Continuing, and hopefully introducing new characters.
And on the wrong damn post number
1713 replies and 84 files omitted.
>>177936kek, this is all posture, no offense intended
>>177936Kira smiles, and closes her eyes upon receiving the chin scratches. She's very happy to see a familiar face.
"Hello again, Rover! I took your guys' advice and came here to Customs to look for work."
>>177936Silver nods to the minotaur as they pass. As he enters the building, Silver stops and pauses at the sight of a large pony-snake hybrid creature thing wearing armor and carrying a bow and spear getting chin scritches from a pony. That is...definitely not what Silver expected to see today.
>>177760Amber sees writing and symbology that she recognizes.
Of the portion that is both chiselled into the stone
and weathered, Amber can see the words "Seiedi of the Bear of the Costal Forest." And "Here the Spirits gather and Converse with the Bear." She also sees a symbol that she recognizes as the great World Tree growing up from the ground until it touches the North Star in the tail of the Little Bear. What is scribbled with tar is an inelegant mirror of the world tree below the ground. Also added is what kind of looks like a sun rising over a horizon, but it has an eye. In a few instances harshly etched into the stone with what was likely an icepick, and far more often drawn with charcoal or tar, are a few phrases that Amber can recognize.
"The Spirits Meet"
"My Dear Kesätuuli. Only two years, but now we will have you forever!"
"The Seraph brings with him the whole of Heaven"
"The Sun will melt all and bring plenty"
"Kulkunen, you shall dance with me again"
But these messily scratched phrases are the exception. Most of what is written is not readible. Some of these words, though not recognizable to Amber, are written in letters and characters that Amber can at least recognize as letters and characters. Maybe they are in some foreign or forgotten language. Some are symbols or runes that Amber could imagine belong to some deep tradition known to some but not to her.
But much of what is scribbled onto the rock... is pure gibberish. Purely unintelligible. Something that could not be produced by
any sane adult mind known to Amber
Father and the Stallion walk up, and take position nearish Amber, using the rock as cover as they watch the gathering.
>>177938scritch scritch scricth"Such a beautiful creature. What work are you looking for?" He asks
>>177939Mala walks around and away from the large snake thing
>>177936>nodPosey counts this as permission to enter, and confidently strides in.
Dust stands off to the side, watching and waiting.
>>177940Kira is scritch scritch scritchedKira blushes, and smiles even wider. It's not very often she's called beautiful. She's not even sure if she's ever been called beautiful before. "D'awwwww. You really think so? Anyways, I'm up for anything, and I know I can do anything you have need of! I'm an excellent scout, I'm super sneaky, I'm great with a bow. I just need to do something to get the attention of the governor, and show him that lamias are worth consideration!"
It's at this point that Silver makes his presence known to the two by clearing his throat. Kira turns towards the source of the sound.
Silver: "Excuse me, we are ponies that were asked for for some special mission from Navy. Is this correct place?"
>>177938A white unicorn approaches the snake, with a wide eyed look.
"Are you a naga?" she implores
>>177944Kira looks down at the snow white mare in her chain outfit, and smiles at her.
Kira: "Oh, hello! You're not afraid of me either! My people call ourselves 'lamias'. I don't know if there's an actual difference between lamias and nagas or if they're the same thing. I'm Kubana Kirafiki, but you can call me Kira!"
>>177945>I don't know if there's an actual difference between lamias and nagas"Is there, now...?" she says, looking the snake up and down, seemingly counting the number of vertebrae in her tail
"I go by Rosey Ring, a Warmagus, and I am here for the mercenary job."
From further back a voice says "See?"
>>177940Posey enters the building and approaches anything that looks like a front desk, eager to negotiate payment.
>>177946Kira: "You and this other pony are here for a job? Can I join you? Please?"
Silver: "Hmm...she does have some valuable skills, and we could always use extra help." Silver trots up to the lamia, and offers her a hoof to shake. "I am Silver Sword. It is nice to meet you, Kira."
Kira smiles and shakes Silver's hoof quite excited, actually shaking the pony slightly from the vigor she exudes. Kira is very excited to have met so many creatures in one day that aren't afraid of her, and Silver is just entertained by the novelty of meeting such an exotic creature.
Kira: "It's great to meet you both!"
It's hard to tell exactly how many vertebrae she has in her tail, as a large bulge easily the size of a large adult stallion in her tail breaks up the normal silhouette of Kira's lamia form. Is there something inside of her?
>>177947“Shush”
>>177948>>177945>>177942The copper watt pong stallion, wearing a cattle mare’s hat, a green jacket, and with bayoneted rifle slung over his back says,
“Well I’m not sure about the mares here, but the stallions, if you are looking for that mercenary job with the Navy,
go on back>>177949Free Rover approaches Kira again
“Ah, Kira, you’re much too soft for the Navy job.” He looks down
“Oh good, you ate the deer.”
>>177950Silver: "Deer?"
Kira: "What? Oh, no, she's back at home. I bought a goat from a farm outside of town yesterday. Please, just give me a chance! I need this, my tribe needs this. I can't fail them!"
>>177950>>177951To further aid her attempts to convince Free Rover to give her a chance, Kira looks at him with the biggest, cutest eyes she can manage.
Silver: "Ah, give her chance. We really could use scout, no matter what this job is."
>>177950>>177952Dust looks at the stallion, then at Copper, then at Kira, and back and forth a few times
"If she does not go, then neither do I
I see no reason for you to deny"
>>177950>Well I’m not sure about the mares here, but the stallions, if you are looking for that mercenary job with the Navy, go on backHow have these ponies lived in a society where most of the most notable and powerful figures in history are mares, and still think only stallions would be mercenaries?
Rosey Ring just walks past him.
>>177951>tribe"You have a whole tribe? Splendid..." The unicorn says, not elaborating as she walks towards the back.
>>177951The stallion
"Oh yeah, there was this little bugger who was picked up in a raid mopping up cultists and traffickers from that big bust last week, and she had a false name and everything. We caught her, but this snake here took pitty on her for some reason, so she volunteered to take her in
Looking back to Kira
"Damn it." He sighs, and then leans over, as if he has to lean down to talk to Kira at eye level, which he does not need to do.
"Kira. This could be real combat. Where you could die. or you could kill. Do you really want that?"
>>177955>>177954Because he knows Kira is soft from personal matters and Rosey has taken the time to look pretty, which doesn't look very warrior like to him
>>177956Posey keeps walking until she finds the pony she believes to be holding the bits for the job.
>>177956Silver: "Is that from Hoebuck? I was part of that group that cleared them out. Could be that deer was just caught up in it all, maybe. We did not find any among cultists we faced."
Kira: "I...I know the risks. I have to take it, though. My people depend on me. I can
not fail them."
>>177958He gasps
"You were?! Oh. Uh. Yeah. Well, in directly. Of course they weren't there the night it happened, but uh... Well you see the Deer told us a different name than was on her visa, which she had overstayed by several years. And she was with known criminals. I think she was lying."
He takes a hoof and holds her mane
"You are very kind." He says. "But... Well I don't know exactly what's coming. But I know it isn't made for the kind. I could have been in Wingbardy, but instead I'm right here. You can see that. Maybe you should be too."
>>177960"Where do I find the client for this operation? I would like to negotiate prices sooner than later." Rosey Rong say, polishing her new polearm, strangely undisturbed by the electric shocks
>>177960Silver looks at the stallion with suspicion at the sudden changes to his story. "Mmhmm."
Kira: "Pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssseee?"
>>177902Cavaliere goes to have a decent meal, with whatever cuisine that griffons can stomach. Afterwards, he visits several nearby bars, though he drinks very moderately (let me know what an appropriate cost would be). While out, he solicits information concerning Folded Holly and his family.
Gather Information:
[1d20-1 = (9-1) = 8]Finally, he returns to his hotel room and rests until morning.
>>177962To Silver
"Yes. Don't trust the deer."
He pets her
"But you're so adorable. Are you sure you have what it takes?"
He ignores the bitchy one.
>>177963He gathers a bit more than none. But less than desired.
The bed is actually pretty comfortable. He awakens the next day not knowing what it will bring. But he knows how he must ready himself for it.
>>177964Kira: "I have to, I will...I do!" Kira smiles warmly at Free Rover.
>>177965He sighs, and then scritches her chin again
"Good luck. Would you like me to direct you to him?"
>>177964Cavaliere wears a red silk robe and goes down to the lobby for breakfast. He takes a few cigars along.
>>177967Dust nods and prepares the follow the lamia to the back
>>177968Toast, pancakes and eggs available upon request, as well as a decent variety of fruits and cheeses. He gets a copy of the Baltimare Sun to read, where the big stories concern a potential merger of the Tail Sails Shipping Company with a foreign company - though even the paper has to admit this is unlikely to be accepted by the government - and an attempted suicide in jail by a prominent politician recently arrested on... charges greater in scandal than even the average back in Weter. There's an editorial about how the griffins aren't integrating into society well, and another praising the stern stance taken by the Governor of Manehattan against organized crime, and wishing they'd do it here.
But we need to quickly get Garv to Customs >>177967Kira excitedly reaches forward, and hugs Free Rover with her hooves. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She lets go of him, and nods to his question. "Yes please, if you don't mind."
Silver: "Alright, looks like we have scout. Lead on, then."
>>177971>>177969Free Rover walks Kira, Defiant Dust, and presumably Silver down a hall, up a set of stairs, and into a kind of conference room with a big chalk board.
Inside the room, a dark blue pegasus stallion with a lighter blue mane, wearing a blue uniform stands.
Also, there is a bat pony.
>>177921Cool!
>>177970He enjoys some eggs, fresh fruit and cheese in a meal that most Equestrians would envy. He afterwards enjoys a cup of cappuccino and a cigar while reading the news, and mulls over how these events might lead to fresh work.
While relaxing, he keeps an eye out for anything interesting in the hotel. Perhaps somepony might want to have a word with him….
>>177972Silver also has Mala join the group. Kira looks quite interested in the hyena/gnoll, but keeps it in for now until they're finished with this introduction.
So, when everypony DOES come upon, they will come upon a sleek black leather threnchcoat wearing bat, who I'll describe in detail if desired. His ees woulddance from pony to pony - resting with recognition on Silver - before returning to (fug, gotta go last 100, one sec,... the guy)
>>177977Silver tilts his head upon seeing the bat, slowly also coming to recognize who it is. "...Brie?"
>>177975Posey's a strong independent mare who don't need no stallion and who don't need no adventuring party. She walked right past him and kept walking. She probably eventually found a supply closet. Maybe a bathroom. Maybe even a back door to lead herself out of the building.
>>177976Mala stays on the other side of Silver away from Kira. If Kira looks, she'll see a strange looking dog-like creature that sometimes looks over to her. Perhaps Kira recognizes him as being a Kaftar gnoll
>>177977>who I'll describe in detail if desiredDo it.
>>177973From the door, a stallion in a military uniform walks in. The hotel staff are clearly confused and uncomfortable, but they don't intervene
"Cavalliere? There are... whispers. I don't know if it will come to anything, but if you wouldn't mind being on standby..."
>>177979Getting no indications from Swagmare, Brie disengages for a moment and puts on his happy face.
"It seems so, despite my best efforts. Its been some time Silver, how have you been? I think it was the train heist we last saw eachother."
I didnt mean this instant, Ill wait till he takes his coat off
>>177980Oh, I thought he was just a guard.
Posey follows the rest of the group
>>177981Silver: "Hmm, I did not hear of train heist. No, I think last we saw each other was when we raided Comte's home, and rescued those colts and those drones. I have been fine. How about yourself? You managed to survive being in Changeling territory?"
>>177980Kira takes a keep interest the the gnoll. She waves at him and gives him a friendly smile, which seems to be her trademark. "Hello! I'd heard there were gnolls in Equestria! Who are you?"
>>177980Cavaliere raises an eyebrow as continues reading his newspaper.
"Standby? As much as I am enjoying these fine surroundings, I'd rather you let me know precisely what you mean to have me do." He returns a cigar back to his beak.