/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>195978
Posey was using innuendo to prevent overhearing

>>195976
Perhaps I did not communicate the message correctly. Posey is not suggesting actually summoning anything. She is only suggesting making the Intruder and Light Water believe that we are summoning a peer threat, so that it will come out to fight us itself instead of just spamming more summons.

Rolling Diplomacy to convince
[1d20+10 = (4+10) = 14]

>>195981
Ugh

I did jump the gun by posting my idea before the check results, but if I could get the results of that Religion + Arcana check to know what Kira is trying to do, maybe I could reassure Blackheel that nothing bad is going to happen.

Posey takes 10 on innuendo to communicate her plan to the party.

>>195994
Silver nods along. "I will admit, it is good plan to draw one of them out."

>>195995
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE don't say it's a trap out loud!
Why do you think I used innuendo?

>>195994
He only nods in response.

>>195996
Silver purses his lips together, and remains quiet.

Rosey Ring takes out the fake rosary beads she found earlier and levitates them above her horn. The tip of her horn glows and she uses her Charnel Touch is o accelerate the decay of the wood at the fine point above her horn, using it to drag burned markings across the wood that make the beads appear antique and ancient; she then proceeds to inscribe markings on it, mostly snakelike bands that encompass each bead. She is dressing up the rosary beads with divine iconography to make them seem more like the powerful Prayer Beads that priests wield (if it fooled me, it can fool Light Water). She pays extra attention to one particular bead, and carves sigils into it that mimick those of a Bead Of Summons.
She takes 10 on her craft check to do this, for a total of 15 (enough for a high-quality item).

"Let us go above deck at once. My powers grow stronger when I can see the night sky." Posey says

>>195965
Kira thinks, in short, that she can exorcise the Traveler's presence in a pony the same way you can (try to) exorcise a demon.

The way in which a "petrushka" functions isn't perfectly clear. The entity seems to "take over" the will and mind of a pony, sort of like a standard possession. Ponies under the control of the entity seem to suffer a degredation of their physical bodies. It is not clear if this is caused solely by the entity neglecting to take care of physical needs - dehydration in particular seems common - of if these are physical manifestations of parasitism of magical energy, or of the soul itself. The entity seems to be able to do this at a distance, over time, and with the strongest effects being closest to it. These traits, combined with the fact that metal and especially cages of metal seem to reduce the power of the control, imply that the possession may actually be by a magical/material influence that works more or less the same way that radio waves, or electromagnetism work. For all anyone knows, it may actually be radio waves. It is assumed, but not actually confirmed, that the possession is in some way parasitic on the host, sapping away magic and or life essence in a manner akin to a changeling. The entity may or may not be able to change its level of influence on its own. The process may be involuntary on the entity's part. The entity probably does not have the ability to completely strip a creature's soul from its body and consume it at a distance, given that it has not yet been observed doing that. It may still be inadvisable to stare into its eyes.

So how do you remove it? Well, Posey does know that a strong will can keep at least some of the influence out, as she herself shut it from invading her mind, though she can't be sure that if it had gotten its "foot in the door," so to speak, that she would have faired as well. The entity seems to use the host's own desires and offers temptations in order to reduce resistance. Only one creature thus far seems to have allowed the creature into its mind and resisted it successfully, that being Light Water, who seems to have not only retained his personality, but has actually rewritten the intentions of the entity. But that may only be because Light Water is aligned with the entity's original intentions well enough that it is unnecessary for it to try to control him. Light Water may also be under full control without showing signs. It is hard to say, and the same for the griffin Schattenwechsel.

It does make sense to posit that some spiritual power can force it out, either by direct action, or by reinforcing the will of the host as a self-defense mechanism. To that end, attempting an exorcism is sensible. Still, it would be unlikely to be deployable en masse at least under normal circumstances, and also advisable to weaken the influence of the Traveler by other means.

>>195994
Is the only NPC that she communicates the plan to Blackheel? Who exactly does she communicate the plan to?

>>195999
>fake
wat

>>195999
>My powers grow when I can see the night sky
"Good luck with that" Stained Sand says

>>195999
If Posey asks, Kira can also instruct her on specific symbols, runes, or bands associated with the lamia religion's interpretation of Ouroboros, in order to both enhance the "bluff" as well as lend some additional aid towards her "mass exorcism" attempt. After all, a genuine attempt would not only be more believable, but it would make the attempt more likely to be successful.

Kira smiles at Posey. "I can also show you what you'd need to mark down on the ground for the ritual. You've definitely done your homework about our religion, but a first-hoof source would be a huge help, right?" She looks back towards the way they came. "Being in the open sky might help with establishing a connection to Ouroboros, though weakening the Traveler's connection might also be a good idea. That's why the survivors were sleeping in the furthest cargo hold, right, where the Traveler's influence was weakest? They also said that chromium can dampen the connection, too. Maybe we should try that?"

>>196002
>description
Thank you.
Posey is highly skeptical that this exorcism would work, since it would be a feat even for a lvl 20 Cleric, but she sees it as excellent bait for her plan to lure the enemy into her trap.
>NPC
Posey will communicate it to Stained Sand as well, since she considers him a relatively strong-willed individual in the group.
She avoids telling too many creatures
>fake
>wat
The rosary beads we found on the gray griffon. I thought that they were a magic item, but they weren't.
Posey is carving the rosaries to look more like a magic item. She will then use Nystul's Aura to make the Rosary give off the signature of a powerful Greater Strand of Prayer Beads, as a prop to lure the enemy into her trap.
>"Good luck with that" Stained Sand says
"What do you mean?" Posey says
>>196003
Posey is already familiar with the Oroborous. Every self-respecting necromancers is

"Just pray the way you normally woul, Kira. Will handle the rest."

>>196004
Stained Sand

"It's winter. It's raining outside. There is no night sky, there is no moon, there is no starlight. There is only clouds and rain.

Do you really think that thing is going to be impressed by a few prayers? I am not impressed by prayers. That griffin you got those beads off of prayed and look at all the good it did him. Do you really think that of all of those griffins it took out, not a single one prayed to their boreas or their arturus or whatever? Do you think it's never heard a prayer before? Do you think that none of the Severyanans prayed to their tree, or whatever their holy symbol is."

Blackheel:
"We are State Atheists. We have no gods."

Stained Sand:
"Sure you are. I'm sure that's why one of your crew members had a statue to Celestia in his locker. As an offer to Atheos. Or maybe he's just wanking to it. Anyways, my point is that these god things you pray to? What difference do they make? Celestia, for all her faults, you payed taxes to her. She was real. And that purple one, Starry Night Sprinkle or whatever. I'm not real fond of her, but let me tell you, she's a real powerful mage. I'd be more afraid of her than some far away snake thing. Certainly I would if I were that.. that thing, that whatever you call it. I'm more afraid of that even as a pony."

>>196005
"They prayer itself does not have to work. Enemy only needs to believe that it is working, so that they scramble to interfere."
She raises the rosary
"A strand of beads like these, when properly sanctified, has the destructive potential of a hundred battleships. If I glamor them and show them to Light Water for only a few seconds, he should respond with the same panic that he would if I were about to light the fuse to fifty tons of dynamite."

>raining
I wanted to cast Rain Of Terror to make it rain steaming hot blood and thousands of snakes, so rain is fine.

She shrugs
"Or we could just go walk over there to kill him ourselves now. I am not picky."

>>196005
Kira tilts her head and flicks her tongue in confusion at the strange ponies. "I mean...I don't know about gods plural but Ouroboros does exist. We're all a part of Him, and He's a part of all of us. Even if you say that there are no gods, He's still with you, just like He's with all of his children. As for others, I mean it's possible that there are other gods out there somehow outside of Ouroboros' sphere, or perhaps they're spirits from a previous incarnation of the Universe that persisted through the cycles, or really there could be any explanation for them. I don't know much about Celestia, but from what I've heard she sounds nice. She might be a goddess. Hasn't she lived for over a thousand years? That's at least demigod level, right there. All I know for certain is that Ouroboros is real, and the Traveler is definitely a lot closer to some kind of demon than a god. And the Traveler should definitely be afraid of Him, because He will not stand for the Traveler's perversions."

She crosses her forelegs to emphasize that last point.

>>196007
Oi, Kira was not included in the conversation about the trap for a reason: whatever she's doing would only work if she had no ulterior motives.

Wherever we end up going, we have to leave the boiler room first. Some of us might die walking down this hallway, so let's do that and then figure out the details.

>>196005
Cavaliere scratches his chin with his talon. "If you had heard about the thing aboard this ship before you ended up on this island, you would scarcely have believed it, either. There are evidently things no creature can explain on his own, and religion can help to fill in the gaps. Considering where we are, we need all the help we can get."

>>196015
If we just want to leave to get on top of the deck, we could go back the way we came which would be safer. Taking the stairs through the crew deck would expose us to attacks before we can realize the next stage of our plan. Also, you should be careful how many creatures you let in on the deception.

Posey reiterates her earlier question and asks Blackheel to reveal what he knew about Light Water's magic, person to what skills he demonstrated to get his job.

>>196017
"I didn't select him. My superiors did, and he came recommended to them by the International. I can tell you that he was presumably selected in part because of his immense knowledge of the arcane and physics, probably more so than his personal abilities. This was to be a knowledge collecting and research mission, not a magic show, so it was more important that he understood how a spell works rather than being able to use it. He was surely also selected because of his personal associations with Posada, who holds great sway within the dissident left of Aris. The International wanted multiple nations to be represented, after all. I also suspect that his personal charm helped him secure the appointment.

I did read his file, and I can tell you that he is mostly an academic, and was educated in the Rijeka during his exile in the time of the Occupation. As you guessed, he was a participant and later leader of a student socialist group. He is a follower of that strange permutation of socialism we call Posadism. I will withhold giving my thoughts on that. He does have great knowledge of the Arcane, Chemistry, and Physics, with reasonable knowledge besides, and likely would have qualified for a position as a professor. Like any good leftist he is an Atheist if not necessarily in the proper sense, but he would be familiar with the worship of the Tiamat and the like. I can tell you that he is indeed capable of personal magic, channeled through the claws similar to how we use our horns. I am not perfectly certain how, but I have seen him do it."

>Posada
Hey, I used to know the guy who owns that OC. He was in the leftypone discord server back in the day (idk what it's called now). Several other EaW devs were there (this game fandom is indeed full of commies, but whatever).
>Posadism
That brings up another question: do nuclear weapons exist in this setting? Or some other fictitious WMD-equivalent, even in theory? Posadism kind of revolves around nuking everyone, or otherwise causing apocalyptic events.
Posey is from an archaic society, but the topic of WMDs,b world domination, and doomsday-cultists is her area of interest, so she may have read about this in her studies.
Rolling History (untrained):
[1d20+3 = (18+3) = 21]
And "Religion" (in case I can count Posadism as a "cult"; if not just ignore the roll):
[1d20+11 = (20+11) = 31]
>>196036
Posey ponders
"Interesting. So he is indeed proficient in spellcraft and knowledge of the arcane. Stalliongrad is rather egalitarian in its selection processes. In Equestria and Farbrook the hornless are hardly even considered for magical tutelage among the intelligentsia, preferring 'gifted unicorns' chosen for their innate talents and little regard for their mental stability, a practice that enforced Equestrian social stratification and rigid mageocracy for centuries." she comments
"This information is helpful. I can now reliably suspect that Light Water is trained in Wizardry, and that he is an academic who should be able to recognize fundamental magical effects. I had to ask, because the Hornless are prone to cultivate magical power from the most bizarre and obscure sources, so that can be rather unpredictable..."

>>196037
>WMDs
Short answer, they don't exist

However

Posey is vary familiar with destruction magic that causes either damage in a concentrated area, or projects fire and conflagration magic over an area. With very powerful mages, these can become very destructive, and the stories of these being used, confirmed or alleged, are numerous. But while the amount of damage done in a concentrated area is immense, and the size of the area effected is rather large, it still isn't going to destroy a whole town or larger area in a single attack.

Posey does know of massed attacks of either spells or mundane chemical-based explosive weapons being used to level entire cities. The Changelings used massed attacks of dozens of planes to bomb the city of Vanhoover early in their invasion. More famously and significantly, the Storm King used magical and mundane attacks from his fleet of airships to ravage the city of Panthera during his taking of Abyssinia. Of course, both of these are just a continuation of that old tradition of torching a taken city.

Posey has heard of accidents causing great devastation, and leveling portions of cities. A few years ago, a ship in New Manehattan harbor carrying ammunition bound for that country's war effort in Siacmeon was collided into by another freighter, caught fire, and exploded with the force of three thousand tons of explosives. 2,000 civilians died, much of the harbor was leveled, with significant damage to the adjacent industrial districts. In Yale a year or so ago, a massive magical explosion in the middle of the day originated from a building in one of the universities. It took out much of the university and adjacent shops and residential areas, killing unknown thousands including important researchers and professors. The actual cause has never been announced, though presumably either an experiment went wrong or something was done with an artifact that should not have been.

But what about actual, intentional weapons that can level cities? There are three suggestions:

One, what could be called a "Balefire spell." This is a theoretical amplification spell that magnifies the effect of a spell by several orders of magnitude. Attached to an incendiary or destructive spell it could destroy a city, theoretically.

Another is more mundane yet somehow more fantastical: a nuclear device. By igniting a chain reaction of the destruction of atoms, an immense amount of power could be released. While this has been done on a small scale, it has never been harnessed as a weapon

Thirdly, enhanced telekinesis magic to bring celestial objects to earth as a form of orbital bombardment. The hypothesis of griffin astronomers that the spheres near the earth are not clear, but are in fact littered with debris, seems supported by the evidence. A powerful spell - perhaps needing the above-mentioned magnification spells - might be able to pull such a piece of cosmic debris to be used as a weapon against a specific target.

All of these, are of course, theoretical. It has been stated in old accounts that the unicorns of pre-equestria, and even the alicorns, used the sun as a weapon to try to scorch enemies, though this has never been attempted in anything resembling modern times. There was a definite attempt by Equestrian forces during the changeling invasion to force rain and storms onto the invading forces to neutralize their vehicles with mud. This was countered by the Changeling air forces. All the same it is likely that the Equestrians used weather manipulation to greatly slow down the changeling advance, and this may have given them an extra year or so.

Oh cool. GM us back in America.
>>196039
>lore dump
Very informative.
>"Balefire spell." This is a theoretical amplification spell that magnifies the effect of a spell by several orders of magnitude. Attached to an incendiary or destructive spell it could destroy a city, theoretically.
~Oooh! FoE magic. Could it possible to learn this power?
Arcana
[1d20+11 = (11+11) = 22]
>enhanced telekinesis magic to bring celestial objects to earth as a form of orbital bombardment
Also interesting.
>Another is more mundane yet somehow more fantastical: a nuclear device.
Perhaps Posey would have read about the concept in a Horse Wells novel written a couple decades ago.
>The hypothesis of griffin astronomers that the spheres near the earth are not clear, but are in fact littered with debris, seems supported by the evidence.
Well, we are fighting an alien from beyond the firmament that landed in the form of a meteor. Maybe if I bring back a sample confirming extraterrestrial nature the University will reward me for proving the hypothesis. Posey is a Cerebrant and amateur alienist, so she could profit from stealing Light Water's notes after killing, like all great scientists.
>the unicorns of pre-equestria, and even the alicorns, used the sun as a weapon to try to scorch enemies, though this has never been attempted in anything resembling modern times.
This is certainly a rumor that Posey would be aware of, as it is one of the things that vampires fear and part of what keeps them cowering in the dark instead of attempting to take over the world. Confirming or disproving this theory could be pivotal in the Coven Of Blood's politics in Magehold.

...

That aside, Posey's History/Religion check confirms that she knows what Posadists are, right? She knows that they're Communists who want to blow up the world with WMDs, "destroy the capitalist world to create room for communism", escape underwater, domesticate dolphins, and contact the "space comrades" to create fully-automated AI gay space communism, right?
Just confirming I know this in character before I continue dialogue.

>>196036
He considers Blackheel's remarks.

"Intelligence is very often paired with eccentricity. It seems his knowledge is a great asset. Even without the entity, no doubt Stalliongrad will want him back no matter the cost. Accounting for the danger of the entity, he might be even more valuable than it itself."

>>196037
Posey's education in Magehold did make mention of the new political ideologies of Griffonia that fill the function of religions. It did not cover Posadism specifically.

However

It was brought up in a discussion at the university, and Posey learned about it there.

Posadism more or less fits into vanguardist, industrialist, Equalism, but with a few important differences of opinion that generally place it to the left of Stalliongradian Marksist Lemonism.

One, while all of the brands of Equalism believe that inequality may only be eliminated by force, Posadism believes in aggressive military action and violent confrontation to eliminate oppressive and disharmonic institutions and regimes, even where the costs would be enormous. Stalliongrad, by contrast, has focused on securing its military and economic position, and supports revolution by means of volunteer forces, aid, covert support, rather than overt military confrontation. If anything, Stalliongrad prefers detente with its neighbors, which Posadism criticizes.

Second, while all equalist philosophies are universalist, which is to say that every creature has moral concern and obligations towards every other creature and that there are no meaningful moral differences between creatures, Posadism takes this a bit further, suggesting that there may possibly be more creatures out there (such as perhaps in other dimensions), and that living things dismissed as simply animals may in fact be closer to a sapient level than appreciated.

Thirdly, while all of the permutations of Equalism that are a part of the International believe in forced industrialization and that technology and industry are essential to the development of civilization, Posadism takes this a bit further, suggesting that future technological or magical developments may revolutionize life to a greater degree than the industrial revolution.

Posada herself favors the "Seaquestria" or seapony side of the Aris split, she is suspected to have PTSD from her time in captivity during the war, and her statements concerning dolphins have been widely reported.

>>196037
Blackheel:
"Heh, no wonder your country has fallen behind if it only draws from the talent of a third of its population." He opens his eyes after shaking his head, seemingly having recognized that that statement was somewhat rude, and then adds

"He wasn't brought aboard to do magic tricks, he was brought aboard so that when he sees magic, he can recognize it and call it what it is."

>>196042
Blackheel
"He doesn't belong to Stalliongrad. He has no ties to Stalliongrad. He is an Aris national. He belongs to the International and to the expatriate Aris left, and for both of those he is a liability and an embarrassment. He has committed mutiny and murder and has made himself a pirate. He has destroyed a research expedition of the International. Stalliongrad has no use for him save to kill him so as to save face for its participation in the International, let alone this venture. Unless you are suggesting that his knowledge of the entity would let anyone who has him recreate some of its powers, and that's not a happy scenario."

>>196040
>Could it possible to learn this power?
Hopefully not
>Horse Wells
Cute
>that landed in the form of a meteor
Technically there's supposed to be at least a chance that ackshually it came into this dimension from another with a great bang, appearing a mile or up in the sky. But nevermind that
>This is certainly a rumor that Posey would be aware of
Of course, Posey should also be aware of a rumor that the sisters never actually controlled the sun and moon at all
>Communists
Yes
>want to blow up the world with WMDs
WMDs don't exist yet
>destroy the capitalist world to create room for communism
kinda
>escape underwater
Yes
>domesticate dolphins
Maybe?
>and contact the "space comrades" to create fully-automated AI gay space communism, right?
Okay, so first of all this is still a 1940sish setting, so their version of Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism does not have AI. It may not even be that gay. Second, they think they can obtain Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism without the space comrades, and would work towards it anyways. They would also work towards contacting the space comrades anyways. But then again, if the space comrades happened to show up and brought Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism, which is also gay and has AI, they'd accept that. At least until AI stole their ability to charge for NSFW art commissions.

Sorry for the delayed reply. I was distracted.
Then again, I kind of forgot what Posey was going to say in response to if she knew what Posadism is... She was going to make some political commentary, but then again, who gives a buck what the dead horse had to say about nuckear alien communists?
>>196036
The gears in Posey's head turn as she recognizes 'Posadism'. She scrunches in indignation, possibly offended that the communist doomsday cultist ideology is so similar but so different from her own supremacist doomsday cultists worldview.
"... Suddenly all this nonsense makes sense. The hippogriff was a lunatic even before the monster contacted him. All of the aimless chaos and wasteful violence that has occurred so far is consistent with his ludicrous vision."
>>196045
>"Heh, no wonder your country has fallen behind if it only draws from the talent of a third of its population."
Posey snorts
"The Equestrian school of magic certainly has much to be desired, but nevertheless it was the most powerful and prestigious institution in the world. I travelled all the way from Farbrook to study magic in Equestria and probe my talents, but the war disrupted those plans, and here I am in this line of work now." Posey replies
As she takes a step towards room three, she pauses, and then says
"The Equestrian school of magic is derivative of ancient unicorn tradition. As much as magical academies value discipline and study, a hard fact of the matter is that magic power is fundamentally derivative of the personal potential within a mage, be it derivative of tradition, bloodline, talent or simply being born under the right star. As wasteful as it seems to only draw talent from a portion of the population, out of the thousand of young unicorns deemed gifted by the universities, a scathing few ever show any true potential for Wizardry with even the cheapest, and even fewer can ever become archmages. If bending reality only required proper instruction, we would all be archmages. As cynical as it sounds, part of the role of arcane education was the powerful few from the among the many..." She slowly turns her head back, her expression genuinely grim, and rather awkward, as if remembering something unsettling
"You went through it too, did you not? Do you remember the day when you succeeded at your first proper spell in the academy, when your instructor applauded you, and then you looked around the room at your peers who were still struggling to perform even the cheapest tricks? Those looks of wonder, awe and even jealous contempt. Did you feel proud in succeeding where others had failed, or did you feel lonely as your success slowly alienated you from your comrades? Perhaps like many others you swore to use your newfound powers for your country and uplift your peers, but like it or not in that moment you became one of the elite..."
Posey does not wait for a response, but keeps walking

"Anyways, we have a hippogriff to kill. Proceed towards Cargo Hold 3."
>>196046
>Hopefully not
So maybe? :D
>Okay, so first of all this is still a 1940sish setting, so their version of Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism does not have AI. It may not even be that gay. Second, they think they can obtain Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism without the space comrades, and would work towards it anyways. They would also work towards contacting the space comrades anyways. But then again, if the space comrades happened to show up and brought Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism, which is also gay and has AI, they'd accept that. At least until AI stole their ability to charge for NSFW art commissions.
EaW timeline gets sillier the more you look into it.

>>196045
"Who is to say if anything about this entity can be recreated without the entity itself? It is unlike any other phenomenon, physical or magical, that has been encountered, and that seems to be the opinion of the one creature that has built a substantial understanding of it." He mulls this over. "I suppose it doesn't matter which court of law he is sent to, or whether it prescribes the death penalty or puts him in a cell to force him to divulge his foolish secrets. As far as I see it, his bounty is worth far more alive than dead, no matter who pays it."
>>196046
>At least until AI stole their ability to charge for NSFW art commissions.
The horror!

>>196046
>>196047
Silver: "It sounds like key component to resisting Traveler's control is to have lost your mind already."

>>196049
>Comforting Madness
>Deformity (Madness)
>Cerebrosis
>Lunatic Insight
>Zagyg's Favor
>Madness Domain
"As a senior expert on the occult, I cannot rule out the possibility. Still, that information does little to help us in these circumstances, because it is imperative that the Intruder is destroyed by the end of the night, and I would rather not delay that end to test theories."

Posey proceeds down the path towards cargo hold 3.

>>196047
This seems like it's not intended to have a response...

>>196048
Blackheel:
"We won't have to worry about him divulging secrets. He won't get that far."

>>196049
"It seems so... Still, that hippogriff is smart. Don't underestimate him."

>>196051
>This seems like it's not intended to have a response...
You can respond if you want to, or if you think it is appropriate.I was just trying to sound aloof, edgy and mysterious.

I would like to move towards Cargo Hold 3 though.

>>196051
Silver: "Oh, it is not underestimation. Someone who has lost their mind becomes unpredictable, lacks inhibition, and lacks empathy. They can do whatever, whenever, to whoever. They are very dangerous."

>>196053
"I could also just read his entrails later. Now come, there is no time to lose."

>>196056
>>196052
There is a flight of steep, narrow stairs up towards a closed, steel door. This is the entrance to Cargo Hold 3

>>196059
Posey leads the way with her superior vision, stepping carefully and making sure that the coast is clear before ushering the rest of the herd through.

>>196061
Are they passing through or nearby to the area with all of the raw chromium?

>>196064
I picked up a brick. Just take it if you want it.

>>196059
>>196061
Cavaliere follows, using his flashlight to help illuminate the passage.

>>196064
They are not. That would be in Cargo Hold 5, in the opposite direction.

>>196061
Blackheel opens his mouth
"Well it's not-" But Posey has moved ahead

In front of her is a closed door. While it is firmly closed, it is not locked

>>196067
The door in front of them is closed, but not locked

>>196068
"What awaits on the other side?" he muses.

>>196069
Blackheel:

"The hold was empty the last time I saw it."

>>196068
Hmmmm...Kira hopes she'll be able to do this. She braces against the floor with her snake tail as she gives the door a firm shove open.

>>196068
Pardon, I fell asleep right after saying I led the way.
Posey opens the door with her unseen servant, her horn ready to draw her weapon in the event of combat.

>>196071
>>196072
The door is in the center, next to a landing made of steel grate. Pull down to unbolt the door. With a strong pull, the lever comes down. The door opens inwards. But it doesn't open.

Blackheel:
"Pull harder. The door may be damaged and stuck in it's threshold."

Perhaps it's Kira who finally pulls hard enough to open the door. All the same, it opens. The door opens above the level of the floor, and one has to pull their hooves up to clear the threshold.

Looking inside, Cavaliere sees.... nothing. It's a completely dark room. Unlike Cargo hold 5, Cargo Hold 4, or the engine room, there are no lights on.

Posey looks into the room to see that it is completely empty. By "empty" I do not mean "empty" in the way that Cargo Hold 5 was. Cargo Hold five held stacks of barrels, some empty, some with residual fuel oil. There were piles of chromium ore, and bricks of refined substance. This room is not like that. There is a floor made of wood, steel walls on every side, and a set of wood in the center that presumably marks the opening to the lower level, and a ceiling of wood with a closed hatch. And that is all. There are no barrels, no corpses of dead ponies, no waiting petrushkas or hell hounds, no piles of ore, no ammunition, no make shift hammocks, no lanterns, no equipment. There is nothing. Genuinely nothing.

Cargo Hold 3 is unique among the cargo holds in that the length of the cargo hold is short. Maybe 40 feet long, it is by far the shortest of the cargo holds. Every other cargo hold is the same length, and this one is maybe 60% or so of that length. It is wider than it is long. It is the smallest of the cargo holds by area and by volume.

>>196073
Kira whistles, which makes a strong echo in the completely empty room. "Wow, this is really empty. Even the poorest lamia has at least something in every room of their burrow. Come on, let's get the possessed creatures inside."

Silver nods in response, and gets to work herding the possessed into the room, pulling those that cooperate and pushing those that resist.

>>196073
Hmmm, sounds a lot like a boss arena.

Posey enters the room, checks one more time for monsters in the dark, before ushering the herd through.
"Clear." she says
"Let us get this over with..." she says

Posey enters the room.

She levitates a piece of chalk from her spell components pouch and then she floats a piece to her Unseen Servant, which immediately begins to draw a large circular sigil. Posey personally fills in details of the sigil, various runes featuring serpent iconography in Celestial, Draconic and Infernal.

Posey draws the fake prayer beads she looted and carved earlier from the same pouch she kept her cursed tiara in, and as she does so she casts Nystul's Magical Aura on the beads as a Spell-Like-Ability (no components, therefore not obvious that she is using an illusion), changing the trinkets magical aura to that of a powerful kingdom-ending Greater Strand Of Prayer Beads, paying particular attention to the Bead Of Summons. A false aura detectable through several clairesentience and scrying sensors, but also requiring direct contact to disbelieve...

She speaks out loud.
"It was rather lucky that we found these beads in that sunken chest. It is a shame to use them now, we could have sold them for a fortune, but the Gate function might be the only way to solve this." She says, out loud,
Bluff, to convince eavesdroppers that they am holding a powerful magic item and attempting to call a rival demigod into the Intruder's territory.
[1d20+16 = (10+16) = 26]
(Luckily, Wizards don't have sense motive as a class skill)
As the sigil continues to draw itself, she turns to Kira.
>>196074
"Kira, I want you to hold these beads and stand right there in the middle of the circle and pray just like you remember the shaman of your tribe doing. If what you are attempting to do actually works, distance should not matter."
She turns to the group
"Everypony else watch from the corner of the room. I only need one to make this work." she gestures to the unconscious white unicorn on her floating disk

She places a red candle down in the middle of the circle and lights it, a candle that looks ominously similar to a Candle Of Invocation.

She looks at the rest of the herd. Drawing her flashlight
"Everypony else keep your weapons readied and watch. In case hostiles appear, be ready to engage."

The room is completely dark. Every creature who is not Posey should see only what little slivers of the floor and surrounding creatures are illuminated by the candle, an area around the door to the engine room that is illuminated by that room's lights, and nothing else. Only Posey would have any ability to know if monsters were entering the room, and she would not know because she must focus her attention on other matters.

I don't recall if any of the NPC allies were or were not let in on the plan

I believe the party has one, lonely, captured Petrushka with them - a white pony captured after the last fight

>>196076
Did we leave them somewhere?

>>196077
We only need one. If things go well this will be resolved within the next hour anyway.

>>196073
>>196075
Cavaliere dutifully checks the corners of the room.

"It's a relief to finally have an open room without any obstacles or distractions to disturb us. In better contexts it might be a good place to meditate."

Posey takes out her flashlight and levitates it out to her unseen servant.

>>196078
>>196075
>>196076
Silver nods, and gets his sword at the ready, it glowing faintly in the darkness. Kira seems...uncertain, but she relents. She swallows nervously, taking in a shaky breath and letting it out in a sigh, trying to let go of the nerves now that she's actually going to go through with this. "Okay...wish I had some incense on me, but maybe burning it in here wouldn't be a good idea, you know with it being a confined space and the risk of stale air. Anyways..."

Kira lays her tail along the inside of the chalk sigil, with her pony half and the tip of her snake tail meeting to complete a circle. She has the unconscious unicorn brought within the circle, between her and the red candle. She closes her eyes, and spreads her forelegs to the sky, and begins chanting in her people's native tongue, at first quietly, then gradually increasing in volume. She recalls the words spoken by the shamans, seeking to grow connected with Ouroboros. She opens herself up to Him, feeling Him in the world around her: the air, the metal of the ship, the ocean it floats on, all a part of Him, just like her, just like the unfortunate soul in front of her. At the peak of the intensity of the chanting, Kira switches to Ponish, placing a hoof on the leopard pendant around her neck, and placing the other on the pony's forehead just below the horn.

"Ouroboros, we beseech You, in our hour of greatest need, to render unto us Your aid. This entity, this 'Traveler', has profaned against You and Your realm, plunging Your children into an endless dream and creating a waking nightmare. It seeks to control them, to spread its influence far beyond and infect even more creatures. Please, Ouroboros, Your children need help! Hear me, work through me, and cast this insanity back into the darkness from whence it came, free the minds of these plagued creatures, and return them to Your shining, guiding light!"

>>196081
I was going to go into more detail for my trap later. Let me get off of work and I will make my checks.

Posey reaches into her satchel and pulls out her med pack, extracting the smelling salts. She levitates the white unicorn on her floating disk.
"To succeed, the ceremony should take some time. We want the thrall to gain consciousness right at the end of it. I want him to open his eyes and see the sigil."

Posey puts herself to work etching her chalkline with increasing complexity. As she etches, she speaks
"There are many names for the Sibilant Beast, Ⲙⲉϩⲉⲛ, ʊərəˈbɒrəs, Jǫrmungandr, Miðgarðsormr, Ahmon-Ilbor, Merrshaulk, Shekinester, Ssharstrune, and names that no occultist who values their life would dare say out loud. An idol of both death and fertility, the serpent represents the perpetual locked cycle of death and birth that all must serve in this world. The Sibilant Beast encircles the firmament of heaven, and it's role is to prevent anything from getting in or out that would subvert the cycle. Good and evil, chaos and order, death and birth, nature and civilization: all must serve the cycle, or so it was decreed by the Demiurge. The Sibilant Beast possesses as many aspects as it has names, for none could ever conceive its true enormity as one of the primordials. To some, it is a campfire myth of a monster that might take you in the night, to some it is an oppressive demon who enforces the suffering wrought by the demiurge, certain monstrous and aberrant tribes like the Nagas even worship it. Alchemists study its sigils to evade the eye of the beast, for the cycle of death and birth is something all alchemists seek to subvert, but since we are dealing with an alien incursion we will be doing the opposite. Tonight, we will be appealing to its aspect I suspect is most likely to reply. Kira will assume the position appealing to the mouth of the serpent, and I will apply my expertise appealing to the tail."
Posey gives a bit of a deranged grin and shudders, all of her fur standing on end, the piece of chalk trembling erratically in the air as she stops just short of dotting the eye of the dragon.
"This is going to be ~fun!

>Theosophical shitpost

>>196084
Pic unrelated, btw

>>196081
Posey turns to Kira
"Very nice Kira. Now, I want you to repeat any part of that prayer as a mantra. Choose whatever phrase fits your faith the most, just do not stop until I tell you to."
She etches a semicircle on one side of the inner serpent.
"Slither here and repeat the mantra while I apply the invocations." she says, moving to her own semicircle on the opposite side of the etching, murmuring an some occult jargon under her breath in an indescribable language.

"Everypony else light your torches and be ready for what happens next. Once the Intruder discovers what is happening, it is guaranteed to interfere." she says before going back to her unintelligible murmur.

I will wait for GM's participation before I do my ritual/trap, but it will involve a Forgery check, a Bluff Check, an Intimidate check, and the highest level spell I have available.

Okay, so there is one petrushka, that petrushka is unconscious, and the NPCs were informed? Were not informed?

>>196089
Posey informed Blackheel and Stained Sand with innuendo of her plan to trap the Intruder by baiting it using Kira's prayers. She did not inform any other NPCs because she wants to minimize the chance of telepathic interference. The NPCs being creeped out aids her performance.

The hold has no special smell. After the oil and diesel of the previous blessings, the damp wood and chipping paint are blessings. Cargo Hold 3 is not as silent as the previous chambers. Not any more. The knocking sound of hooves on wood has not subsided, not with Rustling Pine, Blackheel, Mala and Stained Sand moving about. The sound of steam running through pipes, and the vibration of reverberating steam pistons has likewise increased, as has the buzzing sound of electrical appliances, even as none are visible. Yet through the noise, that droning noise - that noise of interference - is still audible. It too, has grown in strength, even as all the sounds of the industrial world have returned.

>>196087
Torches what now?

>>196079
There is "nothing in that dark room that was not there when you turned off the lights."

>>196077
Well yeah, on the boat, You can't take a whole train of hostiles with you everywhere.

>>196091
>Torches what now?
Flashlights, lanterns, any equipment they have to let them see.

Posey waits for Kira to begin her mantra before she intensifies her own.

Posey makes a Forgery check to fake an authentic runic summoning circle, the kind that calls higher beings.

This check is made secretly. Posey rolls with a +13 modifier.

To any viewer, it is opposed by Forgery, but notably it would take several minutes of scrutiny to recognize the inscription as fake.

Are we all ready to do the ceremony? I'm about to start casting.

Oh wait, it's 2:00 AM in the UK. Nevermind.

>>196084
Cavaliere raises an eyebrow at Posey's description. He keeps his flashlight on and pans it around the hold, making sure none of the shadows have time to "coalesce."
>>196095
I'll be ready this weekend, without a doubt.

>>196086
Kira does so, repeating, "Ouroboros render unto us!" Over and over again. She's thankful for her large lamia lungs, as she'd probably get out of breath pretty quickly from all of this chanting. She thinks she feels a tingle along her spine, hoping that it's a sign that it's working.

>>196091
Awwww. I mean, fair enough, but awww.

Zara, Starfire, and Partial View remain in the boiler room. They do not like being left alone, but neither are they thrilled to enter a dark room.

Stained Sand, Mala, and Rustling Pine do not wish to stand on the edge of the room, but neither are they fond of... whatever it is that Posey is doing.

As they stand under the light of a flashlight, there is a moment wherein all four can be seen to have their mouths closed, and it is at this point that the sound of hushed talking and whispers becomes more disturbing.

Eventually, they are persuaded to go to corners of the room, though they seem oddly insecure. Blackheel seems to want to keep an eye on Posey and Kira, but he too goes to a corner with Rustling Pine.

The room is fairly warm. Not properly so, but more than most. It must still retain the heat of the daytime and the boiler. No air circulates down from above, and only a small amount of water trickles in in droplets from the wooden ceiling.

Watch me waste spell slots on this retarded plan to trap a creature that may not even be physically capable of getting to this room.
>>196099
>>196098
Posey begins her mantra, chanting in draconic in praise to the all-consuming awe of the Sibilant Beast.

Posey mantra increases to a crescendo, her voice distorting magically. Her horn sparkles and her eyes roll back as she burns two lvl 2 spell slots with Versatile Spellcaster to perform a feat of arcane might, the most powerful spell she has cast yet. As she chants she mixes in the verbal components for Rain Of Terror. The sounds of thunder should be intensifying outside right now.
She takes 10 on Concentration to create two effects.

Rain Of Terror is a Necromancy spell that distorts all forces of nature to bend to Posey's nightmare. Above the Kostroma, the clouds erupt with red lightning before a heavy rain of steaming-hot blood, actual, real blood, not illusionary. In addition to the blood, hundreds of not thousands of tiny live snakes begin to fall from the sky. 50% of the snakes fall to their deaths and splatter on the deck of the ship; the others slither off to find their own destiny as Posey has no control over them (animals created by this spell are considered to be summons, but since this is not a summoning spell they do not disappear when slain).
>That's it? For a lvl 3 spell? Isn't this spell worthless?
Aura farming. More importantly, it telegraphs an incoming snake-based catastrophe in a way that is glaringly obvious to the telepathic hive mind that is the Intruder's flock.

.

From the party's perspective, they are shielded from the heavy rain (depends how DM interpret "100 ft radius centered on you"), as much as I wanted to get showered in blood and snakes. However, the trickle of water from the wooden ceiling should be replaced with fresh hot blood.

As dying snakes hiss above the deck and blood trickles down onto her face, Posey's mantra stops
"Proof of our devotion." she says flatly

Posey then immediately draws the smellingsalts from her medicine pack and takes 10 to administer first aid to the unconscious bound pretrushka, restoring 1d4 HP to the unicorn.
She makes sure to orient the unicorn on the floating disk so that he can see the (fake) magical beads glammered with false aura, on Kira's tail, the forged magical sigils written on the floor, red candle, and can hear Kira's mantra soon as he wakes up.

"It is coming." Posey says, looking at the ceiling
"Little could stop it now."
Bluff

she takes 10 on Bluff for this (I will roll my actual checks after seeing the unicorn's response)

>>196099
Since the others are occupied, Cavaliere takes up position close enough to the door that he can keep an eye on the boiler room. It's bad form to let any party members out of one's sight, especially if they can't handle themselves in combat. He isn't particularly uneasy here even with Posey's performance; it certainly isn't any more dangerous than the other rooms they have been through and this ritual is a welcome break from battle.

>>196102
HP gained by the unicorn
[1d4 = 2]

>>196104
That should be enough to gain consciousness (I hope)

>>196102
Posey believes that she has caused snakes to rain from the sky. She "believes" it, because she can see no sign nor confirmation within the dark cargo hold. No creature witness to her casting knows what has happened, or is alleged to have happened. If anyone did witness snakes fall from the sky, they have no way of knowing it was caused by Posey.

The Unicorn opens its eyes, which dart about, and it attempts to stand up. It looks at anything illuminated by the light within the room - very little - and then to the presumably open door, the only other thing its eyes can see besides darkness.

>>196106
I lit the candle for a reason, so that he can see the ritual. Does it give any impression that Light Water is responding to my bluff?

>>196107
No, it looks like when you wake up an animal or a person and they are confused and perhaps frightened as to what is going on.

>>196108
Oh, ffs, I thought Light Water could see through his eyes...

Gonna roll my checks anyway. It's do or die. Maybe

"Oh, he woke up." Posey says, her voice dull, dejected, and vaguely sardonic
"Nevermind, it is almost done. None of your writhing beasts can stop its calling. The serpent will take us both to oblivion."
Bluff
[1d20+16 = (13+16) = 29]

"Goodbye, Light Water. You know, fate brought us here as foes are not so different. I, too, shared my soul with a godling from beyond the firmament, my soul sister, and through our contract I promised to conquer and remake this world, to end this cruel and unfair cycle of life and death. I dabbled with monstrosities from beyond the void to give myself the power to control others and summon monstrosities. Perhaps it was because we were so similar that I was so bellicose with you, but in another world perhaps we could have been friends. My sister is a jealous god though, and she would sooner face than let an invader take her dream from her; as per our pact, it is a mandate that I must honor, for she gave me the strength to claw my way back up from the Sheol again when we had both been rejected by our mothers. I have come to terms with this; I should have faced the serpent years ago." As she speaks, the cyst in her chest squirms and the black veins become visible, as the failed godling within laments within its rotten cradle
(not a lie)
"... And to you, 'Traveller', my sister sends her regards." she says, patting her chest
(Not a lie)
Intimidate:
[1d20+25 = (13+25) = 38]

>>196108
Kira wonders if it's working but doesn't want to break her concentration to check. Wait, is she breaking concentration by thinking this? Ah, whatever, she'll keep going. Wow, how do the shamans keep this up?

>>196109
The unicorn pulls back its lips to expose well-kept teeth, and hisses

>>196110
You're doing great, it's me who fucked up.
>>196111
Well, that was disappointing. I typed all that dialogue thinking Light Water would hear it...

Posey winces in humiliation, seeing that her plan failed.

Time for plan B

"Ouroboros, guardian of the great cycle, good and evil, in the name of death I offer you this life so that you shall hear the prayers of that pious serpent."
Posey then immediately draws her sword and decapitates the white unicorn
Sacrifice check
[1d20+20 = (13+20) = 33]
Posey is not praying for any specific reward this time and is therefore not aiming for any specific DC, only making the offering so that Kira's prayers will be heard. The DC for Planar Ally should be 30 though.

>>196110
A ranger, no matter how minor, is still a priest, and you are standing directly on a sigil carved of your deity, which means your deity can see you directly. You are standing on the symbol that represents its good half. A sacrifice has been offered to its evil half.

The attention of your God is all but guaranteed. The Sibilant Beast will decide if it cares enough to answer.

It's now or never.

Make a wish.

>>196112
What Kira was trying to do was to remove the influence of the Traveler from the prisoner. But the prisoner is dead. So....

Stained Sand
"What the fuck? The fuck is this shit?!"

Rustling Pine:
"Что происходит? Она убила одного из наших, и с какой целью? Что эта ведьма творит?"

Blackheel:
"Я знала, что она хитрая. Я знала, что она против нас. У неё всё это время был какой-то другой план. Змея выдала себя!"

Mala:
"Light Water isn't listening. Call him over the radio. He loves to chat over that thing. I think he sits beside it. Like he is waiting for an important call."

>>196115
What Kira wanted was to break the Traveller's influence on ALL of the thralls by appealing for divine intervention.
Does my Sacrifice check help her with that?

Gonna wait for the other players to be around before I try to do anything else.....

>midnight in UK
Oh...

>>196112
Maybe killing the possessed pony isn't the best call in the current moment.

>>196120
I could not accept that this ritual thing didn't do anything productive after we spent three irl weeks preparing for it (also we have to go back to arguing whether to kill Light Water or the Intruder first if this doesn't work), so I figured more drastic measures had to be taken to appeal to this higher power. I even spent two of my highest level spell slots just to make it look cool.

I think I fucked up... Am sorry.

>>196122
In that case, Silver would definitely step in to stop her. "Why is killing always your solution to things?"

>>196124
I'm going to wait until the entire party and GM is present before I do it say anything.