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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BlueSteel said:
if level equals intesity/2 does that mean the max level is 7, because the highest level lore in game you can get is level 14, so 14/2 = 7. or is there no max level.
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Basically.

Technically a tier 4 influence (intensity 15), which in CS represented "the personal attention of an hour" is just a BIT beyond level 7 equivalent, which is fair in that the personal attention of an hour is JUST beyond mortal limits.

Lvl 7 books (intensity 14) we're mentioned to exist, but also to be VERY special. Same for artifacts, presumably.

Frangiclave, which should be the key capable of freeing Axe, is supposed to be lvl 6.

The Moldywarp's stone, what chrysalis had that could nullify all non-changeling non-lore magic in a wide radius (which, if we go by canon, would include DISCORD and ALICORN magic) and that allowed them to "lie to the world" with their disguises, was presumably a lvl 7 artifact.

Celestia's mirror is likely lvl 7, or at least 6, as well.

We have ways to easily find up to lvl 3 books and artifacts. Lvl 4 and 5 books are also doable to find for Velvet personally in book searches, though to be fair they're pretty expensive.
 
Pittauro said:
Celestia's mirror is likely lvl 7, or at least 6, as well.
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Judging by the description we got, Celestia's mirror is probably the Watchman's Glass, which would be Lantern 6.

Though speaking of Level 7 artifacts. If we were to go for one, which one would we want? Yes I know we're too busy to do it sometime soon, but still. Once we get Frangiclave, maybe we can go for an even shinier shiny.

I'd say Edge. Go get that Infinity +1 Sword (bcuz if the ultimate Edge artifact isn't a weapon I'll eat my nonexistent boots) :V
 
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Greymere said:
I'd say Edge. Go get that Infinity +1 Sword (bcuz if the ultimate Edge artifact isn't a weapon I'll eat my nonexistent boots) :V
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I was just looking at the wiki and the edge 12 artifact was a sliver of the lionsmiths weapon that he crushed which seems like it would be amazing for invoking edge but not as a weapon. But funnily enough, the strongest weapon I could find (in the exile dlc) was the imhullune Tectrix. Of course an item that would probably be the same here as in CS would be biedde's Blade.
 
Greymere said:
Judging by the description we got, Celestia's mirror is probably the Watchman's Glass, which would be Lantern 6.

Though speaking of Level 7 artifacts. If we were to go for one, which one would we want? Yes I know we're too busy to do it sometime soon, but still. Once we get Frangiclave, maybe we can go for an even shinier shiny.

I'd say Edge. Go get that Infinity +1 Sword (bcuz if the ultimate Edge artifact isn't a weapon I'll eat my nonexistent boots) :V
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Levels are not necessarily the same as in the cs equivalent. Our current edge artifact, a meteor shard turned to dust, is a single-use edge artifact (single use if used to flee I mean), and the closest equivalent in CS is the meteoric bullet, which was intensity 4 / level 2.
 
lurker9875 said:
Apparently a Level 7 Book is the personal remant of power of an Hour, so most likely the max of Lore Knowledge/Artifact/Book is 7?
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Kinda? In quest the only Level 7 thing we have seen is Moldywarp's Stone and that was a personal tool of the Hour so we presume that a Level 7 book will be an Hour's personal interpretation/ruminations of their Lore. However from CS canon we also know that a Level 7 Book can be someone else's writings on a broader topic that relates back to the lore in question. For example reading the Level 7 Lantern Book in CS gives you a history on the Interclate in the form of a prophecy and the future of the world in said prophecy continued. The mechanical rewards are Level 7 Lore and the Rite by which one can ascend to Namehood. The Lore level denotes/is itself the combined secrets/methods of the Hours related to the Lores.
 
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Pittauro said:
Levels are not necessarily the same as in the cs equivalent. Our current edge artifact, a meteor shard turned to dust, is a single-use edge artifact (single use if used to flee I mean), and the closest equivalent in CS is the meteoric bullet, which was intensity 4 / level 2.
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Part of that description was that the mirror was about as Lantern-y as Baldomare's summoned form. Which would be Lantern 6. I feel like we definitely would have noticed if the mirror was stronger than Baldomare in the Wake.

BirdBodhisattva said:
More power than even you have. Perhaps as much power as Baldomare herself had while in the wake.
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On the reaction of people being invited to the Royal Wedding, it's probably worth remembering how, in a very early episode in canon, the residents of Ponyville reacted to Twilight having tickets just to the Grand Galloping Gala, which was a mere yearly event. And then consider that this is a much more unique thing.
 
With an hour left to vote, I'm going to cast my vote for the clear winners. Damn it's good to be part of the winning coalition.

[X] "I would be honored to be the maid of honor." (Become closer to Cadance)
[X] "Cadance, both you and Shining sent invitations to Twilight. But maybe we should… check on her in person?" (???)
[X] "Your dress is good. But it could be better. I know a mare..." (Involve Rarity in dressmaking. Applies Rarity's Lore levels)

I can't imagine using this opportunity to do anything besides be there for our closest friends and reach out to the pony whose life we've ruined.

Mechanically, I assume getting confidante with Cadance gets us a bit more action economy immediately and getting Rarity to help make the dress gets us more bits over time. Honestly, considering the time it'll take to get her on-side, reaching out to Twilight is probably suboptimal, but I just feel bad for her, so.

Also she's the MC of canon, so I'm sure there's some sentimentality here
 
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Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by BirdBodhisattva on Jan 12, 2024 at 10:11 PM, finished with 474 posts and 76 votes.
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  • Voting
    • Ls Shadow said:
    I mean, it'll be a dress made by someone with an affinity for grail with levels in forge for someone that is conceptually close to grail when they are getting married. If it doesn't become a grail artifact I'd be shocked.
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    you forget the part where it's being married by the Princess of Love, likely the most envied Mare in Equestria right now. Worn at the largest wedding in history!
     
    I'm just waiting to learn that "Rarity and Cadence are both going to be minions now, good job on your diabolical manipulations". And then the Master shows up, being drawn by the sheer Mothiness of suborning the wrong Alicorn.
     
    ...

    Guys...

    Rarity is Forge 1...

    Maybe raise her to Forge 3 before expecting her to create a Lore artifact? Goodness gracious, talk about expectations on the poor mare.

    Anyhow
    BirdBodhisattva said:
    Scheduled vote count started by BirdBodhisattva on Jan 12, 2024 at 10:11 PM, finished with 474 posts and 76 votes.
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    Cowabunga it is
     
    BirdBodhisattva said:
    ...

    Guys...

    Rarity is Forge 1...

    Maybe raise her to Forge 3 before expecting her to create a Lore artifact? Goodness gracious, talk about expectations on the poor mare.

    Anyhow

    Cowabunga it is
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    People like to exaggerate. And yeah, we… well, Cadence already thinks we helped make the wedding happen in the first place, we were probably at Good Friend even before that, and then we spent three actions helping. And now we're getting even closer.

    I reiterate. This is minion level bullshit. Helping a demigoddess of love get married is wild enough.
     
    Minion level bullshit is good. It gives us more rope to hang ourselves with when we inevitably fuck up and the big reveal happens :V

    But jokes aside we want this. Candace trusting us more then Celestia enough so that our indiscretions don't get back to her is a very good thing.
     
    BirdBodhisattva said:
    ...

    Guys...

    Rarity is Forge 1...

    Maybe raise her to Forge 3 before expecting her to create a Lore artifact? Goodness gracious, talk about expectations on the poor mare.

    Anyhow

    Cowabunga it is
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    The argument is that a dress made by a grail 3 forge 1, worn by the PRINCESS OF LOVE at the MARRIAGE OF THE MILLENNIA might turn into an artifact more from the situation itself that from Rarity's raw ability

    Are "accidental" artifacts just not a thing? It's not like someone made the meteoric iron that counted as Edge 3, it was a "natural" artifact, so to speak (though we changed it by turning it into dust).

    I'd imagine the dress MIGHT count as a lvl 0 artifact when freshly done, but it might become A grail 2 to 4 artifact AFTER the wedding basically
     
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