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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Pittauro said:
50 to 27 in favour of only the "temporary" minion option.
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I'm a lot less annoyed by this than I am most of the time when the moral option is picked, simply because we at least get something out of this as opposed to completely giving up an advantage in exchange for the warm fuzzies. Also, considering our action economy, I don't see Rarity getting de-minioned any time soon.
 
Greymere said:
As soon as Celestia finds out about the cult with spooky magic that is responsible for Luna disappearing for over a year, guess what? That spooky cult is now a priority.
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I mean it's not like we have had multiple WoG's that that ends in Celestia killing us via solar death rays. Oh wait we have.

Greymere said:
Do you really, honestly think that the only action that the Bureau can take against the cult is direct combat? Do you honestly think that the cult is going to unleash the Windigos in a populated area at the slightest provocation, drawing even more attention to themselves? Do you really think that a secret police isn't going to understand the value of being sneaky?
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Do you think we can take the Master? Do you think that the cult which has already started taking action to gather Windigos won't use them? Do you think normal ponies have an advantage against ponies who know the lores?
 
Pittauro said:
but lots of people get angry because of stories about colored horses! For example, People became very angry when a horned colored horse suddenly became an horned AND WINGED colored horse!
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I rather think that's less about colors and horses than about appendages that really aren't supposed to be on horses in the first place.
Mage of Eyes said:
They're also guys that pick locks when they jam or you lost your keys.
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Sure, but that's just a supplemental skill to their actual purpose.

I don't know, it's just weird that the people whose whole jobs are to create locks would be defined by a lore that is solely about undoing those locks. It's kinda like saying a surgeon would be defined by Edge because they still know how to cut into people.
BirdBodhisattva said:
Velvet Axe interlude or plot advancement?

I mean, I'll write both eventually. I just want to know if you would rather languish while wondering what became of Rarity and Velvet, while we go take a look at something else, or if you'd rather the immediate release of knowing the result of your vote.
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I've been waiting to know what that expedition gives for a lot longer than I've been waiting for this.
 
BirdBodhisattva said:
I mean, I'll write both eventually. I just want to know if you would rather languish while wondering what became of Rarity and Velvet, while we go take a look at something else, or if you'd rather the immediate release of knowing the result of your vote.
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Much like my vote, I enjoy languishing in tension. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.
 
Shaper47 said:
I mean it's not like we have had multiple WoG's that that ends in Celestia killing us via solar death rays. Oh wait we have.
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We have WoG that Celestia finding out that we know the Lores before we can justify it results in solar death rays. Not her finding out about the cult. That's kind of part of the whole reason we're erasing all traces of our membership in the first place.

Her finding out about the cult via normal should mean we get ordered to deal with the cult as per the Bureau's directives.

Shaper47 said:
Do you think we can take the Master? Do you think that the cult which has already started taking action to gather Windigos won't use them? Do you think normal ponies have an advantage against ponies who know the lores?
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No, but the Master isn't constantly hovering over ever single person in the cult at all times. And honestly? Luna could probably take the Master. Celestia going all out definitely could. If we're at a point where we're directly fighting the Master, it's not going to be all on our lonesome.

I didn't say the cult wouldn't use Windigos. I was saying they weren't going to use it at the slightest provocation. Being investigated is not a Windigo-worthy response, as seen by Dull Glass's continued existence. And like, preparations exist. The two choices are not "go fight Windigos with no prep" and "ignore the cult".

And honestly? Yes. Trained professionals will be on at least equal footing with the most if not all of the cult's Outer Circle. Because professionals have things like equipment and training, and the regular mooks in the cult don't.
 
BirdBodhisattva said:
I mean, I'll write both eventually. I just want to know if you would rather languish while wondering what became of Rarity and Velvet, while we go take a look at something else, or if you'd rather the immediate release of knowing the result of your vote.
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Languish for me, i can wait, and knowing more about this snake first sounds good to me.
 
Languishing is apparently a very popular pass time in thread. Myself included. Not sure what to make of that?

*thinks about this website and quests in particular.*

Ah. I see we have all spent so much time languishing we developed a taste for it.

That's pretty funny actually.
 
zxzx24 said:
Languishing is apparently a very popular pass time in thread. Myself included. Not sure what to make of that?

*thinks about this website and quests in particular.*

Ah. I see we have all spent so much time languishing we developed a taste for it.

That's pretty funny actually.
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We wouldn't be participating in this quest if we weren't willing to suffer a bit.
 
BirdBodhisattva said:
I love it how they made a point of having the theme-song of that whole episode be "Everything is going to be fine!"



And in other news, the next update should be Fluttershy's action. But I have something else, more snake-themed, that I was thinking about working on, so...

Velvet Axe interlude or plot advancement?

I mean, I'll write both eventually. I just want to know if you would rather languish while wondering what became of Rarity and Velvet, while we go take a look at something else, or if you'd rather the immediate release of knowing the result of your vote.
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My main complaint there was that it really needed to be a double episode. They crammed too many things in just one.

on a separate note...

...you want to make us choose if we want immediate release or if we're in the mood for some edging? how bold of you, Bird! You haven't even asked us on a date yet... then again, I suppose we HAVE been seeing each other for more than a year by now...

jokes aside... I think I'd go with Plot advancement, all else being equal. If you feel like you'd prefer to, or can write DoA more easily/faster, that's obviously different.

Then again, waiting can make it feel better, but it's also the harder choice to make...

Also I admit I'm curious about what's beneath the castle, and just how far can our little snake go in the time she has.

BirdBodhisattva said:
Location: The Royal Castle is, quite literally, almost as old as recorded history, and the stories and speculations that surround it are as numerous as the stars at night. Some say it was built over a great mine, stripped bare of its resources by greedy unicorns, while others claim it was built on that mountain simply because it was near the center of the Pony Kingdom. However, regardless of what anypony thinks, you think you have found an entrance to its underground area... It might be for the best you don't bring anypony with claustrophobia, though.

Difficulty: Low

Expected amount of actions required: 1

Base cost: 5 bits (you must have at least 25 bits per member of the Expedition, in order to set out)

Expected dangers: Having been scryed by Jade Whistle, she has learned that the first difficulty with this Expedition will be reaching it, considering the only entrance is in the Servant's Wing of the Royal Castle. Ponies who have a good reason to be in the Royal Castle will make things easier, but larger groups will inevitably call attention. After that, she has learned that the immediate underground is a vast crystal-like labyrinth, which will require certain skills to traverse. The labyrinth goes down for a long, long way, longer than she was able to see, but she found a spot on the labyrinth that seems to be particularly close to the "face" of Canterlot's mountain. An opening there would surely make further expeditions more easy, using that new entrance as a starting point.
Her scrying might have been incomplete, though.
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we know of three obstacles: reaching the entrance, getting through the caverns, and opening another passage back out of the mountain.

She has 5 days for these 3 obstacles, so presumably she can fail twice (assuming no horrible consequences for failure, and assuming one obstacle per day, which is not necessarily a hard rule) and still reach and create the new exit.

But we might have overlooked some other obstacles, AND if there's time leftover she could continue further than we scried.


Ericwinter said:
I rather think that's less about colors and horses than about appendages that really aren't supposed to be on horses in the first place.
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but colored horses are still involved! It's a matter of colored horses subtypes!

zxzx24 said:
We also have the solution to this. Become a name. Then she can blast away all day. We won't have to live in (mortal) fear of alicorn tantrum.
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I don't think it's even possible to become a Name, when there's no Hours around. Which has me wonder how the "surviving" Names work.

Then again, for all we know these are actually Long-tier powers and they're actually weaker than they once were.

zxzx24 said:
Languishing is apparently a very popular pass time in thread. Myself included. Not sure what to make of that?

*thinks about this website and quests in particular.*

Ah. I see we have all spent so much time languishing we developed a taste for it.

That's pretty funny actually.
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Ericwinter said:
…I, uh, don't think that is going to be a very patient scene. We're going to be sitting between Fluttershy and Comet Feet with an Incarnadescence, Level 3 Grail, and Attention of the Laws on.
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Pittauro said:
I don't think it's even possible to become a Name, when there's no Hours around. Which has me wonder how the "surviving" Names work.

Then again, for all we know these are actually Long-tier powers and they're actually weaker than they once were.
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They seem equivalent to the canon strength in CS. At least, their summoned pieces do.

Anyways, which would you rather see? A Name going ham on an Expedition which is their specialty, or Velevet slapping Comet and Fluttershy in the face with the social equivalent of Celestia nuking Chrysalis? :V
 
Ericwinter said:
They seem equivalent to the canon strength in CS. At least, their summoned pieces do.

Anyways, which would you rather see? A Name going ham on an Expedition which is their specialty, or Velevet slapping Comet and Fluttershy in the face with the social equivalent of Celestia nuking Chrysalis? :V
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I wanna see the DOA get a nat 1 on sneaking into canterlot :V by moth or grail roll. Neither of which she is skilled in.

Or! Getting a natural 100!
 
zxzx24 said:
I wanna see the DOA get a nat 1 on sneaking into canterlot :V by moth or grail roll. Neither of which she is skilled in.

Or! Getting a natural 100!
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…A Name getting a nat100 would probably be all kinds of bullshit. Like, just warping into the end room and then warping out with all the loot kinda of bullshit.
 
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