..after the last update with Silky I nearly forgot we left with Jade's meltdown..
And you sometimes wondered, seeing how little life the mare still had in her, if you had really arrived in time to save her.
we have. It was close though.
Heavens, if you didn't know her any better you would have even said that she looks like a perfectly normal and healthy pony, and you almost swear that her coat looks to be a shade brighter now.
..the advantages of a bath and some brushing?
[Book search: Manehattan – Servant action]
[Roll: 47 + 12 (Learning) = 59]
KNOCK lvl 3, "An encyclopedia about poisonous snakes, with several artful illustrations", 30 bits.
FORGE lvl 1, "A small handbook on camping, explaining the basics of how to build a tent and start a small fire", 7 bits.
MOTH lvl 1, "A poetry book. Amateur work, really, but one of them talks about masks…," 7 bits.
well, Knock and Forge are both VERY good books. Moth is mostly useless, but we can still potentially use it for the cult I suppose, though it will be a LONG time before we study it, if we do it at all..
A good thing to notice is that, with a manifest, we'd make a moth lvl 3 manifest. On the other hand this book by itself would be enough to bring the cult's moth to 1, and it's the optimal book for the lowest level in terms of scraps given.. so, basically, we might as well take it. Worst case, we wasted 7 bits.
And you can say that with confidence because she has been out of it for six entire days, and not just two. But that's a detail you decide not to tell her right now.
...ok, that's worse than I thought. Still, the worst is (probably) over by now.
It was also a bit of a shame that you didn't have your Heart blanket with you, when Jade needed it. But it is being put to very good use by Rarity, so there's nothing you can do about it.
..the TWO times in all the quest we needed it, and they HAD to happen at the same time...
But most importantly, and again you hope that this isn't just you being optimistic… you think that… You think that you can actually understand her better now, you think that you can read her expression and gestures a bit better, or that she is expressing herself a little bit more, perhaps.
You are not sure how to describe it, but something inside of you is saying that Jade Whistle seems to be a little bit more… "awake".
Although, as the day goes by, you also think that you detect a little bit of awkwardness from her, and then a little bit of tiredness in her mannerism.
You are not sure if this (very slightly, of course) more "outward" behavior is being a front that she is putting, or if her memories and shadows are slowly managing to creep back to her.
You are also absolutely sure that her problems have not disappeared, and that you will have to keep an eye on her for a good long while from now on.
But it finally feels like you are finally getting to know the mare called Jade Whistle. And, if your intuition is right, you can say that this makes the two of you happy.
Heavens, you even manage to prod a few words out of her, as the two of you sit down on the large balcony by your room. You can't say that you are surprised when she starts talking about the occult, though, but at least she is talking.
again, this is good. small progress, but still progress!
[A helpful conversation – Aiding Jade Whistle on the confection of a Ritual]
[Your roll: 13 + 30 (SECRET HISTORIES, level 3) + 14 (Learning) = 57]
[You were… helpful, so to speak]
[Her roll: 90 + 10 (Learning) + 0 (SECRET HISTORIES, level 0) + 5 (Velvet Covers' Insight) = 105]
that makes us look a little bad really
Jade Whistle has finished devising the ritual she was attempting to create, a small nudge given by you on the nature of the Secret Histories bridging a final gap she had been lacking.
You did not roll nearly high enough to be able to alter its function in any way.
The ritual "The Reflection of the Tapestry" has been added to your cult's grimoire!
- - -
...that might NOT be a good thing.
I'll have to read the wording of the ritual carefully...
Wait. Your words grind to a halt inside your throat as you take a better look at Jade, seeing that she is looking at the ground while listening to you.
And she, in turn, notices your silence, and hesitantly looks in your direction as well.
"I… well…" she struggles for a few seconds, before finally blurting out in an awkward manner, her voice so low that it is almost a whisper, "thank you…"
Is that a slight blush you see on her face?!
MORE PROGRESS!!!!!
A smile slowly comes to you, as you finish coming to terms with what you are seeing, and with the fact that this sort of reaction from her is even possible. You immediately feel several different reactions fighting for supremacy inside your head, as a part of you wants to simply continue talking normally, so as to not embarrass her any further, while another part of you desperately wants to keep fawning over her so you might see a little bit more of that blush.
The second, please, go with the second!
In all honesty you were expecting to see Ponpon or another maid, but in walks Silky Stream, followed closely by Selene.
..well, we're about to learn if a Lantern 3 cultist can notice Selene.
"Welcome back Silky, welcome back Selene, and I hope the two of you had a good day at school," you say as you get up from your cushion, "and this is aunt Jade Whistle, she is mommy's friend," you say simply.
might be a bit too soon for "aunt"... but this too might help, in many ways.. bring Jade closer, that she won't even THINK of betraying us...
And then Jade's gaze goes towards Selene herself, as much as she is trying to hide behind the other filly.
[Lantern-sight]
[Jade's roll: 100 + ?? (LANTERN, level ??) = ???]
...
WHAT?! 
SERIOUSLY?!
...ok, I'm split between "PANICPANICPANIC" and "DAMN THIS IS GOING TO BE INTERESTING AND I CAN'T STOP READING!"
Jade Whistle has rolled a "Detection: YES"
THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND I LOVE IT!
This is nearly on the level of Luna's escape for the "fuck the plot" effect!
..you know, in a way is nearly a relief having the choice of what to do taken from us. Nothing left to do but wait
No matter what it was, you could have at least tried to say anything at all. You could have apologized, even if that made you sound guilty. You could have tried to explain yourself, even if that made it sound like you were betraying the cult. You could have asked her to help you, even if that risked making you sound like you were trying to get close to her just to use her, although heavens forbid her actually interpreting it that way.
But in the end, you did nothing. As much as it had gnawed at your heart then, as it gnaws now, you did nothing.
Because a tiny, minuscule part of your mind, the one that thought you had finally started to understand Jade Whistle better, told you to trust her.
After all, she said she needed to think.
So just like how she slammed her door on your face after saying she'd rather you not enter her house you think, or at least you dearly hope, that she meant exactly what she said with her words.
eh, she rolled
yes, so anything we can honestly say she probably already knows.
You hear about Comet Feet's progress, and about how he has made a breakthrough and reached the Fourth Intensity, but will need help if he is to progress any further.
so Comet reached the first soft cap basically.
"Jade Whistle has told me…" and then your Master interrupts you before you can regain your balance and say what you planned to say.
I won't fall for this obvious bait! She didn't tell him! I BELIEVE IN HER!
(also my eye accidentally spied the next sentence, but I WOULD have believe this anyway!)
After all, didn't she know already? Can you really be sure, or were you just being paranoid the last time you met her, when you beseeched her for a lesson? Is your Master even a she?
why, but of course we can't be sure! That's the whole point!
"And I gathered Jade's cadre not long ago, to attempt said ritual… and it fizzled. There is no other way to really describe it. The ritual did not fail, it simply bore no fruit."
Jade I love you!
"Comet Feet and Copper Secateur, your labors have borne fruit. Ponyville is already steadily falling into our grasp, and your own followers will be able to pick up from where you left. Head to another city and found a cell. Not as grandiose as what we have here, but we need those who are faithful in other places. Specifically, head for a city that might be rich in blood and Edge."
It goes without saying that Comet Feet will follow her for her safety.
makes sense, the cult need to patch that weakness after all.
"Velvet Covers, the alicorn's… rather curious fate means that our treading down the path towards its patron is stymied, for now. We require more power in order to search her, as well as we must also tread the other paths towards our ultimate end. Scaling the Mansus does well for both. Jade Whistle has been instructed to further train her cadre, for the efforts that awaits us, but you must reach higher into the House itself. Bring me the third circle, the bridge-maker and door-opener that will allow us to summon servants to do our bidding."
well, and now "cult mission" and "explore the mansus" are again solved by the same action!
We just need Winter 3 and then we can try that hurdle I think.
If we don't find a Winter Book soon we might ask for a lesson. I'm also tempted to ask just WHY do WE have to go there, and not HER.
We've ALL wondered, after all..
Cult presence in Ponyville has grown to "Small". You will now receive a +6 bonus on certain actions within the city's area/influence.
Jade Whistle is nowhere to be seen. It will not be possible to interact with her until she reappears, or until you locate her.
Your original intention, if Jade Whistle's ritual detected Selene, was to tell her the truth and try to convince her to keep it a secret. But she rolled herself a 100, so the initiative on how to guide that situation was hers/for her benefit.
Comet Feet and Copper Secateur will leave for Manehattan this month, interaction with them will become more difficult, or at least costly, starting at turn 10.
Turn 9 choices will be posted shortly.
the "small" bonus is nice, We technically have a ritual that could be used to find Jade (though I doubt we'll actually use it), the
roll = yes shaked things a bit, and the next town to convert is, as I expected, Manehattan.
well, interesting turn. I sort of would love to do the Great Book Hunt next turn, maybe I'll be lucky and find enough actions for it? We could even take the chance to visit Soft's family, and maybe bring Rarity with us to Canterlot..
well, we'll see after the turn update...
"The Reflection of the Tapestry"
-CD: SECRET HISTORIES 60, LANTERN variable
-Cost: 35 bits on materials.
-Duration: Instantaneous/Permanent.
-Effect: Choose a "Subject" or "Location" to learn about. LANTERN roll provides information based on its value, subtracted by any defenses (mundane or otherwise) that the target might possess. Information given is incrementally better at every +20 rolled over the target's basic "resistance". Undefended targets have a basic resistance of "0".
-Failing this RItual yields no maluses, bar frustration.
-Information given can always be trusted to be true, even if frustratingly hard to interpret.
-It is possible to search for an "Item" (artifact of specified level) in order to reveal where it might be found. It is possible to target a known dungeon to scout it. Application of ritual is open and vague.
interesting ritual. It has potential.
Could we, for example, use it to find the elements of harmony if Discord steals them? To find the Crystal Heart if we somehow get involved in the Sombra accident?
..Could we search for the Alicorn Amulet? shame we probably don't know about it IC... Still searching for "legendary" artifacts we read about in books might work. I wonder what the answer would be if we searched for the crystal heart NOW, when the empire is supposed to be banished out of the real world...
That probably counts as a pretty high defense to the ritual actually...
I was skeptical of the viability of keeping 'Selene' a secret to begin with. Alerting Celestia was always the safer bet.
We'll just have to deal with the consequences. At least they aren't awful so far, though we don't know what will happen to Selene.
Alerting Celestia was NEVER the safer bet. Bringing her to the cult (or killing her) was.
Bringing her to Celestia painted a target on us to the cult. Killing her solved the problem and gave us power. Bringing her to the cult gave us internal power and the trust of the Master.
now, to to see the turn update...
