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Here's my argument for going with KISS instead, which is that we might need to do something beyond the Sacrament for friendship. Like, for example, a medium expedition beyond the Foggy Mirror, which would require 2 actions after 3-4 for the Sacrament.
Right now, we know ~nothing about the errand other than the small clues we've gotten and the fact it's associated with the Frangiclave. That's the exact scenario where flexibility is so important, and it's flexibility we sacrifice by locking in the other actions.
Forges Redemption is something that needs be done. It is insurance for random death happenings. It also is Velvet lore which I deeply appreciate.
Teaching Selene is my highest priority directly below Axe's Sacrament. We don't know what bonuses may be provided by this. But, Selene herself has a training action each turn. If that is made Usable Action, or even defaulted to a Sooth the Night Action, that's worthwhile in my eyes.
Actions of your own: "Jade Whistle already did it before, with only a noose and a chair, so you are sure that you can learn how to do it properly. To spare her from having to ever do that again, if nothing else."
-Fully research the "To cut the skin of the world" project.
-You do NOT yet know how many actions this will take, or what will be its costs or demands.
Teaching Selene is my highest priority directly below Axe's Sacrament. We don't know what bonuses may be provided by this. But, Selene herself has a training action each turn. If that is made Usable Action, or even defaulted to a Sooth the Night Action, that's worthwhile in my eyes.
No idea. I'm leaning towards no, but I'm still not excluding the possibility of Velvet NOT ascending into Hourhood after the expedition, So I'd rather cover our bases (pun NOT intended actually!)
And Selene DID tell us that she wanted to think about what to do about Daybreaker ourselves, so giving her the best tools for the job can't hurt.
Why would we? We've been explicitly told we only get one Sacrament, can't get two. It's either literally not possible to try it, or even if we did we'd learn nothing from it mechanically.
...you know what, I'll actually ask out of curiosity: @OurLadyOfWires I know you said we can't get two sacraments, but narratively speaking what would happen if Velvet tried to go for her former personal Sacrament after getting the Names' ones?
Like, would she outright forget how to do that? Would it just be impossible for her? Would the results be tainted from her already present sacrament?
Truthfully, I don't care too much about Selene's Training right now, but I don't mind the extra action on it if we have FR, even if that limits us to only 4 DoA actions. There was also Plan Responsible KISSing (Forge variant), but it wasn't able to pick up traction.
Curse you Ruined Church! We would be so much better off without ever trying to plumb your depths! Fucking cost us an entire turn, the bastard. We'd probably already have a Sacrament if it weren't for it.
Why would we? We've been explicitly told we only get one Sacrament, can't get two. It's either literally not possible to try it, or even if we did we'd learn nothing from it mechanically.
Curse you Ruined Church! We would be so much better off without ever trying to plumb your depths! Fucking cost us an entire turn, the bastard. We'd probably already have a Sacrament if it weren't for it.
In our defense we failed on our lowest lore, the one that wasn't used at all the last time we went in the Church. We used our previous experience as a guide and got a very different result.
But yeah, Bird tried to be sneaky and warn us that was a bad idea(because he knew we could fail in getting inside of the damn Church in the first place) and we didn't listen. FAFO as they say.
Curse you Ruined Church! We would be so much better off without ever trying to plumb your depths! Fucking cost us an entire turn, the bastard. We'd probably already have a Sacrament if it weren't for it.
I didn't expect us to NOT ONLY get wounded ON THE VERY FIRST OBSTACLE, but then also be attacked, for the attackers to get through Biedde and Mareinette, and then to win a clash against an tier 4 edge influence Velvet!
If even just ONE of those things didn't happen we would have been fine!
I don't think so? it feels like the ability to "cut the skin of the world via Knock" WOULD be the Sacrament power, which we explicitly CAN'T get a second of.
and that's AFTER all the other things bringing us to that situation (failing church obstacle, being attacked that turn, an attacker slipping through the guards).
I don't think so? it feels like the ability to "cut the skin of the world via Knock" WOULD be the Sacrament power, which we explicitly CAN'T get a second of.
I think that we are going to delay the ALL IN expedition by 3-4 turns and either Luna will want to try and fix it by that point or ignoring Celestia will blow up on our faces (for reasons unrelated to her Lantern level).
It doesn't seem unreasonable, we've moved Luna's development along as quickly as we could and Bird seems to have some sort of mechanic or concept in mind for her endeavor. Since we haven't delayed and since there explicitly weren't any Celestia-related actions we ignored since Selene's awakening, there ought to be a path.
Assuming the changeling thing wasn't Celestia randomly crit-failing a willpower roll or summat...
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Luna calming ponies' nights actually stalls Celestia's study of Lantern/transformation into Daybreaker, even if it only works once or twice.
You do not know. And for all that you don't think that will happen today or tomorrow, you can't help but feel that this future you dread is just beyond the horizon, and that its appearance in the sky is as inevitable as the morning sun.
And we thought that meant she just didn't want to stay in the Wake for more than three months at a time, but then we learned about her curse and suddenly everything made sense?
Could the same thing apply to Baldomare and her Noncombatant trait?
Now we know she is wounded it makes a lot more sense for her to only have 2 Health when the other Names have at least 5.
I've been thinking about this recently. I think we're starting to get a better understanding of the Names and what they're really like during this quest. Baldomare is hurt and Axe is chained. There's no guarantee if this pattern would continue with Biedde (or Marinette behind her Age), but I think it's worth at least considering a deeper dive given recent updates.
But then again, old Biedde is not the only little-understood pony that has been living at the Velvet estate.
"Slave."
"Hypocrite."
The young-looking (but old-sounding) mare sits down next to the old stallion, settling down on the cushion that everypony has taken to using while visiting him.
They exchanged a few greetings words, of course. However, despite the weight behind them, there really was no malice behind them.
And it is not just that no malice was intended. Both ponies understood those words to be true, so they had greeted each other that way as if they were speaking each other's names.
On top of that, they are both too old for those kinds of games. They know they are not enemies, and their interests neither align nor clash. So, there is nothing between them but the professional respect of two ponies who
Instead, they speak little because there is little to be shared. And also, because given the depth of their knowledge, what little words they share is more than enough to convey a lot.
"Still, quite the peculiar habits our employer has, wouldn't you say?"
"The weight of being the first in so long."
"Indeed…"
They speak very little. And yet… they stay in each other's company for a very long time.
Maybe out of nostalgia. Or maybe, as unlikely as it might be, because deep down the two of them were ponies, once. And the faint, burned, and cut-away echo of that need every pony has, to be near those who are like them, still exists somewhere inside of them.
Although that is very unlikely. If not impossible.
The first lines between Baldomare and Biedde present a possibility that these terms are saying something more relevant to us questers than we initially thought.
Biedde understands Baldomare to be a hypocrite. On this, our details with Baldomare are incomplete, but we understand that a major part of Baldomare's "story" is the "knot." She wanted to be Long over being with Illopony, and Illopony wanted the opposite. And they could not have it all due to the Crime of the Sky. In this quest, we know that the Blank Plains are empty of all EXCEPT Illopony. It is our popular current theory that Baldomare's wounds are a result of her keeping Illopony around because Blood is the currency of the world. Baldomare wants to have it both ways (ergo, Hypocrite).
So what about Biedde then? Why is Biedde a Slave?
The obvious answer is that Biedde is eternally in the service of the colonel and his goals as his highest priority. Where even the Colonel's death won't release him.
Background first. Whether or not the Colonel is dead or not we know two major things from this quest. First, when the Forge did her thing, the Colonel and Lionsmith (and Wolf Divided) ended up in a conflict. Second, The Colonel has not taken up his duty of standing guard at the Worm Museum since then, having given his last (AKA most recent) order to Biedde to do so instead.
So is it seems pretty cut and dry, right? It's too blatantly spelled out that there isn't a red herring?
Well then we have to make sense of his actions.
This idea fits in well with the Corrivality and the Colonel's perspective on it being the engine of the world. Quoting Cultist Simulator itself: "I remember when I thought I had nothing to do with the Corrivality, but of course I always did. Every Hour, every mortal, every speck of dust plays its part in the Strife Imperishable. But fighting a running battle across Europe with a half-immortal adversary - that means I have a speaking part in the Corrivality, not just a walk-on role."
A major part of the Corrivality, and Edge as a Principle, is that conflict is inevitable. Ascending under Edge means acceptance of your active role in that. Biedde is pretty clearly talking about being pawns to the Corrivality, the rules of the world itself. Biedde just knows his role in that (and as it so haapens, Biedde's second lore is Moth, the lore of change).
I have recently come under the employment of one Velvet Covers," he says, taking a long drag out of his pipe, and puffing it out in a plume of smoke. "You will tell me everything you know about her."
This is an action that I still don't understand simply because we don't know enough about Biedde's motives. What did he really want to know about Velvet? How is this affecting his decision making? We're missing something important about how Biedde perceives her.
You still don't know what game he is playing, but his latest move was to confirm to you that he is indeed hiding something.
But why?
Why?
The darkness of the cabin is so thick that you almost can't breathe. Because you know for a fact that this darkness is not entirely real, and that the old stallion who was sitting opposite to you a moment ago is not looking at you from the shadows with the kindly eyes of a grandfather. And for a moment, the atmosphere around you is so oppressive that you can't even hear the train moving around you.
However, even that only lasts for a moment. And on the next second, the lights of the cabin flicker into life, and you find yourself sitting in that same cabin, sharing the room with the same old stallion who is looking at you with a small smile.
"It is the thing that you don't know that kills you," he says.
You don't speak to him anymore, until the two of you reach Manehattan.
He wants us to know he's hiding something. There's something to pursue here. I don't know if it's gonna be relevant or even beneficial to us, but I'm curious.
Biedde understands Baldomare to be a hypocrite. On this, our details with Baldomare are incomplete, but we understand that a major part of Baldomare's "story" is the "knot." She wanted to be Long over being with Illopony, and Illopony wanted the opposite. And they could not have it all due to the Crime of the Sky. In this quest, we know that the Blank Plains are empty of all EXCEPT Illopony. It is our popular current theory that Baldomare's wounds are a result of her keeping Illopony around because Blood is the currency of the world. Baldomare wants to have it both ways (ergo, Hypocrite).
More than just "wanting to have it both ways", there's the fact she gave up her chances for Glory to stay with Illopony.
I mean, we're also assuming she CAN'T leave the Blank Plains (though technically she got to right beyond the Blank Door that one time we destroyed the Woods...)
This is an action that I still don't understand simply because we don't know enough about Biedde's motives. What did he really want to know about Velvet? How is this affecting his decision making? We're missing something important about how Biedde perceives her.
He wants us to know he's hiding something. There's something to pursue here. I don't know if it's gonna be relevant or even beneficial to us, but I'm curious.
He wants to get free, but he can't (or won't) just leave his post.
And yet, if Velvet became his employer in TRUTH, if she, by ascending into Glory, could somehow become the Colonel's successor... MAYBE she COULD then release him.
Or, alternatively, he just wants a new "worthy" master, and this is his way of testing us.
Of course this is assuming that he either does not know the Tricuspid is blocked (pretty unlikely), or that he suspects Velvet might get through anyway (even less likely).
Maybe he's just testing Velvet because, as an important pony in the current world order, she'll basically DECIDE what the rules of society are, and the Colonel is the one who maintains the status quo/ the current rulers' government...
He wants us to know he's hiding something. There's something to pursue here. I don't know if it's gonna be relevant or even beneficial to us, but I'm curious.
Soooo, you want to free him, right? Because if you do we already know something that made the Colonel turn away and if Biedde wants to be free that might even work as long as we don't let him know till everything is done(I'm sure he has some sort of order to refuse to be freed, probably violently).
This is an action that I still don't understand simply because we don't know enough about Biedde's motives. What did he really want to know about Velvet? How is this affecting his decision making? We're missing something important about how Biedde perceives her.
He wants us to know he's hiding something. There's something to pursue here. I don't know if it's gonna be relevant or even beneficial to us, but I'm curious.
This isn't necessary, and saying the things here isn't really going to change things I feel. And I doubt it matters much right now, but I'll share my thoughts on this.
It was the third and final warning. OurLadyOfWires is very good about giving warning, just it takes looking at the situation a little cockeyed to see sometimes. In this case, it's secrets and hidden things, dangerous unknowns.
I'll explain.
Back, a long long time ago, Uncle Steppes spoke with Stormchaser about Velvet. About the things Velvet does and says and acts. And Steppes had answers before a fireplace. Because there are secrets there. Hidden and lost from view even to Velvet. Some about her scar. Some about her past.
When Biedde arrived, he would taste those secrets. The secrets before a fire that itself did not know. And what sort of Guard would the perfect Soldier be if he knew there was an unknown, and not what it was? I ask you this. Why did he seek out Steppes? How did he know to find him specifically?
Loyalty has a taste, who's to say secrets don't have a smell? And who holds the answer save Steppes?
Then, With Selene? It was advice. It was... Warning. That there are things about Velvet that Selene does not know. Things which previously wounded Velvet. Things that are unknowns. Things that could be dangerous.
I am sad we will not get Steppes Fleeting Opportunity, but it felt like the bet would best be made on learning of that past with Forges Redemption. Convincing people to do that would, and has been, much easier than Steppes Fleeting Opportunity.
Soooo, you want to free him, right? Because if you do we already know something that made the Colonel turn away and if Biedde wants to be free that might even work as long as we don't let him know till everything is done(I'm sure he has some sort of order to refuse to be freed, probably violently).
I can't imagine that Biedde is pursuing freedom. From Cultist Simulator: "Biedde knew what he was about." I've seen no evidence of "role dissatisfaction" that makes me think that Biedde dislikes his duty or patron. Freedom is a Lionsmith attribute, but the Colonel adheres to ideas of stability (and peace, in his own way).
Biedde is a tool and seems satisfied with that. I think a better place to look at would be "Purpose"
It was the third and final warning. OurLadyOfWires is very good about giving warning, just it takes looking at the situation a little cockeyed to see sometimes. In this case, it's secrets and hidden things, dangerous unknowns.
I am now very curious about this. Are you talking about warnings in regards to Velvet's past and how they may be influencing Velvet's, and thus our own, choices, perception, and presentation? Steppes and the fireplace being 1, Biedde speaking to Steppes being 2, and his advice to Selene being 3?
I am sad we will not get Steppes Fleeting Opportunity, but it felt like the bet would best be made on learning of that past with Forges Redemption. Convincing people to do that would, and has been, much easier than Steppes Fleeting Opportunity.
I am now very curious about this. Are you talking about warnings in regards to Velvet's past and how they may be influencing Velvet's, and thus our own, choices, perception, and presentation? Steppes and the fireplace being 1, Biedde speaking to Steppes being 2, and his advice to Selene being 3?
I would wager that it has less to do with Velvet's own perceptions, and more on things and people involved in the event that Velvet simply does not think about.
After all! Velvet has siblings. Some who would be up, and aware, and alive when Velvet was once hurt.
I would wager that it has less to do with Velvet's own perceptions, and more on things and people involved in the event that Velvet simply does not think about.
After all! Velvet has siblings. Some who would be up, and aware, and alive when Velvet was once hurt.
You say that, and Silky Stream is already zipping up to the air in an excited burst, before you even have the chance to finish explaining yourself.
And the next few hours show you, or at least give you a taste, of everything you have been missing this whole time.
You were always afraid that, one day, your daughter would fall. You were always terrified that some day her wings would fail her, and you would not be there to catch her.
But right now? And from now on? You just want to see her fly.
After a long week working very hard you finally can relax.
Now you just need to change these bandages before you have a drink or two to dull the pain.
Then you can climb into bed with your warm little Stormy.
Yes, the perfect end to your day.
[Attackers ambush attempt, CD IRRELEVANT]
[Velvet Covers is immune to ambushes]
[All guarding characters have been alerted]
!!!!!
You are in danger.
You can feel them. You feel them as they approach the farmland. Four ponies and a familiar hateful being, a Windigo.
Leaving your bloody bandages unchanged you pull at the chains.
You whisper to them your will, to the soldier, to the horse-leach.
So that your guards may fulfil their duty.
At a steady trot you move, walking down to the entrance of your home.
You feel them make their way through the farmland.
At the central gardens you make your stand.
You feel them make their way to the side-gate only to find the soldier there waiting for them.
Inside you feel your ira grow, as an aching hunger while your guard does not ambush them. Such pride, perhaps you should give into the urge to unmake that from him.
[Attackers have unleashed their sealed Windigo]
[The Monster of Desire has initiated combat]
[Windigo has initiated combat]
The sky turns black as the storm rises, a blizzard blowing the cold wind of death.
A petty imitation of the father.
You feel as the horse-leach attacks dragging three of the pony invaders further into the croplands then
[The Monster of Desire has engaged three of the invaders]
[The Monster of Desire has invoked "NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE"]
[Details of combat have been redacted]
You feel as the hateful child meets the Soldier in battle
[Windigo has engaged the Soldier of the Scarred Pony in combat]
[Windigo's current health: 3/3]
[Soldier of the Scarred Pony's health: 5/5]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Windigo – 0, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 0]
[A Confident Certainty: Windigo can reroll one every six dice]
[?????: Soldier of the Scarred Pony can reroll one every two dice]
[Windigo: 22 40 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 85]
[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 88 29 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 168]
[Overflow: Windigo – 0, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 83]
[Windigo suffers one wounds (-50 to Soldier of the Scarred Pony's overflow]
[Windigo: 77 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 122]
[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 15 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 95]
[Overflow: Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 33]
[Neither combatant wishes to perform any actions]
[Combat will continue as normal]
You feel as the last of the invaders gallops forward, that from the path they take they know exactly where to go. Till they reach you and you see his will, his goal, your death.
You see the mantle of strength draped upon him both a shield and a weapon.
"Did you really come all the way here just to try to kill me?"
You are half dead and yet you are still resolute.
Reaching out with your soul you light the beacon you had prepared.
You call out with your soul in a voice that he can not deny.
As hatred calls to hatred.
[Velvet Covers has invoked the Attention of the Father]
And a whisper of malice in the world turns slightly louder as you added your voice to it.
As you welcomed it inside of you.
Where it belonged.
"A very poor decision."
Prowling forward with hateful speed you saw fear in the eyes of the bat wielding earth pony.
[Velvet Covers has initiated combat]
[Velvet Covers has invoked the Attention of the Father]
[Velvet Covers is under the effect of a Resolution (+40 to personal combat)]
[Invader is under the effect of a rousing air (+20 to personal combat)]
I love the way you present Velvet's perspective in this. It feels less like something we'd see in this quest and more like what I'd expect from an apocrypha in Copper!Quest. Unfamiliar, terrifying, and full of Mysteries (of Force).
I love the way you present Velvet's perspective in this. It feels less like something we'd see in this quest and more like what I'd expect from an apocrypha in Copper!Quest. Unfamiliar, terrifying, and full of Mysteries (of Force).
