/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>193661
"Well, Lt. Sand, it will be good to have you with us. I don't suppose you are much of a photographer? The remainder of our film roll should be used to gather evidence, but we all have a bad habit of forgetting to snap pictures. I'd like to entrust the camera to you, if there are no objections."

Cavaliere waits for Silver to answer his question before responding to Zara. He looks over at the Kostroma scientists and at Wonder. They had shown interest prior but had not spoken up before. "Do you have any comments on any of this?" he asks them.

>>193661
Silver gives the qt squeaky zebra mare a friendly squeeze into his side. Even through her clothes she can feel how soft, warm, and fluffy he is. "It is okay. As I said, we will protect you."

>>193660
Silver then addresses the griffon. "We should at least see if it is possible first. We should clear out major rooms of enemies and phenomena before facing Traveler, lest they come to stab us in back as we face it. And it is very likely that there is still plenty left to help us with this fight if we only look for it."

>>193663
Cavaliere frowns at the flippant, arguably manipulative, touching happening during a decision that could mean life or death. "I don't necessarily think a systematic approach is a bad choice, but there are other risks to it. We will have to fight for a longer period of time, and against an intelligent enemy that will have more chances to counter our tactics. The longer we spend in there, the more risk there is for our boats to be found."

He responds to Zara with concern in his eyes. "He's not being forthright with you. When we go in there, we will be fighting otherworldly monsters that can appear anywhere at any time, and which have made brave ponies flee in terror. If any of your friends have come under control of the Entity we want to destroy, they will fight us, and if we can't subdue them we may have to kill them. The worst danger is the Entity itself; if it contacts you, there is no telling what it will say to you or if you can resist it taking over your mind. It killed an entire village on a whim, simply by making all the ponies drown themselves. This is unlike anything you've ever heard of, let alone seen." He says all this out loud, letting interested NPCs hear an explanation of the risks.

>>193664
Kira pulls herself up onto the deck of the torpedo boat, as she has something to say and isn't sure that she's being listened to from her position in the water. "So, the Traveler just tried to talk with me and get me to join him. At first he took the form of Ouroboros, or something like him, but that didn't work because honestly I found it kinda insulting so he then took the form of Hopper who is this goat that I...uh...ahem..." She clears her throat and doesn't finish that sentence before moving onto the next. "He makes a lot of promises about making a better world and just needing your help for it, but as long as you know what he's actually promising and what your 'help' is then it's pretty easy to say no until he gives up. I mean, as long as you're conscious, I imagine if you're unconscious then he might have an easier time of things."

>>193662
Sand:
"Well, I've used a camera before, taking pictures at the school dance of my friends..." He looks at the camera with curiosity

Starfire looks a bit lost
"Uh... On what, exactly?"

>>193663
>>193664
At first, Zara smiles. Then she pushes Silver's leg away, then backs up, then sits down, then lays down, shivering with her hooves over her head. Then when Kira slithers onto the deck, she looks over, screams, and runs off.

>>193667
Silver quickly reacts, chasing the zebra mare down to stop her. "Wait! She is friendly!"

>>193667
"On the situation with the Kostroma. Do you have any advice to give, considering you worked near the entity?"

He calls after Zara, "She is with us, don't worry!"

>>193668
>>193669
"Yip yip!"
Zara goes into the deckhouse, almost makes it to the stares, and then lays down, placing her hooves over her head

>>193669
Starfire
"Don't assume anything about the entity. Its skin is very tough. It seems to be able to generate heat at will. You can feel an effect on your mind when you enter the room. Like headaches. You can have hallucinations. Both auditory and visual. And don't remove the tarp."

>>193670
Silver reaches her, sliding to a stop next to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Zara, it is okay!"

>>193661
"It seems as though it is a monster with the ability to undergo hypotrophy. I have heard of several such creatures in my studies, but few with passive mental domination abilities such as this one. Its body likely resists exterior damage in that form, although its damage resistance cannot be absolute if it lashed out with matter agitation when exposed to a scalpel. Still, it must be exceptionally durable in its dormant state if it really survived a fall from terminal velocity. Perhaps an interior approach can damage it, or at the very least taunt it into a form where it is vulnerable to damage." Posey replies
"The creature demonstrates pyrokinetic and matter agitation capabilities with enough awareness and precision to melt tools, which complicate an approach to destroying it with explosives. Perhaps I may be able to counter that though: I have recently developed a spell that conjures frigid vapors like the stygian mists of Tartarus. If I surround it in the cloud icy mist, I should be able to prevent it from damaging the detonator before we trigger it. The drawback is that the stygian mists will exhaust any slowly freeze anypony but me in the cloud."
She continues
"I suspect that this monster must be in a dormant state, which may explain its telepathic control abilities: it is attacking its thralls in the dreamscape. No creature, not even the eldest vampire lords, can actively dominate so many creatures at once, but the dreamscape has no such limits, and vampires, demons and dream vestiges are fabled to have enslaved entire cities and even countries this way. Once its victims are asleep within range of its telepathic presence, the Intruder only needs to enter their dreams and drag them into a deeper nightmare of its own fabrication, a nightmare tailored to keep its victim in a perpetual state of compliance. Before my travels, I assisted in writing a thesis on how recent military developments in Equestria may affect necroecology, as ponies all over the world have nopony to defend them from nameless horrors in the dreamscape."
She continues
"The Intruder speaks about a world without limits, and hails from beyond the filament of creation. Not a space between spaces, but rather no space at all. Arcanists refer to this place as the Far Realm, but really, it is nearer than you think. The aberrant void intersects with the minds and dreams of creatures living and dead, in a place known as the Cerebrotic Periphery: place of delirium and revelation. For a telepathic beast such as the Intruder, entering the dreams of ponies through the periphery of thought would be a simple task."
She continues
"As a Cerebrant, I would know. My tutors threw me into the mire and refused to pull me out until I demonstrated my own revelations." she says

She pauses
"Anyways, if the Traveller is truly dormant and controlling ponies by attacking them in the dreamscape, then it may yet be plausible to release ponies under its control yet before it is completely destroyed. If we were to taunt it into motion, or wound it enough to make it wake up, its dream should collapse, and the ponies under its command may regain their lucidity."

"The Intruder may seem formidable, but in its hypotrophic state it is completely dependent on its flock. Despite the capacity to summon aliens with numbers that match even that legendary Starspawned Sorceress, it remains stranded here. It appears as though its monstrous minions have no understanding of how to crew a ship, and the Intruder itself has no context with which to guide them. This suggests that it lacks the mindset to function capably in our consensus reality without parasitizing the minds of native creatures: if isolated from its flock, it should become feral, insane, and savage, like all its other alien brethren in the madness beyond the firmament." she says
"I suspect that it has a focus to anchor itself within consensus reality, to it itself a perception of time, space, intention and conviction, likely one of the minds within its flock. The hippogriff is an obvious focus, as their perverse notions have been telepathically grafted to one another. If we neutralize the hippogriff, we may be able to regress the Traveller into an animalistic state, and taunt it out of dormancy so that it can be killed like any other animal."

>>193673
"The top deck is made of wood. I can conjure an ooze that should be able to melt through it with ease, allowing us a direct route down to the Intruder, as well as the advantage of high ground for those who would prefer to fire through the hole."

>>193672
Kira raises her hoof. "I might be able to survive in your icy mists! One of the spells Ouroboros blessed me with was filling me with His light and warmth to allow me to exist comfortably despite the outside temperature. I even used it to bring the captain back from the brink of total possession by letting him share in Ouroboro's warmth. I...don't know how cold the stygian mists are, but if anything can keep me warm, it's His light!". She caps it off with a huge, bright smile.

>>193676
"No. That will not save you." Posey says flatly
"I do not bother myself with learning cold spells that can be trumped by basic elemental endurance."

>>193672
Cavaliere takes out a small notebook and writes in it with a black and silver pen.
"If nothing else, the mists may surprise it long enough for you to slip in and out. I suppose any of us could do it with risk of frostbite. What makes you immune?"
He continues, "We don't know where Light Water is. If we drop in directly, we would be exposing ourselves to the full brunt of its might without being able to kill it, if he is in a different room. That is, unless if you're confident that we can kill it regardless. Doing that first would likely free the minds of every creature, and we could capture Light Water safely."

>>193677
>>193675
"Oh..." Kira's ears fold down. "I mean...His light is pretty warm..." After a couple moments, she raises her hoof again. "Also I'm with Silver on clearing out the ship first. It's a simple hunting tactic to get your prey to focus on defending (or in this case attacking) in one direction while the other members of your hunting pack hit them from behind. The Traveler's not stupid, he's going to know we're coming for him, I mean he's the big baddie after all, or maybe Light Water is actually but either way if we don't clear the ship there's a very good chance some horrible monster we were unaware of gets the drop on us as we're figuring out how we even hurt the Traveler."

>>193678
"My body is fortified against that sort of magic. It is part of my profession. And it is not the frostbite you should be worried about, it is the exhaustion." Posey says
"There were no ponies above the deck to be seen, which means they are all below deck. It seems as though the Intruder has bunched them together. Light Water should be among them."
>>193661
She turns to Blackheel
"Unless you could imagine any other place that Light Water would prefer to lair?" she asks

>>193671
"Yip"
The zehbruh is caught

>>193672
Pippette comments

"The scapel didn't cut it, but..." She stares past Posey, and into the steel hull of the ship. "I don't know. It's like it could have burned me instead, and that was its point. That it could have burned me. It was a warning to not touch it."

Starfire speaks
"It could go as low as negative 20 in that marsh, but evidently it was able to melt the snow. It must have decent heating powers. The cold didn't stop it. Neither in the marsh nor the cargo hold. But I don't know. Maybe more cold would harm it. Maybe the cold is hurting it, and it would be much more capable in a warmer environment."

The ponies stand and listen, almost in awe, as Posey speaks of the Far Realm, and of the vulnerability of dreams.

>>193672
>>193674
Starfire speaks again

"The snow ponies say that the anomalies started several months after an explosion in a remote forest south of the coast. It shook windows all the way in Everfrost and flattened miles of forest. The consensus explanation was a meteorite, or maybe a comet, exploded in the atmosphere. The entity was found near the epicenter of that blast. It wasn't noticed at first as it was partly buried in a swamp. Ponies went around that area and didn't even know it was there for months. You know, the most important thing, I think, to note is that it took some time to become active. Like it was completely dormant at first then became more powerful and active. Then when the central government officials found it, it was dormant again. To the degree they could pick it up and haul it on a sled train.

Maybe it just takes time for it to ramp up, but... I think that... when it takes over a pony's mind, it feeds off of it. It draws energy from it. When it went dormant after it killed the village, it may have overexerted itself. But it also lost all of its thralls. And then when the mutiny happened on the Kostroma. That did not happen until after days of strange dreams and it messing with our minds. And then that pony that opened its eye..."

After a pause
"I would not want to wake it. I do not know how vulnerable it will be when awoken, but I know how vulnerable it isn't when it was sleeping."

Another pause
"Maybe it awoke before it went to sleep again in the snow pony village, I don't know. I do know that the earth around it had been disturbed in a way it was not when the first crews came by after the explosion."

>>193673
Starfire

"It, uh... I think there are a couple sets of stairs that go down there. It is on deck one, hold two."

>>193677
Blackheel:
"I knew you were cold."

>>193680
Blackheel:

"I suspect Light Water will be on deck 5, on the bridge, in the radio room, or the captain's quarters. But he could just as well be in cargo hold 4, the boiler room, or wherever for all I know."

>>193684
Cavaliere listens attentively to the scientists and takes a few notes. Finally, he questions, "If it is reliant on a 'focus' like she speculates," with a nod to Posey, "why wouldn't its focus among the Northern Tribes have been left alive? Were there any indications of a pony that served to focus its will? Any evidence of violence among the ponies there prior to their mass murder?" This was probably in the written accounts Cavaliere picked up, I should go look for them "Regardless, we cannot be content with putting it into a dormant state, even if we sank it to the bottom of the ocean. We would be relegating this problem to future generations. Also, justice must be served."

He responds to Blackheel, "It's a big ship. If Light Water wants to run and hide from us, he would have no trouble doing so. And time is against our side."

>>193686
Starfire:
"Well..."

Blackheel:
"There was, kind of. A 'Lightwater-like' figure. You see, these ponies in the rural villages are not well educated. They perceive Socialism not as the vehicle to bring themselves into a better future as it is, but as a foreign imposed doctrine. In the few instances that the old prejudices actually are stamped out, they are replaced by new superstitions. The entity encountered a figure who decided he was going to be a prophet. We don't actually have a good surviving account as no survivors retained their minds, but the best guess is that this would-be-prophet convinced the entity that it was a god, then went about convincing, or trying to convince the whole village that the entity was the center of a new religion. Or something to that effect, judging by a couple journal notes and cryptic runes. There were signs of violence, yes. It wasn't as bad as occurred on our ship but... it seems the prophet was killed by another pony."

"Hippogriffs in general are cowards, and nothing about that Lightwater tells me he is an exception. At least he has no where to go off of the ship."

>>193686
>>193687
Kira raises her hoof again. "Well, if the Traveler is basing this new personality and goals off of Light Water's, then I imagine that Light Water is pretty full of him. So, you could try taunting him, insulting him, getting him to show himself. Or you could try to feign interest in his ideals and have him lead us right to his hiding place."

>>193684
Silver gently pets Zara, as he has a realization. "You started shivering just before you saw Kira and run away. Did...did Traveler try getting into your head?"

>>193688
Zebra is pet
Zara:
"No. That Black Griffin..."

>>193689
Silver continues to gently pet him. "Ah, yes, Cavaliere. He is not greatest creature at rallying creatures and lighting spark in their hearts."

>>193690
Kira puffs out her pony chest. "Plus we have two of the best trackers in the world, right Cavaliere?"

>>193691
He nods. "It does help us that he is the only hippogriff for miles around. We can find him, and it shouldn't take us the whole night. If you remember that cocooned pony, when we do fight him we will have a fight to reckon with."

>>193692
Kira nods back. "As long as one of us is free to cut the others down, we should be fine!"

Posey turns to the herd
"In the interest of inclusion, before we selflessly throw ourselves into the Eldritch cesspool, does any pony have any questions, concerns or suggestions for how to board the vessel? Any plans you might be confident in?"
>>193687
She turns to Blackheel in particular
"We may be pirates, and I have amateur knowledge of dealing with Eldritch horrors, but our crew's experience in this particular manner is quite limited. It is your ship, and I am sure your experienced sailors and tacticians have all had strong opinions on plans for how to approach this situation, that they have graciously kept to themselves to preserve peace. Would you be so kind as to speak on behalf of yourself and your comrades for how to approach this mess?" she requests

.

Also, i would like to make an Arcana check to see if Posey has any kind of hunch in what Light Water's connection to The Traveller might be, and if sending an infiltration team to kidnap him first might be worthwhile in any way. As a Warmagus, Posey's only relevant knowledge to gain a Strategic Advantage in warfare would be discerning the nature of supernatural effects and creatures.
Arcana:
[1d20+11 = (16+11) = 27]
Religion (if this thing is actually a deity, demigod, or abomination; also since Light Water is acting as a sort of 'prophet' with a connection to the entity)
[1d20+11 = (11+11) = 22]

(If these rolls could tell me anything about the tactical limits of the creature's summoning or mind control abilities, or any weaknesses it might have, that would be nice too)

>>193712
Weary Weeks points his hoof at the covered, steel ladder going up the side of the Kostroma and terminating immediately behind the midship deck house.

"Up the ladder"

Blackheel steps forward
"Sure." He says. "Kill the hippogriff, kill the griffin, and bury 'Chernobog' at sea."

Starfire comes up
"I, uh... Well, the Entity exudes energy in multiple forms. Not heat or light energy, but magic, certainly in more than one form, and likely electromagnetic as well. We didn't actually have the ability to properly conduct tests, but it would sometimes interfere with our radios. And... You can feel it. You can definitely feel it. You can hear it. Like electromagnetic waves it can be blocked or at least reduced. Tin foil will stop it and applying it in the form of a helmet delays the effects of the Traveler's Influence."

It's a much, much weaker form of a much, much more powerful type of thing. Light Water absolutely has significant power over the Traveler

>>193713
>"Up the ladder"
>"Sure." He says. "Kill the hippogriff, kill the griffin, and bury 'Chernobog' at sea."
Posey's paralyzed face twitches very subtly
"...Yes, yes, that was already our plan..." she replies
"Very well then..." she continues

"Since there were no thralls on deck, the majority must be centered around the Intruder in the cargo hold. Light Water is probably still playing with the radio, so he should be on the bridge. Cavalier, Kira and I, those of us with the most mobility and stealth, will sneak towards the bridge to find, capture and incapacitate Light Water. In the mean time, Silver and Blackheel will organize all remaining able bodies to mount the ladders and organize on the deck above the Cargo hold. Once Kira, Cavalier and I capture our objective, we will meet the combat forces rallying on the main deck, where I will conjure an ooze to dissolve the deck and expose a direct path towards the Intruder beneath: after that, our forces can fire on the Intruder's forces within with the advantage of high ground and near total cover, while melee oriented forces can enter the cargo hold themselves. Or objective thereafter will be to execute Light Water while simultaneously detonating the explosive Harpoon in the mouth of the Intruder, and I will then attempt a recitation to prevent it from resurrecting."
She continues
"The New Mareland hostages as well as all too wounded or otherwise unable to fight will wait aboard this torpedo ship, or the Swan boat if they prefer. They will see to repairs of the ship to ensure that it is seaworthy should we need to retreat, and they will also watch over the enthralled prisoners. The New Mareland Lieutenant will join the main assault herd above the cargo hold, which should erase any doubts of the New Mareland forces leaving with the torpedo boat."
She pauses
"Considering the sensory abilities of the Intruder, it is likely already privy to this plan. It has not conjured any monsters to attack us at this moment, which means it is waiting for us to make a move before then, which means we must expect the unexpected and know that we are entering into a trap..."

She perks up
"Are there any questions before we leave?"

>>193714
Blackheel tilts his head:

“You absolutely expect that you’re entering into a trap with no ability to hide your movements, and your first instinct is to divide your forces in half and let your enemy eliminate one half, and then the other?”

>>193715
"My intent is to capture Light Water as quickly as possible, which should create a sufficient distraction for the rest of the herd to organize. Once he is captured, the Intruder should focus its attention on me, and I should be able to taunt it long enough holding the hippogriff hostage." Posey replies
"Getting this many ponies on deck will take time."

>>193713
With Silver tending to the scared zebra mare, Kira raises her hoof while deciding to fill in for the fluffy unicorn. "I've heard there's a rule in motion pictures that if you don't see a body then they aren't actually...um...killed. I've never seen a motion picture before so I don't know how true that is but I know it's true in real life."

>>193715
>>193716
Kira continues to raise her hoof. "Also don't we have fliers and a really big flier to help bring everyone onto the ship?"

>>193717
"They can climb the ladders while we find Light Water." Posey says, climbing back onto the deck herself

>>193716
Blackheel retains a skeptical look

"Why not give it everything you have at every point? Our Fellow Traveler may not be holding his power in reserve."

>>193717
Blackheel:

"Movies are nice, but this is more dangerous."

>>193713
The griffon replies to Starfire, "You mentioned a tarp. Did you try covering it with metal sheets to subdue it? Metal disrupting its powers would explain why we are not too badly affected out here."

And to Posey, "I agree that we should get Light Water first. But Starfire raised an important point about metal. Melting a hole in the roof could remove the last barrier the outside world has from this thing's powers. We also have a clawful of able-bodied creatures and even fewer rifles. Rappelling into the belly of the beast is the fastest way, but it also sounds like suicide. It may well be preparing a trap, but we don't know if we can catch it by surprise with this method."

Patient Pipette has come towards the fore in the recent discussions, rather than stay around in the back. She stands on all fours, though she keeps her legs tightly together in a pose that seems odd and perhaps unstable. She rocks herself back and forth, and sometimes leans her head down and closes her eyes. Once, she almost falls over, and nearly off the boat, being caught by a combination of the railing and the stallion behind her. What parts of her mane come out from under the conical tin foil hat are frizzled and unkempt. Her tail has tangles in its blue hairs.

But all of a sudden, her round eyes, already made to look large by the magnification of her corrective lenses, become wider than before. And she shouts in a way that cannot be thought but mad.

"Don't you get it? Do you really not get it? Our Fellow Traveller, the Entity, the thing - it really is the Black God. It really is a god. That's what it is. It is a god. Just the same as that Tiamat or your ouro-whatever. It is a god. It feeds off of your faith. Or off of the souls of sacrifices, or whatever. It doesn't just want to have power over you. It needs you. It needs you as its food. It is a parasite and you are its host. Without it, it is completely dead, like a plant without water, or a fire without fuel or air. That is why it was dead, drifting through the emptiness of space, or wherever it was. That is why it gained power when a cult was established around it. That is why it became dead again when its followers died. That is why it awoke again when it fed off of the minds of our sailors. Don't you see? Do you not get it? That's why it hasn't killed us yet. Not because it can't, but because - because it can't. It needs us alive as its food. That's why it's been toying with the Spetsnaz, putting on a show of force just to lead them to the ship. That's why it still calls to us, constantly reaches out to us. Always wants to make Mephistopheles pacts with us. It needs us. Because it needs to draw on our spirits for power, and because the deals it makes with sapient creatures give it purpose and meaning, something for it to do with its time. Without followers it has nothing. It came to us like this because it fought its fellow gods and was expelled. Now it hopes to gain power off of all creaturedom, and to fight its rivals again. That is why it is so happy to adopt atheism. It wants to cut off the supply of its rivals. How do you kill the black god? The same way you kill every god! By eliminating its worship, and erasing it from memory."

Pipette's right forehoof slips - presumably in the lose diesel fuel, but possibly on sea water, and she almost falls to the ground, though she stabilizes herself before she hits the deck. Her ears pop up and eyes widen still further in fear from her near collapse. Blackheel himself walks over, places a foreleg to pick her up, and starts petting her.

>>193721
>NPC becoming unglued again
"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!" Posey commands
Intimidate
[1d20+14 = (2+14) = 16]
>How do you kill the black god? The same way you kill every god! By eliminating its worship, and erasing it from memory
"Be patient. I once wrote a thesis on theoretical deicide for my apprenticeship. I am prepared to do whatever it takes."

>>193721
Cavaliere looks sympathetically toward Patient Pipette. He starts to move toward her but stops due to the other ponies being closer. "If it only were that simple. If you're suggesting we execute its thralls, let me remind you that they are creatures we are trying to save. They could have been any of us, and they might be restored when we deal with this thing."

He turns to Posey. "In their weakened state we can't risk opening the cargo hold and exposing them directly. Yet. we must be fast since they won't hold out much longer even now."

Shortly after the madmare's ramblings, there is a flicker of the two lights over the deck of the Kostroma, and then the whole world is plunged into blackness. A pony may believe, justly, that they have just died. Is this what the afterlife is like? Just blackness? Where you have the consciousness to perceive, but no eyes to see with? Could, perhaps, we all have been transported to a new world? Maybe a shell has gone off and blinded us?

Ask yourself, how often have you seen actual, true darkness? Not simply a relative lack of lights, but actual darkness? It rather rare. Even on a moonless night outside there will still be the innumerable stars in the sky and the lights of distant galaxies. On even a clouded night in Baltimare there will be the lights of the oil refineries reflected by the clouds, glowing. Streetlights and the headlights of passing automobiles. Even indoors, there are the lights of electronics and what pierces the windows. In the outdoors away from civilization, there are the lights of distant houses, of fishing boats and containerships in the water, of campfires and numerous other sources.

So far the party has not been without light. The last rays of the sun persisted even after sunset for a while. In the village, the magnesium, mortar-launched flares of the GRU lit the world in a dim, green glow. Then the electric discharges of the seraphs, the flashes of gun muzzles, green tracer rounds, and the flashlights of the GRU soldiers have provided at least some amount of light, with the lights of the Kostroma in the opposite direction. Now, the island of Mended Horn is dark. Electricity never came here, and the GRU has evidently not lit it, perhaps not willing to give away their positions with flashlights or thinking their mission on the island accomplished. The return of the fog may as well have drowned out any lights. The interior of the torpedo boat, to be sure, was lit by electric lights supplied by its limited batteries. But the exterior is and has been under a complete blackout protocol, to the extent the boat is nearly invisible.

Those two lights of the Kostroma were the last stable, general lights. When they flick off, there is nothing but perfect darkness. Though there is no light, there is the sting of falling rain drops, the smell of saltwater, blood and diesel fuel, the sound of the waves and especially that ever present ringing, that robs the world of all silence, and with this the party may have faith that they are not dead, and that they are still in fact on that island in the middle of nowhere, far away from civilization, and from any kind of light.

Even Posey, who so disdains Celestia's light, may have noticed that her universe has shrunken to a bubble sixty feet in diameter. If a thrall at the anti aircraft gun at the stern took a shot at her with the four inch gun, she would never know. She would simply pass from existence to non-existence. If one of the Traveller's Seraphs took a pass at her, she'd have enough time to know what hit her, but not enough time to do anything about it.

It's maybe a second and a half before the first lights come on. Cavaliere surely turns his flashlight back on, and a soldier flicks a cigarette lighter. The scratching sound of a lighted flare is sure to follow.

After four seconds, the two lights flicker back on. They glow red. Not as a sign of danger, not out of any malign plan, but because the amount of power they are receiving is less than the wattage of the bulbs. The darkness is nothing other than the entropy of civilizational systems, of a boiler no longer fed by fire and a battery system that will not be recharged. With the next cold wind that comes down from the north over the Nova Griffonian Tiaga, the oil will gel and the water of the boiler will freeze. Then the Kostroma will be one with the ruined huts of Mended Horn - one with the stone temples covered in vines in deep forests, of cut stones in the empty, zebrican deserts, and of decaying castles on lonely Equestrian hills. A sign of a civilization that once was and now is not, and nothing more.

A few things become blatantly obvious. One, that the light, so long taken for granted, is not going to remain. Second, that everyone except for Posey is useless without light, and even Posey is less effective. Third, that your own sources of light reveal your position. Fourth, that handheld sources of light are not extremely effective at illumination. Fifth, that they are unwieldy, requiring a hoof or claw. And then unnervingly and finally, that if you light a flare, you best keep a hold of it, lest it fall on a wooden deck covered in diesel fuel.

>>193722
>A pony whose name is literally "patient" cannot be patient
lol

I chose to believe that Posey slapped her

>>193723
The mad mare simply turns and stares with fearful eyes

>>193725
>I chose to believe that Posey slapped her
Sure, I'll do that too if I can reach her with my horn.
>>193724
>then the whole world is plunged into blackness
"...Oh buck...!" Posey says, well versed in her occultism tropes
At least my crawlers would have an advantage.
>Second, that everyone except for Posey is useless without light, and even Posey is less effective.
Kira has scent, doesn't she? She should be able to detect incoming creatures within 30-60 ft.

>>193723
>>193693
She taps Kira and Cavalier on the shoulders with the subtle glow of her horn, guiding them towards her
"We need to catch that bird. Follow me." She says, crawling upwards

>>193724
"Do not light a flare, and stay away from the edges of the boat," Cavaliere cautions. His flashlight is tilted downwards, a claw wrapped around the end, focusing the beam onto a spot amidst the huddling ponies. The light reflecting off the deck is not much, and probably not visible at a long distance (though it's important not to assume), but even that is probably a welcome relief to the frightened ponies.

"I wish we had made it here sooner. Still—"
>>193726
"I'll be up shortly. Set a rotating watch of able-bodied creatures on the deck of this boat, but get all the conscious, free-minded creatures below into the light. We will contact you when we get Light Water. Before that, however, can you tell me if radio signals can penetrate the hull of the Kostroma? How narrow are the corridors aboard? Is there any of you experienced with the ship's boilers?"

>>193727
The pony tosses the flare into the water. It continues to burn, and a fish in the upper water can be seen before it darts away and the light goes out.

Star Fire
"Well, the steel hull reflects some radio waves, but not all. It doesn't stop it, no. The corridors are... well, about one, to one point three meters in width. And..."

Blackheel:
"One pony here should be conscious and among the engine crew. And Partial view as well. One oiler, one engineer."

>>193728
He asks Partial View and the other, "What would it take for the engines to be relit enough for electricity?"

Posey crawls onto the deck and gestures with her horn for Cavalier and Kira to follow.

>>193729
There is a moment of silence, then another pony (Pipette) translates for him. After a relation through the interpreter, the reply comes:

"Electricity comes from a separate power generator that is fed by steam from the boiler. It requires much less steam than the engines."

>>193724
>>193726
>>193730
Kira lets out an "eep!" and shrinks down. She has much experience with the dark, but this? This is...different. Even with the other sources of light, Kira's own keen snake vision is rendered nearly useless. Just as Posey's observation, Kira will have to rely on her other keen senses to get around. Her ears turn to follow Posey's voice as she speaks, and her eyes seek out the very little light being produced from Posey's horn. "Okay...here we go..."

Silver, meanwhile, looks out at the darkened ship from the windows of the deck house, and turns to Zara. "I know it is dangerous, that much is correct, but there are others relying on you now. Us, your comrades inside...we all need you to stand with us against this darkness. You have significant experience with working on ships, and with your help we can relight Kostroma's boiler and bring back light." He smiles at the zebra mare as he offers her a hoof to stand back up. "Plus if it does come to fighting, there is not much for you to worry about; we are pretty good at it."

>>193732
Zara trembles, and sheds a tear. She lets out a short and sharp "yip" when the lights go out, though there is some light that seeps out through the entryway to the lower deck. When Silver asks his question, she looks into his eyes and takes a deep breath. Her ears go back up, though she still shakes

"Okay." She gives a single nod. "I will go."

>>193733
Blackheel
"Oh I'll meet him alright."

>>193734
>>193733
>>193730
Silver helps the mare up, and together they return to the rest of the group. He speaks up about the plan. "While our stealth squad does their job, rest of our fighters will take our engineers to relight Kostroma's boiler. There is not much we can do if we are stuck in dark."

One of the griffins I believe had a rifle that was of lower quality than a bolt action rifle. Two rifles would have been picked up from defeated petrushkas. Four rifles are on the torpedo boat besides the Manticore gun picked up by Cavaliere. Two Kostroma survivors (Steppe Eagle and Rustling Pine) were carrying rifles, though Steppe Eagle is out of service. Of the airponies, the white pegasus carried a rifle and Stained Sand carried a Bits submachine gun.

When Zara comes on deck, she volunteers the following:

"I disassembled the last four cylinder head valve assemblies on the number three engine to do maintenance. on the valves. Engines one and two will turn on just fine, but the boat will pull to starboard and will not run as fast. With a bit of tinkering I could disengage the last four cylinders so that the number three engine can run with its first sixteen cylinders, but that would take a few minutes."

>>193735
Cavaliere cannot be easily seen but his voice betrays skepticism. "It would be too dangerous to go now, especially when you consider how low in the ship it would be. However we do have three radios, and if you insist I cannot stop you. The aft deckhouse is empty and has a stairway down, plus it is farthest from the entity."

>>193736
"Bøkli, grab a rifle of your choice. I hope you know how to use one. Carry the harpoon as well."

To Zara, he sighs and says, "They were running the boat in this sort of condition? I think it better if you take the time to work on the engine here so we can make a faster escape. Regardless, I can't stay here any longer. Ms. Kirafiki, Commissar, I think you should start ascending."

Cavaliere shines his light on the entryway for the creatures taking shelter, so they don't risk falling off, then he switches it off and makes his way to the ladder. Only Posey can see the anti-tank rifle slung over his shoulder, with it looking almost comically large, but its rattling as he ascends the ladder can be heard.

>>193740
Bokli

"Vaguely... Okay, I will see if I can get the harpoon as well."

Zara:

"Yes. Well, no, but there was a faulty valve on piston 17 so when the engines were turned off, I disassembled the cylinder head to do maintenance. The boat can run with only two engines, but part of engine 3 has been taken apart."

>>193742
If Blackheel is within earshot, Cavaliere asks if he has picked up a radio. Cavaliere is too close to being overburdened and neither Posey nor Kira likely know how to use it.

>>193744
>neither Posey nor Kira likely know how to use it.
Unless there is a skillcheck or proficiency feat involved, Posey should be able to use it.
>>193734
I thought Blackheel was marshalling the sailors?

Blackheel registers one last protest before he ascends with the party

"Do not underestimate Lightwater. He is not some random puppet nor sailor. He is the prophet of the new religion he has founded. He created 'Our Fellow Traveller' as much as he found it. When he was in the International School, he was taught at least the basics of revolutionary warfare, which is to say guerilla warfare. He will be well guarded and well-endowed with whatever powers the Entity can give him. Even if he did not have access to psychic sensation, he had no network of scouts throughout the vessel, and even if he has not looked out the windows of the ship and seen us here, he would know we are coming, for the very simple fact that you very explicitly told him you were coming to kill him when you spoke to him over the radio. He knows you will be walking right into his office. He knows you aren't coming just to sit down, drink some tea, smoke a cigar, and chat about the finer details of Socialist Theory. And he will be prepared. You'd best be too."

But then again, Blackheel doesn't have a ship anymore, and is no longer commander of the mission.

>>193748
Yes

>>193744
"No, but I'll take it." Blackheel says

>>193749
Funny, this was basically the personality I was going to give Posey before I changed it because I thought it would be annoying. Back when I was going to play her as a Cleric.

>>193750
He’s literally a Soviet Commissar, those guys from Enemy at the Gates and Warhammer 40k who are as big of a threat to their troops as the enemy. You ought to expect that kind of annoying.

Just respond with “Well, we have one boat. How boats do you have now?”

>>193751
I was talking about the description of Light Water.

Posey, having crawled onto the Kostroma, gestures for the others to follow her.

>>193736
>>193740
>>193742
Silver speaks up as he looks up at the barely illuminated Kostroma. "No, that boiler is far greater priority. We have until next strong downdraft before it goes fully dead, then we will be completely in dark. We need you with us in that ship to bring it back to life, Zara. I need you." He reaches over with a pleading hoof and takes Zara's own hoof with it.

Okay, so I think all NPCs going are Mala, Blackheel, Bokli, Stained Sand, Zara, Partial View... Did I miss someone?

>>193753
Zara, sitting down, folds her ears back and looks down towards her hoof and Silver's. Her ears go back up, and she looks towards Silver and pulls her lips back, showing her teeth in an awkward smile. She blushes, or seems to.

"Okay. I can go with you." She stands up. "Into that big... scary ship." her ears go back, and she shakes, but her ears go right back up.

>>193754
I can't think of many others. I hope that's going to be okay.

Silver smiles at the obviously scared mare. "It is okay, I will protect you." Calling out to the rest of the boiler squad, he says, "Come on, let us get these lights back on! Rest of you keep armed and ready in case of trouble. Get our wounded below deck where they can rest. Now squad, on me!"

With that, the big fluffy unicorn moves to the ship's ladder, climbing up it first with the confidence that the rest of the boiler squad will be right behind him.

>>193754
>>193755
Fuck, right, Pipette and Starfire, they'd be tons of help, too. Let's bring them along also.

>>193754
Wasn't there another Kostroma engineer or oiler?

Since there will not be another chance without being too obvious, Cavaliere makes sure the magazine is loaded with the heavy rifle rounds before inserting it into the top feed of the rifle. With a claw, he pulls the bolt back, and slides it forward to chamber a round. It is louder than a standard bolt-action rifle and has a distinctive sound to it, but the well-oiled mechanism is satisfying to listen to.
It probably is possible to top-up rifles but that might be powergaming a little.

>>193756
"At least have the decency to ask them first," Cavaliere grumbles.

>>193757
>>193755
Silver looks back from the ladder at Pipette and Starfire. "Would you come along? Your experience with this ship and Light Water would be invaluable to our squad."

>>193759
I don't know what all we have left, but that's a good idea.

The superstructure extends three stories into the air with some objects on the roof, and is rectangular in shape. Think of it almost like an office building, or a hotel.

Blackheel:
"The top deck, the Bridge deck, contains the bridge, the radio room, the navigation room, and the captain's quarters. Below that, deck 4, is the Boat deck. It's almost entirely officer's quarters. Below that, deck 3, which is the main deck of the ship, is the Crew Deck. That's where we'll be entering. It has the mess halls, the galley, and the crew quarters. Below that, the first deck below the ship, is the supply deck with storage. Below that is Deck 1, which is the boiler room, which has its own mezzanine for the machinery."

>>193762
Starfire: "Uh, okay."

Pipette walks up before saying anything. "Okay."

>>193765
Cavaliere looks up to the where the tower would be if it were visible. "Is there an outside stair or way to get to the bridge deck? I'd prefer if we make a silent entry and work our way down."

>>193767
Blackheel:

"Yes, to the open part of the boat deck, then up to the bridge deck."

>>193765
Posey nods.
"Are we ready to leave?"

>>193767
>>193768
>>193771
Kira looks up at the impressive structure and suddenly freezes. Her scales all along the back of her tail shiver and the fur on her pony half sticks up straight. She immediately goes to wrap the end of her tail around Garv and hold Posey with her forehooves. "Guys we can't go in there after Light Water in the dark. Every instinct of mine is telling me it's a trap that we'd be slithering into blindly. I mean, you did tell him over the radio thingy that we were coming for him..."

>>193774
Posey, already on the deck and making her way towards the bridge, stops abruptly and turns, her neck cracking uncannily and her golden cat-like eyes glaring menacingly in the darkness
"Then what DO we do, Kira?! We cannot just sit here debating hypothetical nonsense like arcane gradschool students!"

>>193775
>>193774
Posey's ears flicker, realizing that for the first time in her unlife that the cover of darkness is NOT a tactical advantage.
"Well, we could all just go to the boiler room first, to try to switch the lights on. I do want to see if this ship is in condition to be worth seizing before we die fighting for it." she suggests

>>193779
Posey gestures to Monstro, and the massive beast clamps what's left of its jaw onto the side of the Kostroma, extending its shambling tail down towards the torpedo boat, forming a grisly bridge, wide enough for at least three ponies to walk across at once.
"Everypony on board."

>>193779
Kira is glad that Posey has relented, her eyes relaxing somewhat from the panicked look that is shared by many wild animals facing dangerous beasts. She is still concerned, though. "Can dying not be an option? Like, what if we subdued the possessed creatures before we faced Light Water and the Traveler? I imagine they're hiding everywhere, waiting to ambush us at the worst possible moment..."

Posey looks back down across her unliving bridge. She has now put her horrible armor back on, the bones on it rattling as she rests menacingly. Her horn surges with deadly power, and the ring of fire around her cutie mark flares up. A crimson halo of sanguine magic and the outlines of dying stars forms around the back of her head, like horrible crown. Her sharp white fangs glint in the dark.
"Listen close, you landlubbing worms, this is what we are going to do."

Posey, in character, explains the plan described in: >>193786 → >>193777 → . I do not want to type it again, do use your imaginations in a way that makes sense.

She takes 10 on an opposed Charisma check (modified 16) to leverage all charmed creatures (I assume about half the herd) to comply. She takes 10 on an Intimidate check (modified 25) to coerce any creatures that appear too nervous or cowardly to follow to comply. She takes 10 on a diplomacy check (modified 20) to persuade any uncharmed creatures that need coaxing. She takes 10 on Bluff check (modified 24) to convince everypony that this is a good idea. She takes 10 on Perform (Weapon Drill) (Modified 17) to twirl her sword and catch it in a really cool way and catch it in mid air, to impress the herd and demonstrate her fighting prowness.

After this she gallops off into the dark, in the direction of the boiler room. The subtle glow of her horn shoots off into the distance, like a guiding star or a firefly. She does not wait for feedback.

>>193787
>>193768
Silver unsheathes his sword and plants it into the ship's deck, it still glowing blue from resonating with his magic, while belting out in a commanding voice, "HOLD IT!" to the strange mare who just tried to take command. He's tired of not being listened to and not being taken seriously. Now, he will speak, and he will be heard. Looking back at Black Heel and Zara, he asks them, "How much tin foil is on these ships?" Next, he turns to Pipette. "Have any other materials shown ability to block or weaken Traveler's mind control abilities?"

Kira smiles and stands bouncing in place while clapping her hooves together. "Oh, you're trying to see if we can weaken the Traveler by nonlethally removing the thralls from his control! That way we don't have to kill any of them and we make the Traveler far easier to fight!" She stops bouncing long enough to show her pendent off to the group. "If we can bring them all together and at least weaken the Traveler's control, I can try to fill them with Ouroboros' light. With His light guarding them, they'll be protected from the Traveler's attempts to repossess them! It worked for the airship captain, after all."

>>193788
Zara:
"What?"

Blackheel:
"Some more I think, but we used a decent portion of it."

Pipette looks kind of surprised, but that may just be her general state at the moment
"Well... metals. Lead would do it, for example. The denser, the better."

>>193802
Silver scratches his chin. "Lead, huh..." Looking over at Zara, he briefly explains. "Traveler's mind control effects can be countered through use of certain metals. Tin foil is one type. Lead is apparently another." Looking back at Pipette, he continues. "Are there any rooms in Kostroma that happen to be lead lined? If it is at least able to disrupt connection between Traveler and Petrushka, then perhaps Kira's god may be able to finish job by severing that connection."

Kira is immensely happy that she and her god are being included in the plan to save the possessed creatures.

>>193805
Pipette:
"I don't... well Cargo hold 5..."

Blackheel:
"The Kostroma was also carrying a load of Chromium."

>>193806
Silver's eyes widen. "...chromium. Chromium. Can chromium block mind control?"

>>193807
Starfire:

"No. Well... Yes. I mean. Kind of. Maybe. You see, it's not a pure chromium, it's a ferro chromium. And more to the point its in pieces. In order to block at least electromagnetic waves you need a solid metal, because otherwise the waves will go around but... Metal will absorb or reflect many waves and chromium is denser than most metals."

Pipette:
"The bulkheads did something."

Starfire:
"That is probably true. You see, the steel bulkheads of the ship... When we were on Sirius, we changed sleeping arrangements so that many of us who, well... who ultimately made it out, slept in the stern of the ship and did work in the stern cargo holds away from the thing. That places us further away from it, but it also puts the steel bulkheads between us and it. Now, the bulkheads don't entirely stop signals, not for the least reason because they have doors and gaps and air vents and other ways through them. But they did stop some of the waves. At least it seems."

>>193808
Kira steps in to speak next. "I think that's all I need. If we can weaken the Traveller's influence enough by placing the possessed creatures in the stern cargo holds, and we can take those pieces of ferro chromium and place them over the mental pathways where the Traveler's control must be entering their minds, then I can call upon Ouroboros to purge them of the Traveler's influence." She holds the pendant around her neck with a hoof, it glowly slightly with a golden light as she does so. "I...I know you all don't believe in gods, and even if you did He just seems like some weird foreign god that a bunch of half-pony half-snake creatures worship, but...He's real. I know He's real. I've felt His light, His warmth, His presence in everything in this world. We're all His children, whether you're a lamia, a zebra, a pony, a griffon, a deer, or whatever, and if I can reconnect those poor souls with Him when the Traveler's influence is weakened, I know he can bring them back to us. And then we won't have to kill anyone, and we can be the kinds of heroes who save creatures! And who wouldn't want to be that kind of hero?"

>>193812
Starfire pulls his lips back
"Uh..."

Pipette raises her right forehoof slightly
"Well..."

Kira can't help but think that the ponies still haven't gone over her appearance. Not just part snake, but a snake twice as large as an anaconda. Then a pony portion that looks... completely normal. At odds with the snake. But beyond that, the leather armor, and her obvious wounds. Well, and also the lump in the belly as well. And she's asking the ponies of science (and ideology) to place faith in the Snake god...

"Let's do it." Blackheel steps forward. "Do it." he says, firmly

>>193815
Does Posey see anything on the entrance of the Kostroma as she leads the way to the boiler room? Any signs of struggle? Blood splatters? Hoofprints? Signs of patrolling monsters?

>>193788
"It's worth a try. If that fails, knocking them out and restraining them like with the others would suffice. You brought extra rope, correct?

>>193806
Cavaliere looks at the mare. "Is there any particular reason why it was put in a regular cargo hold and not the one lined with lead?"

>>193808
"The aft deckhouse is clear and has a stairway downward. If we were to make a saferoom, that would be the place to try. Yet, 'safe' is relative and I cannot help but feel we should avoid taking the incapable or unwilling aboard. We have two boats; let's send one out to sea with a radio and we will rendezvous when we finally leave. They will be less likely to be spotted out there."

>>193816
Pic related. I know you're eager to get on with it but let's agree to a course of action first.

>>193818
Pipette:
"Well... there isn;t exactly one lined with lead, but... deck one of Cargo hold 2... like most cargo holds it is divided into a larger upper section and a smaller bottom section - it is refrigerated. We were working under the assumption that the, the Enity may be a dead animal, so we did not want it to decay. The other cargo holds are used for carrying barrels of oil, machinery, or bulk materials."

Blackheel:

"It was the comparatively safe place on the ship after the mutiny. Where we held out until we came to the island and made out getaway."

>>193821
Cavaliere considers the fact that he probably searched through part of the quarters of the survivors. "Was it still refrigerated after the mutiny? Do you know if it had any effect on it?"

>>193822
Pipette:

"Probably not. It will not remain refrigerated with the power going off. The cold couldn't completely stop it, given that it was active in the northern winter, but maybe it's been slowing it down for all we know."

>>193824
Cavaliere asks Posey, "You mentioned your mist is not mundane but is magical. Would it be enhanced if the ambient temperature was lower?"

>>193815
Kira knows how odd she looks, and how odd He must seem to outsiders without the belief needed to believe in Him, but she knows He's real. The fact that Black Heel is willing to give Him - and her, by extention - a chance, even if it's born out of desperation from him wanting his crew back, fills her with joy. She happily bounces a little bit more as she claps her hooves together, making big thump sounds as she does so.

So

I have Posey, presumably ahead of the group, presumably advancing kind of indifferently to who follows, and presumably with a lit horn.

Blackheel and Stained Sand behind, probably going along with Posey. Presumably with lit horns.

Cavaliere next, presumably with a flashlight out. Probably armed with his revolver? With Cavaliere, Johan Bokli and Wistful Wonder, the later of whom may not be armed.

Behind, Silver and Kira. With Silver and Kira are Starfire and Patient Pipette, all unicorns with lit horns. I have Zara Zama with Silver as well, at least at the moment.

Any details or differences to the order of battle, please tell me in reply.

>>193838
Hmmmmm...should Silver be further towards the front? He's about at 60% health, and he's definitely a good frontline soldier with his greatsword.

>>193838
Cavaliere has the anti-tank rifle, his revolver, and his holdout weapon. None are out but he can quickdraw his revolver as needed.

Can we give a rifle to each unarmed pony who doesn't object to using one? Cavaliere can also lend his dagger to one of them (its only utility for him is to cut stuff like rope, since he does an equivalent amount of damage [but nonlethal] unarmed).

>>193840
Silver can give his to the unarmed Wistful Wonder. He'd tell him he wants it back, though.

>>193840
I think that there are enough to do that, assuming that you want to arm these ponies and not bring along different creatures whose roll is to be combat infantry

>>193839
Perhaps. There is also Mala. But certainly be aware that the rear is a possible line of attack

>>193841
His what? Is it a gun or a melee weapon?

Also are we sending the rest of the survivors out to sea? I think we should so they're not sitting ducks. I don't know how the speeds of the swan boat and the torpedo boat compare, but the former is probably slower. Assuming exposure to the weather won't be too bad, we can have them all embark on the swan boat, get away from the shore, and reserve the torpedo boat for ourselves for a fast getaway.

>>193842
Besides the reluctant griffons, I don't think we have many combat-trained creatures who aren't already walking wounded. We would want them protecting the others while we're away.

Also I like how you placed Cavaliere in the middle, since he'll be strongest providing fire support. Maybe he can't use Posey as a weapon mount like she promised but he can make do.

>>193843
His Lavender Rifle, in response to you asking if we could give the unarmed characters rifles.

>>193842
Hmmmmm...then perhaps Silver should be in the rear. Especially as they're likely to get ambushed from behind in the dark on their way to the boiler.

This won't be the only rear Silver is in tonight.

>>193844
Will Silver be armed primarily with his sword?

>>193843
I suppose that makes sense

>>193844
Is that a magical rifle? It would be better to have a trained combatant use it to its fullest potential. I was referring to the bolt-action rifles we left behind, one of which Bokli took. I don't know if Blackheel took one, but he would be a good candidate for the Lavender.

>>193845
nod nod nods

In both cases, yes.

>>193846
Nah, Equestria's magic rifle was the Luna Nova. The Lavender was their standard-issue 10-round bolt-action rifle.

chest cavity squirms
"Hush, sister, you shall feed soon..." (whispered)
>>193838
>I have Posey, presumably ahead of the group, presumably advancing kind of indifferently to who follows
Posey will go ahead of the group because she has decent HP, resistance to most psychic attacks, and most importantly she can see in the dark, which prevents enemies from surprising her. Furthermore, although she is a caster, almost all of her attacks are touch-range.
>Presumably with lit horns
I'm not really sure what the intensity of horn light is, but I would assume it's enough to make a tiny glowing dot visible to somepony just a square behind her to be led through the dark?
>the later of whom may not be armed
Anypony who isn't armed should have a club or a sling (costing 0 gp). They can make slings out of scrap cloth.

Also, can I roll Arcana to determine the properties of the sword we got on the pirate ship? It's better to know it's enhancement bonus or abilities now so that we can make tactical decisions in combat.
Cavalier could probably also use the cutlass, since he doesn't have a magic weapon and a cutlass is finesse.

Btw, I still have a "weapon crystal", whatever that does.
>>193843
>His what? Is it a gun or a melee weapon?
He has a +2 Shortsword on his shotgun as a bayonet.
>Also are we sending the rest of the survivors out to sea? I think we should so they're not sitting ducks.
The Intruder's summons can reach anywhere on the island. It shouldn't really matter. The only threat they can evade is the GRU, but if the GRU sinks us here it won't matter anyway.
>speed
The swan boat is absurdly fast by boat standards, at 60ft per round.
> Assuming exposure to the weather won't be too bad, we can have them all embark on the swan boat, get away from the shore, and reserve the torpedo boat for ourselves for a fast getaway.
I trust them more with the swan boat because it's probably not seaworthy and also not worth anything, but I don't think it matters.
I want able-bodied creatures maintaining the torpedo boat so that it's ready for us to use later.

>>193848
>60 feet per round
The torpedo boat is significantly faster at least at top speed.

>lit horn
A lit horn is kind of comparable to a flashlight, and is simultaneously better and worse. It is better in that it sends light in every direction, or nearly every direction, so that you can see to your side. It is much worse in that it cannot project light far forward, so that you cannot really see, say, the far wall of at least larger rooms. A horn's wattage is overall probably less than most flashlights.

>Sword
The one picked up can be classified as a rapier

>>193848
>Cavalier could probably also use the cutlass, since he doesn't have a magic weapon and a cutlass is finesse.
He could except that he is only 1 pound below a heavy burden (assuming a pony accepts his dagger) and that would put him overweight. As he expends ammunition he will get lighter and might be able to accept it later on.

>He has a +2 Shortsword on his shotgun as a bayonet.
Isn't that for Mala? Or does Silver also have one?
>The Intruder's summons can reach anywhere on the island. It shouldn't really matter. The only threat they can evade is the GRU, but if the GRU sinks us here it won't matter anyway.
It matters to Cavaliere. Also we may have a chance to escape by the skin of our teeth, while the leaderless, encumbered and desperate survivors would have no such chance. Giving them a head start and getting them out of visibility means we don't have to worry about them. Consider that if we lose them we also lose a large amount of the reward money since most of the airponies are out there.
>I trust them more with the swan boat because it's probably not seaworthy and also not worth anything, but I don't think it matters.
But it is seaworthy? That's why we took it with us. Anyway the only creatures that can maintain the torpedo boat are with us right now, since apparently restoring the Kostroma is priority.
>>193849
>rapier
That's even better for Cavaliere.

>>193850
If he isn't flying, does it matter if he is overweight?

Mala has the magic bayonet

>>193849
>A lit horn is kind of comparable to a flashlight
Alright.
While I'm asking, could I have an exhaustive description of how the unicorn horn/telekinesis ability works? I assumed the basics, that it's a supernatural ability with an effective caster level equal to character level and a key ability score of Charisma where relevant and that it can pick up and manipulate small objects, but I don't know its reach or weight limitations are, or it it can be used to touch creatures.
>The one picked up can be classified as a rapier
Okay, rolling Arcana to determine its magical properties:
[1d20+12 = (17+12) = 29]
If it can't be told from sight alone, Posey takes hold of it and tries swinging with it to test it out.

>>193851
>does it matter if he is overweight?
It very much does. His AC would drop from 13 to 11, he would incur a -6 penalty to certain checks (he has -3 now), and he would have a lower run modifier.

This confusion as to who has what is exactly why I want inventories from everypony, so we know what weapons and gear are available to the party. I stand to guess that we all have lost at least part of our character notes since we embarked, but even a general overview or estimate would help.

>>193852
>exhaustive
You're not getting it quickly. What I'll say immediately is limit to the weight, attached to wisdom you may be able to attach it to charisma, you can touch creatures, no tactile sensation, not infinite distance. If you want feet and pounds (or metric if you're a weirdo) that will have to wait.

>>193853
I see...

>>193853
You could also put your non-essential equipment in a separate sack, and then drop that sack as a free action at the beginning of combat.
I assume you use fly-by-attack, so keeping your flight is preferable.
>13 to 11
.... You're a Dex build with monk levels, and your AC is 13? Do you not have Wisdom or armor?
Bro, take one of my spare armor pieces. I have a set of studded leather and a flak jacket (effectively chain shirt) that I looted from somewhere and forgot to sell them.
If you have any equipment you can't carry, just hand them off to somepony else.
>>193854
>immediately is limit to the weight, attached to wisdom you may be able to attach it to charisma, you can touch creatures, no tactile sensation, not infinite distance.
Good for now.

>>193855
>non-essential equipment
Maybe. All that he has that is not strictly essential is a water canteen, a map case and a set of manacles. That's 4.5 lb. Let's say he puts these in his belt pouch (0.5 lb) and drops it at the start of combat to lose 5 lb. Wouldn't that take a turn anyway? I don't mind giving these to another creature in our party, and taking the rapier.
>fly-by-attack
No, he doesn't have that feat, not that it's useful in the cramped confines of a ship.
>.... You're a Dex build with monk levels, and your AC is 13? Do you not have Wisdom or armor?
I forgot about the wisdom feature. That would give Cavaliere another +2 for 15 AC (he left his leather jacket behind). Unfortunately it does not apply if he has a medium load.
>studded leather
That would definitely put him into heavy load territory. However the +3 AC is tempting. It would give him 14 AC which is a net positive, but he gets the other maluses which I've listed.

>>193856
>All that he has that is not strictly essential is a water canteen, a map case and a set of manacles. That's 4.5 lb. Let's say he puts these in his belt pouch (0.5 lb) and drops it at the start of combat to lose 5 lb. Wouldn't that take a turn anyway? I don't mind giving these to another creature in our party, and taking the rapier.
I will take them, so long as you remember what they are. You can also just give them to an NPC to carry.
It should be a free action, iirc, or a move action at most to drop a sack.
>he gets the other maluses which I've listed
You don't stack armor encumbrance with load encumbrance:
>If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.
So if you were to wear chain shirt, it would effectively be the same penalty.

When we get paid, you should invest some of your funds into a Bag of Holding or Handy Haversack. Lots of creative uses with those, especially for flying characters in modern settings.

>>193857
>You can also just give them to an NPC to carry.
Not that I don't trust you, but I want to keep the other PCs unencumbered. Either Bokli or Wonder could carry them since they don't seem encumbered with much else.
>penalties
That's what I mean. He would lose his dex bonus to AC (though he would get +2 net for a total of 15), the skill check penalties, and be slower. However, since he's effectively the heavy weapons guy, I think the pros outweigh the cons in this matter, and the mail shirt would be better than the leather set at protecting him.
>weapon finesse
I just realized I don't have this feat listed and I don't think it's given to rangers for free. Lore-wise Cavaliere would be a skilled fencer, but when creating his character this wasn't terribly relevant in terms of gameplay. Also I don't know if we're going by DnD Modern rules and require the Archaic Weapons Proficiency feat to use effectively. These are important considerations for if the rapier will be useful at all.
>better storage
I agree, those are must-haves.

I suppose we should pretend we haven't left the torpedo boat yet until we're actually ready to go.

Cavaliere says to the group, "Let's get all the sailors, airponies, griffons and other creatures who are not going with us into the swan boat. They can sail out of visual range of this island, then around and southwards. When we're done, we'll contact them via radio for a rendezvous. We should have call signs ready for that purpose." He looks to the mechanic. "I would have preferred if Ms. Zama stayed here to work on the engine; yet, it would be unwise to keep her here alone. Maybe it would be best if she came along, so long as we stick together."

While he says this, he presses a small latch on the cumbersome rifle and swivels the box magazine forward and out. He takes one of his bulky spare rounds and fills the magazine to capacity. Then he slots it back in the gun, keeping a round in the chamber in addition to the full magazine. He double-checks to make sure the safety on the rifle is on, before sliding the gun back over his shoulder. The long barrel sticks out like a second tail.

>>193865
I'm actually ready to go.
>They can sail out of visual range of this island, then around and southwards.
"Why? That would only make it easier to lose them."

>>193867
So am I. But we still have a couple of details to iron out.

"The radio will let us contact them at a distance. They can't stay here or they will be in constant danger. They will be more hidden at sea and their practiced sailors will know how to navigate. If we fail to rendezvous, they could reach New Mareland waters and be picked up by a patrolling ship, which is safer for them than being captured by Stalliongrad."

>>193868
"That is unnecessary. Doing do would only put distance between us and our charges and would only further complicate plans. The open waters beyond this beach are no safer than the beach itself, as they are teaming with monsters both summoned and otherwise."

>>193869
Cavaliere replies calmly, "While we're inside it won't matter if they're three hundred feet away or thirty miles away, since we couldn't respond in time if anything happened and that risk is high. If the GRU have not spotted our presence yet, they soon will. As for open waters, I thought you never were in this part of the world? Why don't we go ask the sailors what they think?"

>>193870
"We just talked about the kraken population a couple hours ago."

"Fine. Ask everypony where they want to go or stay themselves and let them do what they will. It makes deciding things easier."

>>193871
There are three groups that have tagged along: the airponies, the Severyanans, and the griffons. Cavaliere says to each of them, "My team and I will have to board this ship and that means leaving you to fend for yourselves until we get back. I recommend taking the swan boat, sailing out of view of the island, and circling east to the south. When we're finished, we will use our radio to contact you and rendezvous in safety. Alternatively, you can stay here aboard this torpedo boat, but we don't know when the GRU will spot it and investigate. Many of you are seasoned sailors so I leave it to your discretion, so long as you don't fight each other. But decide quickly, because we can't lose any more time."

>>193872
Everyone stares at Cavaliere with a stupefied expression https://ponerpics.org/img/view/2012/12/11/179810.png

>>193872
Silver speaks up. "For record, I think it is not good plan. It takes away one of our escape options and simultaneously leaves all of them vulnerable without our protection."

Posey gives an impatient snort and stamps her front hoof.
She turns to the herd
"Discussing amongst ourselves gets us nowhere. The essential ponies are going to the boiler room. Everypony decide now where you want to go or stay. Those who are fit and brave enough to fight, grab a weapon and follow the herd, if you dare. Those who can help do anything about the dying boiler follow as well, if you dare. Those who are too weak or cowardly to do anything can just stay put and clean up that torpedo ship. Decide now!" she shouts, before turning and walking across the deck into the darkness

While the NPCs are deciding where they want to go, could Posey's unseen put some of that leaked fuel in our empty potion flasks to make Molotov cocktails?

>>193875
GM, can I get a response to this, because idk what to say or do next until I get the result.

>>193931
Give me a little time. Things are... strange at the moment IRL

Also I'd rather the players figure out where they want to place NPCs rather than letting them free roam, but okay I guess

>>193932
Since we're leaving the NPCs and both boats here I still disagree with this course, I say we put them all into the lit and warm interior except for the possessed ponies (on the rowboats) and a couple of watchful guards who'll rotate out as needed.

>>193932
Those too wounded, incapacitated, or incapable to either fight or fix the Kostroma's boiler should be left on the torpedo boat. They should be instructed to strap the incapacitated down to the beds in case they wake up and they're possessed. Since as far as I know we're still planning on using Monstro to disable the destroyer, the torpedo boat should stay nearby so we have it as an option for an escape if, let's say, the Kostroma starts sinking after we take out the Traveler. Those who can work on the boiler or can fight should come with us on the Kostroma. The possessed ponies should also come with us because of Kira's plan to release them from the Traveler's control using the light of Ouroboros.

>>193935
>>193934
Let's see where they want to go first.

How many torpedos does the torpedo boat have? How much do they weigh?

>>193932
Virgin Flame wakes up with a startle. She keeps smashing her face into the floor to break the crust that has formed around her eyes. Then she wipes and swipes off the mound of moss that has formed on her back. Finally, she coughs up a bunch of cobwebs before spitting out a rather large spider that has been sitting on her uvula for more than a year now.

The thanks the batpony for the information about the commies, promising that they will receive swift justice before gifting her toxic shrooms that has been growing out from her nostrils.

She leaves the Black Hooves HQ, not because they are rabbits but because they are black, and decides to follow the trail to the first pony on the list who could be responsible for stealing that Celestia Statue.

>>193999
gasp

SHE LIVES!

>spits out the spider
Not as tasty as an Amoeba, evidently

>Not because they are rabbits, but because they are black
Kek

Virgin understood enough. She is told that the blackhooves suspect a few scruffy rapscallions to be behind it, and that's all she needs to know. Well... She also needed to know where the first guy's house is, but she was told enough. The grumpy bat mare welcomes the removal of the statue from her office and gives Virgin the address of the pony's mother as well as a few other helpful bits of information

>>193875
>>193874
>>193872
>>193873
Pin Up locker speaks up,

"And if we are out in the water, what will we do if we are captured by those communists? Sit and hope for ransom? We'll be sitting ducks out there. Or swans."

Day Chaser, Primed Well, and Weary Weeks agree

Then a pony says something in Severyanan, and several other ponies agree with him. Looks to be the mulberry pony and Rustling Pine. Starfire helps to translate

"They say that this area... It's almost cursed. We are too close to the Entity, this Chernobog. They say that they can hear it. They can hear the droning. That they have headaches, that it is louder here. They ask what they will do if that thing sends its minions here to them, or how long they are expected to hold out here."

>>193909
Prob'ly

>>194002
"Then you had best come aboard." Posey replies
"Relative safety in numbers."

>>194001
>gasp
>SHE LIVES!
Thank you for making me feel velcomed. c:
>Not as tasty as an Amoeba, evidently
^^
>The grumpy bat mare welcomes the removal of the statue from her office
kek ^^

Vir hollers at a nearby pretty pedestrian pony, probably.

"Oi, mate!" She trots up to them and shows them her newly acquired papers. "See tis cunt 'ere. I need to foind his mum wit' big knakahs. Think you can help... Cunt?"

>>194002
"Then you had better come aboard. Relative safety in numbers." Posey replies
"Has everypony decided where they are going?"

>>194004
I would love to message a british friend and ask him "what kind of british sounding gibbersish can I respond with?" and he'll insist that it actually is the North country dialect, but alas... It's too late at night

The pretty pedestrian pony - actually a grey stallion in a trench coat with a hat, looks back at Virgin with blue eyes and a serious expression. Then he turns his head behind him, to the right, and raises his right hoof and points it that way. He is pointing at a flat on the fourth floor of an old brick building, covered in black soot, and with a tiny balcony where potted plants spill over in long vines and hold onto the railing below.

>>194002
>>194003
Silver nods in agreement. "Everyone to boilers then. Then we clear this boat of Traveler's puppets, and hope Kira's god can truly save them."

>>194006
>I would love to message a british friend and ask him "what kind of british sounding gibbersish can I respond with?
^^ don't worry about it. I just used all my mockney, as I just learnt it was called, roight there.
>The pretty pedestrian pony
^^

Vir blesses the stallion with a prayer.

"Oh, holy mother Epona, Saint Celestia, and paladin Twilight Sparkle, endow this gentlecolt with blessings of great fortune."

Then she does a rad salute before marching her way over to the building. She looks at the plants and vines and ponders if this is a sign from above that she should climb this house. idk ^^

>>194008
The pony gives a sharp nod to Virgin, places his right hoof to his heart, then extends his foreleg towards her and upwards, holding it straight.

"My heart goes out to you."

No. It is not climbable. Probably. At least, you shouldn't try it. Probably. Right?

>>194005
>>194007
And a reminder that at least half of the NPCs are disabled.

>>194007
"Be sure to anchor the torpedo boat."

Posey leaves her unseen servant on the boat to clean up the oil and do other routine maintenance.
>>194009
Do the disabled ponies want to come? Because otherwise they can just stay aboard the torpedo boat.
We take the ponies that want to come with us.

>>194009
>places his right hoof to his heart, then extends his foreleg towards her and upwards, holding it straight.
Heil uncle Adolf!
>"My heart goes out to you."
Aww. <3

Vir blushes and chortles like Mr. Bean.

>No. It is not climbable. Probably. At least, you shouldn't try it. Probably. Right?

Vir has a genius idea. She is pretty stoked about comming up with it herself.

Ponies are small horsies. Horsies eat grass. Grass is green. Plants and vines probably are green too. So if the vines aren't edible, they are climbable, cause then they are not made of grass.

Vir digs in her teeth in the vines. If her teeth get stuck, then jackpot! It's climbable. ^^

>>194011
But she has a problem. The vines are still really high up. Also the vines are still probably actually some kind of tomato plant, or something similar.

>>194012
>Also the vines are still probably actually some kind of tomato plant, or something similar.
You know what, I will say that she is smart enough to think this is dumb, because I'm starting to think this is not the brightest idea I have had. ^^

Instead, she goes off looking for a door in the building that she can enter through.

>>194012
My horsie is too big vegtable for the vines to hold.

>>194013
Yes. Up a short set of concrete stairs, and into a small hall that has a row of mail slots, and a set of stairs going up. Vit knows its on the fourth floor, to the left. A middle aged griffin stares at Vir, but does not say anything.

>>194014
Awww...

The tradeoff of having a relatively big mare

>>194002
Cavaliere responds, "You are far less likely to be captured at sea than if you stayed here. The torpedo boat will be hard to spot, even by radar, and in this weather and with your sailing skills you should be able to evade pursuit until morning, if you lose contact with us."
>>194005
>>194007
"No, we would be slowed down and they would be in greater danger aboard. I cannot brook leaving only the vulnerable on these boats either without any others to watch over them."

>>193999
Welcome back, and checked!

>>194015
>relatively big mare
4U ^^

>A middle aged griffin stares at Vir, but does not say anything.

Vir skips up the steps to him with friednly, outgoing smile on her face.

"Okay? Okay? Listen to this," she tells the griffin while having crazy eyes. "A phoenix, a cockatrice, and a griffin enter a bar. But then, as they sit down, the bartender taps at a sign, which reads, 'No Animals.' So the cockatrice leads the griffin out of the bar. Ehh? Ehh?!"

>>194016
Thank you c:
>checked!
Nice. I didn't see that. ^^

>>194017
Something in his face suggests he does not appreciate Vir's humor. It must not translate well to whatever culture he is from.

"State your business here, pony."

>>194019
>Img
You found a really fitting image quickly. Nice. c:

"Look, there's no need to be curt. I think we just got off on the wrong hoo... Paw? Talon? Whatever. Let's start over." Vir nodded to herself as if she just had said something very wise. "You see I used to have a pegasus friend and they are, probably, part bird. And I love borbs. I adore the budgie squeaking out, 'Pretty bird.' I want to brood on my own foals one day like a chicken does her chicks. Or coo softly as I'm feed seed by my master like a pigeon.

Vir struck a pose like pointer dog and pointed with her whole hoof at the griffin.

"That's why I hope one day ponies will enslave all of Griffinstone. So I can have one of you as a pet. But really, let's honesty. I would be the slave, as I would slave away making sure that your every whim and desire came true you beautiful raptor on four legs.

"You are not just a glorified seagull. You're an eagle!"

Proud of her amazing speech, Vir closed her eyes and held her chin high in inner mirth. Then she continued.

"As for my business, you see I'm a crow on a mission to bring back a gleaming piece of statue to a beloved one."

She stares at the griffin with wide, and pinprick eyes.

"So you see, in a way, we are both birds. Bird. Bird is the word!"

>>194020
The griffin looks at Vir with a look of rage. Then concern. Then rage. Then concern again. Then all emotion drains from his face. His right hind paw takes a step backwards. Then his left hind paw. Then each fore paw. Slowly. Then much all at once. He backs himself through an open doorway, always keeping his twisted, horrified face locked on to Vir, but keeping his direction of travel in a straight line, away from Vir, and through the door.

He very quickly grabs the door and shuts it. Vir hears the sound of multiple locks immediately thereafter.

>>194021
>He just leaves
I'm laughing so much, my cheeks are getting sore. C:

That's also a great pic. ^^

>>194021
Vir checks for any feathers the griffin might have left behind.

>>194022
Though there are sounds of muffled talking upstairs, and the movement of air through vents, Vir is alone

>>194023
There is a single, small white feather. Which is actually kind of odd, because that griffin was tan and dark brown in color.

>>194016
Silver sighs. "You heard them. If we leave them behind we leave them to mercy of Traveler and of GRU. We have no choice but to take them with us. If Kira's plan does work, we will also need them alongside us to purge Traveler's influence from their minds."

>>194026
>>194016
"Just let them all decide for themselves where they want to go. We do not own them (yet), and I am in no mood to drag along unwilling landlubbers into battle. Everypony keep walking." Posey says, slowly trotting across the deck.

>>194002
>>193875
GM, do the other ponies respond to Posey asking them to decide where they themselves want to go?

>>194028
Now Kira speaks up, frowning. She sounds a bit upset. "The whole idea is to weaken the Traveler by freeing the creatures under his control. That's what the ponies said, right? He gains strength through followers? So by freeing his followers, he'll not be as strong for when we face him."

>>194027
>>194028
Silver also frowns. "Very obviously they do not want to be left alone. We are taking them with us. Those who can fight will be in front and back of group, those who cannot will be in middle."

>>194031
"Then let us leave already." Posey says, still walking

>>194024

Vir picks up the white feather. Takes a long sniff of it. She does her best ahegao face as she exhales.

She proceeds to place it in the first golden ring of the ones in her hair, buffalo-style.

Then she tries to find the right apartment, so she traverses to the fourth floor if that helps her find it a bit better.

>drawing is her mane style with feather, as good I could get it with mouse pad but I hope the idea is still transmitted

Posey continues trotting across the deck, looking for any entrance to the lower decks.
Monstro swirls in the air behind her menacingly.

>>194033
>smell
Mhmm. That's griffin alright. A little bit of sweat, and especially cigarette smoke. Maybe not necessarily from Vit's spiritual birb cousin, the splendid eagle, but probably from some kind of griffin.

The stairs creak as Vit goes up. The interior of the building is kind of cold and smells of mold. The wooden steps creak as she goes up them. She finds a door that has a hairline crack running down it, and a small chip near the doorknob. The doorknob itself has clearly been replaced at least once, or rather, the lock below it has. As best as Vit can recall, this is it.

>>194027
>>194028
>>194026
Blackheel interjects
"Enough of this! Only those who are needed should be in the first wave on the ship. Everypony else can stay on the boat. It's in blackout, it should be hard to see, and easy to defend. They can have a radio to call if there are problems. We can reassess our plans after we've cleared a safe area in the ship, if such a thing exists at all.

>>194036
Posey nods
"Agreed. It is settled then. Onwards." She says, trotting along

Posey leads the way, using her darkvision to scout out any entrances to the lower decks.

>>194036
Cavaliere nods appreciatingly toward the commissar. "Then it's settled. Let's move."

>>194035
>Smell
^^

Vir knocks on the door with the tempo of the song "Macarena."

>>194040
As a side note, what is up with this song. I just thought it was a dance song but it seems to be about some woman cheating and stuff. wtf. At least Macarena means soemthing like hope nad virgin which kinda fits with Vir.

>>194036
Silver nods, and helps to usher the rest of the group inside. He'll help guard the rear. Kira tries to stay near the front where she can keep an eye and ear out for ambushes.

>>194040
>>194041
I too, use silly knocks every time I approach a locked door at work.

The door opens slowly. At first it cracks open a small amount, and Vir can see a yellow-green face behind round glasses. There is a sound of a lock being undone, and the door opens, revealing a short, somewhat old mare. Her mane is grey, the skin on her head sags, and she squints briefly through her thick glasses before assuming a relaxed position. She has a mild smile on her face.

"Oh, hello. What brings you here, Mister? Don't get too many guest these days"

>>194038
>>194037
>>194039
>>194042
No obvious points of entrance but through the crew quarters. At least, in the middle of the ship.

>>194043
"I checked the aft deckhouse and it was clear," he reminds the squad. "If we enter amidships we're likely to find company and make ourselves known."

>>194043
>>194044
Silver speaks up. "Traveler can sense our presence anywhere on this island. He will know we are here regardless."

>>194043
Posey asks Blackheel what would be the best way to the boiler.

>>194043
>I too, use silly knocks every time I approach a locked door at work
^^

"Mister? I'm a mare silly filly," Vir says before pulling back her hood and revealing her brown-red mane.

"Can't you tell, I'm so acute." Vir turns to the side, sits down on her buttocks, then lean forward so her torso and legs form an acute angle through her hips.

>>194046
>>194043
Does Blackheel have anything to say?

>>194047
"hehe, you sure are a character, young fellow. Would you like to come in? Have a cup of tea?"
She smiles

>>194048
>>194046
"The shortest route is through the super structure and straight down. That way was not safe when we were on. We would have gone around through the aft deckhouse and cargo holds five, four, and three. But there has been enough time for things to change since then."

>>194049
"You say it was not safe when you were there. How so? What dangers did you witness there?" Posey asks
"The repair ponies are noncombatants, and taking them through a killzone risks them being picked off one by one. However, detouring with severe delay gives the intruder more opportunities to mobilize monsters against us, so timing is key, and changes in the cargo hold may mean additional delays and unforseen dangers."

She pauses
"I had expected the Intruder to have a mind as tactical as the otherworldly spirits my masters conversed with, but perhaps I overestimated it and we are being too cautious. If the boiler dies everypony on this ship will be trapped on this desolate rock, including the Intruder. Since it evidently has not driven its flock to maintain its only means of transportation, then perhaps it is not so clever as it claims... Perhaps we are overthinking all of this and just trust our first guesses." She ponders

"The longer route for the cargo hold would pass by empty rooms that may provide spaces of refuge for noncombatants to shelter, an essential component in dungeoneering... But the Intruder appears to not require any line of effect for its summoning or mental control, so shelter poses little tactical advantage."
Posey stamps her hoof in frustration and wracks her head

Attempting an Arcana check to gain a Strategic Advantage, to see if Posey can figure out anything about the limitations of the Intruder's magical abilities (range, line of effect, frequency, duration, times per day, resource cost, etc), to make an informed decision about the coming battle.

[1d20+11 = (8+11) = 19]

>>194052
"In all of my studies I have never heard of sparingly few monsters that had clairsentient telepathic awareness of the thoughts of creatures stretching for miles while simultaneously being able to summon seemingly unlimited monsters at such extreme range. Such powers render any and all military tactics moot, when our enemy can simply rearrange the battlefield on a whim. The only question remains is why it is not attacking us right now? Perhaps it is luring us into a trap. Or perhaps it is incapable of fixing the boiler ok its own and is waiting for us to do its work for it. Or perhaps its summons are not as unlimited as they seemed before..."
>>194049
She turns to Blackheel
"You are a mage, are you not? Have you observed any patterns in the frequency of the Intruder's summons that could help us infer the limits to its capabilities?"

"In any order, I say we go through the aft deckhouse and cargo holds. A path straight down through the superstructure is likely to be difficult for non-fliers and poses potential bottlenecks, and if it was not safe before it can only be worse now. To the deckhouse it is." She says, turning in that direction

>>194049
Vir popped to her hooves.

"That would be the second time I got tea today," Vir replied as she counted on her hoof, even though it lacked digits. "Last time it was in the Church..." Vir rolled off before she pointed one way, before quickly changing her mind and pointing in another direction. "That way!"

"Yeah, that was some good tea, then I set out on my treasure hunt."

>>194051
"What dangers? We were on a ship in a mutiny. Of course it was dangerous. We noticed strange behaviors a week ago. Reports of nightmares. Trembling, a tendency to rock back and forth. Occasional lack of focus on the eyes. And then strange feelings. Some had apocalyptic visions, or feelings of doom. And some felt feelings of warmth and euphoria. Light Water had already begun his proselyting, telling everyone of what the thing could do, sounding a bit more like a street preacher than a professional. This was besides oddities taking place in hold two in particular. Stories of shadows moving about, of instruments being moved, of things seen in the night. More than one pony reported being visited by, shall we say, angels in the night. Alicorns, paragons, old deities...

I made the decision, in agreement with my superiors, not to allow the crew off in Sirius when we docked there. There was reason to believe their was treachery afoot. I did not realize it was as bad as it was, but with the fascist blimp tailing us, we had to believe there was an informant for the fascists somewhere, perhaps on the ship. We did not need to let him off. Then there was the very real possibility that some sort of psychosis inducing virus had been wretched out of the permafrost in the north, and that whatever had made that village go mad was slowly affecting us. That, and perhaps there were rodents or other animals stowed away with us. Possibly disease-ridden animals. A few ponies came on board at Sirius, and they did not go mad, except for one of them who slept near the thing.

When the mutiny came it came suddenly. Ponies did not wake up at the designated hour, sleeping late, and remaining in a catatonic state when you tried to wake them. You could see their eyes moving, like they were dreaming. When they did wake, they were zombie like, non-responsive. Or more accurately, non-responsive to us. They stared towards Hold 2, as if they saw something we didn't. The first, decisive actor was that damned griffin of the Skynavian Liason, Schattenwechsel. It was he who lead the revolt, or at least, seemed to. He took hold of the bridge and the upper most levels first. He had taken hold of many of the weapons of the armory over the night. I'm not certain how. I and several of the others had already set up in cargo hold four when we feared the main crew quarters were... infected, or otherwise compromised. He must have gone around on deck. I didn't see what happened to the captain, the old Salted Watch, but he was neutralized one way or the other early on. He was reclusive in that week. It must have gotten him, if he didn't show it.

And yes, we did see its first creations. They were... Like what, lobsters? Little monsters. Smaller than what we've seen since. We retreated from the crew deck into the cargo holds. There was some actual fighting in the mid and aft deckhouses. We did manage to cut off the ship's engines before she ran directly onto the island and sank. We made a break for it all at once with what weapons we had, storming through the aft deckhouse, the deck and then finally onto the boats.

Why would it turn on the boilers? It doesn't need the light. This ship is not very fast. There is no universe in which a ship like this outruns the GRU destroyers, the pirate torpedo boats, or the fascist blimps that are after it. There is no universe where its crew simply rolls into harbor, any harbor, and pretends like nothing is wrong. Not so long as I and my loyal few live. You don't understand. This thing is not like a wolf or a big cat trying to make a living on its own. It is a parasite looking for a new host. Take the life cycle of your average worm. It gets eaten by a little microscopic animal. And then it lives in that animal until it gets swallowed up by a much, much larger animal and makes its life in that creature's guts. it has no fear of being taken in by ponies because it's dealt with them before.

It doesn't want to run. Where would it run to? What would it do if it did evade its attackers? It doesn't want to fight off its attackers. Then what would it do? No, it wants to be captured. It wants to be taken back to Ravenskoye, or worse, to Petershoof, or to Stalliongrad. To Manehattan if the fascists get it. Like a Trojan pony, or a swallowed tapeworm larva hidden in the flesh of an undercooked fish. Because that's where its prey is. That's where it can pretend to be a dead creature and slowly corrupt the minds of all of those around it - maybe hundreds of thousands of minds - with its insidious dreams and visions.

>>194051
Captain Weary Weeks chimes in

"What does a god need with a ship?"

Blackheel looks to Weary Weeks but does not respond. Instead he provides the following

"Clearly its powers must be finite, because it attacks in waves rather than constantly. I noticed it didn't attack your group for a while, not until you made it clear there the negotiations were over. It selects ponies it doesn't like or thinks are a threat and attacks them. I assure you, I and my ponies were the recipients of quite a lot. I don't know exactly what its limits are. Forgive me if we haven't used the utmost scientific measurements to figure it out.

The steel bulkheads must have done at least something to limit its mind influence. Those who slept in the aft deckhouse were not as affected. Rotating some of the marines out of the aft deckhouse so we could have them secure the crew quarters was a mistake...

And it isn't omniscient. It can be fooled. It only knows what it sees or hears through the eyes and ears of those it influences. It's a pity it has spies everywhere...

>>194053
"The cycles have been... 20 minutes? On the half hour? It's certainly time for another cycle."

>To the deckhouse
Midship or aft deckhouse?

>>194054
She steps back from the door as if beckonning Vir in

"Oh what a lovely day it must be to stop for tea twice. What a big mare you are. A treasure hunter you say? What are you hunting for? A stallion. Must be quite a challenge to find one bigger than you."

>>194055
>>194056
Posey puts a hoof on the shoulder of the winded stallion and gently pats him after he finishes his exhausting monologue
"Breathe." She says, calmly, in the same tone she uses to calm Gloomy's possession convulsions
"We will get through this."
>Midship or aft deckhouse?
Aft deckhouse.
Posey turns in that direction and continues walking
>No, it wants to be captured.
Posey pauses, then looks up at Monstro, looking over the herd with its torpedo
"It wants to be captured? Perhaps I may interfere with that..." she ponders

>>194052
Blackheel glares

"If you didn't want an answer, why did you ask the question?"

>>194055
>>194056
>>194058
Cavaliere listens attentively to what the commissar has to say. When he is finished, the griffon replies, "Don't mind her if she comes across as rude; she can be single-minded about her goals. You made the right choices given the information you had. And had you known what threat it presented you likely had no options at sea. We will destroy this 'worm' whatever it takes. As soon as we step aboard we can expect an attack at any moment, and we will likely have another by the time we reach our target, plus the rest of the crew it has held in reserve. Good thing we have plenty of ammunition. We will have to make our approach carefully, entering via the aft deckhouse, and watch every angle."

>>194056
Kira's ears perk up as she hears Black Heel talk about the Traveler selecting ponies. "I wonder if the Traveler is afraid of Ouroboros. I mean, I would be if I was an aberrant creature from another dimension corrupting His realm. The Traveler tried getting into my head to get me to join him, but I said no, Maybe it means this will actually work...please Ouroboros let this work..."

>>194055
Silver speaks up. "We have not seen much in terms of weapons used by Petrushkas. Some bolt-action rifles but not much else. If Schattenwechsel took weapons from armory, where else could they be now?"

>>194058
Posey pats the poner gently again
"Your input is valued. I did not even consider that the Intruder might have wanted to be captured by the GRU."

In case nobody noticed, I have been doing a running joke about Posey being obtusely concerned about ponies forgetting to breathe.

Posey leads the way to the aft deckhouse, taking 10 on stealth and carefully creeping through the darkness with the advantage of darkvision.

>>194056
Vir steps inside.

"Well, you see, the stallion is just the first step. If he is Mr. Right, then I will soon acquire the biggest bode that Equestria has ever witnessed," Vir says and gestures a mushroom cloud explosion with her hooves with fitting sound effects. "Then the biggest bode with be reforged with the greatest mind, it's the only one able to contain it. Then my sect sisters and I will revel in tea n' biscuits forever more."

Vir's eye displayed a firework of euphoria at bringing back the old god, the elder goodie.

"You see. It's not alive which eternally goons; and in sane eons even coltifornians may learn to drive?" Idk. ^^

>>194064
>random npc
random npcs*

>>194064
>SS
I keep telling you that Vir would make a great ⚡︎hadow ⚡︎un Ninja. Vir could be a ⚡︎un ⚡︎oul Monk with levels in unarmed ⚡︎word⚡︎age, specialized in the ⚡︎etting ⚡︎un Discipline. Goes well with the ⚡︎un ⚡︎chool feat that lets you attack as a free action after using a ⚡︎hadow ⚡︎tep maneuver (among other things.
She could even be a ⚡︎hadow Guard, the elite ⚡︎ecret Police of the churches of gods of light such as Hieronous or Pelor (but also Celestia). Perhaps she may even be promoted to ⚡︎hadow ⚡︎triker or an ultra-elite ⚡︎hadow ⚡︎py: the ruthless ⚡︎ecret ⚡︎ect of ⚡︎isters most loyal to the princess who do her grisly bidding and carry the light through absolute darkness, and those who remained loyal to the princess even after her capture.

>>194062
Posey has a modified 17 when taking 10 Move Silently

She takes 10 on Spot and Listen, for a modified 13 on each

>>194066
I'll think about it fren. Thanks for the suggestion c:
Right now, I think it would be too technical for me. I even have scrapped that monk/barbarian concept. I just want a monk who's strong now.

Are there any checks we need to make to proceed?

Also, since the Intruder keeps being described as a god, I would like to roll a religion check to see if Posey can inter the scope of its rank and/or divine salient abilities, or if it really is a god at all:
[1d20+11 = (2+11) = 13]

>>194072
>13
Nevermind.

>>194056
Vir puffed a cigarette and then sizzled it out in her cup of tea. The mare gasped at the display but couldn't help herself but knead her hindlegs together as if she was desperate for a piss. She fluttered her huge eyelashes at Vir.

"So investigator--" she began but as interrupted.

"Please, call me Dick," said Vir as her eyes took in the apartment. the pots and pans, objects nopony else possessed, revealed to her sluething eyes that the other mare was a absolute waifu material and seeing her longing for her, Dick, she could clearly make her into her housefrau, if only she could forget about that night already!

Vir unscrewed a metal bottle in her jacket and took a swig of booze to numb the pain.

"Okay, then. Uh, Mr.-- Dick-- Virgin, why have you come here?" asked the beautiful mare before Vir and blushed as she said the word 'dick'.

That put a short lived smile on Vir's face both because of the mare's bashfulness of something so minor but also because innocents hadn't yet died in this world unlike what vir had seen throughout her years of work in the force.

"I came to you, Ma'am, because new clues have made me pick up a cold case of the shelf, which I think you can help me with, " Vir said while looking moody as always. "I'm searching for a someone called GM Pony. He disappeared several decades ago after finishing a session of online dnd."

;^P
Dw, just kidding take you time ^^