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

[Wise Wolf]

[X] (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.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

For the "Throne" option, there is a world where you roll well enough that I offer choices of how you want things to turn better.

Just, uh, don't forget that's not guaranteed. So i'd rather not discuss the eggs before we even buy the chicken.

 

[Shaper47]

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

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Our detectives really should be put on follow up so the Bureau can actually deal with the Changelings but after that it might be a good idea to help out.

We could even get our hooves dirty and liberate some books and bits.

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

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

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I see a lot of empty space here that's missing Caddy's good trusted friend Mareinette.

-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).

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Seems good to me.

 

[spiderhellian]

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.

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Enjoy! There is a lot ahead…

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

[X] (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.

I mean, come on, it's Velvet. Meddling because she thinks she knows best is just what she does, man.

 

[Wise Wolf]

Seems good to me.

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Do we really think there's likely to be anything on that expedition that Mareienette couldn't solo?

 

[Anjaxis]

[X] (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.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

Velvet is amazing at managing things.

 

[Shaper47]

[X] (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.

[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything

[X] (SMILES) Accompanying team: Mareinette, DoA
-[X] (SMILES) Delay this expedition

For the "Throne" option, there is a world where you roll well enough that I offer choices of how you want things to turn better.

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Sigh, I just hopes it's not something like starting some fires to add plus ten points to the befriending Smiles project and helping some plebs that offers nothing to our goals.

Do we really think there's likely to be anything on that expedition that Mareienette couldn't solo?

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Not especially no but I'm not really seeing a reason not to wait so we can load them up with all the artifacts.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

@OurLadyOfWires , does the threadmarking of Wolf Songs mean that that writing is canon?

 

[ses]

[X] (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.

[X] Plan: All and Two
-[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything
-[X] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: None
-[X] (SMILES) Accompanying team: Mareinette and Selene

 

[Sveta08]

Yes. This sounds right.

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Thank you kindly.

... Twice now I have laid hand upon the story. Both times telling the known story from another's eyes. It is greatest complement and grandest horror.

I am glad it was music. Even the sounds we didn't want to hear.
Now then! Uh.... what hurdle is next? Goodness...

 

[Potdl]

[X] (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.

 

[Random Anon]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

I believe.

 

[DelightedOne]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

 

[dcoconeo]

[X] (THRONE) You will be careful.

Why in Harmony would we want to gamble more when we aren't even doing this with our whole effort and being there throughout?

 

[des-pair-2]

If we didn't go to the Expedition, I would advocate for changing things. But half the month we won't even be in Canterlot. We are already spread thin, let's just play it safe this time and not risk it.

[X] (THRONE) You will be careful.

I would like to delay the Smiles' Expedition. With the 5 APs we dedicated to calming Celestia, the risk of interruption happening should be minimal. We are trying to squeeze the most value out of all Expeditions, after all.

As for the quarry, is there a reason not to take all studied artifacts?

[X]Plan: Take Everything in One, Then the Other.
-[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything
-[X] (SMILES) Delay this expedition.

Edit: Forgot it has to be like a Plan.

 

[Diamondfiend]

[X] (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.

[X] Plan: All and One
-[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything
-[X] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: None
-[X] (SMILES) Accompanying team: Mareinette

 

[Greymere]

[X] (THRONE) You will be careful.

Let's not add a new variable to an already precarious situation.

[X] Plan: All and One
-[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything
-[X] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: None
-[X] (SMILES) Accompanying team: Mareinette

No reason to go overboard on the Smiles team. This is a short, easy expedition, after all.

(also, remember guys, the expedition votes need to be part of a plan, not just free floating!)

 

[Wise Wolf]

No reason to go overboard on the Smiles team. This is a short, easy expedition, after all.

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Might as well send Selene too? Knock is a pretty common expedition Lore after all.

 

[Greymere]

Might as well send Selene too? Knock is a pretty common expedition Lore after all.

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It's a short, easy expedition that is happening mainly because we have to do something with Smiles's free action. I don't think Smiles, Selene and Mareinette will be at all necessary, and mostly would just be spending bits to spend bits.

 

[Steady Gaze]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

I feel a similar feeling as the Twilight-swap vote. We're already in a sort of bad ending, so we ought to seek situations with greater "variance". Hoping that the princesses can fix things isn't certain either. In other words,

LET'S GO GAMBLING
LET'S GO GAMBLING
LET'S GO GAMBLING
LET'S GO GAMBLING

@OurLadyOfWires:

Spoiler: Suggested typo fixes

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

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Thank you; this machine is powered by appreciation and side quest acceptance.

The pegasus mare, you finally realize she is a pegasus, is surprisingly young.

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The middle part is actually an independent clause. Only linking a fragment with commas is for dependent clauses only (info), so this would be considered a "comma splice".

The pegasus mare, who you finally realize is a pegasus, is surprisingly young.

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The mare, who you finally realize is a pegasus, is surprisingly young.

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The mare is surprisingly young, and you finally realize she is a pegasus.

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So, you know you won't really have the will to do any chicanery during your… temporary regency? Whatever this is called.

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This is still grammatically correct, but all regencies are temporary by definition. So this sentence is unintentionally tautological. It would be more proper to simply say:

So, you know you won't really have the will to do any chicanery during your… regency? Whatever this is called.

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[spiderhellian]

This scene felt like something of a call back to that first Luna Search, where amidst hubbub and the princesses having abdicated their role, Velvet comes in and takes over.

It's a nice bookending — the start of her rise, and here's where it's wound up, potentially at the end.

Let's roll the dice. Worst comes to worst, well, All In is looming anyways.

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things

Expedition-wise, everything on Yuxtabei and then Smiles/Selene/Mareinette feels like overkill city but that's okay. Cheap for the value.

 

[Greymere]

Let's roll the dice. Worst comes to worst, well, All In is looming anyways.

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I'd rather not leave Equestria crashing and burning in our wake (more than we already have, anyway), all the same

 

[des-pair-2]

The only two arguments I heard for changing things are: we got 10+ to managing things, and "we are leaving soon, so might as well risk it all."

I'd like to remind people that half the month we won't be there to manage Equestria. Cadance only asked us to hold down the fort, we don't need to do more. We already have multiple spinning plates we can't afford to crash, let's not add another one when no one even asked, or wants us to.

 

[Uruguayan spider]

[X] (THRONE) You will be careful.

 

[Wise Wolf]

The only two arguments I heard for changing things are: we got 10+ to managing things, and "we are leaving soon, so might as well risk it all."

I'd like to remind people that half the month we won't be there to manage Equestria. Cadance only asked us to hold down the fort, we don't need to do more. We already have multiple spinning plates we can't afford to crash, let's not add another one when no one even asked, or wants us to.

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One of the core drivers behind Celestia's mental breakdown is that still, more than a millennium into her reign, her subjects are basically foals that take no responsibility and let everything fall to pieces unless she is actively managing it. Which makes everything bad that happens her fault, because you can't blame foals for their incompetence.

Because you tried your best to guide ponykind. You suffered, and you labored, and you dedicated every last waking second of your life, for. One. Thousand. Years. Just to guide them, to lead them, to keep them safe from harm.
And right before your eyes, you can see how well that went. You can see your city on fire. You can see just how much you have failed them.

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And this dependent attitude persists on the other side too. We just saw it in our direct reports, who responded to being told a pony needed to run Equestria by wildly panicking and hoping desperately that an alicorn will show up and solve all their problems.

It's actually really important to getting a stable Celestia that someone tries to change things.

 

[DelightedOne]

One of the core drivers behind Celestia's mental breakdown is that still, more than a millennium into her reign, her subjects are basically foals that take no responsibility and let everything fall to pieces unless she is actively managing it.

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Luna not being there to tell ponies to "go learn to do it yourself" really fucked up the setting. And there is also the detail of a milenia without the demigodess responsible for protecting their subconscious not being good for their minds.

As her mother, we have the right to try to give her a bit of help in this.

 

[Alan975]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

You know, I wouldn't be to mad if we fumble this one.

I'm just imagining Celestia's mental health getting yo-yo'ed by Cadence high rolling and us burning the country down with a nat1.

 

[Rafuki22]

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.

If we are going All In might as well go all in.