Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

The Strike Force is divided into three groups of roughly equal size, each one sent down one of the three paths open to you, coils of rope unwinding behind them to act as a guide back in the event Sombra has any magical tricks or disorienting traps hidden away down here. Gabriella accompanies The Kingslayer in his journey North, the other Grandmasters splitting up to take the Eastern and Western paths. It pains you to see her go on without you, and you know she feels the same, but she's a ferocious fighter that will be sorely needed in any engagement, and you need to stay behind to coordinate the actions of all three groups.

At the insistence of your subordinates, a handful of fighters stay behind to act as your bodyguard. You personally wonder if it's really necessary, but you aren't ashamed of admitting that you don't want to be left alone in the entrance hall. You think it's just your imagination but you swear you can see the shadows flicker out of the corner of your eye. The free Crystal volunteers split up to accompany the exploration parties, taking up the rear for safety's sake, promising to point out any familiar routes or locations that might lead to the surface.



Despite all attempts at stealth, none can stop the ground from shaking as hundreds of feet march off down the unusually wide and tall hallways, their footfalls echoing loudly off the stone. The vast size of these catacombs worries you the more you think about it. Aesthetics were one thing, but one did not carve such vast pathways through the Earth for the sake of appearances alone. Especially not someone like Sombra. What could necessitate such oversized tunnels?

Not long after the groups depart, the sound of their footsteps just barely audible, shouts and bestial roars echoing through the catacombs herald an answer to your question. A messenger from the Eastern Path brings news even as the cacophony of combat grows louder.

The chamber to the East is a massive Troll Den, housing dozens of the beasts. And your soldiers had just marched right into the middle of it.

This at least solves the mystery of where Sombra has been getting his latest shock troops: he's been breeding them. Treating the dangerous beasts like livestock, destined for the frontline rather than the chopping block, using his magic to keep them pliant and submissive to his will. If his creations weren't currently trying to crush your troops for trespassing on their territory you'd almost be impressed by the sheer audacity of the whole thing. As it is your troops are having difficulty combatting the behemoths in such tight quarters, their maneuverability advantage negated by the lack of room to dodge the charges of the enraged beasts.

(East Path Combat: 74-10(Defending their Den)+10(Garrison Artillerygriff's day Omake)=74)

Thankfully, by some small miracle it seems that almost all of the Trolls that would otherwise be in their den are outside fighting off the main assault, leaving the Den's defenses severely depleted. Only a single bull, a talon-full of females and a few dozen juveniles are present. But this does little to make the task of the Eastern Force any easier. Even a juvenile troll is large and strong enough to pose a significant threat, and the berserker rage brought on by an invasion of their home prompts them to fight with a ferocity that no amount of Sombra's magic could hope to replicate.



They crash into the lines of armored troops with tremendous fury, pummeling away at Qilin, Dogs and Griffons alike, disregarding the stinging cuts and weeping wounds delivered by the lances, swords and axes of their diminutive prey as their monstrous strength shatters bones, pulps flesh and crumples armor. But for every soldier they crush underfoot or swat from the air, three more swiftly take their place, as reinforcements continue to stream in through the entrance to the chamber.

Ironically, or perhaps logically, the Bull goes down first, Grandmaster Dawnquil flying like a bolt from a ballista to bury his sword up to the hilt in its forehead before flying along the length of its skull, dragging his blade along with him as he carves a furrow through its brain matter. By the time he breaks away, his Orichalcum sword dripping with ichor, the monstrous creature's brainpan has been neatly bisected down the middle, the beast collapsing with a groan as it crushes several of its offspring under its bulk.

The females are slightly smaller than the bull, but they are greater in number, and fighting to defend their young. But between dozens of Fire Warriors and a pair of Legendary Pyro-Masters, your soldiers swiftly learn that not even their berserker rage can overcome their instinctual fear of fire, nor their panicked reactions to being set alight. Their shrieks are clearly audible from your distant post, and their panicked flailing kills yet more of their young. Finally, the bellows of pain and panic die down as the crisped monsters finally die...leaving only the juveniles behind.

Even a juvenile troll can kill. As strong and durable as bears with few flight instincts and a thirst for blood, dozens of the creatures throw themselves against the armored bulwark of the Diamond Dogs and Knights Lion. There is no strategy, no coordination in their attacks, merely the blind, panicked berserker rage of threatened beasts with nothing left to lose. And though more than a few of your own are brought down by their determined assault, the beasts stand no chance against the steel of your army.

Shortly after the last troll falls to the ground dead, the chamber is declared clear. The bodies of the dead are ferried back to the entrance chamber alongside those too injured to carry on, and after a brief rest period Dawnquil's party continues onwards.

(North Path Combat: 83-10(Eldritch Foe)=73)

Meanwhile, to your North, Gabriella and Hardbeak are also engaged in a pitched battle, this time against a particularly large and aggressive example of Sombra's Shadow Beasts.



What had at first appeared to be a pool of dark liquid in a basin carved into the floor had suddenly and violently surged upwards, sprouting countless eyes, mouths and tendrils, lashing out at those that dared to intrude upon its domain. Sharp tendrils pierce armor like pikes, grasping hands swat airborne Griffons from the air, gaping jaws filled with hundreds of needle-like teeth abruptly take chunks out of those that get too close, and the otherworldly shrieks of the arcane abomination send even the most hardened of veterans into a panic as their mundane weapons pass through the creature as if they were striking at empty air.

Thankfully, Hardbeak and Gabriella, possibly the two people in the Empire most qualified and best equipped for the task, are there to fight it. With their Orichalcum blades, they hack away at the abominations many limbs, the severed appendages falling to the stone floor and melting into puddles of goo, the Shadow beast now shrieking in pain as it's very essence comes under attack. The beast withdraws, drawing back in on itself as it assumes a more defensive posture...then the Qilin unleash coordinated blasts of fire.

Even as far away from the fight as you are, the blood-curdling scream of the beast hurts even your ears.

Gradually, the abomination's death throes begin to die down, and its remains sink into the very pool it emerged from. The survivors press onwards, giving the pool some suspicious glances and wide berths as they continue on to the next chamber. Hardbeak stations some Qilin behind to "make sure it stays dead."

Meanwhile, things initially go much more peacefully on the Western approach. The first chamber Pigeonio's group enters contains nothing more than beakers, flasks, books and blackboards filled with mysterious substances and arcane scribbles. You assume this to be a laboratory for Sombra's personal use.



The brain birds back home would have a field day with this...but that will have to wait until after the battle is won. After thoroughly checking the room for hidden traps, Pigeonio leads his group further into the catacombs.

At first glance, the next room appears to merely be a continuation of the first: blackboards, magical instruments and desks weighed down with piles of crystals adorn the space. Thus lulled into a false sense of security, the exploration party is caught off guard when several lumps of stone levitate off the desks and begin flying through the air, meeting in the center of the room and merging into a golem!



This golem is very unlike any you or yours have encountered before. Bipedal, compact, almost draconic in appearance...and in function, as it's first act upon being "activated" is to open its maw and unleash a stream of magically produced flames, incinerating an entire squadron of unfortunate Diamond Dogs.

(West Path Combat: 60-10(Magic Attacks)+15(Where Water, Drink and Love Flows Omake)=65)

What follows is several minutes of panic, chaos and confusion as your soldiers try to avoid the attacks of the crystalline combat construct as it proceeds to set fire to every bit of wood in the room, using its flames to full effect. The dogs fall back as the Knights form a shield wall, the metal glowing from the heat as the Qilin pop their heads out of cover to launch fire blasts of their own, more than one of them being burned alive for his trouble as their flames seem to splash off the stone skin of their opponent.

This stalemate is broken when Grandmaster Pigeonio, in a fit of desperation, chucks his sword like a javelin into the golem's "mouth"...causing it to explode like a fire cocktail, it's inner workings disrupted by the Orichalcum blade. As the Knights beat their wings to clear the smoke, the Grandmaster retrieves his sword and proceeds to stab each and every chunk of minerals in the room, be it the remains of the golem or a simple stone sitting on a desk.

As he does so, a Squire notices a small hatch in the far wall with a mound of Crystals beneath it: a mineral delivery chute leading up. None of the Knights or Qilin could hope to fit through it...but a few of the smaller dogs might be able to...if they ditched their armor. The Crystal Pony accompanying the group states that he thinks he knows where the chute ends up above: a maitenance room, not far from the throne room.

As a messenger relays this info to you, another two arrive bearing news from Hardbeak and Dawnquill.

The Northern contingent have stumbled across a very large and imposing door that practically screams "Sombra's Vault".



They're experiencing difficulties getting into it though. The flames of the Qilin fail to even heat the stone, the Dogs can't dig underneath it, and while the Orichalcum swords have suppressed any magical traps by their mere presence, they aren't enough to force it to open. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be a keyhole...and there's something seriously off about the gargoyle above the door...as evidenced by the fact that when their Crystal Guide looked at it he started screaming in primal terror, to the point that he had to be restrained and dragged out of the room before he regained his senses. He claims to have no recollection of even seeing the door. Perhaps the lock is magical in nature, and can't be opened when Orichalcum is present?

On the other wing, the Eastern Contingent, after picking their way through a room filled wall to wall with bones...bones with teeth marks and distinctive Equine features...they find a stairwell, which their Crystal Guide states leads to the upper levels of the catacombs, just below the ground floor of the castle.

Your forces have explored the lower catacombs and pacified any resistance. Sombra is likely now aware of your presence. What do you do now?

[ ] Safe-Cracking: Whatever is in that vault is valuable to Sombra, and thus valuable to you. Have your troops assume defensive positions while you try and figure out a way to get it open.

[ ] Press Forward: You can try to crack open the Vault later. Right now you've got a Mad King to kill. Gather up your soldiers and head up the stairs before Sombra can rally a defense.

[ ] Write-In


There will be a 10-hour moratorium to allow for discussion and plan building. Feel free to ask questions.


Entrance Hall
Garrick Golden-Feather, Emperor of Gryphus
50 Griffons-at-Arms
85 Diamond Dogs

Northern Path
Grandmaster Konrad Hardbeak, "The Kingslayer"
Gabriella Golden-Feather, Empress of Gryphus
1 Qilin Pyro-Master
10 Knights of the Inner Circle
67 Imperial Knights
28 Squires
129 Griffons-at-Arms
68 Qilin Fire Warriors
459 Diamond Dogs

Western Path
Grandmaster Colombroni Pigeonio
2 Qilin Pyro-Masters
12 Knights of the Inner Circle
63 Imperial Knights
22 Squires
123 Griffons-at-Arms
59 Qilin Fire Warriors
427 Diamond Dogs

Eastern Path
Grandmaster Adrian Dawnquill
2 Qilin Pyro-Masters
11 Knights of the Inner Circle
58 Imperial Knights
21 Squires
126 Griffons-at-Arms
61 Qilin Fire Warriors
431 Diamond Dogs