You're in the ancient city of Platina, the core of Unicornia and the rumored birthplace of such legendary mages as Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever. You can see references to them throughout town, it seems everyone here claims to be an ancient descendent from one of them. Notable landmarks are the Golden Palace, the Academia, the Fundaments, the Old Quarter, the Monument to the One Tribe, the Wall and the Old Quarter. The city is mostly still sparkling white but the decline is noticeable where the old craftsmanship has been shoddily patched up with cement and painted white, or worse simple planks. From all place you can see the Golden Palace, it is white with a some sparkling as the sun shines on it.
The party has been given different optional missions, finding the Swirler gang and finding the rest of the Goatclops treasure.
>>633072 You've discovered an endless corridor that turned out to be a bottomless pit with a bottom. You're in a weird landscape next to a big pillar with something shiny on top. You bite yourself into the pillar, but slowly slide down again….
>>633071 You're visiting the tomb of Platina the II. It's curious, because this is what the traitorous Lokrian Griffons did as well, except for the undead part. Griffons traditionally burn on a pyre.
There's beautiful jewelry and gems embedded in the walls.
>>633069 You got lost in the Academia Gardens with Inferni and met some qt seaponies. A yellow, a red, a blue and a green one. "Melvin, he's a donkey who lives in the forest."
>>633064 You're in Holly's snow globe Holding. After finding secret documents belonging to the Advisor in the Fundaments The home has only a few rooms. There's a bed, a few shelves with books. Some boxes. An empty heartfire. "I'm sorry, I didn't clean up…" Large parts of the rooms are either empty or filled with collected gems or vaguely magical junk. It's clear she doesn't have too much money.
>>633068 You're talking to the priest in the Cathedral of Platina about seeing the schools the clergy has set up. "But we're both interested in helping the poor right?"
! Warning ! Ferriro Pico is carrying too much Your Defense decreases by 2, you suffer a –2 penalty with physical skill checks, and you move at only 1/2 Speed (rounded up).
>>633290 "It's been a while since I navigated in a big forest! I remember, the first time I got lost in a forest I almost died and a friendly druid saved my life, many many years ago!"
>>633293 "It's been a long time since any druids have been here. Or anypony really, we haven't seen anypony for a long time. How is the world outside?"
>>633296 >>633295 You manage! You're on a little platform at the top. On the platform lays an emblem of a harnessed pony. Seems like it would fit nicely on your shield, the glistening of it suggests it has some magic as well.
>>633330 "Wow!" Well then. Guess it's time to slide back down with it! Hold onto both the pillar and the emblem, sliding it down as I slide off the tower.
>>633335 "A thing! The only thing on top of the pillar! And I had a look around, there's nothing else here… So this has to be the way out and the reason we are here!" Okay, now try poking it.
>>633351 "That's good, remember it 3D horse! You can't have our 2D mares, you just keep your stinking, unclean 3D mares. Now why are you and that 3Dragon here? Nevermind, I already know why you're here! You're here for the Prize!"
>>633354 "Braziers….mmmmh, yes, I think they're that way!" She points. "But things often change around here so I'm not sure."
>>633380 You light one of the 5 up an the flame turns purple.
>>633379 You feel yourself shrinking until you and Indy are razor thin! You know see the world in 2D, the knight has become just a line, but somehow you know exactly what he looks like if you'd look at him from above. Same with Indy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhscMsBhNhw
>>633388 You light up all the braziers, a tunnel opens up in the middle of the circle of braziers.
>>633391 "You have to quest your way through those pipes and enemies!" He points further up ahead! "Pass all pitfalls, and you shall gain a prize, fail and you shall fall out of here and lose one of your little ponies!"
>>633460 It takes you a few hours, but you manage to click open the hatch. You're free again!
>>633462 You both fly inside! You move through a dark tunnel dodging fire and flames. But then you see it! The knight on his steed, standing upon a bridge over the lava. "HAHAHA, YOU WON'T STEAL MY PRINCESS 3D SCUM!"
>>633493 You walk in and find a 2D pony holding a bunch of metal horseshoes! She winks at you. "You can have your prize, either these horseshoes…or me~"
You're in the ancient city of Platina, the core of Unicornia and the rumored birthplace of such legendary mages as Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever. You can see references to them throughout town, it seems everyone here claims to be an ancient descendent from one of them. Notable landmarks are the Golden Palace, the Academia, the Fundaments, the Old Quarter, the Monument to the One Tribe, the Wall and the Old Quarter. The city is mostly still sparkling white but the decline is noticeable where the old craftsmanship has been shoddily patched up with cement and painted white, or worse simple planks. From all place you can see the Golden Palace, it is white with a some sparkling as the sun shines on it. The party has been given different optional missions, finding the Swirler gang and finding the rest of the Goatclops treasure.
>>633071 You're visiting the tomb of Platina the II. It's curious, because this is what the traitorous Lokrian Griffons did as well (mummyfiying their dead), except for the undead part. Griffons traditionally burn on a pyre.
There's beautiful jewelry and gems embedded in the walls. Do a Notice check.
>>633064 You're in Holly's snow globe Holding. After finding secret documents belonging to the Advisor in the Fundaments The home has only a few rooms. There's a bed, a few shelves with books. Some boxes. An empty heartfire. "I'm sorry, I didn't clean up…" Large parts of the rooms are either empty or filled with collected gems or vaguely magical junk. It's clear she doesn't have too much money.
>>633068 You're talking to the priest in the Cathedral of Platina about seeing the schools the clergy has set up. "But we're both interested in helping the poor right?"
>>633496 Too-di Horseshoes Part of the armor, the horseshoes give the wearer a great boost for climbing. Grants Superior Climber III
>>633490 You just found a pool with green water. Inferni looks at it and shrugs.
>>633540 Poor girl. This organization is AWFUL though. No order at all! "I don't judge. It's a nice place to call home anyway. Am I your first visitor maybe?"
>>633550 They fit snugly, there's hooks on them to make climbing easier. With a successful Climb check, the NPC moves the resulting distance one additional time per grade (e.g. an NPC with superior climber III and a result of 10 ft. moves 40 ft.)
>>633548 She gets a little box out of the cupboard and opens it proudly. There's an old slightly rusted bell in there. It certainly looks like starswirls hat bells.
>>633549 The wall swings around, bringing you to a new dark room.
>>633551 "Now? Uhm….let me call Cracker" He soon comes back with a colt in a choir cloth "He will show you around while I get some work done"
>>633558 Now stab her in the fucking neck with a rusty knife and steal it. Nod slowly as I inspect the bell. "Well, you might just be right about this Holly. I admit I was a little skeptical at first."
>>633559 She clops her hooves together excitedly. "Yaaay, I knew it! I knew it!"
>>633560 "Yes, I was taught it at our school!" He leads you to a big building next to the church! "Here's our school. The bishop had it built to learn ponies like me to read and to write, so we can help the Church when we're older."
>>633562 You feel around until you find the button again and get back out.
>>633561 You search through the whole house but don't find another trace. It seems whoever was here, went through the doors and left. The doors don't work anymore unfortunately.
>>633567 He's an earth pony. You go in. The interior is spartan and there's paintings of the Princess and several priests on the walls. "I'll show you one of the classes." He walks to one of the rooms and nods you to look inside.
>>633578 He scrunches. "Cracker, how do the priests around here treat you?" "Oh, they are very stern! We can't make too many mistakes or we get punished."
>>633576 Last you saw her, she was heading off with Holly into the town. Too bad that after all these years you guys still haven't learned to discuss meeting places.
>>633575 You look like a generic student pone! But will it be enough to fool the Academia? "Wow, is that you Soothing?"
>>633577 You're back at the tomb PS: You're heavily loaded. This lowers your defense and some skill checks.
>>633579 We'll have to see. The teachers are no doubt mentally retarded due to all the inbreeding, but there might be some other ancient defenses in place. "Of course it's me. Say, do students need some sort of pass to enter the academy?"
>>633580 "No, only for certain parts of the Academia. We don't need to go there however. If a professor doesn't recognize you, he might ask what class you're part of."
>>633581 He shakes his head. "No, just going to bed without food, or getting smacked on the flank."
>>633582 You hear she was seen near a chapel, but when you visit it, nopony seems to have seen her.
>>633583 It seems to be some kind of library, but most of the books are destroyed.
>>633585 An elder couple. "You speak Unicornian very well, young stallion. We're here on our daily walk to thank the Princess for doing so much for us…"
>>633590 "No, but we're her subjects." They point to a little statuette of Princess Platina. "Her foremothers saved all of us from dying in that terrible Blizzard when Princess Platinum left us…"
>>633592 You read through them in the light of your torch. The diaries deal with the Unification campaigns of the Unicorn Tribe after Platinum left. It seems like the Princess had a very hard time getting just her government to work together. They were torn between staying or following Platinum, Platina details a few councillors she had executed for disobedience… Continue?
>>633595 You're back at the Academia, it's already evening and the Sun is setting, it will get colder soon, but you've curiously not seen any snow in Platina. Roll a Blend to get easily to the hidden corridor.
>>633596 "Can I touch your mane? It looks so sparkly…"
>>633597 She snorts. "Young stallion, if this is some kind of joke, it is in very bad taste."
>>633598 Her Advisor and her Emissary to the Pegasus Tribe. Things get worse, the Pegasus Tribe decided to break off and follow Commander Hurricane to Equestria. Platina had to promise large parts of land to certain pegasi commanders to convince them to stay and keep the earth ponies in line. She remarks that once the situation is stabilized, they'll have to take care of said commanders as well since the amount of land they would get is too much.
>>633599 This is huge, now wonder they at least tried to hide it! Let's put it in my already burdened bags and keep snooping around. Any doors or the like, maybe stairs or ladders.
>>633605 >>633602 >>633600 You run into a professor. "Hello, miss Starbound. Going to the library again?" he says with a tired voice. "Yes, professor Lemontail, I want to read more about Starswirl the bearded." The professor grins "You know, I'm the great-greatgreatgreatgreatgreatgrandson's nephew of Starswirl. Learn well about his life and one day you might be just as good as me!" "Wow, you think so?!?" Holly seems to act very well. "Yes, and who's your friend?" "This is Soothing, she's a new student here. I'm sorry she can't talk right now, she's had a little accident with a Voice Boom spell."
>>633606 He scrunches. "That would be bad, don't be sad. I wanted to collect some sparkles to give to Aura. Your sparkles are very pretty."
>>633608 You notice a small crawlspace you could climb into, it will be tight.
>>633614 You squeeze in. The tunnel is pretty long. As you wurm your way further the entrance suddenly locks. Aw shit, it's a trap! Roll Athletics to wurm your way out of it before whatever happens
>>633626 You make it to a corridor where Holly whispers a password to a seapony statue. The seapony statue waves her tail aside, revealing a hidden passage.
>>633627 "No, just over the square. I…I can see her sometimes out of the window of my room…"
>>633628 "Hmmph. Are you one of those earth ponies that's been vandalising the chapels? If so, scram before I call the guard!"
>>633631 If only they could speak. There's a soft light in the corridor shining from the walls. Your diguise spell runs out, it was quite a walk from the Fundaments back to here. "It was further in the corridor I found it! Good thing you didn't get caught."
>>633633 Yes, you'd need to hire a room somewhere if you want to drop your gear there. You need at least Common Lodging, see Core p168
"Riiiight. Uhm, Cracker, do you think we can help you in any way?" "C-can you talk to mister Bling and ask him if Aura can play with us? Oh, and do you know a good gift for a filly?"
>>633630 "You should go to the cemetary then, lots of monsters there at night!"
>>633635 "How do you keep finding all these random secret entryways? Are there just so many of them that you constantly stumble across them or is it just a lot of curiosity on your part?"
>>633637 "They're much too busy with other things they say."
>>633636 Done, you get a room at Clover's Inn. According to the innkeeper, the one and only Clover the Clever lived there! She might have slept in your very bed!
Anyway, the only party member you see from the outside is Indy near a chapel. He says Soil's inside arguing with some old people.
>>633638 "I spam Detect Hidden Door everywhere…but it takes a while to get them open sometimes."
>>633639 "I don't have money for that…what about some flowers?" Silver says he'll go talk to the mister Bling while you figure out the gift.
You're in the ancient city of Platina, the core of Unicornia and the rumored birthplace of such legendary mages as Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever. You can see references to them throughout town, it seems everyone here claims to be an ancient descendent from one of them. Notable landmarks are the Golden Palace, the Academia, the Fundaments, the Old Quarter, the Monument to the One Tribe, the Wall and the Old Quarter. The city is mostly still sparkling white but the decline is noticeable where the old craftsmanship has been shoddily patched up with cement and painted white, or worse simple planks. From all place you can see the Golden Palace, it is white with a some sparkling as the sun shines on it.
There are several things left to do here, optionally. Tracking down the Swirler gang and finding the remaining lost treasure. But beware, the world is not standing still, far away events are taking place that might change the whole quest.
The Sun is going down and dark clouds are rolling in. A cold wind is blowing.
Ferriro and Soil You both were in a small chapel, scaring the shit out of an elderly couple while discussing the possibility of finding monsters in the graveyard. >>633651 They run to the other end of the small chapel!
Soothing You have infiltrated the Academia with Holly >>633652 >>633653 You detect a curious magical signature further down the hallway.
Amber You were checking out the Platina school with Silver when you found a colt with love troubles. You agreed to help him get a good gift for Aura while Silver goes to talk with her father. >>633650 He smiles. "Okay, quick!" Go to the park?
>>634073 "Tsk tsk tsk, it's easy to tell you are new at this job!" Draw him close, as if whispering him a secret. "There are always beasts on the loose!"
>>634084 "Fly away. I can take care of myself, but I don't want you turned into stone." Slice off part of my cape, then put it around my eyes as a blindfold.
"There's a hidden room I found with lots of other damaged books. When I tried to look around in a vent if there was more, I triggered a trap like a buffoon. But no one would put a trap like that if there wasn't something important on the other side."
>>634086 "I should practice them…but I can try…" She sticks out her tongue in concentration. '1d20+19' Unlock (DC30) Soothing may roll a Spellcasting check, one with DC25 will give Holly a boost of +2
>>634095 >>634096 "I could try a more… fiery spell, but that could damage the contents."
My prestidigitation isn't so bad, but I don't have proper tools… guess it's time to go buy some. "Can you stay here and look after it? I'll go get some equipment."
>>634097 >>634093 You go and visit the tomb again. For Soil, it's a mausoleum where the body of Princess Platina II is preserved and displayed. Ferriro sees a guard has entered here while you were away and is standing right next to the button!
>>634098 "Uhm…there's another place." says the colt carefully. "But that's in miss Starry's garden. She has lovely flowers, but she won't give them away to anypony! She's a bit mean. Nopony likes her."
>>634100 "What about that jenny? I thought she was a thief…."
>>634101 "… You're right. I don't know where she is though. I'll see if I can find her, otherwise I'll do it myself. I've got a steady hoof too you know."
>>634106 "O-okay!" He takes you to a beautiful white house a bit further decorated with colorful dazzling flowers. The colt hides behind a lamppost and points to the house.
>>634104 >>634107 The guard raises his voice in Old Equestrian "The tomb will be closing for the night soon!"
>>634113 You step out of the corridor undisguised, roll a Blend to beat my Notice '1d20+4'
>>634110 You walk further. You don't feel any statues anymore. Doesn't mean the cockatrice is gone yet though. Cocaktrices are supersneaky.
>>634114 >>634116 The tomb room here is pretty small, it'd be hard to hide without distracting the guard.
>>634115 After a number of knocks, a very ugly old mare opens the door. Her bloodshot eyes stare at you angrily, her face is full of rimples, her nose is skewed, part of her ear is gone and she has the beginning of a beard. Roll a Resolve to not show any reflexive bad reaction to this, if you want.
>>634121 You realize to late you're undisguised, but through some careful walking and sheer guts, you manage to get outside undetected! Superior unicorn indeed. Extra AD for good catch
>>634124 >>634126 The guard laughs, but Indy gets the hint and starts roaring, causing the guard to run outside in a hurry! You're alone! Extra AD for good plan.
>>634125 Yeah, you manage, at least it's still mortal right!
"What's it to you?" she screeches. You see some cats crawling in the corridor.
>>634127 Rub my ears. "Well I noticed you have some very nice flowers in your garden and I was wondering if you'd allow me to pluck some! I'd pay you for it!"
>>634134 Poke at my just-60-kilos-larger-than-average body and then just shrug. >>634135 >>634136 "Wait, how will I know to pull you b-" Turn to the books. "Ooooh!"
>>634143 …well, no need to panic. I'm going to keep my eyes closed under the blindfold though… is it a tiny basilisk or something? "Hey there little guy… I sure hope you are friendly…"
Roll disregarded, when doing a check to purposely look for something it's Search. Notice usually will only be rolled when I ask you to, since this is something subconcious, you see something you weren't actively looking for but is interesting.
>>634146 If the clickety click, you roll a Reflex.
>>634148 You find a pawn show where they'll have some of the stuff you need.
>>634157 "Oh boohoo! Too bad, missy! As long as Snobby doesn't like you, no flowers! And if I see you even looking wrongly at my flowers I'll call the guards!" SLAM DOOR IN YOUR FACE.
>>634176 >>634177 He's alive and not too damaged, you can get up. It could have been a lot worse looking at it, but you might not want to risk it again.
>>634194 "I don't know. But I can't hold her hoof all the time. I'm not risking my ass going in there again without proper backup." Let's return to that safe.
>>634197 It’s used to perform feats of speed and endurance rather than grace and accuracy. This is more accuracy to not press those plates, at which you fail spectacularly I might add. '3d6' Lethal damage, a fast reflex of Pico will make you avoid this dmg, if you keep going, you get another round of this before managing to get out the other way.
>>634198 You might wanna reflex him out! Unless he wants to keep going, which means at least another round of stabbings (depending on how good your acrobat roll) before he gets out.
>>634215 Well, you could have added that as an "other modifier" in your armor, that's what it's for! But my fault I suppose. Noted Anyway, you get another '3d6' lethal damage and manage to crawl out on the other side, in another dark room.
>>634214 It likes you! Maybe you could pick him up.
>>634211 You pass the first challenge! Second challenge!
>>634216 I did, we are on different versions of my sheet, I will reupload it. Suppose that was a little more ticklish. But nothing too bad. Let's look aro- Oh. Dark. I should have torches on me!
Blinded: The character is flat-footed and cannot see anything. He cannot make skill checks that require sight and suffers a –8 penalty with attack checks. Meanwhile, his opponents gain a +2 bonus when attacking him
The chicken sounds are coming closer.
>>634222 He lets himself get picked up. You're now carrying a purring white cat.
>>634220 >>634218 Your second attempt doesn't succeed, you can keep trying for now…
>>634226 You light up your lantern! You might want to buy some lamp oil later. You're in a cold old corridor, You see a stairway further up. And jails on both sides, with some spooky skellingtons in there. Non-animate ones. You hear Ferriro calling you. You might pull him in fast with a rope.
>>634231 Oh well, that works too! I've had my fun. Suddenly you see a convenient lever to neutralize the trap!
>>634230 You pick out a large bar of a white glowing metal that you recognize as Moonstone. It's worth a fortune, but a skilled crafter could turn it into a powerful magical weapon of your choice.
>>634243 You put Snobby down, but she keeps purring at your feet. "Hmmmmmm, it seems Snobby likes you!"
>>634245 >>634246 >>634244 That trick only works if your opponent is a standard character, which the cockatrice is not! You'll have to roll damage for that one hit you get.
>>634247 >>634241 "Thanks, but now we should start looking around. Platina's diary states that she was going to have lots of people killed, this might be them."
>>634253 "There should be Unicorns here, the first ones she purged. And she promised land to some Pegasi that she was going to have executed after things improved."
>>634255 "I think the wiser thing would be to find somepony willing to shape it into something better." Hold out the bar towards her. "You can take it."
>>634257 "You have to say hello to all my other cats!" A storm of 20 kitties run towards you from the house. Roll Fortitude to survive the swarm! Miauw Miauw.
>>634261 "Do you really think I need somepony else to keep things safe for me? No, I just want you to have it. Don't sell it though. Find somepony who can shape it into something useful."
>>634272 >>634273 >>634274 You were exploring the old tomb of the princess Platina II. You found an abandoned dungeon and broke through a wall at the end of it With a good slam the wall breaks open. Ferriro lifts his torch. The whole room is filled with stacks of gold, gems, and bits. Up to the ceiling! There's an elaborate gate on the other side. Seems like it's locked from this side.
>>634271 You got into a fight with a cockatrice while blindfolded You tumble over some branches on the ground, you get back up, but you haven't escaped yet as the Cockatrice bites your butt!
Bite '1d20+12' '1d8'
>>634270 You were exploring the Academia with Holly She carefully puts the Moonstone in her bags. "Soothing, would you mind helping me to…borrow some books from the Academia?"
>>634266 You've pleased a kitten and now have earned the right to pick some flowers! You pick a colorful bouquet of flowers and go back to the colt. "Wow! I've never seen anypony those cats liked…."
>>634955 "Now what a convenient thing, just all this gold here for the taking totally not guarded behind a huge magical lock in the heart of the Princess' castle!"
>>634960 I wish I had Uncanny Dodge II now Okay, that's it. I had enough. Cut off the blindfold, turn around, and stab the cockatrice. Twice. '1d20+5' '1d20+5' Damage if possible '1d8' '1d8'
Roll #1 1 + 5 = 6 / Roll #2 11 + 5 = 16 / Roll #3 8 = 8 / Roll #4 7 = 7
>>634964 ERROR ACTIVATED You rip off the blindflod but before you can strike the cockatrice bites '1d8' deep gashes in your flesh. You strike and push him back. Then the cockatrice stares at you with its chicken eyes. Roll a Fortitude Save DC15
>>634963 "I'm glad you got the flowers!" He hugs your leg
>>634962 "Three. The Maleficum Arcanex And the Commentaries on the Codex Rideris Volume I and II."
>>634967 No, you've never heard of these books before.
>>634968 Roll a 1d20+3 for how well Silver did in talking to the baker. As you may remember, the colt indicated that the baker and Bishop didn't see eye to eye, so the baker doesn't let his daughter play with any of the priest colts.
>>634971 The Rage is stronk in this one. Just wait till you get some Rage Basics.
You slam and hack into the cockatrice causing some major damage.
Inferni returns. I won't get a special map just for this. Just say what you both want to do after the next Bite! '1d20+10' '1d8'
>>634972 "The Maleficum Arcanex could make me better understand the School of Necromancy spells, so I know how to counter necromancers. The Commentaries are a three-part series of commentary on a book of the Laughing Library! It's made by Grumpy Bradle, a donkey mage who read the book once. It's supposed to be a very intricate book on the nature of the universe!"
>>634973 As you walk the colt asks. "Ummm, Lady Amber…what do I say to Aura?"
>>634987 You arrive back near the bakery. You see Silver waving at you. "Well, I talked to the baker. He's a very nice stallion and after some talk, he's agreed that Aura should be allowed to play with the foals of the school if she wants to!"
You see a purple filly talking to her father inside.
>>634988 "Yeah, they might misinterpret what's in there."
>>634989 "There's one more pony I'd like to talk to first as well…" Go find Iris. I know she's in the academy and she's probably nerding out in the library. Disguise self.
>>634990 Near you are large stacks of gold bars, marked with the coat of arms of Horsehollern family. You'd need multiple ponies to move all of that. There's numerous chests that are closed, but a few are open, they're filled to the brim with bits and gems. There's also a few armoirs locked but showing magical weapons and armor.
>>634991 You give him a slight push and Silver gives him a hoofs up. He slowly walks inside with the flowers outstretched in his hoof. When he's inside, Silver continues "There's one other thing though. I didn't want to discuss it while the colt was here. The baker says the Bishop has been harrassing him."
>>634997 "It seems the baker's been giving out food to the needy of the town. The Bishop has a charity program as well and wants the baker to distribute the food through the Church rather than independently. The baker doesn't want that so the church has been bickering about it."
>>634996 Surprisingly, you don't find her in the Library.
>>634995 >>634994 You jump into the air and amange to smash a terrifying gash into the cockatrice. Rolling to not be blinded '1d20'
>>635000 >>634998 Good! Inferni needs to move up next to the cockatrice to flank it, so I can double stealth attack it. '1d20+11' (+5 basic, +4 from sneak attack flank bonus and +2 from the cockatrice being blind) '1d20+11' '1d8' '1d8'
Roll #1 6 + 11 = 17 / Roll #2 1 + 11 = 12 / Roll #3 8 = 8 / Roll #4 6 = 6
>>635002 You find her in one of the classrooms. Trying to do a very basic Dancing Lights spell under guidance of one of the tutors.
>>635003 "He doesn't believe in the Church's teachings!"
>>635004 Error Activated You strike the blinded cockatrice easily, but before you can strike again you're hit by the cockatrice who's wildly stomping around for 1d4 Vitality
You start hammering into the cockatrice with all your might, slamming it into submission. T-the c-cockatrice tries to fight b-back…. '1d20+2' '1d8'
>>635009 "Sure" "Sir, there's some animal from the Gardens in the hallways again!" The tutor follows Holly. You're alone. Iris doesn't pay much attention to you. Focusing hard on her barely working Dancing Lights spell.
>>635015 At this rate I'm going to just go for the eyes on that thing. '1d20+11' '1d20+11' Dam '1d8+3' '1d8+3' now with actually using my sword properly in terms of damage!
Roll #1 15 + 11 = 26 / Roll #2 7 + 11 = 18 / Roll #3 8 + 3 = 11 / Roll #4 1 + 3 = 4
>>635020 She looks at you curiously. "Soothing? You look really different…"
>>635021 You fly with your hooves! You find the Bishop at the altar preparing for the sermon of tonight. "Ah Lady Amber, I expected you earlier, what do you think?"
>>635022 Another flurry of hits! Bite '1d20+2' '1d8'
>>635025 You're on fire, ramming the cockatrice again and again. Not giving him a chance to recover!
Your ruthless attack, gets the better of the cockatrice and he collapses unconcious. You could finish him off with a coup de grace?
>>635026 "No, I've been here. I heard there was a beginners course on magic!"
>>635028 "Ah, you've been talking to him. Lady Amber, mister Loaf is a heretic, believing in all kinds of Elemental nonsense. We have been very tolerant towards him and his beliefs. But we've seen that he tries to spread those beliefs amongst the poor and downtrodden of our fair town under the guise of giving food. We don't want that to happen."
>>635029 I remember when I was a pacifist and considered all life sacred. Cut the head clean off, coup de grace. It has turned too many ponies, donkies and zebras into stone already to be spared.
>>635030 She rubs her chin. "Hmmmm, they do ring a bell… I think Grumpy Bradle was a donkey priest who turned into a mage after a brush in with the Harlequins. He said they let him read a book from the Laughing Library and he wrote books as a commentary about it. I'm not sure what the Maleficum is, but it sounds bad."
>>635031 You killed the Cockatrice and receive 740 XP.
>>635032 "Have you never heard of the various Elementals that spread trouble throughout the world? Now, there are plenty of peaceful Elementalists throughout the Unicornia. The Church must accept this. But we cannot have these teachings spread throughout the poor. What if they attempt to contact these Lords? What if they gain unholy powers and start burning their way through town. The Church has a duty to protect its flock does it not?"
>>635033 How bad are my wounds? I'm not bleeding too much, am I? Glance at Inferni. "I need a fire. Burn this cockatrice, and ask one of the lords for a way out…"
>>635036 Focus to the fire. Free Hint. "If any of the Lords of Fires hears me, I need a way out of an enchanted forest, and quick. Any help would be appreciated."
>>635038 "We have not been arresting him, have we? If he wants to help the poor in town, he is more than welcome to do so with our help. But we don't want him to spread Elementalism to those ponies for the greater good. Some of those Elementals are good, some of them are bad. If one of those poor ponies gets into contact with an evil Elemental, will mister Loaf be there to help them? Even if the Church can help that pony, will she ever be the same? Prevention is better than treatment."
>>635037 "I haven't seen her at all. She's been running off a lot lately. I'm worried about her."
>>635039 Pyrrus advises you to always keep following the Southern star, which is up now in the sky. This will still require a tracking roll (since it's sometimes hard to see this star through the trees), but with a lower DC than usual
>>635050 What would you like to know? I can give you some passages that might give you new insight on the appropriate stance in this situation. "What kind of compromise are you suggesting, Lady Amber?"
>>635046 >>635049 You both find each other on the Academia grounds. The Jenny is a mess of cuts with dried blood.
>>635048 Some parts, the gold bars are very dusty. The chests with bits are not.
>>635053 Guess, ooc, I can exclude the idea of this belonging to the queen. She'd not let any of it get dusty. Go near the weapon cabinets, and look inside.
>>635054 You open the closet. The first thing you see is a large halberd made out of some green metal. It's razor sharp. The next is a set of axes, they shock you when you touch em.
>>635058 "…Very well. I need to prepare for my sermon now. Will you be staying for the ceremony?"
>>635067 Wave a hoof off, as if trying to put it out. How very interesting. "This stuff looks sharp!" Bet you I can probably even carry it all, with how stronk I am!
>>635068 You probably could. Not all the gold though. Check the next closet?
>>635069 "There's a doctor in the small building on the campus!"
>>635070 Skip to the ceremony? Do you want to play out the ceremony or just say you watched it and get a general impression before moving on?
>>635071 There's a variety of seals on the gold bars. Some carry the sign of House Horsenhollern, the family of the Princess, others carry Griffon Jarls seals, Trotantine seals and even a few Prench ones. The bits and gems are unmarked except for numbers on the bags. Might be more detailed if there was a ledger.
>>635073 "Just over there, behind the main building!"
>>635074 A few sets of extremely refined clothing with gems and gold, and a set of old unicornian armor engraved with gems and spells to boost spellcasting.
>>635075 "Good enough. And she's close. Mabel doesn't look she's gets to be picky."
>>635076 There's a large gate, the lock opens from here.
>>635083 Flap my ears down. "Yeah, borrow… Holly already asked me about stealing books from the restricted areas of the library. I'm not sure that's a very good idea."
>>635084 "Actually, it's a great idea. The books in question shouldn't even be restricted, but the faculty of the academy is riddled with ignorant idiots."
>>635086 "Two of them are opinion books on another book related to the Laughing one. I'm sure you've heard of him? The last one covers advanced necromancy."
>>635078 You and Silver take a seat in the back while the Church fills up. Seems like most of the town comes here! The Church is filled to the brim. The Bishop starts by praising the Princess and the glorious Unicornia. But also stresses the importance of corporation between the Tribes, charity and duty towards the family.
>>635082 >>635083 Going for a short visit that will immediately heal 2d6 damage? costing 10s Or going for an extended visit which would cost 20s, require jenny being here for 2 days to be fully healed.
>>635090 >>635093 You grab all the weapons slapping them in your back. You can carry it mostly.
>>635091 You'd be out of circulation for two in-game days. Ready? I might recommend a small patch up, then once downtime starts get the rest healed up.
>>635098 Eeeeeeeh. I'm still yiffy on the stealing. I mean, these ponies here treat earthies like shit, but is being the stereotype they think us to be the right way to go?
>>635100 "Don't you trust me? Look, I promise that if there's something too sinister in those books, I'll find a proper place to secure them. I mean when I say these people aren't competent. They're so engrossed in trying to relive the glory of their past, they can't see the situation for what it truly is. They're deluded."
>>635102 "Fine, but it better not turn nasty!" Lean closer and whisper. "I can trust you, since we've been travelling together for a while, but not with Holly."
>>635099 They are not mentioned at all! Suddenly the Bishop mentions you and asks if you would like to say a few words as well! All ponies look to you!
>>635103 "I… I'm trying to think back and this is the very first time I ever stole something. I mean, we looted, sure, but those were dead, or bad thus dead guys!"
>>635124 Let out a big sigh. "Blinded cockatrices hold a lot of risk as well… it couldn't even see, but it was almost as deadly as it was when it could!"
You're both outside the hospital. Mabel has some bandages but is doing somewhat fine. She might want to stay out of combat for a day or two however. It's dark and cold outside. No snow however.
You're back at the place. The fire has stopped by now and there's not much but ashes and smoking dust left.
>>635690 You're a very sneaky jenny and pass up to the public library unhindered. It's night and there's nopony here except a librerarian and a few servant constructs. The stacks of books reach far into the air
I would like to explore these tunnels further. The vault is a lost cause. It might be a waste of time, but you never know. Can I investigate? '1d20+11' And reveal Secret doors too? '1d20+16'
>>635698 >Any windows or openings high up I can climb to? You can try to find another entrance by taking a 10, but the risk of discovery will grow because it will take time to find another entrance.
>>635699 You walk into the Fundaments passage. Most of it is filled with steam coming from pipes in the walls.
>>635710 >>635707 The librarian comes to check on the book without seeing you. The two statues of unicorn guards don't move however. Probably because they're stone statues.
>>635708 >>635709 You notice a crawlspace cleverly hidden behind some fake tubes.
>>635712 It's open. It was just quite hard to see and definitely hidden on purpose, those tubes here serve no purpose for the machines. Holly looks. "Wow! Let's follow it!"
>>635713 The door is locked. You hear voices in your head, coming from the statues. "Who are you to seek to enter the forbidden lubrary?"
>>635714 I knew something was up! I'm just checking out some books for private use! To prevent them from being used by bad ponies! Can I pick the lock?
>>635720 You crawl into a room. It must have been some kind of maintenance room at one point, but now somepony or ponies have made it their home. There's a few old couches and games. There's also bottles beer and chocolate milk in the corner. And numerous colorful etchings on the wall depicting disturbing scenes of ponies deformed (think picasso style)
>>635727 "Okay, there's definitely a strong Discordian presence here. This may be one of their hideouts then." Any places where we could hide for a while?
>>635736 You were having a mental conversation with two unicorn guard statues about getting into the forbidden section of the library.
The statues seem to glow. Roll Resolve to resist becoming Fixated. Your Iron mind bonus applies to this check
>>635735 You have hidden yourself away in this weird place. Soon three ponies pop into the room with a flash. A red, green and blue one. All of them wearing caps and having moustaches. Two of them kick back on the couch. "Domp, get us some chocolate milk would ya?" "Why me? I always fetch it."
Soil/Ferriro You guys were robbing (?) a treasury. >>635110 >>635111
Amber You were in a mass dedicated to the Princess of Unicornia. It is over now and late at night. You still have to decide what to do about the Bishop and mister Loaf. Silver yawns. "It's getting late…"
>>635855 "You're so good at it! Better than at fetching mares at least." *Cue laughter* Domp grumbles and gets a few bottles of chocolate milk. "What if I fetched a few mares right now?" "I'd eat my hoofshoe."
>>635857 >>635858 So you guys are leaving everything in place and simply leaving back to the Tomb?
>>635874 "I could make a lock, but getting through one is out of my abilities right now. I don't think we have a choice. Let's get out and we'll try something later, maybe make it look like it failed on its own."
>>635870 Dump and Damp stand up. "OH WOW it's really mares!" "Come on Dump, don't drop your spaghetti all over the place, Swirler was a mare too!" "Yes, but she was one of the gang too! It's different!" Holly reveals herself too, trying to look intimidating!
Domp shakes his head. "Friend of a friend? I remember you, you're part of the group that killed poor George!"
>>635876 There's a secret passage leading to Treasury!
>>635897 >>635899 "The Graveyard? It's across town, near the Southern Gate."
You notice Indy further ahead, near the Monument to the One Tribe. Seems like he's sleeping. There's also a paper attached to him.
>>635898 Dump bonks the back of his head and Holly shrieks as one of his eyes pop out. He holds it in front of you. "Your eyes look pretty good to me!"
Damp taps the couch. "Come sit down, have a drink with us! You're in our place, it's only polite."
>>635905 Frown. I will appeal this, he's not an animal, since he's intelligent. Soil vs the State of Unicornia. "Hope you got some decent rest, because we got work to do now!"
>>635914 >>635915 You fly over to the Graveyard and land inside. It's a nice graveyard if there is such a thing. Large magical fireflies light the place during the night. There's numbers of graves, but you don't see any monsters. You do notice the graveyard gate has been locked and barred however. There's also a small house in the middle where light is burning.
>>635916 You're now out of Sake! The gang each takes a sip. "It's not bad! I could get used to this…"
>>635933 >>635931 "They're big enough to fit a pony in their mouth or maw, whatever it's called. They come out around this time at night. But I'm not sure when exactly." He looks around. "The Advisor hired me to put a bullet in all their heads…or what passes for heads until the Academia can figure out why they're coming out."
>>635936 "They're pretty loud usually. Once they come out, I come out and BLAM them for a few minutes, then they go again, money made, and I can keep reading my Daring Do."
>>635937 "Oh, tons, might be millions, but they all come out for a short time and leave again. They're trying to slither out of the graveyard. To cause some kind of worm apocalypse I guess."
>>635938 "OOOOh you read Daring Do too!? Did you check out Daring Do and the Cursed Grocery List?" Jump off Indy, excited. "I got lost in a supermarket a whole week trying to find the twelve haunted cookies!"
>>635944 "Me, I believe in the indoctrination theory! Somepony totally got into her mind!" Shake my head around a bit. "So, on to business! Where are these things?"
>>635945 "Eh, maybe they're skipping a night? I dunno. Say…since it's so quiet now, how about you guys take over for me for a few minutes while I go get some beer?"
>>635961 "Hey, don't change the subject, what do you mean?"
>>635960 "You can come in if you want, the dragon stays outside though."
>>635959 "George was a sweet sensitive soul. He had no ill will towards anypony. I guess this world was just too cruel for him…" He takes off his hat in respect.
>>635962 "I'm sorry, but it sure didn't seem that way." Look back at Holly. "Now! I'm losing track of time I think. Your teachers will start to wonder where you are soon enough."
>>635966 "Well alright, I'm gonna wait outside too then!" >>635965 >>635966 "That's a lot of worms. And they just keep on coming? Sounds like you got an infestation. Tried finding the queen?"
>>635974 You run in…but the door is locked as we discussed earlier. Two magicians appear from behind the bookshelves. They say something in a language you don't understand. Spells at the ready.
>>635975 One teleports in front of the hole. "Hey wait! We barely got to know each other. You're not trying to avoid us are you?"
>>635979 "That sounds like a good idea. They both want to help the poor. But how do we make them agree on the religion? Should the baker be allowed to talk about the Elementals?
>>635980 >>635968 Auto-complete since this was a bad idea and I don't want to waste you guys time. "Wooh, good thing I waited to get a beer."
>>635973 >>635981 "Sure thing, the fire breathing dragon had nothing to do with us mowing them down in cutscene-power." Clean my hooves and pick my shield back up.
>>635981 "Religion shouldn't be important when it comes to charity! A neutral organization should be founded for charity purposes, loose from any theological convictions!"
>>635990 "… Then surely it wouldn't be in my best interests to leave you be? Relax, don't be so twitchy. I have no quarrel with you, so let's keep it that way."
>>635991 >>635993 "I'm just the temporary gravekeeper, until this whole wurm business is over. The academia is working on it, something with the Moon and the Sun, I don't get it. I get to BLAM, so I'm fine."
>>635994 He shrugs. "Eeeh, fine, Dimp has a new hideout anyway." He lets you through. The others shake their heads. "Swirler wouldn't have let them go!" "Swirler's gone guys. We should get some new rules for fun."
>>635995 >>635996 I probably give this a rest for now, they are alert at the moment anyway. Sneak away. I'll try coming back tomorrow, maybe through a window or something.
>>636001 No surprise. "Sorry Holly, that entire venture was pretty useless in the end. They'll no doubt move shop now and I don't thing it's worth the trouble engaging them with just the two of us."
>>636007 You bring both of them together in a bar that's up late. They both greet each other coldy.
>>636008 It's 10s/day for bandages, so it would be the same as an inn with lunch and breakfast. But that's per day so you can only come out next evening next day if you want the benefit.
>>636009 "That's not the only thing. They all start clopping when they see flags. No joke."
>>636016 "We remove the religious aspect of charity, but keep the giving to the poor part! A clean and neutral organization which you can both put donations into!"
>>636019 They both seem appalled at the idea. "That's your plan? Through our religion we can help these ponies save their souls!" "Pfft typical Church mumbo jumbo!"
>>636017 "I didn't know her personally. She just showed up every once in a while masked and was notorious for causing trouble. Those guys used to be her gang, but they didn't have powers. I wonder what happened to Swirler…"
>>636026 "Nopony knows. We don't know who she is! She was masked and never got captured."
>>636027 You book the Royal Hotel with golden baths, a huge suite with bowling and all the food and drinks you could want. You also get one community service for free as part of the package.
>>636021 "Only helping ponies who conform to your religion is religious blackmail! I've helped out elementalists before, but also Celestials, lunites, followers of mother nature and so on!"
>>636031 "By still giving them the option to learn more about it outside of doing charity! It's okay to try and convert ponies to your side, but not at the expense of food and other basic necessities!"
>>636041 The only thing you know about them is that there's a lord for each of the cardinal directions. You're not sure about the differences between them. Air elementals are said to be shy, avoiding direct pony contact. They work through their agents instead.
>>636043 "I didn't know the Vizier had a daughter though…but if it is Swirler he might have a reason to hide it, he was the biggest opponent of Swirler."
>>636047 "Hmmm, the Elementals are an important part of my life, everything I do is a bit related to them, even baking. It's hard to be neutral. I'm sure you yourself are helping us for your Godess."
>>636048 "I have done my duty to the princess already! Whether I'm a paladin or not doesn't matter when it comes to this situation. I would be willing to cast aside my armor and hammer while I'm doing this, because I have my own morals as well!"
It's another grey day. It's been looking like it's going to snow for 2 days now, but not a single snow flake has fallen so far.
Soil, Iris and Indy have stayed at the Royal Hotel being pampered by the servants
The others meet at Starswirls Rest, an inn claiming to have been the home of Starswirl the Bearded long ago. You meet in the dinner hall for your breakfast of bread with cabbage butter. Except for Mabel, who you've heard is in the hospital.
Will you stay or will you leave? Lokrivund or the lost Crystal ponies beckon and many dark things might be furthering their plans unopposed while you stay here. Maybe it's time to discuss what you guys want to do next, here or somewhere else.
>>636062 >>636061 "We should head to the hospital to get Mabel's take on this as well. She's been all over town, and I want to get everyone's input. I can stop off and give Soil and Iris directions."
>>636063 "Holly and I have been tailing some Discordians since yesterday evening. It may be wise to deal with them before we leave, because they can only cause me trouble if I want to do business here."
>>636065 "Do you mind if I hold onto that? I'd like to know more about her family since I'll be doing business with her. That treasure you mention, does it belong to the princess then?"
"That's the thing. We didn't really check. There was a lever to open the door, but we didn't open it. But, what was inside was stuff belonging to a lot of Gryphon houses, plenty of Jarl stuff, and a lot more I'm sure someponies would like to get their hooves on. I don't think it was the royal vault, though. As trapped as it was, it wasn't exactly well located, you know?"
>>636068 "None. Soil, uhm, walked in, his own way, and no one came after us. We set off traps and even smashed a wall, but nothing. So I'm fairly certain it isn't an official one."
>>636069 "Sorry, I keep getting a little too casual with you all. Treasures for me would be weapons, lots of high quality ones. Some that I don't think I could ever approach in quality."
>>636072 "There was stuff from House Horsenhollern, the family of the Princess, others carried Griffon Jarls seals on them, and a few faraway goods with Trotantine seals and even a few Prench ones. And get this, lots of gold bars and unmarked bits."
>>636073 "Sorry, but could it get anymore suspicious than that? How much dust was there? Did you check for hoofprints? Was there dust on the items lying around?"
>>636081 "It seems this town gets crazier every time you peel it back, doesn't it?"
>>636082 "Can't say I wasn't tempted, those weapons were really good, but nothing from that vault left with us except for those book that were already partially destroyed, and it was in a hidden library behind the Grave of Platina. "
>>636083 >>636081 "Whatever the case may be, I need to speak to Mabel first. Holly should be at the palace gates already if you want to get briefed on what we did yesterday."
>>636101 "Yeah, there's three of them, or four but we didn't see the last one. Dump, Domp and Damp. They had a hideout in the Fundaments, but they said they had a better hideout when we left…"
>>636102 "Don't we have some leads or something? Discordians are very tricky to just track down! There's one we've been chasing for ages now and we still don't know where he is!"
>>636105 "Hmmm, there's one lead. Two maybe. I think the Discordians might be hiding in the Gardens. That's where we first met them. I think we should go back there. With a compass this time."
>>636109 "The Vizier knows something about Swirler, but I doubt he knows their hideout. Soothing was going to talk to the Vizier after she talked to Mabel…"
>>636111 You're relaxing in the hotel. Pico has told you the gang is going to try and find some Discordians. You also still haven't used your free community service.
>>636114 She perks her ears. "Uuuuhm, there's probably a few from the banks in town, but I've never seen one. Why?"
>>636113 Announcement Spreads news to the local population in 1 day 5 Primitive 3s Bath +1 to user’s Appearance (current scene) 10 Ancient 5s Carousing, 1 night Heals all stress damage; 7 Primitive 25s Stress Resistance 4 (current scene) Consort Heals 1/2 stress damage (rounded down); 5 Primitive 10s Stress Resistance 2 (current scene) Delivery, neighboring Within 50 miles (1 day of travel) 5 Primitive 5s Delivery, regional Within 500 miles (1 day per 50 miles of travel) 7 Primitive 25s Delivery, remote Over 500 miles (1 day per 50 miles of travel) 10 Ancient 50s Fortune Gain 1 free hint 10 Primitive 2s Grooming +1 to user’s Appearance (current scene) 7 Primitive 3s Healer visit, short Benefit from successful Mend check 7 Primitive 10s Healer visit, extended * Benefit from successful Treatment check 10 Ancient 10s/day Item, commissioned Craftsman builds 1 item 12 Primitive 2 × item Item, repair Craftsman repairs 1 item 10 Primitive 1/2 item Laundry +1 to user’s Appearance (current scene) 5 Primitive 3s Legal advocate, common +2 morale bonus with skill checks in a trial 10 Ancient 25s Legal advocate, respected +5 morale bonus with skill checks in a trial 15 Ancient 100s Library access Assists Research 15 Ancient 5s/day Scribe Prepares document 10 Ancient 2s/page
>>636116 >>636115 I'll go over what we talked about. A hidden treasury without guards located behind a hidden library. Also inform her that like good people we are, we did not loot the place clean.
>>636117 The hotel calls up a lawyer for you. 30 minutes later you get a knock on the door. You're alone, Iris is getting her hair done and Indy is downstairs getting some prime diamond.
>>636123 "I wouldn't trust my money with those ponies."
>>636124 He carefully studies it. "This animal was parked near the Monument? Before or after dark? Was it awake or sleeping when the fine was given? Can your animal fly or swim?"
>>636129 >>636132 "I'm sure they aren't doing anything too bad with our money. Anyway, we should head off to get that compass if you think the Observatory is a good place to look."
>>636133 "You usually get a slip, don't you? Some kind of proof or contract, right?"
>>636137 "Wait, you don't even want to talk with him?" Grab him around the neck in a friendly hug, walking along with him. "We totally should! I haven't even had breakfast yet!" Down we go!
>>636142 After a lengthy converation, the lawyer assures you that because of Indy's intelligence, he doesn't qualify as an animal and the fine was given in error. He'll push this angle at the barracks.
Later he will inform you that the ticket has been withdrawn.
>>636164 "What about silver, you don't like him either!?" I'm starting to get really worked up! "A lot of crystal ponies have names like ours, it's not fair to judge us like that!"
>>636165 >>636166 >>636169 You see a huge worker bee flying up ahead. She's inspecting the flowers.
>>636169 "Why are you getting so upset? You don't have anything to hide do you? I heard crystal ponies live in giant houses made of priceless crystals!"
That's true, but regular crystal ponies don't use the expensive crystals for homes for obvious reasons.
>>636171 "I ran into them after finding one of their hideouts. We had a chat, didn't really get much out of it but it did allow me to get away from them. They seemed pretty powerful, so I didn't want to tussle with them on my own."
>>636177 "I'm trying to hunt down their leader, a mare by the name of Swirler. Or well, she was their leader. I strongly suspect she made some sort of deal with Discord in exchange for power. Very risky business. I'm sure she's regretting it already if she's not dead by now."
>>636209 You make your way through the bureaucracy and meet the Vizier again in his office. "Yes, miss Soothing, are you here perhaps to report finding the treasure of the Goat?"
>>636235 "Not much, but that can come later. First I want to hear exactly what you know about this whole thing with Swirler. I want to know everything, so don't you dare lie to me."
>>636240 "I found some interesting documents which could be very problematic for you if exposed.
And believe it or not, I want to know more about her so that we can actually track her and her gang down. They're dangerous and need to be pacified. Or helped, depending on your perspective. Discord is dangerous, in case you hadn't realized."