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!
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.
Seems to me if we want to kill Windy Flakes we kill two birds with one stone - have a Windigo that Jade summons unleashed on Windy. It won't be subtle, but I'm sure we can at least come up with some reasoning for what 'went wrong'
that depends on how willing Velvet is to allow pony collateral. Since a Windingo won't stop with just Windy and if it did only kill Windy it would look highly suspicious. The only way to make it look like a summon loosening it bonds would be to let it rampage around murdering a few ponies through the area. Well those are cult members where Windy works deep in the club.
Something kind of funny I just realized... it'd be entirely possible for Copper to show up to the T16 meeting and have no one else show up.
Velvet and Jade wouldn't be there for obvious reasons. Comet, because hopefully we can convince him to leave the cult. Windy because he caught a case of death via DoA/MitL. And Starry seems to be doing her own thing at the moment?
Now whether it's probable is a different story. Who knows how the next couple of turns will play out. But it is technically possible.
Something kind of funny I just realized... it'd be entirely possible for Copper to show up to the T16 meeting and have no one else show up.
Velvet and Jade wouldn't be there for obvious reasons. Comet, because hopefully we can convince him to leave the cult. Windy because he caught a case of death via DoA/MitL. And Starry seems to be doing her own thing at the moment?
Now whether it's probable is a different story. Who knows how the next couple of turns will play out. But it is technically possible.
That would honestly be kinda hilarious. Especially if even the Master doesn't show up. And she's just… sitting there. Waiting. Until she finally realizes she was just the only one too dumb to realize there was no point in going.
That would honestly be kinda hilarious. Especially if even the Master doesn't show up. And she's just… sitting there. Waiting. Until she finally realizes she was just the only one too dumb to realize there was no point in going.
So, we betray the cult this turn and then both skip town and do any final "buck you" actions to them the next? We should probably update Stormchaser on the fact that we might be leaving. And start making arragements to leave our job.
Wow! Just caught up with this and was thinking of writing up some thoughts and praise but worried about necromancy. Now I don't need to worry!
First, I'm just amazed at your skill with writing this crossover. From that line in the pinned post to almost every update you've written, you do such a good job at blending the two worlds -- their atmospheres, the questions they ask and explore, the characters they feature. But even more than that, I think, you go well beyond blending the worlds to building something new from them. From the mysteries of what has happened to the Mansus to what (canon-compliant) Equestria looks like through a cultist's gaze, the world you've constructed and revealed is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Second, I'm in awe of how well you use the quest (and forum) format. I've never really engaged with quests, only reading through them, but this is the first one where I think that could change. It's one thing to let the dice shape the story -- and another to totally work with them, in the way that Luna's nat-100 roll fundamentally shifted what was going to be happening here. The places you've used an experimental style have been incredible: between nested nightmares, branching paths, and histories-that-were-not, the structural innovations dont just bolster the narrative you're delivering, they themselves become part of that narrative. It seems utterly perfect for this kind of story, cannot be easy to do, and I've never seen anything like it.
Finally, just all around have nothing but praise for your writing and delivery. Fantastic imagery through and through, which is impressive especially given the challenges involved in translating eldritch/Mansus-style pieces into text. Dialogue feels real and appreciate how each character has a voice their own. Really lovely use of humour, it's both delightful to have it as a bright thread through such dark pieces and just funny on its own right.
I've never read a quest like this and am delighted to have you back. Hope all is well IRL and best of luck with your work -- here, and everywhere. Thanks very much for the amazing read and experience this has been so far.
That's what I'm hoping for. Spend the upcoming turn cleaning up our trail and rescuing Twilight, then try and sic Dull Glass + the Royal Guards on the cult via Rarity. Letting the cult grow unopposed would probably not be great, and hopefully the uncomfortable amount of attention from the Crown will distract them from us and Jade leaving.
...on a side note, I wonder if Equestria has witness protection programs.
I think Bird's already basically said don't worry about it in regards to talking to Stormchaser about moving? And uh. I'm not really sure what arrangements we could make to leave our job, especially if we're taking the Bureau job (and I honestly can't see us not taking it). Write a letter of resignation?
Edit: Also, @BirdBodhisattva, would doing the 'dissociate Velvet from the cult' ourselves technically mechanically valid? Normally I'd assume no but. Well. We're Moth 4.
If anyone could manage spreading rumors about themselves it'd probably be Velvet. We could stand right next to someone and be completely unnoticed at Moth 3, having a conversation with someone without them realizing who they were talking to doesn't seem like it would be entirely impossible at Moth 4
Edit 2: Also also, would it be possible for us to like. Plant clues that lead to incriminating evidence for the rest of the cult? Or otherwise making sure that if Dull Glass goes poking around he'll be able to find evidence the cult is Really Bad News fairly quickly?
Edit 3: Also also also (might as well keep all the questions in one spot ), in regards to our cult task. Is the 1 Lore to Cult Level 3 per month a literal per-month check, or is it more like the Master expects at least two Cult Level 3 Lores by next meeting? For example, would cramming our entire cult task on Turn 16, if we decided to do that for whatever reason, be considered suspicious or not suspicious?
It seems like one of the easier ways to handle the persistent rumor about a noble mare being a member of the cult is to tie it to, in the same breath, completely ridiculous rumors like Celestia being the actual loremaster or something. It's hard to make a rumor actually die, but it's not nearly as difficult to puff it up into something that no one can take seriously if they actually think about it.
I dislike favors as a mechanical, quantifiable currency. You already had a hoof on Starry's door (narratively and otherwise) for a long while now. Refer to the regrets department if you think it's too late to interact with her
But, me, all that matters is that she's moving to Manehattan, and is going through a rather convoluted period of her life.
Her job isn't really affected by the Lores yet. Both because they are pretty weak as they stand, and because (since, again, she doesnt know a lot of Lore) she faces her job as she always did. Mull around, acquire inspiration, make awesome dresses, ship them to the Needles.
If/When her Lore increases, she might change that approach.
But regardless, Grail and Forge are the perfect Lores for her job so... well, her career will definitely benefit from it.
But the bottom line is, her rolls are off-screen for a reason. Just like what you do with yourself, just focus on increasing her Lore-knowledge and benefits will follow.
Thank you so, so much, really! For your kind words, and everything else!
I truly believe that stories are meant to be read, so everyone's kindness and support really plays a very big role in me continuing this story. From the people who only comment rarely, to the ones who have entire discussions in here, it really, really motivates me to stay here having fun with you all.
So thank you for your kind words, and I hope we can all continue to have fun!
Edit: Also, @BirdBodhisattva, would doing the 'dissociate Velvet from the cult' ourselves technically mechanically valid? Normally I'd assume no but. Well. We're Moth 4.
If anyone could manage spreading rumors about themselves it'd probably be Velvet. We could stand right next to someone and be completely unnoticed at Moth 3, having a conversation with someone without them realizing who they were talking to doesn't seem like it would be entirely impossible at Moth 4
Edit 2: Also also, would it be possible for us to like. Plant clues that lead to incriminating evidence for the rest of the cult? Or otherwise making sure that if Dull Glass goes poking around he'll be able to find evidence the cult is Really Bad News fairly quickly?
Edit 3: Also also also (might as well keep all the questions in one spot ), in regards to our cult task. Is the 1 Lore to Cult Level 3 per month a literal per-month check, or is it more like the Master expects at least two Cult Level 3 Lores by next meeting? For example, would cramming our entire cult task on Turn 16, if we decided to do that for whatever reason, be considered suspicious or not suspicious?
1: you technically can. A lot better if it's not you, but if you put in the time, you will still get results. Might be worse results than somepony else doing it, and failing the roll might lead to worse negative results. But still.
2: Extremely debatable. I'd like to hear what sort of evidence, and what intended effect, you would like to try to plant/cause.
Because hear me out. Making the cult seems like a Very Bad Thing even to a cursory investigation might cause the detectives to think they should pursue ALL cult members, current or old, involved or not. Rarity is on that list. I mentioned she'd most likely fly under the radar because she's a recent member, but that might change if the detective's stance goes from "strange gang" to "apocalyptic terrorists".
Also, "how" would that work? Putting a word detailing how to summon, say, a windigo would be pure conjecture. Mere literature. Only if the detectives (or a pony in authority) managed to successfully perform the ritual would they be convinced its real. Otherwise, it's magical babble written down in ominous prose, in a world where magic (both real magic, fake magic, and unnatainable mythical magic) exists.
And if you instead want a very specific, laser-targeted "plant evidence to make Windy a prime target for jail-time" I would very much like to know what evidence that would be. Evidence of the (alleged!) murder commited to acquire the cult? You dont have that. Evidence that he... I dunno, evaded tax? You'd have to spend more time digging that up.
So, as always, write-ins are welcome. But help me understand how exactly that write-in would go, before I see if its doable or not.
3: Per-month check. That's something everypony in the inner circle can check on (and now expects from you, since its a direct Master order), and the wording was intentional. I could have made it a "two level 3s by the next meeting", but I didn't.
I dislike favors as a mechanical, quantifiable currency. You already had a hoof on Starry's door (narratively and otherwise) for a long while now. Refer to the regrets department if you think it's too late to interact with her
But, me, all that matters is that she's moving to Manehattan, and is going through a rather convoluted period of her life.
Wait a tick. Moth Boosted/Crazed Starry is moving to the place we're going to try and pull a stealth rescue operation. That's... going to complicate things, isn't it?
[X] You will summon the Daughter-of-Axes, asking for TWO changeling prisoners to use as sacrifice
- - -
Despite everything you know, and everything you have learned, performing a ritual is not exactly an easy task.
Rituals… actually take a while to prepare, if they are to be done correctly. Or at least as correctly, and safely, as possible.
And this, you realize, is one of the conveniences that you have from being in the Cult. A convenience that you will soon lose access to, inevitably. But one that you can still take advantage of nonetheless.
Because for all that you understand how to perform a ritual, to the point that you even taught the larger circles to the Cult to begin with, actually performing one isn't exactly a walk in the park.
Sure, they can be done quickly. And if worst comes to pass, and time is deadly short, it is indeed possible to make due with a scribbled circle on the ground, the bare minimum materials and a few muttered words. In fact, if you were to set a clock on the wall and try to figure out how much time it takes to perform a ritual from scratch, in the most absolute of rushes, it wouldn't really take that long, provided you had the least of required reagents on hoof.
However, that would also open the way for all sorts of dangers. A rushed ritual might fizzle, or backfire, or even have a completely unknown and unpredictable effect. Truth be told, the Cult simply has not yet performed enough rituals for you to know what the possibilities even are. Ritual-casting is an eldritch activity, and more than simply being far from an exact science, you don't even know if it can ever become an exact science to begin with.
But you digress. The bottom line, again, is that rituals take a while to prepare, if they are to be done safely and correctly. There is always a more precise reagent that can be sought. One can always put another day between the circle-engraving and the final check, just to make sure you go over the inscriptions with fresh eyes. There is always a specific time of the day where it ought to be done, and that you should wait for if you have the time to spare.
So, when you informed the Cadre of the ritual you were going to perform… when you informed them the specific… reagents that you would be using, and how exactly the ritual should be changed to accommodate them…
Well, you had quite a while to think about it. A few days, even.
You had quite a while to stop it. To regret it. To turn back from this path, and change your orders, and not do what you are about to do.
You had quite a while to do anything, anything at all, to keep yourself from doing this.
But you didn't.
And now... now your time is up. Now the ritual is ready. Now everything is in place, as you have painstakingly instructed it to be, and you are here.
The ritual circle stretches out before you, the three concentric Lore-boundaries covering almost all of the available space in the room's floor.
The cloak that you have begun to use while doing Cult business, to at least help to keep your name away from the title of Loremaster, weighs heavily on you, covering up all of your physical traits with the sole exception of your horn.
The Cadre stands in position, on auspicious places on and around the circle, looking at you expectantly.
And in the circle itself, on very specific positions that you took pains to explain to them, are the two changelings. The two prisoners that the Cult had kept in cold, lonely captivity all these months.
The two sacrifices, that you are going to… that you are going to kill.
The summoning room feels terribly cold. Even though you are wearing your cloak, and even though not a single hint of Winter has been called upon yet.
You feel something dry stuck inside your throat.
But still, you say what you must.
"Let us begin," you command, the doors of the ritual room being closed shut, locked from the outside, at your word, and the entirety of the present Cadre steeling itself in preparation.
And within the confines of your mind, you focus yourself. This is for the best, after all. This is the smart thing to do, the logical thing to do, considering your plans. Because you have ponies that you absolutely must protect, and if there is even the slightest possibility that you might make them safer by… by depriving the Cult of resources, then…
Then you have to do this.
Even if... even if those "resources" are…
…
Your body feels heavy as you step into the ritual circle, and make your way into the innermost configuration for the first step.
- - -
Adding more… variables, to a ritual does make it more likely to succeed. However, the preparations required also increase in volume. The participation of the Cadre, or any helper for that matter, requires small alterations in the ritual circle itself, for example.
So that is why the ritual configuration in front of you has been… extensively modified.
The two changelings are within the confines of the ritual circle, obviously, but their positions and situations are very specific. One of the changelings in at the very center of the circle, lying on the ground with all his four legs tied and spread, so that he has his belly facing up. The other one is on the third, larger circle, tied face down.
But that is just the technical part of it. That is just the brute description of their positioning, and the relative way of how each of them will… aid, the invocation of each Lore.
You say that because, when you look at the changelings, you realize that they are…
They are…
…
Perhaps you should have also ordered them to have been blindfolded.
Because you honestly did not expect... you honestly were not ready, for what you are seeing in the two changelings right now.
Because they are...
...
Changelings are evil
Or at least that's what you are telling yourself right now. That's what you have been telling yourself this whole time. They are evil. They are the enemy. Their species has caused terrible harm to countless ponies.
They are not even of your species. So that makes them evil, right?
They are supposed to be evil.
They have to be evil, by their very nature.
So why…?
Why is it that…?
Why is it that they are looking at each other like that?
The two changelings are tied to the ground. The instruments that you will use on them are on their plain view, and it is morbidly obvious that neither of them will leave this place alive. Even if the reason for that is beyond their comprehension.
But still, why are they acting so… why do they feel so…
Why aren't they thrashing and hissing? Why aren't they resisting to the very end? Why aren't they acting like the cruel… beasts that they are supposed to be? Like the creatures that prey on the love and feelings of ponies, the monsters who committed the most gruesome tragedy that your species has seen in centuries?
Why aren't they doing any of that? Why aren't they justifying the hatred you know you should feel for them?
Why is it that they are just… staring at each other, their eyes hollow, yet strangely resolute, as if they were trying to console each other in their final moments?
Why is it that they look… that they feel exactly like a pony should?
They don't look like ponies. Their bodies are covered in a black, chitinous-like carapace instead of fur. They have no cutie marks. They have dark horns upon their heads, and strange bug-like wings on their backs. They definitely do not look like ponies at all.
And yet, you can't help but feel like they are ponies. You can't help but feel like what you are about to do, the act you are about to commit, is being committed upon ponies. And not that you are about to... to kill these strange, nebulous monsters that should be the target of all your hate, and upon which any gruesome act should be justifiable.
And what is more, you honestly can't help but wonder who is truly evil, from their point of view.
After all, the Master did tell you that they came from the Mansus, and that they, or at least their blood, knows of Moth and Grail. So perhaps they cannot stop themselves from doing what they do, perhaps they need to do what they do, the same way that you need to eat and drink and sleep.
So perhaps, and just perhaps, they were just acting on their necessities. This doesn't justify the result of their actions, and it never will, but perhaps they didn't really have a choice. Perhaps their motivation was not this innate evil you see in them, or that you wish to see in them, but instead just... hunger, or instinct, or even the fear of death.
But your motivation? Or rather, the Cult's motivation? What the Cult did was definitely not out of some innate necessity. It was certainly not hunger that made you do all of this. It was definitely not by instinct or nature that you kept them in the cold, dark, Winter-thick confines of the White Room for several months, stored like food or like wood to be used on a cold day. And you... well, it is definitely out of free will that you are doing this, this sacrifice, where you are weighting their lives as barely worth more than a Reagent you could craft with just a few days' worth of your time.
You wonder how it felt like, to them, to be in that cold dark, their lives unable to fade away thanks to the iron grip of their confines. You wonder how they felt, having nothing but each other as mute, miserable company for so long.
You wonder if that is why they are looking at each other so intently, with their eyes full of fear and… and perhaps just the slightest glint of relief.
You wonder if they are relieved for each other, thinking that their only companion, who was with them during that frigid hell, will finally be free.
...
For what must be the thousandth time, you tell yourself that the changelings are all evil, and that you have to do this, and all the other justifications you have been telling yourself these last few days.
And you pick up the long knife that was prepared for you, next to your first sacrifice.
[Summoning Ritual]
"Blood has always been the currency of the world. Any world," you intone loudly, reciting the words that the Master has taught you so long ago, as you look down towards what lies at the very center of the innermost circle.
"It is the paint upon the canvas that is the Mansus," the Cadre replies back.
The innermost circle is, as required, engraved with the Lore of Winter. And by itself this already brings some difficulties.
After all, Winter is the Lore of many things, but Endings is one of its chief characteristics. So attempting to begin a ritual by invoking the Lore of ending is, by itself, a small paradox. And what is more, the act you are about to commit must not only be one of Winter by itself, but it must also reinforce the future application of Knock, seeing how the changeling before you carries no innate weight of Winter by nature.
This is not an unsurmountable obstacle, of course. But it still is a… difficulty.
The changeling lies in front of you, tied down in a somewhat awkward position. His… its four legs are spread outwards, and it is lying with its back to the ground so that its belly is clear and exposed to you.
You try to ignore the fact that, even in this unnatural position and with you standing next to it, it is still looking intently at its companion's eyes. Instead, you focus on the task at hoof.
You can see that its belly, thankfully, seems soft enough for what you are about to do. However, you confirm with your own eyes another detail that the Cadre had already mentioned before.
Namely, the changeling's belly lacks one peculiar trait.
You wonder if it is because of some trait of their physiology. You wonder if it is because, at least according to an obscure book you read, they are born from eggs. You have no idea if birds, or creatures born from eggs, truly lack this characteristic or not. You only know that ponies have it, as well as other mammals.
But still, this is a ritual. So, an act of ritualistic meaning will suffice.
You place the sharp tip of the knife upon the changeling's belly, ignoring its shuddering as it feels the faint kiss of its metal.
[Winter Roll]
!!!
[Success]
And then you push.
You stab the changeling, on the hallowed place where a pony would have a scar. Where every pony has a scar, hidden as it might be by fur. For it is the first scar that every pony receives, when the serpent of their birth is severed, and they are brought screaming into this world.
You stab the changeling where its navel would be, if it had one, and you push the knife until it bites deep, through its guts and lungs and all the way into its faintly beating heart.
You stab it with a single motion, creating a wound of great importance for Knock, while also causing an end in celebration of Winter.
The changeling's life fades away after one final, painful gasp, the months of abuse it had suffered making it unable to resist this last, grievous wound even for a moment longer.
Although, even though you killed it, you swear you also see the light fade from the other changeling's eyes as well. As if it finally realized, without a shadow of doubt, what its own fate will be. And also that, since its companion is now dead, it no longer has any reason to keep its bravery.
The other changeling, you see, quietly begins to cry.
And in the background of your thoughts, you hear the Cadre speak the words of opening and serpent-calling, as well as the deafening silence of the ones who are acknowledging the changeling's death for the sake of Winter.
The innermost circle begins to glow like a sunset seen through fog.
You then make your way towards the outermost circle, ignoring the middle circle of Knock for now, and you come upon the second changeling.
The first changeling's position was very specific, being in the center of the Winter circle so that its death would be confined to its boundaries. The second changeling's position, however, is even more important in its detail.
It is tied to the ground, with its legs kept close to its body so that it cannot move even an inch. But more importantly, much more importantly, this changeling's body is not entirely confined to the outermost circle of Edge.
No. Quite on the contrary.
The changeling is lying on the large, outermost circle of Edge, yes. However, its head is tied, practically leashed, so that it is being pulled towards the middle-circle of Knock.
Most important of all, the changeling's neck is exactly placed on the limit between Edge and Knock.
And a sharp axe lays by its side, ready to be picked up by the leading ritualist.
You pick up the axe. It is heaver than you thought it would be.
The Cadre begins to intone the stanzas of battle and strife, calling upon the Lore of Edge and combat.
The changeling begins to shudder. But to your surprise it does not close its eyes. It keeps them wide open, even if tear filled, looking at its dead companion.
You swing the axe down during the minute period of silence between the seventh and eighth stanza.
[Edge Roll]
!!!
[Success]
And the changeling's neck is neatly severed in one clean motion.
This act should have shocked you. It does shock you. But only a deep, primal side of you.
But your higher thoughts, the one you are keeping focused with the razor blade of Edge and the cold grip of Winter, shrug that shock away. Or at least store it for another time.
Still, you somehow manage to spring into action immediately.
The changeling's blood jumps out of its severed neck in a sickly wet gush. Once, twice, three times, in consecutively weaker bursts of arterial blood, as its fading heart finally weakens as it realizes there is no longer a life to be kept.
Still, you take that precious bounty onto your hoofs. Literally. Due to the changeling's positioning, its blood spills neatly into the surface of the Knock circle, and you know that you have but a few moments if you are to invoke the terrible intensities of Knock required for this ritual.
To summon a creature of the Mansus, Knock is required, together with whatever other Lores define said creature. To summon the Daughter-of-Axes, however, more than mere summoning-Knock is required. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that Knock must be celebrated twice.
The changeling's blood falls into an auspicious pattern, which you expand upon and around with your own hoofs. The Knock circle had been prepared exhaustively by the Cadre, of course, but the place in front of the changeling had been left intentionally un-engraved.
And that is because the glyphs you must carve may only be drawn with the currency of life.
So, you take the dripping blood from the changeling's severed neck and you begin to draw and carve. You draw the snake-paths, and the dream-spirals, and the curved keyhole. You draw the Stairs, and the Way, and you are silently thankful that the blood on your hoof dries up before you can begin the Wrong Door. You then take the still warm blood of the initial splash, which spread on the ground in a curiously wave-like pattern, and you expand it into the approximation of a serpent.
You stain your hoofs in blood. For the sake of the ritual. For the sake of what you have to do. And then you join your voice into the rising choir of the Cadre, whispering then muttering then intoning then singing then yelling the words of invitation and of key-making and of snakes boiling from the ground.
[Knock Roll]
…
;;;;;;
!!!!!!!!!
[Success]
And all around you, the centermost Knock-circle begins to glow. It glows the deep purple of dreams and royalty, pulsing like a mute breeze or a distant heartbeat. And before your eyes, the blood-drawn serpent begins to expand like a yawning door.
And the Daughter-of-Axes accepts your invitation into the Wake.
[All three rolls successful]
[Ritual successful]
You have successfully summoned the Daughter-of-Axes. Her detailed status, and more, will be revealed on the next update.
Your first kill would have given you several different options on how to internalize your actions. However, due to there being sufficient narrative justification (the circumstances), an IC interest in a particular result (Velvet knows she needs to learn more about Winter, and Selene is a family-level priority) as well as OOC interest (the voting would most likely have gone for Winter), I will skip the voting and decide the result myself.
What you did was a mercy. That is what you will say to yourself for the rest of your life. You have gained one scrap of WINTER Lore.
Winter is now level 4.
You have gained the trait [Murderer], and that is a burden you will carry for the rest of your life, clear and obvious for all those who have the eyes to see.
Velvet is gonna need all the therapy in the world after all is done.
There's little chance that Thorax ever unite what's left of the Changelings (if he's still alive) and discover the other way to feed from love, and that ignorance is a small mercy for Velvet.
I mean that pretty much sums up cultist simulator in a nut shell.
Therapy is required.
Not all of it, mind (certainly not for the hours and the like) but the cultists themselves?
Anyway long time reader, first time poster, love the quest, dunno how much I'll be able to engage with it, I especially like how Velvet gets agency since its the thing I found lacking in Cultist Simulator itself.
Love the game, love the world and its lore/ambiguities, but the game would be more accurately called cult simulator, sans for the exile.
Well then that was very interesting to read. The murderer trait is especially interesting to me as it begs the question on what exactly fulfills the criteria for it since it seems to be potentially a metaphysical trait as well as a legal trait. If it just legally speaking and Velvet viewing herself as one then it is understandable for it being a trait and does not need much explanation.
If it is metaphysical however then alot of questions come to mind. Do you get it if you are in the army who are obligated to fight the enemies of the state and kill them? Do you get it if it was accidental or by mistake? Does killing someone in self defense make you a murderer? Actually does legality matter? Does the free will and autonomy of the subject matter in this case? If you are mind controlled by a villain to do so like by Sombra for example, does it taint you like it has Velvet?
Normally would not ask this but since this is partly Cultist Simulator where here ithe conditions seem to matter as seen with the tribal door requirements being direct murder with indirect murder not counting it becomes a question which hopefully is not too strange to ask.
In essence what does it that make it obvious and clear to see for those who have the eyes? Cold reading? Experience? Seeing it on Velvet's mind through the Lores ? Magic?
Anyway, out of curiosity does anyone remember the plans (general or specific) for leaving the cult? Are we going to take Celestia/Cadance's offer up? If we do shall we reveal to them some of our dealings, even the whole thing, and hope that Celestia won't blast us to dust, or shall we continue to build upon foundations of deception until we have a viable explanation for how we know the things we know?
Personally, I'd go for at least some "truth" since the Master is a moth and I'm doubtful we can compete with a master of moth in causing confusion and misdirection.
