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

[DelightedOne]

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.

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Yay! But I'm also scared of what you consider a "short something"(I think that is what you used to talk about the Master's surprise visit in turn 18).

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.

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Huh. Might as well start on this already.

Biedde- I hate him, the moment I discovered he couldn't be befriended I was suspicious and though at first I was willing to let it go and try to at least get a working relationship but the way he killed Comet Feet in that "In Which", that "it is what you don't know that kills you" thing he said and now Steppes... I don't want him near Velvet.

On the other hand, we need him, and I would be a fool to not know how valuable a Name is.

Mareinette- I really don't want to take her Sacrament so I guess I want her to go to Cadance, where with our guidance she will grow strong enough to resist the monster and either redeem or slay her for good. But if there are more options for her Moods I'm willing to switch.

Forge Name- Fuck yeah.

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).

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Softy is a definite yes for me.

Steppes is a strong maybe, it is really tempting to be able to "customize" his gift and with the amount of Bits spent in the Forge Name I doubt we would have too much to do with 1 Velvet action.

 

[Nevermort]

@OurLadyOfWires Does restoring Shining horn still on the table? I mean now that Cadance is aware about Lores can we inform her about ritual and conduct it? It is mainly forge ritual so Forge Name likely would not have any problems with it.

 

[Sveta08]

Yay! But I'm also scared of what you consider a "short something"(I think that is what you used to talk about the Master's surprise visit in turn 18).

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Oh. Uh, good odds are not being either a talk with Beyond Reproach, or an update with Spoiled.
Given we've not heard back from any of the bureau actions so far, I kinda want to lean it being towards the talk with Reproach? But, that's my guess at least.

Edit: oh, especially since we got to see our Fleeting Opportunities for turn 22, and he's not shown there.... Despite having infiltrated the estate this turn.

 

[ses]

Biedde- I hate him, the moment I discovered he couldn't be befriended I was suspicious and though at first I was willing to let it go and try to at least get a working relationship but him letting Velvet almost die, the way he killed Comet Feet in that "In Which" and now Steppes... I don't want him near Velvet.

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Man, Biedde literally saved our lives. Full stop. Narrative creating a post-hoc explanation for how the dice fell during a fairly rolled open room brawl (which is how QM confirmed that he handles assaults on our home) doesn't mean he didn't behave exactly as the statblock we were given when he summoned him. Yes he "held back" narratively because Names are in-universe way stronger than a "mere" super strong summon. But just because he didn't "give more" that we didn't deserve, and didn't give us a QM-given extra break, doesn't mean he didn't give one inch less than we were promised and we absolutely would have fucking died if we hadn't summoned him and taken his Edge influence. Our dancing with death was not Biedde's fault. He's already been many times more useful and powerful than edge Names are in the canon CS game. He has [Terrifying Opponent] right there on his sheet saying mortals won't aggro him if they can help it. He didn't have any way of "doing better" on the guard action without the QM giving us a free cookie.

Edit: oh, especially since we got to see our Fleeting Opportunities for turn 22, and he's not shown there.... Despite having infiltrated the estate this turn.

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I dont see why Reproach would be a Fleeting Opportunity regardless? We already have standard options to deal with him, and one of our potential Commissioner actions is entirely just "talk to Reproach". What Opportunity would be Fleeting in this case? Just because a normal action might be more or less advised than it usually would be isn't the bar for being a Fleeting Opportunity, the things we'd do to deal with the Reproach Question isn't particularly unique to this turn even if our perception of its urgency might change.

 

[DelightedOne]

Our dancing with death was not Biedde's fault. He's already been many times more useful and powerful than edge Names are in the canon CS game.

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True, going back to read the combat showed he priorized the Windigo as the greater threat, I'll correct my statement then. Comparing CS with this Quest is a bit out there though, a card game with set limits is completely different from a game like this.

 

[Sveta08]

I dont see why Reproach would be a Fleeting Opportunity regardless? We already have standard options to deal with him, and one of our potential Commissioner actions is entirely just "talk to Reproach". What Opportunity would be Fleeting in this case? Just because a normal action might be more or less advised than it usually would be isn't the bar for being a Fleeting Opportunity, the things we'd do to deal with the Reproach Question isn't particularly unique to this turn even if our perception of its urgency might change

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Eh, it's a little hard to explain my thought process for it, but will try.

Fleeting Opportunities are both the chance to do something that will pass away and the chance will be lost and to touch something before others make their own decisions. At least,x that is how they have felt in the past. That's the definition I am thinking with.

From there, would Reproach constitute a Fleeting Opportunity?
He already knows something happened with the bodies that attacked Velvet, was presented a nation spanning conspiracy against the crown, now has heard that Velvet herself helped as head in taking down a Wendigo... And this turn he "acted" of his own accord and infiltrated her home. He very clearly is trying to make sense of a fairly impossible picture. So, he is trying to make up his mind on what he has found.
Velvet stepping in, touching that potential and swaying it before his mind is made up feels... Appropriate.



Then there is the, well, structure based approach? Looking at the whole story as a story, how it has historically been structured, and how that structure is used to tell a more cohesive narrative. Namely, the Bureau.

For most turns, the Bureau actions and their results are shown fairly early in the turn. They help set the tone of the turn after all, as they are the most visible impact on the world in the story. They give context that the rest of the turn might need. This turn, despite including the "Getting out Affairs in Order" part of the turn, it wasn't included there. Fairly obviously, as the big focus was on Axe this turn, and the Sacrament. Trying to set a large tone piece before that would make the narrative feel jumpy, hopping from this world to that one, and back again.

But, it wasn't included directly after the Sacrament either. The tone was still wrong as it was still focused on Axe and Silky. That much could be anticipated though, so it would need to come much later in the turn. So how then do you anchor it?
Given the Everything that Reproach has been exposed to, he was obviously going to look into Velvet. But when in the turn? Well, OurLadyofWires knew that the wendigo was going to crop up, with the only realistic time it would make sense being after the Sacrament (as people would cry foul a thousand times over if Velvet was wounded and thus unable to do something in the sacrament) so that meant they either had to cram it all in at the end, or work to lead it in.

And, well, creating buildup is a more fun and engaging story.
So, Reproach snoops around, sacrament happens, Wendigo happens, and when handling the mundane (ish) affairs of Velvets job, Reproach pulls her aside, or gets a meeting of sorts. It creates a nice short narrative arc.

It could be, of course, that Reproach wants more... things that point to Velvets impossibility, and thus he will keep snooping around places for the next turn or so. But, if I have to guess, if there is a "Something" that will happen before all the remaining follower actions... Just kinda made sense that it might be that.

Might not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Reproach.

Edit: Whoops. My bad. That was a lot more words than I expected.

 

[ses]

The point being that's not a Fleeting Opportunity. Important story moments happen with good timing. Important story moments aren't incompatible with the "normal options". Saving Jade from the Wolf wasn't a Fleeting Opportunity.

EDIT:

But, all that aside, think I deviated us from the topic at habd-ish. Names and decisions about them.

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I'm becoming more partial to doing edge sacrament this turn. It's a risk but it'll be very nice to get it off the checklist, and it also means that Biedde's action can never go below "an edge lesson" in usefulness. A level 5 scrap is certainly worth more than 60 bits in a vacuum, and a level 5 scrap plus the Guard action would make paying his fee go down much more smoothly. We'd really only need to find one or two Edge studyables to hit Edge 6 before the Malleary.

 

[Sveta08]

Shrug!
Something along the lines of pulling Reproach aside and telling him you knew he snuck into the estate and talking with him feels like it would be a Fleeting Opportunity to me. The fact OurLadyofWires didn't include it made me think the thing coming up might be a talk with him.

If you don't feel it's a Fleeting Opportunity, fair enough! I'm working on guesswork and estimating here. I ain't sure on a lot of stuff here. Just got my suspicions is all

But, all that aside, think I deviated us from the topic at habd-ish. Names and decisions about them.

 

[Shaper47]

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.

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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.

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Given that it requires around 3 people stuck on guard duty for a prisoner and they still have a chance if escaping a prison is pretty much mandatory.

Basically we need the prison made turn 22 if we're planning on getting the Grail Sacrament Turn 23.

So having him go on a long hunt isn't ideal.

Really though if people wanted to pay him they should have picked the bits gaining choices.

We didn't and the consequences of that are us either not paying him or lowering Velvet's chances of success with the world at risk.