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

[Shaper47]

This all seems so crazy to me. This is a Name. A Name!

It's so. Damn. Cocky. To think that no, we're not going to need +40 to our combat over the next 3 turns. Or have to do another defense of our home. Or get an Edge Sacrament in a straightforward, no-risk-of-death, manner. Or have any task that could use Equestria's best combatant, by a long shot.

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Especially since he costs zero bits to keep around.

 

[spiderhellian]

I dont disagree but then we spent his action doing graverobbing. Like I said, I'd be okay with a Long Monster Hunt for 100 bits, but 180 bits is just too much when we have nothing to spend his action on next turn that uses his strengths. And the Forge Name is also a Name, y'know? I dont want to delay getting the Forge Name because the Forge Name can give us lessons, can let us work towards befriending them, as well as just generally being more useful when we're in a period of "try to grow as fast as possible within the few months of peace we have left". Biedde isn't as useful now that Copper is dead and "assassinate Celestia" isn't a way to fix the Celestia problem (selene would... uh... stop being our confidante if we did that this pre-emptively). If Biedde or Forge name has to budge to make it work then Biedde is clearly the weaker link of the two, so we need a plan that uses Biedde profitably and doesn't delay Forge Name if you want to keep him.

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I agree using him for grave robbing was a sad day. I definitely don't want to gamble we'll have no decent use for him over the next three turns.

We could do the Sacrament this turn! I find it hard to imagine we can't fit in 1 bonus AotL for a ~70% chance of victory...

 

[ses]

You know we could push the envelope and see how much it comes back to bite us if we just have Rarity do two commissions in a row... she'd have to focus on her career on turn 23 but like... we need bits. Rarity makes bits. Rarity is a Minion whose soul price we've paid thrice over. That lets us pay for Biedde, Book Expedition, SH hike, Forge Name, and maybe a couple of cheap no-reagent rituals on top? Even if we're just borrowing the bits from future turns and we dont do another commission till turn 25 it'd be well worth it.

 

[Shaper47]

Or we could just no pay bits to Biedde when we can have him stay for free.

Of people wanted to pay him maybe they shouldn't have thrown away 900 bits.

 

[des-pair-2]

You know, why don't we upgrade Rarity into a Seeker? Sure, she wouldn't be able to go with us on the All in Expedition, but would we even want to risk Rarity there if she is so weak? I certainly wouldn't. Upgrading her may even bring in more money, so I say we should teach her.

 

[AuthorTransient]

Or we could just no pay bits to Biedde when we can have him stay for free.

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If you're talking about the religious action I'm leery of it, especially since his recent actions, but I do agree the bits situation is poor.

Of people wanted to pay him maybe they shouldn't have thrown away 900 bits.

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Wait, when was this?

You know, why don't we upgrade Rarity into a Seeker? Sure, she wouldn't be able to go with us on the All in Expedition, but would we even want to risk Rarity there if she is so weak? I certainly wouldn't. Upgrading her may even bring in more money, so I say we should teach her.

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It's the AP cost, really. Wait, does teaching her also use up her follower action?

I kind of want to grab another Sacrament by next turn, either Moth or Secret Histories. I also want a Heart lesson, but I can be negotiated down. Unfortunately, I do not have enough presence of mind to try and calculate what our next turn should be like right now, not to mention any other thing that can crop up in the space between this turn and the next.

 

[ses]

It's the AP cost, really. Wait, does teaching her also use up her follower action?

I kind of want to grab another Sacrament by next turn, either Moth or Secret Histories. I also want a Heart lesson, but I can be negotiated down. Unfortunately, I do not have enough presence of mind to try and calculate what our next turn should be like right now, not to mention any other thing that can crop up in the space between this turn and the next.

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Getting the Moth sacrament requires spending a Mareinette action on finishing the cooking of Spoiled next turn, plus hitting Moth 4 4/4 via studying. While it's possible to do the SH sacrament we're probably better off delaying it until Turn 23 so that we have a max level Lantern influence for the 5 study rolls we're going to make. Assuming that Jade successfully scried the book expedition (17% failure chance), and that we successfully complete the book expedition via Axe and maybe someone else, Baldomare will be befriended at end of next turn and have 2 actions, so we can double SH Sacrament on Turn 23.

Teaching Rarity to 4/2 is probably at the top of the list of potential uses for our free Social action. If we try and push for a 2nd commission I don't think we're allowed to teach her, so we'd probably try to Confidante Cheerilee instead?

Our budget next turn is ~660 bits total.

The optimal spend if we're going full Homo Economicus brained rather than being extremely risk-averse is 440 bits total, 420 on ritual and 20 on a Forge 2 reagent. Spending a Velvet AP on more reagents only makes sense if we value a Velvet AP at <40. That's a 2.56% chance of failure with our Forge reroll. Spending an extra 2 bits for 0.3% extra success chance doesn't make sense, though out of emotional risk-aversion I'd probably drop any leftover bits in there if we have any up to a max of 450 total, but spending less than 440 total is negative EV on the marginal 2 bits. But the upper and lower bounds on what we'd value the lost actions and materials at and still have 440 bits be optimal is actually pretty large and comfortably covers all the sane estimates for the value of the lost AP and bits and then some in both directions.

That leaves 210-220 bits between the priorities of "Biedde situationship", "Second Great Book Hunt", and "Have Selene do a scry ritual for something". We'll better know our situation once we get our end of turn reports and know how expensive the Second Great Book Hunt will be. If it's a long expedition with the same price as BTRC3 we won't be able to send Axe+Partner even if take a zero bits option for Biedde. But we dont know the price yet.

And the option to get 100+ extra bits next turn if we do double Rarity commission. That would let us afford two Long Expedition tickets, plus the 60 bit option for Biedde, but not quiiiiite enough for a scry unless we highroll on Rarity income. If the Book Hunt tickets are cheaper than BTRC3 and we rolled a Medium expedition instead of a Long one we can comfortably afford everything we'd want as Second Great Book Hunt tickets would only be 70 each instead of 120. I really doubt it'll be a Medium expedition.

 

[Shaper47]

You know, why don't we upgrade Rarity into a Seeker? Sure, she wouldn't be able to go with us on the All in Expedition, but would we even want to risk Rarity there if she is so weak? I certainly wouldn't. Upgrading her may even bring in more money, so I say we should teach her.

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I'm on the go for Level 5 Grail train so she'd still be a minion in the end for All In.

That said upgrading her is a very good thing to do as it will increase her skill at her work.

Wait, when was this?

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There was 500 bits wasted on Twilight and 400 bits spent on the Bureau.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Shaper means that we voted for benefits other than Bit payouts during certain updates, rather than Velvet shelling out bits she already had, so it's understandable for such things to slip the mind. Votes that lose are rarely remembered.

 

[Shaper47]

Shaper means that we voted for benefits other than Bit payouts during certain updates, rather than Velvet shelling out bits she already had, so it's understandable for such things to slip the mind. Votes that lose are rarely remembered.

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Exactly.

Now narratively the Bureau thing was pretty cool. If we were planning on sticking around for a while I'd say it was a reasonable investment.

But these choices have consequences.

So I have exactly zero sympathy for bit complaints about Biedde when we can just not pay him and still get him to stick around.

Especially given Velvet's family first priorities. He keeps our family safe, and to Velvet I'm pretty sure it's worth it to prioritize her families safety over morality.

Besides we're planning on befriending Mareinette. Seems a bit hypocritical to complain about Biedde doing his own thing.

 

[Nevermort]

Getting the Moth sacrament requires spending a Mareinette action on finishing the cooking of Spoiled next turn, plus hitting Moth 4 4/4 via studying.

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Mareinette is not actually locked into Spoiled action, despite what Grail Sacrament supporters want you to believe. Velvet can do Spoiled as her free social and there are other options for Moth Sacrament too that do not involve scaring Tiara.

Plan: Robo Doll Pasharka Go!
Cover bases (Fluttershy, Servants, Risen, Filthy Rich, Risen) +2 action
(wanted to use Rarity first but she actually have interesting money making actions)
DoA: Summon Forge Name
-Location: DoA room
-Have Silky help with Knock part of ritual as long as DoA does not consider it dangerous
(more Names for Silky faction! DoA (as well as Luna) are not interested in children, so good odds it would be little sister-shaped instead!! Bring Silky doll to life!!!)
DoA: Look for expedition sites near Ponyville
Luna: Look for 3 circle ritual sites
Luna: Assault rival: Rob Velvet Hill
-We always suspected that he was involved with shady staff, but now we have outright confirmation from Uncle. We can't close our eyes on it anymore. Time to start Royal Confiscations!
Luna: Dig the body for Risen
Rarity: Sell our lvl 1 artifacts in Auction house
-Ask if Mareinette and/or Cadance can join while they spend their time in Canterlot
Baldomare: SH sacrament
(If not I'd rather scry expedition under Royal Castle, pt. 3 or expedition for her book)
Biedde: Edge influence
Mareinette: Heart influence
(if people want to check on her Heart sacrament there is no time to delay it. If Red Church gives us another fragment we can reach lvl 4 during Next turn and see if it offers alternative way to befriend Mareinette. Or we can just send Mareinette on Auction action action instead of Rarity for more money. Or drop Cadance action, drop SH sacrament and take two Heart lessons in addition to influence. Then we have our lvl 4 Heart)
Velvet's Bureau action: Changeling expedition
Free social (Spoiled Rich)
Free Mansus (Red Church)-if we go for Heart
Velvet: Study Moth book (switch to study Lantern artifact after its done) x 2
Velvet: Soft action
Velvet: SH sacrament
Velvet: Cadance action
(Depend on what we have available. Can switch to something else in emergency)

 

[Greymere]

Mareinette is not actually locked into Spoiled action, despite what Grail Sacrament supporters want you to believe. Velvet can do Spoiled as her free social and there are other options for Moth Sacrament too that do not involve scaring Tiara.

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Wdym? Mareinette doing Spoiled's social for us has nothing to do with the Grail Sacrament.

Also, wow.

Using Selene on digging up a body. Selling artifacts which we haven't studied yet, which makes them unsellable iirc. Trying to explore the Red Church without Heart 4. Yeah, no, not voting for that.

 

[ses]

Also we were given a bye last time on making a Risen and immediately using it for Cover Your Bases, but QM said he didn't like it and would only allow it since it was halfway through the voting period at the time QM noticed it. Probably not something we're allowed to do again.

Leashing Filthy to take a 2nd Bases action and spending it on studying the Moth 3 artifact plus something else isn't totally out of the question though. It helps add 3 Moth to the Great Book Hunt. Expeditions are really designed to have a treasure trove of artifacts thrown at them more than teams of Names whose general bonuses dont stack. Also the extra flex slot that would be spent on a marginal study with the 2nd half of the study action means we can even more safely use our free Attention for Edge instead of Lantern for extra safety on the Tall Tale raid.

Not sure if it's worth using the Leash though. It's no emergency to justify it morally, plus having the leash in reserve for a crisis has saved our butts in the past.

Finally, Spoiled is currently only a normal Friend, not a Good Friend. Mareinette didn't take the "Worst option for everypony involved except for you" option, so she's only a normal Friend with the promise that confidante would be "easier". But it's still 2 social links up in one action, so I heavily doubt Velvet can do that in 1 action unless she rolls like a god, wheras Mareinette's +90 can handle that just fine.

 

[Nevermort]

Wdym? Mareinette doing Spoiled's social for us has nothing to do with the Grail Sacrament.

Also, wow.

Using Selene on digging up a body. Selling artifacts which we haven't studied yet, which makes them unsellable iirc. Trying to explore the Red Church without Heart 4. Yeah, no, not voting for that.

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Eh, Mareinette preparing Spoiled to be Mothed and then consumed for Grail Sacrament was idea that was floated recently. Even without such extremities Velvet not seriously interacting with Spoiled even once tell certain things about her mentality. Like had she even heard in character anything bad about Spoiled? For her she can as well be a random pony from street.

I am aware about thread risk aversion, although I would notice that odds for Ruined Church are not much worse than for Edge sacrament, and health damage lower. Plus I specifically mentioned a way to get Heart 4 this turn. If it still seems doable after we get the rest of info I'll make it a plan variant or something.

As for artifacts we are buying them 100 bits for lvl1 right? If they seem like interesting curious we probably can get at least half of its price. And I don't think that studying them would increase their price. Only Lore users knows how to use them and we would not know how to explain why they work to buyers or auction owners. Rarity can of course just do another comission, but I thought that it is more interesting option.

Also if digging body is issue Luna can just cover for Velvet herself althout it less efficient. If issue is spending Luna action then consider it as exchanging it for Velvet action. Rarity can do it too, but then we would lose on money.

Also we were given a bye last time on making a Risen and immediately using it for Cover Your Bases, but QM said he didn't like it and would only allow it since it was halfway through the voting period at the time QM noticed it. Probably not something we're allowed to do again.

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If so Luna can cover Velvet's base normally. Or Rarity money making can be sacrificed I guess.

Not sure if it's worth using the Leash though. It's no emergency to justify it morally, plus having the leash in reserve for a crisis has saved our butts in the past.

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I mean when the choice is between permanently gaslighting Filthy Rich via Mareinette and temporary via Leash more moral option should be obvious.

Finally, Spoiled is currently only a normal Friend, not a Good Friend. Mareinette didn't take the "Worst option for everypony involved except for you" option, so she's only a normal Friend with the promise that confidante would be "easier". But it's still 2 social links up in one action, so I heavily doubt Velvet can do that in 1 action unless she rolls like a god, wheras Mareinette's +90 can handle that just fine.

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We only need to rise Spoiled to a Good Friend. Leashing her next turn would immediately bring her into Sacrament range. QM allowed using Leash for it and to use it early in turn. And again Mareinette is permanent effect while Leash is not, although it may not matter much in Spoiled case.

 

[Greymere]

I am aware about thread risk aversion, although I would notice that odds for Ruined Church are not much worse than for Edge sacrament, and health damage lower. Plus I specifically mentioned a way to get Heart 4 this turn. If it still seems doable after we get the rest of info I'll make it a plan variant or something.

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1) The problem with the Church is not necessarily the risk in and of itself, it's the consequences of failure. Failing at the Edge Sacrament just means Wounds, which are annoying but easily remedied. Failing at the Church risks losing Lore scraps, which are a hell of a lot more valuable, especially if we lose them from the Lore that's already struggling to keep up.

2) We cannot get to Heart 4 next turn. Yes I saw your plan, but Lore lessons are from the Name's AP, not ours. We have a single Mareinette AP per turn, and a max Heart Influence + 2 Heart lessons would require 3.

 

[Nevermort]

1) The problem with the Church is not necessarily the risk in and of itself, it's the consequences of failure. Failing at the Edge Sacrament just means Wounds, which are annoying but easily remedied. Failing at the Church risks losing Lore scraps, which are a hell of a lot more valuable, especially if we lose them from the Lore that's already struggling to keep up.

2) We cannot get to Heart 4 next turn. Yes I saw your plan, but Lore lessons are from the Name's AP, not ours. We have a single Mareinette AP per turn, and a max Heart Influence + 2 Heart lessons would require 3.

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1) We don't have much time left. If people are not willing to commit to Heart study I propose we just abandon idea of going for lvl 4 Heart. Certainly saves us time. In fact if we can't get Name lessons through our own AP then it does not seems doable at all. We can forget about Heart 4 and maybe try Church for rewards and possible info on Mareinette.

2)We always took Master lessons on our own AP. Since when we can't get Name lessons this way? We even have option to visit Baldomare in her Louge which I considered just another way to get a lesson form her if less certain. Why Mareinette is different?

 

[Pittauro]

But it's not like he costs anything to keep around. It's a zero bit cost.

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misleading truth at best. If we go for the zero bit option we're giving him freedom to do even MORE stuff behind our back (RELIGIOUS stuff).

Which we MIGHT be fine with, but it's something that HAS to be pointed out.

"I am forever bound to His service. So, once my initial contract is done, I will be willing to extend it in exchange for the chance to pursue His goals."

[] End your contract.
-Biedde will be unsummoned.

[] Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
-Biedde will extend his stay for one turn.

[] Fund a long monster-hunting expedition (Costs 100 bits)
-Biedde will extend his stay for three turns.
-During the FIRST turn of his extended stay, he will be "completely unavailable" as he pursues his expedition.
-Meaning he will be GONE for the first turn, and present as normal for the following TWO turns, for a total of three turns.

[] Pursue religious goals.
-Biedde will extend his stay for one turn.
-It is rude to ask what he would do with his free time.

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IF we have no need for his action specifically next turn, then we could seriously consider the 100 bits option, assuming we can afford it. We save 2 bits for the actions on turn 23 and 24, AND put him "on pause" for turn 21, without having to worry about resummoning him later.

This all seems so crazy to me. This is a Name. A Name!

It's so. Damn. Cocky. To think that no, we're not going to need +40 to our combat over the next 3 turns. Or have to do another defense of our home. Or get an Edge Sacrament in a straightforward, no-risk-of-death, manner. Or have any task that could use Equestria's best combatant, by a long shot.

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This is another reason NOT to give him up, admittedly.

sure, MAYBE we don't need him next turn. But what about all the turns BEFORE we are allowed to resummon him?

New things come up all the time. It's risky to have him out for 3 turns.

And he's still a good expedition Name, good for combat, good for short expeditions on his own, good to LEAD medium lenght expeditions so that Selene and Axe (if paired with him) would only need to use a single action instead of 2...

And of course he can grant us influences (useful if we go on an expedition ourselves, like Canterlot Part 3, or Mansus expeditions) or, after the Sacrament, give us edge lessons if we have literally no other use for him.

or, you know... if we get closer to Grail Sacrament and decide to go for it (or for the personal lantern, I suppose), we could order him to bring us the worst criminal he can find as a prisoner.

If we'd had Biedde when we reached the Tribal Door, damn, I would have IMMEDIATELY ordered him to bring us sacrifices for it!

You know, why don't we upgrade Rarity into a Seeker? Sure, she wouldn't be able to go with us on the All in Expedition, but would we even want to risk Rarity there if she is so weak? I certainly wouldn't. Upgrading her may even bring in more money, so I say we should teach her.

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We could still bring her if we had the tier 4 Grail influence active at the time, to be fair.

Wait, when was this?

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he means the blackmail potential uses. if we went all bits it was 500+300+100 = 900 bits, instead we went for a mix of I think actions and bureau reputation (by having the criminals arrested)

Our budget next turn is ~660 bits total.

The optimal spend if we're going full Homo Economicus brained rather than being extremely risk-averse is 440 bits total, 420 on ritual and 20 on a Forge 2 reagent. Spending a Velvet AP on more reagents only makes sense if we value a Velvet AP at <40. That's a 2.56% chance of failure with our Forge reroll. Spending an extra 2 bits for 0.3% extra success chance doesn't make sense, though out of emotional risk-aversion I'd probably drop any leftover bits in there if we have any up to a max of 450 total, but spending less than 440 total is negative EV on the marginal 2 bits. But the upper and lower bounds on what we'd value the lost actions and materials at and still have 440 bits be optimal is actually pretty large and comfortably covers all the sane estimates for the value of the lost AP and bits and then some in both directions.

That leaves 210-220 bits between the priorities of "Biedde situationship", "Second Great Book Hunt", and "Have Selene do a scry ritual for something". We'll better know our situation once we get our end of turn reports and know how expensive the Second Great Book Hunt will be. If it's a long expedition with the same price as BTRC3 we won't be able to send Axe+Partner even if take a zero bits option for Biedde. But we dont know the price yet.

And the option to get 100+ extra bits next turn if we do double Rarity commission. That would let us afford two Long Expedition tickets, plus the 60 bit option for Biedde, but not quiiiiite enough for a scry unless we highroll on Rarity income. If the Book Hunt tickets are cheaper than BTRC3 and we rolled a Medium expedition instead of a Long one we can comfortably afford everything we'd want as Second Great Book Hunt tickets would only be 70 each instead of 120. I really doubt it'll be a Medium expedition.

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If we can "save" Rarity's career by having her focus on work the turn after then I have no problem with a second commission. The situation requires it, WE NEED BITS.

Unless we can somehow get more bits from either Pride, Cadance or Steppes, it's something we'll likely want to do.

For Expeditions, I think we should be more willing to risk sending smaller teams. We usually overinvested in most expeditions all things considered, and most failed obstacles should ONLY result in a bit of wasted time (admittedly sometimes it can be wounds or curses, but it depends).

Besides we're planning on befriending Mareinette. Seems a bit hypocritical to complain about Biedde doing his own thing.

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it's not really as decided as you make it sound.

Mareinette is not actually locked into Spoiled action, despite what Grail Sacrament supporters want you to believe. Velvet can do Spoiled as her free social and there are other options for Moth Sacrament too that do not involve scaring Tiara.

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Especially as we can always give Velvet a grail influence while she does it, and benefit for other actions too, though it being worth it depends on her other actions.

DoA: Summon Forge Name

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I think WE have to do the ritual. And really, I'm unwilling to have someone else do it in case it affects the result narratively.

As for artifacts we are buying them 100 bits for lvl1 right?

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nope. If I remember right the cost goes 50-100-200 for lvl 1-2-3. We pay DOUBLE if we aim for a specific artifact, which is why we spent 400 bits on Edge 3.

So the actual value is 50 bits, and we might actually sell lower than that (or maybe, as it's an auction, higher? We never tried so we don't know how it works).

1) The problem with the Church is not necessarily the risk in and of itself, it's the consequences of failure. Failing at the Edge Sacrament just means Wounds, which are annoying but easily remedied. Failing at the Church risks losing Lore scraps, which are a hell of a lot more valuable, especially if we lose them from the Lore that's already struggling to keep up.

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We lost scraps due to Mareinette "nightmare", so I'm not sure the Church itself has it as a potential cost.

2)We always took Master lessons on our own AP. Since when we can't get Name lessons this way? We even have option to visit Baldomare in her Louge which I considered just another way to get a lesson form her if less certain. Why Mareinette is different?

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Master was the cult leader, and we didn't have him as a summon that gave us APs.

Visiting Baldomare is the same kind of action as revisiting a mansus location, which EXPLICITLY gives random rewards, though near certainly lesser ones that on first visit.

Mareinette is a "summon", which gives us 1 AP. We ALWAYS only could get name lessons from THEIR APs, not ours.

And, by the same logic, we can only teach our confidants with OUR action, not theirs. For example we need to use one of OUR APs (or the free social) to teach Rarity, we can't have her use her AP (unless they have books to study on their own).

 

[Nevermort]

I think WE have to do the ritual. And really, I'm unwilling to have someone else do it in case it affects the result narratively.

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Narratively I find any Forge summoning options interesting.
Velvet just summons another child for herself, but it may be son this time! And we can do it in Rarity house as she deserves to see first hoof how her money burns being spend for the cause.
At the same time both Luna and DoA have sister-shaped holes in their hearts, so them building new little sister would be in character I think, especially as it seems that there is only limited degree of control over what end result looks like.If Silky is involved it may end up being one of her dolls. Only best toys for our daughter! And both DoA and Luna are very firmly in our faction (or in Silky faction in DoA case) so I don't foresee loyalty trouble on this front.

Visiting Baldomare is the same kind of action as revisiting a mansus location, which EXPLICITLY gives random rewards, though near certainly lesser ones that on first visit.

Mareinette is a "summon", which gives us 1 AP. We ALWAYS only could get name lessons from THEIR APs, not ours.

And, by the same logic, we can only teach our confidants with OUR action, not theirs. For example we need to use one of OUR APs (or the free social) to teach Rarity, we can't have her use her AP (unless they have books to study on their own).

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Huh. I always thought that we just can't spare Velvet's actions on it. Well spending three Mareinette action is too high of a price for lvl 4 and we Wolfed location most likely to give us heart scraps. I guess if people want to scry for Heart 5 book at some point we can do it in some distant future.

 

[DelightedOne]

We lost scraps due to Mareinette "nightmare", so I'm not sure the Church itself has it as a potential cost.

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Wait, do you mean when we met her? Because there was a vote for what we would lose(besides half of the Influence) and the choices were 3 Grail Scraps or a Wound(the Wound unsurprisingly won).

But we literally lost a Heart scrap and got a Wound last time we went to the Church.

[Pay the price, cd 100]

[Roll: 60 + 9 (Martial) + 30 (Heart Level 3) = 99]

[Failure]



You take one step, the pinprick-pain piercing through the hoofs of your dream-body, and opening the paths for your blood to flow out of them.

You take the second step, and the pain more than doubles. As if the nearby spikes are also awakening, and eagerly awaiting for the coming feast.

The third step. You swear your blood is being sucked out, rather than just flowing out of your wounds.

You don't even have all your four hoofs on the spiked steps, and you have no idea how much longer the staircase goes, until it reaches the bottom. You can't know, because it simply curves out of your sight right in front of you.

But already the pain is too much, and you quickly retreat to the safety of the smooth marble steps behind you. Leaving bloody hoofprints that are quickly consumed by the very floor under your hoofs.

Maybe you are too weak to do something like this.

Maybe this was a mistake.



[Velvet Covers has lost one health]

[Velvet Covers has lost one scrap of Heart Lore]

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That is the reason we danced with death on turn 20 in the first place, if it wasn't for that it would have been a relatively normal turn. The worst part is that we were warned not to go there.

 

[Pittauro]

But we literally lost a Heart scrap and got a Wound last time we went to the Church.

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my bad, I forgot we lost a heart scrap there

 

[Shaper47]

or, you know... if we get closer to Grail Sacrament and decide to go for it (or for the personal lantern, I suppose), we could order him to bring us the worst criminal he can find as a prisoner.

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Also have him create the prison.

That something we done beforehoof.

Besides making him dig and do manual labor for Velvet is something I want to see.

he means the blackmail potential uses. if we went all bits it was 500+300+100 = 900 bits, instead we went for a mix of I think actions and bureau reputation (by having the criminals arrested)

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Also Twilight at the Wedding.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Not caught up to thread. Just wanted to chime in with two things, regarding the recent discussion.

First, I prefer Velvet to do Name summonings. Names are, uh, important characters, and the "Name Hotel" meme from the veeeeery beginning of the quest is not really a meme. Or at least, it was always meant to be something to strive for. So, I would discourage trying to finesse someone other than the 9-lore omnicompetent main character from summoning the creatures whose title refers to "those whose name is worth knowing".

Second, since you guys want something to think about. The next two updates already exist in my mind, they just need to be written. There's a short something that will happen now, then we have your "followers' reports" for everything else which will end the turn.

Following that, we will have a "in-between turns" vote to decide on three things:
-Biedde's contract;
-Moods of Mareinette;
-Whether to summon Forge Name or not.
All three choices will have to be bundled into a single plan.

And the Fleeting Opportunities for Turn 22 (which you will be told in order to make an educated decision for the in-between turns vote) will be:
-Soft's request
-Uncle Steppes wants to give you something (NOT picking this FO will still give you the goods, but PICKING this FO will give you more options to "customize" it, which means not picking this FO is still a valid strategy).

Anyways, just chiming in because I thought you guys might appreciate something to direct your thoughts to, rather than the broad conversations of pre-turn planning.

I hope you are all doing well. I'll catch up to thread and pings later.

Cheers

 

[Sveta08]

Thanks for the bone!

Now, as for the soon to be "On the concern of Names" vote!

I have not yet thought in depth on the bits and value there of. I'm certain there are those whom have far more oompf when it comes to those. But, the discussion seems to revolve around wanting to summon the Forge name asap, and just on the breakdown of finances if I am correct? Personally, I like names. Another on hand for our second least loved lore is good in my book.

Biedde is more the hot button topic. What's the quote? "Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em." As long as we are paying to keep him around, I'm happy.

Marinette!


I... Am admitted leaning towards trying the Grail Sacrament. I don't know if we can use Spoiled for both the Moth and Grail Sacrament. If we are? Gold! Perfect! Beautiful and I'm certain there will be consequences that make people unhappy and uncomfortable. If not? Then it is best we find someone to try to either capture and eat, or so on.

Namely (ha, Names) as Marinette is not stupid. Stringing her along will do worse things than letting her enjoy herself I believe. So either we are actually serious about a Heart Grail friendship, or we aren't. Like... Here's the four options.

Our Lady is in Canterlot and we are working towards a meal (She will have two friends, and is very happy)
Our Lady is at Velvet Estate and we are working towards a meal (She will finally have a friend)
Our Lady is in Canterlot and we are not working towards a meal (She will finally have a friend, and in high placed!)
Our Lady is at Velvet Estate and we are ignoring her. (She is being denied friends now, actively. How rude)

Moaning and caterwauling (such a fun word) won't really help us here. If we are spooked about Biedde, well, Marinette we can't simply banish or refuse to summon. Treating her with respect, and a little bit of fear, is apt.
So either we are working towards her sacrament, or we are letting her meat out friend Cadence more.


Oh, and as an aside... On the chance we will need a captive instead of of Spoiled for the Grail Sacrament, might I recommend we consider using Biedde to make Jade's house a small prison of sorts? I'm certain it's up his alley.

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

I recommend we consider using Biedde to make Jade's house a small prison of sorts? I'm certain it's up his alley.

Click to shrink...

I believe making a prison is a Forge check, and he may be disinclined to take such actions.

Alternatively, Biedde might be better off finding a captive for us to go through the Grail sacrament with, instead. Either he has to guard them in the woods (his speciality) or he brings them to us at the end of the month. He seems pretty skilled at recognizing criminals, and though he isn't trustworthy, he should find us someone appropriate if our requirements are specific enough.

...And now I'm picturing Biedde as a really cruel genie.

 

[Arrkhon]

Can't we just eat Biedde?

 

[Sveta08]

Can't we just eat Biedde?

Click to shrink...

Hilarious. I love the image!
But I think we were told we could only use actual ponies.

... I bet he would taste like glass too. Papercuts on the tongue and inside of the throat? Yikes.

 

[ses]

Oh, sounds like the Steppes FO is skippable. That changes my turn plan a lot.

Axe probably attempts the Second Great Book Hunt solo.

Either we pay 60 bits and do Biedde's Edge sacrament this turn with Comet and Rarity giving us a 2nd and 3rd Edge Attention, or we pay 100 bits, do a Rarity commission, and do a Selene scry for an Edge weapon expedition for turn 24 Edge sacrament. I'm more partial to the second one but the first one seems like a valid plan to me.

Actually honestly just taking the Resolution and Edge Sacrament(Biedde) sounds really good on second thought. We go into Tall Tale with max Lantern and Edge, possibly with Edge 5 and a spare Attention, but 21% chance we're at 1 hp and Edge 4 and have to take a vote whether to stay home or not. I'd vote to go anyway because +40 combat makes getting wounded very unlikely despite the fact we hit the lowroll last time we were in that exact situation.

We should heavily consider doing three study actions so that Axe has +3 Moth via the moth artifact during the Book Hunt.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

We should just sell off those minor level 1 artifacts. That would get us 300-400 hundred. More is we have Mareinnate do the selling.

 

[Maer]

~~Snip~~

Marinette!


I... Am admitted leaning towards trying the Grail Sacrament. I don't know if we can use Spoiled for both the Moth and Grail Sacrament. If we are? Gold! Perfect! Beautiful and I'm certain there will be consequences that make people unhappy and uncomfortable. If not? Then it is best we find someone to try to either capture and eat, or so on.

~~Snip~~

Our Lady is in Canterlot and we are working towards a meal (She will have two friends, and is very happy)
Our Lady is at Velvet Estate and we are working towards a meal (She will finally have a friend)
Our Lady is in Canterlot and we are not working towards a meal (She will finally have a friend, and in high placed!)
Our Lady is at Velvet Estate and we are ignoring her. (She is being denied friends now, actively. How rude)
~~Snip~~

Click to shrink...

First, I think Bird said they'd be okay with the idea of a combination double sacrament if we could get enough people on-board with the idea. I, for one, am willing. Two in one is VALUABLE, and beyond that… seeing how Spoiled treats Diamond… I can't help but find myself disgusted with her. What kind of mother or parent in general actively ignores her child's discomfort? Even despite the supernatural nature of the situation, Rich took the time to AT LEAST get Diamond a towel! He noticed and did the best he could for her given the mind-warping Grail of the situation.

Spoiled didn't even bother with that much.

So no, she's not… I find myself lacking any compassion for her. Of the people that deserve what this would do, she may not be the most deserving, but it gets Rich out of a marriage he doesn't seem comfortable with, gets Diamond free of a mother who torments her and forces her into a lifestyle she doesn't necessarily want, and makes it an 'act of god' from their perspective, since no one will ever know what happened. She'll simply vanish.

They will mourn, they will feel awful, but they'll be happier and lighter for it. And we've already dumped so much Vileness into the World to avoid it hitting ourselves… this is a Darkness that we could take upon ourselves to lighten the burden of others. Besides, I'm very certain that Rich could do better than Spoiled.

~

As for this… I like the idea of her being in Canterlot- both to help her new friends, and to get her out of our home- especially if we're actively working on her sacrament. The more friends she has- especially with Cadence 'Love Is freely shared and powerful beyond belief' Princess of Equestria, given the stated QM facts that we learned when asking about how killing The Master after he was born as the Son of Cadence would work… Cadence will die before she allows her child to be harmed. She's intentionally Tanky already, and is learning Heart now.

By the time Mareinette even has a chance to harm the baby, Cadence will be significantly more Dangerous, Tanky, Powerful, and Capable. Given we'd likely join in on Cadence's side with all of our people, Mareinette will not harm her baby. That is a non-issue.

So the only real threats to consider would be wondering how she'll interact with the people of Canterlot.

At least, that's my view. Unless someone else has some information or reasoning that I lack?

 

[Pittauro]

Also have him create the prison.

That something we done beforehoof.

Besides making him dig and do manual labor for Velvet is something I want to see.

Click to shrink...

I doubt he'd mind. Biedde doesn't strike me as the prideful sort.

Biedde is not particularly better at building prisons than any other names, though.

Actually, the FORGE Name would be the best one at it... but then again, we have far better uses of THEIR time than Biedde's right now.

Following that, we will have a "in-between turns" vote to decide on three things:
-Biedde's contract;
-Moods of Mareinette;
-Whether to summon Forge Name or not.
All three choices will have to be bundled into a single plan.

Click to shrink...

Makes sense. Forge Name and Biedde's Contract can BOTH take Bits, so we'd be better off voting for them at the same time.

Also USUALLY you allow us to summon a Name before making a turn plan (by taking an AP from the coming turn), so we can take into consideration the Name's special abilities and actions available.

Moods of Mareinette... I'm not sure what i want to do for that. I'm leaning towards summoning the Forge Name AND Renewing Biedde's contract, though not sure if the 60 bits or 100 bits version.

Luckily the Forge Name does NOT require a ritual circle... I'd like to summon them in Rarity's boutique, as if she's gone for a commission it would be left empty, right @OurLadyOfWires ? "repairing/reassembling" the FORGE Name in a place of CREATION (where Rarity makes her dresses) seems narratively fitting. And mechanically it costs us nothing.

And the Fleeting Opportunities for Turn 22 (which you will be told in order to make an educated decision for the in-between turns vote) will be:
-Soft's request
-Uncle Steppes wants to give you something (NOT picking this FO will still give you the goods, but PICKING this FO will give you more options to "customize" it, which means not picking this FO is still a valid strategy).

Click to shrink...

well, Soft is kinda mandatory. as for Uncle Steppes... we might want to customize it, yes. We'll see if we can afford to.