/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

First.

Also, love the batzeeb.

>>177003
Holy shit is that Lunar "Butterzeeb" Nadir from the hit /mlpol/ ttrpg Occupied Equestria?

Posey concentrates for as many rounds as it take for her to discern the exact strength of the undead auras.

"I wonder, even if we found Curwhinny, short of him being a lich, how would we identify his remains?"

>>177010
scrunches

>>177011
It’s less than 11 HD

>But how many exactly
Smaller than 11

>but like, how many precisely
Less than 11

>the spell should tell me how many hit die. Not one above, not one less
If Posey can correctly guess the precise thickness of the interfering matter between her and the undead presence, and then the degree to which said matter would interfere with the strength of the present felt by posey, then sure, she could tell exactly how strong the undead is with a bit of math. She can’t.

>>177012
Well. Our question is answered for now.
"There is no lich in these catacombs. Of that much I am sure." Posey concludes
>If Posey can correctly guess the precise thickness of the interfering matter between her and the undead presence, and then the degree to which said matter would interfere with the strength of the present felt by posey, then sure, she could tell exactly how strong the undead is with a bit of math.
Rolling Int
[1d20+3 = (8+3) = 11]

>>177014
That’ll handle guesses as to the thickness of the material and the final calculations. Roll Knowledge Arcana for the effects on the spell

>>177017
If Posey’s assumption about the walls being simply fired-clay brick, as the empty and broken burial spots imply, is correct, and if the remainder of her math is correct, then these are around about 3 HD each. If there is actually another substance their, like sand, or if the off angle is making the brick the aura goes through thicker, then it may be a bit higher.

Of course, theoretically there could be a lead wall in there drowning out 99% of the aura. If that’s the case, it’s much bigger than 3 HD…

>>176966 →
Amber is quiet for a moment. Then she says,

"If we can't get him to leave, maybe we could keep the Inspector from coming here. At least for a little while, to give us time."

>>177018
>Of course, theoretically there could be a lead wall in there drowning out 99% of the aura. If that’s the case, it’s much bigger than 3 HD…
A thin sheet of lead would block her spell entirely, so unless an unprecedented, apocalyptic undead is near who's sheer presence seeps through it, she rules out that possibility.
>3 HD
Moderate auras. More than a mindless skeleton or zombie. I would assume ghouls, based on the context, although if Posey is lucky they could be shadows.

You said the auras are coming from the walls themselves? Not the caskets or burial chambers? If it's coming from the walls, that means they could be incorporeal or burrowing.

>>177020
It’s a walled-in burial chamber, evidently walled in by brick and mortar. It isn’t impossible that the auras are coming from beyond the chamber, but it seems unlikely that any aura would penetrate that far through brick, stone, and clay.

>>177019
“Hmmmmm…. Or if he didn’t get back to Central Council… Maybe when the sun does not come on the date they think it will, they will go back to normal.”

>>177021
"Hmmmmmm."
Posey, still Concentrating on her spell, knocks on the walls that she sensed the auras coming from.
"~Yoo-hoo, anypony there?" she beckons

>>177022
"It's not far off at all," Amber replies with a glimmer of hope. "He will be proven undeniably wrong and nopony will follow him after that."

>>177024
He pets Amber, evidently out of sheer nervousness.

>>177023
A sound, and what seems to be scratching back.

>>177025
>scratching back
That rules out incorporeal undead. Bummer, I was hoping for a Shadow army.
Posey writes something down in her notebook.

"It looks like curwhinny isn't here in any capacity that rivals his former self, although we can't really be sure until we've found his body."
>>177008
"Open the casket. We should at least rule out that this one is Curwhinny. Any clothing, pins, or buttons could indicate who it was."

>>177025
pony is pet

"We'll be alright," she sniffles as she wipes at her eyes. "Thank you for listening, Papa."

>>177026
>>177025
Is opening the casket as simple a procedure as "push/lift lid"?

>>177027
"Heh heh heh" Sitting, he continues to pet Amber's mane, largely missing and instead stroking the hood over her head. Every tooth shows from his mouth, and he looks far past Amber.

>>177026
>She think's there isn't an army of shadows in the region
hehe

>>177028
No. It's in the chamber pretty well. Not quite stuck, but not far from it.

>>177029
>army of shadows in the region
Ooh?
Rolling Religion to see what Posey knows about this:
[1d20+11 = (14+11) = 25]
>Not quite stuck, but not far from it.
Posey helps him out with her horn.

>>177029
>>177030
Silver gives it the good ol' college try, at least.

>>177030
Posey is not aware of anything specific

>lifting multi-hundred pound objects with the horn
No. I don't care what Startlight Glimmer can do

>>177031
>lifting multi-hundred pound objects without a strength roll
No. I don't care what Silver can normally do

>>177033
Just seeing if it was required or not.

[1d20+3 = (10+3) = 13]

>>177033
Okay. She lifts it out herself then.
Posey can lift 690 pounds over her head. Is that enough?

>>177035
(Posey can push or drag up to 3450 pounds)

>>177034
>>177038
Good enough.

It's a very awkward fit. but Silver and the suspiciously strong mare are able to wiggle the casket out of the chamber without letting it fall to the ground, and carefully put it down.

>>177039
Okay. Now lets check out the body.
"If only we had his dental records... Anyway, check if he has any signets, pins, handkerchiefs, or identifying marks on his horseshoes."

>>177039
>>177040
Silver is indeed surprised by the mare's strength given her size, but it's not like he's complaining when otherwise it would have been a struggle to move the heavy slab of marble by himself. Now to check the body inside, if there even is one.

>>177033
>Posey is not aware of anything specific
Could I get just a hint from that good roll?

>>177042
Pretty sure places of great suffering and death periodically generate shadows

And if they don't then shrugs. Maybe there isn't an army

>>177041
>>177040
The casket has been sealed with iron rods and very possibly magic on the side. All of that is by passed by the severe cracks that have broken the rods and shattered the stone, with several chips and cracks all along the top of the lid. It comes off.

Inside:
An equine skeleton dressed in what was once a wool jacket.

>>177043
Hmm...interesting. How decayed is the jacket? Silver's impressed that any part of it would have lasted so long next to a decaying corpse.

>>177044
It is not in great condition, but not gone, either.

>>177043
>suffering and death periodically generate shadows
There's always good news for a necromancer where there's war.
>Maybe there isn't an army
Not yet there isn't.
>what was once a wool jacket.
Posey examines the jacket to check for any identifying features (pins, signets, buckles, etc) that may reveal the identity of the deceased.

>>177045
>>177046
Silver meanwhile checks the skeleton itself for any jewelry or other articles.

>>177047
"Careful. Anything here could be cursed."

>>177048
"I am, most curses do not activate unless you wear, use, or take possession of item."

>>177049
"..Sure they don't..." Rosey Ring replies, the sarcasm clear in her voice
"Anyway, we can't be sure if Curwhinny was a lich or not until we find his body."
>>177043
She looks to Pear, hoping she has ranks in History to make this check
"Was Curwhinny known to wear any sort of iconic clothing, signets, pins or other notable items in life that might identify him?"

>>177029
Amber, or rather Kultainen, relaxes as she is affectionately pet. Maybe her father is right about the importance of science after all…. Then a thought hits her, which makes her exhale clouds into the frigid air.

"Papa? I went to the blast zone with Jakala. Will we get sick too?"

Do we find anything in the casket that would indicate that this is Curwhinny?

>>176634 →
"Well" the stallion looks down. "I don't really know anything about that. Either somepony vouches for him and his story lines up, or he might be under suspicion of being a spy."

>>177053
"Well... I don't know" he pets her continuously. "I don't think so. Vaeltaja would take his followers deep into the blast, where the soil is more disturbed. And they'd stay longer there. You were only on the edges." His hoof pauses on her for a few seconds. "You said you saw a moose in the blast. Was it acting unusually?"

>>177056
Amber isn't sure if what she saw was a moose, and she knows she went to the middle of it all. Her eyes widen as she looks off into the distance. "I barely got a peek in, I was too scared…but it looked to have been walking in a straight line. I also saw hewed and stacked logs at the blast."

>>177056
Cavaliere narrows his eyes as he scans the room. "A spy for a country that no longer exists. Every inhabitant of this land is a suspect with so wide a dragnet." He turns back to the pony. "If he is causing you this much consternation, I can keep him under observation for you."

>>177057
He ruffles her mane, and her golden hair falls in front of her eyes again.

"Doesn't seem too out of the norm to me. Let's go home. We still have to... the problem has to be solved..."

>>177058
"No. A spy for Aris, or for Aquelia." He leans back. "You know what. Entertain me. What do you propose?"

>>177059
Amber nods and gets up in a hurry.

"It's getting cold out here."

>>177061
"And how, pray tell, would we know that they are not themselves deliberately harborers of spies?"

>>177060
He nods
"Yeah."

The two walk back to the hut where mother is inside.

>>177050
>>177055
>>177062
Any results on this skeleton?

>>177062
"Mama! It's so good to see you!"

Amber rushes over to giver her a hug.

>>177064
"What do you mean?" He asks "About the frontier"

>>177065
squeaky
Amber manages a hug around her, and she hugs back.
"Enjoy your short trip outside?"
Father meanwhile, hangs back by the door. He does not take his clothing off.

>>177066
She lets go and looks off to the right for a moment. "It…was alright. Salt is expensive."

>>177067
"Oh really? How much is it, Keskiyon? She asks, looking back. But Father has difficulty concentrating. He shakes his head, as if to bring himself back into the room. "Oh, they want to sell it by the kilogram and not the skalpund, whatever that is."

But behind, there is rapping on the door
"Keskiyon, are you ready?"

>>177069
"Well, then I hope you have an appreciation for our task."

>>177070
"Are you going someplace?" she asks her mother, smiling.

>>177071
"No" She answers. But her mouth is partly open, and her golden eyes wide as the rapping continues.

"Keskiyon, are you ready?"
Father gets up, and goes to the door.

>>177070
"I do, and I also understand that sympathy is not in your job description. But you should also realize that stallion…" he points off to the detained pony "…has no real evidence against him of being a spy, and is being kept out of his home simply because he left it at a certain point. There is a difference between running a customs gate and being a prison guard, however blurred that distinction may have become after the War. You probably don't want to view yourself as a prison guard for all of pony-led Equestria, and yet you are inviting that comparison. My way out to you still stands: it is essentially risk-free and will let you sleep better at night. What do you say to that?"

>>177072
Is Keskiyon the name of Kultainen's mother? I got confused with the dialogue

"Ready for what?" Amber asks as she looks toward the door.

>>177073
"State again, if you will, just what precisely is your 'way out'?"

>>177074
Peaking through the door, the head of the stallion from earlier:
"Kultainen" He says, looking over with a serious expression. "Your father and I need to go collect a larger batch of firewood." And looking to him, "I've got the sled, grab an axe."

>>177075
I really should be keeping better notes

Amber's eyes widen in alarm. "B-but there's plenty of firewood to go around. It's not necessary, really!"

>>177076
"And that is why we do not leave little fillies in charge of collecting firewood for the winter. Keskiyon, get out here. We must be done before the wind increases."

Father looks back at Amber, as if looking for a suggestion.

>>177075
"If you don't trust the Blackhooves' redoubtable but certainly stretched intelligence assets, or the local police, to keep track of a single stallion, I have the will and resources to do that for you." He cocks a griffon's equivalent of an eyebrow. "Now, is there some sort of 'assurance deposit' you need?"

>>177078
"Did you have something in mind?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "And do you know where you will be staying? Working?"

>>177077
Poor Papa…a lynx has got his tongue. "The only way we'll need more firewood is if we keep the doors open and letting the cold in. And…" she continues, finding newfound resolve, "If you spend so much time outside you'll have to eat more food. It'll be several weeks until sunlight and we need to make sure we have enough food to last us until then. Isn't that right, Papa?"

>>177063
Are there any checks/spells necessary for this?

>>176996 →
“Oh yeah, Vodka is great! Well it tastes terrible. Almost like gasoline. It burns your throat going down. But it’ll t you drunk quickly.”

>>177085
"Blegh! That sounds terrible!" She pauses, as a thought comes to her mind. "...how do you know what gasoline tastes like?"

>>177080
“Yeah, that’s uh, that’s right.”

But the stallion says,
“Get out here.”
And drags him outside of the hut.

>>177086
Neela narrows her eyes,
“What are you implying?”

>>177087
Kira blinks, and flicks her tongue.

"Like, have you drank gasoline before? I don't think it's meant to be consumed..."

>>177087
"No, wait, don't take him!" she shrilly shouts as she chases after them.

>>177088
Scrunching, and narrowing her eyes.

“No…”

>>177089
“Now how could you do that? As for ‘leaving it at that,’ well, while your visa only requires that you work in an economically productive field or more directly for the war effort. But a griffin isn’t the most regulated thing you’ve brought with you. You see, your firearms require licensing. Licensing that only comes with special government work. And we’ll need that paperwork to let you depart here with them.”

>>177090
“Little pony. This doesn’t concern you.” He says to Amber

>>177084
If you want to roll something for the fun of it, why not?

>>177047
>>177063
The inside of the jacket is sewn with purple, he is wearing a ring, and an envelope with a wax seal, addressed to a “Tall Sails”

>>177091
Rolling for fun
[1d20 = 12]
>he is wearing a ring
What is he wearing it on?
>envelope with a wax seal, addressed to a “Tall Sails”
Posey opens the letter and skims down to who it's addressed from.

>>177092
Left pastern.

Directly from Joseph Curwhinny.

>>177093
Does the ring match the wax seal?
"A letter from Curwhinny. We might have our corpse right here. Unless this is Tall Sails..."

>>177093
What does the letter itself say?

>>177094
This particular ring does not seem intended to create a seal, which is to say, no.

>>177095
Without giving a full transcription, it includes lines like
“Don’t trust Cinnamon Corn” and “Meet with Lanteen Rider after the Lady Joy returns.”

>>177091
Kira blinks once more before smiling.

"Okay! Vodka still sounds pretty nasty. Where's the flavor? What's the point of getting tipsy if the process of getting there is unpleasant?"

>>177097
“Well, it’s like courtship, or working, or… anything else, really. It’s the destination that matters, not the journey to get there.”

>>177091
>>177096
Silver looks over, reading the letter as best as he can.

"This was addressed from Curwhinny to his son. Cinnamon Corn was his 'loyal' cohort who sold out Curwhinny's location to militia ponies. Clearly he wanted his son to meet with somepony he trusted, though who Lanteen is or for what reason I do not know. All three are long dead, but perhaps one could look through history by asking their descendants or looking through city records."

>>177098
"I've heard the journey for courtship can be nice, though. The male courting you is supposed to shower you with gifts to help earn your favor."

>>177100
“Like alcohol, or money.” She replies. “But you don’t have to waste time.”

>>177099
Pear:
“Interesting. Another letter, presumably from Curwhinny. We can compare it to the others.”

>>177101
"Well, I'll try to get some wine if I can tomorrow when we go out. Then we can enjoy the journey and the destination."

>>177101
"See if hoofwriting matches up?" Speaking of, could Silver see if it looks as if the writing looks like it was made in a hurry or not? It's a minor thing, but it could be potentially useful to know if this was written while the catacombs were under siege or not.

>>177103
It’s smudged, and yes, with a lower quality of calligraphy than Silver has seen before.

>>177102
Neela smiles, and her little tuft of a tail wags.
“Yes! But not white wine. Well a white wine will work but… I like red wine more.”

>>177091
"Please, don't go! It's wrong! You don't need to!" she cries out hysterically.

>>177091
"I have my ways. I also have all required paperwork, but they are for the eyes of a pony with appropriate clearance," Cavaliere replies with a cold stare.

>>177105
Father looks over at Amber and leans down to pet her. Without making eye contact with the other stallion he says,

“No no. You see. We can head off the inspector at Kaukainen Piste and uh, and slow him down. You see, if when the sun doesn’t rise, it’ll blow Vaeltaja’s credibility. Everypony will stop following him. Then we can just clean things up.”

“Did you tell her?!”

Still petting Amber and not looking at him, father meekly answers, “She overheard.”

The stallion gives a long sigh, and in a much calmer tone of voice answers,
“How, pray tell, are we supposed to slow the inspector? And you know as well as I do that when the sun doesn’t rise, Vaeltaja will just claim it’s because of everypony’s sins of traitors or he just miscalculated and it’ll come later. And then when it does rise in two weeks, he’ll claim it was him. And we can’t wait two weeks. This is harming ponies now. Makea might have died and definitely would have lost an ear if we didn’t happen to find her, and I don’t even know who else he’s drugged.”

>>177106
“Well, as a customs and immigration officer, I am that pony.”

>>177104
>>177095
Silver also relays this information to Pear and Posey: "It looks as if he wrote this as militia ponies were barging down door. Of course it is possible that this was not written by him and was instead planted on this corpse, but that seems bit of stretch to be likely possibility."

>>177104
"Oooo, interesting. More details about my deer friend!" Kira smiles, and flicks her tongue again. "I don't know if any of the wines from my tribe will have survived, but if some have and I manage to bring some over, I want you to be the first one to drink."

>>177108
“Well… judging from the remains, he must have defended himself, at some point…”

>>177109
“Oh, your tribe has special wines? I’m betting those wines are super concentrated, right? Must take a lot to get one of you drunk. Like the wines used on Polyphemus. And you probably have them in big, clay, jars. Yes, I’d like to taste one of those.

>>177110
Kira nods in the affirmative to all of those questions and statements, before opening her mouth an yawning. It doesn't open nearly as widely as it did when she ate Hopper, but perhaps it's still just a slight bit disturbing. Still, it's a reminder of how late it's gotten, not to mention how much boat lag Kira much be suffering. Having a belly full of goat probably doesn't help much in that regard.

>>177107
Amber still stares at the fiercer stallion, her eyes wide and her body quivering. Being pet calms her down a little though.

"When it doesn't rise, Vaeltaja will be humiliated. You can order him to recant then, or banish him if he refuses, and you'll have the village's backing. But if you hurt him, his followers will know you're afraid of him and will turn against you. We also don't know what's happening to the villagers.
We could try following one of them, or watch Vaeltaja's hut to see if he's responsible."

>>177110
"Of course. This was not same Curwhinny who spent years trying to bring back family he lost to plague, researching occult rituals and foreign cultures, pouring his earnings from his business into learning alchemy and necromancy, bringing back bodies without souls and souls without bodies. He had grown in his unnaturally long life, accepted his loss and failures, moved on, found love again, got married and had son. He was fighting first and foremost to ensure they could escape, sure, but no doubt he also fought as hard as he could to be able to see them again. He may have failed in this second goal, but he still got to see them again, reuniting with his first family in Elysium, and getting to wait in paradise until his second family also came to join him."

>>177107
The griffon eases his expression. "Then you can assure me that you have authorization for viewing confidential papers related to military intelligence."

The face

>>177117
Oohh fuckoff, thats a good number

>>177099
"A letter from Curwhinny, addressed to his son. It is a complete letter, and Curwhinny should have had the means to send such a letter quickly, so it appears as though these are not the bones that we are looking for."

>>177112
He looks down and breathes out, then back in with a labored breath,

“The Inspector will be here before the sun rises. And we won’t banish him. He’ll banish us. Vaeltaja, I mean. He’ll have us banished. The Inspector won’t let us leave. That’s for damn sure. And I don’t want to harm Valeria’s. I just need him to go for a walk, and never come back. We know what’s happening to the villagers. They’ve gone mad, and it’s Vaeltaja’s fault, whether he’s drugging them with some mold he ripped off a dead tree, or… or if he’s just leading them out in the cold or… whatever it is, we need to end it. And before the inspector gets here. Just, why am I arguing with an eleven year old?”

Father adds,
“But it would be a very good idea to figure out exactly what he’s doing to the villagers. Regardless of what we tell the Inspector, we need to stop it, and to do that, we need to know what it is.

>>177114
“No?” He replies

>>177101
"You found other letters? It could be worth comparing the dates, to determine when and where he died."

>>177119
>>177122
"That is interesting theory. It could be true, I suppose. Every note and letter I found is currently in possession of archaeologists here. You would have to ask them for them yourself, they are not well fond of me.
No idea why, of course."

>>177122
>>177123
Pear:
"He is supposed to have died here. Or at least he is presumed to have died here. On the night of January 4 or morning of the 5, 770."

>>177123
"I would prefer avoiding the archaeologists for as long as well can. The priority, however, is locating Curwhinny himself. Let's check the rest of the catacombs for any similar caskets, as the true casket may still be here."
Her gaze fixates on several points in the darkness.
"This dungeon still has hidden dangers, just waiting to be disturbed... Glass Horizons might be disappointed when he reads my report, but it's for the best."

>>177124
When is the letter dated?

>>177125
"Have you found anything left that require being cleared out? It would not be good for my track record to leave job half-finished after having already taken payment."

>>177126
Among other imperfections in the letter is a lack of a date after the signature.

>>177127
"You can read my report when it's finished." The white mare replies, her gaze evasive
"There's still danger here, that's for sure, the kind best left undisturbed. I want to find out if Curwhinny is among that."

>>177128
Oh well

"Lets search the remaining exposed gaskets on in these chambers. Curwhinny may still be here."
Posey says, as she walks down the length of the catacombs, searching for caskets that fit the description

>>177124
Posey addresses Pear
"You're a historian from this country, correct? What do you know about Curwhinny's death? I heard many were sacrificed to put him in the grave. Was magic used to seal him there? You'll have to humor me; I'm from Farbrook, and I only know so much about the history of this country."

>>177131
“There was a small revolt by locals, mostly sailors, against Equestrian Customs authorities in Baltimare over basically taxes and crackdowns on smuggling. Most of the violence was actually against higher members of the Celestial Shipping Company, presumably over wages, discipline on ships, and personal grievances. The only reason it was recorded at all, besides the high death toll, was because the director of the Celestial Shipping Company for fifty five years was killed. There is no mention of undead, lichs, or magic besides the usual. Light damage to the Shipping Offices and none to his mansion. The grave set up for him in Rose Mound is understood to be empty. That is how it was recorded, anyways.”

>>177129
"What kind of danger that has not already been dealt with? This is my profession, it is information I need to know and sooner is better than later. It is not just my professional reputation I am talking about here. There are ponies here or who will be here who could get hurt, killed, or worse if there is something left here that needs to be taken care of."

>>177132
>The grave set up for him in Rose Mound is understood to be empty. That is how it was recorded, anyways.
"Hmmm, it's questionable if he was ever buried at all then..."
>>177133
"I'm here to investigate haunts: things that aren't so easy to remove with bullets."

>>177134
"How would you know if you were looking right at him? The historical record is split, saying his body was never found, probably because he was murdered and buried in a forest or out in the ocean, or alternatively that his wife decided not to display the body because he was horribly mangled, either out of revenge or from being burned in a fire. The writing on the wall in the chamber where the casket was found said a lich was sealed away there. And, well, that's about all we know."

>>177135
>"How would you know if you were looking right at him?
"Well... I could just try to ask him myself..." Posey says
"..But I would prefer not to deplete my horn until I've finished my inspection today."
Posey looks around the section where the casket was, checking for any plaques or inscriptions that could hint who the corpse might be.

>>177135
>The writing on the wall in the chamber where the casket was found said a lich was sealed away there.
"If he really was sealed away, it would have been with powerful necromantic or abjuration magic. Perhaps we could trace the source of that magic, of it exists."

>>177134
Silver frowns.

"That is not answer to my question."

>>177111
Neela moves back on the couch, going from laying down to sitting upright as her back is pressed against it. She stares at Kira

"Ah! Oh, you're yawning."

>>177136
There are none. It does not appear that the reason for this is defacement, but rather because none were added.

>>177137
"If he's sealed away with powerful magic, why do we need to tamper with him at all?"

>>177139
Kira tilts her head at the deer after having closed her mouth.

"Uh, yeah? What, do deer not yawn?"

>>177140
She turns her head somewhat, and still looks at Kira
"Oh no, we do, but...."

>>177141
Kira tilts her head the other way at the deer, and flicks her tongue for good measure.

>>177142
"Uh, I didn't know that lamias did that." She says, and then looks away.

>>177143
"Oh!" Kira smiles, and ceases the tilting of the head. "Yeah, we do. It's just getting late, and I'm getting sleepy."

>>177139
>why do we need to tamper with him at all?
"It's not my job to tamper with him, just to confirm that he is here."

>>177138
"It's not quite so simple, but the answer is maybe; probably even."

>>177139
>There are none.
Posey cautiously walks down the catacombs, to check if there are any other caskets stashed here that fit the description.

>>177120
"Vaeltaja has to be meeting ponies a lot if he's doing this. If we keep an eye on him it shouldn't be long before we have an answer," Amber reasons.

[1d100 = 50]

>>177144
"Ah, uh, already? Okay, sure."

>>177151
Looking down, the stallion sighs yet again
"Whatever. Either way, we are going to find Vaeltaja. Keskiyon, do you have your axe?" The stallion holds one up in the air. "I brought mine."

He has a large sled there which he places the axe on, or rather has it fit in a ring at the back.
"Get your axe, and lets go find him. Get a light as well, but you may need to turn it off, or at least dim it."

>>177152
Mildly scrunchy, he replies,
"I just need to see a license that would allow you to have a firearm, and some kind of proof of work."

>>177153
Amber looks uneasily at the axe but says nothing. She waits, looking around at the surroundings.

>>177153
Are there any other exposed caskets in the catacombs that fit the description of the one we are looking for?

If not, might just cast speak with dead to confirm the origin of the corpse.

>>177153
The griffon pulls out an envelop from his breast pocket, thumbs through some documents inside (thumbs, how do they work???) and retrieves a Nova Griffonian document. It is not in Ponish and the official might need a translator, but it contains a license for usage of firearms issued by the city of Weter, as well as registration for two pistols.

"Licenses aren't typically required to own or carry a firearm in Nova Griffonia, except in certain locales," he explains. "Unfortunately, the only contract for work I have is the letter from your office of military intelligence, which you cannot read. I'm personally surprised they didn't disguise the purpose of my visit, but I appreciate the honesty."

>>177147
Silver isn't happy that's the case, but at least he got an answer, so he's glad about that. He looks back at Posey's son, floating on that magic disk.

"Are you sure he should be here? My own father never took me anywhere as dangerous as this while I was in middle of my training."

>>177153
'Already'? Kira takes a look at her fancy new pocketwatch to check the time.

>>177148
Silver does, however, see what Posey is doing, and assists her in her search.

Actually...it might be a long shot, but Silver attempts to recall what, if anything, the dead militia ponies were wearing.

>>177157
>danger
"Oh, he's been through much worse than this." The white mare replies, nonchalantly
>training
"We do things a bit differently in Farbrook. Besides, our professions are quite different. Magic is an esoteric thing, which takes more than just practice, but a more wholehearted cultivation."

>>177160
Silver does recall that the militia ponies would wear jackets, hats, coats, and breastplate armor, as well as sometimes shoulder armor or other barding. Please note that the bodies of the militia ponies are absent from the floor.

>>177158
Like… 10 PMish

>>177155
Posey can see one. It’s a rectangular shape, the outer layer seems to be cast iron, and it’s more or less identical in basic shape to the one placed in the chamber. It’s slightly smaller than the stone casket, and thus fits into the hole more readily. It’s on the lower level. The only markings visible is “C 27”

>>177156
He looks at the envelope and the Nova Griffonian documents. He does not open the letter.
“A registry is a good start, but to actually possess them here, you’ll need a license. Someone from the military could get you one.”

>>177162
>one
Is this one of the ones that pinged my Detect Undead spell?

>>177162
"If you would summon the appropriate official, I would very much appreciate it," he answers politely.

He also gestures to the other room where the stallion is detained. "It would also be good for him to be able to see his family again. What's necessary to make that happen?"

>>177166
“Pretty much just that he not be a spy. His story needs to line up. Having family in the area certainly helps.”

“I can get someone from the military, yes, if that is what you wish. Someone who can, well, someone who has power to get a license, at least. If you are in fact doing what you claim you are doing, that is.”

>>177154
Stars twinkle in the night, and before the tree line, snow is moved by the wind in a sort of light haze. There’s the howling of the wind, and that odd noise as always. Father went back in, got an axe, and put it on the sleigh.

Stallion:
“Are we seriously taking her?”

Father:
“Do you want her roaming around here?”

Stallion:
“Fair enough”

The ponies go not many feet, past the opposing row of huts, and towards the dark outline of the tree tops when someone approaches.

It’s Jakala

>>177169
"I am assuming he'll be kept here for a while. If I brought a family member of his here, would that help?"

Cavaliere nods slowly. "Sir, if I wasn't on the level with you, wouldn't you think I would do anything but bring in someone of greater authority to assess my claim? Yes, I would like that."

Amber is shocked to see her friend out, alone, in the cold. She breaks into a gallop to meet her. "Jakala! What are you doing out there?"

>>177170
“Yes, it would.” He answers

“And very well. Met me make a call…”

>>177163
It is not. Both of those were brick-sealed chambers adjacent to Posey. This casket is past that.

>>177171
“The stallion left and I got bored.” She answers. She is tightly tied up in thick clothing

>>177172
The griffon looks satisfied that he made some headway with ponies rumored to be more stubborn than griffons. He waits.

>>177162
Definitely an interesting bit of information to note. Now, for the long shot: does the coat on the skeleton match those worn by the militia ponies in design?

>>177161
"'Heat of battle is fire that forges strongest blades'. I am familiar with idea. I am just concerned as father, myself, about his safety and how he is feeling being in such pitch dark place. Especially with how quiet he has been."

>>177172
>>177176
Rosey Ring approaches the casket, and beckons for Silver to help her open casket.
"This is the only other casket on the catacombs that matches the one that supposedly held Curwhinny. We should search it before take any other steps. I have a spell that I could use to conjure information from the corpse, but it is limited. There's also a nonzero chance that a powerful lich is sealed away here though: if that is the case, the only thing containing him would be powerful magic cast on the casket.... Let's be cautious."

Rosey Ring decides to do the thing that I probably should have done before we opened the first casket, and uses her Detect Magic SLA to scan the casket and the rest of the catacombs (and the area around us, just for good measure), for any magical items, active supernatural abilities, or ongoing magical effects. She concentrates for as long as is needed to precisely know the school and levels of each/any magical signature."

I will roll Spellcraft checks to determine power and school, if necessary, although since we're not in combat I might prefer to take 10 (for a modified 26).

>>177175
No. The coats on the militia ponies were leather with layered wool inside. They were brown, and in general, warm and water resistant. This is longer, purple on the inside, made of cotton or perhaps even silk on the inside, and in general not as warm, weather resistant, or cheap.

>>177177
Okay, but understand that just because you’ve gone off course on a diversion to do something that could be done at literally any time does not mean that your spell slots will be refreshed when you desperately need them.

>>177177
Silver obliges Posey's request, when she's ready.

>>177178
Hmm, drat. There goes that possibility.

>>177162
Wow, it's fairly late for a lamia who just got off the boat and is sluggish with goat. She looks over to Neela.

"How long do you usually stay up for?"

>>177176
>Heat of battle is fire that forges strongest blades
"My combat experience as a warmagus is limited, but I agree with your sentiment. For magical training, however, entry is the most esoteric and peculiar part; it's more than just having a strong horn, but the mindset to weild your powers... My supervisors, my master, made sure to brand that into me, before I even proved that I was worthy of their tutelage. They subjected me to the most excruciating torture to make me understand the true meaning of pain and fear, the likes of which hail from the Dread League. They chained me in a cellar with a starving rabid, with only the power of fear to defend me from its advanced. They bled me until I was nearly dry, and subsequently starved me, to show me what hunger was. They locked me in a dark vat full of hungry maggots for days on end, letting me out only after I was full of holes. They conjured foul creatures from beyond the realm of insanity, and allowed them to attach themselves to my skull and share their nightmares. They impaled me with hot iron pokers, with magic sustaining me until I begged for death, and only then did they allow me the privilege of trotting down their path... Ummm" The white unicorn pauses, realizing that she's been monologuing and divulging a bit too much information to a total stranger. She changes the subject
>how he is feeling being in such pitch dark place
"The feeling of being in total darkness is quite the point, essential to his training, for his profession, which requires becoming one with the darkness. Besides, he's sensitive to sunlight."
>Especially with how quiet he has been
(I haven't done the best job of roleplaying him; which is ironic because he's a character based on myself)
"He's a bit shy of strangers, or at least the ones you meet in the flesh."

The pale colt with the blotched mane appears to be staring off into points in space with his sunken eyes, as if following something that nopony, not even Rosey Ring, can quite detect. His mood seems to have picked up once the group entered the catacombs, his little hooves tracing invisible circles and in the air, as if drawing on invisible paper. A red Crayola crayon hangs in his little mouth, and what appears to be either a journal or a coloring book lays open on the floating disk of Rosey Ring's magic. The colt seems to be quite used to occupying himself when his mother is working, blissfully distracted by what can only be his imagination... unless?
He's actually hasn't been completely silent, but babbling to himself and occasionally tugging on his mother's tail to point out something the shadows. His voice is faint and raspy, and he mutters strange phrases in what seem to be distorted foreign languages, softly whispering to his unseen playmates.
Silver appears to have gotten his attention though, he turns his head, his ears little ears swiveling as he realizes that he's the subject of conversation.
[Tongue-speaking stops]
"...huh?" he whimpers, his ears folding back as his shyness creeps up on him.
"We were just talking about what a talented colt you are, sweetie." Rosey Ring replies, in an affectionate singsong voice
"Gloomy is a genius, my precious prodigy. He's already been through his basic training, not so torturous as mine, but nonetheless just as rigorous for his age. He trots a different path from my own, but he has shown great promise with his own profession, in spite of what meager instructions I can provide. I believe that one day he'll grow strong enough to carry Death himself on his back."
"He's very heavy." The colt interjects
"That he is, sweetie, but I believe in you."

>>177178
>Okay, but understand that just because you’ve gone off course on a diversion to do something that could be done at literally any time does not mean that your spell slots will be refreshed when you desperately need them.
Well, when you put it like that, maybe I shouldn't... I thought this dungeon was already cleared.
I'm gonna take it from your response and lack of description of the spell's effect that you don't want me to do it, so I guess I won't.

Magic Posey has left for this day:
>7 lvl 1 slots (I used)
>5 lvl 2 slots
>1/day Detect Magic SLA
>1/day Nystul's Aura SLA
>1/day Wings Of Cover SLA
>1/day Create Magic Tattoo SLA
9/day Rebuke Undead (half her pool of commanded undead is spent on the ghast)
1/day Negative Energy Burst (Su) ability

>>177178
>This is longer, purple on the inside, made of cotton or perhaps even silk
I'm so stupid to go around casting spells before examining his clothing.
Any chance that this could be a magic robe, the type a wealthy and prestigious Wizard might wear?

>>177181
Silver is, understandably, quite disturbed by the description of the "training" Posey had to go through. His eyes go wide and he visibly cringes, though mercifully his imagination is not quite strong enough to make too vivid of an image in his mind. He looks at the poor colt with pity. "Little one...I am glad that you did not have to go through what your mother did." Looking back at Posey, he continues, "It is not healthy for young colt to be so close to Death, or to focus his entire foalhood towards training. My father trained me every day that he could from dawn until dusk, until my muscles ached and I could barely move or lift up sword, but even he knew that it was good for me to go out into world and experience life as normal colt. Making friends, getting into mischief, learning more about world around me than just what my forge or my sword could teach me. I hope Gloomy gets similar chance to experience life as normal colt, to contextualize his training at least. It could also show him what all of this training and fighting is for."

>>177185
>gets similar chance to experience life as normal colt
Rosey Ring's eye twitches and for an instant she scowls, but in the same instant she returns to her comely, neutral face.
"Yes.. yes... We try very hard to do that in Farbrook, despite our circumstance..." she turns away and faintly mutters something unintelligible, which is hopefully not an actual curse

>>177186
Hmm, Silver wonders to himself if maybe he's overstepping his bounds trying to give advice to Posey, from one parent to another. Internally he hopes the mare at least takes what he said into consideration.

"I have heard good things about Farbrook. Very peaceful, very out of touch with modern world but in good way. All of Hill Pony nations are like that."

>>177188
dubs

>>177184
Posey is sure she’s seen more elaborate robes before. Then again, it hardly looks unlike a mage’s robes either. It certainly ain’t cheap, and it’s the same basic style.

>>177190
>purple robes
>necromancer's lair
I think I might get this reference, or I might be reading into it to much.

Posey seems fascinated
"Purple robes, they remind me of the likes of a cult of fearsome necromancers from a bygone age. The cloth has endured despite the flesh having long since turned to dust. If these are wizarding robes, that could indicate that this is indeed Curwhinny. It's best to check if they are magic." Posey says, already preparing to gently strip the skeleton

Before I try on what could be a cursed item, are there any patterns or symbols on the robe that could indicate it's intended purpose, period, or function? Posey is well familiar with burial shrouds, and has seen many robes in Magehold.

>>177181
Pear:

“Suffering helps define our lives and gives it meaning. It is through adversity that we develop our virtues. An easy life breeds ennui and listlessness. But, uh, the maggot thing sounds… quite a bit too far… Maybe your colt could use a babysitter while you’re at work, perhaps? He’s probably sensitive to sunlight because he hasn’t been exposed to enough of it. And he’s probably shy because he hasn’t been exposed to ponies enough. I don’t, uh, think he needs to carry ‘death’ on his back. At his age… it’s probably just better that he be a colt.”

>>177180
“Well, usually later than this, but… I do think it would be nice to sleep somewhere other than a holding cell for the first time in days…”

>>177194
>>177181
"I could foalsit him, if you wished. I have experience raising foals, I am experienced warrior so he can still get valuable training if that is your wish, and he could get chance to see why protecting this world and those who live within it from dark spirits like you do is so important."

>>177195
"Awwwwwwww...I'm sorry they kept you in cells for that long. You don't have to go to sleep at the same time as me if you don't want to, I'm just tired and wanting to sleep, myself."

>>177197
“Oh, uh, well, you can go to sleep I guess” she says, looking down, then back up again. “Not much to do with no alcohol and the buck gone… I guess you got that radio, didn’t you?”

>>177196
Pear:
“Heh. Heh heh. Ha! You? Foalsit? I can’t imagine it.”

>>177194
If Posey is offended or moved by these words, she doesn't show it, her face remaining stoic and paralyzed as she moves away from the awkward subject. She does not respond to the statement, but instead busies herself with gently removing the robe from the cadaver and examining it for iconography that could lead to further clues, with a level of care that might be indicative of an archaeologist, but also has a spectre of something ulterior more than mere greed...

Posey holds up the removed robe with her magic so it is fully illuminated by the light of the flashlight, for
"Purple robes, the likes of which Wizards wear. It's something like both of a fashion statement to flaunt their status above unclothed common ponies, but also a container for magical power. Wizards bold enough to wear robes often make a point of their appearance, sometimes being given epitaphs named after the color of their cloth, such as 'The Gray', 'The Black', 'The White', 'The Browncloaks', 'The Blue', 'The Red Wizards', or the ever dreadful 'Wearers Of Purple'. It's possible that we have Curwhinny right here, if this is indeed a Wizarding robe. I wonder if he was known to wear one like this...? Do you think so?" She finally turns back to Pear
Posey has no ranks in Knowledge (History) and therefore cannot make a History check to answer this question herself, but maybe the friendly NPC could make the check.

Posey herself will make a Knowledge (Arcana) check, because I think think Wizard robe lore counts as a "magical tradition.
[1d20+11 = (14+11) = 25]

>>177198
Silver scrunches at Pear's laugh. "You should imagine it. I am quite good with foals, I find. You do not raise three of them to adulthood without learning at least bit about them."

>>177198
"We'll get you some more stuff to do tomorrow, so being here is a pleasant experience. Goodnight Neela!" She waves goodnight to her deer before slithering back upstairs with her things, settling into her room. She curls up in the middle of the room, snuggling her head between her warm coils.

>>177199
Pear:
“I don’t think Curwhinny wanted to be known as a wizard, even if he was clearly good at it. He wanted to be known as a business stallion. In his portraits, he’s always in a black jacket or vest. More Gentlemarely. I don’t know what he wore in private.”

Only the inside is purple. The outside is blue, or perhaps faded indigo. On each side a bit below where the cutie mark would be, is a white symbol of two inter-laced, overlapping closed loops - a Solomon’s knot. The symbol is used by specific tribe of the ancient unicorns, but is far more commonly known as a symbol of eternity. It has been used on headstones, in reference to the World Spirit, and by aspiring immortals.

It isn’t clear what it means here.

>>177200
She blinks
“What. You raised three foals to adulthood?”

>>177203
Silver nods.

"Two sons and daughter. It just has not come up in conversation until now."

>>177204
“Huh?”
She tilts her head, and her ear flops

“When? We’re they with the same, or different mares?”

>>177205
"It was years back, with my late wife Storm Warning. Why do you ask? Surprised that I was family stallion back in day?"

>>177203
>“I don’t think Curwhinny wanted to be known as a wizard, even if he was clearly good at it. He wanted to be known as a business stallion. In his portraits, he’s always in a black jacket or vest. More Gentlemarely. I don’t know what he wore in private.”
"Hmmm, that is useful information. It's possible that he dressed for battle with magical garments before his death though, in which case him being buried in a wizarding could make sense."
>Only the inside is purple. The outside is blue, or perhaps faded indigo.
Very Wizardly colors.
>Solomon’s knot
>The symbol is used by specific tribe of the ancient unicorns, but is far more commonly known as a symbol of eternity. It has been used on headstones, in reference to the World Spirit, and by aspiring immortals.
So this is either a wannabe Lich's Wizarding robe, or a horse-hebrew burial shroud.
>It isn’t clear what it means here.
Well, we can find out if it's a magic item, the good old-fashioned way:

Posey dusts off the robe, and slips it over her back, trying it on.

>>177206
Mildly scrunchy
“Well… Yes.”

>>177208
Silver chuckles.

"You will come to learn, I am full of surprises."

>>177207
Silver finds it amusing that Posey, who was warning Silver against messing with any cursed items, is now just straight up putting on a dead necromancer/lich's coat.

>>177209
DM seemed pretty intent on warning me not to use up my magic, so this is how it's going to be.

"Trust me, I'm a professional." Posey says, with nothing to back that up.
>inb4 robe of powerlessness
No fun without risk.

>>177209
Pear simply looks over flustered at Silver

>>177210
poof

>>177201
Now, does she have a mattress? A blanket? Sheets? A Rug? Maybe like a deer to cuddle up with? Does she just lay down?

>>177211
Does that mean nothing happens, or that I disintegrate?

>>177211
"What is wrong, Pear?"

>>177211
She does have a lamia-sized bedroll to sleep on. She also does have a cuddly deer but Kira's no sure if Neela would like to cuddle together to sleep.

>>177213
"You're not going to elaborate?"

>>177214
Well, she is her deer

>>177215
Hmmmmm...Kira's going to be nice and let Neela decide for herself if she wants to snuggle up with a big, warm, cuddly creature like Kira.

>>177215
"Well, what did you want to know?"

>>177217
"Well, about the whole you being married and having children thing"

>>177216
The floor is, thankfully, strong enough to hold Kira... even if it creaks.

Neela does poke her head in, and looks at Kira

>>177218
"I know, I mean what did you want to know exactly? How we met, what our home life was life, what our children were like? I could try expositing everything about my life's story here and now, but I am not sure dark catacombs are best place for that. Better suited for something like bar or tavern, paired with good drink."

>>177212
>>177211
So, does the robe have any tangible effects, or is it just a robe?

>>177218
Kira looks over at Neela from her warm, comfy position atop her bedroll and smiles. "Hello Neela! Just saying goodnight?"

>>177219
"Well uh, okay" She answers

>>177222
Not exactly what Silver was looking for in an answer.

"Okay as in...?"

>>177224
“Well, if you don’t want to talk about it…”

>>177207
I strongly suspect that the way in which you approach the fantasy element is different than the way in which I approach and approached it when this quest was made 6 IRL years ago. To Posey, a very powerful necromancer who is sealed away is something that every county has. Like there’s one imprisoned on every hill. And studying the history of said necromancer is as simple as driving to the county seat, going to the courthouse, going into the courtroom and looking at the portraits of the county judges, as Necromancer or powerful mage is just a role in the world that people fill in rotation like county judge, and it’s as well known as a county judge. This may actually be how The Dread Lands work. But it isn’t the way Baltimare and the surrounded regions were created as being. When the quest was made six years ago, it was based off of an HP Lovecraft story. While Lovecraft has his own pantheon and Mythos, that isn’t his characters living in his world see things. They think that the world they live in is the same as our world. And in our world, actual magic is an extreme aberration, unknown, alien, mysterious, and above all, rare. Lovecraft even names multiple actual history figures to try to tie his story into our known world. This is not just a simple visit to the county courthouse. This isn’t intended to be an ultra-high magic, high fantasy setting that occasionally mixes in outside elements. This is intended to be a story about social conflict that mixes in fantasy as a spice.

I should also mention that this quest has been concluded. Five years ago. It’s been revisited and dug up twice before now, which marks the third time. You’re metaphorically as well as literally digging up a corpse. All intended mysteries have already been exhausted. There’s another quest I’ve been waiting two IRL years to get to.

>>177228
>I strongly suspect that the way in which you approach the fantasy element is different than the way in which I approach
>actual magic is an extreme aberration, unknown, alien, mysterious, and above all, rare
>This isn’t intended to be an ultra-high magic, high fantasy setting that occasionally mixes in outside elements. This is intended to be a story about social conflict that mixes in fantasy as a spice.
I think I have misunderstood your mileau. I got that it was a CoC/d20 modern sort of contemporary mileau, but I also approached it from the perspective of the show where every third person being a unicorn and every tenth unicorn knowing a handful of spells and the heads of state having been immensely powerful mages, so I took it as a high-magic fantasy within a contemporary setting. That and it being D&D. It appears that I approached it from the wrong angle.
>To Posey, a very powerful necromancer who is sealed away is something that every county has. Like there’s one imprisoned on every hill. And studying the history of said necromancer is as simple as driving to the county seat, going to the courthouse, going into the courtroom and looking at the portraits of the county judges, as Necromancer or powerful mage is just a role in the world that people fill in rotation like county judge, and it’s as well known as a county judge. This may actually be how The Dread Lands work. But it isn’t the way Baltimare and the surrounded regions were created as being.
This is a product of Posey's backstory, and I have been roleplaying accordingly. Posey being out-of-touch with the nuances of the modern world is meant to be a flaw in her character and the potential for character development. It's why she thinks flaunting her powers and acts of brutality are the solution to all life's problems, and why she uses archaic weapons instead of guns.
That being said "it's what my character would do" is no excuse for inappropriate behavior, so if it's too annoying then I'll adjust accordingly.
>this quest has been concluded
>All intended mysteries have already been exhausted
This I did not know. I believed that I was helping Silver with completing his quest, and that my character's knowledge of the Dark Arts would be useful to the party's goals and a way to finally join with the party.
Also, I was kind of just looking for something to do while the snek was finishing her quest.
>There’s another quest I’ve been waiting two IRL years to get to.
Well, I can do that whenever you are ready. I don't mind if it takes railroading or time skipping to get there. I don't really need any strong motivation other than the promise of treasure and/or a chance for Posey to practice honing her powers in battle; I just want to play.

>>177228
>There’s another quest I’ve been waiting two IRL years to get to.
I want to ask, GM, what exactly is your endgame for this whole thing? Like, is there an overall plot of events you want the party to take part in? It's been going on for 6 years, but looking at it, I'm not exactly sure if I joined at the end of the story or somewhere in the early middle. I don't need any spoilers, but I feel like if I understood the point of the game a bit more clearly then I could roleplay in a way that advances the plot more effectively.

For context, I'll tell you what I thought was the point when I joined. I saw a game titled "Occupied Equestria", and from that I thought the point of the game would be to eventually free Equestria from occupation: to raise an army, to defeat the changelings, and to liberate Equestria. I thought it would be a gritty, grindy game with mass combat where the characters are constantly in war. It's why I made a Dread Necromancer: a character who at mod level could command a very large number of minions for a mass warfare based game. I figured it would be cool to raise undead soldiers in the battlefield and possibly reanimate dead NPCs or even characters from the show lost to war and make them friends forever.

Posey isn't meant to be a hero, far from it, but I still made her with the intent to join the party in liberating Equestria from the changelings. Posey may be an enemy of all life, but she still hates changelings as much as the next pony; more importantly, they are threatening her own dream, which is to conquer Equestria. Posey saw conquering Equestria as her calling in unlife, her reason for being, and without that reason for being she's just a shambling corpse of an ex-slave doomed to eternity of hunger and hate. Her cutie mark is a Ring Of Fire Eclipse surrounded by red flame (which also looks like a buboe from the black death), because she's based off of the white horse of Conquest (antichrist) and represents her role as a false savior. The reason why Posey would come to Equestria now of all times is because her dream is under threat; Equestria is being conquered by somecreature else, which means her reason for being is slipping away, and she has to stop it before it's too late as the changelings destroy everything that she herself wanted to destroy. That's my evil vs evil motivation for joining this game. The reason why she let August Wreath go wasn't because she was too cowardly to face a paladin or because her slave-bindings demand that she prolong her own existence; she let him go because his cause is the same as hers, to liberate Equestrian from the changelings, and because he could be a potential ally for that cause (even if she may need to kill him before she could make him her friend).

My point here is that I did make a character with motivations to be part of the main quest and to join the good guys. I didn't just make an evil, self-serving necromancer who only cares about vanity and increasing her personal powers (although that does describe Posey); I can in with intent to be an active participant in the overall story. Thing is that I feel like I might have missed the mark because I didn't understand what the point of this game was. It took me more than a year irl just to join with another party member, and although I'm not one to complain about that it unsettled me when you implied a while back that that was because Posey had no motivation to.
Did I fuck up? Did I miss the point of the game and make a character that isn't relevant to this story? It's been bugging me for a while.

I don't mean it as any insult, but I want to know what you actually want the characters to do with this story, so I can figure out how to continue.

>>177230
>the show had very many mages
Well I would say that even the show isn’t super high magic. Outside of the characters of Starlight Glimmer and Twilight, we really don’t see all that many uses of magic besides basic telekinesis or weather control. For example, despite teleportation existing in the setting, pretty much everyone takes the train. Even characters that can teleport tend to take the train or the chariot or fly or go by hoof, implying the teleportation has limits. While some types of magic are pervasive throughout the show (basic telekinesis), I think the only reason is looks super-high magic is because so much of the show focuses on Starlight Glimmer and the alicorns.

>Posey being out-of-touch with the nuances of the modern world is meant to be a flaw in her character and the potential for character development. It's why she thinks flaunting her powers and acts of brutality are the solution to all life's problems, and why she uses archaic weapons instead of guns.
She can be like that, all I’m saying is that if you have expectations for extremely high levels of magic, you will probably be disappointed.

>Well, I can do that whenever you are ready. I don't mind if it takes railroading or time skipping to get there
To be clear: I am fully aware that silver’s character/player started it; coming back to the catacombs is fine, just know that I have nothing planned for it that hasn’t already been dug up. If you want something new or special, you’re probably going to have to wait to give me time to think of new things. The only reason Silver got things is because I basically dumped a plot hook for every quest I’ve been thinking of for the past three years.

>>177231
Let me get back to this

>>177232
>I have nothing planned for it that hasn’t already been dug up
Well, there go my hopes of discovering a sealed lich whom I could revive later, and for getting a fancy new set of magic robes.
If there's nothing left to do in this dungeon, Posey would just continue her inspection, and then write up a report to spook Glass Horizons into quietly selling the property to her for pennies on the dollar. She'd possibly come back to the property on another day to plant haunted objects to scare off the archaeologists and convince Glass Horizons that the liability isn't worth keeping. Maybe she could get her ghast minion to prowl the catacombs and pick off the occasional archaeologist over the course of the next week or so, to scare them off.

Intent to buy the property would also give Posey a reason to want to come up with a very large sum of money in a very short amount of time, which would easily lead her to look into mercenary jobs for the next quest.
>>177217
With Silver's cooperation, I would like to try to streamline this and treat it as our "meeting in the tavern" moment, just to establish contact for the mercenary quest later. GM has already outright told us that there is nothing left. Posey detected some ghouls in the walls, but from her perspective the ghouls are fine where they are so she wouldn't share them. She would tell Silver that there aren't any tangible entities left to kill off here, but she would assert that she detects that the land is "poisoned", and that for the sake of his health it would be best that he not stay on the property for too long.
If there's nothing here left you think you could use Posey's help for, she would finish her cryptic but unremarkable inspection of the property, take a few samples, and then probably leave.
>>177232
>if you have expectations for extremely high levels of magic, you will probably be disappointed.
I'm just interested in finding cool treasure and magic items, and maybe the occasional discovery about death/necromancy that
What I did expect, however, is war/battle; and although I'm not complaining about how you run your game I would appreciate some clarity on the matter later.
>Let me get back to this
Alright.

Once Posey leaves, she will pick a flower or some other plant-based prop from the surface. She will then use the negative energy from her her charnel touch to cause the flower* to wither and warp and sprout diseased pox all over. She finally uses her Magic Aura SLA to cause the flower* to radiate an aura of strong necromancy for 7 days, turning it into the ultimate Necro-botanist prop to convince glass Horizons or even her peers at the university that the land is poisoned by the necromantic activity that took place there.

>>177231
Not the DM and I have zero idea what the endgame will be, but I'm not sure he knows exactly what the endgame is either. Barring exceptional circumstances, I don't see this game ending in less than five years, and that's if there aren't long pauses like there might have been (it's been so long since I've read the entire thing that I can't remember). As a player, worrying about something that far out may be inadvisable.
>I thought the point of the game would be to eventually free Equestria from occupation: to raise an army, to defeat the changelings, and to liberate Equestria.
Well it's certainly the long-term goal or aspiration of a couple of PCs, but that doesn't mean it has to be yours. I see this setting as a sort of sandbox to play around in, sort of like Far Cry but with even more freedom. In Far Cry you can do lots of things but you're still limited by the programming and set plotlines. This being DnD there's only really a limit to it by imagination and worldbuilding, and Equestria at War's world adds a huge depth and breadth that we've only scratched the surface of (I'm guessing this is why there are so many dream quests; the main setting is Baltimare but it could've been anywhere else, so the dreams help to scratch that itch of seeing how the rest of the world is doing, or seeing its past or possible future). There are different factions to side with, large and small, and you can pick any of them. One (sadly inactive) PC sided with the Changelings, and another joined the Blackhooves. Speaking of the Blackhooves, they are the actual occupiers of the playing space, and you would have to go through them to get to the Changelings. But that raises a dilemma: although most ponies in Equestria hate the Blackhooves, if you were to topple them then the Changelings (who are far worse) would invade. It's this dynamic world of politics and power balances that makes the game more than merely DnD but with ponies, though the ponies are a great reason to play.
>I thought it would be a gritty, grindy game with mass combat where the characters are constantly in war.
I don't see this happening very soon, personally. Besides the issues 3.5e has with mass combat (a system like AD&D might work better for this), the players (aside from Posey becoming an extremely powerful necromancer, which is its own can of worms with how everypony else would deal with it) would have very limited impact on the overall war. They would have an impact, but instead of simulating the entire Battle of Stalingrad it would be more like Operation Market Garden or the many commando raids that happened. There has been combat and it's more-or-less played out like this, resembling a video game with a combat>brief reprieve>combat>brief reprieve>combat>goal format. It could be played like The Campaign for North Africa board game but, again, 3.5e isn't built for that, it would make the interminable campaign even longer, and you could get that experience far easier just by playing the Equestria at War mod.
The HOI4 mod macro-scales the world of MLP by turning the lovely setting into a grand strategy game, and the drawing point of this campaign is that it reverses that. You get the dark and gritty setting that EaW provides, but with more focus on individual characters and heroics that can never be captured in a Paradox game. It's a microcosm of a larger world with powerful nation-states and armies numbering in the millions. I'm guessing PCs will get the chance to affect this larger world with their actions, but it will be through diplomacy, seduction, and the dagger of small-scale combat, not through personally leading a million-strong army. That doesn't mean PC actions are useless, but it changes the dynamic. If Hercules was real and was alive in the modern day, he'd still be superhumanly strong but he wouldn't be able to fight the whole U.S. army, for example. He would still be able to affect the world in powerful ways, he would just have to go another way about it.
>because she's based off of the white horse of Conquest (antichrist) and represents her role as a false savior.
That's really cool
>It took me more than a year irl just to join with another party member
Has it really been that long? You really lose all sense of time playing this campaign.
Anyway, these are just my own thoughts and I hope they help, but I don't have much more to add.

>>177234
>I see this setting as a sort of sandbox to play around in, sort of like Far Cry but with even more freedom.
Well, not exactly. I can't just go killing ponies and making monsters as I please. I have to deal with military checkpoints and whatnot that require me to keep a low profile. I don't know how I'm going to get that advanced bone lurker out of the swamp.
>dream quests
Posey doesn't need sleep, but I considered giving her ranks in Lucid Dreaming so that she could topple Baltimare's leadership by attacking them in the realm of nightmares and dragging them into the "if you die here you die in real life" portion of the dreamscape. A very vampire-like tactic.
>But that raises a dilemma: although most ponies in Equestria hate the Blackhooves, if you were to topple them then the Changelings (who are far worse) would invade.
I am the far worse thing.
One idea could be to invoke a wight-apocalypse and convert the population of Baltimare into undead, and then immediately march the wights into Equestria to attack the changelings. It's a rash and drastic plan though, as it conflicts with potential to cooperate with the rest of the party (because it's so overtly evil).
>issues 3.5e has with mass combat
Read Heroes Of Battle.
>would have very limited impact on the overall war
This can be resolved using the Victory Point system, in Heroes Of Battle. Characters winning battles and finishing key quests contributes to the overall victory of their faction.
>3.5e isn't built for that
I've seen, played in, and DM'd 3.5e campaigns that worked skin such a way.
>I'm guessing PCs will get the chance to affect this larger world with their actions, but it will be through diplomacy, seduction, and the dagger of small-scale combat, not through personally leading a million-strong army. That doesn't mean PC actions are useless, but it changes the dynamic.
That's what the Victory Point system is good for.
>If Hercules was real and was alive in the modern day, he'd still be superhumanly strong but he wouldn't be able to fight the whole U.S. army, for example
Hercules was capable of bringing back the dead by ambushing and wrestling death itself, fought the entire armies of tens of nations by himself, could lift and throw mountains and reroute rivers, once held up the weight of the sky, overthrew countries for sport, and could even change the weather by threatening to shoot down the sun with his longbow. He only died because he killed himself in shame, and then ascended to actual godhood upon death. Don't underestimate demigods; he could easily lay waste to any nation.
He has canon stats in 3.5e, and iirc he could probably solo pretty much any d20 modern campaign. The US army doesn't even have any weapons that could damage him, and even if they did he has so many hit points that they would be able to do anything to him before he picks up Oceanus by the ballsack and crushes the country under the weight of the Atlantic Ocean. He has enough HP to survive an atomic bomb dropped on him.
>Has it really been that long?
Yep.

>>177233
>Well, there go my hopes of discovering a sealed lich whom I could revive later,
If you really want it, you can have it. You just can't have it now.

>>177231
The game is intended to be more or less open ended

I was inspired more than any other source by a video I watched many years ago about Skyrim, where the reviewer said that they thought that Skyrim would be better if it were made without the main questline. What is Skyrim without the main quest line? It's a mostly open ended story where the central plot focuses on the civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials, with many side quests and especially the guild questlines, and the Thalmor looming above all as a greater evil, and the presumed big bag of any potential sequel. That's more or less what I wanted to do here. Later, I discovered Fallout New Vegas, and it was an even better example of what I sought to achieve. It has an open ended plotline where you can choose between three distinct ideologies or start you own. It explores issues of political philosophy that I find fascinating

That's more or less what I wanted to do here. To create a world in motion that's at a crossroads and could go any of several ways. There's a Far Right option, a centrist/center right option, a far left option, a center left option, a criminal syndicate, and many types of "fuck it" options. One player immediately went and got in bed with the fascists in the fullest metaphorical and literal meanings of the phrase, and fully sided with them. One decided fuck it, went to the changeling lands, and intended to come back with changeling infiltrators to take over Baltimare. One joined the criminal syndicate. One did a more or less good but neutral mercenary work. One decided to just be a regular filly. Several of them decided to do waifu simulator.

Thus far, the players have attacked communists, fought ELF fighters on a train, killed random changeling infiltrators, fought undead, and so forth. Most of the quests have been for the New Mareland Occupiers, or have at least favored them, in large part because of the aforementioned full-blown fascist, even when their characters aren't really entirely aligned with it.

In terms of overall plot, the main things going on are that within East Equestria is that the new Governor of Manehattan is leading a revolution to clear out the criminal syndicates, leftists, and moderates, and in teh process is draining all of the Fascist aligned resources on the continent. Overseas, a war goes on between the tripartite pact and the old allies of Equestria. Here in Baltimare, the New Mareland Government wants to get rid of its untrustworthy Social Democratic Party allies, and also is likely to do a crackdown on immigration and immigrant communities after recently exposed cultist activities. Down south and in many places, war continues against separatists, rebels, and bitter-enders. Over all, there is a serious looming threat of the Tripartite pact breaking down, and war happening between Changelings and the New Mareland State, and this is the long term danger. You could think of it like being in German Occupied France or Belgium during the time of the invasion of Yugoslavia, after the fall of France and before the breakdown of the Molotov Ribbentrop pact and the invasion of the Soviet Union.

> I thought it would be a gritty, grindy game with mass combat where the characters are constantly in war.
Not... Not really. I mean, it can be done that way, it would just need to leave baltimare. Posey could join with a resistance group in West Equestria to fight changelings, or go fight against griffins in the Meredines, or fight overseas, or... maybe create a fight.

I absolutely would not have approved any kind of pure evil aligned character, if I could do it over again.

There was interest to reprise/resolve the aspirations of no particular changeling-sympathizer,....

>>177236
Has Stalliongrad been sitting around twiddling thumbs the whole time? In EaW they do different things based on leader chosen. Vasiliy Pentsushenko helps Equestria fight against the Changelings, but that didn't happen so presumably he's not in charge. Sinister Serov prefers to start wars of expansion and there's no news of that so he doesn't seem to be in charge either. That leaves Dark Wing and I'm not sure what he does except have a risk of turning harmonist over time.

>>177236
>If you really want it, you can have it. You just can't have it now.
Cool.
>Skyrim without the main quest line
Oh, I see. Total open-world.
>just need to leave baltimare
I am okay with this. Posey has only been in Baltimare for about a week, and aside from the few NPC contacts and support networks that she has made in that time, she doesn't have any attachment to the area.
Transportation isn't even a big issue. Posey could pack up Gloomy and his snacks, go out to the swamp to that massive Bone Lurker, and ride it like a flying carpet wherever she wished. I just need a plothook to know where I am going.
>Posey could join with a resistance group in West Equestria to fight changelings
That sounds like fun. Going Changeling-hunting was something I wanted to do.
>fight against griffins in the Meredines
Posey is experienced in fighting griffons.
>fight overseas
This is one thing I would prefer avoiding. Posey just got to Equestria to start her mission, and she gets sea sick so she's not going to get back on a boat soon.
>maybe create a fight
I thought of that, but I've also been mindful of your efforts as a DM by not killing off the entire map or causing unending cataclysms in your world, despite all of the ideas I came up with to do that. The result is that I've been playing Spy, even if I wanted to play Warlord.
>spoiler
Technically, being a Dread Necromancer only requires being nongood. There's room for character development.

>>177237
wags tail rather intensely

>>177231
>>177239
>I've been playing Spy, even if I wanted to play Warlord
>Posey saw conquering Equestria as her calling in unlife, her reason for being, and without that reason for being she's just a shambling corpse of an ex-slave doomed to eternity of hunger and hate.
>invoke a wight-apocalypse and convert the population of Baltimare into undead, and then immediately march the wights into Equestria to attack the changelings.
I very, very, very seriously doubt that a single necromancer is going to conquer the entire continent of Equus all on her own with only a small amount of support from a couple ethnic minorities. Period. I just don't buy it. Baltimare itself has about 2000 garrison soldiers. But of course it isn't just garrison soldiers, it's also 1000+ police, some number of anarchist fighters, and all of their support like mortars, armored cars, and what have you. And then if she gets all of Baltimare, then what? There are 100,000 occupation soldiers in East Equestria. These have thousands of artillery guns, several battleships, and hundreds of bomber planes in support, as well as 500,000 more that can be brought from across the ocean. Now, I'm sure your response is "oh, but an infinite number of soldiers can be easily beaten by a good necromancer. Soldiers are not a threat at all." But please remember, the main purpose of soldiers is to delay the enemy while artillery shelling does most of the work. 70% of casualties are caused by artillery, and half of the rest by bombs and mines. I really don't imagine the undead as being very effective at countering artillery and mines. And it isn't just artillery. There are bombers, land mines, barbed wires, ships that also have artillery, flame throwers, tanks, combat mages, mortars, machine guns, and what have you. This is besides the fact that the 30 million of population who don't want to die would help, including formerly hostile partisans. And you just assume that they won't have paladins, clerics, mages, wizards, and hell, fucking necromancers of their own to fight back? Why would you ever assume that? If they don't have them, they will move them in from abroad.

And let's assume that the New Mareland State is defeated in its entirety. Then you have the full Changeling nation, at something like 500,000 to 1.5 million soldiers, with proportionately far more tanks. You have Stalliongrad with some hundreds of thousands. Probably yaks. And all of this is ignoring the fact that Starlight Glimmer, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, the Mane Six... They ain't dead. They are in captivity but if there were a very obvious need for them, they would be drawn out.

The essence of the problem is that when you go out and make a thousand or a half million wights, you've announced who you are, what your intention is, and how you operate to the entire planet. The entire planet is on notice that there could be necromancer operatives ready to spring up in their own population. They are on notice that they need to start making counter measures. And most of all, they are on notice they need to stop fighting each other and fight together.

The ELF can go on in part because they are cowardly and run away, in part because they can hide in plain sight with the general population, in part because they can recruit and get supplies from the mostly sympathetic population of the 65 million ponies in occupied Equestria and the Crystal Empire, in part because they have multiple foreign nations as well as the remains of the former Equestrian military supporting them, but mostly because they aren't self-evidently a threat to literally everyone. An undead army will have none of those benefits. And even with all of that, the occupiers are adjusting their strategies and means of fighting to try to counter partisans. They are introducing check points and internal passports, just as Britain did in Malaysia. They are banning and searching for all firearms, explosives, and cameras. Do you think there wouldn't be an adjustment in approach if the undead became an undeniable problem? It's not like how to counter the undead is unknown. It's just put to the side because it is not necessary. You can bet that book would be dusted off if there were a need.

The Dread League has one hell of a lot more than just one necromancer, and they build artillery. And even then, they almost always lose, and when they win, it's only by taking out the nations one by one. Never all at once.

>Hercules could defeat the entire US military
Would you believe me if I told you a little pink pegasus filly could suck the magic out of all of Equestria and disable every mage? What if I told you that a passive defense of the Changeling Hive - a literal rock - could neutralize even a god? You'd best believe it. Chrysalis and Cozy Glow are not stone or in Tartarus in this world, either.

>>177221
"Uh, well, yeah, sure, just... looking to see how... what you were doing, heh heh."

>>177174
"He left. The mare was mubling and moving her hooves like she was walking. Then she stopped. She went to sleep."

>>177212
>>177207
Posey knows exactly what this is. She can feel it. It is a cloak of resistance. It's on the weaker end +1. Almost certainly at one time it was much stronger. But it's been battle damaged, having been hit with at least two magic bolts and partly cut by two sword slices, slightly damaged by mold, and by the magical entropy of the passage of time, and in that time it has deteriorated in power. Posey could imagine that this cloak was made and donned for battle, but more likely it was kept around for dangerous magical experimentation.

>>177241
"Oh. Oh! That's good. Maybe you can come walk with us, so long as you promise to not be too loud." Amber gives a smile that would look forced if she wasn't wearing a cloth mask over her muzzle.

>>177242
Jakala moves over to the sled. The stallion speaks,
"Why is this one here? Jakala, you need to go back."

She looks up towards him
"You left."

He says,
"Little pony. You need to go home."

Replies,
"Everypony is out... I'm scared..."

>>177240
>a single necromancer is going to conquer the entire continent
Well, it would depend how quickly she could level up, but I had several different plans for how to go about it.
>only a small amount of support
A fun part of being a Necromancer is that you can gain the support of your deceased enemies, such as via Juju Zombies or Dread Warriors, or other various monsters.
>Now, I'm sure your response is "oh, but an infinite number of soldiers can be easily beaten by a good necromancer. Soldiers are not a threat at all."
Well, it depends how good. Posey is currently unable to even animate a single skeleton with her own power. As Possy stands, she it's really a necromancer at all, but closer to a warrior who happens to also know a handful of magic tricks.
Level 8 is when she would kick off, because that's when she gets access to Animate Dead + Undead mastery: at that level she would have ~77-150 HD worth of undead under her control, which is an entire legion and a half of undead soldiers, on top of around ~100 followers from Leadership + Undead leadership. These numbers can be further pumped with items, spells, and feats. At higher levels it could be possible to create bound undead versions of fiends who have at-will undead creation abilities alongside spawning undead to raise a truly absurd number of undead minions.
That's certainly not enough to take over the world all by herself, but it's enough to play a war game, isn't it?
>paladins, clerics, mages, wizards
Those sounds like cool bosses to fight as quests, and possibly even great minions when Create Undead comes online.
I don't know how many paladins or Clerics the changelings would have though. Wizards maybe. I didn't consider changelings to be very religious creatures.
>This is besides the fact that the 30 million of population who don't want to die would help, including formerly hostile partisans.
Well, that is a hurdle for the Dread Leagues run, yeah. Its cause cannot be justified, although that is made up for by the 100% recruitment rate for conquered territories.
But I'm not playing as Rosa Maledicta. I'm playing as an apprentice warmagus who wants to prove her worth on the battlefield and expand her powers by contributing to the war against the changelings.
>And let's assume that the New Mareland State is defeated in its entirety. Then you have the full Changeling nation
I was kind of hoping to go fight the changelings first. I have contacts in New Mareland that I would rather keep alive (for now).
I don't believe that the changelings have very many allies anywhere, because they are untrustworthy by nature. I think if a powerful and beautiful magician started freeing pony villages by squishing bugs, other factions wouldn't be quick to come to their aid, even if there are rumors of her using black magic on the battlefield.
>Starlight Glimmer, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, the Mane Six... They ain't dead. They are in captivity but if there were a very obvious need for them, they would be drawn out.
I considered that, but that's also sounds like something that would occur 10-15 levels from now.
If you think of it, the presence of Celestia is probably one of the biggest deterrents for necromancers from the league attacking Equestria, and the fact that she's currently cocooned would mean that this is the best opportunity for the league to infiltrate the continent.
>The essence of the problem is that when you go out and make a thousand or a half million wights, you've announced who you are, what your intention is, and how you operate to the entire planet. The entire planet is on notice that there could be necromancer operatives ready to spring up in their own population. They are on notice that they need to start making counter measures. And most of all, they are on notice they need to stop fighting each other and fight together.
This is kind of why I haven't done it. I'm still gunning for the false-savior gig, and Posey's cardinal flaw is her sense of vanity.
>The ELF can go on in part because they are cowardly and run away, in part because they can hide in plain sight with the general population
Well, August Wreath can count himself lucky that there's at least one mare in this world who believes in his courage, despite the odds. The Reconquista began with only 40 Christian monks hiding in the mountains, afterall.
He could make a good Shadowbane Inquisitor, and perhaps far later an excellent Blackguard.

>>177243
"Everypony?!" Amber exclaims. "Are you sure?" She looks back at the different huts in the village.

>>177244
>An undead army will have none of those benefits. And even with all of that, the occupiers are adjusting their strategies and means of fighting to try to counter partisans. They are introducing check points and internal passports, just as Britain did in Malaysia. They are banning and searching for all firearms, explosives, and cameras. Do you think there wouldn't be an adjustment in approach if the undead became an undeniable problem? It's not like how to counter the undead is unknown. It's just put to the side because it is not necessary. You can bet that book would be dusted off if there were a need.
Idk, GM. I've thought of a lot about this, but all of my calculations and simulations have been null, because the mere thought of an undead army is still 4 levels away, and that will take me 4 years at this rate unless I start doing a lot more combat a lot more often.
I would still be interested in fighting changelings and/or liberating Equestria even before the undead army becomes an option. Posey has a bow and a sword, she has a formidable amount of hit points, and she has spells that are useful for making victims look like the died of disease or dessication.
I'm really excited for the mercenary quest.

But I'm getting from your implicit tone that you're not really interested in my aspirations of taking Equestria back from the changelings with an army of skeletons. Since that's not going to be for at least four levels, would you mind giving me some hooks/guidance/advice for how to go forward? I feel like I could play a bit better if I had a good sense of direction for how I could play my character in a way that's helpful to the party and/or GM's story. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>>177241
>cloak of resistance
Ooh!
>battle damaged
>Posey could imagine that this cloak was made and donned for battle, but more likely it was kept around for dangerous magical experimentation.
"This was a cloak made to defend its wearer from hexes and deadly curses. I have a a strong hunch that this may be Curwhinny that we are looking at, based on the clothing alone." Posey says

If there's nothing left to do in the dungeon, what's stopping Posey from casting Speak With Dead to know the answer for sure and call it a day? Posey would just go home to meditate after her investigation is over. I know it's meta-gaming, but you seemed a bit strangely insistent on Posey preserving her magic, when by your own admission there's nothing left for her to do on this quest. Are you planning for us to do something immediately after this dungeon on this same adventuring day?

>>177246
>Are you planning for us to do something immediately after this dungeon on this same adventuring day?
Yes.

>>177245
At least one of them has smoke, surely

"She means her family," Father says

"Little pony, you shouldn't really be out here."
Jakala sits down

"But I am bored. I am scared and I am bored."
She trots along when the sled moves, to sit slightly in front of the sled, and then moves along as the sled passes again.

>>177247
"Let's bring her along, Papa. She won't make too much noise," she pleads.

>>177246
>what's stopping Posey from casting Speak With Dead to know the answer for sure and call it a day?
I mean, I guess there’s nothing. I know that you’ll 1000% wish you had that spell slot when you need it later. I suspect you’ll like the answer you’ll get if you wait until after the quest is over much more than the answer you’re going to get if you ask it now. I know from a meta perspective that it’s a very bad idea to do it now (and there is no reason at all it can’t be done later). But in character, I’m not sure why not.

I hate that fucking spell for how it undermines world building. It will never, ever, ever be referenced as existing by any NPC anywhere in the world. It will not come up in any conversation. If posey mentions it, the answer will be “what?” I’m not going to nerf your character’s spell set, but I don’t have to acknowledge it either.

>>177247
>Yes.
Okay then.
The only question left is what to we do to get there? I guess that's our job to figure out.
We could just leave.
>>177249
>I know that you’ll 1000% wish you had that spell slot when you need it later.
Noted.
>I suspect you’ll like the answer you’ll get if you wait until after the quest is over much more than the answer you’re going to get if you ask it now.
Cool. I'm excited.
>But in character, I’m not sure why not.
In character, Posey has no reason to expose the scale of her powers to strangers, or to help these two ponies with their quest.
Out of character, I, the player, just wanted to be helpful to Silver's player because I like contributing to things.
>I hate that fucking spell for how it undermines world building. It will never, ever, ever be referenced as existing by any NPC anywhere in the world. It will not come up in any conversation.
Well, that should be simple, because in the PHB it's a Cleric-only spell, and it looks like Clerics are pretty rare in this setting, and those in the business of extracting information of corpses could be even rarer due to burial practices, let alone those of "heroic" level capable of casting lvl 3 spells would be few and far between. This is reinforced by priests being virtually non-existent in FiM and irrelevant to the plot if they did exist.
>I’m not going to nerf your character’s spell set
Thank you. I would have missed this spell, because the word "Necromancer" means done who speaks to the dead.

That aside.
>>177219
"I strongly suspect that this cadaver may be Curwhinny, but I can't be sure. We should stow him back, so that nopony else tampers with him. I intend to take some samples and revisit this dungeon at a later date, perhaps within the week. There shouldn't be any corporeal entities left here, but it is inadvisable to stay on this property very long, because I strongly suspect that the soil may be cursed."

She turns to leave, to resume her inspection of the grounds before making her way aboveground.

>>177248
Father:
“Well, she needs to stay somewhere. Should she really be alone?”

Stallion, exasperated
“What are we going to do with the child?! What, is she going to just follow us? What then?”

Father:
“Well, maybe”

>>177251
"Jakala is very trustworthy to bring on hikes, but she shouldn't be left here. We got us firewood earlier and she did very well," Amber says in a lauding tone.

>>177241
"Just getting to bed! Did you want to join? There's plenty of room."

>>177227
"I do, but let us get out of this dank dark place first."

>>177233
>>177250
Silver supposes that will have to do. He does ask for Posey's help in re-sealing and stowing away the casket containing the skeleton, as it's probably not a one-pony job, even for him.

>>177255
Her eyes go wide, she breathes in, and she moves a half step back.
“Oo-what?! In the bed?”

>>177256
“Ah, okay. Fair enough.”

It’s at least not too difficult to place the large stone casket back where it was formerly placed. Soon enough, it is done.

>>177255
Her eyes go wide, she breathes in, and she moves a half step back.
“Oo-what?! In the bed?”

>>177256
“Ah, okay. Fair enough.”

It’s at least not too difficult to place the large stone casket back where it was formerly placed. Soon enough, it is done.

>>177257
With the casket placed back where it belongs, Silver leaves the strange Necrologist mare to her work and exits the dark catacombs with Pear via the quarry exit. Once back out in the open, Silver stretches and breathes in the fresh air deeply. He's very much glad to be out of the stale, dank corridors and cold dungeon rooms. He looks over at Pear and smiles.

>>177257
Kira nods in the affirmative. "Yeah! If you wanted to, that is." In a singsong voice, she adds, "*It's really comfy!*"

>>177152
“Alright. If you would, step over to the side.”

Garb is placed over into a side room. He has to wait. Quite a while, actually. Garv can’t see much of the world beyond the one open door, which seems to forever await the arrival of the pony who is the key to his new life in this new land, but what he does see he surely analyses to no end. A couple ponies move by, and he can hear noises, but mostly it’s a still room with indistinguishable sounds of talking elsewhere.

Then he steps through. It’s a peppered gray unicorn with a green uniform, a slough hat, and a cigarette in his mouth.

“You the new one?” He asks

>>177252
“Just. Ugh- You know what? Sure. It will give your daughter something to do. To look after the even smaller one. Come on.”

Jakala hops onto the sled.

>>177256
Rosey Ring complies. She even carefully puts the cloak back on the skeleton (she can always come back for it later), and helps him stow it away.
>>177259
The white mare follows him, shielding her eyes from the light of the sun. Gloomy does the same.

>>177261
Heavy clothes obscure their expressions too much, but Amber would be smiling and wagging her tail. She considers sitting behind Jakala, but she doesn't want to make the grown-ups second-guess their decision by being dead weight. She instead helps pull the sled.

>>177261
Cavaliere nods, remaining in place.

"Name is Cavaliere. May I know whom I am speaking to?" he replies.

>>177264
“Major Jungle Dark of the New Mareland Army Corp.” He nods.

“You’re a… special recruit, as I understand, from Nova Griffonia? To help replace some of those we’ve lost to Manehattan and general attrition.”

>>177266
The griffon raises an eyebrow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am not a 'recruit' however, more of an 'auxiliary.' I understand there are areas where you need discretion and don't want a pony that can be tied directly back to the Army."

>>177262
Oh wait, I forgot to do my actual job. Rosey Ring may be a liar, but she's also a trained professional, so when she says she's going to complete a quest she makes sure it gets done.
Before Rosey Ring leaves she takes a minute and chants in the throes of recitation to perform the necessary exorcism ritual to force any haunting presence on the grounds to reveal itself. She takes 10 on her DC 20 religion check for a modified 21.

(I don't expect anything to come of this. I'm just make a point to show that Posey did in fact do what she promised she would do).

>>177269
For best results for number of ghosts, if any ghosts, and any traits these ghosts may have, check in after I’ve had enough time to think of individual stories and traits even though I did this for the undead in the vampire cavern and it amounted to nothing.

>>177270
>even though I did this for the undead in the vampire cavern and it amounted to nothing
Yeah, I was really interested in that, but I was preoccupied by the hail of gunfire and subsequent burning of the building. It wasn't necessarily my intended path, but that's how it played out.

>>177267
He takes a seat in the room and invites Garv to sit down on a seat across a small table from him. “Come, sit.” Any insistence on standing is met with “No no. Sit.” He speaks

“Yes, auxiliary. I suppose that’s the term. I think you’re already familiar with our practice of recruiting Nova Griffonian mercenaries. Most of those are assigned to patrol the Changeling border. To hopefully cut off any trade of arms, or movement of rebels across the border, and to provide warm bodies to slow down any potential invasion, while the real defensive line is built back here, in the Port of Baltimare. Those griffins are paid well by Nova Griffonian standards, but very little, all things considered. They are recruited from among the vagabonds and the unemployed. You can imagine we’ve had to hang quite a few for smuggling arms themselves.” He taps his cigarette over the floor and lets the ask fall to the ground, then takes another draw

“But that isn’t why you’re here, as you’ve surely surmised. Let me give you the background. This is Baltimare. Baltimare is not a live, organic city. A live city - if any settlement so large as to be called ‘a city’ coulr ever be considered ‘live’. In any proper pony settlement, a pony is born, lives, and dies in more or less the same region, if not the same village. He has a connection to the land he lives in by birth and by blood. Its myths are his myths. Its history is his history. Its successes, failures, and suffering are his successes, failures and and suffering. It’s collective project is his collective project its its glory is his glory. He has a place, a purpose, and a destiny within a carefully crafted social scheme where he is connected to those around him by shared history, myths, blood, and destiny. That is harmony. That is where loyalty, generosity, kindness, laughter, honesty, and friendship flourish.

And that is not what Baltimare is. To be sure, at one time in recent memory, it was a simple fishing village, then a moderately important trading port, even if lacking a royal shipyard. But Baltimare’s curse is the have a natural harbor, not far by rail from the equestrian interior, the closest by barge to the resources of the south, and closest by sailing clipper to southern Griffonia or northern Zebrica, and even closer by steamship or ocean liner. Always a center of entrepôt, it is now a center of heavy industry. Not even half of the creatures residing here were born here. Its most obvious, to be sure, with the myriad non-pony creatures in Baltimare, a majority of whom flooded the east side in the last five years, but a great many have been here far longer than that. There are diamond dogs, griffins, zebras, deer, Kirin, and more than that, and most are not well assimilated, if a non-pony may ever be said to be fully assimilated into the land of ponies. But even among the ponies most are alien, and if they are not their parents are. Many come from oversees, many are severyanan emigres, from the natives of the south, or of the bat pony communities, and many are simply from the countryside or the interior, looking for work.

The result is that most are strangers living amongst strangers, whose only relationship with the city and its ponies is that they are employees under large industrial employers. They are alone, in need, and angry. Just as mold grows in cold, dark, environments, so too do dangerous lies take hold here.

They are told lie that harmony does not need a delicate ecosystem, but only a simple set of values that may be applied to an ever-growing circle. They are taught that friendship does not require commonality, but may encompass the whole universe. They are taught the lie that money is the only defined value, and that every other value is pure idiosyncrasy. Abd for this dangerous lies, a few are willing to kill and die. These are the anarchists, the harmonists, and the assortment of other leftists who make up a majority of the politically inclined members of the population. Baltimare was rebellious against the old princesses, trying to establish a state based on the abolition of most of what forms the foundation of civilization, as they did in Severyana. But unlike Severyana, the Princess was having none of it, and the rebellion was crushed.

But in the chaos, a few opportunists seized on the chance to present themselves as the harbingers of the brighter tomorrow, holding back the reactionaries, and in reality creating their own little fiefdom. You have them in Nova Griffonia, don’t you? Social Democrats. A socialist state by non-violent means, or something. They set up their own secret police force, gathering information on their political enemies, then hoofing it over to the Equestrians who then arrested their enemies. Perhaps the most efficient of these was Lavender Berry, who placed himself at the head of the police force, and allowed organized crime - and disorganized crime, for that matter - to flourish, so long as he and his friends stayed in power. After we came in, this arrangement was abolished by the previous military governor. A revolt ensued. It has been reinstated, but our trust in our collaborators must be forever verified. And likewise, Baltimare has long been a cauldron of racial tension, especially with the bat ponies, who have not gotten along well with the labor and leftist organizations of the city.”

>>177267
>>177272
“Against all of this, Baltimare is actually useful to our overall efforts. The city refines the tin and copper mined in the south and brought it on barges. It processes the jute and the rubber. It refines the oil of the south into aviation gasoline and fuel oil we use in our planes and ships. It makes the chemical dyes we use in our uniforms, and fertilizer we ship to far off Griffonian fields. So there is a need to keep order in this modernist mess of leftist extremists, organized crime, potential bat pony or southern separatists, and whatever dangers come out of the immigrant population, besides more traditional and obvious threats, like royalist rebels along the countryside, or hippogriffian spies and commandos.

And now to you…
If you were following along, and as you may have guessed, relations can get… complicated. More discretion is required in, for example, labor relations. We represent the ponies, but also industry and the migrant workers that compete with labor. Having somepony… err, someone else to handle the finer details is hoofy.

Over in Bales, you can stay your entire tour on the border, flying patrols or sitting at check points.” Shaking his head. “That is not what this is. Here, you will serve as required. Your pay is for results, not hours. Your contract does preclude you from any work adverse to the military district, but it is not exclusive. You may work for the State Secrurity Administration or Revenue and Migration Service doing much the same, or for the police, for the Feltons doing security, or even the Bail Bonding companies taking bounties. Though if a war breaks out on the continent…” He smiles “That would change things.”

>>177259
“Yeah…” Pear places the light down, turns it off, and then turns back towards Silver. “Gasp!” Her eyes go wide and she jumps back. Head pulled away. “Silver! You’re different!”

She turns her body to face him, and slowly steps closer and moves her head closer. Her neck slowly extends and tail slowly moves upwards. And raises her right hoof and extends it until it touches Silver’s fur.

“I thought your coat looked different inside but uh, I couldn’t be sure in the dim light… I thought I saw something. I guess I did see it. Silver, your coat is brighter… Your mane is darker… you must look at least twenty years younger…”

>>177260
Her head moves down and ears go back. She is blushing. “Do you uh, do you normally sleep with other snakes? Other females. At night?”

>>177274
>. I guess I did see it. Silver, your coat is brighter… Your mane is darker… you must look at least twenty years younger…
Iirc, this was one of the warning signs of potential demonic possession. Posey makes a religion check to see if Silver needs an exorcism.
[1d20+11 = (18+11) = 29]

>>177275
While there is a surge in harmonic magic in the subject, what Posey observes is not consistent with said magic containing an intelligence. It’s also worth mentioning that his appearance has not changed since Posey first laid eyes on him.

>>177276
Well, that begs the question: wtf is going on?
Arcana check
[1d20+11 = (17+11) = 28]

>>177277
Best guess? An introduction of unnatural amounts of life energy. This is consistent with Posey’s observations of magic, and also Dr. Faucet’s claims that the subject de-aged.

Pear may have also gone semi-blind while underground. That works too.

>>177278
>An introduction of unnatural amounts of life energy.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE muh real estate! I wanted a dungeon full of lingering negative energy and entropy.
Is the source of the magic within Silver, or within the dungeon itself affecting him? If there's one thing Posey is familiar with, it's negative energy, and by extension it's polar opposite.
I think *now* might be the appropriate time to use my 1/day Detect Magic SLA.
>>177274
"Silver, ummm... Something is going on..." Rosey Ring appears to be at a loss for words
She appears to be agitated, her eyes widening. The pony who talked so casually about torture, monsters and death appears to be on guard for whatever has caused this sudden change in the ambient energies.

>>177280
I think I'll wait for Silver's response.

>>177274
>>177279
Even as Pear makes her exclamation, Silver can feel something has changed. As he stretches, the usual cacophony of pops and cracks that accompany his aged joins is surprisingly missing, as are the aches and pains that naturally coming with aging. As Pear's hoof touches Silver's fur, she can tell immediately that somehow it's managed to become softer, fuller, fluffier than before. Silver looks at Pear, and she can see in the light of day how even his eyes seems to be sparkling in a brighter shade of blue than they were before they delved beneath the earth.

"I feel different. I feel good! I have not felt like this in...years!" It was hard to tell inside the dungeons and catacombs with how their voices reverberated against the walls, but even his voice sounds different to her. It's still deep, but much of the gravel of age seems to have left it, making him sound clearer and younger. He looks up and off into the distance, the cogs turning in his mind coming to a realization. "Мои богини...that fruit!" He looks over Pear, seeing if similar changes have been made to her as well.

>>177284
"Whatever could be the cause of this...?" Rosey Ring says as walks out of the dungeon, her tone flat
She doesn't appear quite as glowing as she did in the darkness, her colors slightly dulled and not quite as strikingly beautiful as she was in the dim light of the dungeon. It seems as though she wasn't lying about being sensitive to sunlight.

>>177284
Pear's body is turned towards Silver, allowing mostly her front profile to be seen, and not much of her body. Still, Silver can see that her coat is a strong lemon-yellow, and her mane a vibrant strawberry-red, kept up as it is by several ties, and her tail likewise tied up. She's small and thin, and appears to be a youthful mare of about 24 or 25. How old is she really? 26? 28? Hard to remember. She may not be a borderline filly like Khoi, but she's hardly old, either.

Pear is very close to Silver. Her head is stretched out, now near his. He can see her little pink nostrils at the end of her rounded snout slowly open then close. She stares into Silver's eyes with her own. Her irises are yellow-green, the color of a pear. For a moment the two stare into each other's eyes. Pear breaks off after twenty or so seconds, looking to the side. Her hoof presses against Silver's chest, buried slightly in her fur, up until she breaks away.

>>177286
>>177284
Her coat is indeed more vibrant than it seemed. But is that only because it stands out more than it did in the dim light of the catacombs, or is she really more brilliant than she was before?

She looks confused. Her heart rate is heightened. She seems almost frightened, and certainly surprised by what has occurred. But she is certainly calming down.

>>177285
>>177286
>>177287
Silver feels the urge to blush after his extended staring contest with the beautiful archaeologist mare, but he manages to keep his composure. "You look good as well! You already looked great, but now you look even moreso! I...I think this is because of that fruit we ate."

Silver wonders, looking at how harsh the sunlight seems to be on Posey's fur, if she also could have used some of the mystery fruit that he is mentioning.

>>177288
>>177285
"Eh heh." She looks down, smiling, and probably blushing. "Yeah, I- I think it was the fruit too. I knew it was unusual."

She tilts the front of her body back, and pushes her tail down with her hoof, and sits down on the ground. She looks back towards Silver, and then to Posey.

"I think it was the fruit. That fruit... it reversed aging. At least twenty years. Thirty or so."

>>177289
Silver starts moving various parts of his body, lifting up legs one by one, bending his midsection left, right, up, and down, showcasing a remarkable amount of flexibility and dexterity. He lets out an amazed chuckle at every movement.

"I can not get over this, how I feel. I had gotten so used to so many aches, pains, and so much stiffness, I had forgotten what it feels like to be, well...young!" He bounces and prances around for joy.

>>177290
Pear turns her head away, looking over at Silver, and occasionally breaking away.

But she does extend a foreleg, and wiggles it around.

>>177284
>>177289
"It seems as though those were the fruits of Curwhinny's labors. He seemed rather obsessed with the concept of immortality, and went to rather grotesque lengths to further his research." Rosey Ring says, acting strangely unimpressed by this strange turn of events
(she hasn't actually seen them before they ate the fruits, so she can't tell the difference; and even if she could it's a meh issue to her)
"Be wary though. Such great magic always comes at an equally great price..." She adds, ominously, as she walks past the two into the site, Gloomy trailing behind.
>>177288
Rosey Ring is wearing a heavy cloak and chain shirt barding + dastana, and has pulled up her hood to shield herself from her sun. Her fur doesn't appear to glow like it did in the darkness, making her appear like less of a supernatural manifestation of pure fear and more like a regular pony, albeit a bit duller than before. Before she pulls up her hood, her eyes, no longer glowing, appear a bit sunken in their sockets, seemingly from fatigue.

>>177291
>>177292
Silver is too preoccupied enjoying his younger body to truly hear Posey's ominous warning. Instead he goes over to Pear, wrapping his forelegs around the petite mare and attempts to pick her up.

>>177292
“Like what?”
Pear asks before being picked up by Silver

>>177293
squeaky
Picking up mares seems easier now.

Silver is able to wrap his leg around her chest and pick her up.

>>177294
Silver gives his petite mare a friendly squeeze, and lightly swings her from side to side.

"Hah hah! This brings back memories!"

Thankfully for Pear, he doesn't keep this up for very long, and he sets her back down gently.

>>177295
>His

“Ah!”
Pear is flung through the air as Silver picks her up, swings her around, and puts her down, ending with a “hehehe.”

The last mare he felt like this was Mollis, who was just slightly bigger barreled and more muscular. She feels soft.

>>177293
>>177295
Forgot pic

>>177294
>“Like what?”
"It depends." Rosey Ring replies
"For consumed magic.The kind of magic that extends the longevity of the subject is drawn from one of two sources: from the lives of pony's sacrificed to produce it, or the dignity of the subject who benefits from it. It's the rarest and most dreadful magic, the type of which coveted by sorcerer kings who are ruthless enough to pursue it." she continues
"If you're lucky, you can count on the probability that Curwhinny sacrificed the lives of very many ponies to harvest the magic to produce the fruits that you just consumed. If you are unlucky... Then it's likely that the fruit took something from you, something that was worth twenty years of your life."
She's now hiding her face, having turned away and raised her hood, but pear thinks she might've seen the ghost of a dreadfully sadistic smirk as she slowly walks away