>175823
Posey discharges 6 of her remaining 7 chill touches on the monster for good measure.
And one on herself, for giggles.

"Well, the ceremony didn't quite go as planned, but she IS dead now, so..."
Posey looks expectantly towards the peacock idol

>>175824
"A ride...oh!" Kira nods to both of them. "Yes, do you have a motor vehicle? If so, can we have a ride back home, please?"

>>175825
[6d8+6 = (28+6) = 34] + [12d6 = 35] to kill fungus

>>175825
>>175825
>>175827
The fungus finally dissipates, and dies

It helps that the lighting is so low. Several streams of orange light flow upwards towards the peacock's head in waves, until the feathers glow in the colors of the rainbow. Then a white light glows around the statue, like St. Elmos fire, and the statue is ready to give out the Angel's blessings

>>175826
"Oh, uh. you don't already have a vehicle, yeah, I can, I can uh transport you back. Where do you live?"
He presumably starts walking towards his vehicle

>>175828
Kira follows slowly, giving the kind farmer their address just a short couple miles away.

"We're just go there ourselves, but...nngh...I'm a bit slow right now..."

>>175829
"Oh... It's harder for you to move after eating... I see... Just like a snake with a rodent. Sure." He walks up to a partly rusted red pick up truck, and lowers the bed.
"Just climb in the back. I... think it will hold ya."

He tries to ask questions like "How many of you are there?" and "Here in Equestria" as well as "How long have you been here?" and "Do you normally eat goats? Back home, I mean."

>>175830
Hmm, not the best kept vehicle she's seen so far. Hopefully it holds her weight, as she gets up into the back.

If it does, and it seems to be a big if, she answers his questions.

1.) "Oh, quite a few, I came from a whole city of lamias back home in Zebrica. I haven't heard of any here in Equestria, though I did hear about those winged serpents from a local pony. Those sound neat!"

2.) "Not long, I just got off the boat today, actually. It's part of why I was so hungry, all they had were bananas on board."

3.) "Oh yeah, that and sheep and all different kinds of livestock the farmers raised. We also hunted, but there's too many lamias to have that be the main source of food. Some of the poorer lamias had to resort to eating bread or potatoes to fill out their diets."

I fell asleep

>>175828
>Several streams of orange light flow upwards towards the peacock's head in waves, until the feathers glow in the colors of the rainbow. Then a white light glows around the statue, like St. Elmos fire, and the statue is ready to give out the Angel's blessings
"Proof of our devotion...!" Posey says, mystified by the display, being herself just an arcanist used to making transactional sacrifices to nameless horrors
Her spirit refreshed, Posey repeats her prayer from above, requesting an audience with the great Avenging Angel to return Agire to us.
She turns to the priest
"Despite the intrusion of outsiders looking to subvert our offering, it appears our prayer has been heard. Fetch Agire's body, because it's time for the moment of truth."

Gloomy stops his Crayola drawing, with a disappointed child-like pout, the drawing looking something like pic related. He gives a disgruntled groan, and for a second it looks like cinders and ashes spouted from his nostrils

Posey conjures a Floating Disk and an Unseen Servant to assist the priest.

>>175831
It may need to be a bit larger than a pickup truck of the era, but all the same, the truck can handle loads of feed, fertilizer, and some livestock. It can handle Kira - albeit only just barely, very noticeably sagging down on its suspension with Kira's weight, and requiring her to curl up. While she adds considerable weight to the vehicle, it does at least run. The pony notices, and is careful as he puts it into gear. He says

"But are you alone here?" And "Potatoes and Bananas? Then why did you need a billy goat?"

>>175835
If she ever decides to invest in a motor vehicle of her own, Kira is definitely going to want something heavy duty.

"Yeah, I'm alone here. We're not really meant to be omnivores. Potatoes and bananas are really just there to keep us from starvation, but we need proper food we're meant for to actually live off of. It'd be like, well...I guess the opposite situation for ponies. Imagine if you literally had nothing to eat, and all you had was a goat."

>>175836
"Uh..." It seems as if there's some kind of mental block preventing him from understanding Kira's point.

"Well, I know those ponies with tigers, or manticore as captive animals need goats and lams and pigs and such, and I know the gnolls and cats don't exactly need it, but they prefer it, so, I guess..." He replies

>>175837
"There are gnolls and cats here too? Are lamias the only creatures that haven't been already let into Equestria?"

>>175838
"Heh heh, I don't know. What else is there in Zebrica or some far place we don't know about? Seems like just about everything has come here though, mostly in the four years or so when Twilight was in charge."

>>175839
"Hmmph. I wish she would have thought to make contact with us. It would make getting asylum so much easier..."

Does the Priest help Posey fetch Agire's body?

>>175842
>>175833
The Priest and his assistant walk down into the basement, and into the informal catacombs set up underneath the former church. They are down for more than a minute. The walk up slowly, chanting prayers in a mournful tone as they do so. The body is in a stretcher carried between the two. There is a white cloth placed over the body, hiding it from view. The distinct smell of decay, and a dark-red and brown stain on the white linen fabric tell that the time since the body was interred has not been kind. They lay the stretcher before the brass statue of the Peacock Angel, still muttering prayers aloud in a foreign language.

>>175840
"No, it doesn't seem everypony, err, everycreature came. To be honest, I didn't know you were even there. I think a lot of ponies didn't."

>>175845
Posey allows the priest to approach and is careful not to interrupt them; she may be an apostate by nature, but she knows better than to disrespect a priest within a temple during a visibly supernatural event.
As they finish, Posey subtly murmurs a repeat of her appeal to call on a Lilitu ally, but with some degree of defeated reservation and fear, as the light shows around the idol seem to indicate that the Angel is intending to show its blessing in its own way... It appears the reigns are no longer hers.

>>175846
If Possy wishes to call upon the other gods, she may do so, perhaps with, or without permission

>>175847
Eh, I'll pass. Posey is interested in seeing whatever miracles the Kaftar's angel can conjure.

>>175848
I'm confused. What's the issue? Is it that the Priest is seeking, and has some kind of response from his own set of gods, which is different to the gods Posey is appealing to? What did you think was going to happen? Posey implied that she would appeal to the priest's god, and then went and did something completely different without clearly communicating that that was what she was going to do. Posey said get the body, and appeal to the Kaftar god, and then they go and do that.

>>175850
>What's the issue?
What, there is no issue.

>>175845
"I guess we don't really get out much. I'm kinda surprised there are gnolls here, actually, they're far more insular than we are."

>>175850
There is no issue, GM. I was just roleplaying Posey's apprehension towards a deity that she wasn't even certain existed 5 minutes ago, one that might turn her to ash.
I am actually interested in seeing what happens next. The family guy meme is just saying "the peacock is trying to do something; let's wait and see".

Posey steps back further from the idol to make room for the Kaftars.
She takes out a slip of parchment and begins taking notes on the supernatural phenomenon.
Gloomy starts scribbling as well, seemingly imitating her.

>>175850
I didn't have any issues with this at all. I think you misunderstood me. Posey intended to make a sacrifice to a dark power to raise Agire from the dead, but whether or not the Angel of the Kaftar's actually accepted her offer was unbeknownst to her. The fact that this appears to have occurred means that her plan worked out better than she could have expected, and now she's intrigued as to whatever miracle will happen from the Angel's touch.

>>175856
"Well, gnolls really like to be among their own kind, they prefer it actually. They don't take well to outsiders usually. Or at least that's what I've heard. Most of us lamias don't mind outsiders, it's just none of the ones near our tribe are as friendly as ponies."

>>175856
Well, Posey can't precisely control whatever effect the Angel creates from her sacrifice. Her appeal was to call an audience with the Angel and to release Agire from the grave.
So, now that it appears that the appeal has been heard, does Agire's body respond? Does the Angel release Agire from the grave, alive or undead?

>What does Posey think a successful spell is going to cause to happen?
Mechanically, a DC 35 check is enough to call a Greater Planar Ally, with which Posey was aiming a Lilitu (a demon that impersonates Angels) to bring Agire back to life with a sp, but it's not guaranteed because every deity gives rewards differently according to their portfolio. Posey was aiming for that clear-cut, concise reward, as would be in-character for her transactional occultist background as a sacrificial celebrant, but she would have been willing to accept any reward that furthers her goal, so right now she can only stand back and unironically pray for a miracle.

>>175857
Kira may poke her head, or even much of her body, through the window into the cab. Kind of like the truck from the furniture store.

"Oh, well yeah. They came in as refugees, kind of, after the fall of the Storm king. There was a ocean liner company that would bring 'em. They would come in big families. A lot of the employers here like them because they are nocturnal and would work night shifts in industry.

You lamias, you uh... How do I say this. I think you're kind of big for uh, for the number of widgets you could make in a factory. Not as economical, I mean, as a gnoll. Or especially a bat pony, though I think the local government started to be afraid of those. You look like you need a lot of housing space, and food..."

>>175855
>>175858
Well it's not intended to be necessarily the entity the Kaftars built the idol to, but another entity that has hijacked the idol

I'm not sure what an "sp" is, but my understanding is that it's not true resurrection that's sought, but rather some kind of undeath. This makes more intuitive sense to me, and is more consistent with the religion of the kaftars.

>>175860
>but another entity that has hijacked the idol
Well, that's a discovery.
>sp
Spell. A Lilitu has Clerical spells through it's "mock divinity" ability, one of which is typically Raise Dead, for situations like this.
https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/block/Lilitu
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lilitu
>not true resurrection that's sought, but rather some kind of undeath
That was my plan for the DC 40 for Limited Wish, which as stated above wasn't actually very realistic because it required a nat 20, or the use of cheesy spells to boost the roll.
Of course, Posey would be very pleased if this happened, but it's not her powers at play here (she can't even cast animate dead for another 4 levels, let alone create intelligent undead).

>This makes more intuitive sense to me, and is more consistent with the religion of the kaftars.
Well, in any sense, Posey isn't actually in control here, so it is up to whatever "entity" is responding for what effect it will create, so I guess it's really up to you to tell me what manifests.

Sorry for creating all this confusion and headache, referencing obscure rules and monsters from splatbooks and making my plans unclear and half-baked. I just thought an occult ritual to gain allegiance with the Kaftar's would be a cool mini quest while Kira was busy with her quest.

>>175859
What fun! It's almost as if these windows were made specifically for this purpose for Kira.

"We've managed to support a good population of lamias without issue. We also don't need a lot of above ground space, we build a lot of our homes underground with only a small portion not being below the surface. And I bet we would be amazing at making widgets. We can control our tails very deftly, and our tribe is even well famed for its goldsmithing. Like my bracelets!"

>>175862
"Well they aren't importing as many laborers anymore" He looks over towards Kira's forehooves, to inspect her bracelets. "You have gold bracelets?" He tries to squint in the dim light. With no source of light within the truck, he is unsuccessful. He looks back to the road and stops the vehicle suddenly, slamming on brakes that lock. Kira's forebody is kept well enough within the outline of the window that she doesn't move much, except a little forward. Some of her coiled body moves forward, and against the back of the bed. The biggest movement is a "Hmph squeak!" as Neela slides foward and into the back of the cab, and then another hundred pounds of snake follows that.

>>175863
Kira lets out a little surprised hiss as her snake half moves suddenly towards the front of the truck. It certainly isn't helped that in addition to her normal body weight she's still carrying around an entire adult goat inside her.

"What happened?"

>>175864
"Ah!" The driver is startled and unsettled by the hissing, and quickly looks back. In the slight delay, the vehicle is stopped on the road. He has to turn the engine back on to move it again.

"Oh, just - nothing" He places it back into gear and starts again. The vehicle did not hit anything, but it does appear he would have sped into an intersection

"Do you live in one of these row houses?" He asks, as they come upon the lines of rowhouses, having crossed the bridge and into the city

>>175866
The panic having passed, Kira returns to her usual self.

"Yup! We just moved into one, we even got furniture for it and everything. Right Neela?"

>>175867
Kira can feel thin legs and split hooves push against her tail, and then hear tapping sounds as Neela tries to stand back up

"Yeah, sure" Neela says

The farmer asks "So... do you two live together, or..."

>>175873
If she can do anything, Kira tries to help her deer friend back up.

"Also yup!" Kira smiles. "I think it'll be fun having a roommate!"

>>175874
The side of her tail by Neela is not in any position to do anything but push her against the cab, knock her down, or try to trip Neela. But if Kira were to bend her tail around, she could move the tip of her tail to under Neela's chest and belly. Should Kira chose to do this, Neela seems a little startled, though not enough to jump out of the truck bed.

The farmer chuckles
"Heh heh" He smiles back to her

"Well, I think we're about there. Seems like I might be seeing you in the future."

>>175875
Neela has to remember, as Kira bends her tail around to help her up, that Kira is still full of goat and is very unlikely to even consider trying to eat more. The risk of suddenly turning into the lamia's meal is far smaller than it was even before she visited the farmer.

"Hehe, I suppose so. It won't be too soon, I promise you, but I'm very, very grateful that you'll continue to do business with me!"

>>175876
If Neela is afraid of Kira, she is more afraid of jumping out of a moving vehicle.

“Oh yeah, my livestock go to all kinds of new creatures and beasts. I’ve never seen any one so exotic as… you, yet though. Not coming onto my farm. Mostly some pony or griffin or even a diamond dog will buy and animal for others.”

He pulls up to the house, slowing down to check the numbers on buildings.
“Is this it?”

>>175877
When Kira sees her home's numbers, she calls out, "There!" and points it out.

"Well, this 'exotic animal' is a very satisfied customer, hehe!"

>>175861
>>175860
*nickers into the void*

GM, have we come to an understanding here?

If you're still working on the description, there's no hurry. Finish your thing with Kira.

>>175878
He pulls up to the curb by the rowhouse, in that narrow little band that allows for a single vehicle to stop. He places the vehicle in park. Then he turns back and looks to Kira with a smile that at first is genuine, but then becomes that stressed, awkward, tooth showing smile Kira may by now believe us the normal expression of ponies.

“Not like - I didn’t mean it like that.”

Kira may get out now. Kira may hear a hopping sound, and a tap, as Neela jumps out of the bed of the truck, and lands on the ground.

>>175880
"Oh I know, no need to worry about it!" She close her eyes and smiles at him equally as genuinely as he did at his. Before she hops out (not literally) of the vehicle, she turns back around to again ask the pony a question. "I just remembered, I never got your name! I'm so sorry, that was very rude of me."

>>175879
Are you looking for some specific undead? I think you said you were

>>175881
Kira slithers out of the bed of the truck, likely needing to be careful that Hopper doesn't simply fall off the bed, taking Kira with him. To Kira's left is a street light that illuminates her as she slithers past. The stallion gets out of the truck and walks towards the side, with the engine block still between him and her. He squints his eyes, and looks over at Kira, looking not just at her eyes but further down.

"My name is Bright Dye." He answers, rather warmly and with a smile.

Neela walks past, and Kira feels a split-hoof tap against her, a little below the middle of her snake section.

>>175882
Kira smiles, and would offer him a hoofshake if he were on the same side of the truck as her. As it is, there is an engine blocking her.

"It was amazing to meet you, Bright Dye!"

She slithers around the truck to get on the sidewalk. She waves at the pony.

"I'd invite you in for tea, but I think we didn't pick any up at the store earlier. Maybe you'd want to come and visit sometime when we do have tea?"

>>175882
>Are you looking for some specific undead?
I did mention the Shoosuva (CR 8, 18 HD Large Undead hyena-demon; name means "The Returner", and it animated or comes up from the abyss to aid or advise gnoll tribes in need) and the Gravetouched Ghoul (LA +2 playable template that confers ghoul abilities to a character; "touched by the king of ghouls"), with links listed above: creatures that I dug up for their relationship with the d&d gnoll deity. I figured those would have required a higher DC roll (Posey rolled a 34, unless the increased HD of the sacrifice boosted her roll), but who knows?
Or to just raise him back to life normally (as Posey would have done if she successfully called a Lilitu), whatever is most appropriate for the entity in question. Beggars can't be choosers.

>>175883
He moves around, presumably to come closer, but that's about it. He waves back

"Yeah, maybe..." he answers

>>175886
He comes closer? Hmm...perhaps now is the chance. Kira tries closing the distance between them, hoof outstretched.

>>175887
Leaning over, a hoof step, leaning over a little more... He extends a hoof

the hooves make contact
And he shakes her hoof.

>>175888
Perhaps Kira is just a bit overly friendly with the enthusiasm she shows for the hoofshake, but it is still a friendly hoofshake with no sense that she's trying to use it to lure Bright Dye into striking distance or anything silly like that.

>>175889
He smiles, shakes her hoof, and looks her in her eyes
"Pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to seeing you again, Miss... Cubala."

>>175890
Kira giggles at the mispronunciation of her name. "Kubana, actually. You can just call me Kira. And same here!"

>>175892
"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Kira."

Kira can feel something touch the edge the edge of a part of her body, and then Neela moves up to her side, having stepped over her. She extends a thin leg and split hoof to Bright Dye
"Neela Pheeta"

He extends a hoof to shake hers, though perhaps not with the same intensity

>>175893
Neela has really grown comfortable with being in close proximity to Kira, and Kira has absolutely taken notice of this. Whereas before she was much like some of the ponies who had wanted to keep what they thought was a safe distance away from her, now Neela seems to have no issue with touching, being near, or even stepping over Kira. Kira, for her part, actually enjoys this.

"She's a great friend!"

>>175894
Neela's head is pointed away from Kira, but Kira can see her cheeks pull up, lips pull back, and ears go back in a blushy smile.
"That's sweet. How did you two meet?"

Neela does not rush to answer his question. Bright dye looks down at Kira's form, the diamonds on her back, and the massive bulge bigger than Neela that contains his goat, which tried to eat out of his hoof not 30 minutes ago.

>>175895
The bulge is perhaps a bit...distracting, but other than that Kira's actually got a nice-looking snake portion, you know, compared to snakes. And Kira has been nothing but friendly to him and Neela. As long as he doesn't think too long on what's inside that bulge in her stomach, perhaps he could appreciate the novelty of her exotic form.

"We met in customs, when I arrived in the city! She's been showing me around, helping me out, and being just a good overall friend and keeping me company."