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

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Let us keep in mind our immediate goals: keeping Cherenkolt and Baldomare in the Wake. What do these goals require? Money. Money for the Rituals to find stuff, money for the Expeditions to get the stuff, and in Cherenkolt's case money to refine the stuff we got and money for the ritual to cure Velvet's ensuing radiation poisoning.

What do our remaining Sacraments after this turn require? Well, for Personal Forge it's money for alchemical ingredients. For Cherenkolt Forge it's money for workshop materials. For Winter it's money for rituals. For Edge (if we fail) it's money for rituals. For Baldomare Secret Histories it's money for an Expedition with her. For personal Secret Histories it might be money for some preparatory AotLs, I don't remember the exact mechanics for it. For Moth we need Spoiled Rich. For Mareinette Grail we need a prisoner. For personal Grail we need some Confidantes. For Personal Lantern we need a prisoner. For Baldomare Lantern we need people to go with her on an expedition, but if you want MitLs then you need money to summon them.

Oh, and if we fail to get Edge this turn then we'll need money to either keep Biedde in the Wake or to summon him back later.

Note how our most (6-6.5/11) of our immediate and long-term methods of accruing power require bits. Note how none of our immediate goals require a 3-circle ritual site. Note how summoning things with said 3-circle ritual site would cost money. What do you think we should be prioritizing? Advancing the chance of getting a ritual site by a turn, or increasing the chance of finding something of monetary value in the hive?

 

[ses]

Your horn flickers to life as you bring out all the valuables you had stolen. Priceless magical artifacts you had pilfered with your "royal authority", magical scrolls that you did not even have time to read yet, and jewelry that had been produced by the perfectionist hoof of pony savants. You collect the artifacts and nothing else, they at least will be useful in the coming war you will fight.

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This was Queen Chrysalis's first instinctual response to realizing she needed to flee her infiltration. We can assume that whatever leadership the changelings have now have similar modus operandi to their late Queen. So yeah. There's a very good chance based on the text that changelings would keep moveable assets in their hive pilfered from their current infiltrations to act as insurance if they need to flee.

Artifacts, Books, Jewels.

 

[Waela]

[X] Plan: Maximum Rewards

 

[ses]

TRUTH-LORES
CONVINCEMENT-LORES

You have told Stormchaser about your abilities. He is now less worried about your health and safety, even though the things you told him were… a lot to take in.

But still, in the end, the only thing he ever wanted was for you to be alright. You would never be able to convince him that you are alright because the Lores were safe. Instead, you convinced him that the lores are safe because you are alright.

Furthermore, you were also able to convince him that teaching the Lores to him might be positive, or maybe even necessary, and that your daughters could gain to learn a thing or two from that. Consequently, he has changed his opinion about using the Lores to/with your family.

Results:
-You no longer have to keep the Lores a "secret" from your family.
-Performing rituals at your home is now acceptable, and no longer suspicious.
-Affecting your family with the Lores now is acceptable, and no longer suspicious.
-Having unsubtle Summoned Creatures interact with your family is now acceptable, and no longer suspicious, to a certain degree (showing a Risen to your daughters is still unacceptable. That would give them nightmares!)
-Stormchaser's Lore affinities revealed to be Major SECRET HISTORIES and Minor KNOCK. He is currently an "Enlightened", with Lore levels 0/NONE.
-Maid and staff suspicion still applies, but will be much less likely to occur since your family is now in cahoots with you.

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I just want to point out that we already have a 3 circle site.

It's called "The barn where we summoned Mareinette"

We are the 3rd most powerful figure in Equestria.
We are no longer dependent on Velvet Hill for income
Our family is unaffected by suspicion
The Bureau is unaffected by suspicion
Literally what teeth does the threat of "maid and staff suspicion" even have at this point? A 30-40% chance of spooking the maids, at which point... what happens? Failing a suspicion roll was never intended to lead straight to a major consequence even when all those concerns we've nullified were still concerns. If the maids get a bit spooked, what happens? There is absolutely no major problem that failing a suspicion roll can jump to, and we can probably afford to fail multiple of them before 'spooked maids' even rises to the level of minor problem. How many summonings are we really planning to do in the next two or three turns anyway?

 

[Shaper47]

I just want to point out that we already have a 3 circle site.

It's called "The barn where we summoned Mareinette

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Also we have Mareinette who can just tell the maids that nothing suspicions is going on.

She's done it before.

Our beloved friend is there covering for us.

 

[Pittauro]

However, I must still say that there is something that Shining Armor, the Princesses, Mareinette and Edge 4 adepts have in common, that is lacking in a monster that (numerically and mechanically) is stronger than Shining, but that would still not qualify as a worthy opponent.

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combat training and experience? Something more than just "instincts" that a beast would have.

Edge 4 IS basically the peak of combat experience for mortals (not counting the traits that take YEARS of mundane training to get). The princesses and Mareinette have definitely gone through their share of deadly fights.

Cadance is green... but she IS also an Alicorn with extremely high raw power... Also now that I think about it she DID risk her life against that witch when she ascended (I think that's canon here?)

Bro I dont think Velvet is getting hit by -40 Outnumbered penalties. Comet Feet didn't fight more than 3 enemies at a time and we've got 4 Moth levels on him.

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AND an anti-ambush power, AND darkvision. And maybe the SH Realization, if it applies narratively here somehow.

@OurLadyOfWires how do we narratively justify our bureau becoming Lore Competent to the outside or even non initiated bureau members? I get that the primers are a minor "start" that just gives some knowledge of the appropriate type. But once the lores grow to level 3 or 4 and start getting really obvious how do we explain it to celestia?

Or is Velvet just going to make sure the entire bureau stays hush-hush on matters above level 1 lore?

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to the outside, we can just say we have top of the line equipment, talent and magic.

non-initiated Bureau members? Mostly the same. It's not like they'd know the actual limit of equestrian magic and technology.

Eclipse are really the only ones who would suspect more, I think.

As for Celestia, hopefully she won't find out enough to ask in the first place, and we'll just be able to pass it off as being really competent. When she was young the Pillars of Equestria where around, and they were pretty damn amazing. She DOES have experience with supremely competent ponies.

Let us keep in mind our immediate goals: keeping Cherenkolt and Baldomare in the Wake. What do these goals require? Money. Money for the Rituals to find stuff, money for the Expeditions to get the stuff, and in Cherenkolt's case money to refine the stuff we got and money for the ritual to cure Velvet's ensuing radiation poisoning.

What do our remaining Sacraments after this turn require? Well, for Personal Forge it's money for alchemical ingredients. For Cherenkolt Forge it's money for workshop materials. For Winter it's money for rituals. For Edge (if we fail) it's money for rituals. For Baldomare Secret Histories it's money for an Expedition with her. For personal Secret Histories it might be money for some preparatory AotLs, I don't remember the exact mechanics for it. For Moth we need Spoiled Rich. For Mareinette Grail we need a prisoner. For personal Grail we need some Confidantes. For Personal Lantern we need a prisoner. For Baldomare Lantern we need people to go with her on an expedition, but if you want MitLs then you need money to summon them.

Oh, and if we fail to get Edge this turn then we'll need money to either keep Biedde in the Wake or to summon him back later.

Note how our most (6-6.5/11) of our immediate and long-term methods of accruing power require bits. Note how none of our immediate goals require a 3-circle ritual site. Note how summoning things with said 3-circle ritual site would cost money. What do you think we should be prioritizing? Advancing the chance of getting a ritual site by a turn, or increasing the chance of finding something of monetary value in the hive?

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AotL doesn't require bits, but yeah, most of our sacraments (and the scrying rituals too, and the forge ritual to heal from the "bad blood" from Cherenkolt's friendship, and potential MitL summons...) all require some bits.

Very worst case we can sell some artifacts, but ideally we won't have to.

I just want to point out that we already have a 3 circle site.

It's called "The barn where we summoned Mareinette"

We are the 3rd most powerful figure in Equestria.
We are no longer dependent on Velvet Hill for income
Our family is unaffected by suspicion
The Bureau is unaffected by suspicion
Literally what teeth does the threat of "maid and staff suspicion" even have at this point? A 30-40% chance of spooking the maids, at which point... what happens? Failing a suspicion roll was never intended to lead straight to a major consequence even when all those concerns we've nullified were still concerns. If the maids get a bit spooked, what happens? There is absolutely no major problem that failing a suspicion roll can jump to, and we can probably afford to fail multiple of them before 'spooked maids' even rises to the level of minor problem. How many summonings are we really planning to do in the next two or three turns anyway?

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in CS terms, it's the least tier of suspicion that MIGHT, if you're unlucky and under investigation, evolve into actual evidence.

So yeah, if we have to we CAN afford the risk. It's better if we don't have to, of course.

 

[Sk1lz3r]

to the outside, we can just say we have top of the line equipment, talent and magic.

non-initiated Bureau members? Mostly the same. It's not like they'd know the actual limit of equestrian magic and technology.

Eclipse are really the only ones who would suspect more, I think.

As for Celestia, hopefully she won't find out enough to ask in the first place, and we'll just be able to pass it off as being really competent. When she was young the Pillars of Equestria where around, and they were pretty damn amazing. She DOES have experience with supremely competent ponies.

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So essentially you're saying that our defence is "I'm just built different and my bureau is just like that so please dont look too deeply"

That's hilarious and also somewhat concerning.