Continuing, and hopefully introducing new characters.
And on the wrong damn post number
1713 replies and 83 files omitted.
>>178331Shoal said that we'll be taking a plane to Manehattan to refuel, then back on a plane again the rest of the way to either Trottingham or the island directly (I forget which).
>>178332Rolling Int (DC 10) to see is Rosey Ring knows what a plane is.
>>178331Shoal Water
“A State Owned transport combi flies out to Manehattan, where it will refuel and fly to Trottingham Naval Base. There, you will transfer to a seaplane that will take you to the island.”
>>178333It’s actually a DC-3, not a DC-10
A plane is one of those buzzing aluminum flying things.
>>178335>It’s actually a DC-3, not a DC-10There is a 0% chance that Posey’s player will understand that joke. And yet, somehow, I am happy that I made it.
>>178335"And once we've secured the soldiers, how are we to leave the area? Have you prepared a discreet signal to arrange for pick-up?"
>A plane is one of those buzzing aluminum flying things.Another metal contraption. Probably not relevant in warfare or my plans to take over the world at all.
Posey knows what a plane is, she's just never seen one in person.
>>178335Kira: "This will be a novel experience! I'm more used to planes dropping bombs than being in one."
Despite the end of her statement, Kira seems actually excited to try flying on a plane.
>>178338Rosey Ring doesn't look nearly as enthusiastic at the thought of travelling over water yet again.
"At least somepony is enthusiastic."
>>178211Free Rover continues to rub her.
“You know it will be very cold up there. It’s no place for a snake.”
>>178338Shoal water just looks at Kira.
>>178337Technically, Posey saw one over the swamps.
>>178339Shoal Water:
“Don’t worry. The chances of this plane getting lost and disappearing like AF-11 are slim. It will be near radio relay systems. And it’s not likely to explode like the one that killed the Governor over in Manehattan. That one was almost certainly ELF sabotage.”
>>178340>Posey saw one over the swampsOh yeah. I remember now.
Posey has just never been inside a plane.
>ELF sabotageNice to hear August's career is doing well. I look forward to finally harvesting him at the end of his quest.
>>178340"How will we contact you when we have completed the mission? Are you prepared to transport all of us, plus the ten lost soldiers once we are done?"
>>178343He briefly acknowledges Brie talking, but then looks away.
>>178342“You will be provided with a single two way radio, which if you’re lucky, will have the range to make it to a nearby asset that can relay your message back to Trottingham. As for extraction, your ingenuity is likely to be required. If you can get near enough to the freezing water, a seaplane can pick you up. If the fog relents and the light is out, a Skytrotter could probably land on the island, or perhaps another blimp.
>>178340Kira continues to enjoy the rubs. She tilts and pressed her head into Rover's hooves to maximize the amount of contact she receives.
Kira: "You know, I'm not
exactly like a snake. Us lamias are actually warm blooded. I've never been in below freezing temperatures before, though, and I don't have any warm weather clothes like a nice sock...oh! I do know one spell to keep me warm and help me endure the elements! I'll cast it later though so I get the most out of its duration."
>>178343Cavaliere walks to the side of the batpony.
"Mr…Brie was it? There's an important distinction to be made between business and pleasure, and until we are off that island again business will be our priority. We will have to worry about that afterwards." >>178344>a single two way radio>if you’re lucky, will have the range to make it to a nearby asset that can relay your message back to TrottinghamRosey Ring's eyes narrow.
"If we're lucky? I don't intend to leave the possibility of being stranded on an island to chance. I would prefer to work out a solution sooner than later. Perhaps signal flares or a magic item that produces the effect could be arranged as backup."
>As for extraction, your ingenuity is likely to be required. If you can get near enough to the freezing water, a seaplane can pick you up. If the fog relents and the light is out, a Skytrotter could probably land on the island, or perhaps another blimp"Extraction is the key of this entire operation. Let's think of solutions now..."
OOC, a Swan Boat Feather Token could help here. I love feather tokens.
>>178345What is your class?
"10 ponies in an as-yet undetermined state is hard to improvise with," Brie agrees
>>178347The griffon maintains a neutral, aloof expression.
"You can call me that, though if you were to use one name I would prefer Cavaliere.">>178348He turns back to the others.
Three rubber dinghies should be able to carry us, including Miss Kira here. They will be difficult to spot by naval patrol and can be dragged ashore onto a sequestered beach." >>178348Kira's a ranger, Silver's a fighter
Excuse me, Cavaliere, not Chevaliere
>>178348>>178349He shakes his head
“We have multiple PNY seaplanes and KS Airships ready to fly in the region. If Stalliongrad didn’t, or doesn’t, become suspicious, it would be easy to have one linger near enough the island. If the KS-19 is repairable, it may itself be floated off the island. If the weather, enemy, and sun cooperate, a skytrotter or blimp may land and take off. If you can get off the island, a sea plane can get you, or maybe a fishing boat. Tartarus, maybe you can even borrow a boat from the Red Navy.
The simple fact of the matter is that if all we had to do was hover a blimp over the island and get our soldiers off, we wouldn’t be offering to pay 20,000 bits to you to do it. If figuring out how to get off of an island covered in fog and enemy soldiers with 10 in tow is too much for you, tell us now and we can find someone who can.”
>>178355>If the weather, enemy and sunI was going to ask what weather events the local Pegasi scheduled in the area, but then I remembered it's contested territory so it's probably no-mare's-land controlled by the Windigos or worse.
Sounds like fun.
>If you can get off the island, a sea plane can get you, or maybe a fishing boat. Tartarus, maybe you can even borrow a boat from the Red Navy. Yeah. I'm thinking we should invest in the Swan Feather Token. It's only 450 gp: cheap if we split the costs.
>If figuring out how to get off of an island covered in fog and enemy soldiers with 10 in tow is too much for you, tell us now and we can find someone who can.Rosey Ring shrugs
"I guess it can't be helped then. We always had to get creative to retrieve our comrades in Farbrook."
>>178350Rosey Ring approaches Cavaliere
"Cavaliere, was it? My people in Farbrook have our differences with Griffons, but the ones to the north are skilled as vanguards against the nameless horrors from the Arctic wastes. Let's see if you are quite as stalwart."
ZAP
Rosey Ring casts Create Magic Tattoo on Cavalier's flank, in the image of a Shield
Enjoy +1 Deflection Bonus to AC for 24 hours
(Of +1 Luck Bonus to Attack Rolls, if you would prefer that)
"Captain? Might you have a crew roster hoofy? Names and identifiable photographs? Also, are you working on estimates of the vessel's location ro have you been able to get eyes on?"
""Oh. And a healers kit or two. I neglected to think of that. Assuming these devices you mention are disable-able on site, and in that this is a rescue mission fundamentally, I can see the wisdom in not using such volatile means as hoof grenades, but concussion and/or smoke grenades - I hear they call them "thunderstones" and "smokesicks" over in Stalliongrad - would be advisable to have on hoof. Surely that could be arranged?"
"And to my question about travel time, the hour we will be engaging is a relevant detail, catty that I can appear to be."
>>178388I'll take the deflection bonus.
He glances back for a moment, then nods to the unicorn.
"I have never been to Farbrook myself, but the ponies there are known to be very hardy. One can find many unlikely allies and I'll be happy to have you along. Thank you for that ward." Some of these ponies seem perfectly nice and/or decent. It will be good to work woth Silver again, he was quite stalwart during the Comte incident. The Zigger - Defiant Dust carries himself acceptably, but zebricans and their rhymes,... I'll have to figure out what he prefers to be called; he doesn't seem wont to react well with "zigger-fren" no matter how well intentioned. Kira seems awfully wholesome, but I'm sure silver will keep her safe. Garv, I should remember to call him Cavaliere, but Im not even certain how it's pronounced. Still, despite their reputation in certain circumstances, theres a certain specifoc utility you get with griffons that you can't get anywhere else. Mala of course, is adorable, I hope I remembered to put the sword in the case. The only one that disquiets me is this Rosey unicorn. I can't put a hoof on it, but something about her,.... Best to be on alert with that one and expect her to do something stupid and try to claim that my response is somehow toxic.
>>178396"It's unknown what enemies we will face. Ponies could be reasoned with, with no reason to interfere with a rescue mission, but there are a while host of monsters that prowl those seas: sea serpents, wraiths, storm elementals, bugbears, drowners, dragons, Umbrals, cryohydras, kraken, and even the windigos themselves lurk in the chaos where harmony has broken down and the weather is uncontrolled. We weren't recruited for this to be a walk in the park. I will rely on you to be on guard should things turn rough."
>>178345Free Rover moves his hoof further along Kira’s side.
“Spell? Ha, you’re not a unicorn. And who is bombing you?”
>>178356Shoal Water:
“No.”
It’s possible that he’s hiding something, but he certainly isn’t lying.
>>178399“Oh, you don’t need to worry. The Kraken population in the area is under control as the Leviathans tend to prey upon them, and the sea serpents rarely bother you if you stay out of their hunting grounds. Elementals, drowners, ursas and what have you are not known to live on the island unless they came in in the last 10 years, or maybe the Kostroma was carrying them, and Windigos aren’t real
>>178402>The Kraken population in the area is under control as the Leviathans tend to prey upon them"That's great news...."
>Elementals, drowners, ursas and what have you are not known to live on the island unless they came in in the last 10 years"Expect the best, prepare for the worst. That is my motto."
>Windigos aren’t real"I can't say I've ever seen one myself, in all respects. We mages prefer to keep our minds open though."
>>178345If you haven't prepared your spells, Lay Of The Land or Animal Messenger could be useful this mission.
>>178402Kira giggles. "Well, it's true we don't have unicorn horns where we can just go
bzzzt and cast spells whenever we want. They're more like...well, sort of like divine favors, blessings from nature or from Ouroboros. It's just easier to call them spells, you know? It's like a blanket term for things like this. We meditate and pray, asking for their favor, then we can cash in those favors later as spells or blessings to let us do extraordinary things, like speaking to animals, manipulating plant life, or...letting us exist comfortably in adverse weather conditions. I'm not
exceptionally good at it, the more experienced hunters in my tribe have a greater connection with nature and spirits and such and can request far more powerful blessings and can cast more in a single day. And that's to say nothing of the clerics of my tribe who focus so much more on spells and knowledge than us hunters."
Hmmm, has Free Rover forgotten Kira's explanation for why she's in Equestria? Or is he, perhaps, trying to get her to explain so the others in the room can know, as well? Silver, meanwhile, looks over at Shoal.
Silver: "Of course they are real. They are core to origins of Equestrians, Severyanans, and all ponies who migrated to Griffonia all those centuries ago. They are why they say it is so much colder in Severyana than in Equestria, saying that influence of Windigoes never truly left our lands after they were banished from this world."
>>178064Jakala speaks, not bothering to whisper
“The sky shouldn’t move like that”
Above Amber, the stars twinkle with a greater than normal aggression, and the aurora has an unusually wire-like quality, and expresses colors of red, purple, pink, and yellow besides its usual green. The stars themselves seem to move in unnatural directions, and occasionally the stars and aurora are obscured by shadows and waves of snake-like shape.
>>178414Amber blinks as she gazes at the sky.
"You're right," she plainly says.
Oddly, despite it all, Amber feels less afraid than before. There's something much more wrong about all of this, such that the group to her left seems like the least of her concerns in comparison. It doesn't seem like she's imagining things either. She motions for Jakala to follow and walks back to the adults cowering behind the rock, to see if they've noticed.
>>178415Jakala doesn’t seem to want to move, unless Amber starts to physically move her. The two stallions, however, remain in their position behind the rock. They are focused on the ponies.
>>178416>JamalAnd Jakala had hidden those stripes so well….
>>178416Amber doesn't force her to move, now feeling much less worried about imminent danger. There still probably was danger around, but Amber wouldn't understand it anyway so she doesn't bother to stress about it.
"Papa, you should look up," she says.
>>178417“What is it?” Father asks, and then after Amber points it out, he looks up at the sky. Without taking his eyes off of the sky, he moves over a few feet and taps on the other stallion’s shoulders.
“Pakkasen. Pakkasen”
“What?” The other stallion asks
“Look up” Father says. The stallion looks up
Stallion: “You think it’s smoke?”
Father: “Could be.”
Stallion: “It wouldn’t make those colors though.”
Father: “Water vapor would. Maybe snow if it’s high enough.”
Stallion: “Could be… You think Vaeltaja’s burning something?”
Father: “Possible. Seems more likely something set the trees on fire. Maybe the peat.”
Stallion: “Like Vaeltaja?”
Father: “I suppose he could. Honestly burning off the leaves isn’t a bad idea. It would just leave the wood, and maybe even char the wood.”
Stallion: “I can’t smell it. It must be upwind.”
Father: “Could be. That color… maybe the peat defrosted. I’ve heard that there’s all kinds of swamp gases under the frost.”
Stallion: “Maybe the fire is letting it out.”
Father: “Yeah”
>>178421Father smiles, and places a hoof on Amber
“Little Kultainen, the stars don’t move. Let me see.” He looks up, stops smiling, and then looks back at Amber. “It’s an optical illusion, caused by the movement of air. Probably hot air. There must be a fire nearby.”
>>178423“The filly is right.” The stallion says, and he pokes his head out the other side, looking around.
“There! An orange glow. That must be their fire.” He says.
>>178424Amber tries to see what he's seeing.
>>178425A yellow glow through the remains of trees in the distance. It isn’t easy to tell if it is coming from the pit, or from beyond it. It may have just started, given that Amber has not seen it before.
Elsewhere, the gathering ponies have turned their attentions to it.