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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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Dear reader! Whether you are new here, archive-reading and whatnot, or you are already someone who has been with us for quite a while, I would like to say a few words that I believe are best kept close to mind.

-This is an MLP quest. And more importantly, none of us are gratuitously cruel. So good things will happen on this quest, and I hope that enough good things have already happened to prove that.
-This is also a horror quest, so bad things will happen. Bad things might happen to good characters if you are not able to protect them, and you most certainly will not be able to intervene if you lack the tools to do so.
-And finally, this is a quest in which you jostle with powers greater than yourself, with all that it entails.

Please, do keep those things in mind as you go forward. But ultimately, this is also a quest in which it is hoped we all have fun! So if any of the above points is not exactly your cup of tea, or somehow make the experience as a whole "not worth it", then this quest might not be for you. Which is fine! Individual tastes are a thing, so don't think any more about it if you don't want to read anymore. And regardless, I hope you have a lovely day!

Kaelor said:
PSA for whoever needs to hear it:

Readers should take their own mental health into consideration when voting and not subject themselves to triggering narrative elements like rape or constant mental torture of a friend just for the Greatest Good of a world that doesn't exist.

If those are fine for you or Regrettable is even more triggering, then GREAT! More power to you. But you aren't a bad or selfish person for picking the option that keeps the characters you've emotionally connected with safe. [REDACTED for spoiler warning]

This is a high intensity quest that doesn't hold back when it comes to horror and negative consequences. Take care of yourself.
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(Quote slightly edited to avoid spoilers)
 
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lurker9875 said:
On a more mundane level, imagine Pride actually getting Rarity's contract away from us after some time planning if we don't counteract his hostility/fear of us?
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I don't think that'd happen.

Rarity's either a Minion, and therefore basically entirely "ours" and not likely to take us off the contract without warning, or she'd be Grail 4 and all the social-fu proficiency that implies.
 
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[X] Plan Strengthen Our Bases, With Pride
-[X] [AotL] Winter, during the Sacrament Action
-[X] [FORGE] Create a Knock 2 Edge 1 Reagent. (45 Bits, Free Action)
-[X] [KNOCK] The Only Way Up
--[X] [KNOCK] Keep going up. You are so very close now. So. Very. Close.
-[X] [DETECTIVES] There are still changelings out there. Hunt them. Look for them, and for the ponies who colluded with them. (One of the chief expectations of the Bureau. Avert a future Catastrophe)
-[X] [CONSTABLES] It is less paperwork for you if they just help with the investigations. (NO ACTION from the Constables. GAIN a PERSONAL ACTION for Velvet Covers)
-[X] [COMMISSIONER] The Bureau is more than an institution, it is a gathering of dedicated ponies working towards a unified goal. Ingrain yourself with them. (Establish, increase, or salvage the loyalty of the Bureau towards you personally.)
-[X] [SOCIAL] [TEACH] Teach Rarity, and make her a Disciple. (Free Action)
-[X] A fleeting opportunity
--[X] Royal. Wedding! Royal. Wedding! Help. Plan. The Royal. Wedding! (Expand, and pick one more item from, the list of Royal Wedding opportunities)
--[X] "The Royal Wedding is a matter of national security, so of course the Commissioner must be involved. Yes, even on that time she went on a shopping spree with the Princess." (Free action. NEGLECT work at the Lunar Bureau. Expand, and pick one more item from, the list of Royal Wedding opportunities)
--[X] Velvet Pride, your upstart younger brother, seems to be heartbroken. Or so the gossip goes. If you take the initiative to talk to him, you might be able to get closer to him.
-[X] These are the skills that allow you to climb the Mansus.
--[X] Attempt, even if foolishly, to untangle the webs of the Secret Histories
---[X] Investigate your current skills. To try to understand them, if nothing else. (Current progress 0/3)
-[X] [JADE] "You do you." Let her do whatever she wants for once. It might do her some good, both mentally and personally.
-[X] [FLUTTERSHY] Ask for a favor, from you... mutual friend. (WRITE IN a favor, that you will ask her to ask Comet Feet to do)
--[X] Guard our Family
-[X] [RARITY] Focus on your work.
-[X] [STEPPES] There is no guarantee he will be able to help you, but you will write him about… (WRITE IN)
--[X] [STEPPES] Ask him to join us on our Vacation to Cloudsdale.
-[X] Jade's house is now adequately clean. Or at least sufficiently presentable for ponies to work on it. You should…
--[X] [SERVANTS] You need a place where you can safely, and discreetly, store items. Use the upper level of her house for it.
-[X] [MAREINETTE] Act as your emissary. (Pick an action from Velvet's list. INCLUDING social actions private to Velvet)
--[X] Search for a new, unsuspicious three-circle ritual site.
-[X] [BALDOMARE] [RITUAL] The Reflection of the Tapestry - Find a key that only opens. A key that would break DoA's curse. Where it is, what defends it, what stops us from simply taking it. Cost 30 bits.
--[X] At Jade's old house.
-[X] [SELENE] Go play, one last time. (Costs two actions. Goodbye, Selene.)

There, have a version with Pride's FO. It's not like my vote is going to be the tipping point here, so w/e :V
 
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I think that's probably a record for distinct plan count divided by unique voter count barring "1 voter makes 1 plan" cases?

(I think it's 29 plans and 46 unique voters?)
 
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lurker9875 said:
Imagine Pride looking for merchants for us in the future?
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Imagine Filthy Rich looking for merchants for us next turn, because he would be a Good Friend and handling merchants is his super-special talent.

Additionally, let's go out on a limb and assume Pride does decide we are an enemy; what can he even do? He can't kick us out, he can't cut into our influence, he can't take Rarity, and soon we won't even be keeping any of our weird stuff on the estate for him to point at. The only way I could see him causing us any damage is if the DoA overhears him calling us a villain and decides to bring him in on her conspiracy. And to be honest, that would be so hilarious to read I would consider it an absolute win anyways.
 
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Talon TigerDino said:
Imagine Filthy Rich looking for merchants for us next turn, because he would be a Good Friend and handling merchants is his super-special talent.
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Granted, but aren't we about to get a income increase via Rarity's improvement?

In the end, I believe that keeping this door (Confidante Pride) open and preventing Pride from causing issues is more important than doing this NOW, so.

Talon TigerDino said:
He can't kick us out, he can't cut into our influence, he can't take Rarity, and soon we won't even be keeping any of our weird stuff on the estate for him to point at.
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He can tail us all day long, he can create Servant factions, he can create negative rumours, and generally be hypervigilant for things to use against Velvet?

If Pride could not become a problem if he was an enemy, why would Velvet and Stormchaser be so concerned?
Why would Bird offer us a FO to make his life harder and waste our action?
 
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ok, so we have 16 to 15 to 14 votes for the top 3.

1) Plan Pittauro, but with our SH Sacrament.

2) Plan Pittauro, but without the neglecting work free action

3) Plan Pittauro, All in wedding without key but with expedition. (the original).


basically

3) (the original) does 3 wedding picks and mansus exploration
1) does 3 wedding picks and starts the personal sacrament
2) does 2 wedding picks and mansus exploration.
 
Of the potential winning plans

Plan Pittauro, All in wedding without key but with expedition.

is the overall best. Doing more with the mansus which we where just warned is important. While getting the most out of the wedding event.
 
Pittauro said:
3) (the original) does 3 wedding picks and mansus exploration
1) does 3 wedding picks and starts the personal sacrament
2) does 2 wedding picks and mansus exploration.
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Well. I suppose. If I have to choose from the top three.

[X] Plan Pittauro, but with our SH Sacrament.

I'd rather (finally) get started on our Sacrament.
 
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I'm obviously biased in favor of my plan, but objectively speaking all 3 plans are fine. there's very small differences all things considered, with only ONE difference between each two plans (mansus vs SH sacrament, 3 vs 2 wedding picks)

I've already argued against the 2 wedding picks, and my argument is in the end a simple "I don't think it will be as bad as some fear". You either agree with me or you don't, and nothing else I can say will convince anyone else at this point.

In regards to SH sacrament vs mansus climb though, I think Mansus is more important. We've been repeatedly told that "winning is up" basically, we're close to the next door so reaching it quickly will allow us to find out what's our next roadblock, and we have at least 3 turns or so of mansus stuff we can explore if we end up being stuck again.

and that's without considering how we can get the SH sacrament in one turn or two (depending on if we go personal vs baldomare), that would allow new areas with the Tower and the House of the Moon path and I suppose the possibility of a new Sacrament-gated area in the Stairways we MIGHT be able to unlock as well, depending on what it requires (we're not that far off the Edge, Lantern, SH and Knock sacraments really)
 
I feel like you guys have a skewed image of how important the temple expedition is and how far along we are in the Mansus. The temple is gonna hand us a normal summon and maybe a Name neither of which we will use for god knows how many turns 'cause our bits situation is fucked. Crossing the Peacock Door will require an artefact we don't have and won't till turn 20th at the latest and even if we do cross it the Tricuspid gate will require more of us then we can muster for another 10 or so turns minimum. Like sure starting out earlier is better but the simple fact to the matter is that people beating us to the Glory isn't gonna fuck us over, something else will come along first. Mostly because everyone else is so far behind in this race it isn't even funny.
 
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lurker9875 said:
Granted, but aren't we about to get a income increase via Rarity's improvement?

He can tail us all day long, he can create Servant factions, he can create negative rumours, and generally be hypervigilant for things to use against Velvet?

If Pride could not become a problem if he was an enemy, why would Velvet and Stormchaser be so concerned?
Why would Bird offer us a FO to make his life harder and waste our action?
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Yes, but consider the cost of expeditions per head, the cost of rituals, the cost of high-level books, and the cost of Names. And how we constantly push back completing a half-finished expedition due to its cost in bits. And how we want to both nab the frangiclave *and* a high-level book in the coming turns. Shit is expensive.

As for Pride: tailing us is laughable, as evidenced by Velvet toying with the tail Steppes put on us, and that tail was a mafioso used to such things. Pride is very much not. Negative rumors run face first into how the town loves and trusts Velvet enough to consider he opinions through even its Mayor. Hypervigilance against Velvet is also pointless because we don't even live on the property at the same time. I guess he can create servant factions and make their lives harder, but at that point he's just taking out his frustrations on the help. He is outclassed in every way, and while he could make things less pleasant around the house, he can't really do lasting harm the way, say, Copper can. Velvet stopped being worried about him after her initial greeting of him, and Stormchaser is only really concerned because he has no idea how typical nobles act or think, and doesn't want any chicanery catching him unawares.

Greymere said:
Well. I suppose. If I have to choose from the top three.

[X] Plan Pittauro, but with our SH Sacrament.

I'd rather (finally) get started on our Sacrament.
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You can always approval vote multiple plans.
 
I'd rather start the sacrament as well, but climbing the Manse is never a bad second choice. I understand those that think the 3 wedding picks are worth it, but I stand by my opinion it's not. On the same note that you say we are overestimating the risk, I think you're doing the opposite. There seems to be the sense that with Luna's return things will change pretty drastically. While true narratively, I'm skeptical of the extent to Velvet herself.
Functionally we're stuck as always with too many important priorities and not enough actions. Frankly I just don't think the wedding is important enough to risk adding actions to mitigate problems on the back end. Also if this is our one free blow off the Bureau card we're burning, I'd rather save it for something more important. Finally if the wedding is important to Equestria as a whole, this is the worst time for Velvet to slack off, especially since she's already taking a vacation.
 
I have a very clear idea of how important the temple expedition is: namely, not that much, BUT we don't know for sure.

a cheap summon that is maybe of the right principles to be summoned by our confidants or Names would be very good, depending on what it does. a Moth Edge summon to keep on permanent guard, for example. They can also replace reagents as sacrifices for Names, potentially, and a summon is actually a bit cheaper than a comparable reagent, much less 2.

So, depending on the summon, it could actually save us money.

Then, there's another thing worth pointing out: we can find ITEMS in the Mansus. we found a grail reagent in the church, we might find more. We could also get an influence, or maybe traits. Artifacts seem unlikely, but I suppose not impossible either.

and the temple is just there, it takes us a single point to check it out, and we're overleveled for it anyway. So I want to check it.


We don't know for certain the not-Peacock-Door will require the Frangiclave, though it's likely. But if we're going to get that in turn 20 or 21, I'd like it if we had explored the lower areas first, to leave as little for Copper to find as we can.
 
Iustus Vitae said:
Crossing the Peacock Door will require an artefact we don't have and won't till turn 20th at the latest and even if we do cross it the Tricuspid gate will require more of us then we can muster for another 10 or so turns minimum.
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Source on this? We truly don't know what's gone on above us in the Mansus, you're saying this as if it's fact. There could be different requirements for the doors.
 
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