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

[Shaper47]

I just don't want us playing with fire. Not when there is something that big(Glory) just around the corner.

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Well we could always just scry and send Smiles with some wrong keys to spawn camp him.

So he's a problem we are able to deal with.

 

[DelightedOne]

Trust you? Are you, like, Baldomare in disguise or something?

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Maybe. Are you going to risk it?

Well we could always just scry and send Smiles with some wrong keys to spawn camp him.

So he's a problem we are able to deal with.

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Okay second try. We really should go for Glory by turn 25, like really really. I can't express how important it is we don't delay things more than the necessary to befriend the remaining Names.

I love that idea but we shouldn't stay without the Blood that long.

 

[Shaper47]

Okay second try. We really should go for Glory by turn 25, like really really. I can't express how important it is we don't delay things more than the necessary to befriend the remaining Names.

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I'd prefer to delay myself but in the end it really depends on what the Stalking mechanics turn out to be and how well Selene does with Celestia.

 

[Sveta08]

We REALLY shouldn't try to get past turn 25. Trust me on that.

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I like this. Not because I like this, but because I like this.
I like the fundamental misatribution of lantern.

As for delaying things, I do not know. There is an endless skill of always wanting more time than you will be given. That's how it works after all. If you were given the time to do all the things you wanted to do, you wouldn't be making a choice now would you? Or, rather, you would be choosing. But there wouldn't be evaluation. Not really.

And much as I might style myself in prophecy and mystery, I try to be very careful to never simply state how things will be or are. Not unless I feel undeniable evidence.
And with Celestia as she is? Ha! Even Castle once stood tall in perpetuity may crumble. I would not be so bold to venture to tell you how things might be.
Not beyond what a careful word can be given to help... curb appetite, so to speak.

And yes, that's not grail red. That's intentional.

 

[DelightedOne]

*Facepalm*

I see I am really bad at giving hints even when I am outright stating it. At least I tried. In my defense I am an "indulgement" secondary grail occultist, not a "socializer".


Going any further would require breaking something important... And I don't think anyone here would like the results.


But yeah, let's just pretend I have no reason to do this. That I'm just worried, that's easier.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Cease thy vagueness and just be out with it: what supposedly happens Turn 25?

 

[DelightedOne]

These lips are sealed.

And I am already pushing it. I need you all to trust me on this, I promise I have a good reason.

I think everyone knows by now that I am a Harmonist and that I was vocally against Glory before, if I'm saying we should go it is because there is a motive for that. I swear on Honesty it is worth it, something all of us, be you a Glory Seeker, Moon Cartographer, Harmonist or Wolf Worshiper will benefit from(that last one is conditional, but it is still possible).

It is not about what happens if we reach turn 25 it is about what it means. If we get there I am pretty sure the general consensus will be "keep soothing and getting even more prepared for All In" and that is not necessarily the best course of action considering... everything.

I won't say there is a bomb waiting to go off at turn 25, there isn't. I just saw that as the best moment to act(mostly because if Bird doesn't let us ask Mareimette to heal Poisonous Blood in the same turn we get it) and I think we should be good to go by then from what I know.

Oh and we need to keep Soothing the night even if it is the turn before we go... I think that's all.

 

[Sveta08]

...but we shouldn't stay without the Blood that long.

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Hrm.

I, perhaps one of few, am one to place stock in prophecy and narrative and theme over mechanics. I am often advocating for less than purposeful and actionable results because of the story those choices tell. I wanted us to stay this very turn and leave the expedition to capable hooves. And now.

You place me in an awkward position.
Perhaps I could divine your intent with time. With hunting and searching and casting eyes across Ages and Seasons. Perhaps I would find the thing you have seen and been incensed to act upon. Maybe I would have words and eyes different than your own. Maybe by siren song and clever cry could others be rounded to your way of thinking. Yet maybe those words would decry and cast asunder aspirations. Without looking, without hunting, and without advice, I cannot know.

More than that, you speak in disquieted understanding. Shroud the word in Lantern when it is Moth and Histories. And over the, well, years now, I have come to see how and what you write and trust in some small part.
And I do not understand why it was spoken of here and now. When the path is so far yet removed and uncertain, when fate is yet turning. Twice have I sown the seeds of things to come before to let the thoughts be ripe by the time we arrived, once have I had to helm the ship and turn it by hand. But this....
This sows the seeds of actions already to be taken. This attempts to wrest the wheel to not let it drift. This.... does not make sense to me.


But

Very well.
I will make certain my plans culminate at the 25th.

 

[spiderhellian]

Help, help, my cultist simulator horror quest is becoming an actual cult!

 

[DelightedOne]

This sows the seeds of actions already to be taken. This attempts to wrest the wheel to not let it drift. This.... does not make sense to me.

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I mean... if people stop things from happening then the hints I saw will not be proven.

The Dreamlands has a way into the Mansus and it is the realm of one of our daughters.

The Wolf can work through Velvet.

Velvet will have a SH Sacrament.

And the Blood is the key to Glory.

So we can choose which type of Glory we want! Sure it will still be a Glory victory, but it will be shaded how we want it to.


This is the perfect theory!

 

[Wise Wolf]

These lips are sealed.

And I am already pushing it. I need you all to trust me on this, I promise I have a good reason.

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Frankly, I can only see two possibilities. You're breaching a trust, in which case I should ignore you to avoid rewarding antisocial behavior. Or you're justifying ordinary inference based on sources available to all of us using obscurantism, in which case I should ignore you in the service of Lantern

 

[DelightedOne]

Frankly, I can only see two possibilities. You're breaching a trust, in which case I should ignore you to avoid rewarding antisocial behavior. Or you're justifying ordinary inference based on sources available to all of us using obscurantism, in which case I should ignore you in the service of Lantern

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I did not break any trust. And while I do have antisocial traits, they do not apply this time.

I just didn't want to spoil anything that could happen because guessing endings and twists is something I'm known for back home. But with the chance of putting Velvet even more at risk than she is right now made me start talking about it.


And really there are clues: the Stains being part of the Epilogue even though they are from the Wolf Victory, the Moon Victory being accessible below the Glory victory, the literal portal between the Dreamlands, Silky getting a lore Cutie Mark implying DIPLOMACY, the last In Which showing the best possible future that looks suspiciously as if Harmony came to an understanding with the Mansus and is proposing a deal to the Names with Silky as a proxy.

The last one convinced me completely.


All that points to our capacity to affect the narrative of a Victory. Everything can be connected somehow.


I am not a telepath or a hacker so it is not like I could invade Bird's mind or files to see, if he even keeps it digitally.


So yeah we are getting Glory, but the Epilogue can be biased towards Harmony if we share it with Selene, from what I can see. I could be wrong, but the story really doesn't feel like it was built that way and unfortunately it doesn't look like we will have more after this unless it is a legacy quest with Silky.


So yeah, theory crafting and me wanting to look misterious and being so sure of something doesn't look like it worked well, sorry. You can ignore this if you want but I still feel it is safer to keep a limit on how long we are here.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

It is not about what happens if we reach turn 25 it is about what it means. If we get there I am pretty sure the general consensus will be "keep soothing and getting even more prepared for All In" and that is not necessarily the best course of action considering... everything.

I won't say there is a bomb waiting to go off at turn 25, there isn't. I just saw that as the best moment to act(mostly because if Bird doesn't let us ask Mareimette to heal Poisonous Blood in the same turn we get it) and I think we should be good to go by then from what I know.

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So vibes. Your entire deadline is based off of vibes. There is no bomb, there is no breaking, you just feel that Turn 25 is an arbitrary turning point that locks us into forever prep if we don't go for Glory then and there.

In that case I shall disregard this deadline and plan according to circumstance and actionable knowledge at that time.

 

[Shaper47]

Yeah I have to agree with Talon Tiger Dino here.

 

[Limabot]

So vibes. Your entire deadline is based off of vibes. There is no bomb, there is no breaking, you just feel that Turn 25 is an arbitrary turning point that locks us into forever prep if we don't go for Glory then and there.

In that case I shall disregard this deadline and plan according to circumstance and actionable knowledge at that time.

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I do think Turn 25 is about the turn we should have a "Minimum Viable Product" in terms of whether we can do All In and succeed, but I agree that any additional turns we can squeeze in beyond then will be incredibly valuable, and thus should not be dismissed.

 

[ses]

Minimum Viable All In is at end of turn 24, having befriended Mareinette, Baldomare, Cherry, and Smiles. End of turn 25 would be very nice though, as it would let us get both SH sacraments and possibly Personal Forge.

The thread is once again systemically underestimating the dangers of the High Mansus.

All In isn't the Final Dungeon. The Final Dungeon is "Into the Malleary", which is a Mansus expedition which Velvet must undergo alone.

Ruined Church 1 was wall to wall DC 100 checks, the exact same as all the other DCs of its floor in the Mansus, testing it repeatedly in a variety of Lores. Ruined Church 2 was also DC 100, but it was mono-lore. Mansus Expeditions are the exact same DC as the hurdles of exploring that floor of the Mansus, but punishing on failure and extremely dangerous and you have to pass like half a dozen of them in a row.

[Channeling the LIGHT, cd 120]

[Roll: 61 + 13 (Magic) + 40 (Lantern, level 4) = 114]

[Velvet Covers invokes a re-roll]

[Re-roll: 70 + 13 (Magic) + 40 (Lantern, level 4) = 123]

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The DC for Mansus Hurdles at the Summit is DC 120. Into the Malleary is going to be half a dozen DC 120 hurdles in a row that we need to survive, and knowing our previous luck (RC2, BTRC2) it'll target exactly whichever lores we're least prepared on because we have had zero success in predicting what lores expeditions will test.

We. Are. Not. Ready.

All In isn't the danger, the Malleary is, and the only ways to empower ourselves are
1) Level up our Lores further. Try and hit Lore 6 in at least one lore maybe? Get as many sacraments as possible at least.
2) Befriend Names. We're already working on this, but getting hold of Neighnia would be absolutely huge if we manage this.
3) Find the Heirlooms. Heart and Moth are already destroyed and we have basically no chance of getting the Winter Heirloom unless Windy has it and we end up bullying it off him (unlikely the QM would reward us for failing to obtain the rewards ourselves though so I doubt it.). We can find the Grail Heirloom in Ruined Church 2 most likely. As well as the SH Heirloom in the Tower.
4) This one is a bit of a longshot but Personal Forge is the only sacrament that seems like it has a decent chance of being actually helpful in the Mansus due to being about buff potions.

 

[Greymere]

Minimum Viable All In is at end of turn 24, having befriended Mareinette, Baldomare, Cherry, and Smiles. End of turn 25 would be very nice though, as it would let us get both SH sacraments and possibly Personal Forge.

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I think, if we're talking about preparing for All In, having both SH Sacraments isn't really going to do much for us. It'd be a bit disappointing not to get our personal SH Sacrament, sure, but going for it is arguably not a great use of AP when we're trying to get ready for All In and already planning on taking Baldomare's. And the problem with trying to aim for Heirlooms is that... well. 1) We have absolutely no idea what they actually do. And 2) as you pointed out, the Mansus is dangerous. And we're on a timer. These things do not mix well. Remember what happened the first and only time that we Danced With Death? We really, really need that to not happen right now.

Edit: This is also, perhaps, a discussion best saved until after we've seen the results of the Celestia defusing. Since Hours only know what's going to come of that.

 

[ses]

I think, if we're talking about preparing for All In, having both SH Sacraments isn't really going to do much for us. It'd be a bit disappointing not to get our personal SH Sacrament, sure, but going for it is arguably not a great use of AP when we're trying to get ready for All In and already planning on taking Baldomare's. And the problem with trying to aim for Heirlooms is that... well. 1) We have absolutely no idea what they actually do. And 2) as you pointed out, the Mansus is dangerous. And we're on a timer. These things do not mix well. Remember what happened the first and only time that we Danced With Death? We really, really need that to not happen right now.

Edit: This is also, perhaps, a discussion best saved until after we've seen the results of the Celestia defusing. Since Hours only know what's going to come of that.

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Yeah but Personal SH seems like it has a decent chance of being useful in the Malleary, so I think it's a good use of AP. Personal Forge and Personal SH are my top two sacraments that I think might be useful in the Malleary for their traits: our Lantern options are almost certain to be useless in mansus expeditions, same with Personal Moth and Personal Winter. I'd rather spend the AP on personal SH to see what the trait does than spend the AP on personal winter for the +1 lore and non-relevant trait even completely ignoring moral costs, just what I predict would be better for the Malleary.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Aigh.

I have an update ready. I'll catch up to the thread, and then I'll post it, and then i'll start working-

@OurLadyOfWires I provide my usual list of suggestions (massive because of my backlog):

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Here, and don't forget the backlogs (1, 2).

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-on the wonderful corrections. Thank you again, as always! I have no doubt this takes a lot of work and time, so I am honestly grateful for this!



Now...

Extrapolating from here, I'd guess:
12 Hurdles on a Long expedition, with 1 or 2 autopass hurdles. Let's say 2.

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This is my general draft for long expeditions, yes. At least for a "generic" long expedition. But of course, if I feel creative or the expedition is particularly thematic, it'll be different.

A Prognosis of Hyperthermia

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In Which the Sun wants to rest

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These two were lovely, and an awesome foil to each other! Thank you for sharing this, both of you. And it is always awesome to see this kind of perspective!

In which a Wolf Sings

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And ah...

This was music to my ears.

I will be very honest when I say that I intended Celestia's fight to be more mental and internal.
But is this not the range of your Sons? Is this not a clear, perhaps even factual, show of their reach?
And given how they have recolored the world -as the light of Glory shines through the lens that is the Father, and taken to the Wake by the Mother- would this not be one such consequence?

Cadance has just left Celestia's domicile, if temporarily. I think it is fair that a "change of the guard" takes place and another pays the Sun a visit while Love retreats and rests.

Yes. This sounds right.

Thank you for sharing this, truly!



Now, let me post the update...

And of course, I hope you are all doing well.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

[X] Plan: A Song of Bright Snow
-[X] (Detectives) Investigate Neighnia
-[X] (Constables) Expedition: The Quarry of Yuxtabai
-[X] (Commissioner) Get your hooves dirty
-[X] (Director) Heart
-[X] (Mareinette) Honored Guest: Mayor Mare
-[X] (Baldomare) Lantern lesson
-[X] (DoA) Consult
-[X] (Smiles-Free) Lead an expedition: Is It Free Real Estate?
-[X] (Cherenkolt) Consult
--[X] Recalibrate: Grail
-[X] (Selene) Soothe the night
-[X] (Jade) Study Moth 3 artifact
-[X] Summon a Mare-in-the-Light
--[X] In a barn on our estate
-[X] Acquire a dead body
-[X] Help Smiles (x2)
-[X] Cover your bases (-5 Follower AP, +2 Velvet AP)

[X] Plan: The Princess of Love's Chosen Has to Make an Effort
--[X] You don't have time for this. (Costs 0 actions. You will only roll ONE healing dice.)
--[X] The medicine taste is worse than its appearance. But it is exactly what you need, if they are to be believed… (Costs 30 bits. One dice will auto-succeed)
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of [SECRET HISTORIES]
-[X] The delights of subservience (Leash currently targeting: NO TARGET)
--[X] Change Leash to another target. (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] [KNOCK] The Shattered Stairways
--[X] [KNOCK] A labyrinth of stairs. A monument of a gone age. A sprawling ruin. See where the many paths might lead you.
-[X] These are the skills that allow you to climb the Mansus
--[X] Take that terrifying leap, into the abyss we call change
---[X] Don the mask, shear your mane, pick the only pony who will notice it. Snip snip snip (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] Filthy Rich has reached a crossroad in his personal life. His marriage is not where he wants it to be, and he is not sure what he should do. You should nudge him in the right direction. (FREE ACTION) (SAVE)
-[X] The Royal Castle feels, quite literally, like a powder keg, and the temperature is rising. Cadance will come out of that boiler at some point. When she does, she will need your help. (5x)
-[X] [FORGE] It's actually a lot simpler than it sounds, now that you know what you are doing (produce a reagent, write in which Lore/combination of Lores.
--[X] [FORGE] Level 4 reagent (80 bits)
--[X] [FORGE] Purify a level 6 Forge Reagent (110 bits)

You are Velvet Covers.

And despite everything that everypony else thinks about you… despite all the hardships you have endured, all the experience you have accumulated, and even the sheer esoteric resilience you are able to call upon…

You are stunned.

You are stunned. Plain and simple.

"Commissioner Velvet? Are you… alright?" the mare standing in front of you asks.

What was her name again? Everbloom? Green something? You have no idea, nor do you care to find out. All you really want to do right now is sit down and-

-and the world spins as soon as you try to move one of your legs-

-to the point that you barely stop yourself from tripping and falling face first on the floor.



"Commissioner?!"

"Get the Secretariat here!"

"W-whats going on?! Princess Cadance was very clear th-!"



And the moment that happens, everypony around you panics.

The Bureau officers you were having a meeting with just a moment ago start shouting. One of them runs out of the room for whatever reason, and another looks like he wants to come help you but doesn't really do anything.

The Everbloom mare, also, looks frozen on the spot. As if the notion of you taking more than three seconds to answer her is an incomprehensible mystery.

All of that while you are still trying to come to terms with the implications of what she just told you.

Because she spoke to Cadance, apparently? So Cadance was reachable, but unavailable to talk to you right now? Is she okay? Is Shining with her? Is the building wave of heat getting taken care of, or is Cadane in desperate need for help while you are here wasting time?!

You don't know. You have no idea. And while you are trying to get your damn hoofs under you-



"Listen here lady, you have to leave. You can wait outside for all I care, but we are-"

"Excuse you?! I am here for the will of Princess Cadance. Do I make myself clear?"

"And unless Princess Luna was standing next to her when she told you that, I don't care. Now either you leave, or I make you leave."

"Wh-! I'd neve- Hey! Watch it you brute!"



And this is typical. Typical. The moment you falter… no, the moment you barely trip everything around you starts falling apart.

Is this really all it takes to make ponies panic? Is this really all it takes for Equestria to fall apart? One worrying message, one slightly shocked figure of authority, and they all just lose their wits?

Can't they do anything without being told? Without having somepony else there to hold their hoof and pull them along?!

Can't they just-

"Everypony SHUT. UP."​

You are not seeing red. You are not even angry. If anything, the room is still spinning around you and you feel like you are looking down at yourself from outside your own body.

But still, you finally have your four hoofs under you once again. Never mind that the floor underneath one of your hoofs is split where you stomped down on it.

And you take this blessed moment of silence to breathe.

You breathe in, and you breathe out.

Breathe in, then out.

In.

Out.

…

Now you are ready to address the… the bumbling foals that you have surrounded yourself with.

"You," you say, addressing the intruding mare that caused all of this. "Just to be clear. Cadance said she wants me to take care of things while she is gone. You mean to say she wants me to cover for her responsibilities, correct?"

You say that as you turn to face the mare, this time taking a proper look at her for the first time.

The pegasus mare, you finally realize she is a pegasus, is surprisingly young. At least for the position she holds. She is sufficiently well-dressed to have her cutie mark covered, but her chest area is entirely uncovered in favor of proudly displaying the thick necklace of her station.

Light-blue coat, green-ish mane, but what catches your attention the most is her eyes.

They are wide-open with fear, as she looks back at your stern gaze.

And quite frankly, you don't much care about soothing her right now.

"Y-ye…" she tries to say, but fails, eventually deciding to answer you with a stuttering nod.

"Is she available to see me?" you ask.

She shakes her head.

"Did she specifically hand over her authority for me to do what I have to?"

The mare nods.

And that is all you need from her right now.

"Now you," you say, turning to your Bureau officers.

Only to notice that their eyes are also wide open. But not out of fear, you think.

There is an eagerness in their eyes, as if they hope you will do something. For a moment, you think they just want you to give them orders. For a moment, you think they are just hoping you will organize this chaos by giving them purpose.

But then, you remember the ruse you helped Selene build up, and you realize what they are truly hoping for.

They are hoping that, in this moment of crisis, you decide that enough is enough. They are hoping, you can tell, that you will confirm the very "poorly kept secret" that you allowed to spread through the Bureau over the last several weeks.

They are hoping that a Princess will dramatically reveal herself and take charge of things.

And a part of you can't help but think that… maybe Ponykind reached the state it's currently in precisely because this hope has been so deeply ingrained into your people.

…

For a moment, you wonder if this is how Celestia feels.

But you don't have time for idle musings like that.

"I have orders for the Bureau. Cut everypony loose. Myself and the Deputy will be unavailable, so every team is to run with their current orders until we return. The investigators already know what I want, so just make sure the constable teams are ready for departure on schedule."

The officers hesitate, but only for a fraction of a second. You think for a moment that you see disappointment in their eyes. But thankfully, their expressions quickly turn into disciplined focus.

"Yes, Director," they reply in unison, the small gaffe in addressing you with the wrong rank making it clear what is in their minds.

You won't bother to correct them. Whatever helps them go about their duties more efficiently.

"I will be scarce. One of you, get me a secretary on your way out. And not a single word about this to anypony else. We don't need a panic spreading because of news that that the throne is empty."

You shoo them away with a wave of your hoof, and they quickly file out of your office shortly after.

Leaving you alone with…

"Now… Evergreen Bloom, was it?" you say, once again addressing the mare who just managed to regain her composure.

She still looks cautious though. And you notice that she is looking at the spot where you split the floor before she turns to face you.

"Y-yes, Commissioner," she says. You can tell that she is mustering the will to say something else, perhaps to explain to you what Cadance's duties are or some other introduction to the temporary relationship you will be having with her."

"Sit," but you interrupt her, taking your own seat and nodding towards one of the chairs in front of your desk. "You just kicked away several of the plates I was spinning. So, let me give you some ground rules before we begin."



- - -



You had plans for this month.

You had plans.

You wanted to supervise the Bureau this month, given how Lore-heavy their activities will be. You wanted to… to summon more creatures, to have more conversations with your guest Names, to be able to prepare for your coming attempts to reach. For. GLORY.

Because you are about to REACH FOR GLORY.

There is so much you still need to do, and so little time.

But Cadance needs your help. And you cannot, will not, leave her hanging. You don't think you would have changed your plans this drastically even if Pride or Steppes were in a life or death situation.

However, Cadance is… well, she trusts you. She trusts you, and you care for her.

And to be honest, given the responsibilities she has to carry as a Princess, you don't know if she has anypony else who can help her.

Still, this will be tricky.

The worst part, you think, is that you don't even have the entire picture to work with. You know that Cadance is absent, and anypony who can touch a wall of the Royal Castle can tell that something is happening related to Princess Celestia. It's not hard to put two and two together to know why Cadance has disappeared.

But you don't know anything else other than that. Nopony does.

Is she just talking to Celestia? Did the two of them fight, either verbally or literally? Was she using some… Love Alicorn… spell… to keep Celestia sedated, like some sort of magical surgery?

Does she need help? Is there anything you can do to even help her?

Perhaps when Cadance makes herself unavailable again Shining Armor will be able to give you more information. But right now, you know the stallion is exactly where he needs to be: with Cadance, helping her however he can.

Which leaves you here, holding the literal fort for her.

The only consolation you have is that, according to Bloom, Cadance herself is asking this of you. So, you can only trust her that this is the best way you can help her.



"First ground rule: we keep this a secret. Nopony, and I mean nopony, can know about this arrangement. I don't care how you do this, lie to the rest of your office if you must. But you will come here to confer with me, and you will tell everypony else that these decisions are coming from Cadance's own mouth."



All of that being said, you get to work.

In the grand scheme of things, you are sure that this situation can give you room for… opportunities.

But you know yourself too well. You know you won't really take advantage of them. Not in a negative way, at least. After all, you forsook every opportunity you had to swindle even your own father. So, you know you won't really have the will to do any chicanery during your… temporary regency? Whatever this is called.

Besides, you are doing this for Cadance. You wouldn't dream of, say, stealing from the treasury while she is gone, using her own authority, when the only reason you are here is because of how much she trusts you.



"Second ground rule: no micromanaging. I won't be holding court, for obvious reasons. But since the only pony I will be talking to is you, this won't work if you bring me every problem in Equestria to solve. I don't care if it takes you claiming that Cadance has is sick and decided to seclude herself, but I will need you to filter the issues you will bring me."



Still, it is… a lot of work.

What you thought would be a quick conversation with Bloom, when you first met her, turned into a full-day briefing of… well, of the current issues that Cadance was dealing with before she left.

Some of the issues are large, and slow-moving, like the worrying increase in crime plaguing all major cities.

Some of the issues are local but complex, like the shortage of supplies required by Cloudsdale to prepare for the next season change.

And some of the issues just popped up, like the several powerful ponies who just had their audiences with Cadance cancelled at the last moment.



"Third ground rule: I will be gone in two weeks. No ifs, no buts. In about two weeks the Bureau will be embarking on an excursion outside of Equestria, and I am going with them. So, you either start praying that Cadance comes back by then, or you start making arrangements to keep things running even while I am away."



It is complicated, it is intimidating, and to be honest it is a bit too much for a single pony to handle.

But you don't really have a choice, do you?

After all if you don't do this, who else will?





Your plans for this month have been ruined. The entirety of your personal time, and then some, will be dedicated to helping Cadance.

You are not… frustrated. You will gladly help her, and you know she would have done the same for you.

Still, you wish you had more time. You wish you had more of everything, really.

Regardless, now is the time for you to make certain decisions.



- - -



As ordered, Cherenkolt reported to you when he arrived in Canterlot. The Daughter-of-Axes, to nopony's surprise, was nowhere to be seen. During your meeting with him, you instructed your faithful not-son to coordinate the Bureau's preparation of its supplies for the coming voyage.

You also presented him with something you prepared, and asked him for instructions on how to further refine it.

His instructions were… humbling. They were precise, of course. Precise, and detailed, and accurate. But also humbling in how absolutely nonsensical they were from your point of view.

His instructions dealt with fine clockwork contraptions, single-use purifiers, and the application of different kinds of forces in the most unexpected ways. And they were humbling because they gave you a glimpse of how varied and deep the practices of Forge were, and that you had not trodden far into even one of those avenues, while Cherenkolt was a master of so many of them.

Still, he laid the way for you to take another step towards your goal.





You have created a Level 4 Forge Reagent. 80 bits have been removed from your inventory.

You are in the process of refining it into a Level 6 Forge Reagent. 110 bits have been removed from your inventory, but the Reagent itself will only be finished AFTER Cadance's roll (and the process is at risk of interruption, without a guaranteed refund of resources).



- - -



At some point, during that strange period that is neither late night nor early morning, you stumbled back into your guest room to flee from your responsibilities.

Only to be surprised by the smell of burnt flesh and death.

You would later piece together that it was the doing of Smiles. It would seem that the horse-sized creature interpreted your orders to "acquire a dead body" a little too literally, and he decided to produce one through his own creative ways.

The dead pony, you learned, was the patriarch of one of the noble families. One that the Name-creature decided was committing the sin of hoarding too much authority. So, in one creative and incendiary swoop, he gave you what you asked him while also furthering his own goals.

Although the fact he presented it to you that way, like a morbid trophy left behind by a well-meaning cat, did not have the positive impact he hoped it would have.

You would have to talk to him later.





You have acquired a dead body.

You have transformed a dead body into a Torn Risen. As planned, its action point was retroactively applied to this turn, and it will decay at the END of Turn 24.



- - -



And of course, eventually you had to make some decisions of your own…



You have neither the time, nor the inclination, to go behind Cadance's back and further your own interests.

However, you still have to decide whether to be creative or careful with the authority you were entrusted.


[] (THRONE) You will be careful.
-You will NOT roll any dice.
-This option is the equivalent of "managing the decline" of Equestria during the Princesses' absence. Hoping that they will return in time to bring it back to good order.
-The affairs of Equestria will be "a little worse" than before Cadance's absence, and she will have to do some cleaning up. But if Cadance succeeds in her roll with Celestia, everything will turn out well.
-This is not a risk.


[] (THRONE) You will try to change things.
-You WILL roll a dice. The DC of this dice, and its thresholds, bonus or Lore usage, will not be explained to you ahead of time.
-This option is the equivalent of "being creative" with your authority, and trying to make certain changes to the system as a whole during your limited time here.
-The thresholds of your success can range from "catastrophic" to "things get much better", and this roll also has a CHANCE to further aid or hinder Cadance in her roll (or to not affect her roll at all).
-This is a risk.



You must also, of course, plan for your coming expeditions.

Spoiler: Notes on expedition voting

Here is a LINK to the Expedition threadmark, for ease of access.

Due to the unusual circumstances of this turn (Cadance's roll) the following rules will apply to these expeditions:
-Both expeditions will depart close to the same time, therefore artifacts and curios can only be taken to ONE of the two expeditions;
-Despite it being a "free action" to participate in Smiles' Short Expedition, Velvet, DoA and Cherenkolt will NOT be able to participate in Smiles' expedition;
-Smiles' expedition will not be affected by Cadance's roll; and
-If you absolutely want Smiles to be able to take more/all artifacts, and for Velvet, DoA and Cherenkolt to join him, you may vote for Smiles' expedition to be delayed, in which case it will take place closer to the end of the turn and after Cadance's roll (and risks interruption).


Your expedition to the Quarry of Yuxtabei will not cost bits, and the non-Bureau characters that will participate on it have already been decided (Velvet, Cherenkolt, DoA). Thus, the only thing to be voted for the Quarry is which items you will take.


The information for Smiles' expedition is as follows:

Spoiler: Smiles' expedition

Expedition: Is It Free Real Estate?

Location: The notes taken from Copper Secateur's headquarters mentioned other locations where they could have installed themselves in, or perhaps places where they could hide resources or ponies. This particular place was singled out. However, unfortunately, the notes that specified what it holds (or held) have long been lost.

Expected duration: SHORT

Base cost: 5 bits (you must have at least 25 bits per creature sent)

Expected dangers: UNKNOWN (expedition not scouted)

-[] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: WRITE IN


-[] (SMILES) Accompanying team: WRITE IN

-[] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: WRITE IN

-[] (SMILES) Delay this expedition.





This is two separate votes. The "THRONE" vote is independent, and you can vote on it freely. However, you must make a plan vote that includes BOTH the Yuxtabei option and the Smiles option, since taking artifacts and certain characters will be mutually exclusive.

No moratorium, don't think there is a need for it.

I hope you are all doing well.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Evil: Look. Celestia. Hear me out, because I'm the only Wolf that gets to ignore certain conditions regarding spheres of authority. I got a message from my brother. "You should definitely light the world on fire, and render it all as ash." He's a big fan of you incinerating helpless prisoners as stress relief, highly recommends you try it on other annoyances. Maybe if you burn enough, make the world bleed enough, you can fall through the gashes and meet him in the Mansus! So yeah, burn people. And have a hug.

 

[ses]

-[] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: WRITE IN
Literally Everything
-[] (SMILES) Accompanying team: WRITE IN
Mareinette
We don't really have a reason not to send Baldie as well I suppose. But I also kind of don't want to poke her when she's miffed at us.

Long expeditions being confirmed as 12 hurdles means that there is basically no wiggle room between "autopass the hurdle DCs" and "you're basically guaranteed to fail the expedition" due to the fact that we'll need to pass like 10-11 tests in a row without getting more than 4 failures. We cannot afford to not bring any of the artifacts.

[] (THRONE) You will be careful.
-You will NOT roll any dice.
-This option is the equivalent of "managing the decline" of Equestria during the Princesses' absence. Hoping that they will return in time to bring it back to good order.
-The affairs of Equestria will be "a little worse" than before Cadance's absence, and she will have to do some cleaning up. But if Cadance succeeds in her roll with Celestia, everything will turn out well.
-This is not a risk.


[] (THRONE) You will try to change things.
-You WILL roll a dice. The DC of this dice, and its thresholds, bonus or Lore usage, will not be explained to you ahead of time.
-This option is the equivalent of "being creative" with your authority, and trying to make certain changes to the system as a whole during your limited time here.
-The thresholds of your success can range from "catastrophic" to "things get much better", and this roll also has a CHANCE to further aid or hinder Cadance in her roll (or to not affect her roll at all).
-This is a risk.

Click to shrink...

We have Mare Administrator... I'm pretty sure the EV of taking the risk is positive in terms of the Cadance roll. Psychologically it feels scary to "take a risk" but like, if it lowers the Cadance DC more than it raises it on average than it makes us safer.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Long expeditions being confirmed as 12 hurdles means that there is basically no wiggle room between "autopass the hurdle DCs" and "you're basically guaranteed to fail the expedition" due to the fact that we'll need to pass like 10-11 tests in a row without getting more than 4 failures. We cannot afford to not bring any of the artifacts.

Click to shrink...

Not really.

To be clear, you are completely correct with the information you have available. So let me just give more information for the sake of fairness.

Some hurdles wont cause a loss of day if failed. Even in canon CS that was the case (see curses), but I have other alternatives for that as well.

Because I agree. In a short expedition you have a proportionally larger room to fail, whereas in a long expedition it feels like you have 3 days of wiggle room for 10 hurdles. So, just letting you know I took that into account.

Of course, you can still fail, and its expected to be hard. But you know what I mean.

 

[Wise Wolf]

We are a Mare Administrator, so the THRONE choice seems easy to me.

 

[Greymere]

We have Mare Administrator... I'm pretty sure the EV of taking the risk is positive in terms of the Cadance roll. Psychologically it feels scary to "take a risk" but like, if it lowers the Cadance DC more than it raises it on average than it makes us safer.

Click to shrink...

I think I'd only feel comfortable asserting that if a Lore bonus would apply to the roll. But, historically, this sort of organization and paperpushing are just straight Stewardship rolls.

I'm not sure I want to risk accidentally driving Equestria into the ground when we're probably only rolling a +22 with no safety net reroll.

 

[Shaper47]

all the experience you have accumulated, and even the sheer esoteric resilience you are able to call upon…

Click to shrink...

But still, you finally have your four hoofs under you once again. Never mind that the floor underneath one of your hoofs is split where you stomped down on it.

Click to shrink...

And quite frankly, you don't much care about soothing her right now.

Click to shrink...

It's nice to see Velvet's lore knowledge helping her out.

I see our Sacrament is doing some heavy lifting for her

In the grand scheme of things, you are sure that this situation can give you room for… opportunities.

Click to shrink...

Yes, yes, yes!!!

The promised time for tax evasion has finally arrived!

After all, you forsook every opportunity you had to swindle even your own father. So, you know you won't really have the will to do any chicanery during your… temporary regency? Whatever this is called.

Click to shrink...

Oh come on.

Sigh, I regret playing it safe with worse dad so much now.

Besides, you are doing this for Cadance. You wouldn't dream of, say, stealing from the treasury while she is gone, using her own authority, when the only reason you are here is because of how much she trusts you.

Click to shrink...

So stealing from the treasury is a possible expedition if we're not put in charge via Cadance?

Because depending on how our Moth Sacrament works that would be a very useful short expedition.

Velvet, Selene, DoA and Smiles planning a robbery of the authorities.

1 scry ap and 1 free Smiles short expedition and the loot is a mega load of bits.

 

[ses]

Damnit I didn't want bits, I was hoping that we'd get to dip into the royal archives like when we had the option for "[] "What do you mean you want a traditional wedding? Cadance, you are literally writing tradition right now. You are a Princess for-…! Alright, fine, I'll check the Royal Archives." (WRITE IN Lore / ???)", or at least do something something Eclipse, or maybe get a free scouting of BTRC3.


Ah well. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Shaper47]

[] (THRONE) You will try to change things.
-You WILL roll a dice. The DC of this dice, and its thresholds, bonus or Lore usage, will not be explained to you ahead of time.
-This option is the equivalent of "being creative" with your authority, and trying to make certain changes to the system as a whole during your limited time here.
-The thresholds of your success can range from "catastrophic" to "things get much better", and this roll also has a CHANCE to further aid or hinder Cadance in her roll (or to not affect her roll at all).
-This is a risk.

Click to shrink...

I wish we had Mareinette on hoof for this.

Hmm, this could be extreamly useful for befriending Smiles.

 

[ses]

@OurLadyOfWires What about our Secret Histories 3 artifact? Will it be providing its Research Bonus to Jade's roll and/or the Bureau Autopsy roll? And would those happen without being exclusive with bringing it on the expedition? Because if we have to choose I might want to assign the Shartifact to one of our research attempts this turn, idk.

(Also do we get to bring the Moth 3 artifact to the expedition if Jade succeeds her research?)

 

[Blazer66]

wow im only only the very beginning where we first meet the master, and after reading the mission choice its crazy how goddamn evil this cult is lol.