/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>170748
Amber tries to think of some counterpoint. "We can…hide you, yes. Or else smuggle you out. You cannot leave without being seen," she nearly whispers.

>>170749
He blinks, and turns to her/him
“How?”

>>170750
Amber resorts to the most obvious solutions. "We could put you in some luggage. Or maybe there is a hole in the floor somewhere to exit through…."

>>170751
He nods
"Yeah! That'll do!" The young griffin is eager to cooperate.

Where Amber recieves less cooperation is from a few griffin passengers pouring in from cars further back. Helder and Erich seem to have largely reduced the flow of passengers from the rear to the fore, but a small number of stragglers make it through, spreading panic rumors about an invasion of the rear most cars by bandits or worse. Like an indefatigable hydra, these passengers always appear to cause problems, however many are placated.

>>170752
Amber acts sternly towards these passengers, physically barring them from going any further. "Go back to your seats and stop spreading rumors. You are completely safe and nothing bad will happen, but we are required to remain on the train until we complete a census. Thank you for your cooperation."

>>170755
https://youtu.be/d6MMX4MYIys?si=EI-FbmLIa-Sfqx-5

Whatever may be, the passengers fully believe that Amber works for the Reichsbahn. They shut up for long enough for Amber to get back to work.

>>170756
Amber wastes no time to finish up her part of the census before the others complete theirs.

>>170757
Amber is allowed to complete the census, but the griffin fugitive is impatient. “What about me?” There are no small number of questions from passengers about what is going on.

Erich is the first to come back to Amber with a hastily scribbled set of pages. Helder is the last, with much better claw writing. Federkleid comes back with pages from the locomotive. “I found an earlier passenger list from Griffinheim. It won’t include the passengers from Kronburg, but this is most of them.”

>>170758
"Do you have your ID? Are you supposed to be here? No? Then shut up while we think of something," Amber says irritably to the fugitive.

"Thank you, Federkleid. This is exactly what I needed," Amber says warmly. With a second thought and a gesture to the fugitive, she asks, "Could you calm down the passenger who's 'misplaced' his ID?" She finds a wide, stable surface and sets to work adding those names not present on the old list, and crossing out those who had evidently disembarked.

>>170759
The young fugitive blinks.

Amber can hear that Federkleid counsels the young griffin something along the lines of “shut the fuck up”

There is a small table at the end of the car, likely always intended as a crew “office.” Amber is allowed to do her work in relative peace. Amber can notice a couple inconsistencies, like a passenger was missed or managed to get off. Then again, these may have gotten off at Kronburg. Hard to tell, really.

>>170760
kek

Amber tries to work around these inconsistencies, which at least aren't her fault this time. The thought occurs to her that she doesn't quite know how she'll continue her escape after handing over the manifest, but she dismisses this thought and continues writing like her life depends on it.

>>170761
Take it one day at a time, little pony. Like the alcoholics

Well, there are a few missing but... Let's just say they got off at Kronburg. Probably better than having excess passengers anyways.

It's taken longer than Amber really would have wished, but her work is done.

>>170762
Amber proof-reads it one more time before hurrying to hand it to the officers, straightening up before opening the door to look official.

>>170763
There are a few mistakes. One of Amber's companions, who shall not be named, other than to say that his name rhymes with "numeric," has misspelled names, despite having the resource of the correct spelling right in front of him.

The more worrying error is where names do not match. Amber can deduce that this is caused by use of maiden names, aliases, or middle names instead of first names. The original manifest has full, ID correct names, but someone decided to only use a simple first and last name format, relying, evidently, on self-reporting, which of course leads to minor inconsistencies.

Still, it's as close as she can get.

>>170764
Amber, in her fatigued, sleep-deprived state, can't help but grind her beak in anger at her uneducated oaf of a companion. Still, there is no time to lose and whatever she can, she quickly corrects, but otherwise hands over the completed list.

>>170765
Somehow, Amber always knew that Erich would get them killed...

Anyways, she goes to the door, claws over both the old manifest and the new census to the officer, and waits.

The officer goes down the list, and checks it, looking between both lists. He complains at the minor inconsistencies.

Then he asks
"And your name?"

>>170766
Amber had an alias ready for such a situation, right? "Rudolf Hofstadter, sir," she answers after just a moment.

>>170767
He looks her directly in the eyes.

"We received a request from the Imperial Government for four griffins. These are Erich Sóbányász, Federkleid Engel, Hedler Von Neuestadt, and Schwelle Wildemann. Are these griffins onboard?"

>>170768
For a brief moment Amber entertains the thought of handing over the young fugitive as one of the four. But to betray another's trust…. "They are not aboard. We have completed this census and there are no four griffons with inconsistent information."

>>170769
You know what is coming

Roll Bluff

>>170771
Not... Great

Roll luck

>>170773
AHHHHHHH

>>170774
>>170773
>>170771
The Officer looks at Amber with his serious expression

"You lack confidence in your delivery. What exactly are you not telling me?"

>>170775
"Well, you see…" Amber says as she shifts uncomfortably. "There is one passenger who would not show us his ID and who seemed intent on avoiding sight. He is a stowaway."

>>170776
The officer narrows his eyes

“A stowaway?!?!”
He reaches for his pistol.

“Well, we will have to deal with him. Where is he?”

>>170777
"He is in the next car over," Amber answers (if this is the case). "One of the staff has him cornered."

>>170778
He’s actually in the same car. The officer moves Amber aside, and goes towards where Amber tells him.

>>170779
A pang of intense guilt stabs Amber's heart as she looks on. But this was her last resort. If it wasn't for the one, then it would be the four of them. If only she could have been more convincing.

>>170780
Entering into the car, Amber can see the fugative griffin with Federkleid next to him. "Is this the one?" The officer asks

The griffin's heart sinks, and Amber can see him physically sulk down, before turning around, and again going for the door, trying one last effort to escape. Whether it was because he had sense enough, or because the situation left him silent, he does at least remain mostly quiet. Federkleid has a claw on him to restrain him. This will not be enough, both because the young griffin is panicked, but also because Amber can see that Federkleid has kept a claw inside of her coat, almost certainly holding onto a hidden gun. Federkleid looks back at Amber confused, and looking for direction.

>>170781
Amber subtly waves downward in a tacit instruction to Federkleid to not cause trouble and to let this happen. "Yes it is, officer," Amber answers the police glumly.

>>170780
>>170782
Federkleid attempts to move aside and let the officer arrest the fugitive, letting go of the gun. It’s only when the griffin spreads his wings and tugs on the handle of the door that she realizes she cannot stand still, and she commits to grabbing into him. Federkleid holds him down, as the officer grabs him. He cries out “No! Not like this! I can’t go back to my master!” And struggles against the officer, forcing him to through the fugitive down on the ground. More officers come, and hold him down. Meanwhile, passengers look on, spooked by the action. “What’s going on? Are there infiltrators among us?” They ask

>>170783
"There was a stowaway, and that's all. Just stand aside," Amber answers the passengers, wringing her talons.

>>170784
Amber watches the griffin struggle, scream, and cry as he’s tackled onto the very narrow walkway of the center of the car. He almost pulls himself away by grabbing onto a seat, but fails. This goes on for more than a minute

>>170785
"I need to play some music…" Amber mutters to herself. She goes to get her violin and come back.

>>170786
The officer looks up toward Amber strangely, and says "Now? We are arresting a suspect, and the train must remain sealed." Evidently he doesn't quite appreciate the need for music in the situation. Federkleid states,
"It will calm the passengers down."

He relents
"Very well. Go get it."

Amber's violin is very close, being in the locomotive. Just go through the door, and across to the locomotive, and she has it. But in this narrow band of time, all pandemonium is let loose upon the car.

"Is this about the bandit?" A passenger asks
"No, that was an imperial officer." Another says
"Disguised as an officer." The first says
"No, it was a rebel looking to take hostages. They burst in disguised as an officer!" a third says

The officer shoots up, with another two officers left with the hard task of securing the fugative

"A rebel?! by the Imperial border? Where did this happen?"

First passenger "As you said, by the border."
Officer: "No, where in the train?"
Second passenger: "In the back of the train. They came through the back door of the last car. Busted through with a crowbar."

The officer speaks to a different officer
"Rebels by the Imperial border"
Other officer
"I thought they would have remained in Longsword"
Officer:
"They cross the border sometimes, or are locals, inspired to rebel by their kin in the south. They must be using the Imperial lands as a safe base to launch their attacks."
The officer looks over towards a passenger, and asks him
"Tell me, what did these rebels look like. Were they short? Brightly colored? Kind of cute? With hooves?"
Third passenger:
"No. They were two griffins. One grey, one white. Both were wearing Imperial District police uniforms, including with the caps."
Officer:
"Griffin colloboraters. That's worse. Either thieves, or traitors within the imperial ranks. So that's what the Imperials were trying to warn us about. If only they were not too ashamed to tell us the truth. Would have saved us trouble, and let us know how serious this is." Then the officer announces to the car,
"It looks like this train was targeted by pony rebels that are using the Imperial District as a base to attack our lands here in Hellquil. With all the chaos and poor management over there it is a wonder they haven't done it before. They must be attacking the train because they know that many of you are immigrants, and they want to take Hellquil for themselves."

Federkleid, not knowing when to be silent, says
"Heh, ponies? Like the cute, colorful things that make our toasters?"
Officer
"It is not a joke! They are weak, yes. Cowardly too. But a stab in the back is deadly all the same. Especially if they have manipulated griffins into their cause."

Second passenger:
"The staff fought them off. They captured one."

And now he turns to Amber:
"You captured one? Where is he? Why was I not told before? I must get to this at once!"

No one notices that Amber has armed herself, as she now has her viol in claw.

>>170727
Cool.

Silver is first down the hall, with Spectral Streak by his side, the white pegasus officer just behind, the purple pony behind him, the cream medic, the grey medic, and the two wounded ponies - Azelea and the orange stallion - in the rear. They shuffle along with haste. Though they do not know just precisely where they are going, they understand why they must get there quickly. Silver is on the second-floor walking down a hallway that forms the left/western edge of the courtyard. To Silver's left, the walls are plaster, painted white with ever so subtle shade of grey, so as to avoid inducing madness. To his right, above waist level are row after row of glass windows, allowing a view into the courtyard below. Looking down, is a fountain without water, a couple seedling trees, and freshly planted grass. The hallway rings around the courtyard like the cloister of a monastery, but it is a cloister made of glass and plaster rather than granite, and the harmony the ponies within dedicate themselves to is not that of ponies and nature, but making trains running on time and off-loading cargo ships.

The morning sun has the perfect angle to shine through the window and onto the wall, with the few clouds to the north not blocking the light. The evil clouds that tower far beyond the east horizon and stretch into space are too far away to cloud the skies of Baltimare, though the tails of what seem to be comet fragments, visible in the daylight, hang in straight, grey streets across the sky. To the ignorant it must surely appear as if the end of times has come, and to the educated, evidence to contrary is increasingly wanting. The light that shines through the windows and onto the opposing wall is oddly dim for an unclouded spring morning sun. To Silver, it likely looks as if the sun is in partial eclipse. The blue sky has a slight grey-black tinge, as if obscured by smoke from distant fires, or the dust of distant sandstorms.

Commercial advertisement posters adorn the left wall, decorations for the air travel wing of the building. They depict voyages to a world that may now have ceased to be. The idyllic scenes within are displayed in colors that alternate between calm and vibrant and have an impressionistic style that gives the scenes a dream-like quality, even as the text insists that these are but windows into a world that is increasingly within the grasp of the average pony.

The first poster is of an island, with crystal waters, cotton ball clouds, "v" shaped sea birds, and white sands. In the background and to the left are coconut laden palm trees that hang over the edge of the shore, with small, white-walled cottages with blue-tile roofs dotting the tree line. The shore wraps around to the foreground, with the front right of the poster depicting a family of ponies on the beach. A white pegasus mare - they are all pegasi - sits under a red and white umbrella, looking towards the ocean wearing a straw hat and sunglasses, with her tail wrapped around her. A yellow stallion lies, wings spread, on a towel on the sand. An older green foal is in the water just past where waves break on the shore, holding onto a round floating tube styled like a rubber duck complete with a head. A smaller pink foal makes "angels" with her wings in the sand, while a still younger filly uses a garden shovel to make a small castle. Other ponies, just a little more distant and to the right, likewise lie on bamboo chairs or swim in the crystal waters, though little detail can be discerned save for the bright red, orange, and pink colors of the ponies. Above the island is an airplane, white with a blue-stripe livery and blue globe on the tail, quadruple props, and angled as if coming in for a landing. Over the scene is text in a slanted, cursive font stating "Get away to the Summer Isle with Pan Equus."

The next scene is a bit more realistic, though with an impressionistic blur that still makes it appear as if viewed through fogged glass, or the haze of memory. This depicts a city, though not like Baltimare, nor quite like any city of Equestria. In the foreground are apartment buildings close together, mostly bright red, but pink and yellow as well, with little balconies that open up with half circular doors, and perches without rails that stick out like tongues. Further back are great temples with big, white, marble lined domes, and gilded spiral minarets, and granite, crenellated turret tower that looks like a rook chess piece. In the extreme fore, below the line of apartments, indeed physically below the level of the street, are white ruins - columns, and the remains of what are presumably houses and a temple - that surely must have been ancient when the first Hearthswarming was celebrated in Equestria. Perhaps oddly, no ponies, nor any living creatures, are depicted. Above the minarets and the apartments is a sky where clouds blend into the horizon. To the right the sky is blue, and to the left, orange twilight of a setting or perhaps rising sun peers in. The city scene is completely lacking in any vehicles, save one - a grey-white rigid airship approaching the city - though it appears smaller than the dome of the temple, or even the granite base of the ruined temple at the bottom of the poster. The text at the top of this poster is in a stern, straight-lined font. It says "Visit Karthin with the New Mareland Overseas Airways Company."

The third poster is not the last, though it is the last Silver sees along this line. This poster is more straight forward: amongst the clouds, and high above green fields, is a single passenger plane with white paint on the top, a dark green striped livery, and an aluminum grey belly. Its big, aluminum wings are swept back, and have no visible props, but rather two holes visible along the left wing near the fuselage. The text says "Jet Air Travel is coming to the New Mareland Oversees Air Company starting July of 1022, with the new Meteor Jet plane."

>>170794
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrsR4GFlAyI&pp=ygUbam9obm55IHdvbid0IGJlIGNvbWluZyBob21l

The posters are well lit by the direct, dim sunlight, rather than reflecting an expected glare. As Silver passes these posters on his left, and glances at them, his radio turns on, and broadcasts the following. It's from the familiar voice of the Magister Manis, the "Master of the Ponies." But his voice, so weak in his public broadcast before, is much more confident, even angry and demanding, in this more limited broadcast.

"This is Magister Manis Long March. All units in Baltimare are ordered to eliminate any and all Changeling cells, and to prioritize securing the city above all else. The Changelings are willing to die to destroy our cities and our ponies, and I expect nothing less than the same devotion from my ponies to save them. All activity in the Baltimare region is subordinate to the commander of the Republican Guard."

The line becomes filled with static, and tones out, then increases in volume, until another, likewise familiar voice:
"This is Brigadier General Circling Camp of the 78th Republican Guard Reverses. We have received intel from a survivor of the Transit Ministry. The survivor is confirmed to be a pony, and to have been an electrician employed within the ministry. Infiltrators had placed themselves among the guard crew and workers of the ministry building. This morning, they killed the pony guards, then went around hunting down what ponies were in the building. As the building is still under construction and the attack happened around 7 AM, the number of ponies inside was low enough for the take over to be easy. The entrances were locked, and more infiltrators, disguised as work crews, came in and secured the building. The plumber managed to hide in a closet, evade patrols, and jump out of a window, eventually encountering Homeguard forces. The electrician did not view the device himself, but claims he believes that the device was likely already within the building, either hidden in the central hall, or the basement beneath it. These are the areas first secured and prioritized by the changelings.

We know based upon the story of the electrician, and from the accounts of our own soldiers, that the changelings are sending patrols around the building. Most likely this is to move them from exterior windows to other exterior windows to make it harder to enter the building, and make them seem to be greater in number than they are. This may also be to search for anypony who entered the building. However, the electrician offered a third reason that would explain why the device has not been detonated yet. The electrician reports hearing a firefight around the central hall between the infiltrators and surviving guards. The guards lost, but the electrician postulates that the device was grazed by a stray bullet that damaged it. The damage has prevented the device from being activated. However, the infiltrators have since gone through the trouble of both reinforcing this position, and also of obtaining the activation codes. The electrician suspects that the damage is likely simply a severed wire or broken circuit board, or something simple to fix, and the teams patrolling the building are looking for replacement parts. He suspects they will likely get the device working shortly; certainly less than an hour. We know they have the activation codes from the WMARE broadcast station, and they wouldn't be here if they did not have a device. We must find that device before they can activate it.

Though the exact location is unknown, it is likely to be in center of the building, close to or below ground level, and certainly around the largest concentration of changeling forces. You'll know it when you see it.

Eliminating the patrolling forces may increase the amount of time remaining by making their repair more difficult, preventing them from reinforcing the device, and allowing our forces to enter the building. Flanking may be wiser than a head-on attack, as they are well armed.

Disable that device with all haste."

>>170794
>>170795
Silver looks to the ponies following him, and addresses them as a group.

"Alright ponies, we know where to look. We find that bomb, we secure it, and we kill any changelings guarding it. They are fighting because their Queen demanded them to. We are fighting because this is our home, and we will not let those insects destroy it. And we. Will. Win. On me."

He barely waits for a response before he heads in the direction of the central hall. The ponies are on a timer before destruction, and they need to beat it.

>>170796
Directly in front. Roll spot.

>>170787
Amber mulls over these words. It is indeed good, maybe very good, that suspicions are directed away from Amber's party, if only for but a moment. Still, major risks existed, especially if they were to talk to the "rebel." But dare she refuse…?

"He is restrained in the back. Follow me." Amber leads the officer to that location, still holding the viol.

>>170799
The officer obliges, readily following Amber. He is eager to get to the back and follows closely behind her, sometimes physically contacting her viol. The only reason he does not over take her - besides the walkway being wide enough only for a single griffin abreast save at connections - is that he does not know where Amber is taking him. Moving within the train is not easy. This is not only because of the doors that separate cars and the narrow space of the walkway, but also because of the passengers, who have become restless and often crowd the doors, connections, or simply stand in the walkways. The officer considers going around, but the doors will only open from the inside. Amber's viol is massive, and in the crowded, narrow walkway, becomes conspicuous. The officer asks
"Why do you bring that?"
Of Amber, not the officer, is ultimately in charge of the train.

They arrive at the small bremserhaus at the front of the rear car, to find the griffin tied up on the floor. He has moved around, and is conscious. He trashes back and forth when the light is turned on, and extends his wings, though the bremserhaus is much smaller than the full length of his wings. He is at least gagged. He turns and looks up at Amber and the officer, and actually seems kind of relieved by the sight of the officer, with his yellow eyes softening. He mumbles something, attempting to speak. He is white-grey in coat, with mostly white plumage on his head, and is wearing a blue Imperial police uniform. He has the cap, though it has fallen off of his head.
"Well, that's a convincing outfit" the officer - the Hellquill officer - says

>>170800
"Careful, careful…" Amber cautions, uneasy of her most prized possession being amongst a crowd.

Replying to the question regarding the viol, Amber answers, "As you can see, this is stressful work, and this is how I soothe my nerves. The locomotive is a good place to practice where I will not bother anyone during our trips."

"Yes," Amber says with disdain to the officer's last remark. "Even the Imperial police can be outwitted by rebels at times–" Amber is aware of the double meaning of what she just said "–and there is no better disguise to take to hijack a train."

>>170801
"I see..." The officer says in response to the remark about the viol.

But it's with regards to the other officer that Amber may have cause for more concern

"Well, we should ask him who he is and why he's here" says the officer, moving to remove the gag

>>170801
He speaks almost absent mindedly as he inspects the other officer
"I'm sure you heard of that incident a few decades back when a con artist stole a lieutenant colonel's uniform, went into a barracks and ordered all of the pay for the unit delivered to him, said he was 'transporting' it... stole quite a bit of money that way, and would have gotten away with it if he hadn't tried to order the same on the civil administrators down the road..."

>>170802
>>170803
"Oh, yes, yes…it's amazing what one can get away with just by wearing a uniform. That's just the incident we know about," Amber remarks with an odd chuckle.

"Wait, wait," Amber says with barely disguised alarm as the other tries to remove the gag. "Isn't it procedure to move suspects to headquarters for questioning first?"

Amber tunes her viol, getting it ready to sing once more.

>>170804
He stops, and looks directly back at Amber

"No, not necessarily. If we are just asking for a name it may be done in any safe and secure environment." He ponders for a moment. "Unless he's being formally questioned as a suspect, then there need to be at least two officers present and he must be formally detained."

>>170805
Amber thinks for a moment. "Let us move him forward to the rest of your squad then."

>>170806
He pauses
"Better to move them to him. Wouldn't want to parade him through the cars."

>>170807
"If you must. I can keep an eye on him while you get the others."

>>170808
Amber is left alone with the hostage, though with the promise more officers will come and question him

>>170809
Without wasting any time, and staring into the hostage's eyes, Amber starts playing music. Her intent is quite ambitious: to change his very identity to what she wills. Can she do it?

>>170812
>>170813
To alter appearances is one thing. But to alter a person, and more fundamentally, to alter a person's identity - that sum of all choices, that expression of the universal will - is quite another. It may be done only by subverting another's will to one's own.

In the battle of wills, Amber barely edges out, giving Amber the room to modify something. But not much

>>170814
Amber does not have to change much. She plays an enchanting, undulating tune that captures one's mind and introduces thoughts it did not yet possess. Anomie, the sensation of not belonging here, the fear of capture for wrongdoing…. The music evokes, perhaps, the carefree double life of a rebel agent, one who'd been in the Imperial Police and perhaps genuinely believed in it, but whose sympathies for the ponies became too strong one day to resist making a difference in Hellquill.

GM, I've basically inferred by now that you're not ready/willing to allow my incantation shenanigans miniquest in your game, so I just wanna say I'm okay to shelf/cancel that side quest for now.

So, concerning other priorities, Posey would like to talk to Licorice Lament about his contacts with the League, and how she could devise a means to covertly establish a line of communication with the League. The reason being is that Posey still has to tithe to her master every now and then so long as she's bound to him, and I feel like a secret committee of correspondence could also let the League give Posey orders and missions to fulfill their dark ambitions and maybe give me some quest structure.

That aside, before Posey can do any kind of necromancy or incantations, she needs money for spellcasting components, particularly black onyx gems of lustrous quality, so her next ambition would be to look for treasure.

"Black Onyx... So pretty, so rare. The Society of Bones had skeleton quarries operating constant shifts, but even then it was scarce. I wonder if the League will actually go through with nationalizing the mines for the war. Politics, politics..."

>>170815
Amber stands there outside of the bremerhaus, door open and peering in. The tied-up griffin thrashes about with greater intensity now that the officer has gone and tries to yell through his tied up and stuffed beak. Amber sets her viol down on the wooden floor and readies her bow.

This mind will need to be broken before it may be deceived. Amber begins. The very first semblance of a note has an ethereal, high pitched quality to it, and the listener may imagine the dancing colors of aurora in the twilight. But this changes as the note progresses, and lingers, to something far more concrete. The colors fall to earth, to a location that changes in some details every time it is viewed, yet always more or less the same: a green grass meadow under a twilight sky, with scattered trees behind and to the sides of the scene. The colors have taken shape as robed griffins, all the same color - red - all with faces obscured by their cloaks. There are somewhere around six of them, and they form a semi-circle, with several great stone blocks behind them. They are looking at a wicker griffin - a great statue of a griffin with a hollowed core made of wood and straw. Between the robed griffins and the wicker griff are revelers who dance in a circle around the statue clockwise. The police officer prisoner is tied up and inside of the wicker statue.

Amber needs a drum for this. And some supporting music. Where is Erich when you need him? A violin would be perfect. But a drum is essential. Amber has to take the wrench out of the bremerhaus, place it on the floor, and kick it into the thin sheet metal wall in order to get a decent beat. It matches well enough to the clanking of the spears and axes held by the revelers as they dance in the twilight.

A robed griffin approaches the wicker statue with a torch, and slowly, deliberately, lights it on fire. The prisoner tries to scream, but he should know by now that his efforts are to no avail. The flames advance up the wicker statue, illuminating his blue officer's uniform, and his yellow eyes begin to reflect the orange fire. The scene changes as it rotates through the eternal return. Once, the surroundings are a forest, with a great stone temple. Then the temple is ruined, and the forest is replaced with so many fields. Sometimes there are the blades of a wind mill, or the spires of a church, or in one grim scene, concrete slabs to the left in the fore, and rectangular, glass monstrosities towering over the horizon. The revelers change, sometimes with robes, sometimes woven clothing. Sometimes there is a diamond dog, or even a pony among them. The prisoner is always Amber's prisoner, but sometimes he is naked with the green triskelion of the Gelgae painted on his coat, wearing the lamellar armor of the lost Karthinian legion, or the white undershirt of a griff-at-arms of the House of Carmine, or a cockade of the orange, yellow and orange tricolor of the Revolition, or that frankly ridiculous pixelated camoflouge of a solider of the Second Republic. And sometimes he wears his Imperial District uniform, but always, always he is the same griffin. Amber takes the view of the robed griffin closest to the wicker griff, watching the flames slowly climb higher, and envelope the statue - until the revelry and the music reaches crescendo, and the first task is complete.

Amber's first song is finished, but she cannot stop there. The next song - if Amber can refrain from crying out at the horror - takes her down through the clouds into a cold, perpetually overcast city, filled with aging and decaying apartment slums and filled with solitary characters. Amber follows the officer through his decrepit, cold apartment to a desk overflowing with papers, in a world of byzantine regulations, a rotation of corrupt and uncaring bosses, and an inescapable loneliness and disconnect. To plant the actual thoughts, Amber uses headlines and an article she read about the mistreatment of ponies in Longsword. It'll be what that Hellquill officer is expecting anyways. The article could incite sympathy, easily enough. And the risk and adventure of participation in seditious plots has a strangely understandable appeal.

Amber is still playing by the time the officer arrives with his companions. She's more or less accomplished what she needs to.

>>170816
Also, I would like to purchase several canaries (or similarly small birds with the stats of a Raven)

>>170820
Actually, is there a dumpster behind an animal shelter, or pet store or race track, full of slow, unadoptable greyhounds that Posey could get access?
I just need the body of a small or tiny animal. A bird or a small dog would be best.
I have just enough gold to afford to buy fresh ones though.

>>170819
And so dark, hopeless, yet also timeless thoughts press down on the poor griffon, wearing down his will. In better times, Amber, despite her griffon nature, would abhor such direct tactics, as they are the nullification of the thin veil preserving the civilized self from what is real. But Amber cannot doubt herself now, and her wholehearted playing renders the poor officer a useful asset rather than an enemy. It is horrible, yes, but necessary–an oft-quoted phrase by the Inquisition the officer serves.

When Amber finishes she winds down the tune just as the others approach. The viola player is shaking as she comes out of the trance, and gives a nervous smile. "Hello, I hope you don't mind my entertaining the guest."

>>170822
The prisoner is likely not Inquisition, nor local Kronburg police, but rather National police. That Germar Grismonde will certainly be calling in to Soldau, and telliing a different story... But if Amber is lucky, she will be in Hellquill by the time that happens. This is will almost certainly cause a dispute, and mistrust, between the Imperials and the Hellquill police, though how long it will last, no one can be sure.

The officer has a serious expression
"Entertain? Guest? He is a potential suspect, and an important witness regardless. Not the audience of a street performance. Now I have questioning to do."

>>170823
Amber has a weary look to her. Even if she bought herself time, will her energy hold up?

"Of course, of course. I won't get in your way," Amber replies, looking on.

>>170827
Amber should certainly be tired; she's scarce gotten any sleep at all, she's not young anymore, and the entire ordeal has been exhausting.

The officers want a bit of space to ask some "preliminary" questions.

Amber may want to move things along a bit

>>170828
"Sirs, may I disembark the train at this point?" Amber asks, exasperated at how long this is taking.

Also I realize I could have brought up the hijacker and not given up the fugitive, but then again maybe there wouldn't have been time for the music

>>170829
Oh yes. Hi

>>170667
>>170665
So. Posey using mad science to reanimate corpses and create her own undead in a way that her creations may attack her? That's interesting. Introducing a definitely mechanically game breaking and somewhat setting breaking new element on the basis of an extremely questionable interpretation of the rules? Just... No. First of all, Lament would not agree to it, because he wishes to keep a low profile, and a vampire is the opposite of subtle. Posey's master would be even less interested in it for reasons I don't think I need to explain. If I thought that having a vampire around would work, there would already be one in the game.

I don't mean that the spell is a terrible idea. Posey creating a mummy - which is already an entity so powerful that it's appropriate as a boss - is a maybe. But Posey has gone into the city once, and has defeated like... four enemies? Even if you count diplomacy, it's still only about seven. She's never met with the Doctor character waiting for her in Baltimare. She's never interacted with the zebra voodoo village that is literally 200 feet from her cottage except to look in a church at night. She hasn't been gone to a haunted hotel, or fenced stolen items to the mafia, or tracked down enemies of the dread league like an Arcturian migrant, she hasn't looked for secreted away treasure, or searched for the remains of a battlefield of long ago filled with many dead, or entered the catacombs of a cathedral, or raided the grave of a pirate, or really gained much experience of the world.

>>170816
>Posey still has to tithe to her master every now and then
That's a neat idea

>needs money
Can't do shit if you're broke; I can agree with that

>>170818
>Black Onyx
Posey can recognize instantly that she hasn't seen any in Equestria yet

>>170820
Sure

>>170821
>is there a dumpster behind an animal shelter, or pet store or race track, full of slow, unadoptable greyhounds that Posey could get access?
D'awww, that's so wholesome

>I want their bodies
... Okay then

>>170830
He looks back to her
"Sure. I'm sure you must report back to your superiors in Griffinheim."

>>170832
"Of course," Amber says without enthusiasm. She doesn't drag her paws though, as the passengers clamoring to be let off must finally be allowed to disembark, and in an orderly manner. Amber wishes she was being paid for doing the work of a conductor semi-decently, but freedom is a prize good enough.

>>170831
>Just... No
Okay.
>vampire is the opposite of subtle
Vampires are masters of subtlety, or at least the ones that survive, but I get your point.

The vampire shenanigan is not really important to me though. I just wanted to try something cool.
>Posey creating a mummy - which is already an entity so powerful that it's appropriate as a boss - is a maybe. But Posey has gone into the city once, and has defeated like... four enemies? Even if you count diplomacy, it's still only about seven.
Yeah... I guess she hasn't done very much. I'd like to do more though.
>She's never met with the Doctor character waiting for her in Baltimare.
Wait... there was a doctor waiting?
Well, that's going to be my next priority then.
>She's never interacted with the zebra voodoo village that is literally 200 feet
I missed this too because I'm retarded. I guess that's where Day Low Rain would currently be.
>She hasn't been gone to a haunted hotel, or fenced stolen items to the mafia, or tracked down enemies of the dread league like an Arcturian migrant, she hasn't looked for secreted away treasure, or searched for the remains of a battlefield of long ago filled with many dead, or entered the catacombs of a cathedral, or raided the grave of a pirate, or really gained much experience of the world.
That all sounds like lots of fun. I'd love to get into any of those things.
Thing is, I'm kind of at a loss about where to go next or how to start it, and as I sit around I can't help but think of crazy ambitious plans for world domination.
I completely forgot about the doctor, so that should be Posey's next immediate priority. Could we set up for that to happen next?

>Sure
>... Okay then
I'll subtract a few silvers from my funds to account for the bodies.

>>170833
Freedom is well worth it.

Amber didn't technically ask if she could let all of the passengers disembark, but the officer's can't entirely stop her, and I don't imagine Amber cares.

Amber tosses an apple of discord into the mix, and opens the doors.
[YouTube] Opening Damn Flood Gates Is Satisfying [Embed]

>>170834
Posey is technically in Equestria on a sort of student visa. "Dilligent Debride" is technically her supervisor.

>as I sit around I can't help but think of crazy ambitious plans for world domination.
Morrowwind starts off with the imperial guard telling you that you should wonder around and get to know the place better by taking on simple tasks before addressing the rot and the literal god in the mountain. One of the first quests you get is simply clearing a basement of rats.

>>170836
Amber watches the griffons leave, only intervening when there's a danger of somegriff getting trampled or holding up the flow. She hopes her associates are doing the same.

>>170836
>basement full of rats
"Ah, reminds me of aunt Lily's parties..."
>"Dilligent Debride" is technically her supervisor.
Well, that's news to me. I guess I should meet him. I do want to get into this "Necrologist" gig.
After introducing Baka to Lament (idk if you want me to RP this or if we can just skip it), Posey would arrange to visit Dr. Debride.
If she's visiting the doctor, she'd take Gloomy with her, and would make sure he's ready for an outing.

>>170837
There is basically almost immediately a danger of somegriff getting trampled over. This would frankly be true of even a normal stop at a train station at a minor city, as there is small amount of time to get off of the train. But it appears that more griffins are attempting to leave the train than originally intended to get off at Soldau. Her companions do attempt to organize the exodus. Erich is rather good at it. Helder can manage it. But Federkleid is having difficulty, perhaps because she was least in a position to respond.

>>170838
>After introducing Baka to Lament (idk if you want me to RP this or if we can just skip it)
probably should RP it but... that's hard. The important things to note are:
Lament and Bakka know each other through correspondence. In fact, they were corresponding up until not long before Leto Pannolovich was killed... I mean, killed more so.
Bakka and Lament don't perfectly mesh, as Lament is more easy going, and Bakka more proud and uptight
Lament is surprised that Posey was able to bring Bakka back

>take gloomy
Should probably bathe him. Maybe hose him down

>>170839
>Lament and Bakka know each other through correspondence. In fact, they were corresponding up until not long before Leto Pannolovich was killed... I mean, killed more so.
Oh. Posey is surprised to see they knew each other.
>Bakka and Lament don't perfectly mesh, as Lament is more easy going, and Bakka more proud and uptight
Lament is surprised that Posey was able to bring Bakka back
Good. More drama = more fun.
>Should probably bathe him. Maybe hose him down
I kind of thought that goes without saying, but yeah, she'll give him a good bathing in a tub full of suds and bubbles, embalm him in shampoo and conditioners, dry him off with a warm towel, and make him look extra fluffy for the outing.
Posey takes her grooming very, very seriously.

>>170839
Amber steps in to help the unfortunate griffon, blowing the whistle if necessary to get through the crowd. Then, Amber would assist Federkleid in directing passengers.

>>170841
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmuWwmdb-48&pp=ygUOYnVubnkgc3RhbXBlZGU%3D

As the two are on opposite ends, Amber has to fight through a horde to get to the front of the train. But through perseverance, she manages to get to Federkleid to relieve her.

A passenger on the train - a young female - asks "will this train be going to Hellquill?"

>>170842
This scene is still gold.

"Yes miss, we will be underway to Hellquill shortly," Amber replies. "This delay was terrible but the issues we've had are mostly resolved."

>>170843
An older griffin, who slowly steps onto the platform after the main horde has passed through, sighs.
"In the old days, we wouldn't let a simple robbery hold up things this much." She shakes her head. "How far the Reichsbahn has fallen..."

The first griffin answers
"Okay..."

When both griffins are a bit further away, Federklied leans in towards Amber
"We've got to get out of here."

>>170844
"It's not our policy but Hellquill's, sir," Amber replies to the first. "We will be boarding as soon as the suspect is arrested."

To Federkleid Amber whispers, "I'd like to but I'm not running all the way to Hellheim on these legs. The police got what they think they were looking for and the train will be at Hellheim before they suspect anything differently. Don't worry, our 'guest' won't spill the fish, I made sure of that. Just stay calm."

>>170845
"That Inquistor is still trying to call them. To tip them off. Helder better not be exaggerating about his connections here." She says.

It's another minute, maybe, before the officer comes back to Amber
"What in Hel are you doing, letting so many witnesses go?"
He seems unpleased.

>>170846
Amber looks slightly annoyed. "I asked if I could disembark the train, and I did so after the go-ahead. Had I waited any longer the passengers would want to start a riot and somegriff would be injured. Can't have that, can we? Besides," Amber tries to be more accommodating, "they are disembarking into your jurisdiction and you will have plenty of time to question them off the train. But the train must run on time, and, considering we failed that, it must run at all. Now can we please embark our passengers to Hellheim and depart?"

>>170849
>>170847
The griffin stares silently at Amber for a moment, then speaks
"Very well. We don't need every witness. We will take our two suspects, and the train will be on its way."

>>170850
"Thank you," Amber replies woodenly. She waits for the suspects to be carried off and silently bemoans her betrayal of the fugitive's trust–somehow feeling more guilty over this than actively chicknapping and brainwashing an innocent police officer–before giving the signal for outgoing passengers to board.

>>170851
Some seconds, and Amber's two victims are carried off of the train from the respective front and last cars. First, the fugitive from the front car with two officers, then the brainwashed Imperial policegrif with the Hellquill captain and another officer. In an odd reversal, it's the fugitive who is gagged and his beak tied. As he is walked out, his eyes dart about in terror, with his head making jerking movements, and he whimpers. The brainwashed officer is not gagged, but his mouth is slightly open, his tounge slightly sticking out and his mouth pointed down. His eyes peer up towards the raincloud laden sky, and at the world around him in a confused, dazes, and frightened look.

A few griffins get on the train. Likely not as many as originally intended to, but this was always a secondary stop. Amber can see that this train was going to have to be allowed to leave sooner or later, as there is only one track allowing other trains to pass the station, and they would be holding up all traffic, including freight, along this line.

>>170852
Amber turns away guiltily. Once the passengers are aboard, she shuts the car doors and heads to the locomotive where the engineer is hopefully still at.

>>170853
The doors close, and Amber is - finally - able to move up to the front car. Amber can give the order to move out of the station, and towards her next destination - Beakstadt, just outside of Hellquill City.

Roll luck

>>170856
AAAHHHHHHHH

>>170856
>>170857
pet pet pet pet pet pet pet pet pet pet pet pet

The next leg of the journey is the longest by far in terms of miles travelled, taking more than an hour. If Amber desires, she may talk to her companions, watch the scenery, fall asleep....

>>170858
As the officer wished, Amber uses the radio to report back to Griffinheim. She gives the train's name/designation first, then states "Suspects have been apprehended and are in custody. Repeat: suspects have been apprehended and in custody. Normal operations have been resumed." Then she shuts off the radio before the confused or indignant griffons at the office can get in a reply.

After this Amber would try to get some rest, no doubt entering a sleep within a sleep out of exhaustion.

>>170860
The engineer protests:
“We’re not allowed to turn the radio off during normal operations.” He says

>>170861
Amber calmly, though tiredly responds, "The situation has been dealt with and if anything else happens we can switch it back on right away. Today has been exhausting for me and I simply must have some shuteye before the next station, and radio static waking me up is the last thing we all need."

>>170862
Hmmmm….

Roll diplomacy

>>170864
The engineer says "It's been a long day," and if Amber doesn't do it, he flicks the switch on the radio off. He has no idea.

And with that, Amber is allowed a brief respite.

>>170865
Hopefully the others take this time to recover as well, though Amber is too tired to check up on them.

>>170866
As the locomotive is cramped and noisy, with bare steel walls, Amber likely seeks to rest elsewhere. A coack would work, but it's probably best to stay away from the passengers. There is a small room in the front car, next to the bathroom the fugative hid away in for so long, that is likely a converted bremerhaus, just like the room the prisoner was kept in. It is more or less the size of a closet, with room for a single chair. That chair is burgundy leather that is falling apart. But it's the most conformable thing Amber has sat in in a while. And the room has both a door and a window. Amber might look out the window at the primordial forest that passes by, or of the mighty griffking which so much of the path follows, or of a lone stone fortress on a hill, or across the river into Longsword, and see the burnt, sharp angled roofs that remain in a destroyed village. But most likely she closes her eyes and tries to sleep. It does not take long at all to fall asleep.

Amber is awoken to a knock on the door, and the words
"We're nearing Beakstadt."

>>170868
Amber is annoyed by the disturbance, and still quite tired, but wastes no time in getting up, checking the engineer at the locomotive, and making sure the rest of the train is in order before it pulls into Beakstadt. She wonders to herself whether it would be worthwhile to disembark there and find alternative transport to Hellheim, or to stay on the train and maintain her cover.

>>170869
Amber opens the door to see that it was the engineer. He runs back into the locomotive, confirming that he was not supposed to leave his post. The train is not yet to its final destination, as acts like turning the radio back on and calling in to Beakstadt Hauptbahnhof, or the passing of the baton, have yet to take place, though these follow shortly. Amber too, must announce the next stop. Federklied is the companion who stays in the forward cars, and she, though only she, is close by. Beakstadt is a little larger than Soldau, with more half-timber buildings, carts, spires from temples, and granary silos.

It is after the train comes to a stop that the engineer calls for Amber. He is conversing over the radio.
"It's Reichsbahn headquarters in Griffenheim. They are claiming someone else was scheduled for this journey."

>>170816
GM, I had an idea that's not quite as whacky or game-breaking as the last couple ones, it pertains to my character's progression in the story and concerns some, so I feel like it should be brought up now.
Spoilering because OC walls of text are cringe.
I

With your approval, I would like to consider this as an option for Posey's superiors in the Dread League to communicate with her:
Since Posey has a mentor who is a Dread Necromancer (Or Wizard, if you prefer) of 8+ level, they might have the Mother Cyst feat (a popular cyst for Dread Necromancers). Evil Necromancers revile in using Necrotic Cysts to mark and control even living creatures. Posey has a Mother Cyst, but since she was (and still is) a slave to the Dread League in her short life, her master or superiors might have encysted her so that they could monitor, control, punish or destroy her. Posey, having a mother possesses a Mother Cyst (the vile black lump where her heart used to be), which is also a Necrotic Cyst.
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/feats/noncore-featslm.html#MOTHER%20CYST
One particular spell is Necrotic Scrying:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/spells/spellslm.html#NECROTIC%20SCRYING
It's like Scrying, but it's a Necromancy spell, and it only works on creatures that the caster has marked with a Necrotic Cyst. The caster can allow the target to see or hear them if they wish.

So, with your permission, could this be Posey's way of receiving orders from her undead overlords; well as report to her mentor on a weekly/monthly basis as the Apprentice feat requires?
It would be a one-way call line, and it would also be a fun potential plot device (in my opinion) as an officer from the Society Of Bones could at any time spy on Posey and/or give her an order (which she would be compelled to follow) at their whims. The Society Of Bones path for the Dread League in EaW is based on Infiltration, and this feat+spell could help the league manipulate Posey as a spy. It even has the added benefit of being a Necromancy spell instead of a Divination spell, so it slips past wards that protect against divination.
Since Posey has a code of conduct that she cannot defy her superiors unless she surpasses them, and having the cyst in addition to her Test Subject flaw makes her additionally vulnerable to necromancy spells, you could say that she simply automatically fails any saving throw against the Scrying (which means she'd never know she's being scry'd unless her master chose to let her see/hear them).

I gave Posey the Code Of Conduct weakness (saying that she could never defy her superiors in the league unless she exceeds their powers) as a voluntary nerf and because anyone who isn't a leader in the Dread League should be an enslaved thrall (hence Posey's ambitions to grow her powers earn her emancipation), but it's not exactly relevant if her overlords aren't able to give her demands or monitor her activity. I thought this could also give Posey more consequences for failure/betrayal as they could scry her with only a lvl 2 slot, and do much worse such as:
Appear at any moment:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/spells/spellsCC.html#Door%20of%20Decay
Destroy her
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/spells/spellslm.html#NECROTIC%20BURST
Detonate her:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/spells/spellslm.html#NECROTIC%20ERUPTION
Or implode her very soul:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/spells/spellslm.html#NECROTIC%20TERMINATION
I am completely okay with accepting the consequences of this if it actually happens, so don't think i'll get salty if her undead overlord railroads Posey into a quest or decides to destroy her. Posey is a slave to evil as well as a villain and therefore a tragic character that would be deserving of such a fate.

>>170798
Silver hears the loud clattering of breaking and falling glass, the "thud" of bullets going through drywall, and the "cla cla cla" of Grim assault rifles, and Silver knows he has walked into another ambush.

[1d7 = 5]
[1d20 = 1]
[1d20 = 18]
[1d20 = 14]
[1d20 = 12]
[1d20 = 14]

[1d7 = 4]
[1d20 = 15]
[1d20 = 9]
[1d20 = 16]
[1d20 = 20]
[1d20 = 13]

>>170880
>>170881
>>170798
The entire group falls down towards the ground to take what little cover is available.

The purple pony is wounded, and the grey pony - one of the two medics - is not merely wounded, but knocked out and bleeding out

>>170882
"ДЕРЬМО! GET IN COVER!"

Silver immediately works to drag the grey pony to cover, wherever it can be found.

>>170883
The area below the windows provides cover of a sort, as it cannot be seen through. There may be thick walls elsewhere. Pretty much everypony has already dropped to the floor.

>>170884
Is there a place nearby that is more likely to be resistant to bullets, so they can keep the grey pony from bleeding out?

>>170885
Probably? Roll search

>>170887
A closed door to a room, but some feet away. Perhaps 20 feet

>>170888
Silver drags the grey pony towards the door.

>>170889
The difficulty lies in staying below the level of the windows. The same with opening the door

>>170890
Silver does his best. Hopefully his unicorn magic can help.

>>170891
Perhaps a dice roll

>>170893
With his magic, Silver is able to toggle the door open. It's an office. Moslty bare, but with a desk and a mostly empty bookshelf

>>170894
Silver quickly motions for the other medic to tend to him while he pulls out the Strange. Can Silver tell from what direction the ambush came?

>>170895
The other medic crawls through.

Diagonally forward and to the right across the courtyard.

>>170896
Can Silver use his Strange to suppress the changelings in order to get a more clear idea of where their firing position is?

>>170897
He can try, with the Strange or any other weapon.

>>170898
Then that is exactly what Silver does.

Just roll like I would a normal attack?

>>170899
Yes, though don't expect to hit

>>170900
Oh, Silver isn't worried about that. He instead brings his Strange up, and without much care for aiming...

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

[1d20-10 = (1-10) = -9]
[1d20-10 = (2-10) = -8]
[1d20-10 = (8-10) = -2]
[1d20-10 = (7-10) = -3]
[1d20-10 = (11-10) = 1]
[1d20-10 = (16-10) = 6]
[1d20-10 = (16-10) = 6]
[1d20-10 = (1-10) = -9]
[1d20-10 = (17-10) = 7]
[1d20-10 = (14-10) = 4]
[1d20-10 = (14-10) = 4]
[1d20-10 = (16-10) = 6]
[1d20-10 = (4-10) = -6]
[1d20-10 = (4-10) = -6]
[1d20-10 = (11-10) = 1]
[1d20-10 = (3-10) = -7]
[1d20-10 = (12-10) = 2]
[1d20-10 = (8-10) = -2]
[1d20-10 = (6-10) = -4]
[1d20-10 = (3-10) = -7]

...Silver dumps the entire magazine in the general area where the bullets came from, hoping to keep the changelings suppressed while he spots their positions.

>>170902
The Strange has an oddly fierce sound, being one of the loudest and sharpest weapons Silver has heard in his life. It beats against his shoulder, though it handles oddly well for what is essentially a full-auto rifle cartridge machine gun the size of a shoulder-fired rifle. The bullets come out with a roar, ripping out remaining glass and tearing through the walls.

Silver can see a couple drones duck for cover, and he can see that they are on the upper floor of the cloister, to the right, near the northeast corner.

>>170903
Silver quickly points out their position to the others before switching out the magazine in the Strange.

"GET THEM, UPPER FLOOR!"

>>170904
The White Pegasus and Spectral Streak quickly sneak under the cover to try to go around to flank the Changeling position. Everypony else is wounded, save for the one medic, who is presumably aiding the other, downed medic.

>>170905
With the magazines changed Silver looks for movement from the changelings, getting the Strange ready to respond if they try anything.

>>170905
>>170906
Would Silver not be more surprised if they didn't try anything?

Roll initiative

Silver should have advantage from his position.
[1d20 = 7]

>>170907
>>170906
It's probably worth mentioning that the Strange, like most guns in this Brave New World, is a select fire weapon that can be used like a regular rifle.

[1d20+4 = (12+4) = 16]
>>170907
Probably. But now, it's no longer an ambush. Now they can fight back.

[1d20+6 = (2+6) = 8]
[1d20+6 = (3+6) = 9]
[1d20+6 = (10+6) = 16]
[1d20+6 = (12+6) = 18]
>>170909
Silver fires a short burst from his Strange at the changeling.

>>170910
Silver sees a drone, wearing what seems to be an Equestrian security uniform, but nevertheless with those strange blue bug eyes, tattered ears, jet black chitin layers, and a Grim assault rifle, peer up over the empty windowsill aiming to take a shot at Silver's group.

Silver, however, gets to him first. CHANG CHANG CHANG CHANG. At least two shots hit
[4d8 = 20]

>>170911
>>170910
He pops back down. Likely not dead, but not exactly eager to continue the fight either. Silver can tell that there are more of them over there.

>>170912
Silver shouts out to the cowardly changelings hiding after their ambush didn't turn out as they likely had hoped using a tongue they are likely familiar with.

"FICK DICH!"

>>170913
Another pops up

Roll Initiative
[1d20 = 3]

[1d20+6 = (8+6) = 14]
[1d20+6 = (15+6) = 21]
[1d20+6 = (8+6) = 14]
[1d20+6 = (1+6) = 7]
>>170915
"Lutsch meinen Schwanz!"

BANGBANGBANGBANG

>>170914
One hit
[2d8 = 10]

[1d20+6 = (6+6) = 12]
[1d20+6 = (13+6) = 19]
[1d20+6 = (13+6) = 19]
[1d20+6 = (16+6) = 22]
>>170919
"ARGH, SCHEISSE!"

If he has yet to return to cover, Silver responds in kind:

BANGBANGBANGBANG

Actually...

Two of Silver's allies join the fray, as does a third drone

Third drone
[1d20 = 14]

>>170920
>>170922
It's Azelea that shoots next
[1d20+2 = (11+2) = 13]
[1d20+2 = (11+2) = 13]
[1d20+2 = (16+2) = 18]
[1d20+2 = (18+2) = 20]

[1d2 = 2]

>>170923
>>170922
>>170921
Azlea shoots at the new drone, hitting twice
[4d7 = 16]

>>170924
Wait
[4d8 = 31]

>>170925
>>170924
Downing the drone. Now, the orange pony, also wounded by the shootout in the temple, shoots

[1d20+2 = (7+2) = 9]
[1d20+2 = (6+2) = 8]
[1d20+2 = (17+2) = 19]
[1d20+2 = (1+2) = 3]

>>170926
One hit
[2d8 = 8]

>>170927
>>170924
>>170921
But the still wounded drone is just able to shoot back at Silver

[1d20+2 = (13+2) = 15]
[1d20+2 = (6+2) = 8]
[1d20+2 = (19+2) = 21]
[1d20+2 = (19+2) = 21]

>>170921
>>170929
Silver is shot through twice, and then scores two hits on the drone
[4d8 = 22]

>>170930
>>170921
The powerful bullets of the Strange rip through the drone, splattering blue-green blood on the walls behind it, and killing it before it hits the ground.

>>170929
>>170931
Silver coughs up some blood as two more bullets manage to pierce his chest. He still manages to shout out in changeling.

"Noch mehr von euch!? WER WILL NOCH EIN STÜCK!?"

*cough*

"augh, that hurt..."

>>170932
Silver hears the sounds of "Bang Bang Bang Bang" to his left as it seems Spectral Streak and the Sargent are moving in, and he sees a drone get up, and try to run away to the right.

[1d20+6 = (19+6) = 25]
[1d20+6 = (4+6) = 10]
[1d20+6 = (9+6) = 15]
[1d20+6 = (18+6) = 24]
>>170933
Not so fast there.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

[4d8 = 22]
>>170934
Imma assume two hits?

>>170934
>>170935
Silver feels the power of the Strange, as does the drone, who seems to trip and fall, leaving a splatter of green and blue blood on the wall.

Silver sees Streak and the Sargent moving through, evidently shooting the corpses of the downed drones, then look through adjoining hallways and rooms.

"Clear!"

>>170936
With the threat dealt with, Silver checks on the purple and grey ponies.

>>170937
The purple pony is shot through around the belly, with a wound similar to Silver's. He is in pain, but not out.

The Grey pony has been stabilized, but he's not in great condition. It may be possible to bring him back to consciousness with appropriate medications.

>>170870
Amber suddenly feels chilled. A weaker mind would have frozen in fear at what this revelation could mean. Instead, realizing the circumstances she is in and the need to sway the driver of the locomotive, she incites indignation within herself, feeding her rage off dozens of years of injustices and slights at court, her physical discomfort and the clear incompetence of the railway company. "What sort of bone-headed mistake did they make now?" she squawks. "Someone else! When short, concise, MEANINGFUL messages are needed at the radio, they go with the vaguest terms possible. And they do so NOW, trying to pin blame on us after we've gone through half a day and hundreds of miles through BANDIT-INFESTED territory and dealt with multiple issues on our own! Let me guess, the conductor they had scheduled previously who had called in sick because of the 'gentleman's cold' he caught from some TWO-THALER WHORE showed up later because he remembered he needed money for his gambling debts! I tell you, you should hang up because those worthless dummköpfe have been RUNNING THE REICHSBAHN INTO THE DIRT ever since I retired and they think they can tell US how to do our jobs while they sit in their heated offices. They should come down PERSONALLY and explain to the Hellquill polizei why they failed to account for armed bandits and rebels on the route. Maybe the infusion of COMMON SENSE from doing that would mean fewer delays, paycuts and bringing employees out of retirement, because issuing vague diktats from on high over the radio like they think they are the Archons is clearly not helping!"

Amber is visibly gyrating with rage, eyes bulging and with a clenched talon shaken in the air.

>>170939
Silver turns to the other medic.

"Can you bring him back to consciousness? Even if he is not in fighting shape, having another pair of hooves to deal with wounded would be good."

>>170875
Uh, I suppose this works.

I had an NPC character who was a changeling worker who would keep in touch with her mother by means of telegrams. And then within My Little Pony you have that dragon fire letter delivery system, or the "spell calls" of the movie. I guess a cyst makes sense, especially if the point is that it is a means for her to be spied on at any given moment.

I think Posey may behave differently if she thinks she could be spied on. This can be good if it keeps her from making vampires, but would she have had sex with August, and more importantly, have made that bargain with him if she couldn't keep it secret? I suppose both are justifiable, but her actions may still have been influenced.

Also if this is some way to back door in more powers, I'm saying no to that, except for something mundane like sending messages back to her master.

>>170878
I don't know how much the particulars of the mentor character matter, as that character is unlikely to ever physically interact with the setting. He should remain over in the Dread Lands. I don't know why stat block would matter, except perhaps for that tiny number of spells that can work across 6,000 miles.

If what you want to do is to set up an NPC she would converse with, you could give outlines to the character and backstory so I can try to mold him/her.

Mysterious shadowy patron seems unlikely, as I am sure Posey would have met her Master in person many times before. Her receiving orders from Rosa Maledicta is a bit contrary to the general theme of the campaign, which is about how ideology, more so that the wills of a few individuals, moves history.

>>170940
Amber finds out her cover has been blown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWmkwaTQ0k

The engineer, who is not a weak personality, but not as strong as the officer or that Inquisitor either, seems visibly cowed by this burst of emotion.

"Perhaps... the matter can wait until we have arrived in Hellquill City..."

>>170941
He looks up towards Silver, pausing for a second
"It's not usually done, but... with a bit of adrenaline and pain killers, he could certainly wake up. Though it should only be done after the coagulant has taken effect, given the internal bleeding."

>>170948
"Alright. Tend to him in meantime," he motions to the purple pony, "and then do what you can. We are short on time. I am going to see how others are doing."

>>170949
"Alright." The grey pony says, with a nod, as he cuts a bandage. The purple pony, moaning in pain, comes to the doctor rather than wait for him, and the doctor observes him as he comes into the room.

Outside, Silver can see Spectral Streak and the Sargent walking towards them, each carrying a Grim. Nopony else seems to be injured, though of course Azelea and the Orange pony were previously wounded.

>>170951
Silver addresses the two.

"See anything of note?"

>>170954
White Pegasus:
"They were dressed as security guards, except one dressed like a delivery pony. That explains how they got in."

Spectral Streak:
"We found four of them. They had Grims or machine carbines. We didn't find a Strange, so this either isn't the group that shot at us before, or it isn't all of them, which is disturbing, considering how we are just behind where they were."

>>170956
"Probably fled to alert others about intruders. We need to hurry, but we have wounded."

>>170958
He nods sharply
"That is likely. They would have only abandoned the weapon if it stopped working. It's your call on the wounded. We need to press on, though we cannot afford to be ambushed."

>>170959
Silver looks at the still-conscious medic.

"How long will it take to get them up and ready?"

>>170960
“To actually heal them? That would take months. But to get them up and conscious… that can be done in a few seconds, with just the right drugs and potions.”

>>170961
"Do it. We can not leave them here. If changeling patrol came across them..."

>>170945
>means of telegrams. And then within My Little Pony you have that dragon fire letter delivery system, or the "spell calls" of the movie.
A telegram would be acceptable, but also wouldn't be very magical. The dragon fire letter was closer to my idea, especially if Posey is to report "friendship lessons" every week or month or so.

>I think Posey may behave differently if she thinks she could be spied on. This can be good if it keeps her from making vampires, but would she have had sex with August, and more importantly, have made that bargain with him if she couldn't keep it secret? I suppose both are justifiable, but her actions may still have been influenced.
Well, even without Necrotic Scrying, Posey would know that the Society Of Bones, being made up largely of Wizards, could scry on her at any moment anyway, but not every moment. The real question is if she defied her masters, which her Code Of Conduct weakness binds her from doing so (although clever undead can subvert orders). Since Posey's mission there wasn't really clear, her actions didn't defy the League, although of her master believed she had

I will take this opportunity to explain my reasoning for Posey's actions with August:
For starters, although August Wreath, as a paladin, is an enemy of the League, he also has promise as a leader of the ELH to overthrow current dominant regime in Equestria; since this would create civil war and infighting on the continent, it could serve as a means for the Dread League to attack the divided ponies, as every slain pony is a potential soldier for the League. This is the excuse Posey would give if her master interrogated her about her behavior.

Second of all, while Posey knows that paladins are the enemy of undead, she would also know from the League's background in fighting them that keeping one's word is part of the Paladin's Code, and that heinous villains can subvert that, so in spite of emnity she has a reason to trust that August would not speak of her continued existence.

Third of all is that Posey had some reasons to suspect that backup was coming (I thought that there was some sort of helicopter coming), so if she continued to engage the ponies in combat she risked discovery, so leaving August alive was her best course of action to remain covert, particularly because she had few means to pursue any pegasi that chose to flee the scene.

Fourth is the most selfish reason: she wants August; in particular, she wants his corpse serving her. Posey is only a fledgling Necromancer, so she doesn't have the means to reanimate him if she killed him, let alone reanimate him with any semblance of his mind. Reanimating a fallen paladin as a corrupt servant of evil is a Necromancer's dream, so Posey has her mark on him for whenever they meet again, be it on the battlefield or at his grave.

Fifth is that Posey is in a new land away from her masters and is feeling rebellious and still excited to be in this new land. With all these new experiences and freedom, fulfilling the League's expectations not given as direct orders isn't always Posey's highest priority.

As for the sex, well, Posey is a degenerate, and if the members of the League are anything like how d&d describes vampires and Necromancers, it's likely that they are too. Since she was just a filly, Posey has been a slave to the desires of those who ruled over her, and her mind has grown twisted as a result. Posey has been in the center of vampire orgies and had her body experimented on by Necromancers. She's been made to do all kinds of prophane acts such as being molested as a filly, being sucked to the bring of death (and actual death) by vampires, being made to copulate with zombies/wolves/demons, being at the center of vampire orgies, having her body sliced up and laid out like shashimi, engaging in cannibalism herself, being torn to shreds and revived, being possessed by demons/ghosts/mages to sate their pleasures, having rats crawl into her orifices, being impaled and left to hand in public, being raped and killed by her own parents, witnessing sacrifices being sodomized on an altar before their throats are slit, being crucified, witnessing stallions penetrate eye sockets and other necrotic orifices, being assaulted by conjured tentacles, watching her fellow slaves be boiled in vats of blood and served at "dinner parties", using bones as toys, wearing leather equipment made of the skins of her peers, witchnessing other thralls bring dismembered and stitched back together as monstrous constructs, being dismembered abe decapitated herself, etc. Anything you can imagine that depraved vampires, mages ans cultists would do to their slaves is something that Posey will be privy too. She has all of the BoVD except for self-mutilation, if only because of her vanity and need to upkeep her appearances. Throughout her life, death, and unlife, she's been treated as an object of sexual pleasure as she was passed from master to master. With that background it's unlikely that her superiors would be annoyed or surprised by her using her body to fulfill her ambitious (it's a classic spy tactic anyway).
Even being slashed by a paladin's magic sword smite was a novel and welcome experience to her; one that she was desperate to feel at least once (pic semi-related).

>>170967
>Also if this is some way to back door in more powers, I'm saying no to that, except for something mundane like sending messages back to her master.
I only want it as a means for the league to communicate with Posey one-sided, and fulfil the Apprentice fear's requirement for weekly tutelage.
But more importantly, I was hoping for it to be a plot device. Posey is an agent of the league, sent here to fulfill the political ambitions of her masters, so a way to receive the occasional order would give me some character goals besides general edginess and megalomania. This gives no new powers, because Posey would only be able to speak back to them if she were aware that they were contacting her first.

>If what you want to do is to set up an NPC she would converse with
It doesn't need to be full conversations. It could just be the occasional order from a distorted voice in the shadows, or the occasional request of "Friendship Lessons" written as telepathic letters by me.

>outlines to the character and backstory so I can try to mold him/her
I would prefer Posey's master to be a Necromancer from the Society Of Bones, as I mentioned that Posey was sold to the society of bones as a Slaymste by her parents in the Coven before she was ressurected and modified. A slaymate is a unique undead that is created from the remains of a child by means of betrayal by a parent through neglect or violence, and is highly coveted by Necromancers for its power to augment Necromancy spells. I would also like the master to have some personal investment in Posey's development (but not necessarily care for her), as they would have sacrificed a Slaymate for the purpose of her creation, with the logic that they were pursuing the creation of new unique undead through mixture of bloodlines, operations and prophane acts done to the subject. I also would like her master to be distant but domineering, as they fully own Posey so long as she is bound to them, and may feel the need to "remind" her that she's still a slave if she gets too uppity with her taste of newfound freedom.
I would also like them to be a Dread Necromancer for the sake of the Apprentice feat, although a Wizard or DeathMaster will be fine too. Posey's skills and charisma score mean she is able to have a mentor of at least 8th level. Posey is bound to her master until she surpasses them, so at your discretion you may increase the cap for the levels Posey needs to achieve this based on the level of the NPC
I had envisioned her master to be a stallion as well.
Posey's attitude towards her master would be a complex one, as although she is a slave, she owes everything, even her very existence, to her master. Her master liberated her from her eternal misery as a slaymate, enhanced her body with spells and rituals, made her undead, infused her with blood, gave her sentience again, taught her the art of Necromancy, and gave her the rare privilege to infiltrate Equestria in service of the League. In spite of Posey's selfishness, she would feel indebted to her master and feel eager to please them with gifts and acts of glory, as well as to expand her powers to impress and surpass them.

Last is something that is unlikely to come up often, but worth noting:
>in desperate times she can even call upon him for aid. Apprentices are expected to learn and grow, and mentors are loath to step in and provide physical support or financial aid, or to pull strings for an apprentice. Convincing the mentor to aid in this way requires a successful level check (d20 + character level), the DC of which is set by the DM and varies from 10 for simple favors to as high as 25 for highly dangerous, expensive, or illegal favors. A successful check means the mentor helps in some way (lends a magic item, accompanies the character on a short mission, pulls strings to get an appointment with the mayor, and so on) but demands double the normal tithe the next time the character gain a level. Once the character asks for aid, no further requests for aid will be honored until she gains at least one experience level.
Posey may ask for a favor from her master in only the most desperate, but since her master would be ineffably evil and unwilling to help her, this would be unlikely for anything except for the most desperate circumstances that also fulfill the interests of the League, and Posey herself would be unwilling to ask for gibs as she is intent to prove her worth and earn her emancipation alone.
You may also consider all or some of Posey's favors to have been already expended by her creation, referring to the spells and rituals that made her what she is today (I already spent my starting gold on that, but it also involved NPCs doing stuff to her, so that's a fair cost). This can also be fluffed as Posey being "indentured" to an unlife of servitude for her creation.
Posey's slave/son is a gift from her master, a slave bred from mutated bloodline like herself, and the most valuable possession she has to her name. Posey will make Gloomy her own apprentice once her master emancipates her (if they ever do), and she plans to eventually make him undead like herself to fulfill the destiny she forsaw for him. I got the idea from how Celestia gave Twilight Spike's egg as her final test.
Editor's note: Gloomy was originally written as a goat, from his association with Orcus, his potential role as a sacrificial lamb, and the idiom "get your goat" referring to Posey's rage if she ever lost or misplaced him. I settled on making him a pony because I like ponies more and he's supposed to be passable as her son. He still has a goat theme though.

That being said

Posey makes sure Gloomy is properly groomed, fed, and hydrated in preparation for her visit to the doctor. She pays special attention deal with any signs that might cause strangers to call foal protection services. She rehearses alibis with him so that he knows what to say to the doctor should they question him.
That's the easy part...
August might've been horny enough not to notice it in the dark, but Posey needs to take great care to keep her own undead nature disguised in the presence of a medical professional. Her vampiric heritage gives her some advantages through intake of blood, but she doesn't want to be too taxing on her her little lamb before this outing, and fact of the batter is that she is still undead (though well preserved), and even at her most vivacious she appears supernatural (if strikingly beautiful). She applies heavy makeup, makes sure her fur is brushed and blotchless, applies her perfume, makes sure she's properly washed and brushed, uses a negative energy burst to kill off bacteria, and stuffs her pockets with posies. She practices throbbing her mother cyst to emulate a heartbeat as well as breathing exercises. She also practices her regular yogas during her meditation.

Posey uses the Disguise skill to accomplish this. You may roll her check secretly to determine her success. Posey has a modifier of +6 on disguise checks, plus 11 if you consider faking being alive to be a "minor detail".
Posey has the Cast No Shadow undead weakness, so she takes a -2 penalty to Disguise checks in context of areas of bright light.

I could really stand to learn Disguise Undead pretty soon...

After seeing that Backa is settled in and Lament is fine, she informs Mason of her intent to visit the doctor, giving him ample time to prepare.

>>170947
Amber closes her eyes for a second, and the outburst ends as quickly as it started. "Yes, I think that would be best. Let's hope Beakstadt goes more smoothly."

Amber does the work necessary to prepare for the train pulling into the station.

>>170967
>helicopter coming
The setting is mid-1940's so other than magic you can assume that what you encounter will more-or-less resemble that of the real world.
>"prophane acts"
Well okay then, you didn't have to go into detail….
Was Hank Hill involved?

>>170969
I'll mention that Posey does not bring any weapons, armor or equipment with her on her trip except for her cloak, her first aid pack (only for show), her spell components pouch, her purse (a few gp), her ID and Medical certificate (forged), couple lolipops for Gloomy, and her unholy symbol.
The rest she leaves at the manor, electing to travel unarmed and unarmored (confident in her powers).

>>170945
GM, just so that I understand, where exactly does Posey meet with the doctor?
Also, for adventuring purposes, where is the Changeling front and how far is Posey from the border? I'm not certain of the geography of this particular mileau. I know where Baltimare is on the EaW map, but not what the political geography in this game.

>>170969
>She pays special attention deal with any signs that might cause strangers to call foal protection services. She rehearses alibis with him so that he knows what to say to the doctor should they question him.
If anyone asks, he fell down the stairs

>>170975
>Posey does not bring any weapons, armor or equipment with her
Well that's alright, she's just going in town to the university. It's not like she could be attacked on the way to the university, or like someone would attack someone in the university. Right? Right?

>>170979
>where exactly does Posey meet with the doctor?
On the grounds of the medical of Jim Haykins University within Baltimare proper, albeit in a different part.

>for adventuring purposes, where is the Changeling front and how far is Posey from the border?
There isn't really a "changeling front" as hostilities have officially ceased with a Changeling victory and the partitioning of Equestria. The Changeling side is actually kind of far away, probably around 700-1000 miles away, and the vassal state that Baltimare is the capital of does not share a border with the Changelings.

The border between the Changeling Hegemony and New Mareland State controlled sides has never been completely clarified. Bales is on the New Mareland side with the river that runs along the city being the border. Canterlot is on the New Mareland side with the border passing just barely west, and the river that flows down from Canterlot forms a part of the border. Whinnyapolis, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, The entire or at least most of the Crystal Empire are on the Hegemony side, and obviously Tall Tales and Vanhoover are well within the Hegemony Territory. Manehattan, Trottingham, Baltimare, Stableside, Tenochtitlan and Fillydelphia are well within the New Mareland side, and White Severyana and Hoofington are also on this side. The southwest and Puerto Caballo are less clear. There are active fighting fronts (in formal wars) elsewhere, however, like south of the mainland and in Griffonia.

But the great thing is, EAW takes place in the semi modern era. The show will have the ponies travel great distances in short times by airship, train, or (rather implausibly) hoofing it while pulling a cart. There may not be commercial jetliners, but characters here can (and have) travelled great distances by train.

>>170962
The medic nods sharply. "Understood." He takes a needle, and injects it into the downed pony. The downed pony's eyes open, and he breathes in sharply, before the medic pulls his up. The pony picks up his bag and gun, and is more or less "ready."

>>170982
>he fell down the stairs
Posey would say "he has mana-poisoning" (tomb tainted soul), to address his sickly appearance. Gloomy has moderate taint, but it's internalized.
Posey's decision to bring Gloomy is partly motivated by her cover story, as she said in her immigration status, as she alleges to be a specialist mage concerned with the effects of negative energies, with Gloomy being her long-term observational specimen and patient. She intends to in part use his existence as proof for the necessity of her academic discipline.
>It's not like she could be attacked on the way to the university, or like someone would attack someone in the university. Right? Right?
I am well aware, and so would Posey. Posey just considers risk of suspicion and exposure to far outweigh lack of equipment. Besides, although she's got less AC without her armor and it hinders her fear-based tactics, she's not defenless, .
Posey is also cocky and confident in her powers. She's more concerned about Gloomy being attacked than herself.
I know I said I would a statblock for Gloomy, but... I kind of forgot. He's supposed to become a Binder, but if combat arises could I just treat him as a commoner with 2 HP, Dex of 12, Str of 6, Con of 6, small size, and an AC of 12 for now? He should have Tomb Tainted Soul (healed by negative energy) as his first feat, and his simple weapon would be a sling (really just a toy).
>The Changeling side is actually kind of far away
Oh well, I guess if I want to host an invasion there I'll have to march my forces some distance.
>political geography lore
Noted.
There are active fighting fronts (in formal wars) elsewhere, however, like south of the mainland and in Griffonia.
Those aren't on this continent, are they?
>characters here can (and have) travelled great distances
I guess the plot will tell.
>On the grounds of the medical of Jim Haykins University within Baltimare proper, albeit in a different part.
After Posey makes all appropriate preparations, she makes her way there, preferably with Mason driving her.

>>170984
>>170982
Posey leaves for the clinic during it's normal business hours.
I assume she has to pass some checkpoints to get there. Does she need to do any bluffing to get passed?

>>170983
"Everypony on me, that machine gunner should lead us right to them. Wounded stay in back, do what you can if we get engaged but try not to get yourselves killed."

If Silver goes to where the changelings were positioned at, can he track where the fleeing machine gunner went?

>Posey still trying to figure out how to efficiently conquer Equestria with only three levels of power and two days of experience in the country
"... And then release the wights into a densely populated urban center, rely on their instincts to spread out from the epicenter... No, no, no, too many moving parts to manage...!"
tears up map

"Oh well... Gloomy, we'll be leaving doctor's shortly. Come here and let me comb out your mane."
"Ye- *cough cough*, y-yes, momma."

Do you have any time this week, GM?

>>170990
Yes.

>>170987
Mason agrees to take Posey to the university, with the quip "It's about time you got started." The ride is as before, going onto the main road and to the city, crossing the bridge across the river, but this time turning west. The car proceeds a few blocks, before turning northward onto Marengo street. The roads are lined sometimes with three story townhomes, and sometimes with four story apartment buildings, alternating in colors of beige, rust red, and brown. While a few buildings are encased in wooden scaffolds, most are intact. Going further north, past a beige two story schoolhouse and a fire station,

Posey comes upon a few large buildings, and ultimately to a large brick building that takes up more than a block. It has with four floors in the main portion, a slanted, blue tiled roof, vaulted roof windows, bright red bricks, and in the center, a tall, blue dome. Mason parks in front of the building, and the ponies go up a flight of granite stairs to an entrance flanked by marble Dorian columns. Inside is a double staircase and hallways left and right, with marble floors with interlacing black and white patterns. On the walls are symbols like the apple and the rod of Asclepius, as well as friezes depicting ponies who must be significant figures of yesteryear, which further down the hall transform into paintings in a realist style of ponies working microscopes or holding beakers.

Ponies walk around these streets. Unicorns, mostly. Their clothes are prim, and often formal, and many wear spectacles. For Gloomy in particular this must be an unusual experience, for rarely has he seen so many living ponies, and certainly not like this.

Mason takes Posey up the stairs, and ultimately to an office where they can shut the door behind them.

>>170974
The stop at Beakstadt Hoptbahnhof is thankfully - mericifully - rather straight forward. Police come out towards the train, as does who appears to be a Reichsbahn employee, but the police stay back, and busy themselves with registering travelers and immigrants, and the Reichsbahn agent stays back, simply noting the presence of the train in the station. Beakstadt is only the penultimate stop, and far from the largest.

The real stop is coming up in Hellquill City.

>>170993
And it is the one place they have a chance of true escape in. After boarding passengers at Beakstadt and departing the station, Amber goes to Helder and asks what they should do at Hellheim. Amber has done her part, now it's up to him and his contacts.

>>170992
Very colorful and detailed exposition, as usual.

Posey exits the vehicle and thanks Mason for his service. She shuffles Gloomy along with her, levitating the excited and curious foal and trotting towards the building a bit more quickly than a normal pony might with a whirl of her cape, trying to stay out of the sun.

>rod of Asclepius
Posey winces at the healing symbol somewhat, averting her gaze as she forges as she passes.
> For Gloomy in particular this must be an unusual experience, for rarely has he seen so many living ponies, and certainly not like this.
Gloomy is not feeling so gloomy right now, as he is indeed very excited by all of the new sights "ooh-ing" and "ah-ing" as he goes. He turns his head left and right, taking in all of the new experiences, and shouting several variations of "momma look!", blissfully ignorant to the furtive and paranoid attitude of his momma.
His excitement gets the better of him, and by the time the door closes his happy giggling abruptly deteriorates into a rough coughing fit, followed by a series of pained groans, shudders and head-tossing as he weakly mutters something incoherent.
At this, Posey stops, turns to Gloomy, and holds his head to her chest with a hushed whisper, stroking his mane and cooing a faint eerie melody that seems to calm the foal down, like a lullaby. As his convulsing stops, Gloomy, looks up at Posey with a silent nod as she strokes his mane. He smiles at her through his pained grimace. His demeanor is once again a bit gloomier, but also calm, and still showing signs of his youthful excitement from earlier.
"Are you ready, my sweet little lamb?"
"Y-yes, momma."
"Do you need to stop? Take a nap? Have a snack? Go potty?"
"No momma."
"What a big, strong colt you're turning out to be. Trot along now, sweetie." Posey says, tasseling his mane as she turns and walks deeper into the building, slower this time as Gloomy weakly follows after her.

If any other ponies stared at this interaction, Posey pays them no mind, unless of course they solicit her.

>>170992
I take it that Posey already knows which room to meet the doctor?
I'm going to preemptively roll a Gather Information check for Posey to find her way there, if needed.
[1d20+4 = (15+4) = 19]

>>170996
Pretty sure that succeeded.
Posey checks with the clerk, before proceeding to the doctor's office.

>>170994
Unhelpfully, yet not entirely unsurprisingly, Helder freezes up. Helder says,

"We need - we need to get to Freieluft within the Office of the Master of Rituals... the director of art. In Hellquill City."

>>170995
>>170996
>>170997
Posey doesn't have to look far at all, as Mason guides her to an office. Going inside, it's not of a particularly large size, perhaps a little smaller than a bedroom. There is a window on the far side, though the blinds are closed and both the left and right walls, as well as every single inch of the close wall save for doorway, is covered in bookshelves. Innumerable books crowd the shelves, many with worn leather binds, or pages that stick out of the book after having clearly fallen out and being imperfectly placed back in. An Equestrian steel military helmet, with its straps off to each side, sits on top of the left shelf. Near the closed blinds of the windows, a bit to the left, is a pot with an artificial "plant" that has feathers in place of leaves. In front of that is a crowded wooden desk, with a busy mail stack piled with letters. There is a stack of papers, as well as another stapled on top of that, and a red booklet entitled "The Equestrian Medical Journal" in pristine condition on the right side of the desk. On the left and a little closer to the back is a very, very old leather-bound book, titled "Quamoon-e-Islamb, or the customs of the Moosemares of Saddle Arabia" by Jade Saffron. But this is just a sample of what lies in this room. In front of the desk is a single chair, with a ecru wool blanket piled on it, and behind the desk, another simple chair with a rain jacket.

This is the office of Junior Professor of Necromancy Diligent Debride, so says the plaque outside.