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

[OurLadyOfWires]

Well! That was that.

Thank you for your time and participation, everyone! I mean it.

I, uh, am not entirely sure why this vote turned out so contentious. Sacraments are supposed to be something important, yes, but more in an administrative sense. They're supposed to take setting up, but pushing the "go" button should be as easy as a turn vote decision. But it seems that here we got snagged with the ingredients. And also, there are people who are still opposed to the Mareinette Sacrament itself as a whole.

I am not saying this in a mocking or dismissive tone. I really am not! But again, this was a bit of a surprise. So, thank you for your votes and your discussion!

For now, I'll check the winning plan for any major problems (I wasn't able to truly check all the runner ups like I like to do). And we won't be having any updates for the next few days.

So, if you will, take a breather. I'll start figuring out how the short descriptive blurb should be, for the next update, and then we can start the Velvet Phase.

I hope you are all doing well!

Cheers

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

I, uh, am not entirely sure why this vote turned out so contentious. Sacraments are supposed to be something important, yes, but more in an administrative sense. They're supposed to take setting up, but pushing the "go" button should be as easy as a turn vote decision. But it seems that here we got snagged with the ingredients. And also, there are people who are still opposed to the Mareinette Sacrament itself as a whole.

Click to shrink...

Another major axis of disagreement was whether or not to go on the Tall Tale Assault or not, further contorting things.

 

[Shaper47]

And nobody was interested in Baldomare's SH sacrament, sad noices.

 

[Sveta08]

And nobody was interested in Baldomare's SH sacrament, sad noices.

Click to shrink...

We are interested.
It's just not the priority right now.

 

[Shaper47]

We are interested.
It's just not the priority right now.

Click to shrink...

It could have been done so easily though.

Just use some lantern Aotls instead of wasting an Influence and we'd be golden.

 

[ses]

(AotL) Edge
(Knock) Ashen Wastes
(Forge) Forge 2
(Winter) Risen
(Social) Soft Sweeps
Forge Name
Study (Moth 5, Manehattan)
Study (Lantern 4, Winter 4)
Teach Rarity
Edge Sacrament

Seems a simple Velvet phase turn vote at least. A lot less contentious.

 

[jason1stlegion]

I step back from this thread's votes for 3 months and come back to us taking Our Lady's Sacrament. *facepalm*

Well, at least we didn't go with eating Hill; the "poetic vengeance" would push us a bit too much into the amoral amortal side of things. We already have narrative evidence that the more we become a monster, the harder it is for us to stay a pony for our loved ones.
No doubt it's going to be even harder once we capture the Outsider and take the next step to GLORY.

 

[Solace2117]

Honestly it might be one of the more mellow turn phase votes in a while.

Considering we voted for 2 Edge AotL the edge sacrament makes the most sense and I think everyone supports Soft Sweeps FO. Two study actions are probably locked in for sure considering the lantern influence. Really only leaves one action left and deciding whether to explore the stairways or the Waste

We could teach Rarity which makes her more useful considering her job rolls are based around it and we get income from it.
Take Steppes FO which could open up more options for his gift which could also be useful considering our money and resource deficits. Though we don't really know what form it will take.
Do another study action, which takes advantage of the influence. Practical, but Jade might be able to fill that gap next turn.

I think those were the main three options. Other stuff was tossed around if we weren't doing the Edge sacrament, but are probably moot now. If there's anything else, I don't remember it, but I'm sure it'll come up. These are all useful, but as ses said, I doubt they're overly contentious. Well, hopefully.

 

[Zxzx24]

Welp. I've mostly been disengaged from the quest but. Mm.

Time to go I think.

Have fun friends.

 

[Shaper47]

We should spend every Velvet action we can on studying stuff while we have the lantern influence along with using our free Aotl on lantern.

Moth Book
Lantern Artifact
Frangiclave with lantern Aotl
Mansus - Baldomare's beacon + Dry Grail

 

[Pittauro]

Honestly it might be one of the more mellow turn phase votes in a while.

Considering we voted for 2 Edge AotL the edge sacrament makes the most sense and I think everyone supports Soft Sweeps FO. Two study actions are probably locked in for sure considering the lantern influence. Really only leaves one action left and deciding whether to explore the stairways or the Waste

We could teach Rarity which makes her more useful considering her job rolls are based around it and we get income from it.
Take Steppes FO which could open up more options for his gift which could also be useful considering our money and resource deficits. Though we don't really know what form it will take.
Do another study action, which takes advantage of the influence. Practical, but Jade might be able to fill that gap next turn.

I think those were the main three options. Other stuff was tossed around if we weren't doing the Edge sacrament, but are probably moot now. If there's anything else, I don't remember it, but I'm sure it'll come up. These are all useful, but as ses said, I doubt they're overly contentious. Well, hopefully.

Click to shrink...

4th option, scry for a (mostly) guilt-free criminal victim

 

[Nevermort]

4th option, scry for a (mostly) guilt-free criminal victim

Click to shrink...

Scrying may change action into expedition I think? Like if said pony is in the middle of bandit camp, or takes long time to reach. And we already locked DoA into going single.

 

[Pittauro]

Scrying may change action into expedition I think? Like if said pony is in the middle of bandit camp, or takes long time to reach. And we already locked DoA into going single.

Click to shrink...

I imagine it would be an easy fix. If the scrying action was meant to find the criminal, and Axe was meant to find the criminal...

 

[AuthorTransient]

And nobody was interested in Baldomare's SH sacrament, sad noices.

Click to shrink...

Considering that Axe's befriending method was in her sacrament, and it looks that befriending Mareinette is also from Her sacrament, it is maybe kind of likely that the Book 7 is in Baldomare's SH sacrament.

As an aside, I am both disappointed and slightly mad that Prisoner Chomping won. Why did eighteen people vote for that plan, actually? I want to know. In my opinion, spying for Windy and then organizing a short expedition would likely solve our bits problem, dish problem, and maybe even the Neighna issue.

 

[Greymere]

Considering that Axe's befriending method was in her sacrament, and it looks that befriending Mareinette is also from Her sacrament, it is maybe kind of likely that the Book 7 is in Baldomare's SH sacrament.

As an aside, I am both disappointed and slightly mad that Prisoner Chomping won. Why did eighteen people vote for that plan, actually? I want to know. In my opinion, spying for Windy and then organizing a short expedition would likely solve our bits problem, dish problem, and maybe even the Neighna issue.

Click to shrink...

Bcuz they thought that the resulting administrative and social chaos from a head of a noble family disappearing/dying, esp. as the first one after Celestia's decree, wouldn't be worth whatever benefits could be extracted from an expedition + the risk of leaving a trail behind + just not liking the idea of Velvet going after Hill. Some combination of those three reasons is what I remember.

 

[Nevermort]

Bcuz they thought that the resulting administrative and social chaos from a head of a noble family disappearing/dying, esp. as the first one after Celestia's decree, wouldn't be worth whatever benefits could be extracted from an expedition + the risk of leaving a trail behind + just not liking the idea of Velvet going after Hill. Some combination of those three reasons is what I remember.

Click to shrink...

Also because Spying for Windy can never win. Velvet never looks into what her enemies doing

 

[ses]

Spying on Windy getting delayed every turn is a running gag, like us never meeting Pinkie Pie.

(Though I actually do agree with the decision to prioritize the reagent over it)

Hey maybe if we befriended Baldomare we wouldn't have this issue! (Lol, lmao even. We have sacraments and influences she's needed for instead)

 

[Greymere]

Bcuz they thought that the resulting administrative and social chaos from a head of a noble family disappearing/dying, esp. as the first one after Celestia's decree, wouldn't be worth whatever benefits could be extracted from an expedition + the risk of leaving a trail behind + just not liking the idea of Velvet going after Hill. Some combination of those three reasons is what I remember.

Click to shrink...

Building off of this, because I realized I had more to say.

As for why I made the plan in the first place, it's because I'm reluctantly/annoyedly(?) resigned to befriending Mareinette being the best of a slew of bad options, and whether it's Hill or a random criminal doesn't really matter to me (though I think Hill would have been more interesting, probably for all the wrong reasons ). As far as I can tell with Mareinette, our options pretty much were:

1) Keep the status quo and eventually be unable/unwilling to pay, letting another unbound Name wander around the Wake (and this one significantly more inclined to Shit We Don't Like than Neighnia ever could be, probably start Grail Cult V2 Now With More Competent Leadership).
2) Befriend her via cannibalism and rub alukite all over the Grail part of our soul and whatever narrative consequences come of befriending an alukite, but at least we get a loyal Name out of the deal.
3) Try and kill her, which probably just results in a Name-level opponent who's actively hostile to us and hypercompetent at building loyalty and manipulating social situations in a time where we really can't afford that. If Celestia wasn't in cuckoo mode and an equal Lantern level away from killing us herself, this would have been more plausible, but she is.
4) Try and Wolf her. Best chance of succeeding, but also just makes the entire world objectively worse (probably births Hatred or something) and rubbing more Wolf all over our soul and making Soft more Wolfy isn't really a better deal than rubbing alukite on our soul imo.

 

[Sveta08]

As an aside, I am both disappointed and slightly mad that Prisoner Chomping won. Why did eighteen people vote for that plan, actually? I want to know. In my opinion, spying for Windy and then organizing a short expedition would likely solve our bits problem, dish problem, and maybe even the Neighna issue.

Click to shrink...

I had three priorities, in order of most important to least.
Take the Edge Sacrament, Prep for Grail Sacrament, and Prep for study actions.
I had secondary priorities, go to Tall Tale for example.

During the vote, I liked the Hill hunt options. They created a very engaging, if disasterous action and some powerfully thematic storytelling.
As I sat on it though, I also found that it would also be one of the few times we would have Velvet act in an unnecessarily cruel way. Beautifully, yes, but cruel.

At the time I sat and realized that, looking over the options that has the best chance of succeeding without giving up my primary goals, was Prisoner Chomping. Let's Not Kidnap was a close second.

 

[ses]

At the time I sat and realized that, looking over the options that has the best chance of succeeding without giving up my primary goals, was Prisoner Chomping. Let's Not Kidnap was a close second.

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure I agree since we're going to have to vote on what to do when we get handed a random unlucky background pony instead of the easy acceptable target people are expecting and that'll be a whole storm of bad feelings and salt.

It'll be REALLY funny if we get handed Spoiled Rich as "the worst child abuser she could find in Ponyville"

 

[Nevermort]

Building off of this, because I realized I had more to say.

As for why I made the plan in the first place, it's because I'm reluctantly/annoyedly(?) resigned to befriending Mareinette being the best of a slew of bad options, and whether it's Hill or a random criminal doesn't really matter to me (though I think Hill would have been more interesting, probably for all the wrong reasons ). As far as I can tell with Mareinette, our options pretty much were:

1) Keep the status quo and eventually be unable/unwilling to pay, letting another unbound Name wander around the Wake (and this one significantly more inclined to Shit We Don't Like than Neighnia ever could be, probably start Grail Cult V2 Now With More Competent Leadership).
2) Befriend her via cannibalism and rub alukite all over the Grail part of our soul and whatever narrative consequences come of befriending an alukite, but at least we get a loyal Name out of the deal.
3) Try and kill her, which probably just results in a Name-level opponent who's actively hostile to us and hypercompetent at building loyalty and manipulating social situations in a time where we really can't afford that. If Celestia wasn't in cuckoo mode and an equal Lantern level away from killing us herself, this would have been more plausible, but she is.
4) Try and Wolf her. Best chance of succeeding, but also just makes the entire world objectively worse (probably births Hatred or something) and rubbing more Wolf all over our soul and making Soft more Wolfy isn't really a better deal than rubbing alukite on our soul imo.

Click to shrink...

Option 5. Release her bindings, bow down and state that now it is her turn to be on dominant side cult Master. We can switch positions again when we tire of this game, or agree to allow her to see new partners

 

[Sveta08]

I'm not sure I agree since we're going to have to vote on what to do when we get handed a random unlucky background pony instead of the easy acceptable target people are expecting and that'll be a whole storm of bad feelings and salt.

Click to shrink...

That's fine. You don't have to agree with me.
People asked for a reason, and I provided mine.

 

[Cochimetl]

As an aside, I am both disappointed and slightly mad that Prisoner Chomping won. Why did eighteen people vote for that plan, actually? I want to know. In my opinion, spying for Windy and then organizing a short expedition would likely solve our bits problem, dish problem, and maybe even the Neighna issue.

Click to shrink...

Because the alternative was Velvet hunting down and eating her father, without any good in-character reason. She has an awful in-character reason, which would make it an awful thing for her to do.
I don't want Velvet to become an awful pony. That's all there is to it, really.

 

[frigidscholar]

I personally was strictly against going after Hill for similar reasons and that was the only vote that had enough to ward off the possibility of doing so. Hill was terrible to Velvet (and most of the rest of his family) but I like Velvet trying to be kind and do her best and being willing to capture your shitty dad and sacrifice him to an ancient god of thirst and hunger kind of doesn't really align with that. I don't think I'd like the Velvet that is willing to do that.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

I voted for Prisoner Chomping because I don't want to deal with the fallout to Velvet's family from successfully disappearing Hill, because Windy is the Cultist who parted ways with Velvet the most amicably and thus is least likely to start shit with her (which has held true for the entire time he has been gone), and because there were not enough people voting for Let's Not (which I created and also voted for).

I still think DoA could have found a child predator/peddlar, being a motivated Name who likes kids in a non-gourmet way. And it would have been a funny message to send to Mareinette as she was undergoing friendship sacrament.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

because Windy is the Cultist who parted ways with Velvet the most amicably and thus is least likely to start shit with her (which has held true for the entire time he has been gone)

Click to shrink...

It is literally Velvet's job to go after people like Windy

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

It is literally Velvet's job to go after people like Windy

Click to shrink...

Eh. The Bureau has its hoofs full of Changelings right now anyways, and I'd rather get a leg up on Cherenkolt befriending.

 

[Alan975]

Ugghhhh



No Hill? No Rich? I'd take the risk and delay of Windy at this point.

...Whats the point of even doing the sacrament like this?

Only the sunk cost basically, I've been drained of all enthusiasm.

Can't even get hyped about Mareinette because there will be the same -or more! - pushback later, unless she is like explicitly stated to be sugar-spice-and-everything-nice~ified.


Are these people going to keep to their ideals when it comes to the other sacraments? I've not seen them argue against taking a lesson from Biddie, even though he of all Names should not get a chance to influence Velvet for the worst.
At least Our Lady is honest! The only Name that wouldn't commit atrocities is probably DoA.


And on that point...

I don't want Velvet to become an awful pony.

Click to shrink...

Well, you're to late for that pal!