Occupied Equestria: set six years after season 6, it presents an alternative history where Chrysalis chose a different approach to her second attack on Equestria. The Changelings have conquered half of Equestria, while an Equestrian splinter colony - soured to Princesses notion of harmony with all creatures thank to their dealing with griffins - Invaded and took the other half. In Baltimare and the Equestruan Southlands, the magic of friendship has weakened, as Communists, Changeling infiltrators, Fascists, gangs, and even ancient necormancers and dark gods threaten the city and the surrounding regions. This role play is based in large part upon the Equestria at War mod for Hearts of Iron 4, and uses D&d 3.5e mechanics.
In this latest episode, the crew has united once again, and returned in full to the catacombs under the Curwhinny farm. What old secrets they will unearth, whether they will survive without being turned into undead monsters... whether Silver will ever get paid... will be determined in this thread.
1870 replies and 56 files omitted.
>>81715"That is probably right."
>>81714"Perhaps I have never clarified just exactly what the role of the State Security apparatus of the Baltimare Autonomous region is. State Security has three interests: to prevent foreign espionage in the region; to prevent sabotage of New Mareland operations by foriegn
or domestic elements, and above all else, to prevent and stop uprisings. We're a colonial administration, essentially. Regular crime is generally the domain of the civilian police force. The Blackhooves have chosen to have as light of a touch in the Baltimare region as possible, operating under the theory that however much the natives dislike the administration, they will not risk their lives to overthrow it so long as it does not actually have a meaningful impact on their daily lives, and so long as it engages in few public transgressions. A part of that is that - in this city at least - the civilian government is entirely self governing from the police system to the health care system. But that doesn't mean we like the local government either. They are left-leaners who are ideologically incompatible with the New Mareland administration, and anything that harms them in public opinion helps justify Blackhooves rule over the region.
If the matter involved here is something like a simple case of 'that guy has the foals now, I demand at least weekend custody' and all the stupid bullshit family drama that ought to be resolved in a civil court of law, then the murder of that official will cause riots in the streets if the Blackhooves are discovered to be involved. But if that public official is doing something evil - and I mean
evil - then bringing that to the public light"
She laughs in a manner consistent with her normal smile
"That would be just exactly what I would say this region needs. This
Democracy exposed for what it is"
>>81715"
Is it Dark? That is the question though."
>>81717The look on Silver's face suggests he thinks that maybe, just maybe, Blue is more concerned with the impact this could have on the public's faith in the city council than whether or not there are foals in danger. It also suggests, although to a lesser degree, that he's not too terribly ecstatic about the prospect of the Black Hooves gaining even more power in Equestria. "Yes, that is question, and it is why it is good idea to find evidence. So, if there are foals in danger, we can properly dispense justice."
>>81718"My dear Silver, you contact State Security if you want
Order. That is our goal. The prevention of absolute Anarchy.If what you want is 'Justice,' you contact Baltimare Police.
Yes, we could have said 'Equestrian can go fuck themselves if they want the right to police themselves. We alone have the right to search homes, to make arrests. To kill in the name of justice and the law. We have chosen instead to leave those functions right where they always have been: in the hooves of the local police. You do not have to agree with our decision to allow the Equestrians their freedom to govern themselves in as delicate a matter as criminal justice, but it is made and I shall abide."
>>81719He raises an eyebrow at Blue. "If you want to know reason why Equestrians do not like Black Hooves, it is attitudes like that within your organization."
>>81720She growls audibly at Silver, and looks away. But she can't leave. So long as Dark Star is there, she must stay
>>81721"Look into it, certainly. Just don't do anything that will cause a riot"
>>81722Silver doesn't push it, content with leaving the discussion there.
>>81724"Perhaps you should remember your reading of the Marena Carta. 'No free mare shall be taken, imprisoned, or in any other way destroyed except by the lawful judgement of her peers.' We are not a vigilante organization who dispense 'justice' as we perceive it and as we see fit. We we respect the rights of the accused, of the populace, and of due process."
>>81725"That is not what I meant, Skies. We Equestrians, we tend to respond more positively to actions reminiscent of the Elements. Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Magic. Claim to be benevolent for having good graces to not create totalitarian state after having invaded and occupied our lands, it does not change fact that invasion happened in first place, and that we still resent Black Hooves for it. And doubt that they care for us. I am merely stating, if you wish to gain more support for your organization and your cause, here, it would do well to think like Equestrian, and do things we would support in name of Black Hooves. Show you are not just here to 'keep order', but to do that which no others would be willing to do, and help.
"If, and that is indeed if, there are foals being harmed by this politician, and he is brought to justice, perhaps it would be better to claim this as proof that Black Hooves do care for ponies here, rather than trying to undermine faith in democracy."
>>81726As flatly as possible:
"What do you want from me."
>>81727"I do not want anything from you, in this case. Just consider that gaining support for Black Hooves in Equestria will require more hooves-on approach than you might be used to."
>>81728Silver shrugs. "I suppose I never made much use of democracy, in either case. I am not arguing in favor or against democracy. I am stating that Black Hooves will gain more support from ponies here, if they publicly appear to take their best interests at heart. This way that Blue Skies has framed this? It is good for working behind curtains, but it does little to build actual support among populace. Helping ponies, that is how Harmony became so powerful here, nevermind Celestia, or the Elements, or any of that. It was belief that helping fellow ponies, lifting everypony all up at once, regardless of who they are, is best for everypony involved."
>>81726"Silver, just four hours ago, when I told you that the Blackhooves have the power and the desire to save Equestrians from becoming livestock for changelings, you adamantly insisted that Equestria was strong enough and good enough to save itself, and that the Blackhooves had neither the desire, nor the power to save Equestria. Now, you demand for the Blackhooves to take take the time and effort to save Equestrians from the the ponies they have chosen to rule themselves. So which is it, because I am afraid you are not being at all consistent. Are the Equestrians who rule Equestria all powerful and all benevolent beings who can absolutely be trusted to safeguard a future for all foals, or are they monsters that the Blackhooves must personally see to it are 'brought to justice'? Are the Blackhooves weaklings too busy with matters elsewhere to even care that changeling swarms fly over the skies of half their possessions, or are they this all powerful world spanning entity that have enough time and ponypower to do good in every opportunity that presents itself? Because I am at a loss as to which you think.
I have already told you and Dark Star that if this politician is a murderer or a sex fiend, then yes, this
is a matter of Blackhooves concern. I just don't want him murdering an important person over what is basically a foal custody case."
\r
>>81729"i agree with some of your ideas and i would put some of them in place if, i were the mayor of Baltimare."
>>81729"I can assure you, I was not selected for my particular line of work because I am 'good with ponies' or am known to be particularly compassionate. Working behind the curtains is kind of what I do and what I was hired to do. If you want a cuddly face to kiss foals, maybe contact Seabreeze or some other pony within my organization."
>>81730"You want me to think differently of Black Hooves? That your organization has our interests in heart, and that you all are not merely foreign invaders here to seek profit before Changelings come to kill us all? You want me to have faith in New Mareland, and faith in their ability to be our allies?" Silver looks her right in the eyes, determined. "Then I want you to prove it to me. To Equestria. Prove that you are here for more than yourselves. Prove that you care for us beyond just what we can provide for you. Prove that there is truth in what you say, in that we can count on Black Hooves, in your aircraft, in your armies, that you will all not simply abandon us once Chrysalis has had enough of entertaining this 'alliance'. You want that faith, that trust? Earn it. Do that, and I, and all true Equestrians, will follow Black Hooves to very depths of Tartarus, if need be."
>>81732"You do not need to be good with ponies. You need to understand them."
>>81731"Dark Star, what say you?"
>>81733 >>81735"i think he makes a few good points, Doing whats best for the ponies of Equestria, and showing some care for them would go along way to gaining the trust of them."
>>81733She barely withholds a 'hiss,' and then pauses for a beat, and says the following
"If you had contacted Equestria's secret S.M.I.L.E. agency, before its dissolution at the end of the War, and told them you had an issue that had something to do with a foal, the first response they would have had is 'have you filed a police report yet?' Do not blame a spy for not being a police officer, especially when it is abundantly obvious that none of you have talked to a police officer, and no one standing here even knows what you are accusing this politician of doing. That makes exactly as much sense as being angry at your doctor for not fixing your car, when you can't even bother to tell him what kind of problems you are having with your car."
>>81736"So what should be done?"
Making an involved NPC was a terrible idea, because now I have no idea when I should keep her off scream, or when she should follow the party
>>81737"Again, I am not asking you to act, on anypony's behalf. But, when you say that, if something's up here, you wish to use this to undermine democracyl, it does not help foster support in your cause. It just makes you seem cold, calculated, withdrawn. It may work for you personally as agent of Black Hooves, but for Equestrians, who are looking for something or somepony to guide them in these troubled times? Not so much."
>>81738All you can do is use your judgement on whether or not she would have any interest in what the party is doing. In this case, I think she would have some interest, but not in the same way that the party would have. >>81737"well, i know they have a war going on at the moment so they probably couldn't do anything. So i would if i were mayor i would, open some schools to teach the foals Discipline and about history such as Eqrestria Declaring war on New Mareland. and hospitals to help the sick. and open more mines and foundries so Baltimare can be able to rebuild the Region thus improving life and the black hooves would gain the loyalty and adoration of their new subjects."
>>81739“Silver, have we met? I
am cold, calculated, and withdrawn. I am
not a guide for troubled ponies. I never claimed this to be a good thing nor did I claim to be a good pony. Nature did not bestow her gifts equally upon all creatures.. Some of us are doomed to be forever at a deficit of magic and Harmony.”
>>81741Silver just shrugs, figuring everything that could be said, has been said.
In any other work by any other author, the Gestapo SS agent would be the unambiguous, no questions asked villain, regardless of her actual actions, so long as she remained loyal to her sponsoring government. The only reason that an exception here is even possible is because of the unique situation of this image board, and because this work borrows in part from a grand strategy game - grabs strategy games being the one and only exception in all of literature that you are not allowed to take a fascistic government as your protagonist.
My original intent was to have each faction have an NPC that sort of represented then, and was attached to the party as necessary or made sense. An attempt to create a new faction of Church militants as a sort of representation of the Restorationist political movement - which is obviously winning the popularity contest - was shot down. I’m pretty sure the reason why is that an NPC following the party for a quest is undesired. So... I don’t know
Also, to everyone, I would like to clarify my actions about starting that fire, both in and out of character:
See, as I was back-reading, I saw that note from that fallen soldier that detailed orders about needing to destroy Curwinney's notes: a mission that Sister Ash would have agreed with, given her beliefs, past experience with necromancers, and the fact that she had just caught a child conjuring evil spirits from what she read in a black magick tomb the prior night (which was followed by a nightmare that I considered to be meaningful). Because of all that, I figured there were some manuscripts that were supposed to be destroyed in the dungeon (or that characters were morally being steered to do it), and I though that Sister Ash would be proper to fill the niche as the book-burner. Plus, I really wanted to use that Christ-chan reaction image, because it summed up how Sister Ash was feeling at the time (more on that later). When I found that room full of books, I kind of assumed those would be my target books, since that room was close to where the party found the note; it was a bad assumption to make, but I was being dumb at the time.
As for Sister Ash, her reasoning to burn the books was partially to destroy black magick, and partially an excuse for her own violent outburst. In her eyes, she saw what she thought were Curwinney's notes as his accumulated power/knowledge that he'd gained through decades of slavery, blasphemy, and cruel animal testing: To her, they were they product of evil and we're also evil (or at least she felt like that, because she was a hares breath away from full Nirik); she was furious and really only wanted to destroy them. As for the other artifacts, she thought they were cultural tools he'd stolen from all over the world for his research, not unlike the Sarcophagus: heritage items, only intrinsically valuable to the people who knew their cultural worth, that had been used as instruments of evil; in her anger, she felt they were better off destroyed. I had been trying to play her as being increasingly angry with everything she'd seen so I could make her go berserk when the combat came up (I thought that the peace-loving nun could fit the niche well if she were just slightly bipolar at times when morals we're at stake), and I saw the book-burning as nice opportunity to show how angry she could be.
I never intended to make her out as a person who disrespected history, or didn't appreciate the value of knowledge; quite the contrary. I wanted her to be a person who was very intrigued and passionate about pony cultures, and believed that traditions had intrinsic value. That's was actually why I thought she'd be angry at all those cultural items that had been stolen from the people who could appreciate them and been hoarded for a purpose that was practical rather than intrinsic (which is part of why she loathes evil necromancers). But again, I wasn't thinking very hard. The bullshit she spouted earlier was just me trying to communicate how irrationally angry she was. She's not supposed to be normally be a book burner; she just thought those particular books were better off burned to stick it to the necromancer who collected them, even if he was long dead.
Of course, I played her with the mentality that there was something in the dungeon that was worth destroying or I was supposed to; that was actually some poor metagaming in hindsight. Because of that, I felt just went ahead and burned those things with no remorse. I didn't at all intend to destroy any of the party's loot/clues/lore, or create needless conflict/danger just because it would have been "in-character" (rat-bastard logic). I just thought it made sense and wouldn't cause that much major loss. I would never, ever, ever, ever knowingly destroy loot that the party could use; the fact that my character doesn't believe in the value of wealth had absolutely no impact on my decision there. If I had realized moments earlier that the gas might kill or inconvenience the party, or that I was destroying something that you guys could loot, I would have not set that fire.
As for the smoke hazards, that was just me being an idiot. I thought that the fire would either stay contained in that room, or that the fire would slowly spread, and the party would be able to run outside while all the undead inside it burned. I didn't consider the poison gas effect on the situation.
I'll be taking smol nap. Be back in about an hour, hour on a half.
>>81740"Well, we've already influenced the curriculum of the public schools so that they accurately reflect history. Religious educational institutions retain their autonomy, but we are trying to reduce instances of false doctrines that are disruptive of civil obedience. The local government already supplies hospitals and medical care for the sick. As for mines and foundries, well, we're working on it. Manehattan is receiving a plurality of the industrial development as it is the de facto capital. We are developing mines for minerals down in the south, as well as rubber plantations, which both supply critical resources, and give economic benefits to the colonists and natives there. But there is only so much money to go around."
>>81769>we are trying to reduce instances of false doctrines that are disruptive of civil obedienceSister Ash turns her head with a frown at this for a moment, but does not cease her prayer.
>>81770She folds her ears back and gives Ash her smile in that universal language of girl-code that says "and fuck you too bitch"
>>81772>>81771"Anyways." Iron steps in the staring, not wanting a mare-fight. "The whole 'assassination' part was an overexaggeration on my part. We are looking into peaceful paths about that issue. It was something to test Star's will for this mission. I do want him and the others to be serious about this."
>>81773"Who precisely is this politician, how did he get these foals, and what is he doing with them?"
>>81774Iron thinks for a bit. "I think it is Larry Berry, a 'social democrat: hero of the poor' stallion, manipulating the poor's wishes to increase his status as a politician. Not sure if I am missing anything else, but buying a kidnapped foal from a gang seems strange, unless he is infertile or something."
>>81774Sister Ash keeps murmuring a prayer for a few more lines as she finishes a verse, before she speaks up in the conversation.
"... From what I have understood, he bought them, like common goods." She says, still in her monotone voice
>>81775She snaps at this
"Foals cannot be bought by any means." She growls
"I'm not sure of what his motivations we're, but I do not trust him in the least bit."
>>81776Iron strokes Ash's mane. "I know that. Children are concieved, not bought."
>>81776>>81775"The politician
purchased them? Are you sure it was not an adoption fee?"
>>81777"Oh, you don't need to birth a child to raise one"
>>81778"An adoption fee wouldn't surpass a foal's weight in gold." She hisses
"By the fact that the low-lives he dealt with still had foals on their hooves, I have little faith that what he payed was a noble ransome. He wanted to
buy a foal, and he wanted it done silently."
>>81779"Then it sounds like this guy had something to hide. Let us bring that secret to the sunlight and see how well it fares."
>>81778"For your first statement. Yes. The gangsters holding the unsold foals say that much. The foals could testify for this too, but I do not know if they know the purchase themselves." Iron thinks for a bit. "Your other statement, while true, is something ponies should avoid. It usually causes a lot of problems trying to raise a foal who is not linked to you by blood, but we can talk about it later when the job is done."
>>81780"Are you sure he does not have any influence that protects him if the secret got out?" Iron is skeptical.
>>81781"He payed what looked like more than the price of a small house. I'm sure he took
great lengths to keep his dealings secret."
>>81769"then i would expel the non ponies from baltimare,increasing social trust in the ponies"
>>81782"It is weird that the gangsters know that it was Barry who bought them if that is the case. It is possible that he has the whole gang under his hoof if I am thinking right about the implications of this." Iron scratches his side.
>>81781"He is clearly protected by wealth, influence, and power. That is probably how he is and has been getting away with it. None of that can do much to protect him from
us. If he has friends in power, we use the secret against them. If he has corrupted police officers, use it against them. If he has corrupted blackhooves agents, use it against them. If he has corrupted local media, use it against them. There can be benefits to having more than one governmental master"
>>81783"All the same, the ponies voted for Social Democrats"
>>81782Alright, for the 90th time, we are
not going for that bizarre hyper-inflation in whatever book. A house costs more than a foal, and a foal costs more than a cow, and stop trying to pervert it
>>81785"Ah, your skills shine through." Iron smiles. "Well, seeming you know what you are doing, what should be the course of action to leak that secret out? I am pretty sure our word are not as valid as a 'trusted' politician if we are to spread a rumor around, nevermind the fact that we become a target to be disposed of if he finds out we are the ponies who are spreading his secret."
>>81785"they didnt know what they were really signing up for."
>>81786"There are many ways it could be done. Perhaps the simplest is to break into his house - and that itself could be done any number of ways - and collect evidence of wrong doing. After that, the evidence is given over secretly to a judge who signs a warrant, and the police raid. Naturally all of this is best done without the target knowing. But once the police find the secret... Well, my superiors have their way of making sure it will promulgated to the masses."
>>81788"So tell me. Are
all non-ponies bad?"
>>81789Iron looks at himself, wearing a wolf-helmet fullplate armor and a police-like tower shield. "I do not think I am cut out for something like that, but it sounds the most reasonable by far. Before I suggest anything, you seem interested in this job now. I suppose you will take that chance to place one of your own ponies to replace Barry? It should increase power for your faction in terms of influence if it is possible for you to do so."
>>81790>full plate armor"Not necessarily. You could be the bodyguard of a visiting important figure. You could be there to apply for a job as one of his guards. You could be police accompanying a routine inspection for dangerous gas leaks. You could even be the gardener, with your armor in a bag"
>Barry"Now this is extremely important. Are you
absolutely certain that the politician in question was Larry Berry,
The mayor, and not someponyelse?"
>>81791"But you are aware that the Blackhooves must and do recruit griffins and minotaurs, correct?"
>>81793"Do you think the ponies can be convinced to take up their place in history?"
>>81785Okay, forgive me for metagaming, but I'd really appreciate knowing how much things are going to cost:
I get that livestock don't really factor into price, but how much does a simple house really cost in this post-medieval setting?The house Sister Ash is referring to was the Simple House described under the Urban Environments section: a one-to-three room structure with wooden walls and a thatched roof. Basically, one of the tiny cottages in Ponyville (pick semi-related, but not as fancy). It normally costs one thousand gold pieces (20 pounds of gold), which is a sum that a character lvl 1 character with 4 ranks in Profession or Craft job would have to save for almost 3 years to save that much (without murdering anyone). A level 1 NPC owns assets totally in 900 pieces, a level 2 NPC owns 2000. If two lvl 1 commoners got married and had one child (no wealth for him), they'd collectively possess 1800 pieces worth of wealth, which covers the house and 800 pieces worth of belongings.When Sister Ash gave those guys their ransome money, I thought at the time that she'd given them more gold than she'd ever seen (including the sum of assets that her entire temple donated to the orphanage, which was 9000 pieces).
I get that foals would be expensive, because they're illegal to sell (same reason drugs are expensive), so only rich bastards would by them, and they'd pay through the nose because they [i]can.
How much is 1000 gold pieces worth in this setting, relatively?
>>81792Iron nods understandingly. "I see you have done this before." Iron makes sure to remember the name that was said by the gangsters back at the cannery Ash and Iron went yesterday and tells it to Skies.
Mainly because I don't remember it OOC. >>81795And for the record, when she said "house" by her standards she meant a medieval house, because the houses in the Kirin village were much less modern than what Equestrians live in.
>>81794"it might be a bit idealistic but yes i do."
>>81795If this crook payed about 1500 gold pieces for the foal, and the foal weighed 30 pounds, he would have payed exactly the foal's weight in gold by normal standards. That was a price I considered to be disturbingly ominous, so I included it in the dialogue.Sister Ash doesn't understand Equestrian economics or currency, but she payed in gold, so her statement was a rough estimate that was "About one sixth of the amount of the maximum amount of gold that me and my dog combined could physically carry here".
I g2g
Sorry for asking stupid questions...
>>81795I don't want to set out a large set of numbers right here because of how that could affect balance in the future, but I think I will have mundane non-combat items more expensive, and most everything else the same
>>81796She gives him her smile
"Indeed. Many times, actually."
>>81798"And if that happens, what shall be the fate of the Griffins, the Changelings, the Zebra, the Minotaurs, and the Diamond Dogs?"
>>81799No. That is definitely not true. Stahp. We are not using those weights. If we used 1942 gold prices and one bit as 1 1942 USD, then each brick weighed 8.2 pounds
>>81801"Mass Deportation.except for the changelings. and if any resist well.. it wouldn't be good for them."
>>81802"I take it you have something different in mind for the Changelings? And mass deportation to where exactly? The Blackhooves already control a substantial amount of Griffin, Minotaur, and Zebra territory as colonies"
>>81803"Yes i do. Perhaps, they could be deported to a specific Provence."
>>81804She laughs malignly
"There are
many such suitable provinces. But first, I would like to return to the concept of the good Griffin. Surely you've seen Jacques, the white feathered griffin at headquarters? His family was a part of a set of nobles murdered by Revolutionaries and Iconoclasts in Pridea. He was given political Asylum, even as resettlement for non-ponies tends to steer away from Metropolitan New Mareland. He is now a loyal agent of the Order Police. I can assure you of that, because he is among the creatures I have spied on to test their loyalty. Tell me, should he and those other creatures like him - like the Minotaur Felipe Polemistís who you can often see in the main lobby - be rewarded specially for their service?"
>>81801Wait, shit. It's actually Comte Burgher, not Larry Berry. Never fucking mind.Iron suddenly realizes that it was not Larry Berry but someone named Comte Burgher. He relays this information to Skies.
>>81805"As Long as they are 100% Dedicated to the cause. and so long as they know that being here is a privilege. i dont see anything terribly wrong with them staying."
>>81806"I see. I had figured taking down the mayor himself was too good to be true. No matter. A city councilmember is a high prize. This will hurt not only him, but all those around him"
>>81807"Interesting. Now, what about the Changeling Question?"
>>81808"Sorry about that. You can add it up to the 'punch Iron in the face' debt if you would like." Iron takes off his helmet and places it on the floor. "Anyways, are you up for a bit of political disruption?" Iron extends his hoof, expecting a hoofbump or shake.
>>81811"
Always"
She takes the hoof
>>81810"You see no room for any kind of coexistence?"
>>81813"they are giving me no choice on the matter."
>>81801Alright.
As far as her point goes though, 1500 gp is still a fuckton of money. It's radsome-tier money. It's not the kind of person that an average person would be able to make in a short amount if time, unless they'd just murdered someone for it.
And for the sake of in-character continuity in why she would have said something like that, just consider that Sister Ash just believes that a small house shouldn't cost that much by her standards. She comes from a rural jungle community that lived in mostly medieval, wood-thatch cottages; a community who lived just a few dozen klicks away from an active Dragons' Lair and only lived peacefully right next to them because they were polite and had hardly anything worth plundering. That, and she considered even that meager level of wealth to be too fancy for holiness; and she opted for the life of a homeless hermit because she considers wealth as a concept to be little more than a distraction from faith and intimacy with the natural world.
When she thinks of a "house" she thinks of four walls, a thatched roof, a medocre floor, and the effort it takes to slash and burn the surrounding brush. She's clueless to the concept of real estate inflation because she doesn't really believe that land is something that can be idealistically owned.Anyway, I'm back now.
Back to the conversation then..
*Backreads*
>>81811>political disruption*Ears twitch*
".. That could be quite interesting." She
>>81813Iron smiles. "Then it is settled. You, Star, Silver and Spark now are in this foal rescuing business, at least on the Comte Burgher side of the mission." Iron then puts his helmet back on, being sure not to get any dust inside the helmet.
Should I add Onyx to this list later on? >>81814"I guess that statement is indeed true of Chrysalis's Imperialism"
>>81817Hopefully, probably on weekends only though>>81816"You've done it before"