1777 replies and 49 files omitted.
>>175831It 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?"
>>175835If 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>>175833The 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."
>>175845Posey 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.
>>175846If Possy wishes to call upon
the other gods, she may do so, perhaps with, or without permission
>>175847Eh, I'll pass. Posey is interested in seeing whatever miracles the Kaftar's angel can conjure.
>>175848I'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.
>>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."
>>175850There 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.
>>175850I 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.
>>175857Kira 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>>175858Well 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 idolWell, that's a discovery.
>spSpell. 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/Lilituhttps://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lilitu>not true resurrection that's sought, but rather some kind of undeathThat 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.
>>175859What 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.
>>175863Kira 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
>>175866The 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?"
>>175867Kira 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..."
>>175873If 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!"
>>175874The 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."
>>175875Neela 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!"
>>175876If 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?”
>>175877When 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.
>>175878He 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."
>>175879Are you looking for some specific undead? I think you said you were
>>175881Kira 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.
>>175882Kira 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.
>>175883He moves around, presumably to come closer, but that's about it. He waves back
"Yeah, maybe..." he answers
>>175886He comes closer? Hmm...perhaps now is the chance. Kira tries closing the distance between them, hoof outstretched.
>>175887Leaning over, a hoof step, leaning over a little more... He extends a hoof
the hooves make contactAnd he shakes her hoof.
>>175888Perhaps 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.
>>175889He smiles, shakes her hoof, and looks her in her eyes
"Pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to seeing you again, Miss... Cubala."
Yeah, it didn't really come out as intended
>>175890Kira 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
>>175893Neela 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!"
>>175894Neela'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.
>>175895The 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."