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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zxzx24 said:
However, we also have no other options for winter sacrament presently. -w-
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that's the main problem, yeah. it's especially annoying because we KNOW there's an area gated behind Winter 5...

still, maybe we can make a deal with Neighnia and/or cult post Selene. Or find another sacrament giver. While it's been implied there's one potential source for each lore sacrament, it has never been stated it's the ONLY one.

and if we have to, we DO have a possible source of winter sacrament. 3 actions and 90 bits... and 3 deaths nobody will ever know about
 
Pittauro said:
but the sacrament we'd get would be wolf-flavored, so it would likely be something focused on spreading destruction/ruin/death. I doubt we'd find it very useful most of the time,
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It sounds like a combat focused sacrament to me, which we might not find useful most of the time but is lifesavingly useful to have when combat happens.
 
Shaper47 said:
It sounds like a combat focused sacrament to me, which we might not find useful most of the time but is lifesavingly useful to have when combat happens.
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depends on how it works. the wolf isn't known for its care about collateral damage, for all we know it might be an aura of suffering and death that would affect a wide area.

Generally speaking I just don't want it. I'd much rather go with the three random deaths over the Wolf's sacrament. The only downside is that it costs more actions and bits.

..oh, next turn we REALLY need a lot more bits.

as of right now our medium term expenses include 70 bits minimum for the canterlot expedition, 30 bits or so per healing ritual/influence ritual, 30*3 bits per sacrament on winter, the cost of making reagents when necessary...

The only good thing is that we've basically outgrown buying books. We've reached the point where it's more efficient to go on expeditions, or to send Axe on expeditions for us.
 
God Baldomare is such a powerhouse offering two sacraments, one of which is secret histories. Every time I look at the sacraments we can possibly get I wince at having potentially lost out in getting them.

Bird is going to 100% make the action of resummoning her really hard, she's just far to useful to us to just make it a simple resummoning. We'd also be in an awful position of having two names verses our one so we really need to succeed in resummoning her.

I wonder if we can somehow interfere with the cults summoning attempt and prevent them from getting Baldomare before us, maybe while we are performing the summoning ritual Jade could perform a second ritual to attack the cultists? Try and divide their resources and distract them while we resecure Baldomare. I'd rather not leave getting her back to chance because if anything can go wrong it probably will lol
 
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Pittauro said:
depends on how it works. the wolf isn't known for its care about collateral damage, for all we know it might be an aura of suffering and death that would affect a wide area.
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I don't know, seems a bit fearmongery to me.

It's more likely to be something out of the Windigo's playback. They have level 5 Edge and Winter and come from the wolf. Maybe a snowstorm that debuffs opponents (winter sacrament) and buffs our combat rolls (edge sacrament).
 
I am fine with doing our own winter sacrament actually. Way better than going to the wolf and it is necessary in a way the changeling murders weren't.
 
Aranfan said:
I am fine with doing our own winter sacrament actually. Way better than going to the wolf and it is necessary in a way the changeling murders weren't.
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to be fair though the changelings were doomed anyway, because let's face it there was absolutely no way they were getting out of that alive.

THESE 3 deaths are something avoidable.

That said, they're also deaths that will NEVER be trackable to us. MAYBE the Master and Names might be able to realize how we obtained the sacrament, I suppose, but even that's in doubt.
 
We've had this conversation before and I don't think anyone's changed their minds?

Personally I really don't like our personal Winter sacrament.

An ending should be celebrated, it should be marked with a testament of the deed, it should be remembered and it should not be forgotten. Because to remember, to look back and regret, is to care.
 
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Shaper47 said:
We've had this conversation before and I don't think anyone's changed their minds?

Personally I really don't like our personal Winter sacrament.

An ending should be celebrated, it should be marked with a testament of the deed, it should be remembered and it should not be forgotten. Because to remember, to look back and regret, is to care.
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Agreed. Albeit for likely different reasons.

There are not exactly less distasteful ways to commit random murder, but. Well we talked about it when it was door time.
 
Aranfan said:
Are you sure you want to relitigate this?
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There's nothing to relitigate. the fact they were doomed is a fact. What can be argued is if the sacrifice of Velvet's "innocence", so to speak, was worth the benefit. I'd argue it was, but THAT is something more subjective.

Shaper47 said:
We've had this conversation before and I don't think anyone's changed their minds?

Personally I really don't like our personal Winter sacrament.

An ending should be celebrated, it should be marked with a testament of the deed, it should be remembered and it should not be forgotten. Because to remember, to look back and regret, is to care.
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I don't like it either, but as always I like the wolf option even less. So for me it's a matter of "we kill three random people to get the sacrament, or we wait in hope that either the sacrament requirements changes OR we find a new sacrament-giver".
 
As far as I'm concerned, taking anymore additional stains on our soul without quest end looming on the horizon is a non-start for me. As weird as it is to say, regrettable actions are our lifeline and can be used to get us out of really bad situations but it's a poisoned chalice that should only be used in dire circumstance.

Every time we take an unnecessary stain on our soul, the greater the risk is that we will be backed into a corner and be forced to take the final stain when we don't want too. The offer of two Sacraments for one action is really enticing , but we need to keep in mind Bird will keep putting us in situations we're taking an additional stain seems like a good idea.

We just need to be careful, the stains are a resource but when we have other options then we should absolutely not be wasting our lifelines on them.
 
Pittauro said:
I don't like it either, but as always I like the wolf option even less. So for me it's a matter of "we kill three random people to get the sacrament, or we wait in hope that either the sacrament requirements changes OR we find a new sacrament-giver".
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With the descriptions focus on fear, getting rid of Frightened [MALUS] might change the personal Winter Sacrament.
 
TheMortalRuins said:
As far as I'm concerned, taking anymore additional stains on our soul without quest end looming on the horizon is a non-start for me. As weird as it is to say, regrettable actions are our lifeline and can be used to get us out of really bad situations but it's a poisoned chalice that should only be used in dire circumstance.

Every time we take an unnecessary stain on our soul, the greater the risk is that we will be backed into a corner and be forced to take the final stain when we don't want too. The offer of two Sacraments for one action is really enticing , but we need to keep in mind Bird will keep putting us in situations we're taking an additional stain seems like a good idea.

We just need to be careful, the stains are a resource but when we have other options then we should absolutely not be wasting our lifelines on them.
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true.

Generally speaking, the Regrettable Actions can do amazing thing, but at a terrible cost. I'm seriously convinced that our first son "Evil" had a role in pushing Chrysalis to burn down Canterlot, for example. And "Paranoia" resulting in a country-wide -5 to cooperative actions WILL result in statistically significant problems in... pretty much anything.

Toboe said:
With the descriptions focus on fear, getting rid of Frightened [MALUS] might change the personal Winter Sacrament.
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True, and other significant narrative developments could have similar results.

Take Moth: it's basically "I don't like myself, so I'll wear a mask and become the mask" sacrament. If Velvet started to liking herself, her moth sacrament might change as well.

Of course we don't know how easy or likely this is supposed to be. Technically speaking it should be in theory possible to recover from Frightened debuff even WITHOUT a ritual, but if it's possible we have no idea how we'd go about it.
 
Pittauro said:
I'm seriously convinced that our first son "Evil" had a role in pushing Chrysalis to burn down Canterlot, for example. And "Paranoia" resulting in a country-wide -5 to cooperative actions WILL result in statistically significant problems in... pretty much anything.
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I really don't like the idea that you can blame an evil action on "Evil", you have your choice and need to take responsibility for your own actions. I get the feeling "Evil" is more the sort that offers to 'help'/gives another option with him helping out. He doesn't turn up to morally dubious people and force them to commit crimes, he does turn up to abused mares and offers to help them commit murder against their abusers. Offers being highlighted here as its still their choice, they can choose not to listen to "Evil", he's just voice on the wind.

"Paranoia" I think only has the effect he has because of the circumstances of his birth. Sure every son will be worst then the last but I get the feeling that a regrettable action done breaking down the representation of Ponies Unity has more effect on ponies then one that doesn't. Like, there's this real tendency to diss the manus and the lores and ignore that they are heavily intertwined with the wake. Also same thing with "Evil", "Paranoia" is not stopping anypony from working together, from cooperating, he's just sabotaging the result a little. "Paranoia's" sabotage is less then the average ponies Stewardship and Diplomacy, it's the difference of a +8 and a +3. Being Grail level one is enough to ignore "Paranoia's" debuff.
 
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Shaper47 said:
I really don't like the idea that you can blame an evil action on "Evil", you have your choice and need to take responsibility for your own actions. I get the feeling "Evil" is more the sort that offers to 'help'/gives another option with him helping out. He doesn't turn up to morally dubious people and force them to commit crimes, he does turn up to abused mares and offers to help them commit murder against their abusers. Offers being highlighted here as its still their choice, they can choose not to listen to "Evil", he's just voice on the wind.
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I'm not sure how influential "Evil" is, but it's a fact that everyone has the potential to do horrible stuff. All it takes for Evil to make things worse here is a little nudge.

Take Chrysalis: if she had been just a little less spiteful, or a bit more worried about the consequences of her actions, she might not have done what she did. For all we know Evil just made her a little less reasonable.

This does NOT excuse her, as it does NOT excuse any of Evil's "victims"... but it IS a factor. and while many ponies (or sapients in general) will resist and ignore these nudges, there will be others who will not.

So, yeah, it doesn't force people to commit crimes, but it likely nudges a bit here and there. And when dealing with large numbers of people...
 
Earth-Destroyer said:
PTSD is a permanent change/scar to the brain chemistry. People get better at dealing with it, and working around it. But it never goes away.
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oh, I didn't know that.

I mean, sure, I knew it tends to last even decades or more, but I thought it COULD at least sometimes be actually healed.

Limabot said:
That is factually true in the real world (and probably Equestria normally), but the real world doesn't have magic powers derived from eldritch dream gods that can rewrite people's brains.
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which is where incision of the heart comes into play. I just hoped there might have been other ways... But considering how even the elements worked on Luna by basically sealing away the traumatic memories, there's obviously no perfect solution
 
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