Mareinette has already done the "revel in debaucherous hedonism" bit, she did it to the exhaustion of the Red Cathedral itself. She's a creature of habit as any immortal is of course, so she'll do it again without much convincing, but I believe she could be tempted to try something different if it meant a different outcome.
To be fair you might discover chips after an eternity of only eating chocolate, but it's likely you won't abandon chocolate for chips, you'll just
add them.
In other words I believe Mareinette DOES know and understand the value of love and more "innocent" pleasures. It's not like she doesn't WANT friends, after all.
She just doesn't (presumably) want to give up her 5-o'clock snack for it!
What would be more tempting to one endlessly dying of thirst than a wellspring that might never run dry, a Principle that flourishes and renews the more it is enacted, a Lore that Satisfies?
It's much more likely that she'll try to corrupt Cadance. What's tastier than the hedonism of a former romantic, after all?
You're all just trying to avert your gaze from the final result. Truth was I believed Bird not to be lying when he said this wasn't an important vote, but the truth is now also that we are at the mercy of the moods of Mareinette. Whether that's good or bad, we don't actually know, we can only make educated guesses.
when did he EVER say this vote was NOT important?
If anything he said that the Silky option was the "riskless" one, and the others bring BOTH risks and opportunities.
By numbers alone (they rock +55 with Edge re-roll) they would definitely be a worthy opponent. But I can`t remember if, theologically, they can be worthy oponents.
I would have to think on that. Because Names aren't worthy opponents because you don't "kill" them. But I don't remember if they need to be ponies or not.
So I'm not really sure, now that you mention it.
well, we're not really "killing" a Windigo either.
Unless, I suppose, we managed to kill one
In the Mansus. But that would mean going to the place where the
Wolf Divided resides, and fighting it there.
There's a decent chance we'd be allowed to leave, but... I could see the Windigoes dogpiling us instead. We can't exactly
kite one only!
I'm not sure I udnerstand the question. But I'm also not sure if it is moot anymore? Let me know if you want me to clarify something, but I don't think I know how to respond to this, exactly.
the question was basically if the Windigo could damage everyone with his roll or only the leader. I think someone clarified it to me (that only the leader can get hurt, and gets hurt if they have the lower roll even if everyone else "wins" the clash)
We have both already expounded on our love and ambivalence towards Kingdom Hearts, when it comes to you and I respectively.
So no
You know, I admit I forgot that discussion.
So, about the olde option of having characters follow you and help you out, there were/are two problems with that.
First, that choice was effectively devoured into the new "cover your bases" mechanic.
That's not really the same thing though.
Cover your bases is about basically them freeing our time.
The olde option was about them Assisting us in specific actions to enhance them.
Like, cover your base is servants doing our groceries, "accompany us" is Rarity assisting us in persuading someone.
And the problem of having a character "follow you around to help" is that... to be honest? By this point Velvet is too competent for a regular pony to be able to help her in most scenarios. I mean, back then I could narratively and mechanically justify a Lore 0 Velvet being aided by "random friend X". But nowadays, the scene would be just... Velvet doing what needs to be done while her friend stands on the side? I just don't see it working.
So, I'm not really interested in offering that option nowadays.
And when it comes to Names, their time is also valuable. So I am more comfortable with the current "favor trading" relationship of you asking them to do specific things, and not ask them to follow you around like a mortal friend would be willing to.
ok, that's fair. though I suppose a good enough follower (Grail 3 Rarity for example) COULD assist us in diplomacy stuff, for example... but then again at that point we might be better off having her do it FOR us instead, usually.
Same with Names.
well, let's see the update. I actually skimmed it very quickly before, what I know is basically that we found the place where the Forge was... nearly happy? nearly unhappy? where the Intercalate would have happened or the Sun returned, basically.
I didn't check thoroughly, so I don't know the details.
Also apparently an update about our uncle confessing his crimes and us deciding how we feel about them?
[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]
pretty close.
Also I kinda expected a roll to RESIST the call of the light, rather than "channeling" it.
What was this check even about? Let me see...
You let your thoughts flow without your interference or influence. You let your thoughts flow through you. Because, as Baldomare once told you, knowledge can be light, and a mind can be like glass.
And thanks to that, or perhaps because of that, you are able to lessen the indefatigable grip that Glory has on your mind. That it has on everypony's mind.
If only for a moment.
If only for a fraction of a second.
But that… that might be all that you need.
So this is about... letting the light of glory go
through our mind like light through glass, to not be consumed by a desire for it?
An interesting approach. I kinda expected Winter to resist it instead.
You take a deep, cold breath. One that could have made a corpse rise from its grave, if it had filled their lungs. And perhaps, in a sense, that is what just happened to you. Because perhaps, in a sense, drowning in Glory-lust is no different than dying, or losing your mind, or perhaps some other equivalency to no longer living.
yeah, like that
"Tonight, I find what I need to unlock those chains," you say, although even that vaguest of mention nearly drags your attention back to that light that shines behind you.
I can imagine so many ancient cultists just... wasting their life away in front of the locked gate...
At the very center of the Crater, you can see her previous home. A large and blocky structure, castle-sized and as large as the Ruined Church, that is half-sunk into the cracked Mansus-stone. Like a great nail that was hammered deep into a block of blue marble. Surrounded by the shattered remains of the Mirror Door that it punched through in its flaming descent.
the puny Door God tried to stop her, and she... well, apparently just threw her workshop at it.
Actually
@OurLadyOfWires I'm slightly confused: Couldn't she have used a passage through the Concursum instead? Supposedly there's plenty of paths leading EVERYWHERE in the Mansus through it... or do they all converse at the doors?
Because for some unnamable reason, even though you are at the very top of the Mansus and your mind should be the furthest away from these feelings, you can also feel an echo of love coming from this structure.
Love for her creations... except maybe the ones resulting from the Intercalate.
The entrance, you can tell, is dark. And that by definition makes it feel wrong. Because the Malleary, you know without knowing, was ever ablaze, ever echoing with the sound of hammers, and ever burning with heat. So, to see its very entrance dark and cold and forbidding is… well, it was probably despairing to the adepts of old, who saw it in its full glory. But even to you, it feels wrong, or perhaps sad, or maybe even lonely.
a bit like seeing a
dry Red Church.
It was a clock, but it wasn't.
It was a servant, but it wasn't.
It was a son, but not the one She wished to give Him.
This, you know, is what remains of one of the most beloved creations of the Forge-of-Days. And the day its creator left, it followed her to the door, bade her its last goodbye, and crumbled into pieces as it had completed its purpose.
…
And you think… you think you can put it back together.
I have NO IDEA what this is.
You have completely explored the top of the Mansus. There are no other locations to explore beyond the (broken) Mirror Door.
That means we fully explored the Top of the Mansus and the Blank Plains.
There should be left
2 locations in the Ash Wastes (probably just 2 points of exploration)
1 location in the Broken Stairways (probably the Painted River). (2-3 points to explore, presumably)
the depths of the Red Church.
The Resting Place of the Sun in Rags (winter sacrament required)
The Tower that leads to the moon (SH Sacrament required).
am I forgetting anything?
You have found Her workshop, where She almost knew regret, and where she always knew Joy. The very sight of its walls is enough to inspire creation. You have gained one scrap of Forge Lore.
nice. every little bit helps.
You have discovered the Mansus expedition "Into the Malleary". This expedition will only be available AFTER you have acquired an Outsider. No exploratory forays will be dared before that.
Good to know. So basically it's a follow-up expedition to All In.
You have located the means to extract the blood of an Outsider. You may now commit to the Expedition "All In".
two expeditions in a row, one a Mansus one so we have to do it alone (then again maybe Names could follow us? But would we EVER trust them to?)
You have learned the Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging.
yay!
let me read...
"You will let your hoofs guide you. You will let your love shape it. And you will let fate decide on the rest.
Just as She did before."
?????
Summoning Requirements: FORGE 300, KNOCK 80.
Summoning cost: Zero bits.
Summoning details:
-This ritual does not require a summoning circle.
-An unlimited number of Forge-aligned sacrifices may be made for this Ritual.
-For every TWO bits used in this ritual, you gain an additional "+1" for the Forge roll. An unlimited number of bits may be used for this ritual.
-Failing this ritual will destroy ALL Knock-aligned sacrifices, and HALF of all Forge-aligned sacrifices.
-Upon successful completion of the ritual, you will have built the Name of Forge, and it will be bound to you as a regular summons.
-You cannot predict any information other than this.
300?!
ah, not THAT bad. we can use unlimited sacrifices...
the fun if macabre fact is that 30 ponies would technically work as acceptable sacrifice (+10 forge from each).
Your Forge realization allows you to produce "reagents". Disposable, single-use items that can be used to boost rituals, or in very specific narrative circumstances. They possess the following characteristics:
-Reagents may be safely stored away, indefinitely.
-Reagents may have "mixed" Lores. Mixed and matched to your heart's content.
-The "total level" of your a reagent you wish to craft (the added sum of all its Lores) is capped at your Forge level.
-The individual level of each Lore you wish to infuse a reagent with is capped at each individual Lore level you possess
For example, If your levels were Forge 3, Grail 2 and Edge 2, you would be able to craft a "Grail 2, Edge 1" reagent. But NOT a "Grail 3" reagent (because your Grail level is insufficient), and NOT a "Grail 2, Edge 2" reagent (because your Forge level is insufficient)
Crafting ONE reagent is a free action, THREE reagents costs one action, FIVE reagents costs two actions, etc.
Reagent's cost in bits is: 5 -> 20 -> 45 -> 80, etc.
Higher level reagents may have unforeseen/unknown narrative or mechanical effects.
1 action = 2 reagents.
10 bits for +20
40 bits for +40
90 bits for +60.
We also have the "free" per turn reagent.
6 reagents, 2 actions + 2 "per turn" reagents, 270 bits for a +180...
too expensive I think. Maybe we'll get lucky and find Forge Reagents to help.
Worth pointing out that Reagents, even lvl 3 ones, are "cheaper" per +1 than just using bits directly, though it saves us actions.
Oh my Glob... This ritual is almost insane in how hard it is, good thing we can sacrifice a bunch of things to make it better.
well, we start at +33 with reroll.
If we only used lvl 3 reagents, we'd need... 180 bits for a +270 bonus? That's 2 actions and 2 free "per turn" reagents to get all the forge reagents, basically.
Hmm, not to sure on that.
We can just throw 500 bits and a Knock reagent to summon the Forge Name next turn.
Creating Forge Reagents for the Name summoning doesn't really make sense.
it kinda depends on how many bits we consider an action is worth.
with lvl 3 reagents an action saves us... 30 bits?
admittedly not much. It's likely we could MAKE more than 30 bits with a single Velvet action anyway.
Or, you know, if we need more bits we can do more expeditions and hopefully get stuff from those! the Manehattan expedition could probably help.
So uh, only 450 bits to get the Forge name! Cheap!
We need to do more expeditions, and hope we get either bits, stuff that can be sold for lots of bits, forge reagents or forge artifacts.
my opinion right now is that the forge name should wait and we should instead prioritize the expeditions. rewards from those would likely help a lot.
I'll read the other update... either in a bit or tomorrow, not sure.
