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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Aranfan said:
I am unable to brain today, I have the dumb. Hopefully someone will make a "heal twilight" plan I can vote for.
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Don't worry, pretty large moratorium intentionally.

I mean, this was hecking dropped on a weekday morning, and our last Turn took a whole semester to write. I absolutely don't blame anyone for wanting to be as careful with this as possible, and I'm perfectly willing to give time for that.
 
Bakkasama said:
Ok, so necessary expenses:
Expedition: 70 bits (two members)
Forge Redeption: 20 bits (healing Twilight)
Refecltion of Tapestry (to find Twilight): 35 bits.
Total: 125
+Level 3 Reagent 45 bits
Total: 170 bits
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we REALLY need the grail influence ritual too, because this turn is FULL of difficult diplomacy rolls (Comet, Possibly Fluttershy, Twilight, possibly Shining Armor, next turn we'll likely meet the princesses, we could also use it to turn the Hintchasers more to our side over the cult...)

Bakkasama said:
DoA: Wrong keys? I was half tempted to ask her to accompany us, but I can't really see how she would help with most. Since she refuses to help on non Knock rituals, that would be Soft Sweeps, Comet and cleaning house. She could act as emissary for an extra action...
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if we go on expedition and/or visit the red church, knock influence would be better. Red Church isn't really THAT dangerous I think, we're pretty overleveled AND we should have 2 influences active this turn (Grail and maybe Knock) which makes it more doable than usual.

BirdBodhisattva said:
6 bits. So you need 30 bits/pony IF you do a scouting action first, and 60bits/pony if you dont do a scouting action first.
Not scouting also means that all ponies involved have to use an action (and that Velvet, if she leads, has to use two actions). While scouting first means that only the leader uses an action, and everypony else goes for free action-wise.
(EDIT: and just because I think this is a bit confusing of me. A reminder. This expedition requires two actions if you don't scout it first, because you don't know where Twi is stashed. That's why there are options to scout it out first. And if you do scout, turn requirements decrease to 1, and you get all the perks of a "short expedition", in the sense that accompanying confidantes can go with you AND have time to do their own actions.)
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Tapestry counts as scouting, right?

I don't suppose you could tell us if Velvet thinks there's any point in using the horn dust reagent to either find Twilight OR to restore her horn?

I mean, beyond it being lantern 1 it seems like there would be symbolic meaning, so it would make sense for it to grant a special bonus to one of these specific rituals relating to her.

Shaper47 said:
Fourth - The entire town just had a whole bunch of burglary (houses broken into) followed by missing people, so the idea was that it is both not too unexpected (stuff similar to it happening) and would draw attention away from us as a suspect. If we're a victim we can't possibly be to blame right? That kinda plot.
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All these burglaries and disappearances happened AT THE SAME TIME.

Having it happen again, LATER, and ONLY to us, would definitely make us MORE suspicious, not less.

Skelm said:
Jade - Scry Twilight in our house
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our house is suspicious though. I'd rather clean Jade's and do it there.

BirdBodhisattva said:
Ah, that is a bit more understandable.

I'd just cautiously warn you that this relies on the Master reacting in the way you predicted. That doesn't happen often.
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This implies it ever happened, which... I don't think it did? ever?
 
SO we have these things that need to be done in our measurable objectives. Green are things we have counter measures to. Yellow are going to be in progress this turn. Socializing Comet Feet/ Rescue Twilight. Red is No Current Plan.

So I think given our trigger even is going to be incredibly soon that we need to find a way to either reduce cult influence, move, or subvert the cult to our goal. This is mostly because it would be highly dangerous to live in the same city as a place where a good chunk of our neighbors our enemies.

1. Subverting the cult is akin to subverting Windy. The only way I think we can buy him is getting a Wolf Sacrement and using the twin levers of the light from our father past the fog. This is a heavy price to pay since we would have to cover for a murderer like all the time, but if Windy and us the levers of money and occult power do a coup then the rest of the cult should fall in line mostly. Windy somehow got appointed as the defacto leader of Ponyville cause Master is too busy fluttering around.

2. Move our family. We can start the preprations with a servant action now looking for other property, but reassigning Stormy's job will be complex. The best place to be would move to Canterlot or Clousdale, and with the job we have an excuse. This is the most reasonable, but would also require us to take a huge chunk of the stimulus package from our dad to buy said property. Basically it is bound by bits.

3. Reduce Cult influence <- This is difficult. The only way I can think would be to dip the guards on our side first before the cult. Sowing disent will be very difficult. Basically, I am saying i have jack all ideas of how to reduce cult influence.

[Measurable Objectives] (Things you better do before a Trigger Event, ordered by threat level or importance)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "The End is Beautiful" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to the problem that is Comet Feet. (Social Comet Feet)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "Path Through Nightmares" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to your family's passive safety (Ponyville is a high-cult influence town. Solutions would be to DECREASE said influence in Ponyville, or make preparations to move your family to another city upon a Trigger Event) (No Plan)
-Commence preparations to save Twilight Sparkle. (In Progress)
-Find a solution to the "Reflection of the Tapestry" scrying ritual, should it be used against you. (No Plan)
 
reborn214 said:
SO we have these things that need to be done in our measurable objectives. Green are things we have counter measures to. Yellow are going to be in progress this turn. Socializing Comet Feet/ Rescue Twilight. Red is No Current Plan.

So I think given our trigger even is going to be incredibly soon that we need to find a way to either reduce cult influence, move, or subvert the cult to our goal. This is mostly because it would be highly dangerous to live in the same city as a place where a good chunk of our neighbors our enemies.

1. Subverting the cult is akin to subverting Windy. The only way I think we can buy him is getting a Wolf Sacrement and using the twin levers of the light from our father past the fog. This is a heavy price to pay since we would have to cover for a murderer like all the time, but if Windy and us the levers of money and occult power do a coup then the rest of the cult should fall in line mostly. Windy somehow got appointed as the defacto leader of Ponyville cause Master is too busy fluttering around.

2. Move our family. We can start the preprations with a servant action now looking for other property, but reassigning Stormy's job will be complex. The best place to be would move to Canterlot or Clousdale, and with the job we have an excuse. This is the most reasonable, but would also require us to take a huge chunk of the stimulus package from our dad to buy said property. Basically it is bound by bits.

3. Reduce Cult influence <- This is difficult. The only way I can think would be to dip the guards on our side first before the cult. Sowing disent will be very difficult. Basically, I am saying i have jack all ideas of how to reduce cult influence.

[Measurable Objectives] (Things you better do before a Trigger Event, ordered by threat level or importance)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "The End is Beautiful" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to the problem that is Comet Feet. (Social Comet Feet)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "Path Through Nightmares" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to your family's passive safety (Ponyville is a high-cult influence town. Solutions would be to DECREASE said influence in Ponyville, or make preparations to move your family to another city upon a Trigger Event) (No Plan)
-Commence preparations to save Twilight Sparkle. (In Progress)
-Find a solution to the "Reflection of the Tapestry" scrying ritual, should it be used against you. (No Plan)
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We also need to think about our sacraments. If we want to do our own. Or decide to not do our own sacraments and take invitations

We can't dropp getting more powerful as we make more enemies.
 
them8 said:
We also need to think about our sacraments. If we want to do our own. Or decide to not do our own sacraments and take invitations

We can't dropp getting more powerful as we make more enemies.
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I do not think sacraments are immediately relevant to betraying the cult and stopping random cult members for snatch and grabbing our daughter, hopping up on edge at influence and stabbing stormchasers or them throwing a windingo through our window. Since our betrayal is like this or next turn after we break out twilight.

I do think the sacraments are useful to win, but not at this very moment when we could for real die by staying in a place with high cult influence without an exit plan.
 
I honestly feel that it's Go Time. With the Twilight Rescue and the attempt to subvert Comet Feet almost certainly happening this turn, I don't see the Cult not realizing Something Is Up.

Us getting another turn in the Cult's good graces is vanishingly unlikely. Thus, its time for evidence reducing actions.

Destroying our handwritten manuscripts is a MUST. We can't have that sort of physical evidence lying around.

I also feel that we should take the option to try and convince people that Velvet was only a backer of the Wildwood Club and not an actual cult member. We've been seen coming and going from the place too much and people are going to have Questions.

Which we will have answers to! Why yes, Windy, a member of the book club Velvet is a member of asked her to back the opening of a club! Velvet saw this as a good business opportunity and a way to support her associates and hobby! She honestly had NO IDEA about the freaky stuff going on in the basement!!
 
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Okay I'm going to make the case to not take the Soft Sweeps option.

While the stress malus will suck. This is go time we need to put all our focus on the rescue plan and breaking away from the cult and that means ever action counts.
 
Getting more powerful is a lower priority for me at the moment, as we need to survive the current situation from the cult and actions can either be dedicated to future strength or immediate safety.
 
Pittauro said:
Tapestry counts as scouting, right?

I don't suppose you could tell us if Velvet thinks there's any point in using the horn dust reagent to either find Twilight OR to restore her horn?

I mean, beyond it being lantern 1 it seems like there would be symbolic meaning, so it would make sense for it to grant a special bonus to one of these specific rituals relating to her.
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Tapestry counts as scouting Manehattan, yes.

About the horn, you honestly don't know. IC, Velvet has absolutely zero experience with Redemption of the Forge beyond the theoretical, so she has no idea if that would have any influence.
OOC, Cultist Simulator could say that it made a difference, due to symbolism, while it could also say that there is no difference, because "the more grim of the two settings". And Redemption of the Forge being a CS-based ritual, would Harmony have any say in it?
So really, you have absolutely no idea about this, and I don't think even an educated guess could be made OOC. This, unfortunately, really is in the realm of "specific to this setting", and I'm afraid I can't really dip my finger into it without plainly giving the answer in WoG.

reborn214 said:
[Measurable Objectives] (Things you better do before a Trigger Event, ordered by threat level or importance)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "The End is Beautiful" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to the problem that is Comet Feet. (Social Comet Feet)
-Find a solution to the constant threat of "Path Through Nightmares" ritual. (Wrong Keys)
-Find a solution to your family's passive safety (Ponyville is a high-cult influence town. Solutions would be to DECREASE said influence in Ponyville, or make preparations to move your family to another city upon a Trigger Event) (No Plan)
-Commence preparations to save Twilight Sparkle. (In Progress)
-Find a solution to the "Reflection of the Tapestry" scrying ritual, should it be used against you. (No Plan)
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This is actually very comprehensive!



Also, I don't think this will help much, in practical terms. But let me just say some things I have on my mind. To help us all with food for thought, if nothing else.
(Because really, you guys are spinning a LOT of plates right now, with these many possible options. But to be honest, this is also a fork on the road for me. Too many options means you guys can go any way.)

So.

(The following is all IC Velvet thoughts, and based on what she knows. Do NOT take this as WoG, since there are variables you don't know of that I won't hint at here)

-When it comes to Trigger Events. To be honest, the absolute earliest I see one happening is at the end of this turn, and only if something goes catastrophically bad with the Twilight Rescue, OR in the aftermath of said rescue even if it goes well. After all, Shining will be coming to Ponyville, and Royal Guard on a Cult-heavy town will definitely make the Cult nervous.
-DOUBLY so because, if you think about it, the only Inner Circle members in town will be you, Jade and Comet (two-thirds in cahoots to leave the cult). When Shining comes, Windy will already have left, and so will Starry.
-If everything goes well, then you will probably have another full month clear. Unless somepony makes a really big fuss about Jade not having summoned Windigos (IF she doesn't summon them). But really, you think you have enough grace to not get a knife on your back if you ignore your orders this whole month. You have no idea about the next one though...
-When it comes to moving to another town... this is actually a deeper hole than you initially thought. Depending on how Soft Sweeps feels, living in Canterlot might be fully vetoed. And if not Canterlot, than any other town actually comes into the menu, seeing how any other town shares the quality of "not being your future place of work". Plus, this will be quite a time-consuming change in your lifestyle if you do end up moving away. Honestly, it's best to iron out the details of your posting in the Lunar Bureau before beginning to look into this.
-You really think Velvet Axe (gotta get used to calling her that) can solo Twilight's rescue. The only true problem would be how to interact her, depending on her state. Doubly so because Velvet Axe is clearly not good with "interacting" as a whole.
-And finally, you think it's best to focus on a single aspect of your cult-retirement. Either "dissociate" by cutting your name from it, "sabotage" it so the Ponyville branch becomes less stable, or try to "convert" as much as you can to have a power base when you actually split (although the most likely next move following this would be more overt conflict with the Cult. Because if you form a splitting cult, with followers stolen from the Wildhoof Club, you suddenly become competition)

That's all that comes to mind right now. But I'll certainly chime in as things go.
 
If our rivals are out in other cities and we get comet, we taking over the whole cult in ponyville might be the best option. Powerbase plus current home advantages.
 
Okay, with WoG on the matter I stand corrected about having another month of leeway if everything goes well. I still feel that we should take actions this turn as there is no guarantee of the dice deciding to play nice.

Glau said:
If our rivals are out in other cities and we get comet, we taking over the whole cult in ponyville might be the best option. Powerbase plus current home advantages.
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…This is actually a really good point! We COULD decide to try and subvert the entire Ponyville branch of the Cult as a way to continue to stay in the town we have roots and connections in.

It's comes with its own complications though. I think the thread majority wants to accept the position on the Lunar Buerau, and well….juggling that and Secret Cult Leader comes with the huge risk of The Wrong Person finding out.
 
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Glau said:
If our rivals are out in other cities and we get comet, we taking over the whole cult in ponyville might be the best option. Powerbase plus current home advantages.
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The issue with this is that this turn is the first time sounding Comet out about leaving the Cult. We were already told that Velvet is being cautious and won't rush things so subverting Comet takes two turns at the fastest (and really, considering that he was ordered to hunt down traitors, Velvet will play it safe).
 
Empere said:
Okay, with WoG on the matter I stand corrected about having another month of leeway if everything goes well. I still feel that we should take actions this turn as there is no guarantee of the dice deciding to play nice.



…This is actually a really good point! We COULD decide to try and subvert the entire Ponyville branch of the Cult as a way to continue to stay in the town we have roots and connections in.

It's comes with its own complications though. I think the thread majority wants to accept the position on the Lunar Buerau, and well….juggling that and Secret Cult Leader comes with the huge risk of The Wrong Person finding out.
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Also subverting the ponyville branch would require us to either kill Windy or subvert Windy as he is like the actual head now.
 
Idle thought that doesn't really mean much of anything, but do we reckon there's any chance of reaching Moth 4/4 this or next turn? If we can, I think tweaking the Master's nose by obtaining their sacrament before splitting from the cult would be neat to try (especially since their action doesn't require us to lose a confidante).
 
It's worth noting that with so much money, we might actually be able to take Rarity with us on the expedition, if we use Tapestry first so it doesn't cost her action. We might also want to teach her more Lore, if we do that. Could help a lot with actually dealing with Twilight.
 
Shaper47 said:
Just to be clear we can totally send a Flourishing Risen as our emissary for the fleeting opportunity of stealing bits?

And could we do it in such a way to combo with us cooking the books? i.e. the Flourishing Risen steals a bunch of bits blatantly and we then cook the books to say it stole more then it did so we can gift ourselves the difference.
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Not gonna lie, that sounds like the kind of scheme that ends with us in cuffs, shouting how we'd have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids.
 
Xantalos said:
Idle thought that doesn't really mean much of anything, but do we reckon there's any chance of reaching Moth 4/4 this or next turn? If we can, I think tweaking the Master's nose by obtaining their sacrament before splitting from the cult would be neat to try (especially since their action doesn't require us to lose a confidante).
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Probably not. Higher level scraps are kind hard to find just laying around, and we'd need 3 of them before the start of next turn to snag the Master's Sacrament.

Anyway, planning!

So we basically have two more-or-less mandatory actions in Comet and the Jailbreak. Three technically-not-mandatory-but-also-sort-of-are in RotT, Soft Sweeps, and CoI. And a bunch of helpful actions but not enough time for everything.

Here's my current idea:

Rarity on her job
Jade on RotT at our house - Sacrifice Lantern 1
Hintchasers get a body
Risen steal the manuscripts
DoA/Velvet Axe on Wrong Key crafting
Servants on... looking for expeditions, I guess?
Knock boon on the Woods
Forge boon on Grail 3 reagent
Winter boon on Flourishing Risen (w/ body from Hintchasers)
Winter for Selene (obviously)

Velvet's actions:
CoI (Grail) - Sacrifice Grail 3
Comet Feet - With Fluttershy, not in reserve
Soft Sweeps
Lore lessons for the family - Conditional to drop if RotT fails
Dissociate from the cult
Rescue Twilight

Soft Sweeps to avoid that Malus (and hopefully help her mental state), dissociation for obvious reasons, and family lessons to start building up their protection against occult attacks (and maybe even convince Stormchaser that Selene's IotH is acceptable).

I don't think the rest needs much explanation.

Edit: Alternatively, swap Velvet's 'rescue Twilight' action for 'promote Rarity', then have DoA/Velvet Axe lead the expedition and bring Rarity along for any Social Things.
 
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I'll also remind people that with our family on board with the Lores, suspicious Lore activity in our house becomes a lot less so as they help cover it up.
 
So silly idea, but could Twilight's house be used for the ritual to find Twilight? No one is there and I suspect any thing that gets found would be attributed to the changeings (or cult, for those in the know)

I don't expect this to work, but worth a thought
 
Byzantine said:
So silly idea, but could Twilight's house be used for the ritual to find Twilight? No one is there and I suspect any thing that gets found would be attributed to the changeings (or cult, for those in the know)

I don't expect this to work, but worth a thought
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Someone would probably notice spooky magic things happening inside it, even if we probably could break in undetected.
 
@BirdBodhisattva, I've got a (probably premature) question about moving and things. If our place of work ends up being in Canterlot, but we can't move there because of Soft Sweeps or some other reason, how would that work?
 
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