Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[Venerable Ro]

I am happy to note our continued relative devotion to Mothing our way along and doing the most unexpected thing in a given moment.

Here Velvet is shrouded in a maximal influence of Edge just so she can be aggressively reasonable about Comet's workplace safety concerns.

Alas for Comet's sanity, Velvet will never make sense if you try to understand her using only one Lore.

 

[spiderhellian]

The poem's great.
Feedback: At some points, the number of syllables doesn't fit quite right.

Click to shrink...

Really makes me happy.

Click to shrink...

Thank you very much for your kind words and thoughtful feedback!

I didn't count syllables at all! I just read it and tried to have it sound good on my head Yep, a lot to learn about writing poems.

Thanks for the edits and suggestions. I'll do another pass at some point and update it accordingly.

This is great, though I have to ask; Who's singing the Ode? Or rather who penned it?

Click to shrink...

I didn't really have a specific perspective in mind. Perhaps —

A stone dropped into a lake causes ripples. Lightning striking a tree ignites a forest fire. And just as surely, when a Name acts (or fails to act) and history reweaves as consequence, poems crop up like fungus after a storm.

(Or one of those visitors to the Lodge during the Era the Manaus died got a little too drunk and a little too maudlin. Your pick!)

 

[Spacemurica]

[] Conscription.
mechanically the best. Morally not even that bad.

[X] Compromise.
..but I really like Fluttershy and this is the only option that she would really agree with

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

The Sun could wait its turning,
The rites could wait their flame.
For in the quiet they were sharing,
She knew a softer claim.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely delightful. The last bit of poetry I wrote was more than ten years ago, so I can't really speak to "literary" feedback as others have. But as a reader, I can confirm that "read it, loved it".

Thank you so much for sharing it!



And the current tally seems to be

Spoiler: Tally

Vote Tally : Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience | Page 135 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 4138-4233]
##### NetTally 4.0.2

[X] Compromise.
No. of Votes: 35

Spoiler: Voters

[X] angelsadvocate666
[X] Anjaxis
[X] AuthorTransient
[X] Bakkasama
[X] BritBiscuit
[X] Calico J
[X] Cochimetl
[X] DelightedOne
[X] des-pair-2
[X] EgoDiscite
[X] F#A#
[X] Greymere
[X] Iustus Vitea
[X] Jame
[X] jason1stlegion
[X] Krix
[X] LieutenantSpirit
[X] Limabot
[X] Maer
[X] moonlock
[X] Nate700
[X] oceanes
[X] Pittauro
[X] Pororurin
[X] Portec
[X] Potdl
[X] Quaxotia
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Reclai
[X] Solace2117
[X] Spacemurica
[X] Sveta08
[X] Talon Tiger Dino
[X] Venerable Ro
[X] Zxzx24

[X] Conscription.
No. of Votes: 7

Spoiler: Voters

[X] Shaper47
[X] Alan975
[X] Bakkasama
[X] Earth-Destroyer
[X] HellFire666
[X] Nevermort
[X] Random Anon

[X] Negotiation
No. of Votes: 2

Spoiler: Voters

[X] AuthorTransient
[X] Portec

[X] Assassination.
No. of Votes: 1

Spoiler: Voters

[X] Alan975

[X] Status Quo.
No. of Votes: 1

Spoiler: Voters

[x] Earth-Destroyer

Total No. of Voters: 41

Voting should close tomorrow around midday. But it seems to be pretty much set in stone.

I hope you are all doing well! And I hope to get the next update done soon.

 

[Pittauro]

it's fairly uncontroversial.

We don't want to kill Comet, and we ideally want to remove his potential as an enemy.

That basically leaves only Compromise, or Negotiation... but we're very likely to lose if we try that one.

Well, there's also Conscription, but that comes with a side of "Comet will hate us even more, and wait for an opportunity (that admittedly might never come, but still!)

 

[Alan975]

We don't want to kill Comet

Click to shrink...

okay, sure.
but do you all we want him alive?
Cuz the read i've been getting so far is as folowed.
He is a threat that should not be lose.
We don't want to risk an injury.
We don't particulerly care about Flutershy since she is underlevled and would require scarce actions.

So, the solution is conscription, where we would have multiple levers of control.

OR, assassination, which has as high a chance of success as we can get. You know, on acount of the god of murder.
And can we all stop brining up lore about Book of Hours as arguments, or am i misremembering QM saying that it isn't canon for this?

 

[Sveta08]

okay, sure.
but do you all we want him alive?
Cuz the read i've been getting so far is as folowed.
He is a threat that should not be lose.
We don't want to risk an injury.
We don't particulerly care about Flutershy since she is underlevled and would require scarce actions.

So, the solution is conscription, where we would have multiple levers of control.

OR, assassination, which has as high a chance of success as we can get. You know, on acount of the god of murder.
And can we all stop brining up lore about Book of Hours as arguments, or am i misremembering QM saying that it isn't canon for this?

Click to shrink...

We can spend our time putting out fires or gathering more fire extinguishers.
Comet in this metaphor, has always been a help that we have never really figured out. If he's a fire, if he's a help, if he is a help that has a chance of exploding, so on.

Conscription forces him to be a help that will explode if things go out of our control. And we have a bad habit of keeping everything in control.
Assasination puts out the fire by throwing in the towel. I'm sure the Wolf will love that.


If you are reading through and getting only those views, then I'll offer you this one directly.
Comet has the potential to help us, even if we have better tools, and better options eventually, or over time, or it might take a bit of effort to get there.
And we need all hands on deck.

 

[Cochimetl]

We don't particulerly care about Flutershy since she is underlevled and would require scarce actions.

Click to shrink...

I think you misunderstand. Not caring about Fluttershy's AP isn't the same as not caring about Fluttershy.

 

[Maer]

Our choices determine Velvet's personality and the precedents set for future actions. While not eliminating options like murder and assassination, it may open up some more diplomatic and peaceful, harmonious options in the Future. Besides, of all the options, Compromise feels like it further Harmony's goals the most. A bit of a moot point by now, but I still would like to promote Harmony as a power every chance we get. The more of Harmony we have in us when we ascend, the better off the world will likely be. Heck, if we get enough, it may let us close/remove our Wolf-wounds/stains. And if we could heal our own wolfish stains/wounds, maybe we could figure out how to channel enough to heal the wolf. Which I'm CERTAIN would have some VERY INTERESTING and far-reaching consequences. What would a harmony-blasted Wolf even look like...?

Regardless, I'm certain that Harmony would also hold some hints needed for changing some of our Sacraments. After all, a Harmonious Velvet would likely not end up needing to Murder someone to understand death... or at least, wouldn't feel so desperately that she CANNOT allow others to leave... That would change some things.

Overall... Compromise feels like it will cause the most Harmonious narrative shifts. And those are just as important as the mechanical benefits, which remain mostly the same, albeit slightly improved from before. Nothing but good, and some narrative benefits that are great- likely some other side effects we'll find out later, but for now, with the information we have... this doesn't deprive us of currently held AP, doesn't do something our daughters would be unhappy to find out about, and DOES start improving our relationships with others around us. It provides narrative benefits, sets good precedents, and does not set up an emotional time-bomb that is only destined to worsen the longer we continue things.

Overall... a wonderful set of things. I'm sure others can point out more cons, and the pros of other options, but that's how I view the Compromise option for the most part. An all-around GOOD option. And none of the others are great.

 

[Pittauro]

It's not even something fluttershy would disapprove of!

It's basically, in non eldritch term "Comet doesn't like me, but we reached an understanding. I don't put you in danger with some of the dangerous stuff I have to take care of, and he'll give me a hoof every once in a while when I need it".

Fluttershy can certainly understand a protective Comet, and while she might MAYBE be a bit annoyed at things being decided without her input, it's not like she ENJOYS being put in danger.

Just... I'm hoping at some point Fluttershy asks us of her own initiative for winter lessons, and then she convinces Comet on her own. She'd actually benefit from the lore of mental calm, considering her panic issues

 

[Shaper47]

may open up some more diplomatic and peaceful, harmonious options in the Future. Besides, of all the options, Compromise feels like it further Harmony's goals the most.

Click to shrink...

A moot point given how we've pretty much chosen the Glory victory ending not Harmony ending.

but for now, with the information we have... this doesn't deprive us of currently held AP

Click to shrink...

It's one less AP per turn.

doesn't do something our daughters would be unhappy to find out about,

Click to shrink...

That's kinda fear mongering.

We've done way worse that Selene has been totally cool with.

and DOES start improving our relationships with others around us

Click to shrink...

???

No it doesn't.

It prevents them from getting worse but it also prevents them from getting better.

It provides narrative benefits, sets good precedent

Click to shrink...

Very debatable, people thought the exact same thing for Twilight and see how that turned out.

 

[Maer]

While we've chosen Glory and I'm on board for that, the world we end in and the type of pony Velvet is when she ascends will have MAJOR ramifications for the epilogue. Having some Harmony will most likely improve that. Hardly a moot point, even if it provides little immediate or mechanical benefit.

As for AP? We aren't losing any. We aren't gaining any, but we aren't losing any. That's not one less, it's a net 0 change.

Then there's fear mongering. Selene forgave us, yes, but given we don't NEED to do 'terrible things' here, why should we? She'll probably understand and forgive or accept us, yeah, but that doesn't mean she'll be HAPPY about it, which is what I said. Her being unhappy was all I was worried about for that point. I know she won't suddenly leave or abandon us over this.

And It does improve our relationship with Comet. Being able to ask favors without him gaining more hatred is an improvement. And there's going to be chances in the future for further improvement into a positive direction, if we seek them out. That's not immediate, no, but there IS improvement. Especially because it doesn't stop the relationship from getting better. To my knowledge, no part of the compromise option states that we cannot lessen his hatred or make him more friendly. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

As for Twilight- that was primarily due to our neglect and poor decision making surrounding her at the time, if I remember correctly. We allowed her fascination to fester for numerous turns, and then told the Master about her, and then revealed ourselves to her while she was imprisoned before leaving her there, and FINALLY saved her after she was basically broken and her entire purpose in life(magic) left seemingly permanently beyond her reach. All of which was due to our decisions and unforeseen consequences mingling with poor dice rolls.

This has none of that, to my knowledge. Again correct me if I'm wrong. If I'm right, though, then this is a wildly different scenario that is in a significantly better situation to provide positive narrative benefits… which I could easily be wrong about given… well, Bird, but I don't see any problems at the moment that stick out as particularly egregious, so… it should end up FAR better than it previously did.

 

[Cochimetl]

No it doesn't.

Click to shrink...

I agree this far.

It prevents them from getting worse but it also prevents them from getting better.

Click to shrink...

How? How does Compromise prevent Velvet's relationships getting better in a way the other choices wouldn't?

 

[Shaper47]

As for Twilight snip

Click to shrink...

The main cause of the Twilight clusterfuck was choosing to not take Twilight into Velvet's service and instead putting her into Celestia's service.

Again correct me if I'm wrong. If I'm right, though, then this is a wildly different scenario

Click to shrink...

It's a choice between putting Comet and Fluttershy in our service or not.

The small details might be different but overall it's a choice of if we're going to claim a piece for the board or not. In that this is the same scenario.

that is in a significantly better situation to provide positive narrative benefits

Click to shrink...

There's a reason that a lot of Velvet's peers who know enough about her point out about her hesitation.

Narratively a lot of Velvet's character growth has been stepping up past her hesitation. To committing what is necessary for her goals. To change in order to do what's truly important to her.

Narratively this is kinda a step back. A repeat of past mistakes. A refusal to change out of fear of what she'd change into.

 

[Pittauro]

There's a reason that a lot of Velvet's peers who know enough about her point out about her hesitation.

Narratively a lot of Velvet's character growth has been stepping up past her hesitation. To committing what is necessary for her goals. To change in order to do what's truly important to her.

Narratively this is kinda a step back. A repeat of past mistakes. A refusal to change out of fear of what she'd change into.

Click to shrink...

Eh, the end justifies the means only when it's the only way. We don't NEED conscription option enough for me to impose it.

It's basically slavery under a different name, and we don't have a strong enough need for me to pick it over a satisfactory compromise.

 

[Shaper47]

How? How does Compromise prevent Velvet's relationships getting better in a way the other choices wouldn't?

Click to shrink...

Getting Fluttershy winter lore. Turns the relationship into more of a peer relationship.

Eh, the end justifies the means only when it's the only way. We don't NEED conscription option enough for me to impose it.

It's basically slavery under a different name, and we don't have a strong enough need for me to pick it over a satisfactory compromise.

Click to shrink...

I see it in the same light as our choice to pick murder in our expeditions.

Sure we technically didn't need to do it and could have done it another way. But if we had done it another way we would have failed in the end.

To not do it is a risk, and to me not taking that risk says something about what Velvet truly values.

 

[Alan975]

To not do it is a risk, and to me not taking that risk says something about what Velvet truly values.

Click to shrink...

Yepers to this, people here are also talking as if a win is preordained and that we only need to pick the path that refelcts best on us.
Isn't this a horror story?

With the tone that Bird has had so far, I would not be surprised nor disapointed if we end up loosing because everyone is so sure of our victory that it's all treated as a thought experiment instead of as a game.
And if we lose once? What happens then?
Wolf-tinted Softy playthrough.

So whats worse, a wolf reaching glory or a bit of murder?
Murdering a murderer doesn't decrease the amount of murderers in the world, so we need to kill two.

 

[DelightedOne]

Murdering a murderer doesn't decrease the amount of murderers in the world, so we need to kill two.

Click to shrink...

If a murderer kills another murderer it does, so Velvet can do that.

 

[AuthorTransient]

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S​

In Which (S) Collide - Part 4

There's no going back from this. The maresquerade has been blown right open.

The sky has turned an unholy rich red and Mareinette – she is the size of your house, and growing even larger.

Ah...

An unsightly beast... a great terror looms!

Mareinette the Twice Born is coming...

Spoiler: Escape Rolls

Silky Stream successfully escapes!

Soft Sweeps successfully escapes!

Stormchaser successfully escapes!

Velvet: Support

You allow yourself one moment to survey the battlefield and is gratified to learn that most of your family have escaped.

Not Luna, however.

Not Selene.


Then there is no more time to think, because Mareinette is upon all of you.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

[Multi-combatant fight. Mareinette will only "compete" to wound Luna, but may be wounded by all other combatants]

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30

Ally Debuffs:
Currently none.

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 0]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 0]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.

First roll: 33 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') - 5 (Outnumbered: 1) = 93

Second roll: 94 + 60 = 154

Third roll: 86 + 60 = 146

Fourth roll: 26 + 60 = 87

Fifth roll: 10 + 60 = 70

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 70 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 149

Velvet Covers: 8 + 29 (Personal Combat) + 30 - 20 = 77

Luna: 52 + 10 (A Sister's Promise) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 38 (Velvet Support) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 200


Overflow: Mareinette – 0, Allies' - 36


Backend:
Baldomare: ULTIMATE FATE WORKS on Velvet Covers

Jade Whistle, Fluttershy, Rarity: Preparing...

Her hooves dig into the ground, shattering it as she leaps. For some reason, your mind compares it to that of a manticore, pouncing on prey.

Then Comet Feet is there like a whirlwind of blades, slashing across her bones without mercy. And you – your magic seizes one of her hooves and pulls.

Mareinette immediately overbalances. As she struggles to regain her balance, specks of light gather in front of Selene's horn until it finally explodes out into a controlled beam, sending Mareinette skidding backwards in another dust cloud.

But when the dust clears she looks to be no worse for wear – only more frustrated.


The night air is freezing. It actually takes effort to prevent your teeth from chattering.

What you're facing down is worse than Comet Feet, worse than the Master... even worse than the Wolf. As Mareinette stalks towards you...

!!!​

You feel a hoof on your shoulder and when you turn, Baldomare is giving you a soft grin. She tilts her head.

That's right – you are not alone. You're with friends.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30

(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 43 + 26 = 69, 3rd​ Breakpoint Reached


Ally Debuffs:
Currently none.


[Current Luna overflow (damage occurs on 50): 0]

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 100): 31]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.

First roll: 96 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') - 5 ('Outnumbered: 1') = 156

Second roll: 88 + 60 = 148

Third roll: 76 + 60 = 136

Fourth roll: 10 + 60 = 70

Fifth roll: 1 + 60 = 71


Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 91 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 = 140
Velvet Covers: 72 + 9 + 20 + 30 + 30 (Reading the Record) – 20 + 20 = 151
Luna: 52 + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 10 (A Sister's Promise) + 75 (Velvet Support) + 30 – 20 = 217


Overflow: Mareinette – 0, Allies - 112
Mareinette suffers one damage! -100 to Allies' overflow.
FOR THE OLD BLOOD activates x 1!

Backend:
Rarity and Fluttershy successfully escapes!

Jade Whistle: Attention of the Laws on Velvet (takes effect next combat round)

Baldomare: Dispels FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1.

Then, Mareinette charges.

Moonlight blasts hit her one after the other but visibly to no effect. The crystal horseshoes of Selene take to the skies instead and you slither and flit-flit-fly out of the way as Marienette careens into your house.

Or what was your house.

This is fine. There wasn't anybody left in there anyway. Oh, but the bits to repair all of that - !

Of course, while you've been lamenting internally, you've not been idle. Your magic pulls at weakened structures and more of the roof collapses on top of Mareinette, causing her body to buckle somewhat as Comet Feet goes in for a fly-by, while a second charged beam smashes into one of her heads and causes it to wince.

Crimson liquid drips from her - but is just as quickly scoured into smoke from the light.

Mareinette shakes her head, as if recovering from a daze. She pleads, "[GRAIL]!"

Spoiler: Contest

Mareinette: 39 + 60 ('Social' bonus) = 99
Baldomare: 91 + 30 + 30 = 151

DISPELLED BY BALDOMARE

But even without Baldomare's help, you already have the answer in your heart: no, Mareinette, you cannot have my child.

As if in response, turbid red streams streak across the sky, gathering around her. Despite your friends and your best efforts, they do not stop.

TRAIT REVEALED!
[KINGEATER]: Mareinette is capable of channeling and adding a Grail influence to her combat bonus.

Now Mareinette stalks forward again, her five maws wide and gaping and heaving out crimson mist, her eyes like blood rubies against the night sky.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30
(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 98 + 26 = 124, 6th​ Breakpoint Reached

Ally Debuffs:
Currently none.

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 0]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 12]

Mareinette's Turn: Social Action.

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 93 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 142

Velvet Covers: 90 + 29 (Personal Combat) + 21 (Attention of the Laws) + 30 - 20 + 60 (Reading the Record) = 210

Luna: 22 + 10 (A Sister's Promise) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 105 (Velvet Support) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 237


Overflow: Mareinette – 0, Allies' - 384
Mareinette suffers 3 damage! -300 to Allies' overflow.
FOR THE OLD BLOOD activates x 3!

Backend:
Baldomare: Dispels Mareinette' 'Social Action'!
Jade Whistle: Dispel FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1: 35 + 21 + 30 - 30 = 56! 1st​ breakpoint reached!
FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1 dispelled!

Spoiler: THE WIRE MOTHER (Unofficial, as of Part 4)

Health: 26/50 (highballed)

Temporary Health: 0/5

[ONE WHO IS VERY GREAT]: Mareinette is willing to offer you Sacraments in the Lores of Grail and Heart, should you fulfill her requirements.

[OUR LADY OF WIRES]: Mareinette is immune to the effects of "Monstrous Appearance".

[HONORED GUEST]: Mareinette can "step in" on Velvet's horseshoes, and perform social actions in her stead even if only Velvet should have been able to perform them. (HOWEVER, see "Old Intelligence")

[WEIGHT OF PRESENCE]: Mareinette grants a full level up to the Secret Library for her preferred Lores.

[OLD INTELLIGENCE]: If Mareinette is alone while performing a social action, and a vote is offered, she will instead pick the vote based on what she thinks is best. (This will be based on her personal knowledge of you, as well as her loyalty. This trait can be either positive or negative, depending on interpretation.)

[MONSTROUS APPEARANCE]: Cannot be used for Social Actions. (Immune)

[PROUD]: Will refuse to cast any rituals that do not involve Grail or Heart.

[THE SECOND BIRTH]: Mareinette may choose to sacrifice a tremendous amount of health to immediately break her summoner's bindings. (Used.)

[NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE]: Mareinette may elect to hide some of her characteristics from you. (She certainly is hiding her health, and she may be hiding other negative traits or skills.)

[THE SUBTLE KISS]: Mareinette may hide attacks as completely harmless kisses, pats, smiles, or intimate glances, though they still require combat rolls. Targets may make an intrigue check to realize that damage was done after each successful attack. This compounds with OUR LADY OF WIRES.

[BLOOD MERIDIAN]: Mareinette may spend a combat action to consume the last traces of life and experience from a victim who has been brought to zero hit points to recover 5 hitpoints. This also gives her a temporary bonus of +5 to rolls per life consumed this way until the Turn ends. This action can be interrupted, upon which She loses the action. This action cannot be used while She already has more than Her maximum hit points.

[GRAIL OVERFLOW]: Mareinette may gain temporary hit points above Her hit point total, up to 5.

[SAPPING FLESH]: Combat rolls targeting Mareinette must reach an overflow of 100 or higher to harm Her.

[PUPPET OF THE RED SANDS]: Mareinette does not suffer from any status of being 'Wounded'.

[WIRE MOTHER]: Mareinette gains +20 in combat against any entity that can be considered to have a mother and they have a -20 malus when targeting her.

[UNQUENCHABLE THIRST]: For every turn in the Wake, Mareinette will seek out a Grail sacrifice and consume it.

[FOR THE OLD BLOOD]: Whenever Mareinette loses hit points, all targets in the vicinity suffer a cumulative -10 to rolls as the blood spilled intoxicates and causes hallucinations.

[ALL-CONSUMING NAME]: When Mareinette consumes a living being, their existence disappears from memories. Characters may figure out something is wrong (strange clothes that they would never wear, an empty room with paraphernalia) but it is more likely that they would simply fill in any discpreancies by themselves.

[Other traits negative, unknown]

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S​

 

[Venerable Ro]

Suspenseful! A fantastic boss fight going on over here one worldline spinwards.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Yepers to this, people here are also talking as if a win is preordained and that we only need to pick the path that refelcts best on us.
Isn't this a horror story?

With the tone that Bird has had so far, I would not be surprised nor disapointed if we end up loosing because everyone is so sure of our victory that it's all treated as a thought experiment instead of as a game.
And if we lose once? What happens then?
Wolf-tinted Softy playthrough.

So whats worse, a wolf reaching glory or a bit of murder?
Murdering a murderer doesn't decrease the amount of murderers in the world, so we need to kill two.

Click to shrink...

But why murder Comet when we can just bring him on-side? Compromise upgrades us from a Lore 1 Confidante to a Lore 4 Confidante on the cusp of Sacrament, that's an excellent bargain. And Combat, the thing CF specializes in, is one of the few cases where more bodies are always helpful.

 

[DelightedOne]

Kinda random, but anyone wants to finish the actions at Jade's house? I want to see how it "furthers our interests" when all is done, maybe it will become a Temporary Headquarters for our group, that is the first step to getting a real HQ in the game so it could have the same function here too.

Edit: One of the hearquarters in the game is a library so... opportunity? In case a library is empty and desolate somewhere in Ponyville.

 

[Solace2117]

If people want to argue we should assassinate Comet I'll listen. He is a potential threat and we know one timeline where we were forced to kill him. I don't agree and we can argue points, but fair enough.
Velvet isn't in a good position right now to try and kill him herself or "negotiate" right now. Maybe if the scar was already healed.
Status Quo is a waste of time. There may be some narrative benefit to letting Comet know about the Master and walking away, but I'd honestly consider it a wasted action then.

Ultimately it really comes down to Conscription or Compromise. Conscription gives and extra follower, but at the cost of a guaranteed ticking time bomb. Assuming that won't become an issue ignores how effective Ourladyofwires is at giving us difficult choices and the fact we don't always make the most optimal decisions. Some of that is just the nature of quests in general and some of that is the nature of this quest where Velvet is constantly struggling against forces greater than her own. It also underestimates what it means narratively. There's arguments to be made that Velvet needs to get her hands dirtier to win, this is a horror quest after all. On the other hand, there are plenty of stories where someone delves too deep with good intentions and ends up bringing about their own destruction. If compromise wasn't an option I could see it, but I just don't see the need for it.
Compromise gives the same basic benefits minus an extra follower. I don't think that's a huge deal since it saves us time leveling up Fluttershy. It's also I think the best option besides negotiate to actually sway Comet to our side at some point. There's risks and consequences with every choice, but I think this is the best path forward.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Compromise gives the same basic benefits minus an extra follower. I don't think that's a huge deal since it saves us time leveling up Fluttershy. It's also I think the best option besides negotiate to actually sway Comet to our side at some point. There's risks and consequences with every choice, but I think this is the best path forward.

Click to shrink...

I also note that Conscription gives at best marginally better rewards at the cost of requiring active maintenance and/or fiddling with more actions, to say nothing of the whole "Comet will murder us if something goes wrong" bit. Got to remember the 48th rule of the Evil Overlord's Guidebook.

48. I will treat any beast which I control through magic or technology
with respect and kindness. Thus if the control is ever broken, it
will not immediately come after me for revenge.

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Personally I'd say that the prohibition on teaching Fluttershy eldritch secrets or having her carry out our cryptic will would hurt more if we'd ever actually taught her anything or asked her to do something more nefarious than sort our mail. In-universe Velvet would likely (if not for the Influence) react to Comet's demands with no small amount of confusion, as it has genuinely never occurred to her that Fluttershy might even be interested in such things.

Heh, Moth gonna Moth.

 

[Greymere]

Kinda random, but anyone wants to finish the actions at Jade's house? I want to see how it "furthers our interests" when all is done, maybe it will become a Temporary Headquarters for our group, that is the first step to getting a real HQ in the game so it could have the same function here too.

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Nooo, we should go find the Castle of the Two Sisters and make that our HQ! Surely there must be some way to establish a safe route through the Everfree. A castle would be a way cooler HQ than a random house!

(also it would put us within sneezing distance of the Tree of Harmony )

 

[Venerable Ro]

Nooo, we should go find the Castle of the Two Sisters and make that our HQ! Surely there must be some way to establish a safe route through the Everfree. A castle would be a way cooler HQ than a random house!

(also it would put us within sneezing distance of the Tree of Harmony )

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I second the proposal to build a cool eldritch library in the spooky abandoned castle for to plot our inscrutable plots.

 

[DelightedOne]

Nooo, we should go find the Castle of the Two Sisters and make that our HQ! Surely there must be some way to establish a safe route through the Everfree. A castle would be a way cooler HQ than a random house!

(also it would put us within sneezing distance of the Tree of Harmony )

Click to shrink...

That might actually happen if the Winter Realization unlocks Selene's memories, we would also have some claim to it since our daughter is one of the Sisters, keep the property in the hooves of the family and all that... wait, are we going to be part of the royal family after Daybreaker? I don't think Luna would hide us from Celestia after that so it might happen.

And yeah, perfect excuse to go walking and stumble upon one of the most Harmonious beings in the World, shame it is weak because of Discord, the Tree at full power is... Something.

 

[Greymere]

That might actually happen if the Winter Realization unlocks Selene's memories, we would also have some claim to it since our daughter is one of the Sisters, keep the property in the hooves of the family and all that... wait, are we going to be part of the royal family after Daybreaker? I don't think Luna would hide us from Celestia after that so it might happen.

And yeah, perfect excuse to go walking and stumble upon one of the most Harmonious beings in the World, shame it is weak because of Discord, the Tree at full power is... Something.

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And what a coincidence! We're both in need of a permanent three-circle ritual site and tentatively planning on channeling a max SH Influence from Baldomare next turn to speedrun our Sacrament. I wonder what interesting locations we might find if we also looked for a suitable location for rituals while running +40 SH Influence and possibly SH5, depending on where in the turn it'd happen

 

[Sveta08]

Good morning.

Had two thoughts as of now.
First, is a plan, or idea of sorts. Next turn, Selene will be taking her free training, and knowing the player base, likely also spending one of her actions to finish up her training. So the remaining action....
Let's have her search Canterlot for the Outsider.

Not just because that needs to happen, and the general consensus is that Baldomare won't be doing that next turn, further delaying it (for good reason mind) but because... It's having Selene explore Canterlot. The town and home and world her Sister built. That feels...
Luna will tell Velvet when she feels ready to approach Celestia. But she needs.... Something. Luna looking is.... Luna looking.
It feels the right path.


The second, is less an idea and more a question.
There is a great deal of talk and planning and discussion that has happened in the past, and in the present, about changing Velvet's personal sacrament. Do we even know if that's possible?

Sacraments require a personal discovery and challenge, or an invitation. We know what some personal sacraments are... And forgive the question and implication, but if memory serves....
Baldomare warned against this very idea. Back when she realized Selene was enough to potentially reach for Glory, she warned Velvet. That everyone always thinks they are the one who will truly figure it out, while walking on the bones and relics of those who came before. That if Velvet found a way forward, grasp it. Don't waste away hunting and searching for routes that may or may not exist this time, and decide with what is known.

It strikes me the.... similarity.
So we even know if the personal sacrament can change?

 

[Greymere]

Had two thoughts as of now.
First, is a plan, or idea of sorts. Next turn, Selene will be taking her free training, and knowing the player base, likely also spending one of her actions to finish up her training. So the remaining action....
Let's have her search Canterlot for the Outsider.

Not just because that needs to happen, and the general consensus is that Baldomare won't be doing that next turn, further delaying it (for good reason mind) but because... It's having Selene explore Canterlot. The town and home and world her Sister built. That feels...
Luna will tell Velvet when she feels ready to approach Celestia. But she needs.... Something. Luna looking is.... Luna looking.
It feels the right path.

Click to shrink...

Reminder that we don't actually assign specific actions to Confidants anymore, unless said action is unique to the person in question (e.g. Rarity's work actions, Jade's ritual research, the channeled Influences, etc.). So unless literally all of our Names are better off elsewhere or Selene gets some sort of narrative bonus due to it being in Canterlot, she's not likely to be first pick for a "Search for the Outsider" action, considering it'd be her +20 general bonus vs. a Name's +30 (or +40, if it's Mareinette).

The second, is less an idea and more a question.
There is a great deal of talk and planning and discussion that has happened in the past, and in the present, about changing Velvet's personal sacrament. Do we even know if that's possible?

Sacraments require a personal discovery and challenge, or an invitation. We know what some personal sacraments are... And forgive the question and implication, but if memory serves....
Baldomare warned against this very idea. Back when she realized Selene was enough to potentially reach for Glory, she warned Velvet. That everyone always thinks they are the one who will truly figure it out, while walking on the bones and relics of those who came before. That if Velvet found a way forward, grasp it. Don't waste away hunting and searching for routes that may or may not exist this time, and decide with what is known.

It strikes me the.... similarity.
So we even know if the personal sacrament can change?

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It's very unlikely. The absolute closest Bird has gotten to even hinting that it'd be possible was a "Maybe" in regard to Pittauro asking if Velvet's Moth Sacrament would change if her self-loathing stopped. I wouldn't count on it.